Chapter 18: Arrival at Border Zone 1
Nan Yu stared at the planet before him. This was their destination after the space carrier completed several wormhole jumps. “Is this it?”
Major Yuan Qiyang stood beside him, his expression solemn. “Yes. This is where my uncle… the Marshal is currently responsible for clearing the Yineng beasts.”
“And my task…?” Nan Yu asked.
“There are many low-level mental power users here helping to alleviate the mental pollution of the soldiers,” Yuan Qiyang explained. “But because there aren’t enough of them, they only provide basic relief. They don’t have the energy to fully dispel the pollution.”
“What about my role?” Nan Yu pressed.
“Your task is simple,” Yuan Qiyang replied. “The elite units are the strongest in the army, and they need you to help dispel their mental pollution. We’ll be counting on you.”
“I see,” Nan Yu nodded. “The stronger the Yineng Zhe, the harder the pollution is to clear. I suppose the other mental power users are already at their limit just keeping the average soldier from going berserk?”
Yuan Qiyang breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you understand. For some reason, beast tides have been frequent this year. Many places are overwhelmed, and some mental power users are unwell and need rest. It’s been quite a headache.”
“How many people will be assigned to me?” Nan Yu asked. “I’ve been clearing pollution for my father and brothers for a long time, so I should be fairly practiced.”
“I’ll tell you more about that in a moment,” Yuan Qiyang said.
Nan Yu suddenly pointed toward the planet. “What do those yellow areas represent?”
Yuan Qiyang frowned. “Those are areas where the Yineng beasts have devoured every single plant. After they strip the land bare, their constant trampling kicks up dust.”
From their perspective, it looked like a massive dust storm covering nearly half the planet.
Nan Yu gasped. How many beasts did it take to cause that much damage? It was terrifying…
The carrier wouldn’t get too close to the planet, so they had to take a specialized shuttle down. Nan Yu stayed close to Yuan Qiyang. As for Yu Lanfeng… he was the Marshal and had countless matters to attend to; he couldn’t constantly watch over Nan Yu, so he had delegated that task to Yuan Qiyang.
This suited Yuan Qiyang perfectly. He hadn’t thought much of Nan Yu before their interaction, but now he found the boy very suitable for him. They got along well, and Nan Yu’s status as a top-tier Middle-Level Jingshenli Zhe matched his own position perfectly.
Nan Yu was oblivious to Yuan Qiyang’s thoughts, otherwise, he would have kept his distance.
“Major Yuan, how long until we reach the destination?” Nan Yu asked.
“About three hours,” Yuan Qiyang replied. “The atmosphere here is unique, so the shuttle can’t fly too fast.”
On the Capital Star, it had only taken two hours to get from the surface to the carrier. Three hours here seemed to indicate a real difference.
“Can you tell me about it?” Nan Yu asked. Being out for the first time, he wanted to understand everything he encountered to avoid future embarrassment and to broaden his horizons.
“There is a special element in the atmosphere,” Yuan Qiyang explained. “If the shuttle goes too fast, it will damage the external protective layer.”
“Maintaining that protective layer on military ships is very expensive,” he continued. “Unless it’s an emergency, everyone slows down.”
“If you want to know more about the specific elements, I can take you to the Royal Library when we return to the Capital Star. It’s only open to the Imperial family, so outsiders aren’t usually allowed.”
“Really?” Nan Yu asked. “You’ll take me?”
“Yes,” Yuan Qiyang said. “If you want to go, I’ll…”
“Talking about what?”
Yuan Qiyang was fearless even toward his parents, but he was terrified of his uncle. Hearing Yu Lanfeng’s voice, he reflexively snapped into a serious, rigid posture.
Nan Yu found it amusing. So there was someone who could keep the Crown Prince in check!
“Is the Royal Library a place you can just take people into?” Yu Lanfeng asked, looking at his nephew with a trace of helplessness.
“My apologies, Marshal,” Yuan Qiyang said stiffly. “I spoke out of turn…”
“Ah, if it’s inconvenient, I won’t go,” Nan Yu interjected. “It’s really not that…”
“It’s fine,” Yu Lanfeng said. “If you want to go, I’ll take you once this is settled. Qiyang’s status makes it inconvenient for him.”
As the Marshal, taking someone with military merit to the library was justifiable. But if the Crown Prince took an outsider—especially an outstanding mental power user his age—it would spark endless rumors. He didn’t want to see that happen.
Yu Lanfeng didn’t realize that even if he was the one to take him, it wouldn’t be much different. Nan Yu didn’t notice either; his mind was entirely on the books in the Royal Library.
“Thank you, Marshal,” Nan Yu said.
“Don’t mention it,” Yu Lanfeng waved it off. “This is your reward.” At least for now, he felt no other emotions toward Nan Yu. “Prepare yourselves; the shuttle is landing soon.”
Nan Yu nodded, then asked, “Marshal, are there very troublesome Yineng beasts here? Otherwise, a man of your strength wouldn’t have come personally, right?”
“Yes,” Yu Lanfeng said. “There is a very strange beast here. It’s elusive; the soldiers can’t seem to pin down its location. There’s always a slight discrepancy.”
“Cameras don’t work?” Nan Yu asked. “What about satellites?” Then he remembered the yellow dust storms covering half the planet. Satellites would be useless. “I see…”
“Is its combat power very high?” Nan Yu asked.
“It’s not particularly strong,” Yu Lanfeng replied. “But its ability is bizarre. It exhales a pale red mist that spreads rapidly. Any soldier who inhales it finds the pollution in their mental sea accelerating by two to three times.”
Chapter 19: Arduous Work
Upon hearing Yu Lanfeng speak, a realization dawned on Nan Yu.
“So, the shortage of Jingshenli Zhe here isn’t actually because of their numbers, but because of this?”
“Correct,” Yu Lanfeng replied. “This is, after all, a secret. Even Major General Nan couldn’t be told directly, so my apologies”.
Nan Yu’s eyes widened, and he looked at him with some surprise. “No… there’s no need to apologize. I know that military secrets are serious matters and cannot be casually discussed”.
“And… I’m not angry,” he added. “Because coming here this time, I might be the one who benefits the most”.
Yu Lanfeng did not elaborate further, instead shifting the topic. “We’re almost there”.
Nan Yu tactfully fell silent, standing quietly behind Yu Lanfeng. He gazed at the man’s broad shoulders and back, thinking—if, and only if—!
If, after he dissolved his engagement with Bai Zhouyun, he could be with an Yineng Zhe like this, how wonderful would that be? However, he knew it was impossible. In his previous life, right until his death, he had never heard of Marshal Yu Lanfeng having a loved one or even any inclination toward romance.
Thus, Nan Yu kept it as a passing thought. He had also noticed the subtle change in Yuan Qiyang’s attitude toward him. After all, he wasn’t truly a fifteen-year-old boy with a naive psyche.
He accepted Yuan Qiyang’s vague overtures of goodwill without directly reciprocating. Whatever the Prince said, Nan Yu would respond, but he acted as if he were oblivious to the underlying intentions.
After all, he still carried the burden of a marriage contract. No matter how useless Bai Zhouyun was, Nan Yu couldn’t engage in a public display of affection with someone else before the engagement was officially dissolved. If he were discovered, he would undoubtedly face public condemnation.
Even as a Jingshenli Zhe, one’s character mattered.
By the time Nan Yu snapped back to reality, the ship had approached the military base below.
Nan Yu watched intently. He had never seen such a place in either of his two lifetimes, and such scenes never appeared on the Star Net.
But it made sense. A military base was a highly classified location; what would happen if it were exposed on the Star Net for enemy nations to see?
Everything concerning the military was top-secret. Even soldiers could only gradually learn more as they rose through the ranks.
Those at the bottom knew the least; such was the rigor of military security.
Nan Yu knew that for most of what he saw and heard here, he wouldn’t be able to breathe a word once he returned to the Capital Star. He would likely have to sign a non-disclosure agreement on the way back.
He took a deep breath as the ship docked within the military base. The hatches opened, and Nan Yu followed quietly behind the others as they disembarked.
His first instinct upon stepping outside was to look up. The sky above was a sky-blue color, but it wasn’t the natural hue of the planet’s sky. It was the color of the protective shield deployed over the military base, designed to keep the interior clean.
They couldn’t very well have dust storms swirling inside the base as they did outside, after all.
“Marshal!”
“The Marshal is here!”
“Marshal…”
Yu Lanfeng stepped aside and gestured toward Nan Yu behind him. “An outstanding talent among Middle-Level Jingshenli Zhe. I brought him here to help. Take him over there; he can start immediately”.
He then looked at Yuan Qiyang. “Go with him and keep an eye on things. Come find me when it’s nearly settled. Do not waste time”.
Yuan Qiyang straightened his posture. “Yes, Marshal!”
In the military, he absolutely could not call him “Uncle,” or he would be lectured.
Nan Yu blinked but said nothing. He gave a slight nod to the unfamiliar officers and followed Yuan Qiyang. Leading them was a person who appeared quite capable… a Jingshenli Zhe?
Once they had put some distance between themselves and Yu Lanfeng, the Jingshenli Zhe let out a slight sigh of relief. “Hello there. What’s your name? It’s my first time seeing you”.
“I am Nan Yu,” he replied. “I’ve always been on the Capital Star until now”.
“So you’re the Nan Yu everyone talks about! When I was back there, I heard your name. Everyone was wondering if you’d be recruited into the military. I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon. It seems our predictions were quite accurate”.
“Oh, right, let me introduce myself. I am An Mi, the captain of this military base’s mental power logistics team. You can call me Captain An”.
Nan Yu noticed the badge on his uniform—he was a Lieutenant.
“As you can see, I am also a Middle-Level Jingshenli Zhe. Although my abilities might not match yours, I have plenty of experience. Follow me, and you’ll get the hang of things quickly. It’s quite simple”.
“However… you should take a look first”.
An Mi led them quickly to the floor below. Stepping out of the elevator, Nan Yu saw three long, perpendicular corridors. Each was so long that the ends were barely visible.
“There are this many rooms?”
“Correct,” An Mi said. “Follow me. I need to familiarize you with your workspace first so you don’t get lost later”.
An Mi led them down the left corridor. After about two minutes of walking, he pointed to a door at the side. “This is where you’ll be working from now on. I hope you can endure it”.
Nan Yu suddenly had a bad premonition.
When An Mi opened the door, he saw about twenty beds inside, each occupied by a person. Furthermore, every single one of them was tied to their bed.
“As you can see, this is the situation. If they aren’t tied down, these officers might go berserk. Although they can sometimes control themselves, still…”
Nan Yu frowned deeply. Everyone here was restrained; eighteen were unconscious, while the other two had twisted, agonizing expressions, looking as if they were being subjected to gruesome torture.
But Nan Yu knew that when mental power was polluted to a certain degree, it truly felt like being tortured. Moreover, it was the spirit being tormented, not the body, which was perhaps the greatest agony for these soldiers.
Nan Yu took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute. “Captain An, please teach me. What should I do next?”
An Mi felt his sincerity and was immensely satisfied. However, he knew this child certainly wouldn’t stay at a small border base like this forever.
“Then listen carefully. Those who are still awake have a bit of leeway. The unconscious ones are the ones who need their mental pollution cleared most urgently. There are machines by their bedsides that display their mental pollution levels, how long they’ve been unconscious, and so on. Come here, I’ll teach you how to read them and operate the equipment”.
Nan Yu followed him and seriously learned everything, mastering it all in a short amount of time.
Yuan Qiyang stood at the doorway watching. Realizing there was nothing for him to do, he quietly slipped away without disturbing them. His task was complete.
Though it was a bit of a pity, there would be plenty of time in the future; he didn’t need to rush.
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