Genius Club

Chapter 68: Chapter 68 True and False

Lin Xian rose from the bed and turned on the light.@@novelbin@@

Then he went to the bathroom to wash his face.

“I didn’t expect…”

Lin Xian looked at himself in the mirror:

“It’s actually 00:42.”

As anticipated, it also made sense.

He dried his face and returned to the bedroom, sitting at the desk to think, twirling a pen in his hand.

This time, the dream had yielded the greatest harvest to date, bringing clarity to all the clues and thoughts.

“First, the clarification of true and false information.”

It is now certain—

What Big Face Cat said about his mathematician father and daughter being killed by a truck at 00:42, could be confirmed as [true].

And the rumor that “only the top-tier wealthy, the most extreme geniuses, and the most powerful figures receive invitations to the Genius Club,” was identified as [false].

Lin Xian’s thoughts became agile:

“With these two pieces of information verified as true or false… many truths can be deduced.”

He turned on the desk lamp.

He took out a sheet of A4 paper and wrote—

[Deduced Truths]

[1. The death of Professor Xu Yun must be related to the Genius Club.]

Lin Xian felt that there was no way the Genius Club could be unrelated to the deaths of Xu Yun and Big Face Cat’s father.

Otherwise, Big Face Cat wouldn’t have inexplicably come across the name of the Genius Club.

Lin Xian had previously searched online, unable to find any information related to the Genius Club.

Among the jumbled search results, there were game settings, and even films and TV shows with the same name… but it was obvious that those were not what Big Face Cat referred to as the Genius Club.

In the recent dream, Big Face Cat was desperate to escape, and despite Lin Xian asking him several times how he found the name, Big Face Cat insisted they would discuss it later as escaping was more important… It seemed this guy felt he had the money in hand and was in a hurry to make a clean getaway.

But no matter what.

The death of Big Face Cat’s father must be related to the Genius Club, there was no question about it.

So…

A mathematician killed by a truck at 00:42, a scientist killed by a car at 00:42.

Even though the two incidents spanned a temporal gap of 600 years,

The coincidence of the victims’ professions and the time of death strongly suggests the same perpetrator.

Therefore, Xu Yun’s death likely cannot be separated from the Genius Club either.

The question now is.

What exactly is this “relationship”?

Did the Genius Club instruct the murderer to kill?

Or was it some other reason that made Big Face Cat link the Genius Club’s name to the killer?

Although Big Face Cat was certain the Genius Club killed his father, Lin Xian thought it was still necessary to maintain some skepticism, as there was no definitive proof.

A person bent on revenge sometimes clings to a clue like a lifeline, convincing themselves of its truth, so Big Face Cat’s analysis might not be rational enough.

And there was one more thing he couldn’t understand.

“The killers try to disguise the murder of the scientist as a car accident, yet insist on having the accident occur at 00:42…”

Lin Xian couldn’t fathom it.

What’s the purpose?

Why arrange for the accident at such an exact, rounded-off time if it’s meant to look accidental?

Isn’t this a contradictory arrangement?

“I can’t help feeling… this is a kind of arrogance, as if it’s meant to show off to someone.”

Lin Xian didn’t understand.

But this timing was indeed very strange, identical to when his dream ended.

00:42

What is it?

What does it mean?

What significance does it hold?

“Actually, that’s not even the most incomprehensible part.”

Lin Xian spun his pen.

How could they ensure that they killed exactly at 00:42?

That was too bizarre.

Were they lying in wait every day, killing at 00:42 if possible, and waiting for the next day if not?

Or was there an accomplice involved, making sure the timing was strictly controlled at 00:42?

…

Lin Xian felt his thoughts were drifting further away.

The time 00:42 was unusual, but without any leads, further speculation was impossible.

Lin Xian continued to write, jotting down the second deduction in his notebook:

[2. The qualifications for joining the Genius Club are not solely based on wealth and status; there must be other necessary conditions.]

“Actually, that makes more sense.”

Lin Xian had doubted that “rumor” countless times before.

It said that only the top-tier billionaires, the most extreme geniuses, and the most influential powerhouses were eligible to join the Genius Club.

To be honest, that is neither genius nor realistic.

Although the threshold mentioned in the rumor seems high… from the perspective of the long river of history, that threshold is ludicrously low.

Every year there are new billionaires, new power brokers, and new Nobel Prize winners.

If invitations were sent out based on that standard…

It would probably mean sending out dozens or hundreds each year, and the Genius Club would have to have at least several thousand members.

A massive organization that sends out frequent invitations and has thousands of members could absolutely not remain hidden in the mists of history without leaving a trace.

It just isn’t possible.

Perhaps it could be thought of like this…

Wealth, status, reputation, intelligence—these are merely the basic qualifications for joining the Genius Club, but they are not decisive.

“Those who receive an invitation from the Genius Club must possess some key ability, some mysterious reason,”

“Looking at the 600-year-long stretch of history… perhaps only a handful of people, a dozen or so, actually meet the standards for membership. That’s why the organization can remain so covertly hidden in the shadows, without leaving any trace.”

“[The members of the Genius Club must be very few; otherwise, in more than 600 years, it surely would have been exposed long ago.]”

…

With this line of thinking, many things became more reasonable, and Zhao Yingjun receiving an invitation could also be clearly explained.

If we were to follow the logic of the previous rumors, since even Zhao Yingjun could receive an invitation, how could successful people like Chu Shanhe and the wealthy Lee Cheng not qualify?

However, the fact is Lee Cheng had no knowledge of the Genius Club whatsoever.

As for Chu Shanhe… Lin Xian wasn’t certain, but he felt that Chu Shanhe was also very likely not a member of the Genius Club.

If the goal was to strangle Winter Technology, then why did he continuously support Professor Xu Yun for ten years?

But then again…

“That Zhao Yingjun…”

Thinking of his impressively spirited and naturally beautiful female supervisor, Lin Xian pondered:

“What virtues and capabilities does she have, what special characteristics… that she could receive an invitation to the Genius Club?”

At that thought.

Lin Xian once again picked up the pen and wrote the third deduction in his notebook:

[3. Zhao Yingjun indeed received an invitation from the Genius Club, but whether she has joined or participated in this murder remains unclear.]

In fact, this outcome had already been considered before.

But Lin Xian had not delved deep into it.

The reason being that previously, all the intelligence regarding the Genius Club was not clear enough, hard to distinguish between true and false, full of contradictions, and therefore impossible to accurately ascertain.

But now it was different.

Although 99% of the mysteries of the Genius Club still lay submerged beneath the surface, at least 1% of the information had come to light.

And it was this precious 1% that allowed Lin Xian to deduce the three crucial clues within his notebook.

“Zhao Yingjun…”

He stared at that name in the third deduction, a name too familiar to be more so.

“Why did she receive the invitation?”

Lin Xian rested his chin in his hand and thought…

There must be some [special reason] that the mysterious and exclusive organization of the Genius Club recognized Zhao Yingjun.

Upon closer consideration.

Zhao Yingjun, that woman, was indeed quite mysterious. It’s true that Lin Xian had dealt with her quite a bit, but if he were asked what he knew about this woman…

He would have to say he knew nothing at all.

Apart from her age and name, he knew nothing else.

To his surprise, Lin Xian found that he was so unfamiliar with Zhao Yingjun.

“To clarify the cause and truth of Xu Yun’s death, and to further pinpoint the purpose and nature of the Genius Club, there is only one way…”

He pulled open a drawer.

From the very back, he pinched the wax seal block bearing the emblem of the Genius Club.

The round wax block, under the lamplight, showed a sinister crystal-red hue, like blood, like a setting sun.

“What exactly does that invitation to the Genius Club say?”

What is the content?

What is the location of the meeting?

What time is the meeting?

What is the purpose of the club?

Gazing at the hand on the wax seal reaching straight toward the sky, Lin Xian narrowed his eyes:

“I must find a way…”

“To see that invitation!”