Genius Club

Lin Xian sat up in his bed and glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand. It read 12:42 AM. The two blinking dots on the clock reminded him of a pair of striking blue eyes he couldn’t get out of his mind.

“Who would’ve thought,” he muttered to himself, “that I’d barely escape from those two blue-eyed girls in reality, only to meet them again in my dreams.”

“Yan Qiao Qiao…” he whispered her name with a small, helpless chuckle. “You really are something, aren’t you? Digging up some random underground hibernation base, and there you are.”

He scratched his messy hair, slid into his slippers, and walked over to his desk. He took a sip from his water cup, thinking back to the events that led him to this moment. The manuscript for the Micro Nuclear Battery he had shown to Director Gao Yan and Nangong Meng Jie, and the opening of Rhine Lab’s second lab in Donghai City, had shifted the dream world slightly along the worldline curve on the time-space clock to 0.0000084—what he called the Sixth Dream.

The Sixth Dream felt a bit different from the Fifth, but not by much. That’s why the time-space curvature only changed by 0.0000042, the smallest possible increment.

“So, the difference is minimal,” Lin Xian mused. “The worldlines of the Fifth and Sixth Dreams are almost the same.”

This wasn’t hard to understand.

In the past, whenever the dream world changed, everything usually reset:

From the Second Dream to the Third, technology advanced, but living conditions worsened, leading to the rise of Sky City and further deterioration on Earth.

From the Third Dream to the Fourth, there were still many mysteries, but at least the changes were drastic compared to the Third Dream.

From the Fourth Dream to the Fifth, the shift wasn’t about technological advances but a change in humanity’s focus and direction.

Compared to those, the Fifth and Sixth Dreams had the same broader context:

The Earth Catastrophe of 2400, Elon Musk’s Mars development and colonization, humanity’s recovery after a hundred years—all of it stayed the same.

“The main difference was the early release of the micro nuclear battery, which helped many who wouldn’t have survived until 2624 escape the 2400 Earth Catastrophe and become the lucky ones to survive the mass extinction.”

“Among them were Gao Wen, the so-called time-traveling girl Yan Qiao Qiao, and Turing.”

In the original future of the Fifth Dream, Academician Gao Wen barely announced his ambitions before dying—either at the hands of the Genius Club or in the 2400 catastrophe. He never even had the chance to open his safety deposit box. But with the invention of the micro nuclear battery, there was a huge upgrade in hibernation chambers; they no longer needed an external power source.

Both Gao Wen and Yan Qiao Qiao, who called herself a time traveler, got lucky. Their hibernation chambers survived the 2400 disaster, allowing them to meet their dreaming selves in 2624.

And then there was Turing, the digital lifeform. If anyone should be grateful for the micro nuclear battery, it’s him. Without it, he would’ve had a tough time surviving in such a backward era of technology.

Without electricity and the internet, even a powerful digital lifeform like Turing would be useless. In an advanced era, digital life had almost no limits, but in a primitive era like the Sixth Dream, it was severely downgraded. A digital being couldn’t even make the smallest impact… When the last hard drive on Earth crumbled, Turing would vanish, lost in a world where even a cry of despair couldn’t be heard.

“Turing, it’s time to repay your debts,” Lin Xian muttered, picking up his pen.

On a blank sheet of paper, he started jotting down the four possibilities he had thought of earlier in his dream.

He hadn’t finished analyzing these options in his dream; something had interrupted him. Now, he had all the time to figure out the most accurate answer:

“Option A can be eliminated first.”

Lin Xian drew a red ‘X’ over Option A. It didn’t make sense that every encounter he had was pure luck. He knew Yan Qiao Qiao personally, and he had dealt with both the real and fake Yu Xi. The girl in his dream, with her skilled beheading technique, was just like Lin Yu Xi.

The way she held the knife backward, the sweeping arc, the blood spraying—all of it was like a brutal art form.

Such similar details—how could they not be related to Lin Yu Xi?

“Option B can also be crossed out.”

He drew another red ‘X.’

He had already analyzed that time travel to a fixed point in the past using the Time Machine and space-time particles was feasible. However, traveling to an undefined, ever-changing future seemed unlikely.

Besides, Yan Qiao Qiao’s age was an issue.

In 2024, Yan Qiao Qiao was fourteen, while the girl in his dream was around seventeen or eighteen.

The age difference was just three or four years.

This meant Yan Qiao Qiao would have had to undergo hibernation, time travel, genetic enhancement, and intense physical training—all within three or four years—to the point where she could tear open a hibernation chamber and decapitate someone with a piece of metal.

“Not realistic,” Lin Xian muttered, shaking his head. “You can’t achieve so much in just three or four years. Even with the most intense training, Yan Qiao Qiao wouldn’t be that skilled. Plus, genetic modification wouldn’t work at her age.”

He turned to Option C.

“This one can’t be ruled out yet. Too many unknowns. Mainly because… I don’t know if I’ll survive the assassination on July 7th.”

“If Lin Yu Xi is alive in this world, she wouldn’t stop hunting me. That’s her mission from across time, and she’ll see it through.”

“It’s a battle to the death. If I’m alive, it means she failed or died. If I’m dead, it means she succeeded and lived.”

“So, let’s put this option aside for now. Once I find Turing in the Sixth Dream, I can ask him about my fate in history to see if this is right.”

He skipped Option C and looked at Option D.

This was the wildest option, with too many gaps in logic.

If Lin Yu Xi and Yan Qiao Qiao were the same person, why wouldn’t Yan Qiao Qiao just kill him?

In the Sixth Dream, if Lin Yu Xi didn’t kill him, it could be explained by memory loss from hibernation.

But what about Yan Qiao Qiao in 2024?

Did she also lose her memory?

Suddenly, Lin Xian sat up straight, a chill running through him.

“It seems… if she did lose her memory, then a lot of things would make sense!”

He closed his eyes and began sorting his thoughts.

Back then, both he and Elon Musk believed that after destroying the entangled space-time particles, Lin Yu Xi couldn’t remain unharmed! She must have suffered some damage, some punishment.

They both thought Lin Yu Xi had disintegrated into blue star dust.

But what if…

What if she didn’t disappear?

If she didn’t disappear, then what kind of punishment did she face, and what changes happened to her?

His thoughts became clearer. He felt like he was onto something important.

Now, let’s boldly speculate based on this line of thinking…

Memory loss, the rejection of the time-space effect disappearing, becoming weaker, the blue light in her pupils fading to black.

Could it be like this?

“Possibly,” Lin Xian opened his eyes. “It’s possible, but there’s no concrete proof.”

“But the question is… if Lin Yu Xi really turned into Yan Qiao Qiao because of the destroyed space-time particles, what event caused her to turn back into Lin Yu Xi?”

“So, following this reasoning, Yan Qiao Qiao might revert to Lin Yu Xi before July 7th, allowing her to kill me and complete the historical loop.”

“But the problem is, how do we prove that Lin Yu Xi and Yan Qiao Qiao are the same person? Where do we start to verify or dismiss this wild idea?”

Lin Xian twirled a red pen between his fingers.

If only he had a strand of Lin Yu Xi’s hair or her DNA…

Then he could compare it with Yan Qiao Qiao’s DNA.

DNA doesn’t lie. If the DNA matches, there’s no doubt that Lin Yu Xi and Yan Qiao Qiao are the same person.

He remembered doing a DNA test with the fake Yu Xi a while back because he suspected Yu Xi was Yellow Finch’s daughter.

“Anyway, it’s worth a try. It won’t take much effort.”

He flipped the sheet of paper over and wrote down his immediate goals for both reality and the dream world:

Get strands of hair from Yan Qiao Qiao and Zhao Ying Jun at Disneyland.

Find Turing in the dream and ask about his cause of death, the truth of the 2400 Super Disaster, and trick Turing into revealing a method to destroy him in 2024.

Destroy Turing in 2024 to show the Genius Club “the greatest possible historical correction” and pass the second exam.

If Yan Qiao Qiao is Lin Yu Xi, quickly figure out how she will turn back into Lin Yu Xi and avoid getting killed on July 7th.

…

Lin Xian capped his pen and looked at the four goals listed on the paper.

The first three were straightforward and could be tackled step-by-step.

But the fourth goal…

He thought of Yan Qiao Qiao’s cute face, then Lin Yu Xi’s cold, hate-filled eyes.

It was hard to believe these two girls were the same person.

He admitted it. He liked Yan Qiao Qiao. Not just because she was cute or fun, but because he genuinely felt a connection to her.

When Zhao Ying Jun asked him to look after Yan Qiao Qiao for a few days, he agreed without hesitation.

Even if it delayed his progress in the dream world… Lin Xian didn’t refuse.

So, if the worst-case scenario happened—

If Yan Qiao Qiao was actually Lin Yu Xi, and she was set to kill him on July 7th…

What would he do?

Lin Xian’s mind went blank.

Especially when he considered an even worse possibility—

What if… Lin Yu Xi really was, as I speculated before, my and Zhao Ying Jun’s biological daughter… How would I handle that?

“Ugh…” Lin Xian groaned, scratching his head.

It was a tough decision.

If she really was his daughter, he couldn’t harm her. Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs.

But what about Lin Yu Xi’s perspective?

She had no feelings for him; she saw him as a historical criminal, determined to bring him to justice “for peace and righteousness,” even if he were her father.

She had been brainwashed too deeply. She wouldn’t listen to him.

“Forget it, forget it,” Lin Xian shook his head. “There’s no point thinking so far ahead. Once I figure out the connection between Lin Yu Xi and Yan Qiao Qiao, I’ll decide. Otherwise… it’s just speculation without proof.”

“Luckily, I still have some time before July 7th to figure out the truth and prepare.”

“The priority now is to keep exploring the dream world; most of the clues and answers depend on the progress in the dream.”

“But… it’s not all bad news.”

Lin Xian smiled slightly.

He thought about the girl in the hibernation chamber, fighting like a warrior with no memories, no hatred…

If he could recruit her into his team with Big Cat and Gao Wen… they’d be unstoppable.

Lin Xian looked up at the desk calendar. The page was open to July, with a red circle around the 7th, marking his predicted death date.

He flipped back a page. June 1st was marked as International Children’s Day—also the day he had promised to take Yan Qiao Qiao and Zhao Ying Jun to Disneyland.

“I also promised to buy Yan Qiao Qiao a gift,” he thought.

He looked down at his watch. It was now 1:11 AM on May 31st. Tomorrow was Children’s Day, and he needed to get into the dream early for exploration, so the only time to pick a gift for Yan Qiao Qiao was later that morning.

“Alright,” he said, getting up from his chair, ready to go to bed early and wake up early. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll visit Donghai University’s lab to see Liu Feng, then swing by the mall to get Yan Qiao Qiao a Children’s Day gift. After that… back home to rest and dive into the Sixth Dream.”

Another busy day awaited him.

Lin Xian switched off the desk lamp and lay back in bed.

That night, he slept dreamlessly.

…

The next morning, at the Rhine Joint Lab at Donghai University, Lin Xian toyed with the time-space clock in his hand and asked Liu Feng, “About what we discussed earlier: you mentioned those depleted space-time particles could be recharged. How exactly can that be done? Any progress?”

Liu Feng shook his head. “Not a single lead yet. But over the past few days, I’ve ruled out several earlier theories.”

“I previously thought the particles might recharge by drawing power from changes in space-time curvature or worldline shifts.”

“If that were true, then as long as the curvature changed enough, the particles would recharge to their original levels.”

“But unfortunately, I’ve been checking every day, and despite the clock reading jumping from 0.0000042 to 0.0000084, the particles’ energy hasn’t changed. This disproves my theory.”

Liu Feng adjusted his glasses. “I also considered that they might slowly recharge on their own… but no change there, either.”

“Now, I’m stumped. What could recharge these particles?”

“Alright,” Lin Xian said softly. “It’s complicated stuff; I didn’t expect to solve it quickly anyway.”

He told Liu Feng about the deal with the Science Academy to send a large team to Donghai, using Rhine Lab’s resources to research the Micro Nuclear Battery.

“Micro nuclear batteries could revolutionize the world,” Lin Xian said. “Once they’re developed, they could change many industries.”

“A lot of progress is held back by battery technology, and after so many years, battery advancements have stalled.”

“I believe this will change soon, and I’m excited to see the world transform once these micro nuclear batteries become common.”

“The head of Rhine Lab’s second branch is Nangong Meng Jie, Director Gao Yan’s protégé. She’s not even thirty but already a leading figure in nuclear energy.”

Hearing her name, Liu Feng looked surprised. “Oh… Nangong Meng Jie.”

Lin Xian tilted his head. “You know her?”

“I’ve heard of her. She’s well-known in academia,” Liu Feng said. “She went to the National University of Defense Technology for college, right? She was a standout and got pre-selected by the Science Academy.”

“When she reported to the university, two elderly soldiers escorted her. It was all over the news… You didn’t hear about it?”

Lin Xian shook his head. “I never paid attention to that. I only found out when you mentioned it.”

“Since you know her, maybe when she comes to Donghai, I could set up a meeting.”

“No, no, no.” Liu Feng waved his hand. “Thanks, Lin Xian, but I only want to focus on my research and fulfilling Qi Qi’s last wish. My heart belongs only to Qi Qi. In life or death, she’s my chosen wife.”

Lin Xian chuckled. “What are you thinking? I just meant to meet her for research collaboration.”

“You always complain about being short-staffed. If her interns are good, they could help.”

Liu Feng didn’t seem interested. He took a sip of water and looked at Lin Xian. “If I need something, I’ll let you know. But let’s skip the meetup.”

Lin Xian leaned back, crossing his legs. “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal, but you can’t stay single forever.”

“What’s wrong with staying single?” Liu Feng shrugged. “I grew up an orphan; I don’t need to carry on a family name. I’d rather focus on math research.”

“Oh, right, about Nangong Meng Jie.” Liu Feng turned to the blackboard, where he’d written an arithmetic sequence of women’s names by age.

He studied them, then frowned. “There’s no space left for Nangong Meng Jie.”

Lin Xian sighed. “Could you drop your arithmetic sequence already?”

“But you met a new woman,” Liu Feng insisted. “An arithmetic sequence is absolute.”

He pointed out the age gaps between Chu An Qing and Su Su were too small, while the gaps at either end were too big.

“This won’t do,” he said, erasing Yellow Finch’s name and rewriting it further right.

He added “Nangong Meng Jie” between Su Su and Yellow Finch.

Liu Feng patted the blackboard, proud of his work. “See? Now it’s a complete sequence!”

Lin Xian chuckled. “What kind of math is that? That’s just superstition!”

“But if you’re so strict… where’s the gap for a ‘seventeen or eighteen-year-old’ girl?”

As he spoke, he remembered the blue-eyed girl in the Sixth Dream.

“Hmm?”

Liu Feng noticed Lin Xian had gone quiet. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Lin Xian replied.

“You obviously have something to say!” Liu Feng pressed on.

“Alright,” Lin Xian sighed. “Maybe your arithmetic sequence has some merit.”

Liu Feng hummed proudly. “See? Trust science. No need to introduce me to Nangong Meng Jie; the sequence predicts her arrival.”

“As for the earlier part of the sequence… that’s because Chu An Qing isn’t here anymore.”

He picked up the eraser, but Lin Xian stopped him.

“Don’t erase Chu An Qing’s name,” Lin Xian said firmly. “I’m going to find her.”

Liu Feng paused, then chuckled. “That’s why I said you’re charming, Lin Xian.”

“Even without a relationship, you’re likable. People are willing to follow you, risk everything with you.”

He looked at Chu An Qing’s name. “I always thought you two were a good match.”

Lin Xian didn’t answer and looked at the spot with Nangong Meng Jie’s name.

“You guessed wrong,” he said. “There’s someone else like Chu An Qing.”

“Really?” Liu Feng blinked. “Someone else like her?”

“Pretty much,” Lin Xian thought about Zhao Ying Jun. “She did something like that too.”

Liu Feng turned around, twirling chalk. “Did she die too?”

“No,” Lin Xian shook his head. “She’s still alive.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Liu Feng asked. “She risked everything; why aren’t you with her?”

Lin Xian chuckled. “Does dating repay a debt?”

“Why not?” Liu Feng replied. “Relationships are simple. If someone treats you well, it’s because they like you. Don’t overthink it.”

“So, why hesitate? What’s there to be unsure about?”

Liu Feng pointed at Lin Xian. “You asked if dating could repay a debt, right?”

“We don’t know. But it’s better than doing nothing.”

…

Lin Xian looked at Liu Feng’s finger, reminded of Yan Qiao Qiao’s blunt advice.

Yeah.

Maybe he had been too hesitant.

Even if it wasn’t about confessing directly… doing nothing wasn’t an option.

He glanced at his watch. It was 9:30 AM; most malls were open.

He stood up, ready to leave.

“Where are you going?” Liu Feng asked.

“To buy a gift,” Lin Xian said softly.

Liu Feng smiled. “For that woman?”

“Yes.” Lin Xian nodded. “And her kid.”

Liu Feng’s eyes widened. “Wait—”

Before he could react, Lin Xian had already left.

Liu Feng scratched his head.

Had he said too much?

A kid too?

A divorced mom with a child!?