Chapter 149: Replaced
The group exchanged glances before waving to one another, signaling everyone to move forward.
Their objective this time was Nan Yu.
To be more precise...
Their highest priority was actually Nan Yu's spatial button.
None of them knew that Nan Yu possessed the Nianshen Grass.
Only the organization's upper management knew about that.
The mission handed down from above contained only two priorities:
First, retrieve Nan Yu's spatial button.
Second, bring Nan Yu back alive.
Many of them had found that order rather strange, but no one dared question it.
After all, they were merely the organization's hired muscle.
Their only responsibility was to complete the mission.
They had no right whatsoever to interfere in anything else.
The group slowly approached the bed.
People were standing guard outside.
Inside, they had also brought numerous detection devices.
After confirming there were no alarms, surveillance cameras, or listening equipment inside the room, they finally approached openly.
Time was running out for them.
Nan Yu watched the screen.
"So how are they planning to get out? If they're taking him with them, they must have arranged an escape route beforehand. Is it the route prepared by those logistics personnel they contacted, along with the people those logistics workers contacted afterward?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"That's right."
"Qin Wenxing moved very quickly."
"He's already identified everyone involved in this operation."
"And he's also located a large number of traitors."
When Yu Lanfeng learned the actual number of traitors from Qin Wenxing...
Even he was shocked.
He had never imagined that so many people within his own legion would betray it for nothing more than credits.
His legion represented the strongest military force in the Empire.
It was the Empire's very face.
To betray his legion...
And even cooperate with that infamous organization...
Was no different from betraying the entire nation.
What he couldn't understand was this—
Was it really worth abandoning one's own country for credits?
Once such actions were discovered, there were only two possible punishments.
If they managed to escape, that was another matter.
But if they were caught...
Only life imprisonment or execution awaited them.
Yu Lanfeng didn't even need to think about it.
Most of them would almost certainly receive life sentences.
And the prison where they served them would undoubtedly be located in the border region under Yu Lanfeng's legion's jurisdiction.
Nan Yu, however, believed those people probably thought this operation would succeed flawlessly.
If everything went according to plan...
No one would ever know what they'd done.
No one would come after them.
They would earn enormous amounts of credits...
Remain in the legion...
Remain within the Empire...
And continue living comfortable, carefree lives.
Nan Yu asked,
"They've already taken him."
"When are we making our move?"
Although the soldier was carrying out a mission...
He was still Nan Yu's body double.
If those people harmed him...
Nan Yu would definitely blame himself.
Yu Lanfeng gestured for him to stay calm.
"Very soon."
"They'll discover something before long..."
At the final moment...
They would discover that the spacecraft meant to carry them away from Border Region One...
Was broken.
Yu Lanfeng was rather curious what expressions they would make then.
Nan Yu continued watching the surveillance footage.
To avoid their monitoring equipment being detected by the enemy's scanners, the cameras had been installed farther away than usual.
Even so...
The picture remained perfectly clear.
One of them produced a handkerchief.
He poured an unknown liquid onto it before pressing it over Nan Yu's nose and mouth.
About a minute passed.
During that time, "Nan Yu" briefly regained consciousness and struggled a little.
Moments later...
He went completely limp.
After confirming he was no longer moving, they removed the handkerchief and carefully stored it away.
"Alright."
"Let's go."
"We're running out of time."
"We have to move faster."
"If we're delayed, we'll only end up getting caught."
"The spacecraft needs ten minutes to prepare for takeoff."
"Our people are already waiting over there."
"The guard rotation leaves a twenty-minute window."
"Everyone guarding the launch site during that period is one of ours."
"We can leave directly during that time."
"But if we're late..."
"We're finished."
Although the speaker deliberately kept his voice low, Nan Yu and the others still heard him clearly.
Nan Yu sighed.
"So they even have people inside the launch site."
"They really have a lot of money."
"Without an enormous budget, there'd be no way to bribe this many people."
"By the way..."
"How many people are at the launch site?"
Yu Lanfeng answered,
"The personnel replacing the patrol soldiers during that twenty-minute interval are launch site security."
"There are about fifteen of them."
"I didn't expect every single one of them to have been bribed."
Nan Yu blinked.
"I thought we'd only confirmed twelve."
"Weren't there still three they couldn't buy?"
Yu Lanfeng replied,
"They probably planned to put those three to sleep."
"Or lure them away."
Regardless...
None of them would ever escape under Yu Lanfeng's watch.
Nan Yu stared at the screen without blinking.
One man carried "Nan Yu" over his shoulder while the others surrounded him protectively.
Scouts moved several minutes ahead, clearing the route.
Whenever they encountered people—or patrols in sensitive areas—they signaled from a distance in advance.
Sometimes they communicated through communicators.
Other times they simply sent messages.
Watching himself being kidnapped like this...
Nan Yu found the feeling rather strange.
Following the predetermined route, the group left the headquarters building established by Yu Lanfeng's legion in Border Region One without encountering any obstacles.
Soon they reached a much more secluded area behind the complex.
Nan Yu couldn't help saying,
"They're impressive."
"I never expected them to get this far."
"Oh, Brother Yu."
"If this operation had targeted someone else instead of me..."
"And if their plan had progressed this far..."
"Would you have noticed anything unusual tonight?"
Yu Lanfeng slowly shook his head.
"It would've been very difficult."
"Almost impossible."
They had even used specialized devices to reduce their footsteps, breathing, and every other sound they made.
Everything about their operation was unbelievably meticulous.
Even Nan Yu found many of their methods headache-inducing.
Nevertheless...
They continued recording everyone these people encountered from the top floor all the way down.
Although it was already late at night and most people should have been asleep...
Many soldiers were still awake.
The current Ability Beast offensive had become especially fierce.
No one dared relax.
Everyone had voluntarily stayed up.
On their way downstairs...
They encountered eleven people.
Ten of them exchanged only a few brief words with the scouts before hurrying away because they had urgent work to do.
Nothing about them appeared suspicious.
They genuinely seemed busy.
For the time being, all ten were removed from the suspect list.
Only one person stood out.
He chatted with the scouts for roughly two or three minutes.
That didn't sound especially long...
But compared with the previous ten people—
None of them had spoken for even a full minute before leaving.
That made this individual extremely suspicious.
Toward the end of their conversation...
He even pointed out a direction for them.
As for why...
That remained unknown.
Only after capturing him would they learn the answer.
Watching them leave the building, Nan Yu asked,
"Did you arrest that person?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"He was already taken into custody."
Less than two minutes after they separated...
Qin Wenxing had secretly arrested him.
Now they were simply waiting to interrogate him.
Of course...
He might ultimately prove innocent.
But at this stage...
No suspect could be overlooked.
Leaving someone like that inside the legion would be the equivalent of leaving behind an enormous time bomb.
"They're moving quickly."
"They're already leaving the central area of the base."
The launch site was located near the edge of the military base.
At their current pace...
Reaching it would take roughly twenty to thirty minutes.
The guard rotation there lasted twenty minutes.
Nan Yu suddenly frowned.
"Brother Yu..."
"Isn't a twenty-minute guard rotation unusually long?"
Yu Lanfeng explained,
"Only today."
"There were unusually high casualties in today's fighting outside the base."
"So replacing the patrol units was delayed."
Nan Yu immediately asked,
"Were there that many injuries?"
"If that's the case..."
"I'll help after this."
Yu Lanfeng smiled.
"It's alright."
"They can handle it."
"If you go over there now..."
"They'll only find excuses to send you back to rest."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Why?"
"I don't need rest."
Yu Lanfeng patiently explained,
"They don't know that."
"They only know that whenever they encounter Ability Users suffering from severe Mental Contamination beyond what they can handle..."
"You're the only person they can call."
"If you've already exhausted your Mental Power beforehand..."
"The treatment will be delayed."
Nan Yu sighed.
"So they've basically turned me into the emergency trump card."
"The kind that can't be used casually."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Exactly."
"So there's no need to rush."
Nan Yu thought to himself...
He wasn't rushing.
He simply wanted to do more.
To become stronger even faster.
He thought about his brothers...
And his father.
If they discovered that their once frail youngest brother...
Their once delicate youngest son...
Had become incredibly powerful...
Perhaps...
They would feel proud.
His attention soon returned to the surveillance screen.
The kidnappers had already covered half the distance.
Just then...
While hurrying forward as cautiously as possible...
They unexpectedly encountered a lone patrol soldier.
That soldier shouldn't have been patrolling there at that hour.
According to the schedule...
He wasn't supposed to be anywhere near that location.
Yet there he was.
Face-to-face with them.
The moment he noticed the familiar figure slung over one man's shoulder...
His eyes widened.
"That's..."
"You people?!"
"How dare you—"
The poor soldier never even finished speaking.
He collapsed unconscious immediately.
Just before passing out...
He had attempted to trigger the alarm.
Unfortunately...
He was one step too late.
"Should we kill him?"
"No."
"Not now."
"We can't alert them."
"If we kill him..."
"The chip inside his body will react."
"Our position will be exposed immediately."
"The location of every dead soldier is transmitted to headquarters the moment they die."
"Tie him up and hide him."
"Then move."
"Quickly!"
"We're running out of time."
"If we don't arrive on schedule..."
Nobody dared imagine what would happen if they failed.
Even Nan Yu, who knew nothing about the organization, instinctively felt the consequences wouldn't be pleasant.
He quietly glanced at Yu Lanfeng.
Without waiting to be asked, Yu Lanfeng explained,
"If they're captured..."
"They'll probably wish they could die."
Nan Yu sucked in a breath.
"That bad?"
"I never knew."
"Brother Yu..."
"When you interrogate them later..."
"Can I come watch?"
He seized the opportunity to make his request.
Sure enough...
Yu Lanfeng looked slightly surprised.
But he didn't refuse.
"You may."
"But you can only watch."
"You can't approach."
"You can't interfere."
"And you can't speak."
"Can you do that?"
Nan Yu nodded immediately.
"Of course."
"Then it's settled."
His mood instantly improved.
He still had no idea...
That what he would witness later...
Would be a scene so bloody...
He would remember it for the rest of his life.
Qin Wenxing had just entered to report on the latest developments.
Coincidentally, he overheard their conversation.
Where Nan Yu couldn't see...
He gave Yu Lanfeng an astonished look.
What exactly was Nan Yu thinking?
If it were someone who specialized in interrogation...
Watching Yu Lanfeng personally conduct one would be a rare opportunity.
But Nan Yu...
Would he really be able to endure it?
Still...
That was a matter between the couple.
As an outsider...
Qin Wenxing wisely kept silent.
He simply delivered his report.
"Marshal."
"We investigated the person who pointed them in the right direction inside headquarters."
"The scouts asked where his partner was."
"He casually pointed toward the document archive."
Yu Lanfeng immediately understood.
The archive happened to be located near the exit of their planned escape route.
Anyone observing them would naturally assume that pointing gesture referred to the partner's location.
In reality...
It could easily have been deliberate misdirection.
Nan Yu suddenly said,
"Brother."
"If they'd already planned the escape route beforehand..."
"They wouldn't have needed to ask for directions."
"So..."
"Was that entire scene staged for us?"
"Did they know we were secretly watching?"
"Or was it simply a precaution?"
Even Yu Lanfeng couldn't answer.
If they truly knew their plan had already been exposed...
Why continue following the original escape route?
As the agreed time drew closer...
The kidnappers approached the launch site.
Countless spacecraft were parked there.
One of them had been secretly modified beforehand.
All that remained...
Was for them to board it and disappear.
"Once we leave the planet..."
"We'll head straight for the nearest jump point."
"They'll never catch us."
"The time's almost here."
"Has the guard rotation happened yet?"
"Two more minutes."
"We got here a little early."
"That's fine."
"We'll rest for now."
"When the time comes..."
"Move immediately."
"No problem!"
Everyone agreed.
Meanwhile...
Those watching the surveillance feed couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Nan Yu experienced the same strange sense of unease.
He couldn't explain it.
He simply frowned while staring at the screen.
Yu Lanfeng and the others felt it too.
If the arrest inside headquarters had been correct...
Then these people should already know the plan had been exposed.
So why proceed anyway?
Surely...
They weren't gambling.
No...
It felt more like they were deliberately numbing their vigilance.
Making them believe the enemy had already become prey trapped inside a jar...
While secretly setting another trap somewhere else.
Nan Yu suddenly blinked.
"Wait..."
"Didn't I arrange a secret signal with him?"
The moment he said that...
Yu Lanfeng and Qin Wenxing both stared at him.
"A signal?"
"When did you arrange that?"
To avoid exposing the body double...
They had deliberately avoided agreeing on any coded gestures or secret signs.
Yet Nan Yu claimed there had been one.
Nan Yu scratched his head awkwardly.
"Oh..."
"I forgot to mention it."
"I assumed you military people would have your own secret signals."
"So I didn't think it mattered."
"I arranged one with him."
"Every five minutes..."
"He was supposed to make this gesture."
As he spoke...
Nan Yu demonstrated it.
His thumb and little finger briefly touched.
The motion lasted only an instant.
Anyone else would probably never notice it.
"I saw him do it twice."
"Once when he first appeared on the monitor."
"And once five minutes after he was taken away."
"But after that..."
"I never saw it again."
"And did either of you notice?"
"While he was being carried..."
"His whole body was hanging completely limp."
"Even the way his arms swung..."
"It looked like he was genuinely unconscious."
Yu Lanfeng shot to his feet.
"We're done waiting."
"Move."
"Arrest every one of them immediately."
"As for everyone at the launch site..."
"Arrest them all first."
Qin Wenxing immediately produced the list he had prepared earlier.
Yu Lanfeng skimmed through it rapidly.
Within only a few seconds...
He signed his name.
"Arrest everyone on this list."
"Immediately."
Qin Wenxing snapped to attention and saluted.
"Yes, Marshal!"
As expected of Yu Lanfeng's most trusted aide...
Qin Wenxing executed the orders with astonishing speed.
Within only two minutes...
Every target had already been surrounded.
Not a single name on the list escaped.
Within just a few more minutes...
Everyone had been captured.
Nan Yu was genuinely amazed.
"That fast?"
"Did you already have people lying in wait beside every suspect?"
Especially those soldiers who had already returned to their dormitories after their night shifts.
Many of them had probably been arrested directly by the comrades sleeping in the same room.
No additional personnel even needed to be dispatched.
Watching such clean, efficient operations...
Nan Yu couldn't help feeling impressed.
However...
One concern still lingered in his mind.
What he had said earlier...
Hadn't been fabricated.
But...
What if he'd simply failed to notice one of the body double's signals?
Yu Lanfeng had launched such a massive operation because of his words.
If someone had been overlooked afterward...
Wouldn't that become his responsibility?
The thought made him increasingly uneasy.
Maybe...
He shouldn't have spoken up.
If it turned out to be his mistake...
Wouldn't that make him responsible for everything?
His anxiety was obvious on his face.
Yu Lanfeng immediately pulled him into his arms.
"I noticed it too."
"I saw the first signal."
"But I didn't know it was something the two of you had arranged."
"I thought it was just an accidental movement."
"Afterward..."
"He never repeated it."
"So I assumed it had merely been coincidence."
Nan Yu looked at him with wide eyes.
"So..."
"You're certain he never made the signal again?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Yes."
"So don't blame yourself."
"I made this decision after careful consideration."
"There won't be any problem."
Even if there were...
The responsibility would be his.
Not Nan Yu's.
Hearing that...
Nan Yu visibly relaxed.
As long as he hadn't made a mistake...
That was enough.
The arrests at headquarters proceeded flawlessly.
But...
The operation at the launch site encountered a major problem.
Qin Wenxing personally led the arrest team.
Capturing everyone there proved easy enough.
However...
The four infiltrators who had replaced others to enter the base...
Committed suicide right before everyone's eyes.
Without any warning whatsoever.
The moment they saw Qin Wenxing approaching with his men...
They merely smiled at him strangely...
Tilted their heads...
And died.
A quick examination revealed the truth.
They had swallowed poison an hour earlier.
The toxin activated immediately, killing them on the spot.
Nothing could be done to save them.
Among those remaining...
Some were long-term agents planted within the legion.
The rest were people who had been bribed only recently.
But the most shocking discovery came afterward.
When they examined the unconscious "Nan Yu"...
They discovered...
It wasn't the original body double at all.
In other words...
Those people had somehow replaced the legion's carefully prepared substitute...
Right under everyone's noses.
The only thing they could be certain of now was—
The real body double was still somewhere inside the military base.
He had never left.
The moment Qin Wenxing saw the replacement...
He drew in a sharp breath.
Immediately, he contacted Yu Lanfeng and reported everything.
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
Without hesitation, he issued the order.
"Seal the entire military base."
"From this moment on..."
"Everyone may enter."
"No one leaves."
Nan Yu had remained beside Yu Lanfeng the entire time.
Naturally...
He learned everything as well.
The soldier acting as his body double...
Had disappeared.
But...
Where had the switch taken place?
At exactly which point had everything gone wrong?
From the moment those people took the body double...
Until the instant the arrests {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} began...
They had been under constant surveillance.
There shouldn't have been any opportunity to remove him.
Yet...
Since the person was no longer the same...
Something had undeniably happened somewhere along the way.
Finding that missing link...
Would become their next investigation.
Nan Yu, however, worried about something else.
What if...
Before they uncovered the truth...
Those people realized that the "Nan Yu" they'd worked so hard to kidnap...
Was nothing more than a fake?
If that happened...
Would they kill him in a fit of rage?