Chapter 317

The next chapter of the manga updated quickly. Su Bei gave it a brief look. This time, the content mainly focused on how Jiang Tianming rescued everyone from the custody of the Black Flash Organization.

Without a doubt, the recently empowered Wu Mingbai naturally had his moment in the spotlight. The transfer station they were taken to was an island, and a rather large one at that. Although it was called a transfer station, the island was clearly used for more than just that.

A student training base had also been built there to cultivate future members of the organization. The manga revealed that Mo Xiaotian had spent his elementary and middle school years here.

It was hard to comment. Su Bei had a complicated expression when he read this. In this day and age, even a villain organization had a youth training camp. In a way, they were quite forward-thinking.

Letting them continue to train students was out of the question. Wu Mingbai found an opportunity and used his [Earth Element] to directly dissolve the entire island. That’s right, he dissolved it. As for the students on the island, they were evacuated by the current Black Flash Organization staff in a disaster relief-like effort, and Jiang Tianming and the others used this opportunity to escape successfully.

From the manga, Su Bei could intuitively feel how much Wu Mingbai had improved. If it were the old him, his [Earth Element] would never have been able to control such a large island, let alone precisely avoid the land where Jiang Tianming and the others were and specifically target the Black Flash Organization’s facilities.

Beyond that, the main plot-related content involved the Black Flash Organization’s collaboration with the Nightmare Beasts becoming increasingly difficult to hide, as well as the attitudes of Gong Yuzhi, Ye Lin, Cyril, and Li Xiang on the matter.

As the Four Heavenly Kings of the Black Flash Organization in a sense, even if the leader intentionally concealed his thoughts, they could more or less sense something. After all, it made no sense for outsiders to have guessed it while they remained completely oblivious.

Among them, Cyril held an opposing view. Both in the past and now, he detested Nightmare Beasts and was an absolute humanist. The leader was clearly aware of this and implemented policies to restrict and sideline him. Cyril’s situation within the organization was currently not good.

Li Xiang fully supported all of the leader’s decisions. Or rather, he didn’t seem to have any thoughts of his own; he was merely a weapon in the leader’s hands, the blade’s direction depending entirely on the wielder’s will.

Gong Yuzhi’s attitude was also interesting. On the surface, she was an unconditional supporter of the leader, just like Li Xiang. But she had been declining missions recently, especially those related to Nightmare Beasts. Gong Yuzhi always found a way to get the leader to assign someone else.

This state was like knowing the company was about to go bankrupt and thus not planning to work hard anymore. However, she only refrained from participating in matters related to Nightmare Beasts; she still completed other tasks properly, such as the recent capture of Wu Mingbai.

Su Bei could very well understand Gong Yuzhi’s thinking. After the organization’s downfall, powerful Ability users like them would generally have a chance to redeem themselves through meritorious service. After all, Ability users were rare, and simply executing them all would be a great loss.

But colluding with Nightmare Beasts was a different story. The most important, one could even say the sole, duty of an Ability user was to eliminate Nightmare Beasts. Cooperating with them was tantamount to completely abandoning their identity as an Ability user. Once discovered, it would definitely not be tolerated.

Gong Yuzhi was preparing a way out for herself!

Ye Lin shared the same thought, but her approach was to secretly contact Meng Huai. Having connections was great; you had the opportunity to jump ship anytime. She had only stayed in the Black Flash Organization for her sister’s sake. Regardless of whether the organization could achieve its goals or continue to exist, she had ways to ensure she and her sister could live well. But the current situation left her no choice but to switch sides. She couldn’t very well live and die with the Black Flash Organization, could she?

However, they had only contacted each other once. Just as Mo Xiaotian had said, the organization’s internal investigations were very strict recently, and even she didn’t dare stir up trouble during this period.

As for Mo Xiaotian, he hadn’t figured anything out yet, thinking everything was the same as before. Although he sensed a change in the atmosphere within the organization, he just thought it was because his grandfather was in a bad mood recently and that things would get better after a while.

Poor child! Su Bei shook his head and sighed. Once he learned the truth, Mo Xiaotian was destined to be devastated.

But it wasn’t all bad. He wasn’t like Cyril, who saw eliminating Nightmare Beasts as his personal mission. His grandmother was currently in a Nightmare Beast form; the leader would have to be a fool to raise him that way.

Mo Xiaotian was likely the type who was loyal to his own people. He didn’t care about justice, only about the people he cared for. In this respect, he was somewhat similar to Ye Lin.

But the point that would make this matter difficult for him was that the act of eliminating humanity itself went against his principles. The people he cared about were all human! Su Bei was certain that Mo Xiaotian would absolutely not want to follow his grandfather’s ideas and reunite with his grandmother by becoming a Nightmare Beast.

But those were things for him to consider; Su Bei wasn’t worried about it. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy his vacation and sincerely hoped that nothing else would happen in the remaining half a month.

On the day Jiang Tianming and the others returned to the country, he received a message of thanks from the king of the Afei Nation. The other party wasn’t as petty as he had imagined, though that might have been because Su Bei had already returned home. In any case, he was given a very generous reward for the rescue.

In addition to a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels, all sorts of items needed by Ability users were also fully prepared. Mental Energy Crystals, ability-enhancing items, and more were all included. They were good things, but they weren’t of much use to the current Su Bei.

Perhaps heaven had heard Su Bei’s wish, because nothing else happened for the rest of the summer vacation. Not to Su Bei, and not to Jiang Tianming’s group either.

The summer vacation flew by, and before they knew it, the school year began peacefully.

On the first day of school, Su Bei dragged himself to the academy. Going to school was truly a painful affair. It was hard to imagine how anyone could arrive at school full of vigor.

Arriving at the school gate, he looked at the students with their youthful faces, high morale, and identical excited expressions—clearly first-year freshmen. Su Bei felt a rare sense of daze. In the blink of an eye, they were already second-years, seniors to others.

Su Bei couldn’t help but recall what he was like at the start of his freshman year. Back then, he had just awakened his ability. Although the awakened ability was terrible and he was assigned to F-Class, he was actually quite happy to become an Ability user and experience a new world.

Unfortunately, fate didn’t give him much time to be happy. That incident happened on the very first day of school, forcing him to start saving the world.

But to have survived the first year amidst such a fast-paced plot, he was still pretty amazing! A faint smile finally appeared on Su Bei’s face.

“Su Bei… Senior!” Suddenly, a female voice called out to him from behind. It sounded a little familiar, but he couldn’t quite place who it was.

Su Bei turned his head and, for once, his eyes widened slightly in surprise. His powerful memory made him blurt out the other person’s name: “Zhou Min!”

Zhou Min, the second daughter of Longevity Town’s wealthiest family, the Zhou family; the only survivor of Longevity Town besides Officer Zhou; and the person whose luck was so incredible that she replaced the Old Ancestor as the sole beneficiary of the array.

The person before him was vastly different from the Zhou Min he had met before. Back then, her face was deathly pale, she wore a black dress, and she looked like a patient on the verge of death. Now, her complexion was rosy, she wore a smile, and it was clear at a glance that she was healthy and living a good life.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, understanding flashed in Su Bei’s eyes. After leaving Longevity Town, he had told the teacher responsible for handling the aftermath that they could check Zhou Min for an ability. Later, the manga confirmed his suspicion was correct; Zhou Min did indeed have an ability.

For her to be attending Endless Ability Academy now was only logical.

“You remember me!” Zhou Min’s eyes lit up instantly. She quickened her pace and walked up to him. “Long time no see. Thank you for asking the teacher to come find me to test my ability back then.”

She had rehearsed this reunion with Su Bei many times in her mind, and now she finally had the chance to thank him in person. After that incident, she had originally planned to keep her ability a secret forever, fearing further complications. If the teacher hadn’t come, she might never have had the chance to attend an Ability academy and use her ability openly.

If Su Bei knew what she was thinking, he would probably look perplexed. He hadn’t mentioned it out of any kindness, but merely out of concern that she might use her ability to cause trouble.

“You’re welcome.” Tilting his head, Su Bei asked casually, “So, what’s your ability?”

With no intention of hiding it, Zhou Min replied cheerfully, “It’s [Walls Have Ears], and I was assigned to D-Class. What about you, Senior Su Bei? Can I know what your ability is?”

It was precisely because of [Walls Have Ears] that she was able to learn of the Old Ancestor’s plan in advance and use it to her advantage.

Su Bei’s ability was no secret in the Ability World, so he answered directly, “[Destiny Gear].”

“That sounds really strong.” Zhou Min wasn’t surprised that Su Bei had a powerful ability; he didn’t seem like an ordinary person.

Although he had run into an old acquaintance, Su Bei didn’t feel much beyond the initial surprise. Just as he was about to say his goodbyes, Jiang Tianming and his two companions suddenly walked over.

“Su Bei!” Seeing his classmate from afar, Jiang Tianming called out in a good mood. Then he noticed the girl standing in front of him with her back to them and hesitated, stopping in his tracks. “Who is this?”

From the back, she was clearly not one of their classmates. Since when did Su Bei have such a friend? Lan Subing’s gaze darted back and forth between Su Bei and Zhou Min, her gossipy heart on full display.

Seeing through their thoughts, Su Bei shrugged. “You know her too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Min turned around proactively, her hands behind her back, and smiled. “Long time no see. Do you still remember me?”

“You are…” Jiang Tianming wore a hesitant expression before his memory finally returned. “Zhou… Min?”

Because he hadn’t talked to Zhou Min much, his impression of her wasn’t very clear. If it weren’t for her incredible luck and the bizarre way the Longevity Town incident ended, he really wouldn’t have remembered this girl.

Zhou Min nodded vigorously. “It’s me!”

“Who is this?” Wu Mingbai asked curiously. Lan Subing also looked at Jiang Tianming with a curious expression.

Jiang Tianming simply replied that Zhou Min was someone he had met on a previous mission, but his eyes blinked hard at them, signaling that there was more to the story and that he would tell them back in the classroom.

Lan Subing and Wu Mingbai immediately understood his meaning and didn’t press further. Only after Zhou Min left did they listen with great interest as Jiang Tianming recounted the experience.

Seeing them chatting and heading towards their old classroom, Su Bei quickly called out to them, “We’re second-years now, we have a new classroom.”

Meng Huai had told them this in the group chat two days ago; second-years had classes in another building. Lan Subing remarked with some emotion, “I subconsciously followed those people. So they’re all new first-years?”

“Looks like it.” Wu Mingbai echoed Su Bei’s earlier sentiment. “We’ve actually become seniors now.”

Whether it was in elementary or middle school, becoming a senior never carried as much significance as it did at Endless Ability Academy. In other schools, there wasn’t much difference between grade levels, aside from what they were learning. Each grade was highly independent, with little interaction between upperclassmen and underclassmen.

But the Ability academy was different. Except for students like Su Bei’s group who were strong enough to take on missions by themselves from the start, most other students needed seniors to guide them on missions.

Moreover, seniors at the Ability academy truly had a duty to protect their juniors. The relationships were naturally closer than in ordinary schools, and the change in status felt particularly distinct.

Lan Subing said with some worry, “I wonder if we’ll have to guide any juniors…”

“It’s fine. Even if we have to, it won’t be one-on-one.” Knowing what she was worried about, Jiang Tianming reassured her pointedly.

Chatting idly, the group arrived at their new classroom. The new classroom was no different from the old one, but the material of the walls seemed to have changed. They were originally ordinary plastered walls, but now…

Su Bei reached out and touched the wall; it felt much harder than before. However, he wasn’t mischievous enough to test its hardness by attacking it with his gears. Otherwise, he would definitely get a beating when Meng Huai arrived.

Classmates arrived one after another, all except for one person—Li Shu.

Ever since half the class had entered, Su Bei had been wondering if Li Shu would even show up today. He still remembered Li Shu’s performance in the manga; he clearly had a plotline of his own. Having not shown up for so long, given Su Bei’s understanding of manga tropes, Li Shu was a hundred percent about to kick off the first event of the new semester.

Sure enough, after Meng Huai entered the classroom, he directly announced two bombshells: “Li Shu has withdrawn from the academy. There are now fourteen students in the class. According to the S-Class’s student count requirement, we need to maintain a roster of ten students a month from now. There will be a thirteen-into-ten elimination match. You should start preparing.”

The two pieces of news caught everyone off guard. For a moment, no one knew which piece of news to focus on first. Whether it was Li Shu’s sudden withdrawal or the unexpected elimination match, everyone felt a little dizzy.

“Wait, teacher! Why did Li Shu withdraw?” It was Jiang Tianming who reacted first, asking the question that was more critical to him. Compared to being moved out of the class, withdrawing from school was obviously more serious.

Although Jiang Tianming sometimes found Li Shu’s pestering annoying, it didn’t stop him from seeing the other boy as a friend—and a relatively good friend at that, even within the S-Class. It was just that their mode of interaction was a bit strange.

Now that Li Shu had suddenly withdrawn without any prior notice, Jiang Tianming instinctively felt that something was wrong.

A profound look flashed in Meng Huai’s eyes as he shook his head. “This is a student’s personal matter. The academy only needs to confirm that the request for withdrawal was made by the student himself and that his parents consented.”

Hearing this, Jiang Tianming said no more, but his expression was clearly off. It seemed he didn’t plan to let this matter drop so easily.

The next to raise his hand was Zhou Renjie. To him, Li Shu’s withdrawal was a small matter; being eliminated from the S-Class was the real issue. “Teacher, is the elimination you mentioned for real?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Meng Huai gave him a half-smile. “Besides, you all should have known about this from the very beginning.”

Although they had indeed known from the beginning, so much time had passed, and since it wasn’t a good thing, everyone had naturally assumed the academy wouldn’t kick them out of the S-Class. Who knew this rule would suddenly be enforced now that they were in their second year.

“…The elimination match means…” Pursing his lips, Mu Tieren asked the most crucial question.

Meng Huai didn’t hold back information, generously telling them, “I don’t know. The academy hasn’t decided yet. You’ll find out at the end of the month.”

They thought he would reveal some useful information, but that was it. Wu Mingbai, who was already in a bad mood because of the news, couldn’t help but sneer. “Haven’t you gotten used to it? This is Endless Ability Academy for you—free and democratic.”

They were never told what would be on any exam. Anyone who knew would call it an Ability user exam; anyone who didn’t would think they were being tested on their potential as fortune tellers.

Meng Huai didn’t mind his evaluation of the academy at all. He paused, then continued with deep meaning, “But there’s one more piece of news I can tell you. You can voluntarily withdraw. If four people withdraw before the end-of-month exam, then you won’t have to take it.”

After saying that, he curled his lips into a smile, said nothing more, turned, and left the classroom.

As soon as he left, everyone’s thoughts ran wild. Normally, they would have started discussing it by now, but this time, the matter involved competition. Both the strong and the weak had their reservations and couldn’t discuss it with others recklessly; they could only ponder it in their hearts.

Meng Huai’s meaning was clear: if they wanted to avoid the exam, it was best to get four people to voluntarily leave the S-Class. But the problem was, getting into the S-Class was not easy to begin with. After staying for a year, leaving would make it impossible to integrate into other classes. Under these circumstances, who would be willing to quit voluntarily?

Even Zhao Xiaoyu, who knew it would be difficult for her to win in the exam and had already secured a job at the academy, was unwilling to voluntarily leave the S-Class. Whether one could pass the exam was one thing; voluntarily giving up one’s rightful privilege was another.

“Does someone really have to leave?” Ai Baozhu complained in dissatisfaction. “If there can only be ten people, they shouldn’t have recruited so many in the first place! And even if they did, they should have started the elimination assessment earlier! Starting it only after we’ve been in S-Class for a year is just too much!”

“Is there really no room for negotiation?” Zhao Xiaoyu looked at Wu Jin and asked seriously.

Wu Jin shook his head, not in negation, but to express that he didn’t know either. “I haven’t looked into this issue. I’ll ask when I get back.”

Having a well-connected person in the class was great. If nothing else, they could at least get an accurate answer. Everyone instantly felt a sense of relief. Even if the final answer wasn’t what they wanted, at least they had tried to appeal to the academy’s highest leadership.

However, what they didn’t know was that the person who truly knew the inside story was right there in the classroom. Su Bei looked out the window, recalling what Lei Ze’en had said back then. The exam was real, and the elimination was also real. But as long as one didn’t voluntarily withdraw, they wouldn’t actually leave the S-Class.

Just now, when Meng Huai was hinting that everyone should voluntarily withdraw, Su Bei almost rolled his eyes. What a malicious intent, Teacher Meng, to be so fond of setting traps for his students.

But clearly, no one intended to withdraw voluntarily. Su Bei heard Zhao Xiaoyu already starting to urge Wu Jin to find out the exam content, which showed she wasn’t planning to give up either.

“Li Shu… blocked me?” Suddenly, Jiang Tianming’s shocked voice rang out.

Hearing him, the others all looked over. After understanding what he had just said, shock appeared on their faces as well. Li Shu blocked Jiang Tianming? The sun must be rising from the west!

Thinking of something, everyone simultaneously took out their phones to send Li Shu a message, and unsurprisingly, they found that they had also been blocked.

Jiang Tianming was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, “Does anyone know where Li Shu lives? I want to visit his house this weekend.”

Things were happening in a way that defied common sense. They had been getting along just fine not long ago, so why the sudden blocking of everyone and withdrawal from school? Besides, even if he wanted to withdraw, there was no need to block them, right? Blocking them like this felt more like a clumsy cover-up.

“It’s like he’s asking for help…” Jiang Tianming muttered to himself with a grave expression, then abruptly stood up and walked out. “I’m going to ask Teacher Meng.”

If Li Shu hadn’t blocked them and had just offered a casual explanation, perhaps Jiang Tianming wouldn’t have been so persistent. But by blocking them so abruptly, he had practically laid the problem out in the open. Wasn’t this a form of asking for help?

Jiang Tianming couldn’t be so cold as to pretend he didn’t see a friend asking for help. He would despise himself for it.

Watching his retreating back, Qi Huang thought for a moment and raised her hand. “I’m going with you then!”

Although they seemed incompatible, she and Li Shu actually had a decent relationship. They had always been in the same class and had no conflicting positions. While Li Shu was a yandere, his possessiveness was never directed at Qi Huang.

Most importantly, when Li Shu was being passive-aggressive towards Qi Huang, she would retort directly if she was annoyed but wouldn’t hold a grudge. And although Li Shu would hold a grudge because of Qi Huang’s retort, he would get his revenge with more passive-aggressiveness.

It was, in fact, a closed loop.