A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga - Chapter 76



It was indeed winter, and the temperature was low. Yet, the nearby alternate space was a desert realm, which had raised the surrounding temperature considerably. It felt less like the harshness of winter and more akin to a cool autumn day.

Due to her social anxiety, she was accustomed to wearing a scarf, but now it felt a bit warm. The others were dressed in nothing but sweaters, clearly unfazed by the chill.

“Perhaps it’s just weakness,” Li Shu murmured, observing them. “After all, their bodies have been tormented by the Night Beasts; it’s normal for them to be a bit frail.”

Upon entering their room, Sister Wang and Brother Liu removed their coats and scarves, and to her surprise, they were wearing short sleeves underneath.

Sister Wang displayed her arms, revealing several dark blue circular marks that looked quite terrifying. If it weren’t for the peculiar shape of the spots, one might think they were the result of domestic abuse.

“Can you see this? Is there any way to cure it?” Sister Wang looked hopefully at Ling You, clearly wishing to rid herself of these afflictions.

Ling You released her mental energy to examine the marks closely. After a moment, she nodded affirmatively, “It is indeed a condition, but it’s not contagious. So, I can’t say exactly what it is.”

If it were contagious, perhaps she could have resolved the issue herself and gained better control over the Night Beast.

Upon hearing that she couldn’t provide a solution, the couple’s disappointment was palpable for a brief moment, though it wasn’t overwhelming. Sister Wang smiled to reassure them, “If the hospital can’t solve our situation, it’s only natural that you can’t either.”

Ling You remained silent, stepping back after her examination.

Zhao Xiaoyu inquired again about the earlier question, “When did we each discover the spots on our bodies?”

“I noticed mine while showering,” Sister Wang recalled after a moment. “He found his two days later, while undressing in the bedroom.”

This couple had fallen ill simultaneously, unlike the previous family who had suffered in succession. After pondering for a moment, Si Zhaohua whispered something to Zhao Xiaoyu before stepping outside.

Su Bei followed him out, noticing Si Zhaohua was reviewing some documents. She asked knowingly, “Are you looking for the previous family’s contact number?”

“Yeah, I want to call and ask the two sick individuals where they usually go, to see if we can find any commonalities,” Si Zhaohua replied, dialing the number he found in the documents.

Hearing this, Su Bei chuckled and shook her head, “I think you’d be better off asking where that little girl went after her grandfather died.”

Si Zhaohua raised an eyebrow, immediately grasping Su Bei’s implication: “That makes sense.”

Soon, the call connected. After introducing himself, Si Zhaohua got straight to the point, asking the question Su Bei had just suggested.

The call was answered by the family’s father, who, still grieving, hadn’t paid much attention to the matter. After a brief inquiry with his daughter, he quickly provided an answer: “At that time, she often went to my father’s room…”

—

At this point, the tone grew serious: “Is there something wrong in my father’s room?”

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Si Zhaohua did not answer the question; he was pondering the connections. The first to fall ill was his grandfather, yet his room had been transformed into a game room. At first glance, it seemed a mere coincidence, but upon deeper reflection, it felt rather strange.

Though most people today are not particularly superstitious, there remains a certain wariness regarding the rooms of the deceased. With so many rooms in this villa repurposed into storage spaces, why was this one chosen to become a game room?

Lost in thought, he instinctively glanced at Su Bei, his eyes questioning.

Su Bei did not respond but instead glanced at his phone, signaling that it was time to hang up.

In his preoccupation, Si Zhaohua had indeed forgotten he was on a call. It was a wonder the person on the other end had remained silent all this while.

Clearing his throat, he said, “We are still investigating the specifics…”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Su Bei suddenly interjected, “Ask if there’s been any improvement with his daughter.”

At this, Si Zhaohua immediately grasped his meaning. When Wang Jie and her husband had visited earlier, they mentioned that after a period away, they had noticed some improvement.

This contradicted the information on file, which stated that the daughter could only maintain her current state, with no sign of recovery.

As expected, the man’s voice carried a hint of helplessness, indicating that his daughter had not improved and was unable to attend school.

“Well, this is interesting.” After hanging up, Si Zhaohua elegantly settled back onto the sofa, but without tea, he let out a slight “tch” of disappointment before continuing, “Why is it that Wang Jie and the others experienced improvement after leaving the villa?”

Knowing Su Bei’s nature, he had no intention of waiting for a response. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke to himself, “Is it because their stay was brief? Or perhaps the previous tenant’s death amplified the influence of the nightmare beast on their family?”

Su Bei, with his fate compass, knew a bit more than they did. The room of the deceased turned game room, the changed master bedroom, the compass needle’s shifts, the couple still in decent health… everything pointed to the same answer.

Yet, he had no intention of revealing it directly; after playing this charade for so long, he found himself enjoying the spectacle. Besides, Si Zhaohua and the others would uncover the truth sooner or later; there was no need for him to speak out now. Though it could earn him a moment of glory, it held little significance.

Through their time together, Si Zhaohua had begun to understand Su Bei’s character. Noticing the other’s relaxed expression, he asked, “Have you figured something out?”

Of course, Su Bei would not speak the truth, putting on an innocent face: “Not at all.”

However, Si Zhaohua had long since developed PTSD from that innocent expression, sneering coldly, “Then why don’t you step in for Zhao Xiaoyu and lend a hand?”

—

As the captain spoke, there was nothing amiss; besides, Su Bei had indeed slacked off during the earlier cleanup. Noticing that Si Zhao Hua was genuinely a bit angry, he cleared his throat and obediently stepped forward.

In the room above, Zhao Xiao Yu had finished asking the questions that Si Zhao Hua had laid out. The inquiries were simple enough—where they had most enjoyed spending their time, particularly in the first three months after moving in, since they had not fallen ill during that period. It was clear that too much contact during that time must have led to the troubles.

The responses from the first family had confirmed this; the grandfather had been the first to fall ill, followed closely by his daughter, who often visited his room after his death.

However, if Su Bei were to say, the order of their illnesses likely had much to do with their physical constitutions, after all, the elderly and children are inherently weaker.

But this did not mean that the grandfather’s room was without issues; in fact, the factor of physical constitution served as a perfect cover, conveniently masking the problems of the grandfather’s room.

Seeing Su Bei enter, Zhao Xiao Yu briefly summarized the results of the earlier questioning. The couple claimed that during that time, aside from staying in their room, they often visited the living room and balcony, and that was about it.

Upon hearing this, Su Bei chuckled, “I thought you’d often go to the game room; it looked incredibly tempting from where I stood.”

As he spoke, he wore the carefree demeanor of a youth, a stark contrast to the mature and composed Zhao Xiao Yu, who exuded an air of adulthood.

Sister Wang felt a bit lighter and laughed, “People died here before, so we thought about renovating it, which is why we didn’t go much. If you want to play, once this house is cleared of issues, you can go anytime. It’s a pity it’s currently without power; the game machines can’t be used.”

Since no one lived there, naturally, no one paid the electricity bill, and many of the facilities in the game room required power, rendering them unusable.

Yet, Su Bei clearly showed no signs of losing interest; instead, he boldly said, “No worries! I saw there are one or two things in the game room that don’t need electricity to play, right? I’m not too familiar with what’s set up there; why don’t you take us down for a tour?”

At this, Sister Wang’s expression stiffened, and Liu Ge timely interjected, “That place was under renovation for a long time; we haven’t been there much. After what happened, we had even less desire to go. It’s just the usual stuff you’d find in an ordinary arcade; nothing we need to introduce. If you’re interested, just go play yourselves.”

Sister Wang nodded along, pressing her temples, looking rather weak. “I don’t know if it’s because of that monster, but I often feel drained now; I’d like to rest for a bit. You all see…”

“Then you should rest first, Sister Wang.” Su Bei was aware and did not press further. He stood up and led Zhao Xiao Yu and Wu Jin out.

Once the door was closed, Zhao Xiao Yu asked, puzzled, “Are you suspicious of them?”

She could clearly see the difference between Su Bei’s questioning and her own—one was an inquiry, the other a probe. If Zhao Xiao Yu was asking about the nightmare beast, Su Bei was inquiring about the couple.

“Don’t you find their behavior rather intriguing?” Su Bei replied with a lighthearted smile.

Zhao Xiao Yu certainly sensed something odd about the couple, but she had no entry point. After hearing Su Bei’s earlier questions, she realized that the game room downstairs might indeed hold some issues.

Thinking it over, it made sense; a room where someone had died was considered unlucky, so converting it into a storage room was one thing, but turning it into a game room—wasn’t that just unsettling?

As she pondered, Wu Ming Bai and the other three emerged from the largest bedroom next door, their expressions brimming with excitement.

Upon spotting Su Bei not far off, Wu Mingbai spoke directly, “We’ve discovered a problem!”

After saying this, he cast a wary glance at the room where Sister Wang was currently situated, then led the group downstairs before revealing their finding: “That largest room was originally renovated to be Sister Wang and her companions’ residence, but for some unknown reason, they later moved to the adjacent room.”

Previously, when Su Bei had mentioned that there was an issue with that room, he had been met with logical rebuttals. Yet, Wu Mingbai remained vigilant. He understood that Su Bei was not one to speak lightly; there had to be a reason behind his words.

Later, it was mentioned that the couple hadn’t occupied the largest room but instead resided in the smaller one next door. Although their explanation was reasonable, Wu Mingbai couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a connection between the two.

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Taking advantage of Zhao Xiaoyu’s questioning, he had slipped into the largest room for a closer inspection. Now transformed into a storage space, it was a chaotic mess, making it difficult to uncover any clues.

Yet, amidst the clutter, he found a low cabinet that hadn’t been moved, adorned with photos of the couple. What was such a thing doing in a storage room? The photos were intact; logically, they should have been displayed in the living room or bedroom.

Thus, Wu Mingbai formed a hypothesis. With a clearer understanding, he purposefully sought out clues, naturally making his efforts more effective. Before long, he was convinced that this room had indeed originally served as the couple’s bedroom.

They couldn’t have been unaware that the master bedroom belonged to the previous couple. Since they had known this beforehand and had lived there for some time, it was clear they didn’t care about the fact that “a couple had originally resided there.”

In other words, their reason for not occupying the master bedroom was a lie!

Having grasped that the couple was not being honest, Li Shu smiled slyly, “Why don’t we apply to the Ability Government? It’s quite easy to make them speak the truth.”

Whether it was Li Shu’s Illusion, or Lan Subing’s Word Spirit, or even Wu Jin’s Succubus charm, all could easily compel two ordinary people to reveal the truth without much effort.

Against such mental assaults, one could typically only rely on mental fortitude to resist, and the mental strength of ordinary people was far too weak compared to that of ability users, rendering them defenseless.

However, using abilities on ordinary people required prior approval, especially for those like them who were on a mission; strict adherence to regulations was essential, or it would be difficult to take on future tasks.

This was quite normal; if ability users could freely use their powers on ordinary people, the situation would have spiraled out of control long ago. Having special abilities without constraints would inevitably lead to chaos, so it was wise for them to maintain strict management.

Zhao Xiaoyu, who had long since memorized the guidelines of the Ability Government, shook her head, “The reasons aren’t sufficient. We can only prove that this couple is concealing something. But to apply for the use of abilities on them, we need to demonstrate that they pose a threat to others.”

That posed a dilemma. At most, they knew that these two were hiding something from them, but they had no idea what that concealment entailed, let alone any harmful actions.

“Perhaps we could engage in entrapment,” Wu Mingbai suggested, his eyes glinting with a thought. “Let’s pretend we’ve uncovered the truth and see how they react?”

This method was indeed feasible, but it had its issues: “But we at least need to present one or two substantial pieces of evidence to make them panic, right?”

“Isn’t that simple?” Su Bei interjected, “The game room.”

It was evident that there was something amiss with the game room, as could be gleaned from the earlier behavior of those two. Noticing the confusion among the others, Zhao Xiaoyu stepped in to explain before Su Bei could even begin.

“Let’s go check out the game room first,” Si Zhaohua declared, leading the group into the dimly lit space. Though it was still daylight outside, the game room was vibrant, a kaleidoscope of colors that seemed to beckon with a strange allure.

Yet, for reasons unknown, excitement eluded them. Despite having faced numerous trials, Si Zhaohua and the others were merely fifteen or sixteen years old; one would expect a thrill at being in such a place. Instead, a sense of unease settled over them, a gnawing irritation that felt out of place.

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All of them possessed keen mental acuity, so it was impossible not to sense the odd shift in atmosphere. Si Zhaohua swiftly decided to call the first family again, inquiring about the elder’s state after moving into this house. He emphasized the need to know if there had been any sudden outbursts of temper.

The elder’s behavior during those final days was etched firmly in his father’s memory. After a moment of contemplation, his father admitted, “Now that you mention it, there was indeed something strange. After moving into this house, my father’s temper did worsen a bit. However, he was still gentle with the younger generation; he just didn’t come out as often.”

With the phone on speaker, the others listened intently, their hearts sinking in unison. It seemed this room was the lair of a nightmare beast, yet they had no idea what form this creature took, and for now, they couldn’t simply destroy the room.

But it was more than enough to test that couple.

Recalling the earlier events, Wu Ming understood and scoffed, “They refuse to come to us, yet they push us to come here. Isn’t that harmful? I say we don’t need to test them anymore; let’s just inform the ability government of what we’ve learned. They can draw their own conclusions.”

Zhao Xiaoyu shook her head, troubled. They could indeed confirm the couple’s ill intentions, but the problem lay in how to articulate it: “How do we even say it? We have no substantial evidence. In the eyes of the ability government, we’re all in this together; anything we say will be seen as one-sided, and they can’t convict them without proof.”

It was only then that she realized she had made a mistake in today’s mission. They had gone out to complete a task but left no evidence along the way, leading them to know the background yet having to repeat the same inquiries, a complete waste of time.

There were no cameras in the house; whether the couple had lured them to the game room or concealed something, there was no record to archive. Relying solely on their testimonies would likely be ineffective.

She had previously read the regulations of the ability government, which were stringent regarding the use of abilities on ordinary people. At the time, she had thought their enemy was the nightmare beast, so she hadn’t considered it deeply. Now, faced with a problem, she understood how shortsighted her thinking had been.

But one learns from mistakes; she wouldn’t repeat this error next time. Zhao Xiaoyu knew well that discovering a crucial issue on their first mission was a fortunate occurrence.

Moreover, this was just a minor setback; wasting a bit of time could be made up. If they waited until a critical moment to uncover a problem, it would be too late.

The others shared her sentiment; they would remember for next time. They were all good-natured, and wouldn’t assume that Zhao Xiaoyu’s maturity meant she should bear the burden alone.

They certainly didn’t think this was solely Zhao Xiaoyu’s responsibility; it was a shared duty among them all. Forgetting this matter was a collective failure.

Except for Su Bei.

Hearing Zhao Xiaoyu’s words, he raised an eyebrow, pulled out his phone, activated the recording function, and pressed play: “Who says we have no substantial evidence?”

As his words fell, the couple’s voices echoed from the phone: “You can call me Sister Wang, and he is your Brother Liu…”

This was evident.

—

It was their conversation from when they first met, and surprisingly, Su Bei had started recording then!

Everyone showed expressions of astonishment; they had no idea Su Bei was so meticulous, filling in the gaps they hadn’t even considered.

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“How did you think to record it?” asked Lan Subing, her eyes wide, momentarily forgetting her social anxiety, her face alight with surprise.

Of course, it was a family tradition; his mother, a police officer, had a habit of recording during her missions, and his father had picked up the same practice. Later, when he worked alongside his father, it became second nature to him.

After his parents died, when impoverished relatives came knocking for favors, it was this recording habit that saved him, allowing him to fend off their ill intentions without falling victim to their schemes.

But there was no need to elaborate on that. He lowered his gaze and smiled, “You’ll surely think of it in the future.”

They were all clever people; after this experience, they would remember to preserve evidence before undertaking tasks. Recording at any moment was a good habit, one that could prove invaluable in critical times.

Initially, he had planned to investigate the game room first, then return to hint at the issues in their bedroom, hoping to throw them off balance. But to his surprise, the nightmare beast in the game room was quite evident, making such efforts unnecessary.

With the recording of their earlier conversation, combined with Si Zhaohua’s recent dialogue with the first family, it should be enough to prove that the couple had issues.

The ability government was generally cautious when dealing with ordinary people, reluctant to provoke conflicts that could escalate into larger problems. But with substantial evidence in hand, they wouldn’t allow the ability users to simply endure.

After all, while ability users were strong, they were still a minority, and the beasts could only be eradicated by them. They had always been protectors of their homes and country, so it made no sense to keep yielding.

Once the recording and information were sent, the liaison from the ability government quickly replied, stating they were reporting to higher-ups. Such matters required discussion and documentation, but it wouldn’t take long; a result was expected by evening.

The group was not in a hurry. After bidding farewell to the couple, they prepared to leave. Sister Wang, with concern, asked, “Shall I order takeout for you? Although we’re short on cash now, we can still manage to order something.”

After leaving the bedroom, she donned a thick coat and wrapped a scarf around her neck. Noticing the curious gazes from the others, Sister Wang smiled, “We plan to go out for a meal too, so of course, I need to dress warmly.”

Her explanation posed no issues, but the others no longer dared to trust her easily.

Once outside the room, Li Shu turned thoughtfully to Su Bei, “It seems their bedroom indeed has problems.”

They had observed the couple’s unusual behavior and had a sense of what was amiss. Despite the similar temperatures, they wore no outerwear inside the room but bundled up tightly outside; it was clear that something was wrong in that room. But perhaps it was a good kind of wrong.

But how did Su Bei know this so far in advance? It was truly intriguing! Li Shu’s smile grew softer, his eyes filled with interest, a hint of obsession: “Let’s have a match when we get back; I really want to see your strength.”

“You should focus on Jiang Tianming instead,” Su Bei replied, without a hint of hesitation, drawing Dong Shui into the fray.

—

Upon hearing this, Li Shu let out a sigh. Naturally, his primary concern remained Jiang Tianming, for the secrets that man harbored were like a noose around his neck: “But I’m not in the same group as him, so I’ll have to temporarily shift my focus to someone else.”

He then persisted, his demeanor shifting to one of coaxing familiarity: “Why not have a match with me? What’s stopping you? We’re classmates; it’s bound to happen sooner or later. Better to do it now than later.”

“Sure.” To his surprise, Su Bei did not refuse this time; instead, he readily agreed.

Li Shu paused for a moment, then quickly made arrangements, fearing that Su Bei might change his mind if he hesitated too long.

After a while, Si Zhaohua approached, glancing curiously at Li Shu’s back: “Why did you agree?”

He knew that Li Shu had sought out Su Bei several times before, only to be turned down each time.

Su Bei rolled his fists, smiling warmly: “Since he wants to compete, let’s give him a proper match. After being turned down so many times, he finally gets his wish; I’m sure the teacher won’t spoil his fun.”

As long as it didn’t involve life-threatening danger, even if he turned Li Shu into a pig’s head, the teacher would likely stay out of it. After all, this was a mess of Li Shu’s own making.

However, Su Bei’s willingness to agree wasn’t solely due to this; he had been awakened by the earlier incident with Wu Jin.

Because advanced mental power was acquired all at once through a comic, Su Bei had never truly felt its weight, despite his enthusiasm.

It wasn’t until he swiftly broke free from Wu Jin’s allure that he realized, with his advanced mental power, he had no reason to fear any ordinary ability user’s mental abilities.

Unless they too possessed advanced mental power, they were far from being able to control him with their mental abilities. Not to mention Li Shu’s pure mental attacks; even Lan Subing’s “Word Spirit” would require considerable effort to subdue him.

His previous reluctance to compete with Li Shu stemmed from the fear of revealing some secret, just as Jiang Tianming had.

But now that he recognized his worries were unfounded, he wouldn’t give that guy another chance to prance around. This time, he would show him what true power looked like!

Si Zhaohua didn’t know the underlying details, but he understood the implied meaning in Su Bei’s words. Meeting Su Bei’s gaze, he smiled brightly: “That’s good; I imagine he’ll be much quieter after this.”

They casually found a nearby restaurant to eat. During the meal, Lan Subing inquired about the situation on Jiang Tianming’s side.

Though the two groups claimed to be acting separately, the youthful hearts of the boys couldn’t help but harbor a desire to compare themselves.

Lan Subing and Wu Mingbai, being good friends of Jiang Tianming, didn’t mind a little competition over such trivial matters. In fact, judging by Wu Mingbai’s expression, he seemed quite eager to join in.

As Lan Subing gathered information, everyone else paid attention. Their task was already more than halfway complete; as long as the ability government agreed to let them use their powers on that couple, they might just wrap up the mission today.

If Jiang Tianming and his group had not accomplished much, then this round would undoubtedly be a victory for their team! ↑Return to Top↑