Chapter 136
【Hot】【Featured】【The ending of Volume 8 was an absolute bombshell. I’m sure a lot of people were left completely bewildered, so let me sort out the plot threads involved in this volume first, including the hidden plotline Li Yuan belongs to. (That’s the main point.)】
【I just want to ask one thing: who was it that said Ji Qing was the leader?
Even if all of you fandom girls want to write fanworks, you can’t do this to me. My train of thought can’t go back anymore. I literally can’t imagine any possibility where Ji Qing isn’t the leader now!】
【Featured】【Zhou Que’s past, and his friendship with Miao Miaonian, were both rather sigh-inducing. Now that time has reached the present, both of them know they will never have any deeper connection. Their futures were fixed the moment their Abilities awakened.】
【Hot】【This volume was basically a team-building retreat for little bitter gourds, wasn’t it? At the moment, Ji Qing is the only one whose background still hasn’t been revealed. The other three are each tragic in their own way.】
【Hot】【Chang’an’s little thoughts are just too irresistible. The push-and-pull is amazing. Toward the Valedictorian, it’s green and unknowing admiration and instinctive concern; toward Li Yuan, it’s a tangle of love and hatred, and the years they missed…】
…
Ji Qing roughly skimmed through the forum, then curved his lips into a smile. “Looks like the response was pretty good.”
Although the plotline related to the Dawn Society had developed rather abruptly, the story on the surface of the manga was still quite good. Xie Chang’an had gained a new weapon, Zhou Que had faced his childhood best friend, and everyone had been promoted to A-Rank Hunters…
Ji Qing casually opened one of the featured threads:
【Topic: The ending of Volume 8 was an absolute bombshell. I’m sure a lot of people were left completely bewildered, so let me sort out the plot threads involved in this volume first, including the hidden plotline Li Yuan belongs to. (That’s the main point.)】
【1L Original Poster:
The surface plotline of Volume 8 was the escort commission and Zhou Que’s childhood experiences. The hidden plotline, meanwhile, was the past of the Miao Family’s three generations, along with the changes surrounding Li Yuan and the Dawn Society. Although it looks like there was a lot of content, once you sort it out, it’s actually quite clear.
Volume 8 mainly revolved around the timeline of “the past of the Miao Family’s three generations.” First, the four of them met, decided to team up and take on an A-Rank Commission, then saw the A-Rank Commission Father Miao had posted and successfully met Miao Miaonian.
That led the other three to grow curious about Zhou Que’s past, and Miao Miaonian also happened to reveal what the Miao Family went through after leaving.
At that point, the manga’s focus was still the escort commission and Zhou Que’s past. The Miao Family was only an add-on.
At the time, I also thought it would only speak vaguely about the Miao Family’s past. After all, the town the protagonists were in was Huangtie City. There was no way they could run all the way to Central City to resolve those regrets. Right now, the protagonists simply do not have the strength to challenge Central City.
The purpose of the later dinner can also be understood as follows: it fleshed out Jiang Cuo’s character background and laid the groundwork for the final heart-to-heart between Miao Miaonian and Zhou Que.
To be honest, I very much understand why Zhou Que did not want to speak to Miao Miaonian. First, it would make Zhou Que recall his miserable childhood. Second, the two of them were no longer walking the same road. Miao Miaonian lacked talent, while Zhou Que was exceptionally gifted.
It would be hard for the two of them to find a second chance to talk. This was perhaps their only opportunity in recent years. And there is also… (please wait a moment)】
【2L: !!!】
【3L: This big shot is amazing.】
【4L: You’ve already started analyzing it? (quietly pulls up a stool)】
【5L Original Poster:
After the escort commission temporarily ended, the viewpoint shifted to Grandpa Miao’s side. Because of Zhou Que, the experiences of the Miao Family’s three generations were naturally introduced here, yet the manga deliberately retold them again from Grandpa Miao’s perspective. Quite a few fellow fans were probably confused at the time, but then Li Yuan appeared.
The moment I saw Grandpa Miao’s recollections, I knew there would definitely be plot development afterward. But Li Yuan… well, all right, nobody expected him to show up, did they?】
【6L: That’s true.】
【7L: Actually, some people did. (looks away)
My best friend always insisted that Li Yuan and Ji Qing were brothers, and later she became convinced that Ji Qing was a member of the Dawn Society too. Before the commission started, didn’t Ji Qing pay special attention to the client’s name? And afterward Miao Miaonian also revealed some family secrets…
At the time, my best friend said: I have a feeling the Dawn Society is about to make a move.】
【8L: Uh…】
【9L: Fanworks got into my head, and then it turned out the fanworks were actually true???】
【10L: Holy shit.】
【12L Original Poster: There was even that way of interpreting it? (stunned)】
【13L: Well, that makes the relationship between Ji Qing and Li Yuan even murkier now. (not really)】
【14L: Could it be that after Ji Qing saw the client’s name, he notified Li Yuan and had him come over? Before Jiang Cuo left, Ji Qing was also asking about Miao Miaonian’s family background. At the time I didn’t think there was anything odd about it, but now that I think about it, it feels especially suspicious.】
【15L: !!!】
【16L: Holy shit, another bit of foreshadowing!】
【17L Original Poster: Tsk… looks like I’ll have to make time to reread it later. On a first read, it’s always easy to miss some foreshadowing.
Let me continue my summary first—
Li Yuan’s appearance this time revealed a great deal of information. After the chapter where he appeared, I originally thought it would continue along Li Yuan’s plotline, but instead it switched back to Xie Chang’an’s side. To be fair, that also counted as wrapping up the meeting between Li Yuan and Grandpa Miao.
After that came the disbanding of the protagonists’ team and the farewell between Zhou Que and Miao Miaonian.
All of those are the surface plotline of Volume 8. At the very end, it shifted to the hidden plotline involving Li Yuan. The Dawn Society obtained the list of names Grandpa Miao provided and is about to make a major move. From this angle, revenge should not be Li Yuan’s personal goal, but rather a mission of the Dawn Society.
And judging from the Dawn Society leader’s codename… the leader has some kind of connection to Li Yuan.
That is probably why so many fellow fans guessed that Ji Qing is the leader. Ji Qing also happens to have that murky relationship with Li Yuan, and as for why Li Yuan himself is unlikely to be the leader… that possibility feels rather slim…
What kind of leader casually runs an alternate identity inside his own organization?】
【18L: Hhh.】
【19L: That may not necessarily be the case, right? Maybe he just wants multiple identities? The levels a cadre and a leader can access aren’t the same.】
【1L: If he’s already the leader, then wouldn’t he be able to access it anyway?】
【20L: I think it might be an elder of the father generation or something like that. But then again, how old is Li Yuan now? If he’s in his twenties or thirties, then I feel the leader is more likely to be someone of his own generation. No, wait… my head is a mess.
Why isn’t the manga voiced… If it were a voiced manga, it would be easier to judge their ages…】
【21L Original Poster: Pat pat pat.】
【22L Original Poster: I just reread part of Volume 8. First of all, it is true that the leader could be Ji Qing. The protagonist kept finding Ji Qing’s leadership ability strange throughout this volume, and if Ji Qing is the leader of the Dawn Society, that actually makes sense.
But do not forget that Ji Qing thinks he is not suited to being a team leader.
If he had already been the Dawn Society leader for quite a long time, I feel he would not think that way. But we also cannot rule out the possibility that he is a second-generation or third-generation leader of the Dawn Society.】
【23L: Not necessarily, right?
I think “Ji Qing is the leader” can still hold. Maybe Ji Qing simply does not like being the leader in the first place.】
【24L Original Poster:
By the way—
The strangest thing to me is this: Emerald addresses the leader as “My King.” A normal person would not address their leader like that. Unless the leader and he have some other special connection. But that form of address…
I genuinely cannot think of any reason Emerald would call him that. He doesn’t look like the sort to indulge in childish grandiosity.】
【25L: It can’t possibly be some political system from another continent, can it?】
【26L: Impossible.
If there really were a second human state, the Federation would definitely have contact with it.】
【27L: What if it isn’t human, then?】
【28L: ???】
【29L Original Poster: Are you talking about an Aberrant nation? And then the leader would be supported as king? Wait, wait, wait—if such a country really existed, would humanity still be okay right now? And the Dawn Society is an organization of the Infected, so what connection could it possibly have with the Aberrants?】
【30L: Even if it really existed, how could the King of the Aberrants possibly come and become the leader of a mere infected organization?】
【31L: That does seem true… (withdraws regretfully)】
…
When Ji Qing saw that, he rested his chin on his hand and sighed. “The standard of readers these days is really high.”
If they had not been lacking a few crucial pieces of information, Ji Qing felt they could already have sorted out the truth behind everything. But that was also one of the joys of following a manga, and Ji Qing naturally would not rob the readers of the joy of grinding away at their analysis.
【Topic: This volume was basically a team-building retreat for little bitter gourds, wasn’t it? At the moment, Ji Qing is the only one whose background still hasn’t been revealed. The other three are each tragic in their own way.】
【1L Original Poster: Looking back now at the cover of Volume 8, I suddenly have a new understanding.
Zhou Que was troubled over how to deal with his reunion with Miao Miaonian, Jiang Cuo was thinking about his trashy family of origin, Xie Chang’an was glumly thinking about Li Yuan, and Ji Qing, meanwhile, was grieving over the miserable “babysitter” life ahead of him, having to drag three people along by himself.
Why are all of you so miserable—】
【2L: Hahahahahahahaha.】
【3L: I’m in a daze.】
【4L: Tsk… when you put it like that, it really does feel true…】
【5L Original Poster: Cough, cough, cough. Back to the main point—
First of all, thank that old thief for finding time in the middle of his busy schedule to tell Zhou Que’s story clearly from start to finish. At present, the family backgrounds of three of them have all been revealed. Ji Qing is the only one left unrevealed. But even though the plot hasn’t said it outright, I feel it is probably quite tragic too.
There are simply too many flags planted around Ji Qing.
If his background were not tragic, then I do not think his personality would have become so perceptive and keen. The feeling Ji Qing gives me is that of a person who “knows how cruel the world is, yet still loves life.”
On this point, I think the strongest evidence is—
After hearing Zhou Que’s words at the very end, he revealed an expression that was both complicated and gratified. This kind of emotion usually rarely appears in people of the same age, because people of the same age are generally just happy. (Once again, thank that old thief for his absurdly strong drawing skills.)】
【6L: Exactly—】
【7L: The more I think about Ji Qing’s character setting, the more it feels rich. He has the kind of charm of someone who has seen ten thousand landscapes and finally chosen to stop here.】
【8L: That’s why he’s the White Moonlight.】
【9L Original Poster: Sometimes Ji Qing really does seem like an older person. He calls the other three problem children “little friends,” which means that in Ji Qing’s own understanding, he is older than the three of them, even though nothing in his outward age should show that.
I have begun to suspect that Ji Qing’s actual age is far greater than theirs.】
【10L: Are you saying you think Ji Qing and Li Yuan could sit at the same table?】
【11L Original Poster: That’s possible.】
…
Ji Qing’s green eyes quietly gazed at the words before him.
Naturally, he did think of those three little friends as little friends. Before transmigrating, he had been a college student. Why couldn’t he treat three little first-year high schoolers as little friends?
And besides—
If one were to add in the years Ji Qing had spent in the wasteland, his current age would directly double.
【Topic: Chang’an’s little thoughts are just too irresistible. The push-and-pull is amazing. Toward the Valedictorian, it’s green and unknowing admiration and instinctive concern; toward Li Yuan, it’s a tangle of love and hatred, and the years they missed…】
【1L Original Poster: The three of them can be paired off two by two, and every pairing is irresistible. And it isn’t just these three pairings. I feel like any two people in Class S can be turned into a pairing: Jiang Cuo and Xie Chang’an, Zhou Que and Xie Chang’an, Zhou Que and Ji Qing, Ji Qing and Jiang Cuo…
I feel like I could ship any of their pairings! Old thief, how are you so good at drawing this stuff, old thief—】
【2L: +1】
【3L: I already love the entire cast, hehe.】
【4L: I used to feel pretty indifferent toward Zhou Que, but Volume 8 made me a fan.】
【5L Original Poster:
Now I’m really looking forward to the plot of the next volume. I hope next week comes quickly. And—
My greatest regret in this volume is that the protagonist never got to meet Li Yuan. I feel like if those two had met, it might have created another major climax in the plot. It’s just that the two of them probably didn’t know the other was in Huangtie City, right?】
【6L: Not necessarily.】
【7L: If Ji Qing knows Li Yuan, then Ji Qing should have told Li Yuan about it, right? (Probably?)】
【8L: Stop saying “if.” In my heart, those two definitely know each other. No matter whether it’s a brother theory, an uncle-and-nephew theory, or some other setup, those two knowing each other is already set in stone. Volume 8 even specifically showed Ji Qing paying attention to the client’s name. The two of them are definitely connected.
Eh—
I just suddenly realized that if Jiang Cuo knew Li Yuan had come to see Grandpa Miao, he might suspect Ji Qing is a member of the Dawn Society.】
【9L Original Poster: That’s true. I even feel that if Xie Chang’an knew about it, he would also suspect that Ji Qing knows Li Yuan. Unfortunately, neither of them knows, and Grandpa Miao refuses to reveal anything at all, which makes it very hard for them to think in that direction.】
【10L: Yes, what a pity.】
…
“That, too, is part of the charm manga ought to have.” A crafty smile curved Ji Qing’s lips.
Jiang Cuo’s sudden departure had helped him tremendously, and Grandpa Miao’s concealment had helped him tremendously as well. At present, aside from Ji Qing himself and Emerald, the only ones who knew that “Ji Qing” and “Li Yuan” were connected were the manga readers.
So—
They could lament things all they liked. Ji Qing would simply go on feeling fortunate in his own way.
All right, he had seen enough of the manga.
Ji Qing leaned back against the chair and lazily stretched. After all, once he woke up tomorrow, he would still have a great deal of Dawn Society business to deal with.
Looks like he was about to return to being busy again, Ji Qing thought helplessly.
But just as Ji Qing reached out to turn off the screen, he suddenly received a greeting from the system: [Host, are you there? Are you free right now?]
[What is it?] Ji Qing froze for a moment after hearing that.
Ji Qing subconsciously glanced at the time in the bottom-right corner of the computer. The current time was 22:07. He knew very well that the system rarely disturbed him late at night, and if the system knew he was in the Pure White Space, it should have appeared directly instead…
So had something serious happened?
A vague sense of foreboding immediately surged up in Ji Qing’s heart. There were very few things he asked the system to do, and even fewer matters that would make the system proactively disturb him. Looking back now, Ji Qing could only think of one possibility…
[You previously asked me to keep an eye on the movements of your classmates,] the system said. [Six minutes ago, I discovered that someone’s movement trajectory deviated from the route projected by the Main System. The probability of something going wrong is 69%. Um… the number is a little low, but I still felt it was necessary to report it to you.]
Ji Qing let out a breath of relief, yet his brows still could not help knitting together.
He asked, [Who?]
To be honest, Ji Qing felt that this depended on the person. After all, some classmates simply liked venturing into dangerous areas, and he could not interfere with their movements at every moment. Besides, everyone was a Hunter. It was only natural that they would occasionally go to some perilous places.
If he tried to control even that, would it not make him seem far too controlling? He certainly did not want—
Just as Ji Qing’s thoughts were running wild, the system answered, [You Xingluo.]
Ji Qing’s expression turned grave at once. […Then something really has happened.]