Chapter 332

“Should we tell the teachers about this?” Zhou Renjie asked. He actually wanted to ask who would take on this mission, but felt that asking such a question right away was too utilitarian. Besides, they would surely discuss it anyway, so it was better to ask something else first.

Before anyone else could answer, Ai Baozhu immediately shot it down. “Of course we’re not telling them. They failed such an important mission. If we tell them in advance, who knows what other accidents might happen.”

After learning that the Tri-Academy Base’s plan had failed, Ai Baozhu had lost faith in them. After all, this future implied that Mu Tieren’s research must have succeeded. The Tri-Academy Base had such a great opportunity to eliminate the meteorites, but they failed to grasp it. It was no wonder she reacted this way.

Si Zhaohua also nodded. He didn’t share Ai Baozhu’s exact thoughts, but he felt that if the Tri-Academy Base could fail in the previous timeline, there might be internal problems.

Rather than take such a risk, it was better to entrust the mission entirely to their completely trustworthy classmates. After all, they were the ones who brought back the machine, their classmate did the research, so it was only logical that they should be the ones to carry out the final mission.

Almost everyone immediately agreed with his idea. They weren’t people who strictly followed the rules. Knowing that the base would fail, they naturally wanted to take the future into their own hands.

Now that the decision was made, they faced the most crucial question. After a moment of silence, Su Bei was the first to break it. “There are a total of six Boundary Stones. Who will go deal with them?”

“Six?” The others were all stunned.

It was no secret that there were only five Boundary Stones. Anyone in the Ability World who bothered to investigate would know this. Jiang Tianming and the others had researched it and knew there were five publicly known Boundary Stones.

Hearing Su Bei now say there were six, they were all astonished. However, no one doubted Su Bei’s information; his intel was famously accurate in their class.

At that moment, Qi Huang suddenly realized something and gave a bitter smile. “We don’t even know the locations of the other five Boundary Stones, let alone the sixth. The base leaders might know, but didn’t we say we’d act without telling them? Now it’s not a good time to get the locations from them.”

“Feng Lan, in the future you foresaw, did you see which places they went to?” Su Bei looked at Feng Lan and asked curiously.

Hearing this, Feng Lan gave him a strange look, then shook his head. “My prophecy wasn’t that specific. And in my vision, they only went to five places. Don’t you know where those places are?”

“My prophecy isn’t that specific either,” Su Bei said with a shake of his head and a laugh. He then casually took out five teleportation talismans. “I have teleportation talismans for five of the Boundary Stones. As for the sixth, I just have a feeling it might exist.”

At this point, he wasn’t actually that confident anymore. After all, the existence of a sixth meteorite was entirely his speculation, with no substantial evidence.

Although he had just deduced that six people could complete this mission, he was one of the six he had inferred! Su Bei couldn’t be sure if the author would arrange a plot for him.

However, he wasn’t too worried. It didn’t matter if he guessed wrong. If there were only five large meteorites, the problem could be solved directly, which would only benefit him. As for being wrong about one detail, so what? His goal was already accomplished. Did he really care what the readers thought?

“When did you get these five teleportation talismans?” Zhou Renjie asked, a hint of suspicion in his curiosity, not yet addressing the matter of the sixth Boundary Stone.

Su Bei answered lazily, “After I realized you would need them.”

As he spoke, he casually opened his notebook and glanced at it, then raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Hmm, the sixth Boundary Stone has been found.”

He hadn’t expected it to be so efficient. Of course, it was also possible the author was pulling the strings behind the scenes. In any case, Su Bei had really found the location of the sixth Boundary Stone.

It was located near one of the other Boundary Stones. Because their auras were similar, it had never been discovered. However, the Nightmare Beasts probably knew this, as their protection range included this sixth Boundary Stone.

Upon receiving this information, Su Bei immediately understood. It seemed that even if he hadn’t provided this intel, the person sent to that location would have discovered the sixth Boundary Stone by some twist of fate.

Thinking this, he redeemed another talisman for this location. “Then two people can go to this place.”

It was worth mentioning that the Tri-Academy Base had an Ability user with the Mirror Image Duplication ability, who could copy the machine. At that time, each person would take one machine, and as long as they could complete their respective tasks, they could destroy all the Boundary Stones at once.

This was the basis for their operation. After all, something like this could only be attempted by catching the Nightmare Beasts off guard. It would be impossible to complete the task one by one; it had to be done simultaneously. Otherwise, once the Nightmare Beasts reacted, they might hide the Boundary Stones or dispatch more guards, making it much harder to destroy them.

Watching Su Bei casually produce another teleportation talisman, the others’ admiration was plain to see. Amazing, just too amazing. Su Bei was like a treasure chest, not only possessing countless pieces of intelligence but also able to easily provide the necessary items for the mission. Having someone like him as a teammate was an incredible relief.

With all six Boundary Stones located, the next step was to finalize the team members. Su Bei handed five of the teleportation talismans to Jiang Tianming and kept the last one for himself. “Here are the tools. You guys decide on the team. I’m taking one spot, call me when it’s time to move out.”

Just as everyone was wondering why he was so proactive this time, providing mission items and participating personally, Ling You’s eyes flickered. She suddenly remembered Su Bei telling her a long time ago that he sought longevity for humanity.

So this is what he meant…

“By the way, Su Bei,” Jiang Tianming called out before he left, reminding him, “don’t go out killing Nightmare Beasts for the next few days.”

Su Bei gave an OK gesture and walked out of the room with Feng Lan following behind him.

“Do you think… we can change the future?” Arriving at Su Bei’s room, Feng Lan, who had followed him, finally couldn’t help but ask.

Previously, he had never cared about what happened after a prophecy. Whether they succeeded in changing the future after knowing it didn’t matter to him. As he had said, he was just an observer.

But this time was different. It concerned the survival of humanity and a war that had lasted for centuries. Even someone as detached as him couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive.

“We’ll definitely succeed,” Su Bei answered without hesitation. This was a manga world. When it came to saving the world, how could the protagonist not succeed?

After saying this, he suddenly chuckled. “That doesn’t really sound like something I would say, does it?”

Feng Lan nodded, not mincing his words at all. “Yes, it’s too certain. It’s as if you’re truly sure, but also as if you’re trying to comfort yourself.”

Indeed. Although he was certain in his heart that the author would ultimately let the protagonist’s group succeed, the words that had just slipped out showed that he was also harboring a trace of apprehension. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used words to reassure himself.

The next few days were very busy for Jiang Tianming’s group. First, they came up with an excuse of a group injury so that the members participating in the mission wouldn’t have to fight. It was worth noting that the chosen members were exactly the ones Su Bei had previously deduced: Su Bei, Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, Wu Mingbai, Si Zhaohua, and Qi Huang.

As for the others, they, of course, still had to go into battle. While they couldn’t single-handedly turn the tide, they were still a formidable fighting force.

Next, Jiang Tianming went to Mu Tieren to explain the situation, asking him to cooperate by not telling the leaders about his research success for the time being and to secretly give them the duplicated research results beforehand.

After learning that he would succeed in his research, Mu Tieren’s efficiency actually increased significantly. Originally, he was always timid, afraid of breaking the machine, as this was his first time conducting research independently. Now, he became much bolder, and indeed, he took every step correctly.

In just five days, Mu Tieren completed the research ahead of schedule and obtained the Reverse Converter.

“Why have you called us here?” It was the familiar conference room and the familiar attendees, but this time, the initiators were different.

Jiang Tianming calmly told the leaders the results of Feng Lan’s previous prophecy and stated their decision. “So, we want to go convert the meteorites ourselves. This is the most convenient method.”

“No, I disagree,” the leader rejected him without hesitation. “Thank you very much for the intelligence you’ve brought us. I think we can wait until the Nightmare World Gate is unsealed and find a team from the outside. They also won’t be detected by the Nightmare Beasts. This loophole can be closed; there’s no need for you all to take this risk.”

Beside him, Jiang Yan nodded in agreement, earnestly trying to persuade them. “You are still students. Don’t always think about taking risks. In terms of both experience and ability, you are still lacking compared to adult Ability users…”

There was no way she could agree to let this group of kids undertake this mission. Converting the Boundary Stones was a matter of great importance and must be done by experienced and powerful Ability users. Besides, such a dangerous mission shouldn’t be given to a group of students in the first place. Did they think the adults were useless?

However, before she could finish, Jiang Tianming interrupted her. “We’ve already set out.”

“What?” The two adults in the conference room were stunned in unison, unable to comprehend his words for a moment. Weren’t they still right here? How could they have already set out?

In the next second, they watched as the figures of Su Bei and the others slowly vanished from their seats.

Only then did the two of them suddenly realize that the figures they had been talking to were products of an Illusion! The real Jiang Tianming and the others had already embarked on the path to convert the Boundary Stones!

While Li Shu was giving a strained explanation, Su Bei and the others had already teleported to the locations of the Boundary Stones using the items.

The destination of these teleportation talismans was not fixed; they only ensured arrival somewhere in the vicinity of a Boundary Stone. Therefore, to prevent everyone from being teleported right into the face of a Nightmare Beast for an instant kill, Su Bei generously gave each person an Invisibility Talisman.

As long as they could approach the Boundary Stone while the Invisibility Talisman was active, use the converter to contain it, and then use the teleportation spheres given by Lei Ze’en to return, the mission would be perfectly completed.

The reason he only gave one Invisibility Talisman to each person was to control the timing for completing the mission. After all, they were banking on a time difference; everyone had to complete their task within a very short window.

Advanced Nightmare Beasts shared their vision. Once one person completed their task, the other Nightmare Beasts would react almost instantly and place the other Boundary Stones under heavy guard.

Therefore, with only one talisman, everyone had to complete the task right at the nine-minute mark, just as the talisman was about to expire, and then return to the base together. Giving out another talisman wouldn’t make them safer; it would actually put everyone in danger.

Su Bei chose to team up with Jiang Tianming and go to the location with two Boundary Stones. It was expected that the other would be chosen for this place. He estimated that even without his “meddling,” Jiang Tianming would have been able to discover the final Boundary Stone.

But there was no helping it. Su Bei couldn’t truly pin his hopes on Jiang Tianming’s protagonist halo. What if the author had arranged a plot for him here? If he didn’t complete his own plotline, who knew what would happen.

He could be a bystander in other matters, but this involved his long-standing goal. He couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. When it came down to it, he would not allow any accidents to occur in this matter.

“Has everyone arrived?” After turning invisible upon arrival, Jiang Tianming asked in a low voice.

The others, on their phones, all shook their devices, filming their surroundings.

This was Su Bei’s requirement. He wanted everyone to start a video call with the camera pointed at themselves. This would allow him to constantly monitor their Destiny Compasses and ensure no problems arose.

However, despite saying that, Su Bei was actually quite relieved. The Destiny Compasses above their heads were all very normal. The major pointer was up, and the minor pointer was slanted to the left. It was safe to say there would be no problem completing the mission.

The place Su Bei and the others arrived at seemed fine at first glance, just an ordinary stone forest. But by briefly extending his Mental Energy, he could sense something was wrong. Su Bei frowned. “This stone forest is alive.”

That’s right, a living stone forest. He could even feel the heavy breathing emanating from it. If he wasn’t mistaken, this entire stone forest was likely the external manifestation of a single Nightmare Beast.

They knew what the Boundary Stones looked like: black rocks, taller than a person, about two meters high. But this stone forest was filled with such rocks, and the Boundary Stone was hidden among them, impossible to distinguish.

After hearing Su Bei say the stone forest was alive, Jiang Tianming quickly made a judgment. “Then the two Boundary Stones can’t both be within this stone forest.”

The stone forest being alive could only mean it was a Nightmare Beast. Since it was a Nightmare Beast, the best way to deal with the one hiding a Boundary Stone was to kill it directly, which would naturally reveal the stone.

Precisely because of this, if both Boundary Stones were hidden in the stone forest, it would defeat the purpose of hiding two in one place.

“I’ll go for the one in plain sight, you go find the hidden one.” Su Bei fully agreed with his thinking. As he spoke, he adjusted the pointer in his hand, turning Jiang Tianming’s luck to its maximum to ensure he could find the hidden Boundary Stone as quickly as possible.

Jiang Tianming was a little hesitant. “But my luck has always been bad.”

In fact, it wasn’t just bad, it was terrible. Even Jiang Tianming, a manga character, could sense how awful his luck was. If his luck weren’t so exceptionally bad, he wouldn’t run into accidents every time he went on a mission.

Actually, he first realized how bad his luck was because of what Su Bei had said when they first met. If Su Bei hadn’t told him then that his luck was terrible, he might not have ever realized it.

“Is my luck any better?” Su Bei had a ‘a dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water’ attitude. “I’ve already made your luck better. You’ll definitely find it.”

The hidden Boundary Stone definitely required a protagonist’s halo to be found. A cannon fodder like him probably couldn’t find it even if he maxed out his luck. Unable to directly tell the other that he had a protagonist’s halo, Su Bei could only use the ‘good luck’ excuse.

Hearing this, Jiang Tianming was indeed much more at ease. He didn’t question why Su Bei wasn’t looking for the hidden Boundary Stone and left on his own, with his phone video still running.

Su Bei, on the other hand, looked at the Destiny Compass above the Nightmare Beast’s head, pondering when he should make his move. The greatest strength of the Destiny system was its illogical power; with a slight flick of the pointer, the stone forest Nightmare Beast would die.

So Su Bei was in no hurry at all. He just had to wait until the time was close to nine minutes, eliminate the Nightmare Beast, and then convert the Boundary Stone with the device.

There was more than just the stone forest Nightmare Beast in the vicinity, but it was the strongest one; the rest were just small fry. As long as his hands were fast enough, he could complete the mission without even needing to deal with these smaller Nightmare Beasts.

The group’s agreement was to start taking action only after everyone had found their Boundary Stone. And among the six of them, the one with the hardest first step was undoubtedly Jiang Tianming.

He had no idea where the Boundary Stone was hidden. His only clue was that it was definitely not in the middle of the stone forest.

No, wait, that might not be true!

Realizing something, Jiang Tianming immediately said to Wu Mingbai through the video call, “Can you help me see if the sixth Boundary Stone is underneath that stone forest?”

With his current ability, Wu Mingbai couldn’t control earth elements through a screen, but looking through it was easy enough.

But unfortunately, Wu Mingbai couldn’t see through it at the moment. “The situation below is being blocked by the Nightmare Beast on top. We have to eliminate it first before I can see what’s underneath.”

To gamble or not, that was the question.

If the gamble paid off, it would be a happy outcome for everyone. The others would convert the five Boundary Stones, and Jiang Tianming would then convert the sixth one hidden underground.

But if the gamble failed, it would mean they had tipped off the enemy without successfully finding the sixth Boundary Stone. With the speed of the Nightmare Beasts, it would probably only take a few minutes for them to reach the battlefield. Things would get complicated then.

“Is my luck good right now?” Jiang Tianming asked Su Bei in the group chat. Because of the invisibility, he didn’t know where Su Bei was.

[Dongnanxi: Yes, just do as you think is best.]

Jiang Tianming no longer hesitated and told everyone to start eliminating the Nightmare Beasts now. Once Su Bei eliminated the stone forest Nightmare Beast, he would go search for the sixth Boundary Stone underneath it.

With his command, the group immediately sprang into action. During the past ten minutes, everyone had already made preparations under the cover of invisibility. Now that the operation began, everyone engaged in battle almost instantly, quickly gaining the upper hand with a significant advantage.

But no one’s fight was faster than Su Bei’s. One adjustment of the pointer, plus one instant-cast skill, and the stone forest Nightmare Beast didn’t even last five seconds.

Because he needed to leave space for Jiang Tianming to search for the sixth Boundary Stone afterward, Su Bei didn’t try to conserve his Mental Energy by rushing. Instead, he eliminated the other two nearby Advanced Nightmare Beasts as well.

All the stone pillars suddenly shattered, clattering to the ground. Only a single black stone pillar in the center remained standing. Without a doubt, this was the Boundary Stone they needed to eliminate.

While Su Bei walked towards the Boundary Stone, Jiang Tianming had already quickly contacted Wu Mingbai, asking him to take a moment during his fight to search for the sixth Boundary Stone underground.

With Wu Mingbai’s current ability, dealing with one or two Advanced Nightmare Beasts was nothing. He took a moment to look and quickly found what they were looking for. “In the eastern corner of the stone forest, under that pile of rubble.”

Su Bei wasn’t in a hurry to convert the meteorite. He walked over to help dig. Wu Mingbai’s perception was correct; after digging five meters deep, they found the sixth Boundary Stone.

“Excellent, all six have been found now!” Even someone as calm as Jiang Tianming couldn’t help but show his delight at this moment. Now they just needed to wait for the others to secure their Boundary Stones, and then they could act in unison.

The reason for acting in unison was that Jiang Tianming suspected the meteorites might have some kind of trap, such as destroying one would automatically activate a protective skill on the others. Or perhaps destroying one would immediately summon Nightmare Beasts.

Out of caution, it was best for them to act in unison.

No one dropped the ball; everyone quickly reached their respective targets. Aside from Su Bei, the others’ objective was merely to get close to the Boundary Stones, not to eliminate the Nightmare Beasts, and this task was much less difficult than killing them.

Luring the tiger away from the mountain, besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, creating a diversion… everyone used their own clever tricks and ultimately succeeded in reaching the Boundary Stones.

Seeing that the second step of the mission was complete, Jiang Tianming gave the command. Suppressing their excitement, everyone took out the machines. The moment a machine touched a Boundary Stone, it automatically began to absorb and convert it.

Then, in the next second, everyone heard a unified mechanical voice: “Earth Element concentration insufficient. Conversion cannot be completed. Please increase the machine’s earth element content immediately. Please increase the machine’s earth element content immediately.”

The excited expressions on everyone’s faces froze.

Element concentration insufficient?

Conversion cannot be completed?

What were they supposed to do now? The only one who could increase the earth element concentration was Wu Mingbai, but he didn’t have a cloning ability and couldn’t be in multiple places at once to “refuel” the machines.

At the same time, countless Nightmare Beasts were already closing in from all directions at an extremely high speed. If they couldn’t solve the problem immediately, their only option was to retreat quickly. And the converters couldn’t be used for teleportation twice in a row, which meant they couldn’t even take the Boundary Stones back with them.

What should they do now?