Genius Club-Chapter 210 - 45: The Real and Fake VV

A moon trip ticket?

What a ridiculous thing...

However, when Lin Xian saw the name Jask, he no longer found it that ridiculous.

Elon Jask.

He is a genius recognized all over the world.

Of course, he has many other identities as well.

The founder of space-T company, owner of Tesla Company, launcher of Earth’s Starlink, dreamer of Mars colonization.

His statements, if put a decade ago, would have been seen as sheer madness, utterly incomprehensible.

But what is surprising is that, in the present day more than a decade later, he has fulfilled most of those lofty promises.

He not only designed a reusable recovery rocket, but he has also reshaped the entire world’s understanding of space exploration through the actions of a private company.

It made people realize that those rocket malfunctions caused by a loose screw were nothing but motivational claptrap.

In reality, industrial designs included a lot of "design redundancy" for safety’s sake, with a high fault tolerance. Even if several engines unexpectedly went off... it would not prevent a rocket from taking off and ascending.

In 2021, Jask sold 4 space travel tickets and in September of the same year, he sent these four tourists to space 500 kilometers high, orbiting Earth dozens of times, embarking on a three-day space journey.

This journey truly made the whole world realize Jask’s solid capabilities, especially since before that, only three countries in the world were capable of manned aerospace. And at that moment... this challenge was conquered by a private company.

Afterwards, Jask started to take reservations for Mars colonization tickets. Although it seems more like a publicity stunt than actual progress at the moment, who would dare to trivialize his dreams now, given his current achievements?

This man, dubbed the Silicon Valley Iron Man, seems to be capable of the impossible.

And looking at the screenshot of the news report Zheng Xiangyue shared...

Jask’s second space trip tickets have already sold out, and the flight will depart next year. On that note, he has also opened reservations for a moon trip.

Though carrying people to the moon and returning them safely is incredibly difficult, it’s at least much more feasible than round-trip missions to Mars. According to Jask’s estimates, maybe within a few years, this trip could launch.

The total price of a moon trip ticket is 12 million US dollars, more than double that of a space trip ticket, equating to over 84 million Long Yuan.

Currently, with a reservation, only a 2 million US dollar deposit is needed, and the remaining amount can be completed a year before departure.

2 million US dollars, that is 14 million Long Yuan.

Lin Xian looked up at Zheng Xiangyue, whose eyes were full of stars... With so much money, even if your brother drove a taxi for 48 hours a day, he couldn’t make enough!

Moreover, this is just the deposit, there is still 70 million left to be paid later.

All that can be said is... Zheng Xiangyue’s understanding of money and the world is not complete, having never left the hospital, she might have no real concept of money at all.

"This news, actually, is more like a hype concept."

Lin Xian handed her phone back to Zheng Xiangyue:

"Jask, you may not be familiar with him, but the biggest pie he ever promised the world was Mars colonization. But as one can see now... the hope is still very slim."

"This moon trip project, you see, he hasn’t dared to specify when it will launch, which shows he doesn’t have much confidence in it himself. It’s very possible that in the end, the plan will come to nothing."

"So, rather than believing in this unreliable man, Xiangyue, you should cooperate with the treatment actively, waiting for a heart transplant or for the Hibernation Pod research to be successful. Later, we can become astronauts ourselves, set foot on the moon ourselves!"

Zheng Xiangyue took back the phone, still looking full of anticipation at the news screenshot, at Jask’s proud announcement of the moon trip plan:

"I hope brother... can earn a ticket."

Seeing her gaze, Lin Xian fell silent.

A child’s thoughts can sometimes be simple to understand, yet sometimes they are difficult to grasp.

At least for now...

Zheng Xiangyue has never given up the idea of "burying me on the moon".

She has no confidence in herself to live and grow up.

This fact, she who fights against sickness every day, might understand better than anyone; thus her greatest wish is to make her brother, Lee Cheng, agree to her request, to earn a ticket to the moon, and then bury her ashes there...

It must be like that, right?

Perhaps the innocent Zheng Xiangyue doesn’t even know what ashes are, let alone the impracticality of taking a corpse to the moon.

Lin Xian couldn’t help but reflect.

Sometimes, it’s good not to grow up.

But inevitably, one must grow up, must come to understand the impossibilities found in fairy tales, must accept the disappointments life brings.

Finally, Lin Xian touched the top of Zheng Xiangyue’s soft head:

"You should go rest as well. When it’s your birthday, I’ll come celebrate with a present for you."

...

When he got home.

It was still early.

A good opportunity to enter his dreams once more.

The prelude to entering dreams was far too long... Following previous procedures, Lin Xian first went to the woods behind Lee Cheng’s house to persuade CC, then took her to join Lian Gang, and finally managed to climb over the Garbage Factory wall beneath the human ladder of Lian Gang, sneaking into New Donghai City, arriving at Tem Bank.

Click, click, click...

CC was still tirelessly trying the safe combination.

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Lin Xian didn’t wander today. He had experienced too many things lately, obtained too much information, and needed to sort it all out.

The daytime world was too noisy, and with dangers everywhere, he did not feel secure.

Ironically, it was his own dreams that had now become the safest place for him, where he could calm down and ponder.

"What’s wrong with you?" CC suddenly looked up and asked.

"What?" Lin Xian didn’t understand what CC wanted to express.

"You seem... to have become very silent," CC said.

"Have you encountered some kind of difficulty?"

On their way here, Lin Xian had been chattering non-stop like a machine gun, but now he hadn’t said a word, which made CC very puzzled.

In that fragmented memory related to Lin Xian, this man was also very talkative, not at all this solemn.

Even more so...

He had clearly told her that his goal was also this safe.

But after coming through thick and thin to Tem Bank, Lin Xian hadn’t even glanced at the safe, let alone tried any of the combinations... This really baffled CC.

This man always seemed mysterious, wrapped in enigmas, like a breeze that did not belong to this world, unpredictable.

"Indeed, I’ve run into a bit of trouble."

If it were real life, Lin Xian would certainly not share his inner worries with anyone, as there are no walls without cracks, and anything said out loud always runs the risk of exposure.

But it’s different in dreams.

In a few hours, everything here would reset completely, leaving no trace of anything behind.

"If I can be of any help, you can tell me," CC said softly as she looked down and twisted the combination dial:

"If it hadn’t been for you bringing me here, I might never have laid hands on this safe in my life. As a way of saying thanks... if there is anything I can do for you, I certainly won’t refuse."

...

Hearing CC’s words, Lin Xian was somewhat surprised.

Today’s CC, somehow, had become much easier to communicate with, and her personality seemed even rather endearing.

The reason, well...

Lin Xian thought it must still be related to the plot of their interactions since he entered the dream.

Previously, due to various unfamiliarities, they invariably bickered or squabbled; but now, Lin Xian had mastered this section of the plot, and he knew everything that CC was willing to tell him, and he couldn’t be bothered to ask about the things she didn’t want to talk about.

This led to a fortunate increase in CC’s fondness for him.

After all, from CC’s perspective, this time Lin Xian seemed knowledgeable, responsive, with vast capabilities, and most importantly, he helped her selflessly, sharing so much valuable information without seeking anything in return, and finally brought her safely to the safe.

He didn’t ask for any reward, nor did he compete with her to try the safe combination.

Therefore, CC’s attitude towards Lin Xian naturally improved a lot, and one could even say that her trust in him was overflowing.

"You probably won’t be able to help much," Lin Xian said: "After all, it’s about another world, a different time-space."

"Just talk about it."

Lin Xian paused for a moment, and seemingly to himself, he casually said:

"There’s a group of people who killed my friend, killed my teacher. I don’t know why they killed, but now they seem to have set their sights on me, looking for a chance to kill me as well."

"Are you going to run away?" CC asked.

"Running away is definitely not an option… Where could I run to?" Lin Xian casually found a Hafnium Alloy Safe to sit on and continued:

"Moreover, it won’t be that easy for them to kill me; it seems they must find some evidence first. And... I don’t want to run away. Whether it was that teacher or that friend, they were very close to me, they died before my eyes, and I can’t just walk away. I want to avenge them."

"But so far, I haven’t been able to find the evidence of their murders, so I can’t catch them. On the contrary, they got the jump on me by infiltrating the police force, taking control of the power of speech and investigation, and even had the audacity to invite me to join the investigation team under the guise of catching thieves."

"Did you go?" CC stopped turning the dial and looked up at Lin Xian.

"Not yet."

Lin Xian shook his head:

"I’m still hesitating."

"To tell the truth, if I use the pretext of joining the investigation team to get close to the murderers, it really could be a good opportunity to obtain evidence and catch them out."

"But at the same time, they also gain the opportunity to approach me. With the police station now their home ground... it’s very disadvantageous and dangerous for me, I might be killed before I can find any leverage on them."

"Are you afraid?" CC stood up.

"Afraid? Not at all." Lin Xian smiled:

"I’m not the least bit scared, I’m just worried that by not making the perfect choice, I’ll end up not only failing to avenge my friends but also getting myself in trouble, losing everything."

...

Afterward.

Lin Xian and CC didn’t speak.

A few dozen seconds later, CC crouched down again, turning the combination dial, click-clack, click-clack, attempting to open the lock, but still not succeeding...

"I’m afraid I can’t offer much advice or answers for your problem," CC said slowly amid the click-clack sounds:

"After all, only you know how dangerous your situation is. Anything I say, as an outsider, is likely to be just disinterested platitudes. However... I can tell you about someone’s story."

"Who?" Lin Xian looked up.

CC, as if resolving herself, pursed her lips and also looked Lin Xian in the eye:

"VV."