Genius Club

“Ahhhhhhh!!!”

Lin Xian shut his eyes tightly, feeling as though thousands of needles were piercing his brain’s membrane while twisting and grinding. The pain was excruciating.

Amid the intense agony, a cascade of vivid images—some familiar, others foreign—flashed through his mind.

These were the fragments of his life, pieces of long-lost memories.

“Ah…”

As the final electrical impulse dissipated, Lin Xian lowered his head, gasping for breath.

He remembered.

He remembered everything.

The Super Catastrophe of 2504 was triggered accidentally. Originally planned to occur in 2600 as part of Galileo’s strategy, it was instead set off prematurely by Elon Musk leading the Antarctic expedition team.

This confirmed something significant…

Du Yao was right.

Galileo had to be hiding beneath the Antarctic ice sheet in an abandoned military facility. Over years, he must have transformed it into a haven equipped with a Spacetime Particle Collider and a hibernation chamber.

From this, it could be deduced that the Spacetime Particle Collider wasn’t excessively large. Developing something massive in Antarctica would have been impractical. This means the collider was entirely different from conventional particle accelerators—likely an entirely unique type of device.

What made Galileo’s plan especially cunning was his preprogrammed auto-trigger mechanism. Even if he couldn’t awaken in 2600, the collider would activate prematurely should anyone stumble upon his refuge.

This is precisely why the Super Catastrophe erupted in 2504.

However, for reasons unknown…

Just as the Super Catastrophe of 2400 was far less devastating than its 2600 counterpart, the 2504 event was also not as catastrophic.

At the very least, it didn’t lead to the extinction of humanity. Survivors persisted globally, and even complex technology like airplanes remained intact.

As for Lin Xian, the disaster left him grievously injured. Before losing consciousness, he escaped into a hibernation chamber and unexpectedly woke in 2616.

Looking back now, he could infer why he had awakened.

His long hair and beard indicated that he hadn’t been in hibernation for the last few years but instead was in a state of deep sleep. While he didn’t fully awaken, his vital signs had resumed, allowing his hair and nails to grow normally.

This anomaly was due to the leakage of the chamber’s hibernation filling liquid.

When he awoke, he had been choking on the leaked liquid. By then, it had warmed to room temperature, and the liquid level was too low to cover his mouth and nose.

The leakage must have been incredibly slow—taking over a hundred years for half the liquid to escape, eventually waking him up.

With the timeline’s causes and effects clarified…

New uncertainties arose for Lin Xian.

The most perplexing were three key questions:

Why did the Spacetime Particle Collider’s explosion not only affect physical objects but also harm his body?

Why had he lost the ability to dream since awakening in 2616?

And lastly, this question wasn’t about himself…

He slowly raised his head to look at the 11-year-old girl standing before him, her twelfth birthday still months away—

CC.

The last Millennial Stake, eternally unchanging in appearance, hailing from Brooklyn, and known by the same nickname: CC.

“V…V?”

CC’s heart shattered as Lin Xian’s gaze met hers.

She suddenly felt…

VV seemed like a completely different person.

Distant.

Unreachable.

“VV…”

CC’s body turned icy as though she had already foreseen something terrible but refused to accept it. She clung tightly to the bearded man’s clothing.

“VV, are you… alright? You…”

Lin Xian took her delicate hand and slowly rose from the ground, scanning his surroundings.

First, he noticed the dazed, tattered slaves standing aimlessly—the villagers from CC’s settlement.

Then, the armed soldiers gripping rifles.

And finally, the trembling elderly man standing behind him, his face deeply etched with wrinkles that nearly obscured his features.

Liu Feng.

Even though Liu Feng’s face was aged and as brittle as tree bark, Lin Xian recognized his old comrade immediately.

A thousand words swirled in their hearts, but they were choked silent by emotion.

The two stood there, staring at each other in silence, their breathing heavy and uneven. Liu Feng’s deeply etched wrinkles and Lin Xian’s long, coarse beard spoke volumes about the century that had passed.

“How are things… back in Donghai?”

Lin Xian broke the silence.

The elderly Liu Feng shook his head slowly.

“Not good,” he said.

Not good.

Those two words weighed heavily on Lin Xian’s heart, speaking volumes. He understood immediately.

Whether it was Rhine University or the Genius Club he had rebuilt, they must have suffered devastating losses during the Super Catastrophe of 2504.

It was even likely that everyone else had perished, leaving only Liu Feng alive.

Lin Xian could now guess the purpose of the planes frequently sighted over Brooklyn. What else could they be doing?

Liu Feng must have used the last remaining resources and technology to search for him.

Back then, he, Elon Musk, and VV had agreed not to reveal the location of Einstein’s Underground Shelter to anyone. Only the three of them knew the secret.

And yet…

Fate had a cruel sense of humor.

The Antarctic expedition team was at the very epicenter of the Spacetime Particle Collider explosion, their odds of survival slim to none. Elon Musk was almost certainly gone—had he survived, he would have known where to find Lin Xian.

VV had suffered the same fate.

The blue snow, spread across the globe, had annihilated every VV.

Of the three who knew of Einstein’s Underground Shelter, two were dead, and one was in hibernation. The secret was buried, entirely sealed on Earth.

This left Liu Feng searching fruitlessly for over a century.

Lin Xian couldn’t blame Liu Feng.

Given the state of Donghai City and Rhine University, which Lin Xian still knew little about, it was likely that Liu Feng’s ability to reach Brooklyn with a single functioning plane was already an extraordinary feat.

The earthquakes, tsunamis, and geological upheavals had reshaped Brooklyn entirely. Flatlands turned into hills, hills flattened into plains, forests became oceans, and oceans transformed into basins. During Rhine University’s prime, they might have overturned Brooklyn’s soil to find Lin Xian.

But after the Super Catastrophe, it was uncertain if Rhine University even still existed.

Lin Xian said no more.

He patted Liu Feng’s shoulder, then turned to face the small, frail figure of CC standing before him.

The bearded VV.

Lin Xian had long puzzled over the origin of CC, this fragment of memory.

Now, the truth was clear.

Who would have thought that someone who had sworn never to grow a beard or long hair would end up with a chest-length beard due to such an absurd twist of fate?

The 11-year-old CC standing before him, a Millennial Stake, was far from ordinary.

Her dreaming patterns were indistinguishable from a normal person’s—completely unlike the CC from his dreamscape.

This CC carried no memory fragments, whereas every version of CC in the dreamscapes, even the one from the First Dreamscape, was filled with countless memory fragments that had existed since birth.

For now, Lin Xian couldn’t figure out why.

But losing his ability to dream also meant losing his chance to meet the CC from 2624 in his dreams.

No.

He shook his head.

In truth, meeting the dream CC no longer mattered.

CC gently held Lin Xian’s hand, looking up at him with worry filling her eyes.

Liu Feng turned to face the young girl whose features were identical to Chu An Qing’s, then sighed helplessly, lowering his head.

“Another Millennial Stake,” he murmured.

No doubt about it—Lin Xian and the Millennial Stake girls were entangled by fate.

It was as though some mysterious force bound them together, defying time and space itself.

From Brooklyn, where it began with the impoverished girl CC, to Brooklyn again, ending with the last Millennial Stake, CC.

This was not just a loop but destiny itself.

“You handle it yourself,” Liu Feng said, turning around and signaling to the soldiers with a wave of his hand. He shuffled away, adding, “We’ll wait for you on the plane.”

He understood all too well.

This was a matter between Lin Xian and the Millennial Stake, an intersection of fate spanning more than 600 years.

To Liu Feng, the Millennial Stake was simply Chu An Qing, the one person he cared about. The other girls? He neither knew nor cared about them.

But for Lin Xian, it was different.

He didn’t just know Chu An Qing, the one who jumped from the plane for him. He had also met Qin Xi, who sang for him through her tears; he had dug up Zhang Yu Qian’s grave; made a wish hand-in-hand with the 1952 CC; and crossed paths countless times with the 2624 CC at the world’s end.

And so, the decisions to come would be Lin Xian’s alone to make.

Click… click… click…

As Liu Feng signaled, the heavily armed soldiers holstered their weapons and followed him back to the plane, standing by.

Relieved that the crisis had passed, the villagers exhaled in unison. CC’s father rushed to Lin Xian’s side.

“VV, sir, are you alright?” he asked, concern etched across his face.

“I’m fine,” Lin Xian replied, shaking his heavy head and beard. “Those people aren’t bad. They’re friends of mine… friends from the past.”

“Friends from the past?” CC’s father blinked in realization. “Sir VV, you’ve regained your memories!”

Lin Xian nodded.

But the petite CC widened her eyes instantly, her expression conflicted.

“Then… then…” she stammered, raising her right pinky with trembling hands, biting her lip, and gazing at Lin Xian like a helpless puppy.

“Does our promise still count?” she asked.

Lin Xian lowered his head, staying silent.

Of course, he knew what CC meant by the promise.

It was on the rooftop of the ruined research facility where they had locked pinkies. He had vowed to join her family, to become one of them, never to be apart.

But now…

He was torn.

He didn’t know how to respond to CC’s hope.

Nor could he decide whether to reveal everything—the truth of it all.

Throughout his life so far, he had made countless decisions affecting his and others’ futures. But they had all been adults, capable of rational thought and responsibility for their choices.

But CC?

She was only an 11-year-old girl.

Naïve, pure, impulsive, and clueless about the world.

Could she truly make the right decision for her own life?

Lin Xian didn’t respond to CC. Instead, he lifted his gaze to look at CC’s father.

“Have your people ever considered relocating to a safer, more developed place to live? I can help you with that,” Lin Xian offered.

“Thank you for your kindness, Mr. VV,” CC’s father replied with a gentle smile. “But this land is where our ancestors lived and survived. It’s our home, our homeland. I believe that if we work together, we can build this place into a wonderful home.”

“Every one of us feels this way. No matter how much better the world outside may be, we still love our homeland more and want to stay here.”

Lin Xian nodded silently.

CC’s father’s words had made everything clear.

“VV… are you going to leave us?” CC asked, a sense of unease washing over her as she clung tighter to Lin Xian’s sleeve. She blinked rapidly, her small hands gripping his clothes desperately. “Please stay. I still have so much I want to learn from you… and I haven’t done anything to repay or thank you yet…”

“CC,” Lin Xian said softly, crouching down and gently patting her head. “I have to leave. Because… I have something very important to do. Something that’s incredibly important—for both humanity and the Earth.”

“Then I’ll go with you!” CC cried out, her voice full of urgency. “Look, I’m really smart. I’ve already learned the shooting techniques you taught me. I can fight alongside you!”

“Don’t be so reckless!” CC’s father scolded her sharply. “You’re just a child. Don’t make trouble for Mr. VV!”

As he spoke, he tried to pull CC away.

“No!” CC twisted out of his grasp stubbornly. “VV risked his life to save us! Now that he’s in trouble, shouldn’t we be helping him?”

“CC, listen to me,” Lin Xian said gently, his tone calm and deliberate.

“You have the right to choose your own life, to decide what kind of future you want to live. But that choice isn’t for now—it’s for when you’ve grown up, when your thoughts are mature.”

“You can choose to uncover all the truths of history, to understand the predetermined outcomes. Or you can choose to live a peaceful, happy life, free from the torment of all these burdens.”

“But as your father said… this isn’t a decision an 11-year-old can make.”

“Liar!” CC shot back, her eyes blazing with disbelief as she glared at Lin Xian.

“You’re lying to me! You’re just trying to trick a child! Talking about historical truths and predetermined outcomes… what kind of nonsense is that?”

“If you really think I’m too young to help or just a burden to you, why don’t you say so directly? I’ll grow up eventually! Why do you have to use such a lame excuse to deceive me?”

Lin Xian exhaled deeply, straightening up slowly.

“I’m not lying to you,” he said quietly.

At that moment, countless images seemed to overlap in his mind.

Success.

Failure.

History.

The future.

The worldlines seemed to radiate from this point, countless beams of light stretching outward, never to return…

“There’s a Time Bank in Donghai City,” Lin Xian said after a pause, his voice steady. “In the bank’s vault, there’s a safe engraved with my name.”

He lowered his gaze to the little girl who stared up at him, her eyes filled with hurt and blame.

“If one day, you want to know all the past and the truth, come to Donghai City.”

“Open that safe, and you’ll understand… everything.”

The detection equipment left behind by Elon Musk in the Circular Blade Mountains confirmed one thing—

The child CC standing before him and the CC from the dreamscape of 2624 were the same person. The only difference was that this CC hadn’t grown up yet, and time hadn’t reached the apocalyptic moment of August 29, 2624, at 00:42.

This was no joke.

The World-Ending White Light was real, just as Elon Musk had hypothesized. It originated from outside the universe and was traveling at light speed toward Earth—destined to arrive exactly as depicted in countless dreams.

Now, one thing was becoming increasingly certain:

The World-Ending White Light was specifically targeting CC, the Millennial Stake. And the one who drove the stake, deceived Einstein, and ultimately triggered the White Light’s launch was undoubtedly the same hidden mastermind—a mysterious enemy from the depths of the cosmos!

“VV…”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation