Genius Playground

The stupid young man and Bookworm still held the Assassin in high regard, and the two of them quickly joined the crew.

In short.

With Jiang Ran pushing things along.

This time, assembling Sang Biao’s prison break team was incredibly efficient, and they soon had all five members.

"We actually could have been a bit more efficient."

Jiang Ran muttered, rubbing his chin.

"If we hadn’t wasted so much time talking at the start and just formed the team directly, we might have been able to avoid the patrolling guards and their dogs..."

"Huh?"

Sang Biao turned around and stared at Jiang Ran.

"What are you muttering about?"

"It’s nothing."

Jiang Ran waved his hand.

"Let’s get going."

To be honest, since he had already experienced this scenario once, Jiang Ran didn’t feel like any of it was real. Everything before him felt just like playing a game.

That was why he wasn’t nervous at all, acting with a calm and effortless composure through it all.

For now.

He couldn’t determine whether this bizarre "time travel" was real or an illusion, a dream or a delusion.

’Anyway, I’ll just break out of prison first and see what happens.’

Jiang Ran was still quite curious about what the world outside this prison was really like.

’Perhaps once I see the world outside, many of my questions will be answered on their own...’

Events unfolded exactly as they had before.

The group first arrived at the equipment room to scavenge for weapons.

The stupid young man tossed over two Electric Sticks, then went into the inner room with Sang Biao to automatically grab what he could find.

Jiang Ran caught the Electric Sticks and handed one to the Assassin.

"Can you tell me why you trust me so much, even enough to bet your life on me?"

This was something that had bothered Jiang Ran during his last "time travel" trip, but the Assassin had brushed him off at the time, and he hadn’t thought much more of it.

’But thinking about it carefully now, the whole situation is riddled with questions.’

"Because you are [Luck]."

The Assassin’s smile was warm and refined.

"I said so just now."

"Can you stop speaking in riddles?"

Jiang Ran looked at him.

"We’re partners now, sharing the same fate. We’re in the same boat, so why not just be straight with me... Do you know me?"

"I don’t." The Assassin shook his head.

"Then have you seen me before? Do you know anything about me?"

"Nothing at all." The Assassin shook his head again.

"Then what is it?"

Jiang Ran frowned.

"You don’t know me and you’ve never seen me, yet you’re willing to just bet your life on me like that? That clearly makes no sense."

The Assassin still didn’t answer, only offering a slight smile.

"I’ll tell you once we’ve truly broken out and escaped."

"..."

Jiang Ran was speechless.

He’d previously thought that this handsome, talented, CEO-like man was a complete mismatch for the profession of an Assassin.

’But seeing how tight-lipped he is now, he’s actually the perfect man for the job.’

Ignoring him, Jiang Ran went into the inner room to search as well.

Luckily, a mirror was hanging on the wall.

He hurried over to see what he looked like.

His reflection slowly materialized in the mirror...

It was a young face.

A familiar face.

His own face.

’It’s my 19-year-old self, no doubt. My appearance and age are no different from when I looked in the mirror this morning.’

’But this is the year 2045...’

’Why do I, who should be 39, still look the same as I did at 19?’

This inconsistency once again made Jiang Ran doubt the reality of this world.

There was a black digital clock on a table in the room, and the time it displayed was—

September 17, 2045, 10:27 AM

He grabbed the clock, making sure he could keep track of the time.

Afterward.

The five-man squad, armed with their scavenged gear, pressed on and soon came to a fork in the path.

Sang Biao pointed to the left: "Lef—"

"Go left," Jiang Ran cut in directly, nearly making Sang Biao choke.

"You..."

Sang Biao stared blankly at Jiang Ran, feeling more and more that there was something sharp and handsome about the young man.

"The right path is no good."

Jiang Ran explained:

"There are guards and dogs patrolling the right passage. If we go, we’ll get wiped out."

"How do you know that so clearly?"

Bookworm looked at Jiang Ran.

"This whole way... you’ve given off the impression that you’re very familiar with this place."

"Let’s just get out of here first."

Jiang Ran couldn’t be bothered to explain.

He was desperate to see the world outside.

As it turned out, Sang Biao’s initial idea had been correct.

The left passage led to an abandoned high-rise, and their journey was completely unobstructed. They didn’t encounter any trouble.

Their goal was the rooftop, but many staircases had collapsed, making them impossible to climb. They had to form a human ladder multiple times to proceed.

Fortunately, everyone had the same objective and was on the same page, making the team easy to lead. After about twenty minutes, they finally broke through the many obstacles and arrived at the rooftop.

WHOOSH...

A cool autumn breeze swept past, and Jiang Ran finally caught the scent of the outside world.

Pushing open the stairwell door, they stepped out onto the rooftop. Sang Biao couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I finally got my chance and broke out! Let’s split up and take a look around, see if there are any pipes, cables, or something we can climb down!"

The other four obediently scattered.

Jiang Ran had already heard waves of cheering from the west, so he walked in that direction.

Sure enough.

It was just as he’d thought.

The moment he reached the edge of the roof, he saw a teeming crowd of people hundreds of meters away.

The building was in a remote location, with no other large structures nearby; it was practically in the middle of a wasteland. But the stretch of yellow earth before him was packed with tens of thousands of people.

They were cheering.

Shouting.

Jumping.

They were as frenzied as a crowd at a concert.

But Jiang Ran knew.

That wasn’t a concert. It was... an execution ground.

An execution ground exclusively for the Magician, Qin Feng.

Soon, before tens of thousands of spectators—and a worldwide broadcast—Qin Feng would be executed by beheading, and his head would fall.

BEEP BEEP.

The digital clock in his hand let out a soft chime.