Chapter 184

Chapter 184

Chapter 184

After assigning tasks, Jiang Tianming looked at Su Bei: "Any changes?"

Seeing Su Bei shake his head, he wasn’t surprised—it was his original plan.

"What if Ian releases a few people to stay at the field?" Though few students remained outside, Ian’s Ability still held many who could be utilized.

As he spoke, Su Bei clearly saw Ai Baozhu and others’ large pointers shift, moving away from the "Injured" position. He immediately knew Jiang Tianming’s idea was sound.

He gave an "OK" gesture: "It’ll work."

Jiang Tianming’s expression brightened, quickly asking Ian to check if any students in [Golden House in Books] were willing to help. Soon, three stepped forward.

Not because only three were willing—most students this age, with powerful Abilities, had a save-the-world mentality. When Ian asked, many eagerly volunteered, and those not chosen were even upset.

Hearing Ian describe the situation inside his space, Su Bei gave a deadpan look. Those eager to fight were stuck inside, while those reluctant were forced to fight. Couldn’t they swap? He’d love to hide in Ian’s space and ride out the crisis.

Su Bei followed Ian to get the keys, as Ian had specifically chosen him. Su Bei had planned to slack off somewhere, but fetching keys was easy, so he agreed.

With Invisibility Charms, they easily headed to the sports office. On the way, Ian said worriedly: "How do you think the teachers are doing? Can Teacher Meng use what you brought back to persuade Senior Cyril?"

"Clearly not," Su Bei shrugged. "It’s been ten minutes since Teacher got it—Cyril’s likely seen it. No reaction means he’s not abandoning the mission."

Ian trusted his judgment, sighing: "Good thing we didn’t waste time and have a plan now. Hope it solves the school’s crisis."

At the sports office, Ian deftly found the field gate’s keys, twirling them on his finger proudly: "Not for nothing that I’m tight with the teachers. Finally came in handy."

"The teachers would cry if they knew they were only useful for this in your eyes," Su Bei said, amused, sitting on a chair.

Since they found the keys quickly, there was no rush to the field—going slowly was fine. They needed to give others time to lure the infected; arriving too early would complicate things.

Bored, Ian suddenly recalled something, hesitating as he looked at Su Bei: "By the way, when you said my Ability might achieve immortality… did you already foresee the book world incident?"

He’d only realized this last night. Su Bei’s expression back then was intriguing, but he’d been too clueless to notice, brushing it off.

"Your reaction time is glacial," Su Bei remarked.

Ian fell silent, then continued: "I only realized last night—the book world created by ‘Black Flash’ was likely targeting our group, right? The others were just caught up in it."

"That’s right," Su Bei nodded affirmatively.

Ian gave a rare bitter smile: "You really don’t sugarcoat. I thought you’d at least say, ‘It’s not your fault,’ or ‘Don’t blame yourself,’ or some polite nonsense."

"Do you really think I’d say polite nonsense?" Su Bei looked at him curiously, wondering when he’d given that impression.

Imagining Su Bei spouting typical platitudes, Ian shook his head vigorously, saying earnestly: "You’re better like this."

At the field, they saw a massive crowd from afar. Countless infected formed ring after ring, frantically attacking inward, with more streaming in, lured by classmates.

Si Zhaohua, in the sky, spotted them instantly, swooping down to whisk Ian away. The students Ian had held in his "Golden House" were left in the combat classroom, leaving his Ability space mostly empty—perfect for evacuating Ai Baozhu and the others.

Seeing it was time, Jiang Tianming signaled Su Bei to lock the gate. Su Bei used his Gear to clear a path, sprinting to shut the field gate.

Then, Si Zhaohua and Ian descended, absorbing Ai Baozhu and the others before fleeing. The plan succeeded perfectly.

Since the infected couldn’t use Abilities, their physical strength, though enhanced, couldn’t breach the Ability academy’s high field walls.

"Awesome!" Ian cheered as everyone regrouped. "Now we don’t have to hide. It’s up to the teachers to handle the rest."

If they succeeded, all would be well. If not… honestly, with their student-level strength, they couldn’t do much more.

"Ring, ring, ring!" Jiang Tianming’s phone suddenly rang. He checked it and froze. The others, curious at his reaction, crowded around and froze too.

The screen showed an incoming video call from Meng Huai.

"What’s going on?" Ai Baozhu asked, puzzled. "He can video call from that place? Is Teacher too free?"

Indeed, it was bizarre—did that place have a signal? Jiang Tianming, at a loss, answered, and Meng Huai’s face appeared.

The starry sky background suggested he was in good spirits: "Nice work. Your reward: a live broadcast."

The camera shifted, showing Cyril and the White-Bearded Principal. Both had torn clothes, looking slightly disheveled but not seriously injured.

In front of Cyril was a screen displaying "Alpha Ability Academy," meaning they were watching the teachers watch them—a nesting doll effect.

"I didn’t expect them to actually handle my controlled students," Cyril said, his expression furious. "Hmph, a bet’s a bet. I’m leaving, but you won’t be so lucky next time!"

As he moved to leave, a black-clad subordinate couldn’t help but interject: "Lord Cyril, this was the organization’s special—"

Before he finished, Cyril shot him a chilling glare: "Do you have an issue with my decision?"

"No, no," the subordinate quickly shook his head.

"Cyril," the White-Bearded Principal spoke suddenly. Cyril withdrew his gaze from the subordinate but didn’t look at him, eyes lowered, silent.

Despite the years, the principal still knew his prized student well. He sighed helplessly: "‘Alpha Ability Academy’ welcomes you back anytime. I welcome you back anytime."

"Tch, who wants to come back?" Cyril sneered, his expression venomous. "This time, those exchange students just got the upper hand. Next time, I won’t give you any chances!"

With a wave, he called for retreat, leading the black-clad group into a black mist, vanishing abruptly from the starry sky. The next second, the mutated students across the school collapsed, unconscious.

Ian scratched his head: "Senior Cyril went easy, didn’t he? It didn’t feel like he needed to retreat yet."

Though Cyril insisted their plan failed, the infected were still under his control, and the teachers hadn’t escaped the space. As Ian said, they were far from needing to retreat.

Anyone with eyes could see Cyril was holding back.

"Holding back? That was an ocean of leniency," Lan Subing couldn’t help but quip, then, thinking of something, looked at Jiang Tianming and Su Bei. "Could it be what you brought back worked?"

Jiang Tianming thought so too, nodding: "Probably. Cyril can’t defy ‘Black Flash’s’ mission but didn’t want to harm the principal or students, so it ended this way."

He’d hated the principal for delaying his friend Leeds, love turning to hate. Learning the principal not only wasn’t wrong but covered for Leeds’ mistake naturally dissolved his need for revenge.

"I wonder if he’ll be harshly punished as a traitor," Lan Subing said worriedly. "Even his subordinate saw he went easy."

Si Zhaohua shook his head confidently: "He won’t. ‘Black Flash’ might give him a slap on the wrist, at most."

"Why?" Jiang Tianming asked curiously.

Si Zhaohua explained: "Cyril’s strength is undeniable, right? No leader wants a powerful subordinate to grow distant. Since Cyril chose to return rather than defect—whether because ‘Black Flash’ has leverage or he shares their goals—it shows he’s still usable. To keep him loyal, they won’t impose harsh punishment."

After a moment, he added: "They might make him atone through merit. That’s the best solution. But they likely won’t let him handle ‘Alpha Ability Academy’ again."

As the future head of the Si Family, Si Zhaohua had studied leadership from childhood. His family was a major force, and his judgment aligned closely with ‘Black Flash’s’ leader’s considerations.

Before anyone could relax, Lan Subing’s face turned grave: "Then he won’t be sent to target our academy, will he?"

Everyone: "…"

To be fair, that was highly likely. Though ‘Black Flash’ had operatives worldwide, their main battlefield was domestic. Having failed against "Endless Ability Academy" multiple times, sending someone stronger like Cyril was plausible.

Ian and the others, listening, felt oddly like they’d gotten off easy. It was their school’s old drama, yet the fallout hit their allied school.

"Ahem, if your school’s in danger, you can ask ours for help. I’m sure the principal would be willing," Ian said awkwardly.

Elvis, the principal’s relative, snorted: "Just a ‘Black Flash’ organization. With our schools allied, are we afraid of them?"

"Exactly!" Ian nodded firmly. "No problem!"

Seeing them boldly add pressure to their schools, Tiffany, usually silent, finally snapped: "The teachers are here."

Everyone turned and saw the teachers approaching from the academic and dorm buildings. After Cyril’s group vanished, the starry space dissolved, returning them to their original locations.

They later explained that Cyril, during his undercover stint, had planted space-shifting Ability items on each teacher, activated to pull them into another space.

All the teachers had been too careless, letting him succeed so easily. Even in the relatively safe school, they should’ve periodically checked for Ability items or effects. Yet, over months, not one had—far too lax!

Thus, after the incident, all "Alpha Ability Academy" teachers were penalized with a ten-thousand-word self-criticism, a dedicated apology conference to the students, and bi-monthly checks to prevent recurrence.

But that was later. Now, they needed to send all unconscious students to the infirmary for checks to avoid lingering issues.

Meng Huai wasn’t rushing to help. As exchange students, they’d already gone above and beyond resolving the crisis. Even if they helped now, there was no urgency.

Calling the five to a corner, Meng Huai lowered his voice: "By tomorrow at the latest, the principal will likely summon you to discuss rewards. Think now about what to request. Prioritize strength enhancement—your future trials are many. Without enough power, you’ll fall halfway."

The five nodded, understanding strength’s importance. Then Meng Huai asked: "Do you all know the hidden truth about Cyril?"

"Only Su Bei and I know," Jiang Tianming replied, mentioning Leeds’ mom’s request that the video not be shown to others.

This aligned with Meng Huai’s thinking: "Since you three don’t know, no need to. It’s just old history. You two, don’t spread it. If it leaks and Cyril retaliates, the academy can’t avenge your loose lips."

From Cyril’s behavior, he likely didn’t think Leeds was wrong. If the truth spread, Leeds would face criticism, and Cyril would be displeased.

He was a formidable Ability user. Unless Jiang Tianming and the others stayed in the academy forever, evading him would be tough.

"Got it!" Jiang Tianming nodded, and the others dropped their curiosity. Sometimes, ignorance was better.

Moving students to the infirmary took time, finishing by 8 p.m. Many infected had woken, acting normal but missing memories of attacking classmates.

The School Nurse confirmed no lasting effects or daily issues. However, one nurse noted that if Cyril returned, they might not need a bite to be reinfected.

It was as if Cyril had planted a seed in them, dormant but ready to sprout at his command.

Only this nurse’s skill detected it—others might’ve missed it.

This lingering threat was unacceptable. Though Cyril seemed to have lost his revenge drive, who could predict the future? Only by eliminating vulnerabilities could they avoid being exploited.

But this was the school’s issue. ‘Black Flash’s’ raid had piled on work: addressing students’ health, informing parents, and likely making a public statement to the Ability world.

Crucially, they needed to retaliate against ‘Black Flash.’

This wasn’t just for face but to deter opportunists from thinking "Alpha Ability Academy" was an easy target.

The Feng Family excelled at this—provoke them, and they’d announce your death in advance. Who could stand that?

Yet, on an Ability-user chat platform, some thought free death predictions were a steal, even planning to provoke the Fengs in groups.

Wasn’t that a novel way to court death?

Back at "Alpha Ability Academy," as Su Bei prepared for dinner, his "Manga Consciousness" pinged an update. Given the recent incidents, he guessed this chapter might focus entirely on "Alpha Ability Academy."

After dinner, back in the dorm, door locked, Su Bei read the manga. It picked up where the last left off, with Jiang Tianming and the others entering the book world. With the map just one building, those trapped quickly gathered. Noticing Su Bei’s absence, they searched briefly, with barrage comments full of "Su Bei slipped away again" nonsense.

At first, nothing seemed amiss—just a normal building, no monsters, no challenges, just no exit.

They thought it was an escape room until ten minutes passed, and Ai Baozhu screamed: "My gosh! Did I just age?"

Su Bei couldn’t help but smirk. The book world’s rule was aging one year every ten minutes. A year’s change was subtle—normally, it’d take an hour for anyone to notice.

But Ai Baozhu was an exception. Obsessed with her appearance, she checked mirrors constantly, noticing every facial shift. She spotted the change after just one cycle.

Her scream drew Si Zhaohua and the others, who learned of her discovery. Though they saw no change in her, they trusted her.

After all, it was Ai Baozhu—she’d never misjudge her looks.

Amid a barrage of "hahaha," the manga showed them studying the aging issue. Ai Baozhu said not just her, but Si Zhaohua, Lan Subing, and Jiang Tianming showed changes.

But a single year’s aging was hard to pinpoint, even for her, so they shelved the clue and kept exploring.

The building had no issues but was steeped in "time." Stopped watches, clocks, calendars littered homes; hallways bore demolition or exam countdowns.

These time markers, plus Ai Baozhu’s discovery, sparked guesses, awaiting time’s confirmation.

Ten minutes later, mirror-obsessed Ai Baozhu exclaimed again. She felt older, looking almost adult.

Others still saw no change, but two cycles confirmed her find: every ten minutes, their faces aged slightly, or rather, grew older.

Realizing the issue, they sought a solution.

A long stretch of failed searches followed, which Su Bei, knowing the outcome, skipped until a new variable appeared, pausing his flipping.

Three hours in, they’d aged eighteen years. Such changes were undeniable, and all grasped the book world’s rule: age one year every ten minutes.

The "Alpha Ability Academy" trio—Elvis, Ian, Tiffany—became focal points. Ian’s [Golden House in Books] shielded from the world’s rules, while Elvis’s [Time Hourglass] halted aging for some, drawing admiration.

Tiffany, however, faced hostility. Her Ability required permanent Embrace for eternal youth, which no one wanted unless desperate. Useless to them now, unaffected by the world, and stereotyped by her Ability, she was a target.

But Tiffany didn’t care about others’ opinions, and with Elvis and Ian by her side, no trouble arose.

Ian cycled the fifty-plus entrants through his [Golden House in Books], while Elvis used [Time Hourglass] to keep a few from aging further, maintaining a fragile balance.