The Genius Game - Chapter 27

Li Chuxia: “…”

Seeing that Du Jiaojiao was a few years older than her, Li Chuxia politely explained, “Miss, don’t worry, our high school doesn’t allow dating. Besides, I would never try to steal someone else’s boyfriend.”

Du Jiaojiao was somewhat displeased: “Who are you calling ‘miss’? Do I look that old to you?”

Hong Zicheng quickly interjected, “Jiaojiao, you’re young and beautiful, no one can compare to you.”

Du Jiaojiao finally showed a satisfied smile.

The others: “…”

Ge Zhiwen was a bookworm who focused solely on his studies and rarely paid attention to others, but he found the couple so amusing that he couldn’t help but glance at Hong Zicheng and Du Jiaojiao.

This time, it was Hong Zicheng’s turn to be dissatisfied: “Hey, you over there, why are you staring at my girlfriend? She’s already taken!”

Ge Zhiwen: “…”

Ge Zhiwen: “Don’t worry, bro, I’m not interested in your girlfriend. I just think you two are… quite unique, so I couldn’t help but look.”

Hong Zicheng: “What ‘bro’? You look older than me. Are you, like, 35?”

Ge Zhiwen: “…”

Ge Zhiwen: “I shouldn’t have pursued this Ph.D. I can’t even graduate, and I’ve lost all my hair from studying, making people think I look 35…”

Hong Zicheng: “What are you implying? Are you showing off about being a Ph.D. candidate? Let me tell you, my grades are excellent too, I’ll get my Ph.D. eventually!”

Du Jiaojiao: “Brother Zicheng, you’re amazing!”

Ge Zhiwen: “…”

At that moment, a giant sheet of paper appeared in the air, depicting a queen.

The queen spoke: “Welcome to the new round of the game, Infinite Descent. Participants: Jian Tanxi, Li Chuxia, Ge Zhiwen, Du Jiaojiao, Hong Zicheng. I am the referee of this game, the Red Apple Queen.”

“Now, let me explain the rules:

First, no human deaths are allowed. If anyone dies, the game will be considered a failure, and no one else will be able to leave the instance.

Second, the falling speed will increase every five minutes, with no upper limit.

Third, there is no ground in this game. Players will continue to fall indefinitely.

Fourth, the condition for clearing the game is for everyone to stop falling.

That concludes the introduction. Enjoy the game.”

With that, the Red Apple Queen gradually faded away, and the entire sheet of paper vanished into thin air.

Du Jiaojiao said, “We didn’t even get to ask any questions, and she just left… What do we do now…”

Jian Tanxi analyzed, “She’s already made the rules clear. The only thing we need to do is stop falling. If we can’t, we’ll keep falling, and our speed will keep increasing. Since there’s no ground in this game, we’ll eventually die mid-air.”

Ge Zhiwen added, “We’re fine for now because the falling speed is relatively slow. But once the speed reaches a certain point, we’ll spontaneously combust in the air and burn to death. So, we must figure out how to stop falling while we still can. As the speed increases, not only will we become more panicked, but even if we come up with a solution, we might not have time to react.”

The others realized this as well.

However, it’s easier to strategize on solid ground. Trying to stabilize your mind and figure out a way to clear the game while continuously falling is far more challenging.

When falling, people instinctively feel panicked, especially when they know the fall has no end.

Jian Tanxi said, “Alright, everyone, lie flat on your backs, face the sky, and spread your limbs as wide as possible. This position will help you feel less tense. Then, let’s think about how to clear this level.”

Following Jian Tanxi’s instructions, everyone lay on their backs, and indeed, their minds felt much more relaxed, almost as if they were soaring through the clouds.

However, they couldn’t afford to indulge in this sensation. Every five minutes, their falling speed would increase. They had to seize every second to devise a plan.

Hong Zicheng suggested, “There’s nothing around us except those buildings. Why not try grabbing onto one? Maybe it’ll stop our fall.”

Du Jiaojiao replied, “But those buildings look too smooth, we might not be able to get a grip…”

Hong Zicheng insisted, “At this point, we have to at least try.”

Everyone agreed it was a good idea, so they flipped over and attempted to approach the buildings.

However, they soon realized they couldn’t move horizontally. Even when they stretched out their arms, the buildings remained frustratingly far away.

So, that idea was a no-go.

Hong Zicheng took out a prop rope and tossed it toward the nearest building.

The rope seemed to have a mind of its own, wrapping around the closest skyscraper and tying itself into a knot.

With one arm wrapped around Du Jiaojiao’s waist and the other gripping the rope tightly, Hong Zicheng tried to stabilize their position and halt their descent.

But the building’s walls were too smooth. Although the rope was secured around it, they continued to slide downward slowly.

Hong Zicheng had no choice but to give up and retrieve the prop rope.

Li Chuxia questioned, “Hong Zicheng, you have such a powerful rope, and you only thought about saving yourself and your girlfriend?”

Hong Zicheng defended himself, “No, I was just testing it out, and it didn’t work, did I?”

“If you had managed to stop your fall, would you have even tried to pull us up?”

“How can you say that? Of course, I’d make sure Jiaojiao and I are safe first before helping anyone else.”

At this, Du Jiaojiao expressed her displeasure, “Who do you think you are? Why should my boyfriend save you?”

Li Chuxia retorted, “This is a team-based game! If one person fails, none of us can leave!”

Just then, the five-minute mark hit, and everyone felt their falling speed increase slightly.

Though it was still bearable, panic set in deeper, and they dropped the argument.

Du Jiaojiao cried out, “What do we do? Hurry and think of something! I’m so scared, I’m going to faint…”

Jian Tanxi proposed, “At this point, everyone should share what special abilities they have. Maybe one of them will come in handy. My abilities are healing and mind-reading, which don’t seem very useful here.”

Li Chuxia said, “I can alter my skin’s condition, but I haven’t figured out how that could help.”

Ge Zhiwen added, “I can breathe fire, but that doesn’t seem useful either.”

It was the couple’s turn, but Hong Zicheng and Du Jiaojiao hesitated, seemingly reluctant to share.

Ge Zhiwen urged, “We’ve all shared ours. Don’t hold back now. We can only clear this level by working together.”

Du Jiaojiao insisted, “We’re not trying to hide anything, it’s just that our abilities aren’t useful either.”

Ge Zhiwen pressed, “How will we know if they’re useful if you don’t tell us?”

Du Jiaojiao replied firmly, “They’re just not useful, so there’s no need to say.”

Jian Tanxi urged, “Enough with the talk. Every second is precious to us now. Both of you, Hong Zicheng and Du Jiaojiao, share your abilities first. Perhaps we can figure out a suitable way to use them.”

Hong Zicheng said, “Alright, I’ll be straightforward. My ability is called ‘Stay Away from My Girlfriend’ and can only be used on men. When activated by shouting ‘Stay away from my girlfriend,’ the targeted man will be forced to move one meter away. However, it can only be used once per game.”

“Du Jiaojiao’s ability is similar to mine. It’s called ‘Stay Away from My Boyfriend’ and can only be used on women. By shouting ‘Stay away from my boyfriend,’ the targeted woman will also be forced to move one meter away.”

So that was their ability, awkward and seemingly useless, no wonder they were reluctant to share it.

Li Chuxia stifled a laugh, earning a glare from Du Jiaojiao.

Ge Zhiwen didn’t laugh but stared at the couple in astonishment, as if he couldn’t believe such abilities existed. It seemed tailor-made for them.

Jian Tanxi pondered briefly and said, “I don’t think these abilities are useless. Right now, the only way to stop our fall seems to be by grabbing onto the surrounding buildings. But we can’t get close. If Hong Zicheng and Du Jiaojiao use their abilities, at least two people could get closer to the buildings, making it possible to reach the walls.”

Hong Zicheng replied, “That might not work either. Human hands and clothing have limited friction. The building walls are too smooth to hold onto. My rope is rough and has good friction, yet it still slips. I doubt anyone else could grip the walls.”

His point was valid.

Just then, Li Chuxia suddenly spoke up, “I’ve figured out how to use my ability. My power allows me to alter my skin’s state, making it smoother, rougher, darker, or lighter. If I maximize the roughness of my skin, I should be able to grip the building’s exterior. Now, all Du Jiaojiao needs to do is send me closer to a nearby building.”

Du Jiaojiao retorted, “You were just arguing with me, and now you want my help?”

Li Chuxia frowned, “I wasn’t the one arguing, you started it. Besides, this isn’t the time for that. If I can stop falling, it benefits everyone. At least part of the game’s task would be completed.”

Du Jiaojiao snapped, “Why shouldn’t I be the first to complete the task? I want to be first.”

“You can’t change your skin’s state, nor can you get close to the buildings. There’s no other way.”

Du Jiaojiao was still upset, but the others urged her, “Du Jiaojiao, if you want to argue, do it after we get out. For now, let’s cooperate.”

Just then, five minutes passed, and their falling speed increased.

Du Jiaojiao let out a startled cry.

Jian Tanxi said, “Du Jiaojiao, we need to help Li Chuxia stop falling first. Only then can we focus on finding a solution for you.”

Seeing the urgency, Du Jiaojiao stopped sulking. She instructed Li Chuxia to position herself with her back facing the nearest building so that when the ability was used, Li Chuxia would be pushed one meter closer to it.

Once Li Chuxia was ready, Du Jiaojiao shouted at her, “Stay away from my boyfriend!”

Li Chuxia was forcefully pushed one meter away, bringing her within arm’s reach of the building.

She turned to face the building and roughened her skin to its coarsest state.

Gripping the edge of the wall with all her might, her face flushed red with strain.

Jian Tanxi called out loudly, “How is it? Can you make it?”

Li Chuxia replied, “I feel… I can only hold on for a moment. I’ll soon lose strength and start sliding down…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Li Chuxia slid down one centimeter.

Jian Tanxi said, “Can you try to hold on a little longer?”

Li Chuxia answered, “I’ve already used all my strength… This wall is so straight and smooth, it’s practically like glass…”

As she spoke, she slid down a few more centimeters.