Chapter 518 Newton (Thank you to boss Xiaoyu Qizi Hua for the Alliance Master reward!)

Einstein, his frail arms supporting himself on the chair, stood up.

"Rhine..."

His voice trembled.

His entire body was shaking.

"No..."

His right hand pinched the *Melancholy Einstein* mask on his face, slowly lifting it upward until it fell off.

It was an extremely familiar face.

Just now, just 300 years ago, in 1952, he had seen this most famous and greatest physicist in history countless times—

Albert Einstein.

He was indeed eternally young.

Time had stopped for him.

Whether it was his appearance, his hair, or even the wrinkles on his face… they were exactly the same as the elderly man in 1952, not even a bit different.

Before this.

No one could have guessed that under the Einstein mask was truly Einstein!

This was an extremely clever scheme, an open plot.

At the same time...

It could also hide his bright blue eyes, preventing unnecessary attention.

At this moment.

Those blue eyes, spanning time, met Lin Xian's across the carpet, across 300 years, his lips trembled in shock, and his hoarse voice spoke in disbelief:

"Douglas... Douglas?"

Lin Xian nodded.

He smiled slightly:

"Einstein, long time no see."

"I said I would definitely come to you to get my watch back. Did you... did you keep it safe for me?"

Einstein bit his lip, covered his eyes with his hand, and fell back into the chair.

Lin Xian couldn't see his expression.

But he could feel it...

[Einstein is in great pain.]

More than excitement, remembrance, relief, and the joy of reunion... there was more pain.

Why was this great man in such pain?

Perhaps.

During these 300 years, Einstein had been looking forward to reuniting with Douglas, yet he had also been terrified of reuniting with Douglas.

Back in 1952, he didn't see a future where he reunited with Douglas; but at the time, Douglas insisted that there would be a day when they would meet again...

[Contradictory futures must mean that one of them is false.]

If.

All of this.

Everything he had seen was false… then what had he been doing all this time?

"No, Douglas, this isn't right."

Einstein raised his head.

His bright, clear blue eyes were full of melancholy:

"You were also hit by time-space particles, but why... why have your eyes turned black again?"

Lin Xian shook his head:

"Remember the last question I asked you at the Genius Club meeting? I originally thought you were lying, but now it seems... you weren't lying, but you simply couldn't see that part of history."

"In 1952, a girl did turn into blue stardust and disappear; another time-space particle didn't hit me, but hit that girl; you can see all futures, so you should know very well that I just came back from 1952 in a time-travel machine."

"The reason lies here. The history that you didn't see because you were unconscious seriously misled your judgment. Douglas wasn't a native of 1952, but a time-traveler, which is... me."

"My blue eyes weren't caused by being hit by time-space particles like you, but by the effects of time-space rejection. You are so smart, standing at the pinnacle of human intelligence, I've explained it this much, you should have figured out a lot of things, right?"

...

Listening to Lin Xian's words, the words of his old friend Douglas.

Einstein closed his eyes.

He lowered his head.

Like a child who had made a mistake.

Over the years, during these 300 years, he had been constantly looking forward to reuniting with Douglas.

But no matter how many times the world lines and future trajectories changed, he had never seen Douglas's shadow in the futures he could see.

This friend was like he had vanished from the face of the earth, as if he had never existed.

But he never gave up.

Just as Lin Xian had said, he had renovated the farm on the ground many times, each time strictly replicating the way it looked when Douglas left in 1952, and he even ensured that every fence, every brick, and every tile was perfectly restored.

The purpose of doing this... was to worry that one day Douglas wouldn't be able to find him, that he would get lost in the ever-changing Brooklyn.

Including the layout of each house, the location of the simple elevator, and even the scenery of the roads nearby, all remained in 1952, like an old-fashioned movie.

Einstein knew very well what it would mean if Douglas really appeared in front of him one day.

Just like today.

Lin Xian told him about the part of history he couldn't see, and came to retrieve the watch in Douglas's identity.

Everything was self-evident.

"I kept your watch safe for you."

Einstein sat on the black wooden chair without getting up; he raised his weak arm and pointed to the [oven] on the corner table:

"I admit, Douglas, I didn't expect you to come back for the watch... but I never went back on my word. Even though I couldn't see this scene, I still kept my promise."

Lin Xian walked forward.

He looked at the dusty but still brand-new oven.

This feeling was strange.

The style of this oven was very old, and it looked like it had been around for a long time, and the dust on it also showed that it had been placed here for a long time.

But why... was it still so new?

With a sense of doubt.

Lin Xian opened the oven, which wasn't very big—

A burst of intense blue light shone on his face.

He saw...

Inside the oven, a time-space particle was suspended in the center!

This device, shaped like an oven, was actually a time-space particle catcher; it was similar to Liu Feng's rice cooker and Jask's small refrigerator.

He bent down and looked inside the oven.

Since this time-space particle was bound, it must be inactive, but the intense blue electric sparks on it indicated that it still contained energy.

He never thought that Einstein would also have a time-space particle hidden away; he didn't know when he acquired it, but judging from the style of the oven, it should be earlier than Liu Feng's and Jask's.

Because this time-space particle was in a "inactive but with energy" state, it couldn't be detected by either the detector or the observatory.

Looking at it this way...

[No one can be sure how many time-space particles actually exist on Earth, they just can't be detected.]

At the same time.

Lin Xian also noticed that inside the oven, besides the time-space particle, there was also a small white square gift box.

It was the watch that First Generation Zhuang CC had bought for him with all her savings.

But the problem was, this small gift box was also "new" to an excessive degree.

What kind of paper box could last 300 years without decaying?

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes.

Could it be...

Was this also a "Ship of Theseus watch"?

He didn't want this to be the result. Even if the watch inside was rusted into a pile of black sludge, Lin Xian would still cherish it.

He just wanted the original $20 watch, whether it was intact or damaged, he just wanted the original one.

Seeming to see Lin Xian's concerns, Einstein with blue eyes in the black wooden chair slowly said:

"Don't worry, Douglas, this is one of the characteristics of ordinary time-space particles. As long as they have energy, they can keep the [state of stopped time] within a small surrounding area."

"This range is very small, roughly the size of the oven, so I didn't lie to you... I did keep your watch in good condition, as new as ever; this watch is also equally precious to me."

So that's how it was.

Lin Xian really didn't know this knowledge point before.

Because his ordinary time-space particle had always been kept in the Tyme Bank safe deposit box, and he had never opened it to confirm it.

Since there was indeed no problem with the watch, Lin Xian wasn't in a hurry to take it out and look at it. The top priority was still to solve the problem with Einstein.

He closed the oven door.

He turned around and walked towards Einstein:

"Einstein, tell me, what kind of futures did you see before?"

Einstein looked worried:

"The futures I saw were all about humanity destroying itself due to various situations... without exception, they all stemmed from self-destruction; either they mastered uncontrollable power, or certain huge projects went out of control."

"I tried my best to avoid all of this, to change all of this... together with the geniuses of the Genius Club, but I could never find the most perfect future. Every world line ended with the self-destruction of humanity."

"Except for the current world line. This world line is the most perfect world line, humanity is unprecedentedly united, technology is unprecedentedly developed, and even after thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of years... human civilization is still thriving in the universe."

Speaking of this.

Einstein's tone became weak.

The moment he saw Lin Xian, he already understood the answer:

"[Douglas, did I... misjudge?]"

Lin Xian didn't speak.

He understood.

The truth, for this old man who intended to save the future but was instead used to seal off the future... was so cruel.

"I'm not too sure."

Lin Xian said euphemistically:

"I need to ask you a few questions to confirm."

He raised his head and asked the first question:

"What exactly is the cosmological constant 42?"

However...

Einstein shook his head:

"I don't know."

His voice was very soft:

"The closest I got to it was the moment I calculated 42. I only calculated its result, but I have absolutely no idea what 42 means, what it's used for."

"Even more so, I can't understand why this constant, which should be infinitely small... would actually be an integer?"

"Since then, for nearly 300 years, I have made no breakthroughs in the research of the cosmological constant. But what is certain is that the cosmos..."

Suddenly. Einstein seemed to be muted, and an invisible hand choked his throat, preventing him from making a sound!

He staggered and almost fell from the chair.

His eyes widened, panting heavily:

"How... how could it be... I..."

[Forced Evasion].

This scene, neither Lin Xian nor Einstein expected that forced evasion would appear on Einstein!

Einstein gritted his teeth, sweat oozing from his forehead, and looked at Lin Xian:

"42..."

It was the same mute again.

It was like a phone suddenly hanging up, a cell phone with the mute button pressed, a suddenly disconnected network.

Thump.

Einstein went limp and fell forward, collapsing on the ground.

"Einstein!"

Lin Xian quickly ran forward, wanting to help Einstein up.

But he found...

Transparent.

Transparent!

Einstein's body was turning transparent!

Just like... the oriole that triggered forced evasion back then!

Einstein instantly understood everything.

His heart was full of pain.

Under the violent coughing, tears seeped from the corners of his eyes; accompanied by the twitching of his body, large clumps of blue stardust fell from him.

But he still didn't give up.

He forced his eyes open, his pupils with weak blue light that was almost without luster, stared intently at Lin Xian, his voice weak:

"The doomsday white light you mentioned... the Thousand Stake Girl... I can't see any of it... I can only see..."

It was again an abrupt silence.

Einstein couldn't say anything.

And his body became as thin as a cicada's wing, and Lin Xian, supporting him, could hardly feel his weight:

"No, Einstein, don't say anything."

Lin Xian was too familiar with this scene... don't forcibly trigger forced evasion, otherwise, you can only usher in the inevitable ending of dissipation.

Although many things haven't been clarified yet.

But Lin Xian could understand Einstein's pain, could understand that Einstein was a victim, could understand Einstein's kind intentions and the fate that was cruelly manipulated:

"Don't say anything more, wait a while, we'll find a way later."

Lin Xian wanted to dissuade Einstein.

But he helplessly saw... this old man who had been immortal for hundreds of years, was now full of tears, full of regret.

Tears slid down his withered face, and before they could fall to the ground, they had already turned into blue stardust and dissipated.

At this moment, Einstein completely understood.

[He was deceived.]

Not only that...

[He was even used, induced, and did many irreversible wrong things... he was not the savior of the world and the future, but precisely, the sinner of human civilization!]

His body was extremely weak.

He still stubbornly struggled to get up, climbed to the side of the black wooden chair, and pressed a button...

Bang.

A muffled sound of electricity connecting.

The surrounding computers, monitors, and servers began to flicker, as if something had been activated.

Einstein finally turned over, lying weakly on the ground...

This was the last thing he could do, the last help to Douglas, and the last hope to salvage everything.

He looked at Lin Xian with extreme weakness and emptiness, the blue light in his eyes had completely dimmed:

"I'm sorry... for everything..."

Whirr——

Whirr——

Whirr——

Einstein's last remaining color, turned into a ball of blue on the floor, shattered into stardust, floated in the air, and disappeared...

Lin Xian squatted blankly in place.

All of this happened too fast, too suddenly.

He hadn't asked anything yet, and Einstein had dissipated because of forced evasion.

There was definitely a conspiracy behind this.

Someone was definitely deliberately creating all of this!

He stood up.

He looked at the surrounding flickering network servers.

This was the last clue Einstein left him.

At the end of his life, Einstein struggled to activate this program, there must... there must be his purpose, there must be something he wanted to tell himself!

Beep beep.

After two soft beeps.

All the surrounding machines became stable.

Then, countless holographic images were projected, using the air and walls as screens, allowing virtual images to shine into reality.

The original dark and ancient underground shelter disappeared, and colorful lights were laid down, rendering the entire underground space into a golden palace—

[The Genius Club meeting site!]

Lin Xian looked around, looking at this familiar hall...

He knew that all of this was virtual imaging, similar to a naked-eye 3D effect. It wasn't a new technology, it had already been achieved in the early 21st century.

But.

After 200 years of development, the technology was becoming more and more mature, and it was no longer necessary to wear VR headsets and VR glasses to achieve the effect of naked-eye virtual reality.

"But what is the point of all this?"

Lin Xian looked at the eight black wooden chairs below.

Four on the left and four on the right, once sat eight geniuses from different countries, with different ideals and beliefs.

There was no doubt.

At this moment, the Genius Club meeting, which had been stopped for more than 200 years, had started again.

Without Einstein,

Without notice,

And it wasn't yet 00:42, the meeting time,

Would anyone really come to the meeting?

Lin Xian looked at the roof of the extravagant crystal lamp, and found that there were also several lasers shining on his face, outlining a Rhine cat mask.

And these high-tech lasers would move with the movement of his body and head, always keeping that virtual Rhine cat mask on his face.

Now, he was again the 9th member of the Genius Club, no.9 Rhine.

But...

What was the point of a meeting with only him attending?

Lin Xian didn't sit back in his own seat on the far right and back, but turned around and sat in Einstein's number 1 seat.

He sat down.

He didn't look to the side.

He faced the brown double doors at the end of the carpet.

"No one will come to the meeting."

He said softly.

Copernicus, Da Vinci, Gauss, and Turing were all dead.

Chairman Einstein had also dissipated.

Newton, Galileo, and Jask were still alive, but without any notice, the meeting system was suddenly activated... no one would come.

Creak——

Just as Lin Xian made this judgment.

In front, the brown double doors were suddenly pushed open by a pair of strong arms...

Lin Xian looked up.

He watched a young man wearing a Newton mask push the door in and walk in.

It was [no.3 Newton]!

"Hahahaha..."

The young man wearing the Newton mask laughed loudly, clapping his hands as he walked slowly on the carpet, looking at Lin Xian:

"I didn't expect that the Genius Club would have a day to meet again! Einstein never makes mistakes, so... since something happened outside of his predictions, then there is probably only one possibility."

"Rhine, where did Einstein go? And you, why are you sitting in Einstein's seat?"

Lin Xian exhaled a long breath.

Through the virtual Rhine cat mask, he looked at the old naughty boy Newton:

"Einstein has left this world."

"Oh?"

Newton walked on the wool carpet, his tone without any surprise:

"It seems that it is as I guessed, Einstein is dead, someone took his place, and restarted the Genius Club."

"So... Rhine, is it you? Did you find Einstein, kill him, and then want to become the new chairman of the Genius Club?"

Lin Xian sat upright on the high platform.

He shook his head:

"I have absolutely no such idea."

"Hahaha, is that so, but... then why are you still sitting in Einstein's seat?"

Newton spread his hands:

"But it doesn't matter. Since that's the case, I'll take this rare opportunity to change seats too."

Saying that.

Newton changed direction, and instead of walking towards his original number 3 seat, he walked towards the opposite side... the number 2 seat that belonged to his old rival, who was always at odds with him, the long-despised Copernicus.

After he sat down.

He took off the mask with the portrait of Newton on his face and threw it on the opposite chair.

Thud.

The mask hit the number three seat, bounced twice, and fell to the ground.

Newton wiped his hair and brushed it towards the back of his head.

Then he crossed his legs and smiled at the young man on the high platform:

"Let me reintroduce myself, Lin Xian."

"From now on, you can call me... [Copernicus]!"