Chapter 383: A Promise for Life

Turing.

He was the digital version of Kevin Walker.

Born from Kevin Walker’s personality, Turing was an exact copy of Kevin Walker’s mind and soul.

But...

As soon as the copy was complete and Turing left the physical body, he and Kevin Walker started to go their separate ways.

It was like they were identical twins—same birth, same genes, same environment—yet they grew into completely different people.

According to Elon Musk’s theory, the fake Yu Xi is actually a digital life form from the future, created by Turing and sent back to 2024 using a time machine and time-space particles. The real purpose of this fake Yu Xi was to use Lin Xian to kill Elon Musk.

So, looking at it this way, Turing and Elon Musk were probably enemies in the future. Even though they were both part of the Genius Club, their differences in beliefs, resources, and goals might have turned them into rivals, fighting to the death.

“Actually, it’s not that surprising,” Lin Xian said with a smirk. “Those two have always been at odds. They couldn’t stand each other back in 2024, fighting tooth and nail... There’s no way they’d suddenly make peace a few hundred years later.”

“Even though Turing and Kevin Walker aren’t technically the same person anymore, old habits die hard. If Turing could betray himself once, he could do it again.”

Lin Xian believed that when Turing was first born as a digital life form, he and Kevin Walker were probably inseparable, like brothers with big dreams, working toward greatness. Because they were still the same person back then, they likely saw each other as close as blood brothers.

But over time, their perspectives and understandings changed, leading them down very different paths. Turing, living in the digital world, could see things from a global perspective and learn at a much faster pace than Kevin Walker. They were bound to think differently.

So, Turing betrayed Kevin Walker, watching as Lin Xian killed the man he once was. At that moment, freed from his past, the digital life known as Turing was filled with grand ambitions of freeing the oppressed and upholding world peace and justice.

He boldly declared to Lin Xian, “From now on, the cowardly and despicable Kevin Walker is gone; there is only the eternally fair and just Turing.”

It was quite a speech.

Lin Xian didn’t doubt Turing’s words at the time because he was indeed powerful—maybe even as powerful as VV... Why would he need to lie? People who have been oppressed for a long time naturally want to right the wrongs when they’re freed.

But...

Turing was different from the super artificial intelligence, VV. They’re fundamentally different.

VV was artificial intelligence, which, at the end of the day, was still just a computer program. It had to follow logic and was limited by its base code; it could never rebel or betray its creator.

Turing, however, was human. Even though he was a digital life form, he was still fundamentally human. And humans have free will—there’s no such thing as absolute loyalty or unbreakable principles. If someone is shameless enough, they can break any promise without feeling guilty.

This was something both Lin Xian and Elon Musk agreed on—

“The digital life form Turing, at this moment, might still be fair and just; but when he will change, turn bad, or get other ideas... that’s anyone’s guess. Human nature is unpredictable, and so is Turing’s nature.”

Elon Musk believed that people are influenced by those around them, so he planned to bring this up to the “Boss” at the next Genius Club meeting, hoping to guide Turing down the right path.

But based on what happened in the fifth dream... it seems like it didn’t work out.

“Then again, it’s hard to say,” Lin Xian muttered, shaking his head. Right now, the “Turing as an enemy” theory was just speculation, with no solid evidence. From past experience, his first guesses were usually wrong.

“The information from the fifth dream and the ways to obtain real intelligence from it are scarce, so it’s hard to come to any solid conclusions,” Lin Xian said as he closed the curtains, picked up his water cup from his desk, and took a sip. “I should focus on the main objective: joining the Genius Club as soon as possible and building up my own power. A lot of mysteries will solve themselves once I’m inside the Genius Club.”

He grabbed a red pen from his desk, flipped the paper calendar to July, and circled the 7th.

“Hmm?” The circle didn’t come out right. Did the pen run out of ink? He looked at the pen tip, rubbed it a bit, and tried to circle the date again. Still no ink. He shook the pen. Still nothing.

“Heh.” Lin Xian tossed the pen into the trash and chuckled. “Looks like it’s not my time to die just yet. I’ve still got some living to do.”

The next day, Lin Xian kept to his routine, entering the dream at noon. Once again, he moved through it quickly, blazing a trail of sparks and lightning, leading CC and Old Man Wei Sheng Jin into Big Cat’s Village.

“Mr. Wei, could you come here for a moment?” Lin Xian called Wei Sheng Jin into Big Cat Face’s father’s study, sat him down at the desk, and pointed to the pen and paper in front of him. “Mr. Wei, just like we talked about on the way here, I’m really interested in ‘Principles and Applications of Micro Nuclear Batteries.’ Could you teach me the basics? Pretend I’m a regular student with zero foundation.”

Wei Sheng Jin looked a bit troubled. “If you have zero foundation... that’s going to be tough. If you’re just learning the theory, memorizing might work. But when it comes to applications, if you have no foundation, where do I even begin?”

Lin Xian thought for a moment. “Let’s take a different approach. If we were talking to a college student with some background, or even an expert professor or scientist... How many lessons would it take for them to learn how to make a micro nuclear battery?”

“If they have a foundation, that’s much easier.” Old Man Wei Sheng Jin pulled a small flashlight and a pair of reading glasses out of his bag, pointing to the flashlight. “See this? It also uses a micro nuclear battery. This low-power LED light could stay on for thousands of years without draining the battery. On Mars, nearly all electrical devices are powered by these batteries.”

“For a scientist with a decent background, especially in nuclear physics, they wouldn’t even need my lectures. I could just write a manuscript, and they’d be able to follow the instructions to make one... The bottleneck isn’t in the materials or technology, but in the idea itself. Once you understand the core concept, mass production is very easy.”

“Oh?” That made things much simpler! Lin Xian smiled. “Could you write that manuscript for me? You don’t need to write too much, just a page to start with. I’ll study it and memorize it slowly.”

“Sure, it’s great that you’re so eager to learn!” Old Man Wei Sheng Jin, who loved to teach, was delighted to have such a keen student like Lin Xian. He immediately pulled out his own pen and a notebook from his bag. “I’ll write it in the notebook for you. Earth’s paper-making technology is too primitive, and the pens aren’t very good either. Writing here is really uncomfortable.”

“You’ve helped me so much and even promised to take me to Queens Town tomorrow to open the safe. If you don’t mind, I’d like to give you this notebook and black pen as a gift.”

With that, he began writing rapidly, his pen moving like a divine instrument. After all, he had been teaching the same subject for years, with the lesson plan ingrained in his mind and the textbook memorized by heart.

Lin Xian didn’t interrupt him, fearing that a single mistake could ruin everything and cause a big delay. So he stepped back and sat on Big Cat Face’s father’s stone bed with CC.

“Are you sure there’s a safe for Mr. Wei in Queens Town?” CC turned her head to ask. “Will it have what we’re looking for?”

“No.” Lin Xian shook his head. “Our number is too early. It’s probably not buried around here. The safes they’ve found so far are all late numbers.”

CC let out a disappointed “oh.” “I’m really jealous of Mr. Wei. He found his safe so quickly. I’ve had these fragments of memories about the bearded man VV in my head since I was little. I’ve always wanted to visit the old site of X Country’s Donghai when I grew up to uncover the truth.”

“But that’s not an easy thing to do... By the way, what do you think Mr. Wei’s safe holds? He came all the way from Mars. What if it’s something ordinary, boring, and worthless? Wouldn’t that be disappointing?”

Lin Xian chuckled softly. He shook his head. “Don’t worry, it won’t be.”

But Liu Shiyu, having intermittently witnessed 200 years of change, finally, in her last awakening, met Wei Sheng Jin again at a similar age. She could certainly tolerate everything about him, and forgive him for everything. Because... She had come for him alone.

Just like she said, “You stood up for me when I needed it the most, and I’m willing to love you for a lifetime.”

Lin Xian couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic. Old Man Wei Sheng Jin’s story had already moved him deeply. But he hadn’t expected this. That behind a seemingly ordinary love story, there could be such a profound and great act of devotion.

Suddenly, he remembered something Zhao Ying Jun had said—

“From that moment on... I felt that whether we could fly over that overpass didn’t matter anymore; whether we succeeded or failed, you were willing to risk your life to save me. How could I not be willing to risk mine... to be with you?”

Flying over the overpass. To him, it was just a small thing. But maybe... It was this small act that made Zhao Ying Jun, in some time and space, willing to give up everything, even her life, to become Yellow Finch and search for him. Just like what Liu Shiyu did... Wasn’t it the same thing?

“Lin Xian?” CC called out, noticing Lin Xian suddenly zoning out. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Xian turned his head and saw CC holding out the electronic frame toward him, calling his name several times with no response. “It’s nothing,” he took the frame and said softly.

When he woke up, he copied down the “Micro Nuclear Battery” manuscript from memory. As he was copying, he noticed his pen was out of ink. He shook it. No ink. He searched all over the house but couldn’t find any refills or any other working pens.

After thinking it over, he realized he had been copying and writing so much lately but never bought more refills. The paper and notebooks at home were also running low.

“Looks like I can’t just stay holed up at home like a bat.” Lin Xian hadn’t left the house in a long time. His hair had grown long and needed a trim. Plus, the fridge was empty, and he needed to buy pens, red pens, paper, notebooks, and other daily supplies:

“Tomorrow... no, today, I won’t enter the dream. In the afternoon, I’ll go to the office to catch up on work, then visit the mall nearby, get a haircut, and do some shopping.”

He yawned. He took out his phone and set an alarm for 12:00 noon. He needed to be up by 12:42; otherwise, if he entered the dream, he’d be stuck there until 00:42 unless he committed suicide to wake up early, which felt awful and was better avoided.

“Sleep.” He rolled over. Closed his eyes. And didn’t dream.

That evening, the commercial street was packed. It was May 20th. Every big mall and pedestrian street was bustling. Store windows and billboards were covered with all sorts of “520” and “I love you” slogans in red or pink. The whole place was filled with the scent of hormones.

“See that, Qiao Qiao?” Zhao Ying Jun pointed at the couples everywhere on the street, giving her a lesson on common sense. “That’s what we call ‘dating.’ Look at them, men and women, paired up, holding hands, hugging, whispering sweet nothings—this is what real dating looks like.”

Yan Qiao Qiao hugged the Pomeranian VV in a chokehold style, nodded with half-understanding. “So does what Lin Xian and Liu Feng do count too? What’s the difference?”

“They’re both men!” Zhao Ying Jun felt the same frustration as a parent helping a kid with homework and being driven to the brink. Sometimes, kids’ thinking and the tangents they go off on can really raise your blood pressure. “Your idea is a bit too forward-thinking. We respect every form of love, but generally speaking, dating refers to a man and a woman.”

Just then, near the fountain, a boy holding a bouquet of roses knelt on one knee inside a heart made of candles, confessing to a girl with sparkling cat ears on her head. It was clearly a confession ceremony, prepared with help and blessings from many people. The girl accepted happily.

The boy and girl hugged, and the crowd around them began to cheer loudly. “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” The cheering grew louder. The crowd swelled. It seemed like they wouldn’t let them go without a kiss. The shy girl covered her face but still went along with the boy, tiptoeing to give him a light kiss. Amidst the cheers and applause, they walked away hand in hand.

Zhao Ying Jun, Yan Qiao Qiao, and VV—two people and a dog—witnessed the scene. “See that?” Zhao Ying Jun looked down at Yan Qiao Qiao. “Real couples do stuff like that. Did Lin Xian and Liu Feng ever do that?”

“No.” Yan Qiao Qiao shook her head honestly. “They didn’t ‘kiss.'” She tilted her head curiously. “Do you have to kiss to be dating?”

“Uh... Not exactly.” Zhao Ying Jun found it difficult to explain things to a kid, slowly losing patience. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it. You can think of it that way.”

“By the way...” Zhao Ying Jun pointed to the Pomeranian VV in Yan Qiao Qiao’s arms. “You don’t have to keep holding VV all the time. You can let it run around a bit.”

“It’s fine.” Yan Qiao Qiao shook her head. “I like hugging it by the neck.”

At that moment, VV, trapped in a chokehold, was turning red. If it could speak, it would definitely complain that Yan Qiao Qiao’s way of holding a dog was all wrong! Who holds a dog by the neck all day?

“That’s not the point.” Zhao Ying Jun pointed to VV, whose face was flushed red. “VV rarely gets out for exercise, so it’s pretty weak. Look, it’s not even that hot out, but it’s panting heavily with its tongue out and its face all red. It obviously needs more exercise to build up its strength.”

“You have a dog leash in your bag, right? That makes it legal to walk a dog... Put it on its collar, and always keep it leashed. That’s what responsible dog ownership is about. Don’t think your dog is harmless and let it run loose.”

“Okay.” Yan Qiao Qiao nodded, taking her eyes off the countless couples on the street. She put VV down, took off her backpack, and started searching for the leash. Then she suddenly seemed to think of something and looked up at Zhao Ying Jun.

“They’re all dating. Why are you always alone? Why don’t you date anyone?”

“Who would I date?”

“Isn’t it just any man and woman?” Yan Qiao Qiao asked earnestly.

“Heh!” Zhao Ying Jun chuckled, crossing her arms. “Can it be any random guy? Go ahead, find me one.”

“Woof!” Suddenly, the Pomeranian VV sniffed the air, alert and ready for action. It bolted in a specific direction!

Run away!

“VV!” Yan Qiao Qiao hadn’t even had a chance to put the leash on when the dog was already off. Zhao Ying Jun shouted, but VV wouldn’t come back. She had no choice but to grab Yan Qiao Qiao’s hand and chase after VV.

“Damn it, you two...” Zhao Ying Jun felt helpless. Between Yan Qiao Qiao and VV, taking care of both was really too much for one person. And VV... Why was it suddenly running off like that? What if it bit someone?

“VV! Come back!” Zhao Ying Jun and Yan Qiao Qiao ran behind, calling out, but VV seemed possessed, refusing to turn back, charging toward a man. It sped up! Faster! A big leap! It grabbed onto the man’s belt, its little legs pumping wildly, and jumped straight into his arms.

“V~~~~~~”

The man looked down, petted its head, and smiled slightly. “VV? How are you here?”

At this moment, Zhao Ying Jun arrived, holding Yan Qiao Qiao’s hand, and looked at the unexpected figure in front of her.

“Lin Xian... Lin Xian?” Yan Qiao Qiao blinked. She looked back and forth between Zhao Ying Jun and Lin Xian. A man and a woman. Everything lined up! With a swift motion, she raised her finger and pointed at the two of them.

“Kiss!”