Genius Club

“Big Cat Face!”

Lin Xian couldn’t believe his eyes. Even in the tumultuous dream world, he found himself face-to-face with Big Cat Face. The surreal experience of encountering an old friend in such an unusual place filled Lin Xian with an impulse to embrace him.

“Eh?” Big Cat Face squinted, eyeing Lin Xian with suspicion. “You know who I am?”

“Damn!” The thief, realizing he was outnumbered, turned to flee.

“You think you can get away?” Big Cat Face swung his stick, tearing the thief’s shirt, then swung again, disarming the knife from his grip.

“Nice moves!” Lin Xian exclaimed awkwardly, attempting to draw closer.

Behind them, three of Big Cat Face’s followers lunged at the thief, pinning him to the ground. Big Cat Face picked up a handbag from the dirt and handed it to the burliest of his followers.

“This is Granny Li’s bag. Return it to her. If we’re taking protection money, we need to keep the peace around here.”

The burly follower nodded and scurried off.

Lin Xian stared at Big Cat Face, astonished by his transformation into a somewhat heroic figure. As Lin predicted, the shifts in time-space not only alter historical events and future prospects but also reshape personal destinies.

Now, Big Cat Face appeared less like the ruthless bandit Lin Xian once knew and more like a rough-and-tumble neighborhood guardian, albeit one who still collected protection fees but committed to good deeds.

Shing—

A sudden flash of light startled everyone, and the two followers holding down the thief screamed.

“Boss! He’s got another knife!”

Lin Xian spun around just in time to see the thief pull a second knife from his boot and dash off.

“Impressive…” Lin Xian marveled, intrigued by the small village’s resident expert in multi-knife combat.

“Don’t let him escape!” Big Cat Face commanded, clapping Lin Xian on the shoulder. “Help us out, buddy. Cut him off!”

With that, he and his followers sprinted after the thief.

“Okay…” Lin Xian agreed, still unsure of his role but buoyed by Big Cat Face’s presence, which lent a bizarre comfort to this dream landscape. Engaging with local figures was part of navigating dreams, and the new Big Cat Face seemed a worthy acquaintance. His naive, straightforward nature made him an ideal source for information.

Lin Xian dashed ahead, outpacing Big Cat Face and his crew, and intercepted the thief.

“Wow?” Big Cat Face and his followers gaped.

“What was that move?”

“Boss! He’s flying!”

Navigating the narrow alleyways, perfect for parkour, Lin Xian swiftly caught the thief again. “Gotcha!”

“Ah—” A flying kick sent the thief sprawling.

Lin Xian frisked him thoroughly. “Don’t tell me you’re a nine-knife master…”

Luckily, he found no more weapons.

…

Later, Big Cat Face and his trio delivered the thief to what appeared to be a police station. Lin Xian wasn’t certain it was an actual police facility, but it resembled some form of law enforcement office.

“Buddy, you’ve got some serious skills,” Big Cat Face remarked, slapping Lin Xian on the back. “What’s your name?”

“Lin Xian,” he replied coolly.

“Alright, Lin Xian,” Big Cat Face turned to his men. “Let me introduce you. I’m the boss around here, known as Big Cat Face. You can call me Brother Face. These are my guys: Ah Zhuang, Er Zhuzi, and San Pang.”

Lin eyed each follower. These were the same men Big Cat Face had inadvertently led to their deaths in a bank heist in another dream.

Ah Zhuang, compact and robust, had been the one caught for pilfering at the bank’s entrance. Er Zhuzi, lanky and gaunt, had met his end near the electrical box, implicated by an affair with the boss’s wife. Lin gave him a second glance, noting nothing particularly notable beyond his height. The hefty San Pang had betrayed the group in the bank’s underground passage.

Time-space alterations had reshaped their destinies as well. But had their inherent natures changed? Lin Xian eyed Er Zhuzi cautiously, concerned about the implications for Big Cat Face’s operation.

“They call me Big Cat Face,” the boss reiterated, patting his chest proudly. “But you can call me Brother Cat.”

“So, where are you from? I know everyone here, and you don’t seem local,” Lin stated matter-of-factly.

“I’m just a wanderer, passing through,” Lin responded.

Big Cat Face studied him intently but seemed to accept his explanation. Pointing to a nearby low wall, he inquired, “Earlier, you moved like you were flying. Where did you learn those moves?”

“That’s called parkour,” Lin explained.

“What’s parkour?” Big Cat Face and his crew exchanged puzzled looks.

“It’s hard to explain. Think of it as a mix of martial arts and agility. Just picture it that way,” Lin offered.

Big Cat Face nodded thoughtfully, eyeing a two-story stone wall. “Do it again, let me see.”

“Brother Face…” Lin chuckled. “I’m not a circus performer. I can’t just show off on demand.”

“Come on, show me,” Big Cat Face insisted, clapping Lin on the back. “If you do, I’ll let you join my crew.”

“Ha?” Lin raised an eyebrow. “You consider this a crew?”

“It’s about quality, not quantity. Joining isn’t easy,” Big Cat Face retorted.

“And the perks?” Lin questioned.

“Hehe…” Big Cat Face chuckled. “Join, and you’re family. I’ll take you home for dinner. You can meet my wife and kids!”

Kids? Did the alteration in time-space mean Big Cat Face’s daughter was still alive? What about his father? If his father was still alive, that could mean he hadn’t pursued his research, or perhaps the Genius Club didn’t exist in this version of the world. Lin needed to see Big Cat Face’s home.

“Joining your crew means I can meet your family?” Lin Xian grasped Big Cat Face’s hand earnestly.

Big Cat Face nodded solemnly, then burst out laughing with his men.

“Hahaha! Look at this guy—he actually fell for it!” Er Zhuzi’s laughter rang out, reminiscent of a cackling goose.

“I’m joking, buddy. Meeting the family isn’t the real perk,” Big Cat Face waved dismissively. “The real perk of joining is—”

“I’m in,” Lin Xian declared decisively. “No need for details, Brother Face, count me in.” He scaled the wall, flipped over, and landed smoothly. “How’s that, Brother Face? When do we go to your place?”

Er Zhuzi straightened up, his face blanching. “Boss, we can’t bring him!”

“Why not?” Big Cat Face questioned.

“He’s after the wife! He’s up to no good!” Er Zhuzi exclaimed, clearly distressed.

“Nonsense!” Big Cat Face dismissed the accusation, draping an arm around Lin Xian’s shoulders. “I trust this guy! From now on, he’s one of us, the Big Cat Face Gang!”

“Really, can’t we just call it the Cat Gang?” He protested.

“Cat is the ideology, Face is the metaphysics.”

Lin Xian halted, baffled by Big Cat Face’s use of such philosophical terminology.

In their last encounter, Big Cat Face’s English fluency was understandable in a modern cityscape. But here, in this backward, impoverished village, such terms seemed completely out of place. Even if he misused them without understanding their actual meaning, it was still strange to hear them.

“Where did you pick up those terms?” Lin questioned.

“My dad mentioned them,” Big Cat Face replied, lighting a cigarette.

“Is your dad a philosopher?”

“He doesn’t know the first thing about philosophy. He’s just a primary school math teacher, but he’s fixated on this old book he found in a tomb.”

“A book from a tomb?”

“Yeah, really old, surprisingly well-preserved,” Big Cat Face mused.

“What’s it called?” Lin pressed, curiosity piqued.

Big Cat Face took a drag from his cigarette, scratching his head. “I think it’s called ‘Introduction to the Universal Constant.'”

Lin Xian was taken aback. “That doesn’t sound like an ancient text. It seems too sophisticated.”

“Don’t ask me, I don’t know much about it!” Big Cat Face appeared annoyed, glaring at Lin Xian disdainfully. “I see you’re a bookworm too! Don’t end up like my dad!”

“After he got into that book, he went mad. Quit his job, locked himself up at home, and kept muttering to himself like a lunatic.”

“Muttering what?” Lin gripped Big Cat Face’s arm, his expression grave. If the Genius Club might have been involved in the disappearance of Big Cat Face’s father, his research, that book, and the universal constant could be what they feared most. This information was crucial for his current predicament.

“What was your dad muttering?” Lin Xian pressed, shaking Big Cat Face’s arm urgently. “Quick, Brother Face, tell me.”