Genius Club-Chapter 1211 - 51 The Only Future (Please support with guaranteed monthly votes!)

Lin Xian spread his hands:

"So, since my premise was incorrect, does that mean I can reorganize my question and ask again?"

However...

Einstein shook his head and smiled:

"Rhein, you should know better than anyone else that a negative answer is still an answer. In fact, many geniuses ask questions in reverse. Their purpose is inherently to obtain a negative answer, so as to confirm their own hypotheses."

Lin Xian remained silent.

Einstein had been playing mind games with these brilliant minds in the Genius Club for decades; he indeed grasped the motives behind every question.

Just like his own question earlier.

If it were simply to inquire about the truth behind the Millennium Stakes or methods to save Chu Anqing,

he could have directly mentioned Zhang Yuqian and Chu Anqing’s names.

But ultimately,

he chose to use the uncertain fact of 1952 to test whether Einstein could truly foresee the actual future, or perhaps… if he would intentionally deceive.

If he directly asked about Zhang Yuqian, Chu Anqing, and the Millennium Stakes,

Einstein might refuse to answer, might answer truthfully, or might lie.

And then he would have no way to discern the truth.

To put it bluntly...

The current Lin Xian...

[Harbored doubts about Einstein.]

Therefore...

Like Gauss, he didn’t want to hear a definitive answer from Einstein, but rather hoped to set a "trap" in a question that seemed unverifiable, to see if Einstein would reveal any "flaws."

Einstein certainly knew about Zhang Yuqian and Chu Anqing turning into Blue Stardust and dissipating; he also knew Lin Xian was aware of it, so with both sides holding open cards, what was left to manipulate?

Might as well give Einstein an opportunity to "fool" him; the events of 1952 were so distant that Lin Xian had no way to verify them—wasn’t it just whatever Einstein claimed?

Faced with his question,

If Einstein refused to answer, that would be ideal since it would indicate the Millennium Stakes were related to Einstein or the Genius Club itself.

If Einstein answered truthfully, even better, as he could obtain the truth about the Millennium Stakes as he’d hoped.

If Einstein lied… that would give Lin Xian a chance to test him and even overturn Einstein’s claims about observing a "bright future."

This was a question from which valuable information could be gleaned no matter how Einstein answered; paired with Jask’s findings, the results could be even more striking.

"Alright."

Lin Xian realized debating with Einstein was pointless, so he crossed his legs, leaned back against his chair, and smiled:

"From here on out, let’s treat this as a casual conversation between friends. After all... I’m reluctant for the Genius Club gatherings to end like this."

"Everyone else has spent years asking you questions here; I’ve been here only a few months and haven’t even said much, yet soon I may never see you again."

"What I’ve always been most curious about is—"

"[How do you confirm that everything you see about the future is real?]"

Upon hearing Lin Xian’s words,

the elderly man sitting steadily across from him, hidden behind his Einstein mask, let out a light chuckle:

"Rhein, you know better than anyone that what I see about the future must be real."

"After all... if the future I perceive were false, you would have long departed from this world the day you joined the Genius Club."

...

This was a point Lin Xian truly couldn’t refute.

When he first attended a Genius Club gathering, Lin Xian had asked about his own timeline, to which Einstein had provided an incredibly precise answer... 17 minutes and 21 seconds.

As it turned out, he was right.

If Lin Xian hadn’t asked this question and had stayed home minding his own business, Space-Time Assassin #17 would surely have charged into his room and killed him.

Based on the time it took for that taxi to reach his neighborhood gate, it matched almost exactly to 17 minutes to locate him.

"But I ended up surviving."

Lin Xian continued probing:

"This proves that even if the future you foresee was real at the time, you yourself admitted that the future isn’t fully set—it can be manipulated and changed by human intervention."

"Changing the future… that’s the purpose behind the Genius Club’s founding and all our efforts, isn’t it?"

"So, conversely, even if the future you currently see is the ultimate bright and beautiful one, what if, one day, the future changes again? What if the Space-Time Butterfly Effect occurs and humanity’s future is doomed once more?"

"Would we have to reassemble, organize new meetings, and try all over again to rediscover the path to a lost glorious future? Where does that cycle end?"

Once Lin Xian finished speaking,

he fixed his gaze firmly on Einstein, attempting to pick up any clues from his subtle movements.

Unfortunately...

He failed.

The elderly man across from him remained as unmoving as Mount Tai.

His emaciated arms pressed against the leather chair on both sides, slowly rising to his feet:

"You’re overthinking this, Rhein."

He stood tall, straight as a pillar, looking down at Lin Xian from above:

"The future will no longer change. All possibilities have vanished. Right now, this is…"

"[The only future.]"

With that,

he made a gesture to signal the end of their conversation:

"The Q&A session has concluded, Rhein. You may leave now."

"As a member of the Genius Club, you’ve already succeeded. There’s no need for sorrow, concern... or doubt."