Genius Club

And it's so regular, coming every few months.

It's as if...

He's inspecting something, deploying something, preparing something here.

Diving deeper in thought.

Lin Xian closed his eyes.

According to CC, she had lived in the welfare institution since infancy, and for the first ten years, she had never seen Einstein pass by the entrance; the first time she witnessed Einstein's vehicle was around the age of twelve or thirteen, around 1945.

Since then, Einstein had started passing by the welfare institution's entrance at a certain frequency.

1945.

Lin Xian pursed his lips.

That indeed was a very special year.

The end of the Second World War,

Humankind used the atomic bomb for warfare for the first time,

The massive energy released by nuclear fission changed the global landscape,

The Cold War between the USA and USSR started to emerge, with undercurrents surging.

"Atomic bomb."

He murmured softly, his voice drowned out by screams from animated characters in the movie, unheard by anyone.

Einstein's life seemed inevitably tied to the atomic bomb.

In 1905, he proposed the Special Theory of Relativity and the famous mass-energy equivalence formula E＝MC2, laying the theoretical foundation for the discovery and utilization of atomic energy, the beginning of everything.

In 1939, he wrote to the president of Mi Country, Roosevelt, suggesting the possibility of making an atomic bomb and advised Mi Country to start research on it before Germany... He was the initiator of all this.

In 1941, the "Manhattan Project" started, Einstein was not trusted due to political reasons and was excluded from the list.

But the theory and timing had matured; history could not be stopped, and the atomic bomb was successfully created, with two mushroom clouds blooming over Japan.

Since then, Einstein was trapped in heavy guilt and regret, with depression and fear gradually weighing him down mentally.

Could it be...

Einstein's strange behavior in Brooklyn was also essentially related to the atomic bomb?

Lin Xian shook his head.

The more he thought about it, the farther and more ridiculous it seemed.

Unfortunately, with the limited clues and intelligence available now, it's indeed difficult to deduce the truth.

But this speculation is not without basis.

Recalling the keywords from Zhang Yuqian's mysterious dream:

Explosion, white light, mushroom cloud, newspaper, 1952, burning, Einstein.

If the scenes Zhang Yuqian dreamed of were the ones that truly happened in 1952, then quite a few "fragments" have indeed been gathered.

Is it possible...

[Whether it's Zhang Yuqian, Chu Anqing, or the dreams of CC 600 years later... were they actually all dreaming of what the First Generation Pillar CC saw and heard in 1952?]

Lin Xian opened his eyes.

Looked at the movie screen.

This animated film was already halfway through, with little Alice becoming brave and strong after so many trials, beginning her battle against the evil queen.

"The possibility is high."

Zhao Yingjun had once analyzed that all the Millennium Stakes' dreams are interconnected, continuous, the same era, the same story.

Perhaps...

Exactly the story the First Generation Pillar CC experienced in 1952!

He turned his head to look at CC, who was staring intently, this girl who might dissolve into blue stardust and transform into the Millennium Stakes anytime.

Who turned her into the Millennium Stakes?

And for what purpose was she turned into the Millennium Stakes?

Probably, the answers will be revealed soon.

Putting aside unnecessary thoughts.

Lin Xian also turned to enjoy the movie.

In the end, the brave Alice defeated the Red Queen, returning peace to this magical world.

And she completed her mission and task, awakened by her sister, leaving the magical world... and waking up in the real world.

On the movie screen, Alice opened her eyes.

Realizing she hadn't fallen into the rabbit hole, but was asleep in her backyard, with her sister standing beside her, calling her to wake up.

It was then that Alice realized.

It turns out...

The thrilling and exciting journey just now was only a dream.

At this point.

The movie ends.

Although this dreamlike journey is fake, for the young girl Alice, these experiences will transform into wisdom and courage, allowing her to go forward in life without fear of difficulties.

"A happy ending."

Lin Xian said softly:

"It really is a very enjoyable family-friendly movie, isn't it?"

He turned his head to look at CC.

But surprisingly, he found...

CC was not as happy and cheerful as expected. Instead, she was worried, with a furrowed brow; she even pursed her lips, somewhat disappointed.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lin Xian asked.

He originally wanted to make CC happy with a movie, to end a wonderful day in Manhattan, but why did it have the opposite effect?

"I feel..."

CC lowered her head:

"I feel, my current situation is very much like Alice's..."

She blinked her eyes.

Held the oversized popcorn bucket in her arms tighter:

"Alice is wandering through a fantasy world, and I am here in Manhattan; what's the difference?"

"Everything in Manhattan, the delicious food, the luxurious hotels, the neon-lit night views, including the warm and beautiful clothes... For me, compared to my previous life for so many years, it's no different from a wonderland."

"But this is a good thing."

Lin Xian spread his hands:

"Whether it's Alice or you, you have both gained something very important and beautiful in life; she journeys through a wonderland, and you stroll through Manhattan. Indeed, it sounds somewhat similar."

"But... aren't all these things worth being happy about? Why do you seem sad and disappointed instead?"

CC shook her head:

"I am indeed very happy and very fortunate. In fact... ever since meeting you, this time has been so happy, too happy to believe it's real."

Her left arm continued to hold the popcorn bucket, while her right hand clutched Lin Xian's sleeve tightly, as if once she let go... everything would disappear.

"We met on October 28th, I still remember the scene, when you stole a newspaper from a little black kid, I shouted to stop you, and we ran away together, officially starting the story of being with you."

"This time has been so wonderful, like a dream, I remember every bit of it clearly and will never forget it for a lifetime."

She continued to clutch Lin Xian's sleeve, her eyes sparkling in the soothing music of the animated ending. Her voice was gentle yet low:

"That afternoon, you took me to Brooklyn Heights; it was my first time looking at Manhattan from the promenade on the heights."

"That night, you took me to stay in a 30-cent hotel, although it was far from the luxury of the Empire State Building Hotel, you even had to sleep on the floor... But I swear, it was the most peaceful, warmest night I've ever had."

"The next day, you took me to Coney Island, treated me to a hot dog. It was the first time in my life to taste something so delicious."

"You took me on the roller coaster, on the carousel, on the Ferris wheel, and that night it was like magic, you knocked down those gangsters on the ground, it was even more magical than a movie scene."

"Then you bought me a wedding dress, took me across the Brooklyn Bridge, to the top of the Empire State Building, overlooking Manhattan, watching the snowfall with me, and we made a wish."

"Today, you let me experience many things I've never experienced before, tasted food I've never eaten, watched performances I've never seen, and came here... to watch my first-ever film."

"I said, encountering you is the luck of my life, and I genuinely think so. You gave me this life, fulfilled my dreams; but... the more beautiful it is, the more I fear losing all of it."

She clutched tightly onto Lin Xian's sleeve with her right hand, twisting his cuff into a bundle, as if holding on to a lifeline:

"Actually, I wasn't like this before. I had nothing, I was never afraid of losing anything, not even dying on the street... because I had no family, no attachments, no reluctance, I had nothing."

"But now, I've fulfilled my dreams, have beautiful clothes, have wonderful memories, and met someone as good to me as you, I... I'm really afraid..."

CC recalled Alice waking up from her dream, her voice trembled:

"I'm so afraid that I, like Alice, will suddenly wake up from a dream the next second and realize I never came to Manhattan, actually still in Brooklyn... without a white dress, never ate a hot dog, never stayed in a hotel, and beside me... there isn't you at all."

At this moment.

The final credits of the movie ended.

The dazzling lights turned on, lighting up the entire theater as bright as day, momentarily making people feel as if they had passed through ages.

CC bit her lip.

Looked up at Lin Xian.

Her gaze blurred:

"Lin Xian... could it be that when I wake up, you'll be gone..."

"And all these things were just a dream?"