So Yu Lanfeng had already gathered every last piece of evidence from Wu Qinhao's capture and his conversation with Wu Zhengting, then submitted the complete case file to the Imperial Family on the Capital Star.
It wasn't long before the Empire's highest authorities on the Capital Star convened to discuss the matter. After all, nothing quite like this had ever happened before...
Well, that wasn't entirely true. Similar incidents had occurred in the past, but never involving someone who held the rank of Marshal.
A Marshal's foremost duty was to the Empire. Their second duty was to their legion. Everything else came afterward, in whatever order they chose.
No matter what, personal feelings could never take precedence over the Empire or their legion.
Many people might harbor personal attachments, but no one would ever openly display them. Even if they found themselves in such a situation, reason would ultimately prevail over emotion.
Not to mention someone as powerful as Yu Lanfeng.
His strength was unrivaled. There was simply no one capable of abducting the person he loved and surviving afterward.
Besides, Nan Yu himself was hardly weak. Once he advanced to a High-Tier Mental Power User, he would possess formidable combat ability as well.
Merely being able to temporarily interfere with—or even control—an Ability User's thoughts and actions using mental power alone was already an astonishing ability. If he continued developing it and became more proficient, he would undoubtedly be capable of standing on his own.
Only Yu Lanfeng himself knew that.
After Wu Zhengting saw Yu Lanfeng cut off the communication without another word, he stood there in a daze, unable to react for several minutes.
Once he finally came to his senses, he immediately ordered another connection request.
No matter how many communication requests they sent afterward, none received a response.
In the end, they got only a single reply.
It was very simple.
Go back.
The final message also stated that Yu Lanfeng would hand everything over to the Empire, and Wu Zhengting should simply return and wait for the decision.
Rather than feeling uneasy after reading it, Wu Zhengting was actually relieved.
Because he believed that once the matter reached the Empire's highest authorities, all the contributions and military achievements he had accumulated over so many years would surely be enough to ensure that both he and his son escaped unharmed.
Even if they were stripped of their ranks as General and Marshal and became ordinary civilians, it didn't matter.
With their abilities, they could still live comfortably.
In fact, becoming ordinary citizens might even make life safer. Without such prominent identities, no one would set their sights on them anymore.
"Since we can't reach him, then stop trying. We'll stay here and wait. The moment any news arrives, wake me immediately. I need to know the instant there's an update. Understood?"
When Yu Lanfeng returned to the room and saw Nan Yu still sleeping peacefully, his heart softened.
This was the person he loved most.
If...
If he were ever put in the same situation as Wu Zhengting and Wu Qinhao...
What would he do?
If someone threatened him, demanding that he turn against the Empire in exchange for Nan Yu's life, what choice would he make?
Would he comply with their demands...
Or would he rescue Nan Yu by his own means?
Of course he would save Nan Yu himself.
There was no one in this world stronger than him.
If even he couldn't rescue Nan Yu, there would be no point expecting anyone else to succeed.
More importantly, if he yielded once, there would inevitably be a second time.
Then a third.
And countless more after that.
They would continue exploiting him until every ounce of his value had been squeezed dry.
Perhaps, intimidated by his strength, they might eventually return Nan Yu to him.
But the more likely outcome was that they would secretly kill him first...
...and then kill Nan Yu as well.
After all, they could never be certain that once Nan Yu was returned, Yu Lanfeng wouldn't unleash all his rage and hatred upon them.
Therefore...
Yu Lanfeng silently made up his mind.
He would never give anyone such an opportunity.
Not even the slightest chance.
Anyone who dared try such a thing...
He would hunt them to the very edge of the universe.
He would wipe every last one of them out.
Only when every single one of them was dead would he be satisfied.
That was why, in his eyes, the organization coveting both Nan Yu and his Nianshen Grass had become the perfect test case.
Originally, Nan Yu had planned to interrogate any captured members of the organization for several days—or even longer—before deciding how to deal with them.
But Yu Lanfeng no longer intended to do that.
The interrogations would still happen.
However, they would last no more than three days.
If they failed to produce any useful information within those three days, there would be no point wasting time or resources keeping them alive.
They would simply be executed.
That would save everyone a great deal of trouble.
Yu Lanfeng lay down beside Nan Yu once more and gently pulled him back into his arms.
Not long after he settled down, Nan Yu sleepily asked,
"Where did you go just now? Why weren't you here? Was something important?"
Yu Lanfeng wasn't quite sure how to explain it, but he gave him a brief summary anyway.
"Xiaoyu, what do you think of my decision?"
Nan Yu nodded.
"It may seem a little heartless, but they were the ones who were at fault... No, not just at fault—they committed a crime. Even if behavior like that is tacitly tolerated in many places, it's still explicitly defined as a crime. If you really agreed to their demands, you'd be encouraging criminal behavior."
"They'd think they'd gotten past what should've been the biggest obstacle. After that, they'd only become more and more excessive."
"Besides, didn't you mention earlier that Wu Zhengting managed to reach the star system near Border Region One in such a short time? That means he'd already been staying somewhere nearby beforehand. He definitely wasn't there by coincidence. There has to be some secret behind it."
"He couldn't have stayed there indefinitely. So this trip obviously wasn't just to meet Wu Qinhao."
"In that case... his real reason for coming here at the last minute definitely wasn't that simple."
"Since he cares so much about his son, what could make a Marshal abandon everything in his legion during an Ability Beast outbreak and wait outside Border Region One?"
"It means he already knew his son was about to encounter danger."
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
"About to encounter danger? How could he possibly know when Wu Qinhao would be in dan—"
Nan Yu blinked and curled his lips into a faint, meaningful smile.
"Thought of something?"
Yu Lanfeng's expression darkened.
"You mean... Wu Qinhao was planning a major operation inside Border Region One's military base. He knew there was a high chance his identity would be exposed, so Wu Zhengting brought people here in advance and waited outside, just to make sure nothing happened to his precious son?"
Nan Yu smiled.
"I'm only making a guess. Otherwise, if he loves his son that much, would he really just stand by and watch him get into trouble without doing anything?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"I'll investigate immediately. Wu Qinhao is actually pretty timid. If we scare him a little, he'll definitely spill everything."
Nan Yu grabbed his hand instead and looked at him with a smile.
"Shouldn't you be resting now? You were gone for several hours. I've already rested enough."
"Now it's my turn to watch over your sleep."
He gave him a sly grin.
"Of course, I'll sleep with you too."
"Are you sure you want to go back to work right now?"
Yu Lanfeng obediently followed his own heart.
He lay back down without another word.
Holding Nan Yu in his arms, utterly content, he gradually drifted off to sleep.
Nan Yu had already slept for several hours, but now that his lover was beside him again, and since he still felt somewhat drowsy, Yu Lanfeng's sleepiness soon rubbed off on him as well.
Before long, he had fallen asleep once more.
When Nan Yu woke again, he discovered that Yu Lanfeng still hadn't gotten up.
He was still lying there, gently holding him in his arms.
His breathing was slow and steady.
Apparently, he was still asleep.
Which meant...
This time, Nan Yu had actually woken up first.
He blinked in disbelief.
He had really beaten Yu Lanfeng awake.
Since that was the case, he decided to get up first and prepare breakfast.
Although it had been a long time since he'd cooked, he was still completely confident in his culinary skills.
After all, in his previous life, what hadn't he done for that scumbag Bai Zhouyun?
Learning to cook had been one of the essentials.
If he hadn't learned, how could he have personally prepared meals to deliver to Bai Zhouyun?
Thinking back on it now...
He couldn't help wondering who had actually ended up enjoying all those meals he'd painstakingly made.
At that moment, he thought of his father and his two older brothers back on the Capital Star.
When they returned this time...
He was definitely going to cook an extravagant feast with his own hands.
For the father and brothers who loved him more than anyone else in the world.