Chapter 350 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

**Chapter 350: Manga Update** Upon waking, events unfolded one after another. An investigation ensued, a reunion with the people from the Infinite Superpower Academy took place, identities were restored, backgrounds and consequences were understood, and the manga was updated... By the time Su Bei had completed all these steps and reached his new dormitory, it was already 9 PM the following day. As someone who had once been his teacher, Ye Lin was responsible for guiding him. Indeed, just as the manga updates had hinted in previous chapters, Ye Lin had defected for the second time. This time, she also brought along her sister. That storyline had dedicated half a chapter to detailing the internal changes within the "Black Lightning" organization. Gong Yuzhi and Ye Lin had collaborated, leading a large group of defectors, some willingly and others hypnotized by Gong Yuzhi. The latter were used as bargaining chips in the negotiations with the authorities. Cyril was entirely opposed to the leader's collaboration with the Nightmare Beasts. Yet, he wasn't foolish. After biding his time and gathering strength, he led most of the research team in a defection. Their whereabouts remain unknown. Fortunately for him, he had a scientist friend who knew exactly what those researchers wanted. He tailored his approach and successfully won them over. The only ones who remained loyal to the leader were Li Xiang and Mo Xiaotian, both raised by the leader since childhood. Their loyalty was unparalleled and incomparable to others. While Su Bei wasn't clear about Li Xiang's allegiance, it was evident that Mo Xiaotian wouldn't easily change course. Returning to the current issue, Ye Lin had defected twice. Although Meng Huai and Lei Ze'en vouched for her, she wasn't fully trusted, allowing her some free time—hence she could assist Su Bei. "Little Huai asked me to inquire about your plans," Ye Lin remarked as she reached Su Bei's dormitory door, relaying Meng Huai's instructions instead of leaving immediately. Now that he was back, the pretense of his death couldn't continue, and returning to the Arctic was out of the question. Even if approval was granted, the Nightmare Beasts wouldn't consent. Having anticipated this scenario, Su Bei responded confidently with one hand in his pocket, "If there's a need for my help, I'll assist. However, you know my current situation is dangerous. The government shouldn't involve me in any troublesome matters, right?" Ye Lin nodded knowingly. "Rest assured, I'll convey your concerns truthfully." Seeing her in good spirits, Su Bei couldn't help but ask curiously, "How have you been since you returned, Miss Ye?" Though the question was vague, Ye Lin understood, smiling as she replied, "Not bad. My superpower is quite useful, isn't it?" This made perfect sense to Su Bei. Superpowered individuals are rare, and powerful ones even more so. The government tends to be lenient towards such indispensable roles. As long as one hasn't committed grave errors, there's typically a chance for redemption. One cardinal sin is collaborating with the Nightmare Beasts, which is why Ye Lin distanced herself from the "Black Lightning" organization upon realizing the leader's actions and secretly contacted old acquaintances. Other grave offenses might include murder. However, as a healer and not a researcher in the organization, and having spent most of her life with the authorities, Ye Lin had little wrongdoing attributed to her, granting her this freedom. Su Bei couldn't help but admire Ye Lin's resilience—remaining untainted despite being within "Black Lightning" for twenty years and earning the organization's trust only to receive a suspended sentence upon her return. After bidding farewell to Ye Lin, Su Bei opened his phone to read the latest manga. The manga picked up from where it left off, with the government wisely beginning preparations for a refuge city. Both superpowered individuals and civilians contributed to its construction, readying for the impending battle. As Su Bei predicted, the message Wu Di sent, hoping that the leader of the "Fate" organization would join the fight, appeared in the manga, highlighted in a dedicated panel. While seemingly emphasizing the unity needed during wartime, it actually foreshadowed his later exposure as a leader. The battle soon commenced, with everyone playing their roles. Defensive superpowered individuals were assigned to different refuge cities as before, while those with offensive abilities mostly followed pre-submitted team formations to tackle the Nightmare Beasts in warzones. The plot took a turn when Mo Xiaotian contacted Jiang Tianming with news about the "Black Lightning" leader. Mo Xiaotian was markedly different—dressed in black, with a rare expressionless face. He appeared more resigned than darkened. Still, his eyes were resolute as he bluntly shared the general situation upon meeting. The leader supposedly possessed a method allowing the fate of two powers to interlink through sufficient sacrifice. It was akin to an enhanced version of Su Bei's ability. The leader's plan involved linking the fates of Nightmare Beasts and humans by sacrificing numerous Advanced Nightmare Beasts and vast human lives, using a city's populace as a catalyst for the connection. This was aimed at mutual destruction—ensuring the simultaneous demise of Nightmare Beasts. However, these weren't insights shared by the leader with Mo Xiaotian, but ones he deduced upon noticing irregularities and seeking clues. The only confirmed information was the location of his grandfather in the Nightmare Beast world, where the Advanced Nightmare Beasts were being sacrificed. The method would fail if either side couldn't complete the necessary sacrifices, thereby disallowing the required energy accumulation. Mo Xiaotian had a way to reach there, thanks to a teleportation talisman from his grandfather, designed to allow him an escape to seek help during a critical event in the real world. Nonetheless, owing to the many betrayals within "Black Lightning," his grandfather, despite his trust in his grandson, had restricted the talisman from teleporting adults. Time being of the essence, the protagonist's group, believing Mo Xiaotian’s warnings, used the talisman to venture into the Nightmare Beasts’ world. Meanwhile, Ai Baozhu's city-wide slaughter commenced in earnest. Seeing this, Su Bei perked up—it was almost time for his entrance. He hoped the author depicted him handsomely. However, instead of immediately revealing his identity, the chapter introduced Su Bei as Yan Nan, a brown-haired character he had previously portrayed. The plot involved his rescue of Ai Baozhu from the leader, which readers couldn't immediately recognize as Su Bei due to the considerable time gap since his last appearance and the change of attire. It was mostly spoiler-savvy readers who revealed his identity in the comments. The truth dawned on everyone when he used the Gears of Fate to attack his commanding officer’s wrist, causing immediate death and igniting the comments section. "What did I just witness? Has Su Bei returned!" "Is it you, Su Bei? Is it really you?" "Still as handsome as ever!" "Knew he wasn’t dead... but I’m still thrilled!" "This disguise can’t fool me! I still recognize you!" "Dun-dun-dun-dah! Su Bei makes his grand entrance!" The narrative shifted to Su Bei's perspective, where he first observed the sudden appearance of numerous Nightmare Beasts from a window. His nonchalance was evident in the manga. After ensuring Ai Baozhu’s safety, he headed to the tower top and used his superpower. The superpower was depicted more prominently than before, with the transparent compass silhouette more defined. The author showed great detail, likely reflecting Su Bei’s slightly enhanced mental power. This improvement owed much to his staged death. After exhausting all his mental power and superpowers, his body generated new mental power as if sating a thirst by automatically producing saliva. These increases were not out of nowhere but extracted from his body, effectively tapping into his potential. Anyone who exhausts their mental power can experience this boost at least once, though many fail to feel it due to the concurrent drain on their vitality. During the superpower activation, like a magical girl transformation in cartoons, his hair, eyes, and even face morphed into a dazzling, familiar appearance. The comments section exploded once more, but Su Bei perused quickly, focusing on his concluding lines. With a mischievous expression, he remarked, "The principal called, and here I am. I’m quite the obedient student, aren’t I?" This kept the comments fired up. “What does that mean? When did the principal summon him?” “Is this about the school’s motto?” “Hang on, is this what I’m thinking?” “Wasn’t there a letter from the principal to the ‘Fate’ organization?” “This depth of thinking—remarkable!” "Su Bei, you…?!" “Could it really be—? Su Bei couldn’t possibly be the leader of ‘Fate,’ could he?” Seeing a comment section accurately pinpoint the truth, Su Bei felt a wave of relief wash over him. Everything had proceeded smoothly, just as planned, with no unexpected mishaps. The author's clues were anything but subtle, and given the keen minds of the readers, once one person deduced the truth, the others were quick to follow suit. Continuing to read the manga, after his storyline concluded, the focus shifted back to Jiang Tianming and his group. Unquestionably, they thwarted the "Black Lightning" leader’s scheme, interrupting the sacrificial ritual at the crucial moment. In the process, many of the Advanced Nightmare Beasts perished, caught within the sacrifice itself. Achieving this feat was largely thanks to Mo Xiaotian's unwavering assistance. Single-handedly, he isolated the Advanced Nightmare Beasts one by one, employing spatial compression to immobilize them, granting the protagonist's group a valuable opportunity to act. In the end, witnessing the failure of the sacrificial plan, a space-type Advanced Nightmare Beast unleashed its power, attempting to tear open a spatial rift to take everyone away. Jiang Tianming and his group managed to escape, but Mo Xiaotian and his grandfather did not. Mo Xiaotian intended to take his grandfather with him, but his grandfather resisted. In their struggle, both were engulfed by the spatial rift.