The Genius Game - Chapter 21

Jian Tanxi said to the three people opposite, “Don’t panic. Find a suitable spot to crouch and stay still. This is a seesaw, if anyone changes position, the others will lose their balance.”

The three young people across consisted of one man and two women. The man appeared to be in his early twenties, a rather handsome-looking male college student. One of the women was also in her early twenties, petite and delicate like a Barbie doll.

The other woman seemed much more mature, likely around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She wore a professional suit, had short hair, and carried a calm and capable demeanor, probably an office professional.

The male student stood in the middle, with the female student in front of him and the office lady behind him.

The male student and the office lady quickly calmed down, observing and choosing suitable positions.

However, the female student was very panicked, constantly turning her head to look at the male student behind her, saying, “Zicheng, what should we do… Are we going to die…?”

The male student comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, Jiaojiao. I’ll protect you. Even if we die, we’ll die together!”

The female student: “Wah… I’m so touched…”

The female student actually ran toward the male student and hugged him.

It seemed these two young people were a couple.

However, for them to focus solely on their romance at such a time was truly absurd.

Because the female student had run away, the seesaw tilted to the right, causing Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan to slide uncontrollably toward that side. The office lady, who was farthest to the right, nearly slid off.

Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan acted decisively, quickly running toward the left outer edge.

This restored the seesaw’s balance.

The office lady also steadied herself just as she was about to fall. She was now at the very edge, where the slightest misstep could send her over.

She looked at Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan and asked, “Teammates over there, I’d like to move back a bit. Could you also move toward the center so we can maintain balance?”

Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan both replied, “Sure, go ahead and move back. We’ll move toward the center as well.”

The couple did not change their positions. As the office lady moved toward the center, Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan also shifted inward.

This way, the seesaw remained largely stable without significant shaking.

Just as the office lady was about half a meter away from the male student, the female student spoke up: “Stop! Don’t come any closer! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to, you’re not getting near my boyfriend!”

The male student also said to the office lady, “Ma’am, please don’t come any closer. I already have a girlfriend. Jiaojiao is the only one I love.”

The female student looked touched again and said to the male student, “Zicheng, I knew you were the best.”

The male student patted the female student’s head and said, “Of course. To me, Jiaojiao is perfect, no one can compare to you.”

The office lady, not far away: “…”

Jian Tanxi: “…”

Professor Pan: “…”

The female office worker showed a shocked expression, then explained to the couple, “Um, I’m not interested in other people’s boyfriends, especially such an… abstract man. I wouldn’t want him. I was just moving closer for safety reasons, so don’t misunderstand. Since you don’t want me to come any closer, I’ll stop here. But please, both of you, don’t change your positions, or we’ll have to readjust everything.”

Unexpectedly, the female college student got angry again and said to the office worker, “Why are you insulting my boyfriend? You have to apologize to him!”

The office worker: “…”

Jian Tanxi and Professor Pan: “…”

Not wanting to make a big deal out of it and prioritizing the situation, the office worker said, “Fine, I apologize. I shouldn’t have said that about him… Anyway, we’re in a dangerous situation right now and need to work together to get through this.”

The female college student let out a proud “Hmph!” and said, “As if I didn’t know that? I already figured out this is a cooperative game. The seesaw only stays balanced when everyone is alive. If someone falls, the seesaw becomes unstable, and it’s easy for others to fall too.”

The male college student looked at her with admiration and said, “Jiaojiao, you’re so smart.”

The others: “…”

Jian Tanxi broke the awkward silence and said, “Um… let’s introduce ourselves first. I’m Jian Tanxi, a third-year student at Beijing University of Technology.”

The female college student across from her glanced at Jian Tanxi and said to her boyfriend with a hint of grievance, “Zicheng, she’s from a 985 university. Her school is better than ours, we’re only from a 211.”

The male college student looked at her and said, “Jiaojiao, don’t be upset. Even though her school is better than yours, you’re more outstanding and prettier than her. I don’t even pay attention to girls from 985 universities.”

The female college student cheered up instantly, gazing at him with starry eyes. “Zicheng, I knew I made the right choice…”

Jian Tanxi: “…”

Professor Pan: “…”

The office worker coughed twice and said, “Let’s save the chatting for later and continue with the introductions. I’m Meng Yuening, an employee at Dock Energy, 28 years old.”

Jian Tanxi looked at her with admiration. “Dock Energy? That super hard-to-get-into multinational company with amazing benefits?”

Meng Yuening smiled. “Yeah, I got in by luck.”

“No, nobody gets into Dock Energy by luck. You must be really capable.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Professor Pan said, “I’m Pan Xian, 78 years old, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.”

Next, it was the couple’s turn.

The male college student said, “I’m Hong Zicheng, a sophomore at Yangcheng University.”

The female college student said, “I’m Du Jiaojiao, also a sophomore at Yangcheng University. Hong Zicheng and I are a couple.”

Jian Tanxi: “We noticed.”

Du Jiaojiao said, “Why were you staring at my boyfriend earlier?”

Jian Tanxi: “I wasn’t staring at him. I was looking at Meng Yuening behind him, so I couldn’t help but see him.”

Du Jiaojiao: “Anyway, you must not have any feelings for him. I know he’s outstanding and popular with girls, but there’s no room for other women in his heart.”

Jian Tanxi: “…”

Jian Tanxi said speechlessly: “Don’t worry, I won’t have any feelings for him. I hope you two stay locked together forever.”

At that moment, a large piece of paper drifted down from above, depicting a bat-like figure.

This bat creature had the overall shape of a bat but with a human head, hands, and feet, creating a bizarre appearance.

Although the paper was floating through the sea of flames, it remained completely unscathed. Clearly, it wasn’t made of ordinary paper but rather fire-resistant material.

Then, the bat creature spoke: “Welcome to the new round of the game: Fun Seesaw. Participants: Jian Tanxi, Pan Xian, Du Jiaojiao, Hong Zicheng, Meng Yuening. I am the referee for this competition, Bat Superman.”

“Now, let me explain the rules:”

“First, no one can die, otherwise the others cannot leave the instance.”

“Second, players are divided into two teams. Members on the same side are considered one team. Team One: Jian Tanxi, Pan Xian. Team Two: Du Jiaojiao, Hong Zicheng, Meng Yuening.”

“Both teams must retrieve the small bead from the center of the seesaw. The team that obtains the bead can leave the seesaw and escape the sea of flames.”

“Clear condition: Everyone must leave the flame room to clear the instance.”

“Now, use your skills to win the game!”

Everyone looked toward the center of the seesaw and indeed saw a small white bead right in the middle.

However, the bead was so tiny and embedded in the wooden plank that no one had noticed it earlier.

Jian Tanxi asked: “Wait, I don’t quite understand the game rules.”

Bat Superman inquired: “What part confuses you?”

“The team that gets the bead can leave the seesaw. But the other team would lose balance and immediately fall into the fire. Even if the other team reacts quickly and sends one person to the other side to maintain balance, they would only prevent themselves and their teammates from falling. They still wouldn’t be able to leave the seesaw.”

“In that case, one team inevitably cannot leave.”

“Yet, the clear condition requires everyone to leave the flame room, which seems impossible.”

Bat Superman replied: “No, it’s possible. You’re all geniuses, figure it out yourselves.”

Professor Pan asked: “I have a question too. Does the team that gets the bead leave the flame room directly, or merely leave the seesaw? If they leave the seesaw, will they fall?”

Professor Pan’s question was crucial.

The young couple, who had been preparing to stealthily move toward the center to grab the bead first, paused upon hearing Professor Pan’s words.

If leaving the seesaw meant being lifted into the air only to fall into the fire, that would be disastrous. In that case, it would be better not to compete for the bead.

Bat Superman answered: “The team that obtains the bead will be hoisted by ropes, leaving the seesaw without falling into the fire.”

Professor Pan continued: “Hoisted by ropes? By the neck or some other part?”

Bat Superman chuckled: “Dear Professor, you’re being overly cautious. Certainly not by the neck, otherwise, the winning players would be strangled immediately. The ropes will secure their waists, keeping them upright.”

The female office worker, Meng Yuening, asked, “After being hoisted up, will we leave this room or continue to stay inside?”

Batman replied, “You will remain in the room, but the winning player will be suspended near the ceiling, keeping them farther from the sea of fire and thus safer than those on the seesaw.”

Meng Yuening remarked, “Even if you get the small bead, you’ll just end up hanging from the ceiling. The winner still can’t escape. On the contrary, being tied up by ropes makes it harder to move and even more difficult to get away.”

Batman said, “I’ve told you, there is a way for everyone to escape, you just have to find it yourselves.”

With Batman’s explanation, everyone began to hesitate.

Admittedly, being hoisted up would reduce the scorching heat, but it would also increase the difficulty of escaping.

Yet, staying on the seesaw offered almost no chance of escape either.

The room had no doors or windows, and aside from the seesaw, there was nowhere else to stand.