The Genius Game - Chapter 29

Ge Zhiwen now had to look down to see Jian Tanxi.

He said to her, “How about this: I’ll give this ecosphere to Hong Zicheng so both of you can stop falling. As for me, I’ll figure something out on my own.”

Jian Tanxi asked, “Do you have any special ability or item that can stop your fall? If not, you can’t take that risk. With both of you holding onto the ecosphere, at least the descent is slower, and we can discuss a plan. If you fall freely alone while we’re suspended, you won’t even have anyone to consult, and the end result will be death.”

Ge Zhiwen knew Jian Tanxi made a valid point. But continuing to fall slowly wasn’t a solution either.

Although the descent had slowed, the mission remained unaccomplished.

At that moment, Hong Zicheng asked, “Do either of you have any items similar to the ecosphere that can float in the air?”

Jian Tanxi replied, “No. If we did, we would have used them already.”

Ge Zhiwen: “I don’t have any either.”

As Hong Zicheng and Ge Zhiwen slowly descended, they gradually fell below Jian Tanxi.

If they dropped any further, they wouldn’t be able to communicate.

Suddenly, an idea struck Jian Tanxi.

She asked Ge Zhiwen, “Your ability is to breathe fire, right?”

Ge Zhiwen: “Yes.”

“Can you control the size of the flames? How big can they get at maximum? How small at minimum?”

“I can control the flame size. At its smallest, it’s like a small gas stove flame; at its largest, I can apparently produce flames capable of burning down an entire building.”

Jian Tanxi said, “I have an idea. I’ll give both ecospheres to you two, and then you breathe fire at me, as powerfully as possible. I’ll put on my fireproof veil, so I won’t get burned. Hot air rises while cold air sinks. If your fire is strong enough, it will generate hot air. With enough hot air, it could support me or even lift me upward. That way, all of us can complete the mission.”

Ge Zhiwen’s eyes lit up; he thought it was a great idea. But he hesitated, “What if the hot air from the flames isn’t enough to support you?”

Jian Tanxi: “Then at worst, I’ll just keep falling. As long as either you or Hong Zicheng catches me when I come down and lets me hold onto the ecosphere, I can survive temporarily.”

Ge Zhiwen said, “Alright, let’s try it quickly then.”

Jian Tanxi retrieved the fireproof veil from her personal space and put it on.

Then, she said to the two boys below, “I’ll count to three, and then I’ll immediately make my ecosphere descend rapidly to stop beneath Hong Zicheng. Hong Zicheng, quickly lie flat on the second ecosphere to maintain balance. Ge Zhiwen, adjust your position so your ecosphere can support you steadily. Then, Ge Zhiwen, quickly breathe fire at me with maximum power.”

Ge Zhiwen and Hong Zicheng both said, “Okay.”

Jian Tanxi counted, “One, two, three,” then commanded the ecosphere, “Quickly go down and support Hong Zicheng.”

At the same time, a massive burst of flames shot from Ge Zhiwen’s mouth. Jian Tanxi felt a powerful updraft steadily supporting her, even showing signs of lifting her upward.

It seemed Ge Zhiwen’s ability was indeed formidable, the heat generated by the flames alone could lift a person.

Jian Tanxi didn’t feel the heat, only a light, floating sensation that was quite amusing.

Below, Ge Zhiwen and Hong Zicheng were also steadily clinging to the eco-spheres, no longer falling.

At that moment, the Red Apple Queen appeared and announced, “Congratulations to all players for completing the mission.”

Then, gravity seemed to vanish within the instance. All players could float in the air without relying on tools or special abilities, no longer at risk of falling.

With a wave of the Red Apple Queen’s hand, all the players gathered together, suspended in the air as if standing on solid ground.

Their tools also returned to their hands.

Jian Tanxi took off her fireproof gauze garment and stored it, along with the triangular prism and the two eco-spheres, in her personal space.

Li Chuxia was thrilled to see Jian Tanxi again, and Jian Tanxi responded with a gentle smile.

Du Jiaojiao showed Hong Zicheng her reddened palms and arms, complaining about how hard it had been to hold onto the rope. Hong Zicheng comforted her with a few words.

Then, the Red Apple Queen declared, “Now, based on each player’s contribution, different rewards will be distributed. All rewards will be privately communicated to the players and will not be disclosed to others.”

At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed in Jian Tanxi’s mind: “Player Jian Tanxi, you have made the greatest contribution in this level and have obtained 1 ability and 2 items.

Ability: Unmovable as a Mountain. No matter how strong the wind, you will not be blown away.

Item 1: Disguise Rouge. Applying it allows you to change your appearance for 20 minutes. It can be used 3 times.

Item 2: Boiling Teapot. Fill it with water, and it will automatically boil to provide hot water without the need for gas, coal, or electricity. Unlimited uses.”

Jian Tanxi then felt her bag grow slightly heavier.

She discreetly reached inside and felt a small teapot and a small box, these were likely the Boiling Teapot and the Disguise Rouge.

She decided to examine them more closely after leaving the instance.

She hadn’t expected to receive so many rewards for clearing this level and felt quite pleased.

The Disguise Rouge seemed quite useful, but the Boiling Teapot’s function appeared to be merely boiling water? Well, better than nothing.

Perhaps these items would come in handy in a future instance.

As for the Unmovable as a Mountain ability, it would certainly be useful on windy days, ensuring she wouldn’t be blown away.

The others also showed expressions of delight, likely having received useful abilities or items of their own.

Only Du Jiaojiao grumbled, “Why didn’t I get anything?”

The Red Apple Queen replied, “Because you made no contribution, dear child.”

Du Jiaojiao snapped, “Who asked you?”

The Red Apple Queen didn’t respond further but showed no sign of anger.

Ge Zhiwen murmured to himself, “I made a contribution too… So, my existence does have some purpose…”

Jian Tanxi turned to him and said, “That’s right, you were amazing. Without your fire-breathing ability, we would have had almost no chance of completing the mission earlier.” Hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in Ge Zhiwen’s eyes, and his previous negative and world-weary demeanor faded.

Jian Tanxi was delighted to see this change in him.

Her encouragement had dispelled Ge Zhiwen’s thoughts of seeking death. From now on, even if he were alone, he would no longer wish to die.

Jian Tanxi felt as though she had performed a good deed for the day, worthy of praise.

But then again, Ge Zhiwen’s special ability is truly remarkable. He must have performed exceptionally well in the previous games to have earned such a power.

If Jian Tanxi had the ability to breathe fire, she would never want to die, she’d be burning things every day just for fun.

The Red Apple Queen took out an ecosphere and said, “This ecosphere contains 200,000 Earthlings. As per the usual rules, those who wish to take them may do so. Jian Tanxi contributed the most, so you may choose first.”

Jian Tanxi replied, “I want this one. Please give it to me.”

The Red Apple Queen handed the ecosphere to Jian Tanxi, who stored it in her personal space.

Now, she had three ecospheres, totaling 500,000 people.

She felt a heavy responsibility but also a sense of excitement.

In the past, she had never imagined she could hold the fate of so many people in her hands.

At that moment, Ge Zhiwen suddenly stared intently at the Red Apple Queen.

Jian Tanxi found his gaze somewhat peculiar.

Without warning, Ge Zhiwen breathed fire toward the Red Apple Queen, as if trying to burn her to ashes.

The Red Apple Queen was on a piece of paper, and ordinary paper couldn’t withstand fire.

Ge Zhiwen probably thought the same.

However, Jian Tanxi knew that these paper figures wouldn’t be easily harmed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t appear before Earthlings in such a form.

Sure enough, the Red Apple Queen, engulfed in raging flames, showed no panic. Instead, she laughed and said, “Foolish Earthling, you think you can burn me with fire? Have you forgotten who gave you that ability? If these powers could harm us, why would we grant them to you?”

As expected, the flames only surrounded the Red Apple Queen from a distance, never getting close to her paper form.

Then, with a wave of her hand, the Red Apple Queen made the flames disappear.

Though he had failed, Ge Zhiwen coldly retorted, “What do you really want? Earthlings are not a species to be bullied and mocked by you. One day, we will drive you away.”

The Red Apple Queen burst into laughter. “Young man, you have ambition. It’s a pity that we Hogans are far more powerful than you. Your words are like… like one of your Earth’s idioms, ‘an ant trying to shake a tree.’ Hahaha…”

Ge Zhiwen clenched his fists and said nothing more.

But Jian Tanxi knew that a fire burned within him.

If there were more survivors like him, perhaps they could unite and form an Earth Self-Defense and Counterattack Force to drive these aliens away.

Although it seemed like an impossible task, Earthlings excel at overcoming the odds and achieving what seems unattainable.

Especially the Chinese, who have an indomitable, unyielding spirit deep in their bones, a trait that has persisted from ancient times to the present day.

And these paper figures likely feared that Earth’s survivors might unite, which is why they transported them to different locations each time, preventing them from meeting.

Nevertheless, the survivors were actively seeking ways to counter this.

For now, the game had only just begun.

Earthlings would grow stronger, surpassing the aliens’ expectations.

The Red Apple Queen announced, “The game is over. The teleportation channel is now open.”

Li Chuxia panicked and called out to Jian Tanxi, “Sister Tanxi, we’re going to be separated…”

Before she could finish her sentence, everything went black before Jian Tanxi’s eyes.

A few minutes later, the teleportation ended, and Jian Tanxi found herself transported to a Taoist temple.

The temple was not large, consisting of only four main halls and about a dozen rooms.

She walked around and, as expected, found no one.

Since she was here, she decided to make the best of it. Jian Tanxi lay down in one of the rooms to rest for a while.

Truthfully, her body wasn’t particularly tired, her enhanced physique seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

However, after the harrowing experience of the game, her mind and spirit needed a moment of respite.

She murmured to herself, “What will happen in the future… Well, I’m sure I’ll only grow stronger.”

Noticing some books on the shelf, she casually picked up a few to read.

As she read, her thoughts gradually drifted away from the game, and she began to feel a bit more settled.

At that moment, a copy of the Tao Te Ching on the bookshelf suddenly rose into the air on its own and flew into her hands.