Genius Playground

BANG!

「Biloxi, Mississippi, United States.」

Seagulls scattered from the private beach. A portly man’s body went limp, sliding off his lounge chair like a pile of sludge. He hit the ground with a THUD and lay motionless.

Blood seeping from the back of his head was quickly absorbed by the sand.

Fang Ze put down his gun, picked up his phone, and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly.

“Witch, it’s done over here. Let Lilith handle the cleanup.”

“Heh.”

A woman’s laughter came through the phone.

“Good work, Fang Ze.”

“It wasn’t that difficult. With Lilith’s meticulous assistance, an eight-year-old could have pulled off this assassination.”

Fang Ze picked at his ear.

“Also, when it’s just the two of us, can we not use that name? It feels weird.”

“Heh, you need to get into character,” the woman on the phone said. “After all… the real game is only just beginning. And just as we thought from the start, Jiang Ran is definitely hiding some kind of secret.”

“Not only was the Priest eliminated right after investigating him, but Jiang Ran also correctly stated that Fang Yang was likely hiding in Los Angeles. And sure enough, we found Fang Yang in Los Angeles.”

Fang Ze walked under the beach umbrella.

“I didn’t have much hope when I started impersonating Fang Ze to get close to him. You just wanted to muddy the waters and work against the Priest.”

“The Priest sent that fake Cheng Mengxue to the class reunion, so you gave the Princess Coin to Zhou Xiong to have him go too. The Priest sent Fang Yang to kill Zhou Xiong, so you had me kill Fang Yang’s brother, Fang Ze, and assume his identity. The Priest had the fake Cheng Mengxue get close to Jiang Ran, so you arranged for me to be Jiang Ran’s roommate at East Sea University…”

“Heh, speaking of which, it’s no wonder the other members call you a ‘shit-stirrer.’ Half the time you don’t even know what they’re planning, but you always butt in for no reason and muddy the waters.”

“And didn’t it work?”

The woman’s voice was calm and unhurried.

“Those geniuses are certainly brilliant, but they’re bound to have an oversight eventually… And if they don’t, then we’ll disrupt their plans and force them to make a mistake.”

“I don’t care what they call me—a shit-stirrer, a pot-stirrer, whatever. As long as I win this game in the end, that’s all that matters. To the victor go the spoils.”

“So you see, when you don’t have a path forward, you just follow in someone else’s footsteps.”

“It proves the Priest was right. There’s definitely something wrong with Jiang Ran. It’s just a shame we don’t know how the Priest slipped up, or if Jiang Ran is just so resourceful that he actually managed to get the Priest eliminated.”

Fang Ze looked up, watching the white-foamed waves crash onto the sand. He could hear the same sound from the other end of the line. He didn’t have to guess—the woman codenamed Witch was also at a beach somewhere.

“It’s already October 17th. In the meeting yesterday, did anyone admit to killing the Priest?”

“Since the Priest’s coin was destroyed and his seat eliminated, the killer must be a member of the Genius Playground.”

“No one.”

“Everyone at the meeting was buzzing about the Priest’s death, but no one admitted to being the killer,” the woman said. “I have to say, I can’t stand these cowards who don’t have the guts to own up to their actions. Unlike them, when I killed the Princess, I admitted it.”

“Even though I hadn’t destroyed the Princess Coin and could have easily found someone to inherit her seat… I still confessed. I told everyone, bold as brass, that I was the one who killed the Princess.”

Hmph.

Fang Ze scoffed.

“That’s because you’re a maniac. I would never have done that. Being so upfront doesn’t get you anything.”

“I don’t need any advantages.”

The woman gave a slight smile.

“All I need to do is watch the fires burn from a distance. I’ll let them fight it out, and when it’s over, I’ll be the one to reap the rewards.”

“There are many others who want to win this game far more than I do. They’re bound to make more radical moves than me.”

“Take yesterday’s meeting, for example. Without the Priest and his unique Veto Power, everyone was noticeably more animated. The atmosphere grew tense. That’s exactly what I wanted to see.”

“So… keep lying low and stay close to Jiang Ran, okay, Fang Ze? I’ve already taken care of everything that could expose you. Jiang Ran won’t discover your real identity unless he personally investigates you at Harvard University.”

“In any case, we don’t have access to the kind of cosmetic surgery the Priest used, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to change your face anyway. So be as careful as you can. Don’t let Jiang Ran find any holes in your story.”

Fang Ze laughed dismissively.

“I’m not like that fake Cheng Mengxue. I have no weaknesses. Jiang Ran has no idea what the real Fang Ze looked like.”

“But don’t worry, I’ll be careful. The fact that Jiang Ran knew Fang Yang was hiding in Los Angeles and showed up right at the scene of Professor Yan Chonghan’s death… it proves he must have his own special source of information. I’ll find a way to figure it out.”

“I’m so looking forward to it!”

On the other end of the line, it sounded as if the Witch was stretching, her voice turning soft and coy.

“Just how many more of our opponents will little Jiang Ran help us eliminate?”

…

「East Sea University. Graduate Dormitory.」

Jiang Ran picked up the piece of paper he had just been writing on and looked at the questions he had listed:

1. Why does the Virtual Digital World restart every 39 minutes and 11 seconds?

2. The Permission Wall failed at 10:00 AM on September 17, 2045, which is the exact moment I transmigrated here. Is there a causal link?