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“Good job, VV,” he said. “Very creative. In a few hundred years, people might see this as a classic trope.”

When VV first suggested using Starlink satellites to create shapes in the sky, Lin Xian immediately understood the concept. News stories often reported lines of small lights streaking across the night sky, mistaken for UFOs. However, in the age of the internet, these sightings were quickly debunked as the newly launched Starlink satellites by Elon Musk.

The Starlink low-Earth orbit satellite constellation, a project by SpaceX, was part of Musk’s commercial empire. With over 20,000 Starlink satellites already in orbit and plans to launch another 22,000, the goal was to cover the entire low Earth orbit.

Typically, satellites at this altitude were invisible to the naked eye. However, freshly launched satellites initially orbited much lower and were visible as they gradually ascended to their final altitude of 550 kilometers. These satellites, reflecting sunlight, were often mistaken for mysterious flying objects.

VV had cleverly exploited this “benign bug.” By decelerating the satellites, he reduced their centrifugal force, allowing Earth’s gravity to pull them back to a lower orbit. This minor adjustment did not violate any rules. After forming the pentagram, the satellites would re-engage their thrusters to return to their designated orbit.

“But… does a pentagram even count as a star?” Lin Xian mused.

“A pentagram is more impressive!” VV chuckled through the Bluetooth earpiece. “It’s already quite a feat. Be grateful! If you want to give her a real star… well, you’ll have to work on that for a long time.”

As the freestyle segment concluded, on the American stage opposite Lin Xian, a young genius hacker, Kevin Walker, stormed onto the stage. He pointed at Lin Xian’s setup and yelled, “He’s cheating! He used my exploit! He broke the rules!”

The host tried to calm him down, but Kevin insisted that Lin Xian had hacked the Starlink satellite system using his exploit, which was serious cheating.

While Kevin argued with the host, Lin Xian observed him closely. Wrapped in a hoodie and black mask, Kevin had been hard to identify. Lin Xian had asked VV to capture his image and compare it with the sketch of the mysterious old man from his dreams. Unfortunately, Kevin’s large hoodie and mask made identification impossible. This was a problem Lin Xian only noticed after the competition began.

Lin Xian had been pondering how to approach Kevin and unmask him, but now Kevin had come to him, providing the perfect opportunity.

Recollecting when Yellow Finch supported Chu An Qing and made a familiar hand gesture towards the sky – the same pose Kevin had struck when he entered – Lin Xian realized it was the Genius Club’s emblem, a hand pointed straight up. Initially, he hadn’t thought much of it, as it was a common gesture. But Yellow Finch’s deliberate action seemed to signal something.

Genius Club… Kevin Walker was likely a member.

Lin Xian’s thoughts raced. If Kevin Walker was part of the Genius Club, it made sense. Despite being a flesh-and-blood human living in 2023, Kevin had the prowess to rival young VV, a feat that could only be described as extraordinary. If someone like Kevin couldn’t join the Genius Club, then its members must be aliens or superhumans.

Was the mysterious old man in the fourth dream also a Genius Club member? Was he actually Kevin Walker?

Now was the time to find out.

“VV, start facial recognition.”

With that, Lin Xian stepped around his console and walked towards Kevin Walker. His mind, filled with thoughts of the mysterious old man, Xu Yun, Tang Xin, and Zhao Ying Jun from the third dream, caused his expression to darken. Kevin sensed the hostility and stepped back.

“What… what do you want?” Kevin stammered.

Kevin tripped over a cable and fell, looking warily at the approaching Lin Xian. Seizing the moment, Lin Xian quickly grabbed and removed Kevin’s mask and hoodie.

Freckles, a round face, a flat nose, small round eyes, and curly brown hair – the boy’s appearance was nothing like the mysterious old man.

Lin Xian scrutinized the boy’s features. Completely different! There was no resemblance. Without VV’s facial recognition, Lin Xian was sure this boy was not the mysterious old man.

“Lin Xian, the comparison is complete. This boy is not the old man from your sketch, and he’s not Kevin Walker either,” VV’s voice came through the earpiece. “His name is Joson, a known young hacker in the U.S. His skills are far inferior to Kevin’s, and his background is thoroughly documented. He’s currently in high school and has been accepted to Stanford University. While talented, he is far from a genius like Kevin Walker.”

The American audience erupted in chatter, recognizing Joson. This was clearly not Kevin Walker.

“How could it be Joson? I came here to see Kevin Walker! He’s never appeared in public before. I thought today would be the day, but it turns out it’s a fake!” someone exclaimed.

“No, it’s not necessarily a fake. Kevin Walker is very active online. If Joson were impersonating him without permission, Kevin would have said something online. The fact that he hasn’t means Kevin himself probably authorized this,” another person speculated.

“But why? Joson doesn’t have the skills to hack the SkyNet or the Beidou satellites. Even the top ten hackers in the world couldn’t do that. Only a true genius like Kevin Walker could,” the audience murmured.

Lin Xian slowly stood up, looking down at the anxious boy. Something was off. Not just in reality but also in his dreams. The mysterious old man always appeared at the last few seconds of 00:42, leaving him no time to act. The fourth dream confined him to a small area, either surrounded or tied to a chair, with a view of a space elevator and a star city. Were they real or just a backdrop, like in The Truman Show?

In the fourth dream, no matter how early he entered, he had less than a minute to move freely. This short time prevented him from exploring or verifying the dream’s authenticity. It felt fake, or worse…

Lin Xian shivered at the thought. If the fourth dream was real, what had the mysterious old man done to him during his coma? They charged him with crimes against humanity, endangering Earth, and disturbing time-space, yet kept him tied to a chair, waiting for him to wake up?

For the first time since confirming the dream’s reality, Lin Xian doubted its authenticity. Something was definitely wrong with the fourth dream.

Back to reality, the elusive genius hacker Kevin Walker, the old man appearing at 00:42 in his dreams, the soldiers at his spawn point, Kevin’s challenge to hack SkyNet, and his reluctance to show his face all pointed to something bigger.

“VV, be on alert for facial recognition.” With a deep breath, Lin Xian stood up.

“No!”

Suddenly, the entire New Jersey stadium filled with a chilling, manic laughter from every sound device – speakers, phones, computers, the host’s earpiece, even toys and prize cars. The laughter was maddening and eerie, echoing through the venue.

The audience panicked. Children cried, women clung to each other, men covered their ears, and glass shattered from the high-frequency sound.

“No…” Lin Xian heard a soft laugh right by his ear. He whipped around, realizing the sound came from his Bluetooth earpiece.

“I… see… you!”