Chapter 1148: Chapter 31 Truth and Loopholes_3

Lin Xian stroked his chin.

Deep in thought.

To be so certain.

Doesn’t that mean…

That they truly have killed Copernicus? Completely eradicated this menace?

“Lin Xian, I know you’re very cautious,”

Jask spoke earnestly:

“But… excessive paranoia is really not necessary.”

“Look at it now, the old man we killed, his voice matched Copernicus’s, he fell into the trap we set, he was carrying the indisputably real Genius Club pin, there were technologies from beyond our time in the underground base, and he had arranged for his female secretary to stay close to me from very early on, and he almost stole the Entangled State of Time-Space Particle before…”

“With so much evidence, isn’t that enough? I believe now we can truly confirm–”

“[We have indeed killed the real Copernicus! We have avenged our grudges!]”

Lin Xian chuckled.

He could tell as well.

Angelica and Jask both thought he was obsessed about the Copernicus issue, simply unwilling to believe in the success of the assassination.

If he didn’t have the ability to dream 600 years into the future, he would have believed it too, after all, 99.99% of the facts proved that the dead old man was indeed Copernicus.

But the problem is…

He had experienced The First Dreamland!

In The First Dreamland, clearly no Hibernation Pod existed, yet someone still killed Big Face Cat’s father right on schedule at 00:42 in the early morning.

That was unmistakably Copernicus’s handiwork.

Or rather, the style of Copernicus’s handiwork.

This was the fact that concerned him the most.

[Could there be… a second Copernicus?]

If so, where would he be?

And if there is a second one, could there also be a third, a fourth?

But actually.

If one were to split hairs, there was still the biggest doubt in the incident of Big Face Cat’s father’s death in The First Dreamland.

That is…

The death of Big Face Cat’s daughter at the same time!

Copernicus ruthlessly killed scientists and mathematicians for his future plans, that was well-established.

But he indeed showed great respect for these people, not only wanting them to die at 00:42 to express his inexplicable homage, but also repeatedly emphasized, [Do not kill the innocent indiscriminately].”

It’s precisely because of this iron rule.

That I’m still alive, and Ji Lin got to live an additional twenty-odd years.

Copernicus followed certain principles when he killed.

However, the murderer who killed Big Face Cat’s father seems to not follow these principles very closely.

Following Copernicus’s method, he should kill Big Face Cat’s father but let Big Face Cat’s daughter live, this would be in line with his arrogance and conceit.

Just like during the Genius Club meetings…

Newton pointed at Copernicus’s nose and cursed him for slaughtering scientists, and Copernicus laughed it off, not caring in the least, completely indifferent to the accusations.

But the last time at the gathering, when I said Copernicus had killed his father and daughter, Copernicus immediately got agitated, gave a long explanation of his moral high ground, swearing he would never kill innocent children, and quickly distanced himself saying it wasn’t his doing.

It seems…

Such unfounded accusations are Copernicus’s taboo, his bottom line of principles.

From this perspective.

It seems that the killer of Big Face Cat’s father and daughter really might be someone else.

[Like Copernicus, yet not Copernicus.]

…

After a long silence.

Lin Xian sat up straight, changed his sitting position, and said softly:

“Actually, there’s not much point in us debating here. If we really want to be sure whether Copernicus is truly dead, whether we killed the real Copernicus… Einstein is the most authoritative verification.”

Thinking of the magical Einstein, akin to Tmall Genie, Lin Xian couldn’t help but smile:

“I still trust Einstein very much. If Einstein says Copernicus is dead, then I’ll truly believe that Copernicus is dead.”

“Hahaha…”

Jask was amused by the joke as well, shaking his head slowly:

“Impossible, Lin Xian, you should know the rules of questioning. You can’t ask about any Genius Club members, nor about the Genius Club itself.”

“No, Jask, you’re wrong.”

Lin Xian waved his hand:

“There is a [loophole] in this question rule.”

“A loophole?”

Jask narrowed his eyes:

“How could that be… You’re underestimating Einstein, the Genius Club, and the other members, aren’t you?”

“This is the Genius Club, not the Fool’s Club. Every member who joins is shrewd; if there were a loophole, it would’ve been discovered long ago.”

Lin Xian smiled:

“Alright, to call it a loophole might indeed be unfitting, it’s more like a clever use of the rules.”

“I certainly remember the three rules of questioning by Einstein very clearly. The first one is–”

“The question must not involve the identity, plans, actions, or privacy of other Genius Club members. Otherwise, the question will be refused, and the opportunity to ask will be considered void as a warning.”

“So, Jask, did you catch the key point?”

“The rule is, the question cannot involve [other] Genius Club members, but it does not say it cannot involve [oneself].”

“At the meeting you disappeared from halfway through, I had asked about my own time of death, and Einstein gave me the precise answer, down to the minute and second.”

“Of course I know, if I ask about any member’s time of death in attendance, Einstein would refuse to answer, but I can ask about myself.”

“Heh.”

Jask chuckled softly, applauding with his hands:

“Brilliant, my good brother! Isn’t that stating the obvious?”

“This rule itself is designed to protect everyone’s privacy and safety. Who would, under the watchful eyes of everyone, dare to ask questions about oneself and let Einstein announce the answer to all?”