Chapter 183: The Bai Family
Based on Zhou Baichuan's account, when Bai Shanzhou spoke to him over the call, she had been wearing formal attire and posing for photographs. Her posture and expression had remained fixed the entire time, and she had spoken casually, without showing any sign of discussing the matter with anyone else.
Which meant that this decision had already been made long ago... No, more accurately, her wedding had already been scheduled for five months later. That was why she had been able to mention it so casually.
Perhaps she had always intended to invite Jiang Youjian and Zhou Baichuan to attend her wedding five months later. What she had said before had simply been to make the two of them feel even more touched once they found out.
Yu Lanfeng asked, "Did you agree?"
"I did," Zhou Baichuan replied. "I said we'd attend the wedding in five months. She also mentioned that she might need our help with a few small things then. I asked what she meant, and she said we'd probably just be helping out at the wedding."
Yu Lanfeng said, "Don't tell anyone about this. Pretend nothing happened, and wait until the wedding in five months. If... this time you manage to obtain intelligence of significant value, then I won't pursue the matter of the two of you conspiring to alter the records."
"Not only will I let it go, I'll quietly restore all of Jiang Youjian's original records as well. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Zhou Baichuan's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Marshal Yu! We'll absolutely do our very best! You can count on us!"
For the time being, Jiang Youjian and Zhou Baichuan's case came to an end.
Until Jiang Youjian earned enough merit, he would absolutely not be released. However, to be safe, all of his training was carried out inside his cell.
That ensured his physical fitness and combat ability wouldn't deteriorate.
Once their case had been dealt with, Nan Yu and the others immediately turned their attention back to the remaining ten thousand-plus people.
Now the interrogation process had become astonishingly simple—about thirty seconds per person. Anyone who refused to answer obediently would end up dead in the room behind them.
In just five short days, nearly half of them had already been executed.
So far, only Shuang Qingyue and Jiang Youjian qualified for lenient treatment.
Everyone else was an unquestionable spy, radiating malicious intent every waking moment.
Whether they were foreign spies or Imperial spies made no difference. Anyone harboring malicious intent had to die.
Up to this point, Nan Yu had never sensed any emotion other than hostility from anyone besides Shuang Qingyue and Jiang Youjian.
"These people truly came here with malicious intent to steal classified information and even try to take control of this military base. After all this time, I've noticed that I've become much more sensitive to other people's hostility... but I'm getting a little tired too. Let's stop here for today and go get some rest."
Naturally, Yu Lanfeng deferred to him.
"Then let's go back and rest."
Actually, they had seized the initiative from the very beginning.
They had gathered all these people together in one place while the outside forces carried out rapid restructuring and implemented numerous operational plans, especially regarding Border Region Six's garrison deployments, combat routes, and other highly classified military matters.
Of course, Nan Yu still had one extremely important mission.
Among all the Mental Power Users, he had to find the one who had controlled Yao Anyang.
Back in Border Region Five, he had tested the Mental Power Users immediately.
Here, however, he couldn't afford to rush.
He still had no idea how many people inside this military base had already fallen under the enemy's control.
If he exposed the hidden Mental Power User too early, he might alert the enemy.
Should they become desperate, they could directly manipulate everyone under their control into launching a massacre and widespread sabotage throughout the military base.
That was a scenario none of them could accept.
The reason they had found the culprit so quickly in Border Region Five was simply because that person had been foolish enough to expose himself in advance.
Things were different here.
Border Region Six had far more Mental Power Users than Border Region Five.
For some unknown reason, every single Mental Power User in this base rejected Nan Yu's attempts to approach them.
Even though Nan Yu himself was also a Mental Power User, they all kept their distance from him.
During the first few days, Nan Yu had still tried to find time to get closer to them.
Soon enough, however, he lost interest.
He spent the entire day tied up working alongside Yu Lanfeng, and there wasn't much time left at night. He needed proper rest, and building relationships with the Mental Power Users simply wasn't worth sacrificing sleep.
Several days passed with almost no progress.
He could have forced every one of them to undergo verification, but doing so would only make them resent him even more.
Nan Yu decided that wouldn't work.
So he summoned Yao Anyang.
Come to think of it, it had been several days since he'd last seen General Yao. Lately, Shuang Qingyue had been handling nearly all of the daily work.
With both Yu Lanfeng and Nan Yu present, there was no chance for him to tamper with anything.
Besides, Shuang Qingyue's status and reputation among the Mental Power Users were...
Hmm?
Nan Yu suddenly realized he'd forgotten something.
A moment later, it hit him.
He had completely forgotten that he could make use of Shuang Qingyue's position.
Once work ended that day, he specifically sought Shuang Qingyue out.
"Shuang Qingyue, I need your help with something. Would you be willing?"
Shuang Qingyue had no objections whatsoever.
"I knew you'd come looking for me sooner or later. I've actually been waiting. I just didn't expect it to be this soon."
Nan Yu nodded.
"The Mental Power User team here appears fine on the surface, but they're actually rather exclusive. Earlier, when I asked to examine everyone, they unanimously refused."
Shuang Qingyue smiled helplessly.
"The Ability User teams here are the same. Quite a few people were rather attached to some of those Ability Users who were arrested earlier. Then someone arrived and arrested them all at once, so everyone feels upset. They're just venting quietly."
"It's fine. I'll talk to them. I think they'll come around soon enough."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Remember, don't explain things too clearly. Just say those people had temporary issues with their identities and were dismissed from the legion. After that, nobody knows where they went."
Shuang Qingyue immediately asked,
"Should I go speak with them now?"
Nan Yu nodded.
"Start tonight. I'd rather not force the issue for now. Tell them this is an opportunity being given to everyone. If anyone remains stubborn after this, my patience isn't unlimited."
"The inspection will begin tomorrow morning. We'll use the treatment room. Everyone is familiar with that place. I'll arrive at exactly eight o'clock, and I hope every single one of you will already be there when I arrive."
Shuang Qingyue nodded solemnly.
"I understand how important this is. I'll make sure they realize it too."
Nan Yu replied,
"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll examine everyone one by one. Hopefully we'll identify the spy hiding among them as soon as possible."
After sending Shuang Qingyue away, Nan Yu and Yu Lanfeng returned to rest.
That night, Yu Lanfeng held a conference call with several other military bases to confirm the situation on their ends.
Only after receiving confirmation that everything remained normal did he end the call.
Late that night, while Nan Yu slept soundly, Yu Lanfeng quietly got out of bed.
He walked outside, climbed onto the rooftop, and connected a secure communication from the Capital Star.
"How is it?"
"Marshal... we still haven't found them."
At this point, only two possibilities remained.
Either they had already been taken off the Capital Star.
Or they were still somewhere on the Capital Star, hidden away.
"Is there anywhere on the Capital Star that hasn't been searched yet?"
"Marshal, we've found what appears to have been one of their previous hideouts. However, by the time we discovered it, nobody had lived there for many days."
Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly.
"Did they leave in a hurry, or calmly?"
"We inspected everything they left behind. Although the place looked somewhat messy, many areas had been cleaned up thoroughly. It doesn't appear they encountered any emergency before leaving."
Which meant...
They had departed in an orderly fashion.
No one had discovered their movements.
"And now?"
Yu Lanfeng asked.
"Marshal... we still have no leads."
Yu Lanfeng said quietly,
"The moment you have any information, send it to me immediately."
"Yes, Marshal!"
He ended the call.
What surprised him was that after so many days, there was still no trace whatsoever of Nan Zhen or Nan Yun.
Had things really reached the point where the organization intended to use the two hostages to force them into handing over Nan Yu?
If that truly became their only option...
He knew Nan Yu would choose without hesitation to exchange himself for his two older brothers.
But that was the last thing Yu Lanfeng wanted to see.
He checked the location of Nan Yu's body double.
It was approximately three or four days away from reaching the Capital Star.
When it arrived, they had to lure the enemy out.
As long as they succeeded, everything should proceed according to plan.
Yu Lanfeng quietly returned to the room and lay back down.
Nan Yu rolled over and instinctively buried himself in Yu Lanfeng's embrace, sleepily rubbing against his chest.
"Where did you go...?"
"Up to the rooftop to get some fresh air."
Given Nan Yu's sensitivity to sound, he had definitely heard the bedroom door open.
Lying now would be pointless.
Sure enough, after hearing the answer, Nan Yu immediately drifted back to sleep.
"Go to sleep too..."
He fell asleep before even finishing the last word.
He really could sleep anywhere.
Nan Yu woke up early the next morning.
There was an important matter waiting in the treatment room, so he simply told Yu Lanfeng to spend the morning however he liked.
As for Yu Lanfeng's version of "free time"...
It meant following Nan Yu around.
By the time Nan Yu arrived at the treatment room, Shuang Qingyue was already waiting outside.
"I've persuaded everyone. We've prepared a separate room inside. They'll enter one at a time. You already have the roster. They'll go in according to the list, from top to bottom."
Nan Yu nodded.
"No problem. Take me there."
Shuang Qingyue led him into a small room.
Tables, chairs, and everything else had already been prepared.
Yu Lanfeng looked around and quickly noticed that many people clearly recognized him.
Yet they still refused to show even the slightest respect toward Nan Yu, the person standing beside him.
He silently memorized every single one of them.
There were indeed many Mental Power Users.
One after another, they entered the room.
Some came out after only ten or twenty seconds.
Some took around half a minute.
Even those who stayed nearly three minutes walked back out looking perfectly normal.
Nan Yu examined them one after another.
Yet after reaching the final person...
He still hadn't found the Mental Power User he had been searching for.
Excellent.
Then whose separated Mental Power had he sensed before?
Where exactly was that person now?
Before coming here, Nan Yu had carefully checked the roster multiple times.
Not a single name was missing.
The number of Mental Power Users who appeared matched perfectly with the photographs and personnel files.
Which meant...
Someone had deceived him.
But who?
Nan Yu flipped through the list repeatedly.
He couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Still, he was unwilling to simply give up and leave.
Shuang Qingyue asked,
"What is it? Did something go wrong? Did you find the person?"
Nan Yu looked at him.
"Let me ask you something. Is there any Mental Power User in Border Region Six who's physically here but isn't listed in the official records?"
He had asked casually.
Unexpectedly, Shuang Qingyue froze.
Then he fell silent.
Which meant there really was someone.
Nan Yu immediately asked,
"What's going on? There's another Mental Power User here?"
"There is," Shuang Qingyue admitted, "but he's imprisoned in the underground dungeon. There's no way he could appear up here. Could there be some mistake?"
For some reason, Nan Yu immediately decided to see him.
"Why was he imprisoned? And in the dungeon, no less. There must be a reason he's considered dangerous."
Shuang Qingyue explained,
"For reasons nobody understands, his Mental Power suddenly went berserk. Afterwards, traces of drug use were discovered. Since nobody knew how to treat him, and to prevent his out-of-control Mental Power from harming the soldiers here, he was locked in the dungeon."
"He had also violated Imperial law, so he was imprisoned while awaiting judgment."
"But not long after he was locked up, the beast tide began."
"After that, the military base remained overwhelmed with work..."
"So everyone forgot about him?"
Nan Yu sighed.
"In that case, take me to see him. I just want to confirm something. It won't take long."
"Of course, Mental Power rampages are dangerous. I'll go in alone."
Yu Lanfeng immediately objected.
"I don't agree."
Nan Yu smiled.
"I'll stay inside for only two minutes."
"If I haven't come out after that, then you can come in."
The real reason was simple.
If that Mental Power User suddenly erupted without warning and Yu Lanfeng happened to be nearby, Yu Lanfeng could easily be turned into an idiot.
If that happened...
Nan Yu felt like he might literally explode on the spot.
"So?"
Yu Lanfeng still refused.
Nan Yu patiently explained,
"I'm a Mental Power User. I have ways to deal with a Mental Power rampage."
"You don't."
"If you come in with me, I'll have to split my attention to protect you. That'll only make things more troublesome."
Eventually, Yu Lanfeng had no choice but to compromise.
"Fine."
"Two minutes."
At that moment, Shuang Qingyue awkwardly interjected,
"It'll probably take three to five minutes just to walk from the entrance to the innermost cell... even with someone guiding you."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Then make it fifteen."
"Five minutes to walk in, five minutes to walk back, and another five minutes to ask him a few questions."
"That should be alright, right?"
Just like that...
The original two-minute limit had somehow become fifteen minutes.
Yu Lanfeng felt thoroughly tricked.
Still, Nan Yu was right.
As an Ability User, if he encountered a Mental Power rampage inside, he wouldn't be able to help.
He would only become a burden.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Lanfeng finally said,
"Then let's do this."
"Keep an open communication link with my terminal the entire time."
"If that's the case, I won't mind even if you're inside for half an hour."
Nan Yu smiled.
"No problem."
"As long as you don't follow me."
"I'm doing this for your own good."
"Besides, no sane person actually wants to go into a place like that."
Shuang Qingyue led Nan Yu to the entrance of the dungeon's lowest level.
He also sent him a map.
The route was extremely simple.
Walk straight down the corridor.
Turn left.
Continue to the very end.
The cell was the last one on that passage.
Nan Yu thought things were progressing surprisingly smoothly.
The underground prison also seemed...
rather small.
Still, none of that mattered.
After saying goodbye to Yu Lanfeng, Nan Yu stepped inside.
Beyond that single wall lay constant danger.
A Mental Power rampage could erupt at any moment.
Even if nothing happened, simply staying inside would keep one's nerves stretched to the limit.
Nan Yu walked down the corridor.
About two minutes later, he turned left.
Standing at the corner alone, he immediately saw the enormous cell at the very end.
Its door alone occupied nearly the entire wall.
He continued forward.
There was no need to waste time.
When he reached the massive door, he noticed that a smaller access door had been built into it.
Earlier, he had contacted Yao Anyang and obtained the key.
Using it, he unlocked the small door.
His figure slipped inside in a flash.
The door closed softly behind him.
Nan Yu immediately began examining the cell.
After looking around several times...
He found absolutely nothing.
The enormous prison cell was completely empty.
The supposed Mental Power User imprisoned here was nowhere to be seen.
Nan Yu searched every corner repeatedly.
There wasn't the slightest clue.
The newest traces of habitation were already several days old.
What exactly was going on?
Someone had definitely been here only a few days ago.
Yet during the past couple of days...
They had vanished.
Normally, this level wasn't patrolled very often.
As long as the locks remained intact, the guards simply delivered meals at scheduled times before collecting the dishes later.
Since nobody ever made direct contact with the prisoner, everyone knew who was supposedly locked inside...
Yet nobody actually knew how that person was living.
Nan Yu spoke into the communicator.
"There's nobody here."
"My Mental Power is completely relaxed, which means there are no hidden enemies nearby."
"Can anyone tell me where this person went?"
Shuang Qingyue immediately denied it.
"Impossible."
"That's impossible."
"He was locked here the whole time."
"There's absolutely no sign of escape."
"The alarm at the exit never activated..."
Nan Yu caught that detail.
The alarm Shuang Qingyue mentioned was installed at the exit.
Anyone leaving without authorization would immediately trigger it.
Since the alarm had never gone off...
That meant the person was still somewhere on this lowest prison level.
But why?
The answer came almost instantly.
He had been waiting.
Waiting for the exit door to open.
Then he could attack everyone outside, escape openly through the exit...
And...
Nan Yu's eyes suddenly widened.
He threw open the cell door and sprinted into the corridor.
While running, he shouted breathlessly into the communicator,
"Get outside the exit immediately!"
"Then close the door!"
"Remember—hurry!"
"You absolutely cannot waste any time!"
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
His first instinct was to object.
But he ultimately chose to trust Nan Yu.
Otherwise...
If something really happened...
The one who would suffer most would be Nan Yu.
"Keep the communication open!"
The moment he finished speaking, Yu Lanfeng led everyone outside the exit.
The heavy door began closing.
Just before it shut completely—
A figure suddenly rushed out from somewhere and slammed violently into it.
The man's face was twisted with madness.
His eyes were bloodshot.
He looked like someone who had completely lost all reason.
As the final crack in the doorway disappeared, Yu Lanfeng caught sight of Nan Yu reaching the corner in the distance.
He immediately spoke.
"A person appeared here."
"He looks extremely dangerous."
"Until it's safe, absolutely do not—"
Before he could finish...
Everyone watching through the communication feed saw Nan Yu standing rigidly with a deep frown.
Facing him...
Was the very same Mental Power User who had crashed into the closing door but failed to escape.
Nan Yu pulled up the man's personnel file on his terminal.
It was indeed the imprisoned Mental Power User Shuang Qingyue had mentioned earlier.
Nan Yu had originally wanted to communicate with him.
Unfortunately...
That was no longer possible.
The signs of the man's Mental Power rampage had clearly reached the late stages.
It had affected him so severely that he had become a permanently berserk creature with no remaining sanity.
Yu Lanfeng finished the warning he'd been cut off from saying earlier.
"Absolutely don't confront him head-on."
"If you can't beat him, run immediately."
"Find somewhere safe and hide."
Nan Yu gave a slight nod.
He said nothing.
Right now, he didn't want to speak.
What if the moment he opened his mouth...
The other man charged straight at him?
Perhaps it was only his imagination...
But Nan Yu couldn't shake the feeling that this Mental Power User looked somewhat similar to Bai Zhouyun.
Looking carefully, though...
He didn't quite resemble him.
The more Nan Yu looked...
The more alike they seemed.
Then the resemblance disappeared again.
Back and forth.
Similar.
Then not.
Again and again.
Then suddenly...
His attention was drawn to the man's left shoulder, exposed beneath his tattered clothing.
There...
Was a red birthmark shaped like a four-leaf clover.
"This is..."
Nan Yu felt as though he had to be seeing things.
But the mark really was there.
How could that be?
How was that even possible?!