Chapter 118: The Leak
When Yu Lanfeng spotted the approaching warships from afar, he immediately signaled everyone to leave. Unfortunately, they quickly realized escape was no longer possible.
Their position was extremely awkward.
They happened to be caught exactly between the territories guarded by the two opposing legions.
And, perhaps because both sides knew the other was coming, each had dispatched more than three times the standard number of troops. The fleets stretched across space in overwhelming force.
Unless Yu Lanfeng's group intended to break through by force, they had no choice but to remain where they were and wait until the two sides finished dealing with their own business before turning their attention to them.
Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly.
This development wasn't part of his plan.
He had promised Nan Yu that he would arrive in a little over three days. If he exceeded that time...
He had no idea whether something terrible might happen to Nan Yu.
Or perhaps it would disrupt Nan Yu's plans.
After all, Nan Yu knew he was coming. There was no way he would continue waiting blindly for rescue. He would definitely take action himself.
And if Yu Lanfeng arrived even a little late...
Nan Yu might truly end up facing a disastrous situation.
Yu Lanfeng said, "Open communications with the flagships commanding both sides immediately. Tell them we're carrying out a confidential emergency mission and must leave at once. Have them clear a passage."
Then he looked at Nan Ming.
"This time, you'll handle the negotiations. Any problem with that?"
Nan Ming nodded.
"No problem."
There were naturally many people who knew Nan Ming.
Being able to reach the rank of Major General within Yu Lanfeng's legion was already an incredible achievement. Countless people couldn't even pass the entrance examinations required to join the Marshal's legion.
Perhaps because they emphasized the urgency, the images of the two commanding officers soon appeared on the screen.
The first thing they did upon seeing each other was exchange several colorful insults—without actually using profanity.
Only afterward did they turn toward Nan Ming.
Nan Ming spoke directly.
"Gentlemen, let's skip the pleasantries. I have complete confidence that you can handle matters here. However, I'm carrying out an extremely urgent mission and must depart immediately. I'd appreciate it if you could make an exception and allow us through."
The two officers frowned.
According to procedure, Nan Ming's ship should be inspected by both sides in turn.
But everyone knew that completing both inspections would take no less than ten days—possibly even half a month. Most of that time would simply be spent traveling between the two fleets.
If it were anyone else, that would be one thing.
But this was Nan Ming.
And since they all served under the Empire, they couldn't afford to delay an urgent military mission.
"So it's Major General Nan. Long time no see. Since it's you, I'll gladly do you this favor. I'll notify my people. You can pass straight through. I hope this won't delay your mission."
One of them expressed his agreement first.
The other immediately followed.
"Hmph! You beat me to it. But of course I have no objections either. Go on, don't let us hold up your mission."
After the communication ended, Nan Ming turned toward the shadowed corner behind him where Yu Lanfeng stood.
Yu Lanfeng immediately gave the order.
"Depart. The moment we reach the next jump point, initiate the warp immediately. We must reach our destination as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Marshal!"
The warship disguised as an ordinary civilian vessel calmly sailed between the two massive fleets.
Not long afterward, it disappeared into the endless blackness of space.
As for the incident left behind...
It would take quite some time to resolve.
Since everything had happened in the overlapping jurisdiction between the two legions, both sides wanted custody of the prisoners.
But they also knew they absolutely couldn't resort to force.
And words alone weren't enough to persuade the other side.
It looked like they would be stuck arguing for quite a while.
...
After leaving the area, Yu Lanfeng calculated the remaining travel time.
After this warp jump, they would arrive near the location indicated by the coordinates.
He could only hope that Nan Yu was still safe and unharmed.
...
Nan Yu slowly took a deep breath.
Nearly three days had passed since he had established contact with Yu Lanfeng.
According to the Marshal's estimate, they should arrive in another dozen or so hours.
The question was...
Could he hold out until then?
Over the past several days, he had already delayed things as much as possible.
Ye Xing looked increasingly haggard with every passing day.
The bloodshot eyes...
The madness he constantly suppressed...
Everything indicated that his patience had almost reached its limit.
So Nan Yu decided to take a gamble.
He wanted to see whether his judgment was correct.
If he waited until Ye Xing completely lost control...
He probably wouldn't survive.
It was better to act a little earlier.
He once again examined Zhang Wei's Mental Sea.
Since the first treatment, he hadn't removed any more Mental Contamination.
But this time...
He intended to eliminate it completely.
For his own safety, however...
He planned to leave himself an insurance policy.
It took only about half an hour to clear all the Mental Contamination inside Zhang Wei's Mental Sea.
Ordinarily it wouldn't even have taken that long.
But during the purification process, Nan Yu unexpectedly discovered something hidden extremely deep within the contamination.
When his mental power accidentally brushed against those mysterious substances...
It immediately showed signs of becoming violent.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly, strengthened his control, and broke free before anything serious happened.
Afterward, he spent additional time carefully driving those hidden substances out together with the contamination.
Only after the treatment ended did Nan Yu finally understand why Zhang Wei had remained unconscious despite having his Mental Contamination reduced all the way to B-rank.
Those strange substances had been concealed within the remaining contamination.
They possessed the terrifying ability to send any mental power that touched them into violent turmoil.
Even someone with mental power as powerful as Nan Yu's had nearly fallen victim after letting down his guard for only an instant.
Not to mention an Ability User.
No wonder Ye Xing had been so anxious.
Perhaps every so often those mysterious substances would trigger another outbreak of mental instability.
And maybe...
This was Zhang Wei's final chance.
If Nan Yu could cure him before the next outbreak...
Everything would be fine.
If he failed...
Then everyone here would die together.
A chill spread through Nan Yu's entire body as he suddenly understood Ye Xing's way of thinking.
No wonder Ye Xing hadn't complained at all despite Nan Yu dragging things out for so long.
He had simply been planning that if Nan Yu couldn't cure Zhang Wei...
Then Nan Yu would stay behind and be buried alongside him.
Nan Yu's expression immediately darkened.
Earlier, he had thought killing Ye Xing would be a waste and had even planned to plead for leniency before Yu Lanfeng.
Now...
That thought had completely vanished.
He even wanted to personally stab Ye Xing a couple more times after Yu Lanfeng finished beating him up.
Calculating the time...
There were still about ten hours left.
He only had to wait.
Just wait a little longer...
Time continued passing second by second.
Nan Yu sat calmly in the chair on the surface, but inside he was anxious beyond words.
No matter how impatient he became...
Time refused to move any faster.
So all he could do was continue waiting.
Unfortunately...
Perhaps luck simply wasn't on his side.
After completely removing Zhang Wei's Mental Contamination...
Nan Yu overlooked one thing.
Previously, Zhang Wei hadn't awakened because of those mysterious substances.
Now that they had all been removed...
There was nothing preventing him from regaining consciousness.
So...
When the man lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes...
Nan Yu's entire body froze.
A miscalculation.
He had completely miscalculated.
If he'd known this would happen, he should have waited a little longer.
Now everything had gone wrong.
The moment Zhang Wei woke up, his gaze immediately landed on Nan Yu.
He stared fixedly at him.
Nan Yu felt goosebumps crawling across his skin.
"What are you looking at?!"
Because of his foul mood, his tone wasn't pleasant.
The other man didn't seem to mind at all.
Instead, he quietly said,
"Thank you."
Nan Yu paused.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for helping me... even though he brought you here by force."
Nan Yu snorted.
"What makes you think he wouldn't force me to treat you?"
Zhang Wei shook his head.
"He wouldn't."
"A'Xing isn't that kind of person."
A'Xing...
Nan Yu suddenly felt his teeth ache.
He had never heard anyone call Ye Xing that before.
But...
Surprisingly...
It actually suited him.
The contrast was oddly adorable.
Nan Yu said coldly,
"Maybe not when it comes to you."
His words left Zhang Wei unable to refute him.
Because...
It was true.
To him, Ye Xing really was the best person in the world.
But to everyone else—
Especially Nan Yu, who had been kidnapped—
Ye Xing wasn't kind in the slightest.
"I'm sorry."
"I'll make him apologize."
Nan Yu had no interest whatsoever in someone else standing up for him.
Very soon...
The people who would truly help him would arrive.
When that happened...
Ye Xing was definitely going to receive a thorough beating.
Perhaps noticing the confidence on Nan Yu's face, Zhang Wei's expression changed slightly.
"What?"
"The people coming to rescue you are already on their way?"
Nan Yu glanced at him without answering.
But that silence...
Was as good as admitting it.
Realizing his own slip of the tongue, Nan Yu immediately warned,
"If you dare make a move now..."
"I'll turn you into an idiot."
Zhang Wei's entire body stiffened.
He didn't doubt those words for even a second.
He knew exactly how severe his Mental Contamination had been.
Since waking up, Nan Yu was the only Mental Power User he had seen.
That meant Nan Yu had cured him entirely through his own strength.
In other words...
Someone who clearly wasn't a High-Tier Mental Power User had accomplished something only a High-Tier Mental Power User should have been capable of.
If Nan Yu said he could reduce him to an idiot...
Then he definitely wasn't joking.
So...
Remaining obedient seemed like the wiser choice.
In reality, it was indeed the correct decision.
Because inside a completely inconspicuous corner of Zhang Wei's Mental Sea...
Nan Yu had secretly left behind a tiny sphere of his own mental power.
Inside it was a compressed portion of his own mental power.
Which meant...
At close range...
Nan Yu could detonate it directly.
Even from some distance away...
He could still manipulate the sphere to exert a tremendous influence over Zhang Wei's mental state.
Even if they ended up in completely different countries...
The sphere would continue functioning.
It could weaken Zhang Wei's spirit...
Interfere with his mental power...
Even affect his sanity.
Unless...
He found a High-Tier Mental Power User capable of removing it.
After all...
Only someone capable of projecting mental power externally could so easily separate a fragment of their own mental power.
Likewise...
Only someone with that same ability could remove Nan Yu's sphere.
Right now, since Nan Yu remained nearby and maintained control over it...
The sphere sat quietly inside Zhang Wei's Mental Sea without showing the slightest abnormality.
What made matters even worse...
Was that Nan Yu had also sealed those mysterious substances he had extracted from the Mental Contamination inside that mental power sphere.
If the sphere ever exploded...
Not only would it cause irreversible damage to Zhang Wei's Mental Sea...
Those terrifying substances capable of driving his mental power berserk upon contact...
Would also be released back into him.
So Nan Yu sincerely hoped that both of them would have enough sense.
Otherwise...
...
Perhaps because he subconsciously sensed Nan Yu's hidden hostility...
Zhang Wei suddenly felt vaguely uneasy.
Objectively speaking, though...
His Mental Contamination had been completely removed.
His body felt better than ever.
There wasn't the slightest sign that anything was wrong.
Yet...
His instincts had saved his life countless times before.
They had never once been wrong.
Which meant...
This warning was real.
He instinctively tried to get out of bed.
Only then did he realize...
He was tied up.
Looking down at the restraints, he didn't even need to think about who had put them there.
After all...
He had personally taught Ye Xing how to tie them.
With practiced ease, Zhang Wei calmly undid every restraint.
Soon he was completely free.
The moment both feet touched the ground, he stretched lazily.
His entire body crackled loudly.
Clearly...
He had been lying down for an extremely long time.
Although...
Hadn't he still been moving around whenever he lost control?
Why did his body feel this stiff?
What Nan Yu didn't know...
Was that after Zhang Wei's last mental power outbreak...
He had fallen directly into unconsciousness.
He had remained asleep ever since.
So...
He really had been lying there for an incredibly long time.
He looked at Nan Yu, who remained seated on the sofa without moving.
Feeling puzzled, he asked,
"You don't seem surprised at all."
"You're not scared either."
"Aren't you afraid that the two of us might simply join forces, kill you here, and leave?"
"With Ye Xing's abilities, the people coming to rescue you would never catch us."
Nan Yu lightly rubbed his fingers and quietly replied,
"You can certainly try."
Zhang Wei wasn't stupid.
Almost immediately...
A thought flashed through his mind.
He pointed at his own head.
"What did you do to me?"
The corners of Nan Yu's lips curled upward.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm such a polite, well-mannered Mental Power User. Why would I do something like that?"
"And besides..."
"What exactly do you think I could have done?"
Zhang Wei thought seriously about it.
He truly couldn't come up with an answer.
After all...
He had never encountered a Mental Power User as extraordinary as Nan Yu.
He simply couldn't imagine the methods available to him.
But Nan Yu's fearless confidence clearly wasn't an act.
He genuinely had a backup plan.
Zhang Wei narrowed his eyes.
He had no intention of making a move.
Not until he figured out exactly what Nan Yu had done.
Since he was certain Nan Yu had tampered with something...
And since the culprit was a Mental Power User...
Whatever had been done almost certainly involved mental power.
That narrowed the possibilities considerably.
After silently watching Nan Yu for nearly two minutes, Zhang Wei finally spoke.
"I'm going out to see Ye Xing first."
"He's probably desperate to confirm my condition."
"And judging by the timing..."
"My next mental power outbreak should have happened very soon."
Without waiting for a response, he walked to the door and opened it.
The first person he saw...
Was Ye Xing standing outside.
Ye Xing had just been about to ask what he wanted to eat.
The first word reached his throat...
Then froze completely.
Zhang Wei closed the door behind him.
Leaning casually against it, he smiled at Ye Xing.
"What?"
"Don't recognize me anymore?"
Only then did Ye Xing finally react.
He rushed forward and embraced him tightly.
The two of them clung to each other as though afraid the other might disappear.
"You're alright..."
"You're really alright..."
"You really..."
"Really are alright?"
Zhang Wei nodded.
"I'm fine. Do I look like something's wrong with me?"
Well...
If he didn't count whatever Nan Yu had secretly done to him, then he really was perfectly fine.
As for that little trick...
He had no intention of telling Ye Xing about it.
Just in case Ye Xing did something reckless.
Zhang Wei took Ye Xing by the hand and led him outside.
Only then did he realize how unbelievably small the house was.
The room he had just come from was clearly the largest one.
Still, it didn't matter.
All they needed was somewhere safe to have a proper conversation.
The two of them sat down on the sofa in the living room and began talking about everything that had happened over the years.
At first, Zhang Wei contributed a few words here and there.
But before long, it became Ye Xing talking while Zhang Wei simply listened.
After all, Zhang Wei had spent all these years in that unconscious state.
Meanwhile, Ye Xing had traveled through one Empire after another, capturing Mental Power Users in search of someone who could save him.
Naturally, he had countless experiences to share.
When he finally reached the story of the last Ability User...
He couldn't help sighing.
"The Mental Power User's name is Nan Yu. He's from the Empire. I relied entirely on my own abilities to bring him out of a military hospital on the Empire's Capital Star."
"Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
Zhang Wei immediately fell silent.
The Empire...
The Capital Star...
A military hospital...
Could he just pretend he hadn't heard any of that?
Adding the previous countries Ye Xing had mentioned...
How many had there been already?
He honestly hadn't bothered counting.
"A'Xing..."
"What are you planning to do from now on?"
"Keep being hunted? Keep running forever?"
Of course Ye Xing didn't want that.
If it were only himself...
He could go anywhere.
Do anything.
But things were different now.
"I'll listen to you."
"You know I'm hopeless when it comes to this sort of thing."
Zhang Wei nodded.
"First..."
"Tell me what you plan to do with the Mental Power User inside."
Ye Xing answered honestly.
"I promised him ten times the agreed payment."
"And I'll send him back."
Zhang Wei sighed.
"By now, the Empire definitely knows he's missing."
"Security and patrols will be tighter than ever."
"How exactly do you expect to return him without anyone noticing?"
"The moment he gets back to the Capital Star, he'll probably report everything about you."
"Do you really think you'll still be able to leave safely afterward?"
"That's nothing but wishful thinking."
"And what makes you so certain they haven't already found your trail and followed the clues all the way here?"
Ye Xing originally wanted to say it was impossible.
But then he suddenly remembered the spatial button he had returned to Nan Yu earlier.
Perhaps...
There really had been some device inside capable of contacting the Empire.
Still...
Even if the Empire received the message immediately, it would take at least ten or twenty days to reach this place.
Judging by the current timeline...
They would have plenty of time to leave.
"As for him..."
"We'll simply leave him here to wait for rescue."
"Then we'll leave."
Zhang Wei's eyes flickered slightly.
Truthfully...
He didn't want to leave.
As for why...
The answer was still Ye Xing.
"Let's wait a little longer."
"I just woke up."
"Give me another couple of days."
Naturally, Ye Xing had no objections whatsoever.
He always listened to Zhang Wei.
...
Soon afterward, Ye Xing went to great lengths to prepare a table full of delicious dishes.
He also brought a portion to Nan Yu.
Nan Yu opened the door, accepted the food, and immediately shut the door again.
From beginning to end, he wore a cold expression and didn't say a single word.
Normally...
Ye Xing would definitely have mocked him with several sarcastic remarks.
But today...
He was simply too happy.
Even Nan Yu's terrible attitude didn't bother him in the slightest.
After all...
Zhang Wei had only recovered because of Nan Yu.
He was genuinely happy.
And genuinely grateful.
Of course...
That didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't still do something harmful to Nan Yu in the end.
Nan Yu placed the fragrant, beautifully prepared meal on the table.
It undoubtedly looked delicious.
But he had absolutely no appetite.
It wasn't because he suspected they had poisoned the food.
If they wanted him dead...
They could simply kill him themselves.
There was no need for poison.
He simply felt...
Powerless.
Nan Yu checked the time again.
His heart grew increasingly heavy.
Come on...
Big Brother...
Hurry up...
Please hurry...
After feeling sorry for himself for a while, Nan Yu forced himself to eat.
Skipping meals wasn't an option.
He had barely eaten anything today.
If he ended up fainting from hunger later...
That would be truly pathetic.
Although the food tasted excellent...
He only ate until he was about half full before putting down his chopsticks.
Letting out a long sigh...
He could only continue waiting.
...
Without realizing it, Bai Zhouyun had already been here for more than half a month.
Those two weeks had been utterly miserable.
Back when he lived as the young master of the Bai family...
No matter how incompetent he might have been...
He had never been expected to perform manual labor.
Cleaning?
That kind of work had never even crossed his mind.
But here...
There was actually an underground illegal fighting arena.
And that was exactly where he had been assigned to clean.
Every single time a life-and-death match ended...
He had to enter the arena and clean up severed limbs...
Scattered body parts...
And even mangled flesh and crushed bones that had been beaten into bloody pulp.
The sight was so revolting that he often felt himself on the verge of losing his sanity.
Yet every single time...
He forcibly suppressed the urge to explode.
Because he wasn't stupid.
There were always two people lingering nearby.
He guessed they were simply waiting for him to lose his temper so they could beat him into submission and teach him never to throw another tantrum.
And Bai Zhouyun's restraint proved to be the correct choice.
Every time he returned to his room after work...
Those two men would leave looking visibly disappointed.
Their expressions practically screamed:
"No one to beat up today either..."
As time passed...
Bai Zhouyun eventually became capable of cleaning the blood-soaked arena without changing his expression.
Earlier, he had been fortunate—or perhaps unfortunate—enough to witness one of the matches personally.
The fighters were either enormously muscular ordinary people with no abilities at all...
Or genuine Ability Users.
However...
Everyone fought under one rule.
No abilities were allowed.
After all...
This was an indoor arena.
If someone actually unleashed an Ability...
Wouldn't the entire building collapse?
What surprised Bai Zhouyun even more...
Was learning another rule of this organization.
Anyone capable of bringing enormous profits to the organization...
Would receive higher status...
Greater wealth...
And better treatment.
Many people had earned fortunes simply by providing valuable information.
The moment Bai Zhouyun heard that...
His thoughts immediately turned toward Nan Yu.
Because he knew something.
Nan Yu possessed a stalk of Nianshen Grass.