Chapter 178

Chapter 178 Back at the dorm, Su Bei checked past manga updates. Though Meng Huai said he’d likely help, researching book world entry would take time—enough to review the updates. The update before last focused on the Ability User Job Base, the last was slice-of-life split evenly, so this one centered on Alpha Ability Academy and Delicious Nightmare Beast Farm. Alpha’s plot was the resource Different Space; the farm’s was a new event. It was an Open Different Space Close Point, welcoming new Nightmare Beasts, requiring order maintenance and handling troublemakers—lots of fighting, very tedious. Since it was irrelevant to the main plot, Su Bei skipped it for his side’s story. With the resource Different Space foreshadowed, this update jumped straight to Meng Huai summoning them. Su Bei revealed the map and its origin. Surprisingly, his solo fight against the Special Track class was drawn. He’d thought it wouldn’t make the manga. Undoubtedly a highlight, the barrage went wild. “Su Bei’s so cool! I’m tired of saying it.” “His martial arts are undeniably the best among first-years, right?” “Yes, Su Bei’s invincible.” “The fight scenes are epic, making me want to learn martial arts.” “Honestly, why’s Su Bei so good at martial arts?” Seeing that question, Su Bei smirked. Besides his parents’ dedicated training from childhood, his natural talent was key! Most of the Different Space plot held no surprises—he’d lived it. But to set up the next update, some parts were new. Like the Knowledge Nightmare Beast’s remote talk with someone, a black-clad figure removing the tower’s surveillance sticker, and a shadowy figure tampering in the external control room... All Black Flash’s moves. Notably, Destiny appeared again, showing both tasks from Black Flash. The refused first task was fine, but the accepted second was intriguing. The manga didn’t show the full timeline. In reality, Su Bei met Elvis' group, then got the second task. But the manga showed Black Flash’s message first, then their meeting. Normally, some would think Destiny foresaw it, others that they got lucky. The author clearly didn’t want the latter, tweaking the order so readers saw Destiny orchestrating the teams’ alliance seamlessly. “Damn! That’s chilling, friends!” “How did Destiny make both teams meet and team up so fast?” “Is there a Destiny mole in either team?” “Can’t wait for Destiny to surface.” “The name ‘Destiny’ feels so meaningful...” Others might see this as fun, but as Destiny’s true leader and world-truth knower, Su Bei thought deeper. The author’s repeated Destiny appearances signaled plans to make it a recurring force like Black Flash, likely assigning it key plot-driving tasks. This was good—knowing plot details early and acting proactively beat being dragged in. The book world plot took up a lot of space. Since they entered separately, the manga first followed Jiang Tianming. He was a thief stealing from Burlington Earl’s house, quickly deducing his role from his black outfit and props. The role suited him—shady but starting in the familiar manor with fitting props. A thief might aim for gems, but Jiang Tianming pivoted, heading for the library. Using his thief props and lockpicking, he opened the locked library door. Before finding the beast, another arrived. After a tense cat-and-mouse, they realized they were allies—Ai Baozhu, the earl’s mistress, also starting nearby. Su Bei snorted. Lan Subing was a Burlington maid, starting there too. Si Zhaohua, though elsewhere, was invited to a banquet, arriving soon. So he was the odd one out? But Lan Subing’s later info suggested if he hadn’t wandered or lingered outside, he’d have seen a missing person notice or been sent to the Burlington mansion as the true heir—not too unfair. Back to the plot, since both were in the library for the same goal, they searched for the beast, were spotted by the butler, and fled. The scene shifted to Lan Subing. As a maid cleaning rooms, she followed the head maid, finally getting free time and heading to the library. On the top floor staircase, she met Si Zhaohua, also heading there. After a joyful greeting, the butler caught them. In the dark top floor, a man and woman, they were mistaken for thieves. Unwilling to reveal their identities, they fled. Passing the third-floor corridor to hide, before opening a door, it opened from inside—Su Bei, calm as ever. All five appeared. “Your Su Bei appears suddenly!” “Hahahaha, so Subing took Jiang’s blame!” “Wanna see Subing’s face when she learns the truth.” “Sorry, this tense plot feels kinda goofy now.” “That black book’s the talking one, right? Feels like a conspiracy...” Su Bei, slacking in the book world, barely appeared, fitting his style. Everyone was used to it, ignoring him. Post-book world, to save space, other plots were skimmed, showing the protagonist team’s big haul until the final clock tower scene, where the pace slowed. A crowd gathered to “rob the rich.” The 1.9-meter boy taunted, and got one-shotted by, Su Bei. Before anyone could swoon, a massive brawl erupted. Then the Knowledge Nightmare Beast appeared from the second floor, sucking everyone in. The final frame was the black book lying quietly, as if nothing happened. End-of-chapter barrages exploded. “What happened?!” “I knew there was a conspiracy! That beast’s up to no good!” “I thought it was a nice beast, and now I feel dumb...” “Author, update now!” “Who’s it talking to? Black Flash?” “...Where’s Su Bei?” After the manga, Su Bei checked the forum. As expected, posts discussed the final plot, with some on Destiny. Main plot threads always sparked the most discussion. He opened a Black Flash post to gauge their guesses. Blind Guess: Black Flash Contacted the Beast, and the Attack’s Their Plot [LittleSlobNo.0: Long story short, it’s Black Flash. No one’s as obsessed with Jiang Tianming’s group, and their Destiny link makes it obvious.] [No.1: +1] [No.2: No other possibility, right?] [No.3: Could it be foreign forces? Can Black Flash reach that far?] [No.4 reply No.3: Forgot the Apogod incident?] [No.5: Gotta admire their persistence—lose, fight, lose again.] [No.6: Hahaha, savage.] ... [StepByStepBloomNo.37: I don’t doubt the main guess, but I’m puzzled. Their target feels like Elvis' group, not Jiang’s!] [No.38 reply StepByStepBloomNo.37: How’s Elvis the main target? I thought they were dragged in by the protagonist team (no shade).] [No.39: Yeah, being with the protagonist team’s just bad luck.] [StepByStepBloomNo.40 reply No.38: Look at Black Flash’s setup—moles inside and out, pre-contact with the beast, a thorough plan. It’s not a day’s work. Foreign moles are for foreign goals. Exposing them for Jiang’s group feels like a bad trade.] [No.41: Makes sense.] [No.42: So Jiang’s not the star this time!] [No.43: Rare for Jiang to be someone else’s baggage lol.] [No.44: Elvis' Ability is strong—targeting him’s logical. His teammates are just collateral?] [No.45 reply No.44: Not necessarily. Who knows about his teammates?] ... [No.81: No one cares why Su Bei asked about Elvis' female teammate’s Ability?] [No.82 reply No.81: I know he has reasons, but I never guess right, so whatever.] [No.83: Tiffany’s not simple. [Vampire] feels villainous.] [No.84: What’s Ian’s Ability? Seems like the beast’s book world.] [No.85: Forgot. I know he’s in Su Bei’s class, Tiffany’s in Jiang Tianming’s.] [No.86: Not mentioned in the manga, right?] [No.87: Those three aren’t simple. Black Flash’s got a knack for spotting talent.] They nailed the culprit and Black Flash’s target, just missing the longevity motive. Veteran manga readers, battle-hardened. Su Bei checked a post about himself. How Did Destiny Get Both Teams to Team Up and Go to the Clock Tower? [FiveGreatNovelsNo.0: My analysis: Elvis' group initiated the meeting and alliance, so I think they have a Destiny member. Elvis is the principal’s kin, Tiffany’s from a big family, so Ian? He suggested the alliance. This feels solid, but too obvious. Would the author be that kind?] [No.1: You missed a key point. Destiny wouldn’t want exposure, so they wouldn’t personally handle tasks, risking their identity.] [No.2: Big bro’s right. I bet neither team has Destiny, or it’d be too easy to spot.] [No.3: Destiny’s method is weird. They’re invisible in the manga.] [No.4: Yeah, they made both teams ally without a trace.] ... [No.49: The more you say, the more I think one person fits Destiny’s vibe. You know who.] [No.50 reply No.49: Su Bei] [No.51: Su Bei in Destiny would be wild.] [No.52: First he’s Black Flash, now Destiny. Su Bei’s a brick—moved wherever needed.] [No.53: But Destiny’s name and style vibe with Su Bei.] [No.54: Black Flash planted moles in Endless. If Su Bei’s Destiny’s mole, I’d lose it.] [No.55: Endless Sieve Ability Academy] ... [No.93: Useful topic: Why’d Destiny refuse Black Flash’s first task? The second was harder, yet they did it easily. The first had good pay—why refuse?] [No.94 reply No.93: Good question. I don’t know.] [No.95: Whimsical answer: didn’t like it?] [No.96: Hahaha, so whimsical.] [No.97: On 93’s question, I think: Black Flash could’ve done the first task, so it was a trap. If Destiny took it without a good method, they’d be exposed. They saw through it, so they refused. Also, maybe overthinking, but their price-hiking refusal might’ve warned Black Flash they knew their scheme, telling them not to play tricks.] [No.98 reply No.97: You saw all that? I feel like an idiot.] [No.99 reply No.98: Expressed the author’s homesickness.] [No.100 reply No.99: Nice, you aced reading comprehension.] The forum boosted his cool factor, Su Bei thought, scratching his head. It was 4 a.m.—three and a half hours since Jiang Tianming’s group entered the book world. He wasn’t worried. His acquaintances were likely safe. In the book world, only death carried over—other effects, like aging, wouldn’t. This made him less averse to helping. Seeing their middle-aged or elderly selves sounded fun. Manga would show it, but reality was more vivid. Exhausted from the day, he was sleepy. But who knew how long the teachers’ research would take? A short nap might leave him groggier. Better to stay up and rest after. So, he opened a game. Games woke you up, win or lose. Given the hour and his state, he logged into Elvis' account to boost its rank. Not covering up—with his current performance, his high-tier account would struggle against pros. But on Elvis' low-tier account, he’d dominate. He had ulterior motives, though. Raising Elvis' hidden MMR would match him with tough players, letting him “enjoy” rank drops. After an hour, as dawn broke, his door was knocked. Meng Huai, as expected, needed his help. “How do I help?” Su Bei asked directly. Meng Huai snapped his fingers, filling the room with thin workbooks—winter break homework in Mus Country’s language, likely from Alpha Ability Academy. “We’ll send you in. Give these books to them, and they'll tear them to leave,” Meng Huai said, seeing Su Bei’s gaze on the books. Originally, they’d planned to break the beast’s trial for gains and escape, but the beast didn’t know how, and Black Flash was inside. To avoid risks, the simplest method was best. The book world was sealed, normally inaccessible. But it was the beast’s world. Despite ceding control, it could fuzz the Space Lock’s sensitivity, letting a recent book world entrant inside, mistaking them as native. Su Bei was the perfect candidate. With entry possible, no need to break the plot—just bring books in to save everyone. An easy task. Su Bei relaxed. Breaking the plot was a hassle, but delivering books was simple. After storing the books, Meng Huai continued: "We don’t know where you’ll land, but it’s one building. You should find the others easily. Give a book to each person you meet. When you’re out of books, everyone’s out." He feared Su Bei, for convenience, would hand most books to one person to distribute. He was sure Su Bei would try. That’d be easy for Su Bei but risky. If someone missed a book, causing a death, who’d be blamed—Su Bei, the distributor, or both? Better for Su Bei to handle it alone. Compared to others, Meng Huai trusted his seemingly unreliable but calculating student. If Su Bei wanted to, he’d get it done.