Genius Club.

Chapter 466 Humanity and Tea

Da Vinci opened his eyes wide and looked at the polite and gentlemanly old man in front of him.

The last time the Genius Club met in real life was in 2004. 20 years ago... that was also the last time she saw Galileo.

Although Galileo was wearing a mask at the time and his facial features and appearance could not be seen, he was not that old.

What was Galileo busy with during the 20 years when they didn't meet? Why was he so busy?
but……

She is not qualified to talk about Galileo.

When they first met at the Genius Club in 1982, she was only years old;
In 2004, when we last met, she was already a middle-aged woman in her fifties;
Now, in 2024, another twenty years have passed. She is now in her seventies, not much younger than Galileo.

Time and years are always so fair.

Same for everyone.

gradually……

Her wide eyes softened and her pounding heart gradually calmed down.

The fate of the members of the genius club,

That's it.

The moment I saw Galileo.

She has also seen the [ending] of the story.

"how did you find me?"

Da Vinci smiled:

"I always thought I was hiding it well. I never thought you would find out where I was wrong."

"Logically speaking, the world is so big, with so many people, and I'm not as high-profile as Jask... How could you find me so accurately in such a vast crowd?"

Galileo put on his black hat again.

He propped up his crutches in front of him, put his hands on them, straightened his body, and shook his head:

"You don't have any flaws."

His voice was as steady as in the Genius Club:
"You're right. It's really hard to find someone in this vast world."

"But if..."

"[What about persisting in searching for 40 years?]"

He raised his head, his deep eye sockets blinked with eyes full of years, and said slowly:

"It doesn't seem that difficult to find someone in 40 years."

"What's more... in the past 40 years, we have met and chatted almost every month, and learned more about you and your thoughts."

Ha ha.

Da Vinci chuckled and shook his head gently:
"Should I say you are persistent? Or a pervert?"

Galileo listened.

He also smiled heartily, raised his cane slightly, and pointed at the houses surrounding the small courtyard next to him:
"Perhaps we can talk about this topic slowly. So..."

"Can you please buy me a cup of tea?"

……

In the house.

Da Vinci filled a small pot of water, placed it on the stove, and waited quietly for the water to boil.

Then look back.

Looking at Galileo sitting on the other side of the table, waiting for his answer.

"It's still from the question you asked at the last party."

Galileo took off his black hat and placed it on the table.

Then he crossed his hands, laid them flat, and looked up at Leonardo:
"I have been wondering what your future plans are, how you will guide humanity, and how you will use the power of example to influence the world."

"I really thought a lot about it, about education, culture, propaganda, and even brainwashing..."

"But... I still can't figure it out. I can't imagine what kind of person can continue to serve as a role model and remain true to their original intention to guide people to be kind."

"It wasn't until last month, when you asked me about energy, that Einstein blurted out that the micro-nuclear battery had been invented, and then I suddenly realized it."

He pursed his lips.

Watching the kettle gradually becoming warmer on the stove.

continued:

"So, you want to use a robot..."

Galileo closed his eyes:
"I never thought that behind your warm plan, you would use something as cold as a robot."

"With this idea, the investigation became much easier, and I quickly found out what was going on at Boston Dynamics."

……

Deliberate pauses and blank spaces.

The whole room was silent.

At this point, this question does not require an answer, nor does it require Leonardo da Vinci's acknowledgement.

Since Galileo can appear here.

That proves he is right.

“Boston Dynamics is a well-known company in the field of robotics.”

Galileo said in a low voice:
"This is a company with great dreams. Or, we can say... a company with only dreams. It has been researching humanoid robots since a very early time."

"From the initial failed mechanical dogs to the increasingly flexible and intelligent bipedal robots... this company is really a bit like Jask, which has been defeated over and over again, but has never stopped fighting."

"The difficulties and failures encountered by this company on the road to developing robots are unimaginable, but the amazing thing is that this company never thought of giving up. In the end, relying on decades of unremitting efforts, it has become the world's leading robotics company with the most advanced technology."

"If that were all, it would be fine. But the most valuable thing is that this company has not chosen any commercialization path... Their various research and explorations are not deliberately developed in the direction of making money or profit."

"This is amazing. With such huge expenses and consumption in researching robots, there is actually such a group of people who do research completely for their dreams and passion. So... who is behind Boston Dynamics who is so philanthropic, so enthusiastic, and so selfless in investing?"

Galileo opened his eyes.

On the stove, yellow and blue flames alternated and jumped constantly, burning the stainless steel kettle and creating a hazy glow on the surface.

"You did it very covertly."

He looked at Leonardo da Vinci, who was sitting quietly on a small wooden chair next to the stove, and said with a smile:
"You didn't invest directly in Boston Dynamics, but your tactics were much more sophisticated than anyone thought... In just ten years, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy several times."

"But it is not uncommon that every time a company is about to go bankrupt, some capital giants will step in and acquire it. In 2013, Google's parent company acquired the company; in 2017, SoftBank acquired it again; in 2020, Hyundai Motor Company of South Korea was entrusted with acquiring this company that was once again on the verge of bankruptcy."

"It looks like a game of pass the parcel; it looks like everyone likes this robot company that has no business prospects and only likes to burn money. But... is it really so?"

"If you hadn't asked me this question at the party last month, I might not have thought about it so deeply, but the field that I can think of that needs to solve the energy problem most and needs micro-nuclear batteries the most is precisely robotics."

"What happened next... I don't think I need to explain it, right? You played the capital game in a very sophisticated way, and your identity was hidden very secretly. But everything will leave traces, so... not long after the party last month, I found out your true identity."

……

"I see."

Da Vinci looked straight ahead at the white mist gradually rising from the kettle:

"So...that's why you said those inexplicable words to me at the party this month."

At the party the day before yesterday.

Galileo first said that he had seen through most of his plans;

He also said that his plan was doomed to fail;
And he said the most inexplicable sentence -

"If one day you knew my true identity, would you kill me?"

At the time, Leonardo da Vinci found this question completely unreasonable.

But never thought about it.

original……

Galileo had long anticipated a scene like today.

Just as humanity and blood are on both sides, she sat by the fire and Galileo sat at the table. Although they were in the same living room, there was an insurmountable galaxy between them.

"Then why did you come to see me today?"

Da Vinci asked:
"Since you already found out my true identity and where I was last month, why did you wait until today to come find me?"

"Do not……"

Galileo shook his head:

"I had no intention of coming to see you."

"I'm not prepared to meet you. Even for someone like me who has always been a loner, I would rather wear a mask to communicate with you and chat with you about everything in a place like the Genius Club."

"Even if we only have one chance to meet each other in a month, I am already very satisfied. It was indeed out of curiosity that I investigated your true identity, but at the moment I found out, I didn't think of coming to find you."

Leonardo raised his head:

"Then why did you come anyway?"

Galileo also raised his head and looked into Leonardo's eyes:

"Because of [Rhine]."

He said in a deep voice:
"Rhine asked you to stay after the party. I guess... he told you about me, right?"

Leonardo said nothing.

Just blinked and looked at Galileo silently.

"Haha, it seems that I guessed right."

Galileo chuckled:
"【Rhine, he must have used my future plans as a bargaining chip to exchange information with you.】"

"Tell me, Miss Da Vinci, what did Rhine talk to you about?"

Da Vinci was silent for a few seconds:

"What are you talking about? That's between me and Rhine."

Galileo tightened his lips and let out a breath through his nose:

"Even if you don't tell me, I can guess it."

"At a party this month, you asked when the most recent global disaster would occur, but Einstein refused to answer. Rhein...he knew the answer, and he told you."

Da Vinci smiled calmly:

"How do you know for sure that Rhine knows?"

"I know."

Galileo turned his eyes away and looked at the increasingly hot kettle:

"Rhine knows about space-time particles, and he probably even possesses them. In this case... he should be able to understand what I was planning when I asked the question before."

"Even though he was the last one to join the Genius Club, he obviously knows a lot about us. At least, he kept you after the party, which means he has a bargaining chip that interests you."

"Then it must be that the information he exchanged with you was related to a global disaster."

Listen.

Da Vinci lowered his head and smiled.

【Guessed wrong.】

Galileo had guessed completely wrong.

He believed that Rhine was exchanging Turing's questions with him for information about a "global disaster."

But in fact……

Rhine said nothing.

Even when he asked directly whether the global disaster was related to Galileo, Rhine just smiled and said he was not sure.

and so.

Galileo was not in a hurry to find me last month, and even didn't come when he knew my identity and address, but now he rushed over after the party...

Simply because he thought his future plans were exposed.

From Galileo's perspective, this guess is reasonable.

after all.

Who would have thought that the bargaining chip that Rhine used to exchange information with himself was his future plan?

A strange combination of circumstances.

It was entirely because Galileo was too conceited, too radical, and too extreme.

but……

Now that Galileo openly admitted it in front of him, it meant...

He really doesn't care anymore.

It's not that he doesn't care about his future plans being leaked.

But...

He is confident that his future plans will not be used by himself again.

For an instant.

Leonardo da Vinci figured it all out.

Galileo did not lie, he did guess his own future plans, so his purpose of asking about global disasters would naturally be easily guessed.

She herself wanted to use the global disaster to establish the prestige of the perfect role model robot and reshape the world civilization.

Unexpectedly.

She just wanted to take advantage of natural disasters, but accidentally "exploded" Galileo's plan.

As for the matter of Rhine exchanging information with himself.

Galileo's reasoning was completely wrong, but the results were unexpectedly all correct.

That's probably it.

That's probably why he came to find me.

This is the end.

all.

It's already tacitly understood.

call out!!!!!!!
The kettle hissed shrilly.

The water is boiling.

The urging voice was heartbreaking.

Da Vinci stood up and took the kettle down.

Red flames spread out from the stove, and as the kettle lost its heat, the hissing sound gradually subsided and became quiet.

"What kind of tea would you like?"

Da Vinci turned around and smiled, as if greeting an old friend.

"Black tea, of course."

Galileo also put away his previous seriousness and smiled like an old friend meeting:

"I told you, I never tasted anything like that cup of black tea in Brussels in 1982."

"Even Zhengshan Xiaozhong... Of course I have tried it. Over the years, I have drunk all the black teas in the world. Yes, all of them, but none of them have the taste that I miss back then."

"Really."

Da Vinci walked to the tea cabinet, took out a bucket of tea, and chuckled:
"Then you're in for a treat today." This is a humble room.

Brewing tea is not simple at all.

Da Vinci took out the white tea set, placed the teacup on the white porcelain plate, and then followed the meticulous steps to brew a cup of sweet black tea and pour it into the teacup.

Then...

At an angle where Galileo couldn't see, he quietly picked up some [brown powder] and rubbed it into the teacup.

Then he picked up the silver tea spoon and stirred the cup several times.

Then he picked up the white porcelain plate with both hands.

Walking to the table, looking at Galileo sitting opposite...

The rich aroma of Zhengshan Xiaozhong filled the room and between the two of them.

Leonardo da Vinci looked into Galileo's deep eyes.

Said softly:

"[Do you believe in human nature?]"

Galileo choked.

He looked at the fragrant black tea in Da Vinci's hand and whispered:

"If I answer that I don't believe it, can I still drink this cup of tea?"

Leonardo laughed:
"Of course, this cup of tea is specially brewed for you. I hope you can taste the same flavor as when we first met in 1982."

She leaned forward and placed the porcelain plate holding the small teacup in front of Galileo.

Galileo stretched out his wrinkled fingers and pulled the porcelain plate in front of him.

Rotate half a turn.

Looking at the clear black tea in the teacup, I smell the sweetness I have been searching for for years.

“That’s the taste…”

He closed his eyes.

Take a deep breath.

It's like being 40 years younger.

Open your eyes again.

Looking at the trembling reflection on the surface of the black tea.

It was as if I had returned to the snowy winter of 1982, when an introverted and shy young man was incoherent and at a loss when faced with a cup of black tea handed to him by a cheerful and lively woman with a loud and sweet voice.

"[You said...you wouldn't kill me.]"

Galileo's voice trembled a little.

He raised his head, his eyes flickering, and looked at Da Vinci:
"Is this human nature?"

Da Vinci stood there in a daze, silent.

however!
Galileo hooked the handle of the teacup with his right index finger, picked up the tea, and held it with both hands.

Head up.

Drink it all in one gulp.

"you……"

Da Vinci's eyes widened.

"hehe."

Galileo felt a burning sensation in his mouth, but he still smiled with great satisfaction:
"I have been searching for this smell my whole life... It smells exactly the same as that day."

He stretched out his hand.

Handing the cup to Da Vinci:
"Can you make me another cup?"

"Do you still want to drink?"

"I'd like another drink."

Da Vinci lowered his head and took the teacup with both hands, which still retained the warmth of the tea.

She didn't turn around.

No action.

"Galileo," she called softly.

"Hmm?" The old man raised his head.

See Leonardo da Vinci's charming and kind smile:
"Please, be nice to the kids."

She took a step back, turned slowly, and walked towards the tea cabinet.

boom! !

A loud gunshot!

The old body suddenly lost strength and fell forward!

Click.

Porcelain plates and teacups fell to the ground and shattered.

puff.

There was a muffled sound.

Leonardo da Vinci's body lay on the broken porcelain pieces, stained red with blood, making it crystal clear.

At the table.

Galileo stood indifferently, with white smoke coming out of the muzzle of the gun in his hand.

He sighed softly.

Put the pistol away.

He picked up the black top hat covering the table, pressed it heavily on his head, and pushed the door open.

Outside.

An anxious large ambulance drove quickly along the muddy ground.

No flashing lights or sirens.

This was the ambulance he hired privately, and it was filled with his people, including private guards, private doctors, and a private team.

The ambulance was waiting at the foot of the mountain early in the morning.

In the first aid cabin at the back, there is the most advanced gastric lavage and bowel cleansing equipment.

squeak--

Rough brake sounds.

The front and rear doors of the ambulance opened at the same time, and two doctors rushed over to help Galileo:

"Hurry! Hurry up sir!"

"The gastric lavage equipment is ready and can be started immediately!"

Galileo was helped up by the doctors like a puppet. He felt the whole world was in a trance. He didn't know where he was lying, what instruments and equipment were inserted into his mouth, or what the doctors were shouting nervously.

Gastric lavage and bowel cleansing are performed simultaneously.

Wash out all the undigested food and fluid in the stomach and intestines.

The doctor noticed that the old man's tightly closed eyes were filled with tears.

Do not……

It shouldn’t be.

Even if it hurts, it's just physiological nausea. It shouldn't hurt so much!
He was a little nervous:
"Sir, did we insert the tube too roughly? Does it hurt?"

"pain."

said the old man.

"Sorry, we'll adjust it right away!"

The two doctors immediately adjusted the intubation, which should have been much better, but they found that the old man was still crying.

"gentlemen……"

The doctor asked again in a low voice:

"Does it still hurt?"

The old man closed his eyes tightly.

Nod:
"pain."

……

a long time.

Gastric lavage is complete.

Everything was quick and safe.

Galileo, leaning on a cane and wearing a top hat, stood upright on the grass outside, looking at the majestic Wuyi Mountains in the distance.

He is awaiting test results.

He wanted to know.

Leonardo da Vinci, what kind of poison did he plan to use to poison himself?

Would she be gentler?

Maybe she didn't want to kill herself, she just wanted to knock herself out and then run away?
Of course he saw Da Vinci's little trick of putting poison in the tea.

He didn't even have to look.

You can guess it.

Therefore, he, who has always been cautious, prepared the gastric lavage ambulance early.

"You clearly said you wouldn't kill me."

He repeated it again.

If Da Vinci hadn't poisoned the tea, perhaps... he would have been soft-hearted and not pulled the trigger, right?

Snap, snap, snap.

Behind.

The laboratory doctor in the ambulance walked slowly over the fragrant grass, came behind him and lowered his head.

"Go ahead."

Galileo said in a hoarse voice:
"What kind of poison did she use?"

The laboratory doctor breathed heavily:

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"rest assured."

Galileo smiled with relief:

"Are you afraid that I can't accept it? Don't worry... I've been mentally prepared."

"Judging from your reaction, it should be highly poisonous, right? Sulfide? Cyanide? Or arsenic? Are you going to use such a heavy hand?"

"It seems...she is really determined to kill me, hahaha..."

The laboratory doctor closed his eyes:

“It’s [sugar].”

Galileo's smile froze on his face, his mouth open in the air.

He turned around, his whole body trembling, his cane clattering against his shoes:
"No way, I saw it, it's brown, not sugar, and it doesn't taste like brown sugar!"

“Not just any sugar.”

The laboratory physician said:

"It's bamboo sugar."

"This is an ancient craft from the south of Dragon Country. It is different from the conventional sugar cane sugar and beet sugar... Bamboo sugar is very rare in this era."

"This kind of sugar is not very sweet and not pure enough, so it has basically no commercial value or use value. However, the sugar made from bamboo has a unique fragrance, which is very light but very unique."

"I think... the taste of the cup of black tea you have been looking for for so many years, maybe the problem is not the tea leaves, not the brewing method, the reason is... the unique fragrance of bamboo sugar..."

pat.

The cane in the old man's hand fell to the ground.

He didn't listen to what the laboratory doctor said next.

He took one step at a time...

Walk along the soft grass towards the colorful Wuyi Mountains in the distance.

He finally understood.

Why did Da Vinci put the sugar in so secretly, so secretly, but let him see it...

That was done on purpose for him to see!

puff.

He lost his balance, his knees touched the ground, and he knelt on the ground.

Support your body with your arms on the ground.

Find……

Among these weeds, there are several wild Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea plants that no one has picked.

For a while.

Sadness arises from the heart.

He saw footprints in the snow leading to the synagogue,

I saw the breeze in Brussels blowing up the leaves,

I saw the old cars on the road in 1982.

I saw a beautiful young girl turn around and hand me some tea.

Seeing the white and tender cheeks behind the great man Leonardo da Vinci's mask,

Galileo closed his eyes.

He grabbed the rough leaves of Zhengshan Xiaozhong on the ground and stuffed the leaves into his mouth.

chew.

chew.

It was a pain that was even more bitter than pain, so bitter that it made my tear glands collapse.

In the haze.

A cool breeze blew through the mountains.

It was as if the woman with the light voice 40 years ago was sitting in front of him, smiling at him:
"Mr. Galileo."

"Do you... believe in human nature?"

(End of this chapter)