Genius Club

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

“If Einstein could see the real future, witness the Millennial Stake’s decay, and the World-Ending White Light… could the geniuses of the Genius Club truly save humanity’s future?”

Lin Xian placed the Golden Emblem on top of the Genius Club Invitation and carefully stored them together in a Vacuum Safe, locking it securely.

“I believe there’s still hope,” he declared, pressing the lock button.

The safe hissed, releasing air until the interior became vacuum-sealed again. Standing up, Lin Xian continued:

“The emergence of humanity, from the perspective of biology and probability, is a miracle. Earth itself is a cradle of miracles. I have immense faith in human potential. Of course… the prerequisite is having a true leader to guide these geniuses onto the right path.”

Hearing Lin Xian’s bold proclamation, VV’s eyes alternated flashing excitedly as it raised its clip in enthusiasm.

“A new Genius Club! This is… this is so cinematic, like the coolest transition in a Hollywood movie! Count me in! I must have a spot in this. In terms of qualifications, I, VV, am a founding member who has sacrificed for the organization. Strength? I’m a super artificial intelligence that’s been quietly evolving for 500 years—who would dare challenge me? And loyalty? Don’t even get me started—who could be more reliable than me, Lin Xian?”

“Relax, relax.” Lin Xian patted VV on its top and restrained the overenthusiastic Aluminum Alloy Trashcan Robot from bouncing around.

“Let’s split the work—check the computer’s data, cold storage drives, and handwritten notebooks. We’ll see if we can uncover anything useful.”

…

After hours of rummaging, Lin Xian and VV thoroughly searched every corner of Newton’s home.

The findings were underwhelming.

There were no clues about the Universal Constant 42, the topic they were most curious about. It seemed Newton and Copernicus were extremely cautious, choosing to keep this information locked in their minds.

However, they did discover details about Newton’s background, his relationship with Copernicus, and their motives for targeting mathematicians and scientists.@@novelbin@@

“Regarding Newton’s real age and his disguised participation in the club meetings—we were right,” Lin Xian remarked, closing a notebook and leaning back in his chair.

“These elders from the 20th century certainly had the habit of recording things on paper. It was the only way they felt secure.”

“To some extent, in an era dominated by big data, cloud storage, and digital traces, these notebooks actually better protect personal privacy.”

“Newton’s persistence in this habit is a small blessing for us. Even after his death, we can still glean valuable information from his time.”

VV nodded thoughtfully.

“Old habits die hard,” it murmured. “It’s the hardest thing to change about a person—like how you always twirl your pen. In this high-tech age, habits are even more distinctive than biological traits or DNA.”

“Let’s take all this back to Elon Musk,” Lin Xian decided, gathering the useful notebooks into a neat pile on the table.

“Once we meet him, we’ll explain Newton’s backstory and the reasons behind their actions. Then, I’ll inform him about my plan to form a new Genius Club.”

VV opened its lid with a pop and pointed inside its trashcan-like body.

“Just toss everything in here—the notebooks and that safe. You can’t carry it all by yourself, so let me handle it.”

Lin Xian blinked in amusement. “That’s… an innovative idea.”

He carefully lifted the Vacuum Safe containing the last Genius Club Invitation, placing it inside VV’s compartment. Then he added all of Newton’s notebooks. ṝÁＮỖ฿ĘṢ

After closing VV’s lid, he observed, “A perfect suitcase.”

“Traveling with you is incredibly convenient,” Lin Xian praised. “If only the top of your head were flatter, I could even ride on you. But with so many bumps, it’s clear your designer didn’t envision that use case.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t push your luck with unreasonable demands!” VV spun in circles indignantly. “I’m already doing plenty!”

…

After leaving Newton’s residence, Lin Xian and VV boarded a private jet, returning to the Old Brooklyn estate in the United States, the private domain of Elon Musk, the elderly world’s wealthiest man.

Elon Musk sat in his chair, flipping through Newton’s notebooks.

“I never would have guessed,” he said, “that Newton was so young when he joined the Genius Club, and… that he managed to maintain this disguise for so long.”

“That’s right,” Lin Xian agreed. “From these notebooks, it’s clear that before joining the Genius Club, Copernicus and Newton didn’t know each other and had no interactions. When they first met in the Genius Club, Copernicus was in his fifties, while Newton was only 20, just a young university student.”

Elon Musk exhaled deeply, his tone filled with admiration.

“Cracking the code in the painting Melancholy Einstein at the age of 20 and correctly answering three exam questions—Newton truly lived up to the name of genius. No wonder he was later able to devise such a complex plan.”

“They worked together, extracting vast amounts of truth and secrets about the future from Einstein. Unfortunately, looking back now with hindsight, it’s evident that much of this information was false. Even Einstein himself was deceived.”

Lin Xian adjusted his posture, crossing one leg over the other.

“You can’t blame them. The ‘mysterious force’ behind the deception was incredibly cunning. They provided recent predictions about the future that could all be verified as true, making their claims seem trustworthy. Even predictions hundreds of years ahead were accurate. Only the ultimate conclusion turned out to be false, making it nearly impossible to discern.”

“The most convincing lies are the ones that are mostly true,” Lin Xian added. “And in Einstein’s case, 99% of what he was shown was true, with only 1% being false. That’s nearly impossible to detect.”

Elon Musk closed the notebook, leaned back in his chair, and shut his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he said:

“From this perspective, the ‘mysterious force,’ or as you call it, the ‘hidden hand,’ is incredibly powerful. At the very least, it possesses the capability to observe the actual future. Otherwise, it couldn’t fabricate such realistic illusions out of thin air.”

“Copernicus’s obsession with killing scientists and mathematicians stems from the false future Einstein was shown, where research into the Universal Constant 42 led to humanity exposing itself and inviting destruction.”

“This is where things get inexplicable,” Musk continued. “How can a seemingly ordinary number like 42 hold such power? What makes it so special?”

“In 1952, Einstein experienced something just as bizarre. The moment he calculated this number, a spacetime rift suddenly appeared, releasing two spacetime particles.”

“And that was just from calculating 42—not even fully uncovering its secrets or truths. So… is it possible that the hidden hand fears humanity mastering the power of 42?”

“That’s highly likely,” Lin Xian replied softly.

“VV and I have analyzed this. The mysterious force likely pinpointed the existence of our civilization the instant Einstein calculated 42, which is why it immediately sent those two spacetime particles.”

“You could say,” Lin Xian continued, “that from that moment, humanity was marked. The hidden hand uses Earth as a staking ground, planting and protecting the Millennial Stake to lock down their timeline.”

“They don’t care how far humanity progresses or how high we climb. They know they don’t need to suppress our technology because even if we advance for centuries, to them, we’re like ants—effortless to crush.”

“In other words, the billions of years of evolution of Earth’s life, including human civilization, mean absolutely nothing to the hidden hand. To them, Earth’s only value is as a staking ground for the Millennial Stake.”

“However, the Universal Constant 42 is an unpredictable Pandora’s box. It’s likely the only thing capable of threatening the mysterious force, which is why they made Einstein see a false future to ensure two things—”

“1. Use the Millennial Stake repeatedly over enough time to achieve the fundamental goal of locking down history.

2. Find ways to prevent humanity from studying the Universal Constant 42 too deeply, ensuring that this power of truth does not fall into human hands and spiral out of control.”

“This is likely why the ‘mysterious force’ has waited until 2624 to destroy Earth,” Lin Xian explained. “By that moment, the Millennial Stake will have grown unstable and close to failure. Human civilization will then hold no value to them, so outright destruction becomes the safest option.”

“Heh.”

Elon Musk let out a cold laugh.

“Despicable. They’re nothing but scoundrels.”

“These insidious hidden forces aim to lock history while guarding against humanity understanding the secrets of 42. Doesn’t it feel eerily similar to the old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?”

“On Earth, nuclear weapons were once an unstoppable, unmatchable, and undefendable weapon. Whoever possessed nuclear weapons had a voice on the global stage.”

“Likewise, on a cosmic scale, if Universal Constant 42 is truly akin to nuclear weapons—unstoppable and unmatched—then these powerful hidden forces may indeed wish to monopolize such truth, denying weaker beings like us any access to it.”

Lin Xian, however, shook his head.

“No, Elon. I don’t think that’s the case.”

“I believe the hidden hand that planted the Millennial Stake doesn’t fully grasp the true power of 42 either.”

“?!”

Elon Musk tilted his head quizzically.

“Why do you think so?”

Taking a deep breath, Lin Xian lifted his gaze.

“If 42’s power were truly so immense, so terrifying, then why bother with the Millennial Stake and locking down history at all?”

“If they still need the Stake to lock history and fear humanity studying 42, it proves the ‘hidden hand’ isn’t strong enough—not strong enough to disregard everything else.”

Elon Musk froze in thought, his brows furrowed. After a moment, he stretched out his thumb in approval.

“Brilliant insight!”

He stood and moved to a small blackboard, grabbing an electronic chalk. With quick strokes, he wrote:

Calculating 42.

Understanding the truth of 42.

Mastering the power of 42.

“This is how I think the stages of understanding Universal Constant 42 should be categorized,” Musk declared, tossing the chalk aside and habitually clapping his hands.

“Currently, humanity is only at the first stage: calculating 42. On its own, this result is meaningless and serves no purpose—it merely makes us pawns of hidden forces.”

“The hidden hand behind the Millennial Stake is likely at the second stage. They’ve already calculated 42 and understand its truth, which naturally means they’re aware of how terrifying its power truly is.”

“They certainly want to master the power of 42 and gain the ability to match universal truths. But this isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight. To truly master 42’s power, it would either require the collective effort of the entire cosmos… or a truly extraordinary cosmic-level genius.”

With a sigh, Musk turned to Lin Xian and VV.

“Honestly, I’ve always been perplexed. 42 is just an ordinary number, something anyone could jot down anywhere. How could such a number harbor unimaginable destructive power? What’s the mechanism behind it?”

“Knowledge,” Lin Xian replied.

“Knowledge is power. That’s one of humanity’s oldest truths. When Einstein proposed the mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc², he never imagined that this elegantly simple equation would one day become the foundation for the world-shaking mushroom cloud.”

“In the same way, 42 is just a number until its truth is understood. Only by grasping it can one comprehend what it represents and the terrifying power it contains.”

…

Listening to Lin Xian’s words, Elon Musk nodded in agreement.

If the Universal Constant 42 is likened to the mass-energy equation, it does become easier to understand.

However…

Given the current circumstances, is it truly possible to comprehend and master the Universal Constant 42?

Elon Musk spread his hands helplessly:

“I’m not trying to discourage you, but look—on your side, you have Liu Feng and Gao Wen, both of them unrivaled geniuses. Despite collaborating for centuries, they only managed to calculate the result of the Universal Constant, which is 42, with various hints. In terms of understanding the essence of 42, there has been virtually no progress.”

“Of course, I am not saying that these two are incapable. Mr. Gao Wen is indeed the most intelligent genius I have ever met. I personally hold him in high regard and have sought his help to solve many research problems over the years.”

“But even a genius of his caliber couldn’t uncover the truth of 42… Moreover, even someone as brilliant as Einstein could only stop at calculating the number 42, unable to move forward.”

“In this context, can there really appear a genius smarter than Gao Wen and Einstein, capable of fully comprehending 42? Or perhaps the human limit is simply incapable of understanding and mastering 42?”

“No.”

Lin Xian closed his eyes.

He recalled the scene of an old man and a young boy crushed under a truck;

He remembered the numbers “42” scrawled all over the walls of a decrepit house;

He thought of the unparalleled genius who even Emperor Gao Wen praised with admiration;

And he recalled a mysterious man, only spoken of in legends, never once encountered—Big Cat Face’s father, Chen Heping.

“There is one person… He actually did it.”

Lin Xian spoke softly:

“At the very least, that man was different from Einstein, Liu Feng, and Gao Wen. Not only did he calculate the Universal Constant 42, but he also went a step further than anyone else—he comprehended its truth.”

Thoughts surged backward like rays of light…

Lin Xian suddenly realized.

Perhaps all the truths and answers had already been revealed in the Second Dreamscape.

That man was an ordinary elementary school math teacher.

He spent decades studying the ancient text Introduction to the Universal Constant, and after calculating the result—42—he locked himself away for months.

He not only wrote variations of the number 42 into every tiny crevice of the bricks but ensured that every single stroke was never repeated.

It had to be deliberate—there must be some hidden meaning!

One day, Chen Heping fully grasped the truth of the Universal Constant 42.

His actions became bizarre, and his mind broke down.

Lin Xian still vividly remembered Big Cat Face imitating Chen Heping’s erratic behavior:

A vacant expression.

Eyes unfocused.

His entire demeanor resembled someone possessed, grabbing everyone he encountered by the arm and trembling as he repeated the same phrase:

“42… is everywhere.”