Genius Club-Chapter 276 - 3 Blue Moon

Afternoon.

The decisive Zhao Yingjun brought in MX Company’s legal advisor and drafted a contract to transfer the "Rhein" name and trademark to Lin Xian.

Then, she pulled Lin Xian into a meeting with the middle management and had Lin Xian appoint leaders on the spot, even recommending Brother Wang, the head of the marketing department, to Lin Xian to join Rhein Company as the first Vice President to assist him.

Brother Wang was one of the most senior people at MX Company, having been with Zhao Yingjun since the start-up phase. Not only had he made significant contributions, but everyone also trusted his character. He was slated for a promotion to Vice President at MX Company this year and was someone Zhao Yingjun trusted immensely.

Otherwise...

Brother Wang wouldn’t have been the first to know about Zhao Yingjun’s plan to promote a secretary and even secretly shared this news with Lin Xian, which clearly showed how much trust Zhao Yingjun had in this veteran.

That was also why she recommended this effective right-hand man to Lin Xian for the Vice President position.

After the meeting.

The law firm entrusted by Zhao Yingjun had already rented the adjacent building and finalized the contract.

The cleaning and decoration companies had also started to move in.

This...

Huh?

Lin Xian stood there, stunned. Why did it feel like something was off!

This was clearly his own company...

Why did Zhao Yingjun care about it even more than he did?

She was like a nanny, taking care of and solving everything for him.

It really felt like they were sharing the same soul in different bodies.

However...

Let it be.

If he had to manage these trivial matters, it would probably take months to get things sorted, whereas Zhao Yingjun used her own connections and resources to get everything organized, indeed saving him a lot of trouble.

After all, Lin Xian had always planned to be a hands-off manager.

Of course, he wouldn’t invest too much energy into the operations of Rhein Company...

Because.

[Rhein Company was merely a front to conceal his true intentions, providing him with capital and cover.]

How the company operated out in the open mattered little to Lin Xian, as long as it made money.

With his products copied from the world 600 years in the future, it would be hard for the company not to make money.

And behind the scenes...

Lin Xian planned to use Rhein Company to execute a series of plans.

That was the crux of everything.

...

After handling various procedures in the afternoon, Lin Xian dragged his tired body back home.

Really though.

A tyrannical CEO’s job isn’t one just anyone can do.

Once you become the head of a company, countless detailed matters require your personal oversight, decision-making, and judgement.

It’s both worrisome and exhausting.

"I hope the company gets on the right track soon..."

Lin Xian murmured a sigh as he showered.

Once on the right track, he could finally be the hands-off manager he wished to be.

Looking at it now, Zhao Yingjun’s decision to lend Brother Wang to him as Vice President was truly wise.

You don’t know how tiring it is to be the boss until you are one.

If it weren’t for the experienced Brother Wang’s support, it would be difficult for him to manage such a large operation by himself for a while.

In fact, Lin Xian had called Gao Yang at noon.

To him, Gao Yang was quite trustworthy, although sometimes his mind was too active to the point of being erratic... but he was a good person nonetheless.

After all, working anywhere is still working.

Instead of selling cars in a 4S shop, it would be better to manage some affairs in his own company.

But Lin Xian never expected that Gao Yang would directly refuse:

"I saw in the movie ’China’s Partner’ that there are three things you should never do in life—"

"1. Never play mahjong with your mother-in-law."

"2. Never date a woman who has more ideas than you."

"3. Never start a company with your best friend."

That’s what Gao Yang said:

"So, Lin Xian, I’d better not work at your company. Whether you earn more or less, you’ll never finish earning in this lifetime anyway, a little more or less doesn’t matter, but I don’t want to lose a friend like you. To me, the bond between us is more important."

"It shouldn’t matter much," Lin Xian tried to persuade him:

"My company isn’t all about making big bucks or profits, it’s quite laid-back, and even if it goes under, it wouldn’t be a big deal."

"Ah, you don’t understand."

Gao Yang was still insistent:

"Working a job and being a boss are different. Many companies have been ruined after letting relatives and friends join. Even if I were more laid-back, I wouldn’t ruin your company. But I have no particular skill or ability to do anything significant. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing for you if I went there?"

"The thing I’m best at since childhood is probably playing video games. And you know, from ’Contra’ to ’League of Legends,’ which of my classmates have I ever lost to? But being good at gaming is useless in a job... So, forget it, just buy a few more cars from me for your company later."

Seeing how persistent Gao Yang was, Lin Xian didn’t try to persuade him further.

Perhaps for Gao Yang...

Compared to a substantial job and a hefty salary, he truly valued the friendship between them more and didn’t want their relationship to be affected by work matters.

Looking around, his worries were not unfounded.

A lot of classmates and friends who were very close...

It was all because of partnerships in business, borrowing money, or starting companies that eventually led to them not speaking to each other anymore.

It wasn’t a rare occurrence either.

So if Gao Yang didn’t want to come, that was fine. The company could just buy more vehicles from him in the future.

After taking a bath.

Lin Xian yawned, ready to go to bed and sleep.

He checked the time, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet.

Falling asleep at this time...

Would mean neither seeing the three-bladed thief nor joining Lian Gang nor freeload a meal at Big Face Cat’s. He could only wander around aimlessly in his dreams.

Suddenly.

Sleepiness hit.

Lin Xian turned off his phone, rolled over, and closed his eyes.

...

...

Huh!

?

Before Lin Xian even opened his eyes, he felt a breeze blowing against his face!

Summer wind?

Could it be the familiar summer wind returning?

That shouldn’t be the case...

In the Old Donghai City of the Second Dreamland, with its clutter of low-rise buildings, the wind simply couldn’t get in.

If there was wind now, could it mean that the dreamscape had reverted to the First Dreamland?

However.

At the instant just before Lin Xian opened his eyes, he realized that it couldn’t possibly be the original First Dreamland either.

Because this breeze that hit his face—

"Stinks so bad!"

Lin Xian pinched his nose and opened his eyes!

Bright moonlight.

Nothing but emptiness all around.

The desolate ground was either muddy or dry, devoid of any life, not even a single weed.

Looking around, it was all a scene of utter ruin.

Where am I?

This is neither the Old Donghai nor is New Donghai visible in the distance, there’s simply no trace of human settlement here!

Has the city been abandoned?

Or have I truly traveled to another place this time?

Boom!!!!

Directly ahead, a clump of black, muddy waste suddenly plummeted down, exploding on impact!

All kinds of trash and materials resembling excrement scattered everywhere!

A foul smell spread.

Lin Xian hastily retreated several steps, unsure whether any of that filthy matter had splashed onto him.

What on earth is going on?

If this is yet another occurrence of the Space-Time Butterfly Effect, triggering a strong Temporal Flux that caused yet another change in the Dream World, or the world 600 years in the future,

What was the catalyst?

What was the anchor point?

Lin Xian had thought that the deaths of Ji Xinshui and the group led by Ji Lin ought to have some impact on this world, on the future, right?

But...

When I entered the dream yesterday, the Second Dreamland was still the same.

Old Donghai City, New Donghai City, Big Face Cat, Er Zhuzi, and even the moon in the sky, everything was exactly as before.

It seems that even a person of world-class significance like Ji Xinshui, who considered himself a reservist of the Genius Club, couldn’t stir any ripples in time 600 years later due to his death.

Truly a death light as a feather.

"No, the moon!"

Lin Xian suddenly realized.

Since there’s such a significant change in this Third Dreamland, the future world, does the Genius Club still exist?

Is their logo still on the moon?

Lin Xian looked up sharply—

One...

Two...

Ten...

Hundreds!

He was stunned, then immediately turned to look at the sky behind him!

It was the same.

The sky was still filled with countless bright discs!

[The entire sky was filled with hundreds to thousands of full moons!]

"This can’t be possible..."

If so many moons really appeared outside the Earth, then unless this is purely a fantasy dream!

Lin Xian looked up again, scrutinizing those "moons."

He found something amiss...

Despite the countless "moons" hanging high in the sky,

They were not real moons.

First, they were too round, perfectly spherical, resembling a man-made device rather than natural objects. And all these "moons" were lined up neatly at the same height in the sky... like cookies arranged in a row on a table, obviously positioned lower than the actual moon.

Next, these "moons" were blue.

Intensely bright blue.

Although in daily life, moons can appear blue due to air quality and weather conditions,

But the blue light emitted from these "moons" in the sky was evidently not moonlight, and seemed more like some kind of engine, some sort of mechanical ion beam!

"What exactly is this?"

As Lin Xian’s observation became more detailed, he noticed that not only were these "moons" different from the real moon, even the "sky" behind them wasn’t quite the same as the real sky.

It was too low, too oppressive.

And there was a distinct boundary line with the distant sky!

What on earth has become of this world…?

Lin Xian was getting more and more puzzled.

Rustle rustle rustle!

Another burst of foul water cascaded down from the sky... Lin Xian jumped to the side, trying to dodge it.

But inevitably, the spattering filth was too high and widespread, leaving Lin Xian’s clothing covered in stinking black spots.

"Fuck."

Lin Xian cursed softly, deciding that he couldn’t stay in this place any longer.

He looked up to his right.

There, at the edge of the matrix of "moons" filling the sky.

If he ran to the right... he would quickly escape the area below these "moons" and could get a side view to see what these "moons" really were.

Without further ado, Lin Xian immediately ran to the right.

Although he ran fast...

The "moons" in the sky moved back slowly.

While running, there were often inexplicable objects falling down, and he frequently stepped on unknown substances that were soft and hard, leaving Lin Xian feeling utterly disgusted.

What kind of garbage world is this?

Could humans really live in such a harsh environment?

Finally.

After running at full speed for half an hour, Lin Xian barely managed to reach the perimeter of the outermost "moon," then he looked back at the sky—

It was...

A scene too spectacular for words.

Above the blue hundreds to thousands of pseudo "moons"... there was a city!

A city floating in mid-air!

Although Lin Xian’s perspective was limited, only catching a glimpse of a corner of the city.

But the impressive rising skyscrapers, the brightly lit homes, confirmed it was definitely a city!

A city...

In the sky!

"So... those blue moons aren’t celestial bodies at all, but engines? Like rockets, they’re engines that lift this vast city into the sky?"

Lin Xian was amazed by these engines emitting blue light. How much thrust was needed to lift an entire city!

Moreover,

What exactly was this City in the Sky?

Lin Xian continued to look forward and saw a bright spot where the light concentrated and a bustling crowd seemed to be gathered.

He ran in that direction.

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On the way, he happened to come across a young boy running toward the crowd, just like him.

"Kid."

Lin Xian stopped him:

"Excuse me, what is that city in the sky?"

"That’s Rhine!"

The young boy answered with sparkling eyes.

"What?"

Lin Xian stood still for a moment, recalling the document he had signed that afternoon, the name he had settled on in Zhao Yingjun’s office that morning...

"Yeah, don’t you know?"

The young boy looked at Lin Xian with puzzlement, pointing to the city pushed up by hundreds, maybe thousands of "blue moons" in the sky:

"That is..."

"Rhine Sky City!"