Genius Club

Chapter 524: Revive, My VV

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Two days later.

Brooklyn, USA, beneath an abandoned farm, within an underground air-raid shelter.

“Wow!”

Elon Musk stepped out of the simple aluminum alloy elevator with wide eyes, brimming with excitement like an eager schoolchild, as he rushed into the underground space.

“This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!”

Standing in the brightly lit room, Musk slowly spun around, scanning the surroundings.

“I’ve dreamed of having a secret base like this since I was a kid. Just look… this is insane! The energy here is powered by micro nuclear batteries—an inexhaustible supply that ensures these lights could burn for thousands of years without ever going out. Energy conservation isn’t even a concern here.”

“And check out the equipment and parts. Wherever aluminum alloy could be used, it’s been utilized to its fullest. In areas where rigid materials aren’t suitable, they’ve employed new types of anti-corrosion, anti-aging plastics that can last hundreds of years without breaking down.”

“Lin Xian, you’ve only recently awakened, so you might not be familiar with the advancements in materials science of this era. Let me tell you, modern plastics are remarkable. Some of these new types are almost as reliable as aluminum alloy in terms of durability.”

“Of course, I’m only talking about durability being comparable, not strength or hardness. When it comes to those, aluminum alloy is unbeatable. But still, isn’t it fascinating how much plastics have evolved?”

However.

Lin Xian shook his head.

“I don’t find it particularly surprising. I’m not sure how the education system was in the States during your childhood, but back in X Country, plastic bags were always called ‘white trash,’ known for remaining undecomposed in soil for decades or even centuries.”

“So, when you tell me now that plastics can last hundreds of years without aging, I’m not exactly shocked. Probably too much exposure to those kinds of harsh lessons growing up—makes it feel like this is just how things should be.”

Musk shrugged.

“The inability to fully decompose and the ability to resist aging while still being functional are two very different things. Besides, ‘plastic’ is a broad term. Some plastics are environmentally friendly and degrade quickly, while others can remain stable for centuries.”

“Anyway, let’s drop this topic. What amazes me is just how awesome Einstein’s secret base is!”

“Does every STEM guy dream of having a secret base? Honestly, for someone like Einstein, who doesn’t need to eat, drink, or even fear death, building such a high-tech setup seems excessive. I mean, he could probably stay in a coffin for centuries and be fine.”

Lin Xian, walking further inside alongside Musk, responded.

“Don’t forget—after Einstein was hit by entangled spacetime particles, even though his body changed and he could glimpse false visions of the future…”

“…he is still, fundamentally, human.”

After a brief pause, Lin Xian continued.

“And as long as someone remains human, they’ll have emotions, desires, regrets, and guilt. They’ll make mistakes and wish they could undo them.”

He pointed to the nearby corner, where piles of canned food, drinking water, and hibernation chambers were stacked high.

“Look at those things. Einstein clearly doesn’t need them, yet he prepared everything so thoroughly.”

“This shows that he always regarded himself as human. He didn’t see himself as a god, nor was he as arrogant as Turing, who wanted to act as a judge or observer. He’s always stood on humanity’s side.”

“Hmm…”

Elon Musk rubbed his chin thoughtfully and shook his head.

“My perspective is a little different from yours.”

Turning to face Lin Xian, he continued, “I’ve interacted with Einstein more than you have. He’s a very rational person—not nearly as emotional as you describe.”

“Of course, people do change. Maybe the Einstein you encountered back in 1952 was as emotional as you say. But the Einstein I know, the Genius Club Chairman, has become incredibly logical and calculated over the years.”

“He wouldn’t waste effort preparing food, water, or hibernation chambers. It’s a completely pointless endeavor. For someone like Einstein, who has grand ambitions, basic needs like eating, drinking, or sleeping hold little importance.”

“That’s why I think the existence of these items here…”

“Isn’t it possible, Lin Xian, that this food, water, and hibernation equipment were actually prepared for you?”

Lin Xian stopped walking, pointing at himself.

“For me?”

He chuckled softly, as though hearing a joke.

“For Lin Xian? Or for Douglas?”

“That’s unclear,” Musk shrugged. “On the way here, didn’t you tell me about what happened in 1952? Einstein was certainly looking forward to reuniting with Douglas.”

“Even though he couldn’t foresee a future where he met Douglas again, he doubted himself before he ever doubted Douglas’s honesty.”

“So, he used spacetime particles and the small oven to preserve your watch and kept the farm perpetually frozen in its 1952 state, fearing you might lose your way.”

“From that perspective, the only explanation for preparing human necessities like food, water, and hibernation chambers is that they were meant for Douglas—or in other words, for you.”

“After all, Einstein could only speculate that Douglas, like himself, had been struck by spacetime particles and become immortal. But there’s no concrete evidence of that. Perhaps Einstein was just being cautious, thinking ahead, and ensuring Douglas had everything he might need to survive.”

…

Listening to Elon Musk’s analysis, Lin Xian remained silent.

Whatever the true reason may have been, it was now buried beyond the reach of evidence.

He walked toward the nine chairs of the Genius Club, gazing at the empty space where meetings once took place.

“Before switching to VR gatherings, where did the Genius Club hold its in-person meetings?”

“Brussels,” Musk replied.

“Belgium, Brussels—the site of the famous quantum mechanics debate between Einstein and Bohr.”

Lin Xian chuckled softly.

“You see, this is what I mean when I say Einstein was, at his core, still human. He held onto grudges—not exactly grudges, but he was clearly hung up on that historic debate.”

Musk crouched down, running his fingers across the carpet to the right of the podium chair.

“This is where Einstein vanished into blue star fragments, isn’t it?”

Lin Xian nodded.

“Yes. After pressing the button to activate the Genius Club’s meeting system, Einstein collapsed and disappeared here.”

Musk pursed his lips, deep in thought for several seconds before speaking slowly.

“The most perplexing thing about Einstein is that he wasn’t a spacetime traveler, yet he triggered forced evasion and vanished. It doesn’t make sense.”

“His condition was indeed peculiar. His spacetime rejection seemed selective—his eyes turned blue, but his physical appearance remained unchanged. At the same time, he didn’t perform any spacetime traversal acts. Under such circumstances, why would forced evasion even occur?”

He looked up at Lin Xian.

“What’s your take on this?”

“It’s not all that strange,” Lin Xian said softly.

“Considering that Einstein was manipulated into seeing false visions of the future, it’s evident that this was all the work of some real mastermind—some ‘mysterious force.’”

“So, instead of saying Einstein was subjected to forced evasion, it’s more accurate to say he was forcibly silenced by this ‘mysterious force.’ It wasn’t the spacetime laws silencing Einstein—it was this force that erased him.”

“If it were only the spacetime laws, Einstein wouldn’t have disappeared. Clearly, he was powerless to resist, forced to apologize for everything and then dissolved into nothingness.”

Musk nodded, agreeing with Lin Xian’s reasoning, and added:

“You’re right. The forced evasion that shouldn’t have occurred was the final straw that crushed Einstein’s spirit and will.”

“It was this act of enforced silence and erasure that made Einstein realize he had truly been deceived and controlled. When he reflected on the actions he had taken over the years—unwittingly pushing the future toward destruction—the truth must have been unbearably cruel for him.”

Lin Xian exhaled deeply through his nose, then turned around.

He gazed at the computer servers behind the high podium chair.

“That’s why we’re here—to uncover the real truth and save everything. In a way, it’s also about helping Einstein atone for his mistakes so he can rest in peace.”

“This is the purpose of bringing you here today, Elon. I haven’t told anyone about this underground shelter of Einstein’s. Now, in the entire world, only the two of us know about this place. You could say it’s the safest spot on Earth.”

“Those computers and servers behind us—they’re likely the foundation of the Genius Club’s meeting system. Based on my analysis, if we can breach its defenses and extract the network connection data, we should be able to pinpoint the real identities of Newton and Galileo.”

“Got it,” Elon Musk said, pulling a small computer from his backpack. He quickly booted it up, launching a series of devices, and began his work.

Lin Xian, unfamiliar with computer hacking techniques, couldn’t offer any help. Instead, he dragged a chair over and sat nearby, watching Elon’s frantic typing and the cascade of commands on the screen.

Minute by minute, time slipped away.

Sweat began to bead on Musk’s forehead.

The air in the underground shelter wasn’t hot—in fact, it was cool—making it clear that Musk was engaged in an intense battle. From Lin Xian’s perspective, however, there were no visible breakthroughs. The screen still showed no data output, just Musk fighting against the security system.

“It’s no use,” Musk finally said after four or five hours of effort. He wiped the sweat from his brow and shook his head in frustration.

“I can’t break through, Lin Xian. It’s not just me—even with the top-tier hacking technology of this era, or even the entire 23rd century, no hacker could crack this defense system.”

“Though I’m not a fan of Turing, or rather Kevin Walker, I have to admit his expertise in computer and cybersecurity is centuries ahead of his time.”

“As you know, the Genius Club’s meeting system was entirely designed by Kevin Walker. This system represents his peak achievement. With Einstein’s assistance on top of that… well, it’s as impregnable as a fortress.”

Lin Xian was incredulous.

“That impressive?”

Musk sighed helplessly.

“Why else would Kevin Walker have been the undisputed greatest hacker on Earth back in the day? I hate to praise him like this, but as a science and engineering guy, I have to admit the truth—he was ridiculously powerful.”

“Think about it. This was a man who, in the early 21st century, pioneered digital life. Could such a person be ordinary?”

Lin Xian nodded silently.

That made sense.

Perhaps the passage of time had dulled his memory of Kevin Walker’s brilliance.

He thought back to the past.

Even the super artificial intelligence VV had exhausted every means and still failed to uncover Kevin Walker’s true identity or location. That was proof enough of his incredible skill.

Not only that.

As a product of 600 years of technological advancement, VV in its early stages could only match Kevin Walker in a stalemate. That level of genius defied description.

“So, in this era, we can’t crack the Genius Club’s meeting system and identify Newton and Galileo?”

“That’s right. I’m absolutely certain,” Musk said gravely.

“I prepared extensively before coming here, but after all these hours, I haven’t made even the slightest progress.”

“Kevin Walker’s defense system isn’t something that brute force or simple algorithms can handle. It’s extraordinarily sophisticated—there’s even a self-protection mechanism in place. It’s far beyond what this era can overcome.”

“To go down this path and breach the Genius Club meeting system, I believe we’d need a super-programmer even more brilliant than Kevin Walker.”

Lin Xian frowned deeply.

A programmer more talented than a genius like Kevin Walker…

In his mind, only two people came to mind.

One.

The computer genius Cheng Qian, who created the supervirus that sealed the upper limits of artificial intelligence.

The other.

The super AI VV, whose promising existence was cut short by the Future Virus, killing it before its potential could be fully realized.

But in truth, these two were essentially one and the same.

To eliminate the Future Virus and resurrect VV, the one who caused the problem must also be the one to solve it. Only Cheng Qian had the skill to achieve this; no one else was capable.

So…

“It seems we’ll have to wait until 2482, after Cheng Qian is born, to bring VV back to life,” Lin Xian said softly.

“VV?” Elon Musk echoed, the term familiar yet unfamiliar.

After a moment of thought, realization dawned on him.

“Oh, VV is that super AI of yours that I accidentally killed, right?”

He scratched his head awkwardly. “Ah, I’m really sorry about that. If I hadn’t been deceived by that blue-eyed girl back then, your VV wouldn’t have been destroyed, and this fight wouldn’t be as difficult as it is now.”

“It’s fine,” Lin Xian said, shaking his head.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Even someone as brilliant as Einstein was deceived. What chance did you or I have? That blue-eyed girl impersonating Yu Xi didn’t just fool you—she played me like a fiddle too. I have no right to blame you.”

“We’ll take things as they come. Fortunately, there’s still hope for VV’s resurrection. All we need to do is wait until 2482 and find Cheng Qian.”

“As long as VV can be revived, our strength will increase a hundredfold, if not more. Whether it’s gathering intelligence or battling enemies, VV will be unstoppable in a world free of the virus. Give him enough time to grow, and he’ll have no limits.”

Musk folded his arms, looking troubled.

“But, as you said, that super-genius programmer Cheng Qian won’t even be born until 2482. By the time he’s grown and has the ability to help, it’ll probably be 2500.”

2500.

He looked at Lin Xian. “That’s more than 200 years from now. If you want to find Cheng Qian, you’ll have to go into hibernation again—for 270 years.”

“I don’t want to,” Lin Xian replied honestly.

“If there were another way to solve this in the current era, it would obviously be the best solution.”

“But if it’s the only option, our last hope…”

He closed his eyes, recalling the final letter Zhao Ying Jun had written to him:

“So, look forward, don’t look back. Our mission is done; the baton to save the future is now in your hands. We haven’t left. We’ve become the gentle breeze and warm sunlight of this world, standing behind you forever.”

Look forward, don’t look back.

Lin Xian opened his eyes.

“So many people have sacrificed their lives, their futures, to reach this point for the sake of humanity.”

“If it becomes truly necessary…”

He clenched his fist tightly.

“I will keep moving forward—until the very end of the world!”