Genius Playground

”I will.”

Jiang Ran replied.

”I definitely will.”

”No matter how the world line shifts, I will never leave either of you behind.”

”No matter how the Butterfly Effect changes our relationship, I will definitely find you both, and we’ll be as close as ever, just like we are now.”

Jiang Ran’s reply was unhesitating, resolute, and came from the bottom of his heart.

Qin Feng cherished the bond their trio shared more than anything.

And Jiang Ran was no different.

”It’s just...”

Jiang Ran spread his hands.

”It’s just that, like you said, I’m the only one with memories of the original world line. If I go up to the new versions of you and start talking about our bond and our friendship, you’ll probably just think I’m a lunatic.”

”So, the biggest problem isn’t whether I’ll go find you, but that when I do... you might not believe a word I say.”

Qin Feng nodded.

”That’s true.”

Normal people wouldn’t just believe a stranger’s wild claims, let alone something as absurd as a world line shift.

”Sometimes, the way people meet is just fate, a chance occurrence, a coincidence. If you miss that moment, you might miss it for a lifetime.”

Qin Feng looked up at the night sky.

”You know, the way we three met... it’s like it was fated. We didn’t know each other when we started high school, but our student ID numbers were right next to each other.”

”Jiang Ran, do you still remember our student ID numbers from high school?”

Jiang Ran smiled knowingly.

”Of course I remember. It’s not like I have dementia.”

At Hang City High School, the first few digits of a student ID number indicated the year of enrollment, while the last two digits were the class roll number.

Often, when teachers called on students in class, they would just call out the roll number, picking someone to answer a question like drawing from a blind box.

No one knew how the numbers were ordered. It wasn’t alphabetical, nor was it by surname stroke count... it felt completely chaotic and random.

Coincidentally enough...

The class roll numbers for Jiang Ran, Cheng Mengxue, and Qin Feng were indeed consecutive, and they happened to be the last three in the class.

Their high school class had a total of 42 students.

So their student ID numbers were 40, 41, and 42, respectively.

”I remember it clearly.”

Jiang Ran recalled.

”My number was 40, Xiaoxue’s was 41, and yours was 42. Like you said, isn’t that a kind of fate?”

”Hey!”

From inside the club room, Xiaoxue urged them on.

”How long are you two going to talk? Aren’t you going to start?”

Jiang Ran checked the time on his phone.

She was right.

They had been chatting ever since they stopped the experiment, and it was already approaching twelve-thirty. They couldn’t delay any longer.

”Alright, let’s get started.”

Jiang Ran picked up his phone and looked at Qin Feng, who was standing with his hands in his pockets in front of the power distribution box.

”I hope you don’t mind what happens tonight. I’ll apologize to you afterward.”

”Give me a break.”

Qin Feng rolled his eyes at him.

”After the world line shifts, I won’t even remember this. You’re as cunning as ever.”

Jiang Ran smiled and gave Cheng Mengxue an OK sign.

”I’m starting the countdown!”

Her voice, speaking words that had been repeated countless times, drifted from inside the club room, through the window.

”5!”

Jiang Ran looked down at his phone screen.

This was the message Qin Feng had edited earlier. There was nothing wrong with it; it was simple and straightforward.

’It makes me seem a little petty in comparison.’

His thumb hovered over the send button.

His gaze shifted to the transformer’s power distribution box.

”4!”

The moon was full and bright tonight, casting a silvery-white glow on the ground.

Qin Feng leaned against the power distribution box with his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets. His breathing was even and faint, mingling with the rustle of the willow branches.

The steady hum of the transformer inside the box and the occasional ZZT betrayed a sense of danger.

On its silver metal shell was a black nameplate, engraved with the box’s number in large yellow font—

East Sea University Power Distribution Box No. 42.

Huh?

”3!”

Jiang Ran blinked.

42.

again.

’Didn’t we just talk about that number?’

’That’s right.’

Qin Feng’s student ID number was also 42. What a coincidence.

Jiang Ran suddenly felt as if the number 42 had been appearing with an extreme frequency lately, as if it were intentionally or unintentionally closing in on him.

’Where else?’

’Where else have I seen 42?’

”2!”

Hearing Cheng Mengxue’s voice, Jiang Ran had an epiphany.

’That’s it.’

He had seen 42 way back during the very first world line shift, the first time he sent a Time SMS.

It was the Rhine Cat charm on Cheng Mengxue’s phone.

It was a limited edition collaboration with *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy*. Only 4,200 were ever released, making it very rare.

Jiang Ran vaguely remembered that it was a Rhine Cat wearing a spacesuit. On the chest of the white spacesuit was a large, blue number 42.

”1!”

’So weird. Why are there so many 42s?’

Jiang Ran suddenly thought of something.

In that mysterious text message, in that string of mysterious numbers, there seemed to be a 42 as well.

There was a 42 in the middle, and it ended with 42 as well.

Instantly, the numbers split into groups in his mind, corresponding one-to-one with the Chinese characters translated from a nine-keypad layout.

Don’t (28) believe (926-94264-946) ha (42).

Don’t (bu) believe (yao-xiang-xin) ha (ha).

’No, that’s not it!’

Jiang Ran’s eyes widened, and he took a deep breath.

The Rhine Cat’s 42. The power distribution box’s No. 42. Qin Feng’s student ID number, 42.

In an instant, countless puzzle pieces that had been swirling in his mind for so long began to snap into place.

All his worries and concerns...

All his hesitation and unease...

’The answer was right here!’

’It wasn’t incomplete! There wasn’t more to come! It wasn’t hard to understand!’

That mysterious string of numbers had been sending him a complete, crystal-clear warning all along!

Don’t believe ”ha,”

Don’t believe H-A,

DON’T BELIEVE 42!!!

”0!”

”Xiaoxue, wai—!” Jiang Ran screamed.

However...

It was too late!

Just as Jiang Ran screamed, Cheng Mengxue had already pressed the Positron Cannon’s activation button! A ROAR erupted from the club room, aimed straight at the transformer’s power distribution box!

”Sorry, Jiang Ran.”

Next to the power distribution box, Qin Feng took an old-fashioned, button-style cell phone out of his pocket.

’He had another phone hidden!’

Qin Feng’s thumb pressed down on the physical send key.

Finally, he looked up.

He gave Jiang Ran a hesitant glance.

”Forgive me.”

BUZZ!

BUZZ!

BUZZ!

Jiang Ran felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, his senses fading as if he’d been tossed into a spinning washing machine.

’Damn it.’

’Why did I only realize it now?’

’Why did I only figure it out now!’

His intuition had been correct.

That mysterious string of numbers had been warning him about Qin Feng with an extremely simple code!

A genius like Qin Feng, he must have seen the truth long ago. That’s why he kept playing dumb, leading their thoughts in the wrong direction.

All that talk about a malfunction, incomplete information, more messages to come...

It was all a cover-up and misdirection!

Don’t believe 42.

The final number 42, it referred to Qin Feng!

It referred to everything related to the Time SMS, from beginning to end!

The world was spinning faster and faster.

Everything before his eyes blurred into darkness. He couldn’t see a thing.

Jiang Ran couldn’t resist the rolling wheels of history and spacetime as he plunged toward an unknown, brand-new world line...

and fell.