Genius Club

Chapter 154: Within the Light Cone

As they stepped out of the movie theater, Tang Xin stretched and beamed. “That movie was amazing! My coworkers were right on the money with their recommendation!”

Lin Xian nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it was even better than the first one.”

Tonight was Tang Xin’s way of thanking Lin Xian for a favor he’d done for her recently. After a lovely dinner, she had surprised him with tickets to “The Wandering Earth 2.”

Lin Xian had been thrilled. He had wanted to see the movie during New Year’s but couldn’t find the time. After the holiday, he had been busy with Liu Feng in Shanxi, then back in Donghai. Now, he finally had a moment to relax.

The film was a true sci-fi spectacle, depicting a future where, by 2075, humanity had harnessed fusion engines to propel Earth through the cosmos. In stark contrast, the real future, 600 years later in New Donghai City, seemed much less advanced with its Victorian-era cosplay.

Lin Xian noticed that the technological level in New Donghai City had improved somewhat since 2023, but it was hardly what he had hoped for. He had imagined a steel city mastering controlled nuclear fusion, tapping into limitless energy. Yet, the reality was a letdown.

Local bookstores still sold books that claimed controlled nuclear fusion was a distant dream. Today’s use of nuclear energy was limited to nuclear batteries. While both nuclear batteries and controlled nuclear fusion tapped into nuclear power, the difference was massive—like comparing a large battery to one that never ran out of charge.

Back in 2023, nuclear batteries were already powering things like the Voyager 1 space probe, launched in 1977. Over 600 years, humanity seemed to have only polished old technologies rather than breaking new ground.

Lin Xian suspected a hidden force was stifling technological growth. Was it the Genius Club? The ones behind Xu Yun’s death? Or someone else? He felt he was close to finding out.

“If the apocalypse really hits, what will we do?” Tang Xin pondered aloud, looking up at the cloudy sky. “Even though the helium flash in ‘The Wandering Earth’ isn’t due anytime soon, no one can predict the future. How would we handle the end of the world?”

Lin Xian thought about the destructive white light he’d learned about from 600 years in the future.

“Most people wouldn’t even see it coming,” he replied quietly. “If we can see and prevent a disaster, maybe we can survive—like in the movie, moving Earth. But if it’s something sudden and unpredictable, worrying won’t help. We’d never see it coming, and by the time we did, it would be too late. People would just disappear in their sleep.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Tang Xin admitted with a nervous smile. “In most sci-fi, we always know about the doom beforehand, like the helium flash or alien invasions. But what if it’s something we can’t see or predict?”

“With what we know now, we could even predict and stop a massive asteroid,” Lin Xian pointed out. “Only something as fast as light could hit us without warning.”

“Right,” he continued, “If a crisis traveled at light speed, we wouldn’t know until it was too late. Light speed is the ultimate speed—once we see it, it’s already here. We couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

“So, we’d be powerless,” Tang Xin sighed. “The more you learn about science, the more you realize how small we are. Earth is a speck in the universe, and we’re just specks on Earth.”

“If we faced a light-speed apocalypse, we’d have to just accept it,” Tang Xin reflected. “Everything within the light cone is fate.”

Lin Xian was quiet, thinking about her words. If the cataclysmic white light from 600 years in the future was indeed traveling at light speed, there would be nothing anyone could do. Light speed was absolute.

Tang Xin’s mention of “everything within the light cone is fate” was a line from “The Three-Body Problem 2: The Dark Forest.” It turned out she was a big sci-fi fan too. Lin Xian had thought researchers like her wouldn’t care for sci-fi, but it seemed many of her colleagues enjoyed it as well.

Things within the light cone were inevitable, already set in motion. But what about those outside it? The only thing Lin Xian could think of was the universal constant: 42. This mysterious number even the Genius Club feared. He hoped to untangle the current crisis soon and discover what 42 really meant.

“Oh, did you say you had something for me?” Lin Xian asked as they walked toward the road.

“Oh, right! I nearly forgot with all this talk about the universe and destiny,” Tang Xin laughed. She pulled out a beautifully printed ticket from her coat pocket and handed it to Lin Xian. “Here, this is for you!”

Lin Xian was taken aback. He recognized the size and design of the ticket—it was for the Donghai City Music Concert! He had received a similar one from Chu An Qing just days ago, which was still in his drawer.

“I know it’s last minute, but I wanted to get you a better seat,” Tang Xin explained, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling shyly. “I hope you can make it the night after tomorrow. Our symphony has been practicing hard, and I’m the lead violinist this year… If you’re free, please come and watch.”

Taking the ticket, Lin Xian noticed it was a special seat. Usually, performers got regular seats, but Tang Xin had managed to secure something special. Unlike Chu An Qing, the local princess with her influential dad, Chu Shan He, Tang Xin had to work hard for such perks.

Had she not mentioned it, Lin Xian might have forgotten. “I’ll be there,” he assured her with a smile. “Even though I’m not big on music, I wouldn’t miss supporting an old classmate.”

“Hehe, then I better play well!” Tang Xin’s face lit up with joy. Lin Xian pocketed the ticket, now holding two special seats for the concert, including the one from Chu An Qing. He decided to bring Gao Yang to avoid any awkwardness, hoping to arrange adjacent seating.

Whether from Chu An Qing or Tang Xin, Lin Xian couldn’t turn down such kindness.

The next day, Lin Xian placed both tickets in his office drawer before heading to Zhao Ying Jun’s office with some files for their regular meeting. They had a lot of confidential company matters to discuss.

Entering Zhao Ying Jun’s office, they got straight to work. Lin Xian’s frequent visits had become routine, and working together, they were more effective, with Zhao Ying Jun seeming less stressed recently, a change noted by many around the office.

A person’s mood really does reflect in their emotions. When work calms down, so does the stress. “Lin Xian, are you into music and dance?” Zhao Ying Jun asked unexpectedly.

“Huh?” Lin Xian was caught off guard. “It’s alright, I suppose.”

Why was Zhao Ying Jun asking about this now? Did she know about Chu An Qing giving him a concert ticket? Perhaps Chu An Qing had told her. They were known to be close, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Chu An Qing had invited her as well.

“Someone gave me two tickets to the Donghai City Music Concert, tomorrow night at the Oriental Art Center.” Zhao Ying Jun pulled out two familiar-looking tickets from her drawer and placed them on the desk, smiling at Lin Xian. “Would you like to go with me?”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation