Genius Playground

Chapter 319: Chapter 7: Strange World, Strange Senior

Honestly, who could say no to such a tireless and obedient assistant?

He remembered thinking something similar back when he was writing the Setting Collection… How wonderful would it be to have an omnipotent assistant who could fulfill your every wish and carry out your every command.

The character Lilith was likely designed with that exact idea in mind.

But thinking about it now, it was just incredible. He never thought the fabricated stories from his old Setting Collection would actually come true in the real world!

‘Don’t tell me our reality is fake, too? Did the creator of this world take my Setting Collection and use its lore to design the rules of this universe?’

Jiang Ran turned, watching the students and teachers bustling across campus, the willow branches dancing in the gentle breeze, and the ginkgo leaves slowly drifting down, blanketing the ground in a golden light.

This world couldn’t possibly be fake.

He didn’t know how to prove it or how he could tell, but his gut feeling was certain.

In that case…

How did the people in the 2045 Virtual World view this issue?

Jiang Ran couldn’t help but look forward to finding a chance to talk with them about it.

…

「That evening, in the Film Club room.」

Chi Xiaoguo was sitting on the sofa, reading a book.

It was an old book on film photography she had borrowed from the library. Its yellowed pages and tattered cover attested to its definitive status on the subject.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ran was sitting on a chair by the lab bench, scrolling on his phone.

His finger mechanically swiped upward, the screen cycling through an endless stream of viral videos—bladesmithing competitions, farrier restorations, carpet cleaning… But Jiang Ran was absent-minded, watching without really seeing, his thoughts consumed by the bizarre Virtual World of 2045.

As he’d figured, the part he understood least was still the worldwide rewind that occurred at a fixed interval of [39 minutes and 11 seconds].

‘It can’t be…’

His finger froze mid-swipe. He felt a pang of unease.

‘It can’t be because my presence is messing with the Virtual World’s source code, causing it to bug out and crash, right?’

‘No way.’

‘I’m not a virus. I can’t be that destructive.’

Besides, Jiang Ran was a computer science major himself. He didn’t believe such a vast, complex, and sophisticated Virtual World would crash and reboot over a minor glitch. If it were really that fragile, its architects and programmers should have been fired long ago.

‘Actually, if I want to verify whether I’m the cause, I could use the control variables method. I just need to have someone else try going to 2045.’

He lifted his head and gazed at Chi Xiaoguo.

This was an idea he’d had yesterday—

He could just switch places with Chi Xiaoguo. He would activate the Positron Cannon, and she could stand by the electrical panel to take the call.

That would accomplish two things. First, he could verify whether he was the only one who could use the Positron Cannon to travel to 2045.

Second, he could let Chi Xiaoguo experience the Future World and see if the rewinds would still occur.

But…

He narrowed his eyes, still looking at Chi Xiaoguo.

‘But would the trip be safe for her?’

‘Considering the chaos of the rewind—faces stretching into blocks of color, movements stuttering and flickering, the world flashing between light and darkness… wouldn’t that terrify Chi Xiaoguo?’

Jiang Ran was genuinely hesitant.

However, over on the sofa, Chi Xiaoguo was sneaking glances at Jiang Ran out of the corner of her eye.

‘She’d noticed it a while ago! Senior has been watching me! And he’s been staring so intently! His expression keeps shifting between worried, hesitant, and conflicted, like he’s going through some intense internal struggle.’

‘Wh-what is going on?’

‘Should I pretend I haven’t noticed?’

‘But this has been going on for so long, I don’t dare look up at all!’

“AHEM, AHEM…”

She let out two soft coughs, trying to get Jiang Ran’s attention.

Unfortunately…

…he didn’t react at all. He even narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing more intense!

“S-Senior.”

Chi Xiaoguo couldn’t take it anymore and cautiously raised her head.

“Y-you don’t have something you want to say to me, do you?”

“Huh?”

Jiang Ran was taken aback for a moment before giving a helpless smile.

“Sorry, looks like you figured me out. It’s just… a bit difficult to bring up.”

‘Dif-dif-dif-dif-dif-dif-difficult to bring up!’

Chi Xiaoguo was freaking out!

‘Based on her experience from 500 romance novels, 300 romance dramas, 200 romance animes, and over 100 dating sims…’

‘…in a club room, late at night, with just one guy and one girl, a place brimming with youthful passion… when he says something is “difficult to bring up,” there’s only one possible meaning!’

“B-b-b-but I’m not ready yet!” Chi Xiaoguo said, flustered.

Jiang Ran pressed his lips together.

‘Looks like Chi Xiaoguo is as sharp as I thought. She’s already figured it out.’

‘It makes sense.’

‘We’ve been secretly experimenting with the Positron Cannon every night and failing every time. Even an idiot could figure out that the best solution is to have someone else give it a try.’

“Alright.”

Jiang Ran stood up.

“It seems you’ve already guessed. To be honest, it might be too much to ask of you.”

“T-t-t-too much?!”

Chi Xiaoguo shot to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest as her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

“Th-th-th-this is way too fast! That’s not how it’s supposed to go! W-we should take things slow!”

Jiang Ran fell silent, thinking for a moment.

“You’re right.”

He nodded.

“You’re right. We shouldn’t rush into something like this. I should look into it more and make sure it’s safe before I ask you to try.”

“Safe—?!”

Chi Xiaoguo’s voice cracked in shock.

“Senior! You… You’re into some dangerous stuff, huh?!”

“It is pretty dangerous,”

Jiang Ran admitted frankly.

“The main thing is that it takes a long time. It’s not something you can just stop whenever you want. Once it starts, you can’t stop in the middle, even if you want to.”