Genius Playground

Looking at the Assassin’s index finger pointing at his own brow.

Jiang Ran was inexplicably reminded of Qin Feng.

On the rooftop during the filming of the short movie, at the highest point of the four-meter diving platform on the luxury cruise ship.

Qin Feng had used that same gesture, pointing to his own brow, to proclaim the omnipotence of [Lilith]:

"Lilith, let the sky grow dark."

"Lilith is the god of this world."

...

Too bad.

The Assassin’s logic was sound, but he’d guessed wrong.

Jiang Ran knew better than anyone that he wasn’t Qin Feng.

The only people in the world who could be so sure of this fact were probably himself and his parents.

Besides, he wasn’t here to save the Magician.

’He’s really overestimating me.’

’Right now, our ragtag little crew—aside from the Assassin, who has some real skills—is just a bunch of nobodies...’

’With a setup like this, we’re supposed to raid the execution ground?’

’We’re supposed to save the Magician under the watchful eyes of the entire world?’

’What a pipe dream.’

They couldn’t even get past the first stage—the prison break. They hadn’t taken a single step out of the prison. This was a death loop with absolutely no hope.

However.

Jiang Ran had no intention of discussing this with the Assassin right now.

’Let him think whatever he wants. The more impressive he thinks I am, the better.’

’You say I’m the Magician? Fine, I’ll reluctantly play along, as long as you answer my questions honestly.’

So, Jiang Ran didn’t plan to explain or respond to any of it.

’The more I say, the more likely I am to slip up.’

Now that he had finally gained the Assassin’s trust, he should take this opportunity to pry for more information.

"Second question."

Jiang Ran steered the conversation away from the topic.

"How much do you know about the [Time Travel Machine] at East Sea University?"

Hearing this question.

A peculiar glint flashed in the Assassin’s eyes.

Jiang Ran couldn’t analyze the look.

It seemed to be one of surprise, and also... one of doubt.

"There’s a rumor that someone at East Sea University successfully invented a [Time Travel Machine]."

"Of course, it’s just a rumor. There’s no evidence to prove whether it’s true or not."

Jiang Ran gave a slight smile.

He realized that his question just now had clearly made the Assassin a little more guarded and had planted some doubts about him.

That was why he was being so conservative with his words now.

"Don’t give me that."

Jiang Ran twirled the Electric Stick in his hand.

"It’s one thing for other people to say that. Rumors are just rumors, after all, especially one as ridiculous and sci-fi as this."

"But, Assassin, you clearly know something. Otherwise... what kind of normal person would suspect I’m a Time Traveler the first moment they see me?"

"In fact, compared to your judgment, the conclusions Sang Biao and Bookworm came to are much more reasonable and logical. A normal person would just suspect they’d actually fallen asleep in the middle of the night and didn’t notice, not be so convinced that the other person is a Time Traveler."

"So, let’s not play dumb. It’s obvious you know some concrete information about the [Time Travel Machine]."

"For others, the rumor about East Sea University is just a rumor. But for you... it seems to be an established fact."

...

Jiang Ran and the Assassin stared at each other.

Neither of them spoke.

If this were the real world, Jiang Ran admitted he would be no match for the Assassin.

The man was more than twenty years his senior; both his life experience and professional experience far surpassed his own.

But this was different.

Here, in the scenario of September 17, 2045, this was already Jiang Ran’s third time through.

His calm and composure didn’t come from life experience, but from repeated trial and error, and the ability to start over without fear of failure.

Unfortunately...

The Assassin was no pushover, after all. He wasn’t that easy to handle.

He chuckled and shook his head.

"If we really manage to break out of here, I’ll tell you."

’Well, that’s just great.’

After all that, they were right back where they started, with the same line.

But Jiang Ran was helpless.

That was just how the Assassin was. His readiness to face death meant that if he didn’t want to say something, he absolutely wouldn’t.

Besides, perhaps due to professional habit, the Assassin was tight-lipped about many things. Getting even this much out of him was already quite an achievement.

’It’s fine. I’ll just take it slow from here on out.’

’Besides, it all comes back to the same thing: I first have to determine whether this 2045 world is real or fake. Only then can I analyze whether any of this intel is actually meaningful.’

"Actually, before today, I only believed about eighty or ninety percent of that rumor,"

the Assassin continued.

"After all, I’ve never actually seen a Time Travel Machine, and I’d never met a Time Traveler before. I had my doubts about the rumor."

"But today is different. After seeing you today, I’m almost certain."

He stood up and patted Jiang Ran’s shoulder.

"I can even be 100% certain—"

"[There is definitely a Time Travel Machine at East Sea University. Someone... has definitely built it.]"

Then, his tone shifted.

"Of course, let’s talk about all this after we’ve successfully broken out."

Jiang Ran looked back.

He saw Bookworm and the others walking out of the back room.

There wasn’t much to be found in there, just two canisters of Tear Gas.

He could tell from the Assassin’s concluding words that he wouldn’t reveal anything more unless Jiang Ran could actually get him out of the prison.

This promise...

To be honest, Jiang Ran couldn’t be sure if the man was just stringing him along, but judging by the Assassin’s series of reactions, he definitely knew something real.

At the very least—

’The claim that someone at East Sea University built a Time Travel Machine is very likely true and credible.’

That piece of information was enough.

Jiang Ran’s top priority right now was to save Cheng Mengxue, who had died in a car accident two years ago.

With the Positron Cannon currently malfunctioning...

His only hope lay in the [Time Travel Machine] that might appear at East Sea University at some unknown time.

"Damn it!"

Sang Biao came out of the back room, cursing.

"There’s nothing in there but two Tear Gas canisters. Who knows how to use this crap?"

The Assassin held out his hand.

"Give them to me. I know how to use them."

It seemed their time and opportunity for a private chat were over.

Jiang Ran also ran into the back room and picked up his old friend from the table—the digital clock.

Although carrying it was inconvenient, he really needed to keep track of the time to determine when various events would occur.

He clutched the digital clock in his hand. The time on the display read:

11:01 AM, September 17, 2045

He’d arrived at the equipment room a little late today because he’d spent so much time talking with Teacher Zhang Yang.

There was no other choice. He had to bite the bullet and continue with the prison break.

The five-man team pressed on, arriving at the fork in the road for the third time from Jiang Ran’s perspective.

Sang Biao pointed to the left.

"The left path leads straight to the abandoned building. As long as we climb to the roof, we can find a way to escape."

"The right path leads to the execution ground. All the guards and security forces are concentrated there today, so let’s not walk into our deaths. Let’s go left."

Jiang Ran shook his head.

"The left path is no good."

He explained to the others:

"Sang Biao is right that all the security forces are at the execution ground today. But executing the Magician is a huge event, and the prison has made extensive preparations, considering every possible interference."

"They don’t really care about us escaping, but they must be worried someone will try to raid the execution ground and save the Magician. So... they have snipers posted on all the tall buildings nearby."

"The left path does lead to the rooftop, that’s true, but the moment we climb up, we’ll be completely exposed to the snipers’ line of sight."

"A rooftop that wide and open gives us nowhere to hide. The surrounding snipers could easily pick us off."

Jiang Ran’s words were very convincing, and no one doubted him.

After all, the eyes of the entire world were on the execution of the Magician today. No one would dare to make a mistake. It was perfectly reasonable to post snipers in high places.

"Of course, the right path isn’t safe either,"

Jiang Ran continued.

"In the right-hand corridor, there will be a prison guard patrolling with two or three police dogs. At this point in time, we probably can’t avoid them."

"Th-Then what do we do?"

Teacher Zhang Yang, nicknamed Bookworm, swallowed hard, looking back and forth between the two paths.

"Snipers on the left, a prison guard patrol on the right... Doesn’t that mean both paths are dead ends?"

...

Silence.

The atmosphere at the fork in the road instantly grew heavy.

They’d hit a dead end so soon. It was a terrible start.

Sang Biao gritted his teeth.

"Since we’ve already made it this far, we’re dead either way! We have to at least try!"

"There’s no turning back now. Left or right, we have to choose one!"

The Assassin mulled it over, stroking his chin and exhaling slowly through his nose.

"If the situation is as Jiang Ran says, then all things considered, the right corridor has a higher chance of success."

"On the rooftop of the building to the left, we’d be completely helpless against snipers, just waiting to die."

"But the right path is different. There’s only one guard and a few dogs, and there are five of us. As long as we set up an ambush and coordinate well, we should be able to take them out."

The Assassin narrowed his eyes.

"And once we take out the guard, we can get his clothes, his gun, his identification... That would make our escape much easier."

Jiang Ran nodded. He was thinking the same thing.

An unseen enemy versus a limited number of enemies—it was easy to tell which was less difficult.

Moreover, the potential rewards from the right path were considerable.

If they could really ambush and take out the guard and the dogs, they would get a guard uniform for disguise, a more powerful handgun, and perhaps other unexpected gains.

What’s more.

Jiang Ran looked up at the pitch-black corridor to the right.

The right path led to the execution ground.

Ever since he first arrived at this prison, a strong intuition had been driving him, making him want to go and see Qin Feng, who was about to be beheaded.

Listening to the faint cheers in the distance, Jiang Ran felt as though...

He was getting closer and closer to Qin Feng.

Following the Assassin’s plan, the group finished their preparations, each finding a place to lie in ambush in the right corridor.

They didn’t plan to attack proactively.

Instead, they would hide all movement, stay perfectly still, and wait for the guard and his dogs to patrol to their location. Then, they would leap out and take them all down in one go!

"Hooo..."

As the wait dragged on, Jiang Ran’s heart began to beat faster.

He felt as if he had inexplicably stumbled onto a path of no return, a road to crime.

But it had come to this. He couldn’t worry about it now. He could only push forward, forward, forward!

Suddenly.

The corridor, walls, and floor began to vibrate slightly in sync with a massive roar of cheers.

It had to be the thousands of people at the execution ground.

’Why are they suddenly so excited?’

The fierce shouts were clearly audible even from here.

Jiang Ran flipped the digital clock over and snuck a peek:

11:30 AM, September 17, 2045

’Such perfect timing.’

Could it be...

That Qin Feng, the world’s number one criminal and public enemy of mankind, was being led to the execution platform?

It was very likely.

Since the scheduled execution was at 12:00 PM sharp, it made sense for him to be brought out for public display half an hour beforehand.

Jiang Ran’s breathing grew heavy.

’In 2045, what would the 40-year-old Qin Feng look like?’

’As gaunt and old as Bookworm?’

’Disheveled and broken from torture?’

’Or would he, with the elegance befitting the Magician’s codename, walk calmly to his death?’

’I don’t know.’

’I have no idea.’

But perhaps... there would soon be a chance. The two once inseparable best friends would reunite in the future, 20 years later, one on the execution platform, one below.

"WOOF!"

Suddenly, a dog barked.

The men glanced at each other, tightened their grips on their weapons, and raised their guard!

After that one bark, the police dog made no other sound.

That meant... they hadn’t been exposed.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

The sound of disorderly footsteps and clanking metal grew clearer.

The patrolling guard and his dogs were slowly approaching, the sounds getting louder and louder!

The Assassin crouched at the very front, around the corner.

In the darkness, he held out a pale hand, dropping his fingers one by one in a countdown.

Sang Biao gritted his teeth, squatting in front of Jiang Ran, his eyes following the movement of the Assassin’s fingers.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

The Assassin made a fist!

The men sprang from their hiding spots on all sides, the Electric Sticks in their hands crackling with blue arcs of electricity—

"Go!!!"