Genius Club

The path ahead stretched onward.

The Blue-Eyed Village Chief continued clearing the way ahead while Lin Xian followed in silence. Neither of them spoke again.

Lin Xian had come with her to hunt this time.

He originally intended to gather some information from her… even if she had lost her memory, perhaps emotions could still be a way in.

But things didn’t go as planned.

The more he tried to gather information, the blurrier things became.

This woman, the Blue-Eyed Chief, was someone Lin Xian had met before—back when she was only seventeen or eighteen.

He could feel it.

Just like in that photo. She had said it herself—she didn’t care who those three people in the foreground were. She didn’t care at all. What mattered to her… was the name Yan Qiao Qiao, written on the back. Was it really hers?

Lin Xian couldn’t quite figure it out.

If this Blue-Eyed Chief before him was indeed the Lin Yu Xi who had killed him on July 7th, triggering the second rejection of time-space…

Why had so many of her thoughts changed?

No, that’s not it.

Lin Xian suddenly realized.

It seemed he’d been overlooking something all along.

He’d always thought of Yan Qiao Qiao as one single person.

Although, biologically speaking, they were indeed the same person.

But…

Could the same body, living different lives, with different memories, still be considered the same person?

That question—

Lin Xian had pondered it long ago, but he had never come to a definite answer.

Take the Blue-Eyed Chief in front of him—she was certainly very different from the Yan Qiao Qiao of 2024.

But what if… she was compared to Lin Yu Xi from before?

Suddenly, similarities started to emerge.

So, the real question was—

If one day Yan Qiao Qiao regained her memories and reverted back to the Blue-Eyed Girl, would she lose all the memories of being Yan Qiao Qiao once she gained all of Lin Yu Xi’s memories?

If Yan Qiao Qiao’s memories were lost, she’d completely become the time-space assassin Lin Yu Xi. She’d hunt him down without any emotion—maybe even… kill him.

Lin Xian remembered the arrest video Lin Yu Xi had recorded before.

She had the authority to kill him.

Of course, the best option was to arrest him, put him in hibernation, and send him to the Time-Space Court for trial.

But now there was no Time-Space Court anymore, nor was there any Time-Space Police. Was it possible that Lin Yu Xi might simply sentence him to death and execute it on the spot?

Now, there were only twenty days left until July 7th.

Yan Qiao Qiao still showed no sign of regaining her memories. There were no indications that the entangled time-space particles were regaining energy either.

Lin Xian really couldn’t see what could make Yan Qiao Qiao regain her memories.

“Could it be some other law of time-space?”

It had been a long time since he’d grasped any new time-space laws.

It felt as if everything around him had gotten mysteriously stuck.

“I hope once I join the Genius Club, I’ll find some way to break through all this.”

Snap.

Lin Xian cut away a branch blocking the path and quickened his steps to catch up to the Blue-Eyed Chief.

He had to admit…

Finding a bear in the deep forest wasn’t easy.

He relied entirely on the chief’s incredible vision and keen sense of smell. She could spot bear tracks and paw prints and even sniff out bear droppings. She really was a natural-born hunter.

Lin Xian had no doubt about the strength of these “terminators.”

He’d been hunted before.

He’d experienced life from the perspective of a bear.

Naturally, he knew just how formidable the Blue-Eyed Chief was.

Swish!

The Blue-Eyed Chief suddenly extended her arm, stopping Lin Xian in his tracks.

“Found it.”

Lin Xian perked up, looking around.

“Where?”

“Over there.”

The Blue-Eyed Chief pointed straight ahead.

Lin Xian squinted, trying to see farther into the distance…

Sure enough!

The last rays of the setting sun were just about to disappear, casting everything into darkness. And in that final bit of light, Lin Xian barely made out the silhouette of a bear—very far away.

“So, what’s our next move?” Lin Xian looked left, then right at the surroundings. “Are we going to—huh? Where did she go?”

He blinked.

He’d only turned his head to the left for a second, and now the chief to his right had vanished.

Suddenly, realization struck him.

He quickly stood up, looking ahead.

All he saw was…

A dark figure charging straight at the grizzly bear!

Simple, direct, full-on attack!

Next thing he knew—

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Before the bear could even react, it was twisted into a bundle and tied up tightly with ropes.

“Gah?”

The grizzly looked stunned, its big, round face frozen in disbelief.

However, there was no time for it to make a second sound. The Blue-Eyed Chief swiftly tied its mouth shut as well, leaving it unable to make any sound except a muffled whimper.

By the time Lin Xian reached the bear, it was already completely immobilized, tied up like a dumpling.

The Blue-Eyed Chief patted the dust off her hands, smiled slightly, and said, “Done. Let’s give this to Lord Li as a gift. What do you think?”

“…”

Lin Xian had mixed feelings, unsure of how to respond.

Somehow, he felt a strange connection to this bear.

But there was no choice.

They needed the grizzly as their ticket into Donghai City. Lin Xian stepped forward, gently patting the bear’s head in comfort.

“Don’t worry… I won’t eat your eyes tonight.”

The bear’s eyes went wide, looking at Lin Xian in terror.

Just as Lin Xian was wondering how they were going to carry a half-ton bear down the mountain, the Blue-Eyed Chief simply turned around, grabbed the bear, and slung it over her back like it weighed nothing. She glanced back at Lin Xian.

“Keep up.”

Then, with light and effortless strides, she began her descent.

“…”

At that moment, Lin Xian truly understood the level of monsters he’d faced back in America.

And there had been two of them.

By comparison, the fight between the real and fake Lin Yu Xi seemed almost civilized. Maybe it was modern warfare’s rules that held them back, making them stick to conventional weapons and tactics.

If the Blue-Eyed Chief fought them now, Lin Xian was sure anything that could be thrown would be thrown, and there’d be no sense of decorum.

The entire way down, Lin Xian followed her, listening to the bear’s muffled cries, already planning where to hide on July 7th.

If he couldn’t stop Yan Qiao Qiao from regaining her memories by then, well… if he couldn’t win, he could still run.

He’d contact the National Security Bureau himself and ask them to protect him.

As for what would happen to Yan Qiao Qiao…

That was a problem for the future.

“She’ll have to deal with her own fate.”

Facing a daughter who would kill her father to achieve her own goals, Lin Xian felt utterly helpless.

…

Not long after, the Blue-Eyed Chief carried the bear back to Big Cat’s Village.

Big Cat Face was already eager, calling for the bear to be loaded onto an electric cart so they could head straight to Donghai City.

He waved at Lin Xian. “Let’s go, bro, time for a feast!”

Lin Xian remembered that he had already told Big Cat Face about the menu ahead of time, and the guy had decided not to eat at home so he could save room for the feast.

Er Zhuzi watched Big Cat Face start up the vehicle, looking shocked. “Big Bro! You’re not eating at home? Sis-in-law cooked for you!”

“Not tonight.” Big Cat Face backed up the cart. “Now that the chief’s back, we might as well deliver everything to Lord Li early.”

“But… but all that food Sis-in-law made will go to waste!” Er Zhuzi rubbed his hands together, raising his voice. “What if I go and eat it for you?”

“Go ahead.” Big Cat Face didn’t care, pressing down on the gas.

“Stop!” Lin Xian called out. “How can you trust Er Zhuzi so easily?”

“It’s just two bowls of rice. What’s the big deal…” Big Cat Face dismissed it. “We’re all brothers. We should share everything.”

Lin Xian patted his shoulder. “With that attitude, no wonder you’ve lived such a long, tough life.”

“Of course!” Big Cat Face said proudly. “Did you know that when I was born…”

“I know,” Lin Xian cut him off.

“The reason this village…”

“Skip.”

Vroom—

Big Cat Face stepped on the gas, the electric cart accelerating rapidly. He looked at Lin Xian with disdain.

“Talking with you is so boring!”

…

After a bumpy ride, with the bear’s muffled groans from the back, they finally reached Donghai City.

Big Cat Face unloaded the bear and went to find Lord Li to discuss his daughter’s school enrollment.

Lin Xian, meanwhile, didn’t go with him. Instead, he made his way to the plaza and found CC by the bonfire, just in time to see Li Ning Ning arriving with a baby in her arms.

“Is that Li Ning Ning?”

Seeing her new look, Lin Xian couldn’t help but smile.

The once all-black, tight-suited Li Ning Ning, who used to look like a secret agent, now wore a pale yellow dress with two neat braids falling over her shoulders.

She’d completely changed her style.

From seductive and alluring to sweet and cute.

“This suits her age more,” Lin Xian said approvingly.

“It looks like this world’s Li Ning Ning is living a happy life.”

“Of course,” CC agreed. “She’s Lord Li’s daughter, after all. She’s definitely doted on by everyone. Want to go see the baby? We can get closer.”

Lin Xian nodded, and they both approached Li Ning Ning.

“Hi.” Lin Xian waved.

Even though he and CC knew Li Ning Ning well, to her, they were complete strangers.

And sure enough, Li Ning Ning looked up at them, her eyes wary.

“Are you two from one of the villages outside? I’ve never seen you in Donghai City before.”

“Yeah,” Lin Xian smiled. “I’m from Big Cat’s Village.”

“Ah, Big Cat’s Village.” Li Ning Ning laughed. “You have a very impressive village chief—her eyes are beautiful.”

At that moment, the baby in her arms let out a soft cry, shifting slightly before drifting back to sleep.

Li Ning Ning hurried to soothe her.

Lin Xian moved to the side, catching a glimpse of the baby’s face.

Such a fair, delicate little thing. The baby’s features looked almost identical to Li Ning Ning’s.

Lin Xian also noticed that Li Ning Ning’s fingers were now smooth and pale, without a trace of the old calluses.

In the second dream, Li Ning Ning had spent every day climbing over fences and scavenging through trash, her hands roughened and scarred.

Even when she’d handed Lin Xian the peace talisman, her palm had felt like sandpaper.

In the third dream, she’d secretly practiced skydiving after her parents had died. The long hours of practice had made her hands tough and callused.

But finally, in the seventh dream, she could live like a normal girl.

Finally, Li Ning Ning had the hands of a normal young woman—soft and smooth.

“Your sister is adorable,” Lin Xian complimented.

“Thank you.” Li Ning Ning smiled brightly, more pleased than if he’d complimented her.

“Have you chosen a name yet?” Lin Xian asked.

“Not yet,” Li Ning Ning shook her head. “Father said I could pick it, but… I just haven’t been able to decide.”

“You shouldn’t overthink things when it comes to names.” Lin Xian offered, “I think a lot of beautiful names are simple—just like yours. The simpler a name, the more graceful it sounds, and the more comfortable it feels.

“On the other hand, using obscure words to sound cultured or focusing too much on meaning makes the name lose its essence. After all, a name is just something used to call and identify someone.

“So, I think there’s no need to make it so complicated. When you look at your sister—like now—whatever word or name comes to your mind first, that’s what you should choose.

“Even if it’s simple, even if it’s ordinary—it’s a name filled with feeling, carrying your wishes and hopes for her.”

He spread his hands, “That’s just my humble opinion.”

Li Ning Ning listened, thinking it over.

It made a lot of sense.

She looked up at Lin Xian.

“You sound like you’ve got experience. Do you have kids?”

“I do,” Lin Xian answered, smiling. “A daughter.”

“What?!” CC looked at him, shocked. “You have a kid?”

She found it hard to believe…

Because in all three of the memory fragments involving Lin Xian, there had been no child. Plus, wasn’t he only supposed to appear on August 28th, 2624?

“When did you even have a kid?” CC asked in disbelief. “That wasn’t in any of my memory fragments.”

Li Ning Ning was also curious. “So, what did you name your daughter?”

“Yan Qiao Qiao,” Lin Xian replied, chuckling. “But I didn’t choose it. Her mom did.”

“Her… mom?” CC blinked rapidly. “Wait, Yan Qiao Qiao… isn’t that the Village Chief? You’re messing with us!”

“Yeah!” Li Ning Ning realized she’d been fooled and huffed at Lin Xian. “You’re daring to joke about Chief Yan? Careful she doesn’t punch your head off!”

With that, she made a funny face at him and left with her sister.

“…”

CC stared at Lin Xian, exasperated.

“Lin Xian, there are some jokes you can make, but this isn’t one of them. You know how strong Chief Yan is—if she finds out, she really will twist your head off.”

“Yeah.” Lin Xian sighed, picturing his head being twisted off. “Who knows.”

Soon after, they found Big Cat Face and joined the feast, eating their fill.

Big Cat Face, as usual, managed to get the bear’s head, and he dug out one of its eyes, offering it to Lin Xian.

“No thanks.” Lin Xian waved it away. “I promised not to eat its eyes.”

“How about the tongue?” Big Cat Face shoved his hand into the bear’s mouth, yanking out the long tongue.

“Forget it. You eat it. We’ll just have some lamb skewers later.”

By midnight, the lamb skewers were finally ready. Lin Xian and CC grabbed a few and left the feast, sitting by the flowerbed in the plaza, eating under the moonlight.

As he chewed the sweet, tender lamb, Lin Xian looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky.

“There’s still some regret in this world,” he said quietly.

Lowering his gaze to CC, he continued, “Is there any mention of Granny Zheng Xiang Yue in your memory fragments?”

CC nodded.

“In the memory fragment where you taught me to dance—she was the Village Chief of Rhine Village.”

“That’s her.” Lin Xian spoke softly. “In this world, she probably never got to go to the moon.

“Because Elon Musk was killed and replaced by a fake… that impostor wouldn’t remember or honor Zheng Xiang Yue’s wish.

“The fake Elon Musk wouldn’t even want to send a shuttle every two years back to Earth, let alone launch a special rocket for Zheng Xiang Yue to go to the moon.”

CC thought for a moment.

“If what you’re saying is true, then who knows what’s really happening on Mars now. Could it be that the entire Mars colonization project is a scam—a grand show?”

“Or maybe they never intended to develop Mars at all,” she mused, “Just following the script to make it look like they’re carrying out Elon Musk’s plans, to keep up appearances.”

Lin Xian finished his lamb skewer, tossing the stick aside. He looked down at the ants scurrying around, carrying away the leftover crumbs.

“Lately, I’ve been thinking about what kind of future is truly the best future for humanity.”

“I used to think that the future we’re in now was the best one, but now I realize that maybe the question itself is flawed.”

“In every era, every world, every future—there are people who live well and people who don’t; people who succeed and people with regrets; people who are happy and people who are sad.”

“This world is no different. Most people seem happy, but in the shadows, Angelica is labeled as the madwoman, Zheng Xiang Yue never got to the moon, Elon Musk died young, and we still haven’t found the safe.”

“So… is there really an answer to this question?”

Lin Xian spread his hands.

“I truly don’t know how to answer it. No matter the answer, it always seems subjective, selfish, and biased. Any future that I see as best would certainly be the worst for someone else… So how do I answer that?”

CC listened intently, thinking it over.

After a moment, she said slowly, “Honestly, if you were to ask me that question, I wouldn’t overthink it.”

She leaned back on the edge of the flowerbed, swinging her legs.

“I’d probably just tell you straight—”

“A future with a tomorrow is the best future. It’s the only future that matters.”

Lin Xian sat up. “What do you mean?”

CC tilted her head.

“It’s just the literal meaning of tomorrow, nothing complicated.”

“Look, you’ve told me, and you’ve proven it to me multiple times—all worlds are destroyed by a mysterious white light at 00:42 on August 29th, 2624.

“If the world ends and humanity is destined to perish on that day… then discussing the future is pointless, because humanity has no future.”

“Take this world, for example. It may seem like everyone is happy, but Li Ning Ning’s baby will never grow up; Big Cat Face’s daughter will never get to attend school in Donghai City; President Gao Wen’s heating system will never bring hot water.

“It’s not their fault—it’s that the world ends. They never get the chance to see tomorrow, so everything is doomed to be in vain.”

“Also…”

CC smiled a little.

“I do have a bit of a selfish reason—August 29th is my birthday. I really hope the world doesn’t end on my birthday. Even if it gets postponed just one day… I’d really love to have my twentieth birthday.”

She looked up at Lin Xian, her eyes reflecting the moonlight.

“Do you think that’s too greedy?”

Lin Xian met her gaze, not saying anything.

He didn’t think it was greedy.

It was just a simple, ordinary wish.

Yet, for those like CC, the Millennium Stakes, they could never reach their twentieth birthday.

CC, Chu An Qing, Zhang Yu Qian—

For hundreds of years, dozens of Millennium Stakes had been the same.

They could live to nineteen, but never cross into twenty.

“Twenty,” Lin Xian whispered. “Twenty is such a meaningful age. Especially for you… I suppose turning twenty is the hardest birthday to reach.”

CC nodded.

“Now that you mention it, I see it too. In none of my memory fragments am I ever over nineteen.

“That means, in every world, I die at nineteen—on the last day of nineteen.”

“Honestly… it sounds easy when I say it, but when I think about it, it’s heavy. I’m still young. Nineteen years is a short life. If I could… of course, I’d want to live past twenty, to see more of this world.

“And to get another birthday gift.”

Hearing this, Lin Xian laughed unexpectedly, playing along.

“If you could celebrate your twentieth birthday, what would you want most as a gift?”

He thought CC might take a moment to think.

But she answered immediately.

“Fireworks.” Her eyes brightened at the word. “I’d love to receive… a firework show just for me.”

“Huh?” Lin Xian was surprised.

He hadn’t expected that answer.

How to put it… in his mind, it seemed a bit cliché.

It was just fireworks.

They weren’t anything rare—not in any era. Even in the seventh dream, fireworks were pretty common… just a variation of gunpowder and rockets, nothing difficult.

It was hard for him to imagine that what CC most wished for was simply a firework show.

“Why fireworks?” Lin Xian asked, puzzled. “It’s not even hard to make. Why are you so set on fireworks?”

“I’m not sure,” CC shook her head. “But I’ve always had this obsession in my mind.”

Obsession.

Lin Xian had heard that word before.

He suddenly realized.

Everyone who’d lost their memory seemed to have an inexplicable obsession.

Yan Qiao Qiao was obsessed with the feeling of her parents.

Wei Sheng Jin was obsessed with his past self.

Angelica was obsessed with revenge.

Zheng Xiang Yue was obsessed with Rhine Cat.

The Blue-Eyed Chief was obsessed with her name.

CC had never lost her memory, of course.

But…

If obsessions were somehow passed on—

Did it mean that Chu An Qing, Zhang Yu Qian, and all the other Millennium Stakes carried these kinds of obsessions too?

Where was the origin?

To be honest, Lin Xian didn’t understand how fireworks could make a girl so happy.

But, he’d once set off fireworks for Zhao Ying Jun, and for Li Ning Ning—they’d both been delighted.

But as for Chu An Qing…

Suddenly, Lin Xian’s heart sank.

He remembered what Ji Lin had said:

“You need to do something big and romantic, right? Like setting off fireworks that fill the sky for Chu An Qing? Lighting up the night sky in Donghai City? You know she’d be happy, but you just don’t do it.”

He remembered what the super AI, VV, had said:

“Let’s set off fireworks to light up the sky for Chu An Qing! Girls love fireworks—they’re so romantic! Someone like Chu An Qing, still a teenage girl, who wouldn’t be thrilled by fireworks lighting up the whole sky?”

Two people had wanted him to set off fireworks for Chu An Qing.

But he’d refused, choosing other gifts instead.

Sometimes, there were things that were already too late once you realized them.

Lin Xian let out a long breath, pushing himself off the flowerbed and standing on the stone tiles, looking at CC.

“Thank you, CC. I think I know what kind of future is the best future now.”

“Seriously?” CC chuckled lightly. “I was just talking. You don’t have to take it so seriously.”

“No.”

Lin Xian shook his head.

“You’re right. If we want to think about humanity’s future, first, humanity must have a tomorrow—a future. If there’s no tomorrow, what’s the point of discussion?”

“Like your twentieth birthday—if you can never reach twenty, you’ll never get that twentieth birthday gift. No matter how well you plan, how prepared you are, it’s all useless.”

“It’s the same for humanity’s future—all the pretty words and beautiful plans mean nothing if time doesn’t keep flowing, if people don’t see the sun rise on August 29th, 2624.”

He suddenly felt a sense of relief, clarity washing over him.

He glanced at his wristwatch.

It read…

00:41.

The time was almost up.

But Lin Xian had gotten his answer.

He looked up at CC.

“If one day, the end of the world becomes not an end… ”

Lin Xian smiled and pointed up at the sky.

“I’ll give you the most spectacular fireworks display. And at the first second of 00:42, I’ll tell you…”

“Happy birthday.”

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The dazzling white light appeared on schedule, not a second more, not a second less—not giving the world even one more moment, nor giving CC her twentieth birthday.

Not even for a second.

…

…

…

In a corner of his bedroom, Lin Xian opened his eyes.

“This is my answer,” he whispered.

“Genius Club, here I come.”