Genius Club

“Are you telling me you have the same dream every night, waking up precisely at 00:42?” The man’s voice, slightly muffled by his cartoon cat mask, held a mix of amusement and disbelief. He stared at Lin Xian. “Man, that’s wild! You could do anything—take out bad guys, engage in all sorts of risky escapades. Just the thought of it gives me a rush!”

Click.

The man smoothly inserted a magazine into his handgun and cocked it. “But tonight, forget those dreams. I’m about to show you some real excitement.” He gestured across the street to a bank. “My crew has already cracked the door open. Let’s make our move!”

Lin Xian adjusted his Ultraman mask and stood up. “What should I call you?”

“Everyone in the underworld knows me as Big Cat Face,” he said with a grin, his mask squeezing his cheeks into a cartoonish bulge. “But you, you can call me Brother Face.”

“What’s my role tonight, Brother Face?”

“Your time as a password expert hasn’t come just yet. For now, just stick close and don’t wander off.”

Shuffling footsteps filled the air as Lin Xian followed Big Cat Face to the bank’s entrance. “Is everything ready?” Big Cat Face inquired of one of his men, who nodded in confirmation.

Without warning, Big Cat Face pressed his gun against the man’s forehead and fired.

He casually wiped the gun’s muzzle, then clapped Lin Xian on the back. “One less share to distribute.”

“Wasn’t he one of your guys?”

“He had sticky fingers. Couldn’t risk it,” Big Cat Face said, leading the way inside.

As they reached a corridor fork, another masked man was tampering with an electrical box.

“Is it disabled?” Big Cat Face pressed.

Click.

“Done. The alarms are off,” the man confirmed.

Bang!

Another gunshot went off, splattering blood over the electrical box.

“Brother Face, you’re really making me nervous,” Lin Xian noted, eyeing the fallen body.

“This one was clean, but he fancied my wife and kept hitting on her. Couldn’t let that slide.”

“Must be tough being you.”

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“Don’t sweat it! One less share. Isn’t that great?”

Lin Xian shrugged off his arm. “You’re not planning to off me too for all the money, right?”

“Of course not!” Big Cat Face thumped his chest, handing Lin Xian a bundle of C4 explosive. “Here, if you think I’ll double-cross you, just trigger this and take us both out. Fair enough?”

“Fair enough,” Lin Xian nodded, accepting the explosive.

They proceeded until another accomplice approached. “Boss, the main power is cut—”

Bang!

Yet another casualty as brains splattered everywhere.

“Brother Face, just how many are we splitting this with?”

“Just us now, buddy! Hehehe, just us!” Big Cat Face hustled Lin Xian forward. “Here’s the vault! Time for you to work your magic.”

Before them stood a robust black wall with a silver combination lock.

“The code?”

“If I knew that, why would I need you?” Big Cat Face checked his watch. “Hurry, we’re on the clock! Once power’s restored and the alarms go off, we’re done for!”

“I get it, relax.” Lin Xian started on the lock.

“How long?” Big Cat Face paced anxiously.

“Ten.”

“Ten minutes!?” He balked.

“Nine… eight… seven…” Lin Xian quickly counted down.

Panicked, Big Cat Face watched as Lin Xian sprinted away, the C4 taped to the lock with a ticking timer!

“Shit!”

He dove as the explosion roared!

Boom!!!

Debris rained down on him as he coughed out dust and blood.

“What in the… Is this your idea of cracking codes!?”

“Just admit it, effective, isn’t it?” Lin Xian, covering his ears, gestured to the now-open vault.

Groaning, Big Cat Face staggered up. “Experts… so unreliable.”

Stepping into the breached vault, Lin Xian’s expectations of riches were dashed.

“Empty? No cash, no gold?”

Instead, rows of safety deposit boxes lined the walls, each labeled with names—Wang Shuo, Liu Liping, Wei Shengjin, and shockingly, Lin Xian.

Retreating, Lin Xian stared at the box bearing his name. “Why is my name here?”

Click.

The cold barrel of a gun pressed against his head.

“Brother Face, easy…” Lin Xian raised his hands. “Come on, no tricks, no stealing, no wife issues. It’s not on me!”

“Alright, I lied. I’m no password expert. Just got caught up in your scheme because of this mask!” Lin Xian explained. “If you had a real expert, they’d still be working come morning!”

Behind him, laughter chimed, and the gun withdrew.

Turning, Lin Xian saw a slender woman in an identical Ultraman mask, pointing at Big Cat Face’s lifeless body on the floor.

“You killed him?”

“For our safety. He was planning to betray us all.”

“This team’s a mess…”

“Don’t lump me with them. This was my first, and last, time meeting him.” She approached the box labeled ‘Lin Xian,’ discarding her equipment for the mechanical lock.

“What’s inside?” Lin Xian peered over.

“Don’t know.”

“You know this Lin Xian then?”

“Nope.”

“Why open his box?”

“Too many questions,” she dismissed him, focusing on the lock.

Lin Xian suggested, “Try 19990320.”

“Why?”

“My birthday?”

She paused at the odd reply, then tried the combination anyways.

Click!

Nothing.

“I should’ve let him shoot you,” she muttered.

As they bickered, power restored and alarms blared.

“Time’s up,” Lin Xian checked his watch. “Guess we’ll try again tomorrow.”

“There won’t be a tomorrow here,” she scoffed.

“There will for me,” Lin Xian grinned. “I can return every day.”

With a flash of white light, the world vanished.

…

A night breeze fluttered the curtains. Moonlight streamed in, and distant sounds of nightlife filled the air. Nearby, water ran through pipes.

Lin Xian lay in bed, checking the time with the electrical clock on his bedside table—

[00:42:01]

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[00:42:02]

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[00:42:03]

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[00:42:04]