Genius Club

Chapter 535: What Is 42?

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

“If Einstein could see the real future, witness the Millennial Stake’s decay, and the World-Ending White Light... could the geniuses of the Genius Club truly save humanity’s future?”@@@@

Lin Xian placed the Golden Emblem on top of the Genius Club Invitation and carefully stored them together in a Vacuum Safe, locking it securely.

“I believe there’s still hope,” he declared, pressing the lock button.

The safe hissed, releasing air until the interior became vacuum-sealed again. Standing up, Lin Xian continued:

“The emergence of humanity, from the perspective of biology and probability, is a miracle. Earth itself is a cradle of miracles. I have immense faith in human potential. Of course... the prerequisite is having a true leader to guide these geniuses onto the right path.”

Hearing Lin Xian’s bold proclamation, VV’s eyes alternated flashing excitedly as it raised its clip in enthusiasm.

“A new Genius Club! This is... this is so cinematic, like the coolest transition in a Hollywood movie! Count me in! I must have a spot in this. In terms of qualifications, I, VV, am a founding member who has sacrificed for the organization. Strength? I’m a super artificial intelligence that’s been quietly evolving for 500 years—who would dare challenge me? And loyalty? Don’t even get me started—who could be more reliable than me, Lin Xian?”

“Relax, relax.” Lin Xian patted VV on its top and restrained the overenthusiastic Aluminum Alloy Trashcan Robot from bouncing around.

“My Genius Club will definitely include you. But for now, our priority is to search Newton’s residence for clues.”

“Let’s split the work—check the computer’s data, cold storage drives, and handwritten notebooks. We’ll see if we can uncover anything useful.”

...

After hours of rummaging, Lin Xian and VV thoroughly searched every corner of Newton’s home.

The findings were underwhelming.

There were no clues about the Universal Constant 42, the topic they were most curious about. It seemed Newton and Copernicus were extremely cautious, choosing to keep this information locked in their minds.

However, they did discover details about Newton’s background, his relationship with Copernicus, and their motives for targeting mathematicians and scientists.

“Regarding Newton’s real age and his disguised participation in the club meetings—we were right,” Lin Xian remarked, closing a notebook and leaning back in his chair.

“These elders from the 20th century certainly had the habit of recording things on paper. It was the only way they felt secure.”

“To some extent, in an era dominated by big data, cloud storage, and digital traces, these notebooks actually better protect personal privacy.”

“Newton’s persistence in this habit is a small blessing for us. Even after his death, we can still glean valuable information from his time.”

VV nodded thoughtfully.

“Old habits die hard,” it murmured. “It’s the hardest thing to change about a person—like how you always twirl your pen. In this high-tech age, habits are even more distinctive than biological traits or DNA.”

“Let’s take all this back to Elon Musk,” Lin Xian decided, gathering the useful notebooks into a neat pile on the table.

“Once we meet him, we’ll explain Newton’s backstory and the reasons behind their actions. Then, I’ll inform him about my plan to form a new Genius Club.”

VV opened its lid with a pop and pointed inside its trashcan-like body.

“Just toss everything in here—the notebooks and that safe. You can’t carry it all by yourself, so let me handle it.”

Lin Xian blinked in amusement. “That’s... an innovative idea.”

He carefully lifted the Vacuum Safe containing the last Genius Club Invitation, placing it inside VV’s compartment. Then he added all of Newton’s notebooks. ṝÁNỖ฿ĘṢ

After closing VV’s lid, he observed, “A perfect suitcase.”

“Traveling with you is incredibly convenient,” Lin Xian praised. “If only the top of your head were flatter, I could even ride on you. But with so many bumps, it’s clear your designer didn’t envision that use case.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t push your luck with unreasonable demands!” VV spun in circles indignantly. “I’m already doing plenty!”

...

After leaving Newton’s residence, Lin Xian and VV boarded a private jet, returning to the Old Brooklyn estate in the United States, the private domain of Elon Musk, the elderly world’s wealthiest man.

Elon Musk sat in his chair, flipping through Newton’s notebooks.

“I never would have guessed,” he said, “that Newton was so young when he joined the Genius Club, and... that he managed to maintain this disguise for so long.”

“That’s right,” Lin Xian agreed. “From these notebooks, it’s clear that before joining the Genius Club, Copernicus and Newton didn’t know each other and had no interactions. When they first met in the Genius Club, Copernicus was in his fifties, while Newton was only 20, just a young university student.”

Elon Musk exhaled deeply, his tone filled with admiration.

“Cracking the code in the painting Melancholy Einstein at the age of 20 and correctly answering three exam questions—Newton truly lived up to the name of genius. No wonder he was later able to devise such a complex plan.”

“They worked together, extracting vast amounts of truth and secrets about the future from Einstein. Unfortunately, looking back now with hindsight, it’s evident that much of this information was false. Even Einstein himself was deceived.”

Lin Xian adjusted his posture, crossing one leg over the other.

“You can’t blame them. The ‘mysterious force’ behind the deception was incredibly cunning. They provided recent predictions about the future that could all be verified as true, making their claims seem trustworthy. Even predictions hundreds of years ahead were accurate. Only the ultimate conclusion turned out to be false, making it nearly impossible to discern.”

“They certainly want to master the power of 42 and gain the ability to match universal truths. But this isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight. To truly master 42’s power, it would either require the collective effort of the entire cosmos... or a truly extraordinary cosmic-level genius.”

With a sigh, Musk turned to Lin Xian and VV.

“Honestly, I’ve always been perplexed. 42 is just an ordinary number, something anyone could jot down anywhere. How could such a number harbor unimaginable destructive power? What’s the mechanism behind it?”

“Knowledge,” Lin Xian replied.

“Knowledge is power. That’s one of humanity’s oldest truths. When Einstein proposed the mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2, he never imagined that this elegantly simple equation would one day become the foundation for the world-shaking mushroom cloud.”

“In the same way, 42 is just a number until its truth is understood. Only by grasping it can one comprehend what it represents and the terrifying power it contains.”

...

Listening to Lin Xian’s words, Elon Musk nodded in agreement.

If the Universal Constant 42 is likened to the mass-energy equation, it does become easier to understand.

However...

Given the current circumstances, is it truly possible to comprehend and master the Universal Constant 42?

Elon Musk spread his hands helplessly:

“I’m not trying to discourage you, but look—on your side, you have Liu Feng and Gao Wen, both of them unrivaled geniuses. Despite collaborating for centuries, they only managed to calculate the result of the Universal Constant, which is 42, with various hints. In terms of understanding the essence of 42, there has been virtually no progress.”

“Of course, I am not saying that these two are incapable. Mr. Gao Wen is indeed the most intelligent genius I have ever met. I personally hold him in high regard and have sought his help to solve many research problems over the years.”

“But even a genius of his caliber couldn’t uncover the truth of 42... Moreover, even someone as brilliant as Einstein could only stop at calculating the number 42, unable to move forward.”

“In this context, can there really appear a genius smarter than Gao Wen and Einstein, capable of fully comprehending 42? Or perhaps the human limit is simply incapable of understanding and mastering 42?”

“No.”

Lin Xian closed his eyes.

He recalled the scene of an old man and a young boy crushed under a truck;

He remembered the numbers “42” scrawled all over the walls of a decrepit house;

He thought of the unparalleled genius who even Emperor Gao Wen praised with admiration;

And he recalled a mysterious man, only spoken of in legends, never once encountered—Big Cat Face’s father, Chen Heping.

“There is one person... He actually did it.”

Lin Xian spoke softly:

“At the very least, that man was different from Einstein, Liu Feng, and Gao Wen. Not only did he calculate the Universal Constant 42, but he also went a step further than anyone else—he comprehended its truth.”

Thoughts surged backward like rays of light...

Lin Xian suddenly realized.

Perhaps all the truths and answers had already been revealed in the Second Dreamscape.

That man was an ordinary elementary school math teacher.

He spent decades studying the ancient text Introduction to the Universal Constant, and after calculating the result—42—he locked himself away for months.

He not only wrote variations of the number 42 into every tiny crevice of the bricks but ensured that every single stroke was never repeated.

It had to be deliberate—there must be some hidden meaning!

One day, Chen Heping fully grasped the truth of the Universal Constant 42.

His actions became bizarre, and his mind broke down.

Lin Xian still vividly remembered Big Cat Face imitating Chen Heping’s erratic behavior:

A vacant expression.

Eyes unfocused.

His entire demeanor resembled someone possessed, grabbing everyone he encountered by the arm and trembling as he repeated the same phrase:

“42... is everywhere.”