Chapter 114: Ye Xing
What Nan Ming found even harder to accept was that Bai Zhouyun had actually claimed in court that Nan Yu thought he was too weak and unworthy of him, and had therefore subtly encouraged him to resort to unconventional methods.
According to Bai Zhouyun, it was Nan Yu's suggestion that had tempted him into looking for a way to obtain prohibited drugs.
Naturally, no one accepted that explanation.
First, it was nothing more than his own one-sided statement.
Second, he had absolutely no evidence.
On the other hand, it was an undeniable fact that he had secretly found a supplier of prohibited drugs and had personally used them himself.
His sentence was handed down quickly, and he was imprisoned to await execution.
However, what no one had expected was that Bai Zhouyun disappeared without a trace.
All of the surveillance footage from that night had been swapped out.
Worse still, the original recordings had been destroyed before being replaced, making recovery completely impossible.
That could only mean one thing.
Either members of that organization had infiltrated the Capital Star's prison system, or they had bribed prison personnel to carry out the rescue.
After all, besides the Bai family, the people most likely to rescue Bai Zhouyun were members of that organization.
As for the Bai family...
After a thorough investigation, they had been ruled out.
Which left only one possibility.
After deliberation, the Empire's highest governing body unanimously decided that a wanted order had to be issued.
The very next day after Bai Zhouyun vanished, the Empire's official website released an Imperial wanted notice bearing his name.
The entire Empire exploded with excitement.
After all, as the Empire had grown increasingly powerful over the years, no one had dared commit such a serious crime and still manage to escape.
It had been thirty-six full years since the Empire last issued a wanted order.
Within only a few days, virtually everyone throughout the Empire knew who Bai Zhouyun was.
They also learned exactly what kind of person he was and why he had become a wanted criminal.
At first, people simply thought he'd had unbelievable luck.
He was an incompetent nobody who somehow happened to be engaged to an outstanding Mental Power User like Nan Yu.
That alone was enough to make countless people jealous.
Yet instead of cherishing such a wonderful fiancé, he fooled around behind Nan Yu's back.
After Nan Yu grew disgusted with him, he actually sought out prohibited drugs in an attempt to make himself worthy of Nan Yu, even going so far as to use them himself.
The authorities discovered everything, arrested him, canceled his engagement, threw him into prison...
Then someone rescued him.
Who had rescued him?
"Who else could it be? It has to be the organization selling prohibited drugs. That's the Capital Star's prison. Ordinary people could never sneak in and quietly take a prisoner away."
"If he hadn't escaped, I would've actually felt a tiny bit sorry for him. After all, he only wanted to become worthy of such a powerful Mental Power User."
"My god, you actually feel sorry for him? Even if he hadn't committed any crimes, I'd still think he was trash. A useless piece of garbage completely unworthy of such an incredible Mental Power User."
"Think about it carefully. How many soldiers does our Empire have? How many great figures have made enormous contributions to the country and society? Any one of them would be more qualified than this Bai fellow. What did he ever do to deserve an engagement with the Nan family's Mental Power User? Even if the engagement was arranged by the older generation, so what? Look around. Does anyone still acknowledge it now?"
"It's a good thing the engagement was canceled. But Bai Zhouyun actually dared to escape. Looks like he really isn't afraid of the Empire anymore. Anyone placed on the Empire's wanted list becomes the enemy of the entire Empire. If someone sees him, they can kill him on the spot without facing any punishment. Not only that, they'll even receive an enormous reward."
"Exactly! Do you remember the wanted criminal from more than thirty years ago? He was seriously injured while fleeing and ended up on some remote planet. He got so hungry that he tried to steal food from a beggar child. The kid accidentally beat him to death. Just happened that patrol officers were passing by, investigated the incident, and discovered the dead man was actually the wanted criminal. That beggar received ten million credits! Who knows where he's living the good life now? I wish I had that kind of luck."
"Stop daydreaming and get back to work. Otherwise we'll end up working overtime again and won't even get home in time to sleep."
"You're right. Let's go."
Because the previous wanted criminal had died in such an absurdly simple manner, nearly everyone who knew the story felt they stood a decent chance of killing Bai Zhouyun themselves.
It wasn't overconfidence.
Bai Zhouyun truly was weak.
Only a short while ago, he had merely been a Mid-Tier Ability User.
Although prohibited drugs had forcibly elevated him to High-Tier, they could never make him genuinely powerful.
He was simply one of the weakest High-Tier Ability Users in existence.
Moreover, the side effects of the prohibited drugs ensured he would never become any stronger.
He would remain at his current level forever.
As a result, almost every High-Tier Ability User was extremely confident.
If they encountered Bai Zhouyun, they believed they could definitely defeat him.
Even kill him.
The problem was...
No one knew where Bai Zhouyun was.
That organization had always hidden itself exceptionally well.
Finding them was anything but easy.
If they were so easy to locate, they could never have remained hidden within the Empire for so many years.
But exceptions always existed.
Because of the wanted order, confident people throughout the Empire began wondering whether Bai Zhouyun might be hiding somewhere near them.
Groups of partners, comrades, friends, relatives, and neighbors organized thorough searches across their hometowns.
Those searches failed to uncover Bai Zhouyun.
Instead, by sheer coincidence, they discovered numerous hidden caches of prohibited drugs.
Within only a single week, the Imperial Family and the military together received nearly twenty reports concerning newly discovered prohibited drugs.
Thirty members of the organization were captured.
They were interrogated immediately after their arrests.
None of them knew anything about Bai Zhouyun.
As for everything else concerning the organization...
Not one of them uttered a single word.
Kill them.
Torture them.
Do whatever you wanted.
Trying to pry information out of them was nothing more than a fantasy.
Since they refused to speak, the soldiers guarding them simply executed them on the spot.
No prisoners were kept alive.
After all, killing them eliminated two more criminals capable of causing trouble from the shadows.
If they were imprisoned instead, they might well end up being rescued that very night—just like Bai Zhouyun.
...
Yu Lanfeng now sat facing the members of the Nan family.
The atmosphere inside the conference room was extremely tense.
"My youngest son disappeared from your legion's military hospital, Marshal! Even if you're my superior, this concerns the son I love most—the little brother my two sons treasure most. If anything happens to him..."
Yu Lanfeng frowned deeply.
"I know."
He slowly stood.
"He is also the person I love most."
"I will definitely find him."
For a brief instant, Nan Ming's expression twisted fiercely.
He had never imagined that the person who had ultimately claimed his beloved youngest son would actually be Yu Lanfeng.
How had things developed to this point?
He had only been away for such a short time.
How had everything changed so completely?
If Nan Yu had no feelings whatsoever toward Yu Lanfeng, then Yu Lanfeng would never have dared say such words directly in front of them.
That meant...
Nan Yu had probably already agreed.
Or perhaps not yet.
But at the very least, he wasn't rejecting him anymore.
Compared to Nan Ming's reaction, Nan Yun and Nan Zhen nearly lost control.
They stared at Yu Lanfeng in complete shock, as though trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.
But in the end, they couldn't find even the slightest trace of a joke on his face.
They wanted to curse him.
They wanted to rush over and punch him.
But then they remembered—
That was the Marshal.
You couldn't simply curse the Marshal.
More importantly...
Even the two of them combined weren't as strong as him.
They couldn't beat him!!
That was the key problem!!
Once again, Nan Yun and Nan Zhen felt utterly stifled.
They couldn't even stand up for their little brother by beating this man.
Looks like they'd have to train even harder from now on.
Yu Lanfeng had actually already uncovered a faint lead.
The clue was still extremely vague, however.
He needed time to investigate.
"Don't worry."
"I will bring him back safely."
Although Nan Ming and the others were deeply worried, they also knew that whoever had kidnapped Nan Yu most likely wanted his mental power.
They intended to force him to treat someone.
That meant he should be safe for the time being.
But if too much time passed...
Or if they deliberately forced Nan Yu to treat someone suffering from Mental Contamination above S-rank...
The faster they found Nan Yu...
The safer he would be.
Just as Nan Ming was about to speak, someone knocked on the conference room door.
Yu Lanfeng immediately walked over and opened it.
"Any news?"
"Yes, Marshal!"
Without even turning around, Yu Lanfeng said,
"Take good care of them."
"The rest of you, come with me."
Leaving one person behind to receive Nan Ming and the others, Yu Lanfeng departed with the newcomers.
As Yu Lanfeng left, Nan Ming immediately stood and attempted to follow.
He was stopped by the person left behind.
"I'm sorry, Major General Nan. Please leave the rest to us. We guarantee that Nan Yu will be brought back safely. Please trust our legion's capabilities."
It wasn't that Nan Ming doubted the legion.
He was simply too worried.
That was his most beloved son.
The last time Nan Yu had been kidnapped, he, as his father, hadn't been able to help at all.
He hadn't even managed to rescue him personally.
That failure had haunted him ever since.
And now...
Just as he stood there consumed by frustration, another officer hurried over.
"Major General Nan, the Marshal asked me to inform you that you're permitted to accompany this operation."
Nan Ming's eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
"Of course. The Marshal is waiting for you. Please hurry. Every second counts."
Nan Ming immediately rushed out.
Nan Yun and Nan Zhen could only remain behind in silent misery.
It wasn't that they didn't want to go.
Their current abilities merely met the minimum requirements to pass the legion's entrance assessment.
They still weren't qualified to participate in actual missions.
Moreover, they weren't yet officially part of the legion.
Naturally, they couldn't accompany the operation.
Nan Ming, however, was different.
He had served in the legion for over a hundred years.
He was now a Major General.
With the Marshal's special authorization—and as Nan Yu's father—he was permitted to join.
That very night, Nan Ming boarded a spacecraft with Yu Lanfeng and secretly departed from the Capital Star.
He could continue directing the Capital Star investigation remotely.
Once they confirmed that both Nan Yu and Bai Zhouyun were no longer on the Capital Star, there was no reason for Yu Lanfeng to remain.
The moment he discovered even the slightest lead, he decisively chose to pursue it.
The only uncertainty was...
Did that trail lead toward Nan Yu...
Or toward Bai Zhouyun?
If it led to Nan Yu, that would naturally be the best outcome.
He could rescue him immediately.
If it led to Bai Zhouyun instead...
That was fine as well.
He would kill him on the spot.
Better to eliminate future trouble completely.
Nan Ming silently followed Yu Lanfeng.
No matter how anxious he felt, he would never show it.
That was what an outstanding soldier should do.
Yu Lanfeng said quietly,
"Major General Nan, I believe I made myself clear. Following this lead may lead us to Bai Zhouyun rather than Nan Yu."
After all, there was a strong possibility that Nan Yu hadn't been taken by that organization at all.
Perhaps an entirely different group had kidnapped him.
Nan Ming nodded.
"I understand, Marshal."
"But right now..."
"We can only gamble."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
Wasn't he gambling as well?
He wondered how Nan Yu was doing.
Had the kidnappers abused him?
Once he found Nan Yu...
He would crush every last kidnapper.
Burn them to ashes.
Grind their bones into dust!
...
At that exact moment, Ye Xing, who was eating with Nan Yu, suddenly sneezed.
A chill immediately ran down his spine.
He sat there blankly, staring into space.
After finishing the diced fruit in his bowl, Nan Yu asked,
"What's wrong?"
Ye Xing rolled his eyes thoughtfully.
"I suddenly feel like someone was desperately thinking about me just now."
"I'd better never run into that person in the future."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Could it be because of me?"
Ye Xing nodded.
"Probably."
"The Capital Star is probably in complete chaos trying to find you right now."
Nan Yu sighed.
"You actually know that..."
Ye Xing spread his hands helplessly.
"I couldn't do anything about it."
"If I'd used normal methods, I wouldn't even have been able to meet you."
"Let alone convince you to help me treat someone."
Nan Yu looked at him.
"After all this talking, who exactly do you want me to treat?"
"If it's someone guilty of unforgivable crimes, I definitely won't save them."
Ye Xing paused.
"...Do you think someone like me is guilty of unforgivable crimes?"
Nan Yu suddenly didn't know how to answer.
From Ye Xing's own perspective...
He was simply searching everywhere for Mental Power Users capable of curing the person he wanted to save.
He traveled from country to country, kidnapping the strongest Mental Power Users below High-Tier.
Again and again.
Every attempt ended in failure.
Each time, after failing, he released the Mental Power User unharmed before beginning his search all over again.
From his perspective...
He had never intentionally harmed anyone.
He simply wanted the person he cared about most to recover.
But to the countries whose Mental Power Users had been abducted...
To the victims' families...
Friends...
Loved ones...
Ye Xing was unquestionably a heinous criminal.
Nan Yu could easily imagine how guilty and furious Yu Lanfeng must be after learning he had disappeared.
Especially since the kidnapping had happened right under his nose.
Then there was his father...
His two older brothers...
His friends...
The last kidnapping had already left them drowning in guilt.
Now he had disappeared again.
If he couldn't return soon...
Would they blame themselves even more?
The more Nan Yu thought about it, the heavier his sigh became.
Ye Xing tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
Nan Yu answered softly,
"I was actually kidnapped once before."
"Fortunately, I was rescued safely."
"They all blamed themselves terribly."
"They probably still haven't forgiven themselves."
"And even now, the mastermind behind that kidnapping has never been found."
He looked at Ye Xing.
"What do you think they'll be like now that I've disappeared again?"
Ye Xing thought for a moment.
"They'll probably explode?"
Nan Yu nodded.
"That's actually a very accurate description."
He just didn't know whether Ye Xing could survive an exploding Yu Lanfeng.
Probably not.
Yu Lanfeng likely couldn't kill him...
But Ye Xing would certainly pay a terrible price.
After all...
To put it bluntly...
Ye Xing really was someone burdened with enormous sins.
In any country, what he had done would be enough to earn a death sentence.
Nan Yu kept trying to think of a way to contact Yu Lanfeng.
Or at least leave behind enough clues for them to find him.
Unfortunately, Ye Xing had hidden everything perfectly.
Or rather...
Those things simply didn't exist.
He spent his life constantly fleeing.
Neither his body nor his spacecraft contained anything that could be used for tracking.
No matter how hard Nan Yu searched, he found nothing.
Ye Xing had mentioned this in his previous life.
Nan Yu simply hadn't wanted to give up.
He had searched anyway.
Sure enough...
There was absolutely nothing.
As for the cockpit...
Although he was now allowed inside, Nan Yu had no idea what any of the controls did.
If he accidentally pressed the wrong button...
The unlucky one wouldn't just be Ye Xing.
He'd be right there beside him.
So for now...
He could only wait patiently.
Although he worried about Yu Lanfeng...
His brothers...
Everyone else...
He would find an opportunity.
...
After finishing his meal, Nan Yu returned to his room to rest, leaving Ye Xing outside alone.
This was actually the first time Ye Xing had encountered a Mental Power User like Nan Yu.
He had kidnapped many, many Mental Power Users.
Almost every one of them cried, screamed, and caused endless trouble.
Without his threats, they probably would've cried until they fainted.
In the end...
None of them had been of any use.
But Nan Yu...
He was different.
If it were him...
Thinking about everything he had learned while investigating on the Capital Star...
Ye Xing silently concluded—
If it was Nan Yu...
Then it should work.
Nan Yu lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He was wondering what he should do next.
The Nianshen Grass was still inside his spatial button.
If Ye Xing forcibly opened it...
He would definitely discover the Nianshen Grass.
Nan Yu couldn't guarantee that Ye Xing wouldn't be tempted by such a treasure.
Even if it were stolen...
He could still become a High-Tier Mental Power User.
It would simply take a little longer.
But he absolutely didn't want something that belonged to him to be taken away.
That was why, after regaining his composure in the beginning, he had deliberately acted as though he didn't care about the spatial button.
Sure enough...
Ye Xing lowered his guard.
Thankfully...
He still had a bit of brains.
...
Ye Xing eventually entered the cockpit alone.
He sat quietly, staring at the endless sea of stars displayed across the monitor.
They had already been traveling through space for more than ten days.
Yet they still hadn't reached their destination.
"Zhang Wei..."
"Do you think what I'm doing is right?"
He shook his head.
"Forget it."
"It doesn't matter whether you think it's right."
"As long as I believe it is."
"The only thing I've ever wanted..."
"...is for you to wake up normally and stand beside me again."
"If you really think I'm wrong..."
"Then hurry up and recover."
"Come stop me yourself."
Ye Xing lowered his head, quietly talking to himself.
A while later, he snapped back to reality.
Almost unconsciously, he reached into his pocket and took out Nan Yu's spatial button.
To be honest...
He had always been curious about what was inside.
More than once, he had wanted to open it.
But every single time...
He stopped himself and put it away again.
What exactly would a Mental Power User like Nan Yu carry inside a spatial button?
Ye Xing had no idea.
He couldn't even imagine it.
After all...
He wasn't a Mental Power User.
He couldn't think the way they did.
He toyed with the spatial button in his hand for quite some time before sighing and putting it away once more.
Nan Yu had never once asked for it back during all this time.
Perhaps...
Everything inside simply wasn't that important to him.
There was no need to secretly look inside now.
Opening it would damage the spatial button.
If he discovered some secret...
Then after he released Nan Yu...
Once Nan Yu noticed the damaged spatial button...
Whether Ye Xing had actually looked inside or not...
Nan Yu would probably hunt him down for the rest of his life.
To avoid that future trouble...
He decided not to open it after all.
Actually...
He had once done exactly that.
Back when he kidnapped the second Mental Power User.
He had found a spatial button on that person's body.
Compared to Nan Yu's, it was incredibly primitive.
He easily broke through its security measures and looked inside.
The result...
After releasing that Mental Power User...
He was hunted relentlessly by that country for over an entire year.
They gave him almost no chance to catch his breath.
Of course...
If that Mental Power User hadn't pressured the authorities every single day, they probably wouldn't have pursued him so relentlessly.
As for what he had seen inside...
Even now, just remembering it made his eyes hurt.
The spatial button had been filled with nothing but photographs of that Mental Power User and his lover having sex in bed.
And...
They were incredibly explicit.
He had nearly gotten a nosebleed just looking at them.
Ye Xing scratched his head.
Nan Yu's spatial button...
Surely it wasn't full of that kind of thing too...?
If Nan Yu knew what Ye Xing was thinking, he would absolutely slap him across the face.
Just what filthy nonsense was going through this man's head?
Fortunately...
Nan Yu had no idea what Ye Xing was thinking.
Nor did he know that Ye Xing had repeatedly considered destroying the spatial button just to see what was inside.
...
Bai Zhouyun slowly opened his eyes.
He was absolutely certain...
The place he was in was definitely not a prison.
So...
Where exactly was this?