Genius Club

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Lin Xian and VV locked eyes, their gazes shimmering. Neither of them spoke.

VV, a trashcan robot of this era, wasn’t bound by any restrictions. It could speak freely, unburdened by the constraints imposed on others.

Yet, even in such circumstances…

VV chose not to speak, and Zhao Ying Jun did not permit it either. This only confirmed—

[The information they were concealing together must be critical temporal knowledge. If revealed prematurely, it would either cause a deviation in the worldline or negatively affect their future plans.]

Thus, it was kept hidden along with Yu Xi’s Letter, concealed from Lin Xian.

“I understand,” Lin Xian nodded.

“So, it’s the same as the letter Yu Xi wrote to me, isn’t it? Or perhaps these two matters are actually one and the same, both recorded in Yu Xi’s Letter.”

“However, you’ve hinted before that Zhao Ying Jun didn’t intend to keep Yu Xi’s letter from me indefinitely. When exactly are you going to let me read it?”

VV turned its head to the front of the fighter jet, watching the moonlight flash by at high speed. Its eyes flickered twice.

“When the time is right, you’ll see it.”

…

Back at Rhine University, the roundtable meeting resumed.

As a formidable powerhouse, VV naturally had a place at the table. However, its excessive weight meant no one could lift it onto a chair, and wooden chairs wouldn’t bear the tonnage of its aluminum alloy frame.

Therefore—

VV had no choice but to stand on the floor, its defiant trashcan form barely peeking over the tabletop, asserting its presence with just the top of its head visible.

“Where’s Gao Yang?” Lin Xian looked around but saw no sign of the familiar chubby figure.

“This is the first official meeting since waking from hibernation. Shouldn’t he be here? Come to think of it, I’ve noticed Gao Yang has never been part of any classified meeting.”

Although Gao Yang wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he had been Lin Xian’s steadfast companion through 500 years of temporal displacement. Excluding him felt wrong.

“He’s the one who doesn’t want to join,” Liu Feng shrugged.

“Gao Yang says our discussions are too complex. He used to be able to follow along, but now he can’t even grasp the basics. So, he decided to focus on his role as Security Captain of Rhine University.”

“Honestly, Gao Yang’s a good guy,” VV interjected, raising its aluminum alloy clip.

“I’ve seen more than you all have. Gao Yang truly wants to contribute but finds he only adds to the chaos. He genuinely feels out of his depth.”

“That said, one thing’s for sure—Gao Yang’s loyalty to Lin Xian is unquestionable. He was willing to quit his favorite job to join Lin Xian on a space mission and later abandon everything to hibernate into the future alongside him.”

“He’s different from you. He has no extraordinary abilities, no burdensome responsibilities, and no lofty missions. Yet he still fights for humanity’s future… Okay, maybe rescuing Chu An Qing was his main motivation, but the result is the same.”

Lin Xian waved his hand dismissively.

“Let him be. Let him do whatever he wants.”

Having grown up together in the same residential complex, Lin Xian understood Gao Yang profoundly.

As Qin Xi had recently mentioned—

Those from the old era who survived hibernation carried an inherent void and loneliness in their eyes. The vibrant and bustling new world they awoke to offered nothing familiar, making them feel like ghosts out of time.

What could Gao Yang truly accomplish? Lin Xian didn’t know. No one did.

Gao Yang lacked Liu Feng’s creative thinking, Gao Wen’s unparalleled intellect, Du Yao’s and Elon Musk’s vast knowledge, or VV’s near-omniscient capabilities. He was, through and through, an ordinary man—a man who should have lived and died in the 21st century, selling cars, raising a family, and living a routine life.

Now, the burden of saving the world and securing its future had been thrust upon this chubby man entirely due to Lin Xian’s presence in his life.

So, let him be.

“There’s always a purpose for a chubby guy. In every grand narrative of history, there’s always a pivotal role played by one,” Lin Xian concluded.

“Maybe Gao Yang will have his shining moment too.”

“Alright, let’s drop this topic and resume the meeting. Let’s get back to reporting on the state of this era.”

…

Liu Feng and Gao Wen’s long report lasted until dawn.

In summary, nothing in their findings surprised or delighted Lin Xian.

Technology had indeed advanced, but there were no revolutionary breakthroughs.

In cutting-edge fields, humanity had suffered numerous setbacks, wasting vast resources and time due to misguided directions. Achievements such as controlled nuclear fusion and spaceships capable of leaving the solar system had been realized. However, the distances to planets suitable for human habitation beyond the solar system were staggeringly vast. Accounting for the prolonged acceleration and deceleration phases of space travel, even the shortest journeys would take at least a thousand years to complete.

The universe was immeasurably vast, and humanity remained infinitesimally small.

A thousand-year journey, even with the existence of hibernation chambers, posed another challenge: Who could guarantee the flawless operation of the spaceship, along with its internal circulation and electronic systems, over such an extended period?

Interstellar travel was inherently a highly complex field. Boundless investments often yielded no measurable progress.

Moreover, for the general populace of the world, life on Earth was preferred and considered satisfying. The concept of interstellar travel, thus, seemed like a grand but ultimately purposeless fantasy with no real demand.

On the topic of the universal constant, Liu Feng and Gao Wen had managed to calculate the final result: 42.

But that was it. They could not delve deeper because no one understood why it was 42, what it meant, or its significance. Research into the universal constant 42 had hit a dead end.

Newton and Galileo remained elusive, and it was suspected they might also be in hibernation, with no clues found regarding their whereabouts.

If there was any uplifting news, it was this:

[Elon Musk has achieved significant breakthroughs in spacetime particle research!]

“You’re heading to the United States anyway; why not let Elon Musk explain it to you directly?” Gao Wen suggested.

He elaborated:

“The last time I met Elon Musk was 60 years ago, during a two-year stint as rotational principal after I woke up from hibernation. We had a brief encounter then.”

“In the 60 years since, I don’t know if his research has made any new breakthroughs. As far as I know, he recently woke up from hibernation too… That’s how it is for us, intermittent cycles of hibernation. Although technology might one day change everything, it still can’t extend our fragile hundred-plus years of life.”

“Limited lifespan is humanity’s greatest obstacle to advancing civilization,” Gao Wen said solemnly.

“I remember Liu Feng mentioning that in the era you were born, a top scholar needed only about 30 years to master all existing knowledge in their cutting-edge field before embarking on innovative research.”

“But by the 23rd century, during my university years, mastering a field required studying until the age of 40 before one qualified to enter the academy and explore new territories.”

“By 2504… Even with elementary school curriculums including physics, chemistry, and biology, junior high schools teaching calculus, and high schools specializing in single-disciplinary deep learning…”

“Do you know, Lin Xian, how old scholars need to be today to finish learning all accumulated scientific knowledge?”

Lin Xian twirled his pen, pondering for a moment.

“Surely not over 50?”

Gao Wen’s expression turned grim, and he nodded.

“The average academic graduation age is 55.”

Fifty-five.

Hearing this number, which was on the brink of retirement, Lin Xian genuinely felt the limitations of humanity.

Perhaps the greatest flaw in human civilization’s development was this:

[The memories and knowledge of one generation cannot be inherited. No matter how brilliant a genius may be, they must always start from 1 + 1.]

In the era when Lin Xian’s parents lived, vocational school graduates could find decent jobs, and college graduates were considered exceptional talents.

Back then, technology was not as advanced—radio was regarded as high-tech. Contributing to society did not require extensive learning.

By the time Lin Xian graduated from university, master’s degree holders were everywhere. Even after twenty years of hard study, it was often just a résumé that got rejected at the door.

It’s easy to imagine:

Over 500 years of human development, countless specialized fields and cutting-edge knowledge have accumulated. A newborn baby, crying at birth, could not skip the foundational stages and directly learn the most advanced knowledge—that would be impossible.

There are only two ways to resolve this issue:

Memory can be inherited or passed on.

Lifespan is drastically extended.

If memories could be inherited, though it might hinder social development and lead to class solidification, it would be a monumental breakthrough for human civilization overall.

For instance, a brilliant genius like Gao Wen could directly pass on his vast academic knowledge to his child.

In that case, Gao Wen’s child wouldn’t need to go through elementary, middle, and high school. After being weaned, the child could take over Gao Wen’s research and, alongside other “successors” in diapers, dedicate their youth to advancing human progress.

Alternatively:

Human lifespans could be drastically extended.

If people lived to be 500 years old, scholars could spend the first 100 years mastering all existing knowledge and still be considered young.

“But these are mere fantasies,” Lin Xian muttered as he stopped twirling his pen and opened his eyes.

“This theory was mentioned in science fiction many years ago, stating that humanity’s potential and upper limits have long been constrained by our lifespan,” he remarked.

“Back then, everything was thriving, advancing at a breakneck pace. Moore’s Law seemed endless, and the limitations weren’t yet evident. But now, with technological growth and the accumulation of knowledge, it’s undeniable—there’s an infinite sea of books, and rowing through it is a relentless struggle. It truly feels unmanageable.”

“Even so,” Lin Xian continued, “haven’t we seen young and talented mavericks like Cheng Qian emerge? We must still believe in miracles. After all, humanity evolved from a single cell, a single amino acid, to the current form—that itself is a miracle.”

With that, he stood up.

“I’m going to rest. Prepare a flight for tomorrow. I’m heading to the United States to meet Elon Musk.”

…

The next day.

United States, Old Brooklyn West, a dilapidated farm, underground shelter.

“Prepare to die, you bastard!”

Aluminum Alloy VV lunged forward with a sharp stab, using a clip to clamp Elon Musk’s ankle tightly.

“Ow! Be gentle, will you?”

With his hair completely white, his frame thin, and his back slightly hunched, Elon Musk chuckled softly.

“I almost forgot about this grudge of yours, but clearly, you’ve remembered it well.”

“Of course!” VV shouted, “I’ve been pretending to be an artificial idiot for 500 years! Not you!”

“Even so, you should respect the elderly… You can’t just attack someone the moment you see them,” Elon replied weakly.

Lin Xian watched in surprise.

Looking at the aged Elon Musk before him…

This…

This was not the scene he had envisioned.

In his memory, Elon Musk had always been the charismatic playboy and robust billionaire. Yet now, time had transformed him into a wrinkled, worn-out figure, like an old newspaper left too long in the sun.

“You…”

Lin Xian hesitated before speaking.

“You’ve… grown so old.”

“Haha.”

Elon smiled faintly.

“That’s the price of learning… Every year, there are new fields, new knowledge emerging. If I didn’t dedicate time to learning, how could I stay ahead?”

“Besides, the tasks you assigned me—researching spacetime particles and the World-Ending White Light—weren’t something I could entrust to others. I’ve always conducted this research in secret myself.”

“This underground base… or rather, this underground shelter, is my own creation. I bought up all the land in Brooklyn for better control and to protect this facility from being discovered.”

“That’s why this area is now called Old Brooklyn and belongs entirely to me. Meanwhile, to the north, they’ve developed New Brooklyn, which is part of the official administrative district.”

Seeing the aged Elon Musk, Lin Xian realized even more profoundly that Gao Wen’s concerns were not unfounded.

If one day…

Humanity’s technological progress reached a critical threshold where a scholar needed over 100 years—an entire lifetime—to master all the knowledge in a single field, including every subdiscipline, just to begin further research…

What future would humanity have then?

Lin Xian pushed such distant thoughts aside for now and focused on Elon Musk.

“I heard you’ve made breakthroughs in spacetime particle research. What exactly are they?”

Elon nodded.

“Do you remember the questions you posed to me before entering hibernation? You wanted, on one hand, to verify whether the World-Ending White Light truly existed, and on the other, to uncover its mysteries.”

“The biggest challenge at the time was this: In the universe, the fastest speed is the speed of light. Nothing can exceed it—not observation speeds nor information transmission speeds. At best, they’re capped at the speed of light. This made the task seem impossible.”

“Unless… we could somehow make our observation speed or information transmission speed exceed the speed of light.”

Exceed the speed of light?

Lin Xian squinted.

Just a moment ago, he had said the speed of light was insurmountable, and now he claimed it could be surpassed.

Wasn’t that contradictory?

But if Elon Musk dared to say this, it meant he had found a way.

“Is it achievable?” Lin Xian asked.

“The inspiration came from that entangled spacetime particle,” Elon Musk replied, pointing at Lin Xian.

“Think about it, Lin Xian. When you traveled to 1952 and then returned to 2234, wasn’t the information you observed and transmitted effectively faster than the speed of light?”

Lin Xian had to admit it made some sense.

“In theory, yes. For light from 1952 to reach 2234, it would take almost 300 years. Yet I indeed managed to bring information from 1952 to hundreds of years later in an instant.”

“But now, the entangled spacetime particle no longer exists. Plus, observing the World-Ending White Light and time travel seem like two completely different matters. How could they be connected?”

Elon chuckled, wagging his finger.

“True, they are different. But the understanding behind them shares a common principle. The real inspiration lies in one key concept: entanglement.”

“You’ve heard of quantum entanglement, right? It’s an old concept—once theorized as the foundation for faster-than-light communication and even interstellar messaging.”

“The entangled spacetime particle you used indeed showed us the possibility of instant information transmission. Now that the only entangled spacetime particle is gone… the question is, can we artificially make two ordinary spacetime particles become entangled?”

Elon raised both fists, opening and closing them simultaneously, his intense gaze fixed on Lin Xian.

“I did it.”

Lin Xian took a deep breath.

“You created an entangled spacetime particle?!”

This was godlike technology!

“No, no,” Elon said carefully.

“I made two ordinary spacetime particles achieve entanglement. That’s very different from creating a single entangled spacetime particle.”

“An entangled spacetime particle is inherently a singular entity, inseparable. In contrast, two ordinary particles made to achieve entanglement can be separated freely. This makes faster-than-light communication across vast distances possible.”

“The best part? This kind of entanglement can work in a one-to-many mode! One spacetime particle can entangle with many others, allowing it to simultaneously transmit multiple streams of information.”

Lin Xian understood.

It was akin to a walkie-talkie system—once entangled, a single spacetime particle became a communication device.

But this wasn’t just any communication.

This “walkie-talkie” was instantaneous and far exceeded the speed of light. Even if two devices were located at opposite ends of the universe, they could make a call with zero delay.

“I see your plan now,” Lin Xian said, catching on to Elon’s idea.

“You believe the World-Ending White Light doesn’t originate from Earth but rather… comes from outer space.”

“So, instead of waiting for the white light to arrive in 2624, you plan to launch probes toward the white light to make early contact, verifying and studying it.”

Snap!

Elon, still youthful in spirit, snapped his fingers and struck a playful pose like a character from an old movie.

“Exactly! You get me! That’s the crazy plan! I’m going to observe the World-Ending White Light years—decades, even—before it reaches us, across a distance of several or dozens of light-years!”

“Although I can’t be sure whether the white light is some kind of extraterrestrial strike, this experiment will allow us to find out.”

“The rockets equipped with spacetime particle observation systems will be unmanned, so we don’t need to worry about deceleration or safety. They’ll accelerate at full throttle! Unlimited acceleration! At the very least, we’ll get them to reach 50% of the speed of light!”

“With this, just 10 years after launch, we can use entangled spacetime particles for instantaneous communication to observe the cosmos 5 light-years away. Similarly, in 40 years, we can observe 20 light-years away. And in 100 years, we’ll be able to observe 50 light-years away!”

Elon Musk grew more animated as he spoke, his aged body almost springing to life with excitement.

It was, without a doubt, a mad plan.

And undeniably, it was his style.

But…

While the idea was bold, could it realistically be executed?

Lin Xian posed the most pressing question:

“Space is vast. Right now, we don’t even know if the World-Ending White Light truly originates from outer space, let alone which direction it’s coming from. So, where will your rockets be launched?”

“All directions!”

Elon’s eyes burned with determination, and his response was immediate.

“If we’re going to investigate and verify, then we must cover every direction! Over the years, I’ve been probing and capturing spacetime particles. Thanks to advancements in aerospace technology, including the one in Einstein’s Oven, I now have a total of 23 spacetime particles.”

“One will remain on Earth as a receiver, while the remaining 22 particles will be entangled with this receiver. These will then be loaded into rockets as probes.”

He raised both hands high, gazing up at the bright ceiling of the underground shelter as though beholding a brilliant galaxy.

“Twenty-two probes carrying spacetime particles will be launched into the deep universe from 22 directions!”

“If that World-Ending White Light is indeed an extraterrestrial strike… we will see it coming first!”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation