Chapter 301 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 301 Even Su Bei couldn't help but sigh, "Why didn't the author design it so that Nightmare Beasts could turn back into humans?" Had they been designed that way, everything could have been easily resolved. Whether it was completely eliminating the Nightmare Beasts or washing away the ill-repute of the "Black Lightning" organization, it could all be achieved effortlessly. The manga could conclude smoothly, and the manga world could continue to operate even after the storyline ended. Although, in that case, Su Bei wouldn't have the chance to be resurrected now. But honestly speaking, he wasn't that eager to come back to life. As the saying goes, "When a person dies, all is void." Once you're dead, you're buried with your eyes closed. Why worry about so many things? Yet, the author insisted on abandoning the straightforward path and taking a detour. Well, actually, the detour was something Su Bei figured out himself; it had nothing to do with the author. The author chose to abandon the direct route altogether and just sit down and rest. "Because from the creation logic of Nightmare Beasts, they simply cannot change back into humans. If they were to be made human, it would require altering the foundational setting of the Nightmare Beasts," echoed the voice of "Manga Awareness" in Su Bei's ear, "And that would be too troublesome for the author." Hearing this, it suddenly all made sense to him. Indeed, considering Nightmare Beasts are creatures born from resentment and not even the complete thoughts of a person, logically, they can't revert to being human. He once agreed with this logic, after all. Su Bei opted not to express further opinions on this meaningless question and instead continued browsing the forum on his phone. There was another post related to him that caught his interest. "Did Su Bei really just go to have fun at the last minute?" [Bei Ge Little Fangirl No. 0: From what I understand of Su Bei, he's not someone who would calmly face danger. The saying 'A wise man avoids danger' best describes him, though it's not like Bei Ge is much of a saint either. Knowing they'd be teleported to a more dangerous place, Su Bei's reaction wasn't to find a way to save himself but to slack off. I suspect something is off with him.] [No. 1: Hahahahaha, I can't tell if the original poster is a fan or a hater of Su Bei.] [Bei Ge Little Fangirl No. 2 (OP) replies No. 1: A true fan (serious face).] [No. 3: I also feel that Su Bei is either somehow involved in this conspiracy, maybe even personally involved with the "Black Lightning" organization and its schemes, or he's already prepared an escape plan.] [No. 4: Su Bei's image has truly left a mark.] [No. 5: Su Bei is like this (laugh).] [No. 6: Su Bei is like this (laugh).] [No. 7: Su Bei is like this (laugh).] [...] [No. 47: Look at this final aerial view of the amusement park, there’s no silhouette representing Su Bei at all. Other than Su Bei, every main character, including Elvis and Huangfu Mingzhe, has their little avatars representing them. Only Su Bei is missing. I seriously think he’s really fled! Amusement Park Aerial View.jpg] [No. 48 replies No. 47: Hahahahahaha, everyone's little avatars in QQQQQQ style are adorable, purely recognized by hair color.] [No. 49 replies No. 47: There's really no Su Bei, maybe he went to places that can't be seen from an aerial view? Like a haunted house or inside the little train he went on before...] [No. 50 replies No. 49: From a realistic standpoint, what you say might be possible. But from the perspective of the manga, if the author wanted to show everyone in the last moment, they could easily design him to be on the road or playing other outdoor attractions.] [No. 60: I support the comment above, Su Bei definitely fled.] [No. 61 replies No. 60: We're calling it a tactical retreat.] [No. 62 replies No. 61: Hahahahahahaha, sounds like something Su Bei would say.] [No. 63 replies No. 61: Su Bei speaking in uppercase.] [...] Seeing this comment, Su Bei nodded in agreement. Is he really such a coward? How could a tactical retreat be called running away? Most of the subsequent comments were speculating on whether he was teleported with the others, without any fresh content. Su Bei promptly closed the forum. Next, he took out the notebook of the "Fate" organization and began searching for the latest intelligence on the "Black Lightning" organization. As a group infiltrating various locations, the organization always had a wealth of information sources. After spending a fair amount of points, the first piece of information Su Bei saw was that the "Black Lightning" organization had already resumed activities. The informant was naturally anonymous, but Su Bei could spend additional points to engage with the person. This dialogue box would not reveal the other party's identity, merely signaling them of the message, with no guarantee of a reply. That was sufficient. Su Bei, also using an anonymous account, sent a small sum of points to the other side, then inquired, "Was it successful?" This was a secondary inquiry protocol; if the recipient accepted the small sum of points, it indicated they would answer. Perhaps short on points, the other side quickly accepted the points, offering a straightforward reply, "Possibly successful, my position is low." Su Bei: "..." What a convenient excuse of low rank, effectively disclaiming responsibility for the answer. But Su Bei, of course, knew whether their research was successful—it definitely wasn't. However, it seemed that "Black Lightning" had concealed the failure from their upper echelons. What he truly wanted to know now was whether they had intervened opportunistically to take over the Nightmare Beast’s leftover mess, or if they were collaborating with the Nightmare Beasts, providing both ideas and effort. Regardless of the possibility, the resurgence of the "Black Lightning" organization affirmed one thing for Su Bei: the current crisis in the world competition must be related to the "Black Lightning" organization. With this understanding, he wasted no time and logged this new intelligence—“The teleportation of world competition participants is related to the ‘Black Lightning’ organization.” This message included the keyword "world competition," hoping it would catch the attention of those interested. Su Bei also wanted to increase his organization's presence in the manga world, just in case it might be necessary later. Most importantly, he needed to use this as a forewarning to the righteous side that "Black Lightning" might be collaborating with the Nightmare Beasts. Knowing that the final teleportation in the illusion was related to the "Black Lightning" organization, if they were indeed transported to "Black Lightning"'s territory, there was nothing more to say. But if they were teleported to the Nightmare Beast's world after all, those aware of this information would find it intriguing. Only in a scenario where the Nightmare Beasts held absolute control would Jiang Tianming and the others be sent to the Nightmare Beast world. If so, where did "Black Lightning" fit into this? If they were not merely opportunistic, what were they? In case the truth was that "Black Lightning" had indeed allied with the Nightmare Beasts, just having such doubt would ensure the good side discovered the truth earlier than the author planned. What's the benefit of discovering the truth earlier? It could mean fewer deaths. While Su Bei wasn't a saint, he certainly wasn't a bad person either. As long as it didn’t harm his interests, he was willing to help others when feasible. "Fate" organization did wield some influence. After a brief two-hour nap, Su Bei awoke to a question from an anonymous account: "How reliable is the information? Does this involvement mean ‘Black Lightning’ took the contestants?" The urgency of the question, coupled with the considerable points wrapped in the second inquiry, suggested it was from an involved party. Su Bei used his leader privileges to check the account’s background, confirming the user was from Saetherbera. Due to the joining method of the "Fate" organization—starting with invitations from "Manga Awareness," followed by referrals from existing members setting aside sufficient points—each member’s information was somewhat recorded. And the only person capable of viewing these records was Su Bei, the leader of the organization. This feature underscored the advantage of having "Manga Awareness" manage such affairs. The "Fate" organization’s operations relied on the notebook’s built-in system, functioning like a precise computer or a pre-configured program. It required no active human management, categorizing every message for easy retrieval via point exchange. The absence of other leaders or managers maximized the confidentiality of information. Regarding the questions, Su Bei only responded to the first: "100% reliable." He trusted his judgment. As for the second question, he couldn't be sure. If "Black Lightning" were merely exploiting the Nightmare Beasts' plan for personal gain, they would certainly have taken the people. But if they were collaborating with the Nightmare Beasts, then the people were undoubtedly taken by the Nightmare Beasts, and the Nightmare Beasts wouldn't hand over these contestants to them. Upon seeing that Su Bei only answered one question, the person on the other end understood what he meant. With that conversation concluded, Su Bei left his room to grab a meal. Outside, chaos reigned as teachers and parents who'd learned about the students' disappearance and deaths gathered outside the hotel, demanding explanations from the Saetherbera government. Such a significant loss hadn't occurred since a tournament a century ago. If those missing students didn't return safely, the losses this time would equate to an almost complete wipeout. Such massive news couldn't be concealed; others were not fools. If there were problems outside the competition, could the competition proceed smoothly? Even if nothing happened to the participants inside the illusion, once the crisis outside was resolved, the competition should be immediately halted, and participants should be called back. Therefore, the fact that other participants hadn't appeared by now indicated they were in trouble. Recognizing they couldn't keep the truth hidden, the Saetherbera government tried to appear earnest to placate the anger of others. However, they seemingly failed, and looking at the angry crowd outside, Su Bei could only offer a silent condolence. Such broad-shielded critique was indeed deserved; after all, as the organizers of the competition, they failed to secure it, allowing the Nightmare Beasts' conspiracy to succeed. Yet what Su Bei hadn’t anticipated was that the incident would bring trouble to his doorstep. Spotting him, someone outside shouted, "That blond kid seems to be the only survivor!" Su Bei: "?" What? How was this information leaked? Has the organizing committee been completely infiltrated? Even the fact that he's the sole survivor was known. Don't they have any concern for victim protection? What if the Nightmare Beasts sought revenge, or other victims' families, furious that their children died while he survived, transferred their anger toward him? It's not impossible; Su Bei already heard someone outside shouting "Why are you the one who survived?" and "Why didn't you save the others?" The bitter, intense hatred in their gazes made it seem as if he'd murdered those people. Sometimes, the victims' families were irrational. Su Bei had come to understand this deeply from the Sun Family's Parents after the school's opening incident. Now, as the target of this misdirected anger switched from Wu Mingbai to himself, Su Bei could only wish he could give the organizers who leaked this information a good beating. Displaying a helpless expression to the people outside, Su Bei decisively turned and retreated back to his room, texting Qi Huang to bring him some food. Qi Huang sent him a question mark, followed promptly by a call. Eyeing the caller ID, Su Bei genuinely marveled at how she could be friends with Lan Subing, someone who absolutely dreaded phone calls, while Qi Huang clearly enjoyed communicating this way. Answering the call, Qi Huang's voice immediately came through, "Why do you want me to bring the food up? You do remember the cafeteria is just downstairs, right?" "There’s an outbreak of zombies below," Su Bei succinctly replied. "Your beacon of justice can make them retreat." Qi Huang: "?" Speechless for a moment, she waved her hand dismissively, "Alright, alright, I'll bring it up for you." After hanging up, it wasn't long before there was a knock on Su Bei's door. Upon opening it, he saw Qi Huang in surprisingly high spirits, holding a plate heaped with beef and potato rice, glowing with enthusiasm. He raised an eyebrow, quickly deducing the situation, "Did the ‘zombies’ praise you?" Unlike him, Qi Huang had protected everyone. Without her, they wouldn’t have managed against the gourd-shaped Nightmare Beast, much less the lesser and intermediate Nightmare Beasts. If the Saetherbera government easily leaked the fact that he was a survivor, they certainly wouldn’t hide Qi Huang’s role in saving everyone. As someone who protected staff and students alike, she’d likely been warmly welcomed when she went downstairs. “How can you call them zombies?” Qi Huang rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction. Though a group of people lingering outside indeed weirdly validated Su Bei's earlier "zombie siege" comment. But they were praising her! Handing him the meal, Qi Huang didn’t leave right away. Instead, she sat on a chair in the room and curiously asked, "Why don't you just go eat downstairs? Surely it’s not because you don't like being watched?" She said this because they had experienced extensive public attention at the "Infinite Superpower Academy," especially during the initial formation of the first-year S class. Dining in the cafeteria felt like walking on pins and needles. Even the most socially anxious, Lan Subing, had been desensitized to endure everyone’s gaze within the academy. Su Bei shrugged, "I am the only survivor." Hearing this, Qi Huang paused, then understood, her smile switching to anger, "How could they do this? The fact you escaped earlier is your own skill, expecting you to stay and get taken with them is unreasonable. Without you alerting us, they wouldn’t even know those people's state now." "Don’t mind them; we should be able to return in a few days." Though the teachers hadn’t informed them, given the situation, the academy wouldn’t let them stay and wait indefinitely for Jiang Tianming and the others. Not to mention the uncertainty of their return, or even whether they could return at all, they, as the remaining achievements, needed quickly to return to a nurturing environment. Given the current circumstances, it wasn't suitable for Su Bei to linger here. Betting on the rationality and reasonableness of that large crowd is not an option. Truthfully, Qi Huang didn’t want to leave; she wanted to stay and wait for the others. However, she recognized such matters were beyond her decision. Sighing, she broached another subject, “I wonder whether Mu Hui… and the others will leave with us.” “They probably won’t leave; the issue hasn’t been resolved, has it?” Su Bei shook his head. Normally, the seniors should have been sent back to the academy immediately after losing consciousness. But since their vital signs were stable, the academy chose to leave them here. Keeping them under public gaze would be the most convincing when capturing the perpetrator since they internally all knew who the perpetrator was—a notorious character known to play the victim. “What do you think has happened to them? I...” "Knock knock knock!" Before Qi Huang could finish, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, they found Teacher Li outside. With a complicated expression, she entered and began, “First, regarding your arrangements, the academy has sent someone to pick you up, you’ll be leaving shortly. As for Jiang Tianming and the others, the latest news implicates the ‘Black Lightning’ organization. If they were taken by ‘Black Lightning’, then hopefully there’s no immediate danger to their lives.” Like the forum readers, upon receiving the news from the “Fate” organization, they also believed it was a case of ‘Black Lightning’ catching the Nightmare Beasts unawares and hijacking their plans. They hadn’t considered the possibility of collaboration between them. Su Bei, unable to confirm his other hypothesis, remained silent on it. Qi Huang, on the other hand, was shocked, eyes wide with incredulity, “The ‘Black Lightning’ organization? How could they pull this off?” The Nightmare Beasts causing disturbances at the world competition would have required a meticulous plan. Yet, for ‘Black Lightning’ to intervene, kudos were due. However, if they originally colluded with the Nightmare Beasts, that’s another matter. “It’s unclear, but we’ve decided to look for clues at ‘Black Lightning’ territory.” For this question, even Teacher Li had no answers, sighing, “Just head back safely. I’ll update you if we hear anything.” Although finding calm under these circumstances seemed impossible, those were the only words offering solace for now. Turning to Su Bei once more, Teacher Li expressed her concern, visibly having seen the crowd’s attitude toward him downstairs, “Don’t worry about what others think. Escaping safely from such circumstances is commendable; no one can demand you save others or endure their fate with them.” “I know, teacher.” Su Bei responded with a well-mannered smile, “But they’re quite annoying. How about I teach them a little lesson?” Changing the fate of so many people was challenging, but he could certainly tweak their luck a bit. Su Bei was no saint, obediently swallowing insults hurled at him was simply out of the question. Although some of those criticizing him might possess formidable superpowers, the effects of the [Fate Gear] were silent. Especially since he wasn’t altering destinies, merely tweaking luck, making it nearly impossible to counter. "This..." Teacher Li’s mouth twitched at this unexpected answer. Initially intending to dissuade Su Bei from mischief, she reconsidered upon recalling his superpowers, realizing he might not be joking. Pausing, she hesitantly queried, “What do you plan to do? After all, they are… victims too, with family and friends whose fates remain uncertain. If you push too far, even if you’re justified, it’ll end up seeming as if you’re not.” Teacher Li didn't prohibit Su Bei from seeking some revenge; some people indeed deserved a bit of a lesson. Most crucially, since they were about to head back to the academy, he could exact his revenge and leave immediately, without worrying about any repercussions. Still, she was concerned about him going overboard, considering his young age and potential impulsiveness. Su Bei was aware of these concerns. The individuals in question hadn't done more than run their mouths, so he didn't plan on being too harsh. He nodded, reassuringly, "I just want them to have a bit of bad luck for a while." "Will this misfortune affect the missing students?" As soon as Teacher Li was about to relax at his reassurance, she recalled something and asked with a stern tone. Su Bei chuckled softly, surprised at her suspicion, "Of course not." This allowed Teacher Li to finally exhale in relief, "In that case, go ahead, but again, mind your limits." With her approval, Su Bei calmly placed down his chopsticks, stood, and headed outside. Teacher Li naturally followed him, ready to step in if necessary. Out of sheer curiosity, Qi Huang joined as well. Once downstairs, Su Bei nonchalantly seated himself on a couch, quickly pinpointing those few individuals disgruntled about him being a survivor. After making some minor adjustments to their "little pointers", Su Bei stood up again, a polite smile gracing his face, "I've heard that those who make unreasonable trouble tend to have bad luck." The moment he finished speaking, those individuals suddenly changed expressions, clutching their stomachs in unison. "Fwwwp! Fwwwp! Fwwwp!" A series of loud flatulence erupted like firecrackers, immediately turning the rest of the crowd's faces green as they hurriedly covered their noses, scattering in different directions to escape the awful stench. The ones who had passed the gas were far too preoccupied to question Su Bei about what had happened, their faces contorted in embarrassment. They bent over and fled, fearing they might have a real accident in public, which would be a true disgrace. In no time at all, the previously congested entrance was devoid of a single person. Su Bei blinked, somewhat surprised at the outcome of this bit of bad luck. But he quickly broke into a smile, clapping his hands, "Two birds with one stone." Qi Huang lifted her thumb up, genuinely impressed, "Brilliant."