530-535

Chapter 530: Bloody Tears!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Why is Commander Qi Long crying?" Those in the audience asked in surprise.

Commander Qi Long was a sunshine boy and always showed an honest and caring smile. That smile of his made people naturally want to trust him. Even when faced with the biggest difficulties, he would try his best. His determined and unshakable impression was known to everyone deep in their hearts. In the eyes of bystanders, if someone were to ask who in the Ling Lan's team would cry and sob, others might, but not Qi Long. The feeling that Qi Long gave to others was that he was too strong-willed. He was a tough guy who only bled but never cried.

Yet this tough guy that everyone knew from their hearts had cried. However, no one felt that this Qi Long was soft and weak…

Some people actually also had red eyes as well. They quickly rubbed their eyes and said, "Sh*t, why are you being emotional?"

Seeing this, Ling Lan frowned. She was very confused. What had Qi Long actually come to realize while he was on the verge of death?

At that moment, in Qi Long's memory, the battle between Boss and the others hadn't ended because of Qi Long's tears in mid-air. It was still continuing just like his memories.

"Ah-wooo!"

As Luo Lang howled angrily at the sky, insanity filled his eyes; he had activated the violent personality. This personality could increase his body's strength limitlessly. Luo Lang knew clearly that calculating and planning in detail would be useless when fighting against Boss. They could only do their best to increase their power to barely face him.

Although Luo Lang's face was soft and beautiful, at that moment, under the effects of his violent personality, Luo Lang's soft essence had much of it disappear and had a bit of rudeness and mercilessness to him instead. His originally weak and bony right arm suddenly inflated, and his muscles protruded outwards as well.

Luo Lang stomped the ground and his entire body flew towards Ling Lan like a cannonball. A strong punch mercilessly flew towards Ling Lan. The fist actually created an exploding sound as it traveled through the air because its speed and strength had broken the sound barrier.

Ling Lan's eyes shook as she raised her right hand to block Luo Lang's fierce punch…

Bam!

Ling Lan's expression instantly became pale. However, she instantly returned to normal. Everyone else who were all focused on the fight didn't pay attention to this detail. Of course, Ling Lan was someone who had a whiter skin color. Although her face had turned pale for a second, if they didn't look closely, they wouldn't be able to see the small change in color.

Indeed, back then no one would stare at Ling Lan's face because her aura was too strong. her gaze was too cold and sharp, making everyone not dare to stare at her face. However, the Qi Long that was sobbing kept on staring at Ling Lan. Although Ling Lan's expression only changed for a second, Qi Long still saw it.

As expected, Boss had been wounded! Why didn't they think of paying attention to their boss back then? If they had just paid a little bit of attention, how could they have not discovered this fact?

Boss was also human. He would also become tired, exhausted and injured.

Right at that moment, Qi Long, who was waiting for his chance, had made a move…

Seeing this scene, Qi Long knew the outcome of his move. Unable to control his emotions, Qi Long finally shouted, "Stop, stop!"

It turns out the most hated individuals were not enemies. Instead, the most hated were not only careless friends, but also those who harmed others. And at that time, they were these types of assholes.

Qi Long quietly sobbed as he stared at the scene below him. He had hurt the boss that he respected so much with his own two hands.

He saw himself raise his fist excitedly and pounce towards Ling Lan. Qi Long remembered clearly that at that moment, his innate talent, Animal Instinct, told him when was the best time to attack. He had indeed found the best time to attack, but now his heart felt like it was going to shatter.

Boom!

Two silhouettes suddenly split apart. The strong force threw Qi Long backwards, while Ling Lan also took a step back to get rid of the reactive force.

Ling Lan's expression became pale once again. She puckered her lips and looked coldly at her comrades. However, her eyes were showing approval and joy.

"Because I managed to take advantage of the moment and harm you, you felt pleased with all that… Boss, how can you be like that? What have I, Qi Long, done to deserve a boss like you?" Qi Long's heart began to burn up. He felt his heart beating fiercely again. This time, he didn't feel any pain, only boundless warmth…

Seeing that Qi Long's attack wasn't effective, Luo Lang shouted, "Everyone move in together."

In one versus one battles, nobody could go against Boss. Luo Lang knew this and the other members of Ling Lan's team also understood.

"Attack his lower body!" Han Jijyun finally calculated the only effective position they could attack. Before he attacked, he didn't forget to tell his comrades.

Ling Lan easily dodged Han Jijyun's attack, but when she landed, her body actually trembled a bit. Everyone's eyes lit up and they all moved in together.

The first to make their moves were Luo Lang and Xie Yi. They tacitly attacked Ling Lan's lower body. Qi Long, on the other hand, had jumped up and performed a strong side kick to attack Ling Lan's upper body… and Lin Zhong-qing, who was hidden all this time, had also made a move.

He suddenly appeared behind Ling Lan, silently attacking her from the back.

Han Jijyun saw an opening and added an attack from the side to create interference.

These attacks from all directions instantly put Ling Lan into a crisis.

Ling Lan knew that dodging was impossible, but she didn't panic; using her left foot as a pivot point, she suddenly performed a whirlwind mantis sweep…

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!" There were four sounds of strong hits landing almost simultaneously.

Ling Lan instantly kicked Han Jijyun, Lin Zhong-qing, Luo Lang and Xie Yi. The four of them were instantly kicked into the air and were sent flying backwards. Ling Lan's crisis still hadn't been averted, however; Qi Long's attack was right in front of her.

Suddenly, Ling Lan disappeared. Qi Long felt his vision blur as the opponent he was about to attack had disappeared. Before he could react, he felt a strong force kick him straight in the chest and his entire body flew backwards.

It turned out that Ling Lan had suddenly squatted right as Qi Long was about to hit her and dodged Qi Long's side kick. At the same time, her right leg was like a scorpion flinging its stinger as she ruthlessly kicked Qi Long who was flying towards her.

In the blink of an eye, all five of them had been kicked away by their boss. They somersaulted in mid-air and landed, but they still couldn't completely nullify the force. They took many steps back and only then managed to stop their footsteps. Even so, they still felt blood rushing to their heads. The strong blow had still wounded them internally.

They channelled their Qi-Jin around in their body and managed to get rid of the feeling of suffocation and feel much better.

After blocking the attacks of the five, Ling Lan stood up once again. She put down her right leg coolly as her right hand brushed her face. When she landed on the ground, she once again took a classic defensive stance. It was as if the five of them hadn't attacked her just now.

"Boss is so strong!" Luo Lang was dismayed at this scene, while Qi Long and the others all felt regret. Originally, they had thought their combined effort would be a bit troublesome for Boss. Now it seemed that it had no effect at all. As expected, the difference between them and Boss was still too great. They still needed to work harder.

The fellows on the ground were not paying attention, but the Qi Long in mid-air had seen something. When Boss used his right hand to brush his face, it seemed like he had brushed something off when his hand passed his mouth area.

Qi Long stared at the right hand Ling Lan used to perform her defensive stance, attempting to look for something… however, he didn't see anything. He only saw four white and long fingers along with that immovable mountain-like body of Boss'.

After Qi Long and the others took a breather, they attacked once again. Ling Lan didn't counterattack. She only blocked in a systematic way. The changes in her movements became smaller, but she was still able to intercept all of their attacks with precision and didn't waste any energy.

At the time, Qi Long and the others had believed that they weren't able to give Boss too much pressure with their attacks, which was why he wasn't paying too much attention them. Now, however, Qi Long knew that that was because Boss' body had reached its limit. He had no choice but to calculate to conserve energy in order to make sure to not waste even one bit.

Just like that, the fight continued for another 10 minutes. After putting in their all, including the energy they used during their fights from before, their energy had been exhausted by quite a lot. They finally felt tired. Qi Long looked around at his comrades and their eyes met. They decided to attack one last time.

However, the Qi Long in mid-air saw that at that moment, all of Boss' movements were being made purely out of instincts. That was because Boss had already lost consciousness…

Qi Long knew about this because he was fully focused on Ling Lan. He also saw what Ling Lan had hidden on her right hand's thumb. There was still a smear of blood that hadn't disappeared yet…

Qi Long couldn't control himself and squatted down. His entire body shook violently as he held his head tightly, afraid of what was going to happen next…

Two years ago, they had almost killed their most respected Boss. He now knew that at that moment, Boss had been on the verge of death, and those responsible were them, his underlings. If Boss hadn't broken through and had his energy erupt from inside him, what awaited them may have been a scene of them having killed their own boss…

"No, I don't want that to happen! I don't want Boss to die!" Qi Long held his head and shouted angrily. He refused to look at what was going to happen next…

However, how could the images from his memory stop just because he didn't want to see them?

Luo Lang was the first to jump out and shout, "One-Inch Punch, Level 4!" This was Luo Lang's strongest physical skill fighting technique. It was a secret family move that was made stronger by Boss through his research.

"Wave Stacking Strike!" This was similar to the One-Inch Punch, but it just had a different way of releasing Qi-Jin. It was a physical skills technique that Ling Lan had exchanged for credits in the learning space. She taught it to Qi Long and it was also Qi Long's trump card. Finally, he used it.

"Lightning Dragon Strike!" Xie Yi attacked Boss with a technique that was created from his innate talent combined with pointers from Boss. This was also his trump card.

"Final Strike!" Lin Zhong-qing silently appeared. He sent a strong fist towards a blind spot around Ling Lan's ribcage that could not be defended.

"Rolling Mines!" Han Jijyun attacked Ling Lan from the side, aiming for the weakest part of Ling Lan's body at that moment; her lower body.

Faced with this crisis, the unconscious Ling Lan didn't feel anything. She only unconsciously raised her two hands and reactively intercepted these punches and kicks coming from all directions.

"No!" Terrified, Qi Long screamed out, "Stop!"

At that moment, his eyes that were staring angrily no longer had tears come out of them. Instead, there was blood!

At that moment, Qi Long still hadn't noticed that the barrier in his body which had been limiting him had broken the instant he cried tears of blood…

Chapter 531: Promise!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"No!

"I don't want that to happen!

"I don't want Boss to get injured!

"I don't want Boss to die!"

As Qi Long angrily screamed inside his mind, he formed a claw with his right hand and swiped downwards—he was ruthlessly reaching for the Qi Long that was attempting to attack Boss.

Maybe Qi Long's will was too strong, as the energy that was originally holding him back had been broken through by him. He instantly arrived in front of Ling Lan, grabbed the other Qi Long's neck and instantly pummeled him to the ground.

"I won't allow anyone to hurt Boss. I won't allow it even if it's myself." Qi Long raised his left fist and ruthlessly threw it towards the Qi Long who had a look of ignorance on his face.

Qi Long used all of his energy to hit himself. The image of the memory was like a mirror; because of Qi Long's punch, it shattered into countless pieces and scattered everywhere.

Qi Long raised his head. His face with bloody red tears was easily seen. There was determination in his eyes, the kind that would enable one to do anything for someone without regret.

"I, Qi Long, promise that I will become Boss' shield. If anyone wants to harm Boss, they'll have to get over my dead body first!

"I, Qi Long, will fight for Boss to the bitter end with no regrets!"

Qi Long's determined voice echoed through his vast mindspace. When he spoke, the mindspace had memorized the promise he made. This meant that if Qi Long was to go against his promise, he wouldn't have any chances of advancement. His soul will be tormented day and night. In the end, he would become a crazy demon and would never have a moment of peace.

"For this, I need to become even stronger. Strong to the point of being able to help Boss take on all of his enemies."

Qi Long had never found a reason that made it necessary for him to become stronger, but now he had one. It wasn't for himself. Instead, it was for the boss who had treated him sincerely.

In the arena, Qi Long crying had already made everyone in the audience become very surprised. When Qi Long's tears became blood, everyone was shaken. The entire training dojo became silent.

Ling Lan, who was in the observation room, had instantly stood up when Qi Long's blood red tears had come out from his eyes. She could no longer continue to be calm.

"Why is this happening?" Han Jijyun's tears silently fell from his eyes. He instantly held his chest. Qi Long's blood red tears also made Han Jijyun feel his emotions. Han Jijyun felt like his heart was in a blender.

Right at that moment, a strong aura suddenly erupted in the arena. The overwhelming aura instantly made the edges of the arena have a transparent light barrier appear.

Ling Lan instantly calmed down. Her eyes showed a hint of joy. The light barrier was even brighter than the previous one. Did this mean that Qi Long had successfully advanced into the late stage of Qi-Jin?

Everyone was surprised and moving about when the light barrier appeared again. At that moment, someone shouted, "Look, in the arena!" Everyone set their focus onto the arena.

Qi Long's eyes had stopped bleeding, and his dark and empty eyes had closed. Other than this, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. However, looking at Ling Yi, who was standing in front of Qi Long, they knew that at that moment, Qi Long wasn't a pushover.

It turned out that at that moment, Ling Yi's body was trembling. He bent his back forwards and actually couldn't stand up straight. His face had a grimace as he bit his lip as though he was resisting some sort of terrifying pressure.

This pressure was no longer the immature aura that Qi Long had before. Ling Yi had used all of his body's energy this time and could only make sure he wasn't pinned into the ground. He had no extra energy to counterattack.

"It's an aura!" The audience and the members all understood. Hadn't the boss used the same move that year when he fought with Huo Zhenyu, the strongest individual in terms of physical skills in the military academy?

They excitedly looked towards Qi Long, who had closed his eyes once again. It turned out that Commander Qi Long's supposed mid-stage of Qi-Jin was a lie. Instead, his Qi-Jin was higher by two stages than the mid-stage, the Refinement stage. From what they knew, there wasn't anyone from the other mecha clans who had reached the late of Qi-Jin. Now their Lingtian Mecha Clan, other than Boss, had another strong individual who had reached the late stage of Qi-Jin. This was definitely enough to roll over the other mecha clans.

Ling Lan silently activated her own aura and carefully felt Qi Long's current condition. Her lips perked up. She didn't expect that being pushed to the verge of death this time had not only acted as a catalyst for Qi Long to break through the barrier to his advancement, but even also managed to advance two stages above his original one. He had instantly entered the late stage of Qi-Jin, close to the peak stage. He only needed one more step to enter into the very peak stage, Great Perfection.

"Qi Long, in terms of physical skills, as expected, you are the best."

Ling Lan was overjoyed. The stronger Qi Long's potential, the more likely he would survive the fighting in the battlefield. There were still two years left before they had to join a military division., and entering a division would mean that they were not far from a battlefield.

Ling Lan felt she was hard pressed for time. This was also why she was so ruthless in making these arrangements.

Ling Yi slowly raised his head. Just this small motion was painful for him to manage. He looked at Qi Long in front of him, who was not moving. Ling Yi was oddly surprised. He didn't expect that his opponent would be this strong. Without even moving a finger, he could make it so he couldn't stand up straight. He knew that this person was Young Master Lan's battle team's vice-captain…

"Qi Long: Mid-stage of Qi-Jin. Luo Lang: Beginner stage of Qi-Jin. Xie Yi: Beginner stage of Qi-Jin. Lin Zhong-qing: Peak of Refinement stage. Han Jijyun: Advanced level of Refinement stage…" Inside Ling Yi's mind, the detailed information he had gathered on Young Master Lan's battle team members rapidly flashed through his mind.

"Qi Long, mid-stages of Qi-Jin… Heh, lies, all lies. Late stage of Qi-Jin. Even fifth-years may not reach that state. Qi Long did it in three years. It's funny that I thought my current capabilities were already qualified to stand beside Young Master Lan. Now that I think about it, I really was too arrogant.

"I think the physical skills of the others are also not as the information says. Maybe all of them have reached Qi-Jin. Those supposedly at the beginner stage of Qi-Jin may have already reached the mid-stage or advanced stage," Ling Yi thought bitterly to himself.

Ling Yi's guess wasn't wrong. His information was based on the time when Qi Long and the others were in their first year at the academy. Now that two years had gone by, how could they not have undergone even a little bit of improvement? Even if Qi Long and the others were lazy and didn't want to train, with a ruthless boss like Ling Lan by their side, they wouldn't have gotten the chance to simply stop at where they were in terms of power.

Ling Yi was actually using his will of not admitting defeat to endure through all of this. In reality, he had reached his limit long before this point in time. Qi Long seemed to have sensed this and slowly restrained his aura, making it disappear completely in the end.

The light barrier around the edges of the arena vanished once again, following which Qi Long opened his eyes and calmly said, "Thank you for the fight."

Having successfully broken through to the peak of late stages of Qi-Jin, the current Qi Long was no longer the Qi Long who was exhausted all of his energy. Now he possessed strong and abundant Qi-Jin at his disposal. At that moment, even if all of the applicants were to come up to challenge him at the same time, he wouldn't be afraid of them.

"Thank you, Commander Qi Long, for being merciful." Ling Yi finally stood up after the pressure he was under disappeared. He knew that he wasn't made a fool of because Qi Long was being merciful. If the latter hadn't slowly restrained his aura but instead instantly made his aura disappear, Ling Yi would definitely not have been able to get used to it and would have fallen straight towards the ground.

Ling Yi couldn't accept his opponent's good will. However, to ignore it would be shameless. Thus, he thanked Qi Long personally.

Qi Long nodded at Ling Yi. His behavior drew Qi Long's admiration. Qi Long decided that Ling Yi would be the first choice to accept into the mecha clan.

Afterwards, Ling Yi turned around and walked off the arena. Every step he took was difficult, but he didn't show it on his expression. He was a proud individual, especially at that moment when he didn't know where Young Master Lan was watching this evaluation from. As Young Master Lan's loyalist, he couldn't lose his master's dignity.

Ling Yi finally walked off the arena. He walked beside his comrades. Yi Tiange comforted him and said, "Captain, your performance was great. It's just that…" But before he could finish, Ling Yi was already falling over.

Rong Ziruo and Yan Wuyou reacted quickly; they supported their captain, one from the left and one from the right, to make sure he didn't fall over.

"He's totally exhausted. It's alright, it's only temporary unconsciousness." Yan Wuyou held onto to Ling Yi as he felt his pulse and informed the other members of Ling Yi's condition so that they wouldn't worry.

"Who would've known that Commander Qi Long would advance during battle? Our captain's efforts were all for naught," Yi Tiange remarked sympathetically.

Rong Ziruo turned around and looked at Qi Long, who was looking over at them from the arena. That straight stance and calm expression of his didn't need any explanations. It was as though he were a king looking down at his subjects.

"Commander Qi Long is really strong!" Rong Ziruo mumbled. He began to think about how strong Ling Lan would have to be to have become the captain of Commander Qi Long.

"Now, probably no one will challenge Commander Qi Long," Yi Tiange said. Smart individuals wouldn't choose such a strong and unbeatable examiner.

As expected, after three minutes, another freshman finally chose their opponent for their evaluation. This time, they chose a different captain from Lingtian…

Ling Yi opened his eyes and discovered he was lying in a bed. He instantly jumped up.

His movements surprised Rong Ziruo, who had been sitting beside him while looking through the information in his communicator. He asked with concern, "Captain, how do you feel?"

Seeing Rong Ziruo and also seeing that he was in his own room, Ling Yi was relieved. He laid himself back into the bed and asked, "How long did I sleep for?"

"18 hours. I have already called in sick for you and informed the instructor," Rong Ziruo replied.

Ling Yi was silent for a few seconds before finally asking the question he was most concerned about. "Lingtian. How were the results of the evaluation?"

"Although we all lost, we all passed." Hearing his question, Rong Ziruo instantly smiled.

Ling Yi raised his head, his eyes showing a hint of joy. "All of us passed?"

"Yeah, everyone passed. They even let us keep our battle team. As long as we pass the mainframe's battle team evaluation and become a real battle team, we'll then be able to officially register. However, the treatment that we'll get will only start from the lowest rank, the fifth level. Advancement will be based on our contributions," Rong Ziruo explained with a bit of regret.

"I see." Ling Yi felt that there wasn't anything wrong with all this. He looked at Rong Ziruo and the expression on his face showed slight signs of struggle. He then asked, "Did Young Master Lan come out in the end?"

Rong Ziruo shook his head and said, "No, it was Commander Wu Jiong who came out to announce the list of names. However, this is normal. From the information that we received, the person responsible for managing Lingtian Mecha Clan's work has always been Commander Wu Jiong. The commanders Qi Long and Li Yingjie are the helpers. Commander Ling Lan never meddles with anything."

"Never?"

Ling Yi talked to himself. He clenched his fists and his eyes showed a hint of determination. Whatever the case, he had already successfully joined the mecha clan that Young Master Lan had created. He was now slowly getting closer to his Young Master Lan. His strength wasn't enough at this moment. However, there would be a day when he would catch up to those in Young Master Lan's battle team. Then he will become a real loyalist of Young Master Lan and give him all of his loyalty.

Chapter 532: Live Longer Than Others!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After the Lingtian Mecha Clan took in those freshmen members with great potential, their numbers had reached the standard of a medium sized mecha clan. At this point, the Lingtian Mecha Clan was no longer the small mecha clan they were in the past. Adding on the glory and prestige they had earned in the last year, along with Ling Lan's outstanding display of operating skills on her long-range mecha that shocked the other mecha operators… all of this had allowed Lingtian to finally possess their very first battle force with considerable power and their very own culture.

However, a new year meant a new beginning. Not a single mecha clan was satisfied with their current results, as they all wanted to improve—a battle for power would soon begin.

All the mecha clans were waiting for someone to challenge Lingtian first. In these dark times, all of the Lingtian Mecha Clan was silent.

Inside a physical training dojo, the third-year special mecha piloting class cadets, who were training, were currently huddled together beside two mechas and watching them as they were fighting.

"Ding, ding, ding. The betting has now begun. All those who wants to bet on Instructor Tang Yu defeating Boss within a certain number of hits should come find me to bet." A cool and clear voice rang out loudly in the dojo, drawing everyone's attention to the speaker.

"Xie Yi, this time I won't lose to you." Someone saw the individual who was shouting and shouted back.

Xie Yi smiled and replied, "Sure, I've already prepared everyone's credits from before. Just waiting for you guys to win it back."

Xie Yi's words made these people who had always lost to him feel better instantly, and they all went over to him in preparation to place their bets for the next round.

Seeing this, Lin Zhong-qing's lips showed a hint of a smile. Luo Lang saw this and poked him lightly, saying, "Heh heh, are we going to have another huge sum of reserve funds?"

Lin Zhong-qing said sternly, "Luo Lang, how could this bet be 100% winnable? You should talk to Xie Yi and stop him. Otherwise, if Boss finds out, he will definitely rip off a layer of Xie Yi's skin."

Luo Lang looked at Lin Zhong-qing with determination as he replied, "In that case, why don't you go talk to him?"

Lin Zhong-qing glanced at Luo Lang with a half-smile. "Everyone in the team knows that aside from Boss, Xie Yi listens to you the most."

Luo Lang proudly raised his head at that. "That's because Xie Yi and I are good friends. We know each other very well."

"Yes, yes, yes, you guys are close friends, and that's why the person to talk to Xie Yi should be you, his close friend, right?" Lin Zhong-qing retorted.

Luo Lang was instantly speechless. Just a brief moment of carelessness and he had gotten himself caught up in the betting as well. However, ever since the other personalities of Luo Lang had been taken down by Ling Lan and they decided to serve the original as the master, the original's IQ wasn't as low as before. Thus, he quickly thought of one point and said, "Okay, Lin Zhong-qing, I was almost tangled up in there by you. Boss definitely knows that Xie Yi made a betting pool. In the past, we even used this to replenish the funds for the logistics division of our team."

"It's different from before now. In the past, everyone didn't know about Boss' capabilities, which was why Xie Yi could win. Now, though, everything about Boss that he himself revealed is known to everyone," Lin Zhong-qing explained.

Luo Lang felt that his words sounded logical and he couldn't help but begin to worry for Xie Yi. He was prepared to talk to Xie Yi after the current bets. If he really did lose, Xie Yi would meet a terrible end.

At that moment, everyone had already placed their bets. Xie Yi looked at the details of the wagers and couldn't help but shake his head as he said, "Aren't you guys underestimating my boss too much? No one actually bet that he'd be able to endure more than 300 rounds. Who wants to bet for more than 300 rounds? I'll triple the return."

Although Xie Yi raised the rate of the bet by quite a lot, there was still no one betting for it. This was because everyone remembered that in the previous month, Ling Lan could only endure 187 rounds with Instructor Tang Yu. No matter how monstrous Ling Lan was, it was impossible for him to suddenly improve to the point where he could endure for 300 rounds after only a month's interval.

Very nearly everyone had wagered that Ling Lan would be able to endure for around 200 rounds, while there was only one person who wagered that Ling Lan would be able to endure 250 rounds…

Xie Yi regrettably began preparing to close shop, but it was right then that he heard someone shout, "I'll wager on it." Xie Yi's smile instantly froze. When he raised his head, however, his smile had already returned to normal. He asked with a huge smile on his face, "Gao Jinyun, how many credits do you want to bet?"

Gao Jinyun's sudden shout had also surprised the team members beside him. They didn't make a sound as they trusted him, however, and waited for Gao Jinyun to reply instead.

Gao Jinyun only hesitated for a fleeting second before he became completely determined, after which he firmly said, "I'll bet 30,000 credits." This was the entire sum of his personal credits. He was very confident in Boss Ling Lan, just like the rest of her team. Since Xie Yi had made such a remark, it had to mean that Boss Ling Lan had the capability to endure for 300 rounds.

However, Gao Jinyun was not in a battle team that was directly under Ling Lan, after all, and didn't know of her real potential. The reason he could bet this much was because he trusted his own eyes and instincts.

"Captain, isn't that a bit too much?" Gao Jinyun's vice-captain wore an expression of concern as he asked this question.

Gao Jinyun quietly explained, "I'm only doing this for myself. The credits used will be my own personal credits. I won't use the team's credits."

The logistics team member responsible for handling the credits disagreed upon hearing his words. "No way. You are our captain, and your decision is our decision. The 30,000 credits will come from the team funds."

Gao Jinyun was surprisingly determined this time. "You guys don't have to convince me. I trust Boss, and that's why I'm willing to bet. This is my own thoughts, though. It has nothing to do with you guys."

Gao Jinyun usually listened to the opinions of his team members; however, once he made a decision, there would be no changing it. The members of Gao Jinyun's team watched as he gave his 30,000 credits to Xie Yi.

Gao Jinyun's vice-captain and other team members quietly discussed this matter for a few seconds. When Gao Jinyun turned around, they all said, "Gao Jinyun's team will wager 30,000 credits as a group that Boss Ling Lan will be able to endure for 300 rounds." Since their captain trusted Boss Ling Lan, then being his team members, they had to follow in his footsteps. Even if they lost, they had to use their actions to support the captain.

Although Xie Yi was full of smiles and had a face of full confidence, he was actually crying inside. The bets that he had made today had ended up all for naught, as the money that he would make would most likely not be enough to pay Gao Jinyun's team. These guys were f**king insane.

It turned out that the only reason Xie Yi thought of setting up bets was that before Boss and Instructor Tang Yu began their fight, he had asked the former on how many rounds he would be able to endure. Ling Lan's answer was more than 300 rounds, and this was also why Xie Yi had asked whether there was anyone who was going to bet on 300 rounds or more. At that moment, Xie Yi was hating himself for having such a big mouth. Even if he did set the bet, why did he have to say that he would pay triple to the winner?

Bystanders couldn't see the pain in Xie Yi heart, but all the members of Ling Lan's battle team saw through his facade.

Lin Zhong-qing sighed quietly. As expected, sinners would eventually have to pay for their sins; Xie Yi was going to be in trouble this time.

On the side, Luo Lang was already considering whether he should open his small bank to help Xie Yi fill the lack of cash after the bets were completed.

Qi Long, who was focused on the battle the entire time, had discovered the activity on Xie Yi's end at that moment. He frowned and asked, "Did Xie Yi get into trouble this time?" Ever since Qi Long had formed his aura after his physical skills advanced to the peak late-stage of Qi-Jin, a tough presence would emanate from his entire body. Even if he looked like a nice person, he still gave off the tough feeling of a strong individual. This made others not dare to underestimate him.

Of course, this was also because Qi Long didn't have complete control of his aura. If he really could control it completely, Qi Long would still be the same as before and would not make people become cautious of him when they were around him.

Han Jijyun held in his laughter and nodded, replying, "Gao Jinyun's team has put in him in a bad spot this time."

"Gao Jinyun… he respects Boss very much." Qi Long had a very good impression of him. Every time they met, Qi Long felt that Gao Jinyun was similar to himself.

"Yeah, he also trusts Boss very much." Han Jijyun's impression of Gao Jinyun was similarly very good. How could he bet so much if he didn't fully trust Boss, putting down 60,000 credits?

Of course, Ling Lan's team didn't care about that amount of credits. The credits they had acquired during their time in the scout academy was compounded through investments made by Boss—the sum had already reached the 100 million range. It could be said that in the military academy, out of all the battle teams, only their team didn't have to worry about the logistics aspect of their team.

Later on, Boss was focused on advancing and didn't have time to deal with the credits. Thus, he transferred more than 100 million credits to Lin Zhong-qing. It was at that time that they learned that Lin Zhong-qing had another terrifying talent—doing business. Lin Zhong-qing's eye for investments wasn't as accurate as Boss, but he wasn't too far behind. The 100 million credits that they had from back then had accumulated into 300 million. This number was already excluding their expenses in the past two years.

However, no matter how many credits the battle team had, Lin Zhong-qing was just as frugal as Boss. The team members had to put in an application every time they needed to use credits and had to go through many steps. If the estimated expense was not carefully calculated or was more than 500 credits, the application would always be sent back. The team members resented all of this. However, it was Lin Zhong-qing's unwavering front that made the others learn how to calculate and estimate, not wasting even a little bit.

Qi Long and Han Jijyun were only talking casually. They also know that even if Xie Yi lost those credits, it wouldn't hurt him at all.

"Our battle team is already a five-star team. If we want to advance, we need to have secondary battle teams. Gao Jinyun's battle team…" Qi Long frowned as he fell into deep thought. Although taking in secondary battle teams wouldn't be as harsh as taking in new team members, loyalty was something that couldn't be of similar importance to new team members; they had to unconditionally listen to the head team's orders. Qi Long and the others were all looking at the battle teams in the Lingtian Mecha Clan. Currently, only Gao Jinyun's team had managed to catch their eyes, but it was just that taking in secondary battle teams was a very important matter. They were still just looking.

"We'll see!" Han Jijyun raised his chin and pointed towards the arena. "Since our captain isn't even in a rush, then we don't need to rush either." They were responsible for providing the list of choices, but the final decision would be made by their boss, Ling Lan.

Hearing this, Qi Long replied with a smile, "You're right!"

In the arena, Ling Lan was operating a special-class mecha, while Tang Yu was operating an ace mecha. Although they appeared to be in the midst of a fierce and terrifying mecha battle, in reality, the two of them were very relaxed.

"Ling Lan, how many rounds do you plan on getting to this time?" Despite launching a seemingly ruthless attack, Tang Yu asked this with a smile.

"300 rounds, or maybe more. I'll see," Ling Lan replied calmly as she raised her right hand and used her beam saber to easily intercept Tang Yu's attack.

At their level, if it wasn't a battle to the death, it was possible for them to trade blows up to 10,000 times. Even if Ling Lan's operating skills were of a special-class operator, her actually skill level of being an ace operator made it so that Instructor Tang Yu couldn't actually defeat her that easily.

"If it wasn't to protect you, I would have truly liked to immediately publicize the news of you advancing to ace operator." Tang Yu blocked and intercepted Ling Lan's attack. Using this block, he performed a side kick.

Ling Lan operated her mecha to dodge. At the same time as she attacked with her beam saber, she said, "No rush. I'm preparing to officially advance in the second half of my fourth year." Even if she got into the 23rd Division and with her father protecting her, Ling Lan still wanted to get in with her own strength. She wanted her father's subordinates to know that she was no prince that entered through a backdoor.

"Looks like you already have it all thought out," Tang Yu remarked with amazement. She was able to restrain herself from the temptation of gaining instant success. Every step that Ling Lan took was firm.

"I have to save some face for Senior Qiao Ting," replied Ling Lan. Qiao Ting had advanced at the very beginning of his fourth year, and it was because of this that he was viewed as the second Ling Xiao and received the admiration of everyone else.

"You want to use Qiao Ting as an excuse, don't you? Out of all the cadets that I've taught, you're the craftiest," Tang Yu said wholeheartedly. "However, it's possible that you'll be the one to live the longest." In reality, it wasn't that he hadn't taught any star pupils. It was just that the more talented the cadet, the more arrogant they were. They didn't want to give in and this led to them dying young, leaving Tang Yu heartbroken.

"My goal isn't to acquire boundless glory. Instead, it's to live longer than the others!" Ling Lan declared without hesitation. This was her hope for the future and she was working hard towards this goal.

"To live longer?" Tang Yu was stunned for a second. Afterwards, as though he had thought it through, he said, "That's true. In the end, it's all about living longer than everyone else."

Tang Yu's expression was slightly saddened. He suddenly realized that the lessons he had taught to his pupils from before could have been all wrong. Perhaps it was better that he taught his pupils how to survive more easily on the battlefield. The sure-kill techniques used in battle were actually compiled by those who still lived after each and every battle. As long as his pupils survived, they would naturally come to an understanding and would not need him to use his time to teach them how to kill others.

However, there was obviously no life-or-death battles in the academy. Even if he taught them more, how could he make his pupil understand the secrets of those sure-kill techniques? They, as instructors, had led them down the wrong path…

Tang Yu had a feeling that when he taught cadets in the future, he would put the main focus on how to survive in a battlefield. This would greatly increase the survival rate of his pupils.

After many years, he had proof and he sent his research to the military's headquarters. After the people at headquarters carried out further research on this subject, they discovered that this was indeed the case in terms of survival rate of the cadets; thus, they decided that they would conduct an academy-wide experiment in the First Men's Military Academy. In the classes for real battles, the lesson content changed from the training of sure-kill techniques to instructing cadets about survival techniques upon entering a battlefield.

After accumulating more than 10 years of data, they discovered that the change was very effective, and thus they put it through to every academy in the Federation. The result was that the mortality rate of the Federation's veterans decreased compared to the other countries. This made the Federation's military strength increase once again and also brought a true 100 years of peace to the Federation's borders. And all of this came about from Ling Lan's one statement of wanting to live longer than everyone else!

Tang Yu would later reveal this truth on his deathbed, following which Ling Lan, who was already legendary, would once again experience a rise in fame—she would gain the respect and gratitude of every soldier in the country.

Chapter 533: The Dangerous Xie Yi!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Just like that, Ling Lan and Tang Yu fought for more than 300 rounds. At that point, Ling Lan revealed a weak point, which allowed Instructor Tang Yu to land a hit and defeat her. This result made all the people who were watching cry in agony; all of them had almost lost all of their credits. However, as the dealer, Xie Yi also had a bitter expression on his face, and this was because he had to pay Gao Jinyun and his battle team 180,000 credits. This had made him instantly lose all the credits he had accumulated in the past few years and return to his original poor self.

In Gao Jinyun's battle team, the vice-captain couldn't control his feelings of excitement. He grabbed Gao Jinyun's right arm and shook it violently, asking, "Captain, Captain, I'm not dreaming, am I? We… we really won."

As Gao Jinyun was shaken about by his vice-captain, he had a stupid smile on his face as if he was in a dream. When he placed his bet in the beginning, he had only done so to support Boss. He didn't actually want to win any money, but he didn't expect that his trust in Boss would actually help him win such a huge sum. This time, with his principal amount, plus the interest earned, he suddenly had 120,000 credits. No, wait—if he counted his team's betting amount, then that would be 240,000 credits. Even after taking away the principal amount of 60,000, it was still 180,000 credits…

Gao Jinyun's 30,000 credits were accumulated from when he was a child. It should be said that he had taken out all that he owned and bet it on Boss Ling Lan.

All the members in Gao Jinyun's battle team were from commoner families; they didn't have any family backgrounds like the other battle teams. Similarly, their team taking out 30,000 credits to bet on Ling Lan wasn't an easy feat. At that time, the entire team's credits only amounted to a bit more than 30,000. The only reason they had been willing to take out 30,000 credits was that they trusted their own captain. Now, they had gotten their return for their trust in him. This made the team's logistics funds increase to more than 100,000. It was enough for their small team to change their equipment and weapons.

Moving away from Gao Jinyun and his team's excitement, Ling Lan walked out of her mecha's cockpit. Before she landed on the ground, Qi Long and Han Jijyun had already walked over to her.

"Boss, thanks for your hard work."

Ling Lan glanced at the crowd that was gathered on the side. She frowned slightly as she said, "Xie lost." If he had won, the crowd would definitely have scattered.

"Gao Jinyun and his team bet that Boss could endure for 300 rounds and put down 60,000 credits," Qi Long said with a laugh.

Ling Lan was surprised. "Xie actually dared to do that?" She remembered telling Xie Yi that she would go over 300 rounds this time. Did Xie Yi not listen to her? It seemed that he had indeed been reckless this time around. It was time to beat him up.

Ling Lan saw that Han Jijyun had an odd expression on his face. She uncontrollably thought of something and asked, "Is there another reason?"

Han Jijyun nodded. He sternly told Ling Lan about how Xie Yi dug a hole for himself. Hearing this, Ling Lan glanced towards Xie Yi with a half-smile.

Xie Yi, who was transferring the credits to Gao Jinyun's battle team, suddenly felt a cold, sharp glare come his way. His entire body felt chilly, as though his blood was frozen. He didn't even need to turn around to know whose glare it was. He knew he was in trouble; Boss was definitely not going to let him off easy this time.

Xie Yi thought back to the time when he set up his first betting pool…

It happened back in their first year in the military academy. Xie Yi, Qi Long and the others had returned to their own house just like they did every day. Once they entered through door, they could see that their boss was sitting on the sofa in the living room, using his communicator to look through some data.

After Qi Long and the others greeted Boss, they all went back to their own respective rooms and cleaned themselves. Xie Yi's movements were very fast. When he finished showering, he discovered that Qi Long and the others hadn't finished yet. There was only Boss still sitting on the sofa, concentrated on the information on the virtual screen.

Xie Yi suddenly had a thought and walked towards the sofa that was facing Boss directly and sat down. Boss' aura was too strong; he didn't dare to sit beside him.

After sitting down, Xie Yi fell into several seconds of contemplation before opening his mouth and asking, "Boss, tomorrow is our class's physical skills battles. The list of names has already been announced. The battle that the most freshmen members are paying close attention to is the one between Qi Long and Commander Wu Jiong. Everyone wants to know who is stronger."

Ling Lan didn't raise her head. She replied nonchalantly, "Perhaps everyone else doesn't have any idea, but those who came from the Central Scout Academy should definitely know the answer."

Xie Yi smiled. "That's true. Everyone knows that Qi Long is a bit stronger. It's just that everyone wants to know how many hits Qi Long would need to defeat Commander Wu Jiong."

"If he gave his all, he would probably win within 50 rounds. If he restrained himself, he probably would need around 80 rounds." Ling Lan had raised her head and thought about it for a second before giving an answer.

"Boss, can you tell me just how many it'll be?" Xie Yi wasn't satisfied with the approximation of the data the Boss had given him.

Xie Yi's words prompted a stern look from Ling Lan, which made the former hang his head out of a lack of confidence.

Ling Lan turned off her communicator as she looked Xie Yi straight in the eye and said, "Okay, tell me what you think."

Xie Yi knew that his thoughts had already been seen through by his hoss. He didn't hide it anymore and told her everything. "Boss, I was thinking that our team's logistics funds are running low. Every time we want to buy some necessities, Lin Zhong-qing has to think it over many times and make careful calculations. That's why I thought of an idea that could add some funds to the logistics division of our team.

"Now that we're training our physical skills, there could be some competitions. Everyone also seems to be bored and likely to do some betting on the side. I want to make use of this point…" Xie Yi looked at Ling Lan carefully and discovered that her expression didn't show that she was annoyed. Xie Yi instantly felt better.

The fingers of Ling Lan's right hand were slowly drumming against the armrest of the sofa. She closed her eyes and began to think on whether this plan was plausible or not.

Seeing her like this, Xie Yi affirmed his decision and told everything he had thought to Boss. He hoped that Boss would support him. "Boss, I won't create random bets. I won't open a pool for opponents that I'm unsure about. The only ones that I'll open would be the ones that I know about. I plan on using our battle team as the main focus."

"Betting is something that I don't really like. There are too many uncertain factors involved. You won't ever know whether you'll win or lose until the end." Ling Lan opened her eyes and a cold gleam flashed through them for a second, which instantly snuffed out the courage that Xie Yi had built up just now.

"Unless you can guarantee that you will definitely win!" Ling Lan finished with a sharp look on her face, staring at Xie Yi.

Xie Yi's expression showed that he was struggling. It was just as Ling Lan had said. Where could he bet to guarantee a win? However, Xie also knew that if he couldn't guarantee it, Boss would definitely not agree to him starting the bets.

However, Xie Yi really didn't want to give up on this chance. As the last member to join the team, Xie Yi still didn't feel fully confident. Although Qi Long and the others had clearly told him that Boss Ling Lan had already accepted him as a member, he had still yet to hear those words from Ling Lan herself. Xie Yi was in a rush, hoping to get a chance to perform and contribute to the team.

Thus, Xie Yi was excited upon discovering that he had a way to help them resolve the pressure of the logistics funds. He didn't want to give up. Having already made up his mind, he immediately nodded and promised, "Yes, I promise that I will win."

"If you lose?" Ling Lan wasn't going to just let Xie Yi off like that.

Xie Yi bit his lip and replied, "I will be willing to be punished by you, Boss."

Hearing all this, Ling Lan went into deep thought once again. This made Xie Yi feel perturbed. He didn't know whether Boss would approve of his idea in the end.

Finally, Ling Lan gave an answer. "I'll allow it just this time. I hope you can do want you promised."

Xie Yi excitedly jumped up and instantly bowed down to show his gratitude. "Thank you, Boss, for your trust in me."

Ling Lan waved her hand. Xie Yi held in his excitement inside and left the living room, making his way back to his own room. He was full of energy as he began to plan for the betting pool tomorrow. He told himself that he had to be careful to make sure he didn't suffer a setback due to a small careless mistake.

Suffering a serious setback from a careless mistake! Xie Yi remembered his feelings from the past and regretted it strangely. In the past two years, the bets that he had set up had all gone smoothly. With the help of his comrades, he had never lost once. All of this made his confidence inflate without limit and made him lose the caution he had in the beginning.

The bitter result that he had today, after careful thinking, was completely brought about by him digging his own grave… Xie Yi began to worry. Would the good impression that he tried so hard to make in front of Boss be reverted back to the beginning because of this problem?

While Xie Yi was worrying about his well-being, Han Jijyun asked Ling Lan the question he had kept inside him for the past 2 years after he told her the dumb thing that Xie Yi had done. "Boss, I don't understand why you would have agreed to Xie Yi holding betting pools in the very beginning. This… is clearly not morally right."

Seeing Han Jijyun's frown, Ling Lan sighed. Han Jijyun was good in everything, except that he was a bit over the top. It was no wonder, though, because he was a descendant from a big family. These descendants were either quality soldier-like ruffians or exemplary soldiers. Han Jijyun was the latter. He was not very accepting of any act that were against the regulations. To have been able to endure it for so long, he had indeed made Xie Yi his comrade. That was why he was so understanding of Xie.

"For those people came from elite families, they don't really have that many limitations. We can't treat them like army personnel," Ling Lan replied calmly. "Also, two years ago, there was an issue with Xie Yi's emotions."

Han Jijyun was surprised. He actually didn't know about this. "What happened?"

"He couldn't find his own value in the team. Although he wanted to be the diplomat for the team, the cadets who came from the Central Scout Academy, including Wu Jiong, Li Yingjie and the others, actually still liked to communicate with Qi Long. Xie Yi's position was indeed very awkward, to begin with," continued Ling Lan in a sharp tone. She informed Han Jijyun of the situation Xie Yi was in at the very beginning.

Han Jijyun thought back to the past and discovered that it was indeed like that. His face showed guilt as he said, "I'm sorry, Boss. I actually missed this detail." He was the strategist of the team and yet he hadn't discovered that a team member's mental stability was not in check. He had forsaken his position on this part.

"At the time, we had just entered the military academy and didn't have a firm place to stand yet. Then we were challenged by Leiting Mecha Clan into an arena battle. Everyone's focus was on that arena battle, so missing that detail was inevitable. You don't need to feel guilty." Ling Lan elaborated and made Han Jijyun feel a bit better.

"Although Xie Yi did find his own value back then, it still wasn't very appropriate in my eyes. However, at the time, it indeed made Xie Yi push past his shaken mentality. This was the most important part. Thus, I agreed with him." Ling Lan spoke out the reason why she had agreed to Xie Yi's suggestion in the very beginning.

"Furthermore, the funds of the team's logistics division did really get replenished. This was a good thing. Jijyun, I think that as long as everyone is willing and doesn't cheat, rob or trick each other, there's no good or bad on how the funds are gathered." Ling Lan didn't really care about betting. She cared about was whether it was worth it or not.

"Take what I should take. As long as I have a clear conscience?!" Han Jijyun felt like he had understood.

Ling Lan didn't say anymore. Some things needed Han Jijyun to think about them himself. No one could help him.

Qi Long had been listening to their conversation the entire time. Seeing that Han Jijyun had gone into deep thought, he asked, "Boss, are you preparing to put Xie Yi in his place?"

Ling Lan raised her eyebrow as though she was asking why Qi Long had such a thought.

"Xie Yi's problem. Boss, don't tell me you haven't noticed," said Qi Long with a smile on his face.

"So you also know." Ling Lan's eyes showed a hint of approval.

"My innate talent is Animal Instinct. When I activate my talent, my Animal Instinct tells me that Xie Yi is very dangerous." Qi Long's expression suddenly became very serious.

Their words surprised Han Jijyun. He had a face of confusion as he asked, "Boss, Qi Long, what are you guys talking about? What problem does Xie Yi have? Didn't Boss say that his shaken mentality was resolved?"

Ling Lan looked at Qi Long. This was clearly giving Qi Long the cue to explain to his close friend.

Qi Long rubbed his nose. He could only bitterly explain to his comrade, "You also know that my innate talent, Animal Instinct, can help me sense hidden dangers. Two years ago, although Xie Yi's mentality was shaken, I didn't sense any danger from him… but as time went on, even though Xie Yi's mentality issue was resolved, whenever I activated my innate talent, I could sense the immense pressure he was giving me. This pressure was becoming larger and larger."

Qi Long looked towards Ling Lan and continued, "It's just like how Boss usually gives me a sense of intense pressure, but I can still endure it. Once I activate my innate talent, though, Boss' presence seems so terrifying to the point where if he wanted to me to die, I would die." After saying all this, Qi Long actually shivered.

Han Jijyun finally understood. "So you're saying that when you activate your innate talent, the feeling that Xie Yi gives you is very strong and threatens you right?"

Qi Long nodded. Han Jijyun exclaimed with surprise, "Could it be that he has hidden potential?" After saying this, Han Jijyun's expression showed a hint of sorrow. After all, his so-called comrade had lied to him, which gave him the feeling of being betrayed.

Qi Long didn't answer. He looked towards Ling Lan because he didn't know how to say it.

Seeing this, Ling Lan shook her head and said, "No, it's not Xie Yi's power. There were a few times when I unintentionally sensed Xie Yi suppressing it."

Ling Lan's answer not only shocked Han Jijyun, but also even Qi Long. It was probably because Qi Long hadn't even thought of this detail.

"Then what is it exactly?" Qi Long asked.

Ling Lan glanced at Xie, who was in the crowd, before looking at Luo Lang who was beside him, and then she began to speak with a certain degree of confidence. "I suspect that it is a second personality, just like Luo Lang's Alter Ego innate talent."

"Doesn't Xie Yi have the Lightning Bolt innate talent? How could he have a second innate talent?" Qi Long asked in surprise. The people of the Federation could only awaken one innate talent—there was no one who could awaken a second.

"I didn't say it's an innate talent. It is only similar to Luo Lang's innate talent. I suspect this has something to do with Xie Yi's family's bloodline. Xie Yi doesn't seem to be surprised by it. He even has a way of holding down that power.

"My guess is that this is some type of split personality… The power it has is extremely overwhelming. It has destructive properties and is probably Xie Yi's hidden personality," Ling Lan explained without hesitation.

Chapter 534: Lingtian's Letter of Challenge!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Dark character?" Qi Long and Jijyun exchanged glances with one another; they were both puzzled.

"Yes. Xie Yi's two personalities aren't like Luo Lang's Alter Ego. Luo Lang's Alter Ego has primary identity and secondary identities. No matter how powerful the secondary identities are, they will be controlled by the primary identity. For Luo Lang, however, there's no difference in status between his personalities. The more powerful one will gain control of the physical body," Ling Lan explained indifferently.

"Then the Xie Yi who always appears before us is the primary personality." Han Jijyun understood.

"It might not be. It's just my own opinion. After all, we don't know what the suppressed personality is like. It might be even better," Ling Lan replied irresponsibly.

Han Jijyun sent a sullen glance at his boss. No matter how he looked at it, the bright and optimistic Xie Yi should be the main personality. Also, his boss and Qi Long had both said that the suppressed personality had a brutal and destructive personality. These were obviously the characteristics of a dark character. Why was his boss trying to make it complicated?

A hint of fighting spirit appeared in Qi Long's eyes. "Boss, shall I attack?"

His boss had previously told him that a crisis was a catalyst. The worst way to deal with a power that you couldn't control was to suppress it, while the best way was to let it explode. Once it fully exploded, one would be able to find a chance of survival. In the past, the boss had used this method against Luo Lang and released all his other personalities, and this enabled Luo Lang to gain control of his Alter Ego.

Unexpectedly, though, Ling Lan rejected Qi Long's proposal. "No need."

"Are you planning to do it yourself?" Qi Long asked curiously. If his boss did it himself, the chance of success would be higher.

"He's very afraid of me." Ling Lan shook her head in response. "I can't force him out."

Ling Lan's words made Qi Long puzzled. His boss meant that it was useless for himself to do anything, so why didn't he let him do it? Did he have other plans? Qi Long started thinking about it carefully.

Han Jijyun had his head lowered, also in in deep thought.

Ling Lan didn't say anything. They needed to understand some things themselves. If she told them everything, they would never grow.

Very soon, Han Jijyun came back to his senses. Ling Lan didn't give them a lot of information so he could faintly make out something. Although he hadn't understood entirely, he wasn't in a hurry. Since he didn't understand it at present, he might as well put it to one side. Who knew—perhaps he would be struck by sudden inspiration.

It was then that he remembered something else; his boss had given him a mission this morning.

"Boss, I have asked Regiment Commander Wu. Currently, in our mecha clan, including our battle clan, we have a total of 21 people who managed to become special-class operators." There was a hint of pride on Han Jijyun's face. They were all third-years, so the fact that they were able to become special-class operators so quickly proved their ultimate talent in mecha piloting.

Ling Lan nodded at his words. "That's enough."

Han Jijyun had a sudden thought. His eyes lit up as he asked, "Boss, are you preparing to act?"

"What am I preparing for?" Ling Lan asked in return with raised eyebrows.

Han Jijyun could not contain his excitement anymore; his face turned red from his feverish emotions. After scanning his surroundings and confirming that no one was looking at them, he whispered, "Uniting the factions in the military academy and becoming the ultimate king?"

Han Jijyun's words cause a glint to appear in Qi Long's eyes, too. He remembered his boss' firm and arrogant declaration when they were first years. He looked at Ling Lan with anticipation and waited for the boss to give a confirmation.

"A situation will take its course regardless of our wishes! Even if we don't want to attack them, they won't let us go. In that case, why not we make a move first?" Ling Lan said coldly. The air around her suddenly turned frosty as she emanated a hint of killing intent. Han Jijyun almost became frozen by the atmosphere, and even Qi Long felt a heavy weight pressing down upon him.

The greater his capabilities became, the more he understood how scary his boss was. Last time, their capabilities had been too far apart so he was not certain about how powerful his boss was. Qi Long had never asked Ling Lan before, but he was certain that his boss was definitely in the Domain stage.

Without a doubt, the fact that his boss was in the Domain stage had broken the record of Federation again. However, he also knew that if his boss didn't say anything, he had his reasons. Hence, he kept this secret to himself and didn't tell anyone; including his best buddy, Han Jijyun.

In the Leiting Mecha Clan headquarters, Lin Zhidong sat in the regiment commander's office as he settled the matters in the Leiting Mecha Clan. Ever since Qiao Ting had gone to the Third Division, he finally managed to get his dream position as the clan's regiment commander and become the person with the highest authority in Leiting. He had finally managed to experience what it was like to hold he in the position of the highest authority.

"Beep beep beep!" The A.I. on the office desk beeped. Lin Zhidong asked happily, "What is the matter?"

"Regiment Commander, the Lingtian Mecha Clan has sent us a letter of challenge." His deputy's voice came from the A.I..

"Letter of challenge?" Lin Zhidong almost fell from his chair upon hearing this news. He quickly grabbed onto the table and took a deep breath before saying, "Come in." What was Lingtian doing? Leiting hadn't sent them a letter of challenge, so why were they sending one over instead? Also, they were already the first faction. What was the point of challenging Leiting?

The deputy entered the regiment commander's office and passed a paper card to Lin Zhidong.

Lin Zhidong opened the card to take a look, and he saw a nicely written sentence on the card.

Letter of Challenge

Target of Challenge: Leiting Mecha Clan!

Challenger: Lingtian Mecha Clan!

Time: Star calendar 4746.5.20

Regards,

Ling Lan

"It really is a letter of challenge…" As Lin Zhidong gazed at the letter of challenge in his hands, astounded, he had a sudden thought and realized the intention of the other party.

Lin Zhidong was furious—he slammed the table and gritted his teeth as he uttered, "Ling Lan, your appetite is too big! You actually intend on trying to have us merge with you."

In the First Men's Military Academy, there were rules with regards to sending out letters of challenge. If a faction in a lower position challenged a faction in a higher position and won, they would exchange their positions. If they lost, they would have to pay for the sending out the challenge. There were no other consequences. This was the most common form of challenge that made up 90% of the mecha challenges in the school.

But there was another kind, which was rarer; a faction in a higher position challenging a faction in a lower position. The purpose of this kind of challenge was to merge the two factions. In other words, if the faction in the higher position won, the one in the lower position would have to merge with the other side without any retaliation. If the lower position faction won, they would swap position with the other faction.

These rules apply to all mecha challenge competitions. All the factions had to follow the rules strictly. An example would be the time when Qiao Ting challenged Lingtian. He had planned on merging Lingtian with his faction but in the end, Lingtian was more powerful than him and Leiting had to give up their position as the first faction.

Of course, there were other non-mecha challenge competitions in the military academy. For example, during first year when they just formed the New Cadet Regiment, they were asked to battle it out with their physical skills. These challenges were mostly based on bets and once both parties accepted the terms, it would be done. There were no rules that said they had to accept such challenges.

Lin Zhidong's words allowed his deputy to understand the situation as well. He looked at the letter of challenge that was thrown to the floor by the angry Lin Zhidong. Lingtian was trying to get them to merge with them? Were they being delusional? A small mecha clan that was just founded was trying to touch the most powerful mecha clan that had been around for a few hundred years?

The deputy had forgotten that their position of number one faction had been taken away by Lingtian one year ago.

At this moment, the rest of all the other mecha clans had received a letter of challenge from Lingtian at around the same time. This signified that Lingtian was preparing to unite the military academy. However, no one was optimistic about Lingtian. All the mecha clans thought that Lingtian was being whimsical and daydreaming… numerous mecha clans were planning to drag Lingtian down from the position of number one and let them understand how stupid it was for them to underestimate all the mecha clans of the military academy.

Ling Lan's actions caused Lingtian to become the thorn in the side for the entire First Men's Military Academy; they couldn't wait to destroy her. A few number of small clans had harbored good feelings towards Lingtian, as they felt that Lingtian would understand their hardships since they all came from a similar background and that they would protect them. However, this letter of challenge broke all their hopes and their attitude changed immediately—they couldn't wait for Lingtian to stumble and made a fool of herself.

While all these people were scolding them, Lingtian was intensely preparing for their first battle. Their first target was not the small and weak clans; it was the biggest and most powerful clan, the Leiting Mecha Clan.

Ling Lan arranged it this way because she hoped that they would be able to strike the more powerful clans while they were still unprepared and take them down instantly. After they managed to take down all these old and powerful factions, they would be able to intimidate the other smaller factions and win without even having to fight. Ling Lan didn't plan to let Lingtian take on all the battles one by one. They didn't have the strong foundation that the old factions had, and neither did they have a larger number of mecha operators.

"The challenge mode is out." The next day, before Leiting could catch a breath, the challenge mode was sent to Lin Zhidong by the mainframe.

"Twelve-man team mode!" Lin Zhidong's heart dropped at this piece of news. With this number of people, they would not be able to showcase their strength. Leiting lacked a powerful mecha master like Qiao Ting, who was capable of winning against everyone with his techniques. The twelve-man team mode put them at a disadvantage.

Leiting immediately held a meeting for clan members at captain level and above. In the meeting, Lin Zhidong asked, "We need to send out twelve of our most powerful mecha masters. But the most important question is: who has the confidence of being able to defeat Ling Lan?"

The meeting room fell into a dead silence. During last year's Grand Mecha Tournament, Ling Lan's amazing long-range operation, as well as his personal-name technique that was confirmed after the tournament, had made them feel hopeless.

"Do we have no one that can defeat Ling Lan now that Regiment Commander Qiao Ting has left?" Lin Zhidong asked angrily.

"Even Regiment Commander Qiao Ting lost to Lingtian too," someone refuted softly.

"That's because my big brother fell into their scheme. Otherwise, how could he have lost to such a young brat? Regiment Commander Lin, don't worry and leave that brat to me." An unruly youth stood up and shouted with an angry face.

Lin Zhidong looked at this situation and felt speechless. Qiao Lin was Qiao Ting's younger brother. Compared to his talented elder brother, however, this Qiao Lin was utterly wasting his good physique and good talent; he was already a third year, yet he had only just achieved advanced mecha warrior level. When Qiao Ting was at his age, he was already invincible in the special-class operator level. If it was not for Qiao Ting, he would not have let this stupid person hold a captain position.

Chapter 535: Reorganization!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Qiao Lin utterly lacked self-awareness so his words were disregarded by Lin Zhidong as well as the other captains. When he saw the rest of the people ignoring him and continuing their discussion, Qiao Lin's face turned from red to green and he sat down angrily. He felt deeply embarrassed by this cold treatment. He thought that these people had no conscience at all; once his brother left, they just ignored him.

Disregarding Qiao Lin's feelings, the administrators of Leiting had a long discussion before deciding to let one of their strongest special-class mecha operators be responsible for stalling Ling Lan.

Leiting's leaders all felt that since Lingtian was just a mecha clan that had been founded a little over a year ago, even if they managed to get 12 special-class operators, most of them would be greenhorns. This would give them a chance. As long as they stopped the strongest special-class operator in Lingtian, the rest of their 11 special-class operators would destroy the rest of Lingtian's members. After that, they would gather together and defeat Ling Lan by surrounding her. That way, they would be able to regain the title of number one faction.

Lingtian and Leiting's upcoming second battle caused an uproar in the entire school; it drew the attention of everyone. The Leiting mecha clan was the strongest opponent capable of preventing Lingtian from taking over the military academy. Regardless of how small a mecha clan was, they were not willing to merge with another mecha clan.

The instructors and administrators of the military academy also paid plenty of attention to this battle. Of course, after their god-creation plan failed, they didn't dare to take any small actions anymore. In addition, they had hard feelings towards Ling Lan, the person who had prevented their plan from happening. Although Ling Lan's actions aligned with their thoughts, they didn't want a newbie like her to complete this plan; it would make them feel like they had lost to her again. They had wanted to make her a stepping stone the last time.

Ling Lan didn't give Leiting much time to prepare. Her decision was the same as the one made by Qiao Ting, which was to finish the battle in the fastest possible time. Hence, their special-class operator battle would be held three days later.

The night before the battle, Ling Lan finished her training mission as per normal and then logged in to Mecha World. She made last-minute changes to the mecha that she was going to operate tomorrow.

Ling Lan's mecha was a modified ace mecha that Chang Xinyuan had created for her. After a year's worth of meticulous effort, the mecha looked exactly the same as a normal special-class mecha. It was different from one year ago where it looked more like an ace mecha except for its color. However, modified mecha were normally special so no one had held any suspicions back then.

Now, though, no one would be able to tell that this was a modified mecha from its external appearance. It looked the same as the mecha of all her other team members and thus it would be difficult to spot a difference among the rest.

Ling Lan checked all the energy levels on her mecha, as well as its weapons and equipment. She only felt at ease after confirming that everything was normal, after which she prepared to log off and call it a day. Before she could leave, however, a request for long-range conversation popped up on the mecha screen. The person sending the request was [Self-Defined Destiny].

The corners of Ling Lan's mouth went up slightly. Ever since Li Lanfeng and his friends came out of their army division's recruit training camp, he would log in to Mecha World every week and report to her their performance for the week. For the entire year, no matter what happened, he never missed his report. This gave Ling Lan the illusion that those three had never left her at all. They had merely gone to another training ground to train.

Today was the day Li Lanfeng was supposed to give her his report. Ling Lan pressed the connect button and a handsome young man wearing half a mask and a Federation mecha operator uniform appeared on the screen.

"Leopard, didn't you say that you needed to carry out a mission this week?" Ling Lan asked curiously. This was why she had been planning to log out without waiting for Li Lanfeng. In their conversation last week, Li Lanfeng had told Ling Lan that the three of them had received an escort mission.

"That escort mission was very easy and the journey was really smooth too. No one wanted to stay outside so we all hurried our way back to the base," Li Lanfeng answered casually.

Ling Lan nodded her head and said, "It's good that you all are fine." Although Li Lanfeng made it sound simple, Ling Lan knew that for a mission to require an ace operator, an ace disguiser, and a special-class operator cum ace military doctor to directly participate, it could not be anything easy. It was definitely not as simple as how Li Lanfeng put it, but since he didn't say anything, he had to have been warned by the military to not disclose anything. Ling Lan would not make a mistake like causing difficulty for Li Lanfeng.

Seeing how Ling Lan didn't pursue the topic any further, Li Lanfeng heaved a sigh of relief. There was nothing holding him back now. He remembered something Li Shiyu told him and asked with concern, "I heard Shiyu saying that one of his juniors in the military medical field told him today that you're having a mecha battle with Leiting tomorrow. Rabbit, are you confident?"

Li Lanfeng was very clear on what Ling Lan's motive was; she had long wanted to unite the military academy since a year ago and had always been preparing for this day.

"If everything goes as I expect, there shouldn't be a problem," Ling Lan replied calmly. Even if she didn't have total confidence, it was too late already—Ling Lan had to act as though she had everything in control.If she didn't even believe in herself, how could she let the members of Lingtian believe in her?

"I'll be waiting for your good news then." Li Lanfeng stared intently at Ling Lan's cold face. He had only left Ling Lan for less than a year, yet he could clearly feel how important she was in his heart. Many times, when he felt like he couldn't persevere anymore, Ling Lan's cold and clear eyes would motivate him and make his heart stronger.

According to the words of their temporary team leader, Li Lanfeng was the hardest person to predict among the three of them; whenever he felt that the latter had shown all his potential already, he would display even more possibilities. Their temporary team leader initially didn't have a good opinion of Li Lanfeng because of his weak body, but as time went by, he started to admire Li Lanfeng more and more. He really wanted to take in Li Lanfeng as an official team member. Even after coming to know that he already had a battle clan, he still constantly urged him to jump ships. Li Lanfeng always had a headache because of him.

Ling Lan nodded her head and chatted with Li Lanfeng for a while longer before saying goodbye. They left Mecha World.

Ling Lan opened the login pod to the virtual world and then frowned. She remembered that moments before, Li Lanfeng's right hand hadn't moved at all beside his body; he had only performed some simple actions with his left hand. "Leopard's right hand seemed injured. I wonder if it's serious. Since Li Shiyu could enter Mecha World, he should be fine. The only one that didn't appear is Zhao Jun… looks like Zhao Jun is hurt."

Ling Lan made a prompt decision and made a call. She entered a series of numbers that she remembered clearly but never dialed easily.

Ring, ring. Before the communicator could ring for the fourth time, someone picked it up. "Hold on a moment." A gentle voice came from the communicator, following which she heard the voice saying, "Pause the meeting!" The sound of chairs starting to be dragged around could be heard, as well as of other people replying to the voice in an organized and loud voice. "Yes, General!"

Ling Xiao quickly came out of the meeting he was in and entered the resting room at the side. He confirmed that there was no one around him before smiling happily and asking, "Lan'er, how come you are free to contact me today?"

"Father, I have a certain matter to bother you with this time," Ling Lan replied.

"Oh? What matter?" Ling Xiao was extremely elated. At the same time, he was curious about the difficulty his daughter met. His dear daughter had a truly independent personality due to his failure of being a good father. He really wanted to be a good father now, but hardly any opportunities were given to him.

"I want to know about the current situation of my team members; Li Lanfeng, Zhao Jun, and Li Shiyu. They underwent the evaluation a year ago and entered the 23rd Division." Ling Lan told him of her request.

Ling Xiao immediately retracted his smile. "Why? Did the men of the 23rd Division bully them?" He began to suddenly emanate an invisible, baleful aura. Although Ling Xiao always appeared gentle and amiable in front of all others, he was nevertheless an individual who had returned from the battlefield; how could he be as harmless as he looked?

"If they were bullied by those old folks, they would be useless. I wouldn't have looked for you because of that," Ling Lan stated coldly. "They said that they were given an escort mission this week and returned three days later. However, I realized that in this mission, two of them were injured while one was heavily injured. Their group consists of an ace operator, a spurious ace and a special-class operator cum ace military doctor…"

As Ling Lan described the situation, Ling Xiao's expression became serious. Once these talented cadets from the military academy came over, they would be placed under the nurturing program of the military. The military would not give them any missions in their first year and would let them undergo cruel recruit training so that they could get used to life in the military. From their second year onwards, they would be given some patrol and guard missions which involved no risk. Only on their third year would they be given hunt and escort missions to get them used to see blood. Once they managed to pass their first three years, they would be asked to participate in large-scale operations to chase down and suppress bandits—that was when they would get first-hand experience of the cruel massacres between humans. On their fifth year, the division would send them out onto the real battlefield, and that was when life-or-death battles would take place.

Based on what Ling Lan said, her team members were at most in their second year. Even if there was an escort mission, it was not their turn to take it. Also, for such a powerful mecha operator to be hurt so badly, it would not have been a simple escort mission; it was impossible for there to be nothing going on.

"I know. I will investigate this matter. Don't worry." Ling Xiao's eyes were cold. Although he didn't know who was behind this, he was clear that there was someone envious of these talented cadets, which was why this had happened…

"I'll leave it to you," Ling Lan said.

Ling Xiao hung up the call with Ling Lan and walked back into the meeting room with murder in his eyes. It was time to teach those people from the 23rd Division a lesson. Otherwise, they would think that he, Ling Xiao, was a very nice person to bully.