Genius Club

Chapter 538: Final Deployment

(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)

“The Antarctic Treaty.”

Liu Feng continued from where Du Yao left off:

“Now that Ms. Du Yao has brought it up, I understand. Indeed, there’s nowhere on Earth quite like Antarctica. Over the centuries, it has remained the only truly untouched sanctuary on the planet.”

“Every other region on Earth has either fallen under a nation’s sovereignty or been occupied. Even the Arctic has long been divvied up among the countries within the Arctic Circle.”

“But in 1959, the world’s major powers signed the Antarctic Treaty, fundamentally restricting any exploitation or occupation of Antarctica. All activities there are strictly regulated.”

“Ms. Du Yao’s analysis makes sense. In today’s world, the summit of Mount Everest, Point Nemo, and even the deepest part of the Somali Trench have become tourist destinations equipped with communication networks. There’s no piece of Earth’s land that people don’t already know about... except Antarctica!”

“Exactly,” Cheng Qian agreed with a nod.

“Antarctica is indeed the easiest place to overlook. Even VV and I can’t fully scan the continent. Because of the treaty, any construction beyond scientific research facilities is banned, so there are no networks, servers, or relay hubs there.”

“Yes, the outer research stations can be infiltrated through satellite networks, but VV has already investigated those. There was no trace of Galileo—just research outposts and labs owned by various countries.”

“Precisely...”

Elon Musk stroked his chin thoughtfully as he listened.

“No doubt, Antarctica is the most likely hiding place for Galileo. Ms. Du Yao’s reasoning seems to hold water.”

“After all, the Antarctic Treaty functions as a perfect layer of protection for Galileo. It’s like what happened in old Brooklyn... cough, cough—”

Musk abruptly started coughing to cover a slip of the tongue. He had almost revealed that, across the centuries, if he hadn’t purchased all the land in Brooklyn, even the underground shelter beneath Einstein’s farm would have been discovered long ago.

Urban land tends to be redeveloped every few decades. With the current population boom, there’s hardly a corner of Earth left unvisited. Hiding a shelter underground as they did back in the 21st century would now be impossible—it would inevitably be exposed.

That’s why Musk strongly believed Galileo was most likely hiding in Antarctica.

He coughed to mask the secret of Einstein’s underground bunker because Lin Xian, during his account of the 1952 events, had intentionally avoided mentioning it. If Lin Xian chose to remain silent, Musk would certainly do the same.

At present, Einstein’s farm in old Brooklyn—and the shelter underneath—remains a secret that only Lin Xian, VV, and Musk are privy to.

...

Lin Xian noticed Musk’s abrupt silence and understood why he stopped himself.

While recounting the story in detail, Lin Xian had deliberately skipped over certain parts to avoid going into excessive depth. Einstein’s situation was among those omitted.

As a founding member of the Genius Club—a kind-hearted visionary who ended up being betrayed—Einstein’s fate was heartbreaking. Lin Xian had not elaborated on the specifics of Einstein’s disappearance.

Einstein had already suffered greatly. He wanted to save the world and secure humanity’s future, yet he was manipulated by a shadowy force, eventually becoming an unwitting agent of destruction. This betrayal inflicted tremendous pain, and Lin Xian didn’t want to reopen old wounds by bringing up the underground shelter.

Some secrets are best left sealed.

Keeping the shelter hidden would be Einstein’s final dignity.

“Since that’s the case, we’ll handle two tasks at once,” Lin Xian announced, lifting a hand to quiet the room. He offered his concluding thoughts:

“At present, we’re dealing with two critical priorities: One, we must find Galileo as soon as possible. Two, we need to uncover the truth about the World-Ending White Light.” Ꞧå₦őꞖËṧ

“Up to now, most of our information rests on conjecture. To get real answers, we need hard evidence—and that’s our objective for the coming months.”

“Elon Musk, Liu Feng, and Gao Wen will be responsible for launching the Spacetime Particle Detection Rocket and further investigating the World-Ending White Light.”

“VV, Cheng Qian, and Du Yao will head the search for Galileo in Antarctica.”

“As for Galileo’s hideout, I have a theory...” Lin Xian paused, scanning the room before going on.

“Galileo entered hibernation before the Gauss Virus spread, and before we did.”

“That means if he intended to hibernate at a secret base in Antarctica, the facility had to be prepped ahead of time and ready to go.”

“I even suspect that by as early as 2024, Galileo had already discovered how to trigger a Super Catastrophe—and he might have completed the setup, able to activate it at will.”

“Whether it was the year 2400 or 2600, both are neat, round-numbered years. Clearly, Galileo’s plan isn’t influenced by external factors. If we have to compare the two catastrophes, the one in 2400 caused less damage than the one in 2600, though the reasons are still unclear.”

“So, think about it: Given the Antarctic Treaty’s strict limits, could Galileo really have built a secret underground shelter there before 2024?”

Du Yao shook her head.

“In principle, no. The Antarctic Treaty bans any construction in the Antarctic region not related to scientific research.”

“And there’d be records if it was for research. VV and Cheng Qian wouldn’t have missed any such data.”

“Right... so that’s the paradox. If Galileo really is hiding in Antarctica, how was his shelter constructed in the first place?”

Lin Xian offered a faint smile.

“That’s the main point—”

“The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 and took effect in 1961. All these rules and regulations we’ve been talking about only apply to activities after 1961.”

“Keep in mind that humans started exploring Antarctica much earlier. The most chaotic, lawless period of exploration was during World War II.”

“In that era, the German military organized multiple secret expeditions to Antarctica, though the historical records about their missions are murky, and some reports are downright fantastical.”

“Whether truth or rumor, I believe that during that wartime chaos, Germany—and possibly other nations—launched messy, unregulated operations in Antarctica.”

“Any bases or underground bunkers constructed then would have been top-secret projects, hidden with great care. Even if they were later abandoned, they would still provide a perfect hideaway for Galileo’s secret hibernation.”

This instantly enlightened everyone.

“Brilliant!”

Elon Musk flashed a thumbs-up at Lin Xian.

“So basically, Galileo didn’t build a bunker himself—because he couldn’t have, once the Antarctic Treaty took effect. He simply stumbled on a leftover WWII Antarctic base, occupied it, and converted it into his hibernation shelter! Ingenious!”

“When you put it that way, everything falls into place. This approach also narrows down the massive search area in Antarctica considerably.”

“None at all,” Lin Xian assured, raising his own glass.

They clinked glasses and drank.

“Who else is going?” Gao Yang pressed on.

“Elon Musk’s research team—it’s a top-tier group with top-tier equipment. Rhine University is also sending a big crew. From our circle, it’ll be me, Elon Musk, Du Yao, and VV.”

“Oh, VV doesn’t technically need to go in person—it’s just a data stream. Wherever there’s an internet connection, VV can appear. That aluminum-alloy trash bin can chill here at Rhine University. We’ll bring along a satellite network terminal with a copy of VV inside it.”

Gao Yang pursed his lips.

“That’s quite a trip. Even compared to our space missions back in the day, this is the farthest you’ve ever traveled in your life.”

Lin Xian laughed.

“Why are you suddenly sounding so emotional?”

...

Gao Yang remained quiet, fiddling with his glass as he sank into thought.

After a while, he spoke softly:

“I’ve been having nightmares lately.”

“What kind of nightmares?” Lin Xian asked.

“All sorts,” Gao Yang sighed. “Unlike you, I don’t get a recurring dream. Mine are random every night—whatever I see during the day, I might dream something along those lines, and every dream is terrifying.”

“You used to never be afraid,” Lin Xian teased gently.

“That was back then!”

Gao Yang lowered his voice.

“In our old time, things felt stable. You woke up, and there was your life, solid and real.”

“But now... I don’t know how to describe it. Life feels weightless, like there’s no difference between dreams and reality.”

“Anyway, forget it—let’s not talk about this. Bottoms up!”

He raised his glass, motioning to Lin Xian.

“It’s been ages since we had a drink together. Tonight, let’s go all out!”

“Cheers.”

“Cheers!”

...

Under the midnight moon, Rhine University was draped in a gentle glow. The white jade statue of Zhao Ying Jun and Yu Xi stood beneath the soft beams, radiating peace.

Gao Yang got so drunk that he eventually staggered around, bottle in hand, arm looped around Lin Xian’s shoulder, insisting they head to the statue at the university gates while spouting incoherent words.

Lin Xian could barely parse what Gao Yang was shouting. He simply stood there, gazing up at the tranquil features of the mother-and-daughter statue. Their calm expressions seemed to blend with the stillness of the night.

“Lin Xian!”

All of a sudden, Gao Yang pivoted, wavering on his feet as he threw an arm around Lin Xian. His voice was ragged, carrying a pleading tone:

“Listen to me, brother. Don’t go on this Antarctic expedition.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Lin Xian chuckled.

“It’s my plan. How can I not go?”

“I’m begging you.”

Gao Yang’s grip tightened, his arm around Lin Xian growing unyielding:

“Brother, in my whole life, I’ve never asked you for anything. I don’t care if you never buy me the car you promised or open that 4S dealership—we can forget all that. Just this once, I’m begging you: don’t go to Antarctica.”

Lin Xian didn’t answer right away. He looked at the intoxicated Gao Yang, unsure whether his concern was genuine or simply fueled by standing under the statue of Zhao Ying Jun and Yu Xi, where memories weighed heavily. He wondered if Gao Yang would remember any of this by morning.

“Heh.”

Lin Xian let out a quiet laugh.

“It’s the same old story, Gao Yang. I have to go. If not me, then who?”

“Me!”

Although Gao Yang was swaying on his feet, his voice held a fierce determination:

“Your family has already sacrificed so much for this world. You can’t always be the one taking the risks, leading from the front.”

“I’ve always wanted to do something for you, to share your load. But, you know me—I’m just an ordinary guy with no real talents to help.”

“To be honest, these nightmares... they’re because I’m worried about you. I can’t stand the idea of you going so far away to a place like Antarctica. And you’re our leader, the one in charge. If anything dangerous really happens down there—if something happens to you—who’s left to guide the Genius Club?”

“So...”

Gao Yang hiccupped, bloodshot eyes turning to look up at the statue of Zhao Ying Jun and Yu Xi.

“So, Lin Xian, let me do this for the world, for humankind’s future, for your family, for Chu Anqing... let me finally do something.”

His gaze grew steadfast as he drew himself up, pounding his chest:

“This time, you stay here. I’ll go to Antarctica in your place!”