The Genius Game - Chapter 3

The girl in the white dress said in surprise, “This… I recognized him directly. What more evidence is needed? My phone can’t connect to the internet now, otherwise I could search online to see what Professor Pan Xian looks like.”

The handsome man replied, “Since we can’t go online, no one can be sure if what you’re saying is true. Maybe you and this old man are in cahoots, sneaking in here with some special purpose.”

The girl in the white dress grew somewhat angry and retorted, “Me, a teenage high school girl, and Professor Pan Xian, a 78-year-old unconscious old man, what could we possibly do? What special purpose could we have? I ended up here just as mysteriously as everyone else. Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”

At that moment, the middle-aged mother in her thirties spoke up, “Let’s not argue for now. I don’t believe this young lady would lie. There’s no benefit for her to fabricate Professor Pan Xian’s identity. Many people on Earth have disappeared, and the survivors might only be the few of us here.”

“If that’s really the case, our past identities and statuses are meaningless. Figuring out how to survive is what matters most. Even if this old man were pretending to be a professor, it wouldn’t earn him more resources. When it comes to survival, we wouldn’t give up our chance to live just because he’s a professor.”

“So, there’s no need for him to pretend. I’m more inclined to believe that he really is Professor Pan Xian and that he’s genuinely unconscious.”

“I think the most urgent matter is for us to introduce ourselves, then listen to what the clown has to say, and discuss a way out together.”

“The clown wants us to play a game, but I have a feeling the so-called game won’t be that simple. So, let’s save our energy for the challenges ahead.”

Though the middle-aged mother’s voice was soft, it was melodious and had a calming effect.

After her words, everyone nodded in agreement, and the handsome man had nothing more to say.

Jian Tanxi said, “Then let’s start with self-introductions. My name is Jian Tanxi, I’m 22 years old, and I’m a third-year student at Capital University of Technology.”

The girl in the white dress said, “My name is Li Chuxia, I’m 17, and I’m a second-year student at Wanshui High School.”

The middle-aged mother said, “My name is Qin Man, I’m 33, and I’m a part-time Chinese teacher. This child is my son, his name is Qu Chen, and he’s six years old.”

Jian Tanxi asked, “Why hasn’t this child spoken at all?”

Qin Man replied with some difficulty, “My son… has autism. He doesn’t speak.”

Jian Tanxi felt sympathy for Qin Man and apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

Qin Man smiled gently and said, “It’s okay. Xiao Chen, say hello to your sister.”

Qu Chen stretched out his small hand and waved at Jian Tanxi. This was his way of greeting.

Jian Tanxi waved back and said, “Hello, Xiao Chen. I’m Sister Tanxi.”

Qu Chen smiled at Jian Tanxi. His smile was incredibly beautiful, pure and innocent, like a little angel, and it melted Jian Tanxi’s heart.

She noticed that although Qu Chen couldn’t speak, he was exceptionally good-looking, even more so than the young man in the plaid shirt.

She thought to herself that heaven is fair, this child had his shortcomings, but he also had his strengths. Perhaps this child possessed a very kind and pure soul, one that would never be tainted by the world.

She finally understood why Qin Man appeared so haggard and had white hair at such a young age. Raising an autistic child while juggling part-time jobs to make ends meet, Qin Man undoubtedly endured far more hardship and exhaustion than the average mother, no easy feat.

Despite these circumstances, Qin Man hadn’t been crushed by life. After arriving in this strange place, she quickly analyzed the situation and guided everyone toward peaceful coexistence. It was clear that her overall capabilities were exceptional. If not for the responsibility of raising an autistic child, she might very well have become a highly successful career woman.

The self-introduction session continued.

The middle-aged man in his forties said, “I’m Zhang Dayong, 40 years old, an auto mechanic.”

Finally, the handsome young man in a plaid shirt spoke: “Huo Zimu, 27, a programmer.”

With the introductions complete, everyone was now acquainted.

In this vast, white world, there were no buildings, no mountains or rivers, and no bustling crowds.

It felt as though they were the only people left between heaven and earth.

As a result, a sense of shared hardship and mutual sympathy grew among them.

Just then, the clown-patterned paper drifted over, stopping about 50 meters away from the group.

Then, the clown spoke: “Welcome, everyone, to the Genius Game. Participants: Jian Tanxi, Pan Xian, Qin Man, Qu Chen, Zhang Dayong, Huo Zimu, Li Chuxia… seven in total. Each of you has been carefully selected as a genius. You should feel honored to be chosen for this game…”

At that moment, Huo Zimu interrupted the clown: “That I am a genius is beyond doubt. After all, I completed both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at top-tier universities and now work as a mid-level manager in a Fortune 500 company. Jian Tanxi is a student at a key university, and Li Chuxia is from a prestigious high school, both have excellent academic records. Pan Xian, lying on the sickbed, is a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Of course, we qualify for this competition. But them…”

Huo Zimu pointed at the middle-aged woman Qin Man, the autistic child Qu Chen, and the auto mechanic Zhang Dayong, saying, “One is a housewife, one is a child who can’t even speak, and the other is an auto mechanic. What qualifies them to compete?”

His words left the others speechless.

What kind of time was this for Huo Zimu to still be fixated on such things?

The auto mechanic Zhang Dayong appeared somewhat uneasy; the middle-aged woman Qin Man merely glanced calmly at Huo Zimu without saying a word; the autistic child Qu Chen, oblivious to it all, held his mother’s hand tightly, beaming with a bright smile.

The youngest of the group, Li Chuxia, couldn’t hold back any longer and snapped at Huo Zimu, “Mr. Huo, could you please be quiet and listen to the clown explain the game rules? Stop flaunting your superiority.”

Huo Zimu shot Li Chuxia a displeased look, wanting to retort, but then thought that arguing with a high school student would be beneath him. He forcibly swallowed his words.

The clown continued, “I selected each of you based on your intelligence, not your external status. Those chosen by me are undoubtedly geniuses.”

Hearing this, Qin Man remained expressionless, while the auto mechanic Zhang Dayong looked astonished, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.

Jian Tanxi suddenly felt a surge of confidence in herself, though she found it somewhat strange to feel that way in such a situation.

The clown announced, “The game you are about to participate in is: Do Not Starve to Death.”

Huo Zimu frowned, “No starving to death? What does that mean?”

The clown giggled, “Look behind you.”

Everyone turned around and discovered a table had suddenly appeared behind them.

On the table sat a steamed bun and a cup of water.

The bun wasn’t large, just the standard size you’d find at a breakfast shop. For an adult, one wouldn’t even be enough to feel full.

The clown chuckled mischievously, “Everyone, this is your food ration for the next ten days. The game rule is: No starving to death. If you starve, you won’t be able to leave alive.”

Jian Tanxi was almost amused by the absurdity. Did this clown think it was being funny?

Of course, if someone starved to death, they wouldn’t be leaving alive.

At that moment, everyone else began to grasp the situation.

Huo Zimu was the first to act, lunging for the bun and the water, but Zhang Dayong, the auto mechanic, blocked him.

Zhang Dayong was the biggest and strongest among them. If he decided to seize the food, no one else would stand a chance.

However, Zhang Dayong merely stood in front of the table, preventing others from taking the food. He had his back to the provisions, seemingly not intending to hoard them for himself.

Huo Zimu’s eyes shifted, and he addressed the others, “Zhang Dayong wants to monopolize the food and water. None of us can take him on alone. Let’s take him down first, then figure out what to do.”

In such a tense situation, Huo Zimu’s words were highly provocative.

But no one moved.

Everyone remained in their spots.

They were all from civilized society; it wasn’t easy to instantly become someone who would kill a companion over food.

At least, Jian Tanxi didn’t want to do that. She believed there must be a way for everyone to survive, she just hadn’t thought of it yet.

The autistic child, Qu Chen, seemed a bit hungry and tried to run over to grab the bun, but his mother, Qin Man, caught him.

Qin Man whispered, “Xiao Chen, don’t go over yet. Wait a little longer to eat.”

Qu Chen obediently listened to his mother and stopped moving.

Auto mechanic Zhang Dayong explained, “I don’t want to keep the food for myself. I’m standing here to prevent anyone else from taking it all. My idea is for as many of us as possible to survive. One bun really isn’t enough to share, but even if everyone else died and only one person remained, they couldn’t survive ten days on just one bun and a cup of water. So, turning on each other is pointless.”

High school student Li Chuxia suddenly spoke up, “No, that’s not right.”

Zhang Dayong asked, “What do you mean?”

Li Chuxia replied, “If all of us died and only one person was left, they could eat our corpses.”

Zhang Dayong was shocked, momentarily speechless. His expression showed he genuinely hadn’t considered that possibility.

Although Li Chuxia brought it up, it didn’t mean she had such intentions. She was merely stating a fact and reminding everyone to protect themselves.

If everyone assumed that even if only one person survived, they still couldn’t make it to the end, then no one would turn against each other, leading to a loss of vigilance toward companions.

And those with ill intentions, already contemplating cannibalism, could take advantage of others’ lowered guard to kill them.

Even if no one initially had such horrifying thoughts, once starvation set in, who knew what anyone might do?

After all, most people have vanished now. There are no laws, no police… survival is the top priority.

Changes in the environment can quickly reshape people’s thinking.

Among those present, only the young boy Qu Chen and Professor Pan Xian, lying ill in bed, likely need no guarding against, neither of them has the ability to kill.

As for the rest, Huo Zimu is the one everyone is most wary of, but that doesn’t mean the others can trust each other.

Extreme scarcity of resources has bred suspicion among them, making it impossible to unite.

Jian Tanxi had guessed correctly, this game was truly not as simple as it seemed.