Genius Club

“Hold on a moment.”

Lin Xian’s demeanor shifted to one of seriousness as he fixed his gaze on CC. “Are you telling me that tonight, a shipment of water-damaged books is headed to the 314 Waste Disposal Plant? Can we trust this information?”

“Absolutely, it’s trustworthy! Have you forgotten?” CC picked up a gadget resembling a Bluetooth headset and waved it before him. “This device keeps tabs on the operations of various waste disposal facilities, including the routes of garbage trucks and their transportation schedules. How could it be wrong?”

“I make it a point to verify the task lists of several local waste disposal sites daily. I scrutinize them very closely and wouldn’t miss a detail. The 314 Waste Disposal Plant is nearby, right in the same district as the Time Bank, so it’s particularly on my radar. Their schedule last night included a note about dispatching a special truck to collect water-damaged books.”

“Let me double-check that for you.” CC attached the device to her ear. Her eyes glazed over, her pupils darting back and forth as if she were interfacing with something unseen.

“There we have it.” CC’s eyes refocused, and she began to explain to Lin Xian: “To put it simply, a major bookstore in the Eastern District had a pipe burst on the second floor, soaking the books below. They’ve settled their issues with the insurance company, and now they’ve scheduled special trucks to haul away the damaged goods.”

“The time… let me check, the 314 Waste Disposal Plant has arranged for four large trucks to handle the books. That implies a substantial quantity, needing four trucks.”

“Their departure time… and they’re set to arrive at the plant at 23:19. I got the time a bit off. Given the late arrival, they likely haven’t started the incineration process.”

“But you’ve already missed the window for today’s shift change at the supervisor’s station. Even if we head to the plant now, it’s too late. Besides…” CC glanced at the control room monitor showing the plant supervisor. “Getting out of here still poses a challenge. I plan to hide out until tomorrow’s shift change, then make my escape. I’m not sure what your plans are.”

“Thanks for the info, it’s a real lifesaver,” Lin Xian stood, resolute. “About that safe… if I ever make it inside New Donghai City, I’ll see what’s inside for you.”

CC looked puzzled, tilting her head at Lin Xian. “The next batch of garbage trucks is due soon. They’ll be transporting the safe shortly. What are you implying?”

“I need to leave,” Lin Xian checked his watch.

“Where to?”

“Home.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At exactly 00:42, a brilliant white light erupted, incinerating everything in its path, casting a brief illumination before plunging back into darkness.

…

Lin Xian awoke in the corner of his bedroom, taking deep breaths. He climbed out of bed, slipped into his slippers, and took a few sips of water from his desk cup. He was quite pleased with what he had learned from this dream. It was significant.

Despite CC’s identity and her connection to Chu An Qing remaining mysteries, Lin Xian had ruled out several incorrect theories, refining his thinking. The striking resemblance between CC and Chu An Qing was too strong to be mere coincidence, but he needed more evidence to understand it fully. Considering CC’s desperation to access that safe… perhaps the answers were inside?

“Looking at this situation, what’s in that safe seems increasingly intriguing,” Lin Xian mused as he set his cup down, wiping his mouth. Initially, he hadn’t taken the safe seriously, having tried and failed to crack its code multiple times. He treated it more as a minor diversion—a nice bonus if it opened, but no big deal if it didn’t. His attitude was unlike CC’s, who seemed obsessed.

But now, his view had shifted. The exchange of information in the dream suggested the safe might hold significant secrets, possibly even linking him to the mysterious bearded man, and the ties between Chu An Qing and CC.

“Full circle back to square one,” Lin Xian reflected. He was particularly keen to try the code 29990203 today. It was a hint from his future self, a key he had chosen for a reason. Surely, he wouldn’t sabotage his own efforts. Why complicate things unnecessarily?

Yet, fate seemed to have other plans. The first truckload brought by the garbage trucks did not include his safe—a disappointment. Even more frustrating was that the second truck, which might contain his safe, wouldn’t arrive at the waste plant until 00:57. It was uncertain, like Schrödinger’s garbage truck—it might arrive, or it might not.

The only way to access the safe was to infiltrate New Donghai City during daylight, locate the defunct Time Bank, and find the safe not yet removed by the garbage services.

“So, I need to break into New Donghai City after all.” “At least it consolidates my main tasks into a single focus, streamlining my strategy.”

“But tomorrow night, I’ll still take my chances at the 314 Waste Disposal Plant,” Lin Xian sat back, pondering.

He remained curious about who would be the CEO of MX Company 600 years later… It was directly relevant to his own history. It might also provide crucial insights into Zhao Ying Jun’s identity and motives, potentially revealing key information about the Genius Club. Given MX Company’s prominence in New Donghai City, garnering details from various publications should be straightforward, though the locals likely favored digital media over traditional paper formats.

“But the 314 Waste Disposal Plant is a different story,” Lin Xian recalled CC’s words vividly. A large bookstore’s mishap led to a significant number of damaged books, necessitating the dispatch of four trucks. These could contain a wealth of diverse publications, including potentially valuable magazines and journals—a real treasure trove for Lin Xian. Whether he could find the elusive “Introduction to Universal Constants” in such a vast collection depended on luck. Its rarity and whether it was still in print were uncertain.

“Still, it’s worth a shot,” Lin Xian concluded, yawning. “Better to search there than risk everything sneaking into New Donghai City… though that seems inevitable.” He then used the restroom, switched off his bedroom light, and returned to bed. Sleep beckoned.

…

The following day, Lin Xian was roused by a frantic call from Gao Yang.

“Hey, man! Quick! Help me save face!” Gao Yang’s voice conveyed urgency.

He explained that he had organized a high school reunion for the fifth day of the lunar new year at a hotel near their university, Hangzhou No.1 High School’s new campus.

But!

He had posted the event in their class QQ group, and no one had replied! Not a single person! He had been obsessively checking the group every minute for the last half hour, and the silence was deafening! As class president, this was mortifying! He needed to save face!

“So, Lin Xian, please log into QQ right away and back me up in the group! Say you’ll attend! Mention how much you miss everyone! Surely, they’ll react if you do!”

“What standing do I have…”

“The founder of Rhine Cat! Sure, you’re not a celebrity, but your creation is famous! Who isn’t aware of Rhine Cat now? Isn’t that enough to make a splash? Come on, don’t leave your old class president out to dry, making me look bad!”

Reluctantly, Lin Xian reinstalled the QQ app. After a series of verification challenges, he finally managed to prove his identity and logged in. Upon accessing his account, he was bombarded with spam messages from compromised accounts of classmates and proceeded directly to the high school group chat.

The only message there was from Gao Yang: “Class Reunion Notice.” Indeed, half an hour had passed, and there was not a single reply.

Following Gao Yang’s instructions, Lin Xian crafted and sent a message: “Hey, everyone, it’s been too long! We definitely need to catch up! See you during the holiday!”

However… After waiting a few minutes, there was still no response. Lin Xian called Gao Yang back:

“Give it up. No one uses QQ anymore. You’d be better off using WeChat and reaching out to people individually. You’ll eventually get through to everyone that way.”

Gao Yang reluctantly accepted this reality. Just as they ended the call, a QQ notification pinged. Someone had finally responded in the group.

Lin Xian checked the chat— “Absolutely, Lin Xian! I’ll be there!”

The message was from an unknown name and profile picture. Following it was a simple, mysterious smiling face: ^^.

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