This manga update showcased both Su Bei and Lan Subing well. As high-popularity characters, the forum was abuzz with their discussion. Su Bei scanned the threads, clicking one most relevant to him. [After This Chapter, No One’s Still Saying Su Bei Colludes with Nightmare Beasts, Right?] [CilantroSupremeNo.0: This chapter’s Nightmare Beasts were mostly taken out by Su Bei alone. If Low- and Mid-Level Nightmare Beasts are just fodder to them, he even took down the clearly valuable High-Level Sleep Nightmare Beast without hesitation. Doesn’t that prove his innocence? Googlᴇ search 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲·𝗻𝗲𝘁 Sure, his knowledge and familiarity with the Sleep Nightmare Beast are suspicious. But judge a person by actions, not words or assumptions. Su Bei might be a villain, but he’s definitely not with the Nightmare Beasts.] [No.1: Well said! Last chapter, so many claimed Su Bei was linked to that Spider Nightmare Beast, even starting threads to analyze it. Pissed me off.] [No.2: Su Bei may not seem like a good guy, but he’s not bad enough to ‘betray humanity.’ Even Black Flash doesn’t collude with Nightmare Beasts. Who hates Su Bei that much?] [No.3: High popularity comes with this.] [No.5 replying to No.1: Let me clarify, I don’t think Su Bei colludes with Nightmare Beasts. But I believe he contacted the Spider Nightmare Beast—not to ally, but to eliminate them.] [No.6 replying to No.5: Same. It feels like Su Bei was luring Jiang Tianming and co. to learn the method to wipe out Nightmare Beasts.] [No.7: Class S folks are ruthless with Nightmare Beasts.] [No.44: I’m curious who’s saying Su Bei colludes with Nightmare Beasts. To me, he’s the one who leaked the method to eliminate them. Would a colluder do that?] [No.45 replying to No.44: But that’s just your guess. Not only is your claim a guess, but ‘Su Bei talked to the Nightmare Beast last chapter,’ ‘Su Bei colludes with them,’ and ‘Su Bei wanted to tell Jiang and co. the method’ are all guesses. Conclusions built on guesses are unreliable.] [No.46 replying to No.45: Su Bei’s a man of secrets.] [No.47 replying to No.46: Boy. My North’s not an adult yet.] [No.48 replying to No.47: Though not an adult, Su Bei’s got plenty of fanfiction as the lead. I’d call him the third most charismatic guy in King of Abilities, behind Meng Huai and Cyril.] [No.49: I prefer Feng Lan. That ascetic vibe’s more charismatic, no? Plus, he’s a white-haired boy!] [No.50: Looks are justice. I’m for Wu Jin.] [No.51: Huh? You don’t stan Jiang because of looks? No one mentioned Jiang Tianming this time?] [No.91: Why are y’all picking favorites? Kids choose; adults take all!] [No.92 replying to No.91: Best take yet. For King of Abilities fanfiction, I go no-CP or harem. Losing anyone hurts, okay?] [No.93: Omnivores like me are the happiest.] [No.94: Anyone got recs? Point me to some otome fics.] The forum lacked useful info. The only helpful bit was that most readers no longer thought Su Bei colluded with Nightmare Beasts. Snapping back, Su Bei heard commotion outside. He wasn’t the only one; Jiang Tianming, puzzled, opened the door and saw many heading out. Their hotel was for Ability Users’ rest, so all passersby were Ability Users. He politely asked one, "Excuse me, where are you all going?" For an ordinary kid, the question might’ve been brushed off. But Jiang Tianming’s group was different. Even those who’d been unconscious heard of their deeds and respected them. Seeing it was Jiang Tianming, the person stopped, smiling, "Some Ability Users from the Different Space are back. We’re going to greet them." Moyun City’s Ability Users seemed weak because the strong ones were sent to Different Spaces to fight High-Level Nightmare Beasts. Those left handled Low- and Mid-Level ones, needing numbers over strength for sustained effort. The enthusiasm for the returning big shots was normal. Jiang Tianming nodded, then asked, confused, "Why are they back? Is the Different Space issue resolved?" With few strong Ability Users assigned to cities, they should stay in Different Spaces to contain High-Level Nightmare Beasts. Why return early? "Not quite. I don’t know the details," the person shook their head, just an ordinary Ability User without insider knowledge, not thinking much of it, "The commander got word last night someone was coming out." Through Jiang Tianming’s question, Su Bei, initially uninterested, sensed something off. He exchanged looks with the others, and the four followed the crowd out. Outside, the city was again surrounded by Nightmare Beasts. Low- and Mid-Level ones were numerous, unnoticeable usually but flooding during campaigns. They arrived just as a young Ability User with bird wings, carrying a pink-haired boy, flew in from high up and landed on the wall. Seeing them, Su Bei’s group was shocked. Jiang Tianming called, "Senior?" Hearing the distinct call, the two looked over, equally surprised, "Why are you here? Is it so bad the Ability Government’s sending first-years to the campaign?" Indeed, Su Bei’s group recognized them: Mu Yunfan, Endless Ability Academy’s Student Council president, and Zhang Sheng, also met through the council. "It’s a bit short-handed, but only our class was sent out," Jiang Tianming answered honestly, "We’re just assisting, unlike you seniors, who are the main force against Nightmare Beasts." Those sent to Different Spaces were indeed the main force. Still stunned, he hadn’t expected Moyun City’s strong Ability Users to be their school seniors. They knew the council president was powerful, his Ability nearly invincible, but he was only a third-year. His prowess was surprising. Hearing this, Mu Yunfan dropped his serious facade, grinning proudly and patting Jiang Tianming’s shoulder, "Hahaha, exactly! We’re that awesome! The Ability world would collapse without us!" Even Su Bei, familiar with the president’s true nature, twitched his lips. No wonder his Ability was hope-related—his confidence was unmatched. The onlookers, unfamiliar with Mu Yunfan, were even more stunned. Zhang Sheng, unable to watch, forced a smile, "President, Sister Manman told you to mind the academy’s image outside." Reminded—or threatened—Mu Yunfan coughed, reverting to his serious demeanor, "Being sent out shows the government recognizes your strength. Well done, keep it up!" After catching up, the commander approached, her expression a mix of joy, oddity, and worry, "Welcome back. We’ve prepared lodging. Let’s talk there." She didn’t want to discuss their sudden return publicly, preferring to learn privately and decide what to share. But Cyril and Li Xiang, arriving unnoticed, didn’t give her the chance. Cyril called out, "Shouldn’t you be in the Different Space fighting High-Level Nightmare Beasts? What happened to make you come out? As temporary allies, we deserve the truth." Feeling the crowd’s gazes, the commander reluctantly asked, "Of course. Could you explain why you came out? No offense, but last night’s message wasn’t clear, and we’re worried about the Different Space." "No problem," Zhang Sheng shrugged, unbothered by the question, "We came out because we noticed something off with the High-Level Nightmare Beasts in the Different Space. Messages might not explain clearly, so we came to warn you." He detailed their findings, "Recently, new High-Level Nightmare Beasts have appeared in the Different Space, and their numbers are growing. We’re struggling to hold them. One of our group has the [Danger Detector] Ability, sensing rising danger levels. We suspect something big’s coming, so three of us were sent to warn you to prepare." "We were hit by the Sleep Nightmare Beast last night. Could that be it?" The commander relaxed slightly, relieved it was concern for them, not a Different Space issue. "Did such a thing happen?" Zhang Sheng said, surprised, then apologetic, "Our mistake. We didn’t notice any Nightmare Beasts escaping the Different Space." The commander soothed, "How’s that your fault? The Nightmare Beasts were too cunning." Before they could finish, Cyril interjected again, "That issue’s resolved, but from your look, the danger level’s still rising, right?" The crowd’s expressions soured. He was right—if the danger level was still climbing, the threat wasn’t over. Su Bei’s group had just discussed hidden dangers, and now it was confirmed—not from Black Flash’s presence, but from the Nightmare Beasts’ side. Compared to the good side, villains were indeed sharper at sensing danger and opportunity, always acting before the heroes. Though unclear what treasure in Moyun City drew both Nightmare Beasts and Black Flash, the good side was clueless. Speaking of which… Su Bei realized something. His Destiny organization wasn’t exactly on the good side either! With so many aware of this, he could tap Destiny for intel. Realizing this, Su Bei quietly left, returning to his room to search Moyun City-related content on his notebook. For a low-profile city, recent info was likely tied to Black Flash’s task. Destiny’s intelligence system was robust. Sharing info earned points, and views added more, so many uploaded useful intel without waiting for tasks. His search yielded results. He could see all anonymous identities and confirmed the uploader was from Black Flash. The intel read: "Black Flash obtained a Nightmare Egg in the Nightmare Beast world, was chased by Nightmare Beasts, and lost it. It’s now confirmed to be in Moyun City." They even posted a task for help finding the Nightmare Egg. Nightmare Egg? What was that? Stunned, Su Bei searched Destiny’s database. Such general info was easy to find, and he soon learned what a Nightmare Egg was. Nightmare Beasts formed from human death’s resentment, but there was a process. Normally, resentment naturally became an invisible egg, hatching a Nightmare Beast. In rare cases, hatching failed, forming a tangible Nightmare Egg. This happened when resentment formed at death but was somehow dispelled. The resentment in the Nightmare Beast world didn’t vanish but lacked enough sustenance to form a full beast, resulting in a “stillborn” Nightmare Egg. At first glance, it seemed useless, just an unformed beast. But with enough resentment, it could definitely birth a High-Level Nightmare Beast, customizable based on prior experience, as resentment’s composition influenced the beast’s abilities. Reading this, Su Bei understood why both Nightmare Beasts and Black Flash sought the Nightmare Egg. The beasts wanted a powerful High-Level Nightmare Beast; Black Flash wanted it for research. The Ability Government’s ignorance made sense—it was unrelated to them. Black Flash sought it, Nightmare Beasts wanted it, and the good side was just caught in the crossfire. But related or not, they’d be affected. If Su Bei could find the Nightmare Egg and destroy it publicly or send it to the government, Moyun City might avoid disaster. His best lead was that the Nightmare Egg was in an iron box. But it was likely small, its resentment sealed, undetectable even with Mental Energy—it was just a black egg-shaped stone. Finding it was like searching for a needle in a haystack, and Su Bei wasn’t eager to try. Rather, he was sure he could find it through the use of his ability. By tweaking his luck and fate, wandering the city at peak luck, he’d locate it in days. But with Black Flash watching, his odd behavior would draw attention. No matter how he hid, Cyril and Li Xiang weren’t fools. From past clashes, they knew of his Ability's uses, though not fully, as well as his mysterious intel sources and methods. Su Bei even suspected they were monitoring him. If he found the Nightmare Egg, they’d leap out to steal it. Without the strength to protect it, he wouldn’t risk searching for such a dangerous item. Though he could now easily kill a High-Level Nightmare Beast, those weren’t the top-tier ones, which top human powerhouses handled. If he met one, he might die before adjusting its fate. His Ability, while near instant, had a brief wind-up. In top-tier battles, that was enough for him to die several times. Lacking defensive means, he was vulnerable to assassination. But he wasn’t anxious. He was young, content with his progress. At Endless Ability Academy, courses on developing Ability skills started in second year. As a first-year, he was far ahead, even of his Class S peers. Rushing would be unreasonable. Still, he anonymously accepted the task. It was to help Black Flash find the Nightmare Egg, not obtain it. Once it surfaced, he could claim completion, regardless of who found it. As for exposing his identity, he wasn’t worried—maybe he even wanted to reveal his Destiny membership. Forum readers had speculated this, showing enthusiasm. Exposing it wouldn’t shock them, but instead boost his popularity. Why not? He also thought it was time to mention Destiny more in the manga. With an organization backing him, he could shift blame for big actions, a win-win. For example, if the author framed him as Black Flash, revealing his Destiny membership would solve it. Readers would prefer believing he was Destiny’s mole in Black Flash over a dual-member role—more logical and exciting. Closing the notebook, Su Bei stared at it. Destiny’s creation was invaluable. Without it, he’d have to scour the web for info. But critical info wasn’t easily obtained online. He’d have to ask Meng Huai or Feng Lan, which would be a hassle. With Destiny’s database, he had access to nearly every piece of information. This was why he’d made it an intelligence organization. As a former ordinary person, unlike Feng Lan, Si Zhaohua, Ai Baozhu, or Qi Huang, who were born in the Ability world with family libraries, he lacked basic Ability world knowledge. Jiang Tianming and others faced similar issues. It was their natural disadvantage. Conversely, Si Zhaohua and others lacked common world knowledge, but living in the Ability world, Su Bei’s group was more impacted. Thankfully, Destiny filled this gap. Information was key to tasks, and without it, he’d have taken many detours.