Chapter 226
As expected, before they could uncover any clues, chaos erupted outside again. The Mud Tribe clan leader, He Bin, entered with another group, his expression grave and indignant: “The Plant Tribe, Rock Tribe, and Gecko Tribe each lost two people as well, all recently dead, their bodies still warm. The cause of death is the same as Xiao Wang’s.” He had gone to discuss the outsider issue with other tribe leaders, only to stumble upon two more cases.
Six more deaths caused an uproar among the previously calm crowd. A vague unease settled in—each victim died identically, with no trace of the killer or cause. Who knew if they’d be next?
“Then these guys should be cleared of suspicion, right?” a young underground human pointed at Jiang Tianming and the others. They’d been under watch the whole time, making it impossible for them to commit the crimes.
The Ponytail Man glared at him. He’d been looking for an excuse to eliminate Su Bei’s group and wasn’t about to let them off easily: “Cleared? Who knows if they’re in cahoots? Even if they’re not, their companions killed our people. Can they really wash their hands of it?”
His logic held some weight, silencing those who wanted to defend Su Bei’s group.
Seeing he’d swayed the crowd, the Ponytail Man turned to question Jiang Tianming’s group: “Speak! Where are the other four? You’re covering for them. If we can’t find them, we’ll have to take it out on you.”
“Are you trying to force a confession?” Si Zhaohua scanned the crowd, his gaze landing on the hostile Ponytail Man. “Your people have lost six, yet every word you say targets us, who are clearly innocent. I think you don’t care about your people’s deaths—you just want to pin the blame on us.”
When Su Bei learned eight people died—two from each of four tribes—he had a theory. Likely, they planned to kill ten, sparing only the Spirit Tribe.
This was an open scheme. Once others noticed, suspicion would fall on the Spirit Tribe. Even if some saw it as a frame job, they’d still feel uneasy—why was only their tribe untouched?
Though he saw through their plot, Su Bei added fuel to the fire without hesitation. Without chaos, how would the story progress? He also hoped the Spirit Tribe clan leader would decide soon.
He Bin thought for a moment and looked at the others: “Let’s go to the Spirit Tribe.”
With no objections, they headed there. Su Bei clutched his stomach, feigning pain: “I’ve got a stomachache. Need the bathroom.”
Wu Jin, silent until now, glanced at the group and Su Bei, speaking his first words since noon: “I’ll go with him, make sure he’s okay.”
Since they were cleared, and Su Bei had pointed out his companions, it wouldn’t do to abandon him. He Bin nodded: “Alright. If you’re fine after, come to the Spirit Tribe. If not, rest in your room.” After they left, Su Bei looked at Wu Jin, shaking his head with mock lament: “Wu Jin, you’ve gone bad.”
Wu Jin’s face reddened slightly, and he coughed: “What are you planning by ditching the group?”
“To check the clan leaders’ rooms. They’re all drawn to the Spirit Tribe—perfect chance,” Su Bei said, heading back purposefully. He’d said his theory lacked a key piece. Finding it would reveal Black Flash’s goal.
As for the exit, with the protagonist group around, why bother?
They’d seen He Bin’s room before. It was locked, but breaking in was easy with brute force. If questioned later, they could blame Cyril and Li Xiang. Missing people were perfect scapegoats.
Checking their Destiny Compasses, Su Bei’s luck had normalized, but Wu Jin’s was decent. Su Bei sat smugly, directing: “Look around. Hand me anything useful. I want info on the underground humans.”
Since Wu Jin needed him to escape the group, he didn’t mind being the grunt, diligently searching.
His luck paid off. After rummaging on the desk, he found a button. Pressing it flipped a wall, revealing a hidden door.
Wu Jin froze, then mechanically exclaimed: “Wow.”
Su Bei stood, heading to the door, teasing: “No need to add the surprise if you’re slow—it makes you look dumber.”
Down the stairs, they reached a secret room filled with records of underground human history and ancestral research.
With plenty of time, Su Bei leisurely read a history book. It began with the Ability that changed their fate, written by someone who’d crawled from a battlefield.
Near death, he inexplicably revived, regaining vitality. Not just him—many comrades experienced the same. Initially a blessing, their bodies soon mutated.
Extra organs, altered limbs, sharp teeth… all terrified normal people. In that era, their revival and mutations led to reports and military crackdowns.
The rest aligned with known history: hiding, finding a remote village, then an earthquake bringing them underground.
The revival part intrigued Su Bei. Not true resurrection, but near-death revival—seemingly just a miraculous meteorite Ability.
But linked to Nightmare Beasts?
Nightmare Beasts formed from the resentment of the dead, tied to death. Su Bei had theorized Black Flash’s goals: longevity or Nightmare Beasts.
Their interest in underground humans was clear: they believed they were linked to Nightmare Beasts.
Su Bei agreed. If they’d died, they’d have become Nightmare Beasts. In their near-death state, they became a hybrid of Nightmare Beasts and Ability users.
No wonder Cyril was so excited upon realizing who they were. Black Flash’s main goal was studying how Nightmare Beasts could become human. These hybrids would massively advance their research.
But with his omniscient perspective, Su Bei worried. Manga Consciousness had confirmed Nightmare Beasts couldn’t revert to humans.
If Black Flash took underground humans and realized this, what would they do?
“Su Bei, look here!” Wu Jin suddenly called, finding something new.
Su Bei looked and saw the method to leave. Returning to the surface was similar to entering—requiring a major quake to exploit chaotic energy flows.
But crucially, they couldn’t carry underground items, including food in their stomachs. They had to digest everything before leaving.
Su Bei knew food metabolized in 24 hours. They’d just eaten lunch. If they stopped eating, they could leave by tomorrow noon via a quake.
This method was insidious. Without this info, even with a guide, locals might not mention the food rule, feeding them to ensure failure.
“Let’s go.” After reviewing the useful info, Su Bei tidied the room to its original state and looked at Wu Jin: “Time to head back.”
But two steps out, footsteps approached. Whoever it was, it wasn’t good news. They exchanged wary glances, hiding behind cover.
Su Bei crouched behind a sofa, its narrow gap unlikely to be checked. Wu Jin, smaller, squeezed into a desk cabinet. They’d closed the door on entry, avoiding immediate detection.
The secret door opened, and two sets of footsteps sounded. Seeing the shoes, Su Bei confirmed: Cyril and Li Xiang.
Their presence was both surprising and expected. Su Bei slowed his breathing, thankful he hadn’t used Mental Energy, or he’d have been caught.
“This is it. Take the records back,” Li Xiang said flatly.
Cyril nodded, about to speak, when his expression shifted, eyes glinting playfully: “Oh? Looks like little mice snuck in.”
His Ability, [Cell Control], made him acutely aware of living beings. Sensing others in the room piqued his interest. Who got here first?
Hearing this, Su Bei and Wu Jin tensed. Li Xiang said calmly: “Since you heard, come out. Don’t waste our time searching.”
Cyril shrugged: “No rush. Hide-and-Seek’s fun too.”
Fun for them, maybe. Su Bei rolled his eyes inwardly, stepping out from behind the sofa with a delighted smile, like meeting old friends: “What a coincidence! Didn’t expect to run into you here. Looking for something? Need help?”
No choice—since they’d sensed someone, one had to step up to possibly shield the other. Both hiding would get them both caught.
Su Bei stepped out not out of loyalty but practicality. His exposure was far less costly than Wu Jin’s.
Wu Jin was Wu Di’s son, the principal of Endless Ability Academy! Ordinary people might not know, but Black Flash surely did.
If Su Bei stepped out, Black Flash might think recruitment or research. If Wu Jin did, they’d think leverage against Wu Di. For safety and utility, Su Bei was the better choice.
Luckily, Wu Jin caught his intent and stayed hidden.
Su Bei’s attitude amused Cyril, who gestured “please”: “Then help. I want to know these people’s origins and the way out.”
Perfect—Su Bei had just read those, and he’d put them back, so finding them was easy. But he didn’t rush, searching slowly.
If he could stall until the clan leader returned, he’d blame Cyril and Li Xiang, saying they dragged him to the basement to search. If not, no big deal—he had nothing else to do. Tying them up here was like saving lives, a noble deed.
They weren’t in a hurry either, lounging on the sofa. Cyril asked curiously: “How’d you find this place?”
“It’s the clan leader’s room. Not checking it would be weird,” Su Bei shrugged, then asked curiously: “Don’t you already know everything? Why come here?”
A harmless question. Cyril didn’t mind answering: “We know what we know, but the truth might differ from our data. Plus, for research, their own records are essential.”
Got it. Su Bei nodded, probing: “What exactly are you researching?”
He knew what Black Flash was after, but he couldn’t show it. It was their secret—how could an outsider know?
As expected, Cyril gave a half-smile, not answering.
After a brief silence, Li Xiang spoke: “Want to join us?”
Destiny Ability users were rare, especially ones like Su Bei who could truly alter fate. Their leader had eyed him, and with his Endless Ability Academy S-Class status, recruiting him would be a coup.
Su Bei feigned surprise: “Is this recruitment?”
But inwardly, he was calm. He’d guessed they’d try this during the arena incident. “No, it’s a threat,” Cyril grinned. “Refuse, and we kill you.”
Facing a death threat, Su Bei didn’t flinch, tossing them the history record he’d found: “You won’t kill me.”
Both Cyril and Li Xiang looked surprised. Cyril asked curiously: “How’re you so sure we won’t?”
“For you, these underground humans are the priority, right?” Su Bei replied leisurely. “So you won’t stir up trouble now.”
Killing him would unite Jiang Tianming’s group with the locals against Cyril and Li Xiang. With a shared goal, Black Flash’s recruitment of the underground humans would falter.
Compared to Cyril, who’d killed their kin, the fellow-victim protagonists would seem friendlier.
Su Bei was right. Cyril had no plans to kill him now. Though eliminating a future threat for Black Flash was tempting, cooperating with the underground humans was the priority.
Their organization’s ultimate goal trumped all. They’d sacrifice the organization itself for it. Though Su Bei’s Ability was annoying, Cyril saw recruitment potential. Keeping him alive might yield surprises.
With all the records, they didn’t linger. They were on the underground’s wanted list, and with most Abilities sealed, appearing rashly meant capture.
Not that they were powerless—the mysterious deaths proved that. They could ambush or duel, but a group fight would force surrender. Su Bei stayed quiet, not planning to expose them. They spared him to avoid complications, not because they couldn’t kill. With no real conflict, why risk his life?
Thus, both sides completed the exchange in a strange, harmonious atmosphere.
After they left, Wu Jin emerged from the cabinet, his expression complex: “Su Bei, weren’t you worried stepping out?”
“I explained,” Su Bei shrugged. “They won’t kill me. But if it was you, who knows?”
Recruiting underground humans for research versus holding the son of Endless Ability Academy’s principal—the top Ability user—hostage? Hard to say which was more valuable. Su Bei was the safer bet.
“Thanks,” Wu Jin said softly, lips pursed. Though Su Bei’s logic was sound, his willingness to step up deserved gratitude, whatever the reason.