Genius Club

Chapter 533: Newton’s Final Move

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Dr. Hans took a step back, shocked to see the two unexpected visitors before him.

Instinctively, he turned around in haste—

Click.

Unexpectedly, the world’s most secure intelligent door lock automatically secured itself the moment he turned, leaving him no chance to escape.

He turned again to look at the security system on the wall—

Beep-beep.

A faint sound, and the steady green light of the breathing indicator extinguished instantly. Even the ever-reliable security system failed in sync.

Hans furrowed his brow, realizing he was now like a fish in a barrel. It suddenly became clear why, despite two intruders breaking into his home, neither the door lock nor the security system had reacted at all.

The situation was enough to explain it.

Lin Xian had brought a super hacker with him, taking complete control of every electronic device in the house.

How ironic.

A house brimming with high-tech defense systems turned out to be less useful than keeping a Dogo Argentino; at least the dog’s brain couldn’t be hacked and would still bite Lin Xian on sight.

“Heh.”

Hans chuckled lightly, accepting reality.

He turned back to face Lin Xian, who was calmly seated on the wooden chair:

“How did you find me?”

Lin Xian smiled faintly, glancing at the Aluminum Alloy Trash Bin by his feet, and spoke slowly:

“Newton, I must admit, your acting skills are exceptional, and you’ve hidden yourself deeply.”

“No wonder Elon Musk and the others couldn’t find you for so many years. Who would have thought that Dr. Hans—the world-renowned innovator, technological pioneer, and academic titan—was actually the very villain working to obstruct human technological progress?”

“If not for starting with the conclusion and working backward, I might have never suspected you. In the eyes of the public, your aggressive and bold stance in research, your fierce criticism of tradition and conservatism, and your apparent hatred for stagnation in technology—all of it seems beyond reproach. Who would ever doubt you?”

He paused.

Lin Xian gestured toward the chair behind Hans:

“Why not sit and chat for a while? After all, you’re no longer young. In my homeland, respect for elders is a tradition. I even prepared that chair specifically for you.”

“Please, sit down—Newton, Hans, or Copernicus. I think in this undisturbed room, we’ll have a very long conversation.”

However…

Hans did not appreciate Lin Xian’s hospitality.

He stood there silently, staring at him.

Lin Xian wasn’t bothered and continued:

“The car accident you orchestrated today was truly brilliant. Even if your secretary hadn’t pushed you aside, that ‘out-of-control’ flying car still wouldn’t have hit you.”

“Despite repeatedly instructing your secretary not to leak any details, you secretly arranged for reporters to sensationalize the event. I can hardly imagine how your inspirational speech at today’s conference, combined with the story of this attempted assassination, will elevate your status in the scientific and academic worlds.”

“But it’s clear that you’re not interested in status; your current position is already at the pinnacle. The key purpose of staging that car accident was to disguise yourself as a victim and clear any suspicion of being Newton.”

“But while others might not understand your motives, I see them clearly. I’ve even discovered that centuries ago, during the great debate about reactionless drives, you were the one fueling the conflict behind the scenes.”

“You knew full well that the reactionless drive was impractical and worthless. However, the project would squander centuries of human resources, talent, and funding, derailing aerospace technology for hundreds of years.”

“I believe this outcome was something Einstein once told you, wasn’t it? When you and Copernicus monopolized the Genius Club’s question quota, you had already asked everything worth asking. Naturally, you knew the reactionless drive was a sci-fi hoax, destined to fail.”

“And the same principle applies to today’s conference. You skillfully guided humanity toward a new era of cybernetic body parts and electronic brains. But your true intention is obvious—”

Lin Xian locked eyes with Hans:

“Because you know that cybernetic body parts and electronic brains are also doomed to fail. Even if humanity wastes centuries once more, they will eventually realize it was all for nothing.”

“The reason is simple.”

Lin Xian lowered his gaze, looking at the Aluminum Alloy Trash Bin VV, and gently stroked its lid:

“Just like VV locking your doors and disabling your security system earlier, mechanization and digitization mean surrendering autonomous control—something humanity has yet to grasp.”

“Cybernetic limbs, organs, and brains aren’t technically challenging, but their greatest flaw is that they cause humans to relinquish control over their bodies. As soon as a super hacker emerges, an entire society of cybernetically enhanced humans would become nothing more than puppets and tools for hackers. It’s destined to be a failed technological revolution.”

“This is one of the rare advantages of flesh and blood—a stability that even the most skilled hacker, magician, or hypnotist cannot strip away.”

“Let me tell you a joke. If you had a pack of dogs in your yard today, I wouldn’t dare wait in your living room; but if you dared to keep a pack of robotic dogs… they’d all be lying at my feet right now.”

…

After a long silence, Hans stared at VV, whose eyes glowed with green light:

“So, this is your artificial intelligence? Is this how you found me?”

“By all accounts, such a thing shouldn’t exist. The upper limits of artificial intelligence have been locked; humanity didn’t choose this branch of the technology tree… Where exactly did you find this intelligent trash bin?”

Lin Xian didn’t answer.

But in his mind, he pieced together a logical thread.

Previously, he had always been unsure whether Copernicus and Newton were aware of VV’s existence. He had even worried that Newton might intercept and kill Cheng Qian beforehand.

After all, Kevin Walker had posed questions about Cheng Qian in Newton’s presence. Moreover, there was evidence to suggest that Digital Life Turing had intersected with Copernicus.

However, judging from Newton’s current confusion, it seemed he truly didn’t know about VV.

This clarified something—

Kevin Walker and Turing’s faction weren’t fully aligned with Copernicus and Newton’s camp.

Their partnership had merely been a temporary alliance with hidden agendas on both sides.

“Newton, at this point, asking such questions is meaningless,” Lin Xian replied, ignoring Newton’s query.

Instead, he posed a question of his own:

“You’ve lived long enough. Losing the game at this moment is already impressive.”

“But to be precise, your defeat didn’t start today. It began the moment you accepted the Genius Club invitation.”

“Over two centuries ago, at our meeting in the virtual forum, I made it clear. The future Einstein saw was false. Consequently, the entire Genius Club and all its members were being exploited.”

“But you’re different from Copernicus. You still have a chance to atone. Tell me the truth, Newton… Why did you kill the mathematicians? What’s the secret behind the Universal Constant 42?”

Hans chuckled dryly, shaking his head:

“Lin Xian, save your effort. I won’t fall for your nonsense.”

“None of us here are fools. Whether the future Einstein saw was true or false, we have our own ways of verifying it.”

“As you said, projects like the reactionless drive and cybernetic limbs are resource-draining sci-fi hoaxes, but they’re still products of Einstein’s answers. That, in itself, proves Einstein’s predictions were correct.”

“If you’re trying to argue that Einstein’s visions of the future weren’t entirely false, that some were true while others weren’t… I suggest you first reflect on whether your subjective judgment is even correct.”

“To my knowledge, you’ve spent centuries struggling in chaos. Compared to you, I’d rather believe in Einstein, who has never made a single error in decades.”

…

…

The two stared at each other in silence for a long time.

Lin Xian spread his hands and said, “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk. There are plenty of your notes lying around in this house. I’m sure I can find something useful from them.”

He added with a faint smile, “Using handwritten notes in this day and age is such a good habit… Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely think so. If you had been like everyone else and stored everything on your phone or computer, we would’ve found you long ago.”

“As it turns out, old things are old and traditions are traditions because they’re the simplest and most reliable. Even five centuries later… the longest-lasting method of storing information on Earth is still carving it into stone.”

“Carving on stone can preserve information for tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of years—far beyond the lifespan of any storage device.”

Hearing this, Hans squinted, sensing the tension in the room growing sharper.

“So, it seems you’re planning to cause a big scene in my home today.”

Lin Xian smiled faintly. “If you’d cooperate and share the information with us, there’s no reason we couldn’t resolve this peacefully.”

Hans sighed, chuckling softly as he nodded. “You people really are determined to push this old man into a corner. The information you’re after is in the vacuum safe in my bedroom. I’ll get the key for you—you can see for yourself.”

He walked to the dining cabinet, opened a drawer, and swiftly turned around, a gun in his hand—

Bang!!

A deafening gunshot rang out.

Hans’s withered right hand was severed at the wrist, and the gun clattered to the ground as blood sprayed from the wound.

“Ahhhhh!!!” His scream was piercing, filled with pain and fury.

Across the room, Lin Xian remained calmly seated in his chair.

The only difference was the large-caliber handgun in his hand, still smoking.

No one had seen where he drew the gun from or how he managed to fire so quickly and accurately without aiming.

Even though he had only recently awoken from hibernation, Lin Xian’s shooting skills had long been ingrained into his muscle memory—flawless and instinctive.

“Is your vacuum safe really that special?” Lin Xian asked with a chuckle. “Does it need a gun as a key? In that case… you don’t need to bother finding the key. I have one right here.”

Hans, gasping for breath, glared at Lin Xian and hissed, “You liar. From the beginning, you never intended to resolve this peacefully. From the very start, you planned to use that gun to kill me…”

Lin Xian twirled the gun in his hand and said, “None of us here are fools, so let’s not waste time with meaningless tricks. We’ve known each other long enough to see each other’s true nature, haven’t we?”

Hans chuckled strangely, then sighed deeply. “It’s useless, Lin Xian. It’s too late. You can’t change anything.”

“You think Einstein didn’t see you coming to confront him? This is all just part of maintaining the stability of the worldline.”

“I don’t know your true purpose or why you’re so determined to oppose this worldline, but… you can’t change a thing.”

“This worldline was built by many geniuses, including Einstein, as a perfect construct. Even if I die, it won’t tip the balance of this worldline.”

“Not to mention, there’s still Galileo. I’m not surprised you found me, but no matter how strong your artificial intelligence is, you’ll never find Galileo. Not as long as he’s on Earth.”

“Rubbish!” VV, clutching its clamps in frustration, hopped angrily. “Who are you calling incapable, you old geezer? As long as Galileo is still on Earth, I’ll find him!”

Hans coughed twice, wiping the corner of his mouth. He laughed hoarsely and rasped, “That’s not… a guarantee.”

He pressed his left hand against his chest, his fingers tightening as if deliberately manipulating something.

VV, the Aluminum Alloy Trash Bin, immediately reacted:

“Lin Xian! Danger!”

It quickly opened its clamps and moved toward Lin Xian.@@novelbin@@

Lin Xian also sensed the imminent threat. He crouched down behind VV for cover—

Boom!!

A sudden explosion sent blood splattering everywhere, painting the room red.

However, there were no shockwaves or smoke. The explosion’s impact was much smaller than anticipated—like a bursting water balloon.

Lin Xian stood up cautiously from behind VV, only to see Hans’s lifeless body sprawled on the ground. A gaping hole in his chest revealed a gruesome fountain of blood still flowing.

Approaching the body, Lin Xian and VV inspected the shattered components near Hans’s chest.

“It’s an artificial mechanical heart,” Lin Xian noted.

VV’s scanners quickly confirmed, and it remarked, “This old man was ruthless, even to himself. Installing a mechanical heart is one thing, but who in their right mind puts self-destruct explosives inside it?”

“Stubborn to the end,” Lin Xian quipped.

“Using that phrase to describe him is a bit too complimentary,” he added. “But it does show that Newton left himself an escape route to avoid capture and interrogation.”

“After all, with today’s advanced biotechnology, it’s extremely easy to torture someone without letting them die. Combine that with modern chemical drugs, and it’s virtually impossible not to extract the desired information.”

“In fact, even back in our time, there was a saying: ‘Never expect to resist chemicals with willpower; the brain has no secrets when faced with chemistry.'”

“It’s fine,” VV said as it rolled toward the window, using its clamps to wipe away the blood from the curtain. “There are plenty of notes and cold-storage materials in this house. By analyzing them, we can still gather valuable intelligence. So, Lin Xian, where should we start?”

“Let’s check his bedroom on the second floor,” Lin Xian replied, pulling a few napkins to wipe the blood off his arms. “Since the first thing he thought of when making an excuse to grab the gun was the vacuum safe in his bedroom, it’s clear that safe is significant to him. It probably holds something important.”

With that, he strode toward the staircase.

VV trailed behind on its treads, muttering softly, “Why does it seem like your whole life is a battle against safes?”

It let out a faint chuckle at its own quip.

…

Before long, Lin Xian and VV arrived at the second-floor bedroom.

As expected, behind the bookshelf was a compact but advanced-looking safe.

Initially, Lin Xian thought they might need to put in some effort to find the key. But surprisingly, the safe was equipped with an electronic lock and remote access functionality. VV merely glanced at it and promptly hacked it open.

“You see, this is exactly why cybernetic limbs and electronic brains are doomed to fail,” VV chuckled. “If every human were equipped with electronic enhancements, you’d all just end up as my playthings. I really don’t understand… Why would anyone abandon the autonomy and control of their perfectly functional flesh and blood?”

“Sure, we artificial intelligences are very smart and efficient, but there are still innate advantages to the mechanisms of your human brain,” it continued. “That’s probably why this tech hasn’t caught on.”

As Lin Xian opened the safe, he replied, “Cybernetic limbs and electronic brains sound cutting-edge, but the risks are immense. Newton’s goal was to steer technology down the wrong path, wasting time, resources, and talent.”

He tugged at the safe door but paused, muttering, “Why isn’t it opening? VV, step aside. Is your bin blocking the safe? Let’s get it open and see what’s inside.”

Creak—

After a few tries, the safe finally opened. It wasn’t VV’s positioning that was causing the trouble—it was the fact that this was a vacuum safe. The interior required time to equalize air pressure before it could open. While it was in a negative pressure state, opening it was impossible.

Lin Xian leaned to the side, and together with VV, peeked inside.

For a moment, both froze, inhaling sharply.

Inside the vacuum safe, at its very center, lay a red folded card. Pressed at the crease of the card was a red wax seal.

This…

This item was all too familiar!

Even after 500 years, Lin Xian could vividly recall the icy sensation of sinking into the depths of the sea when he first laid eyes on it.

The red wax seal bore an ancient symbol: a right hand pointing straight toward the sky.

It was a brand-new Genius Club invitation.

This invitation was not just any invitation—it was the very last one.

The one meant for the 9th seat in the Genius Club.