Chapter 143: The Beginning
Nan Yu nodded awkwardly.
That was true.
If he revealed himself immediately after becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User, people probably wouldn't force him to treat patients anymore.
But in exchange...
He would lose his freedom.
That wasn't what either of them wanted.
Nan Yu had sacrificed so much to obtain the degree of freedom he enjoyed now.
He absolutely couldn't let everything fall apart at the final step.
Deep down, he also carried a rather naïve—perhaps even rebellious—dream.
He wanted everyone to see just how terrifying a Mental Power User could become if they fought on the battlefield personally.
If that happened, the world's perception of Mental Power Users as fragile would be completely overturned.
They would no longer be synonymous with weakness.
They wouldn't need layer upon layer of protection anymore.
They could finally have lives that truly belonged to them.
In truth, Nan Yu had never dreamed of accomplishing anything earth-shattering.
He simply wanted to become the strongest Mental Power User first.
Then use his own actions to prove it to everyone.
Which meant...
He was still a very long way from reaching his goal.
"Then let's wait until I become a High-Tier Mental Power User before worrying about all this."
"It's still too early to discuss it."
"Brother, organize the records of every Ability User in your legion who has ever reached S-rank Mental Contamination since the legion was founded."
"I'll personally decide the treatment order."
"What do you think?"
"Of course."
"But most of them have already been transferred to hospitals in the rear."
"The only ones still at this base are the two you treated earlier."
"If we're going to bring those patients here one by one, it'll take quite a bit of time."
Nan Yu thought for a moment.
"Where exactly are they being kept?"
"On the Capital Star, I only encountered a handful before."
"I already used them for practice and cured them."
"They've all secretly returned to active service by now, haven't they?"
"What about the rest?"
Yu Lanfeng explained,
"Each border region's legion maintains its own hospital in the rear."
"Nearly every soldier whose Mental Contamination reaches S-rank is transferred there for protection."
"Only the most critical cases are sent to the Capital Star Base Hospital to see whether their condition can be stabilized."
"In that case..."
"Send me to the rear hospital."
"And have the S-rank patients from the other rear hospitals transferred here in carefully managed batches."
"I object."
Nan Yu froze.
He blinked in disbelief.
"Why?"
Wasn't this the best possible solution?
Why oppose it?
But the instant he asked the question...
He immediately understood.
That organization was still watching him.
No one knew whether they had already infiltrated the military.
Even if they hadn't...
They had certainly noticed that he had disappeared from the Capital Star.
Naturally, they would know he had left together with Yu Lanfeng.
They might even have already gathered evidence proving that he and Yu Lanfeng were together.
Which meant...
Wherever Yu Lanfeng was...
Nan Yu would also be there.
Even if the organization couldn't infiltrate the military itself...
They could still plant ordinary people throughout Border Region One to secretly monitor the movements of the stationed legion.
The moment anything unusual happened...
Reports would immediately be sent upward.
If Nan Yu separated from Yu Lanfeng and remained permanently stationed at the rear hospital alone...
He could easily disappear within a few days.
Perhaps even the very next day.
Even if Yu Lanfeng eventually received the news...
The enemy could delay that information long enough.
By the time he found out...
It would already be too late.
And if Nan Yu were captured this time...
They certainly wouldn't leave behind the slightest clue.
He could truly vanish without a trace.
If they caught him...
The Nianshen Grass hidden inside his spatial button would undoubtedly be discovered and confiscated.
And Nan Yu himself...
A Mental Power User capable of treating S-rank Mental Contamination while still only Mid-Tier...
Would become something far more valuable.
The organization already knew what he could do.
At that point...
They would likely imprison him.
Use him as nothing more than a healing machine.
Until the day he died.
Thinking that far ahead, Nan Yu's entire expression changed.
"Brother..."
"Then what should we do?"
Yu Lanfeng flipped through the files.
"Come here every day."
"Review these records."
"Choose two patients yourself."
"I'll notify the hospitals and have them transferred here secretly as quickly as possible."
As long as Nan Yu didn't personally travel to the hospitals...
Even if there was a little unusual activity there...
Nobody would suspect anything.
They would simply inform the hospital that...
Those two patients were being transferred to the Capital Star Hospital for conservative treatment.
Transfers like that had happened before.
No one would think twice.
Of course...
It wasn't a permanent solution.
Yu Lanfeng had already made another plan.
The annual Ability Beast Tide was likely to erupt ahead of schedule this year.
Using that as justification, he intended to reinforce security at the rear hospital early, sending additional personnel there and gradually replacing all of the guards responsible for watching those patients with people directly under his command.
That way...
Even if patients were transferred every single day afterward...
Nobody else would notice.
As for the rear hospitals belonging to the other border regions...
They could repeat exactly the same strategy.
Without changing the original transportation routes at all...
They could gradually save an enormous number of people.
Unfortunately...
The annual Ability Beast Tide lasted only about four months.
Curing every patient in a year—or even two years—was completely unrealistic.
They could only proceed gradually.
Year after year.
Little by little.
Still...
Nan Yu firmly believed he would become a High-Tier Mental Power User as quickly as possible.
When that happened...
His treatment speed wouldn't merely double.
It might increase tenfold.
He would save every single person in this legion as quickly as he possibly could.
Taking a deep breath, Nan Yu nodded.
"I have no objections."
"As long as it puts your mind at ease."
Seeing that Nan Yu agreed, Yu Lanfeng nodded as well.
"Then it's settled."
"We'll start tomorrow."
"Choose the first two patients now."
"I'll have them transferred immediately."
Meanwhile...
He himself needed to begin replacing personnel at the rear hospital.
At the very least, every position he considered important had to be handed over entirely to trusted subordinates.
Although most of the hospital staff already belonged to his legion...
Quite a few doctors had originally come from elsewhere before being recruited because of their excellent performance.
Many had apprentices working alongside them.
Yu Lanfeng didn't even need to think.
There had to be spies hidden somewhere inside.
He simply didn't know who they were yet.
Nan Yu carefully reviewed every patient file from Border Region One's rear hospital.
A total of 2,360 patients.
Every single one had reached S-rank Mental Contamination.
After searching through the records, he selected two people.
Both were among the five most critical cases.
He tapped their files.
"Let's begin with these two."
"I think they're the ones in greatest need of treatment right now."
Judging from their latest medical reports...
If they weren't treated within six months...
There would truly be no hope.
The fact they had survived this long already spoke volumes.
Yu Lanfeng's hospital had done everything possible to buy them precious time.
"Brother."
"While I'm stationed in Border Region One..."
"I don't intend to follow chronological order."
"I'll prioritize patients based on severity."
"Once the most critical group here has been treated..."
"I'll follow your legion's existing inspection route through every border region."
"I'll use the same method everywhere, treating the most urgent cases first."
Afterward...
The remaining patients could be handled gradually.
Whether according to waiting time or not didn't matter.
Nan Yu would continue cycling through them until everyone had been treated.
"That approach works."
"But everything must remain secret."
"So when you treat patients transferred from the hospitals..."
"You can't do it in the Mental Power Treatment Center."
"You'll need a separate facility."
"The downside is that you'll spend much more time there."
Still...
After the Mental Power Users had already witnessed Nan Yu's abilities...
It wouldn't seem strange if he only appeared in the treatment center every few days.
After all...
He accepted only the cases nobody else could handle.
Someone with overwhelming ability naturally earned certain privileges.
There was also an extremely convincing explanation.
Treating those S-rank patients consumed an enormous amount of mental power.
Nan Yu genuinely needed plenty of rest.
Soon afterward, Yu Lanfeng had Yuan Qiyang escort Nan Yu to another building not far away.
It belonged to a different section of the base.
Looking around the spacious treatment room, Nan Yu asked,
"This entire place is just for me?"
"Only me and two patients?"
"Does it really need to be this large?"
Yuan Qiyang grinned.
"Of course."
"In my little uncle's eyes, you're the person who deserves the very best."
"It's only a treatment room."
"That's perfectly natural."
"And later on..."
"There'll probably be even better things."
"So don't be too surprised when you see them."
Nan Yu suddenly turned to stare at him.
"You know something."
"And you're deliberately not telling me."
Yuan Qiyang immediately shook his head.
"I don't know anything."
"Anyway, my job's done."
"I've got other things to take care of."
"If you're finished here, hurry back to my little uncle."
"I'm sure he's waiting for you."
The moment he finished speaking...
He vanished like a puff of smoke.
Nan Yu felt a little annoyed.
Was Yuan Qiyang seriously expecting him to ask Yu Lanfeng directly?
That wasn't exactly a good strategy.
Still...
He carefully inspected the room.
Everything inside seemed custom-made for him.
Whether sitting...
Lying down...
Or relaxing in one of the lounge chairs...
Everything fit him perfectly.
Had all of it really been specially commissioned?
After satisfying his curiosity, Nan Yu returned to Yu Lanfeng.
This was part of the agreement they had made.
Until Nan Yu possessed enough strength to protect himself...
The two of them had to remain bound together.
They couldn't stay apart for too long.
Nor too far away.
Simply put...
They needed to remain within each other's sight—or at least within each other's awareness.
Previously, while Nan Yu had been working in the Mental Power Treatment Center, numerous guards had secretly protected him.
There were no cameras inside the treatment rooms.
But there were cameras outside.
Every movement...
Every destination...
Was carefully recorded.
Yu Lanfeng would only allow Nan Yu to leave his side when he could guarantee his absolute safety.
Although Yuan Qiyang had appeared to leave...
He hadn't actually gone very far.
He was secretly watching nearby.
Nan Yu's perception was extremely sharp.
The moment he stepped outside, he sensed someone's gaze following him.
So...
It really was Yuan Qiyang.
That kid had obviously been ordered by Yu Lanfeng to keep an eye on him.
Nan Yu didn't think much of it.
After locking the treatment room behind him, he headed straight back toward Yu Lanfeng's office.
Soon...
He arrived.
Only after watching Nan Yu safely enter the office did Yuan Qiyang finally relax.
Then he turned around and left.
He had plenty of other work to do.
And afterward...
He planned to take out a certain photograph and look at it for a while.
Seeing the photo was the closest thing he had to seeing the person himself.
Unlike Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu, who could remain together every day...
He...
Could only meet that person in secret.
Even seeing them face-to-face wasn't possible.
Everything had to happen indirectly.
Because only then...
Would it be safe.
Nan Yu sighed softly.
He walked over and sat beside Yu Lanfeng.
Being watched constantly no longer bothered him in the slightest.
Instead, he quietly remained by Yu Lanfeng's side, observing him work.
At the same time...
He learned.
Perhaps someday...
Once he became more familiar with everything...
He could even help shoulder some of Yu Lanfeng's burden.
Time passed quickly.
Within only a few days...
The first two secretly transferred patients arrived.
Both had long since exceeded S-rank Mental Contamination.
Their initial frenzy had already ended.
Now they lay unconscious.
They had entered the intermediate stage.
If more time passed...
Their Mental Seas would enter irreversible collapse.
By then...
Unless a genuine High-Tier Mental Power User intervened...
Even Nan Yu, no matter how hard he tried, would be unable to save them.
Fortunately...
At this stage...
They were still salvageable.
The only problem...
Was time.
Each patient would require roughly ten hours.
Much harder than the previous two.
This wasn't simply a matter of doubling the treatment time.
If increasing a case from five hours to six represented twice the difficulty...
Then jumping all the way to ten hours...
Was an entirely different level.
Nan Yu made his preparations.
He sat beside the more critical patient's bed.
Unlike before...
He didn't place his hands beside the patient's head.
Instead...
He sat quietly in the chair.
His wide sleeves concealed his hands.
Hidden inside...
He held the Nianshen Grass.
His mental power spread outward directly, entering the patient's Mental Sea.
Inside...
Mental Contamination filled every corner.
Dense.
Endless.
Removing it all required nearly ten hours.
Not because it was especially difficult.
Simply because it was unbearably repetitive.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Over the course of ten hours...
He repeated the exact same process countless times.
Separating the Mental Contamination from the patient's Mental Sea.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
The work wasn't difficult.
Only extraordinarily exhausting.
Just under ten hours later...
Nan Yu finally stopped.
The patient's Mental Contamination had dropped from S-rank all the way to A-rank.
Although he would still feel terrible...
His life was no longer in danger.
The remaining purification couldn't be handed over to other Mental Power Users.
The fewer people who knew about Nan Yu's true ability...
The better.
After recovering a small amount of mental power with the Nianshen Grass...
Nan Yu completed the remaining purification.
The soldier was no longer unconscious.
Now...
He was simply asleep.
When he woke up...
He would realize he'd already been cured.
Every time Nan Yu finished treating someone...
He opened the door.
The guards waiting outside immediately carried the recovered patient away.
Those patients were placed in the room next door to await awakening.
Everyone there belonged to Yu Lanfeng.
There was absolutely nothing to worry about.
Inside the treatment room, Nan Yu opened a small hidden door built into one corner.
Beyond it was a private lounge.
Opposite the lounge stood another door.
That one connected directly to Yu Lanfeng's office.
Both of them loved this arrangement.
Whenever they needed rest...
They could remain together.
The moment Nan Yu lay down...
He immediately fell asleep.
He was truly exhausted.
And under these circumstances...
Sleeping while cultivating produced the best results.
Day after day...
Time quietly slipped by.
Every soldier cured by Nan Yu was quietly reassigned by Yu Lanfeng into a newly formed unit.
Every member had personally been saved by Nan Yu.
To avoid exposing their identities...
Nan Yu even suggested giving the squad a completely new slogan.
Next month...
They would officially elect a captain and vice-captain.
Their identities remained hidden for one reason alone.
To prevent that organization from targeting them.
Meanwhile...
Yu Lanfeng secretly assembled this highly classified team around Nan Yu.
The explanation was perfectly reasonable.
Protecting Nan Yu.
After all...
He had already been kidnapped twice on the Capital Star.
Anyone could understand why Yu Lanfeng had become so cautious.
Although this made life much harder for the organization...
The team currently had only six members.
It wasn't time for them to reveal themselves yet.
Having already selected the next two patients...
Nan Yu took advantage of his free time and entered the treatment room.
The six recovered soldiers were inside chatting idly.
"How's everyone feeling?"
The moment they saw him...
All six immediately stood up.
"Greetings, Madam!"
Nan Yu's lips twitched.
Madam?
Who exactly were they calling Madam?
Besides...
None of them had addressed him that way before.
So what had happened?
"Who taught you to call me that?"
"Tell me the truth."
The six men, still thin from years of unconsciousness but now in excellent spirits, exchanged awkward looks.
Finally...
They unanimously decided not to protect the culprit.
"It was Yuan Qiyang..."
"He told us to call you that."
"He even said there'd definitely be rewards."
Nan Yu smiled.
"I see."
"Very good."
"A reward?"
"No reward."
"Only punishment."
"Would you like that?"
"I'll personally brew medicine for all of you."
"Everyone gets a bowl."
The instant those words fell...
Every face turned black.
Nan Yu's medicine...
While undeniably effective...
Tasted absolutely horrifying.
The moment they realized they were about to drink it...
None of them could sit still anymore.
Naturally...
They didn't dare take it out on Nan Yu.
So...
One after another...
They all went looking for Yuan Qiyang instead.
Yuan Qiyang himself had only been joking.
He never imagined they'd actually do it.
When the six men confronted him...
He looked genuinely surprised.
"You really did what I said?"
"That has nothing to do with me!"
"I was just joking."
"Besides..."
"Brother Nan Yu's a man."
"How can you call him Madam?"
"Wouldn't Young Master Nan or Young Master Yu sound much better?"
Hearing that...
The six soldiers felt even worse.
Was Yuan Qiyang mocking them for being idiots?
Had they really carried out something he'd only said casually?
The six immediately surrounded him.
Blocking every escape route.
Clearly intending to settle the score physically.
Yuan Qiyang blinked.
Actually...
Sparring with them wasn't a bad idea.
It would help them adapt to the current military's training methods and intensity.
Once Nan Yu approved their release...
They would officially join Yu Lanfeng's newly established secret squad.
The team still didn't have a name.
Nan Yu already knew the honor of naming it would eventually fall to him.
Meanwhile...
Nan Yu spent about two hours simmering all kinds of bizarre ingredients together.
Two hours...
Plenty of time for the others to accomplish quite a lot.
In the end...
Yuan Qiyang himself was dragged into the office.
The six men had actually captured him.
He was tied up so tightly he couldn't move.
The moment they entered...
An indescribably strange medicinal smell filled the room.
Nan Yu looked at the bound Yuan Qiyang in surprise.
"What are you doing?"
One of the soldiers answered solemnly,
"Doctor Nan Yu."
"Don't you think Yuan Qiyang's mental state seems a little unhealthy too?"
"He should probably run laps together with us, shouldn't he?"
Nan Yu immediately stopped what he was doing.
Walking over, he removed the cloth stuffed into Yuan Qiyang's mouth and casually tossed it onto the floor.
"What happened to you?"
"How did they catch you?"
"You couldn't even escape from a few recovering patients?"
Then he looked at the others.
"Or..."
"Did all of you agree to this voluntarily?"
Silence.
Everyone remained quiet.
In reality...
They all knew the answer.
They had all tacitly approved what happened.
Seeing that...
Nan Yu stopped being polite.
The medicinal ingredients weren't especially rare.
But the proportions...
The timing...
The heat...
Everything required precision.
He looked coldly at the seven men before him.
"Fine."
"Then every single one of you..."
"...is drinking a bowl."