Chapter 166: Giving the Order
Yu Lanfeng's purpose this time was simple: he gave everyone a concise account of what had happened at Border Region Five Military Base.
"I honestly find it difficult to believe that something like this could happen within my legion. Remember—that was only one military base. Yet we uncovered dozens of spies and infiltrators hidden inside it, and every single one of them was connected to that organization."
"I am now officially issuing an order. Every military base under my command will undergo a complete purge. Every member of the legion, regardless of position or origin, must be investigated thoroughly. I want everything—from their family history over the past three generations to every detail of their life from birth until now. If anything cannot be verified, separate those cases immediately and conduct a second investigation. Anyone found to have problems is to be arrested without exception."
"I'm giving you one month. During that time, if I discover that any of you have deliberately overlooked or inadequately investigated someone because of favoritism or personal bias, don't blame me for showing no mercy. This is a disgrace of the highest order for our legion."
"And remember this—every day's progress must be reported directly to me. If I'm unavailable, report it to Qin Wenxing. I'm also informing all of you now: prepare the complete investigation files for every member of your base. When I personally conduct inspection tours of your military bases, I'll randomly select anywhere from one to a hundred personnel and examine both their own records and those of their family over the past three generations. If even the slightest inconsistency is found..."
Yu Lanfeng didn't finish the sentence.
There was no need.
Everyone present understood exactly what he meant.
The expressions around the room immediately turned grim.
First, because so many spies had managed to infiltrate the legion.
Border Region Five Military Base was commanded by Lin Changyu, who was famous throughout the military for his ruthless discipline.
If even his base had been infiltrated by that many spies, then what about theirs?
It wasn't that their own management was lax, but none of them could honestly claim to be stricter than Lin Changyu. Compared to him, their standards were nowhere near as harsh.
At this point, everyone could only pray that fewer infiltrators would be discovered at their own bases.
After cutting off the communication with everyone, Yu Lanfeng stood up and immediately began inspecting Border Region One Military Base.
This was one base he intended to investigate personally.
Qin Wenxing immediately began issuing orders.
According to rank, from the highest position all the way down, everyone had to prepare a complete and detailed personal file.
And the highest-ranking person was naturally Yu Lanfeng himself.
As the Marshal of the legion, he led by example.
Not only was he the very first person to undergo the investigation, but he even made his own personal records public.
In other words, from this moment onward, every soldier who successfully passed the investigation would be able to view Yu Lanfeng's file.
Nan Yu blinked.
Come to think of it, he really didn't know much about Yu Lanfeng's background or family.
All he'd ever known was that Yu Lanfeng was the younger brother of the Empress and the Crown Prince Yuan Qiyang's maternal uncle.
After Nan Yu's own file had been submitted successfully, he quietly opened Yu Lanfeng's profile.
The information inside was surprisingly simple.
Yu Lanfeng and the Empress were siblings.
Both of their parents had been soldiers of the Empire, and in their early years had made countless contributions to it.
The older generation all knew who they were and held them in the highest respect and admiration.
As time passed, however, they gradually faded from the public eye.
As for his grandparents' generation, every one of them had also served as soldiers of the Empire, dedicating their entire lives to its defense.
Nan Yu even remembered seeing some of those names in history textbooks.
Amazing...
Nan Yu reopened his own file.
His family's background was equally straightforward.
The Nan family had also produced military officers for generations.
His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and countless ancestors had all fought for the Empire under their respective commanders.
Otherwise, his grandfather would never have become acquainted with Old Master Bai on the battlefield, nor would they have arranged the engagement.
And because the Emperor—who had concealed his true identity at the time—had personally witnessed the agreement, he became its official guarantor.
Otherwise, dissolving Nan Yu's engagement with Bai Zhouyun wouldn't have been nearly so troublesome.
Nan Ming could simply have gone back on his word.
After all, it had originally been nothing more than a verbal engagement.
The only complication was that the Emperor had personally served as witness—and had shown a certain degree of favoritism toward the Bai family—which forced Nan Ming to proceed very cautiously.
But now...
None of that mattered anymore.
Nan Yu no longer had to worry about his future.
Taking a deep breath, he watched as more and more identity records were uploaded into the database.
The growing number meant that more and more soldiers were successfully passing verification.
Not everyone who accessed the database could freely browse every file.
Those who passed verification could only view Yu Lanfeng's profile and their own.
Everyone else's information remained classified.
Of course, if someone accessed the database using Yu Lanfeng's optical computer, then every single file could be viewed.
The database itself was incredibly comprehensive.
It had originally been a research project Yu Lanfeng started years ago, and only recently had it finally been completed and officially put into operation.
Eventually, every member of the entire legion would have their records stored inside it.
However, aside from Yu Lanfeng, everyone else could only access the personnel records belonging to their own military base.
Even then, they could only view Yu Lanfeng's file and their own.
Everyone else's records remained inaccessible.
After realizing this, Nan Yu looked surprised.
"Brother, do you think some of the senior officers at different military bases might deliberately conceal certain people's records? Or even fabricate them?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Yes."
His answer was brief and direct.
"But how will you know whose records are fake?"
"The Empire maintains a massive national database containing information on every citizen. The moment someone uploads data into my database, it automatically compares every entry against the national records. If even the slightest discrepancy exists—even a tiny one—it immediately triggers an alert."
The moment he finished speaking...
The alarm rang.
He opened the notification and examined the individual's identity file.
The military base had uploaded a much more detailed version of the person's records.
Ironically, those extra details made the inconsistencies easier to spot.
Comparing them with the national database...
Nan Yu couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.
"Seriously? Even this person's name and age are different? They're being this careless?"
Or had they simply assumed that once someone passed the initial review, everything afterward would be perfectly safe?
He truly couldn't understand how these people thought.
Nan Yu continued reading.
"This person's family history can only be traced back two generations in the national records. Anything further back doesn't exist. And according to the database, he spent his childhood..."
Yu Lanfeng finished the sentence.
"...but the military base's uploaded file conveniently fills in all the missing information. Not only are all three generations fully documented, but even the place where he grew up after birth has been completely changed."
Nan Yu looked impressed.
"This database is incredible. Why didn't anyone think of using something like this before?"
Yu Lanfeng replied, "Because it wasn't finished before. It was only completed a few days ago. This is its very first field test. If it performs well, it'll gradually be implemented across the Empire."
An idea suddenly struck Nan Yu.
"What if the military base uploads records that don't exist in the national database at all?"
Yu Lanfeng narrowed his eyes.
"Then no matter how perfect those records look, they're fake."
"Anyone like that is one hundred percent suspicious."
Nan Yu asked, "Very few people know this database exists, don't they?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"At present, only His Majesty, the Empress, Yuan Qiyang, myself..."
He glanced at Nan Yu.
"...and now you."
"This national database has been collecting information on every citizen from the moment they're born. It gathers everything automatically."
"The workload is enormous, so it only records the most basic information."
"Take me as an example."
"When I was born, it recorded my birth time."
"When my family gave me my name, it added that name to my record."
"After that, it simply noted when I started school, where I studied, the name of the school, how many years I attended, where I went after graduation, roughly where I worked, and how long I worked there."
Nan Yu nodded.
"So every person's entire life can basically be summarized in just a few simple sentences."
"Exactly."
"And that's precisely why it's the hardest thing to falsify."
If only part of the information failed to match, it likely meant someone had stolen another citizen's identity.
If no record existed in the national database whatsoever...
Then that person's identity was fabricated from beginning to end.
Nan Yu smiled.
"So now all we have to do is wait?"
"That's right."
"It's also a good opportunity to evaluate everyone's capabilities."
"If their performance satisfies me, then that's fine."
"But if..."
Nan Yu silently completed the sentence for him.
Anyone who performed poorly during this investigation probably wouldn't be dismissed outright.
But reassignment?
That was almost guaranteed.
If someone lacked the competence to handle such responsibilities, they had no business occupying such an important position and holding everyone else back.
Nan Yu had no idea how many problematic individuals would ultimately be uncovered.
However, he was certain that whoever managed Border Region Eleven Military Base was going to have a very bad time.
The very first suspicious record had come from there.
Then came another.
And this second one wasn't merely inconsistent.
According to the national database, the person's identity didn't exist at all.
It had been fabricated from start to finish.
Unbelievable.
Nan Yu wisely stopped talking.
He noticed Yu Lanfeng's expression growing darker and darker.
Because while Nan Yu had been lost in thought...
The third alarm had sounded.
And once again...
Border Region Eleven Military Base.
Impressive.
Nan Yu couldn't help wondering whether Border Region Eleven had already become a paradise for spies.
Otherwise, how could so many completely fabricated identities appear there?
Perhaps the infiltrators had already seized part of the base's administrative authority.
That would explain everything.
After all, the investigation had only just begun.
None of the other military bases had produced any alerts yet.
Border Region Eleven was clearly the worst case.
Although they'd already uncovered something suspicious, Yu Lanfeng didn't make any rash moves.
Instead, they concentrated on finishing the affairs at Border Region One first.
Only after everything there had been settled would they begin inspecting the remaining bases.
Meanwhile, Nan Yu resumed treating patients.
From the list, he carefully selected the Ability Users most suitable for treatment.
As before, he treated two at a time.
Those he had already healed remained in recovery.
On the surface they looked perfectly healthy.
But internally, they were still far from fully recovered.
Completely restoring the body required time.
Especially the Mental Power that had been lost from the Mental Sea.
That could only recover through its own natural regeneration.
Nan Yu comforted the soldiers.
Like a group of stubborn old men, they all insisted they had already recovered.
Yet the moment they resumed high-intensity training, they quickly found themselves unable to endure it.
Their minds became sluggish and unfocused.
So they still weren't allowed to leave.
The moment Nan Yu began another treatment session, the rear military hospital received notification.
One of the people who had been waiting for this news the longest...
Was Luo Anwei.
By sheer coincidence, he happened to be one of the soldiers assigned to escort the two patients onto the transport starship.
He quietly watched the soldiers being secretly loaded aboard.
So...
That person had returned.
Then all he needed to do was wait.
Surely he'd eventually get his chance.
His uncle, however, probably didn't have much time left.
He could only hope things moved faster.
And he hoped Uncle Qin would keep his promise.
Unfortunately...
Qin Wenxing was currently overwhelmed with countless responsibilities.
He had completely forgotten about Luo Anwei's request.
No one knew how long it would take before he remembered.
Instead...
When Nan Yu reviewed the treatment list for the third time...
He noticed a familiar name.
Luo Heyi.
If he remembered correctly...
Wasn't Luo Heyi Luo Anwei's uncle?
Nan Yu had looked into him before, so he still remembered.
Originally, before Yu Lanfeng had tried sneaking away, Nan Yu had intended to treat Luo Heyi immediately.
But too many unexpected events had happened afterward, delaying the matter.
Fortunately...
It wasn't too late now.
However...
When Yuan Qiyang saw the name Nan Yu had selected, he frowned.
He looked rather conflicted.
Nan Yu raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Is there a problem?"
Qin Wenxing was currently so busy he barely had time to breathe, let alone supervise Nan Yu's work.
So everything on this side had temporarily been handed over to Yuan Qiyang.
Yuan Qiyang hesitated.
"It's not exactly a major problem..."
"But why did you choose him?"
He pointed directly at Luo Heyi's name.
Nan Yu asked calmly,
"Why? Wasn't he injured while fighting on the front lines?"
Yuan Qiyang gave an awkward smile.
"You could say yes."
"But you could also say no."
"He ended up like this because he brought it upon himself."
"He tried to steal someone else's military merit by attacking a heavily wounded Ability Beast."
"He wasn't strong enough and ended up in this condition."
"But because he drew the beast's attention, the rest of the squad arrived in time and successfully killed it."
"That's the only reason he survived."
This time...
Nan Yu frowned.
"Where did you hear all that?"
Yuan Qiyang answered,
"The rest of his squad said so."
Nan Yu asked,
"Is there any evidence?"
Yuan Qiyang paused before shaking his head.
"No."
"But all of his teammates testified to the same thing."
"Surely that many people wouldn't all lie together?"
Nan Yu didn't answer immediately.
He simply looked deeply at Yuan Qiyang before finally saying,
"I've made my decision."
"These are the two."
"Notify the hospital and have them sent over."
Yuan Qiyang still hadn't figured out what that meaningful look had meant.
Nevertheless, he agreed immediately and went to arrange the transfer.
Nan Yu merely wanted to test something.
Perhaps...
He was mistaken.
Or perhaps...
Everyone else had been wrong all along.
He didn't know what others believed.
But he did know one thing.
In his previous life...
Luo Anwei had eventually become Bai Zhouyun's greatest military commander.
This lifetime...
Nan Yu absolutely would not let him leave.
As one of their own legion's people, Luo Anwei had to stay.
Not to mention...
With Luo Anwei's future strength...
If properly nurtured...
Wouldn't he become one of the legion's greatest generals?
When Luo Anwei learned at the hospital that his uncle's name had appeared on the next treatment list...
He was completely stunned.
He'd actually made it!
However, noticing the astonished looks from his comrades around him, he forced himself to calm down almost instantly.
After all...
Many Ability Users there had contributed far more to the legion than either he or his uncle.
Many were stronger as well.
If he celebrated openly now, people would inevitably start talking.
So he modestly said,
"Maybe it's because of what happened before."
"Perhaps that's why they're treating my uncle."
"Or maybe..."
"My uncle's condition is simply a little lighter than everyone else's."
Everyone accepted the explanation.
Because of that earlier incident, his uncle had nearly failed to return alive.
Although some people still felt a little dissatisfied, no one thought too deeply about it.
After all...
The decision had come from above.
There was nothing they could do except accept it.
Thus, with excitement and anxiety hidden beneath a completely expressionless face...
Luo Anwei personally escorted his uncle onto the transport starship.
He silently prayed...
Perhaps this time...
His uncle could finally recover.
Afterward, Luo Anwei didn't become distracted.
Instead, he trained even harder than before.
He completed every assigned mission flawlessly.
It was as though nothing had happened at all.
When Nan Yu finally met Luo Heyi in person, he immediately noticed how much the man resembled Luo Anwei.
After examining him, he found that Luo Heyi's Mental Sea was actually in fairly decent condition.
Without wasting time, he immediately began treatment.
Soon afterward...
He treated the second patient as well.
Nan Yu discovered that treating two Ability Users consecutively no longer exhausted him.
After both treatments were complete, roughly one-tenth of his Mental Power still remained.
That represented tremendous progress.
Not long afterward, he received a communication request from Yu Lanfeng.
The moment it connected...
Yu Lanfeng wore a dark expression.
He spoke only two words.
"Go sleep."
Nan Yu shrank his neck guiltily.
"I just wanted to test myself."
"I knew exactly what I was doing."
"You know I never do anything unless I'm confident."
"And now the results prove I was right."
"I can successfully treat two people in a row."
"So stop worrying."
"I'll only become stronger."
"Eventually I'll be able to stand beside you."
"And honestly..."
"I don't think that day is very far away."
Faced with Nan Yu's cheerful yet completely sincere attitude...
Yu Lanfeng suddenly found it difficult to remain angry.
"...Fine."
"Go to sleep."
Only after confirming Yu Lanfeng truly wasn't angry anymore did Nan Yu nod obediently.
"Okay."
"I'll go rest."
He returned to his room and slept soundly.
When he finally woke up...
He discovered he was already being held in someone's arms.
As for who it was...
Did that even need asking?
There was only one person in the entire world who could lie beside him and hold him while he slept without triggering any warning from his Mental Power.
"Brother..."
"When did you get here?"
Having just woken up, his voice still sounded sleepy and indistinct.
Holding him close, Yu Lanfeng kissed his forehead.
"I've been here for several hours."
"Go back to sleep."
Nan Yu didn't object.
He snuggled comfortably into Yu Lanfeng's embrace...
And soon drifted back to sleep.
As for the tiny Nianshen Grass...
Because it was so small...
Being sandwiched comfortably between the two of them wasn't a problem at all.
When he woke again...
Another three or four hours had passed.
After changing clothes, Nan Yu walked outside.
The food waiting in the dining room was still piping hot.
Yu Lanfeng, however, was nowhere to be seen.
He had obviously gone back to work.
But that was alright.
At least now he knew to come rest together with him.
If Yu Lanfeng refused to rest in the future...
Then Nan Yu would finally have an excuse to give him a hard time.
Just like Yu Lanfeng had scolded him earlier for secretly treating two patients at once.
Still...
This time he hadn't seemed all that angry.
That was good enough.
After quickly finishing breakfast, Nan Yu headed toward the ward.
By the time he arrived...
Both patients were already awake.
Yuan Qiyang leaned against the wall with a terrible expression.
The two soldiers sitting on their hospital beds didn't look much better.
One was pale, his face full of indignation.
He deliberately turned his head away, refusing to look at the soldier occupying the neighboring bed.
The other soldier also wore an unpleasant expression.
However, his anger seemed more like silent frustration than outright fury.
Nan Yu looked from one to the other.
What had happened?
He turned toward Yuan Qiyang with a questioning look.
Yuan Qiyang sighed deeply.
"Brother Nan..."
"What happened?"
"They woke up a little over an hour ago."
"Less than a minute apart."
Nan Yu performed a brief examination.
Both patients looked normal.
There were no signs of any complications.
Yuan Qiyang continued,
"This soldier woke up and immediately asked where he was and what had happened."
"I told him he was in the ward and that no matter what he wanted to do, he needed to rest first."
"But..."
"He didn't seem very happy about that."
The soldier Yuan Qiyang referred to was obviously the one staring stubbornly at the wall.
The other soldier had probably been unable to rest because of all the noise, explaining his poor mood.
Yuan Qiyang's next words confirmed Nan Yu's guess.
After completing the routine examination, Nan Yu spoke firmly.
"You both know your own conditions better than anyone."
"When I tell you to rest quietly, I'm not joking."
"Your Mental Seas suffered severe damage."
"You'll need a long recovery period."
"If you have something urgent to deal with, tell me."
"If it isn't urgent..."
"Then wait until you've fully recovered."
His tone left no room for argument.
The two soldiers naturally understood how serious their injuries had been.
More importantly...
They knew just how extraordinary the Mental Power User standing before them was.
Anyone capable of curing them...
Had to be at least a High-Tier Mental Power User.
Could this young Mental Power User actually be—
Nan Yu seemed to read their thoughts.
He explained once more,
"I'm not a High-Tier Mental Power User."
"But I'm very close."
"As for why I can heal you despite not being High-Tier..."
"I can only say this."
"My talent is exceptional."
"And..."
"You two happened to be very lucky."