Prodigy’s Playground

Chapter 128 Mutual Aid Society

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Ran sat up again from the head of the bed.

“From the way you’re saying it… is there something difficult to talk about?”

Fang Ze neither confirmed nor denied it, continuing:

“It’s not that I intended to hide anything. I don’t think having an older brother is something that needs to be concealed.”

“But… my brother has always warned me not to tell outsiders that I have a brother like him. He told me to say I’m an only child when I’m out.”

“So, I’m sorry, Jiang Ran. I lied to you just now. But after thinking it over carefully, I feel like I shouldn’t keep this from you.”

“First, we’re classmates and roommates. I don’t want to start things off with a lie over something like this.”

“Second… Jiang Ran, you’re so familiar with Donghai City. When it comes to finding my brother, you might actually be able to help.”

Concealment.Lies.

Searching for a brother.

Jiang Ran listened silently, noting these key points.

It seemed there were indeed many hidden complexities between Fang Ze and his brother.

Ordinarily, people wouldn’t be curious about this kind of brotherly gossip unless…

“What’s your brother’s name?”

Jiang Ran asked the question he cared about most.

“Fang Yang.”

Fang Ze let out a soft laugh.

“Same surname as mine—Fang, as in square. And Yang, as in ocean.”

Jiang Ran held his breath.

[Fang Yang]!

After searching everywhere without success, he had found it effortlessly.

The Killer Fang Yang and his roommate Fang Ze were actually brothers!

Now this was something worth listening to carefully—the so-called hidden truths behind it all.

Why had the Killer gone to prison?

Why did he forbid his younger brother from mentioning him?

And why had Fang Ze come to Donghai City as an exchange student?

It seemed…

There was an unusual connection tying these events together.

Jiang Ran loosened his blanket, got out of bed, and sat down across from the coffee table, ready to listen attentively.

“My brother isn’t exactly my biological brother. We share the same mother but have different fathers. He was born from my mother’s previous marriage, and after her divorce, she brought him along when she married my father.”

Fang Ze continued:

“When my mother married my father with my brother, he was already five years old. A year later, I was born. So my brother is six years older than me. He took care of me a lot growing up—he really doted on me.”

“When I was young, my family was quite wealthy. We lived abroad all the time, following wherever my father’s business took us. Life was carefree and happy.”

“The turning point came when I was eleven. My father went into debt and set up some kind of scheme. His business collapsed overnight, leaving him heavily indebted. Unable to bear the blow, he committed suicide. Soon after, my mother broke down, fell into depression, and couldn’t withstand the pressure—half a year later, she jumped from a rooftop… From then on, my brother and I became orphans.”

Jiang Ran lowered his head, listening silently.

He had already anticipated that Fang Ze’s path toward becoming a “Killer” must have stemmed from a troubled life.

But he hadn’t expected such a tragic past.

After a few seconds of silence—

Fang Ze continued:

“I was still very young at the time. Faced with such successive tragedies, I cried every day. But my brother never cried once. He held me and told me that as long as he was there, he would protect me and never let anything happen to me.”

“Later, my brother somehow managed everything. Not only did he settle the debts, he even made a lot of money and sent me to the best schools.”

“At the time, I didn’t understand much. I just thought my brother was amazing. But as I grew older, I realized what he was doing…”

He shook his head, looking at Jiang Ran with a helpless smile.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? He must have been doing something illegal and dangerous, or working for bad people. Otherwise, at such a young age, where would he get that kind of money?”

Jiang Ran nodded lightly.

Yes.

It was obvious.

Any job that makes money quickly is written into the criminal code—whether domestic or abroad.

And Jiang Ran already knew that Fang Ze’s brother, Fang Yang, was a killer. He had killed before.

The Killer himself had said so, and had never really denied it.

Moreover, in that future prison, the Killer had been an all-around MVP—lock-picking, grenade usage, hand-to-hand killing, and precise marksmanship… Any one of those skills alone could sustain a lifetime.

Let alone mastering all of them.

“I told my brother many times to stop doing such dangerous things. But he would just smile and tell me to focus on studying, to do well in school, and not worry about anything.”

“Studying in the United States is very expensive, but my brother always managed to pay my tuition and provide more than enough for my living expenses. And every time he sent money, the amounts were huge. That made me increasingly uneasy.”

“This summer, my brother transferred me a large sum of money.”

Fang Ze’s expression grew troubled.

“It was an absurd amount—more than most people could earn in several lifetimes.”

“He called me and told me to take care of myself from now on, to use that money to graduate, start a family, and never think about him again. He told me not to try to find him.”

“After that, he completely disappeared. I tried every possible way to locate him, but the only thing I found was that his last call to me came from Donghai City, near Donghai University… That’s why I applied as an exchange student and came here.”

Fang Ze’s story ended.

He turned his head and looked at the moon outside the window, saying nothing more.

Perhaps opening up like this was a way of breaking the ice.

At least… in the two days since they had met, Jiang Ran had never seen this shadow on his face before—only a carefully maintained brightness.

“I understand.”

Jiang Ran summarized:

“That large sum your brother gave you—he probably knew that after finishing this job, things wouldn’t end well for him.”

“Either he’d die… don’t mind me, I’m just analyzing logically, but I don’t think your brother would die; or after completing the job, his situation would become extremely dangerous, forcing him to go on the run, which is why he cut off contact with you.”

“Of course, there’s also a possibility that your brother has already been caught by the police.”

However—

Fang Ze shook his head.

“He shouldn’t have been caught yet. I follow the news and police reports every day, and I’ve never seen his name.”

“So I suspect that [my brother’s operation hasn’t started yet. Whether it’s murder or some other dangerous act, there should still be time to stop it.]”

Jiang Ran licked his lips.

It seemed Fang Ze knew something—he likely knew his brother was a “Killer.” Even if he didn’t know for certain, he could at least infer it. After all, they were brothers who had lived together—he would have noticed clues.

“I see.”

Jiang Ran straightened his posture.

“So your reason for coming to Donghai University as an exchange student is to investigate who your brother intends to kill or what he plans to do—and stop him before it happens, right?”

Fang Ze nodded.

“Exactly. I was raised by my brother, so I understand him well. With his personality, he wouldn’t say goodbye and disappear unless he had already thought everything through and prepared everything.”

“Actually… alright, Jiang Ran, since we’ve come this far, I won’t hide it anymore. I can vaguely sense that my brother is involved in killing—like those so-called [killers] in movies.”

“But he definitely isn’t as glamorous or righteous as in films. What he’s doing is evil. It’s wrong. Even as the younger brother he raised and supported with that dirty money, I can’t agree with it.”

“I’ve never touched that money. We can return it to his clients, or compensate the families he’s harmed.”

“I just hope I can stop him in time this time—make him turn back before it’s too late, and leave that life completely. Whatever responsibility needs to be taken, I’ll bear it with him. Whatever price must be paid, we’ll face it together. No matter what, I don’t want to watch him walk down that irreversible path.”

“I have another question.”

Jiang Ran continued.

“I understand why you came to Donghai University. But why did you specifically choose Professor Zhang Yang as your advisor?”

“He only became a graduate advisor this year. His research and academic standing aren’t top-tier. You chose him even before the semester started—does that also have something to do with your brother?”

After hearing this, Fang Ze fell silent for a few seconds, looking at Jiang Ran meaningfully.

Then, as if letting go of something, he smiled faintly.

“Jiang Ran, telling you about my brother was the right decision. Just like Professor Zhang Yang said—you’re very smart.”

“That’s right. I didn’t choose Professor Zhang Yang for no reason. Over the years, although my brother would disappear from time to time, most of the time he stayed in the same city as me. We communicated a lot.”

“When you live together day and night, even if someone tries to hide things, it’s not that easy. I would always overhear something, notice something, piece something together.”

“Based on those fragments, I investigated all the professors and researchers at Donghai University… and in the end, I narrowed it down to Professor Zhang Yang.”

“In other words…”

Fang Ze took a deep breath, his expression turning serious.

[“I believe the person most likely to be my brother’s assassination target is Professor Zhang Yang!”]

He turned to look at Jiang Ran.

Unexpectedly.

Fang Ze had thought Jiang Ran would be shocked upon hearing this.

But instead—

Jiang Ran looked completely calm, even wearing an expression that seemed to say, “If it’s Zhang Yang, that’s not surprising at all.”

This—

Fang Ze was stunned.

Just what kind of person was Jiang Ran?

Could it be that he had already anticipated this possibility?

As for Jiang Ran—

His thoughts weren’t that complicated.

He was simply thinking: anything involving quantum tunneling really does get people killed.

Earlier, he had even wondered whether Professor Zhang Yang’s disappearance from Cell No. 4—replaced by Lu Yu—might mean he had escaped imprisonment.

But now it seemed…

There was a high chance he had died long ago.

Though, not necessarily.

Jiang Ran noticed a blind spot.

Originally, before the prison roster changed, Zhang Yang and the Killer had been diagonal neighbors. They had gotten along fairly well.

At least at that time, Zhang Yang definitely wasn’t the Killer’s target. Otherwise, the two of them could never have ended up in prison together.

Which meant the “victim” that ultimately led to the Killer’s imprisonment might not have been Zhang Yang. Fang Ze’s deduction could very well be wrong.

“I’m not sure whether your brother’s target is Professor Zhang Yang.”

Jiang Ran stroked his chin, thinking.

“But there’s no doubt—if we can figure out his target in advance, we can stop him. Whether it’s by setting up protection, intervening early, or even involving the police.”

Fang Ze nodded.

“That’s right. Either we find my brother first, or we find his target first. We need at least one of them—but right now, I have no leads at all.”

“Jiang Ran, can you help me? You’re very smart, and you’re much more familiar with Donghai City and Donghai University than I am.”

Jiang Ran thought for a moment.

There was no real downside for him.

In the future prison of 2045, the Killer had many secrets, yet Jiang Ran had never found a breakthrough.

Now, with the help of his younger brother, getting information out of the Killer twenty years earlier… shouldn’t be too difficult.

Besides, he was also curious—who exactly was the Killer’s target?

Was it really Professor Zhang Yang?

Surely it couldn’t be himself!

At the thought of the Killer’s almost supernatural agility, Jiang Ran touched the back of his neck, feeling a chill.

It probably wasn’t him.

A killer wouldn’t forget the faces of those he had killed. If Jiang Ran were the target, the Killer would never have remained so calm upon seeing his face in 2045.

So who…

was the target?

“No problem, Fang Ze. I’m willing to help you.”

Jiang Ran stood up and extended his hand.

“However, we still don’t have enough information to analyze anything useful.”

“You lived with your brother for years—you must have noticed more clues. Can you tell me everything else you remember?”

Seeing Jiang Ran agree, Fang Ze also stood and shook his hand.

“Of course! Thank you for helping me!”

“If I think back… the earliest time would be when my brother first resolved our family’s troubles and made his first big sum of money. He was still young then, not very careful with his words. In his excitement, he accidentally revealed some secrets to me.”

Secrets?

Jiang Ran perked up immediately. This was exactly what he needed.

“At that time, my brother was only seventeen or eighteen. He told me excitedly that he had joined a very special organization. He said [as long as you complete the tasks assigned by that organization, you can make up for all the regrets in your life and fulfill any wish!].”

Jiang Ran said nothing.

Make up for regrets… fulfill any wish…

Wasn’t that exactly what Lilith represented?

Could this organization the Killer had joined also be connected to Lilith, to Zhou Xiong, to the film company that bought his script?

“Honestly, it sounded like a cult.”

Fang Ze curled his lips.

“How could something like that exist? Making up for regrets, granting any wish… that’s something only gods or immortals could do.”

“Obviously, my brother was deceived and manipulated by that organization. He must have believed those words, which is why he became their tool for killing.”

“Later, whenever I brought up that organization, he would evade the topic, refusing to admit he had joined it. Sometimes it even felt like he was trying too hard to cover it up.”

“What was the organization called? Do you remember?” Jiang Ran pressed.

“I do.”

Fang Ze narrowed his eyes.

“It’s a cult that uses the excuse of ‘making up for regrets’ to lure people into serving it.”

“Even though my brother never admitted it, I still remember the name he mentioned that one time—”

“[Mutual Aid Society of Regrets!]”