Genius Club
Chapter 1145 - 30 Something’s Not Right (Extra for Silver Alliance, Unparalleled Under the Heavens for 37 days!)_3

...

Listening to Jask and Angelica’s argument, Lin Xian gently nodded his head.

At present, although there are many doubts,

there is also much evidence that supports the idea that the old man is indeed Copernicus.

"Anyway, let’s get back to the surface first."

Lin Xian closed the mini-fridge containing the entangled state of time-space particles and held it in his arms.

He was still very curious about what the space-time clock reading had become at Liu Feng’s end, and how many world lines it had jumped.

Jask moved to the computer in the underground base and operated it:

"I will have my team take over here, whether it is to find some intelligence or absorb some of the technology inside, coming here and not returning empty-handed is a must."

Afterwards, the three of them left, making their way back to the surface through the winding passages to the ancient castle.

Lin Xian took out his cellphone.

Watching the signal bars on the top right corner of his phone gradually change from "no signal" to "full signal."

He had prepared himself for missed call explosions, a flood of WeChat messages, and Liu Feng’s furious roars.

However...

To his surprise,

the cellphone, with signal restored, was tranquil as a lake, without the slightest ripple – not a single message or phone call.

"Hmm?"

Lin Xian was puzzled.

That shouldn’t be the case.

Liu Feng should be monitoring the space-time clock constantly, and at this point in time, Liu Feng in China would definitely not be sleeping.

Was there a problem with the phone?

With his doubts, Lin Xian dialed Liu Feng’s number:

"Hello? Are you in the lab?"

"Yes, I am."

Liu Feng seemed always online, like he never slept.

"Any changes in the space-time clock reading?"

Footsteps were heard on the other end of the phone, and Liu Feng replied calmly:

"No change, it’s still 0.0000168. Compared to the crazy fluctuations on July 1st, these past two months have been incredibly stable."

"Strange."

Lin Xian felt it was unbelievable.

The importance of Copernicus wasn’t enough to cause even a slight fluctuation in the space-time clock?

This man was a major calamity in human history.

His death might not change humanity’s future by much... but at least it should have caused a 0.0000042 change in space-time curvature, right?

Lin Xian frowned.

He felt that this matter was really not simple.

Since there was no change in space-time curvature and world lines, there were only three possibilities:

1. Copernicus’s death was inconsequential, it did not even exceed the threshold of space-time elasticity.

2. Copernicus’s death was predetermined on the 0.0000168 world line, because this world line belongs to the future of Da Vinci, thus whether Copernicus dies sooner or later makes no difference.

3. Copernicus did not die at all; they killed the wrong person.

4. Copernicus really died, but he was not just an individual; he could have been two people or even a group... Hence, even if one Copernicus died, it wouldn’t affect their overall future plan.

It was the familiar four-choice phase again.

Which one is the answer?

He hung up the phone.

Lin Xian walked up to the castle walls, gazing into the distance.

It’s truly disgusting.

He’s talking about Copernicus.

Dead but not extinct; clearly killed him, yet he continues to disgust people and makes them feel uneasy.

In the eyes of Angelica and Jask,

The existing evidence was already sufficient to prove that the old man who just died was the despicable Copernicus.

Lin Xian did not deny this point.

It’s just that they could not find absolute evidence.

Now,

The most urgent thing is to find a way to concretely prove—

[Whether Copernicus is really dead or not.]

But the problem is,

How to prove it?

With the death of that old man, everyone, everyone in this world, had all their leads on Copernicus severed.

Copernicus’s existence has utterly vanished, evaporated from history and the future.

"Eh?"

That’s not right.

Lin Xian blinked, gazing into the distance at Lake Brienz’s waters coursing eastward, ancient and enduring.

The long river.

It was like a long river of history.

Truly very long, so very, very long.

Even starting from the present, the year 2024, it spans 600 years to the end of time in 2624.

600 years.

It sounds so casual when mentioned, but it’s actually an incredibly extensive span of time.

Facing the grandeur of the grasslands.

Lin Xian watched the gentle flow of Lake Brienz’s water moving eastward.

The water here has flowed for at least 600 years.

Would it care about a particular year’s rain? Would it care about a flock of sheep that happened to drink from it one day?

Clearly not.

Just as with this 600-year long historical river.

At this moment, Lin Xian truly realized—

[The future planning among Genius Club members and the battles between them span hundreds of years.]

[In a match that continues for 600 years, why bother about the gains and losses of a few years, or even a few decades?]

If one considers the future these geniuses envision, the plans they intend to execute, all lay in the distant centuries ahead.

Then, who holds a slight advantage or who is a bit ahead in the year 2024 is utterly insignificant.

Because the main battleground of this game isn’t in 2024 at all—it’s in the distant future!

Under such a premise.

The whole premise is that the geniuses first need to find a way to survive until the future to carry out their plans.

To live is to contribute; longevity is the key.

Then.

How can one silently lurk in the long river of history, building up potential, and seizing the critical moment to emerge and secure victory?

All of a sudden.

Lin Xian recalled the words he used to deceive Ji Xinshui in the interrogation room:

"Ji Xinshui, do you know why the Genius Club can so mysteriously remain hidden within the long river of history, without leaving a trace?"

"That’s because... the members of the Genius Club are history themselves; they have long ago merged into history, detached from the real world, naturally, they would not leave any traces."

"As long as one is alive, they will leave traces in history. But it’s different for the dead... the dead don’t attract attention, and they don’t leave real traces in this world. This way, one can conceal oneself and the organization within the long river of history, quietly manipulating the guitar strings of the future."

"Your final test is to vanish from reality, to use a Feigned Death to completely conceal your existence, silently influencing space-time and fate."

...

Lin Xian took a deep breath.

These words, they were all fabrications he made up at the time to trick Ji Xinshui into confessing and accepting the death penalty.

To anyone else among the Seven Sins, nobody would believe Lin Xian’s nonsense.

Only the delusional and arrogant Ji Xinshui believed them to be true, treating death with equanimity, to embrace his grand death, to meet the applause of Copernicus.

Hidden within the long river of history...

Manipulating the future guitar strings...

These were clearly lies he casually fabricated.

But now.

They sound more and more real!

Feigned Death.

Thinking of this keyword that deceived Ji Xinshui.

The phrases once spoken, like a boomerang, echo around him.

"Could it be..."

Lin Xian held his breath.

He turned back.

Looking towards the direction where the underground base was located.

There, on the central mechanical rotating chair.

Lay a corpse with limbs distorted, skull shattered, and blood drained.

This...

Could such a complete death still count as Feigned Death?

He always felt something was amiss, gulped and muttered:

"Could it really be..."

"A self-fulfilling prophecy?"