Chapter 87

In the manga, the late-arriving Xie Chang’an keenly sensed that something was wrong.

As an Infected himself, he was highly sensitive to related keywords, and he was indeed curious about his teammates' attitudes toward the Infected. Normal people would usually undergo a change in expression upon hearing the word "Infected" and then intentionally avoid the topic.

Xie Chang’an had not managed to make any new friends at school, so he had no way to bring up such a topic.

Ji Qing offered a few perfunctory remarks, clearly not wanting to say much. Jiang Cuo, however, suddenly developed quite an interest after Xie Chang’an’s repeated inquiries. In his heart, he concluded that Xie Chang’an must definitely know an Infected, which was why he kept asking.

Xie Chang’an was instantly cornered by his questions.

[Ahhhhh, I knew this would happen!]

[I’m going to hate Jiang Cuo for a whole minute!!!]

[We were just one step away! I’m really curious about the relationship between those two!!!]

[The forum has been incredibly lively lately; I’ve never seen it this bustling. The Li Yuan fans and the Ji Qing fans are both stunned. They were constantly clashing before, and now they find out their favorites might be brothers...]

[Which group hasn't clashed with the Li Yuan fans? Having too many fans is just a hassle.]

[Even if the protagonist asks, will it be useful? I don’t think the Valedictorian will say anything. His relationship with Chang’an isn't that close. But the hardest part to swallow is that Li Yuan has currently only interacted with Chang’an; only Chang’an and the readers are agonizing over this matter, TAT.]

[Reality is so messed up, isn't it?]

"Holy crap, what exactly did I miss?" Lin Yan’s pupils experienced a metaphorical earthquake.

During her final exams, the manga forum had been torn apart by these two characters. If the earlier "parental Theory" had caused constant friction between the two fanbases, the subsequent total war had left both sides completely bewildered.

One second: Why does that damn hack Yuexia have to steal my favorite’s character traits? What right does the other side have to ride the coattails of my favorite?

The next second: Wait, is the person on the other side my favorite brother???

Lin Yan had a moment of realization. "No wonder my bestie ignored me back then. So that was the reason?"

Unlike Lin Yan, Liu Kena’s school had more lenient exams. Therefore, Liu Kena, who had continued following the manga, had witnessed the entire process of the forum wars. When she, who had been posting angry essays online to criticize the other side’s fans, realized in real life that her best friend—who was diligently studying for exams—was actually a fan of the opposing side, her feelings became incredibly complicated.

In short: the two of them nearly turned from best friends into arch-enemies, only to end up as best friends again.

The complex emotions involved were hard to stomach.

The manga forum for Ability Hunter Academy had truly never been this lively in its entire existence. Furthermore, the manga had been serializing for over a year, the plot had entered Volume 4, and the appearing characters had more or less accumulated their own fanbases.

The latest manga updates had indeed caused a massive uproar.

Lin Yan frowned. "How did I end up looking like a fake fan now?"

In the manga, Ji Qing stopped Jiang Cuo’s prying.

Rather than being curious about a teammate's private affairs, he cared more about the results of the Winter Practicum. The three continued their search in the C-rank Danger Zone, but they expanded their search area. Xie Chang’an watched as the Valedictorian flew off in a flash, leaving only him and Jiang Cuo behind.

An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart. Xie Chang’an thought: Perhaps Ji Qing and I are not suited to be friends.

The "gently smiling" Valedictorian he had seen in the Class S classroom seemed to have become a thing of the past...

[Why does the air feel so sour?]

[Chang’an is jealous.]

[It’s mostly because there’s no comparison without harm.]

[Because Chang’an has a more reserved and silent personality, he is better suited to making friends with extroverted and talkative people, like Li Yuan and Jiang Cuo. The Valedictorian is clearly also a reserved personality; he won't actively approach others, but he will try to accept those who approach him...]

[So they probably aren't the same person, right? (tentative)]

[Good lord, are you still wondering if the Valedictorian and Li Yuan are the same person?]

[I feel like they aren't. Most likely, they are blood relatives. Although their personalities seem similar at first glance, they are fundamentally different. Li Yuan acts more proactively and recklessly, while the Valedictorian is more cold and reserved. Currently, when Ji Qing speaks casually, it’s always in relatively safe or private places.]

[One hot and one cold?]

[But I feel like Li Yuan isn't actually 'hot.' It’s just that Ji Qing is so cold that he makes Li Yuan look hot by comparison (bitter laugh).]

Lin Yan suddenly smiled upon seeing this.

If the old hack intended to create a personality distinction, she admitted from the bottom of her heart that he had won. Lin Yan felt that everyone on the forum at the time must have been trying to organize the personality differences between the two based on their few appearances.

"Is the Popularity Value for my favorite about to explode?" Lin Yan murmured thoughtfully to herself. "It doesn't matter if he can't beat Li Yuan; at least he’ll be firmly in second place. Thinking that I can still enjoy the fan content my bestie produces, I actually think this is pretty good..."

In the manga, Xie Chang’an was still searching for the wreckage.

However, just then, he encountered Jiang Cuo again. Xie Chang’an first checked the map to confirm it was within his search area before stepping forward to ask Jiang Cuo, "Did you happen to lose your way?"

"No," Jiang Cuo said, spreading his hands. "I just hate being bored."

Xie Chang’an didn't have much of a reaction to that. His previous interactions with Jiang Cuo had allowed him to get a general sense of the man’s character. This search was indeed quite boring; at worst, he would just go over the area Jiang Cuo was responsible for later.

[Ahhhh, these two are actually quite shippable too.]

[One quiet, one active.]

[Even though they loathe the other’s chatter, they don't reject their presence, sob.]

[Chang’an finally made a new friend (relieved).]

[But Jiang Cuo’s personality is also quite a contrast. Why don't I see you all analyzing Jiang Cuo’s character design?]

[Isn't Jiang Cuo’s role quite obvious?]

[Please—right now, the main issue is that the old hack intentionally linked Li Yuan and Ji Qing in the plot. No one is linking Jiang Cuo to anyone.]

The two continued to wander across the snowfields, unknowingly approaching a conifer forest.

Inside the conifer forest, Aberrants appeared more frequently. Because movement on the snow was difficult, the burden of the defense shifted to Jiang Cuo. Jiang Cuo took care of the Mutated Squirrels perched on the branches throwing chestnuts while complaining about Xie Chang’an’s unreliability. "You know your long-range combat is no good, so why don't you think about practicing with a gun?"

Xie Chang’an said awkwardly, "Because the club requires a fee, and I have to pay for the bullets I consume myself..."

Jiang Cuo was speechless. "I’m honestly done with you."

[Chang’an: Poor with a capital P.]

[For some reason, I feel like the few students from commoner backgrounds, other than the protagonist and Xuexue, have all dealt with some shady ways of making money.]

[Chang’an has dealt with them too.]

[How can what Chang’an dealt with compare to these top-tier ability users? Chang’an only found out he was an ability user right before school started (even though that part was fake).]

[True.]

[Ability users should be able to make quite a bit of money. After all, a commoner background means school expenses, including tuition, living costs, and train tickets, mostly need to be earned by oneself. I see that Ji Qing is also quite familiar with this process.]

Lin Yan commented on this, "It makes the protagonist look even more green."

But she couldn't complain about that.

Xie Chang’an’s starting position was simply too poor. The fact that he could stand alongside this group of top geniuses of the same generation was proof enough that his potential was good. However, the more Lin Yan watched, the more this scene looked like "a child from the mountains talking to a city child about the children's palace in a textbook."

But the peaceful atmosphere between the two was quickly broken.

Jiang Cuo sensed movement in the surrounding bushes. He nonchalantly led Xie Chang’an away before approaching the bushes, where an Infected suddenly attacked him. The trigger was pulled instantly. Then, before Xie Chang’an could turn around, a second gunshot rang out across the snow.

Xie Chang’an, who hadn't seen the attack, was bewildered. "Wait? Why is there someone here?"

[Crap—accidental kill—]

[An Infected?]

[Wait, was someone hiding in the bushes just now? Why would they specifically hide from us?]

[What happened?]

The comments suddenly became a mess.

Lin Yan simply scrolled back to the previous manga panels. The old hack Yuexia had depicted this very subtly. He intentionally increased the spatial distance between Xie Chang’an and Jiang Cuo, allowing Jiang Cuo to quickly complete a full sequence of "attack—counter-kill—discovery of the second person—shooting" within four panels.

The chapter ended with a double-page spread of "Xie Chang’an turning back in bewilderment."

Lin Yan murmured, "Jiang Cuo is not simple at all."

His reaction speed was clearly an instinctive reflex honed over long-term training in Danger Zones. This chapter left quite a cliffhanger, making Lin Yan look forward to the next chapter’s development. However, the development suddenly returned to the level of ethics and morality.

In the manga, Xie Chang’an hurried back.

The first thing that caught his eye was the cold, beastification adult corpse; a child still had a sliver of life left. Although his heart was in turmoil, Xie Chang’an still wanted to treat the child’s bleeding wounds. Jiang Cuo was first taken aback, then approached quietly.

He looked at the little girl who had stopped breathing in Xie Chang’an’s arms and analyzed the situation with a casual tone, "I didn't see any signs of mutation on her. Strange... clearly I didn't hit her accurately, yet the wound is healing exceptionally slowly. Is she not an Infected?"

Jiang Cuo’s original intention might have been to discuss the current situation, but Xie Chang’an’s palms clenched tighter the more he listened.

[Ahhhhhhhh!]

[Suddenly I’m getting goosebumps.]

[Jiang Cuo is clearly the type with a warm and lively personality, so why do I feel a chill down my spine now?]

[Does he have absolutely no guilt about taking a life?]

[Is this the Wasteland?]

[The contrast is turned up to the max. This 'fake person' is terrifyingly well-done.]

[Please—this is what’s normal. Do you really think a world-building like the Wasteland, where people die all the time, would produce some warm and cheerful little sunshine character? For all you know, the 'little sunshine' is collecting people's eyeballs for fun behind your backs.]

The comments then veered toward the other extreme.

Lin Yan didn't have much of a reaction after reading them; she just felt that Xie Chang’an’s reaction was not great. Perhaps because most of the people he had encountered before were well-intentioned, Xie Chang’an, facing this for the first time, was frightened by Jiang Cuo.

"But it feels pretty bad," Lin Yan murmured with her chin in her hands. "Xie Chang’an is an Infected, after all."

The next panel showed Xie Chang’an looking at Jiang Cuo with anger.

He was an Infected; the person lying on the ground was his compatriot. Xie Chang’an couldn't understand why Jiang Cuo could be so nonchalant afterward, and even less why Jiang Cuo had acted immediately without even looking.

The two began an internal conflict.

Jiang Cuo tried to make peace, but his words of persuasion were clearly directed in the wrong way.

[Don't do this—]

[I’ve now reached the point where I can understand both sides.]

[The one with the biggest problem is the protagonist, right? I feel his personality where he loses control of his emotions all the time is hard to deal with.]

[Please—if your mother died and your friend was standing next to you casually theorizing about the cause of her death, would you be happy?]

[You're the one whose mother died; your whole family died!]

The toxicity in the comments intensified once again.

Lin Yan frowned slightly and then quickly scrolled down.

In the manga, Ji Qing appeared once again, only this time he was carrying a Black Box in his hand. Ji Qing first observed the traces at the scene before speaking up to stop the two from arguing. By this time, the two had also regained a bit of their composure.

Jiang Cuo instantly realized: Xie Chang’an truly did know an Infected.

Ji Qing first validated Jiang Cuo’s decision, then said coldly, "Even within the Infected, they discriminate against those in the late stages of mutation. The reality is more cruel than you can imagine... They also intentionally stay away from those in late-stage mutation, and there are Infected organizations that will deal with these people at set times and locations."

As soon as these words were spoken, the comments erupted into a storm:

[???]

[No, Valedictorian, you...]

[So does Ji Qing really have a connection to Li Yuan?]

[Right now, I just want to ask that old hack a few things: is the Dawn Society the only Infected organization, or are there others? Is the internal situation of the Dawn Society public knowledge within the Federation? And finally—what exactly is the relationship between Ji Qing and Li Yuan?!!!]

[I thought they were twins before, but now they really seem like the same person.]

[Their personalities are clearly different, though.]

[I just thought of something terrifying. The reason the Valedictorian chose to help Chang’an at the very beginning was because he saw Chang’an’s meeting records. Since the Valedictorian is familiar with the internal situation of the Infected, perhaps he guessed Chang’an was an Infected back then.]

[And Li Yuan’s contact with Chang’an happened after that... Could these two be in cahoots?]

[But if the Valedictorian is there, why would Li Yuan intentionally approach Chang’an?]

[The World Book!]

[If they were looking for the World Book, why not have the Valedictorian help find it?]

[Crap—the Valedictorian was suspended during the individual competition!!!!]

With that final shout from the comments, Lin Yan experienced a sudden epiphany.

Because Ji Qing was suspended, he could only start with the other contestants in the individual competition. And because of this layer of connection with Ji Qing, Li Yuan was able to know of Xie Chang’an’s existence. Lin Yan suddenly couldn't help but exclaim, "What kind of twisted relationship is this?"

There was a bizarre feeling of "my favorites have already hooked up behind my back while watching their respective fans fight to the death."

Lin Yan could even imagine the scene—

A full moon, a gentle night breeze. Li Yuan held a wine glass in his left hand, his lips curled into his signature, faint smile as he raised the glass toward the cold-faced Ji Qing beside him. "A toast to our conspiracy."

If Ji Qing considered Li Yuan one of his own, then the follow-up would be Ji Qing helplessly cautioning him, "Don't take things too far."

Lin Yan’s gaze suddenly became hollow.

She now understood why her bestie was churning out fan content. The appeal of this ship was indeed intense.

In the manga, the three set off back to Snow City.

Ji Qing tossed the keys to Jiang Cuo, intending to take a nap in the back seat. Xie Chang’an tactfully moved to the passenger seat, only to find himself once again staring at Jiang Cuo in the driver's seat. Although it looked like the two were isolating the Valedictorian, it was actually the Valedictorian isolating the two of them...

Jiang Cuo grumbled in dissatisfaction, while Xie Chang’an remained silent.

During the drive, Jiang Cuo couldn't help but ask about Xie Chang’an’s situation. Even though Xie Chang’an hadn't said much, Jiang Cuo suddenly revealed, "My father was an Infected before he died."

The reason for Jiang Cuo’s earlier abnormal behavior and curiosity about the Infected was suddenly obvious.

Perhaps thinking that Xie Chang’an wouldn't realize it, he even helped analyze the Valedictorian's attitude. Jiang Cuo said, "Couldn't you tell? The Valedictorian has clearly been in contact with the Infected, otherwise, he couldn't possibly know such detailed internal information."

Xie Chang’an was stunned upon hearing this.

Yes, that was indeed true. If it wasn't because "someone I know is an Infected" or "I am an Infected," it would be impossible to inquire about the status of the Infected. Ordinary people avoided the topic of Infected like the plague; even Jiang Cuo had only learned the basics.

If Xie Chang’an, an Infected, didn't know, why did Ji Qing know?

Do Ji Qing and Li Yuan really have no connection? If they aren't brothers... if they aren't brothers, are they the same person?

[It’s over.]

[I feel like they are brothers; why is the protagonist guessing they’re the same person?]

[The mysterious intuition of a manga protagonist.]

[Bewildered.]

[Speaking of which, did any of you notice? When Ji Qing warned Chang’an earlier, he said 'the Infected you know,' and Ji Qing judged this part based on Chang’an’s reaction. He might not know who the Infected person Chang’an is in contact with is.]

[Is it possible he’s intentionally deceiving Chang’an?]

[Actually, I feel the one with the most problems is the protagonist. The one who thinks Ji Qing and Li Yuan look alike is Chang’an, the one who keeps hallucinating Li Yuan afterward is also Chang’an, and the whole manga is drawn from Chang’an’s perspective. How can we be certain that what appears now is reality, or if the hack Yuexia designed it this way intentionally?]

[So you're saying—Li Yuan and Ji Qing are two people with zero connection, and our previous theories and arguments have been meaningless?]

[Is it another smoke and mirrors tactic?]

[My brain is such a mess right now, but I have to say, that old hack has successfully captured the traffic.]

Lin Yan’s head was buzzing. Now, she also couldn't figure out the relationship between the two. Ji Qing had denied the existence of someone who looked like him twice in a row, but in Xie Chang’an’s eyes, he truly felt Li Yuan and Ji Qing were similar—but that wasn't necessarily certain...

"In the entertainment industry, people who get plastic surgery all have very similar face shapes," Lin Yan murmured softly. "Besides, Li Yuan didn't show his full face. Judging by temperament and manner of speaking is even more nonsensical. There are plenty of manga where characters are distinguished just by hair and eye color."

"Is that old hack really intentionally linking them?"

"If that's the case..." Lin Yan grumbled, "The Valedictorian is actually a pretty good guy. If I saw someone using me as a substitute for someone else, I’d feel like killing them."