Chapter 160: The List
When Zhou Ziyu blurted it out on the spot, he didn't feel anything. But the moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had been careless. It was impossible. There was no way he could have revealed all of that so smoothly. Someone had tampered with him... Right! Someone had definitely done something to him!
He abruptly shot to his feet and strode toward Nan Yu.
Nan Yu stood there with a smile on his face, looking utterly confident that Zhou Ziyu couldn't do anything to him.
Only after Yu Lanfeng grabbed Zhou Ziyu by the shoulder and threw him back to his original seat did Nan Yu smile and say,
"I knew it. Even if your mental power was artificially obtained through drugs and looks comparable to mine, it's only comparable on the surface. It can never be compared to someone who truly has the talent and has worked step by step to reach this level. I just tried it, and I actually managed to influence you."
Zhou Ziyu stared at Nan Yu in disbelief.
At first he thought Nan Yu was bluffing, but it didn't take long before he realized it was probably true.
After all, he had just said something he absolutely shouldn't have.
That one statement alone was enough to convict him.
Sure, he hadn't directly admitted his connection to the organization—but weren't the facts already right in front of them?
Everyone who had taken Han Lu away belonged to that organization. By now, everyone who was still alive had probably confessed.
What was he supposed to do now?
He had no options left.
The only thing he could do was stall for time and wait for a rescue.
Among the organization's Mental Power Users, he ranked within the top ten.
There was no way the organization would simply ignore him.
They would definitely come to rescue him.
All he had to do now was buy time.
Nan Yu had expected Zhou Ziyu to fly into a rage after hearing those words.
Unfortunately, the man didn't react at all.
After watching Nan Yu for a moment, he simply turned his head away and refused to speak again.
As though staying silent would prevent him from accidentally revealing any more damaging information.
Especially the matter of that list he had just exposed.
Zhou Ziyu knew that now that he had already mentioned it, whether it was Yu Lanfeng or anyone else here, none of them would let such an opportunity slip by.
So he really only had one choice left.
Remain silent.
Say nothing.
Do nothing.
Nan Yu watched him return to his previous silent state and felt that he had already opened a breakthrough.
Yu Lanfeng withdrew his gaze and continued,
"You mentioned a list earlier. Explain it in detail."
Hearing that, Zhou Ziyu almost couldn't stop himself from twitching.
Was this man really that formidable?
How could he ask about it so openly?
He hadn't even agreed to Zhou Ziyu's conditions, yet he was already bringing up the list.
Did he seriously think he could obtain the information without paying any price?
Impossible.
Zhou Ziyu had already made up his mind.
He wouldn't discuss the list ever again.
Even if he talked, they might go back on their word and still refuse to reduce his punishment.
If he kept silent, he'd still end up before a military court just like before.
Until a verdict was reached, no one could legally harm him.
If the outcome was the same either way...
Why would he say anything?
So Zhou Ziyu remained completely silent.
Yu Lanfeng slowly stood up and gave his seat to Nan Yu.
The moment Nan Yu sat down, Zhou Ziyu became visibly uneasy.
Was Nan Yu going to interrogate him personally?
So what if Nan Yu really was capable?
Earlier, he'd only been influenced because he'd let his guard down.
Now that he was prepared, Nan Yu definitely wouldn't succeed again.
After a brief moment of tension, Zhou Ziyu calmed himself.
After sitting down, Nan Yu didn't immediately ask anything.
Instead, he calmly repeated the exact same question twice.
Zhou Ziyu found that rather unexpected.
Even so, he refused to answer.
He would never reveal anything about the list.
Then Nan Yu spoke again.
His next sentence instantly made every hair on Zhou Ziyu's body stand on end.
"If you don't want to talk, that's fine."
"But in that case, we can't guarantee that you'll stay alive long enough to appear before the military court."
"You know as well as I do that everyone here hates you."
"If you continue living comfortably here every day while waiting for your trial, that's practically an open insult to everyone stationed at this military base."
"Do you think someone might secretly make a move against you?"
Nan Yu smiled calmly.
"Of course, everyone knows you ultimately have to be handed over to the military court."
"So nobody will outright kill you. At the very least, we can guarantee you won't suffer any obvious injuries."
"As for everything else..."
"We can't guarantee that."
With a loud smack, Zhou Ziyu slammed both hands onto the table.
"What are you talking about?!"
"This is your legion!"
"You can't even prevent something that minor?"
"And your Marshal is here too!"
"Are you seriously just going to stand by and watch?"
"It's your responsibility!"
"You must protect me until I stand trial before the military court!"
By then, he would most likely have been transferred elsewhere.
As for where...
There still wasn't any information.
He could only wait.
Of course, there were always other possibilities.
Nan Yu smiled.
"Oh right."
"Didn't we tell you before? Those five have all been recovering one after another."
"When the time comes, we'll let them come see you."
"They all liked you for such a long time."
"Maybe after meeting again, you'll have even more to talk about."
Zhou Ziyu's lips twitched.
He actually understood those five people's true personalities fairly well.
The reason he'd chosen them wasn't because they matched his aesthetic preferences.
It was because, among all the Ability Users he had access to at this military base, they were the calmest, most composed, most emotionally detached, coldest, and most aloof.
The other option had been the extremely hot-tempered Ability Users.
Why had he chosen people like them?
Simply because his desire to conquer others was especially strong.
Just imagining those proud, emotionless people personally cooking meals for him, sewing clothes for him...
It had made him laugh with satisfaction.
Now...
Nothing about it was funny anymore.
He had never imagined things would end like this.
Those five people recovering.
Returning to normal.
Standing before him one by one.
He didn't even need to remember everything he'd done to them.
He already knew.
If even one of those five appeared before him...
He was finished.
At the very least, he'd be beaten half to death.
None of them were the type to show mercy.
What was he supposed to do now?
He regretted it.
He truly regretted it.
If only he'd directly suggested that they die on the battlefield back then...
If all five had died...
None of this would be happening now.
Nan Yu had no idea what he was thinking, but judging from his expression, he could guess a little.
"Why don't you think it over carefully?"
"Once you've made up your mind, tell the people guarding you."
"We'll come back then."
As Nan Yu turned to leave, Zhou Ziyu hurriedly stood.
"Wait!"
Nan Yu didn't answer.
Instead, Yu Lanfeng spoke.
"Is there something else?"
Zhou Ziyu instantly shrank back in fear and hurriedly retreated several steps.
"N-Nothing..."
"I just wanted to ask..."
"People aren't allowed to visit me here... right?"
Yu Lanfeng merely gave him a cold glance.
Without another word, he left with Nan Yu.
Yet Zhou Ziyu couldn't shake the feeling that the look in Yu Lanfeng's eyes had clearly said—
Figure it out yourself.
Only now did Zhou Ziyu finally realize...
These people truly had no intention of letting him survive until the trial.
Perhaps they believed the evidence wasn't sufficient to convict him of treason.
So before the trial even began...
They intended to let him die.
If he died, the organization would suffer an enormous loss as well.
Two birds with one stone.
No.
He couldn't die.
If he died...
If he died...
Then...
...
As Yu Lanfeng led Nan Yu away, Nan Yu asked,
"What are we doing now?"
Yu Lanfeng replied,
"We can't stay at this military base for too long."
"We'll decide on a departure date and head back."
"First we'll arrange everything at the Border Region One military base."
"After that, we'll inspect each military base one by one."
"We need to ensure that every military base remains completely under control."
Nan Yu nodded.
"But Zhou Ziyu's case obviously won't be resolved anytime soon."
"So what do we do?"
"It won't take long," Yu Lanfeng answered.
"It'll be over soon."
Nan Yu thought for a moment before nodding.
"Got it."
Afterward, Nan Yu treated the third patient.
Over the next several days, he restored the remaining patients to normal.
Before treating each of the remaining four, he also showed them the recordings of themselves losing control.
Yu Lanfeng personally ordered that each of them keep a copy and watch it once every day.
That way...
They would never repeat the same mistake again.
Or rather...
They probably wouldn't repeat any mistakes again.
The first patient escaped that particular fate simply because nobody had thought of recording it at the beginning.
Still, he'd already received more than enough lessons.
He would surely reflect on himself every day from now on.
At least...
That was what he believed.
Until he saw the ugly expressions on the other four men's faces.
He immediately burst into undisguised schadenfreude, looking so smug that he practically begged to be beaten.
Naturally...
The four of them dragged him straight to the training grounds and beat him up together.
Ironically, that incident brought the five of them much closer.
Their superior even assigned all five to the same squad.
As a result, they developed exceptional teamwork in combat.
Which was clearly a good thing.
When they learned they were allowed to visit Zhou Ziyu...
And even settle a tiny bit of personal resentment...
All five eagerly headed over immediately.
The moment they saw Zhou Ziyu...
His timid, cowering appearance made them feel as though they'd swallowed a mouthful of filth.
Their expressions turned incredibly ugly.
They had once fought each other over this person.
Cooked for him.
Sewn clothes for him.
Thinking about it now...
It was utterly humiliating.
If they'd done those things for someone they truly loved, that would have been one thing.
But what was Zhou Ziyu?
So what if he was a Mid-Tier Mental Power User?
Did being a Mental Power User mean he could do whatever he pleased?
What a joke.
The Empire certainly had extensive laws protecting Mental Power Users.
But correspondingly, it also had laws protecting Ability Users.
The law wasn't designed to protect only Mental Power Users.
It was simply that the Mental Power User Protection Act was much more well known.
Everyone generally knew the contents of the Ability User Protection Act too.
Precisely because everyone knew it, people rarely discussed it.
Gradually, they almost forgot about it.
Still...
It didn't matter whether people remembered it.
The law undeniably existed.
Since Zhou Ziyu had violated the Ability User Protection Act...
They decided to have a nice little chat with him first.
One of them suddenly kicked the wall beside Zhou Ziyu's head.
The sound wasn't particularly loud.
But it scared Zhou Ziyu half to death.
The place the boot landed was right beside his head.
If it had shifted even slightly...
That kick would have landed squarely on his skull.
He had absolutely no doubt that a single kick from an Ability User could smash his head to pieces.
By now, Zhou Ziyu's mind was consumed by conspiracy theories.
He was convinced they wanted to kill him.
Then fabricate evidence showing he'd attempted to escape custody before dying somewhere in the endless universe.
These four...
No.
These five men...
Had been sent here specifically to kill him.
Since they already had a grudge against him, they would naturally torture him first to vent their anger.
Where was the elegant, calm, composed Mid-Tier Mental Power User now?
Gone.
His face was filled with terror.
Tears and mucus streamed uncontrollably down his face.
He looked filthy.
Disgusting.
"D-Don't come over!"
"I told you not to come over!"
"Haven't all of you already recovered?"
"Why are you still causing trouble for me?"
"I'm still an Imperial citizen!"
"You don't have proof that I'm not!"
"I'm still protected by the Empire's Mental Power User Protection Act!"
"You can't kill me!"
The moment they heard that last sentence...
All five suddenly understood.
So...
He was afraid they were going to kill him.
To be honest...
They really wanted to.
But that obviously wasn't allowed.
Even if someone truly wanted him dead, it would be the Marshal secretly ordering someone else to do it.
Not sending them here so openly.
Apparently...
Zhou Ziyu didn't know that.
Since that was the case...
They could have a little fun with him.
"Oh?"
"So that's what you think?"
"Maybe somewhere else you'd be right."
"But where are we?"
"This is the front line at the border."
"A military base."
"Outside these walls, Ability Beasts can appear at any moment."
"This base is constantly in danger."
"So tell me..."
"If some Ability Beasts happened to slip inside while nobody noticed..."
"And there were casualties..."
"What do you think would happen?"
"If someone dies, they die."
"If they have family, compensation is paid."
"If they don't..."
"They're simply buried."
"Isn't that right?"
"Exactly."
"You've been in the legion for so long."
"You should know that."
The truth was...
Zhou Ziyu really didn't know.
He had never paid attention to matters like that.
So instinctively...
He believed every word they said.
Even Nan Yu, who was secretly watching from the surveillance room, couldn't help smiling.
"Actually... that's not a bad idea."
Yu Lanfeng sat beside him and pulled him into his arms.
If anyone else had been present, Nan Yu definitely wouldn't have allowed it.
Although quite a few people had already guessed the nature of their relationship...
It still wasn't time to make it public.
They had to remain somewhat restrained.
As long as nobody caught them red-handed.
Nan Yu grasped Yu Lanfeng's large hand resting across his stomach.
He felt slightly awkward...
Yet at the same time, it somehow felt perfectly natural.
This man was his.
What was wrong with holding him?
Still...
If someone had told his past self that he'd end up together with the Empire's strongest {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Marshal...
The strongest Ability User currently alive...
The kind of partner he'd spend his entire life with...
He wouldn't even have believed it.
But reality was already right in front of him.
Since it couldn't be changed...
He might as well enjoy it.
After all...
Being able to have Yu Lanfeng as his partner...
He had truly struck gold.
Compared to the terrible taste he'd had in his previous life—
Just looking at what kind of person Bai Zhouyun was proved that much.
So perhaps...
Meeting Yu Lanfeng was the greatest stroke of luck this lifetime had given him.
Nan Yu shifted his attention back to the surveillance feed.
Those five really were impressive.
After nothing more than a single kick against the wall and a few sarcastic remarks...
Zhou Ziyu already looked as though he was about to collapse.
It was obvious just how fragile he had become.
Like he would shatter with the slightest touch.
For them...
That was actually good news.
Zhou Ziyu collapsed onto the floor and frantically crawled away.
Escaping their encirclement.
Until he finally curled up in the corner.
Like prey cornered by hunters.
With nowhere left to run.
He huddled there, trembling violently.
"D-Don't come over!"
"Don't come over!!"
The five of them had no intention of pushing him past his limit.
So they simply remained where they were instead of approaching further.
Only then did Zhou Ziyu relax slightly.
Even so, he remained visibly terrified.
Nan Yu quietly let out a breath.
If a Mental Power User was pushed beyond their breaking point and detonated their own mental power...
Those five men standing so close would suffer an overwhelming mental shock.
If they weren't reduced to idiots...
They'd still be lucky.
Especially since Zhou Ziyu was a Mid-Tier Mental Power User.
Nan Yu had already noticed that Zhou Ziyu's mind had been stretched to its absolute limit.
He had just been about to warn them to leave.
Unexpectedly...
They withdrew on their own.
As expected of outstanding soldiers.
Even without understanding what was about to happen, their instinctive sense of danger remained exceptionally sharp.
They knew how to avoid an unseen threat.
Nan Yu couldn't help sighing.
"They're incredible."
"They even avoided that."
"Looks like letting them talk to Zhou Ziyu by themselves won't be a problem after all."
Yu Lanfeng, however, remained dissatisfied.
"They still need more training."
The mention of training reminded Nan Yu of something.
His own training.
Originally, they'd agreed that once he became a qualified soldier, Yu Lanfeng would take him to the front lines.
But ever since arriving at Border Region One...
He had become completely immersed in cultivating his mental power.
He had practically forgotten all about physical training.
If that random thought hadn't reminded him today...
Who knew when he'd remember again?
Yu Lanfeng certainly hadn't forgotten.
He simply hadn't reminded him.
Then Nan Yu realized why.
Yu Lanfeng knew becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User was currently his highest priority.
He didn't want physical training to interfere with his cultivation.
Even so...
Remembering it now left Nan Yu feeling rather frustrated.
Did Yu Lanfeng simply not want to train him?
Did he never intend to let him accompany him to the front lines?
Nan Yu understood he might become a burden.
But he still had to try.
Were Mental Power Users truly destined to remain behind the lines forever?
Could they never fight on the front?
After all...
Didn't higher-ranked Ability Beasts control lower-ranked ones through mental power as well?
And on the battlefield...
If seriously wounded soldiers could immediately receive treatment and have their Mental Contamination dispersed...
The casualty rate would surely drop dramatically.
The problem was...
Nobody had ever proven it.
First...
Everyone throughout the Empire believed Mental Power Users were physically fragile and absolutely unsuited for the battlefield.
Second...
Aside from High-Tier Mental Power Users...
Ordinary Mental Power Users truly weren't suitable.
Their bodies were too weak.
Their mental power wasn't strong enough.
Yet once someone finally became a High-Tier Mental Power User...
The Empire placed them under the strictest protection.
Or rather...
Every nation protected its High-Tier Mental Power Users with layer upon layer of security.
They never had the opportunity to experience the battlefield...
Or pursue anything beyond those restrictions.
Every High-Tier Mental Power User...
Was trapped.
Nan Yu's eyes remained fixed on the surveillance screen.
But his gaze gradually lost focus.
His thoughts had drifted elsewhere.
What brought him back...
Was Yu Lanfeng suddenly kissing his cheek.
Nan Yu froze before touching his face.
"What are you doing?"
"Kissing you."
"Why?"
"We're in this kind of relationship."
"Do I need a reason?"
Nan Yu fell silent.
That...
Actually made perfect sense.
He couldn't refute it.
How annoying.
He decided not to argue further and turned back toward the surveillance feed.
"So?"
"You're really this scared of us?"
"Do you even know what you look like right now?"
"Actually..."
"Why don't we record this?"
"Then every one of us can keep a copy."
"We'll watch it every day."
"That way we'll never repeat the same mistake again."
The other four already had recordings of themselves.
But nobody ever complained about having one more.
So they all activated the recording function on their communicators.
They faithfully preserved what was undoubtedly the most humiliating and disgraceful moment of Zhou Ziyu's entire life.
Only after finishing the recording did they finally turn around and leave.
The last man paused before closing the door.
He casually tossed out one final sentence.
"We'll come play with you again tomorrow."
That single sentence made Zhou Ziyu shudder violently.
Beyond their sight...
His eyes overflowed with terror.
Perhaps...
Tomorrow...
Would be the day he died.