A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

The older sister sighed: “Aren’t those who captured us also power wielders? Sigh, I just hope the academy is stronger; we ordinary folks have no means to protect ourselves.”

While she spoke, Su Bei kept his head down, his gaze fixed on the other’s pocket. The fabric there had been pressed into a round shape the size of a coin.

From his experience, that should be a firearm.

Since he was sent by the academy to prepare, Su Bei knew there were no restrictions on these people carrying weapons. After all, compared to power wielders, ordinary people were at a significant disadvantage, and having a weapon could provide them with a sense of security.

However, due to the country’s gun control laws, not many could obtain such things. It was surprising that this seemingly kind older sister had a gun on her; it caught Su Bei off guard.

Just then, Uncle Liu woke up. He rubbed his temples in confusion and looked around: “Where are we?”

But being an adult, and a politician qualified to attend such a high-level auction, Uncle Liu was no fool; he quickly pieced it together: “Who kidnapped us?”

Turning his head, he spotted Su Bei: “Oh, how did they even kidnap a child?”

This struck a chord with the older sister beside him; she clapped her hands: “Exactly! You’d think kidnapping us was enough, but what use is there in kidnapping such a little child?”

Seeing them engage in conversation, the others lost interest in the two and began discussing how to escape. Or rather, what leverage they could use to ensure their safe departure.

Su Bei glanced at everyone’s heads; their large pointers varied in position, some still above, though the small pointers leaned slightly to the right. But some large pointers had already dipped below; if nothing changed, they might lose their lives this time.

Su Bei sighed inwardly; he certainly wouldn’t be kind enough to waste his mental energy trying to shift the pointers above at such a time. After all, moving the small pointer was relatively easy, but shifting the large pointer would likely consume most of his mental energy.

Peering outside with his mental energy, he found a desolate, uninhabited road, surrounded by overgrown weeds, the truck seemingly heading toward an unknown destination.

—

Unable to glean any clues from the outside, Su Bei redirected his mental energy toward the cockpit at the front of the vehicle. Inside the cabin sat two individuals—one woman and two men—none of whom appeared particularly robust.

Yet, the strength of a supernatural being is never judged by physique. The fact that these two dared to escort him meant that the more than ten others surely possessed absolute confidence, ensuring they would not falter.

But then again, was he truly to be severed from the others this time? Why was he the only one taken?

Su Bei didn’t mind the troubles brought by the plot; after all, it at least allowed him to make his presence felt in the comic. But if what he was experiencing now was not merely a plot point, then he would be far from pleased.

Without needing to think, he was certain that if this group had truly only taken him, the author would never have drawn this segment.

It shouldn’t come to that. After a moment’s thought, Su Bei felt a slight sense of relief. There were only about ten people in this vehicle, but as the host, he was well aware that there were a full twenty-four ordinary guests invited to this gathering. Even if a few had slipped away to the restroom and hadn’t been captured, it was impossible for only this few to remain.

Barring any surprises, the others

must have been taken away in another vehicle; eventually, they would all be gathered in one place.

With this in mind, Su Bei closed his eyes, intending not to stir up any trouble during the journey. He still had unfinished business: “Comic Consciousness, are you there? Tell me about that intelligence organization.”

“Comic Consciousness” was indeed present: “Because you have successfully led the readers to believe that there is indeed an intelligence organization behind you, I can create one for you within reasonable limits. You may also choose to establish it yourself, but I do not recommend this, as returning to the past would mean you would also revert to your former self.”

Setting aside whether Su Bei had the means to create an intelligence organization from scratch, it was hard to imagine anyone believing a five, six, seven, or eight-year-old, no matter what they said.

Su Bei had no intention of putting himself in a difficult position; he didn’t believe that, with no experience, he could truly forge an intelligence organization. Why not let someone else handle it?

He had contemplated the matter of the intelligence organization for quite some time, so he spoke his plan without hesitation: “I hope this organization can emerge after February 22nd, five years ago.”

That was the date of his father’s death.

“The organization is for exchanging information, using points to post tasks. Points can be exchanged for money or for others’ intelligence. The members of the organization won’t know each other; let’s use the set of stationery I bought today to relay information.”

Initially, he had considered finding a supernatural being with relevant abilities to pass on the information, but after acquiring these props today, he had a new idea.

With the props already prepared, “Comic Consciousness” had no objections: “Sure, I can replicate many copies of these props. You…”

“Wait!” Su Bei suddenly interjected, “Could you have one of them deliver a notebook to the pen pal of the seller who sold me this set of props today? The others can sell the erasers and pens directly to this seller. Is that possible?”

If these could be accomplished, the ownership of the props would form a closed loop. The seller sold these props to him, and he would return to the past to sell them back to the seller.

Though such actions might seem futile, they would ensure that these props truly belonged to him, alleviating any lingering concerns.

—

“Alright, you can rest assured.” The “Comic Consciousness” had no objections, “I will absorb the creators or forgers of these two supernatural artifacts into the organization.”

Su Bei felt satisfied, continuing to push his luck: “I need members from the organization involved in various places, several supernatural academies, within the ‘Black Flash’ organization and other notable groups, as well as in both the supernatural government and the human government. It would be best if I could see members of my organization among those big shots I meet today.”

Such demands were clearly a bit excessive, but it didn’t matter; the negotiation between the two parties was inherently a process of bargaining. He had to raise the upper limit first, so the lower limit would follow suit.

As expected, the “Comic Consciousness” directly refused: “Why don’t you just say the president is also one of your people? Let’s talk about something practical. If they are to exchange intelligence within this organization, what can you offer them?”

What could he offer? Su Bei hadn’t truly considered that; he only wanted to pull off a heist without any investment.

Seeing through his original intent, the “Comic Consciousness” countered: “While your proposal is feasible, it’s too simplistic. Moreover, creating an organization to pull off a heist is far too difficult. What could I use to entice these people to share intelligence in the organization? Only if you can provide something unique can I attract more powerful individuals.”

This was indeed a valid point. Even the “Comic Consciousness,” due to the plot’s demands, needed to be hands-on in this regard. Attempting to establish an intelligence organization with his eight or nine-year-old body, without offering others any benefits, would be nothing short of a joke.

Su Bei quickly thought of an answer: “Haven’t the readers already believed that I awakened my powers long ago? Then let’s use ‘changing their fate’ as bait to lure them in.”

The notion that he had awakened his powers long ago had already taken root. When his mental strength transformed into advanced mental strength, it had become a reality. However, this change had been of little use, which was why Su Bei had never acted upon it.

It was only just now that he realized the true purpose of this change. Perhaps in the future, he wouldn’t lack opportunities to return to the past, making the fact that he possessed powers before the start of school crucial for him.

This reward was indeed fitting, and the “Comic Consciousness” understood: “I will go handle matters over there; I won’t be around until the next comic update.”

With that, it fell silent. Su Bei suppressed his excitement and continued to rest with his eyes closed.

Before long, a man suddenly called out to him: “Hey, kid, don’t sleep anymore, wake up, wake up!”

Su Bei slowly opened his eyes, feigning the look of someone just waking up, and yawned: “Uncle, what’s wrong?”

The man wore a friendly expression: “After sleeping for so long, don’t you feel the slightest urge to use the bathroom?”

Upon hearing this, Su Bei immediately understood his intent. While he had been resting with his eyes closed, this group of adults had already split into two factions.

One faction wanted to patiently wait for someone to rescue them or negotiate once they reached their destination. The other faction aimed to escape while the guards were still lax before they arrived.

The man speaking was clearly from the escape faction; his question about whether Su Bei needed to use the bathroom was obviously a ploy to slip away while he did so.

From noble mtl dot com

Su Bei had no intention of being the scapegoat. It was obvious that such an escape would not succeed. And once they were caught and brought back, he, the instigator, though merely a child being used, would certainly not be spared.

—

He shook his head. “I don’t want to go to the bathroom.”

“You want to. Go tell the older brother or sister driving in front that you need to go, okay?” The uncle coaxed gently, even pulling a piece of mint candy from his pocket. “If you go say it, I’ll give you this candy, alright?”

If it were a real child, they would have likely fallen for it by now. But Su Bei clearly wouldn’t. With an innocent expression, he asked, “But I really don’t want to go to the bathroom, though?”

Suddenly, he showed a look of surprise. “Could it be that you, uncle, are afraid to go alone, and want me to keep you company?”

Though admitting it was a bit shameful, the uncle thought about how he still needed to use the child to lower the kidnapper’s guard, and he nodded. “Yes, it’s too dark outside. I’m scared alone.”

Su Bei immediately displayed a sympathetic expression. “Mom says kids my age shouldn’t be afraid to go to the bathroom alone. You… you should learn to go by yourself.”

Before the other could get angry, he pulled a lollipop from his pocket, mimicking the coaxing tone from earlier. “If you go alone, I’ll give you this candy, okay?”

“Pfft!”

It was Uncle Liu who laughed, unable to hold back. “Look at how kind that child is. Don’t you feel dirty about yourself?”

As a member of the group that stayed behind, he naturally didn’t want the escapees to act. It was obvious that such actions would lead to collective punishment; if someone escaped, regardless of success, the rest would suffer too, unless they became informants.

But the problem was, no one truly believed they couldn’t escape. How could they possibly become informants?

The uncle who had tried to deceive Su Bei glared at the child’s innocent face. After a moment, he could only snort coldly and discuss other methods with the others. He wasn’t about to take out his frustration on the child just because the plan had failed, but he also didn’t think he had been trying to trick him.

Seeing them start to discuss again, Su Bei unwrapped the lollipop and popped it into his mouth, craving the sweetness. He hadn’t dared to eat anything at the auction, and his stomach had long been growling with hunger.

Of course, he had eaten dinner before the auction, but teenagers get hungry quickly. It had already been five or six hours since he last ate; it would be strange if he weren’t hungry.

“I say we just quietly pick the lock on this iron door and jump down. That’ll be that,” a woman said impatiently. “Who here can pick a lock? Be generous; this is to save people.”

“…”

No one answered. The skill of lock-picking was rather delicate. Though it was a legitimate craft, most who mastered it were not exactly reputable, making the skill itself sound rather dubious.

They were a group of politicians; even if someone could pick a lock, they wouldn’t dare admit it.

But to be fair, Su Bei didn’t know about the others, yet he actually could pick locks. This little skill could be of great use in critical moments; it was worth learning. As for the misunderstandings of others, that was merely their own folly—Su Bei never cared.

But clearly, now was not the time to flaunt skills; he certainly wouldn’t let slip that he could pick locks. To be honest, Su Bei was starting to doubt their intelligence. What made this group think that simply picking a lock would actually allow them to escape?

After all, the kidnappers were superhumans! Even Su Bei, as a superhuman himself, could only manage to escape on his own; what made these people so bold?

Yet, this was where Su Bei misunderstood ordinary people. Because of his own transformation into a superhuman, he understood all too well how powerful they could be and how vast the gap was between them and ordinary folks. He knew they couldn’t possibly escape on their own.

But these ordinary people were oblivious to the chasm that lay between them. After all, they all looked human enough, and many of them even had guns in hand. The modern mindset was that weapons solved everything; in their eyes, having a gun was enough to bridge the gap that superpowers created.

In a sense, they weren’t entirely wrong. Even if a superhuman’s physical abilities were greatly enhanced, they were still flesh and blood. Unless one possessed powers closely tied to their body or was an exceptionally powerful superhuman, the rest could still be injured, bleed, or even die from a gunshot.

The problem, however, was that even slightly stronger superhumans were already difficult to hit with a gun. Their dynamic vision was extraordinarily sharp, allowing them to react before being shot—either dodging or using their powers to save themselves. In short, unless one was hiding in the shadows for a sneak attack, it was hard to injure a superhuman with mere firearms.

Most ordinary people, even if they recognized the strength of superhumans, couldn’t fathom just how formidable they truly were, though a small fraction did understand.

The older sister who had spoken to Su Bei urged, “You really don’t need to be in such a hurry. They wouldn’t easily let us die after capturing us. I know some of you have weapons, but they probably won’t do much. It’s better to calm down and stay here quietly.”

Unfortunately, her heartfelt advice didn’t gain the approval of the escape-minded faction. Instead, a man with a center part mocked her: “Women are just cowards. If you want to sit and wait for death, fine, but don’t stop us from escaping, okay?”

At this, a younger girl couldn’t hold back: “Coward? What are you talking about? Aren’t there women among those of you who want to escape? Why don’t you mention that? A government official stirring up gender conflict—I think you’re just asking for trouble!”

The girl who had agreed to escape snorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm: “Maybe in their eyes, I don’t count as a woman, and those who don’t plan to escape aren’t real men either.”

This remark instantly escalated the center-parted man’s disdain from just the girl to all those who chose to stay and all women in general.

The girl was not one to be trifled with. Before the man could retort, she continued, “If you’re really that bold, then stick to your words. When we get out, say it in front of the media and the public. I’d love to see just how bold you can be.”

“You… I was just saying that offhand.” His face flushed with anger, but he ultimately backed down. He knew that if he said something like that in front of the media, he could kiss his job goodbye.

The carriage fell silent once more.

Su Bei pulled out his phone. He had already checked earlier; there was no signal in the car. But reading comics and browsing forums didn’t require a signal, so he seized the opportunity to catch up on the latest updates, hoping to find some information about the people who had captured them.

Others looked at him in surprise as he took out his phone. They were too close to the situation to realize their phones hadn’t been confiscated. However, upon seeing there was no signal, their spirits dampened, and they put their phones away again.

Watching Su Bei’s screen filled with study materials, the older sister sighed, “You really do love studying, don’t you? Even in a situation like this, you’re still looking at study materials. I wish my boy was as diligent.”

Su Bei humbly replied a few words before continuing to read his comics. The content of the comics was mostly mundane, focusing on their midterm exams and the upcoming school festival.

This kind of mundane joy holds little value for Su Bei, but for the readers, it should be quite significant. First, they received the official member report card…

Help! If it weren’t for the forum, Su Bei wouldn’t have known that the author had actually released the report card as intel! Is he even human?

Fortunately, Su Bei’s grades are good, so even if it gets out, he won’t be embarrassed. As for Mo Xiao Tian… well, with this content in hand, anyone would know her grades are poor, so it doesn’t matter if it gets released.

Next, there were various comic characters being cosplayed, though they were from horror films, which makes sense; if they were cosplaying other comic characters, that would truly be out of place.

As the cheerful daily life came to an end, it was time to re-enter the main storyline. At the auction, the camera briefly swept over Su Bei, Zhao Xiao Yu, and other characters not in important positions, before focusing entirely on the experiences of Jiang Tian Ming and others.

As the event organizer, Jiang Tian Ming was constantly busy. Through his perspective, various oddities became apparent, such as the neatly arranged desserts seeming to have been tampered with, fleeting shadows, and inexplicable noises… it felt like a horror film.

But the methods of these people were rather clumsy; otherwise, Jiang Tian Ming wouldn’t have noticed. However, they had many tricks up their sleeves, fixing one issue only for another to arise. Jiang Tian Ming even had to change the desserts once, and in the end, it was Bai Shui who faced the trouble.

Then there was Mo Xiao Tian’s side. Just as he had said, one by one, the teachers were called away due to the appearance of robbers trying to force their way in. These robbers were evidently quite formidable and numerous, leaving the teachers unable to return to their patrols, forced instead to engage in a struggle.

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As the break ended, the patrol team composed of students like Mo Xiao Tian fell victim. Suddenly, a group of people began to fight them, while others descended from the roof to the backstage, attempting to seize the auction items.

In the end, Mo Xiao Tian was knocked unconscious, and his scene came to a close.

Meanwhile, a classmate who had burst into the backstage shouted, “They’ve vanished!”

In the next moment, all the lights in the venue went out, and the comic ended.

After reading through the entire comic, Su Bei blinked thoughtfully. He realized he might have misunderstood something; those who had taken them and those who were trying to steal the auction items were likely not the same group.

The latter was undoubtedly the work of the “Black Flash” organization, as only they had so many powerful members capable of holding back the teachers. The former, however, seemed to employ rather inexperienced methods, unlike the style of the “Black Flash.”

This meant that those who had taken them were likely from another unknown organization. This organization didn’t seem very strong, but with the “Black Flash” causing chaos upfront, drawing all the teachers’ attention, they had managed to snatch them away in the confusion.

They were lacking in ability but had an abundance of luck.

Realizing this, he felt both exasperated and amused. If he had known earlier that those who captured him were not from the “Black Flash” and were not very strong, he would never have surrendered so easily.

But now that he had been captured, escaping would be of little significance; it would be a hassle to find a way back. It would be better to follow them to their destination and see what this group truly intended to do.

From noble mtl dot com

He sighed and opened the forum.

As expected, there were no posts discussing the plot this time. After all, the main content was the final part of the daily routine; while there was a main storyline, it was merely an introduction, lacking substantial content for readers to engage in discussion.

However, there was one post that echoed Su Bei’s thoughts, suggesting that at least two groups were acting simultaneously.

The rest were mostly output posts, showcasing fan art of various characters. Even Su Bei, Wu Mingbai, and Qi Huang, who hadn’t shown their faces at all, had illustrations.

Su Bei’s was an image of him lifting his mask, revealing most of his face. Qi Huang and Wu Mingbai’s were more straightforward, with their faces drawn outside their hoods.

Yet one post truly left people both amused and exasperated—“Why don’t Su Bei, Wu Mingbai, and Qi Huang show their faces in their cosplays? Old thief, please don’t treat them differently!”

Su Bei: “…”

You might not believe it, but the right to remain faceless was something the three of them had fought tooth and nail to obtain…

The author was truly unfortunate.

He had always been only interested in the forum for posts related to himself or the plot. Seeing that this time there was nothing of substance, he closed the forum. Just as he shut off his phone, the truck suddenly came to a halt. Everyone tensed up, instinctively gathering in a corner, not daring to move.

Soon, the door of the cabin swung open, revealing three figures outside. A woman stood there, her sleek high ponytail swaying, clad in a brown leather jacket. The two men beside her sported crew cuts, one of whom had a scar at the corner of his eye, giving him a fierce appearance.

“Now—”

Before the woman could finish her sentence, a man among the politicians suddenly drew a gun, which he had pulled out at some unknown moment, and fired directly at her.

“Bang!”

Everyone jumped in shock, eyes wide as they watched the bullet hurtle toward the ponytailed woman. Then, just as it was about to reach her, it seemed to encounter some unseen resistance, dropping to the ground with a crisp sound.

That sound resonated in the hearts of everyone present, causing an involuntary shiver to run through them.

The ponytailed woman showed no sign of panic; instead, she smiled, “I was just wondering who to use as a ‘chicken,’ and here you are, stepping right up!”

She extended her hand, and the shooter, who had been in the back row, suddenly flew uncontrollably toward her, his neck snapping straight as he landed in her grasp.

Su Bei instinctively activated his powers, glancing at the fate compass of the assailant, and then his eyes widened in shock.

Having mastered this skill for so long, it was the first time he had seen the compass’s needle pointing downward!

The small needle had always lingered in the upper half of the compass, tilting left for fortune, right for misfortune. But this time, he finally understood what it meant for the needle to shift to the lower half of the compass.

—It signified death.

The gunman was hoisted into the air by the ponytailed woman, his throat crushed in her grip, then discarded like refuse onto the ground. “I’ve already killed the ‘chicken’; you ‘monkeys’ better behave. Anyone who wishes to play the ‘chicken’ role, I wouldn’t mind being the butcher once more to set an example.”

Once she finished speaking, the scarred man beside her barked, “Line up one by one, no chaos. Anyone who dares to stir trouble, I’ll make sure they don’t see another day.”

The crowd was paralyzed with fear from their earlier display, obediently jumping down from the truck one by one. No one dared to flee; after all, the ponytailed woman’s ability to draw people in had stripped them of any courage to escape. It was far too easy to be caught again.

When they reached Su Bei, the ponytailed woman paused, her brow furrowing. “Who brought this little child here?”

Another man with a buzz cut scratched his head in confusion. “Should be me… but I remember this kid wasn’t this small, right?”

Possessing keen night vision, he was responsible for escorting these guests away. As the only boy among the adults, he certainly had a memory of Su Bei.

Back then, Su Bei had been sprawled over a small table, clad in a black hoodie with the hood pulled up. Though his face was hidden, his figure was still recognizable. He vaguely recalled that the child had seemed much older then; how could he appear so small now?

Su Bei wore an expression of innocent bewilderment, tinged with a hint of fear, hesitating to jump down. Thanks to months of acting, he could now consider himself a competent performer, his expression flawless.

The scarred man shot him a glare, impatience lacing his voice. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get down!”