Genius Training Plan

Sakura Island, a certain hospital.

"Quick! Quick! Quick! The baby's head is crowning! Push, just a little more!"

"Follow my lead: one, two, three!"

"One... two... three..."

The pregnant woman on the bed endured the excruciating pain, following the doctor's rhythm to make one final, desperate effort...

"Waa—waa!" As the baby's cry rang out, the woman finally ended her long ordeal, the child seemingly declaring his arrival into this world...

Outside, separated by glass, the father who had been waiting should have been overjoyed, unable to wait to comfort his child. Instead, he stood with a cold, rigid face, devoid of a single trace of emotion.

The plan can begin now.

He harbored a grand ambition, one for which he would spare no cost, even if his own son was merely a tool in the process. Once the plan succeeded, it would bring about immeasurable benefits.

After confirming with the doctor that all physical examination indicators were satisfactory, he turned and left the hospital.

A month later, the man returned to this place, followed closely by an assistant carrying a video camera.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, but Teacher Sakurakoji, I still don't understand. He is your own flesh and blood. Is it really okay to send him to that kind of place when he's only a month old?"

"That is not your concern. I have my own arrangements; you just focus on filming properly!"

"But..." The photographer was about to say more, but Ayanokouji Atsushi glared at him, forcing him to shut his mouth.

"Remember to capture the determination and urgency of a father forced to send his own flesh and blood to the White Room. This will be excellent material that I can use in future public fundraising events."

"Yes, o-okay." The man immediately took out the camera he had prepared and began to record.

Ayanokouji Atsushi feigned tenderness as he picked up the child.

The child was named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, a name decided upon before he was even born. Since the day of his birth, he hadn't looked at him again until now; this was the first time he had ever held his own son.

The filming began.

He repeated his previous actions, though this time, compared to his initial clumsiness, he was slightly more "gentle."

Afterward, he delivered a one-minute impassioned speech. Once everything was set, he resumed his previous cold expression and walked out of the hospital with the child.

"Take him to the White Room." Ayanokouji Atsushi stopped in front of a black sedan by the roadside and spoke to the people inside. A man in a black suit seemed to be sitting in the passenger seat, his black hat obscuring his head, making his features impossible to see.

"Understood. But are you truly certain about this?" the man in the passenger seat asked, his tone carrying a faint hint of a Chinese accent.

He took the child and looked at him, unable to help but think of his own child, who was about the same age.

He had only recently become a father, but due to his busy work, he hadn't had the chance to go home and properly cherish him, even though he had delivered many such children before.

Back then, he had treated it merely as a work task, doing exactly as he was told. After all, the parents who sent them were willing, so it wasn't his place to say anything.

Now that he was a father himself, he perhaps understood a little of the feeling of sending one's own child away—especially to a place like the White Room.

Some things are perhaps only understood through personal experience.

"Mu Tianxiao, what is wrong with you today? You should be long accustomed to this kind of thing. Did you just have a son and start feeling sympathetic?

I remember, what was your son's name again...? Oh, Mu Tianchen, about the same age as my son, right? Do you want to send him to the White Room too?" Ayanokouji Atsushi teased.

"No. I will do everything in my power to raise him; I will not rely on a place like the White Room." The man refused immediately upon hearing the suggestion of sending his son to the White Room.

"Oh? You know very well that early childhood is the best stage for shaping a person's personality. Even if one is eliminated midway through the White Room, they will still surpass the vast majority of their peers in many aspects. Isn't that so?"

Ayanokouji Atsushi seemed intent on persuading him. He had been troubled by recruitment lately; ever since a few failed experiments, few people were willing to voluntarily send their children to the White Room.

He could only send people to search everywhere for children abandoned by their parents, but that was easier said than done.

"Exactly. It is precisely because I understand that I do not want my child to suffer that kind of torment. An 'Artificial Genius' might be powerful, but if their emotions are snuffed out, how are they any different from a machine?

Besides, the children who are eliminated suffer certain damages that are difficult to erase. I cannot bear the consequences of that!"

The man's voice was firm, showing no sign of wavering.

"A machine? Hahaha, I am truly surprised to hear you say such things! You are my scout, equivalent to my 'eyes,' yet now it seems they have developed myopia—only seeing what is right in front, while the distance becomes blurred."

Ayanokouji Atsushi remained convinced that his plan would shine brilliantly in the future.

"That is a fitting description, but don't forget about 'that school.' When it comes to cultivating geniuses, it is not a bit inferior to your 'White Room'." The man's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"Is that so? Interesting. It does seem that 'that school' is more powerful right now, and it has received strong support from the government, while on my side..."

"As long as you understand."

Ayanokouji Atsushi showed no displeasure at his subordinate's words. Throughout the conversation, he occasionally raised the corners of his mouth, his confidence on full display.

After chatting about other matters for a while, Ayanokouji Atsushi seemed to suddenly think of something. He clapped his hands lightly and said, "Mu Tianxiao, since you don't think highly of the White Room, how about we make a bet?"

"Very well. What are the terms of the bet?" Based on his understanding of the man, this bet might be an opportunity. After all, given his overbearing personality, there was little he could change, so he accepted without hesitation.

"It is a plan regarding the cultivation of future geniuses, and..."

It was already dusk when he returned. Mu Tianxiao had already decided to resign. How time flies; in the blink of an eye, he had worked here for over ten years. Leaving so suddenly still brought a tinge of reluctance.

He pushed open the door to his dormitory, lay on the bed, and stared at the white ceiling, beginning to think.

"What is the meaning of this struggle?" Mu Tianxiao had often pondered this question. Over the years, he had seen too many factions rise from nothing, reach their peak, and then decline. Different factions were always in opposition, and those in power were constantly being replaced...

Is it merely for the sake of profit? Because of this, those below must sacrifice so much. A single wrong decision could even ruin the lives of many...

But sometimes they were helpless, forced to engage in the struggle. If they didn't, they might be swallowed up by the opposing faction the next time... over and over again...

"Sigh!" Mu Tianxiao couldn't help but sigh at the thought.

Recalling the bet with Ayanokouji Atsushi, he felt he could still do something—at the very least, he could keep the damage to a minimum.