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Lin Xian squinted, letting out a sigh he couldn’t hold back. He had held onto some hope—maybe, just maybe, he could get his hands on Astatine-339 earlier. He thought there might be a way to use the time-space machine ahead of schedule to burn through the time-space particles sooner.

But now…

Einstein’s words had shattered all his dreams in an instant.

“Even if you exhaust all possibilities, the answer to this problem will never change.”

Such an absolute statement.

As president of the Genius Club, the old man in the Einstein mask spoke with the authority of someone who knew it all. Someone who could see the future had said it. So… did it mean there really was no other way?

It was true, like Gao Wen said in the eighth dream. Humanity’s greatest power was, at best, nothing more than scratching an itch on the surface of the Earth. We couldn’t even leave the solar system, let alone alter the trajectory of some comet out there in deep space and when it would arrive.

The date for that comet to reach Earth was already set in stone. Even if astronomy developed at lightning speed, even if we could see farther than we ever imagined, maybe we’d spot the comet decades in advance—but no matter what, it wouldn’t change the fact that it would only reach Earth on December 11, 2234.

Before the vastness of the universe, humanity’s power was still far too small. Not to mention bringing the comet forward by decades—even one second was impossible.

“Heh…”

Upon hearing this answer, Copernicus wasn’t particularly surprised. He still smiled with a calmness that seemed unshakable. As if… all he needed was a definite date.

“Cough, cough…”

He gave a weak cough, cleared his throat, and continued.

“That’s quite a distant date, even further than I’d imagined. So, today, at this gathering, among all of you geniuses… I’ll say my farewells.”

He straightened up in his seat. He spread his hands out. He looked from Galileo on his right, sweeping his gaze counterclockwise, until his eyes rested on Newton directly across from him, and he sighed.

“Friends, after this meeting, I’m going to sleep in the hibernation chamber. It’ll be a long sleep… A sleep that will last 211 years. I’ll wake up in 2234 to witness humanity’s first time-travel experiment.”

“Two hundred and eleven years… such a long, long time.”

He turned his head, looking at Einstein, who sat high on the steps.

“My old friend, Einstein… since I joined the Genius Club in the seventies, you’ve looked just like this. You’ve never changed. You always seem so old, but never get older. At times, I’ve wondered… Since we switched our meetings from offline to online in the Internet era… We haven’t seen each other in decades. So, are you hiding something from us?”

“Are you still the same Einstein from the beginning? Or have you long since passed away, replaced by someone else? Or perhaps, like Turing, you’ve become an immortal digital lifeform?”

Copernicus’s question piqued the curiosity of the other members too. Within the Genius Club, discussing the Club itself was taboo. No one knew Einstein’s true identity, nor why he could see the future.

And everyone was very curious—just how long could this frail, ancient man last? How much longer could he live?

Especially Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, and Da Vinci—they had all met this Einstein in person during an offline meeting decades ago. Back then, he’d already been an old man. Now, his virtual image was still an old man.

So what was his real state?

Everyone awaited Einstein’s answer.

But…

The unmoving old man spoke without a hint of emotion.

“Copernicus, your question round is over, and you’ve gotten my answer. According to the rules, from here on, you can chat casually, express opinions, or even question me.”

“But… beyond your first question, during this meeting, I will not answer any further questions, nor correct any of the errors in your statements.”

“If you truly have more questions for me, they must wait until the next meeting. However, as one of the club’s oldest members, I shouldn’t need to remind you: if the question or its answer concerns a member of the Genius Club or the Club itself, it will be refused, and your chance to ask will be forfeited.”

Einstein made his position clear. He wouldn’t answer anything unnecessary.

Copernicus had expected this. He shook his head, smiling.

“You misunderstand, old friend. I’m not asking you anything more. I just worry… When I wake up from two hundred years of hibernation, will I still see you? Will this gathering that has lasted decades continue?”

“Of course, this question touches on the Club itself, so you won’t answer it. Just consider it nostalgia, a little reminiscing.”

“But I believe in you. You are so mysterious, so powerful; time is bound to have no hold on you.”

With that, he looked over at Newton, then Da Vinci, and each member one by one.

“And what about all of you, my colleagues? Even if none of you like me, if I wake up two hundred years later and find that none of you are here, that the grand Golden Hall only has Einstein and me left, I would be deeply regretful.”

“So, let’s say our goodbyes now, geniuses. If we meet again… then let it be 211 years from now, in the future!”

…

Just as Lin Xian had guessed. After confirming the earliest possible time for using the time-space machine, Copernicus was set to enter hibernation.

What now?

Lin Xian felt a wave of melancholy. Copernicus’s body couldn’t hold on, and he was definitely going to hibernate for two centuries, to prolong his life and to use the time-space machine.

But what about Lin Xian’s plans for revenge?

Once Copernicus entered the underground hibernation base, especially one that he had built himself… would Lin Xian ever find him?

If he really couldn’t… then he’d have to watch as this “big villain” reawakened two hundred years later, while he’d already be buried, turned to dust.

Hibernation was not part of Lin Xian’s life plan. At most, he’d live another seventy or eighty years. By the time Copernicus woke up, Lin Xian would no longer be around.

Would Yu Xi’s grudge just be left unavenged like this? Xu Yun’s grudge, Tang Xin’s grudge, the promises made to Angelica, the beautiful words spoken to Zhao Ying Jun—were they all just going to be abandoned?

These vows and promises were secondary. But if what Copernicus said was true…

Two hundred years later, in 2234, when he reawakened, with no one to stop him, and Lin Xian long gone, and the time-space machine in his possession… wouldn’t his plan for the future loop come to fruition again?

Lin Xian didn’t dare imagine it. In 2234, with the intelligence from Einstein in one hand, and the time-space machine in the other… one hand in the future, the other in the past. He would truly control humanity’s fate and the direction of time itself!

But then…

Would Lin Xian really have to follow Copernicus into the hibernation pod, prolonging their conflict two hundred years, four hundred years, six hundred years into the future?

He couldn’t help but feel empty and lost. Hibernation… in some ways, it was even more terrifying than one-way time travel through time particles.

No return ticket. A strange, unfamiliar world. No family, no friends—utter loneliness. Just like Zhao Ying Jun had said back then:

“A world where you have nothing, where no one would mourn your death; even your ashes would be scattered in the wind, without a soul to remember you.”

Besides, Lin Xian wasn’t alone anymore. He had his parents, his family, friends, Ying Jun, and the promise of little Yu Xi. Could he really abandon it all, to travel into an unfamiliar future two hundred years from now?

Honestly… he couldn’t bear to do it.

…

When Copernicus finished speaking, Einstein, seated in his tall-backed chair, turned to look at Newton.

“Newton, do you have a question this time?”

The young man in the Newton mask shook his head. “I have no questions.”

Lin Xian pressed his lips together. Such a cautious person. Without asking questions, there was no way to understand him at all.

Einstein then looked at Galileo. “Galileo, your turn.”

The middle-aged man in the Galileo mask looked up immediately, saying: “How can one accurately locate the presence of a time-space rift?”

“There’s no way,” Einstein answered without hesitation. “Time-space rifts aren’t visible phenomena. They exist, but only within a higher-dimensional space, so there’s no way to detect, observe, or locate them.”

Galileo’s question, as expected, was also about time travel. It seemed that ever since Copernicus had brought up this topic, there was no longer any need to hide things.

Or rather, it was as if Copernicus was stirring up trouble intentionally. He smartly asked about the first invention of the time travel machine, and then planned to hibernate until that time came.

He was probably doing it on purpose. After all, he had to go into hibernation no matter what, so why not muddy the waters first? This way, all these geniuses would start exploring the field, paving the way for him to profit easily when he awoke and steal the fruits of their labor.

Galileo’s question was similarly vague. And, unsurprisingly, it went unanswered. But it was obvious—he had another purpose. It was as if he already knew the answer, but intentionally said it out loud to draw everyone else’s attention to it.

Einstein then turned to Da Vinci, smiling slightly. “Miss Da Vinci, it’s your turn to ask.”

Da Vinci chuckled, crossing one leg over the other. “Oh my, what’s going on today? Each of you asking about time travel… It feels like you’re all doing it on purpose.”

She shrugged. “Since you’re being so obvious, why bother being coy about it? Let me just ask the final question for all of you.”

At that moment, Lin Xian perked up. It seemed Miss Da Vinci also realized Copernicus was stirring the pot, and that Galileo was deliberately guiding the conversation. Lin Xian knew Miss Da Vinci had no future plans involving time travel, so… it looked like she was about to flip the table.

What was she going to ask?

Lin Xian watched silently as the geniuses schemed against one another. Miss Da Vinci looked first at Galileo, then at Copernicus, a smile playing on her lips.

“No matter how much we dance around it, your ultimate goal is time travel, right? Do you want to go to the past or the future?”

“But you all know that it’s not going to happen anytime soon. I can’t help but wonder—do the two of you already know something incredible, and you’re just pretending to be clueless?”

“Impressive. Let me be the fool then. Let’s stop hiding things, Einstein. My question is—”

She turned her head and looked at the masked man on the high platform.

“I don’t want any vague answers or conditions. I just want to know one thing—”

“In the future you foresee, on what exact day, minute, and second will humanity achieve its first time travel?”

As Da Vinci finished her question, the small-framed Gauss straightened up, looking impressed.

“A-amazing, Miss Da Vinci! You just… went right for it.”

Newton, sitting across the way, couldn’t help but clap, interrupting Gauss’ slow exclamation.

“I like your style, Miss Da Vinci. If only I could ask a more detailed question, I’d really like to know who exactly came up with time travel.”

He added with a grin, “If a genius ever manages to travel back in time, please tell young me not to go easy on Copernicus here. Just tell me to take care of him right after one of these Genius Club meetups.”

“Ha… Haha…” Copernicus laughed dryly.

“Of course, dear Newton, I’ll pass on your message. But first… wouldn’t you need to tell me who you are? How else will I find you?”

On the platform, Einstein raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop their banter. He looked down at the woman wearing the Da Vinci mask and spoke softly.

“Caution and precision are commendable, but perhaps my answer will disappoint you. Humanity is small in the face of time itself. Thus, crossing time can only be achieved through one method—using a time machine.”

“Now, let me answer your question. In the future I foresee, the exact moment humanity will first achieve time travel is—”

“December 11th, 2234, 9:47:21 PM, X Country Time.”

Galileo huffed, “Why is everything in our club always based on X Country Time?”

“I’ve asked this question before,” Newton said, shrugging. “But Einstein refused to answer. All our meeting times, every event he describes, they’re all in X Country Time… I don’t know what it means, but it’s clearly a clue about the Genius Club itself.”

He continued, “Back then, when I asked, there were only two members—Copernicus and me. Neither of us is from X Country, and President Einstein isn’t either. So, I suspect it has nothing to do with the members, but rather a secret of the club itself.”

…

Lin Xian listened to the chatter, pondering Einstein’s answer. Miss Da Vinci’s question had indeed unveiled the veil over humanity’s first time travel in history.

Perhaps she thought Copernicus and Galileo were misleading people, diverting everyone’s attention towards the year 2234, while they planned on sneaking in a time travel attempt earlier.

But the answer had come as a surprise. Even down to the exact second, the date remained December 11th, 2234.

It seemed that this was indeed a dead end. No matter what, humanity couldn’t complete time travel before that date.

What intrigued Lin Xian even more was… who would it be? The first time traveler in human history—who would it be? Where were they headed, and for what purpose?

But at the moment, Lin Xian couldn’t afford to dwell on that. The questions posed earlier had blocked all paths to attempting time travel before its destined time.

What should he do?

Could it be that he really had to hand over the time machine and let Copernicus do as he pleased for centuries to come?

Einstein then looked over to Gauss, the small man who had been waiting his turn.

“Gauss, it’s your turn.”

Gauss had clearly prepared his question, asking without hesitation, “My question is: When will humanity reach the point of complete immunity, never falling ill, never catching any virus, and able to cure all diseases?”

“Never,” Einstein replied.

“The human body is inherently flawed, and human evolution and mutation are still ongoing. Nothing stays the same—this includes humanity itself. As long as changes occur, there will always be new challenges and new flaws—this is nature’s law, and humanity cannot escape it.”

“Naturally, this also includes viruses. There is no virus that can never be conquered, but there will always be new ones emerging. Viruses, like humans, are constantly evolving and mutating.”

“The good news is that the virulence and spread of most viruses will weaken over time and through repeated infections. The bad news is that during their transmission, new strains will inevitably develop.”

…

Lin Xian eyed Gauss. The small man had received yet another negative answer. It seemed to Lin Xian that Gauss’ question wasn’t worth asking Einstein. He could have gotten the same answer from a medical expert or a virologist.

Lin Xian himself could’ve answered Gauss’ question.

There were no fools in the Genius Club. So why did Gauss always ask questions that had negative answers?

What was he hoping for?

Finally, Einstein’s gaze landed on Lin Xian, on his comical Rhine Cat mask.

“The last genius, Rhine, what is your question?”

Lin Xian closed his eyes, his brain racing. He actually had no more questions. The things he wanted to ask had already been covered by Copernicus and Miss Da Vinci. Now, the biggest crisis he faced was…

After this meeting, Copernicus was planning to enter a hibernation chamber. By the time he woke up again, the world would be a completely different place, and Lin Xian would most likely be long gone.

He must not hibernate!

Lin Xian solidified this core thought. If Copernicus went into hibernation, Lin Xian would be too passive—essentially, he’d lose the battle entirely. He had to stop him!

But how?

To keep Copernicus in 2024, Lin Xian had to offer something tempting enough. Think carefully. Think deeply.

Lin Xian’s brain stormed.

Suddenly, he recalled something Einstein had said earlier—

“I will not answer any further questions, nor correct any mistakes in your statements.”

Errors!

In other words, even if someone lied or made a wrong statement while asking a question, Einstein wouldn’t correct them. It was a clear rule. Otherwise, asking a question and getting corrections before an answer would essentially be like getting an extra free question—and no genius would allow such a loophole.

Perfect!

Lin Xian had a brilliant plan!

Now, he had five advantages:

Copernicus had already asked his question in this meeting. To confirm any facts, he’d have to wait at least until September 1st, at the next meeting. This meant that Copernicus wouldn’t be able to verify anything during the next month.

Einstein would only answer questions without correcting statements. This allowed room to mislead with the phrasing of the question itself.

Elon Musk and Angelica were likely successful in deceiving Copernicus, meaning Lin Xian could count on them for support.

Lin Xian knew what Copernicus wanted most, and that very thing was in his possession.

He had learned a few tricks from Gauss and Galileo’s misleading questions. Now… it was his time to shine.

Lin Xian opened his eyes. He looked up.

It was time to lie!

He would use Einstein to deceive Copernicus!

“Einstein,” Lin Xian said steadily.

“My observatory has detected that in a little over two weeks, an unusual time-space particle will pass through Earth’s atmosphere. However, capturing it is incredibly difficult.”

“My question is—”

“If the time-space particle loses energy and becomes invisible due to excessive contact during capture, is there any way to use a detector to… recapture its signal?”

The elderly man in the Einstein mask nodded.

“The key lies in ‘activity.’ For time-space particles, activity and energy are two separate concepts that exist independently and do not interfere with each other.”

“A time-space particle that has lost energy will indeed become invisible and undetectable. However, if you can find a way to make it lose its activity once more, it will reappear, becoming visible and detectable again.”

“I see.”

Lin Xian smiled slightly, nodding. “Thank you for the answer. I’ll keep that in mind.”