Chapter 378: The Great Battle of Switzerland

“Hee hee.”

Through the phone came Lilith’s voice, laced with a mischievous smile:

“Surviving until the very end is also a valid way to win, you know!”

“That’s enough, Lilith.”

Noah closed his eyes.

“I need to rest.”

“Okay! You must be tired from your travels. Be sure to take care of yourself!”

Lilith’s voice gradually faded.

“Goodbye, Mr. Puppet. Please be sure to uphold your lofty ideals and create a better future for the world.”

…

An hour and a half later, the business van arrived in Interlaken from Zurich.

Noah lived in this beautiful, secluded city. His favorite home was a manor at the foot of the Alps.

He liked to work in such quiet places, often holing up for half a month at a time without leaving. He didn’t need maids, cooks, or cleaners—only extreme quiet, which allowed him to maintain his clarity of thought.

The van stopped at the manor gate. Noah got out, ready to walk through the thin layer of snow back to his villa.

After seeing Noah off, the female assistant got back into the van.

“Well then, Professor Noah, we’ll be leaving now. Please contact us anytime if you need anything!”

Then, the driver turned the van around and drove away through the falling snowflakes.

On the quiet manor grounds, a thin layer of snow blanketed the earth in silver. There were no signs of life—only the crunching of Noah’s leather shoes, leaving a trail of footprints behind him.

He opened the door and entered the living room.

Noah picked up some fruitwood from the stack beside the hearth, tossed it into the fireplace, and turned to find the fire-starting tools to light it—

CLICK.

Behind him!

A pistol emerged from behind a bookshelf, its muzzle pressed to the back of his head!

Noah sucked in a sharp breath, held it, and raised his hands.

“Stay calm,”

he said in a deep voice.

“I’ll give you whatever you want. I can satisfy any demand.”

“I’m afraid you’re out of chances… Mr. Puppet.”

Noah’s eyes widened.

“You—”

BANG!

The crisp crack of the gunshot was swallowed by the swirling snow of the Alps.

Noah never saw who killed him. His body went limp and fell backward with a thud onto the wooden floor, a gaping, bloody hole in the back of his head.

‘Humans… they’re just too fragile.’

Fang Ze took a step back, put away his pistol, and glanced at the blood spattered on his wrist.

‘Doesn’t matter if you’re a tycoon with unimaginable wealth, a powerful politician, or even the president of a country… before a bullet, everyone is equal. Anyone can be killed with a single shot.’

‘There’s no one who can’t be killed by a single bullet. And if there is, you use two. If that doesn’t work, there’s always dynamite, and missiles… In this game, exposing your identity means death.’

He bent down and searched Noah’s pockets. Soon, from the breast pocket of Noah’s shirt, he pulled out a bright, shiny gold coin.

This was… his first time seeing one of the Genius Playground’s Identity Coins.

It didn’t feel like real gold, but it was still warm from Noah’s body heat and felt good in his hand.

On the back of the coin was a strange-looking Ferris wheel. In addition to the eight cabins circling the outer rim, a mysterious, profound eye spanned the center.

He flipped the coin to the front…

It bore the relief of a long-nosed puppet, similar to Pinocchio from the fairy tales. The small, cartoonish puppet wore overalls, a bow tie at its collar, and a Christmas hat on its head. Its long wooden nose seemed to boast of the many lies it had told.

Below the raised relief, a line of uppercase English letters was inscribed—

PUPPET

Fang Ze rubbed the coin in his hand, a smile gradually spreading across his face. He couldn’t put it down.

“So this is it… an Identity Coin… the seat of the Puppet.”

He took out his phone and touched the Identity Coin to the back case.

BEEP BEEP!

As if it had detected an NFC signal, the phone automatically initiated a download. A Ferris wheel icon with yellow lines on a black background appeared on the home screen, the same size as his other app icons. A steadily growing progress bar showed its download status. Beneath the square icon, the app’s name was clearly displayed—

GENIUS PARK

Fang Ze’s heart raced. He kept jiggling his phone, eagerly waiting for the app named “GENIUS PARK” to finish downloading.

Once it was done… he could contact Lilith, inherit the Puppet’s seat, and officially join the Genius Playground!

RING RING RING RING RING—

Just then, his phone started to ring!

Fang Ze frowned and looked at the caller ID…

It was none other than the one he’d been slaving away for all this time: the Witch.

RING RING RING RING RING—

The phone kept ringing, like a Life-Extending Talisman.

Fang Ze tightened his jaw, gritted his teeth, and pressed the answer button.

“Fang Ze.”

The Witch’s voice came through the phone.

“Destroy the Puppet Coin.”

The woman’s voice was calm, yet filled with an authority that permitted no defiance.

“…”

Fang Ze clenched his fists and said nothing.

Over the phone, the Witch sighed.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I know what you’re doing, and I know what you want to do… Listen to me. Destroy the Puppet Coin.”

Finally!

On his phone screen, the Ferris wheel app finished downloading!

Fang Ze let out a low chuckle.

“Witch, it’s too late. You can’t stop me now. From now on… I’ll see you in the playground.”

“Don’t be a fool, Fang Ze.”

The Witch’s voice was soft.

“I know your identity. I know everything about you. Everything you’ve learned, I taught you… What makes you think you can fight me?”

“I’m giving you one last chance. Destroy that coin with your pistol. I can pretend this was a momentary lapse in judgment. I can pretend none of this ever happened.”

Heh.

Fang Ze smiled confidently. His finger pressed the Ferris wheel icon, launching the Genius Playground app.