Chapter 162

The Ability User Job Base was far from Wu Mingbai’s location, and Lei Ze’en couldn’t teleport them over such a distance. The students began worrying about how to get there quickly.

Wu Mingbai’s situation was uncertain. Though he could send his location, his inability to return himself showed the problem wasn’t resolved. The longer they delayed, the more dangerous it became. They had to hurry.

Suddenly, Meng Huai’s voice came from above, “Get back!”

Looking up, they saw a massive black dragon circling the sky. Meng Huai, clad in black armor, rode its back majestically.

Su Bei was amazed.

Yes, he’d long known Meng Huai’s ability was [Dragon Knight]. A summoning ability that also enhanced his physique—only this profession fit. But he never knew the dragon Meng Huai tamed was so imposing. The existence of dragons in this world was shocking enough.

Even he, who knew this, was stunned, so the comic’s characters were even more so. Their chibi avatars gaped, all looking dazed.

Once Meng Huai landed the dragon, they understood why he’d told them to stay back. It wasn’t due to poor riding skills but because the dragon’s landing stirred up dust waves. Without cover nearby, they’d be covered in dirt.

[“Holy crap! So cool, Teacher! Is this your ability?” Mo Xiaotian rushed over, eyes sparkling like they held giant lightbulbs.

“[Dragon Knight],” Meng Huai nodded. Having revealed his ability, there was no need to hide it.

Hearing this fairy-tale-like profession, everyone was intrigued. Jiang Tianming asked curiously, “How do you get a dragon? Do dragons exist in our world?”

“Think before you speak,” Meng Huai scoffed. “If dragons existed in our world, do you think humans could live so carefree?”

True enough. Just looking at Meng Huai’s dragon, it was clearly a formidable creature. No way humans would rest easy with such a species nearby.

“Then where did this… dragon come from?” Lan Subing tentatively reached out, touching the dragon only after Meng Huai’s nod.

The black dragon was covered in hard scales, their edges sharp as blades, capable of slicing skin easily. Undoubtedly, this was an extremely powerful ability; both the summon and the user were formidable.

Looking at the dragon, Zhao Xiaoyu suddenly recalled something, saying dejectedly, “The teacher revealed his ability himself, so none of us can claim the reward for guessing it?”

She remembered last semester when Meng Huai promised 1000 points to whoever first guessed his ability. Even now, 1000 points were significant, and Zhao Xiaoyu was still eager for it.

“Who said that?” Meng Huai’s eyes held a hint of schadenfreude. “Someone already claimed that reward.”

At this, everyone was shocked, “Who?”

“Su Bei.”

Since this was Meng Huai’s ability’s debut, the author gave it plenty of spotlight, with several comic panels. The scene of him riding the dragon was a half-page spread, incredibly striking.

Su Bei hadn’t expected to get a cameo here. The comments were filled with “hahaha,” clearly unsurprised that he guessed the answer.

With prophetic abilities, getting that answer wasn’t hard. Feng Lan wouldn’t use his ability for such a question, but Su Bei might.

If Su Bei knew their thoughts, he’d cry injustice. He hadn’t used his ability at all—just pure wit!

Jiang Tianming and the four others rode the dragon to the base, quickly rescuing Wu Mingbai. The final scene was a distant view of the five on the dragon’s back, ending the chapter’s update.

The Manga didn’t reveal what Wu Mingbai’s ability became, clearly leaving a cliffhanger. Su Bei didn’t immediately ask Wu Mingbai, figuring he’d learn soon enough.

Closing the Manga, he opened the forum. This update had a lot of new info, so there should be some useful new posts.

[New Organization Appears ~ How Can We Stay Stagnant!]

[Wu Mingbai’s Super Evolution!]

[Zhou Renjie’s Betrayal Is Kinda Terrifying…]

Since it concerned him, Su Bei first clicked the post about the Destiny organization.

[GrassBoatBorrowArrowsNo.0: After n chapters, 《King of Abilities》 finally introduced a new group—Destiny organization! Though it had only a few panels, I still spotted plenty.

First, this organization clearly has vast influence. From the plot, Black Flash tasked Destiny with finding a way to remove Ye Lin. As Class s' lead teacher, only a few could command her, meaning Destiny must have someone high up in Endless Ability Academy.

Second, Destiny and Black Flash are likely just collaborators. The old man in the comic didn’t fully trust Destiny. At first, I thought he doubted their ability, but then, why assign such an important task if he didn’t believe in them?

So, I have two theories: either the old man wanted to test Destiny’s capabilities, or he was shocked that Destiny was willing to help. Either way, it suggests Destiny and Black Flash’s relationship is average at best.]

[No.1: Whoa, you got all that from so little plot?]

[No.2: OP is awesome!]

[No.3: I thought of the first, but not the second.]

[No.4: So, Destiny isn’t a villain group?]

[No.5 replying to No.4: Based on OP, it’s likely a neutral group. Can work with villains but isn’t part of their camp.]

[No.6: Gotta say, Destiny sounds super classy.]

[No.33: Sudden brainwave—could Su Bei be tied to Destiny? Both seem linked to fate.]

[No.34 replying to No.33: That’s a wild theory!]

[No.35 replying to No.33: Actually possible? Did Su Bei tip off Zhao Xiaoyu because he got intel from Destiny?]

[No.36 replying to No.35: No way. Wu Mingbai’s kidnapping wasn’t Black Flash’s original plan—it was spontaneous. Destiny isn’t close to them, so how would they know?]

[No.37: If Destiny has someone high up in the academy, and Black Flash does too, Endless Ability Academy is a total sieve.]

[No.38: I’m curious who’s higher up—Destiny’s or Black Flash’s mole—and if they know each other’s identities.]

[No.39: They probably don’t, right? Holding such leverage, they wouldn’t feel secure otherwise.]

[No.97: Wonder what Destiny’s main business is.]

[No.98 replying to No.97: Seems like they take tough jobs for pay.]

[No.99: The name feels like a Tianji Pavilion vibe.]

[No.100: Old Thief, draw more Destiny content. I’m hooked!]

Reading this, Su Bei couldn’t help but marvel. Comic readers were getting scarily accurate. The OP’s analysis was spot-on, deducing Destiny and Black Flash’s relationship from so little.

Even he hadn’t thought that far. He’d only considered that Black Flash’s leader saw his capabilities again and wouldn’t hesitate to pay him to solve problems.

Some readers were truly perceptive, seeing the big picture from small clues.

The 33rd comment caught him off guard. He hadn’t expected anyone to connect him to Destiny so soon. Bold theory, but they’d never guess he was Destiny’s leader, so no big deal.

Even if readers knew he led Destiny, so what? They couldn’t affect both the comic and real world like he could, nor could they spill his identity to others.

Revealing it might even boost his discussion, though that was useless to him now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t mind going public.

The rest were repetitive debates, so Su Bei exited and moved to the next post. He skipped Wu Mingbai’s, as reader guesses weren’t critical—he’d know the truth soon. Guesses wouldn’t benefit him, so he saved time by skipping them. Unlike early updates, he now browsed forums for efficiency.

He clicked the Zhou Renjie post.

[YearlySurplusNo.0: As expected, Zhou Renjie turned dark. Old Thief didn’t drag it out, sending him villain-bound fast. But he failed, so there’s room for redemption.]

[No.1: Redemption? After betrayal, there’s no going back. It’s zero or countless times!]

[No.2: Sigh, Zhou Renjie really lost it.]

[No.3: He won’t return soon. Though he’s not likable, his exit feels a bit sad.]

[No.4: Curious—what happens to Zhou Renjie’s family now?]

[No.5 replying to No.4: Based on his view of his family, they’d probably sell him out.]

[No.6: He likely defected to Black Flash with his family. Without them, his value drops.]

[No.7: Why would the Zhou family join that den of wolves?]

[No.8 replying to No.7: With a blatant traitor, the good side won’t trust the Zhou family either, so they might as well join the villains.]

[No.9: What a scheme!]

[No.41: Wait… a scary thought. They suspected a spy in the class. Won’t they now assume it’s Zhou Renjie?]

[No.42 replying to No.41: What? That’d be a huge misunderstanding!]

[No.43: Thought the real spy would be outed soon, but it’s still far off.]

[No.44: No biggie—one down is progress.]

[No.45: So who’s the real spy?]

[BlanketStarNo.46: You’re missing a key point. Doesn’t Zhou Renjie’s exposure feel abrupt? He was Black Flash’s hard-won mole. Shouldn’t they have covered for him after his failure, letting him stay in the protagonist group longer? Even with another spy, keeping Zhou Renjie makes sense—two are better than one. But they let him get exposed.

Two possibilities: as 41 said, it’s to force the Zhou family to defect. Or… it’s to hide something, like the other spy’s identity.]

[No.47 replying to BlanketStarNo.46: Makes sense. I didn’t think that deep!]

[No.48: I thought Zhou Renjie was just disposable.]

[No.49: You guys analyze so much. I just read what’s drawn, no brain involved.]

[No.50: Will the Zhou family defect? If they do, Zhou Renjie’s fully a villain.]

[No.70 replying to BlanketStarNo.46: I think you’re off on one point. The other spy shows no sign of being exposed. Since we can’t tell who it is, why would Black Flash waste a hard-won asset just to cover for the original spy? The Zhou family theory feels more solid.]

[BlanketStarNo.71 replying to No.70: Your logic’s off. We can’t see the spy, but that doesn’t mean Endless Ability Academy can’t. Black Flash has pulled multiple stunts. Class S has only 15 people. Excluding the impossible ones, the options are few. If they didn’t push someone out, the real spy would be found eventually.]

[No.72: I’m with BlanketStar. Solid analysis.]

[No.73: Without God’s perspective, who’s definitely cleared? Wu Jin, Si Zhaohua, Feng Lan? Anyone else?]

[No.74 replying to No.73: Even without God’s perspective, Jiang Tianming’s trio is definitely out. They’ve known each other forever, especially Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai, who grew up together. If there’s a spy, all three would have to be spies. Black Flash doesn’t have the guts to send three Class S-level spies.

Ling You’s likely clear too. She said after her ordeal, she’d avoid missions for safety, staying under the school’s full oversight. If the school’s willing to invest that much, they’ve likely vetted her thoroughly.

Ai Baozhu and Qi Huang are unlikely too—rich heiresses with no need to join Black Flash.

That leaves six suspects.]

[No.75: So, Su Bei’s actually pretty suspicious.]

[No.76: Who’s the real spy? Feels like tabloid fans hunting for a celebrity’s secret lover.]

[No.77: The suspects are all fairly popular, especially Su Bei, a top fan favorite in 《King of Abilities》. Hope their fans don’t lose it when the spy’s revealed.]

[No.78 replying to No.77: Hahaha, as an OG protagonist stan, I’m kinda excited for the chaos, as long as it doesn’t mess with Old Thief’s plot.]

[No.79: Prophet said Su Bei’s definitely not the spy. I trust him—he’s never been wrong.]

[No.80: My only hope is Mo Xiaotian isn’t the spy. That’d shatter my worldview.]

[No.81 replying to No.80: I didn’t list him as a suspect. How could that goofy guy be a spy? I’m shocked he’s not a protagonist!]

[No.82 replying to No.77: Kinda want Su Bei to be the spy, but it doesn’t feel likely.]

[No.83: The protagonist group’s down one. If it shrinks more, it’s kinda sad.]

[No.84: Losing members is nothing. If someone dies, that’d be epic.]

[No.85 replying to No.84: Shut up!]

The post’s most useful part for Su Bei was the 46th comment. He’d considered the latter but not the former. Indeed, exposing Zhou Renjie, besides covering for Mo Xiaotian, might be to force the Zhou family to Black Flash.

As a former ordinary person, even with his smarts, Su Bei sometimes overlooked family-related conspiracies.

But knowing this was useless. Guarding against the Zhou family was for big players like the Si family, Feng family, or Endless Ability Academy, not a solo operator like him. Seeing the post devolve into repetitive spy debates, Su Bei exited. He’d already given the answer, but if they didn’t believe him, oh well. Mo Xiaotian’s appearance and personality were highly deceptive, so it’s no wonder readers couldn’t see it.

After browsing the new forum posts, Su Bei sighed in relief. Things should be calm for a while. The next event would likely be Alpha Ability Academy’s resource Different Space, at the end of the month. It wasn’t even mid-month yet.

The next morning, when Su Bei and Si Zhaohua got up, they saw a fully dressed Jiang Tianming in the living room.

“You’re back?” Si Zhaohua said, tying her ponytail, surprised. “Any luck finding Wu Mingbai?”

“Found him,” Jiang Tianming nodded with a smile. “A lot happened. I’ll tell you after school.”

That afternoon, the five gathered in a corner of the school cafeteria. After over a week, they were no longer zoo monkeys being gawked at.

Local students had lost most of their curiosity. With Ability Users’ vibrant campus life, they didn’t bother wasting energy on them.

So, they could discuss things without worrying about eavesdroppers.

Jiang Tianming concisely recounted the past two days from his perspective, followed by Wu Mingbai narrating his own experience.

Hearing his ability had evolved and was currently unusable, everyone except Su Bei showed slight concern.

In theory, merging with the earth-element essence should bring significant progress, but it was Black Flash’s creation. Until his ability stabilized, they worried it might harm him.

Wu Mingbai wasn’t too concerned. He could feel the earth element in his body slowly growing. His ability was pure [Earth Element], so this was definitely good.

Finally, Lan Subing briefly summarized the academy’s follow-up plans. Zhao Xiaoyu and the others would continue their study tour at the Ability User Job Base. After one incident, with Black Flash’s plan fully foiled, they likely wouldn’t try again.

“Your two days were more eventful than our week here,” Ai Baozhu sighed, her eyes full of relief despite her words.

She didn’t want to experience such “excitement.” She’d found the school a bit boring, but after their stories, she felt she’d been taking her peace for granted.

Su Bei, similar in this regard, caught the meaning in her eyes and grinned, “Want to switch and have some ‘excitement’ next time?”

Ai Baozhu rolled her eyes, and the others couldn’t help but laugh. Jiang Tianming’s trio wasn’t offended—such events were best avoided. Even thrill-seeking teens didn’t want dangerous thrills.

After the laughter, Si Zhaohua, silent until now, finally spoke, “So… Zhou Renjie’s missing now?”