Genius Playground

In World Line 0, that bite from Cheng Mengxue had landed on Xu Yan’s arm; but in the current World Line 1, it was Fang Ze’s arm she bit.

”You don’t have anything to apologize to me for. I’m not the one who got hurt.”

Jiang Ran let out a soft laugh:

”You should be saying sorry to Fang Ze.”

”Ah, I’m fine! I’m totally fine! It stopped hurting long ago!”

From the front seat, Fang Ze flatly denied it.

Even though he’d never experienced a Dragon Country adolescence, he still had the basic ability to read the room.

’In a situation like this, I absolutely must not get involved in the line of fire!’

’Those two in the back, fighting one minute and making up the next, crying and then laughing... this is clearly not a normal relationship! There’s definitely something more going on here!’

’Bottom line, I need to stay as far away from this war zone as possible. Don’t even think about dragging me in as cannon fodder, Jiang Ran!’

Fang Ze recalled a Dragon Country TV drama he’d once seen. There was a line in it:

”You only lost a leg, but what she lost was love!”

Now.

Probably.

It was a similar situation.

’Dragon Country-style young love really is intense and insane. The TV shows weren’t lying.’

’Besides, it’s not like I lost an arm. It was just a bite. They put some iodine and gauze on it. I’ll just have to suck it up.’

...

「After arriving at East Sea University.」

Chi Xiaoguo and Fang Ze grabbed the four cameras, announced they were responsible for returning the equipment to the Film Club, and promptly bolted.

Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue walked side by side along a narrow campus path, heading step by step toward the dorms.

The moonlight seemed to bury secrets in the footprints they left behind, watching as they slowly made their way up the ginkgo-leaf-covered slope and deeper into the campus.

”Your face... it looks a little swollen.”

Cheng Mengxue looked up at Jiang Ran’s left cheek and, for some reason, smiled.

”Don’t let it scar.”

”Well, you’re the one who did it.”

Jiang Ran grumbled:

”It’s not like you didn’t know I can swim.”

”You never took it seriously!”

Cheng Mengxue began to scold him, recalling how he never took his childhood swimming lessons seriously. He basically treated the pool like a public bath, just floating there like a dead fish.

”Well, it’s true I’m not as skilled as you.”

Jiang Ran recalled Cheng Mengxue’s form from that afternoon:

”You’re an incredible swimmer. Fast as a torpedo.”

”You’re the torpedo!”

She aimed a playful kick at him, but Jiang Ran dodged it.

”Sigh.”

Cheng Mengxue sighed inexplicably, stopping in her tracks. She shifted so she was standing behind Jiang Ran.

”That little bluish mark on the back of your neck... from the pencil. Is it still noticeable?”

”I don’t know.”

Jiang Ran shook his head:

”It’s not like I can see it.”

”Squat down.” Cheng Mengxue motioned downward with her hands, as if commanding a puppy.

”What for?” Jiang Ran looked back.

”Jeez, just squat down! Let me see!”

Resigned, Jiang Ran squatted down.

Cheng Mengxue stepped forward into the gentle night breeze. She reached out her right hand to the nape of Jiang Ran’s neck, pushing aside his collar and hair.

The wound from the pencil that had pierced his skin so deeply over a decade ago was now a faint scar. But right in the middle of it, a sesame-seed-sized bluish dot was embedded beneath the skin, clearly visible in the bright moonlight.

It was the Life-Extending Talisman that had nearly killed him.

It was also a badge of honor from his youth, from when he’d fearlessly sacrificed himself to save another.

Cheng Mengxue slowly traced it with the pad of her index finger and closed her eyes.

”You really are a hero, you know.”

She said softly:

”You were like that back then, and you’re still the same now. The moment someone is in danger, you rush in without a second thought.”

”It’s nothing special.”

Jiang Ran chuckled softly:

”If I have the ability to help, I can’t just stand by and watch someone die, can I?”

”Oh, you...”

Cheng Mengxue lifted her finger from the scar and slowly opened her eyes.

”If only things could stay like this forever.”

...

「On the other side of East Sea City, in a luxurious conference room.」

The old man in the Tang suit rubbed the coin between his fingertips, remaining silent for a long time.

”As I thought. You can always count on that Witch to stir up trouble. She’s on the move again.”

”The thing is... I don’t know her exact plan. But ever since she sent Zhou Xiong to flaunt the Princess Coin, she’s clearly been scheming.”

”I’m fairly certain her malicious intent is directed at us. Right now, in the Genius Playground, no one dares to defy me, but they all want to break the current stalemate.”

”Without a doubt, the best way to break this stalemate is to get rid of me—to get rid of my Veto Power.”

Across the conference table, the middle-aged man was lost in thought as well.

”But it’s not just the Witch. The Puppet’s side must have guessed that you’re the one who got rid of Yan Chonghan. They’re all part of that Dartmouth College faction.”

”Although our plan wasn’t aimed at the Puppet, from his perspective, an act like this is no different from a double-cross.”

The old man in the Tang suit held the King Coin down with his middle finger, then flicked it with his thumb, sending it spinning across the table.

”How are things with the girl?” he asked, looking up.

The middle-aged man shook his head:

”No progress. It’s as if our young Jiang Ran is deliberately stalling, playing at a normal campus life.”

”Regardless, Old Wu, our position is growing more and more passive. I believe it’s about time we put an end to this stalemate.”

He stared at the King Coin as it spun and slid across the tabletop, and continued speaking:

”Frankly, we have almost enough intelligence on Jiang Ran’s side of things.”

”That strange device stored in the Film Club... ever since the girl caught him, Jiang Ran hasn’t used it again. I’m convinced it’s most likely the Time Machine we’ve been looking for.”

”On the night Old Tian shot and killed Yan Chonghan, Jiang Ran appeared on the scene at just the right moment. Although he ultimately failed to stop our divine punishment, the fact that he could get there in time... doesn’t that prove something?”

”’Jiang Ran must have known about this in advance through the Time Machine. Otherwise, I really can’t think of any reason to explain such a coincidence.’”

”At this point, regardless of who the mastermind behind Jiang Ran is, I don’t think we can drag this out any longer.”

”From the looks of it, he hasn’t discovered the truth about the ’key’ yet, nor does he suspect the girl has anything to do with us.”

”If we drag this on any longer, and wait until the whole plan is exposed... I’m afraid the consequences would be more than we can bear.”

Hmm...

The old man in the Tang suit watched the spinning coin lose its energy and let out a long sigh.

”I feel the same. We may not have achieved our initial objective—identifying the mastermind behind Jiang Ran and their intentions—but if we can get our hands on the Time Machine, that would be a pleasant surprise.”

”Our original plan was to use the ’key’ to get close to Jiang Ran, to get to the bottom of everything. Then we could start another ’Hide-and-Seek Game’ and acquire a second valuable coin.”

”But as things stand, that prospect is a long way off. And with more and more powers getting involved, this prize is likely to fall into someone else’s hands.”

”Rather than let that happen, we might as well do what we did to the Princess Coin: destroy the opportunity entirely. We’ll give up our chance, but we won’t give one to anyone else, either.”

”It would be a shame, of course, but maintaining the status quo is better than letting someone else obtain the same power I hold. At the very least, the Genius Playground will remain under my sole authority. This whole farce will end up as just that—a farce, incapable of making any real waves.”

The middle-aged man straightened his suit jacket and stood up.

”In that case, let’s start closing the net. The girl... she’s probably getting impatient.”

WHIRR... WHIRR...

Finally.

The spinning King Coin finally lost its momentum and fell flat on the table.

Reverse side up.

A large eye, encircled by a Ferris wheel, reflected the cold glow of the overhead lights, coldly surveying the world.

”Mm.”

The old man in the Tang suit gazed at the pattern on the back of the coin and grunted.

”This game of playing house is over.”

He pushed himself up from the mahogany chair, rising unsteadily to his feet. He then walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window and gazed out at the three iconic Lujiazui skyscrapers piercing the heavens.

”Call Fang Yang back from the United States.”

The middle-aged man was taken aback:

”We’re using him? The police are still investigating that case in Hang City.”

”It doesn’t matter.”

The old man in the Tang suit stood with his hands clasped behind him.

”Lilith has already taken care of everything. The police have no leads on Fang Yang, nor any reason to suspect him.”

”’In this world, no one knows that Fang Yang is our Assassin, and no one knows he’s connected to the Regrets Mutual Aid Association.’”

”Having him carry out this mission is our safest, most covert option. Given how complicated things are now, I trust Fang Yang to end this more than anyone.”

”Very well.”

The middle-aged man agreed:

”I’ll contact him, then. When shall we set the date for the divine punishment?”

”Let the ’key’ decide.”

The old man in the Tang suit looked at the neon-lit nightscape and smiled faintly.

”An army is raised for a thousand days to be used in a single hour. It’s time for her to serve her purpose.”

”If we’re lucky, we might be able to squeeze one last drop of value out of Jiang Ran. Then, we’ll have Fang Yang make his move...”

”And deliver to Jiang Ran... the final Divine Punishment!”