Chapter 298 – I, Tang Ying, am not that kind of person
“You arrived later than us. Where did you come from?” Yao Bei slightly turned her face, looking at the empty corridor.
On the other side of the wall, Li Wenchuan casually rested one arm on his bent knee. He replied with a faint tone, “The Federation.”
Yao Bei’s voice followed closely, “When Tu Ran escaped, the Threshold opened. Didn’t you enter the Threshold?”
“No, after the Threshold closed that time, it opened two more times. The guards on the other side were the first to enter, and I was the second.”
“Why could the Execution Department’s guards enter the Threshold?” Yao Bei asked again. When she left, the Federation was still chasing Tu Ran, and everything seemed the same as usual. How had such a big change occurred in such a short time?
“They couldn’t stop it.” Li Wenchuan leaned his head back against the wall, leisurely swinging his arm. His tone was dismissive. “When Tu Ran escaped, those guards witnessed the power of the inner core. They weren’t willing to let the inner cores only be taken by the Pioneers, so they crowded into the Threshold. At that scene, no one could stop them.”
“Couldn’t stop them?”
Yao Bei didn’t believe that “couldn’t stop” part.
She could guess the Federation’s little schemes without thinking much.
After those who scrambled to get into the Threshold risked everything to find the inner cores, the higher-ups would find a way to take it from them. It would be easy for them to get the inner core without much effort—after all, it wasn’t them who would die.
Li Wenchuan just silently smiled in response to Yao Bei’s question.
Both of them knew what was going on.
Since they were in a prison, their conversation was being monitored and overheard. So, they both tacitly only discussed things that were no longer secrets. After three to five minutes, the conversation ended, and they each returned to their beds to rest.
*
It was nighttime on the main star, and it was also nighttime on Star 4344.
Tu Ran leaned against a large stone sheltered from the wind, her arms crossed over her chest. She gazed idly at the starry sky of Star 4344.
The night sky here was beautiful, not the dull gray of the day, but a deep purple. The vast purple light spread across the entire sky, with the streaks of light visible, and scattered stars here and there.
Stars didn’t exist in the Federation’s sky. The air pollution was so severe that there wasn’t even a bird to be seen.
In the Threshold, there were no stars either. As night fell, the sky grew so dark it seemed like it was about to collapse, as if it existed in the furthest corner of the universe, with no stars around.
Tu Ran hadn’t seen stars in a long time, and she carefully admired the view.
Then, Tang Ying, holding a small mental power tester, walked over.
Tu Ran noticed out of the corner of her eye that she was coming toward her, but she didn’t turn her head to look, nor did she make any move to stand up. She completely ignored her.
Tang Ying stood right in front of her, but Tu Ran didn’t react.
Tang Ying furrowed her brows, her face showing displeasure. “Can’t you see me?”
Tu Ran pretended to be surprised, looking up at her. “Ah, when did you get here, Tang Ying? Are you going to watch the stars with me? This stone is a bit small, so I’m not sure if there’s enough room for you.”
Tang Ying, of course, could tell from her tone that Tu Ran was mocking her. A layer of frost formed on her face. “I need to test your mental power now. Please stand up.”
Tu Ran cooperated and stood up.
Tang Ying raised the mental energy tester in her hand, and Tu Ran paused for a moment before placing her hand on it.
The values on the device began to rise.
They stopped at 61.
Mental Power Level: 61.
Tu Ran had already known this result; there were no surprises. After the value stabilized, she withdrew her hand. Tang Ying, however, stared at the numbers on the device for a long time before turning it off and holding it by her side.
Looking up at Tu Ran, Tang Ying spoke, “You’re the first person I’ve seen whose mental power has gone from 0 to 61 in such a short time.”
There was a smile in Tu Ran’s eyes that didn’t reach her depths. She tilted her chin, motioning for Tang Ying to look at the drone behind her.
Tang Ying turned to look, still not understanding what Tu Ran meant, when Tu Ran’s voice came again, “Can you let them leave for a while?”
Tang Ying raised her hand, signaling to the drones, and they immediately turned around and flew toward the others.
Turning back, Tang Ying looked at Tu Ran. “Can we talk now?”
Tu Ran dropped her pretense, her expression cold. “I heard from the mecha researcher that every time you fight the beasts, you estimate all the possible damage to the mechas in advance and prepare the repair materials.”
“Yes, usually I handle that,” Tang Ying answered directly.
Tu Ran responded, “The mecha I used this time doesn’t have the corresponding repair materials, so tomorrow, I won’t have a mecha to use.”
Tang Ying furrowed her brow. “I’ve already asked them to prepare extra light mecha materials.”
Tu Ran observed the expression on Tang Ying’s face, narrowing her eyes. “Do you know that the mecha I used is an old model from several years ago?”
“Old model?” Tang Ying was surprised, shaking her head. “I didn’t know.”
Tu Ran stared at her, pressing her lips together in silence.
“So you suspect that I did this on purpose?” Tang Ying finally understood why Tu Ran had acted that way toward her earlier.
Although Tu Ran had never shown any affection for her, she had at least been polite before. But just now, Tu Ran had outright ignored her.
“I do suspect you,” Tu Ran admitted calmly, stepping back a few paces to lean against the giant rock, her arms crossed as she looked up and down at Tang Ying. “The hostile attitude you’ve shown me all this time… choosing the old model mecha was my choice, and it has nothing to do with you. But preparing the mecha materials was your responsibility. I thought you wouldn’t be careless to this extent.” Tu Ran took a breath and changed her tone. “But now it seems that you really can be that careless.”
Tang Ying: “…”
Although it was embarrassing and uncomfortable to hear Tu Ran say this, she had to admit that Tu Ran was right.
Still, as Ye Hongci’s secretary, she explained seriously, “I don’t have much knowledge about mechas. I didn’t recognize that the mecha was an old model, and I just told the mecha research department to prepare more materials for a light mech. That’s what led to your current situation. It was indeed my oversight.”
She paused for a moment, as if making up her mind. “I had some personal biases against you before. The attitude I showed was bad, and that made you doubt my actions and character. I apologize.”
Tang Ying lowered her head briefly to show her apology. The motion was fleeting, so quick that Tu Ran almost didn’t catch it. But for someone like Tang Ying, who always held her head high, this gesture—more sincere than most people would show, even if they were on their knees—was enough.
Tu Ran didn’t hold onto the matter any longer. She didn’t care about whether Tang Ying was good to her; what mattered was whether Tang Ying was playing any underhanded games behind her back. She hated those kinds of scheming behaviors.
Now that everything was clear, it was fine for both sides.
“Everything I just said,” Tang Ying continued, “was said in my capacity as Ye Hongci’s secretary.”
Tu Ran raised an eyebrow. “Then what would you like to say to me as Tang Ying?”
“I, Tang Ying, am not the kind of small person you think I am. I just don’t like your arrogant attitude, but I won’t stab you in the back. Do you really think I’d intentionally get you an old mecha? Or intentionally not prepare materials for you? I’m not that petty. I’ve been working for Ye Hongci, and I would never do anything that would smear her reputation. You can rest assured about that! And by the way, my sour face is just natural!”
Tang Ying said all of this in one breath, then sighed deeply. She returned to her previous cold and indifferent demeanor, a sharp contrast to the person who had just been ranting.
Tu Ran: “…” That was a rapid change of expression.
“About your mecha, I’ll talk to the mecha researchers. You should rest early,” Tang Ying said and turned to leave.
Tu Ran called out to her, “No need. The mecha researchers already said they’ll have a new mecha sent from the main star.”
Tang Ying froze, turning back to look at her. “A new one? Did the main star agree to that?”
“Yes,” Tu Ran nodded. “It’s probably already on its way.”
At this moment, Tu Ran was unaware that once, Tang Ying’s own mecha had nearly fallen apart during a battle, with repair materials severely lacking. She had reported to the main star, but they hadn’t approved sending a new mech.
Tang Ying nodded absentmindedly. “That’s good… I don’t need to waste time thinking of solutions for you. You… should go to sleep early.”
With that, she hurriedly left.
Tu Ran resumed her previous position, leaning against the rock and gazing up at the starry sky.
At this moment, the mecha had already been delivered to 4344, and Tu Ran could sense its direction.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t say anything, so she pretended to remain unaware, waiting for the drones to find it.
The night on 4344 was still a little chilly, and the wind rustled through the stone forest. Tu Ran hugged her arms tightly.
She wasn’t sleepy; she was still waiting for someone.
After about twenty minutes, footsteps approached again, steady and practiced—someone skilled.
Tu Ran lifted her head from her knees and saw the person approaching.
Ye Hongci.
She knew it—Ye Hongci couldn’t sit still and would definitely come to find her.
“General Ye.” Tu Ran stood up, a smile curling at the corner of her lips. “Still awake, General Ye?”
Ye Hongci shook her head and sat down next to the spot Tu Ran had just vacated. She patted the space beside her. “Come sit here. It’s chilly standing like that.”
Tu Ran smiled, then sat back down.
The two sat side by side beneath the stone. The wind blew through the holes in the rock, creating a long, ethereal sound.
“That giant bear today—was it the commander?” Ye Hongci went straight to the point.
“Yes.” Tu Ran’s voice was light, almost carried away by the wind.
“How did you find it?” Ye Hongci asked, her tone urgent, almost losing her usual composure. Even when facing beasts, as the commander, she had never shown this much distress.
She was acutely aware of the importance of the alien beast herd’s commander. The greatest challenge humans faced now was the unified alien beast hordes. As long as the herds were not united, humanity’s mechas could deal with the beasts, and the reclamation of wasteland stars would soon be within reach.
Tu Ran had already prepared an answer beforehand.
“At first glance, it was the most suspicious in the herd. It stayed on the outskirts, safe, with no sign of the madness other beasts had in their eyes. The other beasts all circled around it, not pushing past it. I thought it could be the commander.”
Tu Ran added, “Of course, there was some luck involved. I first picked out seven or eight suspicious beasts, and tested it. I didn’t expect it to work.”
She wasn’t sure how much the Federation knew about her world or whether Ye Hongci knew about powers like hers. She could only cautiously test the waters.
Upon hearing Tu Ran’s somewhat plausible yet absurd reasoning, Ye Hongci chuckled, shaking her head and sighing. “You’re really cautious.”
Tu Ran wiped her face, a sense of sorrow in her heart. So, the people from the Federation had indeed exposed the existence of superpowers.
