Chapter 23: It Spread
After they left, the news spread like wildfire, and within just one short hour, practically everyone in the military base had heard about it.
Yu Lanfeng went so far as to personally instruct Yuan Qiyang to classify Nan Yu’s data as top-secret, prohibiting any leaks or casual discussion, which finally helped settle things down.
Many people did not know Nan Yu and had never seen him, yet they had already heard his name.
Although the news had only spread within a small circle of the military and was quickly suppressed, those who needed to know were all well-aware.
Yu Lanfeng looked at the person displayed on the communication screen and let out a deep sigh, his tone thick with impatience. “Is there something?”
His impatience was laced with a fair amount of disdain.
“I say, Xiao Feng, can you stop putting on that face every time you see me? I’m not calling to talk nonsense this time; I have actual business with you”.
So, you also know that everything you sought me for in the past was nonsense?
Yu Lanfeng couldn’t be bothered to argue with her, sitting silently in his chair and watching her. The person on the other side of the comms was actually his sister, the Empress of the Empire.
In public, she maintained the perfect image of an Empress, but in private…
“Oh my, I saw it, you know! You’ve classified a certain little fellow’s information as top-secret. Heh heh, are you perhaps…”
Yu Lanfeng frowned slightly. “As the Empress, do not speak recklessly without concrete evidence. Furthermore, since you’ve seen the data, you should have been able to find that he is already engaged!”
“You are the Empress. If you spread such words, do you have any idea how much harm it would cause him? Would people say I’ve snatched him by force, or that he is a social climber?”
The Empress clearly realized the problem as well. Fortunately, when she saw the data and its origin, she hadn’t mentioned it to those around her; otherwise…
But did that child really already have a fiancé? She had been too excited just now; because the order to classify the data as top-secret came personally from Yu Lanfeng, she felt there was a bit of a possibility.
She… she hadn’t bothered to investigate, never expecting that this was the reality of the situation.
“It’s truly a pity for such a child to be engaged at only fifteen. With such high talent, strength, and potential, he would have been a perfect match for you. Haven’t you been unable to find someone suitable all this time?”
The Empress began to chatter away with bad advice. “Hey, Xiao Feng, do you think they have a good relationship? Why don’t you just snatch him away? They aren’t married yet, after all, right? And being engaged so young, it surely wasn’t something both parties wanted for themselves, but rather something the family elders decided on their own. If you can get him, I’ll personally handle the public side of things for you. I guarantee it’ll be handled perfectly. What do you think?”
Yu Lanfeng took a deep breath. “Sister, his fiancé is from the Bai family”.
The Empress froze for a moment upon hearing this. It had been a long time since anyone had tried to use their family status to pressure her, because in front of the Empress and the Imperial family, no family status mattered.
However, because Yu Lanfeng mentioned it, she took a moment to think with some surprise, and then it dawned on her. “Are you talking about the Bai family that once saved my dear husband?”
Yu Lanfeng replied, “Exactly. So, what do you think now?”
The Empress frowned slightly. “That does make things a bit difficult. Fine, I’ll investigate first. If the junior of the Bai family is a good one, then I won’t say anything more. But if he is no good, then I’ll have to fight for your sake. After all, for such a great prospect—good looks, strong power, and high potential—it’s basically impossible for you to find a second one like him”.
Yu Lanfeng didn’t want to find a partner at all, but the Empress on the screen was clearly completely immersed in her own world, failing to notice his reluctance. She hung up the communication before he could even voice his rejection.
Yu Lanfeng covered his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. Forget it; she was only going to investigate. Out of respect for his brother-in-law, she surely wouldn’t take direct action herself.
His primary focus now had to remain here.
“How is it? Have you found any trace of that Yineng beast?”
“Marshal, we have a small lead. It seems it cannot tolerate bright light. Whenever sunlight hits the sky or when we turn on high-intensity machinery, it generally won’t approach”.
Yu Lanfeng said, “There are only a few places that are permanently without light. Send out some detectors and search for me inch by inch. This variant beast… it is best to capture it alive”.
“However, if capturing it alive is truly too difficult, then kill it and bring it back. At the very least, the corpse must be brought back for research”.
This was a new species of Yineng beast that had never appeared before. If they could research something from it, that would naturally be for the best.
“Yes, sir!”
When Nan Yu finally stirred from his slumber, he was surprised to find many people watching him. He pulled back the quilt and sat up, stretching his limbs before rubbing his eyes to look at them. He himself didn’t know how long he had been asleep.
“You’re all back…”
“How long have I been sleeping?”
The captain, whose bed he had occupied, was currently sitting on another bed with his comrade. “Ah, not that long, only about half a day. We’ve brought food for you. Eat some first; you must be very hungry”.
Nan Yu checked the time on his optical computer and paused. He hadn’t slept for half a day, but for the better part of a day—nearly twenty hours. It seemed he had truly been exhausted.
“Alright, thank you”.
The food was still warm. Nan Yu knew they must have just gone to get it. He had heard that the military cafeterias were very strict and that one couldn’t get food after the set hours; how had they managed it?
As if sensing his thoughts, the other party explained, “It was the Marshal’s instruction. You were so tired before; if you woke up hungry and exhausted with nothing to eat or drink, wouldn’t that be too pitiful?”
Nan Yu’s mouth twitched. Too pitiful? Well, if he really had woken up with nothing to eat or drink, it would indeed be very pitiful.
Because he was hungry, really hungry—so hungry that his stomach was producing acid, making him quite uncomfortable.
He placed the meal on the table and sat on the edge of the bed to eat slowly. After a few bites to settle his stomach, he let out a sigh of relief.
He picked up a bowl of soup nearby and took a small sip. Although it wasn’t as delicious as what he ate at home, it was still quite good.
Furthermore, he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but the food here seemed to have a unique flavor; it seemed that distinct cooking methods each had their own special taste.
In short, Nan Yu ate with great relish, but he likely didn’t realize that the food only tasted so good because he was currently too hungry. The military cafeteria food was made in large batches and was actually quite ordinary.
After Nan Yu finished eating, he patted his stomach. “I’m full, thank you all”.
“You’re welcome!”
At this moment, An Mi appeared at the door. “Nan Yu?”
Nan Yu looked back at him. “Yes? Captain An… is there something?”
An Mi said with a smile, “Nothing major, I just came to take you to your resting room. I was so busy before that I forgot; I’m really sorry…”
Nan Yu waved it off casually. “It’s fine. Going now is the same”.
He looked at the empty food boxes, which someone quickly came to take away. “Leave these to us. You go on; just come back early tomorrow morning”.
Nan Yu nodded. “Alright, then I’ll be off. I’ll be back tomorrow”.
Nan Yu followed An Mi toward the resting rooms. An Mi led the way, so Nan Yu couldn’t see his expression. He struck up a random topic to break the slightly awkward silence.
“Captain An, is the resting room far from here?”
An Mi replied, “Not far, it’s just ahead, a one-minute walk. It’s designed so we can reach the wards as quickly as possible, so it isn’t set very far away”.
Nan Yu understood; that was indeed quite close.
An Mi stopped before a door. “This is the one. I’ve already input your identity, so you just need to scan your optical computer here. This will be your resting room for the duration of your stay in the military. It’s quite late now; shall we see each other tomorrow?”
Nan Yu smiled and nodded. “Sure, see you tomorrow”.
An Mi turned and left. Once he had disappeared from sight, Nan Yu scanned his optical computer as instructed, and the door opened.
However, once it opened, what met his eyes was not the normal resting room he had imagined, but a… rather filthy and messy room.
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