CHAPTER 132

Chapter 132

Feng Lan didn’t take long. After Su Bei read for a while, someone came to call them back. The matter wasn’t fully resolved, but the rest couldn’t be settled today.

As classmates, they didn’t need much small talk. Feng Lan only said the Feng Family would compensate for this mistake, then sent them off.

As expected, Su Bei heard the prompt from [Manga Consciousness]: “《King of Abilities》 has updated. Please check.”

They returned to school via the teleportation array. Since it was late, they’d stay at school for the night. Lei Ze’en jokingly suggested staying until the semester started, as it wasn’t far off, but was unanimously rejected.

The cafeteria was empty, and takeout wasn’t an option. Except for Su Bei, everyone was starving, having missed dinner. Su Bei didn’t mind a late-night snack, so soon, Ai Baozhu had a table full of dishes delivered.

Knowing it was her family’s private chef, they ate without worry. Gathered together, they chatted freely—there was no rule against talking during meals.

“Anyone else feel like, even though ‘Black Flash’ orchestrated this, they barely showed up?” Mu Tieren said, puzzled.

In past incidents involving “Black Flash,” their members were usually visible. But this time, there were none, which felt odd.

Since Feng Lan wasn’t there, Si Zhaohua, in a similar situation, explained: “Even if they turned Feng Lan’s uncle’s family, few could enter the Feng Family. Even the family head, Feng Lan, likely has few talismans allowing mountain access. Plus, this wasn’t the first public event; there are set protocols, making it hard for ill-intentioned people to sneak in.”

Mu Tieren nodded in realization: “So they could only undermine from within.”

Mo Xiaotian, mouth full of grilled meat, swallowed hard before asking: “What’ll happen to Feng Lan’s family next? A bounty on ‘Black Flash’?”

“Definitely,” Si Zhaohua nodded. “They made the Feng Family lose face. But a bounty’s probably useless. Feng Lan will take other measures.”

If bounties worked, “Black Flash” would’ve been wiped out long ago. As Si Zhaohua said, the Feng Family, a prophecy clan with deep roots, surely had other retaliations planned. Failing to crush the Feng Family, “Black Flash” was in for trouble.

“What other measures?” Mo Xiaotian asked curiously.

Sadly, Si Zhaohua didn’t know the answer. After his question, Su Bei gave Mo Xiaotian a half-smile but said nothing, changing the topic: “What’ll Feng Lan’s compensation be? Not another event, right?”

If another event was held, it wouldn’t appear in the manga or have issues, but Su Bei was too lazy to attend. Unlike others, his experience was decent—tasty food, quiet reading, no interruptions, and valuable intel. A perfect trip.

But next time might not be. Su Bei was sure there’d be more social activities, preventing quiet reading and forcing him to fake pleasantries.

Thankfully, Ai Baozhu scoffed: “No way. If the compensation is just another event, that’d be too rude.”

She was right. Such public events, though mutually beneficial, favored the host. After such a blunder, holding another would ruin their reputation.

As they spoke, Jiang Tianming got a second bowl of rice, sighing: “I just hope it’s not an event. I want to rest at home these last few days of break.”

Su Bei didn’t know about others’ breaks, but as someone stuck with the protagonist group, he truly felt their bad luck. Any trip to a Different Space meant meeting wanted criminals or unseen High-Level Nightmare Beasts.

And that was only a month-long break. If it were a two-month summer break, Su Bei was sure their troubles would double.

Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing, always with him, felt the same, nodding empathetically. Lan Subing whispered: “For the next few days, I’m staying home. Please don’t invite me to any activities.”

Everyone burst out laughing. Zhao Xiaoyu made an “OK” gesture, then asked a question all students cared about: “By the way, have you finished your winter break homework?”

“Of course,” most nodded simultaneously. At an ability academy, homework was mostly practical, with little written work. The most annoying was Meng Huai’s reflection.

With light homework, no one procrastinated, eager to finish early.

Except one person.

“What? You’ve already finished?” Mo Xiaotian looked shocked, as if his worldview collapsed. “Don’t people usually cram on the last day?”

Ai Baozhu glanced at him: “Only you would.”

Her words made some, like Wu Mingbai, Zhao Xiaoyu, and Su Bei, look guilty. They usually also did their homework on the last day, but since it was light this time, they finished quickly.

No need to admit that, though. New school, new persona—they could play good students.

Mo Xiaotian’s expression shifted from shock to despair: “What do I do? There’s only a few days left!”

His homework wasn’t half-done—it was untouched.

He’d eagerly done practical tasks, like exploring Different Spaces, but written assignments, though few, stumped him.

“You’re done. If you can’t finish this little homework, the teachers will be mad,” Wu Mingbai said, gloating.

It was true. Before finals, teachers had repeatedly warned them. With so little homework, failing to finish would mean trouble at school.

Mo Xiaotian looked distraught but soon had an idea. Clasping his hands, his puppy-like eyes blinked: “Please, can I see your answers?”

“Copying’s not good, Xiaotian. If you have questions, ask me. I can explain anything I know,” Mu Tieren said, fulfilling his Class Monitor duties to stop copying.

Mo Xiaotian didn’t mind, nodding eagerly: “Great! Thanks, Class Monitor!”

This seemingly mundane exchange caught Su Bei’s attention. He noticed something interesting—Mo Xiaotian seemed to lack a sense of good and evil.

Initially, when Mo Xiaotian wanted to copy, Su Bei didn’t think much of it. Copying was wrong, but many did it for convenience.

But when he agreed to Mu Tieren’s more troublesome suggestion without hesitation, Su Bei sensed something off.

Normally, someone set on copying would, at least, feel reluctant about Mu Tieren’s offer. But Mo Xiaotian was genuinely happy, meaning copying or Mu Tieren’s suggestion were the same to him.

He just needed help to finish, uncaring of the method or its morality.

This disproved Su Bei’s earlier guess. He’d thought Mo Xiaotian might not know what his grandfather was doing, so he helped “Black Flash” without qualms.

But from this detail, even if Mo Xiaotian knew of the organization’s wrongs, he likely wouldn’t care. Despite his justice-driven appearance, he had a weak sense of morality. Who wouldn’t find that intriguing?

Others didn’t think as deeply, seeing it as a minor episode. But Mo Xiaotian’s words reminded Jiang Tianming of something.

He looked at Su Bei, eyes glinting with mischief: “Su Bei, do you need to rewrite your reflection?”

This confused most, but Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing burst out laughing. Su Bei had realized his reflection didn’t match his experiences, and during their debrief, Jiang Tianming’s trio noticed too. Their group chat had been filled with “hahaha.” Su Bei’s smugness about finishing had annoyed them, and now his shortcut backfired, delighting them.

Since the topic came up, how could they not tease?

They hit a sore spot. Su Bei forced a smile: “What’s wrong with my reflection? To spare the teachers worry, I left out the dangerous parts. Isn’t that good?”

His excuse stunned the trio, amazed at his shamelessness. He’d written early, but when “the picture didn’t match the product,” he found such a reasonable excuse.

The next morning, everyone left school. With only days until the semester, going home was better.

Hearing Si Zhaohua and Ai Baozhu planned to stay at their nearby villas, Su Bei felt envious, considering buying a place here.

A villa was out of reach; with his savings, a single room was more realistic.

Not because he earned little—last semester’s Different Space earnings could buy a suburban villa.

But this was a school district near one of only three ability academies. Prices were sky-high, truly worth their weight in gold.

“You want to buy here?” Zhou Renjie’s eyes, squeezed by fat, widened, then he frowned. “But the villa area’s full, no space left.”

“Just a single room for myself,” Su Bei said, almost laughing. Did he think he could afford a villa? Too flattering.

He asked Zhou Renjie because his family was in real estate, likely more knowledgeable about prices.

“You? A single room?” Zhou Renjie was more surprised but nodded, “OK, I’ll check and tell you at school.”

Su Bei thanked him: “Thanks.”

He didn’t mention fees; Zhou Renjie didn’t need them, and offering might insult him. But taking help for free went against Su Bei’s principles. Once the house was bought, a prophecy would settle the deal.

Overhearing, Si Zhaohua, suit jacket over his arm, suggested: “If you don’t want to go home, stay at my villa these days. No need to inconvenience yourself.”

Honestly, Su Bei wondered what misconception they had. Where did “inconvenience” come from? Buying here, unless Ability Users vanished, was a sure profit. Even a one-bedroom was worth it to Su Bei.

“No, let’s stick to the plan,” he shook his head. “I’m heading back. See you at school.”

Back home, Su Bei rested a day. The Feng Family issue took only a day, not long, but the mental exhaustion matched multi-day missions.

Su Bei was fine, having slacked off most of the time, but others weren’t so lucky. Si Zhaohua’s eating looked like their mining cave days.

Lying in bed, thinking of the upcoming semester’s events, Su Bei felt a headache. But then he realized it wasn’t so bad.

A semester was three months, half of which was studying. Daily studies were busy but not mentally taxing.

In this one-month break, he’d felt exhausted countless times. Hard to imagine he’d ever look forward to school—a cosmic irony.

After resting and recharging, Su Bei read the manga to catch up on the plot he’d missed.

The manga began with daily life, briefly showing Jiang Tianming’s group clashing with the Red-Haired Boy, then the main plot surfaced—Lan Subing discussing the Feng Family visit.

They decided to go separately, as Lan Subing needed a gown, and if Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai went with her, the Lan Family would prepare clothes for them too.

Not wanting the hassle, they chose to go alone.

Naturally, the perspective followed them. On Open Day, they biked to the Feng Family, a long ride but manageable for Ability Users.

Midway, Jiang Tianming asked: “Why didn’t we take a cab?”

Seeing crows fly over their heads in the panel, Su Bei laughed with the comments. They’d forgotten they had money now, still living like they were broke.

At the Feng Family’s mountain base, Su Bei appeared, talking with a servant. The two arrived, and they faced mockery from a suit-wearing man.

Then Feng Lan appeared, delivering a classic face-slapping scene.

Su Bei skipped this part, moving to their entry into the Feng Family, where others gradually appeared. Usually in uniforms or casual clothes, they rarely wore formal attire.

Seeing Si Zhaohua and others in formal wear, the comments went wild.

“Si Shao, you’re so handsome!”

“Swoon! First time seeing slicked-back Feng Lan! I can imagine him as an adult.”

“Wow, Ai Baozhu’s stunning!”

“Big Miss arrives, everyone clear the way!”

“Formal Ice! Last saw her last season.”

“Why isn’t Su Bei in formal wear? I want to see!”

With more people, conversations began. Li Shu started trouble, only to be cleverly rebuffed by Ai Baozhu. Amid the noise, everyone gathered, signaling the main plot’s start.

Su Bei saw the author gave him a full panel, showing him saying, “Dressed like that, you’ll be inconvenient for today’s action.”

In the manga, his expression was a half-smile, purple eyes glinting darkly, clearly knowing something.

Indeed, Su Bei had long known the Open Day would go wrong. Big events always did. His ability and the manga gave him a god’s-eye view.

Soon, Feng Lan went with the flow, announcing the Feng Family’s trouble and asking everyone to wait in a safe place. When they chose to stay and help, the comments predictably exploded.

“Woo, team spirit!”

“Everyone’s such a good baby.”

“I know it’s not rational, but together they’re the best!”

“No one’s an island!”

“Hahaha, they’re still making excuses.”

They split up. This part didn’t involve Su Bei, as he was happily reading in the library with Wu Jin. The author, knowing this wasn’t reader-friendly, skipped it.

Others divided tasks: Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, Ling You, and Mu Tieren scouted the Feng Family’s setup; Zhao Xiaoyu, Si Zhaohua, and Zhou Renjie contacted the uncle’s family to glean information; Li Shu, Qi Huang, Ai Baozhu, and Wu Mingbai mingled with guests to spot enemies.

They gathered intel, quietly disrupting the uncle’s plans, buying time when he later acted.

Feng Ling appeared, clearly meant to create contrast. Early on, she seemed villainous—elegant and pure on the surface, but scheming underneath.

Facing Zhao Xiaoyu’s probing, she deflected gracefully, even hinting at counter-probing, as if gauging if they knew something. Her questions pressured Zhao Xiaoyu and readers, cementing her villain image.

“Wow! This cousin’s a big villain!”

“White-haired villain sister is so cool!”

“Feng Lan said she wanted to leave the family—looks like it’s all an act.”

“Pretty villain.”

“She and Feng Lan do look good together…”

“Xiaoyu, don’t slip! I’m so nervous!”

But Su Bei had guessed Feng Ling’s frequent contact with Zhao Xiaoyu was to assess their stance—not for villainy, but to save them.

Still, she was portrayed so villainously that readers wouldn’t soon guess her true allegiance.

At lunchtime, Su Bei reappeared. The manga showed Jiang Tianming’s perspective, scanning the room before locking on Su Bei.

Even from a distance, his gaze was clearly on a red wine barrel in the restaurant.

The panel was brief, not a spoiler but a foreshadowing, as the perspective shifted back to Jiang Tianming’s conversation.

But readers with a god’s-eye view, revisiting the scene, kept the comments flowing.

“This shot! What’s Su Bei looking at? That man?”

“Aaah, I’m back from the end—Su Bei’s looking at that!”

“Watch out! Spoilers in the comments!”

“Hahaha, it’s the red wine, bet you didn’t expect that?”

“Who’d think the red wine’s the issue?”

“How does Su Bei know everything? His ability’s still a mystery.”

Next was Su Bei and Wu Jin’s chat with Jiang Tianming’s group, contentless but fully drawn, likely to add humor to the tense plot.

After Su Bei left, the host—a white-haired Feng Family member, highly respected—gave a speech.

As Su Bei predicted, in the festive atmosphere, the host called for a toast. Given his status, few would refuse to honor the Feng Family.

In a full-panel of toasting, Su Bei noticed Si’s Father not drinking, standing unnoticed in a corner.

Clearly, he’d sensed the issue, explaining his later escape.