Chapter 136: Border
Nan Ming and the others were all at home today. The previous night, Nan Yu had messaged them to say that he would be coming back today. They all knew that this visit was most likely to say goodbye.
They already knew about what Nan Yu had discussed with the principal at school. Nan Yu himself had told them, and all they could do was sigh.
Originally, they had all wanted to stop him, or at least delay him a little. But now it was obvious there was no way to hold him back. Nan Yu had grown up. He had his own thoughts now, and on top of that, he had found himself a partner they simply had no grounds to oppose.
Especially since that partner was stronger than the three of them combined. They couldn't possibly beat him, which meant Nan Yu was now free to spread his wings wherever he wanted.
Fortunately, Nan Ming was a Major General. Every now and then, he had to report work progress, mission results, and other matters to Yu Lanfeng, so he would still have opportunities to see Nan Yu.
The others, however, had it much harder.
Especially Nan Yun, Nan Zhen, and Fu Yu'ang. Although they had all already been selected in advance for Yu Lanfeng's legion... they still had more than a year before graduation. That meant they would have to wait another year before joining the legion, and even then, they would all start as ordinary soldiers at the very bottom.
As for when they would finally be able to reach the place where Nan Yu was...
No one knew.
Still...
They believed Nan Yu wouldn't simply disappear from their lives forever.
At exactly eight o'clock that morning, Nan Yu arrived home.
Nan Ming and the others had already been waiting outside at the entrance.
Seeing them standing at the front gate, Nan Yu was surprised.
"Dad? Big Brother? Second Brother? Why are you all standing out here? Come inside."
He led everyone back into the house.
Yu Lanfeng, however, remained inside the hovercraft and didn't come down.
Nan Yu had already gotten angry about that before, so he didn't mention it again. He simply pretended Yu Lanfeng hadn't accompanied him.
Seeing that Yu Lanfeng hadn't come in, Nan Ming and the others were secretly delighted.
Honestly, none of them really wanted to see Yu Lanfeng right now.
Especially when they couldn't even beat him up or scold him.
After sitting down on the sofa, Nan Yu said, "Dad, I came back today because I have something to tell all of you."
Nan Ming, Nan Yun, Nan Zhen, and Fu Yu'ang all sat across from him, staring quietly.
It made Nan Yu a little reluctant to speak, but he still had to say it.
"After a while, he'll be leading his legion to patrol the border and command combat operations. I'll be going with him."
"I've already taken care of everything at school. I told you about that before."
"I just hope you won't worry too much about me. I'm a Mental Power User. I won't be fighting on the front lines, so I won't be in much danger."
"And he'll always be by my side. No one can beat him anyway."
As unwilling as they were to admit it...
They had no choice but to accept it.
Nan Ming said, "I know you'll be safe. But if fighting really breaks out against the Ability Beasts flooding the border, the battlefield could become very chaotic."
"When that happens, you must protect yourself properly."
"And don't rely entirely on other people, understand?"
Nan Yu smiled and nodded.
"I know, Dad."
"I'll work hard."
"When the time comes, I'll crush their Mental Seas with my mental power and turn every one of them into idiots."
Everyone fell silent.
None of them took his words seriously.
After all, no one had ever heard of mental power being used offensively.
So they simply listened and let it pass.
Seeing the expressions of "Yes, yes, we know," "Mm-hmm," and "Alright, alright," written all over their faces, Nan Yu immediately realized they all thought he was boasting.
But that was fine.
Whether it actually worked...
He would only know after trying it himself.
Because once he attacked, if it succeeded...
The other person would truly become a complete idiot.
Naturally, he couldn't use citizens of the Empire as test subjects.
Nor could he secretly experiment in private.
If anyone discovered it, he would definitely be in serious trouble.
The ability to completely destroy an Ability User's Mental Sea...
That kind of power was terrifying.
If someone ever managed to exploit Nan Yu's ability...
It could become a disaster for the entire Empire.
After all, the people surrounding Nan Yu were practically the Empire's most important figures.
And among them...
The most important was Yu Lanfeng.
The two of them also happened to be together now.
Although not many people knew about it yet.
Nan Yu hadn't told anyone about this ability.
Not even Yu Lanfeng.
"Why are you all looking at me so seriously?"
"I was just joking to lighten the mood."
Nan Ming and the others looked rather speechless.
Of course they hadn't believed him in the first place.
They had only played along because Nan Yu had sounded so serious.
Who knew he'd actually been telling them a joke?
Seeing them finally relax again, Nan Yu felt much happier.
He continued explaining his future plans in greater detail.
By the time he checked the time, it was already close to noon.
He completely ignored the fact that Yu Lanfeng was still sitting alone inside the hovercraft outside.
Instead, he stayed home and had lunch with his family.
Who told Yu Lanfeng not to come inside and properly meet everyone?
Otherwise, he wouldn't be starving outside right now.
He'd be sitting here eating together with them.
Still...
Nan Yu couldn't bear to leave him hungry for too long.
About an hour after lunch, he stood up to leave.
Nan Ming accepted it rather calmly.
Nan Yun and Nan Zhen, however, had a much harder time.
Even though this departure was for official business...
They still felt as though they were about to lose the little brother who had always belonged to them.
Before leaving, Nan Yu took Nan Yun, Nan Zhen, and Fu Yu'ang to the small garden beside the house.
Sitting on the stone bench, Nan Yun looked dejected.
"Little Brother... you're really leaving?"
"The border is incredibly dangerous. There's no doubt about that."
Nan Zhen added, "Even though we know you're a Mental Power User and won't be fighting on the front lines..."
"We're still worried."
"What if something goes wrong?"
Fu Yu'ang nodded.
"I feel the same."
All three of them deliberately ignored the fact that Yu Lanfeng would be with him.
They talked only about how dangerous the border was, never mentioning that staying beside Yu Lanfeng was probably safer than anywhere else in the Empire.
Naturally, Nan Yu wasn't about to spoil the mood by bringing him up.
"I know there will definitely be some danger."
"But nowhere in this world is truly safe."
"So I have to become stronger as quickly as possible."
"That way, I'll eventually have the ability to protect myself."
"Don't you agree, Big Brother? Second Brother?"
Nan Yun and Nan Zhen exchanged helpless glances.
There was nothing else they could say.
After all...
It was Yu Lanfeng's legion.
Its safety standards were beyond question.
Even if they wanted to criticize it, they couldn't find a single flaw.
That was exactly what Yu Lanfeng was most proud of.
Fu Yu'ang asked, "Xiaoyu, when did you decide to go?"
Nan Yu answered, "Quite a while ago."
"I think the idea first appeared when I went on that secret mission."
"At the time, it was only a tiny seed."
"I think... I really do long for freedom."
"I want a more exciting life."
"Living on the Capital Star forever, following the same routine every day..."
"That kind of life simply doesn't suit me."
Nan Yun sighed.
"...Since you've already decided, we won't interfere anymore."
"But if anything ever goes wrong..."
"If you can't stay there anymore..."
"Remember to come home."
"The door of this house will always be open for you."
"When the time comes, even if you want to leave the legion, you can just submit an application."
"I believe he won't stop you."
Nan Yu smiled awkwardly.
Apparently...
Only a couple of days after he and Yu Lanfeng officially got together, his older brother had already developed some kind of premonition and had begun subtly planting bad impressions of Yu Lanfeng in front of him.
Nan Yu nodded along.
But he didn't take a single word to heart.
None of that would ever happen.
He and Yu Lanfeng would live happily together...
Until they grew old.
Just then, Nan Zhen interrupted.
"Enough."
"Little Brother doesn't have much time left at home."
"Why are you still rambling about useless things?"
As he spoke, Nan Zhen mysteriously slipped a box into Nan Yu's hands.
"Put this into your storage button first."
"It contains my favorite and most treasured possession."
"Don't open it until after you've left the Capital Star."
"Understand?"
Nan Yu froze slightly.
That meant he couldn't open it during this entire month before departure.
It was enough to make anyone unbearably curious.
Still, Nan Yu was an obedient younger brother.
He nodded.
"I understand."
"I won't open it before leaving the Capital Star."
"I wonder what's inside."
"It's surprisingly heavy."
"Maybe it's something really fun?"
Nan Zhen nodded solemnly.
"It really is something very fun."
"When the time comes, don't lose it."
"And remember to take it out and look at it every single day."
Seeing how serious he looked, Nan Yu also became serious.
"Alright."
"I understand."
"Don't worry, Second Brother."
Nan Yun immediately protested.
"Hey! Hey!"
"Second Brother!"
"You're way too scheming!"
"You actually sneaked out of school by yourself and secretly bought a present?"
Nan Zhen paused for a moment before replying without the slightest guilt.
"Oh, that."
"I forgot."
"When I left, you were sleeping like a pig and even snoring."
"You looked so comfortable that I didn't have the heart to wake you up."
"So I just left."
Nan Yun blinked.
"Impossible."
"I don't snore."
Nan Zhen calmly took out his communicator and played a video.
Sure enough...
Nan Yun was lying on the bed like a dead pig...
Snoring loudly.
He really had been sleeping incredibly deeply.
Nan Yu watched it several times.
Somehow...
Something about the video felt strange.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Then again, that was between the two brothers.
Perhaps Second Brother had edited it afterward.
Just as expected...
After watching himself snoring, Nan Yun's eyes widened.
"Impossible!"
"I've never snored in my life!"
"You definitely edited this!"
"Come on!"
"I've already caught you!"
"You should admit it now!"
Watching them argue and fool around, Nan Yu kept trying not to laugh.
To keep himself from bursting out laughing, he accepted a cup of tea from Yu Lanfeng, who had quietly come to sit beside him.
Taking a sip, Nan Yu looked at Fu Yu'ang.
"Brother Fu, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Fu Yu'ang smiled helplessly.
"Would anything I say even make a difference?"
"I know."
"Choosing him was your only real option."
"So... you don't blame me, do you?"
Nan Yu smiled.
"Why would I?"
"I'm just waiting for all of you to come protect me in the future."
Fu Yu'ang finally smiled.
"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."
"Alright."
"It's about time."
"I'll walk you over."
After saying that, he accompanied Nan Yu outside.
The moment Nan Yun and Nan Zhen saw it, they immediately stopped arguing and rushed over to beat up Fu Yu'ang.
Fortunately, he dodged quickly and avoided every attack.
Laughing and chasing one another, the group made their way toward the flight area.
Nan Yu waved goodbye.
Then he left home.
After looking around inside the hovercraft for a moment...
He found Yu Lanfeng curled up pitifully in a corner, quietly handling official work.
For some reason...
Nan Yu suddenly felt a little sorry for him.
"How are you?"
Yu Lanfeng replied calmly, "I'm fine."
It was only one missed meal.
Back when he carried out missions, going hungry for several days wasn't unusual.
One meal meant nothing.
But then...
Nan Yu heard his stomach growl.
Speechless, he opened his storage button and took out several still-steaming dishes.
"Hurry and eat."
"I asked Uncle Nan to prepare these separately for me earlier."
"Now they're just right for you."
"Eat quickly."
"After that we'll head back."
"If we hurry, we'll still make it back in time for dinner."
Yu Lanfeng looked at him in surprise.
He had never expected Nan Yu to prepare food in advance.
Well...
There went his plan to act pitiful.
Still...
It didn't matter.
Nan Yu returned with him to legion headquarters.
It was only a little after two in the afternoon.
He figured Professor Liu would definitely still be available.
When Nan Yu arrived at the medical building, he immediately sensed numerous people secretly watching him.
He didn't even need to think to know it was because of what he had said yesterday.
Someone had already started an investigation.
He had expected investigators to get involved soon.
Logically speaking, as long as the culprit confessed, there shouldn't be any further investigation.
Instead, Nan Yu now had to keep paying attention to all these newcomers.
It was incredibly annoying.
He wanted to resolve everything as quickly as possible.
The people who had appeared this time were all from their own side, so there shouldn't have been any major problems.
However...
Nan Yu soon realized things weren't that simple.
When he reached Professor Liu's office...
He discovered that Professor Liu was gone.
The office had been completely cleared out.
It looked as though no one had ever worked there.
Had he changed offices?
Or had he been transferred elsewhere?
Was this Yu Lanfeng's doing?
But...
Why?
Unable to figure it out, Nan Yu immediately called Yu Lanfeng.
The call connected almost instantly.
"Is something wrong?"
Nan Yu pointed the communicator toward the empty office.
"This is Professor Liu's office."
"But it's completely empty now."
"Did he leave?"
"Who transferred him?"
"Where did he go?"
Yu Lanfeng replied, "I'm not entirely sure."
"If offices in the medical building are reassigned temporarily, it's usually because someone with the proper authority arranged it."
Nan Yu asked, "Then where is Professor Liu now?"
"I want to go see him."
Yu Lanfeng sent him a contact number.
"Call this person."
"He's specifically responsible for personnel arrangements in the medical building."
Without another word, Nan Yu ended the call and dialed the new number.
It rang for quite a while before someone answered.
From the faint rustling noises coming through the communicator, Nan Yu concentrated his mental power and realized the other party seemed to be busy doing something.
Only after another ten or twenty seconds did a voice finally come through.
"Hello?"
Nan Yu said, "Hello."
"I'm Nan Yu."
"I came to the medical building earlier."
The other side paused in surprise.
They clearly hadn't expected it to be Nan Yu.
"Please go ahead."
"I'll tell you everything I know."
Nan Yu asked directly,
"Where was Professor Liu transferred?"
"He promised to continue teaching me."
"Now he's gone."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
The other person hesitated awkwardly.
"Actually..."
"Professor Liu has been hospitalized."
Nan Yu froze.
Hospitalized?
At Professor Liu's age...
Had someone actually attacked him?
He blinked.
"Hospitalized?"
"Then he should be on the sixth floor, right?"
The inpatient wards were all located on the sixth floor.
The facilities there were the best in the entire medical building.
"That's right."
"Do you want to visit him?"
"Although he's sleeping right now."
"It would probably be better not to wake him."
Nan Yu nodded.
"I'm going."
"Tell me his room number."
"I'll head over now."
After receiving the room number, Nan Yu immediately headed for the sixth floor.
When he finally found the room...
He could open the door.
But he couldn't even get inside.
The room was completely packed with people.
Everyone was surrounding Professor Liu and taking care of him.
Although...
One patient obviously didn't need that many caregivers.
Professor Liu lay on the hospital bed, constantly trying to persuade them to leave.
He kept insisting he was perfectly fine.
As soon as Nan Yu opened the door, he saw the scene before him.
Wasn't he supposed to be asleep?
With this many people crowding the room...
How could anyone sleep?
Besides...
Nan Yu could clearly tell that Professor Liu hadn't just woken up.
He hadn't slept at all.
The moment Professor Liu spotted Nan Yu standing at the doorway...
His eyes lit up as though he'd seen his savior.
"See?"
"The young man who's supposed to take care of me is finally here."
"I told all of you he was only delayed on the way."
"But none of you believed me."
"Now do you believe me?"
"Hurry back."
"Stop wasting time here."
"If your work gets delayed, don't blame me when I beat every last one of you!"
Nan Yu walked inside, set his things aside, and watched as Professor Liu drove every one of them out before finally letting out a long sigh.
"Sometimes..."
"Situations like this are really hard to deal with."
Nan Yu asked,
"Professor Liu..."
"Were all those people your former students?"
Professor Liu nodded.
"That's right."
"They were all good students."
"But lately I have no idea what they're doing."
"They're playing around day and night."
"They all look like they only sleep four hours a day."
"It's almost as if they're spending the rest of the time fooling around with their girlfriends."
Nan Yu wasn't interested in that topic.
What caught his attention instead was how exhausted every one of those students had looked.
No wonder Professor Liu had insisted on sending them away.
After the students finally left...
There was still one matter that needed to be addressed.
Nan Yu pulled over a chair and sat beside the bed.
Feeling somewhat uneasy, he looked seriously at Professor Liu.
"Professor Liu..."
"Can you tell me who attacked you?"
Professor Liu clearly didn't want to discuss it.
But he quickly gave up.
Even if he refused to say anything...
Someone else would eventually tell Nan Yu.
"It was someone I didn't recognize."
"I have no idea how he got into the building."
"By the time I realized what was happening, he was already attacking me."
"Fortunately, someone happened to pass by."
"I escaped my office as fast as I could."
"Once other people saw us, he tried to run."
"But he was caught immediately."
Nan Yu fell silent.
So...
The attacker had actually been captured on the spot and taken away.
That complicated things.
He wasn't sure whether Yu Lanfeng's influence would still be enough to help now.
Soon afterward...
Their attention focused on a little girl.
Standing beside her was a scruffy-looking man.
He matched Professor Liu's description almost perfectly.
But...
Wasn't he supposed to be locked up already?
Why was he here?
And why was there a little girl with him?
Finding the situation suspicious, Nan Yu walked toward them.
The moment the man noticed Nan Yu approaching...
He immediately turned to leave.
Rather amusingly...
Perhaps because he had a guilty conscience, he didn't dare run.
He could only walk away quickly.
Nan Yu had no such concerns.
Still, he didn't chase him recklessly by himself.
Instead, he immediately called for help before pursuing the suspect together with others.
About ten minutes later...
The man was caught.
Nan Yu followed everyone to the interrogation room.
He wanted to find out exactly who this person was...
And where he'd gotten the nerve to attack Professor Liu.
Under the soldiers' intimidating interrogation...
The man confessed everything.
According to his statement...
He was a family member of someone serving in the legion.
He had come to the medical building today because he wasn't feeling well.
And from the moment he arrived...
Everything had started to go wrong.