Chapter 90

Ji Qing’s winter break continued.

With the System’s help, Ji Qing successfully unsealed the World Book. He weighed the book in his hand, flipping through several pages with great interest. However, to his disappointment, there were no written records within the World Book.

It was an ancient-looking, scriptless tome from the heavens.

Ji Qing could sense a massive, flowing surge of energy rippling at his fingertips, which gave him an ominous premonition. If he were not currently within the Pure White Space, those people at the school likely would have detected the World Book’s location the very second it was unsealed.

Thus, Ji Qing said helplessly, "It seems I need to reseal it."

The System, which was floating around the World Book to observe it, looked at Ji Qing in confusion. It hesitated before asking, [Host, since you are going to reseal it, why did you unseal it in the first place?]

Ji Qing laughed softly. "Humans are, after all, creatures of curiosity."

"The glass showcase is safe, but it isn't suitable for transport," Ji Qing said with calm eyes. "Moreover, I have been planning for this goal for half a year. If I couldn't even manage to touch it once, it would be quite a pity. But now that my curiosity is satisfied, let’s get back on track."

At the end of his sentence, Ji Qing spoke in a light and brisk tone.

This Winter Break Practicum had brought Ji Qing a massive amount of Popularity Value. For a long time to come, Ji Qing would not have to worry about consuming his points. Because of the System’s presence as a conversational partner, Ji Qing felt that his mental state had improved significantly.

At the very least, he now dared to satisfy his curiosity rather than constantly worrying about the troubles ahead.

During the remaining time, Ji Qing chatted with the System about the topic of the Wasteland outside the Federation. Ji Qing was curious about the world beyond the Federation’s borders, but after hearing his questions, the System expressed regret that it did not know.

The System even paused, speaking in a conflicted tone, [However, it should be consistent with your guess, Host. It is likely a world belonging to the Aberrants.]

"Oh?" Ji Qing’s tone was inquisitive.

[The Administration once reviewed the reasons why Yuexia Cao's manga had a bad ending,] the System said seriously. [On one hand, the departure of the manga characters was nonsensical and lacked foreshadowing. On the other hand, Yuexia Cao himself was unable to provide a conclusion to the main plot he had established.]

[“Ability Hunter Academy” focuses on the experiences of the manga protagonist, Xie Chang’an, during his three years of high school. In a strict sense, even if the manga failed to rise to grand themes like the fate of humanity or racial warfare, the ending should have been relatively easy to wrap up. But...]

The System’s tone suddenly carried a hint of regret: [Because of the cruelty of the Wasteland, the ending of the manga failed to reach the HE the readers expected; in fact, it couldn't even reach a TE. That is why it was categorized as a bad ending and triggered a massive backlash from the readers.]

Ji Qing listened quietly.

His fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, and a bitter smile suddenly curled onto his lips. "After hearing those words, my mood is quite complicated now."

The System was puzzled. [Hmm?]

"If we truly follow 'Xie Chang’an’s high school experience,' the ending only needs to ensure that Xie Chang’an has gained something during high school, allowing the readers to retain some hope for the future at the grand finale," Ji Qing explained slowly after a pause. "And following this logic for the ending, what is our advantage? It’s that the old hack is a novice long-form mangaka."

"That old hack isn't good at controlling the manga's pacing. Since this is his first long-form manga, even if he fails to rise to the grand themes the readers hope for, the readers will be forgiving. It is rare for long-form manga to land smoothly, and it is even rarer for them to conclude successfully."

Ji Qing concluded calmly, "In this situation—even if 'Ability Hunter Academy' fails to become a masterpiece for the ages, it can still become an excellent work worth recommending."

[Yes,] the System nodded blindly upon hearing this.

Although it did not know why Ji Qing suddenly mentioned this, it did not stop the System from agreeing with his viewpoint. This was exactly the fact that the Administration had deduced, and it was also why they dared to let a novice system like it take over.

However, Ji Qing suddenly raised a finger and emphasized seriously, "But you overlooked one thing. Yuexia Cao is a mangaka who deeply respects his character designs. He will not allow the characters under his pen to give up their ideals and determination for no reason. That is to say—"

"Even if he himself is unsatisfied with the ending, he will not forcibly modify it."

"There is a massive gap between what the readers hope Xie Chang’an can do and what Xie Chang’an can actually achieve himself." Ji Qing sighed, rubbing his brow as he recalled the summary of Jiang Cuo’s information he had seen on the forum. "If Jiang Cuo defects one day, do you think the current Xie Chang’an could talk him out of it?"

The System hesitated. [This...]

"If Xie Chang’an can't talk him back, what will the readers think?"

The System was in despair. [It’s over...]

"Yes, it’s over," Ji Qing summarized seriously with his arms crossed. "That is the truth behind the manga's bad ending. Because the manga is positioned as a hot-blooded shonen series, while the readers can tolerate a cruel world-building, they cannot tolerate a story that is on a downward spiral."

Ji Qing murmured to himself, "It seems we must also pay attention to the situation of my classmates."

It was impossible for more than half of the eleven students in Class S to die by the later stages of the manga, right? In such a case, let alone the manga readers separated by a dimension, even Ji Qing wouldn't be able to resist complaining that the old hack Yuexia was drawing the manga purely to spite people.

The System nodded seriously. [Understood. I see.]

For the rest of the time, Ji Qing listened to the System babble about the internal situation of the Administration. Following Ji Qing’s previous suggestion, the System had inquired about the mission status of other seniors.

To be honest, Ji Qing had not expected this to go so smoothly.

He had originally thought the other systems would refuse to discuss the matter, and that only his own system was silly enough to be pumped for information. However, what Ji Qing hadn't expected was that the senior systems truly kept no secrets, directly stuffing every possible crisis management plan into his System.

Gazing at the virtual dossiers that were about to pile up into a small mountain, Ji Qing nearly fainted.

But the System completely failed to notice Ji Qing’s dumbstruck expression. It asked in a cheerful tone, [Host, shall we read them together?]

Ji Qing shook his head quickly. "Forget it, you read them yourself. I have things to do tomorrow and need to rest today. You can take your time reading."

After saying that, Ji Qing quickly made his escape.

He would absolutely not do anything that interfered with his sleep! However, because of the senior systems' incredible cooperation, Ji Qing thought with relief: It seems I don't have to worry about the System having nothing to do for a while. The System would probably go off to gnaw on those thick dossiers...

It was a roundabout way of killing time.

***

On the first day after ending the Winter Practicum, Ji Qing set off on the road to Huicheng.

As he left Snow City by vehicle, the other two teams of Class S happened to arrive at Snow City. Ji Qing learned of their movements through the class group. Similar to Ji Qing’s team, which was the first to complete the mission, the others also planned to spend some time exploring Snow City.

Ji Qing: [I hope you all have a great time.]

Ji Qing typed out his blessings sincerely, then shifted his gaze back to the scenery outside the train window. Although the accident rate for trains was quite high, train travel remained the first choice for land travel for the people of the Wasteland.

The high accident rate of the trains was also relative to the accident rates of train travel in the past.

Ji Qing felt this was somewhat like the human era when passenger planes first appeared. Although the accident rate for planes was terrifyingly high and there was almost no chance of survival, people still chose to take planes simply because they were the most convenient and fastest means of transportation available.

Upon arriving in Huicheng, Ji Qing resealed the World Book and informed Red Heart of its storage location.

He did not intend to meet with Red Heart.

Although Ji Qing currently did not understand the internal situation of the Dawn Society, he knew that making friends with someone as flighty and active as Red Heart was not a good thing. And it was also time for him to start looking for information about himself.

However... Ji Qing quietly glanced at White Night’s chat box in the communication software, which remained silent.

Perhaps he should enjoy his winter break first?

Ji Qing couldn't help but smile at the thought, not paying it much mind. Since the Dawn Society could grow into a terrorist organization recorded by the Federation, the missions requiring a cadre to personally take action were likely few and far between.

On his third day in Huicheng, Ji Qing sat in a café, quietly drinking coffee.

As a homeless person from Class S, Ji Qing truly had nowhere to go. At this time, if someone were to pop up and tell him to come home, Ji Qing would likely set off gladly. Stirring his coffee with one hand, Ji Qing thought helplessly: I wonder how my past self lived...

Speaking of which—where is the base of operations for the Dawn Society?

A look of contemplation flickered across Ji Qing’s face. Based on the messages Red Heart had sent him, it should be somewhere very close to Huicheng, though Ji Qing had no memory of it. His lost memories were like grains of sand slipping through his fingers, never to be recovered.

The Principal had been suspended pending investigation.

However, based on the Federation news, it seemed the Federation intended to handle the matter with leniency. After all, they were also caught off guard by the incident, not to mention that the entire faculty of the Third Ability Academy supported the Principal.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Just as the bored Ji Qing was preparing to find a way to earn some living expenses, White Night finally sent him a message.

White Night: [Hello, Senior.]

White Night: [Please look after me in the time to come. If Red Heart acts impertinently, please allow me to apologize on his behalf; but if Red Heart says anything to offend me, please treat him as an idiot, a fool, and a moron. My reputation shall not be defiled (serious.jpg).]

Raven: [Hello.]

As he typed, Ji Qing couldn't help but laugh out loud.

From the behavior of the three cadres he had encountered so far, Ji Qing found that the personality traits of these three were very distinct. But White Night’s words also served as a roundabout reminder to Ji Qing; perhaps he could later commission the System or go himself to investigate the historical records of the Dawn Society.

He seemed to have joined quite early?

White Night: [Before we proceed to the next step, may I ask: Do you mind if we change our method of contact, Senior?]

Raven: [Are you planning to meet me?]

White Night: [Not exactly. Because I am physically unable to move, I regret that I cannot do so. I mean meeting with the owl I control. Because of the influence of my talent, I am able to control animals that are biologically close to my species.]

Raven: [Hmm...]

White Night: [Are you unwilling to reveal your identity, Senior?]

Raven: [No, it’s not that. It’s just, is this how you communicate with Red Heart too?]

White Night: [Yes. Because the relationship between Red Heart and me is quite complex... you could say... um, I was the one who recommended him to join the Dawn Society.]

Raven: [And you’ve never agreed to meet him?]

White Night: [Correct.]

Ji Qing’s fingers paused as he saw this.

He suddenly realized the subtle connection between the two. White Night definitely knew Red Heart’s identity, and he had actively guided Red Heart to join the Dawn Society, assisting him in completing the organization’s missions. But Red Heart was likely unaware of this.

However, this had nothing to do with Ji Qing.

Ji Qing only needed to know that White Night had never seen Raven’s true face. The massive Popularity Value he had accumulated so far could also support his independent actions during the winter break, even if the value could not grow effectively during this period.

White Night: [Do you find it troublesome, Senior?]

Raven: [No. Tell me about the mission first. We’ll meet once I reach the mission location.]

White Night: [Understood.]

With those words, White Night sent the intelligence for the mission that needed to be handled to Ji Qing. With just one glance, Ji Qing realized the danger of the mission; however, he still had some doubts in his heart.

Ji Qing suddenly typed: [What if I insist on seeing you?]

The other side fell into a long silence.

Finally, White Night replied: [Then you may need to come here in person, Senior. I am currently in a sanitarium in Cui City; my body cannot go out due to mutation. Furthermore, please do not inform anyone of this.]

Raven: [? You’re telling me just like that?]

White Night: [Yes. Although we have never met, I have heard much. Thank you for your help to Cui City seven years ago. It is a pleasure to work with you.]