The Genius Game - Chapter 20

Jian Tanxi exclaimed with delight, “So that’s how it is. It’s truly wonderful that you’ve regained your senses. As an experienced researcher, you’ll surely be able to lead the surviving humans to survive.”

However, Professor Pan Xian shook his head and said, “Given the current situation, no one can lead anyone. For one thing, the intelligence of the survivors is likely similar. An old man like me, in fact, might lag behind the times due to age, and sometimes my reactions aren’t as quick as the younger generation’s.

For another, after each game ends, teammates are teleported to different locations. Even if friendships are formed or teams are built during the game, once we leave, we’re scattered to the ends of the earth, making it impossible to form a long-term team.”

Jian Tanxi murmured, “You make a valid point… So, does that mean each of us has to fight alone?”

“That’s the only way. Earth has reached its most perilous moment, and every survivor must grow quickly, seeing themselves as the hope for all humanity. Therefore, we cannot retreat, cannot give up, and cannot rely on anyone else. The only one we can depend on is ourselves.”

Professor Pan’s words were like a splash of cold water awakening her. Jian Tanxi felt the weight and clarity of her responsibility grow heavier and more distinct.

At this point, whether she was willing or not, she had become one of humanity’s remaining saviors.

Only by becoming stronger would she have the chance to save others.

Thus, her gaze grew even more resolute.

Jian Tanxi asked Professor Pan, “Have you been here ever since leaving the first game?”

“No. After I was teleported to this convenience store, I stayed for a few days before entering the second round of the game. When the second round ended, I found myself teleported to a factory. Fortunately, I’m familiar with many cities, and I knew that factory wasn’t far from this mountain peak convenience store, close enough to walk.

So, I left the factory and returned here. After all, this place is more familiar, and there’s still food here.”

Jian Tanxi: “I see… So, you’ve also participated in two games?”

“Yes, our progress should be about the same. In the second game, I gained an ability and also obtained an ecosphere.”

Jian Tanxi said excitedly, “You have an ecosphere too?”

“That’s right, it’s right here.”

A white halo appeared above Professor Pan’s head, and from within it, he retrieved an ecosphere.

This ecosphere was very similar to the one Jian Tanxi held, but upon closer inspection, the people, buildings, and landscapes inside were slightly different.

It was clear that each ecosphere had its own unique structure, containing different people.

Jian Tanxi also took out her two ecospheres, and the three spheres floated side by side in the air.

Professor Pan asked with some delight, “You have two ecospheres now?”

“Yes, one with a population of 100,000 and one with 200,000, totaling 300,000.”

Professor Pan said, “My ecosphere has 150,000 people. Together, we’ve saved 450,000 people.”

“It’s a pity we don’t know how to release them.”

Professor Pan replied, “It’s alright, we can slowly find a way. Now that Earth is under alien control, releasing these ordinary people wouldn’t be good for them either.”

“Mm. Professor Pan, what was your second round of the game like?”

“It was a game of guessing a small ball. A paper-thin figure placed five bowls upside down on a table, with a small ball hidden under one of them. He swiftly rearranged the order of the bowls and then asked us to guess which one contained the ball. The game was played six times in total.”

“He didn’t specify that players had to take turns guessing, one player could guess all the rounds, or any player could step forward to guess. Some players were allowed to abstain entirely.”

However, if the guessing player guessed correctly, they would receive a reward while the others got nothing. If they guessed wrong, that player would die, and the others who didn’t guess would also be injured. Moreover, the final condition for clearing the game was that no one could die; otherwise, no one could leave.”

“A few players were too afraid to take the risk and never stepped forward to guess. In the end, it was me and another player with sharp eyesight who kept playing, and we managed to guess all the balls correctly.”

“I played two rounds, and he played four.”

“My contribution ranked second, so I gained one special ability. The player with the highest contribution received two abilities.”

Jian Tanxi asked, “So, the top-ranked player didn’t take the ecosphere?”

Professor Pan replied, “No, he didn’t want to take responsibility for other humans, considering it too troublesome. Moreover, he suspected that the aliens wouldn’t simply allow players to take other humans away, there must be some trick involved, even if it wasn’t immediately obvious. So, he refused the ecosphere outright.

As a result, according to the order of selection, it fell to me to choose. I took the ecosphere, which gave me a portable space.”

Jian Tanxi said, “I see. What would have happened if no one had chosen the ecosphere?”

“I asked that question too. The paper-thin figure, a Hog, said they would reclaim the ecosphere. As for what they would do with it afterward, he didn’t say.”

“Good thing you took it. Regardless of whether we can save them in the future, at least they are alive and well for now.”

“Yes, but unfortunately, there are too many people inside. It’s impossible to communicate with them individually. Whenever I speak to them, they all talk at once, it’s chaotic, and I can’t make out a single word.”

The two of them stored their respective ecospheres back into their spaces.

Then, Jian Tanxi asked, “Professor Pan, what do you think these aliens really want? If their goal was simply to invade Earth, they could have imprisoned all humans in ecospheres or killed us all. Instead, they locked up most of humanity and made the remaining geniuses participate in these strange games.”

Professor Pan replied, “I haven’t figured that out yet. Perhaps if we continue playing, we’ll find the answer. By the way, Tanxi, you’re a student at Beijing University of Technology, right?”

“Yes.”

“Originally, if I hadn’t fallen ill suddenly, I would have been appointed as the president of your university. Who would have thought that first I’d be hospitalized, and then Earth would undergo such drastic changes… Yet, here we are, reunited. It must be fate.”

Jian Tanxi exclaimed happily, “So you were almost my university president… It really is fate, haha.”

In the following days, Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan settled down together in the small convenience store.

There was a folding bed inside the store, which Professor Pan had been using for sleep until Jian Tanxi arrived. After she came, the folding bed was given to her, and Professor Pan moved to sleep in a small wooden hut not far away.

During the day, they gathered together and chatted casually.

When Professor Pan felt bored, he would teach Jian Tanxi some biology knowledge, which was his area of expertise.

Since Jian Tanxi had nothing else to do, she studied seriously. Although this knowledge might not be useful, it was enough to pass the time.

One day after class, Jian Tanxi took out one of the ecospheres and enlarged it many times, hoping to see if there was anyone she recognized inside.

However, there were too many people inside, and each person appeared quite small, making it impossible to identify anyone clearly.

Moreover, many people stayed inside their rooms and did not come out.

Some were outdoors, sitting and spacing out, their expressions filled with confusion and loneliness.

Although they lived with many others, the people in the ecosphere might have been randomly assigned, so those living in the same sphere were not necessarily acquainted.

Jian Tanxi noticed that the people inside rarely communicated with those around them, likely because they were not very familiar with one another.

Professor Pan walked over and asked, “Tanxi, are you looking for someone you know?”

Jian Tanxi nodded, “Yes.”

“The probability of finding someone is very low. After all, only a small portion of humanity is in here.”

“I know.”

At that moment, Professor Pan stared intently at a young man in the farmland, scrutinizing him carefully, and said, “I actually found someone I know. That young man farming is a Ph.D. student of my colleague. They specialize in agriculture.”

Jian Tanxi exclaimed excitedly, “Really? Where is he? What’s his name?”

Professor Pan didn’t answer. Instead, he frowned and watched for a while, then placed his hand on the ecosphere and shouted, “Nan Jingyuan! Who told you to farm like that? The soil in that plot is completely compacted, no wonder nothing’s growing! And who told you to plant eggplants and peppers together? These two crops are prone to dying when planted side by side. Don’t you know that?”

“No wonder your advisor is always scolding you. You’re truly the fighter jet among fools! Even I, a biology department doctoral advisor, can’t stand to watch this!”

The young man in the farmland looked up in shock, staring at the sky: “Pro…Professor Pan’s voice? How is his voice coming from the sky? Did Professor Pan ascend to immortality? How strange… Then, has my advisor ascended too? If he’s also ascended, should I continue my Ph.D. or not…”

Since Professor Pan’s words were directed solely at that young man, the other people in the ecosphere had no idea what was happening and remained silent.

Thus, Nan Jingyuan’s words were heard clearly by Professor Pan and Jian Tanxi without missing a single word.

Jian Tanxi couldn’t stop laughing, while Professor Pan shook his head repeatedly and said, “What a fool… I can’t stand him. Good thing he’s not my student. Tanxi, quickly put the ecosphere away.”

“Okay.”

Just as the ecosphere was put away, Jian Tanxi’s vision went black, and the familiar sensation of teleportation returned.

It seemed she was about to enter the third round of the game.

She just didn’t know what kind of game it would be this time or how dangerous it might be.

Before long, she landed in a room.

Her first sensation was heat.

After landing, her second sensation was that the ground was shaking.

Unable to stand steadily, she crouched down, supporting herself with her hands on the ground, barely maintaining her balance.

However, the ground continued to shake, and the shaking was quite intense.

She almost slid downward, but fortunately, someone caught her.

She turned around and saw that it was Professor Pan behind her.

Jian Tanxi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was someone familiar this time, she wouldn’t have to fight alone.

Only then did she take a clear look at her surroundings.

The room was a fire chamber. Below them, flames raged intensely, no wonder she had felt so hot.

There was no solid ground in the room. Instead, she and Professor Pan were standing on a large seesaw.

On the left side of the seesaw were herself and Professor Pan. On the right were three unfamiliar young people.

In the middle of the seesaw stood a thick pillar, connected to the sea of fire below. It didn’t conduct heat, nor could it be ignited.

The seesaw was about two meters above the fiery sea, and its width was roughly one and a half meters. If they could maintain balance, they wouldn’t fall into the flames, at least for now.

However, the three young people on the other end of the seesaw were panicking, constantly shifting their positions.

As a result, the seesaw kept swaying, forcing Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan to adjust their own positions continuously to keep everything in balance.