Genius Club

Chapter 86: Chapter 86 Gangs

“Catch—catch the thief! Come… someone help!”

Auntie Li’s anxious voice was getting closer.

Whoosh!

A man swift as the wind streaked past the entrance of the alley.

Clutching a handbag and wearing a black hat, he was the “Triple Blade Master” that Lin Xian had been eagerly waiting for.

As Lin Xian walked out of the alley, he bumped right into the pursuing Auntie Li.

Auntie Li, with a look of urgency, grabbed Lin Xian’s arm:

“Young… young man!”

“Understood.”

“My… my…”

“No problem.”

Lin Xian steadied her against the wall:

“Auntie Li, don’t panic, just wait here, and San Pang will bring your handbag to you shortly.”

With that, he unleashed his parkour skills and disappeared into the twists and turns of the narrow path with a few back-and-forth jumps…

Auntie Li stood with her mouth open, as confused as a monk with a two-yard head:

“I… I haven’t even said anything yet…”

…

Thump thump thump!

Lin Xian leaped sideways in the narrow, winding corridors.

The thief’s escape route was exactly the same as it had been a few days ago, and in the countless loops of days and nights to come… he would still take this same path to flee, day after day.

Lin Xian could have caught up with him long ago, but kept his speed steady until the thief ran into that familiar dead end. Then, with a leap—

“Here we go!” “Ah—”

A flying kick knocked the thief to the ground.

Lin Xian searched the thief thoroughly, pulling out a dagger from his chest, waist, and boots and tossing them behind him; then, he used the thief’s belt to tie him up.

Boom!!!!

Big Face Cat kicked open the pile of firewood blocking the alley entrance:

“Dare to steal on my territory!!”

He emerged from the alley with three fierce-looking underlings, his ferocious flesh on his face twisting into one mass:

“You————”

He had swung his nunchaku halfway when Big Face Cat froze.

The rage soaring up to the skies was quenched like a bucket of water had been poured on it, and his ferocious expression and wide-open mouth solidified on his face…

Before him.

A man with a black hat had his pants pulled down, hands tied behind his back with a belt—writhing on the ground in humiliation like a maggot.

Next to him stood a young man, seemingly fresh from a deed done, with his hands tucked into his pockets and looking this way, three gleaming daggers lying on the ground beside him.

“You…”

Big Face Cat pointed with the nunchaku half unswung at the maggot on the ground, then back to Lin Xian:

“Which one of you is the bad guy?”

“Brother Lian, keep going.”

Lin Xian picked up the handbag that was on the wall next to him and threw it over.

Smack.

Big Face Cat caught it and saw that it was indeed Auntie Li’s bag.

He turned and handed it to San Pang:

“San Pang, take the bag to Auntie Li.”

San Pang turned and ran. Big Face Cat scratched his head and walked over to Lin Xian, scrutinizing him:

“You… know me?”

“I’ve heard of your reputation.”

“What’s my name?”

“Big Face Cat.”

“Then why did you call me Brother Lian? Normal people would call me Cat Bro, right?”

“Cats are ideology, faces are metaphysics.”

“Damn!!”

Big Face Cat was dumbstruck and thunderstruck!

In a swift step, he approached, grasped Lin Xian’s hand, and pulled him in front of Ah Zhuang and Er Zhuzi, patting Lin Xian on the back:

“This guy’s got talent! Absolute talent! Brother, what do they call you?”

“Lin Xian.”

“Come on Lin Xian, let me introduce you. These two, and the one who just ran off, are my three underlings. This is Ah Zhuang, and this is Er Zhuzi. The one who just ran off is San Pang.”

After Big Face Cat finished his introductions, he patted his chest:@@novelbin@@

“You have a keen eye! On the streets, everyone calls me Big Face Cat, but you can just keep calling me Brother Lian!”

“Hey, little brother, where are you from? I know everyone around here, but I haven’t seen you before.”

“I’m just a wanderer… roaming aimlessly.”

Lin Xian followed the script he had prepared earlier.

This was supposed to be the fastest way to join Big Face Cat’s gang, to become a member of the Lian Gang.

Once he infiltrated the organization and gained Big Face Cat’s trust, the next step would be to beg him to take him to Cat Dad and find out the truth about the cosmological constant.

“Hmm…”

Big Face Cat stroked his chin in thought, and in the glance he cast toward Lin Xian, there was a sense of mutual recognition.

As if he had made a huge, ancestral-rule-breaking decision in his heart, Big Face Cat looked pained, biting his lip tightly, and turned to Ah Zhuang and Er Zhuzi:

“I want this kid to join our gang. What do you two think?”

“Absolutely not, big brother!”

Ah Zhuang shouted:

“You can’t just trust him because he’s read a few books, been to school, and is somewhat cultured! Educated people are the most unreliable! Full of tricks!”

“That’s right!” Er Zhuzi looked at Lin Xian with contempt:

“This kid looks soft and tender, just like a woman; he’s clearly up to no good. If we let him join the gang… I wouldn’t feel secure about my sister-in-law!”

Two votes against.

Big Face Cat turned to San Pang, who had hurried back:

“San Pang, what do you think?”

San Pang shook his head wisely:

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Big Face Cat sighed, a bit disappointed, and grabbed Lin Xian’s hand:

“Little brother, I’m sorry. I see you as a kindred spirit and wanted to recruit you for our gang, but… our gang really values democracy, so I can’t help you.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out some bills, and handed them to Lin Xian:

“You helped us catch a thief today, so please accept this small token of thanks and carry on with your wandering. If you ever find yourself unable to get by, come and find me, Brother Lian; you won’t go hungry.”

“Don’t do this, Brother Lian.”

Lin Xian was speechless. How had he just been rejected?

Where had the script gone wrong?

Why was everything going off course?

He pointed to the thief on the ground, squirming like a maggot:

“Brother Lian, since I was able to subdue the thief on my own, that shows I’ve got skill. I’m good with my hands and can definitely be of service to the gang. Don’t believe me? Let me show you a couple of flips.”

Lin Xian clasped his hand onto a crevice in the bricks, leaped with great force, flipping twice in mid-air, and landed directly on the second floor.

“Wow!” exclaimed Big Face Cat. “Great agility!”

“Big brother, how did he fly up there!”

Thump.

Lin Xian landed safely, dusted his hands, and looked at Big Face Cat with a smile:

“So, Brother Lian, what do you think of my skills?”

Big Face Cat nodded affirmatively and looked at Ah Zhuang.

Ah Zhuang, reversing his attitude from before, gave Lin Xian a thumbs-up:

“Big brother, I think the kid’s really got something. Aren’t his wall-climbing skills exactly what we need right now? We’re lacking someone with his talent for scaling walls!”

Er Zhuzi’s face turned an ashen color:

“I disagree! Anyone who’s constantly climbing over other people’s walls like he does is up to no good, either stealing things or people! Our Lian Gang can’t accept someone with such corrupt morals!”

One in favor, one against.

Big Face Cat looked to San Pang:

“San Pang, what about you?”

San Pang nodded sagely:

“I think it’s okay.”

“Alright! Then it’s settled!”

Big Face Cat clapped his hands together, laughed heartily, and slung his arm around Lin Xian’s neck:

“Little brother, from today on, you’re one of us in the Lian Gang! Honestly… the moment I saw you, I felt that we were meant to be comrades! The guy we need most right now in our gang is someone with your talent for climbing walls!”

“Sorry about the misunderstanding just now, little brother. As an apology…”

“Let’s hear it, what’s your wish? What do you want? As long as I can make it happen, I’ll do it all for you!”

Sure enough, Big Face Cat was as generous as ever, and Lin Xian liked dealing with people like him.

“Brother Lian, your father is an elementary school math teacher, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is he researching an ancient text called ‘Introduction to the Cosmological Constant’?”

“Wow, how do you even know about that?”

Lin Xian smiled and nodded:

“Actually, I came admiring your father’s work. From now on, you can have me do anything. My only wish right now is…”

“Can you take me to see your father? I have some questions about math that I’d like to ask him.”