Chapter 322 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 322 Recapping what had just been said, Su Bei instantly understood in his heart. If Meng Huai were indeed coming to Li Family Island because of Jiang Tianming and the others, then the Li family indeed couldn't afford to act against them. “Infinite Superpower Academy” is already aware that they are on Li Family Island. If Jiang Tianming and his team were to die, the exposure of the Li family would be inevitable. So unless the Li family wants to tear each other apart, their only options are to either hope that Qi Huang and the others haven't discovered any secrets, or to find a way to make them forget. "When did you contact 'Infinite Superpower Academy'?" Elder Brother angrily demanded before Qi Huang could even unleash his sarcasm, "Are you crazy? I knew you were up to no good the moment you returned. The Li family raised you, and this is how you repay us?" The things Su Bei could think of, he, being involved, could naturally also think of. The mere thought that the actions of Li Shu might lead to the downfall of the Li family ignited a furious rage within him, dismissing the pretense of affection for the "Little Shu." In truth, Elder Brother harbored no familial affection for this creation of power, and under the consistent teachings of the patriarch, he never considered Li Shu as a brother, merely viewing him as a tool to create benefit for the Li family. The fact that Li Shu could awaken superpowers was something that made Elder Brother, who had no such powers, deeply envious. This was why he had instigated their father to have Li Shu withdrawn from the superpower academy. Why should a lowly being like Li Shu attend a school that he himself could not? Upon hearing the accusation, a flicker of annoyance flashed in Li Shu's eyes, but he feigned a smile: “Brother, what are you saying? Aren't there signals on the island? If they really felt in danger, they would have already communicated with the academy, wouldn't they?” As he stated this, he noted a slight change in Elder Brother's expression, indicative of comprehension. He deliberately glanced up at Qi Huang above and raised his voice: “If they don't feel there's any danger, then perhaps they need a lesson. What's wrong with calling a teacher to discipline them?” Being taunted by this guy, Qi Huang was infuriated, promptly sending down two fireballs: "If I bother with you anymore, I'll be a dog!" As Qi Huang vented his anger, Elder Brother gradually came around. Indeed, if they had discovered anything, they would probably have already informed the academy. Capturing them now was pointless, and having Meng Huai summoned was no different from Li Shu's actions. And for now, it seemed that Qi Huang genuinely hadn't found anything. Therefore, there was no risk in having a teacher from "Infinite Superpower Academy" come. Seeing that Li Shu had resolved the trust crisis, Su Bei turned his gaze away, looking toward the other areas. There were three villas surrounding where Elder Brother was just now, and the patriarch's villa was likely among them. Standing in the middle, he cast his mental energy to sense around, quickly determining the leftmost one. No other reason than it had the most guards posted. This inspiration came to him from Elder Brother's villa, deducing that the most heavily guarded room must be that of the patriarch. Admittedly, this incident was just a side story, far easier than prior challenges. Previously, Su Bei would frequently encounter guardians with advanced mental power during his explorations, forcing him to proceed cautiously. This time, there was none of that! The scarce foundation of the Li family wasn't sufficient to support having a guardian with advanced mental power as standard, truly a waste if they did. Happily scanning with his mental power, he confirmed everyone's positions in the villa before heading straight to the fourth floor. Unlike Elder Brother who was outside, the patriarch was in his room, saving Su Bei the trouble of searching for it. A new problem arose: without the ability to phase through walls, and lacking the patriarch's line of sight, how could he enter a closed-off, populated room? Standing at the door, Su Bei pondered, perhaps he should alter his plan and use the opportunity to enhance—could he view the Fate Compass without a line of sight? Wait, he actually could. Su Bei immediately retraced his steps, heading to Elder Brother's room to retrieve a photo. His superpower wasn't limited to real people; it worked just as well with photographs. Staring at the patriarch’s image with the Fate Compass above his head, Su Bei adjusted the big pointer to "exit" before returning to the door and activating his quick-cast ability. In less than five seconds, the door opened. An older middle-aged man stepped out, looking much aged compared to the photo, holding a phone as if reading messages. Su Bei, with his superior vision and height, craned his neck from a distance, quickly scanning the screen's content. It was a message from someone named Li, requesting his presence in the operating room, as the guests were uneasy about the island's security due to the commotion outside. After watching the patriarch leave, Su Bei turned and entered the bedroom. The patriarch's bedroom had a New Chinese style, its various dark-colored wooden furniture imbuing the room with a profound yet luxurious atmosphere. Consequently, the room did not house overly modernized items like computers. As usual, he searched the drawers, nightstands, beneath the mattress... every accessible spot, but didn't find anything resembling a ledger. The room was suspiciously immaculate. Su Bei momentarily paused his search, contemplating where the patriarch might have hidden it. The ledger, being of utmost importance, would likely be either carried by the patriarch at all times or kept where he frequently visited. Given that ledgers are meant to be used regularly, it’s improbable they’d be abandoned. Initially, Su Bei suspected the patriarch might use the storage space, which would undoubtedly be the safest option. But he quickly dismissed that notion, realizing that while secure, storage spaces are also highly unpredictable. Once a storage space is in someone's possession, it’s available for their use. Even if some storage rings have owner recognition, powers can always find a way to disable that feature. Thus, if the patriarch were to carry the ledger in a storage space and got captured for any reason, the Li family’s secrets would be immediately exposed. Comparatively, leaving the ledger on Li Family Island, in his room, was safer. But where exactly in the room? Although he hadn't performed a meticulous search, he had rifled through all obvious hiding spots. While he didn't expect the ledger to be easily found, having zero leads still left him frustrated. Where could the ledger be hiding in this room? A secret chamber? It’s possible. The existence of an operating room indicated that the Li family did have a habit of using secret chambers. But if the ledger was hidden in a secret chamber, wouldn’t it too be vulnerable to discovery? A secret compartment? That’s also possible. Su Bei maxed out his luck stat and began fumbling around the room. He hoped, as in previous experiences, to accidentally stumble upon some mechanism and find what he sought. However, luck isn't omnipotent. After ten minutes of searching, Su Bei still hadn’t found anything. “Did I guess wrong, and it’s really not here?” Su Bei finally gave up, stopping to mumble to himself. The next moment, he pulled out several meticulously selected shounen mangas from his storage space, looking for similar scenarios. Such scenes of searching through an enemy's room for hidden secrets were common in shounen manga. Given that this world was authored, even if not personally designed by them, there must be some reflection of their awareness. Out of the three manga books, two had relevant content. In one, the treasure was hidden in a secret chamber, while in the other, the secret was inside a pillow. Indeed, a pillow is also a favored hiding spot. Su Bei's gaze landed on the pillow. He realized he had only shaken it earlier. Because its weight and feel were normal, he hadn’t inspected further. Now feeling compelled to verify after reading the manga, Su Bei decided to inflict minor damage. Tearing the pillow open, he dumped out the stuffing and saw nothing. Then, following a sudden intuition, he turned the pillowcase inside out, revealing a two-dimensional diagram of a ledger. Su Bei: “?” What kind of tool could turn a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional diagram? Baffled, he reached out to touch the ledger image. It had a faint paper-like feel but showed no signs of reverting upon contact. What does one do when confronted with perplexing information? Turn to the "Fate" organization's notebook, of course! He wasn't battling in isolation; he had myriad informational aids at his disposal! Opening the notebook, Su Bei conducted a search for “tool turning three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional.” Using keyword search, he swiftly found what he needed—[Plane Transform Pen]. This tool could convert a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional one by tracing its outline completely. Restoring it was simple too; simply soak it in water to revert it. Armed with the method, Su Bei immediately took the pillowcase to the bathroom, adjusting the faucet to a trickle to avoid soaking the ledger. As the water flowed onto the pillowcase’s pattern, a miraculous transformation occurred. The ledger's area absorbed the water, and in no time, it swelled and emerged in three dimensions, becoming the familiar book Su Bei recognized. He quickly turned off the faucet and began flipping through the ledger. As expected, the contents recorded years of organ trades conducted by the Li family. Not only did it list the numbers and amounts of transactions, but it also detailed the trading partners involved! Although Su Bei wasn’t certain if the buyers' actions were illegal, publicizing this ledger would undoubtedly cause significant reputational damage to them. Legal or not, the activities were definitely unethical. Securing the notebook, Su Bei felt a wave of relief washing over him. The next step was to time the revelation perfectly—with the ledger in hand—prompting the Li family to attack him, then finding a way for all attacks to miss him. This required careful planning, but before that, a curiosity of his needed addressing. “Eh? Nothing here?” Searching for information on the Li family patriarch’s superpowers in the organization’s notebook yielded no results. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly understood. The “Fate” organization wouldn’t waste resources gathering intelligence on just any group, and the Li family, using supernatural abilities to profiteer in the mundane world with minimal influence, clearly hadn’t qualified for entry into their database. Realizing this, Su Bei chuckled silently. Sometimes the organization’s high standards could indeed be a drawback. Yet, in this case, it seemed beneficial, and he had no intentions of rectifying this. The pillow was beyond repair, but fortunately, Su Bei hadn’t planned on hiding his acquisition of the ledger. His intention was to make his announcement overtly; without it, how would the Li family target him? Speaking of their impending assault, Su Bei began searching the “Fate” organization’s tool repository. If his memory served right, there was an item designed to allow him to dodge all attacks within a certain period. Certainly, Su Bei needed to dodge attacks, not just be immune to them. Simply activating a protective barrier to avoid being hit would stray too far from his abilities, making it obvious that it was due to a tool rather than his own power. Only by evading all attacks effortlessly, without any conspicuous moves, could he guide others to think of it as a causality-based ability. This would make it plausible when he eventually claimed so. He soon located the tool he desired—"Evasion Max Sticker." This item would max out the user's dodge capabilities for the next five minutes, allowing them to dodge all attacks, and any attacks they performed would not harm others. A fascinating tool, but its drawbacks were evident, making it relatively inexpensive. However, its limitations primarily affected humans; for objects, there were virtually no drawbacks at all. Su Bei planned to affix the sticker to the ledger, ensuring that no matter how it was attacked, it would achieve a 100% dodge rate. His task was to hold onto the ledger tightly, as releasing it would prevent him from reclaiming it within those five minutes. With the ledger in hand, Su Bei utilized an invisibility charm to boldly head to the operating room. His earlier expedient actions meant the procedure had only just commenced. A gaunt, frail bald man, appearing near death, lay in a wheelchair surrounded by several attendants. On the operating table lay a pink-haired young man who appeared barely adult. His eyes were shut as if he were asleep, likely already under anesthesia. The surgeon, scalpel in hand, was making an incision in the youth's abdomen to remove organs. Their plan was evident: extract the organs for immediate sale and transplant them into the patient. As for the fate of the organ donor, Su Bei remained uncertain. In many instances, missing an organ doesn't preclude survival, assuming it wasn't the heart or another singular vital organ and that only one organ was missing. But if one organ could be sold, would the Li family really spare the others? More likely, they’d strip him of all valuables, discarding him as a husk. Thinking along these lines, the Li family seemed akin to domestic organ traffickers. With the extraction of a bloody kidney, the sickly man outside the operating room seemed to gain some vitality, his eyes shining at the organ as if it were a life-saving elixir rather than a human component. And indeed, it practically was. After removing one organ from the pink-haired youth, the doctor did not halt, proceeding to extract additional organs. With all organs intended for the Li family's gain, slicing once and patching up repeatedly was unnecessary; a single extraction session avoided further surgical risks. Their advanced preservation techniques ensured the organs retained viability post-extraction. Observing that they had no intention of stopping the procedure, Su Bei immediately grasped their ruthless objective: they had no plans for the donor's survival! Should he intervene? Su Bei contemplated momentarily. It wasn’t too late to save the individual now; a single missing kidney wouldn't preclude normal life. Once another organ was taken, survival prospects sharply diminished. However, rescuing the donor didn’t align with his character; given the youth was raised by the Li family, indoctrination was highly probable—if not complete, then nearly so. Should he save the youth and the response be ingratitude rather than thanks, Su Bei preferred aiding those actively seeking salvation. His philosophy: self-rescue invites external help. Engaging in thankless, troublesome actions wasn’t his path. With arms crossed, Su Bei decided to watch, awaiting the procedure’s conclusion to retrieve his camera within the operating room. The staff’s calm demeanor indicated they hadn't discovered his hidden camera—had they, the surgery wouldn’t proceed smoothly. Against a single transaction, the safety of the Li family held greater importance. If they suspected surveillance, regardless of the client flare-up, they'd suspend the operations. Suddenly, the youth on the operating table groaned in pain, waking in agony. Unanticipated, the doctor hadn’t expected such resilience to the anesthetic, though they've encountered resistance before. Exchanging a glance with an assistant, he motioned for more anesthetic. With a kindly demeanor, he reassured, “Good child, don’t worry, it will stop hurting soon.” “I… ow! Does it hurt… is my surgery over?” the youth inhaled sharply, stammering through the pain. Memories of his purpose slowly resurfacing. The doctor soothed with patience, “Not yet, but soon. After a little nap, it’ll all be over.” The youth, trusting the doctor implicitly, closed his eyes, awaiting the injection. However, the feeble buyer unexpectedly interjected, “Wait a moment—if we remove his kidney while he’s conscious, will it be more viable?” Such a hellish suggestion caused the doctor to frown slightly, guessing his intent. Out of pity for the youth, he shook his head, responded, “No, the outcome is identical.” “Really? You’re not deceiving me, are you?” the buyer’s skepticism was palpable. Not allowing the doctor to elaborate, he declared bluntly, “Well, if the result’s the same, I want the kidney extracted when he’s awake.” Cursing internally, the doctor could only diplomatically decline, “That’s not…” “I’ll pay extra!” The buyer signaled an assistant to produce a black card, “How about ten thousand? If that’s not enough, twenty or thirty—I have plenty of money!” Faced with the financial incentive, the doctor hesitated no longer. The family engaged in this trade for profit, after all, and with a recipient already destined for demise, empathy was decidedly lacking. If compassion ruled, this profession wouldn’t be viable. “No problem, we’re happy to meet customer demands.” The doctor gestured to the assistant to set aside the anesthetic, turning softly to the youth, whose eyes had widened, saying gently, “The family needs you now; you can handle this slight pain, can’t you?” “I… I…” Tears streamed from the youth’s eyes involuntarily, whether from stress or fear was uncertain. Understanding his lack of options, he nodded slowly, “I can.” Yet before the doctor could display relief, the youth, filled with hope and uncertainty, queried, “I’ll be able to get off the operating table safely, right? My sister’s waiting for me to come back.” “Of course,” the doctor promised smoothly, “I guarantee you’ll leave the table alive. I remember your sister, Qingqing, right? Such a sweet girl, she’ll be proud of you.” Evidently, the doctor's reassurance worked exceptionally well. The fear in the boy's eyes diminished significantly, and he even managed a faint smile. Just as Su Bei suspected, he had been thoroughly brainwashed and deceived. "What’s the situation here? Why isn’t the surgery finished yet?" Just as they were about to proceed, Li Shu entered the room and courteously addressed the buyer, "Thank you for your patience." Hearing this, Su Bei couldn’t help but feel curious. What role did Li Shu play in this operation that was significant enough for the patriarch to have him return from the S-class of "Infinite Superpower Academy"? The buyer quickly clarified Su Bei's doubts: "Your illusion master here is quite hard to come by. They told me you could make the surgery feel like a pleasant dream, and upon awakening, the body would be completely healed. I’ve paid a hefty sum for this service; you won’t disappoint me, right?" "Customer satisfaction is our creed," Li Shu replied confidently, displaying high assurance in his abilities. Meanwhile, Su Bei, eavesdropping from the sidelines, was perplexed. The bit about creating a pleasant dream made sense; with [Illusion], achieving that wasn't difficult. But what was that about complete healing afterward? If his memory hadn’t been tampered with, he distinctly recalled that Li Shu’s ability was [Illusion], which had no therapeutic effects. Not only Li Shu, but there were no individuals with healing abilities in the S-class. The only healer Su Bei was somewhat familiar with was Ye Lin. Wait... Ye Lin? Su Bei’s expression suddenly turned peculiar. Could it be that Li Shu was secretly collaborating with Ye Lin? Cooperating after dropping out doesn’t necessarily constitute betrayal. Moreover, Ye Lin herself seemed inclined towards defection. Firstly, it was definite that Li Shu's ability had no healing power. It’s not as though he could simply use illusions to feign the appearance of healed injuries. Such a ruse would be quickly unveiled and offer little benefit. This healing service was merely an added bonus to the organ transplant, not a necessity. The Li family wasn’t so foolish as to risk damaging their reputation just to put on a facade. Thus, after considering all possibilities, the most logical explanation was that Li Shu had indeed partnered with Ye Lin. Ye Lin’s superpower could easily manage post-surgical healing without a trace.