Chapter 223:

Why Are We Here? Is This Even the Tri-School Competition Anymore?

[Ability Rhapsody No.0: Good heavens, I thought this dungeon would end once the Black Flash Organization matter was resolved. Unexpectedly, one wave hasn’t subsided before another rises, even leading to a bunch of ‘underground factions’. Is the Ability Government really that unreliable? They don’t even know there’s a huge hole under their own venue!]

[No.1: All those figures scared me to death!]

[No.2: Maybe the hole is very deep, but who would live underground?]

[No.3: I feel like those guys might be Nightmare Beasts.]

[No.4 replies No.3: No way, Nightmare Beasts should attack humans directly on sight, right?]

[No.5: Why are we stuck here? Why are we stuck here? Why are we stuck here? Why are we stuck here?]

[No.6: It feels like a horror movie.]

[…]

[No.13: Actually, one thing is strange. Have you noticed that Cyril already said the barrier on the arena can only last for twenty minutes at most against the teachers. Doesn’t that mean they would all be rescued after twenty minutes? If so, what’s the point of falling down?]

[No.14 replies No.13: That’s true!]

[No.15 replies No.13: In that case, this underground cave probably can’t be re-entered quickly. Emmm… like a secret realm from a male-frequency fantasy novel.]

[No.16: Sounds more like it requires some specific conditions to enter, for example, a cave that only those who were in the arena at the time can enter.]

[No.17 replies No.16: I think you make a good point, so I’ll guess one too. I guess it’s a cave that only people with secrets can enter!]

[No.18: My turn! I guess it’s a cave that only people who happen to be surprised can enter!]

[No.19: The person upstairs has a tricky angle. Then I guess it’s a cave that only good-looking people can enter (confirmed).]

[No.20 replies No.19: Hahahahahaha, you’re the truly abstract one!]

[…]

[No.106: I mean, the old scoundrel barely released any information, how did this thread get so high? Turns out you were all brainstorming here!]

[No.107: Too abstract, your theories are too abstract, I never knew there could be so many possibilities.]

[No.108: Putting a bench here, when the results come out next week, I’ll reply to whoever guessed correctly. Guaranteed.]

[No.109 replies No.108: Squatting.]

[No.110 replies No.108: Squatting.]

[No.111 replies No.108: Squatting.]

[…]

After reading this thread, Su Bei was truly enlightened. Human imagination indeed knows no bounds; it was quite impressive that they could come up with nearly 100 floors of possibilities. Among these guessers, some actually got half of it right, believing the hole opened because they caused trouble in the arena.

However, this conjecture was immediately dismissed by others, because it wasn’t the first time the venue hosted the Tri-School Competition, so why hadn’t this happened before?

Su Bei could only suggest that perhaps no one had dug the hole so deep before.

Just as he was about to read the next thread, Zu Zong and Li Bowen returned. Most people were grouped by their schools, after all, those selected for the competition had been cooperating for a while and were more familiar with each other.

As soon as he entered, Zu Zong excitedly said, “I just perfectly bonded with the people here! They almost recognized me as their sworn brother!”

“What did you do?” Su Bei asked with a raised eyebrow.

Zu Zong proudly said, “I let them play a match-3 game on my phone, and now they’re addicted! And I still have puzzles, marbles, and many offline games; I’m not worried they won’t like them. With these games, even if someone dislikes us, the children and even adults can offer us some protection.”

Su Bei twitched his mouth, not commenting on the feasibility of the matter, but instead asked a crucial question: “What if your phone runs out of battery?”

At these words, Zu Zong’s previously joyful smile instantly froze on his face: “…Did no one bring a charger?”

“What do you think?”

Now Zu Zong couldn’t be happy at all. He remembered something and hurriedly turned to leave: “I need to quickly get my phone back, don’t let them play it until it dies!”

Li Bowen walked out with him, not forgetting to wave goodbye to Su Bei: “Don’t mind that fool Little Green, he’s full of whimsical ideas. We’ll discuss things here when we get back.”

However, what he didn’t know was that Su Bei didn’t think Zu Zong was foolish. On the contrary, he was inspired by this act of “bribing” children with games. This was the best way to legitimately tour someone else’s home.

Attracting those children with mobile games was unreliable, just as Su Bei had said, they hadn’t brought any power banks. Games consume a lot of battery, so how long could that bit of phone battery last?

But using ordinary games would definitely be useless; these people had lived in the underground world for so long without electronic devices, they must have invented many forms of entertainment.

Non-electronic games would hardly interest them, so to attract them, they needed to find another approach.

Su Bei quickly thought of a good method. Even people living in modern society typically find entertainment through games, sports, and reading. Since the first two couldn’t be used, then they could use the third.

Just as he thought of this, Jiang Tianming and his group returned in full force. They had met on the way and were able to come back together. Seeing everyone assembled, they began to share their discoveries.

“We’ve already found the hole we fell through, but there are people guarding it, so we didn’t rashly approach.” Qiao Mu spoke first. She and Huangfu Mingzhe had a clear goal and headed straight for the hole as soon as they separated.

Because of her ability, Qiao Mu could naturally see in the dark. Having deliberately remembered the route, it wasn’t difficult for her to return the same way.

After she finished explaining what they had done, Huangfu Mingzhe stated his conjecture: “They are guarding that entrance; I think they probably don’t want us to leave smoothly. If they don’t take us back there tomorrow, then we’ll find a way to distract the guards and force our way out.”

Speaking of this, he remembered another thing: “When I fought the clan leader today, I felt he was quite weak. Although having several extra hands was troublesome, he had no combat techniques and wasn’t difficult to deal with.”

The “not difficult” in Huangfu Mingzhe’s words only applied to people with excellent physical combat skills like Su Bei and Zu Zong. If Qiao Mu were to fight the clan leader without using her ability, she would probably lose quickly.

“Did you overlook something?” Jiang Tianming suddenly interjected, refuting him. “Just because the clan leader didn’t use a special ability doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one. Since these underground humans became this way due to externalized abilities, they must also acquire corresponding abilities. Just because we can’t use ours, doesn’t mean they can’t use theirs.”

At these words, everyone immediately understood. That’s right, Cyril had clearly said these people were also ability users. Although they hadn’t used their abilities just now, it certainly didn’t mean they didn’t have any.

“Then why didn’t he use his ability when fighting me?” Huangfu Mingzhe asked in dissatisfaction, his well-thought-out plan disrupted.

Si Zhaohua replied without hesitation: “Of course, it’s because you previously advocated for fairness. They thought you had no ability, so they naturally didn’t use theirs.”

Huangfu Mingzhe had nothing to say and could only let out a cold laugh: “Then we don’t have enough people, and we can’t win in a fight. If they insist on not letting us leave, what do you suggest we do?”

“Let’s decide on that tomorrow, depending on the situation.” Jiang Tianming wasn’t bothered by his words and turned to talk about his own discovery: “While we were looking for a way, we accidentally overheard the clan leader discussing us with others.”

The underground clan leader’s attitude was crucial information for their departure. Everyone perked up to hear his account: “The clan leader’s attitude was quite good, saying he would treat us well. But among those he was consulting with, some advocated for killing us. Those who wanted to kill us said it was better to eliminate us directly than to have prolonged troubles.”

Wu Mingbai continued: “After we left, we made some inquiries. Those few people were the clan leaders of various tribes. There were a total of six people; three wanted to kill us, two thought we should be treated well, and one remained uncommitted, saying they needed to observe further.”

As expected of the protagonist, to encounter such a clan leader meeting. Su Bei sighed inwardly, listening to their intelligence exchange in a desultory manner.

Soon it was their group’s turn. Si Zhaohua mentioned Zheng Caige’s information about having been to the surface and also talked about Xiao Fan. Of course, after stating the facts, he didn’t forget to mention their conjectures.

Hearing that Xiao Fan was willing to lead his entire tribe to live on the surface, Zu Zong immediately said excitedly, “Then we can totally promise him! Provide them with accommodation in exchange for him taking us out. The Ability Government shouldn’t mind allocating some areas for these people to live, though their appearance might cause them to be ostracized by others. But if they live in a more secluded place, it should…”

“Are you a bit too naive?” Before he could finish, Huangfu Mingzhe couldn’t help but mock him, “The surface and underground are already two different civilizations. How can you expect two civilizations to peacefully integrate?”

Although they were essentially all human, hundreds of years of divergence had made them vastly different. In fact, even completely identical ethnic groups would engage in conflict, let alone different ones.

Even though the underground world’s population was far smaller than the surface world’s, even if they successfully occupied the surface world, they wouldn’t need much land. But human history has never lacked countries with ambitions larger than their capacity, who, believing themselves powerful, seek to invade territory and enslave others.

While Xiao Fan might not have thought this way, it was absolutely foolish to immediately assume good intentions in others.

Huangfu Mingzhe’s words successfully stunned Zu Zong; he really hadn’t thought that much. But he wasn’t a fool; although his previous thoughts were indeed a bit naive, with Huangfu Mingzhe’s reminder, he immediately understood his meaning.

Pouting, Zu Zong quickly thought of another method: “It’s okay, we just need him to take us back to the surface. During this time, we can completely pretend to trust him wholeheartedly, and once we’re back, it’s our home ground.”

No one expected Zu Zong’s thoughts to change so quickly. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Huangfu Mingzhe’s eyes showed a hint of appreciation: “At least your brain isn’t completely broken.”

As for Zheng Caige possibly knowing how to get to the surface, Qiao Mu eagerly raised her hand: “If needed tomorrow, I can offer to visit her home and see if I can find any clues.”

“I’ll go too,” Lan Subing volunteered softly.

If they were to search for information, they certainly couldn’t go alone. At least one person needed to stay and deal with the underground people, otherwise, how could the hosts leave unfamiliar guests alone in a room containing important secrets?

And since it was to a woman’s home, it was naturally more convenient for other women to go, and less likely to arouse suspicion. Although she was socially anxious, Lan Subing was always duty-bound when she was needed.

Li Bowen pushed up his glasses: “Two people are a bit few, add me too.”

One person delaying time and one person searching for clues might be too extreme; adding one more person would make all three safer.

“By the way, what’s Xiao Fan’s identity? Did you ask?” Jiang Tianming, who had been deep in thought, suddenly asked this question.

He then explained: “This person sounds like he’s been interested in the surface world for a long time. If Huangfu Mingzhe is right, then he must have known some things about the surface world for a long time. If that’s the case, his home might also contain things we want.”

Indeed, Su Bei and the others had forgotten this point. Xiao Fan, like Zheng Caige, was also an insider, but because Zheng Caige clearly knew more, they subconsciously overlooked Xiao Fan.

“Why does it feel like everyone in the underground world knows about the surface world?” Zu Zong couldn’t help but complain, “They wouldn’t be pretending not to know just to trick and test us, would they?”

Wu Mingbai forcibly suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, a sunny and cheerful sarcasm on his face: “Wow, then they’re really amazing! Everyone tacitly deceiving us the moment we arrived.”

After discussing, everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest. How to act specifically would depend on the underground humans’ behavior tomorrow. Although many suspicious clues had been found, quite a few people still held the hopeful thought that the underground humans would simply let them go back.

Early the next morning, the clan leader kept his promise and woke everyone up, saying that after breakfast, he would take them to the hole they had fallen into yesterday.

His demeanor was very candid, yet it was this very candidness that plunged the hearts of Jiang Tianming and the other intelligent individuals into despair.

All the signs from yesterday indicated that these people probably didn’t want them to return to the surface. Therefore, if they had been secretive about the hole, it would have been a good thing, as it would mean they could indeed leave through that hole.

But the clan leader and others behaving this way could only mean that the hole was likely not the exit they were looking for.

Breakfast consisted of unknown wild fruits, and it tasted quite good. They even specifically had Wu Jin test it, confirming that the breakfast was perfectly fine before eating with ease. It was good to have a human lie detector nearby, who could silently determine the truth. This was also why Su Bei was unwilling to lie; who knew if the other party had someone or an item with an ability like Wu Jin’s.

When no outsiders were around, Jiang Tianming told Wu Jin that if he heard anyone lie from then on, he should tug on his sleeve to signal him. This would allow them to grasp information in a timely manner.

After breakfast, led by the clan leader, everyone took a winding path back to the hole. Once they arrived, Qiao Mu nodded slightly, indicating that this was the place.

The hole they had fallen into yesterday was still clearly visible. Although it was evident the hole was deep, looking up from below, not a single ray of light could be seen.

“How do we get up?” Jiang Tianming actively asked. Given the unclear situation, they didn’t need to expose their identities as ability users. Therefore, even though Si Zhaohua and Huangfu Mingzhe could fly, they couldn’t use their flying abilities to check at this moment.

Fortunately, the thoughtful clan leader had already devised a solution for them: “It’s fine, I brought two people who can carry you up. You can choose one person to go up first and see if there’s a path above. If there is, I’ll have him bring you all up one by one.”

Given that the underground people were very strong, it wasn’t necessary for a woman to go up. In the end, Qiao Mu and the relatively short Li Bowen were carried on the back of an underground person, climbing into the hole at an extremely fast speed, quickly disappearing without a trace.

Watching the person climb, Huangfu Mingzhe showed a strange expression: “Are all the people here so good at climbing?”

“Of course not,” Zheng Caige said with a smile, shaking her head. “Only the Gecko Tribe has such fast climbing speed; the rest of us don’t have that kind of skill.”

Everyone understood. It seemed fast climbing was this tribe’s ability. However, this also suggested that the six tribes of the underground world might precisely represent six types of abilities, otherwise, they wouldn’t be grouped this way.

While waiting for them to return, they weren’t idle, pestering the clan leader with various questions to gather information. The six tribes of the underground world were called the Mud Tribe, Gecko Tribe, Spirit-Communicator Tribe, Stone Tribe, Water-Affinity Tribe, and Flora Tribe. Among them, He Bin, who first discovered them, was the clan leader of the Mud Tribe, and the clan leader’s wife, Zheng Caige, was from the Spirit-Communicator Tribe.

As Su Bei and the others had thought, each tribe indeed had their unique abilities. Although the clan leader didn’t explicitly state the specific abilities, one could roughly guess a thing or two just by looking at the tribal names.

Undoubtedly, the most special among them was the Spirit-Communicator Tribe. Just by looking at Zheng Caige’s ability, one could infer the scope of this tribe’s abilities. They should have the ability to communicate with other living beings. Based on the experience of similar ability users on the surface world, this spirit-communication could extend to people with different languages, plants, animals, or even departed souls.

So what ability did Xiao Fan, whom they met yesterday in the Spirit-Communicator Tribe, possess? Su Bei was quite curious about this question. From that person’s reactions, he was likely a key character in this event. Therefore, his ability might also have great utility.

While they were chatting, Su Bei glanced at everyone’s Destiny Compasses again. As with the last time he checked, although the positions of the Minor Destiny Pointers varied, the Major Destiny Pointers remained unchanged.

And it just so happened that Qiao Mu and Li Bowen, whose pointers had issues, were currently away. Su Bei immediately understood. It seemed that this very action was what caused trouble for the two of them, and this was also why they couldn’t return to the surface through this hole.

Soon after, four people came down together. Qiao Mu and Li Bowen looked dispirited. Because they could only see in black, white, and gray through the glasses, their complexions couldn’t be discerned, but it was clear both looked unwell.

Su Bei sighed softly: “Trouble is coming.”

At these words, everyone instantly looked at him. No one was foolish; after the team battles of Endless Ability Academy and Houde Ability Academy, coupled with the teachers’ analyses, they all understood Su Bei’s ability to some extent. Naturally, they knew his words were based on destiny and likely not groundless.

And classmates from the same school as Su Bei understood him even better. Lan Subing’s expression tightened: “Who is in trouble?”

“Don’t ask about fate that cannot be changed,” Su Bei shrugged, “You’ll know soon enough anyway.”

The Minor Destiny Pointers represent short-term luck. Qiao Mu and Li Bowen’s Minor Destiny Pointers had been at the far right since yesterday. Su Bei estimated that the latest they would encounter trouble was today.

Li Bowen got off the underground person’s back, feeling his body’s discomfort, a vague bad premonition in his heart. He first glanced at Su Bei, then shook his head at everyone: “The top is sealed. I don’t know if it’s blocked by fallen rocks.”

After saying this, he gasped for air before continuing: “I don’t know why I feel a bit uncomfortable, it might be an air pressure issue… Hmph, if any of you still want to explore… Hmph, you’ll have to be quick.”

Beside him, Qiao Mu held her forehead with one hand, being supported by Huangfu Mingzhe, who had noticed something was wrong: “I feel a bit dizzy and nauseous… Something’s not right, the air up there seems problematic, don’t go up.”

After speaking, her vision went black, and she stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, Huangfu Mingzhe was already supporting her, preventing her fall: “Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

“…”

Qiao Mu didn’t answer his question. Everyone looked down and found that she had already fainted, unresponsive to calls. Li Bowen quickly followed suit and also fainted.

Both people who were carried up had fainted. If it weren’t for them being conscious when they came down and having spoken a few words to everyone, without indicating that the underground people were problematic, everyone would probably suspect that the two underground people who carried them up had knocked them out.

Now that the two had fainted, everyone subconsciously looked at Su Bei. Just now he said someone was going to have bad luck, and in the blink of an eye, Qiao Mu and Li Bowen truly had bad luck. There was no need to wonder; they all knew Su Bei’s prophecy was correct, so did he know anything else?

But this was not the time to ask him that question; they couldn’t expose Su Bei’s ability in front of the underground people. Therefore, everyone could only suppress their doubts and focus on the immediate problem.

“What should we do, Clan Leader He? Do you have a doctor in your tribe who can examine them?” Zu Zong asked anxiously, supporting the unconscious Li Bowen. Fainting in such an unfamiliar place was not good news. If they couldn’t be treated, they wouldn’t even be able to call for help.

The clan leader appeared relatively calm: “You don’t need to worry too much. Although I don’t know what’s wrong with them, our Flora Tribe members are generally skilled in medicine. There will be no problem having them treated.”