Genius Club

Chapter 494: Brooklyn Lin Xian

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

The mystery of everything began with the very first Millennial Stake.

Lin Xian had prepared himself for this long before crossing over.

But the problem was...

He never expected this!

[His own dream was also part of the Millennial Stake!]

It was completely beyond his expectations.

“Wait, maybe it’s not just because of the Millennial Stake,” Lin Xian muttered to himself.

“If I were just a normal person who gained the ability to dream about the future six hundred years from now because of the Millennial Stake, then I should dream like anyone else.” He paused, thinking. “It wouldn’t matter if it was a good dream, a nightmare, or some strange montage—I should still be dreaming, right?”

“But right now, even CC, who isn’t part of the Millennial Stake, dreams like a normal person, while I can’t dream at all. I can’t see the future, nor do I have regular dreams. It’s just... a blank. A complete dreamless state—a ‘black dream.’ How do I even explain this?”

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes. It seemed that the truth behind his dreams wasn’t just connected to the Millennial Stake. There had to be something else at play.

The clues he had were too limited, too scattered. He just couldn’t figure it out.

“Lin Xian... Lin Xian?”

Next to him, CC hugged her blanket, her face filled with worry. “Are you... okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost. Did you have a nightmare?”

Lin Xian blinked, snapping back to the present. He shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Just thinking about something.”

“By the way, CC... how did you sleep? Did you dream at all?”

CC nodded, her lips curling into a small smile. “I slept really well. I felt safe. As soon as you came into the room, I dozed off. I don’t think I’ve ever slept that peacefully before.”

“Although, I’m a light sleeper usually. In the middle of the night, the wind blew against the window and woke me up. I saw you sleeping on the floor and thought you’d be cold, so I tried to cover you with a blanket... but you woke up right away. You must be a light sleeper too.” Ɍ

“What did you dream about?” Lin Xian asked.

“Oh, my dream?” CC’s face turned slightly pink, and she looked a little embarrassed. “It was kind of all over the place. I think it was because of what we talked about yesterday. I dreamt we were on a boat heading to Manhattan, but halfway there, we ended up turning towards Coney Island.”

“And then... we went to eat hot dogs at Coney Island.”

Pfft—

Lin Xian couldn’t help but chuckle at the mention of “hot dogs” again.

The original CC really was a bit of a glutton, especially obsessed with hot dogs. She talked about them during the day and even dreamed about them at night.

“Did you at least figure out what they taste like this time?” Lin Xian grinned. “If I’d known, I would’ve just bought you one today. We already paid for the 30-cent room; what’s another 3 cents for a hot dog?”

“Oh, stop talking about food in the middle of the night,” CC huffed, scrunching up her nose. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. We finally have a nice room; let’s make the most of it.”

“Who knows where we’ll be sleeping tomorrow? We should enjoy this while we can.”

“Alright.” Lin Xian gestured towards the bed. “You take the bed. I’m not cold at all. This church coat is super warm—I think I’ll be praying extra hard at church tomorrow, just to say thanks. Thirty percent more devotion, at least.”

CC giggled, shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous. Who measures faith in percentages?”

“Since you’re not cold, I won’t argue. Goodnight.” She wrapped herself up in the blanket, turned over, and soon drifted off to sleep.

Lin Xian looked at her, feeling a twinge of envy. “She’s probably in a hurry to get back to her hot dogs.”

...

Lin Xian woke up naturally from his dreamless sleep. The first thing he did was check the clock at the reception. It read 8:23 AM.

No pattern to his wake-up time. It seemed that in this strange year of 1952, he’d become a regular human being.

After freshening up in the communal bathroom with CC, they checked out and left the small motel.

They hurried to the church by the pier—to grab a meal—or rather, to join the service.

But CC was right. It was notorious for gang activity, with turf wars and crime rampant until much later in the century.

As the bus arrived, Lin Xian turned to CC, grinning. “Come on, CC. Let’s get on.” They paid their fare and took seats at the back of the bus. On the way, Lin Xian chatted with a passenger, learning about ticket prices for the amusement park. He returned to CC, nodding reassuringly. “It’s fine, it’s still within our budget—including hot dogs.”

After a long two-hour ride, the bus finally pulled up in front of the park entrance. Lin Xian and CC stepped off, gazing at the sight before them in awe. It was almost unbelievable that this was a 1952 amusement park. There were roller coasters, Ferris wheels, aerial rides—everything.

“The U.S. in this era really was something,” Lin Xian said, admiration clear in his voice.

“Lin Xian, look over there!” CC tugged at his sleeve, pointing toward a bustling hot dog stand with a large sign that read “Nathan’s Hot Dogs.” People crowded around, eagerly lining up for their turn.

“Come on, let’s go get one,” Lin Xian said, smiling brightly.

If you came to Coney Island and didn’t eat a hot dog, what was the point? He wanted to make CC’s experience complete, and he was curious himself.

They joined the queue, and as they waited, two men in front of them began arguing heatedly. They were both dressed in black suits and dark sunglasses, and their voices were harsh, the words almost unintelligible. Lin Xian couldn’t make out if it was Italian or just bad English. Maybe they were arguing about someone cutting in line.

Lin Xian and CC tried to ignore them, staying patiently in line, but the argument escalated quickly. The men were now shouting, their faces red and veins bulging.

“Are they going to fight?” Lin Xian muttered, frowning. He pulled CC back, sensing trouble.

And then—

One of the men, a guy with a hooked nose, suddenly pulled out a revolver from his coat.

“What the—!” Lin Xian gasped, his eyes widening.

The other man turned and bolted, but as he did, he bumped hard into CC, almost knocking her over. At the same time, the man with the revolver took aim—right in their direction.

“CC!” Lin Xian shouted, pulling her into his arms.

But it was too late. The man squeezed the trigger, aiming straight at them.

Nothing happened. No gunshot, no sound.

The man with the gun simply dropped—like a puppet with its strings cut—falling face-first onto the pavement. His nose smashed with a sickening crunch, and the revolver slipped from his hand, skidding across the ground.

The crowd erupted in screams, people running in every direction, trying to get away from the scene.

But the man lay there, frozen in that awkward shooting pose, his limbs trembling slightly as he tried and failed to stand.

“Lin Xian! We have to go!” CC pulled at him, her voice urgent.

But Lin Xian didn’t move. He stood there, smiling.

“Hey! What are you doing? Are you in shock? We need to run!”

“Run?” Lin Xian’s smile widened, his voice calm and confident. “CC, I’ve got some good news.”

“Huh?”

Lin Xian turned to her, his eyes glinting. “I’m officially telling you—our hard days are over.”

“What are you even talking about?” CC stared at him, bewildered.

She glanced back at the fallen gunman, who still lay there, his limbs twitching slightly. It looked almost like magic—like a spell had been cast on him.

“It’s back,” Lin Xian whispered, his eyes bright.

“The feeling is back.”

He felt lighter than he had in a long time. For so long, he’d feared that the rules of spacetime wouldn’t apply until the Millennial Stake was set. He’d feared that he had lost his safety net forever.

But it seemed like... Entangled spacetime particles really were an absolute cheat code—coveted by all.

Lin Xian clenched his fist, looking up at the warm midday sun, a determined smile on his face.

“Reverse forced avoidance—after being pushed around for so long, it’s finally my turn to enjoy the ride!”