Genius Club

President Gao stood up with a welcoming smile and began preparing a pot of tea. He was eager to hear what Lin Xian had to say.

“Go ahead, Lin Xian. Feel free to speak!” he encouraged, his tone warm and inviting. To him, friendship was about mutual assistance, and he was more than willing to help Lin Xian.

Lin Xian cleared his throat, straightening his posture: “It’s like this, President Gao. I heard that our Science Academy currently has access to the Guizhou Sky Eye Observatory—the one that houses the world’s largest radio telescope, is that right?”

President Gao nodded affirmatively. “Yes, we do. The request was put forward by the Astronomy Research Institute, and I was the one who approved it.”

Lin Xian leaned forward, his expression earnest. “To be honest, President Gao, I want to borrow the Guizhou Sky Eye for a few months. My lab is working on a project that requires it. However, as you know, such a national facility isn’t usually accessible to ordinary labs. I’m hoping you might help us gain access.”

President Gao responded with an easy smile, “Oh, so that’s what this is about.” He explained, “A while back, the director of the Astronomy Research Institute initially applied to use it for a year, but they finished their observations ahead of schedule. We were debating whether to return the telescope to local authorities for tourism purposes or check if other research institutes might need it. Since you’ve brought it up, we can delay returning it. The national lease is still valid for another six months, so lending it to you for a few months won’t be an issue. I’ll take care of the necessary paperwork.”

“However, while we understand the real motive, we must still adhere to official procedures. Once the director of the Astronomy Research Institute returns, I’ll set up a meeting. Since your lab is affiliated with Donghai University, we can establish a collaborative project. This will officially authorize your lab to use the Guizhou Sky Eye.”

Lin Xian nodded his appreciation. “Thank you, President Gao.”

“There’s no need for thanks; it’s really no trouble at all,” President Gao reassured him as he stood and extended his hand for a shake. “This small favor is nothing compared to your contributions to the country. I hope you achieve great success in your astronomical endeavors!”

After they shared a cup of hot tea and pleasant conversation, Lin Xian and President Gao exchanged contact details. They left the lab together, making their way towards Chu Shan He’s office while chatting and laughing, both clearly satisfied with their discussion. President Gao was already dreaming of the potential breakthroughs in cold fusion technology, whereas Lin Xian was focused on how to capture time-space particles to further Liu Feng’s research on Universal Constants. Their collaboration was proving to be fruitful.

Outside the office, Chu Shan He was waiting, pacing back and forth with impatience. When he saw them approaching, laughing and talking like old friends, he was taken aback.

What was going on?

Noticing Chu Shan He’s puzzled expression, President Gao approached him with a reassuring smile. “Shan He, Lin Xian is a promising young man. He has some ideas, though not many. I gave him some guidance in the lab, and he quickly realized his mistakes and decided to abandon this particular research project.”

Lin Xian nodded, understanding that President Gao was covering for him and couldn’t disclose too much to Chu Shan He because of confidentiality reasons. “Yes, I did oversimplify the controlled nuclear fusion project. I apologize for taking up your time today, President Gao.”

“It wasn’t a waste of time at all. He’s a very perceptive young man, and I like him,” President Gao added.

Seeing the positive interaction between the two, Chu Shan He realized he had misunderstood the situation earlier. Despite the errors in Lin Xian’s manuscript, President Gao acknowledged that there were still valuable insights. He smiled at Lin Xian, “Since it’s getting late, we shouldn’t keep President Gao any longer.”

Later, as they were leaving, President Gao escorted them to the parking lot and shook hands warmly with them. “Wait for my message,” he whispered to Lin Xian before waving them goodbye.

After a long day, Lin Xian and Chu Shan He decided not to fly back to Donghai that night. They checked into a nearby upscale hotel, enjoyed a few drinks at the restaurant, and chatted amicably before retiring to their respective rooms.

In his room, Lin Xian took a refreshing shower and then lay on the bed, closing his eyes. He was aware that a significant time-space change anchor had just been set. Cold fusion technology had been introduced centuries earlier than in any previous timeline. Even though the current technology wasn’t capable of producing a finished product, it was only a matter of time. The technological trajectory of the next 600 years would be drastically altered, inevitably changing the future world.

As he lay there, Lin Xian pondered his next dream. What would it hold? He regretted not encountering CC during the entire third dream. What had become of Time Bank? And the aluminum alloy safe?

He had repeatedly asked VV to look into it, but the answers were always the same—Time Bank had never existed in history, and no bank had ever used an aluminum alloy safe. VV had explained that using aluminum alloy for safes was a wasteful and unnecessary act. No safe manufacturer would engage in such practices, and if they did, they wouldn’t last long in the business. A product without a market need was doomed to failure.

In the first dream, Time Bank was already on the verge of bankruptcy, with outdated equipment. In the second dream, Time Bank had indeed gone bankrupt, and the aluminum alloy safes had been discarded. But in the third dream, there was no trace of Time Bank at all. Lin Xian had dismissed the possibility of the Genius Club deliberately altering history, leaving only one explanation—a butterfly effect caused by his actions in reality that prevented Time Bank from ever being established in 2023.

“What could I have done to stop Time Bank from being founded?” Lin Xian wondered, but finding the source of such an elusive butterfly effect was nearly impossible. He might never find the answer.

“Could the disappearance of Time Bank be related to the founding of Rhine Company since the third dream started with its establishment?” he mused. It was difficult to see how the two could be connected.

“Forget it, I’ll stop worrying about it,” he muttered to himself, turning over in bed. “Let’s see if I can find Time Bank and CC in the fourth dream…”

He drifted off to sleep, only to be jolted awake by the familiar sensation of hot, dry air and the sounds of a bustling city—chatter, noise, and car horns. Was the isolated reality of cities like New Donghai City and Rhine Sky City gone? Had Donghai City returned to its original state?

Lin Xian opened his eyes to an unexpected scene. Dozens of fully armed soldiers had formed a circle around him, each pointing a strange-looking gun at him, effectively trapping him at the center. They had anticipated his appearance and ambushed him!

A gun was pressed against the back of his head. “Hands up!”

Knowing when to yield, Lin Xian slowly raised his hands, taking in the details of the futuristic cityscape around him. It was more advanced than anything he had seen in Rhine Sky City, with space elevators stretching up to the clouds, floating islands in the sky, and unknown structures orbiting in space. Had humanity finally entered the space age?

A captain stepped forward into the circle of soldiers, also fully armed, and unfurled a glowing paper in front of Lin Xian’s eyes.

“Lin Xian! You are under arrest for crimes against humanity, endangering Earth, and disrupting the timeline!”

“What?” Lin Xian was bewildered by these bizarre accusations.

Suddenly, electric currents buzzed against his neck. A soldier behind him had used a stun gun on him. His vision blurred, and he stumbled forward, losing consciousness.

Darkness enveloped him. When Lin Xian opened his eyes again, he found himself unable to see anything. His neck felt stiff; he realized he was handcuffed to a chair with a light-blocking hood over his head. This was how they treated criminals. But what crime had he committed? He had only just arrived in this future world.

Then he heard it—a dry, pleased laugh echoing from in front of him. The sound grew closer, and soon an old man was right in front of him. He reached out and pulled the hood off Lin Xian’s head.

Blinding light flooded the room, making it hard for Lin Xian to keep his eyes open. Squinting, he tried to make out the figure of the old man standing before him. He was thin, with white hair and eyes that gleamed with excitement as he stared intently at Lin Xian.

“No…”

The old man’s cracked lips formed a smile, and he said eerily, “I see you.”