The Genius Game - Chapter 10

This was a young man around twenty-something years old, approximately 185 cm tall, slightly overweight.

He wasn’t exactly ugly, but he couldn’t be called handsome either. Though he was smiling, Jian Tanxi instinctively felt fear and resistance. It was probably because the way he looked at her was like a merchant appraising goods.

The man greeted her gently, “Hey, you’re a survivor too, right? Let’s get to know each other. My name is Sun Lianhu. What’s your name?”

Jian Tanxi took a step back and said, “We’re just strangers passing by, no need to get acquainted. I’ll be going now.”

Even though encountering a stranger instinctively stirred excitement in her, Jian Tanxi felt that dealing with this man wouldn’t lead to anything good.

So, she decided to leave.

Sun Lianhu quickly stepped forward, blocking her path. “Why be shy? There’s only the two of us here. Survivors on Earth are few and far between now, it’s fate that we met. You’re so pretty, have you ever had a boyfriend before?”

Jian Tanxi frowned without saying a word and immediately broke into a run.

After her physical abilities had been enhanced, her running speed was incredibly fast, almost on par with an Olympic champion.

However, this man’s physical functions seemed to have been enhanced as well, his speed was even slightly faster than hers.

He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm.

Jian Tanxi tried to break free but couldn’t shake him off right away.

Sun Lianhu flashed a triumphant smile. “You’re my prey… you can’t escape. With Earth’s population drastically reduced, we should take on the responsibility of repopulating. Otherwise, who’s going to maintain this vast planet?”

Jian Tanxi threw a punch at Sun Lianhu, then followed up with a knee strike.

Although Sun Lianhu dodged, he was forced to release her arm.

Instead of running again, Jian Tanxi started fighting him.

She figured her running speed probably wasn’t faster than his, so fighting was a better option than fleeing.

Even if she got injured, she still had healing pills to rely on.

So, she fought with all her might, attacking Sun Lianhu like a madwoman.

She had never learned any combat skills, her fighting now relied purely on ferocity.

Fortunately, Sun Lianhu didn’t know any combat techniques either; he just clumsily defended against her moves while occasionally striking back.

Before long, Sun Lianhu used his physical advantage to grab Jian Tanxi by the neck.

Jian Tanxi continued attacking with her hands and feet, even biting down hard on Sun Lianhu’s hand.

Sun Lianhu cried out in pain and withdrew his hand, giving Jian Tanxi a chance to escape.

Realizing she couldn’t run in a straight line, she weaved through the mall, dashing into a clothing store one moment and a hair salon the next, throwing whatever tools she could grab at Sun Lianhu.

Though this slowed him down temporarily, Jian Tanxi felt that escape might be impossible.

An idea crossed her mind: What if she ran to the top floor and jumped? If she appeared dead, Sun Lianhu would probably leave.

Before jumping, she could take a revival pill.

She wasn’t sure if taking it in advance would work, but at this point, she had to try everything.

Spotting an opening, she dashed toward the elevator.

Sun Lianhu chased relentlessly.

Just as Jian Tanxi reached the second floor, she saw a child in the distance, laughing and running toward her.

Jian Tanxi had no time to dodge and accidentally collided head-on with the child.

The child fell to the ground, looked up, and stared at Jian Tanxi.

Jian Tanxi was overjoyed, this child was none other than Qu Chen!

If Qu Chen was here, then his mother, Qin Man, must be nearby too!

Sure enough, Qin Man came running over, calling out as she ran, “Xiao Chen, slow down!”

Jian Tanxi’s mind worked quickly. She figured that with Qin Man’s help, they could probably subdue or drive away Sun Lianhu.

But the most crucial point was to prevent Sun Lianhu from taking Qu Chen hostage; otherwise, both she and Qin Man would be at a disadvantage.

So, in a moment of urgency, Jian Tanxi gave Qu Chen a kick, sending him tumbling toward Qin Man.

Qin Man had already rushed over and helped Qu Chen up.

At first, she was angry that her son had been kicked, but when she saw it was Jian Tanxi, she was pleasantly surprised.

Just as she was about to greet Jian Tanxi, the latter ran toward her, shouting loudly, “Sister Qin Man, help me fight this man!”

Only then did Qin Man notice the man following Jian Tanxi. His face didn’t look friendly.

She had actually noticed him earlier but assumed he was a friend or relative of Jian Tanxi.

Now, seeing Jian Tanxi so flustered, Qin Man quickly caught on and joined her in fighting Sun Lianhu.

Sun Lianhu was thrilled to see another woman join the fray and began spewing vulgar remarks.

Enraged by his words, Qin Man struck with even more force.

Neither Qin Man nor Jian Tanxi had any combat skills, they simply fought wildly.

Although they landed several hits on Sun Lianhu, he wasn’t so easily driven back.

Suddenly, Sun Lianhu kicked Qin Man in the leg, causing her to fall to the ground. Her foot seemed to be broken.

Just as Sun Lianhu was gloating, Qin Man suddenly threw a pink pill that hit him squarely on the head.

Sun Lianhu froze for a moment, then began frantically scratching his skin, grimacing in apparent agony.

Qin Man sneered, “Does it feel like countless ants are crawling all over you, like insects are biting you? If you don’t leave now, I have even stronger pills.”

Sun Lianhu wanted to flee, but he couldn’t move. His entire body was numb, aching, and itching, all his energy was consumed by enduring the sensation, leaving him no strength to take a step.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Man pulled Jian Tanxi and Qu Chen away.

They reached the mall entrance, where Qin Man opened the door of a red car and ushered Jian Tanxi and Qu Chen inside.

Then, Qin Man got into the driver’s seat and said, “We can’t stay here. Let’s find another place to settle.”

The sudden departure left Jian Tanxi feeling unsettled, as if she hadn’t prepared for it.

But then she reconsidered, she didn’t really have anything to bring. She didn’t need much food at the moment, and anything else could be replenished at their next destination.

After all, survivors could essentially take whatever supplies they needed from across the entire planet. There was no need to carry anything with her.

With that thought, Jian Tanxi felt at ease.

She asked Qin Man, “Sister Qin Man, how did you and Xiao Chen end up here? Do you live nearby?”

While driving, Qin Man replied, “No, Xiao Chen and I were transported to a rural village. After staying there for a few days, I wanted to take him to an amusement park, so I found a car and drove us out.”

“I thought to myself that large amusement parks are usually located in shopping malls, so I just needed to drive toward bustling areas. However, since I couldn’t check the route now, I had to drive aimlessly. After getting on the highway, I chose a big city to exit and drove around until I spotted the mall we just saw.”

“I played with Xiao Chen in the inflatable castle for a while, and when he wanted to go upstairs, I took him up. I never expected to run into you so soon.”

Jian Tanxi smiled and said, “What a coincidence! Luckily, I met you, or I wouldn’t have known how to get away.”

Qin Man asked, “Didn’t our physical abilities get enhanced? Why couldn’t we overpower that man?”

“That man must have also participated in the Paper Man game, his physical abilities were enhanced too. So, overall, the strength balance remains the same as before. Enhanced men still tend to be stronger than enhanced women.”

“I see… So, there must be more than just the seven of us who survived the escape game?”

Jian Tanxi nodded. “Yes, I’ve suspected for a while that there are more survivors than just us. Now, that man’s appearance confirms it. We just don’t know how many survivors there are in total or whether they’re friends or foes. In any case, we need to stay vigilant.”

“True. It’s a pity we can’t stay together all the time, running into each other today was pure luck. If we enter the second round of the game in a few days, we’ll still have no idea where the others are after we come out.”

“Qin Man, I have a theory. The fact that you were transported out of the game with Xiao Chen might be because you stayed close to him. Let’s try not to separate this time and see if we get sent into the same game together.”

Qin Man agreed, “That sounds good. From now on, let’s stick together no matter what. Even when using the restroom, we can use family restrooms, they’re spacious enough for several people.”

“Okay.”

Although Qu Chen is a boy, he’s still very young and has autism, so there’s no need to worry about gender differences.

Given the current extraordinary circumstances, it’s best for Jian Tanxi to stay with Qin Man and her son.

Qu Chen sat in the back seat with Jian Tanxi, feeling very excited. He hummed songs the whole time and held onto her hand.

While chatting with Qin Man, Jian Tanxi also took care of the child.

Qu Chen pulled out a pack of Skittles from his pocket and asked Jian Tanxi to open it for him.

Jian Tanxi smiled and said, “You can’t eat candy. I’m going to throw it away.”

As she spoke, she made a move to toss the candy out.

Qu Chen started crying and throwing a tantrum. Qin Man said, “Tanxi, hurry up and throw it away. He already has cavities. I don’t let him eat candy, but somehow he found a pack in the store.”

Jian Tanxi laughed and threw the Skittles out the window. Qu Chen watched his favorite treat disappear and burst into loud sobs.

Qin Man said, “There are other snacks in the back seat. Could you grab them for him?”

“Sure.”

Jian Tanxi found a large bag of snacks behind the seat, containing potato chips, cookies, Bazhen cakes, nuts, and more.

Seeing the food, Qu Chen stopped crying. He grabbed a bag of chips, tore it open with his teeth, and started munching away.

Jian Tanxi also picked up a bottle of cola and took a few sips. After drinking, she felt her tense nerves begin to relax.

Jian Tanxi asked Qin Man, “Sister Qin Man, does this car belong to someone else? How were you able to unlock it then?”

Qin Man replied, “After I was transported to the countryside, I noticed a parking lot in the village with over a dozen cars parked there. I thought to myself, I need a car right now. So, I went door to door searching for car keys. When I found a set of keys at one house, I went to the parking lot, pressed the unlock button, and this red car lit up. That’s how I was able to drive it.”

“Haha, Sister Qin Man, you’re really clever.”

“Well, after all, we were all recognized as geniuses by the paper people.”

Jian Tanxi realized that Qin Man had a very interesting personality.

She wasn’t alone anymore, she could rely on Qin Man and her son, and it felt like she had gained the whole world.

In the past, she had been too busy and rarely spent time with friends.

But now, she desperately needed friends and comrades.

Qin Man and her son could be both friends and battle companions.

All the survivors on Earth were geniuses, and that felt amazing. No one would hold the team back; instead, everyone could help each other.

Qin Man asked, “Tanxi, do you have any family?”