Genius Club

On the return flight, Liu Feng had already updated Lin Xian about the current state of Rhine University, naturally including its research endeavors.

Over the years, it had been an incredible feat just to maintain the university’s core structure. Limited by conditions and equipment, nearly all cutting-edge research projects had come to a halt, including work on the Universal Constant.

Frankly speaking, research into the Universal Constant 42 had long since hit a bottleneck.

Even with Emperor Gao Wen joining in, Liu Feng and Gao Wen were only able to calculate the value of 42 but could not delve any deeper.

Everything remained a mystery.

Everything… was still a mystery.

Since not even Liu Feng, the author of Introduction to the Universal Constant, nor the pinnacle of human intellect, Emperor Gao Wen, could resolve this, the last hope lay with one remaining individual…

Chen Heping.

“The time left to us is limited. Every minute and second is precious.”

“What should we do now?” Liu Feng asked.

“First, let’s visit a barber,” Lin Xian replied, stroking the large beard on his chest.

“I can’t accept this look any longer.”

…

Inside Rhine University’s barbershop, the sound of scissors snipping echoed as thick strands of long hair fell from Lin Xian’s head. A buzzing razor swept across his chin, shaving the unruly beard clean like a lawnmower cutting through dense grass.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

Both Lin Xian and Liu Feng froze, staring at the youthful face reflected in the barber’s mirror.

“Wait a second, what’s going on?” Lin Xian’s eyes widened, staring at the handsome and dashing young man staring back.

This…

Was this him?

It certainly was.

But the face in the mirror was his younger self!

Liu Feng, leaning on his cane, got up to take a closer look at Lin Xian’s face, now devoid of the years suggested by his rugged appearance.

“How are you still so young? With your long hair and thick beard, I thought you were at least forty or fifty.”

“Exactly, I thought so too,” Lin Xian muttered, unsure whether to feel amused or shocked. He removed the barber’s cape, stood up, and leaned closer to the mirror for another look. ř𝐚ℕǒ𐌱ĘṨ

No mistake about it.

The man reflected wasn’t some fresh-faced youth in his twenties, but neither was he a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. Judging by the smooth skin and faint lines at the corners of his eyes… Lin Xian looked to be about thirty.@@novelbin@@

“I get it now,” Lin Xian said thoughtfully. “I assumed that during my time in the hibernation chamber, I had naturally aged ten or even twenty years. But clearly, the timeline isn’t that long.”

“The chamber’s hibernation effect must have stopped working only a few years ago. I was likely submerged in room-temperature filling fluid for four or five years,” he continued. “Come to think of it, if I had been metabolizing normally for ten or twenty years while sleeping, my hair and beard would’ve been several meters long by now.”

Liu Feng nodded, his expression contemplative. “Several meters might be an exaggeration, but you’re right. If you’d been asleep for that long, your hair and beard wouldn’t be this length.”

“Exactly. People like us, seeing long hair and a big beard, instinctively think someone’s older and completely dismiss the possibility of youth…” Lin Xian shrugged. “But who can blame them? With all that hair covering my face, no one could’ve known my real age without shaving it all off.”

The barber, holding a strand of fallen hair from the floor, straightened it out to inspect its length.

“Young people’s hair tends to grow faster. It’s not uncommon for it to grow several centimeters a year. Judging by this length, it seems you were in proper hibernation at first, but the last four or five years, you were just asleep.”

“If you were around twenty-five before hibernation, your real age now should be about thirty,” he concluded.

“Heh.”

The unexpected revelation made Lin Xian chuckle.

A sudden wave of realization washed over him as he recalled something CC had mentioned in a dream:

“A middle-aged man with long hair and a big beard told me to come to Donghai City and open Lin Xian’s safe. Your voice sounds just like his.”

“I’ve only seen one other person whose sharpshooting compares to yours. The way you both draw your weapons is identical.”

“You can’t be VV. You’re way too young—your age doesn’t match.”

“VV’s gaze is lost, cold, and indifferent… and when he left, it was without hesitation.”

Lin Xian scratched his head, his polished shoes brushing against the thick pile of hair on the ground.

“This was a misunderstanding of epic proportions…”

“A misunderstanding that’s taken 600 years to unravel.”

…

The following day, in a red-brick conference room.

Liu Feng, leaning on a cane with one hand, tapped chalk against the blackboard with the other, scribbling notes with a rhythmic da-da-da.

Seated below, Lin Xian focused on the spacetime clock resting on the table as he waited.

The clock’s casing had clearly been refurbished, but its internal mechanisms remained unchanged, meaning it didn’t need recalibration.

The current reading on the spacetime clock was 0.0002184.

This confirmed that after the Super Catastrophe of 2504 had been triggered prematurely, the worldline had indeed undergone a leap.

However…

By now, that conclusion didn’t require the spacetime clock to verify; anyone could see it with their own eyes.

Finally, Liu Feng finished writing, straightened his back, and tapped the blackboard twice.

“I’ve compiled everything we still don’t understand,” he said.

He stepped aside slightly, allowing his sole audience, Lin Xian, to view the list on the board:

1. Why has Lin Xian lost the ability to dream, and why has the Millennial Stake CC simultaneously lost its characteristic of inducing nightmares?

2. The World-Ending White Light of 2624 indeed originates from the depths of the universe. Who is the mastermind behind it?

3. Why did the Millennial Stake break down after only 600 years, proving to be so fragile?

4. Given the current situation, how do we break the deadlock? How do we save the world? How do we stop the World-Ending White Light from arriving in eight years?

…

“These are the four key questions,” Liu Feng said, clapping chalk dust off his hands as he pointed at the first question on the blackboard.

“I thought about this one last night. Could it be that your ability to dream is intrinsically linked to the Millennial Stake?”

“This isn’t a new topic. We discussed it centuries ago. The theory was that when that spacetime particle passed through your ear and struck CC, the two of you became inexplicably connected—or to put it another way, entangled.”

“Because of this, your ability to dream of a future 600 years ahead fundamentally stemmed from your entanglement with the Millennial Stake. But now… for some reason, that connection has been severed. As a result, not only have you lost the ability to dream, but CC’s nightmares have also normalized.”

Lin Xian nodded. “That’s possible.”

He paused, then added, “It was actually me who proposed this theory centuries ago. Before the Millennial Stake was ‘planted,’ I didn’t have the ability to dream about the future at all.”

“If we trace everything back to the spacetime particle that struck CC, the logic holds up. Entanglement… yes, it’s a strange term, but it fits perfectly.”

“CC and I are indeed entangled in many ways—through dreams, fragmented memories, and even our frequent, almost fateful encounters that always seem to form closed loops.”

“Everything started in 1952, and everything ends in 2624. This is the destiny of the Millennial Stake and, in many ways, the story of my entanglement with CC.”

“But the question remains—why did this ability suddenly stop working? Did it cease in 2504, in 2600, or after CC was born in 2604?”

The elderly Liu Feng coughed twice, spreading his hands. “That’s unclear. There’s no way to verify it. Cough… cough… Never mind. Let’s not dwell on the cause for now. What’s done is done. Let’s move on to the second question.”

Liu Feng pointed to the second question on the blackboard.

“Elon Musk, bold and unorthodox as always, achieved results in his usual chaotic yet effective manner. His fleet of 22 spacetime particle detection rockets actually managed to track the World-Ending White Light.”

“One rocket, aimed toward the outskirts of the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy, captured traces of the White Light 20 years ago. The light’s trajectory is perfectly straight, unaffected by any gravitational forces, heading directly toward where Earth will be in 20 years.”

“The scale of the White Light is far greater than you’d think. It spans a width of 0.001 light-years. While this might not seem vast on a cosmic scale, in our solar system, it’s much larger than the distance between Earth and the Kuiper Belt.”

Lin Xian silently calculated in his head.

0.001 light-years…

It didn’t sound far at first, but when converted, it amounted to a staggering 10 billion kilometers.

“The distance from the Sun to Neptune is about 4.5 billion kilometers, roughly the radius of the traditional nine-planet solar system,” Lin Xian said as he continued his calculations.

“In other words, when this White Light reaches the solar system in 2624, it won’t just destroy Earth—it will incinerate the Sun and all nine planets of the solar system as well.”

As he spoke, Lin Xian’s thoughts turned back to Elon Musk.

“No wonder Elon Musk couldn’t survive by fleeing to Mars. The range of the World-Ending White Light is too vast. Unless you can escape the solar system entirely, there’s no chance of survival. Everyone’s destined to evaporate.”

He closed his eyes, leaning back against the chair, and envisioned the terrifying scene unfolding across the universe.

A perfectly straight beam of White Light, originating from hundreds of light-years away.

Unwavering, unperturbed, and unbent, it shot directly toward the void of space.

At the same time, Earth, orbiting the Sun, and dragged by the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, sped through the cosmos.

Despite seeming distant and disconnected, Earth and the White Light would align at precisely 00:42:00 on August 29, 2624, in a fateful collision.

Everything would burn.

Everything would vanish.

The sheer indifference of the destruction was chilling—a cold, arrogant annihilation that reduced existence to nothingness.

“The enemy is overwhelmingly powerful,” Lin Xian said softly as he opened his eyes.

“They not only possess weapons that move at the speed of light but can also accurately predict Earth’s position hundreds of years in advance to strike with pinpoint precision.”

“I can’t even fathom the level of advanced civilization it would take to achieve such feats. No wonder they only needed to leave behind two spacetime particles to completely toy with human history and the future. They don’t care what we do.”

“Because… when the power disparity is so vast, any struggle becomes meaningless. Just as ants can never overcome humans, no matter how much they resist.”

Liu Feng exhaled sharply through his nose. “The enemy is indeed incomprehensibly strong. Strong to a degree we can’t even imagine.”

“That’s why I propose we name our ultimate enemy—the mastermind behind everything and the mysterious extraterrestrial civilization—‘Piling Civilization!’”

He picked up a piece of chalk and heavily wrote the name on the blackboard, circling it for emphasis.

“Fine,” Lin Xian said indifferently. “The name doesn’t matter to me. It’s just a label.”

“Besides, compared to the Piling Civilization, we’re utterly insignificant. We don’t know where they are, nor do we know what they look like. And yet, with such limited understanding, they casually deploy a light-speed weapon spanning 0.001 light-years—enough to obliterate Earth and erase billions of years of civilization in an instant.”

“Which brings us to the next question.”

Lin Xian raised his hand and pointed to the third question on the board.

“How could such a powerful and fearsome super-civilization—this Piling Civilization—create a Millennial Stake that only lasts 600 years? Doesn’t that seem incredibly unreasonable?”

“Not only unreasonable but outright contradictory. They go to great lengths to set up a Millennial Stake, yet after a mere 600 years—barely a blink of an eye—it becomes unstable and dysfunctional, requiring manual intervention with a light-speed weapon. Does that make sense?”

Sigh.

Liu Feng let out a heavy sigh. “These questions go far beyond the scope of our current understanding. The Piling Civilization’s intentions, and why the Millennial Stake can only function for 600 years, are issues for them to address, not us.”

“Our responsibility is to figure out how to deal with the White Light, how to save human civilization, and how to survive.”

He moved his finger down to point at the final question on the board.

Lin Xian picked up a pen from the nearby table, twirling it between his fingers.

“Actually, once you realize the enemy is impossibly strong—so strong they’re unbeatable—this question becomes simpler,” he said with a faint smile.

Liu Feng adjusted his glasses. “Explain.”

“Heh, think about it,” Lin Xian said with a helpless chuckle.

“The Piling Civilization can casually launch light-speed weapons that evaporate all celestial bodies within 0.01 light-years. Against such a powerful enemy, what can we possibly do that would matter?”

“Do planes and tanks matter? Starships and spacecraft? Nuclear weapons and laser cannons?”

“The answer is obvious: none of these matter. Which leaves us with only one last option, our final hope, and the one thing the Piling Civilization fears—”

“The Universal Constant, 42.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in, then continued:

“The Piling Civilization doesn’t care about how we humans struggle, but… they are terrified of every mathematician who calculates the number 42. They fear humanity’s understanding of the true power of 42.”

“This is their caution, but also their oversight. It’s the last straw we can grasp to save ourselves.”

“So, the more the enemy fears something, the harder we must work toward it. That is the true path to breaking this deadlock.”

“I mentioned Chen Heping to you a couple of days ago. How’s the investigation? Have you found him?” Lin Xian asked.

Liu Feng, leaning on his cane, walked over to a chair and replied, “Yes, we’ve found him.”

As he sat down, he continued, “Rhine University does have some advantages when it comes to locating people and gathering intelligence. The population around Donghai City isn’t very large these days, so finding one person wasn’t difficult. We tracked down the Chen Heping you spoke of fairly quickly.”

“But… how should I put this? Reaching out to Chen Heping is proving to be a bit of a challenge.”

“A challenge?” Lin Xian blinked. “What kind of challenge?”

Placing his cane beside the desk, Liu Feng explained seriously, “Lin Xian, you might not fully understand the current state of the world. Not every place is as peaceful as Rhine University.”

“Our campus is secluded, protected by enough weaponry to ensure its safety, making it something of a utopia. But the outskirts of Donghai City are a mess—villages constantly fighting over territory and resources, engaged in never-ending skirmishes.”

“It’s not entirely their fault, nor can we say they’re inherently warlike. It’s just the way things are in this era. To survive amidst scarce resources, conflict becomes inevitable.”

“I’m aware of that,” Lin Xian said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ve seen more apocalyptic scenarios than anyone. But what does that have to do with Chen Heping?”

“From what little I know of him, he seems like someone who’s easy to get along with—kind-hearted and enthusiastic. As long as we explain why we’re here, it shouldn’t be difficult to have a proper discussion with him, right?”

Liu Feng waved his hand in return. “You’re not wrong. By all accounts, Chen Heping is a decent man. However, his son is another story—he’s notoriously arrogant, domineering, and an all-around troublemaker.”

Suddenly, a face with bulging flesh and a smug expression popped into Lin Xian’s mind.

“Big Cat Face?”

“Exactly!” Liu Feng said, surprised. “That’s him—commonly known as Big Cat Face. He’s naturally aggressive, highly combative, and leads a gang of lackeys, running a racket extorting protection fees wherever he goes.”

“Our weapons could easily handle them, of course, but our goal is to persuade Chen Heping to come to Rhine University for research, not escalate conflict.”

“To reach Chen Heping, we’d inevitably have to deal with Big Cat Face first. I even sent people there yesterday, but Big Cat Face’s unreasonable and violent nature made negotiations impossible. He chased my people out with a beating.”

Lin Xian chuckled knowingly. “Classic Face. That’s just the kind of thing he’d do.”

Snap.

He slapped the pen he was holding onto the desk and stood up.

“No problem. I’ll take care of Big Cat Face.”

“Huh?” Liu Feng looked at him incredulously. “Did you even listen to anything I just said?”

“Of course I did,” Lin Xian replied nonchalantly. “It’s just Big Cat Face—what’s so hard about dealing with him?”

He smiled faintly, rolling his wrists as he spoke.

“Don’t worry, Liu Feng. I can’t make guarantees for just anyone, but when it comes to Big Cat Face…”

“I know him better than he knows himself.”