Wen Qi felt completely justified.
However, that sense of righteousness quickly shriveled away the moment his eyes met Gu Nan’s. For some reason he could not explain, he felt incredibly guilty.
Gu Nan shot a sideways glance at the resentful looking Wen Qi. He unhurriedly organized the medicines on the table and reminded him, “Do not let water touch your wounds for the time being, or they will leave scars.”
He did not know how Wen Qi had managed it. Of the male’s entire body, only his face remained presentable; everywhere else was covered in wounds.
Wen Qi stared out the window and did not say a word, pretending to be mute. He was currently fuming at a certain person who had taken his “purity,” but he was also struggling with that inexplicable sense of guilt.
He had done nothing wrong!
He was good to Gu Nan, and Gu Nan needed the help. So why exactly was Gu Nan so angry? Had he inadvertently ruined one of Gu Nan’s plans?
Seeing that the male was full of resentment but still did not understand what he had done wrong, Gu Nan spoke up, “Come here.”
Wen Qi stole several glances at Gu Nan before slowly walking over and sitting by the table. The medicine had already been applied to his wounds, so he felt no pain. The scabs had formed, so there was no risk of them tearing open.
Wen Qi sat on the stool and stared at Gu Nan without speaking.
“Tell me what happened,” Gu Nan continued, returning to the previous topic.
Wen Qi remained silent.
Gu Nan could not stand him playing the timid quail and asked again, “How many times were you in danger? For Wu Yuan to give you this kind of repair fluid while your body is covered in artillery scars, do not try to tell me you did not face any danger.”
Wen Qi finally cleared his throat and said raspily, “Just once.”
He had helped Wu Yuan suppress his mental power and warned him of danger, but really, only the mental suppression counted as saving Wu Yuan’s life. The warning was secondary; if Wu Yuan had not been capable himself, he would have died anyway.
So, it really was just once. They had simply helped each other out.
Gu Nan was silent.
Wen Qi saw the “do you really think I believe you” look on Gu Nan’s face and uncomfortably looked away. “It was indeed only once. The help was just a bit more significant than usual.”
Gu Nan looked at him with an expression of pure disbelief.
Wen Qi thought, Believe it or not. He had already brought the items back; he could hardly return them now. In truth, it was not that he could not tell Gu Nan; he just did not want to deal with the atmosphere. That kind of atmosphere always made him uneasy.
Furthermore, he had not mentioned the sense of responsibility he felt. He believed it was his fault that Gu Nan, a favored child of heaven, had fallen to this level. As for gratitude, he did not need it from Gu Nan. He just wanted Gu Nan to be well.
Wen Qi’s thoughts jumped quickly. He realized that although Gu Nan’s injuries were healing, he was still branded as a traitor. If that label was not removed, Gu Nan would never truly be exonerated. However, they needed a perfect opportunity to overturn that verdict. Since the evidence had been so damning, it would be difficult to reopen the case unless Gu Nan achieved a massive military merit. Right now, they lacked that opportunity.
“By the way,” Wen Qi thought of Yi You and warned Gu Nan, “Yi You is here too. He is hostile toward the Master’s Mansion. He might be there for the Master, but he could also be looking for us.”
He could not see through Yi You’s goals, and he did not understand the political situation. He decided to leave the thinking to the smarter Zerg.
Wen Qi added, “He attacked the Master. When I left the Mansion, he was entering. Adjutant Zong Tao seemed very polite to him.”
Gu Nan noticed Wen Qi’s attempt to change the subject. Seeing that Wen Qi looked relatively well and showed no signs of hatred when mentioning the Mansion, he followed the new lead. “There is a high probability he is looking for the ‘Reading Bug’.”
Wen Qi, the Reading Bug himself, was stunned. “How do you know?”
However, he soon realized a problem. He had streamed seven or eight hours ago, and less than an hour after he finished, Yi You appeared in the Death Zone. Yi You could not have made so many preparations in such a short time, so the likelihood of him looking for the streamer was low.
“I do not think so,” Wen Qi said. “The Reading Bug streamed seven hours ago, and Yi You appeared by the Master’s side less than an hour later while causing trouble for us. Is it possible he already had a goal here and the Reading Bug just happened to coincide with it?”
Gu Nan replied, “The news I received is that he searched for information about the Reading Bug before he left.”
Wen Qi was confused. “The Reading Bug is widely considered to be a male. What does he want?”
“He loves money,” Gu Nan said.
Wen Qi’s brows furrowed. “So, he wants to capture the Reading Bug?”
Good heavens. He had been here for a day, and after just one stream, someone was already coming for him. He did not know whether to be impressed by Yi You’s dedication or not.
Gu Nan added, “I do not know if that is his only goal. Yi You has always been greedy. Back in the military, he only climbed to the rank of Major General for the Star Credits. He eventually killed his adjutant over an unfair split of war spoils. When the truth came out, he was wanted. If he had been willing to give up his wealth for protection back then, he might have escaped cleanly, but he chose to defect instead.”
Gu Nan concluded, “He has a brain, but he values Star Credits too much.”
Wen Qi thought for a moment and asked, “How is your relationship with him? Is he?” He actually wanted to ask if Yi You belonged to Zong Xiangxing. After all, Yi You was involved with the Master’s Mansion and had initially appeared on Planet Blue-6. Wen Qi hesitated before asking, “Is he one of the Zerg who moved against you?”
In an instant, Gu Nan remembered that figure. A surge of intense killing intent flashed in his eyes, vanishing so quickly it felt like an illusion. Wen Qi knew it was real and looked at him with concern.
Gu Nan’s expression returned to normal. After some thought, he said, “I am not sure, but it is possible.”
Reflecting on it, some of Yi You’s recent actions were indeed strange. However, since Yi You had been wanted for nearly three years, Gu Nan had not immediately associated him with that person.
Realizing this, Gu Nan lost interest in chatting and returned the topic to the repair fluid. “In a few days, I will pay back a portion of the credits for these fluids.”
Before he could finish, Wen Qi interrupted, “Gu Nan, I am in no hurry.” He took a sip of water. “If I only wanted Star Credits, I would not have gone to such trouble to get the repair fluid for you. What you need to do now is heal your injuries and make those who framed and insulted you pay the price.”
“As for these material things,” Wen Qi glanced at the fluids, “I prepared them for you. If you want to repay me, then take back control of the Wantian Domain and become the ruler once again. If you offer to pay me back then, I will gladly accept. But right now, you know better than I do that you cannot afford this sum. Even if you scraped it together, what would you do afterward?”
He smiled. “Think of it as a pre-investment. I believe you will shine in the future. When that time comes, I can stop working and just live off the Star Credits.”
Wen Qi took another small sip and set the cup on the table.
Gu Nan remained silent for nearly a minute. Just as Wen Qi thought he was about to say something, Gu Nan pointed to the cup in front of him.
“I used that one.”
Wen Qi was mortified. He stole two glances at Gu Nan and asked, “Should I wash it for you?”
Gu Nan was speechless. “No need,” he said. He went to his room and brought out a piece of paper. Wen Qi noted he had never seen that kind of paper before; Gu Nan must have bought it himself.
Gu Nan took a pen and wrote something on the paper. Wen Qi did not look, scanning the room out of boredom, until the paper was handed to him. Wen Qi looked down and saw the words “Promissory Note” written clearly on the white A4 sheet. It stated that Gu Nan owed Wen Qi 200 million Star Credits and would pay him back double within five years. At the bottom was Gu Nan’s signature and thumbprint.
Wen Qi took the paper. “When do you plan to use the repair fluid? Do you need my help?” He paused. “Actually, it probably will not work right now. My mental power has not recovered yet.”
“No need.” Gu Nan gripped the box in his hand. He looked at Wen Qi and said, “Wen Qi, I am going out for about three days. Can you take care of yourself?”
Wen Qi nodded. “No problem. What could happen to a sub-female here?” His head still hurt, and he had nutrient solution at home. He expected to sleep fitfully for a few days until his mental power returned.
Wen Qi glanced toward the kitchen. “When you are fully recovered, I will cook a meal to celebrate.”
Gu Nan followed his gaze to the kitchen and nodded. “Alright.”
Wen Qi smiled. From Gu Nan’s expression, it seemed there were no issues this time.
After watching Gu Nan leave, Wen Qi drank some nutrient solution and opened his terminal to check the news on the Star Network, occasionally browsing streams and videos. He called out to the System several times but received no answer.
By logic, Gu Nan’s recovery should be a major event, and the System should have appeared after so much time, but it remained silent. If it does not show up, I might be the first traveler in history to go through this without a System, Wen Qi thought.
He realized that once Gu Nan returned, his second step would be complete. If Gu Nan could not overturn his case for the time being, then it might be time for them to part ways. Gu Nan likely had his own plans. As for Wen Qi, his target was Zong Xiangxing. To kill him, Wen Qi had to get close to him, which required exceptional ability and talent.
As a male, the identity of a male was out of the question. No traveler would tolerate an uncontrollable element in their world, and Wen Qi was unwilling to act submissively before Zong Xiangxing. If he disguised himself as a female, his physical constitution was far inferior to that of females or sub-females, so that path was essentially blocked. Wen Qi frowned as he thought. If neither of those worked, his options were limited.
Streaming or becoming a global idol both required a male identity, as did entering the Zerg’s top research institute. He was not skilled in combat or strategic thinking, otherwise, he might have started from another domain and worked his way to the Central Heaven Domain.
Wen Qi felt a headache coming on and irritably tapped his fingers, accidentally opening a trending topic. His gaze paused for a moment. The headline read: “Streaming Platform Apologizes Prostrate.”