Genius Club

Rumble rumble rumble...

The twin-rotor transport aircraft slowly took off from the ground, rising to mid-air, and sped off towards the southeast.

CC clenched her fist, watching the plane gradually turn into a black dot in the sky.

"Liar."

She repeated in a low voice. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Her father patted his daughter’s shoulder and shook his head:

"You shouldn’t talk about Mr. VV like that, he is everyone’s savior, and we should be grateful to him."

"As for your so-called promise... that was nothing more than a child’s play with an amnesia patient, it doesn’t count."

CC kept her lips tight and didn’t speak.

Her father lowered his head, looking at his aggrieved daughter, and continued:

"That’s why Mr. VV said you haven’t the ability to choose your own life yet. You’re too young, your thoughts are immature, and your ideas are very selfish."

"Mr. VV is clearly someone from a different world, he has more important matters to attend to, greater things to do... How could you selfishly want to keep such a capable person in the small village of Brooklyn?"

"I did not!"

The young CC retorted:

"I didn’t say he couldn’t leave! It’s true I can’t bear to part with VV, even I know I can’t help him, I’ll just be a burden. But why couldn’t he be upfront with me?"

"I thought... I thought after spending these days together and fighting alongside each other, we were friends, maybe even family, but... why would he deceive me?"

Saying this, CC felt very wronged:

"I could accept whatever reason he honestly gave, but using excuses to deceive a child like this, it hurts."

"Look, what nonsense did he say? About past and truth, predetermined endings, safes... it sounds like a mythical story!"

"If there really is a safe, then why didn’t VV tell me the code? He hesitated and didn’t say it, which indicates the story is made up, and poorly at that!"

"No."

Her father shook his head, looking towards the direction Mr. VV had flown off in:

"Mr. VV’s expression didn’t look like someone who was lying; even if what he said was absurd, I believe he’s truthful."

"Moreover, many things in this world, whether true or false, require you to judge them with your own eyes... and before you truly know the truth, don’t jump to conclusions."

"Neigh."

At this moment, the stout horse Bruce lowered its head, walked over, and nuzzled CC’s shoulder, as if comforting her.

CC turned around, looking at the strong, muscular Bruce, and stroked its neck:

"I will."

She hummed softly:

"When I grow up, I will definitely go to the East Sea."

"I have to open that safe in the Tem Bank and see what’s inside..."

"What exactly is stored there!"

...

On the twin-rotor transport aircraft.

Lin Xian looked through the narrow porthole at the distant land.

The aircraft was fast, in a blink, CC and the others were out of sight, only a stretch of primitive forest remained in view.

"You didn’t tell her the safe’s code."

Opposite, the elderly Liu Feng asked with a hoarse, dry voice:

"Why?"

Lin Xian took one last look at Brooklyn’s land, turned back, and faced Liu Feng:

"I don’t know."

?

Liu Feng revealed an incredulous expression:

"You don’t know? Then you..."

"I just had a feeling."

Lin Xian interrupted Liu Feng, leaned back against the seat, and closed his eyes:

"I truly intended to tell CC the code, but can’t quite explain it, I stopped at that moment."

"It wasn’t someone stopping me, nor did I suddenly recall something, just simply thought... it’s better not to say."

"[Because, I’ve figured it out — this segment of the story on this world line is CC’s first memory fragment in her mind.]"

He opened his eyes and rubbed his temples:

"CC has too many peculiar things going on, I can’t sort it all out myself. But I guess the formation and appearance of memory fragments are just as we speculated before, it’s fragmented memories from each world line, and also due to the destabilization of Millennium Stakes forming special mechanisms."

"I’m increasingly doubting now whether my dream is entirely authentic... because the CC in my dream and the last millennial stake CC in reality, they are quite different, with many differing details."

"So, to be cautious, I plan to maintain the stability of this first memory fragment. Even if I don’t understand the significance, for now, many things including CC’s primary motivation are driven towards opening the safe in Tem Bank, I don’t want to change that."

Liu Feng listened to Lin Xian’s explanation, without speaking.

After a long silence.

He sighed lightly and said slowly:

"Sorry, Lin Xian, there’s some regrettable news I must tell you."

Lin Xian felt a jolt inside.

Sitting up straight:

"You’re not... going to tell me about Tem Bank, are you?"

"You see, you guessed it yourself."

Liu Feng smiled helplessly:

"That’s right, just as you guessed, Tem Bank is gone."

"In the 2504 super disaster, with earthquakes and tsunamis, most areas of Donghai City were razed to the ground, even many geological fissures appeared..."

"[Tem Bank and those Hafnium Alloy Safes, all disappeared.]"

...

Lin Xian took a deep breath.

Truly heavy news.

A perfectly fine bank could disappear from the surface without a trace, it’s hard to imagine what Donghai, an international metropolis, would become.

"Alright."

He pressed his lips:

"It’s something beyond control, almost every super disaster leads to Tem Bank’s disappearance, humanity is still too fragile against Earth’s natural forces."