Genius Playground

Otherwise, it would all be a pipe dream.

’One step at a time.’

Jiang Ran clenched his fist.

Thankfully.

Thankfully.

There was always a way out. It had been the right call not to let Old Qi destructively disassemble the Positron Cannon yesterday.

He couldn’t help but recall the words the Assassin had spoken in his final moments:

"The Time Travel Machine... it’s a machine that lets people... travel through time and space... go back to the past..."

"Rumor has it... the person who invented the Time Travel Machine... is at... East Sea University."

East Sea University.

It truly was a place full of hidden geniuses and remarkable talent.

Not only was it home to the legendary senior who built the Positron Cannon, but it also harbored a super-genius capable of creating something as sci-fi as a Time Travel Machine.

’Who could it be?’

He couldn’t help but wonder:

’Which genius alumnus... is that capable?’

...

The next day, Jiang Ran arrived at East Sea University early.

His mind was clear of all distractions. He only wanted to confirm as quickly as possible whether that world of 2045 was the real future.

If it was, then what was its connection to the current year, 2025? Were they on the same world line?

’Hmm... I think so.’

Jiang Ran recalled a question Cheng Mengxue had asked Teacher Zhang Yang back on World Line 0. At the time, Teacher Zhang Yang had stated unequivocally, "Our world can only run on a single, fixed world line."

But when it came to matters beyond human comprehension, who could say anything with 100% certainty?

He had to find a way to confirm it for himself.

The verification method Jiang Ran came up with was also quite simple—

’If the Future World of 2045 is real, then it must be possible to predict many major international events that are about to happen in 2025.’

’As long as I can get some landmark events of 2025 out of Sang Biao and Bookworm, then wait a while to see if they happen, I can basically confirm it.’

If that miraculous "time travel" was just wishful thinking or a daydream, it naturally wouldn’t be able to predict major future events.

Logically, the most efficient method would be to use a computer in 2045 to look up current events, soccer scores, or lottery numbers, then return to 2025 to verify them.

However, the place he had been was a prison.

A place where you lived on a knife’s edge; what kind of computer would be available there?

And for some reason, that prison felt very primitive. There were very few electronic devices.

Forget having the futuristic feel of 2045; even a prison from 2025 felt more modern.

Could it be...

Was this also a special measure taken to imprison the Magician?

Jiang Ran shook his head. He couldn’t figure it out.

All he could say was that the Magician was perhaps too capable. ’Could he escape through the internet cables or something?’

"Senior, I brought you breakfast."

Chi Xiaoguo pushed open the clubroom door, dangling a plastic bag in her hand.

"I see you skipping breakfast every day. Why don’t you just eat here?"

"Thanks."

He was indeed a bit hungry. Jiang Ran took the soy milk and steamed bun and sat on the sofa to eat.

Chi Xiaoguo walked over to the workbench to observe the Positron Cannon.

"Huh?"

She noticed something different.

"Senior, I didn’t notice yesterday, but is a part of this Positron Cannon missing?"

She used her hands to outline a rectangle on the side casing.

"There used to be an LCD circuit board hanging here, with a few knobs on it labeled with things like year, month, day, hour."

Jiang Ran swallowed a bite of his bun and nodded.

"Yeah, that module was removed."

As it turned out, Old Qi’s diagnosis was spot-on. The Beam Converger inside the Positron Cannon really was malfunctioning and had lost its adjustment capabilities.

So... whether or not it had that knob-covered circuit board that looked like a piss bag, it didn’t affect the Positron Cannon’s current operation.

"You could say the current Positron Cannon is a simplified, or rather, an improved and evolved version."

Jiang Ran was reminded of Cheng Mengxue’s usual Naming Technique.

"Positron Cannon 2.0, you could call it."

"Whoa."

Chi Xiaoguo exclaimed in amazement.

"A second form, just like Frieza and Cell!"

"..."

Jiang Ran sipped his soy milk, narrowing his eyes at Chi Xiaoguo.

’This kid... could she be a closet otaku?’

She had rattled off a reference to *EVA* before, and even knew that the Positron Cannon in the anime was used to fight a cube-shaped Apostle.

Now, the moment he mentioned a transformation, she immediately made the connection to Frieza and Cell’s multiple forms in *Dragon Pearl*.

Interesting. This little ray of sunshine really had some hidden depths.

「A few minutes later.」

Having finished eating and drinking, it was time to get to work.

The procedure and arrangements were the same as yesterday. After working together so many times, Jiang Ran and Chi Xiaoguo had developed a tacit understanding and needed no words.

Jiang Ran braced himself on the windowsill, swung himself outside, and moved next to the transformer distribution box.

They say once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but the third time is a pattern.

So...

If this third experiment could also throw him into the year 2045, he could treat this "coincidence" as a certainty—and consider it a stable feature of the Positron Cannon 2.0.

"Senior! Are you ready?"

Inside the Film Club room, Chi Xiaoguo held her phone up high.

"I’m starting the countdown, okay!"

"5! 4! 3!"

RING RING RING RING RING—

As the countdown reached "3," Jiang Ran’s phone rang. The screen showed an incoming call from Chi Xiaoguo.

He didn’t answer immediately.

His thumb hovered over the answer button.

Waiting for the final countdown.

"2!"

"1!"

"0!"

The instant the countdown finished, the Positron Cannon activated!

A deep blue light flared, followed by a roaring sound. Jiang Ran timed it perfectly, his thumb slamming down on the answer key—

HUM!

HUM!

HUM!

Dizziness, vertigo, the world spinning—the familiar sensation of weightlessness arrived right on cue!

It seemed.

His previous guess had been correct.

After the Positron Cannon’s Beam Converger was damaged, its function had completely changed, doing a complete 180.