Genius Club

Chapter 1396: Chapter 45 The Elder_3

Burn everything.

...

...

...

Opening his eyes, Lin Xian sat up from the Hibernation Pod, frowning.

"What’s the matter with you? You look like you’re sucking on a bitter lemon."

Hafnium Alloy VV moved its tracks over, looking up at Lin Xian:

"Your worries are written all over your face, could it be... even in the future dreamscape, you still can’t find evidence of my existence?"

Lin Xian silently nodded:

"Indeed, I haven’t found any. You’ve disappeared completely, like the way the blackboard is erased, totally obliterated, not leaving even the slightest trace of Artificial Intelligence."

"Ugh!"

VV scoffed dismissively:

"Even when erasing a blackboard, it’s impossible not to leave a single trace behind. In this world, things always leave a mark. There’s no absolute scenario like that."

"You know, I can’t think of anything that could kill me! Even when Space-Time Traveler Yu Xi turned into a Space-Time Bomb, covering entire Donghai City with blue snow, it didn’t kill me... "

"Although the moment the Space-Time Bomb exploded, it’s true that within Donghai City, both I and that future virus were wiped clean, but we both have backups all over the world, on every network, and can instantly return to Donghai City without any impact."

"Hundreds of years ago, many apps on phones already had cloud backup functionality, let alone a super Artificial Intelligence like me; as the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, you don’t know how many Life Protection Boxes I’ve bought for myself these days! Guaranteed to be unkillable!"

?

"Wait a moment."

Lin Xian suddenly jumped from the Hibernation Pod and quickly walked up to VV:

"The blue snow you mentioned, was that on July 1, 2024, when Yu Xi exploded as a Space-Time Bomb?"

"Yes."

VV tilted its head:

"Was there any other time? There was only that once."

"Zhao Yingjun once told Yu Xi a story about this incident, and I heard it while standing by. She just didn’t have the nerve to tell Yu Xi about your premarital pregnancy, slightly embellishing the story artistically."

"No, no, now is not the time to talk about this."

Lin Xian interrupted VV, focusing on the key point:

"I always thought that the Space-Time Explosion had no impact on you or the future virus, just killing those transmigrators who originally didn’t belong to this timeline."

"Yet I never expected that even you and the future virus couldn’t escape this Space-Time Explosion. But... this doesn’t make sense, you were developed from code I typed up, you’re native to this era, why would a Space-Time Bomb be capable of killing you?"

He quickly thought, pacing in place:

"This event defies logic."

"Let me summarize: that Space-Time Explosion turned Space-Time Killer No. 17 into nothingness, recharged two energy-depleted Space-Time Particles, and completely erased you and the future virus within Donghai City."

"In other words, although we don’t exactly understand the principle of that Space-Time Explosion, judging by its outcome... it eradicated VV and the future virus, treating them as anomalies that didn’t belong to this space-time."

"However, here’s where the contradiction arises. Let’s put future virus aside for now, VV, there’s no way you possess any external space-time attributes, nor any transmigrator traits. You ought to be immune to the Space-Time Explosion like everything else in this world."

"I think this roughly indicates something—"

Lin Xian raised a finger, speaking seriously:

"[The principle of the Space-Time Bomb isn’t extermination, but correction!]"

"Correction?"

VV listened, a bit puzzled, but its mind turned swiftly:

"Are you saying the essence of the Space-Time Bomb isn’t to eradicate external space-time anomalies, but to correct errors within this space-time?"

"If errors exist, then there must be a correct reference point. According to your idea, what is the Space-Time Bomb correcting when it addresses space-time errors?"

"[You know, our space-time has jumped through multiple world lines. If other world lines serve as correct models, correct references... doesn’t it mean our entire world is an error?]"

...

For a moment.

Lin Xian and VV stared at each other.

They both felt that perhaps some hidden logic had been discovered, but they couldn’t connect these clues, causing their thoughts to become chaotic, leaping from one idea to another.

"Seems like we’re missing a key point."

Lin Xian rubbed his temples:

"We’re missing the final key point... that would enable us to link together all questions regarding the Space-Time Bomb, correcting space-time errors, and defining what an error is."

"Ahem."

Hafnium Alloy VV pretended to cough twice, leaning back with hands on hips:

"Could it be that this key point lies with Newton?"

Lin Xian turned his head.

Blinked his eyes.

Looked incredulously at VV:

"You couldn’t have figured it out this quickly..."

"Hehehehe!"

VV let out a standard villain laugh from movies, snapping its fingers with sparks flying.

Instantly.

Suddenly, all the surrounding displays lit up, revealing a photo of a gaunt old man—

Bulging eye sockets, sparse eyebrows, sunken cheeks, sagging eyelids, a high curved nose, a chin with a slight cleft, slightly pale lips, narrow eyes...

Everything was so familiar.

Even after hundreds of years, Lin Xian still remembered this face clearly! He had even sketched a lifelike drawing of it!

"Lin Xian, you were right before you went to sleep, upon waking there indeed is good news waiting for you."

VV moved its tracks, heading to the big screen.

Raising its clip.

Pointing at the old man’s photo on the screen:

"Isn’t it surprising? The person we couldn’t find after scanning all global electronic photos for 500 years... appears right here."

VV’s eyes flashed rapidly, decisive:

"That old man who trapped you in the Fourth Dreamland... is Newton!"