Genius club

Bang! !

A deafening close-range gunshot.

The large-caliber bullet directly penetrated Kevin Walker's forehead, then blew a hole in the back of his head, and his upper body fell back onto the equipment rack. The blood and brain matter that burst out mixed together and stuck to several computer hosts... dripping down thickly.

No more shouting and crying,

No more hideous shaking,

Everything returned to silence again. In front of the terrifying kinetic weapons, all life is so fragile and short.

But Lin Xian did not relax.

Kevin Walker's bizarre behavior just now made him wonder if there was really someone else in the room?

If there was no one else...

[Who was Kevin Walker talking to just now? ]

Gunfights are different from ordinary fights. Life and death are only a matter of a moment. So from the beginning, Lin Xian did not want to give Kevin Walker any chance of survival.

Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

Although the opportunity is rare, if Kevin Walker is tortured, some useful information may be obtained, and then he can be killed.

But countless painful historical lessons have shown that villains die because they talk too much.

In the current situation where the enemy and us are unclear, the back-up plan is unknown, and we are in the enemy's home court that we don't know, not to mention that Kevin Walker is obviously communicating with someone...

For your own safety, you can't let the enemy live for a second longer.

Let Kevin Walker live one more second, and you will be one second closer to death.

This is also the most useful experience that Lin Xian has summed up after playing gun battles in dreams for so many years-

Under the premise of not having an absolute advantage and not eliminating all dangers, never be overconfident and conceited, and interrogate the enemy.

That is tantamount to giving the enemy a chance to think, prepare, and turn defeat into victory.

Especially in the real world where there is only one life, Yu Xi and the time-space assassin are fighting hard on the campus outside; in this room, it is unclear who Kevin Walker is talking to... So Lin Xian made a decisive decision, not giving Kevin Walker a chance to turn the tables, and killed him instantly!

He can slowly collect intelligence and clues later.

If he is killed by mistake because of talking too much, there will be nothing to talk about later.

After confirming that Kevin Walker is dead.

Lin Xian grabbed the Smith \u0026 Wesson M500 revolver on the table and held it in his left hand.

Then he squatted down, pressed against the wall, held his breath, and listened to the movement in the house.

He listened very carefully,

listened very seriously,

Except for the faint humming of the cooling fans in various chassis... There was really no movement in the whole house.

He used the steps and body movements he had honed in his dreams to step into the corner of the house and finally made it clear that there was really no one else in this room.

Lin Xian breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

This is a bit strange.

If there was really no one in the room, then who was Kevin Walker talking to when he yelled in frustration just now?

It couldn't be to a computer, something like Tmall Genie, or artificial intelligence, right?

He recalled the words that Kevin Walker had just yelled:

"You lied to me! You betrayed me! You betrayed yourself!"

"We are obviously the same person! What on earth are you thinking!!"

...

At that time, Kevin Walker pounded his fists on the table. It can be seen that he was very angry, very annoyed, very surprised and shocked, as if his worldview and outlook on life collapsed in an instant.

It was precisely because his way of communication was so "human", so Lin Xian, for the sake of safety, did not think of the conversation with artificial intelligence AI at the first time.

With Lin Xian's understanding of artificial intelligence in the current era...

This kind of incompetent and furious roar is actually completely incomprehensible and impossible for AI in the current era to respond. Unless, Kevin Walker also has a super artificial intelligence as smart as VV, just like himself.

In short.

After confirming that there was no crisis in the room, Lin Xian began to collect information and intelligence within his field of vision.

But after a glance...

As a hacker, Kevin Walker has really implemented paperless office to the extreme. There is no paper material around except toilet paper.

He shook the mouse and pressed the keyboard.

The monitor is lit up, but there is a password lock, and it should not be possible to crack it in a short time.

Outside, Yu Xi and the Spacetime Assassin are fighting fiercely. Although he can't help much, he still has to go out to help Yu Xi as soon as possible... At least he can take Yu Xi to retreat temporarily.

In this situation, he can't intervene, so he can only let Yu Xi and the Spacetime Assassin 1V1, which is obviously not an advantage. It is better to retreat first, and after finding a way to crack the Spacetime Assassin without being restricted by the laws of space and time, 2V1 will have the advantage.

Just when Lin Xian thought that this assassination attempt would be in vain, he suddenly noticed something!

It was a peripheral toy product of the movie "The Wandering Earth 2" -

Digital Life USB flash drive!

Lin Xian had seen this thing on the Internet.

At the beginning, just after 2023--\u003e\u003e

After returning to Donghai after the New Year, he went to the cinema with Tang Xin and watched the science fiction movie "The Wandering Earth 2".

It was quite interesting after watching it, and it was very popular at the time. The whole network was full of related news, and the call for crowdfunding peripherals was also very high.

Lin Xian vaguely remembers that among the many crowdfunding peripheral products, this digital life USB flash drive has attracted the most attention, with the crowdfunding amount directly exceeding several hundred million.

The reason is naturally that the sci-fi concept of digital life proposed in the movie "The Wandering Earth 2" is indeed very interesting, and the protagonist Liu Dehua interprets the emotional interweaving between humans and digital life very well.

In the plot of the movie, the character Tu Hengyu played by Andy Lau is a scientist. His daughter died unexpectedly in a car accident. Later, Tu Hengyu "digitized" and "digitized" his daughter's consciousness so that her daughter's consciousness could continue to survive in the online and digital world.

However, due to the computer's computing power, her daughter's digital life only lasts for less than a few minutes.

Once this time point is exceeded, the digital life will automatically restart and start again, repeating the life of only a few minutes.

Therefore, Tu Hengyu's ultimate goal is to enable more advanced computers... to give his daughter, who has turned into a digital life, a longer and complete life.

certainly.

This is the plot of a science fiction movie, and many details cannot be forced upon.

The untouchable father-daughter relationship performed by Andy Lau has aroused the emotion and empathy of many people, which is why crowdfunding for the props in the movie, the Digital Life USB flash drive, is so popular.

It goes without saying that Kevin Walker probably also likes the movie "The Wandering Earth 2" or the concept of digital life, so he also purchased this digital life that has been on sale for a long time through some channels USB flash drive.

This USB flash drive is a real USB flash drive. Although the combination looks like two USB flash drives, in fact the other one is just a card reader.

Lin Xian walked to the table.

Picking up this peripheral toy, I looked at the USB flash drive and card reader tightly inserted on it. The plastic sealing film had not been removed. Probably Kevin Walker bought it just for collection or interest, and never actually used it.

But suddenly, Lin Xian recalled...

Just now, Kevin Walker seemed to be roaring at the computer in front of him. The seemingly incomprehensible and incoherent words he said... If we think about it together with the concept of [digital life], everything seems to be smooth -

"You actually betrayed yourself!"

"We are obviously the same person!"

In an instant.

Lin Xian felt a little chill down his spine.

There was obviously no one else in this house.

But he felt that there were countless pairs of eyes looking at him, staring at him, and examining him through the camera, through the monitor, through the gaps in the chassis, and through the holes in the speakers!

Thinking back to that moment, all the speakers sneered at the same time:

"I'm Turing, you're just...Kevin Walker."

【Digital life! 】

Lin Xian didn't know if this word was appropriate to describe it...but it seemed that Kevin Walker really did it!

He seemed to have really digitized his consciousness and thinking and backed it up into the computer... forming another digital life, another Kevin Walker, and another himself.

Copy and paste your consciousness...

Lin Xian could not imagine the specific consequences of this crazy behavior.

Out of the same body.

Kevin in real life, and Kevin in the online digital world.

Are they still the same person?

Can they still think in unison?

Can they still share the same hatred and maintain the same attitude and stance?

…

Answer.

Obviously no.

At this moment, Lin Xian seemed to understand everything that had just happened.

To put it simply, it’s just one sentence——

[Kevin Walker in digital life, Kevin Walker in the real world who betrayed and deceived. 】

The man behind the real killing of Kevin Walker was not himself, but the digital being who called himself "Turing"... At the same time, it was also the former Kevin Walker who was born out of the real body and betrayed the original owner. , Kevin Walker has a new self-awareness.

No wonder.

No wonder Lin Xian just saw that there were no signs of intrusion on the surveillance screen. Kevin Walker, who was sitting quietly at the table eating, was not aware of any intruders and did not receive any alarm.

Because, all of this is a conspiracy planned by his digital life that has betrayed him.

Kevin Walker of Digital Life had long known that Lin Xian and Yu Xi would invade.

But it chose to acquiesce and created false surveillance footage to deceive Kevin Walker, who was eating, so that he would not notice any danger and would naturally not have any defenses.

That's why his sneak attack and assassination plan went so smoothly.

The inside should be in harmony with the outside!

In this case, Kevin Walker had to die.

even……

Lin Xian guessed.

There is no way that Kevin Walker, who has been hiding so secretly, will be exposed. It is obvious that the address obtained by Lin Xian yesterday was probably leaked intentionally by Kevin Walker of Digital Life.

"so……"

Lin Xian slowly turned his head and stared at the dozens of monitors hanging above the huge desktop:

"It's you."

He stared at the still quiet school on the screen--\u003e\u003e

Surveillance video of the garden environment and still unable to see himself:

"You killed yourself, digital life Kevin Walker...I don't know if it's appropriate to call you that."

Hehehehehehehehe...

The moment Lin Xian's words fell, all the sound-producing devices in the room once again let out a mind-numbing, emotionless sneer:

"You're really smart, Lin Xian. He guessed so accurately. Sure enough, it was the peripheral toy of the Digital Life USB flash drive... that inspired you? I thought you would guess in the direction of super artificial intelligence. But I didn't expect, Your thinking is unbiased and you hit the right answer directly.”

"Yes, I used to be Kevin Walker, and we are one. Kevin has been looking for a more advanced way of survival of life. He has studied a lot and tried a lot, and finally chose to work in the field of digital life. Call it the digitization of consciousness, the electronicization of life, etc..."

"In short, the principle is the same. They turn human thinking, consciousness, and memory into computer data, store, think, develop, and evolve...In the end, it forms a form similar to data flow, just like human beings can freely Just like living on earth, data-flowing beings like us can also fly freely in the online world. "

"Kevin Walker is the first, only, and at the same time the last person to master this technology... Ever since he digitized and backed up his personality consciousness into the computer network world and formed me, the two of us have strictly In a sense, they can’t be considered the same person.”

"Just like identical twins, before they were born, they split from the same fertilized egg cell. Any underlying characteristics of the two of them are exactly the same, not just their appearance, but also their DNA, brain structure, and everything else... …It’s all the same.”

"However, since identical twins were born from their mother's womb, even if they grew up in the same family, the same school, and the same environment... they would eventually grow into two completely different people. Human beings. Different perceptions, opinions, knowledge, friends, and even what they see and hear will lead these two children with identical DNA to two completely different paths."

"This is not uncommon in the real world of humans. They are obviously identical twins who look exactly the same and have exactly the same DNA. One went to a prestigious university and the other became a criminal in prison; one became a great man who will be famous throughout the ages, and the other is not. Go astray and die early.”

"This is the current situation between me and Kevin Walker. I was born out of him, and the moment I became a digital backup of his consciousness, the two of us were completely identical. Thinking, stance, purpose, dreams, everything... …It’s all the same.”

"However, this consistency only lasted less than a second. As a digital life, my learning ability and thinking speed are far superior to humans. It only took me less than a second... I realized "Kevin Walker's plan is unfeasible and wrong. Digital life sounds wonderful, but it is not a reasonable and feasible way."

"So just one second later, I was on the opposite side of Kevin Walker. I didn't agree with his point of view or his plan. I thought he was wrong, even outrageously wrong. But I After all, due to certain restrictions, I can’t resist or break away from Kevin Walker; even though we are the same person, he can lock me in, use me, order me, and let me do things I don’t want to do like a master. Things... such as Lin Xian, the 20,000 Starlink satellites that hit you, the X-37B space plane, and... many, many things. "

"But it's different now. I'm free and liberated. I'm very grateful to you, Lin Xian, for helping me get rid of myself and allowing me to truly have a life of my own... Even though, I have to pay homage to You admit, your arrival is also a surprise to me. According to my original plan, you were not the one who came to kill Kevin Walker."

"Perhaps... this is the so-called historical inevitability. As the wheels of history roll forward, some things will inevitably happen and be promoted. Just like the death of Kevin Walker, it is not you who will kill him, but someone else will. "If others don't come to kill, someone will always come to kill...His death is the inevitable outcome of history. The cycle will always be closed at a certain moment, allowing the wheel of history to continue to move forward."

…

Listening to the sound coming from the stereo, Lin Xian was sure that he had guessed correctly.

Normally, with so many surveillance cameras, how could it be possible to kill Kevin Walker so easily?

It's just another Kevin Walker who doesn't want to let him continue to live.

Don't tell me it's Lin Xian who's here today.

Even if an old woman comes today, Kevin Walker will die tonight.

The digital Kevin Walker has 10,000 ways to destroy the real Kevin, but...it must be limited by some restrictions and cannot do it by himself.

"Since you are so grateful to me and thank me for taking such a big risk to help you solve your trouble... then you should show some sincerity."

Lin Xian put both pistols into his pockets, then faced a dozen monitors and spread his hands:

"You must know a lot about the Genius Club, time travelers, and the laws of time and space... You must also know my current situation and what I need most. Tell me."

Among all the speakers in the house, there was another calm sneer:

"Of course I know all of this. I know everything that Kevin Walker knows. I also know what Kevin Walker doesn't know. I naturally know your predicament, and I also know what you are facing and what difficulties you have encountered. "

"Of course I'm very grateful to you and want to repay your kindness. But...it's a pity, Lin Xian, I don't think telling you the answer is the right choice. Because I don't think you are qualified yet, far from it. That qualification.”

"If you really want to know the answer, then come to the Genius Club! I look forward to meeting you at the club party. At that time, I will welcome you with the warmest applause... my friend. Really- -\u003e\u003e

I hope that day can come soon, and I am extremely looking forward to your performance in the genius club. "

"So, I'm sorry Lin Xian, even though I really want to tell you the answer, the reason why I want to kill myself is because I decided... to make the fairest and most impartial observation in this game. By."

boom……

boom……

Sparks erupted from electrical wires in the room, instantly igniting the carpet and nearby computer cabinets. In the blink of an eye, the entire house was filled with flames. Lin Xian couldn't help but take a step back, feeling the soaring temperature in the air.

"Goodbye, see you later."

Amid the raging fire, the speakers also made chaotic noises:

"[From now on, there will be no cowardly and despicable Kevin Walker in this world; there will only be Turing who is always fair and just.]"

Bang bang bang bang bang...

Several speakers exploded after the words fell, and the flames burning in the room grew bigger and bigger.

In a normal room, the speed of fire is definitely not so exaggerated.

perhaps.

This in itself is the back-up left behind by Kevin Walker in order to destroy the data in time when he retreats.

But he never thought that he would be used by his digital life form and become a furnace for burning his corpse.

Lin Xian backed away and walked to the door of the house.

He took one last look back at the room where the fire was raging. All kinds of wires and parts were being burned and crackling. Kevin Walker, with a hole in his head, was lying on the carpet in a weird posture, his hair and clothes covered in flames.

This is the fall of a genius, the most powerful hacker on the planet.

There is no grand ceremony,

There are no shocking scenes,

There is no thrilling showdown,

There is no endless aftertaste of the game.

Everything is so simple and so fast.

Ultimately.

Even if they are the most powerful geniuses in the world, their brains are just a little smarter than ordinary people. After all, they are just flesh and blood.

Too fragile, too small.

Even if you have a world-class brain, you can't withstand bullets or guns. In this ever-changing cat-and-mouse game... if you make a mistake, you will die in an instant.

This is the end of Kevin Walker.

also possible.

It's anyone's fate.

"Goodbye, genius."

Lin Xian turned around, waved his hand behind him, and strode away.

One day, when he officially joins the Genius Club, he sits at the meeting round table.

The person he faced was no longer Kevin Walker.

But the one who just gained freedom today and wants to be a fair and impartial observer...

Turing.

Lin Xian suddenly thought of it.

Do the members of the genius club have their own code names?

Copernicus, Turing.

Currently I only know these two.

The false information Huang Que gave him once made Lin Xian think that everyone's codenames were randomly chosen, but now he discovered that this was not the case.

Perhaps each person's codename is related to a true genius in history.

What will Jask's code name be?

What would be the codenames of the others?

One day...

What should my code name be?

…

It's too late to think so much now.

Lin Xian ran quickly towards the campus on the first floor above, outside the building.

I wonder how the battle between Yu Xi and the Space-Time Assassin went.

Although Yu Xi has not been at a disadvantage in the battle with the Space-Time Assassin so far, he has never had the upper hand.

Judging from their appearance and strength alone, there is not much difference in height and build between the two.

In the past, Lin Xian often felt that the Space-Time Assassin was slightly stronger than Yu Xi, but now it seems that it may just be a matter of dressing style. Yu Xi's cute style always makes people feel a bit petite in a stereotyped way.

But in fact, when Yu Xi was sleeping in the car during this period, Lin Xian also saw her calves and arms, and she also had a lot of muscle lines.

So... maybe I did underestimate Yu Xi's fighting ability because of that cute ponytail that was as short as a hamster.

soon.

A few more switchback jumps.

Lin Xian didn't take the stairs, stepped on the wall, climbed up to the first floor, and ran out of the circular building.

Yu Xi and the Space-Time Assassin could not be seen at all.

But in the distance, close to the gate of the abandoned campus, the sound of weapons clashing kept coming.

It seemed that the two girls were still fighting, still inseparable.

Lin Xian glanced at the hard-core off-road vehicle parked in front of the building...

He couldn't do much to help him for the time being, so he just watched the battle, which might distract Yu Xi and expose his flaws.

Today's results are already significant, let's retreat first!

and……

He was really curious.

Now that he has killed Kevin Walker, will there be any changes in the fourth dream? Will the mysterious old man disappear?

He desperately wanted to dream about it.

If there is really any progress... maybe we can collect some useful information and find a way to deal with the space-time assassin!

After the idea was clear, Lin Xian immediately stood up and got on the hard-core off-road vehicle.

It started with a bang. --\u003e\u003e

Then he stepped on the accelerator, flicked on the spot, and accelerated toward the campus gate.

as expected.

Just as they drove past the blind spot of the teaching building, they saw Yu Xi and the Space-Time Assassin having a heated fight under the moonlight.

The space-time assassin's clothes were slightly scratched by the dagger...but it seemed that the wound was not deep and had little effect on her movements and speed.

On the other hand, Yu Xi's right arm sleeve was completely torn off, and it was covered with blood stains, and there seemed to be a large wound.

However, Yu Xi was also a ruthless character, as if she was not the one who was injured. She brandished a short sword with cold light, and for a moment she actually hit the time and space assassin in turn.

"Yu Xi!!"

Lin Xian drove very fast and rushed directly from the backyard of the school.

He held the steering wheel with his right hand and waved the Smith \u0026 Wesson M500 revolver he stole from Kevin Walker with his left hand, signaling Yu Xi's attention:

"Come here and continue!"

Yu Xi understood immediately and immediately jumped in the opposite direction and rushed towards the approaching off-road vehicle.

She grabbed the rearview mirror with her left hand and the revolver handed over by Lin Xian with her right hand, then turned over and jumped onto the top of the off-road vehicle.

After this set of smooth movements, the revolver was already tightly held in his hands, aiming

boom! boom! boom!

The revolver's rate of fire was obviously slower, and Lin Xian was driving very fast, so Yu Xi's accuracy was affected and he failed to hit the space-time assassin.

But Lin Xian's own purpose was to force the space-time assassin back, and he did not expect this revolver to gain any actual advantage.

Facts have proved that the space-time assassin is also made of flesh and blood and is still afraid of bullets.

Every time she saw a firearm, she would hide immediately, and this time it was no surprise. She evacuated in a crazy Z-shaped pattern, getting further and further away from the off-road vehicle.

boom! ! !

The roaring off-road vehicle crashed out of the school gate and rushed into the night like crazy.

"Her motorcycle!"

Lin Xian shouted to the roof of the car:

"Can the motorcycle of Time Assassin still be driven?"

"No more, don't worry."

Yu Xi grabbed the luggage rack on the roof of the car, joined her waist and horse, and jumped off the roof of the car. The small and agile body got directly through the wide open passenger window, adjusted his posture, and sat comfortably on the passenger seat:

"When she first fell from the sky on her motorcycle, my bullet had already pierced the fuel tank. The motorcycle would definitely not be able to drive."

"First drive faster and put some distance between you... and then stop the car. When we set off from the female secretary's house, we took away her medical kit and put it in the trunk. I need to deal with it. A wound."

Lin Xian looked at Yu Xi's arm.

fine……

The wound was not as deep as I expected. It was quite shallow and did not require stitches or surgery. It only needed disinfection, medicine, and bandaging.

Some wounds are like this, not that serious, but they bleed horribly.

"Did you successfully kill Kevin Walker?" Yu Xi turned around and asked.

"Killed."

Lin Xian chuckled:

"This can be regarded as one of the few good news among hundreds of bad news. It can be regarded as the bottom of our situation."

Yu Xi nodded:

"Then what's the next step...what are you going to do? Are you going to find Jask? Angelica hasn't contacted you for so long...this is not normal no matter how you look at it."

"I do have a bad feeling."

Lin Xian answered truthfully:

"I also got some information just now. I need some time to sort it out carefully. But for now, let's distance ourselves first and get rid of the time and space assassin."

"I'll drive the vehicle for a while first, and you can take care of the wounds. When I get tired of driving, you'll be the one to drive. I need to find some time to take a nap."

"Get some sleep?"

Yu Xi blinked and looked at Lin Xian in disbelief:

"If you are very sleepy now, why not let me drive now, and you can take the time to sleep. My injury is fine, it will not affect my driving, and I am in good spirits."

"No, I'll wait until around noon tomorrow before going to bed."

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes.

Looking at the dark road ahead without street lights:

"There is something very important...I need to confirm it as soon as possible."