Genius Club-Chapter 33: Confession

CC hesitated for a moment.

Then she put away the pistol and walked over to the code-locked door with the laptop.

First, she pried open the lock casing with a small tool, revealing the circuit board inside.

After a series of maneuvers connecting the circuits, she began operating on the laptop.

About fifteen minutes passed...

Beep beep!

A soft sound rang out as the code indicator light turned from red to green, and the heavy steel door opened in response.

CC stood up, pointing to the half-open coded door:

"The door is open, you go in first."

"You go first," Lin Xian courteously replied.

He was all too familiar with this script... Now playing the role of Big Face Cat, if he entered first, he would 100% be shot in the head!

"You go first; you’ve earned it," CC made a welcoming gesture.

"No, no, no," Lin Xian waved his hand:

"Clearly your role was more crucial; please, after you."

"Don’t you need a lot of money? You take it first."

"Ladies first, ladies first."

"I’m afraid I won’t be able to move the gold bricks inside."

"You could take some of the lighter gold bars first."

"Then I should go find a sack first, that way I can carry more."

"Now that you mention it, I seem to have forgotten my sack in the car as well, oh how careless of me."

"Since you’re in urgent need of the money, there’s no need for modesty."

"Actually, it’s not that urgent."

"..."

"..."

After a long stalemate, the two stood face to face, neither daring to enter first.

Lin Xian was afraid CC would shoot him.

CC too was shocked by Lin Xian’s marksmanship, afraid he would shoot her.

But in reality, both of them knew perfectly well... there wasn’t a penny in this warehouse.

"Forget it, let’s stop pretending, how about we have a truthful conversation?"

Lin Xian thought there was no point in the standoff anymore and took the initiative to clarify:

"Actually, I’m not Big Face Cat."

CC let out a light laugh:

"Is that even something that needs to be admitted? Did you think you were convincing?"

"You don’t have a gun or C4, and you’re not very familiar with that van—it’s clearly not your vehicle."

"Although I don’t know Big Face Cat and have never seen him, we have chatted online, and I know you’re not him."

"So, who exactly are you?"

CC crossed her arms, looking at Rhein Cat through the Ultraman mask:

"You strike me as extremely unprofessional... as if you’re just a college student who decided to rob a bank on a whim. But your marksmanship is sublime, far from ordinary. I’ve only seen one other person whose skills could be compared to yours, your shooting posture is identical to his."

"Oh? There’s such a master?" Lin Xian spun the gun in his hand:

"Might be good to have a match sometime."

...

...

The air fell into a silence as enigmatic as a puzzle.

In the vast space, the only sound was that of Lin Xian spinning the gun.

"How about we partner up?" Lin Xian spoke up.

"Partner up for what?"

Lin Xian pointed to the half-open coded door:

"I know what you’re after, to open a safe in here labeled with the name Lin Xian."

"You seem to know quite a lot, then why don’t you just tell me what’s inside?"

CC looked at the safe inside the coded door:

"Then I could just go home."

"I don’t know what’s inside the safe, but I do know the safe’s code," Lin Xian replied truthfully.

Since both sides had laid their cards on the table at this point, there was no need to keep deceiving and hiding things from each other.

Besides, Lin Xian knew that CC wasn’t difficult to communicate with; she had been quite reasonable the few previous times they spoke.

"What’s your condition? You won’t just tell me the password for nothing, right?" CC asked.

"I have only one condition."

Lin Xian, through the Rhein Cat Mask, looked at the Ultraman before him:

"We both take off our masks... and meet face to face."

CC touched the mask on her face:

"Are you saying, take off the mask, and you’ll give me the safe’s password?"

"Correct."

CC chuckled softly:

"That sounds like a bad deal. We both take off our masks, I get the password, and what do you get?"

"I’m just looking for an attitude of mutual trust," Lin Xian lied casually.

He couldn’t possibly tell the truth, right?

"Fine, it’s a deal."

CC turned and kicked open the password door, walking inside.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

She checked the names on each safe and finally stopped beside the one labeled [Lin Xian].

Seeing the eight password dials on the safe, CC put down the handheld computer and shook her head:

"It’s a mechanical lock."

"Are you sure you know the code to this safe? Judging by how oxidized the paint is... this safe must be at least a few hundred years old."

Lin Xian nodded confidently:

"So, let’s save some time."

He pulled off the rubber band from his head and removed the small Rhine Cat Mask from his face.

Then he looked at CC still wearing the Ultraman mask:

"Do I look familiar to you?"

CC shook her head blankly:

"The way you ask… Should I know you?"

Forget it.

Lin Xian didn’t want to waste time on this question.

On this matter, CC was truly stubborn. She obviously had met him before, otherwise her attitude in every aspect was too strange.

But last time she was adamant even with a gun to her head... there was definitely no hope this time.

So he went straight to the point:

"Your turn."

CC looked around, there were no cameras in this warehouse.

She then tucked her handgun into her waistband.

She reached behind her head with both hands and pulled on the elastic.

The mask slowly came off, and her face gradually came into view...

Deep brown bangs, flattened by the mask but falling in a comfortable and natural curve, conveyed a sense of youthful beauty.

Her eyebrows delicate as willow leaves, her spirited eyes crystal clear.

Though her gaze was cold and wary, it still gave the illusion of harboring a constant, gentle smile.

There was a tiny tear mole at the corner of her left eye.

The mask continued to descend...

A straight nose, lightly tinted lips closed tight, and pale skin flushed with a healthy glow. It was a face without any makeup, but the ineffable sense of purity surpassed all heavily applied cosmetics.

When the mask finally slid completely off her face, a sharp and clean jawline made her already petite face appear even more sculpted and delicate.

She was much younger than Lin Xian had imagined, like a high school girl of seventeen or eighteen.

At last, all the mysteries were revealed, and the answer stood right before Lin Xian—

...

...

[Who is this?]

Lin Xian stared at CC as she played with her bangs, momentarily stunned.

He had thought that once CC removed her mask, he would see a familiar face, one he vaguely remembered, and he’d be able to directly confirm that his dreams were false.

But the CC before him, he really had no recollection of her at all, didn’t recognize this person!

Yet CC’s voice, he was sure he had heard it before... how could he explain this? Was it really just a delusion or coincidence?

"Hey, what are you zoning out for!"

CC frowned, staring at Lin Xian:

"Now... it’s your turn to tell me the password to the safe, right?"