Genius Playground

Chapter 333: Chapter 13: A Motley Crew 4

“As if!”

Sang Biao scoffed.

“A real man’s gotta think big, not get tied up with girls! I have very lofty ambitions, you know. Why else would I be trying to steal Pompey’s treasure? I want to be just like him!”

Jiang Ran froze. The Sang Biao before him seemed like a stranger.

“Don’t tell me you want to…”

“That’s right!”

Sang Biao clenched his fist.

“I’m going to become the [King of the Digital World]! In short… the Counting King!”

PFFT—

Jiang Ran couldn’t hold back and just spat.

“Dude, what script are you reading from? You think stealing Pompey’s treasure makes you the next Pompey? Why not just say killing a panda makes you a national treasure?”

“The reason people in this world revere Pompey is that he saved billions of lives… His supreme status and power were earned, a reflection of the public’s will.”

“Have you got something twisted? This isn’t the old days where putting on the emperor’s robes makes you the emperor. In fact, the moment it’s revealed you stole Pompey’s belongings, the cops will put you down on the spot.”

“Hehehe…”

Sang Biao gave a nonchalant smile.

“You’re being a bit naive, kid. Think about it. What could Pompey’s treasure possibly be?”

Jiang Ran stroked his chin, thinking.

This Virtual World was already a semi-Utopian society, so money and the like weren’t that important.

Besides, for someone on the level of a “Creator God” or “Creator” like Pompey, the only thing he would care about enough to keep under lock and key would be—

“[Permission].”

Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes and gave his answer.

“So, you believe that what Pompey left here is the supreme authority, the permission that controls this entire Virtual World.”

“Everything in this world is made of electronic data and computer programs. So, as long as you can get something like admin-level permissions, you can do whatever you want in this Virtual World. You’d be practically omnipotent.”

“You’re a fast learner!”

Sang Biao chuckled, patting Jiang Ran on the shoulder.

“Pompey made a special trip here right before he killed himself. He must have thought this place was secure enough to hide the key to all that authority, to prevent it from being misused by someone with ulterior motives after his death!”

“But he never would have guessed that my persistence would pay off… that I’d actually be here, waiting, on the very day the Permission Wall failed!”

“Once I get Pompey’s treasure—get that all-controlling authority—then if I want the wind to blow, it’ll blow! If I want it to rain, it’ll rain! The entire world will do as I say!”

“Don’t you worry, kid. I’ll take care of you! When I become the king of this world, I’ll make you a minister or a general, something like that. I’ll let you rule over an entire continent!”

“No, no, no, no, no.”

Jiang Ran waved his hands frantically, drawing a clear line between himself and the would-be dictator.

“I think I get it now. You don’t want to be some ‘Counting King,’ you want to be the ‘Great Demon King’!”

“Sigh. I have to say… Sang Biao, you’re impressively consistent. In every single Future World, you’re a model villain.”

‘Jiang Ran felt foolish for the flicker of hope he’d just had.’

‘He’d actually thought he might hear some grand, heroic vision from Sang Biao. But no, the guy was still the same crooked bastard, only here to get his hands on supreme authority.’

‘If Sang Biao actually pulled this off, the Virtual World would go from a Utopia to a dictatorship in the blink of an eye.’

‘Just from hearing Sang Biao’s sleazy cackle, Jiang Ran knew the guy was up to no good.’

“However, you’re running out of time.”

Jiang Ran raised his wrist and looked at his watch.

“It’s 10:31 already, and we’re still stuck in this sewer. Are you sure your gut is leading you in the right direction?”

“You also said there was some mechanism that needed three people to get past. Aren’t we there yet?”

“We’re here! This is it!”

Sang Biao tilted his head back, pointing to a spot of light above them.

Jiang Ran moved closer to look.

‘Ah, I see.’

The winding sewer tunnel conveniently led to the basement of the memorial hall.

Four or five meters overhead was a sewer grate. If they could just climb up there, they’d be inside the memorial hall.

But it was so high, and they had no climbing gear…

Jiang Ran instantly understood what Sang Biao meant by a “mechanism that required three people”:

“Brother Biao, when you said it takes three people… you didn’t mean we have to form a human ladder, did you?”

“Well, yeah!”

Sang Biao looked at Jiang Ran as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why else do you think I recruited you at the last minute? It’s ’cause you’re tall! Lao San only comes up to your armpit. In that respect, you’re way more useful than he is.”

‘Sigh.’

‘Fine, fine.’

‘Jiang Ran realized he really couldn’t expect anything from a low-rent criminal accomplice like Sang Biao. The whole operation was just too crude.’

“Come on!”

Sang Biao braced his hands against the wall, lowered himself into a horse stance, and stuck his butt out.

“Get on, Jiang Ran! Climb onto my shoulders. You can form the crotch!”

“Could you please stop using body parts in your metaphors?”

‘Well, I’m here now.’

Jiang Ran saw no other choice but to go along with the team’s plan.

Next, the slimmest of the group, Lao Er, climbed up. He stepped onto Jiang Ran’s shoulders, pushed open the iron grate above, and vaulted through.

“Alright, wait a second.”

Lao Er was quick and efficient. After a moment of rummaging around up top, he threw down a rope.

“It’s secured! Come on up!”

And so, with a combination of pulling and climbing, Jiang Ran made it up with Lao Er’s help. Then, the two of them worked together to haul Sang Biao up after them.

Finally on solid ground, Jiang Ran stood up and surveyed his surroundings.

Without a doubt, they were inside the East Sea City Human Civilization Memorial Hall.