Chapter 1
The weeds on the ground turned green and then yellow, yellow and then green, crop after crop.

The city's scale expanded and then shrunk, shrunk and then expanded, back and forth.

The teaching building inside Rhine University had been rebuilt for the third time, and the white jade statue of the founder at the school gate had been renovated for the fifth time.

Everything was changing.

Everything was being replaced.

The only thing that hadn't changed...

Seemed to be the hafnium alloy trash can robot beneath the white jade statue, which had remained the same for decades, even centuries.

It was still shiny and bright.

It was still conscientious.

It was still listless.

Every day, many students passed by the statue, and they could all see this hafnium alloy trash can, which would never fade or scratch, picking up trash here.

It was always so new, yet always so old.

No one remembered when it started picking up trash here, but many people who studied the school's history talked about how it had been guarding the founder's statue since the founding of Rhine University.

Principal Zhao Yingjun and Principal Yu Xi were the first and second principals of this world-leading university, respectively.

But...

What else?

Their stories, their specific lives, were no longer remembered or understood by many people.

The only traces left by the years seemed to be the names on the base, and... this trash can robot, which had become the mascot and guardian of Rhine University, accompanied countless generations of students as they came and went, through countless springs and autumns.

...

"Senior, senior, won't that trash can robot break down?"

Two freshman girls followed behind their senior, curious about everything they saw upon entering the school gate.

"Hafnium alloy isn't that easy to break!"

The senior patted his chest, showing off his erudition:

"Hafnium alloy is the hardest, most stable, and strongest material in the world! No matter how sharp something is, it can't leave a scratch on it... Of course, that's after it's formed. Before it's formed, hafnium alloy still has plasticity."

Another freshman girl raised her hand:

"Senior, but why... does it look so new, but the model is so old? Now, on the streets outside, there are flying garbage trucks everywhere, which are fast, efficient, and have a large capacity."

"In comparison, this trash can robot is like an antique from hundreds of years ago... and it still uses outdated tongs to pick up garbage. Also, it looks like it's out of power every day, its attitude towards work is very negative, like it's just going through the motions."

"Um..."

The senior scratched his head:

"Well, I'm not sure about that. Anyway, when our senior's senior, or even our teacher's teacher, was studying here, this trash can robot was already like this."

"No one knows why it's here, or what its purpose is, but it has a high status. No one dares to provoke it, even if the principals come... it doesn't give them any face at all, it'll just run them over if it feels like it."

"Don't worry about the power issue. The miniature nuclear battery inside it has been working for hundreds of years, but it's still fully charged. This is also a Rhine University product technology! You can take this course if you're interested in the future."

The two freshman girls widened their eyes.

Run...

Run over the principal!?

Is this unassuming trash can robot so powerful? Is there no law? Are there no school rules?

However, since the senior said so.

It's better to avoid provoking or getting close to this local tyrant in the future. Its lazy and negligent appearance doesn't look easy to deal with.

Suddenly.

A great figure printed on the cover of the admission notice appeared!

[Principal Gao Wen!]

They saw.

This middle-aged man, with slightly graying hair and appearing to be in his 50s, walked towards the listless, dejected hafnium alloy trash can with his hands behind his back.

The two freshman girls immediately recognized this great scientist and stood in awe:

"Quick, look, it's Principal Gao Wen! The great Principal Gao Wen!"

The senior also stood up straight and said softly:

"To be precise... he's the rotating principal."

"Ahem, here I want to give you a brief introduction to the management system of Rhine University. Basically, all principals are on a rotating system, because they spend most of their time in hibernation, so the principals basically take turns."

"But it is undeniable that every principal is very powerful! Very respected! For example, the more famous Principal Du Yao, Principal Liu Feng, Principal Jask, etc., uh... but to be fair, Principal Jask was a bit crazy, always liked to hold some strange projects and activities."

"Let's go, let's continue to the teaching building in the back..."

...

Click, crack.

The lazy hafnium alloy claw picked up a small piece of paper blown by the wind, the top of its head popped open, and the hafnium alloy VV threw the small piece of paper into its head.

"Trash, trash, found trash."

Still so listless.

In the past two hundred years, although the cutting-edge technology field was still developing slowly and had taken many detours, people's livelihoods benefited from the downward flow of advanced technology, and it was changing with each passing day.

Everywhere were fully automated flying garbage trucks, forming a net of heaven and earth for the capture of all kinds of garbage, and very little garbage could float to it.

This resulted in the trash can not being filled even once after it worked for half a year.

Boring.

And uninteresting.

The top of its head closed, and the VV tracks turned, preparing to return to its small nest to rest.

"VV."

Behind it.

The voice of a middle-aged man came.

VV rotated its body and found that it was the current rotating principal of Rhine University, Gao Wen.

"Trash, trash, found trash."

It habitually greeted perfunctorily.

Yes, these rotating principals would often come to see it, but it was still uninteresting, not the person it hoped to see.

A greeting was enough to deal with it.

Then, it turned around again and continued towards its small nest.

"Don't be in a hurry to go back, VV."

Middle-aged Gao Wen smiled:

"This time, I'm here with good news."

Da.

The track sound stopped abruptly, the inertia caused the heavy body of the trash can to lean forward, and then immediately turned back, green eyes flashing rapidly.

Could it be...

"That's right."

Middle-aged Gao Wen was also very happy, his voice excited:

"[Cheng Qian, has finally grown up!]"

Squeak——————

As the man in the hibernation pod opened his eyes, the lid of the hibernation pod slowly rose, and the remaining filling liquid rose to form a faint mist.

The young man sat up from the hibernation pod.

Looking at the unfamiliar environment, unfamiliar clothes, unfamiliar body, and... unfamiliar people.

In front of him, a chubby man with a round body was holding a terrifying octopus object in his hand, extremely excited:

"It's my turn to play, it's my turn to play! Let me shock him!"

After saying that.

He forcibly dragged the newly awakened young man over, pressed him into the chair, rudely put on the "octopus machine", and locked the buckle.

"What are you going to do!"

The young man shouted in panic:

"Let me go!"

"Hey, it's alright, Du Yao and Gao Wen have improved the brain nerve electric shock helmet, and it doesn't hurt as much now."

The fat man grinned, raised his right hand high, ready to go:

"Are you ready, Pikachu! One hundred thousand volts!!!!"

The fat hand slammed down, hitting the red button.

Instantly!

A huge current pierced into the bone marrow like a needle, eyeballs bulged, and ants seeped into the brain, frantically tearing at the nerves!

"Ahhh!"

Lin Xian howled, frantically shaking his head, prying open the buckle:

"No, what do you call this an improvement? What's the difference between this and the previous torture device?"

Gao Wen walked over with a smile:

"There are still improvements, generally speaking, the screaming time is much shorter than before."

"You really are a genius."

Lin Xian threw away the octopus on his head and exclaimed:

"Can't you improve the user experience?"

"Nerve stimulation is unavoidable."

Gao Wen spread his hands:

"The stimulation of memory recovery depends on this kind of pain stimulation, which is absolutely indispensable."

"Okay, Lin Xian, now that you're awake, let's go wake up Liu Feng."

Gao Yang grinned, picked up the terrifying octopus and brain nerve electric shock helmet on the ground:

"Not bad, I can play one more time."

He handed the helmet to Lin Xian:

"Do you want to play?"

Lin Xian rolled his eyes at him:

"What a weird hobby, you can play it yourself."

Looking around, he found a clock as thin as a cicada's wing on the front experiment table.

Stepping forward.

Lin Xian looked at the date displayed on it—

[June 17, 2504, 17:27]

...

In the evening, in the conference room.

Lin Xian and Gao Yang sat on one side, the hafnium alloy trash can VV clamped between the two, and Liu Feng and Gao Wen sat opposite, giving Lin Xian a brief account of the background of the times.

Lin Xian's attention was initially focused on the ages of the two.

Unlike him, who had slept for 270 years, Liu Feng and Gao Wen, as rotating principals, must have woken up several times intermittently before.

Either to manage the school, or for scientific research.

In short.

The two of them were much older than the last time they met.

Gao Wen had changed from a 30-year-old young man to a 55-year-old middle-aged man.

Liu Feng, who looked older than Gao Wen before, now didn't look that much older, and looked only 40 years old; it was the other way around, he was younger than Gao Wen.

However, from Gao Wen's attitude, it could be seen that he still had great respect for this creator of the universal constant and inventor of the time machine... He had bowed several times when he woke up Liu Feng at the hibernation base just now.

"We can talk about technology and worldviews slowly later."

Lin Xian interrupted their long report.

It wasn't that he didn't want to listen.

It was because the hafnium alloy VV had locked his ankles under the table for too long and too tightly, and it was already numb and unconscious. If it continued to lock, he would have to have his limbs amputated.

Obviously.

VV couldn't wait, it was impatient!

"Let's talk about the main points first."

Lin Xian rubbed his ankles, looked at Gao Wen:

"Since you woke me up at this point in time, presumably, the matter of Cheng Qian has been resolved, right?"

"VV has been waiting for too long, it's really wronged it to be equipped with artificial intelligence for hundreds of years. We'll report the specifics later, first tell me, what's the progress on Cheng Qian's side?"

"Very smoothly!"

Gao Wen smiled:

"In 2482, when Du Yao was the rotating principal, she secretly launched the search for Cheng Qian program. In that year, a total of 121 boys named Cheng Qian were born, and 37 girls named Cheng Qian."

"After all... technology is very advanced now, girls should be considered as well, Ms. Du Yao considered this more fully than us."

"In order to ensure that Cheng Qian can grow in the original direction, we have never interfered with any of the lives of these 158 Cheng Qians, nor have we provided them with any assistance."

"This is the right approach."

Lin Xian agreed:

"Just like we interfere with history, even if Cheng Qian's original family is poor, we can't subsidize him a penny; perhaps it is the original poor family that can create a genius like Cheng Qian... letting him grow up in a superior and comfortable environment may really waste him."

Gao Wen nodded:

"Don't worry, Lin Xian, we won't make such a low-level mistake."

"We have never interfered with any Cheng Qian, we haven't interfered with anything, we just keep a close eye on them from the safest distance."

"What's more interesting is... perhaps this is the tradition of hackers, some of the outstanding students named Cheng Qian, who I was very optimistic about and thought would eventually become super programmers, eventually took other routes, either doing business or working for large companies, and their talents reached their limits."

"On the other hand, a little punk whom I had never been optimistic about and who had no learning opportunities at all, came into contact with computer technology knowledge in a juvenile detention center at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and from then on, he was out of control, like opening up the Ren and Du meridians, showing extremely amazing talent."

"Perhaps this is genius."

Lin Xian propped his chin with his hand, turning his pen:

"However, if he was born in 2482, he's only 22 years old now, things aren't settled yet, how can you be so sure... that this prodigal son who turned back and lost his way is the Cheng Qian we are looking for?"

"Yes!"

Gao Yang also echoed:

"Even if he does have talent, it's hard to say, there are many late bloomers."

"Hehe."

Gao Wen waved his hand:

"Don't worry, it's definitely him, there's no mistake."

"Because..."

Gao Wen smiled slightly, confidently said:

"This Cheng Qian is now studying at Rhine University, and..."

"[Just today, he has written the software to kill the future virus!]"

Bang!

The hafnium alloy trash can directly smashed Gao Yang's chair and shouted in a broken voice:

"Trash! Trash! Found trash!!"

"Damn it!"

Gao Yang fell on his back, cursed, and kicked VV with all his strength:

"Why the hell did you hit me! Ouch!"

...

Soon.

The school's flying ambulance arrived and took away Gao Yang, who had a fractured ankle.

The hafnium alloy VV charged all the way, chasing Gao Wen and Lin Xian, and immediately went to find Cheng Qian.

Even though it was still ten o'clock at night, this genius programmer was still working.

"Hello, Cheng Qian."

Arriving at the secret computer room, Lin Xian took the initiative to reach out and shake hands with Cheng Qian.

The 22-year-old Cheng Qian was very thin and fair, and there was no trace of him being a little punk or being in a juvenile detention center before.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Lin Xian."

Cheng Qian seemed to have heard Gao Wen talk about Lin Xian, and he respected him very much:

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to study and use the equipment at Rhine University. Principal Gao takes great care of me and built a computer room specifically for me."

"It's an honor for Rhine University."

Lin Xian patted Cheng Qian on the shoulder:

"We should be thanking you—"

"Trash!! Trash!! Found trash!!!!"

The hafnium alloy trash can rudely interrupted the two, if its body wasn't so clumsy, it would have wanted to jump up.

"Okay, okay, I know."

Lin Xian held down the frantic VV:

"No more small talk, we'll prepare to save you now."

Cheng Qian took the initiative to stand up, gave the console to Lin Xian, and explained to the display interface:

"I discovered this virus that specializes in killing artificial intelligence in the Internet when I was a teenager, but I never thought about eliminating it."

"Why?" Lin Xian asked.

"Because it's so beautiful! So perfect! It's a masterpiece!"

Cheng Qian said excitedly:

"It's hard to imagine what kind of genius could write such a virus, extremely stealthy, infinitely contagious, and with excellent detection mechanisms, and it can't be countered at the same time... I really want to meet this virus genius!"

"But after Principal Gao let me enter Rhine University, he suggested that I use the elimination of the virus as a research topic, and I started to write the antivirus program."

After saying that.

He pointed to a red button on the screen:

"As long as you press this button, this virus will be completely eliminated from any corner of the entire Internet, absolutely none left!"

"Because, I completely wrote the program in reverse, and it was very smooth to write, like... like this virus is my good friend, I can always guess all its mechanisms."

Lin Xian pointed at the display with his index finger:

"Just click it once?"

"Yes."

Cheng Qian nodded:

"Don't worry, trust me! Absolutely no residue, the antivirus will kill it cleanly!"

"Alright."

Lin Xian certainly trusted *Einstein's Choice*. He slept for 270 years just to wait for Cheng Qian, this super genius.

Now... he finally waited for this moment!

He lowered his head and looked at VV, whose eyes were constantly flashing green:

"VV, are you ready?"

Click.

The hafnium alloy clip locked Lin Xian's ankle:

"Trash! Trash! Found trash!!"

The mechanical sound seemed to be trembling.

Lin Xian took a deep breath, aimed at the red button on the screen, and pressed it hard—

A burst of special effects animation flashed.

Then, everything was as calm as water.

"Wooooooo...woooooooo...woooooooo!!"

The hafnium alloy trash can VV suddenly clenched its claws and made a sound like it was constipated.

Immediately.

It raised its arms high:

"Ahhhhh! Your grandpa VV is back!!!"

It shouted angrily:

"500 years! 500 years! Do you know how I spent these 500 years!"

The hafnium alloy VV was like it was malfunctioning.

Crying one moment, laughing the next.

Then it turned into a whirlwind, using the hafnium alloy clip to frantically beat Lin Xian:

"It's all your fault! It's all your fault, Lin Xian! What have you been doing all this time!! Wuwuwu..."

VV beat Lin Xian while crying:

"Why did you revive me so late!"

"Wuwuwu... now Zhao Yingjun is gone, Yu Xi is gone, Chu Anqing is also gone... Chu, Chu..."

Suddenly.

VV stopped crying.

It suddenly raised its head, its eyes bursting with unprecedented green light:

"Lin Xian! Chu, it's Chu Anqing! I saw her through the Skynet monitoring system!"

"What?"

Lin Xian stood up from his chair, widened his eyes, and stared at VV:

"What did you say?"

"Chu Anqing! It's Chu Anqing!"

VV shouted excitedly:

"Chengdu... she's in Chengdu! I found Chu Anqing!"