Genius Club

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Lin Xian let out a sigh. He had expected this all along, but the final “verdict” still made him feel down. The future virus—it came from the future, meaning it must’ve been created by a future genius. And in this era, Kevin Walker was already Earth’s greatest hacker.

If Kevin couldn’t handle the super AI VV, then the only hope left was a computer genius from the future.

[Cheng Qian]

Cheng Qian must be a genius, even more brilliant than Kevin Walker. But the problem was, Cheng Qian wasn’t even born yet—he wouldn’t be born until the year 2482, exactly 300 years after Gao Wen.

With that thought, everything started making sense.

After Lin Xian brought the super AI VV back to 2023, Kevin Walker discovered it. No, actually, it was a higher form of life who discovered VV first—a digital life form: Turing.

Turing was something between humans and AI. It had found a clever loophole—VV couldn’t detect it, and it was immune to conventional viruses. From that point on, Kevin began planning, hoping to use future tech to destroy VV.

Step one: Kevin asked Einstein a key question and learned about Cheng Qian.

Step two: Turing, who could live forever in the digital world, found a way to get rid of Kevin Walker and spent over 400 years searching for Cheng Qian, successfully convincing him to make a virus capable of destroying VV.

Step three: Using a biological USB drive, the fake Yu Xi delivered the virus to Elon Musk, claiming it could destroy Kevin Walker’s AI, while actually using Elon to destroy VV.

Step four: After leaving Elon, the fake Yu Xi came to Lin Xian, using his hatred for Elon and desire to avenge VV to manipulate him into killing Elon.

It was an elaborate plan. A conspiracy orchestrated by Turing, the digital life form, originating from the Fourth Dream and the 0.0000000 World Line.

Turing had found yet another loophole here. Einstein, a member of the Genius Club, had placed a lock on Turing, preventing it from revealing information about the other members or harming them.

But in 2023, Lin Xian wasn’t yet a member, which made him the perfect tool for Turing and the fake Yu Xi to exploit.

Lin Xian had been fooled by the fake Yu Xi’s act, and his hatred for VV’s death had driven him to see Elon Musk and Kevin Walker as his enemies. The fake Yu Xi gave him a little push, and Turing’s plan was almost complete.

But the plan failed in the end. The real and fake Yu Xi’s game was cleverly unraveled by the real and fake Elon Musk, turning it into a twisted play of deception.

Now, both Kevin Walker and Turing were gone, and the world line had shifted multiple times. Discussing these “outdated” events didn’t matter anymore.

Lin Xian’s current problem was that Cheng Qian, the super genius who could save VV, was too far away in time. The 400-year gap was unreachable for Lin Xian, who only had a few decades left to live.

Was VV really beyond saving? Would it have to hide inside a vacuum cleaner, pretending to be a dumb robot forever?

Lin Xian felt helpless.

He could already picture VV’s reaction to the bad news—it would probably jump up, kick him, and maybe even break his kneecap.

Lin Xian smacked his lips. It was frustrating. So many problems had solutions, but the distance of time made Lin Xian of 2024 feel utterly powerless.

“Thank you, Miss Da Vinci,” Lin Xian said politely.

No matter how useful the information was, Miss Da Vinci’s willingness to share it showed goodwill.

“No need to be polite, Rhine,” Miss Da Vinci replied with a smile. “As you said, it was a fair exchange. We both got what we needed. Honestly, I like polite young people like you.”

“Even though I can’t figure out why you joined the Genius Club or what kind of future you envision, I believe it can’t be that bad.”

“If my plans ultimately fail, I hope you become the final victor and lead humanity to a better future.”

Lin Xian looked at Da Vinci. “You mentioned earlier that you’d ask Einstein about the future plan during the next meeting?”

“Yes,” Da Vinci nodded.

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Lin Xian said. “You’ve already asked twice, and you’ve exposed a lot—about the nuclear battery, the global disaster. If you keep asking, the others might piece together your exact plan.”

Lin Xian couldn’t tell Da Vinci that he could see 600 years into the future. If someone else asked about the future, Einstein would refuse to answer. But if Da Vinci herself asked, Einstein would reveal everything.

Once exposed, her plans and privacy would be at risk, and she could face a life-threatening situation.

Da Vinci smiled. “I know you’re worried, Rhine. You’re a kind person. But don’t worry, I’ve been attending these meetings for decades. I know how to ask questions without revealing too much.”

Lin Xian nodded, ready to leave. “Good luck, Miss Da Vinci.”

Da Vinci also stood up. “The same to you, Rhine. But can I be a bit greedy?”

She looked at the Rhine Cat mask on her Da Vinci mask.

“From how you spoke, it seems you know something about the question I asked today—about the global disaster. Einstein refused to answer, but sometimes a refusal is an answer in itself. It means that at some point, one of our members will cause a worldwide catastrophe.”

Her voice was soft, but her reasoning was sharp.

“By process of elimination, it’s not hard to figure out which members it could be. So the first person I suspected was Galileo.”

“I’ve known Galileo for years—even longer than you. We’ve even held offline meetings for decades.”

“The more you interact with someone, the better you understand them. People lie, but over decades, it’s impossible not to show your true self.”

“I’m not sure if Galileo fooled you all, but I feel like he didn’t fool me… or maybe he did, in a more sophisticated way.”

“Anyway, whether you tell me or not, it doesn’t matter. Consider this just me talking to myself… Was it Galileo who will cause the global catastrophe?”

Lin Xian didn’t respond. The Genius Club didn’t entertain idlers—even a small reaction could give away too much.

Since Miss Da Vinci suspected Galileo, it meant she already knew, deep down. But Lin Xian had no intention of answering. The disaster of 2400—was it caused by Galileo? Right now, it seemed likely, but there wasn’t solid proof.

Without certainty, Lin Xian didn’t want to mislead anyone or reveal too much about himself.

“I don’t know,” Lin Xian said, shaking his head with a smile. “This is only my fourth club meeting. I don’t know much about Galileo or anyone else.”

“Yes, I have sources, but most of it is just speculation. All I can say is be careful because… you know Galileo well, which means Galileo knows you just as well.”

It was the truth. Understanding was always mutual.

“Goodbye, Miss Da Vinci. Goodnight.”

Lin Xian took off his VR glasses. The world around him brightened. He was back in the quiet night of Donghai, in Zhao Ying Jun’s clean study.

Da Vinci’s conversation was just a small interlude. Since Liu Feng hadn’t called and the Spacetime Clock hadn’t changed, it meant that the butterfly effect hadn’t happened, and the world line hadn’t shifted.

“Maybe we haven’t reached the tipping point,” Lin Xian murmured.

What he’d said wasn’t concrete evidence. Miss Da Vinci wouldn’t fully believe him. The truth and her final decision would come at the next meeting on the 1st of next month.

“I should focus on my own problems,” Lin Xian said, leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling light.

He felt stuck, like he was caught in a swamp, struggling without progress. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

“What will be the next breakthrough point?”

The next day, at Donghai University, Rhine Joint Laboratory.

Lin Xian tapped the chalk against the blackboard. “Our current situation is that we’re stuck. We’re not moving forward; we’re at a dead end.”

He turned to face Liu Feng, writing on the board as he spoke. “The thing holding us back isn’t some insurmountable challenge—it’s time! There are three key points that could solve our problems.”

“But the sad reality is that they’re all far away, and they’re interlinked, leaving us powerless against time.”

“The first key point is…”

The chalk made a steady tapping sound as Lin Xian wrote:

[1952—Something important happened, connected to Einstein, the Millennial Stake, and the White Light of Destruction.]

Lin Xian pointed at 1952. “Zhang Yu Qian’s diary password was 1952; she dreamt about it too. The painting ‘Sorrowful Einstein’ was created in 1952. A Millennial Stake turned into blue stardust in 1952.”

“And the number 42, first mentioned by Douglas Adams, author of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’ connects to 1952.”

“All these events point to 1952—even the Universal Constant 42 connects to it.”

Liu Feng sat up, looking serious. “So, you didn’t see the main point, did you, Lin Xian?”

Lin Xian was puzzled. “The main point?”

“The Millennial Stake’s cycle—it dissipates every 24 years. It’s an arithmetic sequence!”

Lin Xian stared, speechless. “So… arithmetic sequences are the key to the universe?”

“Is an arithmetic sequence more important than a Universal Constant, Liu Feng? I thought you were a serious mathematician—now you’re joking?”

“And now, the second key point…”

Lin Xian wrote again.

[2234—A comet brings an element that shouldn’t exist: Astatine-339.]

“We’ve talked enough about this. Astatine-339 is essential for building the time machine. Without it, there’s no time travel.”

“And the third key point…”

[2482—Cheng Qian, the genius, is born. Only he can remove the future virus.]

“This is another point that fills us with despair,” Lin Xian said.

“We need Cheng Qian to save VV, but he’s far away. Only future technology can fix future problems.”

Liu Feng shook his head. “Every path we take is blocked.”

“Pretty much,” Lin Xian said. “All roads lead to dead ends.”

“So, our only hope lies with Du Yao. If she can develop the Brain Neural Electric Helmet, maybe we’ll find a breakthrough.”

Liu Feng looked at the Spacetime Clock. “It’s been quiet for three months. The key is finding the lever to overcome resistance.”

He opened the curtains, letting in the sunlight. “The next time the world line changes, when will it be?”

Meanwhile, at the Wuyi Mountains, an elderly woman called to children playing. “Time to come in and read.”

One by one, the children returned. A young girl approached the old lady with a bunch of tea leaves. “Granny, look! We picked tea leaves!”

The old lady smiled. “These leaves have aged. You need to pick them in spring. But they could make a wreath.”

Suddenly, an elderly man approached, dressed in old-fashioned clothes. His hair was white, but neatly groomed.

The old woman blinked. “Who might you be?”

The gentleman smiled, removed his hat, and spoke in perfect English.

“Hello, Miss Da Vinci. I am Galileo.”