“Heh, then let’s see what you’re capable of.”

Newton made a gesture of taking off his glasses, his body turning transparent, transforming into afterimages, gradually disappearing into the golden hall.

Lin Xian gazed at the spot where Newton had vanished.

Then, he bent down and pressed the button on the side of Einstein’s seat.

Instantly.

Holographic projections from all directions retreated like a tide, and magnificent and luxurious backdrops, decorations, and chandeliers disappeared one after another.

Even the virtual Rhine cat mask on Lin Xian’s face dimmed in an instant.

In a short span of ten seconds.

The bright virtual gathering site vanished, and the underground shelter returned to its original state.

“It seems, this button is the switch to control the Genius Club gathering system.”

Lin Xian analyzed:

“Only when the gathering system is activated can members connect to the VR network via the Gold Badge and come to the venue in virtual form to participate in gatherings.”

“The routine gatherings 200 years ago were at a fixed time, held promptly at 00:42 on the 1st of every month. Einstein only needed to activate this system in advance.”

“The problem is… it’s now 2234, and the gatherings have been suspended for over 200 years. How did Newton manage to arrive and participate so quickly?”

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes, reaching a not-so-complex conclusion:

“[This indicates that Newton is constantly monitoring the Genius Club’s activities and likely has automated equipment helping him monitor whether the gathering system is activated 24/7.]”

“[And the omniscient Einstein naturally knew this, so he was very certain that as long as the gathering system was activated, Newton would definitely enter the venue as soon as possible to assess the situation.]”

As Lin Xian analyzed, he walked down the steps and sat in front of Newton’s seat, No. 3.

This high-backed chair belonged to Newton.

Lin Xian intended to sit in this chair, imagine himself as Newton, and empathize with Newton in order to deduce and profile Newton’s thoughts.

He raised his head.

The first thing he saw was Copernicus’s seat, No. 2, directly opposite him.

“Newton and Copernicus, as the earliest members of the Genius Club, are not the mortal enemies they appear to be on the surface. Instead, they are good friends with common ideals and beliefs, or perhaps… [Comrades], [Brothers-in-arms].”

Lin Xian closed his eyes.

He began to imagine the scene of the Genius Club’s earliest offline gatherings.

Perhaps it was a small villa with a burning fireplace,

Perhaps it was a cozy little clubhouse with warm lighting.

Back then, the Genius Club had only three people. Einstein, wearing an Einstein mask, sat in the host’s seat, while Copernicus and Newton sat to his left and right, respectively.

Copernicus should have been older, and Newton younger; but even young, he probably wasn’t that young, considering Da Vinci saw Newton as an old man.

"No."

Lin Xian shook his head, discovering a blind spot:

“[If Copernicus and Newton had formed a strategic alliance from the beginning to deceive the other geniuses… it’s difficult to determine whether Newton was truly an old man or deliberately posing as one.]”

“[And… is it even possible that Copernicus and Newton were a closer father-son relationship? They only forced the creation of a sense of antagonism, so the young Newton disguised himself as an old man of similar age, in order to deceive others?]”

……

This was a very bold idea.

But it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Because.

Copernicus was too old, so frail that even a hibernation pod couldn’t save him.

But Newton, 200 years later, was still lively and energetic thanks to the hibernation pod.

This was absolute proof, sufficient to demonstrate that… Newton’s true age was definitely younger than Copernicus; likewise, he was also much younger than the appearance Da Vinci and Galileo saw.

“You two are hiding things very well.”

Lin Xian continued to deduce.

As the first two members of the Genius Club, it wasn’t surprising that they colluded and shared the same goals.

What was strange was…

“What’s the meaning?”

His brows furrowed.

This was something Lin Xian couldn’t understand.

First.

The two of them certainly wouldn’t be silly enough to play house and deceive Einstein.

Einstein was omniscient and omnipotent, naturally knowing that they were acting and knowing what their plans and conspiracies were.

But this didn’t violate the club’s charter and was also part of the two’s joint plan, which Einstein tacitly allowed.

“The cooperation between Copernicus and Newton is essentially no different from my cooperation with Musk… From another perspective, wasn’t the act of Musk and I pretending not to know each other a kind of charade to deceive others?”

“Hmm… viewed this way, the two of them must have started playing the role of ‘bitter rivals’ after the next member, Galileo, joined the club; before that, the two of them were frank with each other, openly asking Einstein questions, taking full advantage of their favorable position.”

Thinking back to the scene of Copernicus and Newton jointly "interrogating" Einstein, it was indeed a bit funny.

But undeniably.

If these two initial senior members were in cahoots, the intelligence and secrets they could obtain would be beyond imagination.

“This explains why Einstein, at the end of his life, led Newton to me.”

Lin Xian opened his eyes, thoroughly understanding Einstein’s good intentions:

“[Copernicus and Newton know many secrets that I don’t know, and they are all very important secrets… Einstein is guiding me, wanting me to focus my attention and goals on Newton.]”

“This way, I can roughly understand why Copernicus and Newton played the roles of villainous demon and righteous leader.”

“First of all, it can perfectly hide their purpose, plan, and relationship, and as more and more members join the Genius Club, the restrictions on questioning will inevitably increase. Under this premise… their antagonistic relationship can better grasp the initiative.”

“The same goes for intelligence. Copernicus is absent from meetings for long periods of time, but he doesn’t miss any key information, because Newton tells him everything; at the same time, even if Newton hangs up and doesn’t ask any questions, he won’t lack any answers, because Copernicus can ask questions for him, allowing Newton to hide even deeper.”

“In general, Copernicus and Newton are so cautious… indicating that they are still very afraid of their plan being exposed and others learning about the truth of the cosmic constant 42.”

Lin Xian stood up from the chair and paced in the underground shelter:

“But for me, if I want to continue to delve into the truth of Einstein, the Millennium Pillar, and the doomsday white light, I must start with Newton’s secrets and the cosmic constant 42.”

“This is also my next main quest—”

“[Find Newton from the vast sea of people to further investigate the truth about the cosmic constant 42!]”

His thoughts were clear.

Lin Xian also breathed a sigh of relief.

He returned to the experimental platform, looking at the small oven containing the spacetime particles and the watch gift box.

He opened the oven.

He reached inside.

He took out this gift that had been deposited for 300 years…

Thanks to the local time-stopping properties of ordinary spacetime particles, the small gift box in his hand was still as good as new, as if it hadn’t been touched by the passage of time.

He pinched both sides and opened the small gift box.

A silver watch with a somewhat dim luster came into view. The hour, minute, and second hands had been stopped for a long time, as if it wasn’t the spacetime particles that locked time, but this un-wound watch.

He raised his wrist.

Lin Xian placed the watch on his pulse, feeling the coolness.

As he fastened the iron buckle, this 20-dollar watch from 1952 was officially worn on Lin Xian’s hand.

After casually winding the knob a few turns…

Click, click, click.

The 300 years of stagnant time began to turn, and the crisp sound of gears traveled from 1952 to the present.

“This is the most precious watch I’ve ever worn.”

Lin Xian said softly.

This was a gift bought by a poor Brooklyn girl with all her savings, surpassing all the Rolexes in the world.

At the bottom of the square little gift box, there was a slightly yellowed piece of paper folded up.

Lin Xian picked it up.

Even though it felt like he had just opened and looked at it a few days ago.

But now.

He felt the sun and moon turning, the galaxy inverted, and the world changing…

Of course, he knew what was written on the note.

It was a gentle instruction, telling him that daylight saving time would end tomorrow, and to remember to set the watch back one hour.

Now, it was December 2234.

“Indeed, it’s winter time.”

Lin Xian suddenly thought.

In the hafnium alloy safe of the Thames Bank, there was also a small note written to him by Chu Anqing.

Coincidentally.

That little note was also covered with spacetime particles, placed in a rice cooker-like spacetime particle capture device.

“According to Einstein’s theory, that little note, including that rice cooker, is also in a state of suspended time. No matter how long it’s placed, it won’t be damaged or aged.”

“What exactly did Chu Anqing write on the little note?”

He vaguely remembered that on the spaceplane, Chu Anqing wrote two lines of words in a rustling rhythm; these two lines were not very long, and they were written quickly.

In fact, for Lin Xian now, it was no longer meaningful to identify the truth of the dream based on that little note.

Even without this little note, it wouldn’t prevent him from working hard to save the Millennium Pillar and save humanity’s future.

But.

Whenever he recalled Chu Anqing’s firm and resolute eyes on the spaceplane; as well as that weathered, bearded man in CC’s memory fragments…

“Perhaps that little note is not only important to me, but also equally important to the Millennium Pillar, CC, and Chu Anqing.”

“Hopefully, when I change the worldline next time and enter the next dream, I can find the long-lost safe.”

Now, Lin Xian was in the underground shelter, and with the Faraday cage formed by the building’s various hafnium alloy structures, his phone had no signal.

So, even if the spacetime clock reading changed and the worldline shifted, Liu Feng’s call wouldn’t come in.

However.

Lin Xian felt that the probability of the worldline changing was not high.

This worldline, where humanity was nearly annihilated, was itself jointly forged by several geniuses. Einstein’s death, as Newton said, would only make the worldline more stable.

Currently.

If they wanted the worldline to change, they had to start with Newton or Galileo.

Galileo was still in a state of disappearance and disconnection.

There was even reason to believe that he might hibernate directly until 2600, causing a super disaster.

In comparison.

It was easier to find Newton, who had revealed his fox tail.

Lin Xian closed the small oven and went to the other side of the underground shelter to check.

He unexpectedly discovered…

There were many daily necessities and support facilities here.

A large amount of canned food, a large amount of stored water, various nuclear batteries, and even an intact [Hibernation Pod].

“Einstein obviously doesn’t need these things. He doesn’t need to eat or drink, nor does he need to hibernate.”

Lin Xian carefully checked and found that neither the hibernation pod nor the food showed any signs of use.

It seemed that Einstein was just preparing for a rainy day.

An underground shelter should look like an underground shelter. Although he couldn’t use it, it should have everything it needed.

Lin Xian turned and left, exploring other places, which were basically the same as an ordinary shelter, with nothing new and almost no signs of use.

It was hard to imagine…

Had Einstein spent these hundreds of years sitting in a chair, alone?

Perhaps, he had been searching for a way out for humanity’s future;

Perhaps, he had been waiting for a reunion with Douglas;

Perhaps, he had been immersed in a false future, silently waiting for that day to come.

“Einstein, I will also remember this debt for you.”

Lin Xian looked at the place where Einstein had fallen and dissipated:

“The wronged have their avengers, and the debtors have their creditors. No matter who the mastermind behind releasing those two spacetime particles is, I will settle the score with them.”

“Save Chu Anqing, save CC, figure out the cosmic constant 42, solve the doomsday white light… I estimate that the answers to these four things are all inseparable from this mastermind.”

“So, the first step, step by step, is to find out Newton’s true identity and start with him.”

Walking behind Einstein’s seat, Lin Xian touched the hafnium alloy-encased computers and servers.

These devices should be the foundation of the Genius Club’s gathering system.

According to the information he had obtained, the gathering’s security system and logic program were written by the genius hacker Kevin Walker.

In the early days, the permissions were all with Kevin Walker, who knew the real identities of all the members; after Kevin Walker was killed by himself, the permissions fell under Einstein’s control.

Theoretically, from the data in these devices, it should be possible to lock down Newton’s real identity.

But…

“If things were really that simple, then Newton shouldn’t have been so arrogant and calm just now; since he knew that I killed Einstein, he must be able to guess that I found the Genius Club’s base camp, and it wouldn’t be difficult to guess that I could analyze the connection data in the network server.”

“But even so, Newton doesn’t care at all, nor is he afraid of me finding him… Is he bluffing, or is the security system designed by Kevin Walker rock-solid and impeccable?”

Lin Xian straightened up:

“In any case, let’s try to find a way to try it out first.”

He turned around, looking back at the once lively, but now deserted, Genius Club:

“It’s better not to let too many people know about this underground shelter. This is a place that Newton, Copernicus, and a group of geniuses can’t find, extremely hidden; it can be said to be the safest place on Earth, and it might save lives at a critical moment.”

“So, I’ll just bring Musk over and see if there’s any way to extract the data from the server.”

“If Musk can’t do it either…”

Lin Xian stretched.

Remembering his old friend who had been pretending to be stupid for a long time, and also his last and most powerful trump card:

“Then I can only find a way to eliminate the future virus and revive VV!”