Genius Playground

“It’s not that, bro… We can’t make a human ladder if we don’t have three people!”

In the fetid sewer, Jiang Ran and Sang Biao hurried onward.

“Don’t worry, this is the right way. Your little underling, Skinny, will double back to report to you. We’ll run into him on the way.”

Sure enough, they had just rounded two bends when they ran right into Skinny.

“Holy shit!”

Sang Biao exclaimed.

“Bro, are you a fucking psychic or something? How do you know everything!”

But he was instantly on guard again, his hand clutching the gun tucked into his pants.

“But just like we agreed, Pompey’s treasure is mine! When I become the King of the Digital World, I’ll give you a whole continent to manage!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Thanks, Counting King.” Jiang Ran couldn’t be bothered with him.

The three of them raced onward.

But in a muddy, winding sewer like this, their speed was limited. They couldn’t go that fast.

When the three of them entered the elevator, Jiang Ran glanced at the clock on the screen. It read 10:25 AM.

“Sigh.”

He let out a breath.

‘Even though I’ve rushed as much as possible, it still took 25 minutes to get here. With only 14 minutes left, is that enough time to investigate the -42nd floor?’

He pressed the button for the floor, and the elevator began to plunge downwards.

“Just a heads-up, don’t start screaming in a minute.”

Jiang Ran warned Sang Biao and Skinny.

“When the elevator doors open, there will be a lot of cats outside. Don’t panic. They might look terrifying, but they shouldn’t hurt you.”

“What a joke!”

Sang Biao spat, a thick glob of phlegm sticking to the elevator wall.

“You think I’d be fucking scared of cats? Who do you take me for?!”

“They’re not ordinary cats.”

Jiang Ran tried to explain.

“You know Hello Kitty, right? They’re cats that look like her, just like little girls, the kind that walk on two feet…”

“They wouldn’t scare me even if they could fucking fly!”

Sang Biao cut Jiang Ran off with a wave of his hand.

“Shut it! I don’t give a damn if they’re black cats or white cats! If I let out a single scream, I’ll take your fucking name!”

DING—

The -42nd floor. The elevator doors opened.

Sang Biao scoffed and stepped out with Skinny.

“Holy shit, Momma—” “AHHWOOOWAAWAAWAA!”

The two let out the expected screams of terror.

Jiang Ran followed them out of the elevator and was met with the sight of lively, girlish Rhine Cats running toward them, holding hands, singing, and dancing. They bowed deeply.

“Welcome to~~~~~ Hang City Paradise!”

“Back, back, back, back, back, back!”

Sang Biao threw out his arms, pushing the other two back.

“What the hell are these big-faced cats!”

Jiang Ran took a deep breath.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the bizarre group of Rhine Cat girls before him still delivered a significant psychological blow.

Sang Biao calling them “big-faced cats” wasn’t an exaggeration at all.

The Rhine Cat mascot was a three-head-tall chibi design, with a face wider than its shoulders. A massive head perched atop a little girl’s body might be adorable as a doll, but in reality, the proportions could only be described as horrifying.

“They’re Rhine Cats. You don’t recognize them?”

“They’re fucking alive!”

Sang Biao’s entire worldview was shattered. He stared, dumbfounded, at the Rhine Cats, who were singing, dancing, and even tossing flower petals at them.

Fortunately, these living Rhine Cats showed no signs of aggression, merely treating them like a bonfire to dance around.

“What the hell is this place?”

Sang Biao gritted his teeth.

“Pompey had this kind of sick taste? This is where he hid his treasure?”

After confirming there was no danger, the three of them advanced through the welcoming line of Rhine Cats.

Soon, they arrived at the amusement park’s main gate.

Above them, colorful neon tubes spelled out the three large words: “Hang City Paradise.”

Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes.

‘I’m certain this isn’t what the gate to Hang City Paradise looks like. The rides inside are all wrong, too.’

‘It’s more like… Hang City Paradise as imagined by someone who’s never been there.’

‘Could it be that this phantasmal, fake Hang City Paradise was built by Cheng Mengxue?’

Jiang Ran pondered this as he walked forward.

‘After all, Cheng Mengxue has never actually been to Hang City Paradise; she wouldn’t know what it really looks like. Maybe in her mind, it’s still the acclaimed amusement park from her childhood.’

‘But…’

‘This is underground, beneath the Human Civilization Memorial Hall.’

‘If you were going to build an amusement park, why not build it in the outside world? Who’s going to come play in an amusement park built on the -42nd floor underground?’

‘Besides, those living Rhine Cats are just too terrifying. Things like that are only cute when they’re fake—dolls or costumes. When they’re actually alive, it’s a real-life horror movie.’

“Help! Help! I don’t wanna play anymore!”

Suddenly, a cry for help echoed from a distance.

Sang Biao looked over and saw a figure being chased by a dozen or so Rhine Cats. He sucked in a breath of cold air.

“Old Three?!”

Jiang Ran was confused.

“Is that one of your underlings too? What’s he doing here?”

“I’d fucking like to know too!”

Sang Biao raised his gun and ran over.

“Let’s save him first!”

“Boss—”

The short, fat man called Old Three came running over, a snot-nosed, tear-streaked mess, and threw himself onto Sang Biao.

“Boss, save me! I never want to play again!”

Sang Biao immediately leveled his gun at the hopping, skipping group of Rhine Cats.

“Nobody move!”

However…

The cats weren’t the least bit intimidated. They just kept smiling, their eyes squinted happily, as they pulled petals from their apron pockets and tossed them at the men.

“Come play~ Come play~ The roller coaster is so fun!”

“And the Ferris wheel! The Ferris wheel!”

“The pendulum ride is super exciting, too! Come on, come on~”

Jiang Ran walked up and put a hand on Sang Biao’s arm.

“Sang Biao, calm down. They don’t seem to mean any harm, they’re just being… enthusiastic about getting customers. Let’s ask Old Three what happened first.”