Chapter 19: Grueling Work
Only after hearing Yu Lanfeng say that did Nan Yu realize something.
“So the shortage of Mental Power Users here isn't actually because there aren't enough people, but because of this?”
Yu Lanfeng nodded. “That's right. This is classified information after all. Even Major General Nan couldn't be told directly, so I apologize.”
Nan Yu widened his eyes and looked at him in surprise.
“N-No, you don't need to apologize. I know military secrets are serious matters. They can't just be casually revealed.”
“And... I'm not angry. If anything, I might be the one who profits from coming here this time.”
Yu Lanfeng didn't continue the topic and simply changed the subject.
“We're almost there.”
Nan Yu tactfully stopped talking. Standing quietly behind him, he looked at his broad back.
If... and this was only an if...
If, after breaking off his engagement with Bai Zhouyun, he could be with an Ability User like this, how wonderful that would be.
But he knew it was impossible.
Even in his previous life, until the moment he died, he had never heard of Marshal Yu Lanfeng having anyone he liked, or even showing any intention in that regard.
So it was only a passing thought.
Actually, he could already sense the change in Yuan Qiyang's attitude toward him.
After all, he wasn't truly a fifteen-year-old boy with a naive mind.
He could clearly feel Yuan Qiyang's subtle attempts to get closer to him.
Nan Yu accepted all of it.
Not that he was responding to him in that way, but whenever Yuan Qiyang spoke, Nan Yu would respond. He simply pretended not to understand what the other party was thinking.
After all, he still carried the burden of an engagement.
No matter how useless Bai Zhouyun was, he couldn't be intimate with someone else before ending the engagement.
If people found out, he would definitely be condemned from all sides.
Even Mental Power Users were no exception.
Character mattered to everyone.
By the time Nan Yu came back to his senses, the spacecraft had already approached the military base below.
He watched intently.
In both his previous life and this one, he had never seen a place like this, not even through the star network.
But thinking about it, that was only natural.
A military base was an extremely confidential location.
What if it was exposed on the star network and seen by enemy nations?
Everything related to the military was classified.
Even soldiers themselves only learned more secrets as their rank increased.
Those at the bottom knew very little.
That was the strictness of military secrecy.
Nan Yu understood that after returning to the Capital Star, he wouldn't be allowed to reveal a single thing he saw or heard here.
On the way back, he would definitely have to sign a confidentiality agreement.
He took a deep breath.
The spacecraft had already landed inside the military base, and the hatch opened.
Nan Yu quietly followed behind them and walked outside.
The first thing he did upon stepping out was look upward.
Above him was a sky-blue dome.
That wasn't the actual color of this planet's sky, but the color of the protective barrier covering the military base, making everything inside appear cleaner.
After all, they couldn't leave the place looking like the outside world, where sandstorms constantly raged.
“Marshal!”
“The Marshal is here!”
“Marshal...”
Yu Lanfeng stepped aside and pointed behind him at Nan Yu.
“An outstanding Mid-Tier Mental Power User. I brought him over to help. Take him over there. He can begin immediately.”
Then he looked toward Yuan Qiyang.
“Go with them and have a look. Come find me when things settle down. Don't waste time.”
Yuan Qiyang immediately straightened his back.
“Yes, Marshal!”
Inside the military, he absolutely could not call him Uncle. Otherwise, he would be taught a lesson.
Nan Yu blinked but said nothing. He simply nodded politely toward the unfamiliar officers before following Yuan Qiyang.
Walking ahead of them was someone who looked exceptionally capable.
A Mental Power User?
After putting some distance between themselves and Yu Lanfeng, the Mental Power User finally let out a small sigh of relief.
“Hello. What's your name? This is the first time I've seen you.”
“I'm Nan Yu. I've always lived on the Capital Star.”
“Oh, so you're Nan Yu! I heard your name when I went back before. Everyone was wondering whether you'd eventually be recruited into the military. I didn't expect you to come so soon. Looks like our guesses were pretty accurate.”
“Oh right, I should introduce myself too. I'm the captain of the Mental Power User logistics team at this military base. My name is An Mi. You can call me Captain An.”
Nan Yu noticed the insignia on his uniform.
A First Lieutenant.
“As you can see, I'm also a Mid-Tier Mental Power User. My ability might not compare to yours, but I have plenty of experience. Just follow me and you'll pick things up quickly. It's all pretty simple.”
“But... you should take a look first.”
An Mi led them swiftly underground.
The moment they stepped out of the elevator, Nan Yu saw three long corridors intersecting at right angles.
Each corridor stretched so far that their ends couldn't even be seen.
“There are this many rooms?”
An Mi nodded.
“That's right. Come with me. I'll first familiarize you with where you'll be working so you don't end up getting lost later.”
He led them down the corridor on the left.
After walking for nearly two minutes, An Mi pointed to a door.
“This is where you'll be working from now on. I hope you can endure it.”
A bad feeling immediately rose inside Nan Yu.
When An Mi opened the door, Nan Yu saw around twenty beds inside.
Each bed held a person.
And every single one of them was restrained.
“As you can see, this is how things are. If we didn't tie them down, some of these officers would completely lose control. Sometimes they can still suppress themselves, but...”
Nan Yu frowned deeply.
Everyone in the room was restrained.
Eighteen were unconscious.
The other two wore twisted expressions, looking as though they were suffering under terrible torture.
But Nan Yu knew that once Mental Contamination reached a certain degree, it truly felt like torture.
And what suffered wasn't the body, but the mind.
For soldiers like them, perhaps that was the greatest pain of all.
Nan Yu took a deep breath, his gaze becoming resolute.
“Captain An, please teach me. What should I do next?”
An Mi sensed the seriousness in him and felt extremely satisfied.
Though this child would certainly never remain in a tiny border military base like this in the future.
“Then listen carefully. Those who are still awake still have some room for recovery. The unconscious ones are the ones who need Mental Contamination removed first.”
“There are machines beside each bed. They display the contamination levels and how long they've been unconscious.”
“Come here. I'll teach you how to read the data and how to operate everything.”
Nan Yu followed him and studied every single detail seriously.
It didn't take him long to learn everything.
Yuan Qiyang stood by the doorway watching.
When he realized there was nothing for him to do, he quietly left without disturbing the two of them.
His task had already been completed.
Although he felt a little disappointed, there was still plenty of time in the future.
He didn't need to rush.