Genius Playground

BEEP BEEP!

At that same moment, in seven corners of the world, seven phones beeped in unison, having received the same push notification.

「Switzerland, Interlaken.」

Snow swirled at the entrance to the Alps. Inside a house with a roaring fireplace, a man with disheveled hair picked up his phone and chuckled.

”Well, well. So the Priest was eliminated. I really thought he would last until the very end.”

”Good riddance. I never met Yan Chonghan from Dartmouth College, but he worked for my assistant there... I suppose this counts as revenge for him.”

”I have to say, for someone to dare go after the Priest while he held the King’s Coin—and actually succeed—is truly admirable.”

”Who could this person be...? My guess is the Witch? The Vampire? Or maybe the Clown? Heh, I hope someone stands up to talk about it at the next meeting. Whoever it is, they’re the great hero who set us free.”

”Lilith,”

he called out.

”I need to confirm something. Does the elimination of the Priest’s seat mean that his King’s Coin is also nullified?”

”That’s correct, Mr. Puppet.”

A light, pleasant, and lively female voice replied from the phone:

”Just as you said, the Priest’s era of absolute rule in the Genius Playground is over. No one holds Veto Power anymore. You no longer need to be so apprehensive, nor do you have to walk on eggshells around anyone.”

”Heh, I’m a bit curious about something else, too,”

the man codenamed Puppet said, rubbing his stubble.

”How is that ’work’ of mine? The girl named Cheng Mengxue... She was the first volunteer for the Consciousness Upload experiment, you know.”

”If the Priest’s offer hadn’t been so tempting, I really wouldn’t have wanted to break my promise to the Magician... Oh well, it’s too late to talk about that now. The Magician will come to settle the score with me sooner or later.”

”But that’s assuming... he gets past the Clown first. So, tell me, Lilith, what happened to Cheng Mengxue? Was she with the Priest? Is she still alive?”

”I’m sorry, Mr. Puppet.”

Lilith’s voice held a trace of helplessness.

”Lilith cannot answer that question.”

”Oh, come on, you’re too rigid.”

The man codenamed Puppet spread his hands.

”It’s not like it’s hard to verify. I’ll know everything just by checking the news tomorrow. You can’t even tell me something this minor directly?”

Lilith giggled.

”That’s right, Mr. Puppet. Not even the smallest of questions, I’m afraid.”

She continued:

”[Lilith is only responsible for executing specific commands and cannot answer any questions outside the game’s rules.]”

”Fine, fine.”

The man was long used to it.

He stood up and gazed at the heavy, goose-feather snow outside the window.

”A new era is dawning!”

”Lilith, can you make the snow outside stop and have the sun out for two days to celebrate?”

”Of course, Mr. Puppet,”

Lilith said calmly:

”This command will consume over 10 million points, so I need to confirm it with you.”

”To stop the snowfall in the Interlaken area at the foot of the Alps and maintain clear weather for two days will require a deduction of 37 million points. At the same time, according to the game’s rules, this action must be announced to all members in the Genius Playground system. Are you sure you wish to proceed?”

”Hahaha, I was just kidding!”

The man laughed heartily.

”I don’t care about the points, I have plenty. But once that announcement goes out, wouldn’t all those clever little minds guess I’m hiding here?”

”When I eventually move, I might consider using an announcement like that to mess with them. But... better not. Those guys have noses like bloodhounds. Give them the slightest clue, and they’ll follow the trail right to you.”

”So, it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie. Just look at the arrogant Priest. If he had just been as cautious as he was before he got the King’s Coin... would he have ended up like this today?”

”Alright, that’s all, Lilith. I have to get back to work.”

”Understood. I wish you pleasant work!”

Lilith’s voice gradually faded from the phone:

”Well then, Mr. Puppet, until next time. Please be sure to continue upholding your noble ideals and forging a better future for the world.”

...

「Pacific Ocean, Fiji, Vanua Island.」

On a sun-drenched beach, a graceful woman in a bikini lay under a parasol, sipping a fruit juice.

Hearing the push notification from the phone beside her, she picked it up, and a smile spread across her face.

”Heh, oh, Priest, Priest. It seems you provoked someone you shouldn’t have. Just as I thought, wasting a Princess Coin to muddy the waters was completely worth it.”

”One Princess Coin to eliminate a troublesome rival and nullify the King’s Coin in the process... What a bargain.”

”The Genius Playground is bound to get more interesting from now on, isn’t it? The time for a free-for-all is finally starting again. I couldn’t wait. The Priest’s era of absolute rule was just so boring.”

”Lilith,”

she called into the phone.

”I’m here! My dear Miss Witch, what can I do for you?”

Lilith’s voice was full of mischief.

”It seems very hot where you are. Please remember to stay hydrated and be careful of heatstroke.”

The woman swirled her empty glass.

”Then have two more glasses of juice sent over.”

”Roger that!”

Lilith’s voice was crisp.

”An order for two more glasses of the same fresh-squeezed orange juice has been placed for you. A hotel staff member will deliver them upon completion. A total of 80 points will be deducted.”

”Ah, one more thing,”

the woman instructed.

”Please find and purchase a deserted church, factory, or warehouse on the outskirts of Los Angeles for me. And take care of everything related to the property.”

”Of course, Miss Witch.”

Lilith’s agreement was, as always, exceptionally prompt.

”There is a Catholic church in the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles that has been abandoned for many years. The surrounding area is uninhabited, and the nearest place of business is 5 kilometers away. It meets your requirements. The purchase has been completed for you. A total of 2.3 million points have been deducted.”

”Just send me the address.”

The woman codenamed Witch set down her juice glass and stretched languidly.

”Now that the Priest has fallen... it’s time to settle some old scores.”

”That’s all for now, Lilith. Goodbye.”

The phone screen went dark.

”Goodbye, Miss Witch.”

Lilith’s voice was cheerful.

”I hope you enjoy your vacation. And while you do, please be sure to continue upholding your noble ideals and forging a better future for the world.”

...

「Jiaxing Nanhu Airport, Private Jet Tarmac.」

After the Priest’s coin had burned to ashes, the King’s Coin also began to short-circuit, heat up, glow red, and combust.

In less than a minute, the coin had curled into a piece of black charcoal, its original form unrecognizable.

”What a real shame, Mr. Magician,”

Lilith’s regretful voice said from the phone.

”I thought you would use that King’s Coin on the Clown, but I never expected you to destroy it without a second thought... That was something so many members could only dream of possessing.”

”Using the King’s Coin’s Veto Power to shut the Clown up forever would have been satisfying, I admit. But to be honest, it wouldn’t change my situation or bring me any real benefit.”

Qin Feng analyzed the situation rationally.

”The biggest threat the Clown poses to me is that he knows my identity and wants to kill me.”

”I have no interest in his future plans, nor do I care about anyone else’s. Therefore, the King’s Coin was useless to me.”

”Because my goal is to win this game and become the final victor.”

”[That means I have to eliminate every single one of them. And that means all of their plans and ambitions are doomed to fail.]”

”Whoa, what a scary look in your eyes!”

From the phone, Lilith’s voice pretended to tremble with fear.

”But, Mr. Magician, what is your ultimate plan?”

”Every time we say goodbye, I remind you to uphold your noble ideals and forge a better future for the world... but you don’t seem to have any interest in the future of the world or the development of humanity. This is very troubling for Lilith, you know.”

”I don’t have a plan,”

Qin Feng said bluntly.

”Or rather, my plan is a simple and pure one. It’s just what I said before—”

”[Win this game and obtain the ultimate authority over the Genius Playground.]”

He looked at the two coins that had burned to charcoal on the ground and said softly:

”I deceived my best friend, and I got my best friend killed. I never meant to involve them again, yet I’ve still dragged them into danger.”

”This is a mistake I must atone for... even if I’m not really friends with them, and we share no experiences or memories.”

”But friends are friends. If we were friends in one worldline, then... I’ll consider them my friends in every worldline.”

He adjusted his collar and turned around.

”So, my friends are mine to protect.”

”The friend I got killed... I’ll save them myself!”