Genius Playground

"So, if you're going to run the Positron Cannon experiment tonight, just come find me at the activity room."

"Even though it's drizzling outside, you won't be long. It'll be over in a few seconds, so bringing an umbrella won't affect the experiment."

Jiang Ran thought about it.

'He had a point.'

Even if it were pouring outside, he only needed to stand by the transformer box for five seconds.

From his perspective, he would spend two hours in the year 2045. But in the reality of 2025, the time wasn't synchronized. To Chi Xiaoguo, it would look like Jiang Ran had just zoned out for a single second.

"Okay, then. I'll see you tonight."

...

「Later that night, at 10:30 PM.」

The student activity building was practically empty. Aside from the Film Club, which still had its lights on, the entire building was shrouded in darkness.

Jiang Ran stood by the transformer box outside the window, holding Chi Xiaoguo's Rhine Cat Umbrella. He gave Chi Xiaoguo an OK sign.

"I'm ready!"

The raindrops fell faster and thicker. Dark clouds completely blotted out the moon, plunging the sky and earth into darkness.

All signs pointed to an impending downpour. Jiang Ran decided to get this over with quickly and finish the experiment as soon as possible.

"5! 4! 3! 2! 1! 0—"

BUZZ!

BUZZ!

BUZZ!

With a familiar wave of dizziness and vertigo, the world spun around him. Jiang Ran arrived at the Future Prison of 2045 and began leading the others in the prison break, just as planned.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

"We did it! We broke out!"

"GLABBA GLABBA RABBA DABBA DOO!"

Inside the prison transport driving away from the facility, the euphoric howls of his fellow inmates erupted once again. The prison break was a success!

THUD.

Jiang Ran slapped the digital clock down on the dashboard.

The time read 11:56 AM.

It was always this time. He only had four minutes left to question the Assassin.

But this was the absolute limit; his super-speedrun route had practically no room for improvement.

Still, four minutes a day, every day, added up. He could get a lot of information that way.

"Fang Yang."

Jiang Ran went ahead and used the Assassin's real name.

"You said you were sentenced and imprisoned for killing Zhou Xiong."

"That's right," the Assassin said, his eyes on the road as he drove.

"You killed Zhou Xiong in Hang City, on July 21, 2025."

Jiang Ran continued,

"But before July 21st, you were always hanging around East Sea University in East Sea City. You also told me before that there's definitely a Time Travel Machine at the university."

"So... are there some details you're still hiding from me? I've gone to all this trouble, focused on nothing but breaking you out. If you're still going to lie to me, then this is all just pointless."

The Assassin chuckled.

"Just like you said, Jiang Ran, it's come to this. What reason would I have to hide things or lie to you now?"

"I was willing to risk my life to break out with you. If I don't even care about my own life, why would I hold on to some so-called secrets from ten or twenty years ago?"

"I admit, I kept my lips sealed before we broke out. That was just a precaution. But now that we're out, I have no reason to hold back."

"This clearly isn't your first time here, nor is it the first time you've asked me these questions. So, just ask whatever you want. I won't hide anything from you."

"My question is this,"

Jiang Ran stressed,

"If your target was Zhou Xiong in Hang City, then why did you spend so much time staking out East Sea University beforehand?"

"Because the target the Mutual Aid Association initially assigned to me wasn't Zhou Xiong,"

the Assassin stated plainly.

"The person they originally wanted me to kill was a professor at East Sea University. But it was summer break, and the professor wasn't on campus yet. So, I went to the area near the university ahead of time to stake it out, rent an apartment, and do some initial prep work."

"But on July 21st, the Mutual Aid Association suddenly gave me an urgent assignment: go to Hang City immediately and assist another member in killing a different target—Zhou Xiong."

"So I went, and completed the mission successfully. But that also meant I couldn't carry out the assassination at East Sea University anymore. After all, I'd just killed someone. The police were looking for me, so I had to hurry up and get out of the country to lay low for a while."

"So, as arranged by the Mutual Aid Association, I went back to the area around East Sea University. I cleaned out the place I'd rented, destroyed all the evidence, and fled the country. I didn't plan on coming back any time soon, at least not until the heat from the Zhou Xiong case blew over."

"That was the last time I ever went to East Sea City. I erased every trace of myself. Finally, I called my younger brother, transferred all my money to his overseas account, and cut off all contact."

...

'So that's how it was.'

Jiang Ran understood.

The reason the Assassin had been seen so often around East Sea University was because his original target wasn't Zhou Xiong, but someone else entirely.

'And just as Fang Ze had guessed, it was a professor at East Sea University!'

'But on July 21st, the plan changed, and the Assassin was suddenly dispatched to kill Zhou Xiong. In that case, the job of killing the original target—the professor at East Sea University—must have been passed on to someone else.'

BA-DUMP.

Suddenly, Jiang Ran's heart skipped a beat.

"Assassin!"

As he processed the keywords from the Assassin's story, the face of a certain professor instantly flashed through his mind.

"Who were you originally planning to kill at East Sea University?! What was the professor's name?! What was the date of the assassination?! Do you remember?!"

Seeing only one minute left on the digital clock before it hit 12:00 AM, Jiang Ran fired off all the critical questions at once.

"Of course I remember,"

the Assassin said nonchalantly.

"I have an excellent memory. Especially when it comes to jobs... to killings. I remember those things very clearly."