Chapter 144: Investigation
Yuan Qiyang sniffed the strange medicinal smell.
The first time he caught a whiff of it, he had nearly collapsed onto the floor.
It wasn't exactly that it smelled bad...
It was simply...
Unbelievably strange.
There was no way he could accept it.
Still, Nan Yu had said that it was nothing but beneficial. Even perfectly healthy people could drink it to improve their physical constitution a little.
Of course, for Ability Users like them, the improvement was probably too small to notice.
But in Nan Yu's opinion, if something was beneficial and harmless, then everyone should have a bowl.
Seeing there was no escape, Yuan Qiyang suddenly said,
"If this stuff is really that good, we should send a bowl to my little uncle too."
"That way everyone benefits."
Nan Yu thought about it.
He was right.
If everyone else drank it but Yu Lanfeng was left out, he might get jealous and think Nan Yu hadn't prepared any for him.
This medicine had been specially brewed for Ability Users.
He really should send Yu Lanfeng a bowl.
"In that case, all of you drink yours first."
"I'll personally take one over to him afterward."
"But don't think you can escape."
"I'll watch every one of you finish before I leave."
In truth, Yuan Qiyang had never intended to run.
Since they all had to drink it anyway...
Wouldn't it be better if everyone suffered together?
More importantly...
He really wanted to see the expression on his little uncle's face when his beloved personally delivered a bowl of this strangely scented medicine.
He was incredibly excited.
Nan Yu quietly continued brewing the medicine.
As time passed...
The medicinal smell grew stronger.
And stranger.
The six men could no longer endure it.
One after another, they retreated until their backs pressed against the wall.
Yet even that wasn't enough.
The smell filled the entire room.
The only way to escape it completely was to leave.
Unfortunately...
None of them had the courage to leave without permission.
No matter how powerful Ability Users were...
No matter that Mental Power Users couldn't directly control them...
Every soldier understood one universal truth.
Never offend medical personnel.
They might not deliberately harm you...
But making your treatment a little more unpleasant was well within their capabilities.
As a result...
Every one of them behaved exceptionally well.
Finally...
Nan Yu spoke.
"It's ready."
He picked up a porcelain bowl.
The pure white ceramic contrasted sharply with the pitch-black medicinal liquid inside.
Steam drifted upward.
Even the steam seemed faintly black.
Carrying the bowl, Nan Yu turned toward them.
"Why are all of you standing so far away?"
"Don't worry about disturbing me."
"It's finished."
"Come over."
"Each of you drinks one bowl."
"The color might look a little strange, but it's extremely beneficial."
"Especially for all of you."
Yuan Qiyang wanted to argue that he wasn't injured or sick.
Surely he didn't need to drink it.
Unfortunately...
The others apparently sensed exactly what he was thinking.
Just as he prepared to slip away, they grabbed him and dragged him directly in front of Nan Yu.
Nan Yu paid no attention to the struggle.
He simply handed Yuan Qiyang the bowl.
"Drink it."
"When you're finished, you can leave."
"If you have time later, feel free to come back."
"As for them..."
"They're staying here."
The instant Yuan Qiyang realized he could leave after drinking it, he was overjoyed.
Afterward, he'd hide somewhere near his little uncle's office.
He absolutely couldn't miss the upcoming show.
He accepted the bowl.
Just as he was about to raise it to his lips...
He suddenly noticed something.
Everyone...
Including Nan Yu...
Was staring directly at him.
He froze.
Something felt wrong.
Those gazes...
Why did they look exactly like people observing a laboratory mouse?
Unable to help himself, he asked,
"...What's going on?"
Nan Yu blinked.
"Why did you stop?"
"Hurry up and drink."
"Once you're done, I still have to supervise the next person."
"Don't waste time."
"I still need to take a serving to Brother..."
"...Marshal Yu."
Yuan Qiyang stared silently into the black medicinal soup.
His entire body stiffened.
Still...
He had no choice.
One thing was certain.
Nan Yu would never harm him.
The smell might be strange.
The taste would probably be even stranger.
But it absolutely wouldn't do any damage.
Taking a deep breath...
He raised the bowl.
One gulp.
Then another.
Eyes tightly shut, he swallowed everything in only two or three huge mouthfuls.
Only after putting down the empty bowl did the lingering aftertaste spread through his mouth.
Yuan Qiyang: !!!
...Huh?
It wasn't actually that strange?
The others watched his constantly changing expression, growing more nervous by the second.
They had never seen...
Or even heard of...
Anything like this medicine before.
But now that Yuan Qiyang had already drunk it...
None of them could escape.
Soon, Nan Yu called over the next patient.
"Your turn."
"Hurry."
"I have things to do afterward."
The man accepted the bowl with obvious guilt.
Very slowly...
He brought it toward his lips.
...
About ten minutes later...
Nan Yu left carrying an insulated food container and headed toward Yu Lanfeng's office.
Meanwhile...
Yu Lanfeng was working.
For some inexplicable reason...
The back of his neck suddenly felt cold.
He reached up and touched it.
Nothing.
Perhaps it had merely been his imagination.
He sat there hesitating for a moment.
And during that brief hesitation...
Nan Yu opened the office door.
"Brother."
"I brewed some medicine for them."
"It helps with recovery."
"Healthy people can drink it too."
"I specifically prepared it for Ability Users."
"So I saved a portion for you."
"Hurry and drink it."
Yu Lanfeng accepted the insulated container.
His exceptionally sharp senses immediately caught a faint trace of the smell.
His heart twitched.
"...You put it in here?"
"Of course."
"It's good for your health."
"You should drink some too."
Yu Lanfeng had no idea what to do.
He simply felt...
Something wasn't quite right.
"How did you suddenly think of bringing me a portion?"
He asked casually.
Nan Yu answered honestly without thinking.
"It was originally for the patients who just woke up."
"But Yuan Qiyang happened to be there."
"So I had him drink a bowl too."
"When he was drinking it, he said something this good shouldn't leave you out."
"That's when I thought I'd bring you one."
"What's wrong?"
"I think the smell's alright."
"Don't you like it?"
Yu Lanfeng's expression remained perfectly calm.
"It's... acceptable."
After saying that...
He lifted the container and drank every drop.
Nan Yu casually accepted the empty container and handed it to the cleaning robot.
"I knew it."
"It's perfectly ordinary."
Completely focused on helping Yu Lanfeng organize paperwork...
Nan Yu never noticed Yu Lanfeng secretly drinking several large mouthfuls of water before finally setting the cup down.
Watching Nan Yu work so seriously...
A dangerous glint flashed through Yu Lanfeng's eyes.
Very good, Yuan Qiyang.
Just wait.
...
Meanwhile...
Yuan Qiyang had already returned to his training grounds.
He still had daily training assignments to complete.
Earlier, he had hidden near the Marshal's office, hoping to witness his little uncle's expression after drinking the medicine.
Unfortunately...
He never found an opportunity.
He missed the show entirely.
That remained a huge regret.
As for the taste of the medicine...
Yuan Qiyang firmly refused to think about it.
At first, he'd swallowed everything too quickly to notice.
But afterward...
The tiny amount left lingering inside his mouth...
Nearly robbed him of the ability to speak.
Fortunately...
Once Nan Yu left, he stopped paying attention to everyone.
Yuan Qiyang secretly gulped down several large mouthfuls of water before finally suppressing the lingering taste.
Even now...
Whenever he burped...
He could still smell the medicine.
Just moments ago...
After drinking water, he let out another burp.
The soldier standing beside him immediately twisted his face in horror.
"Good heavens!"
"What did you eat?"
"That smell's unbelievable!"
"Stay away from me!"
"Don't come any closer!"
"Come back after whatever's inside your stomach finishes digesting!"
Yuan Qiyang hadn't even had time to feel depressed...
Before receiving another piece of news.
His training volume...
Would be doubled for the next several days.
Within the entire legion...
Besides Yuan Qiyang himself...
Only one person possessed the authority to increase his workload at any time.
The Marshal.
Normally...
Most superiors gave the Crown Prince at least a little face.
Nobody deliberately made things difficult for him.
This time, however...
The punishment was astonishingly obvious.
The Marshal didn't hide it at all.
He openly had someone deliver the order.
It practically screamed:
You know exactly why you're being punished.
Everyone was curious.
During breaks, people constantly surrounded Yuan Qiyang with questions.
But he stubbornly kept his mouth shut.
Not a single word.
Eventually...
Realizing he truly wasn't going to talk...
Most people gave up and dispersed.
Only a handful of particularly persistent friends remained.
They even volunteered to complete the extra training alongside him.
After special training ended that evening...
Yuan Qiyang finally whispered,
"...I tricked him the other day."
Everyone immediately understood who "him" referred to.
The same person who had just doubled Yuan Qiyang's training.
The Marshal.
They stared at Yuan Qiyang in complete admiration.
He had actually managed to trick the Marshal?
That was incredible.
Yuan Qiyang repeatedly warned them not to tell anyone.
Unfortunately...
By the following morning...
His single sentence had somehow spread throughout the entire legion.
At this point...
Probably only Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu still hadn't heard about it.
How did Yuan Qiyang realize the secret had leaked?
Because from the moment he got up...
Every soldier he encountered silently gave him a thumbs-up.
Along with extremely meaningful looks.
At first...
He had no idea what was happening.
But before long...
He realized his words from last night had spread everywhere.
So...
Yuan Qiyang immediately dragged those "good friends" to the combat simulation arena.
After thoroughly beating every single one of them into the ground...
He finally left.
The defeated men remained sprawled across the floor.
Only after Yuan Qiyang disappeared did they cautiously crawl back together.
"I told you this couldn't be spread around."
"And yet you actually expected other people to keep it secret?"
"Ridiculous."
"We couldn't even keep it secret ourselves."
"What made you think everyone else could?"
The other two fell silent.
Finally one muttered,
"We've all received confidentiality training."
"Who knew they had absolutely no sense of secrecy?"
Another rolled his eyes.
"Confidentiality training is for military secrets."
"Not gossip among ourselves."
"Besides..."
"This was just a rumor."
"It never needed to be confidential in the first place."
And just like that...
The two people Yuan Qiyang believed still didn't know...
Now knew everything.
Yu Lanfeng quietly browsed discussions on the internal forum.
Among them...
He found posts describing yesterday's events.
A faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.
Very well.
If that's the case...
Just then...
Nan Yu leaned over curiously.
But before he could see anything...
Yu Lanfeng had already closed the page.
Since screen sharing wasn't enabled...
Nan Yu could only see the desktop.
Finding nothing unusual, he assumed Yu Lanfeng had merely been looking over battlefield reports.
He didn't pay it any further attention.
Checking the time, he stood.
"Brother."
"The two patients I selected should be arriving soon."
"I'll head over and prepare."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Go ahead."
Nan Yu quickly left.
He needed to finish preparing before the patients arrived.
After he departed...
Another familiar figure entered the office.
Qin Wenxing.
Without even looking up, Yu Lanfeng asked,
"How's the investigation?"
Qin Wenxing replied immediately,
"Marshal."
"We've completed a full background check on every soldier currently stationed in Border Region One."
"We found three individuals whose identities contain certain irregularities."
"Everyone else has legal, verifiable backgrounds."
"We've also investigated their parents and family histories."
"No problems there."
He placed three files onto Yu Lanfeng's desk.
"These are the three."
"I've marked every suspicious point."
"Please take a look."
Yu Lanfeng slowly reviewed the files.
Every questionable detail had been clearly highlighted.
The first thing that stood out...
All three were listed as orphans.
Of course...
Orphans joining the military was extremely common.
His legion alone contained countless orphans.
That alone meant nothing.
The real issue lay farther down.
Continuing to read...
Yu Lanfeng's eyes narrowed.
"All three share the same problem?"
"Their household registrations are unclear?"
"That's right."
"They all came from Garbage Stars."
"They were rescued..."
"Registered on the planets belonging to their rescuers..."
"Grew up there..."
"Studied there..."
"Successfully entered the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star..."
"Graduated..."
"Passed the legion entrance examination..."
"And were assigned to Border Region One."
"They've all been stationed here for less than a year."
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
"This kind of problem should've been discovered during the recruitment examination."
"Why wasn't it uncovered until now?"
Qin Wenxing thought carefully.
"...Marshal."
"I believe..."
"The Empress participated in reviewing candidate records that year."
Yu Lanfeng suddenly remembered.
That was true.
His older sister had been dissatisfied with the fact he remained single.
She kept trying to interfere.
Somehow...
The number of accepted candidates that year became three times higher than usual.
They had recruited two-thirds more soldiers than normal.
At the time...
Yu Lanfeng had been overwhelmed with work.
Qin Wenxing had also lacked experience managing such a massive recruitment.
Perhaps...
That was when people had slipped through unnoticed.
"Qin Wenxing."
"I want every soldier who entered the legion that year investigated."
"And after that..."
"Anyone involved in recruitment from that year's personnel list."
"Investigate everyone."
"Then investigate everyone connected to them."
"Continue tracing every chain until the present day."
"Bring me the files of every suspicious person."
Qin Wenxing frowned slightly.
But inwardly...
He was pleased.
For the first time...
The Marshal had decided to conduct a truly comprehensive purge of the legion.
If that was the decision...
He intended to carry it through completely.
Yet...
The deeper he investigated...
The more alarmed he became.
Not only did he examine everything Yu Lanfeng had ordered...
He also traced every suspicious person's subsequent assignments.
The results shocked him.
Something wasn't right.
Very wrong.
If these people truly were spies...
Then they'd been distributed across different border regions.
Placed under different commanding officers.
Some had accumulated enough merit to become team captains.
If infiltrating the legion had really been this easy...
Wasn't that terrifying?
Or...
Was he overthinking things?
No.
That couldn't be right either.
Not all of them could possibly be fake.
Even so...
No matter how troublesome...
He had to investigate each one individually.
The first target...
Also the one Qin Wenxing considered most suspicious...
Ultimately produced no decisive [N O V E L I G H T] evidence.
Instead...
He found an enormous record of military achievements.
Eventually...
The man had even become a squad captain.
Though squad captain remained a relatively low rank...
After assuming command...
His responsibilities increased dramatically.
One official record stated that he constantly worried about drunken comrades.
He often stayed behind to watch over them.
Or personally escorted them back to their quarters.
Over time...
The soldiers around him naturally became close enough to joke with him.
Completely harmless jokes.
Qin Wenxing narrowed his eyes.
"You've hidden yourself well."
As the investigation continued...
Besides the original three...
Qin Wenxing carefully marked everyone from later years who had maintained good relationships with them.
Everyone who had received their help.
Everyone who had benefited because of them.
There were simply too many.
He couldn't risk overlooking anyone later.
Meanwhile...
The Empress remained blissfully unaware.
Years earlier...
One small act of impulsiveness...
Had potentially created an enormous hidden threat within her younger brother's legion.
...
Nan Yu knew nothing about any of this.
Taking a deep breath...
He turned his attention toward the two newly transferred patients.
After they arrived...
He carefully examined both their medical records...
And their current physical conditions.
He checked absolutely everything.
Soon...
He noticed something.
Physically...
Both men were actually in decent condition.
They hadn't completely lost bodily function.
Once their Mental Contamination was removed...
Recovery should proceed relatively quickly.
Nan Yu carefully compared every detail of their current condition against the reports.
The process was painstaking.
And took quite some time.
Treating S-rank patients remained an absolute secret.
No assistants could help him.
Even if someone could...
Only Yu Lanfeng qualified.
But given Yu Lanfeng's identity...
He couldn't casually enter the treatment lounge.
As for why...
There wasn't even a need for an explanation.
Working alone...
Nan Yu patiently continued comparing every detail.
Yet...
The longer he looked...
The more something felt wrong.
"Hm?"
Because something still didn't match...
He performed another examination.
This time...
He discovered the first patient's heart was abnormal.
That alone made treatment impossible.
The second patient also had an underlying problem.
Although Nan Yu hadn't identified exactly what it was yet...
He knew he couldn't begin treatment.
If a patient with a heart condition suddenly went berserk during purification...
He could easily break free.
At that point...
Both Nan Yu and the patient would suffer severe backlash.
Forget ordinary daily life.
They might both collapse unconscious.
As for what happened afterward...
Even Nan Yu couldn't predict.
Perhaps prolonged unconsciousness.
Perhaps something even worse.
Either way...
Nothing good.
He wondered whether he should report the situation to Yu Lanfeng.
After thinking it over...
There was no point delaying.
He couldn't treat these two patients anyway.
He might as well discuss it with someone familiar with the legion.
His first thought was Qin Wenxing.
After all...
Qin Wenxing still owed him a tremendous favor.
Surely asking a few questions wouldn't be a problem.
Nan Yu went looking for him.
But after asking around...
No one knew where Qin Wenxing was.
Eventually...
Nan Yu gave up.
He decided to return to Yu Lanfeng instead.
At that very moment...
Yu Lanfeng was reviewing mountain after mountain of documents Qin Wenxing had submitted.
There were simply too many.
Working through them would consume an enormous amount of time.
But for the legion...
And for himself...
And for the person he loved...
A little extra hardship was perfectly acceptable.
So...
When Nan Yu quietly opened the office door...
He found Yu Lanfeng completely focused on processing reports through his optical computer.
Without interrupting him...
Nan Yu simply sat down nearby and waited patiently.
Yu Lanfeng finished quickly enough.
Closing the page, he looked over.
"Did you need something?"
Nan Yu nodded.
He stood and walked over.
"Today the two patients I selected were transferred here."
"I examined them."
"But their actual conditions differ quite a bit from what's written in their medical reports."
"They may not actually be the same people."
Yu Lanfeng's eyes snapped up instantly.
"...Are you certain?"
If that was true...
Then...