Chapter 185: Found
"There's one more thing. This person is a Mental Power User, which makes him highly suspicious. Until he's been thoroughly examined, I won't be able to rest easy for even a single day. He must be transferred out tonight. We absolutely cannot keep him inside the military base any longer. If there's another backlash, that's the last thing I want to see."
After listening to Nan Yu and Yu Lanfeng's explanation, Yao Anyang looked completely bewildered.
"What?"
Yao Anyang wasn't stupid.
He could clearly understand what Yu Lanfeng meant.
The meaning was obvious.
Although Shuang Qingyue had been granted temporary freedom, he had by no means been completely cleared of suspicion in their eyes.
He still had to remain under surveillance.
That was why he had been restricted to several designated areas within the military base and wasn't allowed to leave them freely.
Otherwise, he might very well end up imprisoned like Jiang Youjian.
After all, regardless of everything else, Jiang Youjian had been born and raised as an Imperial citizen.
Shuang Qingyue, on the other hand, wasn't an Imperial citizen at all.
None of what he said could actually be verified anymore.
How could it be?
The country he claimed to belong to had already ceased to exist.
With its disappearance, countless records, evidence, and historical facts had vanished with time.
There was no way to prove whether his words were true or false.
Allowing him limited freedom now was due to two reasons.
First, out of consideration for Yao Anyang.
Second, because Nan Yu had planted a Mental Power sphere inside Shuang Qingyue's Mental Sea.
If he showed even the slightest sign of abnormal behavior...
Nan Yu could kill him immediately.
Yet they still faced the same problem as before.
They still hadn't found the Mental Power User who had controlled Yao Anyang.
However, they had already spent far too much time here.
They needed to leave for the next military base as soon as possible.
Otherwise, they wouldn't make it back to the Capital Star on schedule.
Fortunately, the newly captured Mental Power User could now be examined thoroughly.
There absolutely couldn't be any mistakes.
However, after taking advantage of the man's unconscious state to enter his Mental Sea, Nan Yu discovered that it was riddled with countless cracks and holes.
It was incredibly fragile.
The severe damage to his Mental Sea was one thing.
More importantly...
It completely eliminated him as a suspect.
With a Mental Sea in such terrible condition, simply using his own Mental Power would already be extremely difficult.
Controlling someone like Yao Anyang was completely impossible.
Nan Yu stood quietly beside the bed, watching the man restrained to it.
He had never seen this person before.
Nor did he feel any sense of familiarity.
Which meant...
In his previous life, they had almost certainly never crossed paths.
Yu Lanfeng asked,
"What is it?"
"Is the situation bad?"
Nan Yu nodded.
"Yes."
"He looked so energetic earlier that I assumed his Mental Power was fairly strong."
"I never expected his Mental Sea to be this badly damaged."
"But it's alright."
"He's a Mental Power User."
"No matter how severe the damage is, the Mental Sea can slowly recover over time."
"It's just that his injuries are so serious that it'll take much longer."
There was another issue as well.
At the moment, they couldn't compare his Mental Power signature with the fragment stored inside the device.
The reason was simple.
The damage had destroyed his Mental Sea.
For now...
He couldn't release any Mental Power at all.
They would have to wait until his Mental Sea had recovered significantly.
Naturally, Nan Yu couldn't stay here that long.
"Brother."
"We can't possibly wait here until he recovers."
"That'll take a very long time."
"Why don't we imprison him for now and leave people to guard him?"
"Once we've finished inspecting the other military bases and pass through here on the way back, we can deal with all of them then."
By "all of them," Nan Yu meant three people.
The unconscious Mental Power User.
Jiang Youjian, who was still imprisoned.
And Shuang Qingyue, who had yet to completely clear himself of suspicion.
Although Nan Yu had complete confidence in the Mental Power sphere he had planted...
It wasn't a surveillance device.
If Shuang Qingyue said or did anything...
Nan Yu wouldn't know.
Yu Lanfeng silently calculated the schedule before speaking.
"We'll take all three of them with us."
After several days of intense fighting on the front lines, Yao Anyang had gradually returned to something close to his original physique.
Although there was still a little loose flesh left because not much time had passed...
It was already easy to tell how handsome he had originally been.
Nan Yu couldn't help glancing at him a couple more times.
Immediately afterward...
Someone beside him grabbed his wrist and gave it a light but distinctly possessive squeeze.
Nan Yu understood instantly.
Apparently...
Looking twice was already too much.
Someone was jealous.
Nan Yu immediately looked away and turned his gaze back toward Yu Lanfeng.
The two met each other's eyes for a moment.
Nan Yu blinked innocently, trying to explain without words that he had simply been curious what Yao Anyang looked like after losing weight.
It wasn't because he genuinely thought the man was especially handsome.
"Don't overthink it, alright?"
"I'll sleep with you properly tonight."
Of course...
Sleeping really meant sleeping.
Nothing else.
Nan Yu had deliberately phrased it suggestively, using an ambiguous tone.
As a result...
Yu Lanfeng looked at him several more times over the next minute.
Eventually...
Nan Yu himself became embarrassed.
Fine.
He hadn't meant to tease him.
But honestly...
The Ability User in front of him already belonged to him.
Wasn't he allowed to have a little fun?
Nan Yu really had no resistance whatsoever when it came to Yu Lanfeng.
Actually...
Just as his thoughts began wandering again, he noticed Yao Anyang's troubled expression after hearing that Shuang Qingyue would be taken away.
Nan Yu happened to glance in that direction.
His brows immediately furrowed.
"What's wrong, General Yao?"
"Do you not trust the Marshal?"
Yao Anyang quickly shook his head.
"No."
"Of course I trust the Marshal."
"It's just..."
Nan Yu interrupted him.
"I understand."
"You trust the Marshal."
"You just don't trust me."
"My attitude is harsher than his."
"You're worried I'll make things difficult for him during the journey, aren't you?"
Yao Anyang seemed unsure how to answer.
He simply stood there silently.
Taking a deep breath, Nan Yu continued,
"If you're unhappy about it, tell us the reason."
"I'd be more than happy to clear up any misunderstandings."
Yao Anyang sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"I didn't mean it that way."
"I was just surprised you'd take him away."
"I can guarantee he'll be perfectly safe staying here."
Nan Yu looked directly at him.
"General Yao."
"Did you actually hear what the Marshal said just now?"
"Your list of violations is already very long."
"Do you really want to add another one?"
"Do you know what your current behavior looks like?"
Yao Anyang paused.
He had genuinely forgotten for a moment.
But after Nan Yu reminded him...
He immediately remembered.
For them...
This was a disaster.
"Marshal."
"My loyalty to the legion has never wavered."
"I'm sure you know {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} that better than anyone."
"You can't begin doubting me simply because of someone else's few words..."
The more Nan Yu listened...
The stranger it sounded.
The beginning had been reasonable enough.
But why was the accusation suddenly being directed at him?
What did Yao Anyang mean by "someone else's few words?"
Wasn't everything Nan Yu had said true?
Listening to that tone...
Anyone who didn't know better would think Nan Yu was deliberately slandering them.
In Nan Yu's imagination, he suddenly became some scheming little seductress who had completely bewitched the Marshal, making him lose all sense of direction.
Then the Marshal followed his every whim, conducting a meaningless search for a traitor...
Only for suspicion to eventually fall upon the person the general cherished most, insisting that he must secretly be the hidden spy.
Nan Yu silently evaluated the imaginary script.
Honestly...
It wasn't bad.
If translating books ever stopped working out...
He could always lie on a beach somewhere writing melodramatic television scripts.
Something exactly like what was unfolding before him.
General Yao Anyang—
Outstanding in status, strength, and reputation—
Falls hopelessly in love with a Mental Power User from a fallen nation.
He forges the man's identity so he can remain inside the military base.
Every inspection is secretly covered up.
Because of Yao Anyang's authority as the commander, every inspection team merely went through the motions.
No one would ever suspect that the man Yao Anyang protected so fiercely...
Wasn't even an Imperial citizen.
Nan Yu quietly stepped behind Yu Lanfeng and stopped talking.
From this point onward...
Yu Lanfeng needed to handle things.
Sometimes...
Reason alone wasn't enough.
One had to rely on authority, rank...
Or even threats, intimidation, or temptation to achieve the desired result.
Fortunately...
Yu Lanfeng wasn't that kind of person.
He simply dealt with facts.
"General Yao."
"You've truly disappointed me."
"I was genuinely pleased that you'd managed to hold on for so long."
"I admired your strong will."
"But now..."
"I'm beginning to think things weren't as simple as they seemed."
"I want to know exactly what happened."
"Explain everything."
"How did you and Shuang Qingyue end up like this?"
Nan Yu had expected Yao Anyang to finally explain everything in detail.
Previously, both he and Yu Lanfeng had deliberately avoided pressing for specifics because they didn't want to alert the enemy too early.
Their original plan had been to finish dealing with every other spy in the base first.
Only afterward would they settle matters involving these two.
What they hadn't expected...
Was Yao Anyang's reaction.
After hearing Yu Lanfeng's request...
He merely pressed his lips together.
Not a single word came out.
Beside him...
Shuang Qingyue also lowered his head and remained silent.
At that moment...
A rather absurd thought surfaced in Nan Yu's mind.
Combining everything they had learned so far...
He suddenly felt as though he'd pieced together the truth.
Whether it was actually correct...
Still required verification.
Yu Lanfeng was visibly angry now.
His brows had actually drawn together.
Ordinarily...
Unless someone had completely exhausted his patience...
His expression never changed.
Except when he was alone with Nan Yu.
In public...
He was always cold, distant, untouchable.
Yet now...
He was frowning.
That alone showed how deeply disappointed he truly was in the very general he had personally chosen.
"Yao Anyang."
"I now have sufficient reason to suspect that you and Shuang Qingyue have colluded in activities harmful to this military base."
"For the time being..."
"You'll keep Jiang Youjian company."
"You can come out once this investigation is over."
Soon afterward, everything capable of contacting the outside world, along with every weapon or sharp object on both men, was confiscated.
Then they were imprisoned.
Their cells were placed on either side of Jiang Youjian's.
Each cell was completely isolated.
The prisoners couldn't see who occupied the neighboring rooms.
Day after day...
The only things they saw were themselves.
And the robots that delivered breakfast, lunch, and dinner at fixed times.
Even if they greeted those robots...
The machines never responded.
The prison robots possessed only the most basic mechanical functions.
Everything they did followed predetermined programming.
Naturally...
Yao Anyang and Shuang Qingyue weren't placed together.
They occupied separate cells, with Jiang Youjian between them.
The distance ensured they couldn't communicate easily.
Before long...
News that General Yao Anyang had been imprisoned spread throughout the base.
What surprised Nan Yu most...
Was everyone's reaction.
Or rather...
Their lack of one.
Some people expressed concern verbally.
Then immediately returned to work as though merely fulfilling an obligation.
Others couldn't even be bothered pretending.
They simply carried on as usual.
Some of the more hot-tempered soldiers openly began cursing him.
Many others enthusiastically joined in.
No matter how one looked at it...
Perhaps Yao Anyang had only appeared admirable in front of Yu Lanfeng.
The moment he fell from power...
Countless people rushed to expose everything he'd done.
Almost as though they feared someone might not hear them.
They spoke loudly...
Deliberately.
Because they all understood one thing.
If Yao Anyang wasn't convicted...
Then once this matter passed...
He would return as their commanding general.
That was something they absolutely refused to accept.
Nan Yu didn't intentionally ask anyone about it.
However...
One day he casually mentioned the subject.
Immediately, someone hurried over, practically eager to explain everything.
If Nan Yu claimed he didn't understand...
They patiently explained it all over again.
During his time here, Nan Yu had actually become acquainted with a handful of people.
Mostly Mental Power Users he'd interacted with previously.
Although they generally weren't easy to get along with...
He still managed to become friends with one or two of them.
Recently, he'd been chatting with them almost every day.
One of them sighed.
"The Ability Users have already said everything there is to say."
"The General seemed like a good man."
"He did many things for the military base."
"And for everyone stationed here."
"But sometimes..."
"He became absolutely unbearable."
"It was like watching two completely different extremes."
For some reason...
Nan Yu suddenly thought of split personalities.
But that couldn't be the explanation.
The undeniable evidence remained the Mental Power sphere he'd found inside Yao Anyang's Mental Sea.
Someone had definitely placed it there.
Yao Anyang couldn't possibly have done it himself.
Which meant...
Everything pointed toward the strongest Mental Power User Yao Anyang had ever known.
Shuang Qingyue.
At some point during their interactions...
Shuang Qingyue had accidentally exposed his true identity.
From then onward...
Yao Anyang had forced him to continue helping.
So...
What exactly did this "help" involve?
Nan Yu connected every clue.
Then glanced toward the distant prison cells before organizing all of his deductions.
"Everything I'm about to say is purely speculation."
"Brother..."
"Just treat it as a reference."
"I made all of this up."
"If I'm wrong..."
"Don't blame me after the investigation proves otherwise."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Go ahead."
"You might actually be right."
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
Then laid out the evidence they had gathered.
"Yao Anyang really is exceptional."
"As an Ability User..."
"He actually managed to resist the control of someone powerful enough to create a Mental Power sphere."
"For me..."
"That's almost impossible."
"Everything has something that restrains it."
"Ability Users are powerful."
"But their Mental Power is weak."
"Mental Power Users strengthen Ability Users."
"But they're physically fragile."
"The two exist to complement one another..."
Halfway through, Nan Yu paused.
"Forget that."
"It's better to talk about Yao Anyang and Shuang Qingyue first."
"Sometimes..."
"The longer time passes..."
"The more evidence disappears."
Nan Yu pointed directly at Yao Anyang.
"Marshal."
"Compared to the last time you saw him..."
"Hasn't Yao Anyang become stronger?"
Yu Lanfeng carefully sensed his Ability.
"He has."
"The increase isn't enormous."
"But it's definitely there."
"It seems he's trained diligently."
Nan Yu smiled.
"Actually..."
"There's a shortcut."
Yu Lanfeng paused.
"A shortcut?"
As someone who had become not only the strongest Ability User in the Empire...
But arguably the strongest in the entire universe...
He had never heard of such a thing.
Of course...
He knew drugs existed.
But only those who had already accepted they'd never become truly powerful resorted to them.
Using them often resulted in death.
Even survivors suffered severe side effects.
Whether the experiment failed...
Or succeeded.
If Nan Yu's shortcut truly existed...
Then perhaps it represented hope for countless weaker Ability Users.
The survival rate of enhancement drugs was simply too low.
Black-market dealers could barely sell them anymore.
After all...
Who would willingly spend an enormous amount of money on something with an eighty or ninety percent chance of killing them?
Most people feared death.
That wasn't shameful.
What truly frightened Yu Lanfeng...
Were those who fled from battle in fear...
Only to end up comfortably collaborating with hostile organizations behind the front lines.
"What exactly is this shortcut?"
Yu Lanfeng asked.
Nan Yu smiled.
"Don't rush."
"I'll explain."
"You'll understand soon."
"For an Ability User..."
"Their Ability determines everything."
"Mental Power has never been considered important."
"They grow stronger through constant battle and accumulated experience."
"Step by step."
"But some time ago..."
"I accidentally learned of another shortcut."
"And that shortcut..."
"Begins with the Mental Power Ability Users usually look down on."
Nan Yu suddenly sighed.
"My mistake."
"I should've remembered this sooner."
"If the owner of a Mental Power sphere dies..."
"That sphere becomes ownerless."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the sphere gradually disperses."
"But allowing it to disappear naturally is incredibly wasteful."
"If it's placed inside an Ability User's Mental Sea..."
"Then as the ownerless Mental Power slowly loses all traces of its original master..."
"It gradually takes root inside the new Mental Sea."
"And once those fragments become established..."
"That Ability User's strength rises to an entirely new level."
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
"I don't quite understand."
Nan Yu patiently elaborated.
"Dispersing Mental Power isn't aggressive."
"It naturally integrates into another person's Mental Sea."
"Once it takes root..."
"There's virtually no way to remove it."
"Unless it chooses to disperse completely on its own."
Nan Yu picked up the small device.
"Brother."
"Where do you think the owner of this Mental Power sphere is now?"
"Dead?"
"Or still alive?"
For once...
Yu Lanfeng guessed correctly.
"You mean..."
"The owner of this sphere is the Mental Power User I captured earlier?"
Nan Yu nodded.
"That's my theory."
"I tested him before."
"But at the time, every last trace of his Mental Power had already been exhausted."
"His Mental Sea was full of holes."
"I think..."
"Yao Anyang brought him back specifically to harvest his Mental Power."
Yu Lanfeng frowned deeply.
"Something like this..."
"Actually happened?"
Nan Yu nodded.
"It isn't that strange."
"The desire to become stronger is instinctive for every Ability User."
"And I think..."
"Yao Anyang saw you as his goal."
"But you're simply too powerful."
"If he relied only on ordinary training..."
"He'd never catch up."
He paused before continuing.
"But..."
"If he used this method..."
"He might still have a chance."
"How many Mental Power Users died because of it..."
"I don't know."
"But judging by how familiar he and Shuang Qingyue are..."
"This clearly wasn't their first time."
"That may be the real reason Yao Anyang protected Shuang Qingyue so desperately."
"They helped each other."
"They each held leverage over the other."
"When Shuang Qingyue was previously marked as suspicious..."
"Yao Anyang panicked."
"But it wasn't because he loved him."
"He had another motive."
Nan Yu slowly exhaled.
"Whether my guess is correct..."
"We'll know once that Mental Power User wakes up."
Yu Lanfeng's expression had become terrifyingly grim.
If Nan Yu was right...
Then Yao Anyang had repeated this process many times.
Countless Mental Power Users might already have died.
People the Empire had always protected with the utmost care.
People whose numbers were far smaller than Ability Users.
And the one responsible...
Was the commanding general of an Imperial military base.
Still...
Nan Yu was also correct.
They couldn't convict Yao Anyang based solely on speculation.
They needed evidence.
That evidence...
Shouldn't come from Yao Anyang.
It should come from Shuang Qingyue.
If Shuang Qingyue confessed...
Then uncovering the full truth would only be a matter of time.
Thus...
Shuang Qingyue, who had only just been imprisoned...
Was brought out once more.
He stood trembling before Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu.
With his head lowered...
He occasionally raised it just enough to sneak a cautious glance at them.
Eventually...
He realized Nan Yu had been watching him the entire time.
After that...
He stopped looking up altogether.
He simply stood silently in the corner...
As though quietly waiting for whatever fate awaited him.