Genius Club

“VV? VV!!”

Lin Xian kept knocking on his spacesuit helmet, desperately trying to get a response from VV. The communicator was completely silent, as if it were dead. Not a single sound came through. What was going on? Lin Xian knew VV well. No matter how much VV liked to joke and play pranks, it always knew the limits. VV would never scare Lin Xian by going silent, especially not at such a critical moment!

Besides, there had been vibrations and explosions, both inside and outside the space shuttle earlier. It was clear—something had gone wrong!

Lin Xian pushed open the transparent visor of his spacesuit and looked at the busy crew in the space shuttle cabin. Earlier, VV had switched the radio channel to a private one, just for the two of them, and then disappeared, without switching it back. Lin Xian still held a glimmer of hope that VV would come back, so he hadn’t switched the communication channel back to the one where everyone else was. Instead, he opened his visor and spoke directly: “What happened?”

He turned and looked at the frightened faces of Chu An Qing and Gao Yang, and the serious expression of Yellow Finch. Sniffing the air, he smelled the burnt scent of electrical wires, just like a short-circuited appliance at home.

“Finished the inspection,” the pilot, Wei Cheng, said with a deep frown. “All the equipment for external communication, signal reception, and transmission has exploded or been burned out. The radar, communicator, antennas, scanners, receivers outside the space shuttle—all of them overloaded and exploded, the capacitors couldn’t handle it.”

“What about the internal systems?” Yellow Finch immediately asked. “Fuel, control systems, engines, oxygen supply and circulation… any issues with these critical systems?”

“No! Everything else is functioning normally!” Wei Cheng’s voice carried a tone of confusion. “It’s strange. Aside from the communication and network devices, everything else is perfectly intact. Not a scratch… Why would something like this happen? Such precise damage, targeting only the communication systems.”

“And, Commander Yellow Finch! Communication and network systems are crucial! Just because they don’t affect the piloting of the space shuttle doesn’t mean they aren’t important… We’re now in a situation where we can’t navigate, can’t communicate with the ground control, can’t link to the BeiDou positioning system, and can’t detect nearby spacecraft or space debris!”

“Right now, this space shuttle is like a blind man! Can’t see a thing! No… not just blind, we’re deaf too! Can’t hear anything! Flying a spacecraft isn’t like riding a bike on the ground. Without the guidance and positioning signals from ground control, I’m now relying solely on my eyes and intuition to pilot! It’s extremely dangerous! The fact that no other functions are compromised is a small mercy in a terrible situation. Commander Yellow Finch, I need your instructions for the next steps. Currently cut off from ground control, you are our chief commander. From now on, I will follow your orders unconditionally. Please analyze our situation and make decisions quickly! Our lives depend on it!”

Lin Xian had never seen Wei Cheng, usually calm and composed, so flustered. But it was undeniable; Wei Cheng quickly regained his composure, meticulously reported all conditions, and handed over the chief command to Yellow Finch. It was likely that in their astronaut training, they had simulated and prepared for such extreme scenarios. After all, as Wei Cheng once said:

“99.9% of astronaut training is for handling that 0.01% of unexpected situations.”

And now, this was the 0.01%! Lin Xian quickly calmed his emotions, accepting the fact that VV was gone, and began to seriously consider their current situation.

Now, assuming the worst—VV had been taken out by the enemy. Though he didn’t know who the enemy was or what method they used, it was clear that VV had been neutralized. At least for this space mission, VV could no longer help him.

Next, consider the destruction of all communication and network equipment on the space shuttle. Lin Xian believed the attack that took out VV must have come through those communication channels and network pathways. Given that they were now over 200 kilometers above Earth, without wired or wireless networks. The only communication paths were through radar connections with ground control and the numerous network relay satellites, Starlink satellites, BeiDou satellites, and the space station.

The enemy must have used one of these information data channels to take out VV. So, the question arises: such a powerful enemy that could easily eliminate VV in space should also be capable of destroying the space shuttle! There was no doubt about it. If they could kill VV, which was far more capable than the space shuttle, they could certainly destroy the space shuttle too. This didn’t make sense.

Therefore, from this perspective, it wasn’t hard to deduce one conclusion—the enemy’s target was specifically VV, precise and ruthless! Conversely, the enemy held no animosity towards the space shuttle or its crew. Otherwise, attacking the space shuttle directly would be more efficient.

Smelling the burnt wire scent in the air, Lin Xian’s mind raced. Since the enemy’s target wasn’t the space shuttle, they wouldn’t destroy the space shuttle’s communication and network equipment. Otherwise, the space shuttle would have exploded by now, and they would be dead. Therefore, the answer was clear!

“It was VV.”

Lin Xian murmured to himself: “VV must have destroyed all the space shuttle’s communication and network equipment, the signal transmission and reception devices… turning this space shuttle into an isolated island that neither lets anything in nor out, undetectable and undetecting. VV was protecting me.”

This conclusion should be correct. As Wei Cheng mentioned, the damage to the space shuttle’s equipment was too “gentle”… none of the navigation or control functions were affected, and the method of damaging the communication network equipment was very considerate. External components had exploded capacitors without damaging the casing. Internal components had simply overloaded and burned the wires, avoiding any explosion that could damage other equipment. It was clear this wasn’t an enemy attack, but a self-protective act by an ally.

“So, considering this, there are two possible scenarios.” Lin Xian paced to the empty passenger cabin, looking out at the blue Earth through the porthole, and summarized VV’s actions into two possibilities:

VV realized it was under attack and tried to cut off all network signal systems to isolate the enemy’s attack. But unfortunately, it failed, either due to insufficient time or being overpowered… Even after destroying all communication devices, it couldn’t save itself and lost the battle.

VV recognized the enemy’s strength, knew it couldn’t win, but to protect the space shuttle and Lin Xian’s safety, it triggered a core code protocol—Lin Xian’s safety above all. So, it sacrificed itself to destroy all communication devices, preventing the enemy from controlling the space shuttle after its demise. For instance—

“Kevin Walker.” Lin Xian softly muttered the name, feeling a chill down his spine.

The world’s most brilliant young hacker could easily control Starlink satellites and the US X-37B space shuttle. Thus, he could certainly control X Country’s space shuttle! Previously, VV, the super AI, had kept Kevin Walker in check, deterring him from challenging VV directly. But now, VV was gone. Kevin Walker had regained his dominance, and no one could stop him! If he intended to control this space shuttle, without VV guarding it, it would be effortless!

However, hackers need networks and data transmission paths to operate. Without them, they can’t do much. Perhaps VV foresaw this. So it decisively destroyed all communication and network devices, making the space shuttle an isolated island and preventing any hacker attack.

Phew…

Lin Xian temporarily breathed a sigh of relief. Though he didn’t fully understand what had happened to VV, for now, they should be thankful to VV. Otherwise, Kevin Walker wouldn’t need to hijack the US space shuttle to crash into them. He could just hijack this one and blow it up on the spot.

Understanding everything, Lin Xian moved to the equipment cabin, approached Yellow Finch, and signaled towards the empty passenger cabin: “Come with me, I need to talk to you.”

The two entered the passenger cabin, opened their visors, and temporarily turned off their radio channels, facing each other.

“It was VV, my super AI friend, who destroyed the communication network devices. It did this to protect us,” Lin Xian explained his analysis to Yellow Finch.

Yellow Finch listened patiently. She merely nodded, showing no change in her expression.

“You knew all along?” Lin Xian asked, puzzled.

“I did.” Yellow Finch replied softly: “It wasn’t hard to guess, Lin Xian. You should have sensed it too.”

Suddenly, Lin Xian recalled a detail—the night he handed over the cold fusion manuscript to Gao Yang, the Director of the Science Academy, a temporal butterfly effect occurred, turning the third dream into the fourth. Entering the dream, he was surrounded by dozens of soldiers, unable to move. At that time, he thought of breaking free by triggering another butterfly effect, skipping the fourth dream and entering the fifth.

After all… the fourth dream was already bad enough, and no matter what the fifth dream was like, it had to be better than the fourth. So, he input the last ten lines of VV’s code into his laptop, thinking that introducing a super AI 600 years early would surely trigger a significant temporal butterfly effect…

However, unexpectedly. Even after activating VV, it swiftly learning and even thwarting Kevin Walker’s attack on X Country’s network… Yet! That night’s fourth dream remained unchanged! He was still surrounded and electrocuted by soldiers; The mysterious elder’s dialogue unchanged; 600 years of history undisturbed; The temporal butterfly effect hadn’t occurred!

He felt puzzled at that moment. He also considered that if he was marked by the enemy, VV must have been detected and eliminated. But… who would have thought it would happen so quickly! In this current era, VV was indeed invincible, even Kevin Walker wouldn’t dare confront it. So who else could defeat VV? Who could kill it so swiftly?

Looking back, the logic of the fourth dream became clear—it was because VV, after being activated, didn’t achieve anything significant, hadn’t had a chance to make an impact before being eliminated. Hence, the minor temporal butterfly effect it caused… didn’t even surpass the temporal elasticity, naturally failing to induce a temporal shift or alter the fourth dream.

The thought process, instantly clear. In hindsight, Super AI VV was indeed powerful, but in the half year since Lin Xian activated it, it had done nothing major to alter the timeline, except for its playful antics. Thinking about it, the super AI VV, which arrived centuries early, had merely set off some fireworks, opened some fridge doors, and unlocked Chu An Qing’s dorm room…

It had done nothing to change the course of history! And now, after months of planning, just as it was about to demonstrate its abilities… It got killed instantly.

Sss…

Lin Xian took a sharp breath. No wonder the fourth dream remained unchanged, no wonder VV’s appearance didn’t trigger any butterfly effect. It died too soon. Its intervention in history was minimal. Even less impactful than Brother Wang’s Time Bank. And recalling how Yellow Finch knew VV could operate the robotic arm but still insisted Gao Yang join the training… Everything became clear.

Yellow Finch had known VV’s doomed fate and had prepared a backup plan.

“I think I understand.” Lin Xian squinted at Yellow Finch: “When Liu Feng first came to the base, you suggested VV could operate the robotic arm. You did say that, but in reality, you never relied on VV. You planned for Gao Yang to operate it from the start… you knew VV couldn’t help in this mission. Gao Yang was the real trump card.”

The more Lin Xian thought, the clearer it became: “You asked if Liu Feng and I had trustworthy friends to join the time-space particle capture plan. I thought it was a casual question, but you knew about my connection with Gao Yang, his gaming skills, and you always planned to bring him in.”

“So, all of this… was your grand strategy. Even…” Lin Xian paused: “VV’s disappearance was part of your plan too.”

The two stared at each other. Silent for a few seconds, neither spoke. Lin Xian looked into her eyes, reflecting the white fluorescent light, a blend of blue and white, like the Earth’s oceans and clouds seen from the space shuttle. He just realized why Yellow Finch hadn’t mentioned VV’s imminent demise on the space shuttle, not even a hint.

Because Yellow Finch never intended to bring VV along for the time-space particle capture mission. Though she hadn’t killed VV, VV’s absence was more beneficial to her mission. Yellow Finch knew VV, to protect Lin Xian, would do anything. If danger arose, VV would hijack the space shuttle, removing it from Yellow Finch’s control, and force an abort mission.

But Yellow Finch’s goal was clear; she would sacrifice anything to capture the time-space particle, never considering an abort mission. For Yellow Finch, the time-space particle was more important than life. But for VV, Lin Xian’s life was more important than the time-space particle. Thus, Yellow Finch and VV’s bottom lines clashed, conflicted. VV, the biggest obstacle in Yellow Finch’s all-or-nothing plan.

Therefore, in Yellow Finch’s grand strategy, an uncontrollable VV was destined to be a pawn. Honestly, regarding VV, Lin Xian harbored some resentment towards Yellow Finch. However, now wasn’t the time to break unity over this issue. Moreover, it was unclear whether VV was truly dead, temporarily disappeared, or just isolated. All these would need to be assessed back on Earth.

Finally, facing Lin Xian’s knowing gaze, Yellow Finch lifted her head: “Lin Xian, you may blame me for VV. But I must tell you—if we don’t capture this time-space particle, this world, everything, will become unimaginably worse. So, I had no choice. To avoid repeating past mistakes, I had to do this.”

She turned around, pressing a button, connecting to the radio channel with everyone: “Wei Cheng, execute my orders—”

Yellow Finch’s crystal blue eyes were resolute: “Continue the Alpha material collection mission as planned!”

“Roger!” Wei Cheng’s steady voice responded.

A shudder followed, as the space shuttle’s retro thrusters ignited, passing over the US East Coast, beginning its descent.

Beep beep.

Yellow Finch turned off the communicator, pressing her hand against the visor. Turning back, she looked at Lin Xian: “I’m the chief commander of this mission. I’m responsible for my team, but I’m also responsible for the mission.”

Click!

The transparent visor fell, covering Yellow Finch’s face completely. She turned, heading towards the equipment cabin.