Genius Club

Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…

A surveillance drone hummed nearby, ending its temporary break in surveillance. Before scaling the wall, Lin Xian had already sensed, through his sharp sense of smell, that the girl in the Ultraman mask was not Li Ning Ning.

Reflecting on recent events, Lin Xian recalled how Li Ning Ning had briefly lagged behind during their forest trek, only to catch up quickly. Given her agility, it was unlikely she’d fall behind even for a minor delay like tying a shoelace without communicating it to Big Cat Face and the others. Li Ning Ning was not one to act independently. This led Lin Xian to one conclusion: Li Ning Ning had been ambushed in the forest, and her attacker had stolen her mask to impersonate her!

This deception reminded Lin Xian of the time he had disguised himself as Big Cat Face. The woman who ambushed Li Ning Ning was meticulously prepared. Their similar statures and attire—both wearing black, form-fitting clothes with their hair tied back—made the disguise simple. The Ultraman mask effectively concealed her face, especially in low light.

The impostor was cautious, avoiding speaking or moving to the front of the group, instead remaining quietly at the rear. Big Cat Face and the others were preoccupied with their watches and the drone’s path, oblivious to Li Ning Ning’s replacement. The woman impersonating Li Ning Ning had a specific objective: using Big Cat Face and the others as human shields to infiltrate the waste treatment plant.

This scenario was something Lin Xian had encountered repeatedly in his “First Dream.” Given her familiar build and skills, it was highly probable that the woman who ambushed and impersonated Li Ning Ning was CC. Then prompted by Big Cat Face, Lin Xian no longer hesitated; he sprinted and scaled the wall. Confirming his suspicion was crucial, even if his own life seemed inconsequential in his recurring dreams.

…

As he leaped down from the wall, he felt a gun press against the back of his head. His earlier shout of doubt had tipped off the woman, revealing her cover. Although she might be CC, to Lin Xian, she was a known ally, someone he had worked with and even chatted with by a vault. However, to CC, Lin Xian was merely a stranger and an associate of Li Ning Ning. With her cover blown, she was in a precarious position and could fire at any moment.

“Don’t be nervous,” Lin Xian said calmly. “I—”

Before he could finish, the person behind him darted away like a rabbit, vanishing before he could even turn around.

Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…

The drone’s propellers grew louder as it neared. Big Cat Face had mentioned that all robots and equipment in this waste treatment facility were programmed for specific tasks and were essentially “blind,” lacking true perception. However, the drones possessed surveillance and alarm capabilities and patrolled within a 20-meter radius of the wall. Detection had to be avoided at all costs. The person who had just fled was clearly aware of the patrolling drones.

Lin Xian quickly darted deeper into the waste treatment facility, jumping and rolling until he found refuge under an overturned sofa, successfully evading the drone’s watchful eye. He glanced at his watch; it read 00:05. There were 12 minutes left until his scheduled rendezvous with Big Cat Face.

Though curious about the “imposter woman’s” true identity—whether she was CC—more pressing issues demanded his attention. Searching for items like “Introduction to Universal Constants,” “History of MX Company,” or information on MX Company’s CEO in this setting was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. With no immediate option to infiltrate New Donghai City, he felt compelled to try.

Watching the drone’s position carefully, Lin Xian moved a few steps further, exiting the 20-meter surveillance zone near the wall. He glanced toward the monitoring room at the center of the waste treatment plant. It was empty; the uniformed supervisor had likely gone to change shifts. A new supervisor would arrive at 00:20, giving him a narrow window to act.

Despite his disregard for his own life and lack of plans to escape, he had only about 20 minutes to sift through the refuse. Though the supervisor was likely unarmed, Big Cat Face had warned that the drones’ weaponry was lethal, not to mention the specialized security robots on standby.

“Go.”

With the surveillance blind spot in his favor and the supervisor absent, he moved freely. Various robots and vehicles bustled past, engaged in their designated tasks, oblivious to his presence. The waste treatment facility was large, but the efficiency of the garbage processing meant there wasn’t much accumulation of waste. Lin Xian quickly climbed atop a pile of garbage and began his search.

The refuse was a mix of household waste, food scraps, and construction debris—smelly, sticky, and unappealing. Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t afford to be choosy. As he turned over piles of garbage, he found nothing of value—no newspapers, books, or relevant documents.

“Sigh…”

Lin Xian sighed. As he suspected, the citizens of New Donghai City likely no longer relied on traditional media, opting for more advanced methods of accessing information. He moved to another pile to continue his search, occasionally glancing toward the area where the woman in black had disappeared. There was no sign of movement. Her objectives for entering the waste treatment plant were evidently different from his own.

What could her purpose be? Lin Xian felt overwhelmed by an “information explosion” since entering this new dream. He would need to sort it all out later. “Find a book,” he hoped, even amidst the filth and odor, cherishing the simple thrill of discovering hidden treasures. He opened a found item—it was a cookbook.

He resumed his search, disregarding other potentially valuable items, including the electronic products Big Cat Face had requested. He saw them but ignored them. The world was scheduled for destruction at 00:42; handing anything over to Big Cat Face seemed futile.

Whoosh—Whoosh—

Suddenly, an urgent bird call sounded from outside the wall. Lin Xian recognized it as the whistle signal Big Cat Face had taught him. But… wasn’t it too early? He checked his watch; it was only 00:13, still four minutes before the agreed escape time.

Recalling Big Cat Face’s instruction: “Remember, no matter when you hear this sound, retreat immediately, climb over the wall, and run to the hilltop for a meetup. Don’t hesitate!”

It seemed something unexpected had occurred outside. There might be danger. Or perhaps… the real Li Ning Ning had escaped, and Big Cat Face and the others had discovered the impersonation, warning Lin Xian of the impending threat and urging him to retreat quickly!

Lin Xian took the whistle and blew a long note. It signaled that he had received the message and that they should retreat first. He didn’t plan to retreat now; the world’s destruction was imminent. He decided to keep searching a bit longer.

He turned over a few more garbage piles but still found nothing. As expected. Finding the desired information in a garbage pile was too unrealistic. It seemed the only way was to break into New Donghai City, visit a bookstore, or explore other innovative devices to find the information he needed about MX Company’s history, current CEO, and Big Cat’s father’s “Introduction to Universal Constants.”

On the other side, a uniformed supervisor yawned as he walked over, sat in the monitoring room, and stared ahead blankly, occasionally laughing. Lin Xian noticed he was wearing something like a Bluetooth headset. His eyes were wandering, as if looking at something a few centimeters in front of him. It must be some high-tech gadget, like a holographic projection. This guy was definitely not focusing on his job.

Boom—

A massive steel door on the other side of the wall rose, the sound deafening. One after another, garbage trucks entered, dumping their loads in different areas.

Boom—

The steel door slammed shut. Lin Xian looked over. These garbage trucks were bringing trash from the city’s transfer stations to the waste treatment plant outside the city for processing. Lin Xian watched as the garbage trucks unloaded, dumping all kinds of trash just like the piles around him.

And then—

“Huh?”

Lin Xian saw a very familiar sight. Square, shiny, solid, and sturdy, looking almost new… They were the same safes with names written on them from the bank vault in his First Dream!

“Why are they on the garbage truck?”

Lin Xian was puzzled. He was too familiar with these safes. In the First Dream, he had tried countless times to crack their codes but never succeeded. Later, he had planned to cut them open by force but ended up making them invincible due to uncontrollable time-space changes, transforming their material into super-hardened aviation alloy.

He cautiously moved to a new hiding spot to continue watching. Unlike other garbage trucks, this one was dumping a large pile of aluminum alloy safes, with very little household trash. Moving a bit closer… Lin Xian saw more clearly. His earlier guess was right! The aluminum alloy safes had eight combination dials! He could faintly see names engraved on them!

“To find what you seek…”

Lin Xian timed his move, sprinting to a closer hiding spot near the garbage truck. He was curious if these safes would still have his name on them. If they did… it might mean that the contents were extraordinary, surviving even the massive time-space changes of the future world.

Continuing forward, he moved like a motorized rat, using parkour skills, unafraid of dirt or stink, diving and hiding as needed. Finally! He reached a hiding spot closest to the garbage truck and the newly dumped safes—

Click.

A small handgun emerged from behind the cover, pressed firmly against Lin Xian’s forehead! The familiar scent of camellias, the familiar Ultraman mask, the familiar deep brown tied hair, the familiar slender figure in black tight clothes, and the familiar voice:

“Don’t move.”

A sweet voice, like that of a finch, came from behind the mask. A smooth, delicate hand lifted Lin Xian’s Rhine Cat mask, pulling it off—

“Humph.” The woman behind the Ultraman mask chuckled softly: “It’s really you!”

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