Chapter 152: The Traitor
The "old rules" Yu Lanfeng referred to were simple.
Lose, and you died here.
Win, and you walked away unharmed.
Back when Yu Lanfeng had first founded the legion, this was how he often dealt with spies and traitors who had infiltrated his ranks.
The man had witnessed it many times before.
Every single time without exception, Yu Lanfeng emerged victorious.
The other side always died.
The only difference this time was that, in the past, Yu Lanfeng had always given them a choice.
This time...
There was no choice.
"Marshal... are you really going to wipe us out completely?"
Yu Lanfeng estimated the time and realized he had already wasted too much on this man.
Without another word, he slowly walked toward him.
No one had the courage to face Yu Lanfeng head-on.
Naturally, this man was no exception.
As Yu Lanfeng approached, he couldn't stop himself from backing away.
It wasn't a matter of courage.
The pressure Yu Lanfeng radiated was simply too overwhelming.
He couldn't even summon the resolve to stand his ground.
"Marshal, don't you really want to know? At this point I have nothing left to hide. I know who contacted me. I've never met him in person, and I've never heard his real voice, but I'm very familiar with his attitude, his tone, the way he speaks..."
Yu Lanfeng stopped about three meters away.
His icy eyes fixed on the man.
"If that's the case..."
"Then tell me."
"If what you say is true..."
"I'll spare your life."
"But if it's false..."
He didn't bother finishing the sentence.
No one needed him to.
The implication was obvious.
"Speak."
The man wiped the cold sweat from his face with lingering fear.
"The Marshal actually knows him."
"You're just... not very familiar with him."
He then revealed a name.
For the first time, surprise briefly appeared on Yu Lanfeng's face.
Just as quickly, it disappeared.
"I'll investigate this."
"As for you..."
Yu Lanfeng suddenly found himself hesitating.
That organization possessed the ability to secretly abduct or assassinate people without anyone noticing.
For a moment, he couldn't decide where it would be safest to imprison this man.
Then he thought of the perfect place.
Wasn't this room ideal?
Aside from the single entrance...
There was no other way in or out.
"You'll stay here for the time being."
Without another glance, Yu Lanfeng turned and left.
He had to verify whether the man's information was true.
If it was...
The legion could suffer devastating losses.
He hoped the man had merely fabricated the story to buy time.
Otherwise...
Returning to his office, Yu Lanfeng immediately found Qin Wenxing.
Unfortunately...
Qin Wenxing had bad news.
And it happened to involve the very person the traitor had just named.
Yu Lanfeng sat down, his expression dark.
"Is everything you just told me true?"
Qin Wenxing nodded.
"Yes, Marshal."
"He's already disappeared."
"Our people have no idea where he went or when he left."
"His status at the military base was extremely high. Under normal circumstances, no one would monitor his movements."
"Everyone trusted him."
Yu Lanfeng asked,
"What are the losses?"
"Marshal."
"He took ten of our newest accelerator units."
"Thirteen elite soldiers."
"One small combat starship."
"And practically every classified file from that military base."
Yu Lanfeng's face became even colder.
"Can you determine when he left?"
"Or when he was last seen?"
Qin Wenxing answered,
"About six hours ago."
"If someone hadn't happened to look for him, we probably wouldn't have realized he'd disappeared until tomorrow morning."
The missing man was Han Lu.
He served as the deputy commander of Border Region Five's military base under Yu Lanfeng's legion.
Whether it was strength, intelligence, or leadership...
He ranked among the very best.
Otherwise, someone so young could never have become deputy commander of an entire military base.
Han Lu...
Was exactly the name the traitor had mentioned earlier.
If someone had told Yu Lanfeng this before...
He never would have believed it.
But now the evidence lay before him.
Han Lu was very likely a member of that organization.
Perhaps he had been one from the very beginning.
No one even knew how long that organization had existed.
Perhaps they had spent decades raising children within the Empire.
Allowing them to grow up like ordinary Imperial citizens.
Excel in school.
Enter every important profession.
Rise through the ranks.
And finally...
Yu Lanfeng found it difficult to imagine just how many government agencies and military legions across the Empire had already been infiltrated.
Fortunately, he quickly forced himself to calm down.
Achieving infiltration on that scale couldn't possibly be easy.
Right now...
His priority was catching Han Lu and minimizing the damage.
There was no point worrying himself sick over possibilities.
Then he thought of Nan Yu.
Nan Yu was still sleeping.
Yu Lanfeng immediately decided to lead a team to Border Region Five himself.
He would handle everything there before returning.
Nan Yu would certainly be angry.
But this wasn't the time to indulge him.
Yu Lanfeng couldn't allow Nan Yu to accompany him into danger.
"Qin Wenxing."
"Assemble a team immediately."
"I'm taking them to Border Region Five."
"While I'm away, contact me through the legion network if anything happens."
"As for Xiaoyu..."
"Explain everything to him as clearly as possible."
Before Qin Wenxing could respond...
A voice came from the doorway.
"Explain what?"
Qin Wenxing blinked.
At that moment, he felt he shouldn't be here.
Instead...
He should quietly disappear.
Maybe...
It was finally time for him to find a partner too.
Watching the Marshal and his lover openly show affection every single day...
He was practically immune by now.
Sure enough...
Yu Lanfeng immediately waved him away.
Qin Wenxing slipped out at top speed.
Nan Yu walked into the office.
Standing opposite the desk, he looked down at Yu Lanfeng.
"What did you just say?"
"You're planning to leave me here while you go off by yourself?"
Yu Lanfeng sighed.
"Xiaoyu."
"I'm not going off to have fun."
Nan Yu twitched the corner of his mouth.
Of course he knew that.
He had only said it casually.
"I mean..."
"You're planning to leave me behind?"
"What happened that's so urgent?"
"Can't you take me with you?"
"Or do you think I'd only get in the way?"
"Of course not."
Yu Lanfeng looked conflicted.
Whenever danger arose in the past...
His first instinct had always been to place Nan Yu somewhere safe before dealing with everything himself.
Only now did he realize...
Perhaps that way of thinking had been wrong.
The moment he understood it...
He acted immediately.
Yu Lanfeng suddenly stood up, grabbed Nan Yu's hand before he could react, and pulled him toward the door.
"In that case..."
"We'll go together."
"I'll explain everything on the way."
Nan Yu blinked blankly.
"Oh..."
"Alright."
"We'll talk on the way."
At this point...
Nan Yu had completely forgotten that he had originally come here to scold Yu Lanfeng.
Still...
Traveling together wasn't bad either.
Just then Qin Wenxing finished assembling the team.
"Marshal."
"Everything's ready."
"We can depart immediately."
Yu Lanfeng brought Nan Yu aboard the small starship that had just been prepared.
This vessel was equipped with an improved accelerator.
Its speed far surpassed the accelerator models that had previously been distributed.
Qin Wenxing watched as the starship disappeared into the distance.
He let out a long sigh.
"They sure left happily..."
"But the people left behind are the ones who suffer..."
He mentally reviewed the mountain of work awaiting him.
First...
There was the prisoner still locked inside the interrogation room.
That man was extremely important.
He couldn't be allowed to die.
Nor could he be allowed to escape.
But Qin Wenxing also couldn't let him live too comfortably.
Finding the right balance was troublesome.
Second...
There was everything involving the rear hospital.
The four people who had previously been kidnapped and replaced had now returned.
They simply had to wait until Headquarters arranged for them to receive treatment ahead of schedule.
Unfortunately...
The only person capable of treating them...
Nan Yu...
Was no longer here.
Everything would have to wait until he returned.
Hopefully...
They wouldn't be gone too long.
Third...
There were the enormous holes Yu Lanfeng had melted through Headquarters with his flames.
Those would have to be repaired.
But repairing them wouldn't be easy.
The materials used there were special.
Worse...
This was the very bottom of Headquarters.
Several load-bearing walls had been melted away.
The repairs required careful planning.
Finally...
The beast tide in Border Region One had become unusually active.
The headquarters couldn't function without a commander.
That meant Qin Wenxing also had to serve as acting commander.
Fortunately...
He had already filled that role many times before.
The soldiers trusted him.
That wasn't difficult.
The difficult part...
Was managing all these responsibilities simultaneously.
Just as he was arranging matters concerning the captured traitor...
His communicator rang.
Looking at the caller ID...
He froze.
Luo Anwei.
He hadn't expected Luo Anwei to contact him first.
He had thought Luo Anwei would never take the initiative again.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Wenxing walked into the hallway before accepting the call.
The familiar face appeared on the screen.
Qin Wenxing quietly sighed inwardly.
Outwardly, however, he remained entirely professional.
"Hello."
"What is it?"
Luo Anwei stared at him silently for several moments.
Then, in a quiet voice...
"Brother Qin..."
The familiar form of address immediately shattered Qin Wenxing's carefully maintained composure.
He quietly collected himself.
"You're calling because of your uncle, aren't you?"
The person Luo Anwei cared about among those who had been replaced...
Was his uncle.
Luo Heyi.
"Brother Qin..."
"Please help me."
"My uncle really doesn't have much time left."
"The doctors said..."
"If he can't be cured within the next two years..."
"He'll only be waiting to die."
Looking at the usually cold and stoic Luo Anwei now revealing such vulnerability...
Qin Wenxing felt a deep ache in his heart.
For his uncle...
Luo Anwei had even set aside everything that had once happened between them.
That uncle clearly occupied an irreplaceable place in his heart.
"I understand."
"When the time comes, I'll speak to the Marshal."
"Maybe..."
"Your uncle can receive priority."
In reality...
Nan Yu always selected patients according to the severity of their condition and the limits of his own abilities.
Qin Wenxing had no right to interfere.
But...
For Luo Anwei...
Perhaps he could at least try.
He didn't know whether the Marshal would agree.
If not...
He could secretly ask Nan Yu himself.
If it was Nan Yu...
He probably wouldn't refuse.
He really was a despicable man.
Because...
As far as Qin Wenxing knew...
Luo Heyi wasn't actually a good person.
Nor was he someone with much self-discipline.
Most soldiers reached S-rank Mental Contamination because they fought desperately, completed dangerous missions, or were trapped while battling Ability Beasts.
Luo Heyi was different.
He was the only soldier whose Mental Contamination had reached S-rank without anyone recognizing his achievements.
Why?
Because...
He had tried to steal credit.
While the squad had been discussing how to launch their final assault...
Luo Heyi secretly slipped away from their safe position.
He intended to kill the heavily injured but exceptionally dangerous Ability Beast alone and claim all the credit.
Earlier battles had already severely wounded it.
He assumed there was no longer any danger.
He had been catastrophically wrong.
The squad had actually been discussing who would serve as bait.
Someone needed to attract the beast's attention while everyone else delivered the killing blow.
No suitable plan had been decided.
Then they realized...
Luo Heyi had disappeared.
Everyone immediately guessed where he had gone.
When they finally reached the beast's resting place...
Luo Heyi was being relentlessly hunted by the enraged monster.
He was moments away from death.
In desperation...
He swallowed numerous emergency combat drugs.
Those drugs temporarily granted overwhelming strength.
The price...
Was exactly what he had become today.
Seeing Qin Wenxing lost in thought, Luo Anwei became increasingly anxious.
He knew perfectly well that, from everyone else's perspective...
His uncle deserved what had happened.
But...
He only had this one remaining family member.
The man had raised him.
No matter how worthless everyone else considered Luo Heyi...
In Luo Anwei's eyes...
He would always remain an indomitable hero.
He refused to believe his uncle would steal someone else's achievements.
There had to be another reason.
He would wait until his uncle woke up...
Then hear the truth from him personally.
"Brother Qin?"
"Brother Qin!"
Qin Wenxing finally came back to himself.
Looking at Luo Anwei on the screen, he sighed.
"Alright."
"I know what I'm doing."
"When the time comes, I'll mention it to the Marshal."
"But I can't guarantee anything."
"He's the Marshal."
"If he refuses..."
"Nothing I do will matter."
Luo Anwei's eyes dimmed slightly.
"I understand."
"Regardless..."
"I'll always be grateful."
"When you have time..."
"Let's meet."
"We've known each other for so long."
"We're even in the same legion."
"But we've been avoiding each other all this time."
"I don't think that's a solution anymore."
"We should clear up the misunderstandings between us."
Qin Wenxing actually agreed.
After all...
They were acquaintances serving in the same legion.
Seeing each other every day while pretending nothing existed between them...
Was awkward.
Some things really should be settled.
"Alright."
"But I'm very busy lately."
"When everything calms down..."
"I'll contact you."
Not only was he busy.
The entire legion was busy.
In fact...
Every legion across the Empire was busy.
The beast tide had entered its most active phase.
Ability Beasts continued appearing on countless planets.
They had to eliminate them immediately.
Otherwise...
Once they multiplied out of control...
Cleaning them up would become ten...
Or even a hundred times harder.
"Alright."
"I'm still working."
"We'll talk later."
"I'm ending the call."
He disconnected.
Then immediately returned to the pile of responsibilities waiting for him.
Looking at the prisoner Yu Lanfeng had left behind...
A flicker of disgust and killing intent flashed through Qin Wenxing's eyes before disappearing.
"Leave him locked here."
"The Marshal personally ordered it."
"There's only one entrance."
"No one can get in."
"You'll take turns guarding him."
"If anything happens..."
"I'll hold every one of you responsible."
"Understood, Deputy Commander Qin!"
After making the arrangements, Qin Wenxing quickly left.
He still needed to supervise the repairs beneath Headquarters.
The materials alone were already a nightmare.
The remaining special alloy had to be carefully extracted piece by piece.
Nothing could be wasted.
Only then could the damaged sections be rebuilt.
To prevent anyone from tampering with the repairs...
He had to watch personally.
Just as he had suspected...
There were probably still a handful of deeply hidden spies within the legion.
Extra caution was absolutely necessary.
Before long...
Qin Wenxing became so busy that he had no time to think about anything else.
Traveling from Border Region One to Border Region Five didn't actually take very long.
Especially now that they were using a starship equipped with the newest accelerator.
Without an accelerator...
The journey would take about five days.
Now...
It only required four.
One day might not sound like much.
But sometimes...
Even one minute could completely reverse the outcome of a battle.
Let alone an entire day.
The moment Yu Lanfeng arrived at Border Region Five's military base, he immediately brought Nan Yu to meet the officer in charge.
It was this commander who, after learning that the deputy commander had disappeared, had immediately ordered a search.
Only to discover...
The deputy commander had truly vanished.
"Marshal, please have a seat."
Yu Lanfeng sat at the head of the table.
Nan Yu quietly stood nearby, not interrupting their discussion.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
"Han Lu displayed no unusual behavior from the day he arrived in Region Five until his disappearance."
"Then he suddenly vanished."
"So did those people."
"And so did countless classified files..."
If the confidential documents hadn't disappeared...
They might actually have concluded Han Lu had been kidnapped against his will.
The crucial issue was...
Around eighty percent of the stolen files could only be accessed using Han Lu's personal authorization.
No one could have forced that.
Moreover...
Han Lu was an orphan.
Before joining the legion, he had no family or friends.
Every meaningful relationship he had existed inside this military base.
No one could have kidnapped someone close to him and threatened him into retrieving classified information.
Therefore...
There was only one conclusion.
Han Lu had betrayed them willingly.
"So you still don't know where they went?"
The commander lowered his head.
"I'm ashamed, Marshal."
"We've searched for a long time."
"But we've found nothing."
Yu Lanfeng made his decision immediately.
"Immediately change every defensive deployment throughout Military Base Five."
"Replace all equipment."
"Stabilize the situation as quickly as possible."
"Then send me copies of every file that was stolen."
"I need to analyze everything."
"Yes, Marshal!"
"I'll have them delivered immediately!"
As the commander left...
He glanced once at Nan Yu, who had been quietly sitting in the corner the entire time.
Then he hurried out of the office.
Nan Yu watched the door close.
For some reason...
He had the strange feeling that the commander's final glance toward him had been...
Odd.
Perhaps it was only his imagination.
After all...
Nan Yu was a stranger.
And he had just listened to so much classified information.
Receiving a cold look wasn't unusual.
The commander had been facing away from Yu Lanfeng.
So Yu Lanfeng never noticed that brief moment.
Seeing Nan Yu staring at the closed door, he asked,
"What is it?"
Nan Yu shook his head.
"Nothing."
He couldn't exactly say...
He looked at me like he had a problem with me.
Instead he changed the subject.
"He's the commander of this military base?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Lin Changyu."
"General."
"He's in charge of this base."
"He's extremely capable."
"An outstanding commander."
Nan Yu smiled.
"If even you praise him like that..."
"He must really be exceptional."
"In that case..."
"I'm sure he keeps this base running perfectly."
Yu Lanfeng sighed.
"Except..."
"This incident makes him impossible to absolve."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Why?"
"Just because he's in charge?"
Yu Lanfeng shook his head.
"Not only that."
"Han Lu was personally recruited by Lin Changyu."
"He promoted him every step of the way."
If Han Lu hadn't truly been outstanding in every respect...
Yu Lanfeng never would have approved him.
He had only agreed because Lin Changyu personally guaranteed him.
Now...
Yu Lanfeng had two major headaches.
First...
How to capture everyone who had escaped.
Second...
If the investigation ultimately confirmed that Han Lu really was a spy...
Then Lin Changyu, despite being such an outstanding commander, would still have to bear collective responsibility for guaranteeing him.
The Empire desperately needed capable officers.
If Lin Changyu were removed now...
Who would manage this military base?
Who could possibly keep all these soldiers under control?