Chapter 241

Chapter 241

Chapter 241

However, my subsequent reminder to Officer Zhou left the readers utterly baffled. Some wondered why I urged Officer Zhou to leave when the crisis had clearly been resolved. Others praised me, saying I was indeed a good kid. Yet another group felt I was acting out of character, actually reminding someone else.

Seeing these comments, I didn’t feel the least bit angry; instead, I was very satisfied. This was exactly the persona I had deliberately crafted, and the fact that readers believed it so firmly only proved my success.

As the saying went, lay down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot—a purely good persona would only shackle me. Doing good was expected, and failing to do so invited criticism. But with a half-villainous persona like mine, doing a bit of good now and then earned me praise.

Admittedly, this was a rather warped mindset, but I didn’t mind exploiting it fully. Since I couldn’t change the readers, I’d just go along with them.

As for some readers pointing out the issue of my persona being out of character, I had already provided an explanation later, which, as expected, the author should include, so I wasn’t worried.

The manga’s plot continued. Although Zuzong was completely eliminated, the entire village still lost its vitality. Just when everyone was puzzled, thinking the intelligence was wrong and that Zuzong had successfully revived, Zhou Min’s appearance cleared up the confusion.

The readers were in an uproar. No one had expected that Zhou Min, using her terminally ill body, would seize such a massive opportunity, inheriting the effects of the Life Extension Array, absorbing the mental energy of the entire village, and becoming the biggest winner of this conspiracy.

Faced with a little girl whose story had been quite tragic so far, the readers didn’t spin any conspiracy theories. They only felt she had turned her fortunes around, with luck off the charts.

At night, while I was sleeping and resting, Jiang Tianming and the others were laboriously cleaning up the aftermath.

Although all the villagers of Longevity Town were dead, they still needed to be thoroughly checked to ensure no one else like Zhou Min remained.

Secondly, the bodies needed to be collected. Leaving them lying in their homes was obviously inappropriate; at the very least, they had to be gathered together, waiting for the Ability Government’s staff to arrive for convenient cremation.

Seeing this scene in the manga, I suddenly realized why they all had such heavy dark circles under their eyes when I woke up the next morning. I had initially thought they were sleepless due to guilt over the village’s deaths, but it turned out they were working hard all night.

Watching the busy scene in the manga and thinking about how I was sound asleep in the next room, I couldn’t help but smirk, then coughed lightly to hide my schadenfreude.

The reason I reminded Officer Zhou was, as expected, drawn into the manga by the author. No one was more concerned about a popular character going out of character than a sensible author. After all, if that happened, the fans would surely come for the author, not the character.

The manga’s conclusion, as always, ended on a perfect cliffhanger, hinting through my prophecy that something would happen in the next chapter. Amid the readers’ wails in the comments, I closed the chapter, refreshed a few times, and was surprised to see no new content.

Although I indeed hadn’t heard the prompt from Manga Consciousness, why was it like this? Hadn’t we already gone through the danger and returned? Why hadn’t the manga updated?

I was a bit puzzled but quickly understood and relaxed. We had brought back the Life Stone, and this incident was more or less over. However, there were surely some follow-ups to address, such as whether Zhou Min had an ability, how the Nightmare Beasts would react to the Life Stone being taken by the government, and so on, which explained the delay.

After some thought, though I couldn’t read two chapters at once, I decided to check the forum first to see the readers’ latest reactions.

Since this didn’t involve the main storyline, there wasn’t much deep discussion; most were just talking about the plot. I casually clicked on one related to myself that piqued my interest.

《Very Curious About What Su Bei Knew in Advance》

【LeuwenhoekIsMeNo.0: It’s obvious Su Bei saw a lot in advance, which is why he’s always one step ahead. I’ve summarized all the hints and explicit actions he made beforehand. If I missed anything, feel free to add. Mainly, I want to use these plot points to speculate what Su Bei saw with Destiny Gear.】

【No.1: The OP hit on something I’ve always been curious about. Feng Lan’s prophecies can usually be stated directly, but Su Bei’s can only be judged through his actions.】

【No.2: Squatting】

【No.3: Squatting】

【No.4: Curious +1】

【No.5: OP is so free, I love it】

【No.6 replying to No.5:

Hahahahahahaha】

【…】

【LeuwenhoekIsMeNo.15: I’m back!

Su Bei said the name Longevity Town was interesting.

Su Bei mentioned Longevity Town’s long-lived people.

Su Bei’s inexplicable focus on Zhou Min.

Su Bei turned back early while procuring cinnabar.

Su Bei knew Zuzong’s true form was hidden in the Life Stone.

Urging Officer Zhou to leave early.

Su Bei’s final reminder for everyone to leave quickly (this seems like something he just saw, so I won’t analyze it).

My guess is he knew early on that the Life Stone was in Longevity Town, and quite possibly… well, to me, it seems he knew the whole story from start to finish. Otherwise, how could he be involved in everything?】

【No.16: After OP’s summary, I realized Su Bei is just too comprehensive.】

【No.17: Thinking about it, he really dropped a lot of hints from beginning to end!】

【No.18: If Jiang Jiang had just asked him directly from the start, could they have grabbed the Life Stone and returned to the Academy earlier?】

【No.19 replying to No.18: But even if asked, Su Bei definitely wouldn’t say. I suspect he enjoys the thrill of being a cryptic riddle-master.】

【No.20 replying to No.19:

Your Bei has some mischief in him.】

【No.21: Su Bei, you sly little fox.】

【…】

【No.77: To be honest, Su Bei definitely didn’t know everything from the start. He was investigating too.】

【No.78: I suspect Su Bei can see the next node’s content at each point but can’t know the whole plot at once.】

【No.79 replying to No.78: That’s definitely wrong. Su Bei clearly knew about the Life Stone from the beginning, and the Life Stone is a later node, right?】

【No.80: Is it possible he can only see key things, like the Life Stone being in the village or Zhou Min’s fate being different from others?】

【No.81: The above is the most plausible I’ve seen so far.】

【…】

【No.151: Honestly, I’ve always suspected Su Bei’s ability isn’t Destiny Gear at all but the real Destiny. Otherwise, how could he know so much every time? Only the purest Destiny-type ability could be this powerful, right?】

【No.152 replying to No.151: I also think so. He’s just too strong.】

【No.153: If that’s true, hasn’t Su Bei been lying all along? First saying his ability was Gear, then Destiny Gear, and now Destiny? Is he playing a match-three game?】

【No.154 replying to No.153: Hahahahaha match-three hahahahaha】

【No.155: Maybe Su Bei’s ability evolved like Laughter’s and Class Monitor’s, without us knowing?】

【No.156: When will the author release Su Bei’s official profile?】

【No.157 replying to No.156: The most sensible comment in this thread.】

The earlier posts were just for fun, but when I saw someone guessing my true ability was Destiny, I finally perked up a bit.

Initially, I set my ability as Destiny Gear to align with my original Gear ability, allowing it to evolve reasonably and quickly.

Back then, I was just a nameless background character in the manga, a Class F nobody. Even if I boldly claimed to have a powerful ability, readers might not believe it, and the author might not even include it in the manga.

Thus, the ability I wanted to change had to be related to my original one to make my design more intricate.

I didn’t continue evolving it later for two reasons. First, my current ability was sufficient; Destiny Gear was already powerful enough. Second, my persona was deeply ingrained—everyone knew my ability was Destiny Gear. Changing that perception would be incredibly difficult and unnecessary.

But now, it seemed the readers were quite open to me changing my ability?

If Destiny Gear evolved into Destiny, it would only benefit me with no downsides. Abilities were stronger the purer they were, like Feng Lan’s Prophecy, which made him the head of the Feng Family upon awakening.

Wu Mingbai’s Earth Element was also impressive. Though its strength depended on the user’s elemental concentration, such pure abilities could manifest in various forms like earth walls, Earth Escape, or even earthquakes—already remarkable.

No one in the history of the ability world had awakened Destiny, so I didn’t know what new powers I’d gain if I changed. But my existing abilities would likely only evolve, not disappear, making it a clear win.

However, I had more pressing tasks, and changing my ability wasn’t a priority. As I’d said, Destiny Gear was enough for now.

Besides, convincing readers my ability was Destiny would be tough, and I couldn’t think of a good way to reveal it without wasting time better spent on important matters. That would be like abandoning a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

For now, I’d focus on finding a way to eliminate the Nightmare Beasts. I had a feeling the time to achieve this goal was near.

This wasn’t baseless. With the Life Stone, so crucial to the Nightmare Beasts, now in the government’s hands, and given their long-standing enmity, I didn’t believe they’d stay quiet.

As long as the Nightmare Beasts stirred trouble next, riling up humanity, I could seize the chance to give them hope of wiping out the Nightmare Beasts for good.

Refreshing the forum, another intriguing post caught my eye—“Is Su Bei Pursuing [Humanity’s Longevity]?”

As expected, someone was discussing it, validating my deliberate leaks.

【DebateMasterNo.0: This plot left me stunned. “Humanity’s longevity” sounds so grandiose—how could it come from Su Bei’s mouth?

Okay, joking aside. Though Su Bei doesn’t seem like a saintly savior, it’s plausible he has a grand ideal. But “humanity’s longevity” feels odd and vague. Does he want humans to live longer like Longevity Town’s villagers, or does he want immortality?】

【No.1: Yeah, it threw me off too.】

【No.2: Maybe figuring this out will unravel Su Bei’s mystery.】

【No.3: I don’t quite get it. Is Su Bei trying to achieve humanity’s longevity with the Life Stone?】

【No.4 replying to No.3: That’d have to be one massive Life Stone.】

【No.5: I’m more curious about another thing—has he encountered the Life Stone before? How else would he know its function?】

【No.6: Life Stones only exist in the Nightmare Beast world, guarded by tons of high-level Nightmare Beasts. Normal people can’t possibly access them. Su Bei’s intel source is indeed weird.】

【No.7: It’s Su Bei, so knowing anything is reasonable.】

【…】

【No.31: I think the OP is wrong. Su Bei might be pursuing the longevity of the human race, not lifespan.】

【DebateMasterNo.32 replying to No.31: That’s a possibility I hadn’t considered. Why are you so sure?】

【No.33 replying to No.32:

If he only wanted longer lifespans, Su Bei would’ve kept the Life Stone to study it. But he clearly didn’t…

Honestly, I can’t quite figure out what he’s up to. If he hadn’t said he’s pursuing humanity’s longevity, I wouldn’t have thought of it.】

【No.34 replying to No.33:

I can’t tell either. If he’s after humanity’s longevity, shouldn’t he do something with the Life Stone? Why do nothing?】

【…】

【No.78: Has anyone looked into why Su Bei has such a goal? He’s just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old kid—where’d he get such a big dream?】

【No.79 replying to No.78: He’s got too many secrets; this is just one more.】

【No.80 replying to No.78: If studying this is like solving a quadratic equation, we’re still at the stage of not knowing multiplication…】

【No.81: Regardless, this at least proves Su Bei’s a good guy, right? With such a goal, how could he be bad?】

【No.82: Hey, hold on. It’s not that simple. The boss of Black Flash aims to turn Nightmare Beasts back into humans, and isn’t he a total villain?】

【No.83 replying to No.82: Exactly. In the manga, anything involving longevity or immortality tends to lead to dark paths.】

【No.84: Su Bei’s probably that morally ambiguous character, right? He hasn’t done anything bad, but people don’t fully see him as a good guy either. A fascinating persona.】

【No.85: My Bei saved Officer Zhou this chapter! Total good guy!】

【No.86 replying to No.85: Your Bei saved him because Officer Zhou led him to the Life Stone.】

【No.87 replying to No.86: Repaying kindness—even better!】

【No.88: You Bei stans…】

【No.89: Alright, alright, I’m convinced. Su Bei’s the number one good guy in King of Abilities!】

【No.90: Su Bei saves people, Su Bei’s great. Jiang Jiang kills bad guys, Jiang Jiang’s great. Ling You assists, Ling You’s great. Li Shu helps, Li Shu’s great. The author draws the manga, the author’s bad.】

【No.91 replying to No.90: ClearSoupGrandLord!】

【…】

【No.152 replying to No.78: It just hit me—usually in King of Abilities, a character’s goal ties to their ability. Su Bei’s is Destiny Gear. Could he have seen something in the future—like humanity’s extinction—prompting his pursuit of humanity’s longevity?】

【No.207 replying to No.206: !】

【No.208 replying to No.206: That’s actually possible!】

【No.209 replying to No.206: We know Su Bei didn’t awaken his ability when he joined Endless Ability Academy but long before. He might’ve had this goal for a long time.】

【No.210: Remember when someone said the worldbuilding of King of Abilities is a bit inconsistent? Nightmare Beasts keep growing in number, far outpacing ability users. By this logic, the world will eventually be overrun. Could Su Bei have seen this and be trying to change it?】

【No.211: You’ve convinced me.】

【No.212: Wow, this is getting more plausible.】

【No.213: If that’s true, I’d call Su Bei the number one good guy in King of Abilities!】

【No.214: Hahahahaha your imaginations are wild.】

【No.215 replying to No.214:

Su Bei: Where did this come from? Is this still about me?】

Seeing that someone in the thread had roughly guessed my intentions, even I was startled, marveling at the readers’ sharpness.

The truth wasn’t exactly as they guessed, but it could be interpreted that way. I was indeed driven to pursue humanity’s longevity by the text and images from Manga Consciousness.

Big imaginations were a blessing. Since some had already guessed the truth, things would be easier. Next, I just needed to release the method to eliminate Nightmare Beasts, and the forum’s scholars would debate it for me.

After browsing the forum, I finally felt sleepy. I went out for lunch, then took a nap. Later, Jiang Tianming woke me, and we went to Meng Huai’s office to get scolded.

Su Bei: Bad luck!

No matter what great deeds we did outside, back at school, we only got scolded. Meng Huai sneered at us: “Getting cocky, huh? You found something so dangerous in the village and didn’t report it to the Academy immediately? So eager to play heroes that you don’t care about your lives? If I’d arrived a moment later, you’d all be four corpses!”

If he hadn’t been worried about his students, ignored the government’s arrangements, and arrived at the scene before them, Jiang Tianming and the others might’ve been in real danger.

After all, we’d just defeated a High-Level Nightmare Beast, and the new wave wouldn’t underestimate us. With our mental energy nearly depleted, if the Nightmare Beasts got serious, we could’ve been wiped out instantly.

“Sorry, Teacher, we were overconfident,” Jiang Tianming admitted, knowing he was wrong and humbly apologizing.

Had he known the original seal’s time limit wouldn’t hold until we could make a new one, he should’ve notified the government the moment we found the Life Stone, instead of worrying the government’s involvement would alert the Nightmare Beasts early, choosing to take the risk himself.

Though Jiang Tianming often relied on himself, he wasn’t recklessly a lone wolf. This time, it was an information gap that caused the issue.

His straightforward apology eased some of Meng Huai’s anger. Seeing this, the other three quickly offered a sentence or two of self-criticism. Whether we meant it or not, none of us were the type to argue with a teacher at such a moment.

Seeing our apologies, Meng Huai turned to me: “One thing I’m curious about, Su Bei—why did you go along with their nonsense?”