Genius Club

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Lin Xian gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar beautiful girl before him.

She didn’t recognize him.

He didn’t recognize her.

But…

Across countless times and nights, they had met countless times at the world’s beginning and end.

Their most recent meeting had been in Brooklyn in 1952.

Ten large pickup trucks loaded with fireworks failed to hold CC, the first-generation Stake Keeper, for even a moment. She vanished by the clock tower on the bank’s rooftop, dissolving into a trail of blue star fragments.

That girl.

She bore an uncanny resemblance to Qin Xi, the street performer before him now.

It was as though time had rewound, with the sun and moon reversing course, pulling the bustling metropolis around him back to the old, impoverished Brooklyn, to the dock where a girl once sat atop a wooden crate, gazing at the Manhattan skyscrapers.

Lin Xian had no idea what the chatterbox VV was thinking now.

But roughly.

He must be reminiscing about something similar.

Lin Xian had never seen VV this quiet, this sorrowful.

No.

Strictly speaking, there had been one other time.

It was at the end of the Third Dreamscape, when Lin Xian told the tattered and dilapidated Aluminum Alloy Trashcan Robot VV that the greatest distance in the world was when people could not meet.

At that moment, the old, clunky robot suddenly seemed to develop a heartbeat, emotions, a human heart.

The lights of Rhine Sky City dimmed, as though shedding tears, just like VV now.

…

The girl tilted her head inside the tunnel.

She blinked.

Looking at the odd pair before her.

It was almost 1:00 a.m. Public transportation stations were no longer operating, and the surrounding crowd had gradually dispersed. The tunnel was suddenly deserted.

But this young man, panting heavily, stood there silently staring at her. Beside him, a trembling trashcan robot, on the verge of falling apart, also stared at her in silence. Qin Xi felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Could it be…

She had run into some lunatics?

Suddenly.

A flash of inspiration struck her.

“You… You didn’t come all the way here just for me, did you?”

The panting man.

That seemed like the only possibility.

How embarrassing. They had gone through so much trouble to rush over, only to find her performance was already over.

But!

Even so, it was rare to meet people who still appreciated classical music in this era and were willing to come late at night to watch her perform. A hint of joy and gratitude bloomed in her heart.

She smiled faintly, clasping her hands behind her back as she looked at Lin Xian:

“Do you like classical music too?”

This question caught Lin Xian completely off guard.

Classical music…

He hadn’t really been exposed to it, so he couldn’t say whether he liked it or not.

Then again…

What exactly did classical music mean to Qin Xi of 2504?

From a temporal perspective, only music from decades or centuries ago could be considered classical. Music from several centuries ago… might be better termed antique music, right?

But at least.

For someone like him, a relic of the Old Era, music styles from as recent as 2234 had already become incomprehensible, a complete disconnect.

Let alone now, in 2504, he could hardly endure this new age’s musical trends.

Who would’ve thought.

Someone once at the forefront of trends would, after such a long span of hibernation, turn into a stubborn traditionalist.

No wonder British sci-fi author Douglas Adams humorously summarized the Three Laws of Science:

Any technology existing when you’re born is natural, part of the way the world works.

Any technology invented between your fifteenth and thirty-fifth birthdays is revolutionary and world-changing.

Any technology invented after you turn thirty-five is unnatural and against the laws of nature.

“Yes, I do like it.”

Lin Xian looked at the girl, identical to Chu An Qing, Zhang Yu Qian, the first-generation Stake Keeper CC, and the 600-year-later CC, and replied:

“I prefer things from the Old Era.”

“Pfft—”

The girl instantly chuckled, her fluffy ponytail bouncing mischievously.

“It’s so obvious! Because… you’re from the Old Era yourself!”

?

Lin Xian was puzzled.

He glanced at his outfit. It wasn’t any different from the students at Rhine University, thanks to Gao Wen’s preparation—it was a very typical outfit for this era.

His hairstyle was fine too; he hadn’t noticed anything unusual on the way here.

So…

How did she tell he was from the Old Era?

Noticing Lin Xian’s confusion, Qin Xi smiled and explained:

“Hehe, it’s all in your expression and eyes!”

“Isn’t it fascinating? Even though the clothing is the same, it’s easy to tell who’s from the Old Era?”

“The secret lies in the expression and eyes. People who hibernated from the Old Era always have this unhappy, melancholy, lonely, and resistant look about them.”

“You see, people of the New Era are all vibrant, full of hope for the future. But many Old Era hibernators, perhaps due to a lack of belonging, family, or friends after awakening, often seem like the walking dead, unable to blend into the New Era… ah!”

Qin Xi suddenly realized her words might be offensive and quickly covered her mouth!

How unfair.

Despite being strangers meeting for the first time, why did it feel so natural to chat openly, as if they were old friends?

It was true that the man before her was from the Old Era, but to call him the walking dead was indeed too much.

“Sorry, sorry. I spoke without thinking. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Qin Xi apologized sincerely:

“But I really don’t have any bias against people from the Old Era… Quite the opposite—I really like everything about it! Whether it’s the people, the romantic atmosphere, or classical music, I love it all!”

She smiled playfully.

“Well, since that’s the case, I’ll give you a special performance!”

With that, Qin Xi bent down, opened her guitar case, and pulled out a wooden guitar. She slung it over her neck and said:

“I mean, I can’t let you guys come all this way for nothing. Let me sing one more song, just for you~”

She strummed the six strings in turn to tune them, then looked up at Lin Xian:

“Since you’re also a hibernator from the Old Era, is there a particular song you like? But, if you want to make a request, it has to be something really popular and classic from back then—I can’t sing just any song.”

“Anything is fine,” Lin Xian replied softly.

“Thank you for the extra effort. Sing whatever you want.”

After all…

[This was the last song Qin Xi would ever sing in her life.]

Qin Xi rested her finger against her chin, thinking.

“In that case, I’ll sing a song I just learned.”

Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and two dimples appeared mischievously at the corners of her lips.

“I only learned it this afternoon. Since I’m not very familiar with it and haven’t memorized the score, I was too nervous to perform it earlier when there were so many people around.”

“But now it doesn’t matter. It’s just the three of us—you, me, and Mr. Trashcan here. If I mess up, promise you won’t laugh at me.”

As her voice fell, a cool night breeze swept through the tunnel.

It brushed past Qin Xi’s brown locks, which danced against her pale cheeks. Immersing herself in the music, her left hand pressed firmly on the fretboard while her right hand plucked the strings.

The notes rang out, crisp and melodic, slow yet elegant. However, the melody was tinged with a deep sense of sorrow and regret.

This prelude…

Back in university, Lin Xian had been a guitarist in a band, with an impeccable ear for music. And VV, as a super-intelligent AI, instantly recognized the “classical song” Qin Xi was about to perform:

“Alaskan Gulf.”

As the reverberating sound of the strings faded, Qin Xi took a deep breath. Her voice, ethereal and pure, emerged like a crystal-clear spring:

“Oh, heavens… can’t you see how much I love her?”

“Why must you tear apart two people who truly love each other?”

“Oh, heavens… don’t you dare tell her.”

“That in countless silent nights, someone is missing her.”

…

Qin Xi’s singing was pristine and bright, untouched by any trace of worldly impurity. That unparalleled purity instantly transported Lin Xian back to 1952.

To that girl laughing radiantly while biting into a hot dog.

To that girl embracing the world while riding a carousel.

To that girl standing on the back seat of a motorcycle, tears streaming down her face, shouting as they sped across the Brooklyn Bridge.

To that girl standing atop the Empire State Building, snow swirling into angelic wings around her as she held his hand tightly and wished for him to become a true savior.

She was just as clean and sacred.

An angel’s face, an angel’s kindness, an angel’s voice.

“In the days ahead, take good care of her.”

“When I’m not by her side, don’t hurt her.”

“Don’t let anyone else into her heart, only to leave her in the end.”

“Because I can’t bear to see her cry again…”

…

The song was gentle and intoxicating, but each lyric pierced Lin Xian’s heart like a needle.

In the Manhattan cinema, CC once cried as she asked him whether, upon waking, he’d discover this was all just a dream.

At 20,000 meters in the sky, Chu An Qing had wept uncontrollably after touching a spacetime particle.

Lin Xian clenched his fists.

Every Millennial Stake Girl he had encountered had brought him help, warmth, and selfless devotion.

And what had he given back to them?

Only regret, sorrow, and farewell.

Qin Xi’s fingers danced on the strings. During a brief pause in the song, she played a slow yet haunting solo. Taking a deep breath, she sang the climactic lines of “Alaskan Gulf”:

“Oh, heavens… are you secretly mocking me?”

“Knowing I lack the strength to protect her, yet still letting us meet?”

“Oh, heavens… is she finally able to sleep at night?”

“May the world’s tenderness become a breeze, embracing her in my place.”

…

Lin Xian had danced with every Millennial Stake Girl he knew, but this was the first time he had heard one sing.

His vision blurred.

How could he not long to save these girls, to capture the mastermind behind their suffering, and to destroy their plot to lock history?

Yet again and again, he could only helplessly watch them disappear, just as Liu Feng had said.

In 1952, atop the bank clock tower, the first-generation CC had disintegrated into blue star fragments, scattering across Brooklyn. Lin Xian couldn’t catch even one.

In 2024, when Chu An Qing leaped from 20,000 meters in the sky, Lin Xian had followed without hesitation. He caught up, grasped her hand—only to find, upon opening his spacesuit, that she was no longer there.

In 2624, he and CC had gone from being adversarial bank robbers to dreamscape companions, sharing memory fragments and forming a bond of trust. He had promised to light the most dazzling fireworks for her on her 20th birthday. Yet, to this day, he hadn’t fulfilled that promise. He could no longer even find her within the dreamscape.

Just as Qin Xi sang.

To fulfill his promises, to save the future of the world and the fate of humanity, and to rescue Chu An Qing, who had captured the first precious spacetime particle for him, Lin Xian had twice entered hibernation—from 2025 to this unfamiliar era of 2504.

Though he had found Cheng Qian, revived VV, and seemed on the verge of locating Newton and Galileo, he still couldn’t do anything for this Millennial Stake Girl, who was about to vanish.

The song neared its end.

Qin Xi, like Chu An Qing, possessed immense artistic talent. She immersed herself fully in her performance, as though living it. In the silent tunnel, her delicate guitar accompaniment echoed, making her already poignant song even more heartbreaking.

As a few soft notes plucked the silence, the song reached its final section. The guitar’s voice grew quieter, replaced by Qin Xi’s crystal-clear voice, now tinged with sorrow and hoarseness.

Her voice was soft. Very soft.

It sounded like a confession, a memory, a longing for the past, a dream of an unreachable future.

“Oh, heavens… the words I’ve spoken to you on these nights…”

Her voice grew fainter yet more devout, like CC praying with closed eyes in a church, or like the angel atop the Empire State Building, using her life to make a wish.

“Please don’t accidentally let them slip and wake her up.”

“Oh, heavens… don’t you dare secretly tell her…”

“That on countless silent nights…”

With one final sweep of the strings, Qin Xi raised her head. Her tear-filled eyes met Lin Xian’s as she murmured:

“I still… think of him.”

…

Swish—

Swish—

Swish—

The sorrowful girl’s body turned blue, becoming transparent, as thin as gossamer. Even the moonlight passed through her.

In an instant, her form disintegrated into clusters of blue star fragments, scattering like sand. The night breeze carried them, transforming them into starlight drifting across the bustling city streets, dissolving into the darkness.

June 18, 2504, 12:42 a.m.

In the vibrant city center, nightlife continued with dazzling neon lights illuminating the sky.

No one noticed.

In the unnoticed tunnel of a deserted transit station, a girl in her prime vanished into the night with her song, locking away another segment of history, leaving behind nothing.

Thud.

A muffled sound.

The wooden guitar fell to the ground, its neck cracked from the impact. Two strings snapped, creating the final trembling notes of this story.

In the tunnel…

The sound lingered.

Endlessly.

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation