Genius Club

Chu An Qing stood on her tiptoes, trying to make herself taller so Lin Xian could see her. She shouted with all her might, using every ounce of her strength, afraid that Lin Xian wouldn’t hear her.

Surrounded by an audience full of Americans, she felt genuinely scared. Initially, she hadn’t even dared to bring out the cheering red flag she had prepared, opting instead to quietly watch the competition.

But…

When she saw Lin Xian appear on stage and heard the collective boos of the eighty thousand Americans present, she could no longer sit still.

Suddenly, she recalled the words her teacher, Liu Feng, had once told her: “There is something in this world that is prepared for you, born for you, and only you can do it.”

Only you can do it… no one else.

If such a moment truly exists, isn’t it now?

Chu An Qing always knew that her mind was not particularly sharp. She had no special skills or talents and wouldn’t achieve great things in her lifetime. She couldn’t really help Senior Lin Xian much. She watched as her senior got promotions, started a company, built a laboratory, conducted research, received accolades, and represented the country in competitions. She felt happy and often proud but was at a loss about what she, an ordinary person, could do.

But when she saw that no one in X Country had any expectations for Lin Xian, when she saw all the Americans mocking and booing Lin Xian, when the whole world believed it was a match that would undoubtedly be lost…

Lose or not, it didn’t matter anymore!

At that moment, Chu An Qing truly realized there were more important things than winning and losing. Even if he lost, he had to lose amidst cheers and applause! To lose with honor, to lose with glory! Even if only one person cheered for him, at least he wouldn’t be alone. There would still be someone in this world who believed he could win!

Even if he was facing the world’s strongest hacker, the most formidable hacker in human history, Kevin Walker, she believed in him without reason or logic!

Even if the whole world denied him, it didn’t matter. She would be his world!

She bit her lip, forcing herself to stand straight despite her fear, raising the red flag high!

“FUCK!”

“SON OF A BITCH!!”

In front of her, a few large African-American men, who had been swearing loudly, stood up and stormed angrily toward Chu An Qing. She stepped back, but her foot slipped, and she fell backward—

Thud.

Behind her, a pair of gentle hands caught her shoulders, steadying her. Then, several burly X Country plainclothes officers, with short haircuts and sunglasses, surrounded the area.

“Ying Jun… Sister Ying Jun?”

Chu An Qing turned her head to look at the elegant woman behind her.

No. This wasn’t Sister Zhao Ying Jun.

At first glance, the unique temperament and feeling made Chu An Qing think the person who caught her was Zhao Ying Jun. But now, standing steadily, she realized… this woman was much older than Zhao Ying Jun. She seemed to be in her thirties, with a well-proportioned figure, a gentle and reassuring demeanor, and the most captivating feature… her deep blue, glass-like eyes. Bright, reflecting moonlight, stars, seemingly flowing and rotating.

“Sorry, I mistook you for someone else,” Chu An Qing apologized.

The woman reached out to pat her head, smiling softly: “No matter how many times, you’re always so brave.”

Chu An Qing’s eyes widened: “You… you know me?”

The woman smiled without answering, protecting Chu An Qing in front of her: “Just wait and see. What gift will he give you this time?”

….

In the middle of the bustling auditorium, Lin Xian watched from the stage as Chu An Qing was rescued by Yellow Finch. He let out a relieved sigh. Yellow Finch had the timing and presence of a Hollywood star, always showing up just when needed. So far, she had proven herself trustworthy, aiding Lin Xian and his teammate Liu Feng with her cryptic yet helpful messages. With Chu An Qing under Yellow Finch’s protection, Lin Xian felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

Onstage, Chu An Qing and Yellow Finch were smiling broadly at him. Chu An Qing, brimming with energy, waved her arms enthusiastically and silently mouthed words of encouragement. Her excitement was palpable, like a spirited duckling cheering from the sidelines, ready to leap up and join the fray.

From his Bluetooth headset, Lin Xian heard the teasing voice of his friend VV: “Lin Xian, it looks like hacking a Tesla isn’t going to cut it this time.”

“What do you have in mind?” Lin Xian asked, intrigued.

VV’s voice was brimming with mischief as he proposed, “How about we light up the sky? Just say the magic words ‘shame theory’, and I’ll set off a fireworks show using all 20,000 of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. Imagine the spectacle for Chu An Qing!”

“Kevin Walker already hacked the Starlink system to attack the Beidou satellite,” VV continued. “If he could exploit that vulnerability, so can we. Hurry up! Say the magic words, and let’s swap some power around. I can light up the skies over New York and New Jersey for you!”

Lin Xian sighed, a mix of amusement and exasperation coloring his tone, “Why are you still so hung up on that ‘Dragon Tribe’ game? And why do you and Ji Lin obsess over fireworks so much?”

“Because girls love fireworks!” VV exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. “Fireworks are the ultimate romantic gesture! Who could resist a sky full of them? Give me some time to tweak the satellite orbits, and I could even spell out her name!”

Lin Xian shook his head, “Forget the fireworks. I’ve done that before. But you’re right about one thing—Chu An Qing came all this way just to support me. I can’t let her down if I lose. That would be disappointing after all her support.”

“Too much spectacle isn’t good either. First, it breaks the competition rules and could disqualify us. Second, it could blow our cover. We need a solution that keeps us under the radar but still clinches the win…”

“I think using the Starlink vulnerability is our best shot,” Lin Xian concluded. “If we can control a few more satellites to create a specific pattern, and if our score tops 80, our team from X Country will secure the victory.”

Excited by the plan, VV suddenly shouted, “I’ve got it! Let’s give Chu An Qing her very own star!”

Lin Xian laughed, “Like Yun Tianming did for Cheng Xin in ‘Three-Body’? You can’t be serious.”

“No, something bigger,” VV replied, his voice filled with anticipation. “I want the whole world to know who this star is for!”

….

In the bustling command center of SpaceX’s Starlink project, a technician swiveled his chair toward his supervisor, concern etched on his face.

“We’ve traced the source,” he announced. “The hacker attack came from a stadium in New Jersey. But it looks like there’s no damage to our Starlink satellites. They just used them to pass data along.”

The supervisor, a stern figure, nodded grimly. “We got lucky this time—they were competitors in the World Hacker Championship, so they followed rules that prevent causing actual damage. But we might not be so fortunate next time. We need to patch these vulnerabilities ASAP!”

Suddenly, a frantic beep interrupted their conversation. A female technician, her fingers flying over her keyboard, turned pale. “Access denied?!” she gasped. “Why have all permissions to the Starlink satellites been revoked?”

Alarms echoed through the command center, each tone a harbinger of worse news to come. Reports flooded in from the staff:

“Satellite AA113, AA435—they’ve initiated reverse thrust!”

“It’s not just those—Z007, Z009, up to satellite 1095! They’re all losing altitude!”

A technician reported the grim statistics, “Over 4,000 Starlink satellites in the night side of the Northern Hemisphere are slowing down and dropping! Their average altitude is plummeting from 550 kilometers… to 520… 470… and it’s still falling!”

Panic was setting in. “Who’s got control over our satellites? Where are they taking them? If they keep slowing down, they won’t have enough speed to stay in orbit—they’ll get pulled into the atmosphere and burn up!”

Another update came through, this time pinpointing the culprit. “We’ve got it! The attack’s still coming from the World Hacker Championship in New Jersey. But it’s not Kevin Walker—it’s Lin Xian from the X Country team! He exploited the same vulnerability as Walker and moved so fast we couldn’t stop him!”

The supervisor wiped the sweat from his brow, his mind racing with the implications.

This was a serious breach of the competition’s rules.

Using a vulnerability to cause actual harm not only meant disqualification but also legal repercussions. They had all signed agreements—causing real damage was strictly forbidden.

But why? If you’re showing off your skills, why not just take control? Why initiate a reverse thrust that would cause the satellites to lose speed and threaten to crash?

“Altitude is still dropping! Those 4,000 satellites are aligning into five straight lines in a tight formation. They’re down to 370 kilometers now… still decelerating! Are they trying to drag these satellites right into the atmosphere?”

The room fell silent as the magnitude of the situation settled in. The supervisor rushed to the front, staring at the large screen which displayed the orbital diagram of the Starlink satellites.

Over 20,000 white dots moved rapidly around Earth, a complex and normally flawless network. Yet now, in the Northern Hemisphere—over North America, the western Pacific, and the eastern Atlantic—about 4,000 of these dots were dangerously close to a 300-kilometer altitude.

Were they about to crash?

The supervisor’s mind raced as he wiped more sweat from his forehead. If the intent was just to crash the satellites, why the meticulous control over their direction, arranging them into five precise lines?

The lowering of the orbit, the strategic alignment…

What exactly was the X Country team planning to achieve with their free display session?

….

At the New Jersey stadium, filled with 80,000 spectators, a buzz of confused conversations filled the air. The audience was puzzled by the actions of a young competitor from X Country. During this free display session, where performances didn’t have to be pre-reported and could be changed spontaneously, it was all about showcasing skill and creativity.

No one could guess what the young man onstage from X Country was up to.

And really, what could he do at this point?

He was up against Kevin Walker, a formidable opponent who had already breached X Country’s Beidou satellite. With a daunting 80-point deficit, it seemed impossible for him to turn the tide.

Suddenly, a shout pierced through the noise of the crowd:

“Look at the sky! Everyone, look up!”

This shout triggered a wave of excitement. The entire stadium, packed to the brim, turned their eyes skyward to the previously dark and empty night sky.

In an instant, exclamations filled the air.

From the darkness where not even the moon had shone through the clouds all evening, a line of bright points streaked across the sky, resembling a swift silver snake cutting through the night.

But it wasn’t just one line.

“Look south! Another line of bright points! What’s happening?”

“And in the east, too! Two more lines! Are those UFOs?”

The stadium erupted into chaos, the spectators awestruck by the spectacle unfolding above them. The intersecting lines of light in the sky seemed like a miracle.

At the top of the stands, Chu An Qing stood gaping, her eyes wide as she watched the continuously emerging lines. In the western sky, two more lines appeared, making a total of five straight lines slicing through the darkness, all converging at a single point.

They were precise, radiant, and mesmerizing.

What were these lights?

Why were they shining?

How had this been achieved?

“Those are Starlink satellites,” explained Yellow Finch, standing behind Chu An Qing. “Usually, Starlink satellites operate at an altitude of over 550 kilometers, so you wouldn’t normally see them. For them to be visible like this… their altitude must have dropped to around 300 kilometers, or maybe even lower.”

“At that height, satellites are still normally invisible to the naked eye; they’re quite small. But at night, in the dark sky, any small light source looks as bright as a star.”

She smiled and gently tucked a stray lock of Chu An Qing’s hair behind her ear, securing it with a hairpin: “Just like you. Even if the whole world is silent or booing, your cheering would still be loud and clear.”

Chu An Qing’s eyes were wide with wonder, her gaze fixed on the bright lines streaking across the sky. Two of the lines had already intersected, forming a striking cross in the heavens.

“But…” Chu An Qing’s curiosity got the better of her. “Why do satellites glow like that?”

“That’s the sunlight reflecting off them,” Yellow Finch explained, her eyes also on the five bright, straight lines slowly intersecting in the sky. “The solar panels and other reflective materials on satellites catch the sunlight. Usually, they don’t reflect light so evenly and brightly. When satellites change their orbit—either ascending or descending—they rotate to stabilize their position, and that makes the sunlight reflect off them more uniformly.”

She chuckled as Chu An Qing scratched her head, a bit embarrassed but laughing along. “So, this is Lin Xian’s project for the free display? It’s incredible!”

“Hehe, you’re the incredible one,” Yellow Finch teased, playfully tapping Chu An Qing’s nose. “If it weren’t for you, he might not have pulled off this little stunt. Consider it a special gift for you.”

Chu An Qing blushed, flustered yet unable to tear her gaze from the spectacle. The bright lines mirrored in her eyes, converging at a central point: “It’s really beautiful.”

Yellow Finch looked up once more, her eyes softening as she watched the intersecting lines: “Yes, it’s truly beautiful… I’m a little jealous.”

….

Finally, the night had its climax.

In the hushed awe of 80,000 spectators in the stadium, the night sky transformed spectacularly. Four thousand Starlink satellites aligned perfectly, each of the five bright lines intersecting at roughly 30-degree angles. Above, they sketched a vast, unmistakable shape across the expanse of darkness—a star.

This wasn’t just any star. It was immense, dominating the sky above, crafted from the light of human ingenuity and technology.

Simultaneously, the giant screen at the competition venue flickered to life. It showcased a video of Chu An Qing proudly waving the red flag of X Country.

A profound silence fell over the stadium. Eighty thousand people were utterly speechless, captivated by the spectacle and the implications of what they had just witnessed.

Then, two lines of text floated across the big screen:

“Starlink Satellite ZAZ series, 4217 satellites breached!”

“X Country team score—337,360 points!”

….

Meanwhile, far from New Jersey, in Boca Chica, Texas, at the SpaceX rocket launch site, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, leaned nonchalantly against a tall launch tower. He gazed up at the star-shaped configuration of satellites now shining in the American sky and chuckled lightly.

“Kids… have my satellites have become your toys?”

His musings were interrupted by the rapid thumping of footsteps. A female secretary, glasses framed in red, hurried up the stairs.

“Mr. Elon Musk! Why didn’t you have your phone with you? There’s been a major incident with the Starlink project… the satellites—”

“Do you really need to report that?” Musk interrupted, raising a hand to pause her mid-sentence. His eyes were still fixed on the gradually fading star in the sky. “I can see it right there.”

“But why… why are you so calm?” The secretary adjusted her glasses, perplexed by Musk’s unnerving calmness. The hacking of Starlink, the potential fallout in stock, user trust, and reputation—it was a critical blow to one of SpaceX’s flagship endeavors and Musk’s pride.

“What’s there to panic about?” Musk replied, his voice steady and indifferent. “Where there’s a program, there are vulnerabilities. Where there are vulnerabilities, there will be hacks. It’s all inevitable. Besides, we learn far more from failures than from successes.”

Musk continued, reflective yet undisturbed, “Starlink has been operational for years, and this is its first real hack. I’m almost disappointed… I wish it got hacked more often. If hackers can’t breach Starlink, how can I uncover flaws? How can we advance our technology, enhance our safety, or push the boundaries of what we’re capable of?”

“But we lost!” the secretary insisted, her voice rising slightly as she stepped beside Musk. “On American soil, an X Country contestant used American satellites to draw a star in our sky. It’s not just a loss for Kevin Walker—it’s a loss for America.”

Musk chuckled, almost as if he found humor in the situation. “Losing is always a possibility for America, and for us. But Kevin Walker losing? No.”

He pushed off the steel frame to lean on the railing, his gaze lifting to the moon now peeking through the clouds. “Kevin Walker might seem a coward, but lose? Never.”

“After all…” Musk’s voice dropped to a whisper, imbued with a mix of respect and irony, “he’s Alan Turing.”