Chapter 261:

Jiang Tianming’s trip was uneventful, but the same could not be said for Wu Mingbai. When he returned, although his face still wore a smile, anyone familiar with him could clearly sense that his mood was anything but pleasant.

“What happened?” Noticing his expression, Lan Subing asked with concern.

Clearly, Wu Mingbai was furious. He answered directly, “That guy the government sent seems to have a problem. Did the three of you also feel targeted?”

As he spoke, he looked suspiciously at Jiang Tianming and Su Bei. He didn’t look at Mo Xiaotian because even if the man had targeted him, the guy probably wouldn’t have even noticed.

But Jiang Tianming and Su Bei were different. If they had been targeted with malicious intent, they would definitely tell him upon their return. As for Su Bei, he wasn’t the type to swallow his anger either. If he had really been targeted, he would have been the first to raise a fuss, and his return wouldn’t have been so calm.

“Not at all,” Jiang Tianming said, looking a bit puzzled. “Although he was a bit serious at first, his attitude softened considerably after a few questions. Then he let me come back.”

Of course, he couldn’t possibly believe Wu Mingbai was some kind of spy. They had known each other for a very, very long time. If he were a spy, how could Jiang Tianming still be safe and sound, having never had any contact with the Black Flash Organization?

Su Bei simply shrugged. “I was only asked one question before being sent back.”

Although no one had asked him, Mo Xiaotian also chimed in enthusiastically, “I was asked five questions!”

Hearing his words, Su Bei couldn’t help but cast a strange glance his way. He truly found it amazing how Mo Xiaotian could act so righteously after framing someone.

Everyone else was fine, yet it was Wu Mingbai, who had been specifically approached, who ran into trouble during the interrogation. It was obvious Mo Xiaotian had done something; his earlier guess had been correct.

However, Su Bei didn’t think Mo Xiaotian was that kind of person. Although he had been brainwashed by the Black Flash Organization from a young age and his sense of good and evil differed greatly from that of ordinary people, he still valued his companions greatly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically instructed the organization to treat Zhou Renjie well before.

Based on Su Bei’s understanding, the logic in Mo Xiaotian’s mind was likely this: The Black Flash Organization is the best organization, so having Zhou Renjie join is for his own good. The methods might not have been so aboveboard, but it was all a well-intentioned lie. Once Zhou Renjie was treated well by the organization, he would surely come to love it and understand his good intentions.

Roughly organizing his thoughts, Su Bei suddenly understood. Mo Xiaotian probably thought that by following this process, Wu Mingbai would be suspected by Endless Ability Academy, and then with a little prodding, the Black Flash Organization could abduct him and have him truly join them.

No, that’s not right. He quickly negated his own thought. After the incident with the double agent Zhou Renjie, there was absolutely no way the Black Flash Organization would accept another S-Class student so soon.

Even someone as simple-minded as Mo Xiaotian should have thought of this. The Black Flash Organization wasn’t even willing to treat Zhou Renjie well, so they certainly wouldn’t treat Wu Mingbai well either. Judging from his previous attitude, he definitely wanted Wu Mingbai to have a good life.

So, if his previous theory was correct, Mo Xiaotian should be feeling guilty right now. Because between the Black Flash Organization and his companions, he had chosen the Black Flash Organization, and he owed his companions an apology.

But he appeared so calm, not at all like someone with a guilty conscience. This must be because, in Mo Xiaotian’s mind, what he had just done didn’t put him in a difficult position.

The typical dilemma for him would be that after framing Wu Mingbai, the latter could neither stay at Endless Ability Academy nor would he likely receive good treatment if he joined the Black Flash Organization.

Therefore, there were only two possibilities that could eliminate his dilemma: either he had a way to make the Black Flash Organization accept Wu Mingbai without any reservations, which meant forcibly brainwashing him. The other was to ensure Wu Mingbai wouldn’t have to leave Endless Ability Academy, meaning that after he defected, Wu Mingbai’s name would naturally be cleared.

Of course, these two methods could also be combined. First, try to see if they could lure Wu Mingbai out. If not, it wouldn’t matter, because once Mo Xiaotian defected, Endless Ability Academy would re-accept him.

Su Bei didn’t think Mo Xiaotian would stay at the academy any longer. The author had already set up such a grand stage; if it was just a feint, he couldn’t imagine how immense the readers’ resentment would be.

So, as long as Mo Xiaotian defected, Wu Mingbai would definitely be exonerated. After all, it was a recognized fact that there was only one spy in S-Class. If a class of 15, the academy’s most valued class, could have two spies, then Endless Ability Academy might as well shut down and surrender to the Black Flash Organization.

Having figured these things out, Su Bei withdrew his gaze, contemplating whether he should use the “Oracle Account” next. He estimated that this spy incident would span at least two chapters: the first would be Wu Mingbai being framed, and the second would be Mo Xiaotian’s exposure.

So, he could very well post a prediction about the next chapter’s direction after the first chapter was released, giving his account a bit more presence. He was afraid his credibility would weaken if he didn’t appear for too long, which would then prevent him from making important changes.

This did not conflict with his previous thought of not stirring up trouble right under the author’s nose with the “Oracle Account” to prevent the other party from noticing something unusual and banning his account.

The only thing that could truly trigger the author’s sensitivity was his character, Su Bei. As long as the posts didn’t mention him, the author would probably ignore whatever he revealed, just as before.

After all, there were so many posts on the forum. Who would click on each one to check the poster’s identity?

Having made up his mind, Su Bei’s gaze returned to Wu Mingbai.

Unlike Jiang Tianming and the others who had been called away, the rest of the class still had no idea what was going on. Si Zhaohua asked quizzically, “So what did the teacher call you guys for?”

This question made the few of them fall silent simultaneously. If it were before, they would have answered without a second thought. They had clear consciences, so what if the spy investigation pointed to them? The Ability Government wouldn’t frame them for something they didn’t do.

But things were different now. Wu Mingbai was under suspicion for some reason. From Teacher Zhou’s attitude, it was obvious he suspected Wu Mingbai; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so hostile towards him alone.

Yet, this matter was rather sensitive. If they directly said it was about investigating a spy and that Wu Mingbai was a suspect, everyone would surely become wary of him. Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing knew Wu Mingbai was absolutely innocent, but the others didn’t. Even if the two of them explained together, they might not be able to dispel the doubts in others’ minds.

So for a moment, they hesitated whether to tell the truth.

Unable to bear seeing his companions so conflicted, Wu Mingbai straightforwardly stated the truth with a smile, “They came to investigate who the spy in our class is. And now, they suspect me.”

“Mingbai!” Upon hearing this, Jiang Tianming immediately looked at him with disapproval.

But Wu Mingbai just spread his hands. “We can’t hide it forever. Besides, I have a clear conscience.”

No one expected to hear such news and they were all stunned. As for Zhou Renjie, who had long known the reason for the Ability Government’s visit, he looked at Wu Mingbai with a scrutinizing gaze.

His relationship with Wu Mingbai hadn’t been that good before; they were arguably the two with the worst relationship in the class. Now, hearing that Wu Mingbai might be the spy, if nothing else, Zhou Renjie’s acceptance of this outcome was very high.

Compared to other classmates with whom he had a better relationship being the spy, he would, of course, prefer the one with whom he had a poor relationship to be the spy. This could also explain why he had suffered such abuse in the Black Flash Organization.

He was the first to break the silence, his eyes still scrutinizing, but now with an added hint of suspicion, “Four people were called away. Why does the teacher only suspect you?”

The question itself was valid. The teacher sent by the Ability Government to investigate this matter must have a special ability or tool. For him to accurately suspect Wu Mingbai among the four, he must have discovered something unusual.

Even if the others didn’t think Wu Mingbai was definitely the spy, the thought of this point still made them somewhat wary.

Sensing his suspicion, Wu Mingbai’s temper flared up at once. He sneered, “You should go ask that Teacher Zhou. How would I know why he suspects me?”

Feeling the gazes of others on him, especially the worried looks from Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing, the initially furious Wu Mingbai calmed down a bit and took the initiative to explain, “I grew up in an orphanage. Before awakening my ability, I knew almost nothing about the Ability World. If I truly had the Black Flash Organization as my backer, how could the director of the orphanage have died so tragically, and why would I have to go through so much trouble to avenge her? These things can be found out with a little investigation. I can’t be the spy.”

Regarding the past of the three of them before starting school, they had once chatted about it when they were bored, so everyone was aware of it. Hearing him say this, they immediately felt it made some sense.

“That’s right. If Mingbai were a member of the Black Flash Organization, how could I have been left alone?” Jiang Tianming immediately chimed in. “And if I were also a spy, how could the teacher only see his problem and not mine?”

He was completely proving Wu Mingbai’s innocence by implicating himself. If Wu Mingbai ultimately couldn’t clear his name, then he too would be under a layer of suspicion.

This was also why Wu Mingbai hadn’t used this logic himself. He didn’t want to drag others into this. In case he really couldn’t clear his name, at least his companions could stay out of it.

At this moment, hearing Jiang Tianming’s self-incriminating statement, Wu Mingbai glared at him.

And he wasn’t the only one defending Wu Mingbai. Lan Subing also stepped forward, “That’s right. I also knew Mingbai before enrolling. I think my identity would be quite profitable for the Black Flash Organization, right? If he were really a spy, I should be a suspect too.”

With two people vouching for him, the initially tense atmosphere in the class immediately eased a lot. Zhao Xiaoyu spoke with a smile, “The Ability Government’s judgment isn’t necessarily correct. Besides, if they were really 100% sure Mingbai was the spy, they would have arrested him long ago.”

She was right. Since Wu Mingbai hadn’t been directly arrested, it meant he wasn’t a confirmed spy. If they acted so wary now, and it later turned out that Wu Mingbai wasn’t the spy, then their relationship as classmates would be over.

No one wanted to face such a consequence, so even if they were still a bit worried, they couldn’t help but take the initiative to ease the atmosphere, at least to make them seem less awkward on the surface.

“Right, by the way, what was the Ability Government’s screening standard? Why did they only look for you few?” Remembering this question, Si Zhaohua asked in confusion.

Even if they didn’t look for someone like him from a major family, there were still plenty of other suspicious individuals in the class, right? Why did they specifically pick Jiang Tianming’s group of four?

Zhou Renjie, who knew this best, answered him directly, “The screening criteria were having no relatives and being male.”

Anyway, the important questions had already been asked. Revealing this point wouldn’t be a problem.

Everyone knew he had just returned from the Black Flash Organization and trusted his information greatly. Mu Tieren immediately realized something was wrong, “But doesn’t Xiaotian have relatives? If I remember correctly, his grandfather even came to our school festival.”

As a good class president who cared about his classmates, he remembered these things clearly.

Regarding this point, Zhou Renjie also wasn’t clear. However, before he could answer, Meng Huai walked in from outside the door, “It’s because we couldn’t find Xiaotian’s grandfather during our investigation.”

Saying so, he looked at Mo Xiaotian, “Where did your grandfather go?”

Hearing this question, Mo Xiaotian lowered his head, his expression unreadable. After a long while, he answered in a low voice, “He has passed away…”

This was the same as the result Meng Huai had found. It was quite normal for an elderly person to pass away. It was just a pity that because his grandfather had passed away, they couldn’t determine whether he was truly related to Mo Xiaotian by blood, so he was still on the list of spy suspects. He ruffled Mo Xiaotian’s red hair with his large hand, “My condolences.”

After speaking, his gaze swept over Wu Mingbai. Without saying much, he simply said to everyone concisely, “The Ability Government and the academy will see this spy investigation through to the end. You all just attend school as usual. However, before the spy is completely caught, I don’t want to hear any rumors outside.”

Then, Meng Huai walked to the podium and clapped his hands, “Alright, lunch break is over. Class is starting now.”

Life seemed to have returned to normal. After class each day, they would go out on missions, the same routine as before. But Su Bei knew very well that someone was watching them in secret. His Advanced Mental Energy could clearly sense one person watching the three of them, and another two people watching Wu Mingbai.

It was obvious that he was indeed the object of their deepest suspicion.

And during this period, Wu Mingbai was also conspicuously irritable. Although he didn’t have Advanced Mental Energy, his extremely high concentration of Earth Element gave him strong control over the earth, so he could naturally sense someone was tailing him.

The only ones who could tail him within the academy were people from the Ability Government and the academy itself. This made it very clear to him that he had not been cleared of suspicion at all, and it also made his mood increasingly volatile.

Anyone who found themselves inexplicably suspected of being a spy would probably find it difficult to remain calm.

Under these circumstances, Jiang Tianming was the first to approach Su Bei. “Su Bei, may I come in?”

Opening the dormitory door, Su Bei saw Jiang Tianming standing at the entrance. He had large, dark circles under his eyes, a clear sign that he hadn’t slept well these past few days. It wasn’t just him; Lan Subing had been in the same state for the past two days.

“Come in.” Su Bei stepped aside to let him in, already knowing in his heart what this visit was about.

As expected, knowing that he couldn’t beat around the bush with Su Bei, Jiang Tianming got straight to the point, “Do you have a way to prove Mingbai’s innocence?”

Before Su Bei could answer, he began to explain on his own, “Mingbai is definitely not a spy, but it’s not for no reason that the Ability Government only suspects him. I think there must be some basis that makes them believe Mingbai is the spy. But the teachers are unwilling to tell us how they judged it. We reviewed the questions from that day later, and we really couldn’t find where the problem was. Both Mingbai and I are ordinary people with no relatives and no background. Once we are suspected, we have absolutely no means to prove our innocence.”

He paused slightly here, finally stating his purpose, “So, do you have any way to help him prove it?”

He then quickly added one last sentence, “We’ve already asked Feng Lan, but for some reason, he didn’t give us an answer after using his ability. So we could only come to you.”

If it were an ordinary person hearing this, they might get angry at being just a backup option. But Jiang Tianming knew Su Bei definitely wouldn’t get angry. He would be delighted if everyone were like this, absolutely not thinking of him first when there was trouble.

“He used his ability but didn’t give you an answer?” Su Bei raised an eyebrow, asking with some surprise.

This was truly a strange matter. They had all witnessed how powerful Feng Lan’s [Prophecy] was. If he was willing to act, he rarely failed.

But this time, he had clearly used his ability, yet he didn’t give an answer. Did the prophecy fail, or was there some other reason?

Unfortunately, Jiang Tianming didn’t know the answer to this question either. He shook his head, “I don’t know either.”

It seems I’ll have to pay a visit to Feng Lan later, Su Bei thought. Facing Jiang Tianming’s expectant gaze, he spread his hands, “Don’t forget, I’m a suspect too. If I had such a method, why wouldn’t I clear my own name first?”

Although what he said was true, Jiang Tianming always felt that Su Bei was simply enjoying the show and was in no hurry to clear his own name.

But regardless, Su Bei’s attitude was very clear. He was obviously going to watch from the sidelines and had no intention of helping them.

Jiang Tianming lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, gave up on asking Su Bei to help prove Wu Mingbai’s innocence, and instead asked another question, “Then do you have any suggestions?”

He had some ideas in mind, but he wasn’t sure and wanted to see if Su Bei would have any different thoughts.

“Either find the spy, or find Wu Mingbai’s relatives.” Su Bei directly threw out two options, providing methods from two different angles.

The former naturally solved the problem at its root, while the latter solved the problem at its origin. Since Zhou Renjie said the spy’s characteristics were being male and having no other blood relatives, if gender couldn’t be changed, they could only try to find a way to prove the other point.

Jiang Tianming was thinking along these two lines as well. Regarding Wu Mingbai’s family background, because he had never cared about it, they hadn’t tried to investigate it over the years.

In Wu Mingbai’s own words, since they had abandoned him back then, there was no need for him to find them again. Besides, in a vast sea of people, how difficult would it be to find relatives without a single clue?

But things were different now. They were in the Ability World, where ability users had all sorts of strange powers. Perhaps there really was an ability that could help find relatives. After finding them and proving his innocence, it wouldn’t be too late to part ways with those relatives.

“I understand. Thank you for your advice.” After thanking him, Jiang Tianming quickly left Su Bei’s dormitory.

Not long after, Su Bei also went out and knocked on Feng Lan’s door.

At that time, Feng Lan had just taken a shower. His undried white hair hung down wetly, still dripping with water, making him look very obedient. A hint of confusion flashed in his golden eyes, “What’s wrong?”

“Your prophecy didn’t work?” Su Bei didn’t like it when people beat around the bush with him, so he naturally got straight to the point himself.

Upon hearing this, Feng Lan instantly understood which matter he was talking about and shook his head, “I tried to use the ‘Future Fragments’ ability to help prophesy, but I didn’t receive any vision.”

The principle of “Future Fragments” was for his future self to transmit information to his present self, telling the present self what to do. So, Feng Lan not receiving a vision meant that his future self was unwilling to tell his present self.

This was a very interesting matter. Su Bei asked with interest, “Then why do you think that is?”

In the time just now, Feng Lan had already thought about this question himself and gave the answer without hesitation, “Because my future self thinks the result will be better if I don’t interfere in this matter.”

“Then it seems Wu Mingbai will be able to gain something from this incident,” Su Bei said with understanding, agreeing with his view.

If Wu Mingbai could gain something, or if the overall outcome of the matter would be good, then it was very reasonable for the future Feng Lan not to want his past self to change the story’s plot. After all, a variable meant uncertainty. What if his change caused an originally good future to turn bad? It was better to respond to changes by not changing.

But his words allowed Feng Lan to capture another piece of information, “You think Wu Mingbai is not the spy?”

After all, what he had just said could be completely understood as his future self knowing that Wu Mingbai was the spy, which was why he didn’t let him interfere, so the government could solve it on its own.

But Su Bei clearly hadn’t thought in that direction at all, directly concluding that his future self meant Wu Mingbai would gain something from this frame-up.

Feng Lan knew that he couldn’t possibly have overlooked the other possibility just because he trusted Wu Mingbai too much. So it could only mean that Su Bei was certain Wu Mingbai was not the spy.

“Well, I think I’m more like a spy than he is,” Su Bei replied casually. “Spies need to be lone wolves.”

Jiang Tianming was right. If Wu Mingbai were the spy, then he, Jiang Tianming, could absolutely not have been left alone. Just by thinking through the logic, one could directly rule out the possibility of Wu Mingbai being the spy. He didn’t know what method the Black Flash Organization had used to make the Ability Government believe so firmly that Wu Mingbai was the spy.

But the Black Flash Organization felt it wasn’t enough. Although the Ability Government suspected Wu Mingbai, they hadn’t taken action against him, which proved they still had doubts. If they couldn’t make them certain that the spy had been caught, Mo Xiaotian’s attempt to move against Zhou Renjie could very well run into problems.

The Saint couldn’t be allowed to be in danger, so the Black Flash Organization decided to add more fuel to the fire.