Chapter 106

Hearing his words, Zhou Renjie laughed in anger. Su Bei was clearly picking a fight, and Zhou Renjie wasn’t one to be a pushover.

He immediately retorted: “Doesn’t your Ability also need people for experiments? Changing fate—compared to my Ability, yours is obviously the more dangerous one, isn’t it?”

Well done! Su Bei mentally thanked Zhou Renjie for his earlier words. It wasn’t for nothing that he deliberately chose the vengeful Zhou Renjie as the one to take the bait, and sure enough, he fired back perfectly as expected.

While thinking this, Su Bei’s face only showed a calm smile. His mysterious purple eyes inexplicably glanced at Jiang Tianming before he said meaningfully: “My Ability does require finding people for experiments, but who said I must use real people?”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned. What did he mean by “who said I must use real people”? If not real people, then what? Clones?

Jiang Tianming thought even further. He had naturally noticed the glance Su Bei cast at him just now. That look suddenly reminded him of a time long ago when Su Bei had come to him.

Back then, before the first monthly exam, Su Bei had approached him saying he wanted to test his Ability.

Although it seemed like the other party had fiddled with something above his head, nothing happened in the end, so Jiang Tianming didn’t know what he had actually tested.

But Su Bei’s response just now made Jiang Tianming’s heart skip a beat. If Su Bei didn’t use real people for experiments, then what had he been doing when he approached him back then?

However, Su Bei didn’t give anyone a chance to ask questions. After planting the foreshadowing he needed, he changed the topic and began lecturing seriously.

Seeing him teach with enthusiasm, the others naturally felt too embarrassed to keep asking. Mainly, it was clear Su Bei had no intention of continuing the topic, and those who knew him understood that pressing further would likely yield nothing.

Perhaps Su Bei had deliberately said those words just to enjoy watching them squirm in frustration.

He was just that kind of malicious person.

Time passed bit by bit, and their review progress neared its end. With five days left until the final exam, the teachers finally announced the exam content.

“Campaign Reenactment??? I’m not the only one who hasn’t studied it, right!”

“What? We have that kind of technology now? Oh, forgot I’m an Ability user.”

“That damned school! A three-school joint exam, and you don’t even announce the content in advance? Wait till I smash the Academy’s reputation!”

“Is there still time to review now? I’ll pay big for a campaign cram class!”

The day the news was announced, the first-year corridors were filled with complaints. Clearly, everyone thought the Academy had gone mad, leaving them no time to review at all.

The school let them grumble for a day, and on the second day, the class teachers unleashed a storm of criticism. The teachers’ rhetoric was all the same, roughly: “Does a real campaign come with advance notice?”

A combination of suppression and persuasion successfully silenced the students, who then frantically searched for resources to review. The entire first year plunged into a frenzied, almost manic study atmosphere, which the second- and third-year students found highly amusing.

Despite having their own finals, they somehow had time to gawk at the first years. They were like those seniors who, during freshman military training, stood by the fence eating watermelon—causing no real harm but extremely annoying.

The main issue was that they didn’t just watch; they had to make snide remarks.

“Yo, junior brothers and sisters busy reviewing? So studious~”

“Nice, you guys at the Ability Academy still get to review academic subjects. Unlike us, who only have Ability training classes.”

“Ability campaigns? I remember that’s second-year material, right? How come you first-years are pre-studying it already?”

“...”

There’s a saying that extremes lead to reversal, and being too arrogant invites punishment. So, two days later, an exasperated student reported them to the teachers.

The teachers, naturally fed up with these brainless students, had held back only to see how the first years would respond. Now that someone had snitched, they were happy to act.

Thus, the next day, the second and third years received news—their final exam difficulty had doubled. Not only would they face tougher trials in a Different Space, but they also had to take an academic exam beforehand.

This could only be described as getting what they asked for, and the first-year students were delighted.

By this time, Su Bei and his group had completed two rounds of review and started studying individually.

Su Bei was frantically catching up on the remaining campaign content, with a gut feeling that he’d end up in one of those one-in-six scenarios.

It wasn’t entirely about luck; he had calculated that it had been a while since he teamed up with the protagonist, Jiang Tianming. From previous missions, it was clear the manga author followed a principle of even distribution, ensuring all 15 S-Class students paired with each other at least once.

Since the class reshuffle, he hadn’t teamed up with Jiang Tianming. Although his character shouldn’t overly involve himself with the protagonist’s team, skipping it entirely wouldn’t do either.

So, Su Bei guessed that he’d team up with Jiang Tianming either this time or the next.

And where the protagonist was, trouble naturally followed. He didn’t believe the manga author would give them a chance to pre-study, so the content they reviewed was likely useless.

As Su Bei had said before, if he missed five out of six probabilities, it’d be like the heavens were out to get him.

But the protagonist team was guaranteed to face trouble, so he still had a chance to salvage things. He wasn’t a standard member of the protagonist team, existing outside it, so knowing the plot in advance made sense.

The day before the exam, the grouping results came out. As expected, Su Bei was grouped with Jiang Tianming and others.

Their group consisted of Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, Wu Mingbai, Zhou Renjie, Si Zhaohua, Feng Lan, and Qi Huang. The rest were in another group.

With this lineup, it was no surprise they were in for trouble.

The moment the groups were announced, the Manga Consciousness pinged in his ear: “《King of Abilities》 has updated. Please check.”

Su Bei smirked. The manga’s update timing was exactly as he predicted. He could check later to see if it contained what he wanted, hoping his efforts weren’t wasted.

But that was for after returning to the dorm; for now, he still had class.

The teachers, knowing students wouldn’t focus the day before finals, lectured on general knowledge about various campaigns. Previously, rules prevented sharing exam details with students.

Now that the final exam content was public, they naturally gave their students a little edge to avoid embarrassment for the Academy.

After a full day of classes, at dismissal, Su Bei sighed deeply, looking mournfully at Ling You, who was quietly packing her bag: “Ling You, how come I’m not grouped with you!”

Unlike everyone else, Ling You’s Ability was born for war. Her Ability, [Plague], just by its name, indicated that the more enemies, the better for her. Once a plague spread, it could easily wipe out masses.

If he could be grouped with Ling You, things would be much simpler. With proper precautions, dealing with enemies would be a breeze.

Hearing this, Ling You looked up at him: “Should I ask the teacher if I can switch teams?”

Last time in the Maze Different Space, Su Bei had helped her a lot, and Ling You had always wanted to repay him but never found the chance. Su Bei wasn’t the type to ask for help. He slacked off, sure, but he always completed his tasks well, needing no assistance.

This time was no different. Su Bei casually waved his hand: “No, no, how could I steal someone else’s fifty points?”

Seeing him decline, Ai Baozhu happily came over and hugged Ling You’s arm: “Xiao You, you can’t leave. I’m counting on you to help me get those fifty points.”

She then playfully winked at Si Zhaohua: “Zhaohua, don’t worry, even if I score higher than you this time, I won’t look down on you. You’ll always be my No.1!”

Provoked like this, Si Zhaohua wasn’t angry and said gentlemanly: “If both sides get fifty points, it’s like neither did. If your score beats mine, I’ll be proud of you.”

Clearly, he was confident he’d win this “Campaign Reenactment.”

“Sigh...” Zhao Xiaoyu’s sigh interrupted their conversation. She slumped over her desk, staring blankly at her phone: “Li Shu’s really locked up, isn’t he? Not a word since he left.”

Days ago, Li Shu had been taken away to be an examiner and had been completely out of touch since. This was reasonable—during college entrance exams, examiners were also isolated until the end. But such strictness was unexpected for Zhao Xiaoyu.

She wasn’t really planning to cheat, just used to leveraging every resource. Now, with a big resource unusable, she felt uneasy.

“Don’t count on him. Even if he had a chance, he probably wouldn’t spill.” Zhou Renjie, who’d recently clashed with Li Shu, mocked without hesitation. Just as he finished, Meng Huai strode in: “Yo? Everyone’s here?”

“Teacher, are you here to announce something?” Mu Tieren asked. They’d been staying after school to review, and Meng Huai knew this. His visit likely meant something important.

Sure enough, Meng Huai nodded: “I’m reminding you, the Illusion in ‘Campaign Reenactment’ is very realistic, a special kind of Illusion. You’d better treat the people inside as real.”

He didn’t intend to spoil much, leaving after this reminder without even warning them not to embarrass the school.

But it was obvious that failing during a three-school joint final could mean getting kicked out of S-Class, so no warning was needed.

His words were intriguing. Why treat NPCs in the Illusion as real? What would happen if they didn’t?

Whatever their thoughts, they had to return to their dorms. With finals tomorrow, no one planned to discuss further. After Meng Huai’s words, they left the classroom, each lost in thought.

Back at the dorm, Su Bei immediately opened his phone to check the manga’s content.

Skimming through, this chapter focused on their study sessions, expanding the world-building while setting the exam atmosphere for the next chapter.

These had little plot, as daily life was mostly for entertainment. Su Bei quickly flipped to the last few pages. His foreshadowing was at the end, and if the author included it, it’d be here.

Seeing what he wanted, Su Bei let out a long breath.

This page depicted his lecture, including his opening statement about not needing real people for Ability experiments, fully drawn out.

Even better, the author dedicated two panels to his eye contact with Jiang Tianming and Jiang Tianming’s inner thoughts.

Opening the comments, as expected, they surged at this part.

“Hahahahaha, provocation skill activated!”

“Zhou Renjie: ?”

“Zhou Renjie: Su Bei, you okay?”

“Wait? What’s that mean?”

“?????????”

“What does ‘who said I must use real people’ mean?”

“Feels like I heard some incredible secret...”

“Without real people, then why did he approach Jiang Tianming before?”

Finding what he wanted, Su Bei closed the manga and opened the forum.

Most forum posts aligned with the manga, filled with daily chatter and fan content. Only a few noticed Su Bei’s foreshadowing, starting one or two threads.

Su Bei clicked into one to gauge the mood.

《Li Tao, “But who said I must use real people?” What does it mean?》

[ThatYearApricotRainNo.0: First, a pointer, the title quote is from the seventh-to-last page, said by Su Bei. Those who haven’t seen it can check it out.

Su Bei’s Ability is [Destiny Gear], known to change others’ fates. No need to think hard—it definitely requires people for experiments. You might not believe it, but I’ve had this question before.

How did Su Bei figure out his Ability’s mechanics? If he really used people for experiments, I feel he’d likely be a villain. When they said he was a spy, I actually believed it (whispers).

But this chapter, he said he didn’t rely on real people, and I’m so confused. If not real people, then what? Nightmare Beasts? That’s impossible. If it was Nightmare Beasts, he’d have said “not humans.” To me, real people implies fake people.

Can a big shot explain what Su Bei meant? Explain clearly, and I’ll give you 0 benefits.]

[No.1: Replying to show someone’s reading. Let me skim a bit.]

[No.2: I’ll take it. Not only will I give 0 snacks to the big shot who explains, I’ll throw in -5000 in savings.]

[No.3 replying to No.2: Damn, you’re taking everything!]

[No.4: OP went to check updates, came back, and the thread’s already derailed.]

[No.5: Hold on, I’ll @ a real big shot, @Prophet]

[No.6: @Prophet]

[No.7: @Prophet]

[...]

[BigShotHereNo.14: I think Su Bei must have some Item that lets him create fake people for experiments. These fake people need to act and talk like real ones for him to observe.]

[No.15: Who can guess that? Old Thief, stop teasing us!]

[No.16 replying to No.14: What Item is that OP?]

[No.17: Could he create an Illusion and experiment in it?]

[BigShotHereNo.18 replying to No.17: That’s actually possible. Didn’t this chapter mention ‘Campaign Reenactment’ can simulate real people? Maybe Su Bei’s doing the same!]

[No.20: I’m starting to believe Su Bei has an intelligence network behind him. How else is he so badass?]

The thread’s guesses suited his taste and aligned with his own thoughts. Su Bei exited and posted his own thread.

《[Prophet Thread] How Su Bei Experiments with His Ability》

[ProphetNo.0: First, it’s certain Su Bei is experimenting with people, but not real ones. From past chapters, he approached Jiang Jiang, asking for help with an experiment. But nothing happened—he just fiddled above his head.

I believe Jiang Tianming did help, but not with himself, rather a duplicate. Su Bei likely replicated an identical Jiang Tianming in an Illusion, like ‘Campaign Reenactment,’ and experimented there.]

After posting, he logged off to study. Six campaigns left weren’t something he could cram in days. Even now, he’d only skimmed them and had to keep cramming. After a few pages, Su Bei rubbed his temples in frustration. Why did the damned manga update now? He couldn’t focus on reading!

With no choice, he refreshed the forum and checked his thread. The manga forum had heavy traffic, and in just a short time, replies had poured in.

[No.1: First, paying respects to Prophet]

[No.2: Whoa! Prophet’s spoiling again?]

[No.3: So that Item’s from the same source as ‘Campaign Reenactment’?]

[No.4: Got it. No wonder Su Bei’s so skilled with his Ability—he’s got such a trump card.]

[BigShotHereNo.5: So I guessed right?!]

[No.6: Sob, I want that Item too! Every time I chat with him, I could rehearse with a duplicate first, so I wouldn’t mess up.]

[No.7 replying to No.6: Love-brain, get out!]

[No.8: Prophet Sis, if you say so, I’m believing it!]

[No.9 replying to No.8: When has my Prophet Bro ever been wrong?]

[No.10: You two upstairs, wanna fight?]

[No.11: Old Thief, next time you release merch, can you include this duplication Item? I’ll never curse you again.]

[No.12: Please +1, this kid really needs that Item!]

[No.13: Instead of begging, why not ask Doraemon’s author to put manga Items up for sale? That’d be enough for an Item Store!]

[No.14 replying to No.13: How do you know I didn’t beg as a kid?]

[...]

[No.37: This thread’s gone so off-topic.]

[No.38: If Su Bei has this ability, no wonder he knows everyone’s secrets so well—he can just duplicate them.]

[No.39 replying to No.37: Terrifying when you think about it!]

[No.40: Speaking of, with such an ability, he could get along with anyone, right? But Su Bei doesn’t seem to care.]

[No.41: Upstairs, does Su Bei look like he cares about that?]

The next day, finals began as scheduled. At 8 a.m., about three hundred students lined up neatly on the sports field.

Near the stage were two two-meter gates formed by light screens, one blue, one yellow. Obviously, they were teleportation arrays.

Principal Wu Di appeared before the first years for the first time, though it was Su Bei’s second time seeing him. He looked more mature than last time, with a beard. If he once resembled Wu Jin by seven parts, now it was only five.

Since Wu Jin always hid most of his face with hair, no one but Su Bei noticed the resemblance.

Wu Di wasn’t talkative. After a brief opening, he announced the gates’ usage: “Group A enters the blue gate on the left, Group B enters the yellow gate on the right.”

Su Bei was in Group A, entering the blue gate. He mentally reviewed the six unstudied campaigns’ traits while listening to the supervisor.

“...In the Illusion, surviving each day earns one point for free. Death means immediate ejection, pausing contribution point gains. But this doesn’t mean your score is fixed—if your actions before ‘death’ have lasting contributions, they’ll be counted.”

Su Bei raised an eyebrow. This rule clearly prevented students from playing it too safe to rack up survival points.

From these rules, it was clear the three Academies were preparing for war. Whether through realistic simulations or fostering unity and fearlessness, they were gearing up for real campaigns.

This realization weighed on Su Bei. Compared to ordinary students, the Academy’s higher-ups were far more sensitive to war. Their plans offered a glimpse into the war’s situation.

What kind of situation would drive Academies to train students for battle?

Only that war was imminent.

The exam officially started at 9 a.m. Everyone listened to the director’s hour-long speech with excitement and nervousness. By the time it began, their enthusiasm had worn off, replaced by numbness. They just wanted to start and spare their ears.

As S-Class members, Su Bei’s group went first. After a brief dizziness, the final exam began.

NOTE :

Write a Review on Novel Updates for a Bonus Chapter.