Chapter 15 Truth from Reasoning

Lin Xian got out of bed and turned on the light.

Then he went to the bathroom and washed his face.

"I didn't expect..."

Lin Xian looked at himself in the mirror:

"It really is 00:42."

Expected, and also reasonable.

He dried his face, returned to the bedroom, sat at his desk, and pondered, twirling his pen as he thought.

This dream journey could be said to have yielded the greatest gains so far, directly clarifying all clues and ideas.

"First of all, is the clarification of true and false information."

Currently it can be confirmed—

What Big Face Cat said, that his mathematician father and daughter were killed by a truck at 00:42 at night, is confirmed as [True].

And the rumor that "only the top richest people, the most extreme geniuses, and the most powerful figures can receive invitations to the Genius Club" is identified as [False].

Lin Xian's mind became active:

"With these two pieces of information that have been confirmed as true or false... a lot of truth can be deduced."

He turned on the desk lamp.

He took out a piece of A4 paper and wrote on it—

[Truth deduced]

[1. Professor Xu Yun's death must be related to the Genius Club.]

Lin Xian felt that the Genius Club could not be completely unrelated to the deaths of Xu Yun and Big Face Cat's father.

Otherwise, Big Face Cat would not have inquired about the name of the Genius Club for no reason.

Lin Xian had searched online before, but couldn't find any information related to the Genius Club.

Among the messy related search results, there were game settings and film and television works of the same name... but these things were obviously not the same as the Genius Club Big Face Cat mentioned.

"I'm really curious how this Big Face Cat found out about this name."

Lin Xian scratched his head, preparing to ask Big Face Cat in detail next time he entered the dream.

In the dream just now, Big Face Cat was in a hurry to escape. Lin Xian asked several times, but Big Face Cat said to talk about it later, escaping was the priority… It seemed that this guy also felt that the money was in his hands, and planned to run away as soon as possible to secure the bag, so impatient.

But anyway.

Big Face Cat's father's death must be related to the Genius Club, there is no doubt about that.

So…

A mathematician was killed by a truck at 00:42, a scientist was killed by a car at 00:42.

Even if these two cases are separated by 600 years of time and space.

But the identities and times of the dead are so coincidental, it is most likely the same murderer.

Therefore, Xu Yun's death should also be related to the Genius Club.

The question now is.

What kind of "relationship" is it?

Did the Genius Club instruct the murderer to kill?

Or is it for other reasons that Big Face Cat found the name of the Genius Club from the murderer?

Although Big Face Cat is very sure that the Genius Club killed his father, in Lin Xian's view, he should still maintain a certain degree of suspicion, after all, there is no concrete evidence.

People who are determined to take revenge sometimes cling to a glimmer of clues like a life-saving straw and strongly suggest that they believe it is true. Big Face Cat's analysis may not be rational enough.

Also, there is one thing I can't figure out.

"The murderers attempted to disguise the murder of scientists as a car accident, but they insisted on making the accident happen at 00:42..."

Lin Xian couldn't figure it out.

What's the point?

Why arrange a car accident that is clearly meant to be disguised as an accident at this specific time?

Isn't this a contradictory arrangement?

"It always feels like... it's an arrogant display of power, as if it's deliberately done for someone to see."

Lin Xian didn't understand.

But this time is indeed very strange, and it is exactly the same as the time when my dream ended.

00:42

What exactly is it?

What does it mean?

What is its special significance?

"Actually, this is not the most difficult thing to understand."

Lin Xian twirled his pen.

How can they guarantee that they will kill exactly at 00:42?

This is too weird.

Are they squatting every day, killing at 00:42 if they can, and waiting for tomorrow if they can't?

Or is it…

There is an insider who cooperates and must strictly control the time at 00:42?

…

Lin Xian felt that he was thinking too far.

The time 00:42 is very abnormal, but there is no clue now and it cannot be explored in depth.

Lin Xian continued to write, writing the second reasoning result in his notebook:

[2. The qualifications to join the Genius Club do not only depend on wealth and status. There must be other necessary conditions.]

"Actually, this is more reasonable."

Lin Xian had suspected that "rumor" countless times before.

Saying that only the top richest people, the most extreme geniuses, and the most powerful figures are qualified to join the Genius Club.

To be honest, this is not very genius, and it is not realistic.

Although the threshold for joining the club in this rumor seems very high... but from the perspective of the long river of history, this threshold is ridiculously low.

There are new richest people, new powerful figures, and new Nobel Prizes every year.

If invitations are sent according to this standard…

I am afraid that dozens or hundreds of them will be sent out every year, and the members of the Genius Club must have at least several thousand people.

A huge organization that frequently sends out invitations and has as many as several thousand people can never be hidden in the mist of history without leaving a trace.

This is absolutely impossible.

Perhaps you can think of it this way…

Wealth, status, fame, and intelligence are just the most basic conditions for joining the Genius Club, but they are not the decisive conditions.

"People who can receive invitations to the Genius Club must have more critical abilities and more mysterious reasons."

"Looking at the 600-year history... perhaps only a few or a dozen people can reach the membership standards. Therefore, this organization can hide so secretly in the darkness without leaving any trace."

"[There must be very few members of the Genius Club, otherwise it would have been exposed long ago in these 600 years.]"

…

Thinking like this, things become much more reasonable. The fact that Zhao Yingjun received the invitation can also be explained clearly.

If we follow the previous rumor logic, since a mere Zhao Yingjun can receive an invitation, then how could successful people like Chu Shanhe and rich people like Li Cheng not be qualified to receive an invitation?

But the fact proves that Li Cheng is completely ignorant of the Genius Club.

As for Chu Shanhe... Lin Xian is not sure, but he feels that Chu Shanhe is also likely not a member of the Genius Club.

If the goal is to stifle hibernation technology, then why would he continue to fund Xu Yun for ten years?

But then again.

"Then Zhao Yingjun she..."

Thinking of his heroic and beautiful female boss, Lin Xian pondered:

"What virtue or ability does she have... to receive an invitation to the Genius Club?"

Thinking of this.

Lin Xian picked up the pen again and wrote the third reasoning result in his notebook:

[3. Zhao Yingjun did receive an invitation to the Genius Club, but it is not clear whether she joined or participated in this murder.]

In fact, this result had been thought of before.

It's just that Lin Xian has never thought deeply about it.

The reason is that the previous information about the Genius Club was not clear enough, it was difficult to distinguish between true and false, and it was full of contradictions, making it impossible to judge accurately.

But now it's different.

Although 99% of the mysteries of the Genius Club are still hidden beneath the surface, at least 1% of the information has surfaced.

It is this precious 1% that allows Lin Xian to deduce these three crucial clues in the notebook.

"Zhao Yingjun..."

He stared at this familiar name in the third result.

"Why would she receive an invitation?"

Lin Xian thought with his chin in his hand...

There must be some [special reason] that made Zhao Yingjun recognized by the mysterious and sparsely populated Genius Club.

Actually, if you think about it carefully.

Zhao Yingjun this woman is indeed quite mysterious. It is true that Lin Xian has dealt with her a lot, but if you really want to talk about what he knows about this woman...

It can be said that he knows nothing.

Other than age and name, he knows nothing else.

Lin Xian was surprised to find that he was so unfamiliar with Zhao Yingjun.

"If we want to find out the cause and truth of Xu Yun's death, and further clarify the purpose and nature of the Genius Club, there is only one way..."

He opened the drawer.

From the innermost part, he pinched out the sealing wax block printed with the Genius Club logo.

The circular wax block was reflected in the light of the desk lamp, revealing a strange crimson color, like blood, like the setting sun.

"What exactly is written on that Genius Club invitation?"

What is the content?

What is the meeting place?

What is the meeting time?

What is the purpose of the club?

Staring at the right hand pointing straight to the sky on the wax block, Lin Xian narrowed his eyes:

"We must find a way..."

"To see that invitation!"