Chapter 320

Su Bei strongly agreed with Mu Tieren’s concern. With so many children living in the same large communal bunk, it would be one thing if they were three or four years old. But the youngest here were five or six, and the oldest were thirteen or fourteen—an age where privacy is absolutely necessary.

Moreover, there were both boys and girls among these children. Even in a family with blood ties, one should understand the principle that men and women should maintain a proper distance. Even if the children didn’t know, wouldn’t the adults?

Forcing them to live together without regard for gender, age, or privacy—even if they managed to grow up smoothly, they probably wouldn’t be mentally healthy. Shaking off the thought, the three of them exchanged a look.

Speaking of which, Li Shu’s mentality was a bit unhealthy. If he really grew up in a place like this, it seemed to make sense…

“Let’s go, let’s check out that house.” Without overthinking it, Su Bei started walking towards the building.

Upon reaching the entrance, all three of them revealed an expression of understanding that was both unexpected and logical. Although the house looked simple from the outside, the inside was even more spartan. The house itself wasn’t large, and the space inside was incredibly small.

At first glance, it looked like some sort of registration office, with only a small table holding paper and a pen. The rest of the space was piled with miscellaneous items, making it seem like a rather nonsensical room.

But having just seen so many children going in and out, the layout now seemed like a clumsy attempt to hide something.

Qi Huang scanned their surroundings, then held out a palm. The air above it visibly shimmered. She whispered, “Go.”

As she spoke, the air throughout the room suddenly seemed to distort. Su Bei could feel the surrounding temperature rise instantly, though not to a degree that would burn them.

“What did you do?” he asked curiously.

While releasing her skill, Qi Huang replied, “I released a Colorless Flame. It’s not just water that can measure dimensions; fire can too.”

Although she said that, both Su Bei and Mu Tieren knew that using fire to probe space was much more difficult than using water. The latter required controlling the flame to avoid destroying any objects in the room and, more importantly, to avoid harming the two of them. This was a significant test of Qi Huang’s control over her ability and her grasp of the flame’s temperature.

“Impressive.” Mu Tieren gave a thumbs-up in admiration. Although this method was a bit risky, he chose to trust his friend’s ability unconditionally. “Waiting for your good news.”

And Qi Huang certainly didn’t disappoint. Five minutes later, the surrounding air temperature dropped. She retracted her hand and walked straight ahead. “Found it.”

Arriving at an empty space in the middle of the room, Qi Huang tapped a tile on the floor with her foot. “The entrance to the basement is under this tile. There’s no one inside, so we can go in safely. But how do we get down?”

One had to admit, the design was quite clever. Even if someone knew there was a basement in this room, they would likely focus their attention on the obstacles, like the tables, chairs, and junk. Most people wouldn’t think that the entrance had no cover at all, placed so brazenly in the very center of the room.

“It’s time I did something useful.” Mu Tieren, of course, wouldn’t wait for others to help the whole time. He also extended a hand, and his arm suddenly transformed with a powerful, high-tech flair, morphing into something resembling a crowbar within a few breaths.

But it clearly wasn’t just a crowbar; it looked like a product of advanced technology. With just a light touch to the crack between the floor tiles, the head of the crowbar secreted a tiny stream of water. The water seeped into the crack, quickly corroding it into a larger gap.

With a gap, the rest was easy. The crowbar lifted slightly, and the floor tile was pried out completely intact.

After concentrating on finishing this task, Mu Tieren finally looked up. He first smiled shyly, then, as if remembering something, his smile faded. He pursed his lips and raised his crowbar-hand. “This is the body the Doctor modified for me. It can transform into various tools whose information has been recorded.”

So that was the difference between his ability and Senior Wei Yuexi’s [Arms Dealer] ability; each had a different focus. After summarizing this information in his head, Su Bei looked at the inexplicably nervous Mu Tieren.

Of course, Su Bei knew exactly what he was nervous about. A fully mechanized body was a huge departure from a human in the traditional sense. In novels, there were always traditionalists who refused to accept such people, and art often reflects reality.

Although this was far from the first time Mu Tieren had used his mechanical modifications, he had previously transformed them into weapons, which didn’t look much different from an ability. This time, however, he had transformed it into a crowbar—and a very high-tech one at that—so his mindset was naturally different.

Before he could say anything, Qi Huang mimicked Mu Tieren’s earlier gesture and gave a thumbs-up. “Impressive. This ability is way more convenient than a regular one, and you don’t even need an ability license to use it.”

Hearing her words and seeing not a hint of disgust in her eyes, Mu Tieren’s heart finally settled. Then he heard Su Bei ask curiously, “I remember your ability can now strengthen your flesh and these mechanical parts at the same time. How does that strengthening work?”

Mu Tieren had rarely demonstrated this aspect of his ability in battle before. The weapons he created were already powerful enough, and most Ability users or Nightmare Beasts couldn’t withstand bullets. Those who could usually had special abilities, making it hard to see the enhancement effect on the weapons.

Though Su Bei didn’t actually mean it that way, his question successfully diverted Mu Tieren’s attention. “I’ve researched a few things so far. First, the strength of my mechanical body has increased significantly; ordinary abilities won’t damage it. Second, these mechanical limbs have a certain degree of regeneration and self-repair, so I don’t have to worry about damaged parts. In terms of attack power, let’s take a rifle for example. It will have an increased rate of fire and range compared to a normal rifle, plus an auto-correcting function. In short, the enhancement from this ability can be very flexible, based on my needs.”

When it came to his area of expertise, Mu Tieren rambled on at length. To Su Bei’s ears, it meant the enhancement was indeed useful, but only in a special case like Mu Tieren’s. For anyone else, this ability would be C-Class at best.

His curiosity satisfied, he wasted no more time. He swept the area below with his Mental Energy, confirmed that it was indeed empty, and was the first to jump down.

The basement environment was a whole different world, completely different from the room above. If the room above was a cluttered registration office, then this place was a somewhat high-end, unscrupulous clinic.

That’s right, this was a clinic, or more accurately, an operating room. Coming down, one could see a luxurious lounge sofa, a cabinet of books next to it, and a proper reception desk.

Further inside was a sealed operating room. Looking through the glass window, one could see what looked like a very standard operating theater inside, complete with a surgical bed, spotlights, and various instruments.

“So they came here to… get physical check-ups?” Qi Huang asked hesitantly, her face full of confusion. If it was just for check-ups, why build such a concealed secret room? A medical office should normally be on the ground floor.

Mu Tieren walked to the operating room door and tried the handle, but it wouldn’t turn. This time, Su Bei didn’t let him bother. He walked over himself and fiddled with the lock for a moment using the pin on his brooch.

Click!

The door opened.

“Where did you learn a trick like that?” Qi Huang looked at Su Bei suspiciously as she walked in.

Before Su Bei could say anything, a noise suddenly came from outside, as if someone was coming down. The three of them were startled. Su Bei reacted extremely quickly, ushering Mu Tieren inside, then closing and locking the door before finally using an Invisibility Talisman.

Seeing his actions, the other two remembered they also had Invisibility Talismans. Just a second before the newcomers appeared, they all became invisible.

The arrivals were a man and a woman, both with pink hair. They were wearing white lab coats and were presumably doctors at the clinic. The woman was holding a medical chart, shaking her head as she spoke. “The quality of the last batch of children was just average. Hopefully, this batch will be a bit better.”

“Don’t worry. If this batch isn’t good, there’s the next one. If the next one isn’t good, there’s the one after that. We produce so many, there are bound to be some of good quality.” The man beside her said nonchalantly, taking a key from his pocket to open the operating room door.

His words clearly didn’t sit well with the female doctor. She shot him a glare and said with a cold smile, “Of course you’re not worried. For you, it’s just a moment’s effort anyway. No matter how easy childbirth is for us women, it still takes a huge toll on our bodies, you know?”

“Alright, alright, I misspoke.” The man raised his hands in surrender. “You go get the data, and I’ll check if there are any problems with the equipment.”

The two were clearly long-time partners. The female doctor skillfully walked over to the computer desk, turned on the computer, entered a password, and began extracting and printing data.

The man, meanwhile, went to check the surgical bed and the instruments. After all, surgery was a delicate business; if the equipment failed, it could be fatal.

Watching their actions and recalling their earlier words, Su Bei lowered his eyes in thought. From their conversation, it was clear that the Li family treated children as a disposable resource. And just as the previous information suggested, both the men and women of this family were very prolific.

Moreover, childbirth for the women of the Li family seemed to be much easier than for ordinary people. To be so nonchalant while having multiple babies per pregnancy—was it a matter of constitution or an ability?

Thinking of this, he took out his phone and sent a message in the group chat.

[Dongnanxi: Does anyone know what the Li Family Head’s ability is?]

He wasn’t anxious when no one replied. He put his phone away and tiptoed over to the female doctor’s side, looking at her computer screen. The screen displayed the physical conditions of fifty-four children, likely the same group that had just left.

The data from this physical examination was very detailed. Besides height and weight, the condition of various body parts and organs was also recorded. It actually looked quite professional.

“The data isn’t bad. A few of them are quite healthy.” The female doctor said as she highlighted the good data in red and pressed the print button. “Give this report to the Family Head. He should be satisfied.”

The male doctor also patted a machine in satisfaction. “The equipment is all fine. We can lock up and leave after the data is printed.”

He walked out of the operating room and sat down in the luxurious sofa chair directly facing it. “The view from here is great. No wonder those people always like to sit here.”

“They’re perverts, and you’re a pervert too?” The female doctor walked towards him with the printed documents, retorting sarcastically.

This time, the male doctor disagreed. “I wouldn’t call it perverted. After all, it’s their own property. It’s only right for them to watch over it themselves to make sure there are no quality issues.”

They had different views, but there was no need to argue. The female doctor rolled her eyes and slapped the file into his hand. “Let’s go. Time to get off work.”

After the two left, Qi Huang deactivated her invisibility and voiced her uncertain guess, “Did they mean that someone comes to watch these children undergo physical exams or surgery? Their parents?”

In that context, the most logical guess was the children’s parents. It was known that the Li family didn’t value their children much due to having so many, so calling them “their own property” was possible, and regular check-ups on their physical condition also made sense.

But something felt wrong to Qi Huang. The female doctor was clearly a supporter of the Li family’s system, so why would she find the parents’ behavior perverted? Parents watching their children get a check-up, even if not a heartwarming scene, could hardly be described as perverted.

Of course, it couldn’t be that normal. If it were normal, it wouldn’t be a manga plot. Working backward from the conclusion, Su Bei quickly found a suspicious point. “If it was their parents watching over the children’s condition, shouldn’t the physical data report be given to the parents? Those two just now clearly only intended to give the report to the Family Head, without mentioning their parents at all.”

Speaking of the Family Head, he remembered something else. “By the way, do you guys know what the Li Family Head’s ability is?”

As he spoke, he opened his phone to check for new messages in the group chat. Only Jiang Tianming had replied with a “couldn’t find anything before,” and there were no other messages. It seems they’ve run into trouble too, Su Bei thought knowingly. He just wondered if they had found Li Shu yet.

At his question, Qi Huang, the most likely to have an answer, shook her head. Then, as if to save face, she explained, “It’s not that I didn’t check. The current head of the Li family never attended an Ability academy. He got his ability license through a special approval from the Ability Government. So I only know that he definitely has an ability, but I have no idea what it is specifically.”

There were several ways to get a license from the Ability Government without attending an academy.

The first was discovering one’s ability as an adult, having missed the school-age window. Such individuals could attend a training program at the Ability Government, which lasted for a year of intermittent classes.

Don’t think this was easier than attending a regular ability academy. In order to quickly familiarize Ability users with all sorts of common knowledge in the Ability World, master their own abilities, and develop a basic ethical code within a year, the training program used a cramming-style education with very strict exams. If one failed an exam and the retake, they would have to repeat the year.

Moreover, attending such a training program made it difficult to build connections in the Ability World. A hundred percent of the attendees were ordinary people from ordinary families, complete blank slates in the Ability World. Coupled with the demanding curriculum, there was simply no time for socializing in class.

This was precisely why Su Bei had chosen to ‘waste’ three years at an ability academy instead of waiting to attend the training program after graduation.

The second situation was donating a lot of money to the Ability Government or making a significant contribution to the Ability World. Such people also had a chance to get a license after revealing they were Ability users.

Unsurprisingly, the Li family likely fell into the latter category. For Ability users who obtained their licenses this way, only the Ability Government officially had their ability records. And the Ability Government couldn’t disclose this information, or they would lose their credibility. This was probably why Qi Huang couldn’t find out the Family Head’s ability.

So, it was obvious: there was something wrong with the Family Head’s ability. Su Bei had just been wondering whether the Li family’s high fertility was due to their constitution or an ability. Now, it seemed it was likely the result of an ability.

It had to be said, an ability that allowed people to have more children was quite miraculous. In ancient times, it would probably be a power revered by emperors. As for modern times… could it be used to provide children for wealthy people who were unwilling to have their own?

There were too few clues to figure it out for now. Fortunately, Su Bei didn’t care much about the truth anyway. He waved his hand. “We should get out of here. We still don’t know what’s happening with Jiang Tianming and the others…”

Before he could finish, the outside erupted in chaos. Even in the basement, they could faintly hear the sounds of fighting and shouting. Mu Tieren immediately grew anxious. “It must be Tianming and the others! They’ve been discovered! We have to get out there…”

“Get out there for what?” Su Bei said lazily. “To draw fire for them?”

Hearing this, Mu Tieren was momentarily speechless, but then he actually began to seriously consider the feasibility of Su Bei’s suggestion. “That’s not impossible.”

This time, it was Su Bei’s turn to be at a loss for words.

Seeing that Qi Huang also looked eager to go, clearly wanting to leave this recently searched safe spot and head to the surface, Su Bei chose to respect others’ destiny. “Then you two go ahead. I’ll hold down the fort for you. If anything happens, I’ll report to the teacher immediately.”

“Don’t make slacking off sound so noble, you brat!” Qi Huang finally lost her patience and snapped.

However, since Su Bei did have a point—they really did need someone for that task—they didn’t force him to leave. But she did say with a slight warning, “Then you stay here. You’d better still be here when we’ve dealt with the Li family, and not have suddenly disappeared.”

Su Bei wore an innocent expression.

However, as soon as they left, he sprang into action. Since he had personally come along for this side quest, it would be a waste if he didn’t get a highlight moment. So, Su Bei had no intention of actually slacking off; he had to do something.

Especially since it had been a long time since Su Bei’s ability had been refined through the forums. There had been one incident after another, and each one involved the main plotline. He barely had enough brain cells to keep up, so he naturally didn’t have the spare energy to enhance his ability.

But this time was different. This side quest wasn’t as dangerous, and he didn’t need to rack his brains for the main plot. It was the perfect stage for a performance. He could totally use this opportunity to upgrade his ability.

Now that he had made a decision, there were two problems to solve.

The first was what specific aspect he wanted to enhance.

Su Bei had thought about this question long ago; he certainly hadn’t come into this plot unprepared. [Destiny Gear] still had the same few weaknesses as before. The general directions were the ability’s defensive power and the attack power of the gears themselves.

But he had already strengthened the latter several times—[Targeting Gear] was one of the results. If he continued down that path, the readers would probably experience visual fatigue.

Most importantly, it was obvious the author was intentionally suppressing his ability in this area. The few upgrades he’d gotten hadn’t strengthened his attack power by much. It made sense when you thought about it. He was already overpowered in other areas. If his attack power also became top-tier, how would the other characters even compete?

That left only his defensive capability. To become an all-rounder, enhancing his ability’s defense was essential. Naturally, Su Bei already had an idea for this. He sat on the sofa, his fingers tapping the armrest. “Causality Defense. If destiny says I won’t get hurt, that’s perfectly reasonable, right?”

Having an idea was one thing, but actually implementing it was extremely difficult. Previously, he could have used his Oracle Account to stir things up on the forums. All he had to do was start a thread and direct the narrative with a microscopic level of detail, and he could make the readers firmly believe in his new ability.

But he couldn’t do that now. He wouldn’t expose his Oracle Account before the grand finale, so the Oracle Account couldn’t say anything related to the character Su Bei.

The change this brought was that he had to display his new ability as completely as possible, and preferably admit to something himself. That way, the readers could accept his new ability the fastest.

So, what could he do to achieve this goal? Find Li Shu, uncover the Li family’s secret, confront the Family Head… those were all tasks for the main character group. Since someone was already doing it, Su Bei naturally wouldn’t steal someone else’s spotlight.

Besides, if it wasn’t his main storyline, the author might not even give him the chance to showcase and announce his new ability. After all, the author already had a bone to pick with him; why would they let him increase his strength? They’d probably just reduce his screen time as much as possible.

But if Su Bei himself orchestrated a major event, forcing the author to put him in the manga, that would be a different story. For the sake of the work’s quality, the author certainly wouldn’t cut corners during his plotline. Showcasing his ability then would have a much higher chance of appearing in the manga.

Su Bei closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his purple pupils shining astonishingly. If there was something the main character group would overlook, it would definitely be on the list of things the Ability Government or Endless Ability Academy would have to deal with afterward.

And one thing that was always on that list was the punishment of the criminals.

The main characters would at most defeat the leader, the Family Head, and hand everyone else over to the Ability Government. And in this incident, it was clear that the entire Li family was at fault. Given how wealthy they were, the final outcome might be similar to how the Wesi Sanctuary incident was handled: only the mastermind would be taken down, while the rest would get off lightly based on the principle that the law doesn’t punish the masses.

Su Bei didn’t know if this was a possible outcome, but he thought he could take precautions. If the government wanted to let criminals go, he would just find enough evidence to force them to mete out a just punishment.

Doing this seemed a bit out of character, but Su Bei had already thought of a reason. He came here and was inexplicably hunted down; wasn’t it perfectly reasonable to carry out a little retaliation? It wasn’t like he hadn’t done similar things before. From what he knew of the manga readers, they wouldn’t dig too deep.

Even if he guessed wrong and the government did have a proper plan, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like he had to use this opportunity to upgrade his ability; it was just a very good chance.

With his plan set, Su Bei touched the gear brooch on his chest, stood up, and began to act.