Genius Playground

’This criminal called the Magician... who in the world was he? Or what kind of monster?’

’Just hearing news about him is enough to get you silenced?’

’That’s too absurd.’

’He’s even more terrifying than the unnamable Voldemort from *Harry Potter*.’

But on second thought, it made sense.

As the world’s most heinous criminal, with an entire prison built just for him, this Magician might really be on the same level as Voldemort from *Harry Potter*.

And...

Beheading.

Having heard that word several times now, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but swallow hard.

It was 2025. A brutal execution method like beheading had been phased out long ago.

Under the current justice system, the death penalty was usually carried out by lethal injection.

Only the most depraved criminals were executed by firing squad.

Beheading... it was truly unimaginable.

It seemed the Magician’s crimes were indeed so heinous, so loathed by all, that only a public beheading could satisfy the world.

"What does that shorty’s business have to do with us?"

Bookworm pushed up his glasses.

"He might have heard news about the Magician during labor, but we couldn’t."

"Heh."

Sang Biao scoffed.

"You think they’ll believe that?"

"We’ve all been locked up here for so many years. Who hasn’t heard bits and pieces from one place or another?"

"Besides, the shorty was genuinely tight-lipped; he never told us anything about the Magician... But do you think the guards will see it that way?"

"So, don’t get your hopes up about the future—"

"Once they execute the Magician, they’ll silence all of you next! All your lives combined aren’t worth a single secret under the Magician’s fingernail!"

Jiang Ran couldn’t take it anymore.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. He rapped on the bars, signaling for Sang Biao to look over.

"Who exactly is the Magician?"

He was just too curious.

"What did he do? What crimes did he commit?"

"The Magician is the Magician," Sang Biao said, looking at Jiang Ran.

"Did you get hit in the head too hard, or are you still asleep? Does the Magician really need an introduction?"

"Just tell me," Jiang Ran urged.

’From Sang Biao’s reaction, the Magician’s deeds were common knowledge on this world line. But he had crossed over from another world line, completely ignorant of this one’s history.’

"Tch!"

Sang Biao waved him off dismissively.

"I don’t have the fucking time for that! I’m busy planning a prison break, not teaching kindergarten!"

"Why do they call him the Magician?"

Jiang Ran pressed on.

"Can he actually do magic? Or does he use some kind of amazing tricks to commit his crimes?"

Everyone fell silent.

Even the stupid young man in Cell 2 across the way walked up to his iron bars, craning his neck to look at Jiang Ran in Cell 3 with an expression like he was looking at an idiot.

The same look appeared on the faces of Sang Biao and Bookworm.

"You..."

Sang Biao scratched his head.

"Do you really not know, or are you just pretending?"

At this point, even his own thick skull was losing confidence in the new kid’s intelligence.

"The Magician is obviously just a codename! It’s just a title!"

Bookworm nodded in agreement.

"This young man... seems to genuinely have no idea. That’s so strange. Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t know about the Magician?"

"I really don’t know."

Jiang Ran looked at Bookworm.

"The Magician... who is he?"

Bookworm pushed up his glasses.

"The Magician is the most evil criminal in human history. That’s literally written in textbooks."

"Crimes against humanity, endangering civilization, destroying Earth’s space, disrupting the historical order... and so on and so forth. Many criminal charges were created specifically for the Magician."

"Of course, if you’re asking about the Magician’s identity..."

He looked up, his gaze passing through the faint light of the corridor and across two sets of iron bars to meet Jiang Ran’s eyes.

"The whole world knows that the Magician’s real name is—"

"Qin Feng."