Part 3
Ning Yunyi placed his hand on the girl’s wrist and conducted a thorough examination. Her health was indeed poor, a congenital condition that had worsened over the years. Her heart and lungs were now failing. However, he could indeed repair them with spiritual energy. While she wouldn’t be as healthy as a normal person, she could live a long life.
Ning Yunyi didn’t waste time. Since he had to head to the base with Zong Hao and the others tomorrow, he wanted to heal the girl tonight to avoid any delays. Her body… likely wouldn’t hold out for much longer.
Harlo and his father held their breath during the treatment. When Ning Yunyi finished and withdrew his hand, the father set aside his crutch and tried to kneel. Ning Yunyi caught him. “Mr. Harlo, there’s no need for that. Her current condition means she shouldn’t need those medicines anymore. However, she is still frail and will need time to recover. As long as she doesn’t overexert herself, she won’t be much different from an ordinary person.”
The two were overwhelmed with gratitude. Ning Yunyi told them to rest and to call him if they needed anything.
To prevent any unwanted interruptions, Ning Yunyi placed a mental barrier on their door that would alert him immediately if tampered with.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Godefroi and Brownie were already stationed at the door, keeping a close watch on the family next door to prevent any mishaps.
He had contacted Mr. White last night and learned that the mission had yielded massive results. Harlo’s father was an engineer who built the underwater base and even had a set of blueprints?
He hadn’t been able to sleep, his ears tuned to every sound outside. As dawn approached, he simply took up his post at the door.
Ning Yunyi’s lips twitched when he saw this upon waking. “It’s not necessary. I’m right here; nothing will happen…”
Godefroi rubbed his head with a laugh. “I was just worried about a surprise. Mr. White is truly amazing; your luck is unparalleled.”
Ning Yunyi rubbed his nose. He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he simply knelt down to play with Brownie.
The large lion loved Ning Yunyi’s aura. He didn’t just lie down to let him pet him; he even panted and grinned like a happy dog, completely abandoning his dignity as a King of the Jungle.
Godefroi couldn’t bear to look, but then again, this was Mr. White; he supposed it made sense.
Harlo and his family hadn’t slept well either—or rather, the father and son hadn’t slept at all. The blueprints were decades old and partially illegible, so the father had redrawn a clear version from memory. He also supplemented it with a new set of drawings based on Harlo’s descriptions of his recent trips to the base and Bevin’s occasional mentions.
By the time they heard movement, it was already light. The sister had woken up and was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She felt refreshed. Touching her stomach, she said, “Father, brother, I don’t feel like there’s a stone on my chest anymore. I feel so light. Did yesterday’s medicine work?”
The father and son exchanged a look, their eyes rimmed with red. They stepped forward and shook their heads with choked voices. “No, it was Mr. Godefroi who cured you. Good child, you won’t be confined to the house anymore. You can go out whenever you want, just like any other girl.”
The girl was stunned. “Is… is that true?”
While the family wept for joy, Zong Hao arrived at the desolate star. To avoid drawing attention to the base, the legion had split up and were stationed in various starships, remaining on board.
Ichi stayed with the fleet while Zong Hao, in disguise, went to find Ning Yunyi.
When Zong Hao arrived, he found Ning Yunyi playing with the big lion. Ning Yunyi had somehow produced a vine ball and was having the lion leap around the hallway. Fortunately, Ning Yunyi had rented the entire floor, so they weren’t disturbing other guests.
As Ning Yunyi dodged, Brownie leapt nimbly, landing gracefully before Zong Hao. The lion looked up and sniffed. Recognizing a familiar scent, he simply flicked his tail and returned to Ning Yunyi, nudging the vine ball with his nose and urging him to continue.
Seeing Zong Hao, Godefroi immediately stood up. “Sir.”
He couldn’t call him Marshal in public, so he used this instead.
Zong Hao waved him off. Godefroi immediately led the reluctant Brownie back to their room. Ning Yunyi stuffed the vine ball into the lion’s mouth and patted its head. “Good boy, Brownie, go play with your owner. We’ll play more later.”
Brownie was satisfied and wagged his tail happily, following Godefroi while carrying the ball.
Zong Hao’s heart was in knots. Ning Yunyi really was an expert at handling large felines.
Ning Yunyi led Zong Hao into his room. Once they were seated, Ning Yunyi got straight to the point. “I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
Zong Hao looked into Ning Yunyi’s bright eyes and guessed things had gone well. He wasn’t as anxious now. “The bad news first.”
Ning Yunyi nodded. It was what he expected. “The bad news is that when Rui Hu escaped thirty years ago, the base on land was compromised. Their move to an underwater facility was even more ruthless than we thought. They killed all the two hundred or so engineers from the military who were involved in building the lake-bottom base.”
The Late Emperor was still alive then, so it wasn’t clear if the order came from him or the current Emperor…
The Crown Prince was ruled out; he was too young at the time to have that kind of power.
Zong Hao’s aura turned cold. After a long silence, he asked, “And the good news?”
Ning Yunyi: “One of those engineers survived. He has the blueprints for the base and knows of an escape door that even the base commander is unaware of.”
Zong Hao looked at him in surprise. “You only arrived a day before us, right?” He had accomplished all this in less than twenty-four hours?
Ning Yunyi coughed lightly. “It was a coincidence. The man… is Harlo’s father.”
Zong Hao: “Who is Harlo?”
Ning Yunyi stared at him with a wooden expression. The man’s memory was shockingly poor. He didn’t bother arguing. “The boy who helped us sneak into the base at the club.” He summarized Harlo’s father’s story and concluded, “We need to check the escape door first. It’s been decades; if it’s been discovered, a reckless approach would lead to many casualties.”
If the door was still a secret, they could infiltrate the base early and potentially take it without a single loss of life.
Zong Hao nodded. “There’s no time to waste. I’m going with you.” He knew Ning Yunyi had Invisibility Talismans. While they couldn’t be known to outsiders, they were invaluable for their current situation.
They had to move quickly. If they were discovered and the base personnel fled, it would remain a permanent threat.
Ning Yunyi had Zong Hao memorize the blueprints; he had already done so himself. The escape door was in a very deep, hidden corner at the base of the facility, making it likely it had gone unnoticed all these years.
Ning Yunyi and Zong Hao donned diving gear and oxygen tanks, applied Invisibility Talismans, and left the hotel.
Once they were clear of Slum City, he brought out the electric scooters and urged Zong Hao to get on. It would be faster.
In the invisibility, Zong Hao’s face burned. After a moment, he managed a muffled, “I don’t know how to ride it.”
Ning Yunyi sighed and stowed one scooter, taking the lead on the other and gesturing for Zong Hao to get on behind him.
Zong Hao stared at the transparent air. Fearing Ning Yunyi would think he was stupid, he followed the sound of the man’s voice. He reached out to feel for the seat, but his hand landed somewhere else, and he felt a sharp slap on the back of his hand.
The slap was so loud Ning Yunyi jumped. He looked back. If they weren’t invisible, he would have suspected Zong Hao did it on purpose.
Ning Yunyi peeled back the Invisibility Talisman. “Just get on. If you can’t see, just say so.”
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