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Chapter 201: Acceptance Letter!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Ling Lan did not hold back that heavy breath in her chest. She let it out slowly, finally settling the discomfort she felt. Although Ling Lan had successfully withstood one spiritual blow from Ling Xiao, she only became more convinced of Ling Xiao's unfathomable power. This was because Ling Xiao's spiritual charge had been so effortless on his part, so casual that it was frightening to consider.

This was the second time Ling Lan had felt like this after encountering Instructor Number One. It was as if she would not be able to catch up even if she worked hard her entire life. If Ling Lan had not been through all kinds of perverse torments under Instructor Number Five, causing her mentality to be extremely secure, this clash might have caused a flaw to appear in her mental state.

From the sidelines, Mu Shui-qing chuckled and said, "Ling Xiao, what do you think? Ling Lan's heptashield is very impressive, right?" Mu Shui-qing's tone was undoubtedly smug. Inheritance was all well and good, but innovation would undeniably make a master even more excited and pleased. The ultimate goal of a legacy was for a pupil to surpass their master 1 , after all.

Even the consistently prodigious Ling Xiao was amazed by Ling Lan's innovative breakthrough. The smile on his face grew even more radiant as he nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, it's too unexpected. I never knew the heptashield could be used this way." He looked at Ling Lan with pride, "This should be the results of your own research, right? What a great idea."

The heptashield had always been categorised as a defensive ability, with basically no offensive capability. Only in the later stages, once one became extremely proficient in its use and had the power to back it, could one use the heptashield's mobility to deal some small attacks to an opponent. However, in comparison to Ling Lan's improved reflective shield, the offensive power of that was insignificant.

Ling Xiao's praise made Ling Lan somewhat shy. After all, this successful outcome was the result of the combined research of Little Four, the instructors, and herself. Ling Lan now knew that Little Four's so-called calculations and planning were actually all the work of the instructors. The instructors had just not wanted her to know that they could learn from the techniques of the real world and study them and modify them, and so had made Little Four take credit for them.

Ling Lan rubbed her nose, and then began to explain the thought process behind the instructors' and her modifications to the technique. "Because I didn't want to passively wait for an opportunity, so I thought, if I could attack even as I was defending, wouldn't that change the flow of the battle? I was just thinking how I could make a shield have offensive capability ...

"I tried many things, having also tried to use the shield as a weapon to attack the opponent. I found that it was all useless, because once the attack failed, it would switch into spiritual charge form. The shield would break apart on its own." Speaking of her past failures, a small smile appeared on Ling Lan's lips. During that period of time, the instructors had all had troubled expressions — even Instructor Number Five had not been able to maintain his typical perverse smile, becoming somewhat frenzied by their consistent failures.

"Later on, after happening to see the movement of a trampoline, I wondered if I could make the shield become like a trampoline. As it defended, could it also make the force it received bounce back? After studying it for quite a while, I finally managed to come up with this type of shield. As for why the surface is like a mirror ..." Ling Lan trailed off here, a mischievous smile faintly appearing on her lips.

Ling Lan did not clarify, instead bringing out her heptashield once more. She positioned the three shields right in front of Ling Xiao, and then quickly changed all of them into the palm-sized mirror-surfaced small shields ...

"Can all of them reflect?" asked Ling Xiao, irrepressibly curious.

"Attack and see," said Ling Lan, "Try to use as little strength as possible." The current defensive shield was not as strong as the original version of the heptashield; if Ling Xiao used too much power, he might not be able to see the effect.

Ling Xiao nodded and casually unleashed a spiritual charge. The force and pressure of this spiritual charge were not as strong as that of his previous one. The spiritual power broke through the first shield, and then broke through the second ... but again met obstruction on the third shield, and the remaining power was reflected.

"The defence power of the mirrored surface is greatly weakened, and not every surface has the ability to reflect. Looks like the reflective ability is not because of the mirrored surface ..." With this one strike, Ling Xiao had found the strengths and weaknesses of the shields. He understood that the appearance of the shields was not the most important thing — all of it was a show that Ling Lan wanted others to see.

The three mirrored shields destroyed, Ling Lan merely condensed three new shields before her. This time, the three shields did not change at all, looking exactly the same as Ling Xiao's heptashield.

At this point, Ling Xiao did not need Ling Lan to prompt him. He immediately sent a spiritual charge at the shields. The attack once again broke through the first and second shields, but was obstructed at the third shield, where the force was reflected back once more.

"This time, the reflective shield looks exactly like a normal heptashield. That means that the reflective ability is not due to external factors but an internal quality ... but, why is it always the third shield which reflects? Are you free to choose which shield has the reflective ability, or is it restricted to the final shield? Or can all three shields have the power to reflect?" Gaining new information, Ling Xiao just had even more questions.

"I can only control one reflective shield at present, because the spiritual composition of the reflective shield is different from the original heptashield. As for which shield is reflective, that is up to me to choose," answered Ling Lan, "The reason why I place it on the third shield is because your power is too strong. Without the two shields before it to whittle away some of the power, I am not confident the reflection would succeed. Father, you should know that the reflective ability of the modified shield has its limits. If an attack exceeds that limit, the shield will just break and fail to have any reflective effect."

Listening to Ling Lan's explanation, Ling Xiao could not help but nod along. When he heard his daughter say his power was strong, he couldn't help but preen internally. Could this be considered his daughter's roundabout way of acknowledging him as her father? Ling Xiao was being overly optimistic about this. Ling Lan was just stating the facts, without any other thought in mind.

"Also, the defensive ability of a reflective shield is lower than that of a normal heptashield. Till now, I have not found a way to solve that issue." A trace of regret appeared on Ling Lan's face. If she could make the defensive power of the reflective shield equal to that of the original heptashield, only then would her innovation be considered successful. Right now, it was still an unfinished product.

"Ling Lan, you are still young! You still have so much time to perfect this technique," said Ling Xiao, "The creation of a new technique must go through countless experimentations and revisions. Don't be impatient."

This advice startled Ling Lan — that's true, when did she become so impatient? Instructor Number One had plainly told them before that developing a new technique required the test of true combat. In the process, countless adjustments and revisions were doubtlessly necessary. What remained in the end would definitely be the result of countless reforging.

"Thank you, father!" Even if she was unable to call Ling Xiao 'daddy' so intimately right now, Ling Lan would not be stingy with the address of 'father'.

Emotion flashed through Ling Xiao's eyes. This was a good sign! His daughter's tone seemed to be softer than it had been previously — did this mean that his daughter had already accepted him?

Ling Xiao decided to strike while the iron is hot, and take the chance to interact well with Ling Lan now, so he began asking more about the spiritual construction of her reflective shield. Ling Lan had never thought to hide this information, so when Ling Xiao asked, she began describing all her findings to him.

Mu Shui-qing looked at the father and daughter pair before him discussing the command of spiritual power, and the heart-warming scene made his eyes feel a little damp. In the past three years, he had fantasized before how wonderful it would be if Ling Xiao still lived! Who would have thought that three years later, his fantasies would become reality ... the heavens were truly kind to this old man for letting him see this scene ...

********

Time passed swiftly; a month's time over in the blink of an eye. Sometime during the month, the acceptance letter from the First Men's Military Academy arrived as expected.

However, on the day the letter was collected, another case of domestic violence occurred in the Ling family. Seeing the acceptance letter rekindled Lan Luofeng's dormant grudge with a new dose of anger. She instantly gave Ling Xiao a kick, not forgetting to add on an elbow attack as well ... As Ling Xiao was afraid that he would harm Lan Luofeng accidentally, he did not dare to use Qi to protect himself. So, Lan Luofeng's attacks landed squarely on Ling Xiao's body, causing him to grimace in pain.

Not just that, that night, Lan Luofeng staunchly refused to let Ling Xiao into her bedroom. However, early the next day, Ling Lan was lucky enough to see Ling Xiao being kicked out of Lan Luofeng's bedroom, so she knew that Ling Xiao had still managed to sneak into Lan Luofeng's bedroom successfully last night!

In contrast to Lan Luofeng's anger, the main victim in question, Ling Lan, seemed not at all concerned. Since Ling Xiao had said that he would be able to help her handle all those tests and training that could expose her gender, what else was there for her to worry about? Besides, she was actually quite curious about the First Men's Military Academy.

Meanwhile, in this one month, Ling Lan had often sparred with her father Ling Xiao. Of course, this was just a nice way of putting it — in fact, she had been one-sidedly bullied by Ling Xiao via all manner of torments. When it came to combat, Ling Xiao showed no mercy. This made Ling Lan miss Qi Long and her band of companions terribly — because when she fought with them, she would be the one playing Ling Xiao's role.

However, Ling Lan's fate of being tormented ended after a month. This was because Ling Xiao had finally succumbed to military headquarters' consecutive desperate summons, finally being summoned out of the Ling family mansion back to military headquarters. A week later, the military would hold a large press conference for him, where they would announce the official commencement of the formation of the 23rd Division. Just like that, Ling Xiao transformed from an extremely free house husband and male nanny extraordinaire into the busiest great general in the Federation.

Accompanying Ling Xiao to military headquarters was the still fuming Lan Luofeng. Of course, Lan Luofeng had not intended to go with Ling Xiao at first, but she had been bundled up and sent on her way with Ling Xiao by Ling Lan. Mind you, in one more month, she too would be setting off for the First Men's Military Academy to register. Was Lan Luofeng supposed to be left all on her own then at the mansion to guard an empty nest?

Furthermore, Ling Xiao was now the most eye-catching superstar general of the military, neither lacking in looks nor reputation. The number of people who liked Ling Xiao must be staggering — if Lan Luofeng continued to sulk and make things difficult for Ling Xiao, what if another woman found some opportunity to wedge her way in? Wouldn't Lan Luofeng regret that to death?

Ling Lan clearly knew that Lan Luofeng was the type that was unyielding on the outside but soft on the inside 2 — if not, during this one month, her dad would not have constantly been kicked out of her mum's bedroom in the morning ... Ling Lan did not have to wonder to know what they had been doing during the night.

However, a few times, Ling Lan had seen Ling Xiao rubbing his knees inexplicably. This made Ling Lan suspect her great father had been punished by her great mother to kneel on a mecha circuit motherboard ...

Ling Lan had seen that thing before — it had lots of parts sticking out vertically on it, all of them very solid and very pointy. At this thought, Ling Lan could almost feel her knees aching in sympathy. She could not help pitying Ling Xiao — her great mother was actually quite the black-bellied character.

Chapter 202: Preparing for Departure!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

A week after Ling Lan sent her parents off, the military called a press conference, announcing the news of Ling Xiao's return to life to the public!

Ling Lan looked at the unbelievably handsome and elegant Ling Xiao on the screen and could not help but be in awe. Her father in this life was truly impeccable whether it was in terms of appearance or air of presence. However, she of course admired Ling Xiao's loyalty and steadfastness in love and marriage much more. Whether it was in her past life or this one, a good man, in Ling Lan's opinion, was someone responsible like Ling Xiao.

"Daddy, can I really believe that you will come back?" Ling Lan thought back to the young Ling Xiao in the legacy space — after 17 years, Ling Xiao seemed to still be the same Ling Xiao ...

"Don't disappoint me, Daddy! You must give Mummy happiness!" Seeing the mature and gentle Ling Xiao, who seemed as if he could accept anything, Ling Lan could not help but press a hand to her own chest, muttering to herself with a complicated expression.

As long as ... as long as I can confirm that you are the same man as before, I will definitely willingly call you 'daddy'! All of Ling Lan's feelings for her father had been given to the Ling Xiao from the legacy space who had watched her as she grew up. This was also the final reason why Ling Lan was still unwilling to call Ling Xiao 'daddy'.

Ling Xiao's return not only invigorated the entire Federation, but also stunned the countries bordering the Federation, their attitudes towards the Federation beginning to change. Before Ling Xiao's return, although the Federation still had eleven god-class operators, five of them were already officially in their old age, their condition deteriorating significantly. Three of the five were even already at the phase when they were just waiting for heaven to call 1 — whether they could maintain even half of their combat ability was a question mark.

The Federation only retained 5 to 6 god-class operators who were in fighting form. Compared to the other countries, they did not have that many more god-class operators in their peak. This was also why the Federation had not had a lull in battle for these 10 over years, because it no longer possessed enough combat power to deter its border countries.

But Ling Xiao's return to the Federation made the Federation's combat power increase tremendously, because Ling Xiao was young enough that his future was immeasurable. He might very well become the strongest god-class operator in legend. Not just that, Ling Xiao also was sitting on a method to ascend to god-class operator, which could let the Federation cultivate even younger god-class operators. Of course, god-class operators were not that easy to cultivate, perhaps requiring ten to twenty years or even longer. That said, many high-level operators would probably be produced in the process — there definitely wouldn't be few ace operators or whatnot. This was something the other nations really did not want to see.

This restored the Federation's deterrent power to its initial state before Ling Xiao's death. All the countries became extremely friendly, respectively sending delegations to congratulate the Federation. All the ambassadors' attitudes were obviously much more respectful than before. This made the Federation's government extremely happy — it should be known that in the 17 years after Ling Xiao's 'death', the Federation had lived in a very repressed manner. But now, they could finally have better days.

Ling Xiao's popularity and high status also caused the initially ignored and rather bleak Ling family to once again become busy and lively. Ling Lan was in no mood to entertain these materialistic fair-weather 'friends', so she summarily announced that she was isolating herself for training, the Ling family mansion officially closing its doors to all visitors.

During this time, Ling Lan had also received congratulatory letters from Qi Long and the others. They were all extremely happy on their boss's behalf, while also thrilled that the idol of their hearts was still alive. If they weren't currently part of an exploration team on an interplanetary adventure, they would definitely have rushed over to the Ling family home to visit Ling Lan, and taken the chance to understand the entire story at the same time.

Their correspondence made Ling Lan happy, but of course she did not forget to remind them to be careful outside. Originally, Ling Lan had also wanted to tell them that she would be joining them at the First Men's Military Academy this year, but she held back the words as they were about to spill from her mouth.

Ling Lan wanted to give them a surprise! Of course, Ling Lan would never admit that she actually wanted to see their expressions as their jaws dropped in surprise ... She was such a great boss, how could she be so evil?

********

Another twenty days passed, and it was finally time to register at the First Men's Military Academy. Even though Lan Luofeng had contacted Ling Lan several days ago, saying that she and Ling Xiao wanted to rush back to accompany her to register, Ling Lan had strongly refused. This was because the assembly point listed on the acceptance letter was the intergalactic spaceport on Doha. In other words, she just needed to board the direct transfer to the spaceport. For such a short journey, it really wasn't necessary to drag the busy Ling Xiao back here.

Lan Luofeng initially refused to agree to Ling Lan's opinion, but Ling Xiao unexpectedly supported Ling Lan's decision. Back when Ling Xiao had agreed, Ling Lan could hear Lan Luofeng roaring angrily in the background �� although Lan Luofeng had agreed with father and daughter in the end, Ling Xiao most probably had to pay a painful price for this. As for what that price was, Ling Lan could not know.

On the night before she left, after Ling Lan and Lan Luofeng had shared updates with one another as usual, Ling Xiao had unexpectedly appeared beside Lan Luofeng, requesting to speak with her.

On the screen, Ling Xiao was again dressed in his general's uniform, and the fatigue between his eyebrows was hard to miss. His gentle voice rang out, and Ling Lan's heart throbbed. "Lan-er, I have arranged everything. For the first year, other than the theory classes, you are not scheduled to take any physical training courses, and you have been exempted from all the tests and assessments. However, I can only solve the official courses on the academy's side. It's up to you to handle the private and informal combat training that often occurs among students ... Take care with everything!"

"Understood, Father!" said Ling Lan gratefully. However, Ling Lan's voice sounded as calm as ever, and was just as cold to Ling Xiao's ear. He sighed. When would his daughter open her mouth and call him 'daddy'? Perhaps even act like a sweet little girl in front of him begging for attention ...

A visualisation of Ling Lan acting cute appeared in Ling Xiao's mind. A coy and bashful expression appearing on that icy cold face ... Ling Xiao abruptly found himself feeling unwell. Fine, Ling Lan was the best just the way she was. Ling Xiao wept — was he destined not to have a daughter-like daughter in his life 2 ? At this moment, the hatred in his heart began to rise ... the ones who had created this horrible outcome were definitely those people who had trapped him — he would never stop going after them.

Ling Lan felt a flash of killing intent sweep over Ling Xiao's body, but he returned to normal in the blink of an eye. If she had not been so attuned to killing intent due to the learning space, she might have been fooled by how quickly Ling Xiao had concealed it. She was somewhat puzzled — what was it that had caused Ling Xiao to suddenly be filled with killing intent?

Composed again, Ling Xiao looked at the calm-faced youth on the screen. Knowing that his 17-year long absence had already forced Ling Lan to be self-sufficient and be responsible beyond her years, the remorse in his heart grew.

No, this would not do. He must take on the responsibilities of a father. He must let Ling Lan know that, from now on, there was someone who would weather storms for her. "Ling Lan, at the military academy, you do not have to worry about anything. Do whatever you want to do. Dad will support you no matter what!" Ling Xiao said assertively to Ling Lan.

Instantly, Ling Lan found herself speechless. Ling Xiao's words made her recall that widespread phrase in her previous world: My dad is Li Gang 3 !

A scene popped up in Ling Lan's mind — arrogantly, she led her group of arrogant underlings around (Qi Long's team members all made cameo appearances), and whenever she saw anyone who rubbed her the wrong way, she would set her underlings on them with an imperious wave of her arm ... and if anyone dared to question her actions, she would throw down these words audaciously: My dad is Ling Xiao! Sue me if you dare! You fool!

Truly spoken with the arrogance of a second-generation military elite! Ling Lan instantly slapped this scenario out of her mind. It was really all too familiar — definitely like the setup for a minor villain in a novel, like she was a small boss for the main character to defeat in his quest to level up. If that was the case, then wouldn't Ling Xiao be the final ultimate boss? Godd*mmit, the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed! Ling Lan could not help but shudder. Could it be that she had not travelled to a future world, but into a novel instead? She really did not want to become this type of 2nd-generation good-for-nothing who would obviously just be cannon fodder!

"Got it!" The rational Ling Lan would naturally not do something so stupid. Right now, she not only had to be responsible for herself, she also had to be responsible for her dad. The two of them, father and daughter, could not become a pair of bosses for that mysterious main character to level up!

Although Ling Lan was thinking this way, her heart still felt a surge of warmth. Ling Xiao's behaviour let her know that this Ling Xiao before her had absolutely no three outlooks when it came to his child 4 ...

********

Early the next day, Ling Lan, who was preparing to leave, was once again struck speechless by the Ling Qin couple's overboard way of doing things. Looking at the countless luggage bags that dominated a great half of the grand hall, even the typically calm Ling Lan could not stop her stoic face from twitching. "What is all this?"

"These are all the things you would need, Young Master!" The insensitive Ling Nanyi did not sense Ling Lan's bewilderment. She tugged on Ling Lan's hand and began explaining everything packed in the bundles of luggage. There were two large bags of clothes, one bag of shoes, two large bags of food and snacks, three large bags of medicinal agents, and four large bags of miscellaneous items. And this was all after she had tried her best to cut down.

Ling Lan could not help but rub her forehead. She was just going to school, not moving house ...

"I just need two sets of clothes, two pairs of shoes, one week's worth of undergarments, and just give me the medicinal agents which were specially brewed by us. Leave the rest." Ling Lan just did not have the strength to correct what the couple Ling Qin had done. She gave a straightforward list of the things she wanted to bring.

"But, how will that be enough ..." Ling Nanyi was still worried, and even Ling Qin, who had been listening quietly at one side, could not help but frown in disagreement at Ling Lan's list.

Ling Lan said helplessly, "All the other things can be solved with money. Do I really need to bring so much?"

Ling Nanyi was enlightened. She nodded repeatedly, saying, "Right, right, right, why didn't I think of that? You're still the smartest, Young Master." That said, she happily began looking for the things Ling Lan had wanted.

However, she had truly stuffed too much together — it really was rather difficult to find the things Ling Lan wanted in the pile of luggage. However, even as she struggled with the luggage, Ling Nanyi did not forget to remind Ling Qin, "Husband, you should contact Master, ask him to send more credits for Young Master to spend ..."

Ling Qin felt what she said was right. So, he immediately took action — without any care for whether Ling Xiao was busy, he called Ling Xiao's communicator directly and conveyed this request to his master.

A few seconds later, on Ling Lan's communicator, two blindingly astronomical amounts of credits were successfully transferred into her account. Without having to ask, Ling Lan just knew that this was definitely the doing of Ling Xiao and Lan Luofeng. It looked like the couple were doing their best to push her onto the road of idle profligacy ...

Chapter 203: Send Off?

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Doha. As the centre of the Federation, its intergalactic spaceport was also the largest and most luxurious of all the planets in the Federation. The spaceport was built in the outer space of the planet; the room inside it about the size of a city on the planet. Meanwhile, the staff of the spaceport all lived in the spaceport city. Other than a difference in gravity, everything else felt no different from being on the planet itself.

Connecting the spaceport and the planet was a specialised rocket car, while the heart of the spaceport itself was a special platform for it. It would receive the specialised rocket cars from various cities from all over. It could be said that the liveliest and most hectic place in the entire spaceport with the most people was right here. Even during normal periods, it would serve several hundred thousand people every day.

Moreover, today was one of the busiest days of the spaceport, because today was the day when the military academies and the myriad other famous schools held their annual registration. For this reason, all students who needed to register today were rushing to the spaceport with their guardians, causing the entire spaceport to be raucous with the cacophony of human voices as they said their goodbyes.

As the central planet of the Federation, Doha's spaceport was massive, possessing several tens of thousands of navigation frames for interstellar ships to park on. The respective military academies and other renowned schools already had their exclusive ships parked at the various ports, ready to welcome their incoming students. They were only waiting for the students to come and present their acceptance letters to gain entry.

Of course, these spaceships were definitely not going to be at the three districts, X, Y, and Z. Those three districts were restricted for military affairs, only available for combat warships to park at. Regular spaceships were not permitted to enter.

Meanwhile, at this time, in one corner of the hall of the special platform, several youths were gathered. One of the youths was squatting on the floor, a large steamed bun in each hand, while a ham sausage dangled from his mouth as he chewed on it ravenously, as if there was no one else around him. His crassness made the youths who passed by, as well as their guardians, frown reflexively.

"Xie Yi, can you maintain a little dignity?" Among those standing, a youth with looks like a maiden could not help but gripe at the squatting youth, frowning.

"Luo Lang, I'm hungry ..." With great difficulty, Xie Yi found time between bites to say this. This group was precisely Qi Long's team which had agreed to meet up and register together.

"Didn't you eat breakfast before coming?" Luo Lang glared disapprovingly at Xie Yi. Hells, it was almost ten! When exactly had this fellow woken up?

Xie Yi lunged at one hand then the other, and with two large manic bites, the steamed buns in his hands vanished just like that. He did not even chew them much before swallowing them down — however, this manner of eating, which only prioritised speed and not quality, immediately taught Xie Yi a lesson. He, the handsome and brave, infinitely charming Xie Yi was actually choked by the buns ...

Xie Yi pounded his chest desperately. At the side, Lin Zhong-qing saw that the situation did not look right; he hurriedly took out a bottle of water from his backpack, uncapped it, and passed it to Xie Yi.

The moment Xie Yi got his hands on the bottle, he threw his head back and began pouring the water into his mouth, finally catching his breath as the buns slid down. "Damn, that was too dangerous. I actually thought that I would choke to death just now!" That said, he continued to pat his chest weakly in remembered fear, silently thankful for his luck.

"Who asked you to eat so quickly? It's like you haven't eaten your whole life," said Luo Lang, glaring at Xie Yi with contempt.

Xie Yi mumbled lowly, "If I wasn't trying to answer your question, would I have eaten so quickly?"

"What question?" Luo Lang blinked blankly, and then thinking back, he realised what it was and said, "That question about not eating breakfast?" Did that really need an answer? Just by looking at Xie Yi's ravenous manner, one could tell that he hadn't eaten breakfast for sure.

"Hehe, isn't this all because I was too excited to sleep last night? So I overslept today, and didn't have time to eat breakfast ..." Xie Yi was not at all embarrassed, loudly announcing the reason why he had not eaten breakfast.

"What are you so excited for? Isn't it just going to the First Men's Military Academy?" Luo Lang rolled his eyes in exasperation, face filled with contempt.

They had even gone on an interplanetary adventure already — Luo Lang, who considered himself a mature man now, was already extremely calm over their entrance into the First Men's Military Academy. Honestly, Luo Lang was also very excited inside his heart, but he just wasn't as exaggerated about it as Xie Yi was. Of course, he would never admit to this.

Luo Lang's contempt caused Xie Yi to 'tsk' in response. "That's not why I'm excited ..." He lifted his head to look towards Qi Long, his expression filled with emotion, "Isn't it all because last night, the team leader mentioned that Boss Lan will come today to send us off ... I was really moved by that."

Ever since he had met Ling Lan two months ago at the assessment venue, he had been constantly seeking his answer. Finally, during the team's adventure, he felt that he had found his role. However, they had not had a chance to meet with Ling Lan, so he had also not been able to tell Ling Lan the answer he had found.

During their adventuring, although Qi Long and the others would often contact Ling Lan through virtual communication, during those times, Xie Yi had somehow felt like he was an outsider. Even though Ling Lan would nod at him in greeting as well through the screen, not ignoring him, he just had the feeling that, whenever Ling Lan appeared, he would be subconsciously pushed to the side by the companions by his side ...

Even more depressing was that the few times he tried to tell Ling Lan his answer through the screen, the moment his eyes met Ling Lan's stony expression and that pair of cold piercing eyes that seemed as if they could see through his soul, he had become unable to speak.

With regards to this, Xie Yi had to admit that he had an indescribable sense of apprehension towards Ling Lan deep in his heart. This made him not dare to speak recklessly. However, today's meeting would be a great chance. He would not retreat anymore — he would definitely tell Ling Lan what his answer was.

Xie Yi's words caused Luo Lang's expression to become serious. As long as it was related to Ling Lan, Luo Lang's attitude would always become serious. In his heart, Ling Lan was the only peer he trusted and would submit to, an inviolable boss.

Yes, he would not submit to the number two in name, Wu Jiong, or the one who had battled him constantly for third place (sometimes winning, sometimes losing), Li Yingjie, or even the nominated team leader of their team, Qi Long. But he would never not submit to Ling Lan, who had always been formidable, mysterious, and unfathomable since they were young.

This was a kind of unvoiced respect and admiration that had been built up since they were young. With the increment of age, this respect and admiration only grew deeper and deeper, until it finally reached a point where it was indissoluble. In other words, Luo Lang would only submit to one person in this life; he would only recognise one boss, and that would be Ling Lan.

"Xie Yi is right. When I received leader's message, I blanked out completely, almost believing I had heard wrong ..." said Lin Zhong-qing wonderingly.

In Lin Zhong-qing's impression, the cold and dominant Boss Lan would never do such a heart-warming thing like sending them off. He was more likely to send a hologram which would throw down this cold statement: "Don't disgrace me when you are there!" And then all kinds of twisted charm-dominance-coolness-swag 1 would follow, and all that was left for them would be an incomparably lofty silhouette which would then slowly fade away ...

Which was why when Lin Zhong-qing had heard the news, he had been dumbfounded. He did not even remember when he had hung up his communicator on Team Leader Qi Long, where he had then shuffled off to eat a tasteless dinner, and then blurrily drifted off to his bed to fall asleep miraculously. Only when he woke up the next day and bit his arm hard did he realise that he really had not misheard.

Right then, standing to one side, Qi Long could not resist speaking up as well, "You don't have to mention yourself, even I was stunned silly when I received Boss Lan's video-call. My first thought was that I must be dreaming, that the person on the other side was definitely not my boss ..."

Han Jijyun could not bear to listen to this any longer; he said sternly, "Alright, well, the fact of the matter is, Boss Lan is indeed coming to send us off. Buck up, all of you. Don't let Boss be dissatisfied."

Three years ago, due to Qi Long's emotional imbalance, the unhappy Boss Lan had immediately thrown down an assignment, causing them to go through countless torments and suffer terribly 2 . Han Jijyun really did not want for a repeat of that with yet another three-year mission because Boss Lan was unhappy with their conditions ... he would most definitely collapse if that happened.

Han Jijyun's words caused the other people to shudder involuntarily as well. Even the typically slouching and unmotivated Xie Yi changed his original demeanour, becoming spirited and enthusiastic. That mission three years ago had truly frightened the wits out of them. They dared not try something like that again easily.

Seeing his companions change gears into their dashing and energetic personas, Han Jijyun turned with satisfaction to look at the time on his wrist communicator. "It'll be 10 in another three minutes. Boss said to meet at the great hall of platform number 9 right around 10, so he should be here soon."

They all glanced reflexively at their own communicators. Seeing that Han Jijyun was right, they all came to attention and began waiting with their heads lifted high, peering greedily at the crowd coming to and fro on the hall of the platform, hoping to see their boss among them ...

Behind them, in a row of seats by a wall, in a semi-reclined seat, a person who had seemed to be dozing with their face hidden behind a freshly-printed Federation magazine suddenly sat up straight.

This person was wearing an extremely simple white shirt, which was topped by a thin army-green windbreaker, black pants, held up by a gold-buckle belt, and on their feet was a pair of black army boots. This outfit should have been eye-catching, making its wearer appear handsome and spirited, but for some reason the wearer was extremely nondescript, just as if they were a regular pedestrian, causing others to overlook the other instinctively ...

He slowly pulled off the magazine covering his face, revealing a cold and expressionless face. Looking intently at the group of youths trying to find their target, the corners of his lips curled up involuntarily, breaking the ice to allow a faint sense of warmth to appear on his body.

He stuffed the magazine in his hand into the backpack by his side, and then slung the backpack over his shoulder as he walked slowly towards the backs of Qi Long and the others. As his footsteps made almost no sound, Qi Long and the rest did not realise at all that someone was now at their backs.

"Not right!" Suddenly sensing something, Qi Long abruptly turned his head around. At critical moments, Qi Long's innate talent Animal Instinct kicked in.

Qi Long's sudden movement startled the others, who then also turned reflexively. Luo Lang even moved into an attack stance at first notice.

"Boss!" exclaimed Qi Long, voice hoarse with shock, "How did you get behind us?"

Mind you, the place where they had been standing put the entire crowd entering and exiting the platform within their range of sight. There should be no way for someone to avoid their sight to appear directly behind them. Could it be that Boss had the miraculous ability of teleportation? Qi Long could not help but wonder irresponsibly.

Chapter 204: A Brass-Necked Diplomatic Personnel!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

By the time Qi Long shouted, the others had also noticed that the one who had silently snuck up behind them was none other than Ling Lan whom they had been waiting for. They all became restless with excitement.

The small smile on Ling Lan's lips had disappeared without a trace at the moment Qi Long had turned around. Hearing Qi Long's question, Ling Lan huffed coldly and said with a stern expression, "I had been sitting behind you all this whole time. You all were just so careless that you forgot to check your backs. If I were an assassin, none of you would have escaped."

She had thought that after going on an interplanetary adventure, they would have become more vigilant — but they were unexpectedly still rather careless, actually neglecting a spot which they should never neglect.

Facing Ling Lan's stony visage, Qi Long and Luo Lang did not dare to put up any form of protest. They immediately bowed their heads and accepted the lecture, faces filled with embarrassment and remorse.

Only Han Jijyun tried to explain, "Boss, you intentionally suppressed your aura. Even if we had been more careful, we still wouldn't have been able to guard against you!"

Qi Long and Luo Lang nodded emphatically at Han Jijyun's words. In fact, when they had first arrived, they had carefully observed their surroundings as well as the few travellers seated on those seats behind them. Finding that their auras were all exceedingly normal, nothing at all out of the ordinary, only then had they let down their guard.

"Even if you don't sense any danger, you should not let down your guard completely," advised Ling Lan.

"Understood, Boss!" The five boys nodded respectfully. They knew that Ling Lan was only saying this for their sakes, otherwise he would not have personally set up this situation to teach them this lesson.

Ling Lan cast a satisfied glance over them and then said, "Since everyone's here, let's go to the registration point of the First Men's Military Academy." That said, she began to move, but she had only taken a few steps when Xie Yi spoke up from behind her, "Boss Lan, please wait a moment!"

Ling Lan turned with a quirked brow, "You have something to say?"

Xie Yi let out a deep breath, trying to ease his nerves, before saying, "Yes, I want to tell you, Boss Lan, the answer to that question you asked me three months ago."

Ling Lan folded her arms across her chest, lips tilted up slightly, tone interested as she said, "Oh?"

Ling Lan's gaze caused Xie Yi's heart to spasm, and the courage he had built up almost deflated. He clenched his fists tightly, silently cheering himself on. Don't be nervous, you must spit it out. Whether you live or die all depends on today's attempt!

He breathed in deeply once more and then said, "In the team, in terms of combat power, I am indeed no match for the leader or Luo Lang; in terms of strategy, I cannot compare against our strategist 1 ; in terms of attention to detail, I cannot beat Lin Zhong-qing ... but, I have a strength that no one else has. That is, my skin is thick enough, able to do things they might not be able to do ..."

That statement of 'my skin is thick enough' caused the others to reveal expressions of shock. Was Xie Yi planning to use a ' sticky-candy 2 strategy' to cling to Boss Lan until he could not take it anymore and chose to acknowledge him? They surreptitiously wiped off the cold sweat pouring from their foreheads at the thought. Had they forgotten to tell Xie Yi that Boss Lan's tolerance was beyond horrifying? This move was doomed to fail!

"Three years since joining the team, I have gotten to know the personalities of my other teammates. The leader and Luo Lang are focused on combat, and have no patience to interact much with others. The strategist is intelligent and good at planning, but this gives pressure to others, who won't dare to approach the strategist easily, afraid they would be carelessly manipulated by the strategist ..." Xie Yi listed out his teammates' strengths one by one, and his gaze finally fell on Lin Zhong-qing, "Lin Zhong-qing is good with people, and he's careful and observant — a lot of our intel was obtained by him from others, so this role would actually be really suitable for him as well. But, the support logistics for our team is a heavy duty, so he is also one of the busiest in the team ..."

Everything Xie Yi said was on point; Ling Lan nodded in acknowledgement of his logic. Seeing this, Xie Yi initially unsteady heart received a boost of encouragement, just as if he had been given a shot of heart tonic 3 .

With renewed courage, he raised his head abruptly, meeting Ling Lan's gaze head on, and said confidently, "So, I am prepared to take on the role of external communications. The team needs a diplomatic personnel to moderate when cooperating with other teams. With my thick skin, letting me go and communicate with the other party would undoubtedly be the most appropriate option. No matter what kind of attitude the other party has, I will be able to take it."

"It's unexpected that you would actually find such a role for yourself. Don't you think it's a waste of your talent?" said Ling Lan coldly, eyes trained on Xie Yi, her gaze almost boring a hole right through him, "Qi Long has told me before that you are a fighter no weaker than Luo Lang. Don't you want to be a main attacker of the team?"

Xie Yi chuckled dryly and said, "If there were only five of us in the team, without you, Boss Lan, around, perhaps I might be ambitious enough to try and fight for a primary attacker position, but ..." He shook his head, "the leader and Luo Lang will definitely not relinquish the two main attacker positions. And besides, for you, Boss Lan, your right and left arms should be the leader and Luo Lang whom you are most familiar with and have the best rapport with. This will undoubtedly be more acceptable for you. I am well aware that three years is not enough time for me to challenge them for their positions."

At this point of his explanation, Xie Yi's gaze turned sharp. "Of course, in another three to five years, once I've become confident that my rapport with Boss Lan won't lose to the two of them, I will fight for a change of role."

Back when Xie Yi had been contemplating the issue, he had considered a formation without Ling Lan, with Qi Long as the leader. In that formation, he indeed had a high chance of becoming a main attacker, but Xie Yi believed that, with Ling Lan's capabilities, as long as the other's injuries were fully recovered, getting into the First Men's Military Academy was a sure thing. A year later, Ling Lan would definitely make a successful comeback and re-enrol into the First Men's Military Academy. Thus, he needed to consider the situation a year later.

Xie Yi's words touched Ling Lan. She had not expected that Xie Yi would include her in his considerations when coming up with his role in the team. If her father had not bungled up and caused her to be sent into the First Men's Military Academy, she would have really felt guilty for Xie Yi's struggles in coming up with this answer ...

Ling Lan peered intently at Xie Yi and then said, "I understand!" That said, she turned around and left, being the first to walk out of the great hall of platform number 9.

Xie Yi stood stunned, unsure what Ling Lan meant by that reply. Right then, Luo Lang nudged Xie Yi excitedly, scolding him teasingly, "Idiot! This means Boss has acknowledged you."

Luo Lang's words caused Xie Yi to be overwhelmed with pleasant surprise. He really had Boss Lan's acknowledgement now? That's awesome! His suspended heart finally settled down after three months of worrying, and he actually felt his eyes grow damp. He couldn't believe he was on the verge of crying — this was really too embarrassing, really not what a grown man should be doing ...

Qi Long trailed Ling Lan closely; as he passed by Xie Yi's side, he patted his shoulder heavily in congratulation. Three years' time was enough for them to consider Xie Yi like a brother, so they had sincerely hoped that he would be able to get Boss Lan's acknowledgement. Otherwise, it would have been a terrible shame even for them.

Following right behind Qi Long, Han Jijyun nodded at Xie Yi. Although his expression was just as austere as ever, his eyes could not hide his happiness and well wishes for Xie Yi.

When Lin Zhong-qing passed by Xie Yi's side, he laughed softly and said, "Xie Yi, congratulations." Lin Zhong-qing had also gone through Ling Lan's evaluation, so he really understood Xie Yi's feelings at this moment. That year, when he had earned his acknowledgement, he had been equally moved beyond composure — because this meant that he had truly become a member of the team, no longer at risk of being a passing guest ...

Right at the end was Luo Lang. He smiled gently at Xie Yi, lovely as peach blossoms, his eyes glimmering with emotion, leading others to become mesmerized against their will. However, Luo Lang's following words instantly shattered this spell, "Idiot Xie Yi, why are you standing there stupidly? Not coming?"

Seeing Luo Lang's diminishing figure, Xie Yi chuckled dryly as he hurried to keep up.

Xie Yi could not help but sigh internally. Their entrance into the First Men's Military Academy definitely would not be calm and peaceful. Luo Lang was very likely to become their team's own Helen of Troy 4 ... he could almost imagine it — in the military academy, him having to constantly run around handling all kinds of 'diplomatic incidents' caused by Luo Lang ...

"If Boss Lan is around, he should be able to hold back those deviant and insincere fellows, right?" Thinking this way, Xie Yi began to fret over how he would live through that one year at the military academy without Ling Lan there to hold down the fort.

"I hope I'm just worrying over nothing!" Xie Yi could only think this way.

The six of them walked out of the platform. A cooling breeze swept by, and all of them felt refreshed. Although the spaceport was a fully enclosed man-made space, it simulated the natural environment on the planet, making people feel very comfortable.

The hover car stop was right outside the platform; they arrived at it after just a few steps. Meanwhile, by this time, Ling Lan's backpack had already migrated onto Qi Long's shoulders. As Ling Lan's capable follower, how could he allow Boss to personally carry his own backpack?

Freed from her luggage, Ling Lan stuck both her hands into her pockets, a carefree expression on her face. Since her follower wanted to please her, she should give him a chance to perform. Besides, she also knew that Qi Long's body, which was built like a bear, could even take on another 500 to 600 catties 5 without any trouble, which was why she could just kick back and enjoy this treatment.

The hover cars of the spaceport seemed to come one after another in a never-ending stream. The six of them swiftly managed to hail two hover cars and split up into two groups, and after keying in the district they needed to go to, the hover cars zoomed off towards their destination. The whole way there, all they could see were hover cars flying at different heights. They sped and weaved among one another at an unheard tempo, the scene much as if they had entered a rhythmic world of hover cars.

The First Men's Military Academy's registration point was at landing platform 99 of District-K. Once the hover cars of Ling Lan's group entered District-K, the horde of hover cars in the sky was no longer visible, and the hover car closest to theirs had already moved to keep a kilometre away from them. It was clear to see that there were really very few people coming into District-K — this proved that the First Men's Military Academy was really not easy to get into.

The hover car very quickly arrived on landing platform 99, and Ling Lan and the others disembarked. Right in front of the landing platform was a gateway — to enter, one needed to have a gate pass, and this gate pass was an acceptance letter from the school.

Seeing this, the expressions of Qi Long and the others dimmed and they stopped walking. They knew that the time for them to part with Ling Lan was about to come; their initial excitement was now taken over by the sadness of parting.

"Why did you stop?" Seeing her five companions stop almost simultaneously, expressions dejected, Ling Lan was snickering in her heart, but her face only revealed a vague puzzlement.

"Boss ..." Qi Long was the first to speak, but he did not know what else to say.

Chapter 205: I Used a Backdoor!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

"What time is the deadline for registration?" Qi Long felt unsettled meeting the gaze of Ling Lan, who was eyeing him coldly, so he immediately turned his head to ask Han Jijyun. Fine, he really just could not look at Boss and say goodbye.

"Before 12!" Han Jijyun replied without even having to check. The typically careless Qi Long very easily forgot little details like these; this had made Han Jijyun develop the habit of being Qi Long's walking encyclopedia.

Qi Long glanced at the communicator on his wrist and saw that it was only 10:30. There was still time to hang out with Boss. At this moment, he was somewhat regretful — why hadn't he suggested they find a restful teahouse or café to have a nice chat before Boss had said to come here and register?

If the heart moved, then action should be taken immediately; Qi Long carefully tested the waters. "Boss, why don't we find somewhere to sit and have a chat? After all, it's still quite early before the deadline of 12 o'clock."

Ling Lan threw a cold glance at him, "What's there to chat about? Besides, no one knows what other procedures you will have to go through after going in. What if there isn't enough time?"

Qi Long found himself struck dumb by Ling Lan's words. Did he really have to come out and admit that he wasn't ready to say goodbye to Boss just yet? Qi Long, who considered himself a grown man now, felt it was beneath him to do such a childish action.

The others could see that Ling Lan's heart was set, not to be changed, so even if they were in full agreement with Qi Long's suggestion to spend a little more time with Boss, they did not dare to say anything in support.

Ling Lan watched as the five youths walked away, turning back to look at her with every step, faces filled with reluctance, and she almost lost hold of her coffin-face. She could not help but furrow her brow — it looked like she had not perfected her slackface yet. She still wasn't at the point where she could be completely unfazed by anything and everything 1 . These cute expressions of her few little companions right now had almost cracked her icy facade ... it looked like she still needed to train it more.

However, from Qi Long and the others' perspective, Ling Lan's locked eyebrows were an indicator that their boss was displeased with their maudlin display of dragging their feet. And so, they could only harden their hearts and force themselves to stop looking back. They each took out their respective acceptance letters and headed for the gateway's sensors and scanned them.

"Beep! Logging information, registered First Men's Military Academy cadet, Qi Long! Please provide your proof of identity!" Following the instructions of this mechanical voice, Qi Long held out his right wrist, allowing the scanner to scan his communicator.

"Beep! Proof of identity logged. Identity verified, entrance permitted!" The doors of the gateway suddenly slid open, revealing a tunnel about a metre wide. Qi Long walked through it and the gateway closed behind him once more.

Qi Long stood inside and waited for the others to enter as well. After all five of them had entered, they were just about to say their final goodbyes to Boss when they found to their shock that Boss Ling Lan had walked up to the side of the gateway.

Could it be that Boss still had some instructions to pass on? The five of them waited with bated breath, but the subsequent scene caused their jaws to drop, and they continued to gape for a long while.

Ling Lan took out a palm-sized card from her pocket and waved it at them. They could almost see a little devil peeping out from behind Ling Lan, smirking mischievously at them.

"Beep! Logging information, registered First Men's Military Academy cadet, Ling Lan! Please provide your proof of identity!" Exactly the same as when they went through the process, the gateway recited those familiar words.

They stared dumbly at Ling Lan as she calmly lifted her wrist communicator up for the sensor to scan, and then casually walked into the tunnel ...

Qi Long rubbed his eyes forcefully to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Back when he had asked Ling Lan which school he had applied for, he had most definitely said it was the Windchase Mecha Service College on planet Aureolin, and he had also confirmed that he had been accepted for enrolment. Then, why was Ling Lan all of a sudden a cadet of the First Men's Military Academy like them? What in the world was happening? Also, coming into the First Men's Military Academy just like this, will Boss's body be fine? Mind you, during the first year, all that the cadets would be learning would be some advanced and challenging physical training. Anyone with a weaker physical constitution was very unlikely to be able to bear it, not to mention someone like Boss with unhealed injuries.

In his shock, Qi Long could not help but voice his doubts.

Ling Lan held back her humour, and explained calmly, "This acceptance letter was obtained by my dad through a backdoor. As for the first year of physical conditioning, also because of this backdoor, my dad got me exempted ..."

Han Jijyun was the first to regain his bearings. It made sense — as one of the nine great generals of the Federation, Ling Xiao definitely had enough clout to get his child into the First Men's Military Academy. As for the exemption ... Han Jijyun could not recall anyone ever managing that.

Just as Han Jijyun was puzzling over the issue, a sudden spark of realisation flashed through his mind. He gasped in shock, "Boss Lan, do you already have a military rank?" Only students who were already military officers had the right to be exempted from exams for the first year, because their physical training and evaluations would be handled fully by the military.

Anyone who understood how the military divisions worked knew that the divisions' physical training and evaluations would only be tougher than the First Men's Military Academy's. Mind you, the physical training and evaluation of the First Men's Military Academy could only be labelled as a paramilitary training and evaluation. Just the prefix of 'para-' was enough to show that it was weaker than real military physical conditioning. Therefore, if someone could pass the military's physical training and evaluations, then they would definitely be able the pass the military academy's physical assessments.

"Hn, my dad has settled everything for me using that backdoor. I only need to focus on recovering from my injuries in the first year." The more Ling Lan elaborated, the more she felt like an entitled loafer. This made Ling Lan, who had always liked to let her strength do the talking, feel somewhat unsettled. It looked like one needed to have a strong heart to be an idle good-for-nothing rich kid, otherwise one just wouldn't have the proper aura for it ...

"General Ling is too amazing!" Qi Long and the others had all regained their senses by now. Hearing what Ling Lan had to say, they exclaimed in astonishment, gazes filled with the light of idolisation, admiration, etcetera. When it came to their dear cherished idol, they were completely blind to the fact that Ling Xiao's actions were already within the realm of abuse of power, an official misconduct.

"That's wonderful! Boss, we can be together again!" In his excitement, Qi Long glomped Ling Lan and would not let go, the initial morose uncertainty in his heart vanishing without a trace. Only now did he realise that, all these years, his Boss Lan 2 had already become the pillar of support in his heart. As long as Ling Lan was standing by his side, his heart would be filled with courage, confidence, and strength. Even if the path ahead was filled with countless trials and tribulations, he would be able to scream at the skies. Even if the skies of the Federation were to be ripped asunder, he would have no fear.

"Boss, you're so mean! Actually tricking us!" Luo Lang did not want to be left out. He also pounced over and hugged Ling Lan and Qi Long. Draping himself over the both of them, he snuggled forcefully into the nape of Ling Lan's neck in discontentment. He did not notice that when he said 'tricking us', his tone had lilted up at the end, the sounds drawn out, giving his words a sense of coquettishness.

Luo Lang's voice and actions made Ling Lan shudder and push him away. "Luo Lang, don't hang on me and act cute. You should remember you are a man! A man!" By the end, a growl could be heard in Ling Lan's voice; it was clear to see how deep her resentment ran on this matter.

D*mmit, why did her own voice have to be so cold, so flat? Sometimes, she had tried to intentionally curl her tone of voice at the end of her sentences, trying to warm up the atmosphere, but it only came out sounding even more threatening than before ... Fine, she had now utterly given up on acting cute in this life. Her mum had not given birth to her with talent in this area; she could not force it!

Luo Lang flushed, his face becoming even more alluring with its pink glow. It was so pretty the others could not bear to look at him directly, all of them turning their heads away. Luo Lang said rather sadly, "Boss, when did I do that? Aren't I just being happy? Also, I'm a man to begin with. It's not like I wanted to look this way ..."

His eyes were blurry with a light sheen of moisture, and there was a hint of a nasal tone to his voice due to his sadness, making his retort sound soft and weak. Anyone who heard it would instantly feel compassionate, reflexively wanting to speak up and comfort this cute and lovely sweetheart before them ...

At this, even Ling Lan could not help but feel her face start to twitch. She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to dispel her headache — for Luo Lang to enter the all-boys First Men's Military Academy looking like this ... was this really a smart move? All kinds of BL stories she had read in her previous life surfaced in her mind ... a boys' military school was fertile ground for cultivating homoerotic relationships!

"Little Four, control yourself!" Ling Lan's headache felt even worse. This Little Four — actually sneaking out at this moment to come and cause trouble for her ... those BL stories that had appeared in her mind earlier had all been Little Four displaying the stories he had archived.

"The fertile ground of homoerotic relationships!" Little Four cheered in the mindspace. Of course, he secretly fantasized — would his boss go have a steamy gay fling at the military academy just once? Little Four started to feel excited, thinking that he had found a fun new game to play.

Right then, Ling Lan could not know what Little Four was thinking. She merely threw Little Four into the learning space, packing him up so he would not be able to come out and mess with her thoughts. Looking at the teary Luo Lang, Ling Lan thought of her own situation and could not help but sigh internally.

Forget it. She was already unintentionally on this road of cold and aloof dominance; having Luo Lang, who seemed to be developing unstoppably in the direction of having a face as fair as a flower and as lovely as the moon 3 , by her side, was somehow a comfort to her. Perhaps this was a gift from the heavens — specially gifting her a little companion to share her androgynous fate. This path was no longer as lonely as before!

Ling Lan consoled herself. This way, she could now accept Luo Lang the way he was. And thus, Ling Lan put down the conflicted feelings she had in her heart. She walked over and patted Luo Lang on his shoulder, saying, "Then just stay like this! We only need to be ourselves!"

Ling Lan's words had a double meaning, but this could not be known by the other five. Only she herself knew that she was also consoling herself as she was consoling Luo Lang.

Luo Lang's feminine appearance had always been a bitter pill in his heart. Originally, Luo Lang had thought that Boss Lan would be just like his other teammates, somewhat disapproving of his looks, but unexpectedly, Boss Lan had said such a thing to him instead. He was instantly greatly moved, abruptly gripped by a profound sense of being understood. "Boss, thank you!"

Boss, only you understand my true heart. Luo Lang is still the same Luo Lang as before — I won't change just because my appearance has changed! Thank you, Boss. Having your trust, even if everyone else in the world looks down on me for my looks, I will not be angry or depressed, or ever doubt myself!

Luo Lang's internal frustration with his looks disappeared. He smiled joyfully, radiantly, and even more beautifully. His initially still somewhat concealed radiance was fully unleashed at this moment, causing the others to feel as if they could not look at him directly ...

But all the companions knew deep down that — Luo Lang had become stronger again! Because his charisma had risen to a whole new height! The companions who had grown up alongside him all knew very well that Luo Lang's capabilities and his charisma were correlated. The stronger he was, the brighter his charisma would shine!

Ling Lan did not know that her inadvertent consolation had let Luo Lang untie the knot in his heart. The release of the bindings caused his mental state to level up, increasing his initially secured physical skills plane once more, allowing Luo Lang's charisma to be improved and enhanced. This point would incite a great storm later on, causing their team to have a much harder time in the military academy with a never-ending string of conflicts!

And this storm would also lead a cadet with very hidden depths to stumble into Ling Lan's life ...

Chapter 206: Journey!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

The reality of Ling Lan's enrolment into the First Men's Military Academy thrilled Qi Long and the other four. Ling Lan waited for them to calm down, and then led them to enter platform 99.

The moment they entered platform 99, they saw a medium-small interstellar spaceship parked silently on the port runway. It went without saying that this was the spaceship which would be bringing them to the First Men's Military Academy.

The First Men's Military Academy was famous throughout the entire Federation. Everyone knew it was situated on planet Edusea 1 , but its specific address was not publicly known. This was very likely a measure to protect its students, but could also be to prevent riff-raff from getting close to the school and causing trouble. Whatever the reason, the obscurity of the academy's address was an undeniable fact.

The spaceship was quite a distance from them; a long and straight travellator 2 was directly connected to the entrance of the spaceship. The six of them stepped onto the travellator, and holding onto the handrail, they chatted leisurely as they were swiftly carried to the entrance of the spaceship.

They then walked off the travellator, and just as they neared the cabin door, an icy voice rang out, "Please display your boarding pass."

Inside the area right after the cabin door, a fully outfitted officer was standing. He politely saluted them and began going through the necessary pre-boarding check.

Ling Lan brought out that palm-sized acceptance letter from her pocket and passed it to the officer.

The officer reached out his right hand for it, and then lifted his left hand as well. There was a miniature device in the palm of his left hand — Ling Lan took a glance, and immediately realised that it was the Federation's latest data scanner model, which was also the most portable version.

Sure enough, the officer swiped Ling Lan's acceptance letter across the scanner, and Ling Lan's associated data instantly appeared on the device's screen.

When he saw the words 'DATA MATCHED' appear, only then did the soldier return the acceptance letter in his hand to Ling Lan. At the same time, the data on the scanner's screen quietly disappeared.

Somewhere internal where Ling Lan could not see, her name, which had been bright white on a registration name list, instantly turned black. Ling Lan's data had been transmitted instantaneously to the First Men's Military Academy's mainframe database to form a student file.

Of course, this was also another measure by the school to prevent outsiders from sneaking in. If by any chance someone managed to forge Ling Lan's acceptance letter and came to register, the registration list that already had Ling Lan's name dimmed would immediately cause the other to be withheld at the door. At the same time, the registered Ling Lan's data would be sent to the National Security Agency. The National Security Agency would then send an officer to investigate the two parties post haste to determine the truth of the matter before passing judgement.

The reason for this strictness was entirely because the First Men's Military Academy was the gathering grounds of the most exceptional young talents of the entire Federation. If an enemy spy managed to infiltrate the school and sabotage the students there, the Federation's combat capability would not only be greatly reduced for about 10 years, but could even result in a discontinuation of particular legacies. This was something the Federation could not abide; therefore, the registration period for new students every year was when the National Security Agency was most pressured.

After that, Qi Long and the others all passed through one after another, and then the six of them walked deeper inside the spaceship. Although it was considered a small ship, it was still rather large on the inside — larger than the large cruise ships of Ling Lan's previous world by 5 to 6 times.

They were led by a staff member of the spaceship to a large hall. In there were many seats, but they were not arranged like the seats of aeroplanes in her previous world, row by row. Six extremely comfortable armchairs were arranged around a round table, and this formation was repeated again and again to fill the entire hall.

Ling Lan estimated that, if all the seats were filled, it would amount to 700 to 800 people. However, right now, the hall was pretty empty, not many people in there at all. It looked like it was still rather early in the registration period, so many of the students were not here yet.

Ling Lan randomly chose one of the tables near the entrance of the hall and sat down, the others moving along with her.

As time passed, the spaceship started to fill with students. The initially quiet hall began to grow noisy and lively as people found others familiar to them and sat together, excitement written on every youthful face. Without question, each and every one of them was full of curiosity about their new life at the military academy.

Of these students, a large majority was undoubtedly from the Central Scout Academy. As they trickled in, some of them may not have noticed Ling Lan seated among them, but as the number of people increased, some sharp-eyed students finally noticed the presence of Ling Lan who should not have appeared here. Their first action then was to rush over excitedly and greet Ling Lan — the uncrowned king Ling Lan had their unquestioning deference.

As more and more students from the Central Scout Academy found out that Ling Lan was present, they all would run over by themselves to greet her. This caused the gazes of all the students from the other scout academies to turn pensive, starting to wonder who this person really was. Why did he have such high repute, to inspire these other elite talents to offer their greetings voluntarily?

They could see very clearly that these students had not a single bit of coercion in their demeanours; they were doing this sincerely. When they returned to their own seats, the smiles on their faces were obviously brighter than before, and their conversational manner became even more natural and at ease. It was as if just by greeting that youth, their confidence had increased.

This unusual reaction caused these students who did not know Ling Lan to become cautious of her. In combination with Ling Lan's originally cold demeanour, her expression icy and unapproachable ... no matter how you looked at it, she did not seem like someone easy to get along with.

Wu Jiong's team and Li Yingjie's team entered at about the same time. Originally somewhat at odds with one another, the moment they stepped into the hall, they noticed Ling Lan seated among the other students. Their complexions shifted minutely — Li Yingjie's face turned dark and he frowned slightly, while Wu Jiong donned an expression of pleasant surprise as he walked over and said in a raised voice, "Boss Lan!"

This cry was heard by almost everyone in the hall, and caused a change to come over the expressions of those people who were already wary of Ling Lan. The words 'Boss Lan' conveyed many things — strength, means, and also the ability to put pressure on them!

Any student who was accepted by the First Men's Military Academy was definitely the cream of the crop of all the scout academies from the various cities around Doha. In their world, they were like kings, each of them leaders of a sort. The words 'Boss Lan' raised their hackles instinctively, instantly turning Ling Lan into a public adversary.

Ling Lan quirked a brow and nodded, and then said calmly, "Wu Jiong, long time no see." This Wu Jiong had become really devious now! However, she had not intended to become a boss at the First Men's Military Academy anyway, so Ling Lan, who was determined to keep a low profile, did not really mind Wu Jiong's little manipulation. Rather, if Wu Jiong had not shown any ambition and desire to scheme, Ling Lan was more likely to have looked down on him.

"You have also come to the First Men's Military Academy?" Ling Lan's application to a school on planet Aureolin was known to almost everyone who paid attention to her. This question made all the other curious students who had been too afraid to ask perk up their ears, waiting for Ling Lan's reply.

Ling Lan said breezily, "I was lucky. The military recommended me." In front of outsiders, Ling Lan made sure to protect Ling Xiao's glorious image. Although at present these people did not know Ling Xiao was her father, Ling Lan believed that this fact would not be hidden for long. Mostly because Ling Xiao, who was eager for the whole world to know he was Ling Lan's father, would definitely find an opportunity to declare his identity in front of her fellow students ...

Ling Xiao had a deep resentment over how Ling Lan had kept the fact that she was Ling Xiao's child a secret from her schoolmates for so long. Thus, Ling Lan knew that the seemingly mature and wise Ling Xiao would definitely act foolishly when it came to this matter!

Ling Lan's reply caused the hearts of Wu Jiong, Li Yingjie, and those in their company to skip a beat — but it made sense once they stopped to think about it. They themselves had been witness to Ling Lan's strength. It was reasonable to believe that the military, which had always gathered data on the top talent from the various major scout academies, would not let such an unparalleled prodigy go to waste.

After exchanging a few more words, Wu Jiong led his team members away to sit at a position close to Ling Lan's table. On the other hand, Li Yingjie nodded stiffly at Ling Lan in greeting and then moved off to sit on another side. In contrast to Wu Jiong's sophisticated way of handling things, Li Yingjie was obviously much more inexperienced.

Very soon, it was 12. At this time, on the four walls of the hall, four huge virtual screens appeared. On the screens, a middle-aged man with a dishevelled face and a messily put on captain's uniform appeared.

The man snickered, and then said rudely, "You brats who are about to enter the First Men's Military Academy, I have to tell you, we are about to depart! This journey will take 2 days and 1 night. If you get hungry, on your right-hand side, is the cafeteria catering to you lot. Eat whatever you are given, no whining and backtalk! Also, on this journey, you all have to listen to me. You do what I tell you to do. Even if you are princes or geniuses outside, here, you are just the tiniest of all tiny little worms ..."

The captain's arrogant words caused the expressions of everyone in the hall to change. Only Ling Lan's countenance remained unmoved; she merely continued to stare coldly at the bad-mannered, irritable spaceship's captain on the screen ...

The captain seemed to notice Ling Lan's stare, for a mocking smile appeared on his lips. He swept a challenging look in her direction — though of course it could also be that he was just challenging everyone in the hall — and said, "What? You guys don't want to? That's fine. The crewmen under me just so happen to be so free they don't know what to do with themselves right now, and want to loosen their bones. I'll let them tell you lot what's the right choice to make in this situation!"

Accompanying the captain's words, a bevy of brutish and rowdy crewmen instantly surged out from passages at all corners of the hall to appear before the students. Their eyes were similarly filled with taunting challenge, as if eager to find any disagreeable brat so they could flex their muscles.

A portion of the students was petrified by this sudden situation. The faint signs of rage on their faces slowly faded away as they made their way back to their own seats. It could be said that they were extremely rational, unwilling to become the chicken killed as a lesson to the monkeys 3 .

Qi Long, who was sitting beside Ling Lan, leaned close to Ling Lan and asked quietly, "Should I go teach them a lesson?" The other party's high-handedness rubbed Qi Long the wrong way. More importantly, this scamp's fists were starting to itch for a good fight.

Of course, Qi Long had also volunteered because he had confidence in himself. He had received focused instruction from Ling Lan since young, and he had also trained desperately to improve his skills in those three years when Ling Lan had not been around. Moreover, two months before this, he had also went on that high-risk interplanetary adventure. Having been through all this, he was no longer the unpolished fighter he had been before.