Translator: AkazaTL

Proofreader/Editor: TenebrousGaze

***

Chapter 101

Before entering the underground space, the protagonist trio hadn’t forgotten to write a letter to Meng Huai, secretly slipping it among other people’s letters.

Letter inspectors generally checked the content, rarely the recipient’s address. Moreover, Jiang Tianming’s group didn’t send the letter directly to the Endless Ability Academy but to Meng Huai’s off-campus residence.

This allowed the letter to be successfully sent out.

After entering, the trio had to face a gauntlet of battling various Nightmare Beasts. In this regard, Li Jie wasn’t wrong—the punishment was indeed to feed the Nightmare Beasts. It was like putting chickens into a cage with tigers: it made the tigers more active while filling their stomachs—a win-win situation.

After locking them in, the supervisors didn’t pay much attention to the three of them. After all, they had appeared weak and powerless for three consecutive days, and since they hadn’t completed their tasks, they hadn’t eaten.

No one would think that these three were Ability users, let alone imagine the kind of trouble they could stir up. However, what no one expected was that, on the second day, they actually encountered Mo Xiaotian in the underground forest!

At that time, Mo Xiaotian looked somewhat disheveled, likely having been chased by Nightmare Beasts for a while.

Together, they killed the three Nightmare Beasts pursuing him, and only then did they begin questioning Mo Xiaotian about his situation.

Though it was called questioning, Jiang Tianming and the others didn’t ask much. From their perspective, Mo Xiaotian’s situation seemed similar to theirs—captured for some reason and thrown into the underground space as punishment to feed the Nightmare Beasts.

Under this preconceived impression, they weren’t particularly suspicious and easily let Mo Xiaotian gloss over the details. But their lack of suspicion didn’t mean readers, viewing from an omniscient perspective, weren’t suspicious.

“Mo Xiaotian is such a pitiful guy.”

“Hahahahaha, Mo Xiaotian actually got brought in by accident while hiding in a bag to escape enemies.”

“...Is it just my imagination?”

“??? The more I think about it, the more something feels off.”

“Wait, was he really captured?”

“Damn! I suddenly remembered that post by Prophet!”

“I have a really bad feeling...”

“What are the comments talking about? Too much conspiracy theorizing. How could Mo Xiaotian lie?”

It seemed Mo Xiaotian wasn’t very good at hiding his undercover identity, Su Bei sighed. According to manga tropes, once readers guessed his undercover status, it wouldn’t be long before Mo Xiaotian’s true identity was exposed.

Once exposed, he would surely leave. Although Mo Xiaotian was a bit foolish during this time, he was genuinely a source of joy. After he left, the atmosphere in Class S would definitely feel much worse, and Su Bei genuinely felt a bit reluctant.

More importantly, a character like Mo Xiaotian wouldn’t stay out of the story for long. He’d likely reappear soon, but by then, he’d probably be on the opposing side.

The subsequent plot was straightforward. After the four reunited, they explored the mysteries of the underground space together, eventually coming upon the massive “Loyalty Crystal” Mother Body.

Lan Subing, using her [Word Spirit], manipulated an underground staff member to answer questions, learning the purpose of the “Loyalty Crystal.” They also discovered that this was the crystal’s Mother Body.

As long as the black gas within this crystal was destroyed, the other crystals would lose most of their effectiveness, and even the “Black Flash” organization would struggle to create another Mother Body.

As this would solve most of their problems, Jiang Tianming and the others began planning how to destroy the crystal.

The events that followed were already known to Su Bei. They unexpectedly discovered that Mo Xiaotian’s Ability could approach the “Loyalty Crystal,” so they planned for him to use a large number of explosive blocks to destroy it.

Amid these developments, Si Zhaohua arrived, was informed of the situation, and on the day of the operation, flew into the sky to distract the staff.

But at the critical moment, Mo Xiaotian messed up. The blocks weren’t placed comprehensively, allowing some black gas to escape.

Notably, the black gas that was truly destroyed turned into white gas, surging into the bodies of those present. Judging by their delighted expressions, they must have gained significant benefits.

The following plot wasn’t particularly interesting. Su Bei quickly flipped to the last page, confirming that this manga chapter ended with them being taken back to the hotel, and then closed the manga.

After reading the manga, he checked the forum. As expected, there were only two main topics of discussion. One was a post about Zhao Xiaoyu. This girl, who rose from true Class F to Class S with her Ability, had finally caught the attention of most readers and gained a group of fans.

The future was uncertain, but if she could maintain her current momentum, she likely wouldn’t leave Class S.

Since Su Bei had a decent relationship with Zhao Xiaoyu, he knew her plans. A significant reason she and Mu Tieren made it into Class S was because they protected many students during the team battles, shielding them from harm by “Black Flash” members.

But Zhao Xiaoyu was well aware she couldn’t stay in Class S forever. She knew that when the 15-5 elimination came, she’d be among the five sent out.

For a true prodigy like Si Zhaohua, this would be a great humiliation, but for Zhao Xiaoyu, it wasn’t a bad thing. Having been in Class S was already an impressive achievement.

Even if she was later demoted, it would only prove she couldn’t outshine her classmates. The mark of a strong individual would still remain on her.

With this status, Zhao Xiaoyu could stay in the Ability world after graduation and secure a good job. Her goal was to work for the Ability Government, which, for a Class F Ability user, was already a top-tier job.

However, with the popularity gained from this event, Su Bei guessed that even without the black mist entering her body, Zhao Xiaoyu could achieve her ultimate goal.

And with the black mist in her body, she might even rightfully stay in Class S.

In any case, it was good news, and Su Bei was genuinely happy for her. Suffering was unfortunate, and even more unfortunate was that not all suffering yielded rewards. In this regard, Zhao Xiaoyu was lucky.

The other topic on the forum was Mo Xiaotian’s identity. Logically, despite showing some flaws this time, most readers would only have slight suspicions, with the majority not noticing anything.

But because of the groundwork laid by Su Bei’s previous post, the readers browsing the forum were already skeptical of his identity. With the flaws exposed this time, the suspicions naturally exploded.

Su Bei casually clicked into a post.

“Is Mo Xiaotian Really a Spy?”

[IceIceIronFanNo.0: First, let me state in my defence—I really like Mo Xiaotian and absolutely don’t want him to be a spy.

The reason I’m asking this is mainly because of Prophet’s post last time. Plus, his performance this time was indeed a bit suspicious, so I’m a little concerned.

First, he inexplicably appeared in the underground forest. Although he gave an explanation, I always felt his reaction at the time wasn’t quite right. When he saw Jiang Jiang and the others, he didn’t seem surprised but worried.

If it were another character, I’d interpret this worry as concern that his teammates ended up in such a terrible place. But Mo Xiaotian... for a simple-minded guy like him, shouldn’t he be thrilled to see his teammates in a strange place? Secondly, during the final destruction of the “Loyalty Crystal,” although he’s usually careless, he’s never messed up with his Ability, right? How could he...

Help! I’m really scared. He’s not really a spy, is he?]

[No.1: Seeing this post, I thought I wrote it. The moment I saw Xiaotian’s explosion mistake, I rushed to the forum.]

[No.2: No way! How could Mo Xiaotian be a spy?]

[No.3: Who’s breaking down? It’s me, this Little Sun’s fan, breaking down.]

[No.4: Haha, you sly author... picking the least likely person to be a spy (grumbling).]

[No.5: Such a standard protagonist template, you’re really something, author.]

[...]

[No.31: Wait? Why is everyone acting like Mo Xiaotian’s confirmed to be a spy? There’s no solid proof yet, right?]

[No.32: Aaaah, Mo Xiaotian, don’t!]

[No.33 replying to No.31:

I also want to ask, it feels like someone’s stirring the pot.]

[No.34 replying to No.31:

Mainly because Prophet’s post last time mentioned Mo Xiaotian might be a spy, and this time’s plot is so suspicious, it’s hard not to doubt.]

[No.35: By the way, didn’t anyone find Su Bei’s comment odd? He suddenly said to Mo Xiaotian, “You really weren’t careful, huh.”

That sounded so passive-aggressive. If Su Bei didn’t know Mo Xiaotian did it on purpose, it’d feel a bit out of character.]

[No.36 replying to No.35:

You’re so right. Su Bei’s reaction was indeed a bit strange. And it’s not just us who thought so—Jiang Jiang and the others did too. Jiang Tianming and others looking shocked at Su Bei.jpg]

[No.37: I’m not surprised Su Bei knows something. I’m more and more convinced Mo Xiaotian is a spy.]

[No.38: I won’t give up until the last moment. Mo Xiaotian can’t be a spy!]

[...]

[No.58: By the way, I suddenly remembered a detail. In the Truth or Dare mini-story from the last manga update, Mo Xiaotian’s dare plot feels very meaningful now...]

[No.59: You didn’t mention it, and I hadn’t noticed. I just rewatched it, and it’s indeed weird!]

[No.60 replying to No.58:

Thinking with a conspiracy mindset, the person Mo Xiaotian called did react a bit oddly. Was that line really a joke?]

[No.61: Aaaah! The way you guys put it, Mo Xiaotian feels more and more like a spy!]

[...]

[No.73: Am I the only one who thinks a Little Sun-type protagonist template turning into a villain is super intriguing?]

[No.74 replying to No.73:

Exactly, like an alternate storyline. Someone who was supposed to be the protagonist accidentally becomes a villain. It’s so interesting to think about!]

[No.75: Not interesting at all! Isn’t the biggest charm of a Little Sun-type protagonist that they hold onto justice no matter the circumstances?]

[No.76: Let’s wait. It feels like the spy’s identity will be revealed soon...]

It seemed many readers now believed Mo Xiaotian was a spy, and the credibility of his forum account could rise further with this opportunity.

Su Bei showed a thoughtful expression. What should he post next using Prophet’s account?

While pondering, he clicked into another post related to himself. His presence in this plot wasn’t low, so naturally, there were many posts about him. But most seemed to lack substantial content. If it weren’t for controlling public opinion, Su Bei really wouldn’t bother clicking.

“Su Bei, You Pretender...”

[WhyIsMyFaceRedNo.0: Su Bei, you little punk, really. Fooling characters is one thing, but fooling us readers too? I already sensed something off with Yan Nan, but I never expected him to be Su Bei! I was regretting that this update didn’t have his plot, but then it hit me with such a huge surprise.]

[No.1: Damn you, Su Bei, daring to fool me?]

[No.2: I only realized he was Su Bei when Xiaoyu called out his name.]

[No.3: I’m kinda shipping Su Bei and Zhao Xiaoyu. They’re the ones who understand each other best!]

[No.4 replying to No.3:

It’s kinda shippable, but their trio’s plot—every pair is so shippable! Su Bei and Si Zhaohua, Su Bei and Zhao Xiaoyu, Si Zhaohua and Zhao Xiaoyu, I’m overwhelmed with ships.]

[No.5: Hahahahaha, I was stunned too, but honestly, after realizing that kid was Su Bei and rewatching the earlier plot, he’s so cool!]

[No.6: Su Bei’s always got that mastermind vibe, totally my type!]

[No.7 replying to No.5:

Before he transformed back, I also thought he was so cool. Come on! Little kid bro’s calm and composed look was explosively cool, okay?]

[No.8: Same here! I was ready to stan little kid bro, only to find out he’s already my stan.]

[No.9: Zhao Xiaoyu and Si Zhaohua’s breakdown moments were hilarious hahahahaha.]

[No.10: Zhao Xiaoyu was obviously holding back from cursing, right?]

[No.11: Su Bei’s truly a natural chaos agent, but though he’s a chaos agent and loves slacking, he’s actually helping out.]

[No.12 replying to No.11:

I feel like he’s helping just to keep the chaos going longer, but I gotta say, I’m totally into it...]

It seemed the posts about him had no useful content. Su Bei rubbed his temples, closed his phone, and felt a bit tired: “Why was there so much plot in this manga update? Did the author have a change of heart?”

Based on past experience, this plot could’ve been split into two updates, but it was all drawn in one go.

“There’s an event.” Manga Consciousness answered honestly.

Su Bei wasn’t surprised by this response, just a bit exasperated. He sighed: “Too bad there wasn’t much chance for me to boost my strength this time.”

There was no helping it. Despite appearing calm throughout this event, he had almost no omniscient perspective, so there wasn’t much he could do. Managing to stay composed was already his best effort, and he couldn’t have done more. But this also served as a wake-up call.

Opportunities like being forcibly dragged into events would only increase, and he needed to plan ahead for his next steps. Even if he was pulled into the plot, he had to at least make a showing to help build momentum for his Prophet account.

After all, he couldn’t just spoil things out of nowhere. He needed some basis, or he was genuinely afraid the admins would ban his account.

He only had this one account. From Manga Consciousness’ previous attitude, getting this one account that connected to the third dimension was already a special favor. If it got banned, there was no way he’d get another.

Su Bei sat cross-legged on the bed, deep in thought. His Ability [Destiny Gear] had already taken shape, and making major changes would be difficult. It was better to strengthen it based on what he already had.

This Ability consisted of three parts: the gear, the pointer, and the compass.

He had mostly figured out the first two. The gear could be used for attacks and to adjust the pointer’s direction. It was the least significant in function but was his primary attack method on the surface.

The pointer was divided into a large pointer and a small pointer. The large pointer indicated a person’s broader destiny—upward for good destiny, downward for bad.

The small pointer represented the destiny of recent minor events, divided into three parts. When the upper half leaned left, it was good luck; when it leaned right, it was bad luck. But once the small pointer reached the lower half, it signified death.

Speaking of which, Su Bei was curious about how much mental energy it would take to force the small pointer downward and how long it would take for the person to die once it was in the lower half.

To understand these patterns, he’d need to experiment multiple times. But currently, he had no opportunities for experimentation, which frustrated him.

Lastly, there was the compass.

The compass was the only part he hadn’t studied. It was too complex, and he had no clear starting point.

Just like with the small pointer, he lacked sufficient test subjects to experiment with the compass.

He thought of two ways to study his Ability. The first was to find death row inmates for experiments. With enough subjects, he’d surely figure out his Ability.

But finding a large number of death row inmates wasn’t easy. Though he could probably manage it using connections from his parents’ lifetime, favors like that were finite, especially for something like this.

Moreover, it was highly unethical. While Su Bei didn’t have a strong sense of justice, he didn’t want to fully become a villain. In the short term, experimenting on death row inmates would be beneficial—no responsibility and a clear understanding of his Ability.

But in the long term, could he maintain a normal mindset if he kept experimenting on people? Or perhaps the moment he made that decision, he’d already ceased to be normal.

The other method was to rely on the manga and forum. Like with his previous Ability, he didn’t need to study how it worked. He just needed to design a usage, then make it reality through the forum.

This was a good method, but not knowing the compass’ original capabilities was a regret. Plus, he’d need to design a powerful Ability with room for growth.

After thinking about his next steps, Su Bei ultimately decided to focus on setting up the intelligence organization first.

The Ability issue could wait until the organization was established. Perhaps by then, he’d have other ideas.

With that in mind, he said to Manga Consciousness: “I’ll sleep first. Tomorrow, I’ll start working on the intelligence organization’s details.”

After waking up and washing up, Su Bei returned to his room and asked Manga Consciousness: “How long will this trip take?” He’d been too sleepy last night and forgot to ask.

If it took too long, he’d have to delay. It wasn’t summer or winter break, and he was still under the teachers’ watch. How could he skip classes?

Fortunately, this wasn’t an issue. Manga Consciousness replied: “Not long. Since the trip is short, I’ll adjust the time flow. It’ll take about ten minutes.”

Hearing this, Su Bei relaxed: “Alright, let’s go. What role do I need to play for the first scene?”

“This is the first client I’ve lined up for you. He’s a politician. You need to change his destiny once to help him win an election. He hasn’t stated this goal yet, but it’s likely correct.” As it spoke, Manga Consciousness prepared to initiate the spacetime transfer.

Su Bei quickly used the Transformation Mask (Fake) to switch to the black-robed appearance he’d designed before, then followed it into the spacetime tunnel.

Spacetime transfer felt very different from spatial transfer. The latter caused mild dizziness and slight physical discomfort, but the former brought a sense of disorientation from temporal misalignment.

Once his mind cleared, Su Bei looked around and found himself at a corner near a small alley. There were no signs of surveillance. “Where’s the person?” he asked, standing still. The moment he spoke, he froze—his voice was extremely childish, like a child’s.

“Behind the corner,” Manga Consciousness answered first, then explained, “You’re currently in a six-year-old state.”

Su Bei: “...”

He took a deep breath, adjusted his vocal range to deepen his voice, and steadied himself before slowly walking out.

Emerging from the corner, he saw a young man in a gray suit standing in the alley. The moment Su Bei saw him, his eyes widened beneath the mask.

Why did this guy look so familiar?

It was a younger version of Uncle Liu!

Shocked, he quickly asked in his mind: “Did you deliberately choose him?”

“Not at all,” Manga Consciousness denied. “It was a natural selection. At this stage, I only did some promotion. He was the first to take the bait and complete the task, earning the reward.” Hearing its response, Su Bei didn’t stop walking. He strolled leisurely to the man, and a somewhat aged voice sounded: “What reward do you want?”

Seeing him, the young Uncle Liu was a bit excited: “Sir, I’ve finally met you! Ever since I learned about our organization, I’ve greatly admired you as its founder!”

He was just as talkative in his youth as in his old age. Su Bei raised a hand to stop him: “State your wish.”

As he spoke, he activated his Ability and glanced at the man’s head.

The small pointer leaned heavily to the right. According to Manga Consciousness, he wanted to win an election. If the pointer indeed represented this matter, not only would he fail to win, but he might struggle to keep his current position.

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