Linden's mind was in a whirl. He was absolutely certain that he had never heard the name "The Dawn Code" in reality, let alone known about an invitation to this club. In yesterday's dream, he had heard the name for the first time from Fat Cat. He had assumed that this series of events was all his imagination running wild, conjured up in a dream. But how could it... just appear in reality? This feeling made him deeply uneasy, as if everything was a pre-arranged script, and he was merely a puppet on strings.

"No, I have to figure this out."

...

Back in his office, Linden closed the door and began to organize his thoughts. Everything had started when he met Fat Cat in his dream yesterday. All information about The Dawn Code had come from Fat Cat's mouth: that it was very mysterious, hidden in history, leaving no trace, and so on...

Linden closed his eyes, recalling the information about The Dawn Code that Fat Cat had mentioned:

The Dawn Code killed Fat Cat's father and daughter. Its main target was Fat Cat's father, a renowned mathematician who had won the Fields Medal.

The Dawn Code is very mysterious. Even after years of investigation, Fat Cat still understood nothing about its structure, members, purpose, or location, almost equivalent to knowing nothing at all.

Rumor has it that only the wealthiest magnates, the most extreme geniuses, and the most powerful bigwigs... can receive an invitation to this club.

...

That was all. Only that. All this information came from Fat Cat's mouth, derived from his years of investigation, and its veracity was unknown.

Based on the currently known information, it seemed that this "The Dawn Code" was a very high-end, very mysterious, and very powerful criminal organization. Whether it was criminal or not was debatable, but from their premeditated murder, they certainly weren't righteous characters.

If he considered it more deeply, taking into account that Fat Cat's father was a Fields Medal recipient... Could The Dawn Code be an organization specifically hunting down geniuses?? Although this conclusion seemed a bit outlandish, based on the available information, it seemed to be the only possibility.

It's widely known that the highest award in science is the Nobel Prize. However, due to historical reasons, Nobel's will did not include a prize for mathematics, so there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics. Correspondingly, the highest award in the field of mathematics is the Fields Medal, which can be called the Nobel Prize of mathematics. Mathematics is the foundation of modern science, and those who receive this award can undoubtedly be called geniuses.

But, at this point, a contradiction appeared.

Linden spun in his chair, thinking: "Fat Cat explicitly said that The Dawn Code sends invitations to extreme geniuses."

"So what is this club's attitude towards geniuses? How can they send invitations to join, and also directly run over and kill them with a truck?"

He couldn't figure it out.

"And... there's an even bigger contradiction." Linden's brow remained furrowed, his thoughts becoming increasingly muddled.

If Fat Cat's information was correct, then it meant that only the wealthiest magnates, the most extreme geniuses, and the most powerful bigwigs... could receive an invitation to The Dawn Code.

So, what about Zhao Yingjun's invitation? While Zhao Yingjun was indeed young and accomplished, she was clearly not in the league of the wealthiest magnates, the most extreme geniuses, or the most powerful bigwigs... not by a long shot, right? Even Chu Shanhe, Shanghai's number one, couldn't be considered a top-tier figure on a global scale, let alone Zhao Yingjun.

Therefore... Zhao Yingjun simply did not qualify for an invitation!

Yet, in reality, she had undeniably taken the invitation right before his eyes. This was too contradictory! Linden felt like he was trapped in a logical loop of contradictions.

Contradiction.

Contradiction.

Contradiction.

Whether in reality or in his dreams, all information about The Dawn Code was riddled with contradictions; too many things didn't add up.

"No, actually these contradictions aren't important at all." Linden opened his eyes. "Fat Cat... what he says might not be reliable, and it's not impossible that he lied to me."

"Actually, right now, there's only one most crucial, most core, and most urgent question that needs an answer—"

"Why did something completely made up in a dream appear in reality?"

...

This question was the one that worried Linden the most; it could almost be described as a supernatural event. Linden picked up the phone and dialed Gaoyang's number.

"Hello?"

"Gaoyang, something's happened."

"What's happened to you again, big brother? Don't tell me it's still about your weird dreams?" The other end of the phone was very noisy, like a bustling market. Gaoyang shouted, "Didn't I tell you last time! Things in dreams are fake! They're all concocted by the subconscious! As long as things from dreams don't appear in reality! It's not a big deal!"

"You jinx, say less," Linden sighed, rubbing his temples. "You actually called it!"

Gaoyang's end was still noisy. Listening closely, it was the sound of customers haggling with sales staff. It seemed Gaoyang was probably at a 4S dealership, likely selling cars.

"I'm busy now, I'll tell you more when I come to your place tonight!" Gaoyang hung up the phone hastily after leaving that message.

...

Throughout the day, Linden sat at his workstation, twirling his pen. He was incredibly curious. What kind of organization was The Dawn Code itself? Even though it was all fabricated in his dream, Linden couldn't help but be curious.

And. Was there any connection between the invitation to The Dawn Code that Zhao Yingjun held and the "The Dawn Code" that Fat Cat spoke of in his dream? Were they the same thing?

To verify this. The most efficient way would be to simply look at what was written on the invitation Zhao Yingjun received; the truth would naturally become clear. Unfortunately, as things stood... he probably wouldn't have another chance to see that invitation. When he entered Zhao Yingjun's office that morning, Linden had seen her put the invitation into a drawer. Zhao Yingjun's office had two combination locks, and Linden wasn't a real master hacker. It would be absolutely impossible to sneak in. If he were in a dream, he'd have a million ways to enter Zhao Yingjun's office... he could just use C4 to blast his way in, if nothing else. But this was the real world, where consequences couldn't be ignored.

"What other way is there to see that invitation?" Linden pondered, left and right. He had no clue.