Genius Club Chapter 566
Chapter 566: Our 1952
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcattranslation)
November 5, 1952
Night, Brooklyn Suburban Farm
“No…”
Albert Einstein tightly grasped Lin Xian’s hand, his grip painful.
“No… Douglas, please, don’t leave me.”
“You gave me hope, you gave me strength… We’re partners, comrades in saving humanity’s future.”
“Don’t go. Stay with me, okay? Stay, and we can…”
Lin Xian pulled his hand away. From the pocket of his woolen coat, he retrieved a white square gift box, containing the wristwatch CC had bought for him with her entire savings.
He placed the small gift box into Einstein’s hand and gently said:
“Keep this safe for me.”
Lin Xian lifted his head and patted Einstein’s shoulder.
“One day, I’ll come back for this watch.”
With that, he turned away. Without looking back, he walked toward the full moon just beginning to rise in the eastern sky. His shadow, stretched by the moonlight, draped over Einstein.
Then, raising his right hand high, he extended his index finger, pointing directly at the sky like a kite reaching upward, his thoughts climbing along its string.
Einstein stood frozen, watching Lin Xian’s retreating figure. The raised hand aligned with the round moon, casting a shadow pointing upward against the night sky.
The next moment—
Snap.
A sharp sound broke the silence, like something had snapped. Lin Xian froze, his eyes wide. The storm raging in his mind vanished; the kite once struggling in the wind flew away.
This was bad.
The worst, most terrifying, most dreaded scenario had come to pass—
The kite string behind his mind had broken. He… could no longer go back.
“Douglas! Douglas!” Einstein, his blue eyes frantic, ran over and stood behind Lin Xian.
“You… What exactly…”
Lin Xian closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Then, turning around, he opened his own vivid blue eyes:
“It seems we’ll be spending quite a long time together, Einstein.”
The blue in his eyes dimmed slightly. Yet faced with the harsh truth, he could only accept his reality—he could not return.
This was the worst-case scenario. But it was not the most hopeless.
As long as there was even the faintest possibility, the slightest sliver of hope… one must not abandon the mission to save the future.
…
“Is that so, Douglas? So, that’s how it is.”
In the underground shelter beneath the farm, two steaming cups of coffee sat on a wooden table. Einstein, his brow furrowed, listened to Lin Xian’s explanation.
“So, there really are things like timelines and worldlines in this world. When you first mentioned it, I could barely grasp the concept. But now… I can almost visualize a web of crisscrossing threads in my mind. This feeling… it must be something like that.”
“Unfortunately, the future you see is illusory,” Lin Xian said calmly.
“No, it’s a mix of truths and falsehoods, complex enough to significantly mislead your judgments.”
Einstein nodded. “Thank you for telling me this, Douglas. Otherwise… I might have truly gone astray and taken a wrong path.”
“But,” he hesitated, “why do you seem unhappy, Douglas? As I said before, if the two of us join forces, we can surely save everything!”
However…
Lin Xian sighed.
“That brings us back to the concept of worldlines.”
“The thing is, Einstein, now that the kite string behind my mind is broken, I can no longer return to my original worldline. That means, even if the two of us save the world on this timeline, it ultimately… has nothing to do with the worldline I came from.”
“In the worldline I left behind, Lin Xian will never emerge from a time travel machine, nor will there be a sunrise on August 29, 2624.”
Lin Xian closed his eyes, and Einstein remained silent. Indeed, the other man’s words rang true.
Einstein scratched his head, delving into deeper thought. He genuinely wanted to save the world. But more than that, he wanted to uplift Douglas, to brighten his spirits.
His thoughts wove through intricate threads, recalling theories he had previously dismissed. Suddenly, inspiration struck like a lightning bolt!
“No, Douglas, there’s still hope!”
Einstein jumped up excitedly.
“Even if we’re in different worldlines, as long as we harness enough energy, master the laws, and achieve ultimate success, we can absolutely intervene in other failed worldlines! We can rescue the comrades we’ve lost!”
Lin Xian blinked.
“Is that even possible?”
“It is!”
Einstein nodded confidently.
“‘Existence is reason, and existence can be interfered with. The conservation of mass and energy is absolute!’”
“Even those worldlines doomed to fail—or already failed—can be consolidated. We could ultimately converge billions of worldlines into one perfect worldline!”
“So, Douglas, I’ve already made plans these past few days. The two of us alone aren’t enough, but fortunately… there are many brilliant minds in this world. We can gather them all together and work towards saving the world and the future!”
He grabbed Douglas’s arm, pulling him to his feet.
Recalling the image of Douglas raising his right hand against the backdrop of the moon, Einstein mimicked the gesture, lifting his own hand and pointing skyward with his index finger.
“Yes, just like that! Together, let’s create…”
“The Genius Club!”
A few days later, outside the farm, a ragged boy ran up.
“Mr. Douglas!”
He spotted the familiar trench coat and black hat in the distance and sprinted with all his might.
“Mr. Douglas! I finally found you! You haven’t returned to the hotel these past few days… I—I thought maybe you…”
“Little Johnny?”
Lin Xian looked at the familiar face.
No…
“Ji Xin Shui.”
That was the boy’s real name.
In the original future, he would become the founder of the Seven Deadly Sins, taking on the alias Pride, and kill Xu Yun and Tang Xin.
But now…
The young Ji Xin Shui was so pure, so earnest. He had promised to return to his homeland to contribute to its growth.
When… and why… had he forgotten his original aspirations and strayed down such a dark path?
“Mr. Douglas, I came to share some good news!”
Little Ji Xin Shui grinned, revealing his clean, white teeth.
“That day, you told me to learn knowledge and skills to help build our impoverished homeland… I made up my mind never to let you down!”
“So I went to the church and told the priest about it. He fully supported me going to school and even connected me with a parishioner who helped me get into a charity school!”
“Mr. Douglas, I’m here today to say goodbye. I swear, I’ll study hard, learn everything I can, and then return to our homeland, Dragon Country, and bring back all that knowledge!”
“When that day comes… will I be able to see you again?”
Ji Xin Shui’s eyes sparkled with anticipation and reverence as he looked at Lin Xian. To him, Lin Xian was his savior, the one who had given him a new life, the person he trusted and respected the most.
Lin Xian raised his hand, took off his black felt hat, and placed it on Ji Xin Shui’s head.
“This hat is my gift to you. I hope you’ll always remember what you said today… Be a good person.”
…
1982, Brussels, Belgium – A Snowy Night
After the Genius Club meeting ended, everyone had dispersed, leaving Albert Einstein and Lin Xian sitting on opposite sides of a roaring fireplace. Their identical azure-blue eyes met, both reflecting the flicker of the flames.
Einstein gazed at his friend, whose hair had turned noticeably white, and sighed softly:
“Douglas, you’ve aged.”
Lin Xian nodded, glancing at the dry, weathered skin on his forearm:
“That’s what happens when you use entangled spacetime particles for time travel. If we count my biological age, I’m already 60.”
Einstein chuckled lightly:
“Unknowingly, we’ve become close in age.”
But his expression quickly turned somber.
His own body would remain unchanged, frozen in time. Lin Xian, however, would continue to age… and one day, he would… pass away.
Shaking his head to dispel the heavy thought, Einstein changed the topic:
“By the way, today at the club, we welcomed quite a stunning lady. Like you, she’s also from Dragon Country.”
“Miss Da Vinci—she’s truly beautiful. She had young Galileo completely spellbound; the boy could hardly string two words together.”
“During previous meetings, Galileo was always articulate, sharp, and full of innovative ideas. I’ve always admired the young man for his intelligence and quick thinking.”
Thinking of Galileo’s recent behavior, Lin Xian couldn’t help but laugh.
Earlier, Galileo had gulped down a scalding cup of tea in one go. Despite burning his tongue, he kept exclaiming how delicious it was, his words tumbling out incoherently.
“Miss Da Vinci is indeed stunning,” Lin Xian acknowledged.
“Though, before I traveled back in time, I had met the older versions of them. Everyone wore masks back then, so I never knew what she actually looked like.”
Einstein closed his eyes, reclining in the soft leather chair, and spoke softly:
“When we founded the Genius Club, I initially suggested that everyone wear masks. After all, my face—the face of someone who is supposed to be dead, whose brain was even stolen—shouldn’t exist in the real world.”
“But later, you argued that it was better for everyone to meet openly and honestly, without masks. I thought your reasoning made sense, so we abandoned the rule.”
“And you were right. The absence of masks has truly created a harmonious atmosphere. Now, the club is built on mutual trust, understanding, and a shared vision. It’s exactly the kind of club I envisioned.”
Lin Xian smiled faintly:
“Masks are like barriers, like walls. They isolate trust and create distance between people’s hearts.”
“When people wear masks, they can never truly understand one another or become real friends.”
“As for what you said earlier… about liking the young Galileo…”
Lin Xian twirled the steel pen in his hand and nodded earnestly:
“I think highly of him too. He’s full of potential. His hypothesis on spacetime particle collisions is particularly intriguing. If we find the right method and achieve sufficient power, it could potentially create miracles.”
…
December 26, 1991, Red Square, Moscow – The Soviet Flag Falls
The lowering of the Soviet Union’s flag marked the end of an era.
Standing at a distance in the snow-covered square were seven individuals, all dressed in heavy winter coats.
These were the current seven members of the Genius Club:
Albert Einstein, Lin Xian, Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, Da Vinci, and Ji Xin Shui.
Einstein clenched his teeth, his expression grim:
“As I suspected, the future I saw was false.”
For years, they had followed Lin Xian’s advice, choosing not to interfere with the Soviet Union’s history to test whether the nuclear apocalypse of 1991, as foretold by some predictions, would occur.
The facts proved it didn’t.
Click.
Lin Xian’s cane slipped on an icy brick, nearly causing him to fall.
“Mr. Douglas!”
The now-strong and capable Ji Xin Shui hurried to steady Lin Xian, helping him into the wheelchair waiting behind. Once Lin Xian was seated securely, Ji Xin Shui let out a sigh of relief:
“No matter what, world peace is good news.”
The others nodded in agreement, preparing to leave.
However, after taking a few steps, they realized that Galileo was still standing in place, gazing into the blizzard, watching ice shards crash into one another in the turbulent weather.
He murmured to himself, “Perhaps, there’s a second piece of good news.”
His voice was soft, but it carried weight.
“What?”
The other members of the club turned back, confused, their eyes fixed on Galileo.
The handsome young man turned to face them, a faint smile spreading across his face.
“Everyone, I’ve just thought of… something incredible!”
…
March 20, 1998, Antarctica
A man whose features resembled a marble sculpture waved goodbye to Albert Einstein, transforming into a sphere of white light:
“Farewell, Einstein. When the next Truth Club gathering occurs, I will personally come to fetch you.”
With those words, the Super-Civilization Envoy—the one who had stopped the world-ending white light hundreds of light-years away—ascended straight into the sky within the luminous sphere, disappearing into the heavens.
Behind him, the members of the Genius Club rushed forward.
“What happened, Mr. Einstein?”
“What was that blue light sphere that entered your forehead?”
“Is it some kind of micro spacetime particle?”
“Was it a gift from that Super-Civilization Envoy who claims to be part of the Truth Club?”
Amid their chatter, Einstein introduced the new ability he had just acquired.
He explained that he could now perceive countless 42s, forming endless threads and strings that intertwined and wove together like a vast loom, spinning the fabric of time and worlds.
This newfound ability was more complex than his previous skills, yet paradoxically easier to comprehend.
“Everyone, we’ve succeeded!”
Einstein smiled, his arms open wide, embracing each member of the Genius Club in turn.
“Thank you all. History may not remember us, but time itself will never let us fade.”
When he reached Lin Xian, Einstein knelt in front of the wheelchair and pulled a white square gift box from his pocket, handing it to his 80-year-old friend.
“Douglas, do you remember this little gift box?”
Lin Xian’s wrinkled eyes opened slowly, and he nodded faintly, his voice hoarse:
“Of course, I remember… I thought you’d lost it long ago. After all… it’s been… so many years… it should have rusted by now…”
“It did,” Einstein replied with a nod.
“It had rusted to black water. But how could I lose it, old friend? You asked me to keep it safe for you, and I did—though I admit, I used some of the power of 42 to restore it to its original state.”
“This gift, from a Brooklyn girl who meant so much to you… don’t you want to open it?”
With trembling hands, Lin Xian took the pristine box and opened it.
Inside was a shining silver wristwatch, still as radiant as it had been nearly 50 years ago.
Lin Xian remembered the price vividly. This was the cheapest watch from a shop in Brooklyn Heights, costing only 20 dollars—yet it had been all that the impoverished girl CC could afford.
Tucked beside the watch was a small square note.
Lin Xian unfolded it, and the words written decades ago seemed to echo in his ears once more—
“Daylight saving time ends tomorrow. Don’t forget to set your watch back one hour~”
It was CC’s voice, a playful, lighthearted tone. She was the pure-hearted girl who had poured her whole soul into him but had never lived to see the fireworks in Brooklyn’s sky.
“Why not try it?” Einstein leaned closer with a mischievous grin.
“Try…?”
Lin Xian raised his head slowly.
“Try what?”
“Just like the note says—set the time back one hour!” Einstein chuckled like a prankster.
“It’s winter time now, but this watch is still on daylight saving time. Back in 1952, you never adjusted it. So why not twist the dial and set the time back one hour?”
Lin Xian smiled faintly.
He didn’t know what it would accomplish.
But…
As Einstein said, why not give it a try?
And so—
Holding the watch in his left hand, Lin Xian grasped the knob with his right and began twisting it counterclockwise—
Whoooosh!
A miracle happened!
The entire world began to spin!
The sun and moon reversed their paths, and stars twinkled in a rewinding dance.
The rising white light rapidly descended, the Soviet flag that had fallen in Red Square was raised again;
Crowds walked backward at breakneck speed, skyscrapers deconstructed layer by layer into foundations;
Everything moved in reverse, including time itself!
Finally—
When Lin Xian rewound the watch by one hour, the changes stopped.
He still held the 20-dollar wristwatch in his hand.
But…
He was no longer in a wheelchair. Instead, he stood on the Brooklyn Clock Tower rooftop.
His skin had regained its youthful glow, and everything around him matched the world of 1952 exactly.
Confused, Lin Xian turned to the glass beside him.
In the reflection, he saw his twenty-something self, with his black eyes staring back.
“Time… reversed?”
Lin Xian suddenly realized.
“This is… 1952!”
“Hey, what are you staring at? Of course, it’s 1952!”
!!!
The familiar voice,
The familiar tone,
The familiar fluffy dark brown hair,
The familiar crescent-shaped smile and dimples by the corners of her lips!
Under a starlit Brooklyn sky, CC, the impoverished girl, turned back from the clock tower railing, her expression lively and bright as she looked at Lin Xian.
“Hey! Do you think that fireworks store owner will really risk breaking the law to light fireworks for us? He’s not… he’s not just scamming us, is he?”
Lin Xian smiled faintly.
Fastening the wristwatch onto his left wrist, he stepped to the railing, standing beside CC as they both looked up at the vast night sky.
“He won’t.”
He spoke with confidence:
“That fireworks store owner is a real man. He really brought back ten pickup trucks full of fireworks from New Jersey.”
He glanced at his watch.
“CC, it’s time.”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, fireworks erupted across the Brooklyn night sky, painting the darkness as bright as daylight.
“Wow!!!!!!”
CC’s eyes sparkled, her pupils lit with vibrant colors as she shouted with joy:
“Fireworks! Real fireworks! I’ve never seen so many fireworks in my life!”
The explosions roared in a glorious symphony.
Never before, nor ever again in centuries past or future, would the Brooklyn skies witness such a display.
And tonight, all of these fireworks were for one girl—a girl who grew up in an orphanage, loved hot dogs, often felt insecure, and dreamed of one day wearing a white dress.
“CC,” Lin Xian called softly.
“Happy Birthday.”
In an instant, CC’s tears flowed uncontrollably under the dazzling fireworks.
No one had ever been so kind to her, except Lin Xian;
No one had ever wished her a happy birthday, except Lin Xian;
No one had ever made all her dreams come true, like a genie, except Lin Xian;
No one had ever stayed with her, traveling from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back again, except Lin Xian…
She mustered her courage, stretched out her left hand, and clasped Lin Xian’s right hand tightly in hers.
“I won’t… wake up one day…”
Biting her lower lip, her grip on his hand tightened.
“I won’t wake up and find… this was all just a dream, right?”
“You won’t.”
Lin Xian smiled warmly.
“This is as real as reality can ever be…”
“Our 1952, our Brooklyn!”
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