Chapter 124: Encounter on the Road
So Nan Yu still tried his best to take the responsibility onto himself in front of Nan Ming. That way, Nan Ming wouldn't blame Yu Lanfeng.
But how could Nan Ming fail to see through such a little scheme? He exposed it almost immediately, though he did so tactfully so as not to embarrass his precious son.
"Alright. Just be more careful in the future. Even if you're somewhere safe, you can't let your guard down, understand? We'll let this one go."
The corners of Nan Yu's lips curled upward. He wrapped his arms around Nan Ming.
"Thanks, Dad."
Nan Ming took a deep breath before slowly letting it out.
Great.
After only a few short sentences, he had already realized that his son had been completely stolen away.
There was no way to get him back anymore.
His heart no longer belonged to the family.
Once they got home, he would have a proper discussion with his other two sons about how to make things as difficult as possible for Yu Lanfeng.
Even if Nan Yu truly liked him—a lot—they still couldn't bear to watch Yu Lanfeng proudly carry off the treasure of their family.
Nan Ming had already begun making plans.
The only problem was that Yu Lanfeng was still his superior officer, so he had to be careful about how far he went. After all, the Marshal couldn't tolerate their antics without limit.
They had to find the perfect balance.
They couldn't cross the line.
But neither could they let Yu Lanfeng have it easy.
For some reason, Yu Lanfeng suddenly felt a chill run down his back. He turned around, but seeing nothing unusual, he simply stopped paying attention to it.
Meanwhile, Zhang Wei and Ye Xing, who had been brought aboard the starship, were assigned to the room in the farthest corner.
Their identities were special, and they were also the culprits responsible for kidnapping Nan Yu.
The moment Nan Ming saw them, he had wanted to kill them on the spot.
Nan Yu had stopped him.
He also explained the reason.
It wasn't because Yu Lanfeng admired their talents and wanted to keep them.
Rather, Nan Yu owed them a favor.
This time, sparing their lives would completely settle that debt.
He had even stopped Yu Lanfeng from killing them.
Nan Ming didn't press him for details afterward.
He knew Nan Yu had never left the Capital Star before, so it should have been impossible for him to have any connection with Ye Xing or Zhang Wei.
Still...
He also knew his precious son had never lied to him.
Perhaps Nan Yu had somehow incurred that favor in circumstances he didn't know about.
In any case, debts of gratitude were the hardest to repay.
Now that the debt had been settled, if there was ever a next time...
He definitely wouldn't show them any mercy.
He would make them pay a terrible price.
Although they had been allowed to live and travel with them, that didn't mean they would receive decent treatment.
Every day they were given the worst food and water.
Even their living quarters were the smallest and narrowest on the ship.
After they were brought back to military headquarters, Yu Lanfeng fully intended to squeeze every last bit of value out of them.
Of course, he wouldn't simply discard them after they had served their purpose.
If they truly made significant contributions to the legion, improving their treatment wouldn't be impossible.
After all, Yu Lanfeng hadn't gotten them at no cost.
He had taken enormous risks and protected Ye Xing from the pursuit of numerous nations.
As for Zhang Wei...
He had once been very famous in his homeland.
But too much time had already passed.
People there believed he had died years ago.
Even his body had disappeared, leading many to believe it had been stolen.
Several years had passed since then.
People in that country had probably nearly forgotten his name.
So now...
Zhang Wei felt that from this point onward, he should live for himself.
In other words...
He wanted to stay with Ye Xing.
No one understood better than he did how much Ye Xing had sacrificed to save him.
Although he didn't yet possess those kinds of feelings toward Ye Xing...
He believed feelings could be cultivated.
As long as they remained together in the future...
Given enough time...
Affection would naturally grow.
At last, Nan Yu was finally able to rest properly aboard the starship.
Originally, he had planned to stay in the same room as Yu Lanfeng.
Then he suddenly remembered—
Nan Ming was also aboard this ship!
With his father here...
How could they possibly sleep together?
It was much better for them to stay separately.
Fortunately, they had stopped themselves in time.
Otherwise, someone might have noticed.
Nan Ming watched the two of them exchange greetings before returning separately to their own rooms.
Only then did he nod in satisfaction.
He checked the time.
It wasn't early anymore.
Perfect for sleeping.
Only after confirming that Nan Yu had already gone to bed did he return to his own room.
It would still take over ten days for the starship to return to the Capital Star.
During that time, they absolutely couldn't lower their guard.
No one could guarantee that just because the journey out had been safe, the return trip would be equally peaceful.
No one knew what accidents might occur along the way.
After all...
They only had this one starship.
If it were destroyed...
Wouldn't they all be finished?
Lying in bed, Nan Ming quietly considered everything before quickly falling asleep.
It was a habit he had developed over the years.
Whenever circumstances allowed, he would fall asleep as quickly as possible and never waste a moment of rest.
That way, when he woke up, he could immediately return to full alertness.
Nan Yu looked at the person on the communication screen and took a deep breath.
"Why did you call me?"
It was already ten at night.
Normally, it was time to sleep.
Although for people who stayed up late, ten o'clock was only the beginning...
That was beside the point.
Yu Lanfeng smiled.
"I missed you."
Nan Yu covered his face with both hands.
"How did you become like this? When I first met you, you weren't this kind of person."
Yu Lanfeng answered calmly,
"You said it yourself—that was when you had just met me. I'm never very enthusiastic toward people I'm unfamiliar with."
Not merely unenthusiastic.
Back then, he had practically been an iceberg.
Nan Yu twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Alright, let's stop talking about that. Have you figured out how you're going to win my dad over? On the surface he looks like he's accepted our relationship and even seems happy for us, but I know he's definitely bothered by it inside. So... have you thought about it?"
Yu Lanfeng replied,
"There's nothing to think about. If he wants to make things difficult for me, I can handle it. Besides, Dad will take our respective positions into consideration and won't go too far."
Nan Yu nodded instinctively.
Then he suddenly realized something wasn't right.
"...What did you just call him? Dad?"
Yu Lanfeng remained perfectly composed.
"It's only a matter of time. I'm just getting used to saying it in front of you first."
Nan Yu stared at him in complete disbelief.
He truly hadn't expected Yu Lanfeng to change this much.
This was...
Simply too painful to look at.
"Alright, I'm done talking. I'm going to sleep. If there's anything else, we'll talk tomorrow."
With that, he cut off the communication.
Yu Lanfeng looked at the black screen after the connection ended.
The corners of his lips lifted into a smile.
"Success."
The following few days passed peacefully.
There were still ten days left before their starship would rendezvous with the military forces stationed near the Capital Star.
Originally, Yu Lanfeng had planned to contact the troops ahead and request that they dispatch an escort force to meet them along the route.
It would have been safer that way.
But then he remembered the mysterious organization that had secretly rescued Bai Zhouyun from the Capital Star's hidden prison without making a sound.
After weighing everything carefully...
He decided against it.
Everyone aboard this starship had been personally selected by him.
There were absolutely no spies among them.
He trusted every single one.
But...
He couldn't guarantee that once he transmitted information back to the legion headquarters, someone there wouldn't leak it.
He had already decided that after returning, he would conduct the most thorough internal investigation the legion had ever seen.
Every member of the legion would be investigated.
Every suspicious individual would be rooted out.
He only hoped this matter hadn't already infiltrated his legion.
If it had caused serious damage...
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then...
Better to mistakenly kill one than let one escape...
No.
He rubbed his forehead.
He would decide after seeing the situation.
After all, every soldier in his legion was exceptionally capable.
Wrongfully killing even one of them could sometimes create enormous problems.
Lying in bed, Yu Lanfeng massaged his temples.
He reached out and touched the empty space beside him.
The sleeping quarters were actually quite spacious.
Originally, he had planned to sleep beside Nan Yu.
But now...
With Nan Ming aboard, they had to behave properly.
Even if they slept together, they would only hold each other, chat, and sleep.
The following several days remained unusually peaceful.
It almost seemed as though they would safely return all the way to the Capital Star.
Unfortunately...
Things were never that smooth.
When they were about five days away from the Capital Star, they encountered a small problem.
A local patrol fleet intercepted them.
The other side demanded permission to board their starship for an inspection.
Yu Lanfeng's expression darkened as he stared at the dozens of warships displayed on the bridge's main screen.
The fleet had completely surrounded them.
They had already contacted the starship and requested permission to board.
Earlier, Yu Lanfeng had ordered someone to transmit the authentication code.
The other side had acknowledged receiving it...
Yet still insisted on conducting an inspection.
That violated protocol.
The authentication code was recognized by every legion throughout the Empire.
Once one side received the code, they were required to grant passage.
Not continue pressing the issue like this.
Could something have happened?
"Marshal, they've sent a third request to board and inspect."
The third request was essentially an ultimatum.
If they still refused to open the hatch...
They would likely be treated as enemies and attacked.
If they were inside their own legion, there would be nothing to fear.
But right now...
They only had a single starship.
If conflict broke out, defeat would be inevitable.
Many of their comrades would die.
Worst of all...
The confrontation was completely avoidable.
Yu Lanfeng's expression became extremely unpleasant.
"Only allow one ten-man squad aboard. After they come aboard, bring them directly to me."
Everyone could hear from his tone that the Marshal was in an exceptionally bad mood.
Unfortunately...
The one person capable of improving his mood was still asleep because it was still early in the morning.
After receiving the response, the other side quickly agreed.
About half an hour later, a small shuttle docked with the starship.
After the hatch opened, the shuttle entered and landed in the designated hangar.
A fully armed ten-man squad stepped out.
Judging from their equipment, they seemed to regard this place as some sort of dragon's den.
However...
The moment they saw that the person welcoming them was Major General Nan Ming of Marshal Yu's legion...
Every one of them widened their eyes.
The squad leader was especially stunned.
"Major General Nan?! Why are you here...?"
Then he slapped his forehead.
"Oh... we've got it wrong."
Nan Ming coughed lightly.
"Du Ying?"
Du Ying looked rather embarrassed.
"Yeah... that's me."
Nan Ming frowned.
"What's going on with you people? Didn't we already transmit the authentication code? Didn't you receive it? We're carrying out a classified mission..."
Du Ying immediately began complaining.
"You don't know, do you? Recently there have been people disguising themselves as classified-mission starships near the Capital Star. Orders have already come down from above. Every single starship has to undergo strict inspection!"
Nan Ming frowned.
"How is that possible? They even had the correct authentication codes?"
Du Ying lowered his voice.
"They really did. Every single code was genuine. That means either they bribed someone in one of the legions with access to the codes... or one of their spies has already climbed to that level."
Nan Ming twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Have you figured out what they're trying to accomplish?"
Du Ying shook his head.
"I don't know. I only know they haven't impersonated classified starships just once, but many times, in different batches, appearing around different locations near the Capital Star. Sometimes it seems completely aimless, but other times they're extremely active."
"If we hadn't checked the classified mission registry and discovered the numbers didn't match the actual ships, we might never have uncovered what they were doing."
Nan Ming found that rather strange.
Something this important...
Why hadn't anyone mentioned it when his own legion contacted them earlier?
A bad feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
"If that's the case, you must be very busy. If you're short on time, you can leave now. You've already confirmed my identity, so... there's no need to search our starship anymore, right?"
Du Ying sighed.
"That's true. There's no need anymore. In that case, we'll head out."
Nan Ming personally escorted the entire squad back.
He watched them board their shuttle.
The hatch opened.
The shuttle departed.
Nan Ming frowned deeply.
Silently, he pointed toward the area where the squad had been active.
"Give it a try."
By "give it a try," he meant...
See if they could discover any clues in the areas those people had passed through.
That's right.
Nan Ming suspected the people who had boarded the starship were impostors.
The reason was simple.
Something Du Ying had said had aroused his suspicion.
Intelligence wasn't shared freely between different legions.
If what Du Ying had mentioned had only been information within his own legion, that would have been understandable.
But he had clearly stated that this intelligence was known throughout the Capital Star's upper command.
That meant every legion knew about it.
If that were really true...
Then when Yu Lanfeng had contacted legion headquarters several times earlier, they should have immediately warned them.
Instead...
They hadn't mentioned it at all.
He only hoped he had made the correct judgment.
Nan Ming returned and reported everything to Yu Lanfeng.
"Marshal, what do you think?"
Yu Lanfeng answered immediately.
"Contact headquarters and ask them directly."
If the information was genuine...
Then Nan Ming's extra caution had simply been unnecessary.
But if it wasn't...
Then it meant they were about to encounter something very bad.
Or perhaps...
They were already in the middle of it.
Those people might simply be taking advantage of the confusion while nearby planets still hadn't received the news.
Searching openly for their real target.
Just as Yu Lanfeng finished speaking and someone was about to establish communication with headquarters—
"Wait!"
Yu Lanfeng suddenly stopped them.
Something felt wrong.
He couldn't identify exactly what it was.
But the uneasiness in his heart told him...
The danger had not passed.
Nan Yu walked in at that moment.
"Why aren't those warships leaving? Why are they still surrounding us?"
Only then did everyone realize he had entered the bridge.
Looking at the fleet outside, he frowned.
"What happened?"
Nan Ming sighed and briefly explained everything before leaving.
After hearing it...
Nan Yu had an unsettling feeling.
He felt those people were probably after him.
Yu Lanfeng said,
"Go back and rest."
But Nan Yu merely glared at him.
"I think they're targeting me. They came aggressively, and now they know my father is aboard this starship. Anyone with half a brain can figure out quite a lot."
Yu Lanfeng found his reasoning convincing.
Nan Yu continued,
"Besides the Empire's upper leadership, that organization probably also knows I disappeared. They took Bai Zhouyun away at almost the exact same time I was kidnapped. That means they definitely know I was abducted, and they may even know I was taken off the Capital Star."
"They also know that after my disappearance, you'd personally come looking for me. Their story about searching for fake military ships is probably just an excuse. It gives them a legitimate reason to board every starship they encounter and conduct surprise inspections so they can determine whether they've found the people they're looking for."
He suddenly had an even worse premonition.
They might already have confirmed that this starship was their target.
As he looked toward Yu Lanfeng...
Their eyes met.
Very soon.
Extremely soon.
Within ten minutes at most...
They noticed something was wrong.
If the surrounding warships had previously maintained some distance...
Now...
They had closed more than half of it.
Nan Yu fell silent.
Yu Lanfeng asked,
"They've started moving. Can we contact headquarters?"
"No, Marshal. We can't even send a message anymore. The magnetic field here is being jammed. Communications are completely blocked."
Nan Ming immediately spoke.
"Marshal, please issue orders immediately. They're definitely military personnel, but even now I still don't know which legion they belong to. Du Ying left our legion more than twenty years ago."
"The reason he gave back then was that his specialty didn't match our work. He specialized in component assembly and related fields. His room was full of books on that subject."
"And as far as I know... that hasn't changed."
Nan Yu twitched the corner of his mouth.
"They're getting closer. So... what do we do now?"
Everyone's gaze shifted toward the lead warship outside.
It advanced openly toward them.
Something about the whole situation felt wrong.
Yu Lanfeng appeared to be standing motionless.
But no one thought he was actually daydreaming.
They all knew...
He was formulating a strategy.
About a minute later...
The enormous warship drew alongside them.
Its hangar doors aligned with their starship.
Then the massive bay doors slowly opened.
It was clearly signaling them to fly inside.
Yu Lanfeng said calmly,
"Go in."
No one knew exactly what awaited them inside.
Well...
Perhaps they already had a rough idea.
Even so...
None of them were afraid.
Yu Lanfeng stood.
"When the time comes, Nan Yu must stay aboard the starship. He's not allowed to come down. Hide Ye Xing and Zhang Wei as well. Absolutely no noise."
There was a high probability no one would even manage to board.
Because Yu Lanfeng was here.
If they truly pushed him too far...
Burning this entire warship to ashes wouldn't be difficult for him.
Everyone knew exactly how terrifying his ability was.
His strength had always been displayed openly.
Even those most familiar with his powers would never dare claim they understood him completely or could defeat him.
Despite knowing everything about his abilities...
No one dared confront him head-on.
The reason was simple.
Yu Lanfeng's overwhelming strength...
Remained completely unsolvable.
Watching Yu Lanfeng lead Nan Ming and the others off the starship, Nan Yu couldn't help feeling worried.
Still...
Surely no one would fail to recognize Yu Lanfeng's face.
So everything should be alright...
Right?
Nan Yu sat quietly in his chair, absentmindedly staring into space.
Before long, someone came over to comfort him.
He looked down at the little robot by his feet.
The tiny machine was adorably supporting its own head with its mechanical arms, acting cute.
Nan Yu blinked.
It seemed to be the small robot Ye Xing had assembled out of boredom.
Its only purpose was cheering people up.
It °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° was still only a prototype, so many of its functions weren't complete.
Even so...
Nan Yu's mood improved considerably.
The instant Yu Lanfeng stepped off the starship...
The people waiting outside collectively inhaled sharply.
Especially the man standing at the front.
The solemn expression on his face instantly transformed into complete shock.
He stared dumbfounded at the person walking down from the suspicious starship.
Was this... real?!
The moment he saw Yu Lanfeng in person...
Meeting that overwhelmingly intimidating gaze...
His legs nearly gave out beneath him.
Fortunately...
He managed to remain standing.
However...
From this point onward, he'd better maintain the proper attitude while speaking.
Otherwise...
Otherwise...