Chapter 198
After Mu Tieren shared his past, they believed Little Pink. If he dared do this years ago, with more power now, he’d only escalate.
As they spoke, Zhang He led a team to search. They hid at first, but the team knew the terrain well, and Little Pink’s props, used on Jiang Tianming’s group, left no countermeasures.
Realizing escape was impossible, Si Zhaohua stepped out to deal with Zhang He. With his status and plausible excuses, he fooled them into leaving.
After Zhang He’s group left, they reviewed Little Pink’s evidence in the warehouse; boss' investigation on her, her illness timeline, her transformation date—proving premeditation.
Barrages screamed, fearing Wu Mingbai’s group would be transformed. They knew the Manga wouldn’t, unless the author lost it.
But what if? A late-Manga leap to ability users vs. cyborgs? Just the thought made them want to send the author hate mail.
After the evidence, they sensed danger for their oblivious classmates. Though the boss likely wouldn’t risk Endless Ability Academy’s wrath, they had to prepare.
Exiting the space, they found Su Bei sitting there, as if waiting.
Seeing a teammate was joyful, but Su Bei alone sparked unease.Sure enough, questioning revealed Wu Mingbai’s group and the teachers were missing. They searched, Su Bei and Jiang Tianming staying to recap events.
Su Bei perked up. He’d planted a hook here—would the author draw it to ignite?
Lucky him—the author found it useful and included it. Seeing Su Bei, uninvolved yet nailing Little Pink’s escape details, Jiang Tianming asked how he knew.
The next panel was Su Bei’s solo shot, a mysterious smile, tapping his eyelid, backed by deep purple light: “Destiny’s path is clear in my eyes.”
As a high-popularity character, Su Bei’s buzz was huge. This weighty line only amplified it.
“So cool! Author, this art’s too perfect—I can’t even draw fanart.”
“You’ve got flair for looking cool.”
“‘Destiny’s path’? Another of Su Bei’s abilities?”
“Not just for show, right?”
“What’s the world like in Su Bei’s eyes?”
Seeing many barrages catch his intent, guessing the line tied to his ability, Su Bei’s eyes glinted with amusement. With this awareness, his “Prophet” work would be easy.
The plot moved to the boss explaining the “misunderstanding” on the big screen. Like Jiang Tianming’s group, barrages debated his truthfulness. Though he seemed a villain, the author loved twisty misunderstandings.
Barrages split: one side saw him as a good-hearted, misunderstood entrepreneur; the other insisted he was a lying villain.
All debate vanished when Su Bei bolted, uniting them—boss definitely bad!
“Bei ran again…”
“No debate now—boss is trouble.”
“Where’s the ‘boss is fine’ crowd? Speak up!”
“Su Bei’s a danger detector.”
“Everyone, follow Brother Bei and run!”
“Jiang, you fools—Su Bei’s gone!”
Su Bei saw his post-departure plot. The boss led them to the unconscious Wu Mingbai’s group but urged them to eat the green food.
Except Little Pink, no one fully trusted him, wary of the coma-inducing stuff. Little Pink ate without issue, not even fainting. The boss' excuse: as a machine, she was immune.
Mu Tieren, less cautious, ate, and his flesh rotted rapidly. Everyone panicked, helpless.
The boss revealed his true face, smiling obsessively, saying anything with his essence couldn’t accept another’s. He meant the green heart of [Life Essence], not the robot body.
As the boss' nephew and first butler assistant, Mu Tieren was unique. Inexperienced then, the boss used massive ability to craft him a green heart.
This heart ensured constant [Life Essence] to sustain life, even away from the boss—one reason Mu Tieren dared escape.
The boss' current actions aimed to force Mu Tieren to abandon his human guise and return. Classic “if I can’t have you, I’ll ruin you.”
The boss believed Mu Tieren’s ability awakening was due to his green heart—everything Mu Tieren had was his gift. How dare he rebel?
Mu Tieren wouldn’t yield. After a brief struggle, he ripped open his chest, returned the green heart, and fell near death.
At his critical moment, Jiang Tianming tore open a prop from Elvis, storing his ability. It froze Mu Tieren’s time, saving him temporarily.
But he remained in the boss' hands.
Their teamwork training paid off. Without discussion, the four awake executed a plan. Each carried two, Jiang Tianming three, fleeing at top speed.
The boss, unhurried, herded them to the fourth workshop, flooding it with [Life Essence]. Without Qi Huang and Si Zhaohua’s honed reflexes, lifting Jiang Tianming, Ling You, and their charges, the students might’ve been doomed.
Si Zhaohua demanded how the boss dared attack, unafraid of retribution. Even if transformed, he’d face death.
The boss had a plan: turn them into robots, then stuff them back into their skins, like Mu Tieren.
Unless closely inspected, no one would notice. Controlled, Jiang Tianming’s group couldn’t spill the truth—a perfect deception.
Meng Huai and Lei Ze’en’s questions? Simple—blame Zhang He. Whether or not they believed it, at worst, Endless Ability Academy would cut ties with Life Tech Machinery Co., Ltd.
So what? His “butler assistants” were already in the academy. Making more was easy.
The boss then shared his philosophy: mechanical life surpassed carbon-based life—efficient, illness-free, replaceable parts, stable, rational, all pros. He aimed to evolve humanity into mechanical life.
Manga world big villains came in two flavors: human supremacists wiping out other species, or those deeming humans inferior, seeking to transform them.
Readers weren’t shocked by the boss' ideal, but barrages debated fiercely.
Most called it nonsense—human bodies were best. A few, swayed by mechanical life’s perks, thought transformation wasn’t bad. Free, no less! A double eyelid surgery cost a fortune.
One barrage killed the debate: “If everyone’s mechanical, no need to clock out, right? (devil’s whisper)”
Even Su Bei shivered. What a diabolical thought—prime capitalist vibes! He’d thought the boss' idea impractical; now, he deemed it heinous!
Chuckling at later barrages, Su Bei saw them unify after that devilish one.
“Lan Subing, stop hiding—I know it’s you. (stare)”
“Lan Subing, stop hiding—I know it’s you. (stare)”
“Lan Subing, stop hiding—I know it’s you. (stare)”
“…”
Lan Subing’s capitalist heiress image ran deep, Su Bei mused. She often unwittingly said hang-worthy things, no wonder the stereotype persisted.
Even he first thought that barrage’s sender would vibe with Lan Subing.
By now, Su Bei reached the door. The rest, he’d witnessed, no need for Manga recap.
Skipping known, useless bits, the Manga’s Su Bei reappeared. Readers weren’t shocked—things resolved, his return was expected. His absence would’ve been weirder.
Barrages teased.
“Your Su Bei has appeared.”
“Enjoyed the show?”
“When did Su Bei get there?”
“Hahaha, everyone’s got dead fish eyes.”
“Oh no, Su Bei’s gonna get beat up!”
“He deserves it (that tone).”
When the boss played his final card, claiming no evidence for legal conviction, readers exploded. Such shamelessness—exploiting Jiang Tianming’s group’s goodness, a classic “bully the honest.”
Si Zhaohua’s bold stance won cheers, but the author showed his inner worry via thought bubbles—he didn’t mind using power but feared alienating Jiang Tianming’s group.
This stirred reader empathy, though some rationally agreed with his concern. If they had such a friend, no matter how approachable, seeing their power would spark an instinctive gap.
Meng Huai’s arrival seemed ideal—him “power playing” wouldn’t strain student bonds. As a superior, it wouldn’t shift student views, only earning gratitude.
Some readers disapproved, arguing shonen manga shouldn’t have this. The act was fine, but the values were off. Pure good guys in shonen shouldn’t use power for revenge—what’s the difference from villains, just targeting the right person?
Teachers were student role models. If Meng Huai did this, students might mimic. Power plays needed no hard evidence, too subjective. One wrong punishment, and they’d turn into villains.
Amid the debate, Su Bei shone!
On the Manga’s last page, he grinned, presenting the phone video evidence. With it, the boss could be legally jailed.
“Su Bei! You’re my god!”
“A recording? Bei’s always a step ahead.”
“Destiny-type charm? Always foreseeing, solving anything.”
“With this, no fear of that old fart’s threats!”
“Su Bei: You piss me off, you’re done.”
“Cool.”
“Hahaha, arguing over this earlier cracks me up.”
The Manga ended. Su Bei sighed in relief. No unexpected twists, he appeared as needed, and his hook made it in. Time to check the forum for related buzz.
Opening it, no surprise—Mu Tieren dominated discussion. His backstory, final choice, and fate fueled multiple threads.
Mu Tieren had been low-key for a while; this burst would gain him fans. Su Bei was curious about his future.
His ruined flesh was fixable—with his scientist guardian and academy funding, a new body shouldn’t be hard.
The issue was the boss' claim: Mu Tieren’s ability awakening relied on the green heart. Without it, survival was iffy, let alone using abilities.
Ye Lin said the academy was seeking a [Regeneration] ability user to craft a new heart. It’d ensure survival but not necessarily ability use.
Forum threads debated this, fearing Mu Tieren might lose his ability and leave Endless Ability Academy, or get a weak new ability, dropping from S-Class.
Either way, he’d be offline, maybe permanently, from the protagonist team—something readers dreaded.
Besides Mu Tieren threads, many focused on Su Bei, thanks to his final highlight. Though the hook was planted earlier, it sparked discussion.
Su Bei opened one.
[“Destiny’s Path Is in My Eyes”]
[TimeForNewCurtainsNo.0: Not my imagination—Su Bei hinted at an ability here, right? Seeing destiny’s path—knowing what’s next for someone? He seemed to know Little Pink’s story and the boss' deal long ago. Isn’t that too OP?]
[No.1: I feel it too—not a throwaway line, it’s his ability.]
[No.2: Finally, the author remembers to flesh out Su Bei.]
[No.3: OP? Nah, it’s just prophecy. He already has that vibe.]
[No.4: Wonder what the world looks like in Su Bei’s eyes. Seeing everyone’s fate must be cool.]
[No.5 replying to No.4: Cool once or twice, but too much feels… weird? Like everyone’s an NPC, fate set.]
[No.6 replying to No.5: !!!]
[No.7 replying to No.5: !]
[No.8 replying to No.5: That explains Su Bei’s flippant attitude—he’s got a player’s perspective!]
[No.9: 5’s take is wild but kinda makes sense.]
[…]
[No.52: What’s ‘destiny’s path’ like? Seeing dinner, outings, crashes—like train cars? Or like an ECG, ups and downs?]
[No.53 replying to No.52: Gotta be the first. How else could he nail Little Pink’s actions?]
[No.54 replying to No.53: Not necessarily. A graph could deduce her story.]
[No.55 replying to No.52: Neither feels right. Both sound like his existing powers—author wouldn’t highlight those.]
[No.56: Maybe like a life sim game, text pop-ups? Sounds fun.]
[No.57 replying to No.56: Then his ability shouldn’t be [Destiny Gear] but [Life Sim] or [Fourth Calamity]. Those sound dope.]
[…]
[No.106: Wish a guru would clarify. I bet the author won’t show Su Bei’s true ability.]
[No.107 replying to No.106: I know who you’re after.]
[No.108: @Prophet]
[No.109: Prophet, you still out there? I miss you.]
What a coincidence—Su Bei planned to use that account.
After mulling his wording, he started a new thread.
[[Prophet Thread] Guesses on New Chapter Content]
[ProphetNo.0: First, Mu Tieren likely won’t leave. S-Class already lost one, with a mole still there. Losing another makes three—author probably won’t do that.
Second, one of Su Bei’s abilities was revealed: ‘destiny path.’ I guess it lets him see specific fate trajectories, maybe even alter them.]
The Mu Tieren bit was cover—to avoid “Prophet” being tagged as a Su Bei fanboy. That’d tank credibility for his own reveals.
His guess on Mu Tieren staying in S-Class was 90% confident. As he wrote, S-Class losing two already made it sparse—not shonen style, especially not mid-first year. A third exit seemed unlikely.
His self-reveal seemed to confirm an existing ability but wasn’t. He could see fate via the Destiny Compass, but only at fixed points.
If changed as he suggested, he’d see full timelines and tweak them—turning one ability into multiple, with alteration options.
This upgrade was a nice touch. He hadn’t planned it, but seizing the hook opportunity, he rolled with it.
His original upgrade plan? That’d wait for the next Manga update. He’d decided what to enhance, and with the current pace, they’d likely get another update before the Tri-School Competition.
The boss' aftermath wasn’t covered, and Mu Tieren’s issues needed wrapping. At least one daily-life chapter was needed to fill these gaps before the next arc. So time wasn’t tight—as long as he planted the hook before the competition.
Per the schedule, planting it in the chapter before the competition meant the ability boost would hit in the competition’s first chapter. No issue—last exam spanned multiple chapters; the competition wouldn’t end in one. He’d just debut later.