Chapter 216

Chapter 216

Chapter 216

Hearing my words, Jiang Tianming and the others noticed the surprised expressions on our opponents’ faces, realizing something was off.

The situation had been Endless Ability Academy dominating Houde Ability Academy, but the opponents’ reactions and my earlier exchange with their support hinted at a deeper plot.

“Su Bei, what’s wrong?” Jiang Tianming asked, frowning as he fended off another attack.

I glanced at the opponents, who were now retreating in unison, and it clicked: “We’re about to be eliminated—most of us.”

Having exposed their scheme, Houde Academy’s students couldn’t afford to dawdle. They’d execute their plan immediately.

“How’s that possible?” Ai Baozhu’s eyes widened, disbelief written across her face. Weren’t we dominating? How could we be eliminated?

She wasn’t the only one shocked—Jiang Tianming, the others, and the audience were too. Our words on the arena were amplified, so everyone heard what I said.

Like Ai Baozhu, many thought Endless held the advantage. Some dismissed my claim as grandstanding, while others watched patiently, expecting a twist.

As he fell off, Lan Subing inexplicably appeared below the arena too, her face full of stunned confusion as she looked around.

Jiang Tianming, sharp as ever, scanned the opponents, his gaze locking on their support: “You did this?”

Noticing the support’s slight change in expression, Jiang Tianming confirmed his guess. Connecting the dots wasn’t hard: “[Synced Link]… You linked us all, so when you go down, we do too?”

Though phrased as a question, his tone was certain.

The support didn’t deny it. In fact, he wanted to seize this chance to gain some fame. Otherwise, pulling off such a flashy move without the audience knowing would be a waste.

So he explained patiently, “You’re right. My ability gradually syncs those I touch. Our Special Track’s ability lets me link two people at once. So, with just four of us, we can link all five of you, leaving one of us on the arena. You’ve already lost. Will you surrender to save time, or keep fighting and let us drag you down?”

So that was their trick—no wonder Houde was so confident in the manga. This strategy could work against any team. But unfortunately for them, their opponents were Endless Ability Academy’s protagonist squad, doomed to foil their plan.

I wasn’t sure about the rest, but I knew Jiang Tianming’s ability to nullify others’ powers meant the support’s sync wouldn’t work on him. So, the arena would end with Houde’s Attack Track and our Jiang Tianming—explaining why their pointers were normal.

That’s how it should go, but then there’s me. Adjusting five people’s Destiny Compasses, especially large pointers that’d appear in the manga, would drain a lot of Mental Energy. An hour wouldn’t be enough to recover, meaning I’d miss the next Team Battle.

But tweaking just one person’s large pointer? Easy. Smirking, I shifted their Attack Track’s small pointer to the far right, then set their large pointer to “Exit” like the others.

After finishing, I said casually, “I saw through your plan and you think I can’t do anything? That’s underestimating me a bit, isn’t it?”

At this, Houde’s team showed wary expressions. Their Academy hadn’t uncovered much about my ability, only that it was Destiny Track, manipulating gears.

In the last match, I barely acted, only crushing their support when he moved and exposing their plot—enough to make them cautious.

Now, claiming I could ruin their plan, they didn’t fully believe me. From their perspective, they couldn’t see how, but a gut feeling told them I was likely telling the truth.

In contrast, Jiang Tianming and the others were confident. I never spoke without reason—if I said I had a way, I did.

Si Zhaohua couldn’t help but chuckle. He figured if their support hadn’t targeted me, I might not have acted. But since they did, I wouldn’t sit idly by.

Houde’s team exchanged glances. Moments later, their support, acting as commander, waved decisively: “Stick to the plan.”

Whether I was bluffing or not, they had no other options. Their earlier beating by Endless showed this wasn’t their strongest team—just the one best suited for their support’s ability. It was a specialized trick team, and this trick was their only shot at winning.

On command, their Special Track jumped off, taking Ai Baozhu with them. Next, their Defense Track went, dragging Si Zhaohua down.

Finally, their support prepared to jump, which should’ve taken me and Jiang Tianming, leaving only Houde’s Attack Track on the arena.

As he jumped, I smiled nonchalantly, casually firing a gear at their Attack Track, using my skill-book-acquired instant-activation to trigger the pointer’s effect.

Then, I was sent off the arena with their support’s move.

When adjusting their Attack Track’s Destiny Compass, I’d used my new “pre-emptive glimpse” ability, seeing what’d happen if I set their large pointer to “Exit.”

I saw a gear sending them off the arena, so I naturally fired one as fate dictated.

It was an ordinary gear, theoretically incapable of harm. But their Attack Track, already tense from my earlier words, feared any mistake could ruin their plan. He treated my gear like a dire threat, retreating several steps to dodge.

The support had been standing behind him for protection, ensuring a safe jump. But his retreat, combined with the support jumping with me, left the Attack Track unable to avoid the arena’s edge, teetering precariously.

Stabilizing would’ve been easy for someone with his body control, but before he could, my gear reached him—the final straw.

“Bang!” The Attack Track fell off the arena.

Only Jiang Tianming remained.

This all happened in less than two seconds. Everyone was stunned. The referee reacted first, announcing, “Match concluded. ‘Endless Ability Academy’ wins!”

Only after his words did the arena explode with chatter. Such a dramatic match was undeniably gripping, sparking huge interest.

Even Jiang Tianming, inexplicably left on the arena, drew little attention. All eyes were on me. Everyone knew I was key to this outcome, but no one could figure out how I did it.

“How—how’d I end up off the arena?” their Attack Track said, frustrated, then glared at me. “Was that you?”

I tapped my temple, feigning doubt in his intelligence: “If I haven’t lost my memory, my gear pushed you off.”

“That’s not what I meant…” he started to explain but quickly caught himself. “Don’t play dumb! I’m asking if you orchestrated me getting knocked off by that gear!”

The more he thought, the fishier it seemed. It was too perfect—his retreat coincided with the support’s fall, making him relax instinctively, losing balance. Then, just as he was regaining it, the gear pushed him.

Every piece fell into place perfectly, down to fractions of a second. Any delay, and he wouldn’t have fallen.

Recalling my earlier words, he couldn’t help suspecting I’d engineered it all with some unknown ability.

I shrugged: “Fate’s just that funny, isn’t it?”

Thinking of being forced off by a tiny gear, his composure cracked: “Funny, my foot! You did this!”

Houde’s team hurriedly calmed him, fearing he’d cause a scene. Already locked in last place, a brawl leading to a ban would lose them both face and standing.

“I’ve got one more question,” their support raised a hand before they left, looking puzzled at Jiang Tianming. “Why are you still on the arena?”

This reminded everyone. Right—I’d taken someone down, but Jiang Tianming staying was another matter. He was linked too—why didn’t he fall with the support?

Even I went down, so it couldn’t be my doing. It had to be his own ability. But as far as they knew, Jiang Tianming had no such ability.

“Maybe it didn’t connect?” Jiang Tianming, unwilling to reveal his hidden ability, mimicked Wu Mingbai and Mo Xiaotian’s usual innocent act.

Houde’s support didn’t buy it. He knew his ability—there was no way it didn’t connect.

Though he knew Jiang Tianming was lying, he didn’t press further. First, Jiang Tianming had no obligation to answer, and his lie meant he wouldn’t. Pressing was pointless.

Second, losing both Team Battles ended their competition early. Probing his ability now would only help Skydome Ability Academy.

That said, the Tri-School Competition’s outcome was clear. Even if Skydome won the final Team Battle, their score couldn’t surpass Endless.

Still, the last match had to be fought. Winning a Team Battle was a show of strength.

As Houde’s students returned to their lounge, Mo Xiaotian greeted me with a big hug the moment we entered: “So awesome! I knew you’d have a way! You even took out their last guy? I didn’t see that coming!”

I grabbed his collar, peeling him off: “Get off, don’t cling to me.”

Undeterred, Mo Xiaotian turned to hug Jiang Tianming: “Tianming, you’re amazing too! How’d you avoid getting dragged down by [Synced Link]?”

Everyone was curious. After learning Houde’s plan, they’d expected a tie at best. No one thought Jiang Tianming would stay, causing Houde to lose to their own scheme.

“I’ve got multiple abilities, right? This is one of them,” Jiang Tianming said, less guarded with friends. Seeing their curiosity, he shared the reason.

But he wasn’t naively open. Though he explained, he kept details vague. His ability to nullify powers was critical but easily countered if known. So, he only told Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing, his 100% trusted allies.

That said, someone else seemed to know. Jiang Tianming glanced at me, then looked away. With me, it’s like… he felt I knew all their secrets, so hiding seemed pointless.

As we spoke, Meng Huai entered the lounge: “Though we’ve locked in the win, don’t get cocky in the last match. Our intel says Skydome won’t change tactics. If you lose knowing their strategy, hmph!”

Sneering, he glanced at Ai Baozhu and Si Zhaohua, both pale from the last match’s Mental Energy drain. An hour likely wasn’t enough to recover fully.

After a moment, he said bluntly, “Ai Baozhu, Si Zhaohua, sit out the next match. Swap in… Wu Mingbai and Mo Xiaotian.”

Both knew their Mental Energy was low and might drag the team down. Though reluctant, they nodded, following the teacher’s call.

Wu Mingbai and Mo Xiaotian lit up with excitement. Finally, their chance! They’d been itching to compete.

“Teacher, I’ll sit out too, right?” I raised my hand, glancing at Wu Jin. “Gotta give others a shot, no?”

Meng Huai’s brows shot up, seeing through my ploy. But before he could speak, Wu Jin, unusually quick, replied, “No need.”

He didn’t want my “kindness.” Competing meant showing his face, and past experiences taught him the trouble that brought. If possible, he’d rather not compete at all.

But I wasn’t one to cater to others’ feelings—or rather, my “care” wasn’t easily understood. I wanted Wu Jin to show his face now.

Like Zhou Renjie before, early exposure might mean a scolding. Later, it might require a big achievement. But if hidden too long, the result could be defection, like Zhou Renjie’s.

In manga, the longer something’s delayed, the higher readers’ expectations. When it happens, the impact must match.

If Wu Jin kept hiding, his eventual reveal might cause a major event—one he likely wouldn’t like, given his personality.

Better to show his face now, in public, so the author couldn’t milk his appearance for drama later.

Though Wu Jin was reluctant, I wasn’t letting him dodge easily. I argued, “Teacher, you know my self-preservation’s weak. My last match probably made them wary. If Huangfu Mingzhe targets me first, I’d have little resistance. It’d be four versus five.”

I wasn’t wrong—our Academy lacked someone like the Green-Haired Boy to force-protect others. Zhou Renjie, the only one, had defected and wasn’t on the roster anyway.

Though Meng Huai didn’t buy my “no resistance” claim, if Huangfu Mingzhe did target me, my ability might indeed struggle.

Wu Jin was different. Though he seemed to lack self-preservation, no one knew [Succubus]’s limits. If he could control Huangfu Mingzhe, we’d win without fighting. So, Wu Jin was the best choice.

Thinking this, Meng Huai’s gaze settled on Wu Jin.

Wu Jin: “…”

He felt the same collapse as Houde’s Attack Track earlier. His usual reticence left him unable to argue like me.

Under Wu Jin’s resentful stare, I smiled calmly: “I believe you’ll shine, Wu Jin. Go for it! Hope you make the entertainment match too!”

Wu Jin: “…”

Could he kill me now and get banned by the organizers?

Unable to stand my smugness, Meng Huai half-fulfilled Wu Jin’s wish, flicking my forehead. Before I could yelp, he warned, “Keep gloating, and you’re competing too.”

I shut up instantly.

Seeing me quiet, Meng Huai addressed the others: “Final Team Battle lineup: Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, Wu Mingbai, Mo Xiaotian, Wu Jin. Now, pack up, eat, and come back early for a rest.”

After Meng Huai left, Wu Jin drifted to me like a ghost, gray eyes staring silently, speaking volumes.

The others, in no rush to eat, eavesdropped.

I wasn’t fazed by teachers or victims. Staring back boldly, I asked, “What?”

He dared ask “what”? The others gasped at my shamelessness, while Wu Jin nearly choked on his anger. Knowing moral arguments were useless against me, he demanded, “Why force me to compete?”

Since he asked, I didn’t play dumb: “It’s the right time.”

Right time? Wu Jin frowned, pondering my words. If there was a right time, there must be a wrong one. What made his reveal timely or not?

Or, if he didn’t show now, would revealing later cause problems?

His expression shifted, mouth opening to ask more. But seeing me stand to eat, clearly done talking, he pursed his lips and silently followed.

At lunch, the four non-competing classmates, including Feng Lan, joined us. It was the first time in two days, aside from Zhao Xiaoyu, that we’d seen them.