Genius Club

Lin Xian nodded. “These past few days, I’ve been waiting for you all to contact me. That’s why I’ve been coming to the office every morning, just to make sure you could find me easily. I even told the front desk that if anyone comes looking for me or brings me any letters, they should send them directly to my office without asking questions or stopping them. Honestly, no one usually comes to see me anyway.”

“To put it simply, as long as Copernicus entrusted Elon Musk with investigating the time-space particles, my plan was already halfway to success.”

Lin Xian then explained to Angelica how he had lured Copernicus into the Genius Club.

Angelica also shared everything about Elon Musk’s arrangements. The current situation was this:

Copernicus hadn’t fully believed what Lin Xian said at the gathering, but he knew one thing—Elon Musk had successfully captured a time-space particle before. So, it was likely that SpaceX had detection equipment, capture tools, and related data. He ordered his female assistant to verify the authenticity of the time-space particle intel. Unfortunately for Copernicus, his caution kept him in the shadows, always disconnected, and he hadn’t realized that the assistant he had planted beside Elon Musk had already been swapped for someone else.

In his mind, the hierarchy went like this—Copernicus commanded his assistant, who directed the fake Elon Musk. But the reality was different.

Copernicus instructed Angelica to cooperate with Elon Musk.

Lin Xian twirled a pen on his desk and let out a low chuckle. “We’ve been going in circles, getting played by Copernicus for so long. Now, it’s our turn to play him.”

“Angelica, when you get back, tell Elon Musk the information I gave you. Have him forge a detection signal for a time-space particle, and say that on August 24th, one did indeed enter Earth’s atmosphere.

“That way, Copernicus will definitely order Elon Musk to capture it. Given Copernicus’s cautious nature, I doubt he’d leave the time-space particle outside during his hibernation—he’d probably keep it right next to his pod to feel safe.

“So, this is our only chance to locate Copernicus. Whether he sends someone to collect the particle or asks you to deliver it personally, or if Elon Musk installs a tracker inside an empty small refrigerator, Copernicus’s location will surely be exposed, and we’ll be able to find him.”

This was the plan Lin Xian had come up with in a moment of urgency. It wasn’t flawless, but it was their only shot.

Copernicus was about to enter a two-hundred-year hibernation, and no one knew where his secret base was. At present, all hibernation technology was open source—the once challenging hibernation pod fluid had been mastered, and side-effect drugs were developed, making hibernation pods mass-produced with no technical barrier. The crafty old fox could simply disappear, and with no identifiable information about him, finding him would be nearly impossible.

They had to seize this opportunity.

“I understand,” Angelica nodded. “Elon Musk thinks the same. He even has plenty of spare small refrigerators to use, and faking the detection signal won’t be an issue.”

“I have to admit, Elon Musk’s acting skills are impressive. He’s been playing the fake version of himself for quite some time now.” Angelica smiled faintly. “Pretending to be his own decoy—that’s a challenge even for Hollywood actors. But luckily, Elon Musk has always been familiar with his double, so he’s doing it quite effortlessly.”

Lin Xian stopped twirling his pen, recalling the intelligence he managed to gather from Copernicus at the last meeting. He looked up at Angelica.

“About what I promised you—I got the answer. I’ve confirmed that the one who killed Ji Lin’s parents and the group of mathematicians was indeed Copernicus.”

He stood up, pacing the room. “Copernicus even boasted that he’s a kind and principled person. He said that any child orphaned by his actions would be taken care of and raised well.

“From this, I’m almost certain that the orphan he mentioned must be Ji Lin. After all, you were once in the Seven Deadly Sins, so you know Copernicus’s principle—he doesn’t kill the innocent. Of course, ‘innocent’ is defined by him.

“So, how likely is it for both parents to be mathematicians? From what I can tell, no one else in the Genius Club matches the profile of a similar crime.”

“Ha,” Angelica scoffed. “Kind? Principled? That old man sure knows how to spin things. This is actually great news for me—nothing is more thrilling than knowing he’s the one behind it.”

She glanced at her wristwatch. “It’s getting late, Lin Xian. I have to go. I managed to come to this country only because Copernicus was busy preparing for his secret hibernation, but I can’t stay too long. I need to get back and continue my role as his assistant.”

Lin Xian nodded, walking her to the door. “Take care, Angelica, and stay safe.”

“Don’t worry.” Angelica looked back, her long hair swaying like a waterfall in the air. She flashed Lin Xian a smile. “You too.”

On August 24th, at midnight in the U.S., a starship carrying a spacecraft was launched from the Boca Chica launch center into outer space. Officially, it was announced as a collaborative test with NASA, with no further details disclosed.

SpaceX and NASA’s relationship had always been complicated, both in plain sight and behind the scenes. This mission didn’t attract much attention. Twenty hours later, the spacecraft landed secretly. An astronaut emerged, carrying a small white refrigerator, and under secret protection, they boarded a special vehicle bound for SpaceX headquarters.

“Heh, this is amazing,” said the man who looked like Elon Musk, patting the small fridge. “I’ve seen Elon Musk messing with this thing so often, I thought he had a thing for white home appliances or maybe had some sort of collection hobby. Who would’ve guessed—it’s not actually a fridge!”

“What a strange idea. If it’s not a fridge, why design it to look like one? Why not make it a microwave, a vacuum cleaner, or a rice cooker?”

“You’re talking too much.” The female assistant beside him pushed up her red-framed glasses and glared at him. “Even when it’s just the two of us, don’t forget your role as Elon Musk. This is a 24/7 job, and you can’t slack off for even a minute.”

“Oh no! You’re lying!” the Elon Musk lookalike shouted dramatically, clutching his head. “You haven’t provided me with the proper conditions to be Elon Musk 24/7! The world’s richest man, Elon Musk—does he sleep alone in his bed every night? Is his fancy car for hauling sugarcane? Is his villa for storing potatoes?

“Women! Women! I’m supposed to be playing the world’s wealthiest playboy, and if I don’t have models or movie stars with me at night, how can I truly get into character?”

“Enough! Shut up!” The assistant shot him a fierce glare, then looked at the encrypted communicator, which was now glowing green—a sign someone was trying to reach them.

No doubt, it was Copernicus.

The encrypted communicator wasn’t capable of making free calls, and could only be used for one-way communication.

The assistant pressed the call button.

The video feed was off; only a voice came through. “Is the capture successful?” It was the raspy voice of an elderly man.

With the camera pointed at her, the man pretending to be Elon Musk leaned over and waved at the screen. “Hey, boss! You should’ve called sooner; that way, you could’ve heard my urgent request. I’ve run into some insurmountable difficulties in my job of impersonating Elon Musk, and I urgently need Victoria’s help.

“Ahem, I mean, Victoria’s Secret—can I get approval for that?”

However, neither the raspy-voiced elder nor the assistant paid any attention to the actor.

“The capture was successful,” the assistant replied softly, pointing to the small white fridge beside her. “What should we do next? Are you coming to get it, or should we deliver it to you? Or perhaps store it somewhere for safekeeping?”

“Open it.”

The elder’s voice was hoarse but calm. “Point the camera at the fridge. Open the door and let me see inside.”

The assistant turned to look at the Elon Musk impersonator. He didn’t react.

“What’s wrong?” The elder’s voice grew stern. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

“Huh? What?” The Elon Musk lookalike cupped his hand around his ear and shouted, “Boss, is your signal weak over there? I can’t hear what you’re saying! Did you approve my request? Can I choose which Victoria’s Secret model—no, no, I mean, how many models?

“How many did you approve for me?”

“I said, open the fridge!” The elder’s voice grew sharper, full of authority.

“Oh, oh! So, open the fridge, huh?”

The man who looked like Elon Musk pouted as he started typing in the password on the screen, mumbling to himself.

“So my suggestion got rejected, huh? I mean, if I can’t really live like the richest guy in the world, how am I supposed to act like it?” he grumbled.

“Ha, you’re doing a pretty good job of pretending, aren’t you?” came the sarcastic response.

The secretary, her patience clearly running thin, entered the last digits on the small fridge’s keypad and yanked the door open with a click. “We don’t need you anymore, fake Elon Musk. Now get out of the way, don’t block the camera!” she snapped.

Elon Musk’s lookalike mumbled something under his breath as he obediently moved aside. The secretary picked up the encrypted communicator and aimed the camera inside the small fridge. She could hear the old man’s breath on the other end of the line, growing more and more rapid.

Inside the fridge, two small blue orbs sparked with electricity, violently revolving around a non-existent center axis, spinning faster and faster without a moment’s pause.

The crackling electricity, the vivid blue glow, the constant clashing of the orbs’ core—it was mesmerizing. This mysterious object, with its unworldly beauty, held a sense of immense power that was both fascinating and terrifying.

A dry, raspy chuckle came through the communicator. “Heh heh, yes… very good, very good. This is it, exactly the same.”

The secretary held the communicator steadily, letting the old man admire the scene for a while before she spoke.

“This time-space particle capture device was left behind by Elon Musk. There are still a lot of functions we don’t understand, but ever since we got our hands on it, we haven’t been able to detect any signals from our probes.”

“Hmm.” The old man paused, deep in thought. “It’s probably related to the energy and activity levels, but we don’t need to worry about that for now. When I need it, I can just ask someone for the answers.”

He paused before continuing, “Now, I’m sending you an address. Bring that time-space particle and the fridge along with it. Only you and fake Elon Musk. No one else is to know—keep the trip completely confidential.”

“What?” Fake Elon Musk, lounging on the sofa, jumped up, pointing at himself in disbelief. “Me too? Why me? I’m not going! You guys must think I’m worthless now and want to get rid of me! I’m not going! And besides, we didn’t agree to this kind of work earlier!”

Click.

The secretary pulled a handgun out of her coat pocket, pointing it at the man standing next to the sofa. “What’s that? Isn’t playing Elon Musk on a business trip part of your job description? One word—go or don’t go.”

“Cough, cough.” The Elon Musk lookalike cleared his throat, slowly raising his hands. “You’ve got it wrong. I’m fine with a business trip… but—” He gave a sly grin, licking his lips. “There’s got to be some extra pay for the trip, right?”

The encrypted call ended abruptly, the screen showing a location. The secretary read it out loud, “Interlaken, Switzerland.”

Interlaken is a city in the Bernese canton of Switzerland. The name originates from Latin and means “between two lakes.”

Indeed, the city lay between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Known as the “Heavenly Town,” it was a place of scenic beauty and mild weather, one of Switzerland’s oldest resort destinations.

Beyond the city, wide, lush meadows stretched out, dotted with castle-like buildings nestled between the low hills. In Switzerland, land was privately owned, and much of the area around this “Heavenly Town” belonged to wealthy individuals who built vacation villas, ranches, estates, wine cellars, and whatever else their hearts desired.

Deep within the maze of underground bunkers there, a man and a woman walked in, one in front of the other.

The woman held a square white mini-fridge in her arms, while the man opened the base’s heavy door. They stepped inside, greeted by a bright, fully illuminated scene.

Unlike the ancient castle above, filled with relics of history, this underground base was brimming with state-of-the-art technology—supercomputers, cryo-chambers, robots, and other large, unfamiliar equipment. It was as if stepping from the twisting underground passage was akin to entering a time tunnel, bringing them into a future world.

It was evident the owner valued secrecy. There wasn’t a single living soul in the enormous underground base—just robots of all shapes and sizes, quietly at work.

The secretary led the man, who looked like Elon Musk, forward, and both of them glanced around in awe. Finally, they saw an old man sitting on a mechanical swivel chair in the central hall. He turned to face them.

Most of his hair was gone, his face wrinkled, his eyebrows gray, and he had no beard. His voice was weak but commanding: “Children, bring me the time-space particle.”

The Elon Musk lookalike, amused, blocked the path of an approaching robot, moving back and forth in its way. The poor robot shifted left and right, trying to get around, and Elon Musk’s lookalike laughed as if he was teasing a dog.

The secretary stepped up, still holding the fridge, and entered the code. The door opened, and she placed it on the floor in front of the elderly man.

The old man lowered his head slightly, smiling as he saw the entangled particles inside, swirling in endless dance. “A wonderful gift, truly—my thanks to Rhine for this.”

Then…

With a sudden boom, the underground base door was shoved open, and a tall young man strode in, silhouetted against the bright corridor lights.

The old man squinted, trying to see who had entered, and his eyes filled with doubt. “Lin Xian?”

Click, click!

As the intruder made his entrance, the secretary and the man who resembled Elon Musk quickly drew their guns, pointing them at Lin Xian’s temples to keep him from coming any closer.

The old man gave a dry chuckle, shaking his head. “Let’s see now, who do we have here? So you found your way here because you noticed something off with Elon Musk? It’s too late, I’m afraid. Silly boy, did you really think I don’t hold grudges? You just weren’t important enough for me to deal with. I respect every scientist I kill, but you—you’re not worth my respect.”

He sneered. “Coming here so recklessly, without any real plan… This entire base is under my control. What do you think you can do against me?”

“You’re right, Copernicus.” Lin Xian’s calm voice cut through the tension. “But it seems you’re stealing my lines.” He raised his right hand, palm open, and Copernicus stared in shock as the Elon Musk-lookalike lowered his gun and placed it gently in Lin Xian’s palm.

Lin Xian flicked his fingers, and the black gun twirled in his grasp. He smiled slightly, tilting his head at Copernicus. “This entire place belongs to me now. What do you have left to fight me with?”

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