Chapter 171: The Marshal
Of course, thinking about it was one thing.
Actually saying it aloud was another.
No one knew whether High-Tier Mental Power Users needed an entire night's rest after treating one patient because they had completely exhausted themselves...
Or because it was simply their habit...
Or perhaps they just didn't want to overwork themselves.
No one could say for certain.
Not even Nan Yu.
The only experience he truly understood was his own.
In his previous life, after becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User, he gradually realized that he seemed far stronger than every other High-Tier Mental Power User.
Fortunately...
Back then, every ounce of his attention had been focused on Bai Zhouyun.
Because of that, he never exposed just how overwhelmingly powerful he really was.
Otherwise...
Bai Zhouyun would probably have treated him like a free cash machine and exploited him for much, much longer.
Nan Yu first performed a thorough examination of all three patients.
Their Mental Contamination matched their medical records almost exactly.
If nothing unexpected happened...
He was confident he could treat all three consecutively...
And reduce all three below A-rank contamination.
It was entirely possible.
The only requirement...
Was that nothing went wrong midway through.
Otherwise...
The treatment would certainly fail.
Fortunately...
Nan Yu had already prepared countermeasures.
And with Yu Lanfeng standing guard...
Nothing would happen to him.
Nearly twenty consecutive hours later...
Nan Yu finally let out a long sigh of relief.
His entire body relaxed.
Yu Lanfeng immediately stepped forward, lifted him into his arms, and carried him away without hesitation.
Yuan Qiyang remained behind to deal with the aftermath.
Of course...
All he could really do was organize things.
He wasn't a Mental Power User.
He couldn't provide any treatment.
Fortunately...
The three patients had already passed the most dangerous stage.
Even if no one touched them now...
They would gradually wake up on their own.
Yu Lanfeng carried Nan Yu back to his room at the highest possible speed before gently laying him on the bed.
Rubbing his temples, Nan Yu muttered,
"I haven't taken a shower yet."
"I'll sleep after I wash."
"Otherwise it'll feel uncomfortable."
Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly.
He didn't approve.
But he also knew Nan Yu always insisted on showering before bed.
He liked going to sleep clean.
Since taking a shower wouldn't cause any problems...
Yu Lanfeng didn't object.
Nan Yu walked into the bathroom.
Since he bathed every day, he was already perfectly clean.
Today he simply rinsed himself off before coming back out.
Mostly because...
He was simply too exhausted.
He wanted to fall asleep as soon as possible.
His drowsiness wasn't caused by excessive Mental Power consumption.
Although he had indeed consumed an enormous amount...
He still retained roughly one-tenth of his Mental Power.
That wasn't enough to endanger him.
The reason he was sleepy...
Was simply because anyone would feel exhausted after nearly twenty hours of intense work.
That was perfectly normal.
Nan Yu lay down.
Less than five minutes after his head touched the pillow...
He was already fast asleep.
Yu Lanfeng had remained sitting quietly nearby.
Only after confirming that Nan Yu had truly fallen asleep did he finally stand and leave.
He had just received a message.
It was something he personally had to deal with.
So he could only leave for the time being.
Not long after stepping outside...
He saw Qin Wenxing waiting nearby.
Yuan Qiyang had been assigned to remain in the area, protecting the sleeping Nan Yu at close range.
Yu Lanfeng walked away alongside Qin Wenxing.
As they walked, Qin Wenxing reported,
"Wu Zhengting has arrived."
"He's currently waiting at the outermost defensive position established by our legion."
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
"Didn't they say it would take at least another half month?"
"Is his starship really that fast?"
"Or..."
"Was he already somewhere nearby when he received our message?"
Qin Wenxing shook his head.
"There's no way to know."
"He may have been stationed on a nearby planet because he was worried about his son."
"That's probably why he arrived so quickly."
"The only reason he made it here this fast..."
"Is because he was desperate."
Everyone throughout the Empire who knew Wu Zhengting understood one thing.
He treasured his only son beyond measure.
He doted on him endlessly.
His protection of Wu Qinhao bordered on ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) obsession.
Even Yu Lanfeng had never known what Wu Qinhao looked like until now.
This was the first time he had actually seen him.
The young man was reasonably handsome.
But he definitely didn't look like someone who could stay out of trouble.
Yu Lanfeng truly hadn't expected him to cause problems by secretly infiltrating another legion under a forged identity.
Was this really Wu Qinhao's own decision?
Or had someone manipulated him into doing it?
Yu Lanfeng soon arrived at the edge of Border Region One.
Before long...
He connected with Wu Zhengting.
Naturally...
The two weren't meeting face-to-face.
They were speaking through a live video connection.
Both sides were using the command bridge of their respective flagship vessels, with the enormous bridge display serving as the communication screen.
The officers forced to watch from Yu Lanfeng's side found the situation rather awkward.
Because...
The instant Wu Zhengting saw Yu Lanfeng appear...
He immediately began shouting.
"Marshal Yu!"
"Marshal Yu!"
"This is all my fault!"
"I failed to discipline my son!"
"I'm truly sorry!"
"As long as you return him to me safely..."
"I'll agree to any condition!"
"I don't ask for anything else!"
"I only beg you..."
"Please don't harm my son!"
The more Yu Lanfeng listened...
The stranger it sounded.
"So..."
"What you're saying..."
"Makes it sound as though we'd be the ones at fault if we took action."
Wu Zhengting hurriedly waved his hands.
"No, no!"
"I know he was too reckless!"
"He acted far too impulsively!"
"But he's still young..."
"Please show him mercy..."
"'Reckless?'"
"'Impulsive?'"
Yu Lanfeng spoke calmly.
"So infiltrating another legion as a spy is merely youthful recklessness?"
His voice remained completely steady.
If Nan Yu had been present...
He would immediately have recognized the signs.
Yu Lanfeng was already angry.
He was quietly suppressing that anger.
Nan Yu had heard this tone often enough to recognize it instantly.
Unfortunately...
Wu Zhengting didn't.
Instead...
He stepped directly onto another landmine.
"Marshal Yu..."
"Please."
"Whatever conditions you have..."
"I'll satisfy them."
"I only want my son to return safely."
Yu Lanfeng twitched the corner of his mouth.
Even now...
Wu Zhengting still hadn't realized his own mistake.
Nor did he think his son had done anything wrong.
He wasn't even willing to tell the truth.
Yet somehow...
He still had the nerve to ask Yu Lanfeng to release the infiltrator Wu Qinhao.
Yu Lanfeng didn't know exactly how Wu Qinhao had infiltrated the legion.
But one thing was certain.
He had openly passed every examination and entered legitimately.
That alone proved he possessed genuine ability.
Unfortunately...
When his life was truly on the line...
His true nature emerged.
He was simply someone terrified of death.
Ironically...
It was precisely because he had begged for mercy...
That Yu Lanfeng had spared his life.
Naturally...
Yu Lanfeng hadn't spared him out of kindness.
He believed Wu Qinhao still possessed value.
Yet...
Wu Zhengting had disappointed him tremendously.
The Wu Zhengting he had known before hadn't been like this.
Now...
He had become someone entirely different.
Clearly...
His son had changed him beyond recognition.
Today...
He was willing to promise absolutely anything for his son's sake.
Which also meant...
If someone else captured Wu Qinhao in the future...
Wu Zhengting would unquestionably obey their demands.
Even if those demands included turning against Yu Lanfeng himself.
Someone like that...
Was simply impossible to trust.
A person ruled so completely by emotion...
Had no business commanding an entire legion.
His overwhelming paternal love had already destroyed his ability to distinguish right from wrong.
That made Wu Zhengting an enormous hidden danger.
Such a danger...
Should simply be eliminated.
Yu Lanfeng finally said,
"I can guarantee your son's safety."
Wu Zhengting visibly relaxed.
Then he cautiously asked,
"Marshal Yu..."
"Could you return him to me?"
Yu Lanfeng looked at him.
"What do you think?"
Of course not.
Guaranteeing that Wu Qinhao remained alive was already an enormous concession.
Taking him away?
That was wishful thinking.
Wu Qinhao had spent considerable time moving freely around the military base.
He undoubtedly knew a great deal about Yu Lanfeng's legion.
They would have to imprison him for a long time.
Only after everything he knew had become outdated, incomplete, and useless...
Would negotiations even become possible.
As for anyone who refused to cooperate...
Skipping a few meals was more than sufficient punishment.
Nothing else was necessary.
Yu Lanfeng said calmly,
"What do you think?"
"If that isn't acceptable..."
"That's fine too."
At worst...
The matter would simply be brought before a military tribunal.
Both father and son would pay the price.
After all...
Wu Zhengting had already demonstrated that he would agree to absolutely anything the moment his son was endangered.
Yu Lanfeng presented him with two options.
The first...
Was to execute Wu Qinhao.
That would permanently destroy the person Wu Zhengting cherished most.
His life would return to what it had once been.
But...
That wasn't what Yu Lanfeng wanted.
What he wanted...
Was for the person Wu Qinhao trusted most...
To become Yu Lanfeng himself.
Yet after hearing those two conditions...
Wu Zhengting didn't hesitate even briefly.
He rejected them outright.
"I understand Marshal Yu's goodwill."
"But I know myself."
"So..."
"I'm begging you."
"I'll do absolutely anything."
Yu Lanfeng looked directly at him.
"What if one day..."
"You fail to protect your son..."
"And someone else captures him?"
"If that happens..."
"Would you obey their demands?"
"Would you secretly use your current position against us?"
"Feed us false intelligence?"
"Or anything else they ordered?"
"You already said you'd do anything for your son."
"If I hand him back to you..."
"Then from today onward..."
"You'll both become people who could betray us at any moment."
Wu Zhengting froze.
He clearly hadn't expected Yu Lanfeng to say such a thing.
According to that reasoning...
Wouldn't he become someone capable of betraying the Empire at any time?
What horrified him even more...
Was that he reached the exact same conclusion himself.
If his son were captured by an enemy nation...
Or by that mysterious organization...
Or by anyone seeking to harm the Empire...
Would he obey them?
He didn't even need one second to answer.
Yes.
He would.
His son's safety would always come first.
Everything else...
Would come afterward.
Perhaps...
His son might already be dead without his knowledge...
While he desperately carried out every order they gave him.
Until finally...
He completely descended into hell.
Then...
A different thought suddenly occurred to him.
Yu Lanfeng had promised Wu Qinhao would remain safe.
Which meant...
As long as his son stayed inside Yu Lanfeng's military base...
He would never truly be in danger.
After all...
This was Yu Lanfeng's legion.
No one in the Empire could simply break into a fortress-like military base and abduct a heavily guarded prisoner.
That realization startled even Wu Zhengting himself.
Ever since Wu Qinhao was born...
He had adored him.
He wanted to see him every single day.
Yet now...
He suddenly realized...
Perhaps this really was the correct choice.
"Marshal..."
"May I at least see my son's condition?"
Yu Lanfeng asked calmly,
"Wu Zhengting."
"Have we reached an agreement?"
Wu Zhengting paused.
Right.
They hadn't settled anything yet.
How could he immediately make another request?
"I'm sorry."
"I..."
"I'd like to see my son first."
"Then I'll make my decision."
"Could you make an exception?"
"I'm truly worried about him."
Yu Lanfeng narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So..."
"Marshal Wu believes I'm lying."
"When I say your son is safe..."
"You think I'm deceiving you."
"You think he's actually covered in injuries after being interrogated by our military prison."
Wu Zhengting fell silent.
He didn't deny it.
Which meant...
That was exactly what he believed.
Yu Lanfeng slowly narrowed his eyes.
"In that case..."
"There's nothing left to discuss."
He had already reached his conclusion.
Someone this incapable of distinguishing right from wrong...
Had no business remaining a Marshal.
Someone ruled by extreme emotion...
Someone almost obsessively attached to another person...
Yet lacking sufficient strength to protect that person...
The moment disaster struck...
He would lose all reason.
Allowing someone like that to command one of the legions responsible for protecting the Empire...
Was simply too dangerous.
His position...
Needed to be revoked as soon as possible.