Chapter 230

The second post made Su Bei laugh incredulously. He hadn’t expected so many readers, without any information being disclosed, to believe he was a member of the “Destiny” organization.

However, even the boldest guess wasn’t as audacious as the truth: he wasn’t the young master of the “Destiny” organization, but its true owner.

Speaking of “Destiny,” Su Bei planned to use his spare time to read more of the organization’s confidential files. As the saying goes, “Teaching by words is ineffective; teaching by experience is instant.” This incident, Cyril had truly taught him a lesson.

Upon hearing the physical characteristics of the underground humans, Cyril immediately recognized their identity, gaining the upper hand and beginning his meticulous planning. Although it was highly probable that their organization’s objectives revolved around this, meaning they had already researched related people and events, his quick reaction still spoke volumes about his extensive knowledge.

Such vast knowledge is cultivated through years of accumulation and extensive experience, but it’s not impossible to acquire even without direct experience, especially when one has sufficient resources.

Su Bei held control over such a massive intelligence organization, and the various pieces of intelligence exchanged within it were known only to the two parties involved in the transaction, and to him, the organization’s leader.

This intelligence included not only time-sensitive information but also many world secrets and specialized knowledge. If he could commit the latter two to memory, his erudition would undoubtedly surpass everyone else’s.

As for memorizing all this, although it was inherently difficult, Su Bei had been a top student since childhood. Given enough time, he was confident he could use these files to rapidly enrich his mind.

Coincidentally, the Black Flash Organization wouldn’t be stirring up trouble for some time. Moreover, with such an eventful first half of the year, the author would likely settle down for a while too.

If he didn’t fully utilize this period to arm himself with knowledge, Su Bei felt he would be letting down the “Destiny” organization he had worked so hard to establish.

Waking up the next day, Su Bei and the others were each placed in separate rooms by government staff, with one person assigned to question them about their experiences over the past few days. Although this process seemed a bit like interrogating criminals, the tables laden with fruit, drinks, and snacks, along with comfortable chairs, successfully eased everyone’s displeasure.

Su Bei had already been reminded by Meng Huai, so naturally, he exaggerated their suffering without distorting the truth. Since he had been operating with Wu Jin for quite some time, and Wu Jin wasn’t much of a talker, it was perfectly fitting for Su Bei to play the victim.

Furthermore, Su Bei wasn’t lying; he simply exaggerated his fear when facing Cyril and Li Xiang alone, and incidentally overstated the threat posed by the two of them. These two embellishments alone were enough to make the staff believe he had been in an extremely dangerous situation.

After he finished speaking, they left without giving any instructions. At lunchtime, everyone was surprised to see Feng Lan there. Due to the previous incidents, everyone had been sent back early. Logically, Feng Lan should have been at the academy by now.

But they quickly understood. Jiang Tianming asked, “Are you here to deal with the underground humans’ prophecy?”

Feng Lan nodded while cutting his steak with a knife and fork. “Mhm.”

“What does that mean?” Zu Zong, who didn’t know Feng Lan, asked curiously. “He can deal with prophecy?”

Recalling the teachers’ words from yesterday, Zu Zong scrutinized Feng Lan. “He’s from the Feng Family? But even if he is, they shouldn’t send a student to handle this, right? What can a student solve…”

“He is the Feng Family Head,” Huangfu Mingzhe coolly interrupted him.

Zu Zong: “…”

—The clown was me all along.

But soon, he grew curious again and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s your ability?”

“Prophecy,” Feng Lan answered indifferently.

Zu Zong: “…”

No wonder he’s the Feng Family Head. He made a zipping motion across his mouth, completely shutting up.

After lunch, everyone returned to the conference room. This time there were no outsiders; only the three school representatives, or rather, their respective homeroom teachers, were present. Notably, the unconscious Qiao Mu and Li Bowen had also woken up and were waiting for them in the conference room.

Seeing the two of them standing brightly before them, everyone was a little surprised. Their respective classmates, in particular, immediately went up to greet them warmly.

After they finished their greetings, Teacher Wang from Houde Ability Academy began to address the main topic: “Ahem, everyone please take a seat. The main reason I’ve called you here today is to discuss two things. The first is about the outcome of the entire incident, starting from the Exhibition Match.”

Actually, they could have been kept in the dark about this matter, but given that Su Bei and the others had almost single-handedly resolved this crisis, and considering that Ability users are often deployed for missions while still minors, with greater emphasis placed on minors than in any other profession, the decision was made to inform them of everything without alteration.

Firstly, regarding the prophecy problem discussed yesterday, members of the Feng Family, including Feng Lan, had already arrived. Feng Lan wouldn’t need to attend the academy for the next few days, as he would be specifically dealing with the issue here.

Secondly, the two sides exchanged “hostages.” The government sent a construction team underground, primarily to design and rebuild the underground world to improve the quality of life for the underground humans. Their second role was to monitor them, preventing any secret schemes.

The underground humans also sent some people to the surface. Besides those experiencing life above ground, Xiao Fan was also among them.

As a criminal from the underground world, yet with a relatively noble status, it was deemed best to entrust him to government custody to prevent anyone from the Spirit-Communicator Tribe from releasing him out of momentary softness. The only request from the underground side was that he not die; they would conduct regular prison visits.

Furthermore, a move-in ready residence would be built for them in the surface world in advance, to ensure they had a place to stay should they wish to come up.

“Why do we have to listen to all this…” As Teacher Wang droned on about the government’s measures, Zu Zong whispered his complaints to Li Bowen from behind.

But he apparently forgot that Ability users have excellent hearing. Immediately, Teacher Wang’s knife-like gaze landed on him. If it had been a teacher from another academy speaking, perhaps it wouldn’t have been like this, but this person happened to be his homeroom teacher.

“What are you talking about?” Teacher Wang pointed directly at Zu Zong’s spot. “If you like talking so much, come up here and speak!”

“No, no,” Zu Zong quickly shook his head.

But Teacher Wang had no intention of letting him off the hook; or rather, he also wanted to use Zu Zong’s complaint as an opportunity to explain to everyone why they had to be told all this.

With no other choice, seeing the seriousness in his homeroom teacher’s eyes, Zu Zong honestly repeated his words. However, he slyly only repeated the gist, beautifying his original statement quite a bit.

“I just said, why does the teacher have to go through so much trouble to tell us about the government’s resolution plan?”

Hearing this, Teacher Wang, who already knew what he had just said, gave him an annoyed glare before raising his voice: “I imagine many of you probably have the same question. You weren’t necessarily meant to know about this; you could have just seen the outcome.”

No one spoke, though a few certainly had been thinking that.

Teacher Wang nodded understandingly and continued to explain: “Many of you are already sixteen, just two years shy of adulthood. Most Ability users don’t attend regular universities but choose to work directly. Eventually, you’ll have to personally face how to handle such matters, so you must seize every learning opportunity now. In the future, when you encounter similar problems, how to solve them, and what aspects to consider—these are all things you need to learn.”

After all, even though they’d be adults by working age, they would still be very young and completely lacking in social experience. If they didn’t learn these things during their schooling, it would be easy for chaos to ensue once they started working.

After hearing his explanation, everyone nodded in conviction, continuing to listen patiently as he outlined the government’s resolution plan.

After he finished explaining everything, it was finally time to move on to the second matter: “The second matter concerns your rewards. We negotiated with the government yesterday, and surprisingly, every one of you present will have an opportunity to visit the Wesi Sanctuary. Therefore, the final agreed outcome is that your treatment during your visit will be elevated to the highest tier.”

As the Wesi Sanctuary, which opens for limited periods each year with limited access, money was merely the entry requirement. To upgrade one’s treatment, more status and contributions were needed.

Su Bei and his companions were able to go there as a reward from Feng Lan for helping to resolve the Feng Family crisis. However, since the entire class was going, even the Feng Family couldn’t arrange top-tier treatment for everyone. Yet, it was also inappropriate to single anyone out for special treatment, so everyone was originally given the most basic tourist treatment.

The treatment tiers at Wesi Sanctuary, from lowest to highest, were: Tourist, Guest, Regular, VIP. They were now directly upgraded to VIP treatment. A VIP could experience all attractions for free, stay in the best hotels, enjoy the finest amenities, and receive a gift from Wesi Sanctuary upon departure.

This was indeed an excellent reward. One must understand that elevating one’s treatment to VIP status was not achievable through money alone; only families with long-term cooperation with Wesi Sanctuary and the governments of major nations could secure such exclusive access.

Precisely because the slots were so precious, this was their only reward. However, for Su Bei and the others, it was no loss at all. Ability users generally didn’t need material rewards as much, as completing a single mission could earn them a great deal, let alone for those who were already among the strong.

For them, opportunities to enhance their strength were paramount. A VIP-tier trip to Wesi Sanctuary, if utilized properly, would undoubtedly lead to a significant increase in their power.

After conveying all the necessary information, Teacher Wang had no intention of wasting time, waving his hand to have their respective homeroom teachers lead them away.

It was Monday when they returned to school. The academy was quite humane in this regard, not making them return immediately but granting them a few days of rest.

As soon as Su Bei entered the classroom, he saw everyone gathered around Jiang Tianming and the others, chattering away, asking about the aftermath of the Tri-School Competition. Seeing them trapped by Cyril and Li Xiang through the screen had startled everyone. Later, hearing Cyril’s words made them incredibly nervous, fearing they might actually die.

Following that, Jiang Tianming and the others were prepared to use their lives to stall Cyril and Li Xiang, dying together with them. This scene left everyone feeling desperate, and many even hoped Jiang Tianming and his team would choose to compromise, even if it was just a strategic move.

However, the subsequent developments were clearly unexpected. The participants on the arena, after reaching the underground, suddenly disappeared. Even after digging extensively, their whereabouts couldn’t be found.

Such a major incident, naturally, sent shockwaves through the entire Ability World, with countless eyes fixed on its final outcome. The Ability Government hired an Ability user to confirm that Jiang Tianming and the others were still alive.

After several days of anxious waiting, they finally emerged from underground.

But no one knew exactly what had happened during those days; the government maintained strict secrecy, and reporters couldn’t extract any exclusives from them. Now that Jiang Tianming and the others had finally returned, everyone, who had been curious for so long, naturally pressed them for answers.

Unfortunately, they had already signed non-disclosure agreements. Jiang Tianming shook his head: “Sorry, I can’t talk about this, but perhaps someday in the future, you’ll know.”

Hearing this, everyone immediately realized something. The government’s non-disclosure agreements were no secret; since Jiang Tianming couldn’t speak, he must have been warned by the government. They had no intention of deliberately harming their friends, so they naturally curbed their curiosity.

“By the way, you can’t talk about what happened after your disappearance, but Cyril and the other Black Flash Organization member appeared in public, so can you tell us about them?” Ai Baozhu suddenly thought of another curious point.

“That, we can talk about,” Si Zhaohua replied. “The two of them initially came for us, but after arriving at the new location, something more appealing appeared, so they went after those things instead. Fortunately, we successfully stopped them…”

Before he finished speaking, Su Bei seized the opportunity and said with a smile, “Stopping them? That’s not necessarily true, you know.”

At his words, everyone immediately looked at him. Si Zhaohua quickly asked, “What do you mean? Did they really take away or recruit those people?”

In his understanding, Cyril and Li Xiang intended to recruit the underground humans, getting them to join the Black Flash Organization. The addition of a group of Ability users would undoubtedly strengthen the organization’s power, so this was a very plausible guess.

However, Su Bei and Wu Jin, who had seen the files, knew that things were probably not as he imagined. Wu Jin quietly denied, “It wasn’t recruitment.”

He then looked at Su Bei. “They took those people?”

Su Bei neither confirmed nor denied: “Just ask them what’s missing, and you’ll know.”

This was very important news. From the importance Cyril and his group placed on the underground humans, it was clear that if the underground humans fell into their hands, major problems would arise. Therefore, if they could be stopped, it must be done as quickly as possible.

Wu Jin nodded solemnly. “I’ll go tell my dad.”

After he left, the four people who knew the inside story gathered closer. Since they couldn’t reveal the details to others, Jiang Tianming directly asked Su Bei, “Should we talk outside?”

“There’s nothing to say,” Su Bei shook his head. “I saw a research scene.”

Although he had never actually managed to create future scenes for himself using the forum’s ability, it didn’t stop Su Bei from often using it as an excuse.

“Research?” Everyone’s expressions changed. Everyone knew that the Black Flash Organization originally thrived on research, and the vast majority of what they researched was never used for good.

If they were truly using those underground humans for research, not only would experimenting on humans be inherently unethical, but even if they achieved results, it would certainly not be good news for them.

But since Wu Jin had already gone to speak with the principal, it was no longer their concern. Jiang Tianming and the others were still just students; even if they knew, there was little they could do. This was a confrontation between powers.

With this matter temporarily put aside, everyone’s daily lives returned to normal. Attending classes, training, completing missions, and Su Bei also used his spare time to read “Destiny’s” internal documents.

It’s worth noting that two days after he shared that information, the “Destiny” organization received a request, inquiring which underground human the Black Flash Organization had taken, as no missing persons had been found.

After Su Bei provided the answer, he learned that Cyril and Li Xiang, before leaving, had very cautiously set fire to the place where the bodies were stored, destroying it completely. This led the underground humans to believe that the deceased’s bodies had all been incinerated in the fire, which was why they hadn’t discovered their disappearance.

It was indeed flawlessly executed. If Su Bei hadn’t had his cheat, no one would have likely suspected that the bodies, believed to have been incinerated, were actually taken by the Black Flash Organization.

“Why are there so many missions lately?” In the classroom, Zhao Xiaoyu slumped exhaustedly onto her desk, dark circles prominent under her eyes.

Su Bei also wore a grumpy expression. He wasn’t here to do grunt work: “If this keeps up, I’m dropping out.”

The others also showed their own fatigue. Jiang Tianming rubbed his temples. “I feel like my Mental Energy can’t recover. Just as it’s about to be full, a new mission pops up.”

“How can you protest about this? The teacher said everyone’s in the same boat,” Wu Mingbai said with a smile, but his tone was clearly sarcastic.

Even Mo Xiaotian, usually brimming with energy, had lost his usual vigor under such high-intensity missions: “So sleepy. There really are so many missions lately.”

From the identical reactions of everyone, it was clear that the abundance of missions wasn’t just them complaining unnecessarily. The students of Class S, being strong enough, often took on missions. However, because there were sufficient Ability users to handle them, these missions weren’t mandatory. They would only take them on weekends to gain experience and improve their strength.

But starting two weeks ago, Meng Huai suddenly announced in class that because Nightmare Beasts had been frequently active recently, there was a shortage of personnel in the Ability World. So, they would no longer have classes, but would exclusively focus on missions.

This arrangement itself wasn’t problematic; the ultimate goal of Ability users was to kill Nightmare Beasts, and performing missions was also a form of learning and training.

The problem, however, lay in the sheer frequency of mission assignments. In groups of two, each group was assigned three to five missions a day. The missions assigned to them by their supervisors were primarily to eliminate low-level Nightmare Beast groups, which weren’t particularly difficult or dangerous to complete. But the sheer quantity was overwhelming, consuming too much Mental Energy.

Moreover, these missions didn’t come with the help of Teleportation Arrays. After completing one, they had to rush to the next mission location via government-provided vehicles. Honestly, this was the government’s only act of conscience; if they weren’t given dedicated transport, in those remote wildernesses, they’d have to walk two miles just to find a bus stop.

By the end of the day, more than half their time was spent traveling, which was both boring and mentally exhausting.

Su Bei, however, didn’t feel bored. He already needed a lot of time to read the documents collected by “Destiny,” and the travel time was perfect for filling his brain. After a week, he truly felt he had gained a great deal of knowledge and insight. He didn’t aim to memorize all this knowledge verbatim, but merely having an impression in his mind when encountering it would be a great help.

But being able to utilize his time effectively didn’t mean Su Bei wasn’t annoyed by it. He initially came to the Ability Academy to get a license to use his abilities. Later, it was to save the world, which was, after all, a noble job.

But now, he only felt like a pathetic wage slave, repeating the same work every day, busily eliminating Nightmare Beasts. He had earned a lot of money, but had no time to spend it. Besides, he wasn’t short on money to begin with!

However, in one respect, the teacher hadn’t lied. Indeed, everyone was in this situation now; not just them, but the second and third-year students were also frantically going out on missions.

The only ones spared in the entire academy were the students from other first-year classes. Their strength was still too weak; rather than a large group teaming up to hunt Nightmare Beasts and barely killing any, it was better for them to stay at school and study.

Although it was called studying, since the teachers had been dispatched on missions, they could only self-study using past instructional videos or engage in combat practice with each other. There was no other way; in the current situation, student education had to be put aside for now. Resolving the immediate crisis was the most important thing.

This high frequency of missions, while annoying Su Bei, also made him feel a sense of unease. Why were there suddenly so many Nightmare Beasts? What were they trying to do by running out all at once instead of staying in the Nightmare Beast World? This didn’t seem like the prelude to a war; if they were truly going to start a war, the Nightmare Beasts would mostly conserve their strength, not cause trouble.

No one was foolish; they naturally realized the problem. Jiang Tianming looked at Feng Lan and the others, who were most likely to have information: “Have you received any news? Why have Nightmare Beasts been appearing so frequently lately?”

“It seems something that attracts them has appeared,” Si Zhaohua replied.

Feng Lan nodded; he had also received the same news: “We learned it from a high-level Nightmare Beast, but they don’t seem to have found it yet.”

“Something that attracts them?” Su Bei frowned. A possibility flashed through his mind: Could it be the Black Flash Organization’s new research?

But then he reconsidered and dismissed that possibility. It had only been a month, at most, since the Black Flash Organization began their research. Whether by comic logic or real-world logic, such a thing would require at least some research time; how could they achieve significant results so easily?

Besides, they had just pulled off something big recently; if the plot revolved around them again, it would easily lead to visual fatigue.

So what could be attracting the Nightmare Beasts?

As Su Bei was pondering, his phone suddenly rang. He opened it, couldn’t help but roll his eyes, and looked at Lan Subing: “Another new mission. Let’s go, it’s just the two of us partnering this time.”