Genius Playground

Chapter 332: Chapter 13: Rabble (Part 3)

“Besides, I’m tight-lipped. We’re not just brothers from another mother; we’ve been shot in the head by the same gun and bitten by the same dog. I’d betray anyone before I betray you!”

“W-w-what kind of nonsense is that!”

Sang Biao waved his hand dismissively, his face a mask of disgust as he looked at his new recruit. He was more than a little regretful of his hasty decision.

But…

What could he do?

Just as he’d said, who wouldn’t want the treasure Pompey left behind? Who wouldn’t want to steal it?

Soon, others would also discover the Permission Wall had disappeared, so they had to race against time and get there first!

‘In a situation like this, there was no time to find a proper teammate,’ he thought. ‘This Jiang Ran kid might have a screw loose, but he’ll have to do.’

“Three years ago, while I was staking out the memorial, I noticed something that was never made public.”

Sang Biao turned his back to Jiang Ran and kept walking.

“On September 16th, 2042—the day before Pompey committed suicide—he came here secretly, all by himself. I think I’m the only one who saw him.”

“What?”

Jiang Ran froze, completely blindsided that Sang Biao had actually uncovered a valuable secret.

“You’re saying that after Pompey left this place, he committed suicide the very next day?”

“That’s right.”

Sang Biao’s voice grew heavy.

“It was a completely undisclosed trip, with no one accompanying him. Pompey landed in the memorial’s courtyard all by himself and went inside.”

“He stayed inside for about four or five hours, then drove away looking dejected… I didn’t think much of it at the time, but the very next day, I saw the news of Pompey’s suicide on TV.”

“So, if he made a special trip here right before his suicide… it either means there’s an extremely valuable treasure hidden here, or he put something incredibly important here!”

“Am I right or am I right? Why else would he make a special trip here before killing himself? This place is far from Switzerland. Even with advanced transportation that makes travel instantaneous, why would a man determined to commit suicide still have the presence of mind to run all the way out here? Isn’t that obviously suspicious?”

“It means the secret under this memorial was extremely important to Pompey! Even on the verge of leaving this world, he still had to come here to take one last look, or maybe to hide something important!”

…

Jiang Ran listened silently, thinking.

‘The reasoning is sound.’

It only made Jiang Ran all the more curious. What secret could possibly be hidden beneath this memorial that had never been opened to the public?

‘Heavily guarded, allowing no one to enter. Sealed behind multiple, absolutely impassable Permission Walls. Pompey himself making a special trip here the day before his suicide… Behind such a blatant, iron-clad attempt at a cover-up, inside that room that supposedly not even Pompey himself could set foot in… what exactly was hidden there?’

“Sang Biao, do you hate Pompey?”

Jiang Ran asked out of curiosity.

‘My past few trips to 2045 have given me the impression that everyone in the Virtual World reveres Pompey. At the memorial plaza, countless people were weeping, their grief utterly genuine.’

‘And Sang Biao was the only person I’d met so far who used Pompey’s name without adding the respectful “Mister” or “Sir”.’

‘Perhaps it was just Sang Biao’s personal habit. For him, not sandwiching Pompey’s name between “fucking” and “asshole” probably counted as the highest form of respect for the great savior.’

Still, Jiang Ran was curious if there were any dissidents in this Virtual World, so he pressed on.

“Look, today is the anniversary of Pompey’s death. Everyone else is up there holding memorials. The memorial plaza is packed to the gills, and a lot of people start crying at the mere mention of Pompey’s name.”

“And you? On a day like today, you’re busy scheming to steal the treasure Pompey left behind. Is it because you’re resentful of the Virtual World, or maybe the Consciousness Upload surgery from back then?”

“I’m curious. What do you really think of Pompey?”

THUMP.

Suddenly, Jiang Ran bumped into Sang Biao’s back.

‘Hmm?’

‘Why did he suddenly stop?’

Jiang Ran took a step back and looked at Sang Biao, who stood there in silence.

‘How rare.’

‘Faced with this question, Sang Biao—who was usually crude, short-tempered, and constantly spouting crap—had actually stopped in his tracks, standing there completely still.’

Finally, he took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice,

“I admire Pompey.”

“You admire him, and you’re still stealing his stuff!”

The contradictory response left Jiang Ran unsure whether to laugh or cry.

“So what!”

Sang Biao retorted indignantly.

“Admiration is admiration! Stealing is stealing! They’re two completely different things, got it?”

“My admiration ≠ I won’t steal!”

“Alright, alright.” Jiang Ran clapped a few times. “You’ve certainly mastered the art of the inequality.”

“Actually, I really do respect Pompey.”

Sang Biao started walking again.

“If it weren’t for him, we would’ve croaked in the outside world long ago. I still remember the Great Catastrophe of 2028. The air was full of poison, and the Earth was like a steamer. It was completely unlivable.”

“Life in the Virtual World is pretty great, actually. You don’t have to worry about food or clothes, you can do whatever you want, and it’s not hard to get anything you desire.”

“Are you married?” Jiang Ran asked suddenly.

“You ask too many damn questions!” Sang Biao started cursing and grumbling again.

“That’s not it.”

Jiang Ran was confused.

“I mean, this is the Utopian World, isn’t it? And you still can’t get married?”

Sang Biao swung his palm at him.

“Utopia doesn’t just hand out wives!”

Jiang Ran dodged back a step.

“So… don’t tell me you’re trying to steal Pompey’s treasure just so you can get a wife?”