Chapter 254

With this latest manga update, both his and Lan Subing’s performances were excellent. Since they were both highly popular characters, the forums were naturally buzzing with discussions about them.

Su Bei’s gaze swept over the page before he clicked on the thread that interested him most—or rather, the one that was most useful to him.

《After reading this chapter, no one should be saying Su Bei is colluding with the Nightmare Beasts, right?》

【CilantroFTW No.0: Su Bei basically eliminated all the Nightmare Beasts in this chapter by himself. If you say that low and intermediate-tier Nightmare Beasts are just cannon fodder to their kind, then he even destroyed the Sleep Nightmare Beast, an Advanced Nightmare Beast that looked very precious, without hesitation. That should be enough to prove his innocence, right?

Although it’s suspicious that he knows so much information and is so familiar with the Sleep Nightmare Beast, you have to judge a person by their actions, not their words or anything else. Su Bei might be a villain, but he is definitely not on the same side as the Nightmare Beasts.】

【No.1: Well said! In the last chapter, so many people were saying Su Bei was contacting that Nightmare Spider. They even started several threads to analyze it. It really pissed me off.】

【No.2: Su Bei might not seem like a good guy, but he’s not so bad as to ‘collaborate with the enemy and betray his country,’ right? Even the Black Flash Organization doesn’t collude with Nightmare Beasts. I don’t know how much the people saying this must hate Su Bei.】

【No.3: That’s just how it is when you’re popular.】

【No.4: My Bei rarely got to show off his power like this in a chapter.】

【No.5 replied to No.1:

Let me clarify my stance first: I don’t think Su Bei is colluding with the Nightmare Beasts. But I do feel that he really was contacting the Nightmare Spider, just not to cooperate with them, but to eliminate them.】

【No.6 replied to No.5:

I think so too. What Su Bei did seems more like an attempt to lead Jiang Tianming and the others to discover the method to completely eradicate the Nightmare Beasts.】

【No.7: I feel like everyone in S-Class is pretty ruthless when it comes to eliminating Nightmare Beasts.】

【…】

【No.44: Actually, I’m really curious who is saying Su Bei is colluding with Nightmare Beasts. From my perspective, he was the one who leaked the method to completely eradicate them. Would someone who’s colluding with Nightmare Beasts do that?】

【No.45 replied to No.44:

But what you’re saying is just speculation, which is why people don’t accept it. It’s not just your speculation; ‘Su Bei was talking to the Nightmare Beasts in the last chapter’ is also speculation, ‘Su Bei is colluding with the Nightmare Beasts’ is also speculation, and ‘Su Bei wanted to tell Jiang Jiang and the others the method to eliminate the Nightmare Beasts’ is also speculation. Any conclusion built upon a series of speculations is unreliable.】

【No.46 replied to No.45:

Su Bei is truly a man full of secrets.】

【No.47 replied to No.46:

Boy. My Bei isn’t even an adult yet.】

【No.48 replied to No.47:

Although Su Bei isn’t an adult, there’s no shortage of fanfiction starring him. I’d call him the third most charismatic man in ‘King of Abilities.’ The top two are Meng Huai and Cyril.】

【No.49: I actually prefer Feng Lan. Isn’t the appeal of the stoic type much greater? Plus, he has white hair!】

【No.50: Looks are everything. I support Wu Jin.】

【No.51: Ah, don’t you guys stan Jiang Jiang for his looks? How come no one’s mentioned Jiang Tianming in this round?】

【…】

【No.91: Why are you guys upstairs actually picking favorites? Only children pick and choose. As an adult, I of course choose all of them!】

【No.92 replied to No.91:

This is the episode I support the most. When I read ‘King of Abilities’ fanfiction, I either read gen fic or harem fic. My heart would break no matter who I had to give up, okay?】

【No.93: As an omnivore, I am the truly happy one.】

【No.94: So, is anyone writing anything? Can someone recommend some reader-insert fics for me to check out?】

There was nothing particularly useful on the forum. The only thing of value to Su Bei was that the vast majority of readers no longer believed he was colluding with the Nightmare Beasts.

When he came back to his senses, Su Bei heard a commotion outside. He wasn’t the only one who heard it. A puzzled look on his face, Jiang Tianming got up and opened the door, seeing quite a few people heading out.

The hotel they were staying in was specifically for ability users to rest, so everyone coming and going was an ability user. Jiang Tianming randomly stopped someone and asked politely, “Hello, excuse me, where are you all going?”

If it were an ordinary child asking, the person he stopped might have just given a perfunctory answer. But Jiang Tianming and his group were different. Even those who had been unconscious earlier had heard about their performance from their companions and held them in high respect.

Therefore, seeing that the person asking was Jiang Tianming, the man immediately stopped and replied with a smile, “A few ability users who were in the interdimensional space have returned. We’re going to welcome them.”

Although the ability users in Moyun City didn’t seem particularly strong, that was mainly because the powerful ones had been sent into the interdimensional space to deal with Advanced Nightmare Beasts. Those left behind were mostly for handling low and intermediate-tier Nightmare Beasts, which didn’t require great strength—just enough numbers and stamina to hold the line.

Now that some big shots were coming out, it was only natural for everyone to be enthusiastic.

Hearing this, Jiang Tianming first nodded in understanding, then asked with confusion, “Why are they back? Is the situation in the interdimensional space resolved?”

Because there weren’t many powerful ability users assigned to each city, they were supposed to stay in the interdimensional space to stop all the Advanced Nightmare Beasts from running rampant. Why would they come out early?

“Not exactly. I’m not too sure about the specifics either.” The man shook his head. He was just an ordinary ability user and didn’t know any inside information, nor had he even thought that much about it. “Anyway, the commander received a message last night that some people were coming out.”

Jiang Tianming’s question made Su Bei, who hadn’t been very interested initially, also sense that something was wrong. He looked up and exchanged glances with the others. The four of them walked out of the room together, following the footsteps of the crowd.

By now, the area outside the city was once again swarmed with Nightmare Beasts. Low and intermediate-tier Nightmare Beasts were as common as blades of grass; you wouldn’t normally notice, but during a battle, they would erupt like a tidal wave.

Su Bei and the others arrived at just the right time. An ability user with a pair of bird-like wings, who didn’t look very old, flew in from high above with another pink-haired boy, landing on the city wall.

Seeing these two, the four of them showed expressions of surprise. Jiang Tianming called out, “Seniors!”

Hearing this distinct shout, the two individuals looked over in unison, their faces also showing surprise. “What are you guys doing here? Has the situation gotten so bad that the Ability Government needs to send first-years to battle?”

That’s right, Su Bei and the others actually knew these two. One was the student council president of Endless Ability Academy, Mu Yunfan, and the other was Zhang Sheng, whom they had also met at the student council.

“We are a bit short-staffed, but only our class was sent out among the first-years,” Jiang Tianming answered truthfully. “We’re just here for support, unlike you seniors, who are the main force fighting the Nightmare Beasts.”

Being sent into the interdimensional space to handle Nightmare Beasts truly qualified them as the main force.

He was still in a state of shock, never expecting that the powerful ability users the people in Moyun City spoke of were actually seniors from their own academy. Although they already knew the student council president was extremely powerful, especially with that practically invincible ability of his, he was still just a third-year. It was still inevitably surprising that he was this formidable.

At these words, Mu Yunfan shed his earlier composed and reliable demeanor, his true nature showing as he grew smug, clapping Jiang Tianming on the shoulder. “Hahahahahaha! That’s right, we’re just that amazing! How would the Ability World survive without us?”

Everyone: “…”

Even Su Bei, who had witnessed the president’s true nature back at the academy, couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. No wonder the man’s ability was related to hope—that overwhelming confidence was something others just couldn’t match.

If even they, who had met Mu Yunfan before, reacted this way, it was even more so for those around them who hadn’t.

Unable to bear their dumbfounded expressions, Zhang Sheng forced a fake smile. “President, Sister Manman told you to be mindful of the academy’s image when you’re outside.”

After this reminder, or rather, threat, Mu Yunfan cleared his throat and reverted to his serious demeanor from before. “Being sent out means the government has recognized your strength. Very good, keep up the good work!”

Once they had finished their reunion, the commander was the first to approach, her expression a complex mix of joy, curiosity, and worry. “Welcome back. We’ve already prepared accommodations for you. Let’s go over there to talk.”

She didn’t plan to discuss why the two of them had suddenly returned in front of everyone. Regardless of the reason, it was best to understand the situation privately first, then decide whether to make it public.

However, Cyril and Li Xiang, who had shown up at some point, didn’t give her the chance. Cyril raised his voice and asked, “Shouldn’t you be in the interdimensional space dealing with Advanced Nightmare Beasts right now? Did some accident happen for you to come out so suddenly? I believe that as temporary collaborators, we have the right to know the truth.”

Hearing this and feeling the gazes of the other ability users, the commander could only ask helplessly, “Of course. Could you two please explain why you suddenly came out? I don’t mean to question you, but yesterday’s message wasn’t very clear, and we’re a bit worried about the situation inside the interdimensional space.”

“It’s fine.” Zhang Sheng shrugged, not angered by the question. “We came out because we noticed something strange about the Nightmare Beasts in the interdimensional space. A message might not have been clear enough, so we came out personally to warn you.”

He then explained the problem they had discovered in detail. “Recently, many new faces have appeared among the Advanced Nightmare Beasts in the interdimensional space, and their numbers have increased. We’re having trouble holding them all back. You know, one of the support-type ability users in our group has an ability called ‘Danger Detector,’ which can sense the degree of danger at any time. The detected danger level has been rising higher and higher lately. We suspect something big is about to happen, so they sent the three of us out to give you a heads-up and let you prepare yourselves.”

“We were ambushed by a Sleep Nightmare Beast the night before last. Could that be related?” Hearing that they had sent people out of concern for those outside, rather than because something had happened inside, the commander finally felt a sense of relief.

“Something like that happened?!” Zhang Sheng said in surprise, then added apologetically, “That’s our mistake. We didn’t even notice a Nightmare Beast had slipped out of the interdimensional space.”

The commander immediately reassured him, “How can we blame you for that? The Nightmare Beasts are just too cunning.”

Before the two of them could finish their pleasantries, Cyril spoke up again with his usual snark. “That matter has already been resolved by us. And judging by this man’s expression, the danger level that ability user sensed is probably still rising, right?”

As soon as he said this, everyone’s expressions turned grim. He was right. Since the danger level was still rising, it meant the threat hadn’t been completely resolved.

Su Bei and the others had just been discussing that there must be a hidden danger here, and now their guess was confirmed. However, they had sensed the problem from the angle of the Black Flash Organization sending people over, while the confirmation came from the Nightmare Beasts’ side.

It had to be said that compared to the heroes, villains were indeed more keenly aware of dangers and opportunities, always acting one step ahead. As for this incident, although he didn’t know what treasure in Moyun City had attracted both villains and the Black Flash Organization, it was clear that the good guys were completely in the dark.

Speaking of which… a thought suddenly occurred to Su Bei. The “Destiny” organization he controlled wasn’t on the side of the heroes either! Since so many people knew about this, he could totally use the organization to get relevant intelligence.

Realizing this, Su Bei quietly excused himself. After returning to his room, he opened his laptop and searched for content related to Moyun City. As a small, unremarkable city, if any recent news could be found, it was highly likely related to the Black Flash Organization’s mission.

By now, the information gathering system of the “Destiny” organization was quite well-developed. Because one could earn points by submitting information, and continue to earn points when someone viewed it, many people would upload useful intelligence as soon as they got it, without waiting for someone to post a related mission.

And with this search, Su Bei actually found something useful. He could see the identity of all anonymous users, so he knew the other party was a member of the Black Flash Organization.

The intelligence this person uploaded was as follows—“The Black Flash Organization obtained a Nightmare Egg in the Nightmare Beast World and was consequently hunted by Nightmare Beasts, ultimately losing the egg. It has now been confirmed that the Nightmare Egg is in Moyun City.”

The person had even posted a mission, hoping someone could help the Black Flash Organization find the Nightmare Egg.

A Nightmare Egg? What was that?

Su Bei was stunned for a moment after seeing the intelligence, then searched the organization’s database for related information. This kind of encyclopedic information was easy to find, and soon he knew what a Nightmare Egg was.

Nightmare Beasts are formed from the grievances of humans after death, but there is a process between grievance and becoming a Nightmare Beast. This process usually happens naturally; the grievance turns into an intangible egg and then hatches into a Nightmare Beast.

But in very rare cases, the hatching fails, and it becomes a tangible Nightmare Egg.

This rare situation mainly refers to when a person on the verge of death has already produced grievances, but they are eliminated by some twist of fate. The grievance that has already appeared in the Nightmare Beast World will not disappear, but without enough nourishment to form a complete Nightmare Beast, it can lead to the Nightmare Beast being “stillborn,” becoming a Nightmare Egg.

At first glance, this Nightmare Egg seemed like just an unformed Nightmare Beast, useless. But in reality, as long as it was infused with enough grievances, it could definitely give birth to an Advanced Nightmare Beast. Moreover, it could be “customized” based on existing experience; the composition of the grievances often influences the Nightmare Beast’s abilities.

After reading the introduction, Su Bei instantly understood why both the Nightmare Beasts and the Black Flash Organization were searching for this Nightmare Egg. The Nightmare Beasts definitely wanted to use the egg to create a powerful Advanced Nightmare Beast, while the Black Flash Organization naturally wanted it for research.

And the reason why the Ability Government knew nothing about this was also clear—this Nightmare Egg had nothing to do with the heroes. It was found by Black Flash and wanted by the Nightmare Beasts. The heroes were just caught in the crossfire.

But regardless of whether it had anything to do with them, they were definitely going to be affected. If they could find the Nightmare Egg in advance and either destroy it publicly or hand it over to the government, they might be able to avert the disaster in Moyun City.

However, the most information Su Bei could find was that the Nightmare Egg was currently in a metal box. But this thing was probably not large, and all the grievances were contained within the shell, making them undetectable. The related data stated that even if you placed the Nightmare Egg in front of you and sensed it with Mental Energy, it would just feel like an ordinary black, egg-shaped stone, with no hint of anything special.

Under these circumstances, searching for it would undoubtedly be like looking for a needle in a haystack. In any case, Su Bei had no intention of wasting his energy on it.

In fact, he was certain he wouldn’t be able to find it. After all, he could adjust his own luck and destiny. If he didn’t mind the consumption of Mental Energy and maintained peak luck while wandering around the city, Su Bei believed he could find the Nightmare Egg in a few days.

But the problem was that members of the Black Flash Organization were still in the city, watching like hawks. His strange behavior would definitely attract their attention. Even if he tried to hide it, how well could he really do so? Cyril and Li Xiang were not fools.

After so many confrontations, they might not have a complete grasp of his ability, but they certainly had some understanding of the powers he had used. They should naturally be aware that he not only had a mysterious source of intelligence but also many mysterious methods.

Su Bei even suspected that Cyril and the others were monitoring him right now. The moment he found the Nightmare Egg, those two would pop out from some unknown corner to kill him and seize the treasure.

Until he had the strength to protect the treasure, Su Bei didn’t plan to recklessly court death by looking for such a dangerous item.

Although he could now easily kill an Advanced Nightmare Beast, that was only because he hadn’t yet faced a truly top-tier one. Once those Nightmare Beasts appeared, they would be engaged by humanity’s top powerhouses, so he wouldn’t encounter them. And if he did, he would probably be dead before he even had time to adjust their destiny.

There was no helping it. Even if he could cast his ability quickly, it still had a certain wind-up time. In a battle between top-tier powerhouses, that amount of time was enough for him to die three or five times over. And that was on a direct battlefield. Due to his lack of sufficient defensive measures, Su Bei was also very vulnerable to assassination. If someone were to assassinate him, he simply wouldn’t have time to react.

However, Su Bei wasn’t worried about this. He was still young. In any case, Su Bei was quite content with his current situation. He would take it slow. After all, in the curriculum arranged by Endless Ability Academy, the course for cultivating students’ independent research on ability skills only started in the second year. As a first-year, his progress was already far beyond that of ordinary people. Not to mention ordinary people, even his classmates in S-Class couldn’t compare to him. If he were to be impatient on top of that, it would be truly unreasonable.

Still, he anonymously accepted the mission. The mission requirement was to “help the Black Flash Organization find the Nightmare Egg,” not to obtain it. This meant that as soon as the Nightmare Egg appeared, he could click to complete the mission. Regardless of whether he found it or not, he could claim he had helped.

As for whether this would expose his identity, Su Bei wasn’t worried. In fact, he was even thinking of using this opportunity to reveal his identity as a member of the “Destiny” organization.

Many readers on the forums had already come up with this theory, showing great enthusiasm for it. In other words, revealing this identity wouldn’t surprise people; instead, it would increase his popularity. Why not do it?

Besides, he felt it was time to mention the “Destiny” organization more in the manga. With a backing organization, if he did something special in the future, he could attribute it to the organization. It was all pros and no cons.

To give the simplest example, if the author wanted to frame him as a member of the Black Flash Organization, he would only need to expose his identity as a member of “Destiny,” and the problem would be solved.

He believed that rather than accepting him as a character who simply moonlighted for two organizations, readers would be much more willing to believe he was a mole planted by “Destiny” in “Black Flash.” After all, compared to the former, the latter was more logical and much more exciting.

Closing his laptop, Su Bei looked down at the black notebook. He had to admit that the creation of the “Destiny” organization had been extremely useful to him. Without it, he would have to search online for a lot of information.

But how could truly useful information be easily posted online? If he couldn’t find what he wanted online, he would have to ask people like Meng Huai or Feng Lan. And if he asked them, he would have to answer why he was asking, leading to a series of troubles.

But with the organization’s database, it was different. He could find almost anything he wanted to know here. This was also why he had specifically created an intelligence organization back then; Su Bei was very aware of his weaknesses.

He was originally an ordinary person, unlike Feng Lan, Si Zhaohua, Ai Baozhu, or Qi Huang, who were originally from the Ability World and even had their own families. They could find any secret information they wanted in their family’s library. And because he wasn’t originally from the Ability World, he was ignorant of much of its common knowledge.

Besides him, Jiang Tianming and the others also often stumbled in this regard. There was no helping it; it was their natural disadvantage. In contrast, Si Zhaohua and the others often lacked common sense about the ordinary world. But since they were now living in the Ability World, it was Su Bei’s group that was more affected.

Fortunately, he now had the “Destiny” organization to compensate for this shortcoming. Sufficient information would always be an indispensable part of completing any mission. Without this intelligence, he would have to take who knows how many detours to complete many tasks.