Chapter 108.1: It Continues
Yang Zhou and Nan Yu headed to the cafeteria together.
Along the way, they noticed that everyone was talking about the same thing.
Then again, for quite some time now, almost all the gossip had revolved around Bai Zhouyun.
Everyone was enjoying themselves immensely as spectators.
Especially Yang Zhou.
He seemed happier than anyone else.
At some point, it had become enough to know that Bai Zhouyun was having a bad time for him to be in a good mood.
Nan Yu had wondered before whether it was because of him.
Because Yang Zhou had always worried about him and felt that what had happened to him was unfair, he constantly hoped Bai Zhouyun would suffer misfortune.
Whether that was really the reason or not...
Nan Yu had already decided that he would treat Yang Zhou extremely well.
After becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User, he would keep Yang Zhou by his side and share the Nianshen Grass with him.
Not so that Yang Zhou could become a High-Tier Mental Power User like himself.
At the very least, he wanted Yang Zhou to become a Mid-Tier Mental Power User.
That way, Yang Zhou would enjoy much greater freedom.
He would also gain many more privileges and benefits within the Empire.
Even the standards for his future partner could be much higher.
And even if that future partner didn't truly like Yang Zhou, after getting together with him, they would at least take his status into consideration and wouldn't dare mistreat him.
Even if they eventually got divorced...
Wait.
Hold on.
They weren't even married yet.
He was already thinking about divorce.
That was looking far too far ahead.
Better to stay grounded and take things one step at a time.
First, he had to become a High-Tier Mental Power User himself.
And to preserve even greater freedom, he also had to suppress his cultivation speed until after graduation.
According to the Empire's common understanding, even if it took another twenty or thirty years before someone showed even the slightest sign of advancing to High-Tier, that would still be perfectly normal.
After all...
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
The two of them sat down in a corner.
After ordering their food through the terminal, robots would deliver it shortly, so all they had to do was wait.
Unexpectedly, however...
Someone approached them uninvited.
Yang Zhou looked at the two people who had walked over.
Floating beside them was an automatic camera—a hovering recording device capable of filming videos and even livestreaming.
Nan Yu noticed the camera pointed directly at him and frowned slightly.
"What is it?"
He had obviously been interrupted.
And he was clearly unhappy.
Yet the two people who had approached seemed completely oblivious to that.
Instead, they looked even more pleased with themselves.
Only then did Yang Zhou recognize them.
Or rather, most people in the academy knew them.
People both liked and disliked them.
They liked them because they frequently livestreamed embarrassing stories, real incidents, and all sorts of scandalous events involving other people to attract attention and gain followers.
Everyone loved gossip.
And these two generally knew where to draw the line.
That's why everyone enjoyed watching their videos and livestreams.
But nobody wanted them showing up at their own doorstep.
Previously, they had never bothered Nan Yu.
Partly because of Nan Yu's status.
And partly because of his strength.
Now that Nan Yu was even stronger and held an even more important status, they should have been even less likely to approach him.
So why did they now look completely fearless?
Yang Zhou immediately demanded,
"What are you doing here? Don't you know that images of Nan Yu are prohibited from being publicly circulated? If your video or livestream spreads and causes serious consequences, be careful—you could be expelled immediately and even sent before a military court!"
The pair hadn't even had a chance to speak before Yang Zhou unleashed a torrent of words that visibly startled them.
Was Yang Zhou exaggerating?
No.
Everything he had said was true.
Although Nan Yu's appearance wasn't a secret among the people in his daily life...
To the outside world, it remained confidential.
Even the video of his competition against Mental Power Users from another nation on the StarNet had been specially encrypted.
As for his everyday life...
Photography, video recording, and similar activities were strictly prohibited.
Why?
Almost everyone knew the reason.
Because Nan Yu was the only person to appear in recent years who had a genuine possibility of becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User within a relatively short period.
Everyone generally defined "a relatively short period" as anywhere from twenty to fifty years.
In fact, even if Nan Yu never became a High-Tier Mental Power User, his current abilities alone were already enough for the Empire to place him under special protection.
So although Yang Zhou's warning sounded dramatic...
It wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
The two exchanged nervous glances.
Because they had just captured a frontal shot of Nan Yu.
And the truly fatal part was...
They hadn't been recording.
They had been livestreaming.
That meant if anyone watching had recorded the livestream...
There was nothing they could do to delete those copies.
They could only rely on the viewers' goodwill.
But both of them knew that was practically impossible.
Most of their followers weren't students at this academy.
Many weren't even from the Capital Star.
A huge number of them had been begging to see what Nan Yu actually looked like.
That was why the pair had taken the risk.
They simply hadn't expected...
That in their excitement...
They would forget the single most important point.
The Empire's protection measures for Mental Power Users.
And the severe punishments that would follow if serious consequences resulted.
Even if no serious consequences occurred...
There would still be punishment.
The two panicked.
No—
They immediately turned the livestream camera away from Nan Yu.
Then the female student hurried off to one side with the recording device, whispering anxiously while checking whether anyone had recorded the livestream or taken screenshots of Nan Yu.
If anyone had...
She immediately begged them to delete everything.
The young man and young woman were both students of the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star.
They were very familiar with these laws.
Most of their followers also lived on the Capital Star.
Those people could simply visit the academy's perimeter a few times if they wanted to catch a glimpse of Nan Yu in person.
There was no real need to keep photos or videos.
The real problem was the small portion of followers who lived on other planets.
There was no way to track them all down one by one.
So in the end, all she could do during the livestream was repeatedly plead with everyone.
Watching the pitiful female student, Nan Yu felt somewhat conflicted.
But they had brought this upon themselves.
No one else could be blamed.
As students of the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star, they had forgotten the law simply because their fans had flattered them.
They only had themselves to blame.
Yang Zhou looked at the male student, who was now grinning awkwardly at them.
"So what exactly did you come here for?"
"W-We... we wanted to interview Nan Yu..."
"But... but..."
"We almost forgot something important."
What did they want to interview him about?
Naturally...
Bai Zhouyun.
The incident had been making waves everywhere recently.
Surely Nan Yu knew far more than most people.
But they hadn't thought things through beforehand.
If interviewing Nan Yu were really that easy...
It would never have been their turn.
Nan Yu looked toward Yang Zhou, silently asking with his eyes.
Yang Zhou explained,
"These two are upperclassmen from the academy's News Department. Normally, their videos and livestreams do know where to draw the line. I don't know why this time it feels like they've completely forgotten their limits."
He said it directly in front of the senior student, giving him absolutely no face.
He was obviously angry.
Yang Zhou continued,
"And even if they beg everyone now, there's no guarantee they'll get every single person to delete their recordings or screenshots."
"After all..."
"They must have announced beforehand that they were coming."
"So there were definitely a lot of fans waiting in their livestream specifically to save videos once they found you."
Nan Yu glanced at the senior student, who no longer dared to say a word.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"I'll contact Brother Fu..."
As soon as he said that, another thought occurred to him.
Perhaps it would actually be faster and more convenient to contact Yu Lanfeng directly.
Yang Zhou also knew how capable Fu Yu'ang was.
"His abilities are definitely excellent, but this situation isn't that simple. If possible..."
Nan Yu knew exactly what he meant.
If possible...
Contact Marshal Yu.
"You're right."
"I'll give it a try."
The senior student and the senior female student, who had just returned after ending the livestream, had absolutely no idea what the two of them were talking about.
Their faces were filled with confusion.
But they had a feeling that very soon...
They would have much more important things to worry about.
Since Nan Yu was contacting that particular person, the communication interface automatically switched to private mode.
No one else could see it.
Yu Lanfeng answered almost immediately.
Soon, Nan Yu saw his holographic image appear.
"What's wrong?"
Nan Yu should have been at school.
Judging from the background, he seemed to be in the cafeteria.
Nan Yu briefly recounted everything that had just happened.
"I don't know what will happen yet. Anyway, I thought I should tell you first. Even if I told someone else, there isn't anything they could do besides worry."