Genius Playground

[September 28, 2025. Weather: Overcast.]

[The day of divine punishment has finally arrived.

The moment I have long awaited is finally here.

My dream can finally be realized, and my regrets can finally be put to rest. There’s only one last step.

Divine punishment!

Divine punishment must be carried out on Jiang Ran, the sinner who has disrupted history and spacetime!

The Priest said this is a crime far more heinous in nature than any crime in the real world.

He hasn’t just destroyed tens of millions of lives; he is destroying the world itself, causing all order to collapse.

I can’t help but think that if things hadn’t turned out this way, I would have become a police officer, punishing evil and promoting good, doing my best to keep the peace.

But I am still honored that I can now bring a bit of good to this world in another way.

I don’t know if it’s because of our frequent contact recently, but when I think of the moment of Jiang Ran’s death, I actually feel pangs of reluctance and sadness.

But, the first lesson our teachers taught us in school was that justice must triumph over emotion.

Besides, these aren’t my own emotions. They are wrong emotions, emotions that shouldn’t exist.

I know what I’m doing.

I am firm in what I’m doing.

Little brother...

Soon, we’ll see each other again.

The only thing your big sister did wrong in this life was failing to punish Jiang Ran within the bounds of the law, instead resorting to vigilante justice—fighting violence with violence.

This is wrong, and it’s something I feel guilty about.

But the Priest said that current laws cannot convict someone for disrupting spacetime and history... and they can’t just stand by and watch the world order be destroyed. So, they must take action.

I hope you can forgive me, forgive that my way of carrying out justice is not the right way.

The Priest said I need to lead Jiang Ran out of East Sea City to a remote place with an open view. Someone will be there to help me carry out the divine punishment.

I have long anticipated this day.

And I have long since decided... what must be done.]

...

...

...

The next day, at the East Sea City Public Security Bureau, inside an officer’s office.

Officer Liu handed over a stack of documents.

”Jiang Ran, we’ve had a lot of people investigating over the past two days, and we did find some information on the Regrets Mutual Aid Association.”

”But most of these leads don’t get to the core of it. There’s no evidence pointing to Wu Yuanzheng, and we haven’t found anything on this ’Priest’ you mentioned either.”

”We suspect these individuals aren’t core members of the Regrets Mutual Aid Association. They probably aren’t qualified to know its core secrets or have contact with the Priest.”

”That makes things difficult. A mutual aid association isn’t illegal in itself. In fact, many of them have a positive social impact, like the common ones for finding relatives or for cancer patients.”

”As for the information you provided on the assassin, Fang Yang, we’ve been looking into that as well. We haven’t found any matches, not even in the immigration records.”

Jiang Ran looked through the documents one by one.

Indeed, just as Officer Liu had said, most of the information was meaningless.

In the Future Prison of 2045, the assassin Fang Yang had personally confessed that he was the one who killed Zhou Xiong in Hang City, and that he had been hiding in the United States ever since.

Logically, there should have been an immigration record, unless he swam across the Pacific Ocean... which was obviously not realistic.

’Perhaps Fang Yang isn’t the name on his passport.’

Jiang Ran speculated, ”Fang Yang is a foreign national, born and raised abroad. I only know his Dragon Country name is Fang Yang. I don’t actually know his real nationality or his real foreign name.”

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

This was going to be very difficult.

’Right now, the only two people who can be criminally linked to the Priest—that is, Wu Yuanzheng—are Old Tian and the Assassin.’

’Old Tian confessed to his crimes in his diary, but unfortunately, he’s already dead, so there’s no way to get information from him.’

’The assassin Fang Yang’s crimes are also real. Zhou Xiong’s death was a direct result of his following the Priest’s orders. If we could catch him, we could naturally follow the trail to his superior... which would most likely lead us directly to Wu Yuanzheng.’

Unfortunately, the Assassin was a professional, after all.

’Even though he revealed a lot to me back in 2045, his 2025 self has done an excellent job of concealing his tracks and identity.’

’It comes back to the same thing: if only I could make another trip to the Future Prison in 2045, I could definitely get more information.’

’For example...’

’The assassin Fang Yang’s hiding place and alias in 2025.’

’Or information related to Cheng Mengxue. The Assassin should have heard something about her.’

But at a critical juncture like this... should I really take the risk and use the Positron Cannon?

Almost instantly, Jiang Ran dismissed the thought.

’The risk is too great.’

’I know they’re watching me. I absolutely can’t blow my cover at such a crucial moment.’

For now, the only breakthrough point was Cheng Mengxue.

...

By the time he returned to East Sea University and arrived at the Film Club’s activity room, it was already evening.

Chi Xiaoguo was handing out photos.

”Look, everyone! This is our group photo from Dazhi River Park yesterday. It turned out great! You’re all so photogenic!”

”Come on, come on. I had four copies of this one printed, one for each of us. Keep it as a memento.”

Jiang Ran took the photo that was his.

He picked it up and took a look. It really was a good picture—

The four of them stood by the riverbank, two in front and two in back, all smiling as they said ”cheese.” In the background, the river shimmered, and in the distance, a forest of red maples was lush and green.

Jiang Ran and Fang Ze stood in the back, straight as boards, like two stiff tree trunks. But for guys, as long as you managed to keep your eyes open and crack a smile in a photo, it was considered a passing grade.

In front of them, Cheng Mengxue and Chi Xiaoguo tilted their heads, one to the left and one to the right, flashing quirky peace signs. Their smiles were radiant, full of youthful charm.

”Here, and here’s the photo of you two.”

Chi Xiaoguo handed over two more photos.

Jiang Ran took them.

These were two copies of the photo of him and Cheng Mengxue, taken right before they rescued the child from the water.

Jiang Ran still had that same sour look on his face.

Cheng Mengxue, however, wore a natural, sweet smile, as if they were the same innocent childhood sweethearts they’d always been. Her arm was pressed against Jiang Ran’s, her head tilted slightly, and loose strands of hair by her ear fluttered in the breeze.

Jiang Ran stared at the photo in silence.

’It had been a long time since he’d taken a photo like this with Cheng Mengxue. Not on World Line 1, and not on World Line 0 either.’

’He just couldn’t feel as comfortable and at ease as the Cheng Mengxue in the photo.’

’He kept his distance.’

’His mind was in turmoil.’

’He pushed her away, yet drew her close.’

For some reason, he recalled the words Wang Hao had used to mock him—

”Hahahaha, how the tables have turned! Jiang Ran, you’re just getting what you deserve!”

”It’s true what they say: it takes a villain to grind down a villain. Now that you’re in the same situation, how does it feel!”

”You bullied Xiuxiu so much back then, and look at you now! Karma’s come around and given you someone you can’t tell is real or fake, someone you can’t even be sure is your own childhood sweetheart. Now you get to know how it feels!”

...

Before, this taunt hadn’t really affected him.

But now, he truly felt it firsthand.

”Hey! What are you spacing out for?”

Cheng Mengxue reached out her slender little hand.

”Give it to me~”

She snatched her copy of the photo right out of his hand and studied it.

”Sigh, you’re the same inside and out, always looking so dazed.”

After all the photos were handed out, Chi Xiaoguo clapped her hands.

”Alright, we won’t have any more club activities before the National Day holiday. See you all after the break!”

Hearing this, Jiang Ran pulled out his phone and glanced at it.

’Today’s date: September 28, 2025.’

’Time really flies. Before I knew it, the first month of the new semester was over.’

’In two days, it would be the start of the eight-day long holiday.’

’But at a time like this... what could he even use a holiday for?’

...

On the rooftop of the club activities building.

Jiang Ran was very familiar with this place.

’On World Line 0, he and Qin Feng used to come here often. This was also where he had rejected Qin Feng’s request to resurrect his father. The aftershocks of that ”I’m sorry” could still be felt today.’

Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue leaned against the railing at the edge of the roof, gazing at the red sun slowly sinking in the distance and the fiery clouds that burned ever closer.

”Jiang Ran.”

Cheng Mengxue suddenly spoke up.

”What are your plans for the National Day holiday?”

Jiang Ran shook his head.

”No plans.”

He answered honestly, ”I’ll probably just stay at school. There’s nowhere I really want to go.”

”Then...”

Cheng Mengxue turned around and giggled.

”In that case, why don’t we go back to Hang City for a trip!”

”What’s so fun about Hang City?”

Jiang Ran said dismissively, ”We grew up in Hang City. We’ve already been to all the fun places and seen everything there is to see.”

”Nonono~”

Cheng Mengxue wagged her index finger.

”There’s still one place I haven’t been. I’ve always wanted to go.”

”Oh?” Jiang Ran asked, a little curious. ”Where?”

Cheng Mengxue stood up straight, the blood-red sunset draped over her shoulders.

”Jingshan Bamboo Public Cemetery.”

She looked into Jiang Ran’s eyes and said softly,

”My Tombstone is there. I want to go see it.”

!

Jiang Ran shot up from the railing, completely bewildered.

”Why would we go there?”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”Who goes to see their own tombstone while they’re still alive? That’s way too unlucky. Let’s just forget it. Just pretend that Tombstone doesn’t exist.”

Cheng Mengxue raised her eyebrows.

”You really don’t want to go?”

”Of course I don’t.”

Jiang Ran said bluntly, ”No matter how you look at it, going with you to see your own Tombstone is just too weird.”

SWOOSH—

Cheng Mengxue suddenly pulled a card from her pocket and held it in front of Jiang Ran’s eyes.

”’Designated Dare.’”

She blinked.

”Jiang Ran, we pinky-swore at the birthday party. You’re not going to go back on your word now, are you?”

Jiang Ran stared at the card.

’This was a card from the game Truth or Dare. According to the rules, the person who drew this card could choose any player and give them a command. The chosen player had to obey the command and complete the dare.’

’Back at the birthday party, he and Cheng Mengxue had agreed that they could both save the ’Designated Truth’ and ’Designated Dare’ cards they drew to use later.’

Now, he was just a little surprised.

’He never expected Cheng Mengxue would use her ’Designated Dare’ card at a time like this.’

”Are you serious?” Jiang Ran was full of doubt.

”Yep~”

Cheng Mengxue shook her head playfully.

”Seeing that look on your face, you have nothing to say for yourself now, right?”

”Designated Dare. According to the rules, you have to obey my command unconditionally and complete this dare.”

She smiled faintly and pointed the card at Jiang Ran.

”And that is my command.”

”So, Jiang Ran, a deal’s a deal. For the National Day holiday, you’re going to accompany me on a trip...”

”...to Jingshan Bamboo Public Cemetery.”