Genshin Impact : Joining the Genius Club

Chapter 4: Grabbing The Doctor's Seat

The executive officers had varying thoughts about their new colleague, Su Ran. Judging from his earlier words, it seemed clear that he was more suited to logistics than combat.

"Have you thought of a suitable codename?" Piero finally asked after Su Ran agreed to join. Every executive officer had their own codename—Piero's, for instance, was "Clown," being the original executive.

"Let me think... How about 'Genius'? After all, no one in this world is smarter than me," Su Ran replied with confidence.

Attracting the attention of Boshizun, becoming an intellectual envoy, and joining the Genius Club were all proof of his extraordinary talent, something far beyond the confines of Teyvat.

"Are you saying everyone in Teyvat is dumber than you?" Dotore asked, his tone slow and somewhat provocative, as if testing the waters. Was this new colleague just arrogant?

"Isn't it obvious? A fool who can't even leave the planet under their feet?" Su Ran stepped forward, approaching Dotore. He didn't particularly like Dotore. Though he understood the concept of science supremacy, he couldn't agree with Dotore's methods. The man was too wasteful, committing inhumane acts for meager results.

Sacrifices were sometimes necessary to achieve certain outcomes, but Dotore's approach? It lacked efficiency. And instead of forcing humans to make life sacrifices for the temporary power of demons, why not just control the demons directly?

Was it because Dotore didn't want to? Or was it simply that he couldn't?

"A fool like you isn't even qualified to enter the Knowledge Society! What, you still think you can compare to a genius like me?" Su Ran scoffed.

Without hesitation, he reached out and gently removed Dotore's head, casually tossing it aside.

The room froze. The other executives were in shock. Had Su Ran just killed Dotore—the second seat—so easily? Even if it was just a clone of Dotore, his strength was still considered top-tier! Tartaglia himself wasn't sure he could take on any of Dotore's clones.

"You... I thought you said you weren't good at fighting?" Tartaglia asked, finally recovering from the shock. His eyes were wide as he stared at Su Ran. The ease with which Su Ran had removed Dotore's head had left everyone speechless.

"Ah, I get it now! You may not be good at fighting, but you're a master at killing, right?" Tartaglia thought he had cracked the mystery, and Alechino seemed to agree. After all, killing and fighting were two different things.

"Are you suffering from oxygen deprivation? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Su Ran shook his head. "Compared to my wisdom, talent, and the creative possibilities I possess, my combat ability is negligible."

"I want this guy's seat. Any objections?" he asked, pointing at Dotore's decapitated head.

There were no objections.

Everyone present—especially the captain and the Ice Queen—knew Su Ran's strength. He had just killed a clone of Dotore effortlessly, and previously, he had nearly crushed the captain's skull. In terms of raw power, he was already ahead of many of the executive officers.

Even the mighty captain had been completely subdued, so the other executives, seated lower in rank, had no room to protest.

---

"He's quite terrifying... such strength, and now I've lost an important clone," Dotore's other clone remarked from another location in Zhidong.

Learning that his clone at the meeting had been killed, Dotore acknowledged that the Fatui had gained a new, powerful colleague—one who held a position equal to his own.

"I hope this new compatriot can come up with something that interests me," he mused. Dotore didn't mind being downgraded. In fact, as a scientist, he was eager to collaborate with someone who shared his passion for knowledge. Sandrone had been a candidate, but her views clashed too much with Dotore's. Perhaps this newcomer would prove to be a better intellectual match.

---

The news soon spread: "A new executive officer has joined the Fatui, codenamed 'Genius' Su Ran. After defeating the executive officer 'Doctor,' he has claimed the second seat. From today onwards, all executive officers ranked below 'Doctor' will be demoted by one."

Poor "Girl" hadn't even made an appearance, yet she had already been bumped out of the top three.

Columbina: "..."

---

"Hey! Friend!" Tartaglia called after Su Ran, who had just left the Ice Queen's palace. Su Ran stopped and turned to look at the young executive officer, who was not much older than him.

"Can you tell me how you and the captain met? I noticed his helmet was cracked. Did something happen to him?"

Tartaglia was clearly curious, and he made no effort to hide it. He knew Su Ran was a powerful figure, but unfortunately, he couldn't challenge him directly—not with so many other executive officers ranked above him.

"He barged into my home, and I nearly crushed his head. In the end, your queen begged me to spare him, which is why he was able to bring me here. That's all there is to it," Su Ran answered honestly.

His impression of Tartaglia wasn't as bad as his opinion of Dotore. After all, Tartaglia wasn't a scientist, and Su Ran wasn't the type to dismiss people from other professions. The young man in front of him didn't warrant any special treatment or evaluation.

"Really?" Tartaglia sounded skeptical. The captain, losing? And the Queen begging for mercy? It sounded like bragging.

Alechino, who was passing by, also stopped. She didn't believe it either. The captain was renowned for his strength, a pinnacle among humans.

"If you don't believe me, ask him yourself," Su Ran said, gesturing toward the captain, who happened to be passing by. The captain stopped and, after a moment, confirmed it.

"...It's true. The second seat is much stronger than me," the captain admitted.

"Huh?" Tartaglia was dumbfounded. If that was true, then for him to even challenge Su Ran, he would first have to defeat the captain?

---

(PS: In my setting, the captain is the first seat. Given his codename, it makes sense. The clown is a general officer and doesn't count in the seat rankings.)

(The captain's strength represents the pinnacle of human combat power, reaching a god-like level.)

(As for Dotore, he's still human, after all. He was once a student of the Academia. The captain's strength, as the peak of human capability, makes it natural for him to surpass Dotore.)

(I'm reserving the tenth seat for a certain character. It could be the protagonist or maybe an executive officer who has long since died, with their seat left vacant for commemoration, similar to how La Signora's seat wasn't filled. After the events involving the World Tree, the setting is that the sixth seat has been vacant for hundreds of years.)