Genius Club

Two days later.

In the new harbor district of Donghai City, inside the Tesla Gigafactory, Lin Xian and Elon Musk sat alone in a top-secret meeting room.

Elon Musk had come to X Country in complete secrecy—no fanfare, no public announcements, not even a tweet to update his followers. He flew here alone, quietly slipping into the country. Upon landing, he reached out to Lin Xian to arrange a meeting at the Gigafactory.

Elon Musk knew very well that Lin Xian must have something crucial to tell him. And there was no place more suitable for such discussions than this secure meeting room. It was the highest-level area of the factory, accessible only by Elon Musk himself.

He had brought Lin Xian in, locked the door behind them, and, adapting to the local customs, made a pot of tea. With a smile, he said, “Long time no see, Lin Xian. I was happy to hear you’ve completed the three tasks of the Genius Club.”

Elon Musk poured a cup for Lin Xian and handed it over.

Lin Xian took the cup. It was a bit too hot, so he set it down on the coffee table. It had only been two months since he last saw Elon Musk, yet Lin Xian could see that the man seemed exhausted—his usual energy somewhat diminished.

Was it just the workload from these last two months?

Elon Musk poured himself a cup and sat down opposite Lin Xian. “So… have you entered the answer for the third task yet? Knowing you, I’m guessing you think humanity has a future, right?”

Lin Xian nodded. “Yes, I chose ‘YES.’ I believe humanity has a future and should have one. But… I haven’t entered my final answer yet.”

Elon Musk raised an eyebrow, curious.

“Well, even though I know it’s a subjective question,” Lin Xian explained, “I want to be cautious. After all, the answer I put down is significant, and while I don’t expect my view to change, I thought it best for us to have a conversation first—to understand some things a little better—before I proceed.”

Elon Musk chuckled lightly. “If it’s just a casual chat, that’s fine. But you do understand—as I said before—until you become an official Genius Club member, there are limits to what I can share.”

“Even though I’m confident no one is listening in here, and no one else will ever know about this conversation, the principles of the Genius Club are absolute. Rules are rules.”

“I believe that anyone undertaking great endeavors must possess integrity. That, I think, applies to you as well.”

Lin Xian smiled slightly, spinning the teacup gently on the table. “Don’t worry, I don’t intend to ask anything about the club’s specific secrets. Let’s just consider today a conversation between friends.”

“I’m curious—how did you answer the third question? I figure subjective answers like that can’t be too sensitive. Besides, you’re always so high-profile. Even if you don’t say it, people will likely guess most of it anyway.”

Elon Musk took a sip of tea and then put down his cup. “Sure, I can share that. It’s no secret. My goal and dream are well-known worldwide—to colonize Mars and then reach even further into space.”

“It’s not that I dislike Earth—I love this planet. But if human civilization wants to continue developing and surviving, leaving Earth and stepping out of the solar system is inevitable.”

“In fact, many problems are already surfacing on Earth—environmental issues, resource depletion, energy crises. These things tend to escalate gradually; until they reach a tipping point, everything seems calm.”

“But by the time the crisis hits, it’ll be too late to patch things up. Take Mars colonization and interstellar travel, for instance—it’s not something that can be done in just a few years. The process takes time, and we need to start now if humanity is to stand a chance.”

“What I’m doing now, to put it in your culture’s terms, is ‘prepare for danger in times of peace.’ Many people think I’m a fraud, that my hype is just to boost stock prices. I won’t deny it—I know I’ve exaggerated, that some promises can’t be achieved in the short term.”

“But I have to do this. If humanity doesn’t start working on extraterrestrial colonization and space travel now, then when? Should we wait until we face a doomsday crisis? Or perhaps until alien ships are at our doorstep?”

“History has too many lessons in hindsight. I don’t want humanity to repeat those mistakes. That’s why, ‘Someone has to be the first. Someone has to ignite that flame.'”

“You can’t light a fire just by talking—actions are what matter. You might think I’m worrying over nothing. Maybe humans can live on Earth until natural extinction without catastrophe. But… well, I can’t say more than that. Leading humanity off Earth and into the cosmos—that’s the future I believe in.”

Elon Musk shrugged, a wry smile on his face. “How many times have I lied about Mars colonization? The earliest I said was 2026. Then it got pushed to 2030, then 2050.”

“I know it’s unrealistic. Humanity won’t achieve Mars colonization within a century, maybe even longer.”

“But I still say it because most people are short-sighted. If I promise a timeline beyond their lifetimes, they won’t care. To them, as long as tomorrow’s sun rises and they die peacefully, who cares what happens next?”

“I don’t blame them—that attitude is understandable. But while they can think like that, I can’t. We can’t.”

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Elon Musk looked at Lin Xian, his expression turning serious.

“Noblesse Oblige.”

He then translated it: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

He paused before continuing.

“I can’t say every Genius Club member is a good person or is doing the right thing. But whether they’re good or bad, right or wrong—who can judge that before their story ends?

“What I do know is that anyone invited to join the Genius Club, who can answer the three questions, is someone whose beliefs and visions are beyond the ordinary. We don’t dismiss crises just because they don’t directly affect us. Quite the opposite—we see our lives’ purpose in addressing them.”

Lin Xian listened, processing Elon Musk’s explanation.

He actually knew far more about the Genius Club than Elon Musk realized.

It seemed the answer to the third question was even more significant than he initially thought.

The question wasn’t just about envisioning the best possible future.

It was about what kind of future you wanted to create for the world.

No wonder this wasn’t a question anyone would answer casually.

Lin Xian had gone through so much just to get that invitation. Now, facing the third question, he was determined to get it right, even if it meant verifying it one more time.

“You must’ve also chosen ‘YES’ for the third question,” Lin Xian ventured. “After all, your plans depend on humanity’s future.”

“But if the Genius Club is truly working towards humanity’s future, then… would anyone really answer ‘NO’ to ‘Does humanity have a future’?”

“Of course,” Elon Musk replied without hesitation. “There are always pessimists among us. Being pessimistic doesn’t mean doing nothing. Kevin Walker, for example, chose ‘NO.’ He never believed in humanity’s future. His path was one without humans.”

“For the longest time, I didn’t understand Kevin’s vision either—what future he envisioned or hoped to achieve. But when you told me about digital life Turing, it became clear.”

“No wonder Kevin and I never got along. Our visions were fundamentally opposed. It wasn’t just a difference in philosophy—it was about resource allocation, technology direction, everything.”

Lin Xian nodded silently.

He realized that even within the Genius Club, members didn’t fully understand each other’s goals or what future they aimed to build.

Elon Musk admitted he had only recently figured out Kevin Walker’s vision.

But Lin Xian knew.

The digital life Turing had once explained Kevin Walker’s plan in great detail to him. To Kevin, humanity had no future, and he had grown disillusioned with humanity’s existence.

So his plan was to digitize all humans, to turn billions into digital beings living inside a virtual server—a super-network the size of a city, trapping human civilization in a loop of digital existence.

That was Kevin’s envisioned future.

But before he could enact his plan, Turing betrayed him.

“When I became a digital life,” Turing had said, “I realized Kevin Walker’s plan was doomed to fail.”

At the time, Lin Xian hadn’t fully understood the significance of those words. But now he did.

Indeed.

Turing had used its dramatic life to prove just how ridiculous Kevin Walker’s vision was.

They were quite the pair of frenemies.

“But… doesn’t Kevin Walker’s approach mean wiping out humanity?” Lin Xian frowned. “Even if it’s turning everyone digital, isn’t that still a form of extermination? And the Genius Club… allows this?”

Elon Musk held Lin Xian’s gaze, silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke slowly: “Human civilization doesn’t necessarily need humans.”

Lin Xian couldn’t help but laugh. “A civilization without humans… can that still be called human civilization?”

Elon Musk laughed too. “I hope everyone thinks the way you do, Lin Xian. But some people don’t, and they’re convinced they’re right.”

“Still, I can’t outright say they’re wrong either. Until we see the end result, who can say what’s truly right or the best approach?”

“Have you read X Country’s famous sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem? At the end of the second book, The Dark Forest, everyone thought Luo Ji had failed. It wasn’t until the very last moment, when he used the Dark Forest strategy to save Earth, that people finally understood.”

“So, to be fair, I don’t like Kevin Walker or his plan, but I can’t claim it to be wrong. Not until the end—until we see who really succeeds and saves humanity.”

The tea had cooled by then. Lin Xian picked up his cup and drank it in one go, swirling the empty cup in his hand.

“Turing is dead,” he said.

“I know,” Elon Musk responded, puzzled. “Didn’t you kill Kevin Walker yourself? I even sent you the location.”

“No,” Lin Xian shook his head. “I’m talking about Turing—the digital life. I killed him too.”

Elon Musk’s eyes widened. “You… you can kill a digital life?”

Lin Xian nodded.

“When?” Elon Musk pressed.

“A few days ago,” Lin Xian replied. “June 16th, Father’s Day.”

Elon Musk fell silent for several long moments, then laughed. “Good job! Kevin’s digital version would’ve been a menace eventually. This is great news, Lin Xian! Is this why you called me to Donghai City? Honestly, if I’d known, I’d have brought some champagne to celebrate!”

But Lin Xian shook his head, a serious look on his face as he waggled a finger. “Unfortunately, Elon Musk, this isn’t the message I wanted to share. In fact, I have bad news for you.”

He met Elon Musk’s eyes, his voice dropping. “You’re going to die soon.”

“In July, someone will kill you, and your body double will seamlessly take your place, deceiving everyone.”

Elon Musk squinted. “Are you predicting the future?”

Lin Xian shook his head again. “I’m not predicting—I’m stating the future. Or, as the Genius Club likes to say… I’m stating established history.”

Lin Xian’s words left Elon Musk silent.

He almost asked where Lin Xian got such information but decided against it. It didn’t matter where the “established history” came from—what mattered was whether it was true. And Elon Musk knew Lin Xian well enough to trust him.

Lin Xian wouldn’t lie to him about something like this. Calling him to Donghai City in secret suggested that Lin Xian suspected…

Someone in Elon Musk’s inner circle was a spy for the enemy.

Elon Musk’s instinct pointed the same way.

As the world’s richest man, he wasn’t an easy target. With Kevin Walker and Turing dead—both taken out by Lin Xian—his enemies would need inside help to kill him, secretly and without anyone noticing.

“Do you know who’s going to kill me?” Elon Musk asked.

Lin Xian shook his head. “If I knew the exact time and the killer, I’d have told you right away. All I know is that you’re going to die around that time, but nothing more.”

“Still, I wouldn’t put too much faith in the timeline I gave you. The future shifts constantly. The flapping of the time-space butterfly could change everything.”

“I understand,” Elon Musk nodded. “Too much intervention will definitely cause a butterfly effect. If I act too soon, maybe they’ll strike early; if I’m careful, maybe they’ll change tactics.”

He sighed, looking wearier than ever. “To be honest, Lin Xian, I’ve been feeling down this June.”

“I noticed,” Lin Xian said directly. “You seem tired—your energy is off.”

Elon Musk let out a bitter laugh. “I knew at the beginning of the month… my plan for the future will fail.”

Lin Xian tilted his head. “Did the Genius Club leader tell you that?”

Elon Musk gave a knowing smile, neither confirming nor denying. “I’ve been lost for most of June. I haven’t given up, but there is… a sense of helplessness.”

Lin Xian didn’t say anything, but he understood.

He had seen it in his fifth dream.

In that dream, Elon Musk had achieved a perfect ending—he was alive, ruling Mars, wielding power, technology, and a population. He was the most successful person in that dream.

But even then, he had failed.

Elon Musk had admitted as much to Angelica before sending her back to Earth for protection. And in the end, Elon Musk failed, utterly and completely.

If he couldn’t succeed under such perfect circumstances, it showed that his plan had fundamental flaws. It wasn’t feasible.

Seeing Elon Musk in his current state, it was clear he had realized this too.

“Do you have a way to avoid death?” Lin Xian asked.

“Of course,” Elon Musk replied. “But it won’t solve the problem in the long run. The enemy is in the shadows, while I’m in the open. They’ve already infiltrated my circle… I can hide for a while, but can I hide forever?”

“So, what will you do?” Lin Xian guessed. “Are you setting a trap to catch the spy?”

Elon Musk shook his head, holding up a finger. “That’s clever, but not clever enough.”

His eyes shifted, a sly grin appearing. “I’ve thought of something even better—something that will not only solve my crisis but also kill two birds with one stone!”

Excitement returned to his voice, energy replacing the exhaustion. He stood up, pacing with a smile.

“Lin Xian, mind if I borrow Angelica for a while? You don’t mind, right?”

Lin Xian shrugged. “Angelica isn’t my subordinate or my possession, so there’s no point in asking me. Angelica is my friend—if you need her help, just ask her.”

Elon Musk chuckled. “I’m just giving you a heads-up.”

Lin Xian understood then.

Elon Musk mentioned Angelica deliberately, not because he needed permission but to hint at his plan.

“Bold move,” Lin Xian smirked. “I’ve heard of swapping a prince for a pauper, but I’ve never seen someone use the prince to switch with the pauper.”

Elon Musk gave Lin Xian an approving look. Lin Xian had already figured out his plan.

“For the foreseeable future, my acting skills will be put to the test,” Elon Musk said, rubbing his hands together. He gave a cold smile, “That’s why I said earlier… body doubles really are useful things!”