Chapter 262:

This fire didn’t burn Su Bei. He was a very clever person. As soon as he had guessed the Black Flash Organization’s plan, he had intentionally avoided teaming up with Wu Mingbai for missions.

He was already connected to this undercover incident. Unless he genuinely wanted to join the Black Flash Organization, there was no need to get dragged in any deeper.

Thus, by avoiding Wu Mingbai, Su Bei also successfully avoided harm. The three people who went on the mission with Wu Mingbai that day—Wu Jin, Qi Huang, and Li Shu—were all seriously injured in the Black Flash Organization’s attack.

Although they had a powerful Ability user watching over them, the Black Flash Organization had done their homework thoroughly. They first sent a wave of people to lure away the guarding Ability user, followed by the actual unit that came to attack the students.

If not for everyone’s excellent coordination and the guardian’s relatively quick return, those few wouldn’t just be seriously injured right now; their lives would have truly been in danger.

The Black Flash Organization wasn’t stupid enough to let Wu Mingbai be the only one to stand out. If they did, the Ability Government would definitely suspect that Wu Mingbai was a smokescreen they had deliberately set up. Therefore, he also appeared to be severely injured, but a careful examination would reveal that while the others’ injuries were real, his were merely superficial.

And evidently, Endless Ability Academy had conducted a careful examination.

The current situation was that four people went out on a mission, the Black Flash Organization executed a precise strike, the other three were seriously injured and unconscious, and only Wu Mingbai had minor injuries, which were even deliberately disguised as severe ones.

If this wasn’t a smoking gun, it was at least a major piece of evidence cementing Wu Mingbai’s status as the Black Flash Organization’s mole. Consequently, Wu Mingbai was quickly taken away and placed in solitary confinement, losing all contact with the outside world.

He couldn’t contact the outside world, and naturally, the outside world couldn’t contact him. This made Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing extremely worried, but the three who were on the mission with him were still in a coma, so they couldn’t be asked about what happened.

Apart from the two of them, however, most of the people in S-Class found it difficult to trust Wu Mingbai anymore. In their eyes, Wu Mingbai was an open-and-shut case—the mole.

In the classroom, seeing the dejected looks on Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing’s faces, Zhou Renjie said with considerable annoyance, “Are you feeling sad for a mole?”

“Mingbai is not a mole!” Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing retorted in unison.

“Do you even believe that yourself?” Zhou Renjie wouldn’t listen to their defense. “If he’s not a mole, how come he was the only one unharmed? Oh, don’t tell me you’re going to say the Black Flash Organization did this on purpose to frame him. But think about it carefully, it seems Wu Mingbai has never really been hurt by the Black Flash Organization. Not only that, he’s gained quite a few benefits!”

His words made everyone else remember. That was right, Wu Mingbai had indeed gained a huge benefit from the Black Flash Organization—the heightened Earth Element on him.

Back then, he was the only one abducted by the Black Flash Organization and taken to that underground laboratory. Thinking back now, all the so-called dangers he encountered in the lab were just his side of the story, but the benefits he received were tangible.

At this thought, everyone became even more convinced that Wu Mingbai was the mole.

Su Bei couldn’t help but sigh. If he didn’t know the truth, he might have actually believed Zhou Renjie. It had to be said that the Black Flash Organization had its reasons for choosing Wu Mingbai as the scapegoat. Not only was his background clean, but they could also get revenge for him destroying their underground lab.

“Don’t be too upset,” Zhao Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment before offering comfort. “Even though Wu Mingbai is the Black Flash Organization’s mole, I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with the two of you.”

She didn’t plan to distance herself from Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing just because of Wu Mingbai’s identity. The past performance of those two was plain for all to see; there was no way they would get involved with the Black Flash Organization.

Although they were poor judges of character, it wouldn’t affect their friendship as classmates. Wu Mingbai’s disguise was just too good, so it was normal not to have seen through it.

Most of the others felt the same way. It was confirmed that there was only one mole, so with Wu Mingbai already exposed, no one would suspect Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing, even though they were close to him.

Unfortunately, Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing had no intention of accepting her goodwill. Seeing that their classmates couldn’t help them, Jiang Tianming shot up from his seat. “I’m going to find Teacher Meng.”

“I’ll go with you.” Lan Subing quickly stood up as well and left the classroom with Jiang Tianming.

Zhou Renjie, who held a deep resentment for moles, curled his lip. “I don’t know what they’re still struggling for. They’ll quiet down once Wu Mingbai is thrown in prison.”

No one told him not to say that. Although it sounded a bit like kicking someone when they’re down, Zhou Renjie was a true victim, so it was normal for him to complain a little.

Feng Lan glanced at Su Bei. Although he didn’t speak, Su Bei magically understood his meaning. He was asking him: didn’t you say before that Wu Mingbai wasn’t the mole? How come it now looks like Wu Mingbai’s identity as the mole is all but confirmed?

Faced with his doubt, Su Bei shrugged nonchalantly. It was clear he didn’t think his judgment was wrong, but he also had no intention of proving Wu Mingbai’s innocence.

After the morning classes ended, Su Bei got up to head to the cafeteria, but was suddenly stopped by Si Zhaohua. “Let’s have lunch together.”

Hearing this, Su Bei turned around, a little surprised. “Why the sudden invitation?”

Usually, Si Zhaohua ate with Ai Baozhu and Zhou Renjie. This was the case before Zhou Renjie left, and it was naturally the case after he returned.

Speaking of which, he deliberately glanced at Zhou Renjie and Ai Baozhu. However, they had clearly already discussed it with Si Zhaohua. The two of them left together without even sparing them a look.

“I want to ask you something.” Si Zhaohua pursed his lips, his expression somewhat complicated.

Why does everyone like asking him questions so much? Su Bei waved his hand with some resignation, signaling for him to follow. What good would refusing do now? The other party would find a chance to ask sooner or later. The sooner it was asked, the sooner it was over.

After they arrived at the cafeteria, picked their lunches, and sat down opposite each other, Si Zhaohua finally spoke. “Do you think Wu Mingbai is the real mole?”

“You don’t think so?” Su Bei asked back.

Si Zhaohua honestly nodded, then shook his head. “Logically, I feel like he is the mole, but the points they made earlier were also very valid. Most importantly, Jiang Tianming isn’t the type to act on impulse. With such conclusive evidence, if he didn’t absolutely trust Wu Mingbai, I don’t think he would defend him so staunchly.”

After finishing, he asked his original question again. “So, what do you think? Is Wu Mingbai the Black Flash Organization’s mole or not?”

“What’s the rush? What can my answer change?” Su Bei unhurriedly enjoyed his lunch. “We’ll know the result soon enough anyway. Young man, can’t you be a little more patient?”

“So you do know the answer, don’t you?” Si Zhaohua asked, hitting the nail on the head.

Su Bei: “…”

He found that these people were getting to know him better and better, to the point where they could be so incisive that he was left speechless.

Unfortunately, giving an answer was out of the question. He turned a deaf ear and focused on eating.

Watching Su Bei, Si Zhaohua propped his chin on one hand, his silver hair falling beside his face. He thought for a moment and asked again, “Did you know who the mole was all along?”

Su Bei’s movements paused for a fraction of a second, then he continued eating as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

What else was there for Si Zhaohua to not understand? He was so exasperated he almost laughed, completely baffled. “Since you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”

As early as last semester when S-Class was first established, they had suspected there was a mole in the class. However, because there was only a small clue and nothing happened afterward, everyone had forgotten about it this year.

But looking at it now, their initial guess was correct; there really was a mole in S-Class.

Since the mole had been around for so long, based on Si Zhaohua’s understanding of Su Bei, he either didn’t know the mole’s identity, or if he did, he must have known it from before, definitely not just now that trouble had occurred.

But if he had known the mole’s identity for a long time, why didn’t he warn them? Even if he wanted to keep the mole around to watch the show, wasn’t this show lasting a bit too long?

“Destiny is not something that can be easily disturbed.” This was the third question, and Su Bei finally stopped playing dumb.

Of course, he couldn’t directly reveal Mo Xiaotian’s identity as the mole. That was a plot point that absolutely had to be arranged by the author. Su Bei believed that whether it was before or after the author noticed him, the consequences of him actively exposing this information would be more than he could bear.

Hearing this, Si Zhaohua stared intently into his eyes, as if trying to judge whether he was telling the truth or just making an excuse. Finally, he let out a long sigh. “You can’t say, even now?”

“You’ll all know the result in a few days,” Su Bei’s answer was still the same.

Although that’s what he said, Si Zhaohua already had a rough idea. If Wu Mingbai were really the mole, Su Bei would have had no reason to say so much.

But if the mole wasn’t Wu Mingbai, who could it be? It couldn’t possibly be Mo Xiaotian, right?

Seeing that he was pondering who the mole was, Su Bei asked with great interest, “Why not suspect me?”

“There’s no need.” Unlike others’ answers, Si Zhaohua said, “I don’t think any organization would send an Ability user with such a powerful ability to be a mole.”

From the perspective of an organization’s leader, it was definitely not worth the risk. Once Su Bei was caught, the Black Flash Organization would essentially lose a future powerful Destiny-type user. Compared to the negligible gains, the potential loss was far too great.

His answer gave Su Bei a completely new perspective. He really hadn’t thought of clearing his name as a potential mole in this way before.

During class that afternoon, everyone learned another shocking piece of news from Meng Huai. Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing had taken a leave of absence. It was said they were going to look for Wu Mingbai’s family.

Upon hearing that they had gone to find Wu Mingbai’s relatives, everyone looked astonished. Although they understood the purpose of their trip, wasn’t it a bit too late to be looking for his family now?

Wu Mingbai was already all but confirmed as the mole. What was the use of finding his family? If he was the real mole, all of this would be a waste of time, and they wouldn’t find anything. And if he was being framed, given the current situation, by the time they found any relatives, it would probably be too late.

Meng Huai thought so too, but it was a heartfelt gesture, so he didn’t bother to refuse. “Don’t mind them. Just focus on your classes for me.”

Focusing on class was impossible. Mu Tieren raised his hand and asked with some concern, “Teacher, if Wu Mingbai really is a mole, what kind of sentence will he receive?”

As soon as he said this, everyone looked over. They were all curious about this question too, but they still felt some camaraderie with Wu Mingbai, so no one had the heart to ask. They didn’t expect Mu Tieren to be the one to bring it up.

Of course, Mu Tieren didn’t ask this because he was certain Wu Mingbai was the mole. It was mainly because he had a relative in prison and knew very well what kind of torment that was. He asked in advance because he was afraid Wu Mingbai would suffer the same torment.

“Moles under the age of sixteen are sentenced to reform through labor,” Meng Huai answered crisply. “But that’s on the condition that Wu Mingbai is really a mole.”

His words were also quite profound, clearly indicating his skepticism about Wu Mingbai being the mole.

This was where the importance of a good teacher was evident. Meng Huai’s attitude directly influenced everyone’s attitude toward the matter. At least, no one in the class openly discussed it anymore, and the overall atmosphere improved considerably.

But Meng Huai’s influence didn’t extend to the entire academy. After getting the news, other students in the academy inevitably started discussing it.

Normally, before a matter was settled, the government should keep it confidential. Otherwise, if Wu Mingbai turned out not to be the mole, leaking the news beforehand would not only affect Wu Mingbai’s life but also the government’s public credibility.

But it was hard to keep news completely under wraps in the Ability World. After all, there were many large families who could easily get information. Some rowdy parents directly stated that they refused to let their children attend the same academy as a mole, causing many people to learn about the incident.

Listening to the rumors outside, Zhao Xiaoyu sighed. “It’s a good thing Tianming and the others left. Otherwise, who knows how angry they would be.”

That was certainly true. Su Bei couldn’t even imagine how they would be ridiculed by the crowd if they defended Wu Mingbai in front of so many people. When most people held one belief, those with different ideas would naturally be treated as outsiders.

As the saying goes, truth is only in the hands of the few, and only those who wrongly accuse you know how wronged you are. Aside from this small group who grasped the truth and those who framed Wu Mingbai, everyone else firmly believed that Wu Mingbai was the mole.

Su Bei estimated that if Qi Huang and the others who were seriously injured and in a coma woke up, it might slightly lessen the suspicion on Wu Mingbai. But unfortunately, they remained unconscious, so everyone naturally assumed that the Black Flash Organization was afraid of Wu Mingbai’s identity being exposed, which was why they used a skill to keep them from waking up.

One could say the general idea was similar, but the direction was reversed. The Black Flash Organization was keeping them from waking up because they were afraid they would lessen the suspicion on Wu Mingbai.

During this time, Su Bei didn’t ask Mo Xiaotian how he framed Wu Mingbai. There were some things that were better for even him to know less about. Knowing too much would inevitably lead to getting involved.

Daily life continued. Because they believed the mole had been caught, he could clearly feel that the previous tense atmosphere was gone. Although everyone was somewhat saddened by the mole incident, no one was as cautious as before.

It was clearly a good time for the Black Flash Organization to make a move. Su Bei decisively distanced himself from Zhou Renjie and Mo Xiaotian, trying his best to avoid doing missions with them. He had a premonition that once those two were assigned to the same team, Mo Xiaotian would inevitably make his move.

However, Murphy’s Law always showed its magic. Some things just happen the more you don’t want them to. The very next day, the Ability Government arranged a mission for a team of five consisting of him, Zhou Renjie, Mo Xiaotian, Ai Baozhu, and Mu Tieren.

Su Bei: “…”

He decisively went to Meng Huai to ask for leave, theatrically clutching his forehead. “Teacher, I don’t feel well. My head hurts really badly. I need to rest in the academy for a couple of days.”

The mission departure was tomorrow. He just needed to delay until the day after tomorrow, and he’d be fine.

“Headache?” Meng Huai eyed him suspiciously. “Want to go to the infirmary?”

Going to the infirmary was out of the question; otherwise, his cover would be blown. Su Bei immediately refused, “No need. I think I just lack rest. I’ll be fine after sleeping for two days. If I’m still not better by then, I’ll go to the infirmary.”

Of course, Meng Huai wouldn’t believe such a clumsy lie. On a normal day, he might have agreed, but not this time. “The client for this mission specifically requested you. You can’t escape even if you want to.”

Now it was Su Bei’s turn to be surprised. He asked unexpectedly, “What kind of mission is it?”

The specific details of the mission would only be sent over tomorrow, so he didn’t know what it was about yet.

“The mission location very likely has a Destiny-type Nightmare Beast. The ones being harassed are an Ability user family. They know about your ability, so they hope you can go and take a look,” Meng Huai explained succinctly. “You’ll know the specific details of the mission tomorrow. In short, don’t even think about slacking off.”

It seemed there was no escape. Right, how could the author let him escape so easily if they wanted to mess with him? Su Bei sighed and obediently accepted his fate.

The next day, the five of them sat in the business vehicle arranged by the academy, each holding a file on the mission. The clients who submitted the request to the Ability Government, the Sun couple, were both Ability users. For some time now, their luck had been exceptionally bad, to the point where they could trip on flat ground while walking and get food stuck in their teeth while drinking water.

At first, they just thought it was bad luck, but when the two of them happened to chat, they discovered that the other was experiencing the same thing. That definitely meant something was wrong.

Being Ability users, they knew more about Nightmare Beasts than ordinary people. The two immediately realized a Nightmare Beast was at work, applied to the Ability Government for a device to track Nightmare Beast traces, and upon scanning their home, they indeed found signs of a Nightmare Beast.

According to the Ability Government’s judgment, this was likely the work of an Intermediate Nightmare Beast, the Misfortune Nightmare Beast. This type of Nightmare Beast had no other ability than to make people increasingly unlucky. Once it escalated to a certain point, the person would die from bad luck. Literally die from bad luck.

This type of Nightmare Beast wasn’t hard to deal with. As long as it was found, it could be killed relatively easily. If the Sun couple had any offensive-type abilities, they probably could have eliminated the Misfortune Nightmare Beast themselves.

The difficult part was that after this Nightmare Beast died, the ability it cast while alive would not disappear. Without a specialized Ability user to help eliminate the ability’s effects, the Sun couple would still become increasingly unlucky until they died of it.

To eliminate the Misfortune Nightmare Beast’s ability, one either had to use an Ability Nullification power like Jiang Tianming’s to directly erase the effect, or find a way to stop the downward trend of luck. As long as their luck turned good even once, the Misfortune Nightmare Beast’s ability would naturally be broken.

“Looks like this is your home turf, Su Bei.” After reading the first page of the file, Ai Baozhu said in a relaxed tone, then added in confusion, “But you should be enough, right? Why send so many of us?”

Mu Tieren, who had already finished reading the entire file, explained, “Look at the second page. There’s a group of Nightmare Beasts left over from a battle hidden in this place that haven’t been dealt with. Our main job is to take care of that.”

“Awesome, destroying Nightmare Beasts!” Mo Xiaotian cheered. “So should we split up then?”

The “split up” he was talking about meant the other three as one group and Su Bei as his own group. Su Bei was naturally all for this. As long as they split up, he could completely stall for time at the Sun family’s house and wait for the dust to settle before going to find Wu Mingbai and the others.

Just as he was about to nod, the voice of the Manga Consciousness suddenly sounded in his ear: “‘King of Abilities’ has been updated. Please check.”

The manga is updated? Looks like Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing’s investigation next door is making progress. Su Bei understood and had no intention of reading the manga immediately. He continued with the previous topic, “I think we can. You guys go eliminate the Nightmare Beasts, don’t worry about me.”

“You know,” Ai Baozhu said faintly, “that kind of line is usually more applicable when you’re going to handle something more troublesome.”

And clearly, the problem Su Bei had to handle was much easier than theirs. His ability was a perfect counter to the Misfortune Nightmare Beast, and the beast’s own attack power was very low, only slightly higher than a low-tier Nightmare Beast. So it could be said that Su Bei could complete the mission with almost no effort.

It had been a long time since Zhou Renjie had done a mission with Su Bei, so his impression of him had faded a bit. He asked uncertainly, “You’ll come and meet up with us immediately after you finish your task to eliminate the Nightmare Beasts together, right?”

“In your dreams. There’s no way he’ll come over in time. The only reason he wouldn’t go straight back to the academy is for fear of being scolded by the teacher.” Ai Baozhu, who knew Su Bei well enough, mercilessly shattered his fantasy.

Su Bei feigned grievance. “That’s slander! I’ll definitely rush over the first chance I get after finishing the mission!”

“But when the mission is finished is up to you, isn’t it?” Ai Baozhu took out her small pink fan and said haughtily while fanning herself elegantly, “As if I don’t know you.”

Su Bei indeed had that in mind, but he refused to admit it. “Have some sympathy. Changing destiny is tiring, okay?”

Before Ai Baozhu could glare at him, Mo Xiaotian spoke up again. He patted his chest confidently and said, “Brother Bei, I’ll help you eliminate your share of the Nightmare Beasts! You just rest up!”

Hearing this, Su Bei immediately shot him an appreciative look. “Good brother, you’re the one who knows how to care for people!”

Seeing the two of them engage in this touching display of “fatherly benevolence and filial piety,” Ai Baozhu was speechless. “Xiaotian, I know you mean well, but precious kindness shouldn’t be wasted on thick-skinned people. It’s no different from throwing meat buns at a dog.”

“It’s okay, I like eliminating Nightmare Beasts,” Mo Xiaotian said cheerfully, presenting the very image of a naive and sweet person who’d help count the money after being sold.

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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all you little darlings! The first fifty comments today will get a small red envelope!