Genius Playground

Chapter 327: Chapter 11: 3911

Suicide…

So it really was suicide.

When the waitress mentioned a self-chosen method of death, Jiang Ran had already guessed this would be the outcome.

But he just couldn’t understand.

Pompey had created such an idealized Virtual World. Its people lived and worked in peace, technology advanced rapidly, and everything was running perfectly according to his plan.

Under these circumstances, what reason could he possibly have to commit suicide?

“Has the possibility of homicide been ruled out?” Jiang Ran asked.

“Yes.”

The girl nodded.

“That was ruled out immediately. In the Digital World, everything leaves a trace, so very few people commit crimes. Any crime would be solved with 100% certainty, and serious offenses naturally result in the death penalty.”

“But Mr. Pompey’s death was clearly his own choice. Not only were his fingerprints the only ones on the gun at the scene, but he also left behind the decisive piece of evidence on his desk—a suicide note.”

The girl sighed and wiped the corners of her eyes.

“Actually, Pompey had been suffering from depression for several years. It’s one of the few illnesses in the Digital World that can’t be cured directly.”

“That’s because mental illness isn’t a physical injury. There’s no treatment for it aside from counseling.”

“Mr. Pompey fought depression for many years, but in the end, he succumbed to the illness and ended his life with a handgun… That’s how this great hero left us. Maybe it was because he was just too exhausted.”

…

Depression, suicide, a suicide note.

Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes.

‘This whole thing is strange, no matter how you look at it. There has to be more to the story.’

“Where can I see the contents of that suicide note?”

“It’s under the statue in the memorial plaza.”

The girl pointed to the northwest.

“Every city has a memorial plaza for Mr. Pompey. There’s sure to be a vigil there today. You could go and take part.”

“The contents of the note are very strange, almost like nonsense… But considering Mr. Pompey’s depressive state at the time, it’s understandable.”

“There’s a four-digit number written on it that scholars have been studying to this day, but they still don’t know what it means—”

After a couple of choked sobs, the girl said softly,

“3911.”

!

Jiang Ran’s eyes flew open.

‘3911?’

’39 minutes and 11 seconds!’

‘That’s the duration of each reset cycle in the Virtual World!’

‘This is clearly no coincidence!’

“Xiaoting!”

From inside the juice shop, the apron-wearing female owner leaned out and waved.

“Come over and help me out~”

“Ah! Okay!”

The girl called back.

Then she wiped her eyes and gave Jiang Ran a small smile.

“Sorry, I have to get back to work. By the way… would you like a refill?”

“No, no.”

Jiang Ran shook his head.

“I’m really full.”

Then, the waitress turned and walked into the shop, starting a conversation with the owner.

Jiang Ran, on the other hand, took his juice to the side of the road and began to think.

Just as he thought. The reset cycle that occurred every 39 minutes and 11 seconds wasn’t his problem—it was a problem with the Virtual World itself!

Since Pompey left this number in his suicide note, it might mean that he, as the creator of this world, had discovered this problem as early as three years ago!

“No…”

Jiang Ran shook his head.

“It must have been more than just three years ago.”

Because the waitress had just said that Pompey started suffering from depression several years ago, which means he must have become aware of the problem even earlier…

‘In any case, I should go see his suicide note first.’

GLUG GLUG GLUG GLUG.

Jiang Ran tilted his head back and chugged the rest of the orange juice. He was well and truly full this time, his stomach even feeling a bit bloated.

He then hopped on a shared-use hoverbike parked on the street and flew off in the northwestern direction the girl had pointed to.

The distance wasn’t short; the flight took him over ten minutes.

It was a vast plaza, containing little more than extensive greenery and a stone platform.

In the very center of the stone platform, a statue of a person dozens of meters tall stood with its head held high. A large crowd had also gathered on the platform, holding a silent vigil.

Without a doubt, that had to be Pompey’s memorial plaza.

Jiang Ran instinctively raised his hand to check the time, but he’d forgotten that in this reset cycle, he hadn’t gone to the shopping street to get a free watch.

‘I don’t know what time it is. I’d better hurry.’

He twisted the throttle, accelerating toward the plaza. But just as he was about to enter the plaza area, a “No-Fly Zone” alert popped up on the hoverbike’s screen. The autopilot took over, slowly descending and parking the bike at the edge of the plaza.

It seemed flying was prohibited over the memorial plaza. No wonder it looked so empty from a distance, with all vehicles flying around it.

That was understandable.

In this Virtual Digital World, Pompey was the highest spiritual leader. Everyone saw him as a god-like savior. Flying over the savior’s statue would indeed be disrespectful, no matter how you looked at it.

Time was short.

Jiang Ran broke into a jog, heading for the center of the memorial plaza.

The path was filled with people mourning with their heads bowed.

The sorrow from each person was like an overflowing river, making it feel heavy to run along the path. Many of the mourners shot angry glares at Jiang Ran, which made him involuntarily slow his pace, bow his head, and pretend to mourn as well.

Finally, he pushed through the dense crowd and reached the front of the bronze statue.

He lifted his head.

It was a dignified, middle-aged man standing tall, gazing into the distance with a resolute and powerful look in his eyes.

The statue’s features matched the photograph Jiang Ran had seen in the library. It was Pompey. The statue just looked a bit older, which was likely how Pompey looked just before his death.

‘Since the whole world believes Pompey committed suicide, that suicide note must carry a lot of weight… It represents his final regrets, his final thoughts.’

‘I have to see it.’

‘Especially that number, 3911… What does it mean?’

With his head bowed, feigning grief, Jiang Ran slowly moved forward and looked at the base of the bronze statue.

There, as expected, was Pompey’s suicide note, the last words this great savior left for the world.

It was short, only three lines—

[I am a sinner against human civilization.]

[I won the game, but I destroyed the entire world.]

[3911… So this is the end of everything.]

…

Jiang Ran stared at the three engraved lines, lost in thought.

Such bleak and despairing last words stood in stark contrast to the spirited and ambitious Pompey who had addressed the world in 2030.

Back then, he had been a master strategist, full of vigor, holding high the banner of a bright future and proclaiming the goal of a “perfect score on a 30,000-year exam,” determined to guide humanity toward an evolution of its life form and a leap toward truth and the cosmos.

But now… these three short lines were filled with nothing but remorse for his own sins and despair for humanity’s future.

‘The first sentence…’

‘Pompey called himself a sinner against human civilization. Was he referring to the global catastrophe he caused in 2028?’

Jiang Ran believed that wasn’t it at all.

Because in Pompey’s plan, humanity was supposed to abandon its fragile flesh and blood, enter a Virtual World of infinite resources and accelerated progress, and gamble on a civilizational leap 30,000 years later.

‘Could it be that his plan failed?’

‘Did he realize it had failed several years ago?’

‘Then there’s the second sentence…’

‘Pompey said he won the game, but destroyed the entire world.’

‘This sentence seems to supplement the first one, offering no new information, but rather more regret for his actions.’

‘Won the “game.”‘

Jiang Ran seized on that word.

He was reminded of the *Setting Collection* he wrote in middle school, which detailed a game played by eleven geniuses called the Genius Playground.

Although there was no concrete proof yet that such a game actually existed in reality.

But…

the codenames that clearly fit the roles in the Playground,

the phone that could contact Lilith to grant any wish,

the gold coins that the Assassin Fang Yang said represented their identities,

and the incredible, strife-torn situation among those people…

it seemed that this game called the Genius Playground did, in fact, exist.

From that perspective,

Pompey’s ability to trigger a globe-sweeping super-catastrophe in 2028 and convert all of humanity into Digital Life without any opposition…

‘Could it be that possessing such power and authority was related to him ultimately winning this game?’

‘So, is this god-like authority the final reward for the winner of the game?’

‘If so,’

‘then in the future where the Magician was executed in prison, who was the final victor?’

‘The Priest Wu Yuanzheng? Or one of the other members?’

Jiang Ran couldn’t be entirely sure.

But it definitely wasn’t the Magician, Qin Feng… he was a loser, too.

‘”Could it be that these people are participating in this cruel, dog-eat-dog game just to obtain this god-like authority?”‘

He recalled the final second on World Line 0.

Qin Feng had taken out an old-fashioned candy bar phone, his hesitant gaze falling on him.

“Forgive me.”

.

He also recalled how, ever since acting in that micro-film, Qin Feng had repeatedly shown curiosity about his middle school *Setting Collection*, asking about its details time and again.

.

And he recalled the irreversible death of Qin Feng’s father, the Ferris wheel symbol on the burnt courtyard wall, the stolen *Setting Collection* from the basement, and Qin Feng hiding his identity and fleeing everywhere…

It seemed,

‘Qin Feng knew about the Genius Playground from the very beginning. Whether on World Line 0 or World Line 1, he must have come into contact with related information!’

In that case, it wasn’t hard to understand why Qin Feng, who valued friendship so much, would deceive him at the last moment and send that Time SMS ten years into the past.

Perhaps at first, he really did want to save his father.

But now, Qin Feng’s goal was clearly to win this game, eager to obtain the same power and authority as Pompey—enough to destroy the Earth…

What was his purpose for such a grand scheme?

Did he think he could revive his father with it?

Or… revive Cheng Mengxue?

“Can the final prize for winning this game really bring the dead back to life?”

Jiang Ran muttered to himself.

He couldn’t calculate it.

Which was more difficult: triggering a cataclysm that destroyed the Earth, or resurrecting a dead person?

‘Does such supernatural power… really exist in this world?’

Just then,

the words of Teacher Zhang Yang echoed in his ears:

“Everything in this world is scientific. Everything must conform to the most fundamental laws of the universe.”

“No matter how outrageous or fantastical something may seem, if you delve into its basic principles, it will always be scientific.”

At that moment, Jiang Ran felt a little lost.

‘What exactly is scientific?’

‘Is the edifice of science truly unshakable?’

Upon deeper reflection,

he still believed—or rather, hoped—that Teacher Zhang Yang’s words were correct.

So far, he had indeed experienced many incredible events.

For instance, Tian Xiaoli opening her eyes from a vegetative state, the super-catastrophe of 2028, and this Virtual World before him, which far surpassed human technological levels.

But!

‘There has never been a single case of a dead person being successfully resurrected!’

Li Yini playing Cheng Mengxue was just a demonstration of scientific technology.

The “resurrected” Xu Yan was the result of a Worldline Jump caused by the Positron Cannon; it didn’t actually make the corpse under the white sheet get up and walk again.

As long as this one principle remained unbroken,

Jiang Ran would believe that the universe was still scientific.

Finally,

he turned his gaze to the third line of Pompey’s suicide note—

“3911… So this is the end of everything.”