Chapter 120: Time
Zhang Wei had never expected that what he had done would make Nan Yu think this way. This wouldn't do at all. They had been hoping Nan Yu would develop at least a little goodwill toward them. That way, when the people pursuing them arrived, they would have a better chance of negotiating.
But now...
Judging by Nan Yu's attitude, were they going to lose this opportunity?
As for killing Nan Yu—that was absolutely impossible.
First of all, Nan Yu was a Mental Power User belonging to the Empire. From his conversations with Ye Xing, Zhang Wei already knew that Nan Yu was someone under the Empire's highest level of protection. It was only because nothing had happened to him for such a long time, and because he lived on the Capital Star—a place with already incredibly strict security—that the protection around him had become somewhat relaxed.
That was why Ye Xing had found an opening.
But that certainly didn't mean the Empire didn't value Nan Yu.
On the contrary.
As the only person discovered by the Empire in recent years with the potential to become a High-Tier Mental Power User, Nan Yu's status within the Empire was undoubtedly far higher than most people imagined.
If they killed Nan Yu here...
Then what awaited them would no longer be the minor pursuit Ye Xing had experienced before.
Every capable person throughout the Empire would join the hunt.
Especially the Imperial government and the military legions.
None of them would ever let the two of them go.
Perhaps smaller nations would eventually withdraw most of their forces after several years because of national defense needs.
But the Empire never would.
He knew that for certain.
Because he had once known an Imperial soldier.
It was from that person that Zhang Wei had learned many of the Empire's traditions and ways of doing things.
One of them was this:
Any bastard who dared lay a hand on one of the Empire's Mental Power Users would be hunted to the ends of the universe, even if the Empire had to mobilize all of its strength. As long as even one piece of trash was still alive, the pursuit would never end.
Things like this had happened before.
The Empire had a huge population and countless talented people. Naturally, it also had far more Mental Power Users than any other nation.
In the beginning, many countries had set their sights on the Empire's Mental Power Users.
Kidnapping.
Abduction.
And when those failed...
Assassination.
All of it had happened.
But every person—or even every nation—that had harmed an Imperial Mental Power User had paid a price ten, even a hundred times greater.
Gradually, everyone came to understand the Empire's principles.
To attack one of their Mental Power Users was equivalent to challenging the authority of the Empire itself.
Looking at Nan Yu's vigilant expression, Zhang Wei knew he had to settle things with Nan Yu before the rescuers arrived.
Otherwise, not only would they lose the best opportunity to leave, they would also be completely surrounded.
And no one would speak on their behalf.
Who could plead for them more effectively than Nan Yu?
From Ye Xing's earlier remarks, Zhang Wei had already roughly guessed who was leading the rescue operation.
If it really was that person...
Then only Nan Yu could persuade him.
Otherwise, both he and Ye Xing would undoubtedly die.
Even his own reputation probably wouldn't help.
After all...
Given that man's personality...
Once he acknowledged someone as his lifelong partner, he would cherish that person as the love of his entire life.
Now imagine...
The person he loved most had been kidnapped right under his nose.
Dragged this far away.
And the kidnappers had even considered killing him.
Wouldn't that be utterly disastrous?
Zhang Wei knew that if he forced Nan Yu to eat now, Nan Yu would only believe he was being coerced into swallowing something with unknown effects.
So instead of persuading him to eat, Zhang Wei decided to change the subject.
"Your name is Nan Yu, right?"
Nan Yu sat quietly on the sofa, staring at one corner of the room.
He deliberately refused to look at Zhang Wei.
He paid no attention to anything he was doing.
He wasn't even listening.
All he was doing now...
Was waiting for Yu Lanfeng to arrive.
Time passed second by second.
On the surface, Nan Yu looked calm.
But inside, he was becoming increasingly anxious.
Perhaps...
The other side was waiting for this very moment as well.
Especially Zhang Wei.
From everything he'd shown earlier, it was obvious he already knew the Empire had dispatched people.
Yet instead of leaving with Ye Xing...
He had chosen to stay.
Were they planning to remain here and wait for death?
Nan Yu couldn't understand it.
He glanced at Zhang Wei.
"I know you're angry about all this," Zhang Wei said. "You're unwilling to accept it, and you're worried about many things. But I can promise you—we absolutely won't hurt you."
Nan Yu wanted to say that if that was true, then they should simply let him go.
But he remembered the environment outside when they had arrived.
If he walked out of this house alone...
It would be no different from committing suicide.
So all he could do was wait.
He couldn't even leave.
But that was fine.
He could wait.
And it wouldn't be long.
Very soon...
Very soon...
He would leave together with the people who had come to rescue him.
Seeing Nan Yu relax ever so slightly, Zhang Wei pointed at the dishes on the table.
"Won't you eat something? You know Ye Xing's cooking. He also knows what he did was wrong. He specially made this meal to apologize."
Nan Yu's mouth twitched.
An apology?
After all, he had saved Zhang Wei.
Of course Ye Xing should apologize now.
But if he hadn't been able to save Zhang Wei...
Ye Xing would definitely have killed him.
Nan Yu had that feeling.
Back then, he had clearly sensed that subtle atmosphere of tension.
His mental power had told him his instincts weren't wrong.
Why had all the previous kidnapped Mental Power Users been released...
Yet he would have died?
Because Zhang Wei wouldn't have survived this outbreak of mental power.
He would have died outright.
Ye Xing had been emotionally unstable at the time.
Killing the person who had failed to save Zhang Wei...
Was entirely possible.
Of course, Nan Yu knew he couldn't say any of that aloud.
Because...
If they realized he had been thinking this way...
Who knew what new trouble they might stir up and ruin this fragile period of waiting?
Nan Yu looked away.
Zhang Wei, however, seemed to have opened a floodgate as he began talking about his past with Ye Xing.
"Do you know what Ye Xing was like as a child? He was a complete little troublemaker. If someone bullied him, he'd never retaliate on the spot. Instead, he'd pretend he'd been bullied terribly, run home looking pitiful, and act miserable. Then the adults would go confront the other child's parents."
"And after the adults left, those parents would naturally give their own child a severe scolding. But that still wasn't enough for A'Xing. He'd secretly get his revenge anyway. He'd quietly set traps, make them fall in public, or embarrass themselves in front of the person they liked."
Nan Yu couldn't help imagining himself making a fool of himself in front of Yu Lanfeng...
Or Yu Lanfeng embarrassing himself in front of him.
That would probably never happen.
But Ye Xing...
Sure enough.
That kind of personality had been cultivated since childhood.
He really was rotten to the core.
Yet in everyone else's eyes...
He was just a pitiful little boy who was constantly bullied and had no choice but to run home and ask adults for help.
Naturally, countless children his age ended up disliking him.
Little by little...
He became isolated.
But...
What did any of this have to do with him?
Nan Yu immediately returned to his expressionless "this has nothing to do with me" attitude.
Zhang Wei, however, felt he had finally found an opening.
"Do you want to hear about what happened between Yu Lanfeng and me?"
The moment Nan Yu heard that...
He completely forgot everything else.
He looked directly at Zhang Wei, his eyes instantly filled with hostility.
What did he mean by "between Yu Lanfeng and me"?
He made it sound as though there had been something between them.
Nan Yu immediately became irritated.
This man was unbelievably annoying.
Wouldn't it be better to escape while there was still time?
Why waste it talking here?
Was he really not afraid Yu Lanfeng would deal with them the moment he arrived?
...Wait.
He had just said he knew Yu Lanfeng.
Which meant...
When Yu Lanfeng arrived, he probably wouldn't attack them immediately.
So that was it.
They had a backup plan.
Nan Yu realized he hadn't thought things through earlier.
The fact that these two still had the nerve to remain here calmly until now meant they definitely possessed a trump card of their own.
In that case...
"So..." Nan Yu said, "I'm actually a little curious. Tell me."
"I'll start from the first time I met him."
"Go on."
"Back then, he had just joined the legion as a brand-new recruit, but his combat ability was already extraordinary. At the time, I was leading a military unit in pursuit of a group of interstellar pirates near the border. They were incredibly cunning, deliberately fleeing toward the Empire's border, and they were just about to cross it."
"You probably don't know this, but relations between the Empire and our country were very poor back then. Even if we crossed the border to chase criminals, the Empire wouldn't only hunt the pirates—they'd hunt our soldiers for crossing the border as well."
Nan Yu remained expressionless.
So what?
What did that have to do with him?
"I already knew we'd have to stop pursuing them the moment they entered Imperial territory. We'd have no choice but to watch them escape. They had calculated everything perfectly. That section of the border usually had no Imperial troops stationed nearby."
Nan Yu interrupted.
"But by coincidence, Yu Lanfeng's squad happened to be patrolling there—or passing through anyway. They witnessed everything, both sides temporarily cooperated, killed all the pirates together, and then you formed a deep friendship. Is that the story?"
Zhang Wei laughed and shook his head.
"How could it possibly have gone that smoothly?"
"But you did get one thing right."
"We did end up with a tiny bit of friendship."
"When we first met, the Imperial troops completely ignored the pirates and immediately ordered us to leave. Unfortunately, the officer commanding our side had a terrible temper, so both sides quickly started arguing."
"While everyone was arguing, the pirates tried to seize the opportunity to escape."
"They almost succeeded."
"But the Imperial commander was actually quite reliable."
"Before arguing with our officer, he'd already secretly sent soldiers closer to the pirates' ship, intending to capture it in one strike."
"He simply hadn't expected the pirates to lose their nerve and prepare to flee so quickly."
Nan Yu quickly guessed the outcome.
"So the Empire sent Yu Lanfeng's squad."
"And your side sent your own squad."
"Both trying to eliminate the pirates?"
Zhang Wei nodded.
"Almost."
"The Empire acted under direct orders."
"We organized ourselves first, reported it afterward, received permission to leave the warship, and tried to catch them by surprise."
"But regardless of the orders, the execution, or the speed..."
"We lost."
"By the time we moved, your Empire's squad had already approached the pirate ship."
"They'd been discovered."
"And the pirate ship immediately began fleeing at full speed."
Nan Yu drew a slow breath.
"And then?"
He was genuinely beginning to look forward to hearing the rest.
What had the young Yu Lanfeng been like?
Impulsive?
Inexperienced?
The more he imagined it...
The more curious he became.
Noticing Nan Yu's attention, Zhang Wei thought to himself that he'd succeeded.
Talking about Yu Lanfeng really had been the right choice.
Still...
He first pointed at the food.
"Are you hungry? Why don't we eat while I tell the story?"
Nan Yu had no habit of mistreating himself.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to take a bite.
He truly was starving.
Earlier, he'd simply been forcing himself to endure it.
Zhang Wei was obviously chatting with him because he had another purpose.
He was still waiting here...
Clearly waiting for the people coming to rescue Nan Yu.
He probably even knew exactly who they were.
If that was the case...
They certainly wouldn't attack him now.
So...
These dishes were perfectly safe to eat.
Since that was so, Nan Yu stopped torturing himself.
He picked up his chopsticks and slowly began eating.
The food was still piping hot.
It was delicious.
Although it tasted wonderful...
There was still quite a gap compared to Yu Lanfeng's cooking.
As Nan Yu quietly ate, Zhang Wei continued his story.
"By the time we moved, the Imperial squad had already caught up with the pirate ship and fierce fighting had broken out."
"The pirates resisted desperately, so the Imperial soldiers couldn't board recklessly. They could only stay glued to them and refuse to let them escape."
"We took advantage of that opportunity to catch up as well."
"It was the first time we'd ever fought alongside Imperial troops."
"At least..."
"That's what I thought."
"But I quickly realized I was the only one who thought so."
"Everyone else believed the pirates were our prey and couldn't be handed over to the Empire."
"So they launched a frantic barrage against the pirate ship."
"Under that concentrated bombardment, the shield finally collapsed."
"Both squads rushed aboard simultaneously."
"But then..."
"Something completely unexpected happened."
Nan Yu chewed another piece of meat.
He wasn't sure which Ability Beast it came from.
All he knew was that it was exceptionally delicious.
It had a unique fragrance that made it even more flavorful.
Soon, however, Zhang Wei's words completely captured his attention.
"What happened?"
"We'd chased those pirates for a very long time," Zhang Wei said. "They were already making their final stand."
"They'd probably spent the last of their ship's energy powering the defensive shield."
"So when we boarded..."
"They activated the ship's self-destruct."
Nan Yu's eyes widened slightly.
He immediately stopped eating.
"What happened afterward?"
"What happened?"
"Was he injured?!"
"Yes."
"He was."
"And quite seriously."
"At the time, I regarded him as my rival."
"When the explosion occurred, we were standing very close together."
"I originally intended to protect my vice-captain."
"But everything happened too quickly."
"I didn't see clearly."
"After the explosion ended..."
"I realized the person I'd saved wasn't one of ours at all."
"It was an Imperial soldier."
"And that was the very first time I saw what Yu Lanfeng looked like."
"I couldn't resist recording a video and taking screenshots."
"Do you want them?"
"If you do, I'll send them to you right now."
"It's Yu Lanfeng when he was still very young."
"Want to see?"
Nan Yu instantly forgot everything he'd been thinking about earlier.
"You can give them to me?"
Zhang Wei nodded.
"Of course."
"Oh, right."
"This is your communicator."
"I found it with A'Xing."
"I'm returning it now."
"Take it."
"I'll send the video and screenshots to you afterward."
Somewhat surprised, Nan Yu accepted the communicator.
After putting it on, he found it functioned perfectly.
He opened several applications to test the connection.
Not only could it access the network...
The connection was incredibly fast.
Since that was the case...
He wasn't going to be polite.
Instead of initiating a video call, Nan Yu immediately sent Yu Lanfeng a message.
"I got my communicator back."
Yu Lanfeng replied almost instantly.
"What happened?"
"Do you know Zhang Wei?"
"I do."
"Is he the person Ye Xing wanted to save?"
"Yes."
"I've already cured him."
"They're waiting here with me for you."
"They're not even trying to run away."
"They seem convinced you won't kill them."
"Do you want them dead?"
Nan Yu hesitated.
"I honestly don't know."
"Logically speaking, after what Ye Xing did, even if he were beaten to death, he'd deserve it."
"But Zhang Wei..."
"You've been getting along well with him?"
"No."
"He was just telling me about the first time the two of you met."
"I'm listening to the story."
"Hurry up."
"I'm still worried they might attack me."
"No problem."
"Wait for me."
"And be careful."
Instead of reassuring Yu Lanfeng...
Nan Yu's messages only made him even more worried.
Yu Lanfeng's first thought was...
Could Zhang Wei be trying to steal Nan Yu away from him?
If that really was his intention...
Then Yu Lanfeng would absolutely never forgive him.
While urging everyone to increase their speed, Yu Lanfeng continued exchanging messages with Nan Yu.
He soon confirmed that Zhang Wei really was recounting the story of their first meeting.
That incident...
Was also the one Yu Lanfeng regretted the most.
Because of a single mistake back then...
He had ended up owing Zhang Wei an enormous debt of gratitude.
And now...
The time to repay it had probably arrived.
But that didn't matter.
If he couldn't capture them today...
He'd do it next time.
Either way...
Neither of them would escape forever.
Ironically, the calmest person in the house now was probably Nan Yu.
He leisurely enjoyed the delicious meal while listening to Zhang Wei's story.
The whole thing had surprised him.
"I never expected even he could make mistakes."
"But nobody's perfect."
"Making mistakes is normal."
"So it's nothing worth boasting about."
Zhang Wei laughed.
"I'm not boasting."
"I'm simply telling you what happened."
Nan Yu finally understood.
His lover owed this man an enormous favor.
Many years ago...
Zhang Wei had saved Yu Lanfeng's life.
And now...
That debt had come due.
The corner of Nan Yu's mouth twitched.
"So you're planning to use that favor to make Yu Lanfeng let you go?"
"I don't think he'd let the two of us—the people truly responsible—walk away simply because of a personal debt."
"I just want a little time to discuss what comes next with him."
Nan Yu neither agreed nor disagreed.
In the end...
Everything depended on what Yu Lanfeng decided.
All they could do now...
Was wait for him to arrive.
After finishing the meal, Nan Yu put down his chopsticks.
"Alright."
"You can go now."
"I'm going to rest for a while."
"When Yu Lanfeng gets here, wake me."
Seeing Nan Yu yawn before leaning back against the sofa, Zhang Wei wisely chose not to disturb him.
He quickly cleaned up the table and quietly left the room.
Since they were waiting for Yu Lanfeng anyway...
Waiting inside or outside made no difference.
The biggest problem had already been solved.
Now the greatest challenge facing him and Ye Xing was...
How to redirect Yu Lanfeng's overwhelming fury the moment he arrived.
Because Zhang Wei knew one thing for certain.
Yu Lanfeng truly loved Nan Yu.
For Nan Yu's sake...
There was almost nothing he wouldn't do.
"You realize your mistake now, don't you?" Zhang Wei said.
"Yu Lanfeng owes me a favor."
"If you'd simply taken me to contact his legion in the Empire, he would've let Nan Yu treat me."
"Instead, you kidnapped him."
"That was absolutely the wrong choice."
"When you see Yu Lanfeng..."
"You'll understand."
"He's going to be like an enraged hedgehog with every spine standing straight."
"Anyone who gets close is going to be stabbed."
Ye Xing now fully understood what he had done.
Very soon...
They would be facing a Yu Lanfeng consumed by rage.
Did he know what kind of person Yu Lanfeng was?
Not really.
But there was one thing he did know.
Yu Lanfeng would never let him off as easily as Zhang Wei.
Yu Lanfeng owed him nothing.
Even worse...
Yu Lanfeng's strength spoke for itself.
By the time they met again...
Ye Xing might not even have enough time to dodge.
He could very well be engulfed by a single mass of flames...
And reduced to ashes.