Chapter 330 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 330 With the lead he'd acquired, Wu Mingbai immediately activated his superpower to explore underground. Naturally, that protective wall wasn’t just there to ward off mental power; it could also block superpowers. But this just confirmed that something was indeed amiss down below. Otherwise, who would go to the trouble of concealing an empty stretch of land under a barrier? "Hold on, let me see if there's an entrance," Wu Mingbai said. His current superpower was unlike before; even if the area was ten times larger, he could still thoroughly probe it. Using earth elements, he slowly scanned along the barrier. In just five minutes, Wu Mingbai outlined the general boundaries of the underground space. "Found it! We need to go over there. There's a concealed area with direct access to the surface; that's likely the entrance down below." Stowing away his superpower, Wu Mingbai lifted his leg, ready to lead the group to that spot. But Jiang Tianming quickly stepped in front of him, "Wait, is there any other way to get in? If there are people below, wouldn't entering through the front door just expose us?" That was a valid point, but it wasn’t something Wu Mingbai hadn't considered. He shook his head, "No other way. My superpower can't penetrate elsewhere; we'll have to enter through the entrance." With no alternative, Jiang Tianming swiftly revised his plan, "Then we shouldn’t all go down at once. Someone should check it out first." Now, the question was, who would be the first to venture down? Despite the saying that the earliest bird catches the bullet, no one present was one to shy away from challenges; some even relished seeking them out. Seeing Jiang Tianming and the other two competing for this opportunity, Su Bei and Zhao Xiaoyu alongside Ling You watched with amusement. In a team, it’s essential to have those who don’t vie for the spotlight, allowing others to shine. "We really are good people." Su Bei couldn't help but quip, which earned him a strange look from Zhao Xiaoyu and Ling You. Originally wanting to make a sarcastic comment, Zhao Xiaoyu, not being the dry-humored type like Lan Subing, chose instead to glean useful information from Su Bei's words, "You mean there’s something worthwhile down there?" "Not exactly, but there is something exhilarating that they need," Su Bei replied with a smirk, adding, "But I don't know exactly what it is." That last remark made Zhao Xiaoyu, who was about to probe further, curtail her curiosity and fall into a contemplative silence. There’s something exhilarating, though not necessarily good or bad. To her, it suggested that while risks were certain, rewards were uncertain. That's precisely why not going now seemed prudent to her; Zhao Xiaoyu preferred stability over unknown rewards. Ling You, however, had a different view. Though not one to always voice her thoughts, she was not lacking in opinion, "Shouldn't we report this to the teachers first?" Previously, not knowing there was danger was one thing, but now, with Su Bei's explicit warning of potential threats, not reporting to the teachers seemed a bit reckless. Hearing her doubts, Jiang Tianming explained, "Here's how I see it. Being able to skillfully use tools to isolate the abilities of superpower users and mental power isn't typical of Nightmare Beasts. If it’s man-made, whoever set up an underground space so close to the Three Schools Base must have insiders there. Reporting recklessly could alert them." If this was the domain of the Nightmare Beasts, one need not worry about that aspect. It's difficult for Nightmare Beasts to plant moles among humans; everyone entering and leaving the Three Schools Base is inspected for signs of Nightmare Beasts, especially the top-floor executives, who undergo full-body checks daily. In the real world, such frequent checks for officials wouldn't be necessary. But in the world of Nightmare Beasts, more caution is justified. If an executive were to be compromised by a Nightmare Beast, it could spell disaster for all the superpower users in the base, nullifying the efforts of the three academies over the years, so cautious they must be. If the adversary is human, however, it’s a different story. Humans, dealing with their kind, don't have the same level of vigilance. Who knows who might be a mole within the base? His reasoning successfully persuaded Ling You, the green-haired girl nodded, "Alright then, but speaking with the class teacher shouldn't be a problem, right?" Anyone else, even Jiang Yan who leads them, might pose a risk, but Meng Huai was definitely above suspicion. It wasn't just about trust, though they did indeed trust him. The main reason was that since he wasn't stationed at the Three Schools Base nor involved with its operations, how could he possibly be a mole? "No problem," Jiang Tianming nodded, "You contact Teacher Meng first; we'll head down." This was the consensus they had reached earlier. Three people wasn’t an excessive number, and with three more standing by above, it wasn't necessary to limit it to just one going down. Ling You gave him a look but refrained from voicing the thought, "Can't you just wait for the class teacher?" She knew it was pointless to try to dissuade these people from taking risks. In that case, no need to say more. Standing on the side with nothing to do, Su Bei watched as Wu Mingbai dug the passage. Suddenly, a voice ringed in his ears, "I thought you would go down with them?" As an entity of the world’s consciousness, although it didn’t fully grasp Su Bei's intentions, it clearly understood why he had come here. Su Bei wanted to be part of the story's climax, and it was evident there was a problem down below. Why wouldn’t he go down? "Because it’s too early," Su Bei replied with a shake of his head, "The author gave a month; it can’t possibly end in the first week. It’s far from the time." Thinking it over, he added, "Moreover, I doubt they can destroy all the meteorites with just one trip - that’d be too far-fetched." The Nightmare Beasts wouldn’t have gathered the meteorites in one place just to let someone destroy them all at once, right? Even a fool would realize that under present conditions, scattering the meteorites across the world of Nightmare Beasts would offer them the best protection. But then again, he couldn’t fathom how just relying on the few protagonists could eliminate the meteorites entirely. Given ten more years, it might be possible; right now, no matter how talented they are, they're just students among students. Previously, he even speculated if a time converter would suddenly appear, swapping places with their future selves. Or perhaps they’d travel ten years into the future to train, like some manga plot. This thought wasn’t hidden from the “Manga Awareness”; its tone turned peculiar, "You have quite the imagination, but these special tropes won’t be employed. There’s no need." No need? No need for what? Su Bei keenly sensed new information. From the context, “no need” referred to the fact that obliterating the meteorites wasn’t reliant on raw power. If not on power, then on what? Perhaps external factors like tools or unity. Regardless, this underground space should provide him some inspiration. In no time, Wu Mingbai had finished digging, and he, Jiang Tianming, and Si Zhaohua jumped down. Watching the small pointer above their heads, Su Bei knew nothing good was likely to happen on their excursion. Shortly after they went down, Meng Huai replied to Ling You’s message. [Trouble Will Die: Mark the coordinates and return to base.] [Trouble Will Die: …They've already gone in, haven’t they?] [Trouble Will Die: Did they bring Teacher Lei’s teleportation balls?] Ling You, seeing the message just then, briefly explained the current situation. Learning they had taken the teleportation balls with them, Meng Huai wasn’t too concerned. He didn’t say much more and asked them to report what they found upon return. As Su Bei predicted, within an hour, Jiang Tianming and the others were making their way back, looking as if they’d fled something. Upon emerging from the hole, Jiang Tianming, holding a teleportation ball, urgently addressed the three confused people above, "Run! We’ve stolen their stuff!" Su Bei, immediately understanding, crushed the teleportation ball, returning to the base. Following his lead, Zhao Xiaoyu and Ling You quickly returned to base, with Jiang Tianming and the other two right behind them. The teleportation balls transported them back to the room where they first arrived at the Three Schools Base, where there was always someone stationed to monitor for new arrivals. Seeing the six of them appear in unison, the man in charge of reception jumped to his feet in shock, "What's going on? There wasn’t supposed to be anyone new arriving today!" "We're not new; we’re...” Jiang Tianming paused, reconsidering, “Could you get Teacher Jiang Yan for us? We're her students." Looking at his polite demeanor, it might almost seem nothing happened below if not for his disheveled appearance, as if fresh from a battle. Jiang Yan arrived promptly. She had seemingly been briefed by Meng Huai, for she wore a stern expression. After exchanging a few words with the staff, she led them away. Once they were in her office, Jiang Yan got straight to the point, "Where was this place you visited? Did you find anything?" "We likely stumbled upon a research base of the 'Black Lightning' organization. I saw the black lightning emblem on the back of a staff member's neck," Jiang Tianming answered. "As for discoveries, this seems to be some kind of earth-element superpower machine." As he spoke, Wu Mingbai pulled out a silver machine the size of two people from his storage space. He explained, "We overheard that this device can simulate the creation of various stones, converting Nightmare Beasts of other attributes into earth-type ones." "Is this related to that incident?" Jiang Yan murmured to herself, but quickly collected her thoughts. "Understood. Don’t worry; the Three Schools Base will thoroughly investigate this matter." The next moment, Su Bei heard the voice of "Manga Awareness" in his ear: "'King of Superpowers' has been updated, please check." The manga update was expected. Su Bei was only momentarily distracted by the notification, and quickly refocused on the machine. Undoubtedly, it was a device crafted by the 'Black Lightning' organization to help the heavenly meteorites "survive" better. So did this event merely unravel one of the 'Black Lightning' organization's schemes? Something didn't seem right. Su Bei frowned, as this contradicted his earlier speculation. He thought this event might offer some inspiration, but it turned out to be just a small subplot related to the main storyline? At that moment, Jiang Yan's phone rang. After checking it, she told the group, "The rest of your class is back. I'll go fetch them, and you wait here. I’ll gather them soon." Of course, she wasn’t bringing them together for a discussion, but for a collective reprimand. Jiang Yan favored imposing collective responsibility, finding it the most effective way to deal with students based on past experience. Lan Subing and the others arrived shortly thereafter, and Jiang Tianming briefed them on the day's events. However, before Jiang Yan could start her admonition, Mu Tieren suddenly interjected, "Teacher, may I study this machine? I think I might be able to learn something from it." Given that he was a mechanical cyborg, capable of transforming his limbs into various mechanical constructs, Mu Tieren had a deep understanding of mechanics, far surpassing the average person. Before awakening his superpower, Dr. Mu had always trained him as a future heir. From an early age, Mu Tieren had been immersed in mechanical studies. Dr. Mu's initial idea was to ensure that even after his passing, this child could modify his own parts to survive. Plans didn't keep pace with changes; Mu Tieren unexpectedly awakened his superpower. The machine's design and purpose closely resembled Dr. Mu's nutrient converter, giving Mu Tieren the sense that he could perhaps apply his existing knowledge to this machine to yield positive results. Still uncertain about the extent of his capabilities, he cautiously proposed his ability to research it. This statement left not only Jiang Yan but also the other class S members astounded. Zhao Xiaoyu hesitated, looking from the silver machine to Mu Tieren, "Who would've thought our class president had a talent in this field?" Su Bei, too, hid his astonishment as he suddenly realized that Mu Tieren’s research might indeed link directly to the eradication of the Nightmare Beasts. This machine, capable of converting ordinary stones into meteorites and changing other elements into earth elements... "Well, I do possess this talent…" Mu Tieren smiled shyly, "Just never had the chance to showcase it." In the world of superpowers, only a handful of superpower users have abilities related to machinery, so only a few delve into such studies. In the realm of superpowers, this field is considered quite niche. Numerous individuals have abandoned their destined paths upon awakening superpowers, although their true potential may lie on their original paths. Given the gravity of the matter and her unfamiliarity with Mu Tieren, Jiang Yan couldn't make an immediate decision, "I’ll need to check with Meng Huai. If he’s amenable, I have no objections." Had this machine belonged to the Three Schools Base initially, she wouldn’t consider letting a sixteen-year-old like Mu Tieren experiment on a sophisticated device, in case it broke. But since Jiang Tianming and the others retrieved this tool, she had to account for their opinions. It was clear they were supportive of Mu Tieren trying his hand, so she wouldn’t be the bad guy. As long as homeroom teacher Meng Huai agreed, she would have no further reservations. Although this machine is indeed critical as evidence of the 'Black Lightning' organization's collaboration with the Nightmare Beasts, its essence means it’s destined for destruction. Leaving it in the world provides an opening for the Nightmare Beasts, and even as evidence, keeping it isn’t viable. Moreover, the collaboration between 'Black Lightning' and Nightmare Beasts is already irrefutable; this single piece of evidence makes little difference. This incident served as enough of a distraction for Jiang Yan to momentarily forget about reprimanding the students. Once Meng Huai’s affirmative response came, she took Mu Tieren away, allowing the rest to engage in leisure activities. "I’m heading back to my room," Su Bei casually waved goodbye and returned to his dormitory. Why the rush? Well, he wanted to read the manga. Su Bei knew they’d be willing to answer his questions if he asked. Even accompanying them for dinner now would likely yield the information he desired. However, their explanations wouldn’t be as detailed as the manga’s depiction, and Su Bei wanted to delve into the specifics this time. Jiang Tianming and the others wouldn't elaborate on those truly useful details. Though he had suspicions, conjecturing that the solution might involve Mu Tieren, he stayed open to the possibility that the author planted clues earlier in the narrative. Since Su Bei wasn’t featured in this manga installment, he was free to focus on the storyline. He skimmed through the introductory sections and adaptation to the base environment early on, finding them novel initially but now uninteresting after a week. As Su Bei had assumed, prolonged residence in such a place would drive one insane. After just over a week, he felt a physical aversion to his quarters. The colorless world was innately disconcerting, compounded by the cramped quarters that even in the outside world, few would choose unless extremely strapped for cash. Before long, the plot reached the discovery of the underground space. Jiang Tianming shrewdly nullified the superpower-disabling field upon entry, causing the detectors at the entrance to malfunction, allowing them to slip in unnoticed. Seeing this, Su Bei couldn’t help but shake his head. Despite the 'Black Lightning' organization’s advanced technology, their research was entirely superpower-centric, creating exploitable vulnerabilities like this. But this was understandable; superpowers naturally curtailed technology, turning surveillance, eavesdropping devices, and sensors into mere junk under their interference. Those in the superpower realm naturally didn’t emphasize technological progress. Yet this lack of balanced development created loopholes for anomalies like Jiang Tianming to exploit in critical moments. They entered what was actually a laboratory; along either side of the path were numerous blue vessels containing Nightmare Beasts, particularly elemental-type ones. The key distinction of elemental-type Nightmare Beasts was their elemental aura, instantly detectable with mental power. For an elemental-level superpower user, the sensing was more precise. Take Wu Mingbai, for example, who immediately identified the common trait among these Nightmare Beasts. However, lacking insider knowledge, they didn’t interpret this uniquely. Had Su Bei been present, he might have immediately discerned their research focus. Given the high concentration of earth elements in Wu Mingbai’s body, he could synchronize with the ground, precisely detecting the commotion elsewhere, and led the others to dodge to the side. Seconds later, people in lab coats emerged from around the corner, approaching one of the culture vessels. The leading figure tapped a few times on it, releasing the unconscious Nightmare Beast inside, then gestured for others to carry it away. The trio, Jiang Tianming and company, discreetly trailed them to another lab to eavesdrop on their research discussions. Unfortunately, before they heard everything, just as one researcher mentioned, "In my opinion, we should revert to previous reverse studies…", they were discovered. Reading this part, Su Bei’s eyes lit up; this was his thought exactly. If Mu Tieren managed to research the machine's reverse function, it might indeed provide a significant breakthrough in their struggle. Typically, trying to reverse-engineer a machine is just as complex as building a new one from scratch, given that forward and reverse processes are fundamentally different. However, from the manga’s depiction of the researchers' dialogue, it's clear that they initially conducted research to transform earth-element Nightmare Beasts into other element types and convert meteorites into other stones. This shift in focus likely occurred after the leader of the 'Black Lightning' organization realized that Nightmare Beasts couldn't be turned back into humans, just a few months ago. From this, it can be deduced that they developed new results by reverse-engineering from their original research, as rapid discovery through entirely new research seems implausible. Given that the new research stemmed from the old, reverting to the original wouldn't be impossible. Su Bei was now almost certain that Mu Tieren would be able to derive what was needed. With this confidence, Su Bei continued to read the unfolding events just for amusement. Once discovered, the trio agreed on a rendezvous point, then split up, each taking a different route to commence their escape. As usual, Jiang Tianming's luck was the worst, with the largest security team pursuing him relentlessly. Had it not been for his extensive superpower abilities, allowing him to catch them off guard repeatedly, he would likely have been captured by now. Yet, danger often accompanies opportunity, especially in Jiang Tianming’s case! While fleeing, he took note of the intense reaction from his pursuers whenever he ran to the right, suggesting there was something valuable there. This detail clued him into the possibility of something significant on the right, prompting him to head that direction to discover a lab housing key research results. Leveraging his nullifying superpower, he opened the lab door and quickly stashed the machines inside his storage ring, then continued his escape at top speed. What happened next was known to Su Bei: Jiang Tianming regrouped with the others, exited the underground lab, and used the teleportation ball to leave together. No sooner had they departed than the underground personnel swarmed out like ants, livid but helpless amidst the encroaching mists.