Chapter 22: Who Tampered With It?
Yu Lanfeng could tell that although Nan Yu was sleeping soundly and comfortably, the exhaustion on his face was obvious. He really had worn himself out.
But within a single day, treating forty-six soldiers in one ward whose Mental Contamination had all reached A-rank or above...
For them to be moving around freely, at the very least their Mental Contamination had to have been reduced below D-rank.
Once Mental Contamination reached S-rank, the victim would completely lose control, attack friend and foe alike, and latch onto the current target until either one died.
And everyone here was an Ability User whose Mental Contamination had reached A-rank.
Yu Lanfeng suddenly felt that something was wrong.
He turned to Yuan Qiyang behind him.
“What happened here? All forty-six soldiers have A-rank Mental Contamination. Didn't I say that since he had just arrived, he needed time to adapt, and that he shouldn't be assigned too much at once?”
Yuan Qiyang blinked and seemed to realize the problem as well.
Not wanting to wake the sleeping Nan Yu, he led everyone into the hallway outside before speaking.
“Uh...?”
Yuan Qiyang stood blankly before Yu Lanfeng.
He didn't know who had tampered with things, but he knew this was his own mistake. No matter who had interfered, Yu Lanfeng had instructed him to watch over Nan Yu carefully and return only after confirming there were no problems.
But he seemed to have... trusted Captain An Mi too much.
Thinking about it, perhaps Captain An Mi had been dissatisfied with this Mental Power User personally brought by the Marshal, so he had done something like this?
But An Mi...
He really found it difficult to imagine An Mi doing such a thing. An Mi simply wasn't that kind of person.
Especially now, when everyone in the Mental Power User team was exhausted. The sudden arrival of Nan Yu should have made him happy, since it meant someone could help share the workload.
Yuan Qiyang stood there in silence. He didn't know what to say, or rather, how to say it. Because he had no idea who had done this.
Perhaps...
It had simply been a mistake?
At that moment, Yu Lanfeng, who hadn't sent anyone to disturb An Mi because he was supposedly busy, suddenly saw An Mi himself.
The moment An Mi saw them, he shouted,
“Marshal?!”
His face was full of panic.
“Why is everyone here? I knew it... something must have happened...”
Yuan Qiyang frowned slightly.
“Captain An Mi, what's wrong?”
An Mi stood there panting.
“I made a mistake. I got it wrong. It wasn't this ward, it was the one next door... not this ward...”
But when he raised his head and looked inside, he froze as though someone had strangled him. It took a long time before he found his voice again.
“Th-this... what is going on...?”
Yu Lanfeng looked at him meaningfully.
“Exactly what you're seeing. Nan Yu completed his task. Every patient here has recovered enough to move around freely.”
“But I have a question for you. Originally, I wasn't going to disturb you since you were busy. But now that you have time to come here, I assume things over there aren't that busy.”
An Mi didn't know what to say.
Could he tell them that he had suddenly remembered this matter and rushed over in a hurry?
But...
“Marshal...”
Yu Lanfeng interrupted him.
“Answer me. What exactly happened? Why were forty-six soldiers with A-rank Mental Contamination placed together?”
“Weren't they supposed to be distributed among different Mental Power Users? Only then could they remain in a relatively stable state.”
“Or did you already know that a Mental Power User capable of dealing with all of them was arriving, and deliberately put them together beforehand?”
An Mi opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but Yu Lanfeng gave him no chance.
“In the military, there is nowhere beyond my sight. I'm giving you a chance to explain. Afterwards, I will have people conduct a thorough investigation. If your explanation doesn't match the findings, then wait for your punishment.”
Yu Lanfeng rarely spoke this much.
He was obviously truly angry this time.
Even Yuan Qiyang shrank to the side carefully, afraid that Yu Lanfeng might seize the opportunity to give him a harsh scolding.
Everyone knew that Yu Lanfeng seldom became angry. He always kept his words concise, saying only enough to express his meaning clearly.
After all, he handled countless affairs every day. If he explained everything in detail one by one, there simply wouldn't be enough time.
So just now...
Speaking so much was probably something even he himself hadn't expected.
Yuan Qiyang secretly glanced through the gap in the door at Nan Yu, who was resting casually on one of the beds inside.
“Hm? Right, why is Nan Yu resting here?”
The moment he said that, everyone's eyes once again focused on An Mi.
They had never expected that An Mi had even forgotten about that. Was he so certain that Nan Yu would remain in the ward and never go rest?
Cold sweat was already dripping down An Mi's forehead.
“Marshal, it's my fault! I failed to properly arrange Nan Yu's work this time. This was my mistake!”
His straightforward admission eased Yu Lanfeng's expression somewhat.
“Fine. Continue your work. Afterward, submit a detailed report to me.”
His “afterward” naturally meant after they were no longer busy. There was no need to waste time on paperwork now, since the soldiers' Mental Contamination still needed treatment.
And a detailed report hardly counted as punishment, so everyone considered it reasonable.
After all, wasn't it only natural to be punished for making mistakes?
Who present could honestly claim that they had never made mistakes and received punishment since joining the military?
An Mi clenched his teeth and nodded.
“I understand, Marshal. I'll come see you afterward.”
Yu Lanfeng said quietly,
“Don't go in and disturb his rest.”
Though this incident was An Mi's mistake, one thing could not be denied.
Nan Yu truly was exceptional.
For a Mid-Tier Mental Power User, his mental power was astonishingly strong.
He had actually managed to reduce the Mental Contamination of forty-six A-rank soldiers within twenty-four hours...
Perhaps...
He had really found a treasure this time.
Yu Lanfeng led everyone away.
He still had many other matters to handle and couldn't remain here forever.
But when he reached the elevators, he suddenly said,
“Yuan Qiyang, secretly assign people to protect him. Under no circumstances can anything happen to him.”
What Yu Lanfeng said was that nothing could happen to him, not that nothing could happen to him here.
The difference between those two statements was enormous.
The latter meant ensuring Nan Yu's absolute safety only while he stayed at this military base. Sending a few soldiers to protect him openly would be enough.
But the former carried a deeper meaning.
It meant that no matter where he was, nothing could be allowed to happen to him.
Which also meant that even after Nan Yu's mission was over, they would continue protecting him.
Therefore, the people assigned to guard him could no longer be visible.
Yuan Qiyang naturally understood the meaning behind Yu Lanfeng's words.
He nodded solemnly.
“I understand.”
Truthfully, he also felt that Nan Yu was worth it.