916-925

Chapter 916 Truth!

Hence, Han Jijyun and Qi Long walked out of the canteen and came to the training ground. "Qi Long, it's dinner time now. Why did you bring me here?" Han Jijyun felt helpless when he got dragged here by Qi Long.

Qi Long didn't reply to him. He just released Han Jijyun from his grasp and took off his military attire.

Han Jijyun felt nervous. "Qi Long, what do you want to do?"

"What do I want to do? Didn't you say that there's no time for us to train together? Well, we have time now. If you want to train, I'll accompany you." Qi Long smiled coldly. If Han Jijyun really wanted to train with him, he could always ask him and they could arrange a time. Even if there wasn't any time, they could squeeze some of their eating time.

"Qi Long, stop being crazy. I don't want to train now." Han Jijyun shook his head. He wanted to leave but Qi Long stopped him. Without waiting for his reply, Qi Long tossed him into the arena.

Han Jijyun flipped in the air and landed stably on the border of the arena. The normally calm and composed Han Jijyun was furious now. His face turned red from anger. He shouted loudly, "Qi Long, what do you want?"

Qi Long took off his military uniform and threw it aside. Then, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt and pulled his sleeves up. He raised one of his eyebrows when he heard Han Jijyun's question and replied, "What's the point of training alone? If you want to become stronger, you need to fight continuously."

The moment he finished speaking, he appeared on the arena. He signaled for Han Jijyun to follow him and started to warm up his body.

Qi Long looked serious. Han Jijyun was the person who understood Qi Long the most. He knew that Qi Long meant what he said. If he didn't fight with him today, he wouldn't be able to leave this place.

Since the battle couldn't be evaded, Han Jijyun removed his military attire and walked onto the arena without a single word. He started warming himself up too.

After they finished preparing themselves, they started closing in on one another.

Boom! Han Jijyun finally acted. Qi Long raised his hand and blocked Han Jijyun's fist. He said, "That's not enough. Are you trying to tickle me?"

Boom! Han Jijyun replied Qi Long with a kick. Qi Long was able to block the fist in time but the powerful kick caused him to move a step back.

"Not bad. Continue." Qi Long laughed and rushed towards Han Jijyun again. The two of them started fighting intensely.

They fought furiously for half an hour before Han Jijyun finally exhausted all of his strength. He looked as he just came out of the pool with his shirt drenched with sweat. He laid on the arena and panted heavily.

Qi Long was drenched with sweat too. He walked towards Han Jijyun and sat down beside him. "How do you feel? Fighting with me is better than torturing yourself, right?" Training shouldn't be done by torturing oneself.

Han Jijyun turned his head and looked at Qi Long. After exhausting all his energy and sweating profusely, he finally felt relaxed. He felt as though he had vented his frustration out. Indeed, this kind of relief couldn't be obtained through torturing himself.

"Thank you." Han Jijyun could only reply to Qi Long with his thanks.

"Why are you thanking me? We agreed that we'll be best friends forever, right? We'll move forward together and never give up on each other." Qi Long looked at Han Jijyun. "Don't worry. You still have me. If you have any problems, we'll bear it together."

'How lucky am I to have such a good friend?' Han Jijyun's knot in his heart disappeared slowly.

"I don't want to be left behind." Han Jijyun finally said his true thoughts. "This time, I was the only one who caused those deaths. Qi Long, I can't find my position. I don't know what I should do. I feel that if I become stronger, I wouldn't be lost anymore."

"I know." Qi Long could tell that Han Jijyun was confused in this period of time. "I agree that you should become stronger. However, you can't do it without any care for your life. From now on, I must be present when you are training." That way, he could prevent Han Jijyun from overexerting himself.

"Okay!" Han Jijyun knew that Qi Long was concerned about him so he agreed readily. At the same time, he clenched his fist and raised it.

Qi Long smiled and clenched his fist too. They had a fist bump. "This is how my good brother should be."

He knew that Han Jijyun would find the correct path. Ever since they were young, he never had to worry that Han Jijyun would walk into a stray path.

After fighting with Han Jijyun, Qi Long had thrown aside his worries about his Boss having two wives.

In the cafeteria, Li Shiyu finished eating and went back to his office in the treatment center. After a while, someone came storming in the treatment center to find him.

"Do you have time for a chat?" Li Lanfeng had his hands crossed in front of his chest as he leaned against the wall opposite to his door.

Li Shiyu shrugged helplessly. "Come in."

Li Lanfeng followed Li Shiyu into his office and closed the door behind him. The words 'do not disturb' appeared on the screen on the door.

"What's the matter?" Li Shiyu asked as he sat on his seat.

"What happened in the treatment room when you were treating our Boss?" Li Lanfeng went into the topic directly.

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Li Shiyu remained silent. He didn't know what he should say and whether he should say it.

"Based on regiment commander's personality, he wouldn't marry two ladies. We all know what is Boss's relationship with Luo Chao and Han Xuya. He treated them like his younger sisters since long ago. This feeling wouldn't change in such a manner over a few days. This all happened after the treatment. Shiyu, you can't fool me." Li Lanfeng placed his hands on the table and stared at Li Shiyu intently.

"When Boss came back, he was heavily injured. All of his blood vessels had burst. Not one place was unhurt." Li Shiyu felt his heart hurting when he recalled the scene at that time.

This was the first time Li Lanfeng heard about Ling Lan's condition. Li Lanfeng's heart started hurting too. He knew that Ling Lan was badly injured but he didn't know that it was this bad.

"What happened after that?" Li Lanfeng pressed his chest and bore with the pain in his heart. This pain was similar to the time when he was still sick. 'Is this pain because his body still hadn't recovered fully

yet?'

"We had to bandage his entire body but Boss rejected me to do it." Li Shiyu looked confused. He was puzzled at that time. The rule Boss said was strange too.

"Oh?" Li Lanfeng raised his eyebrows. Normally, people would choose the same gender to treat them, right?

"Boss chose Luo Chao and Han Xuya because he said that the Ling family had a rule. The rule goes no matter who saw his body, the person would have to marry into the Ling family." Li Shiyu finally told him the truth.

"So, the regiment commander has two women now?" Li Lanfeng was flabbergasted. He had thought about many possibilities but this wasn't one of them.

Chapter 917 Savior!

The war on Planet Haijiao touched the hearts of all the citizens of the Federation. At the same time, it caused a huge commotion in other nations. The other countries reprimanded the Federation for breaking the Human United Agreement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federation was not just there for show. Since the inception of the country, the Federation had never lost in a verbal debate. This time, it was the same. They refute the claims by the other nations with the loophole in the Human United Agreement. Additionally, they told the accusing nations that they had clear evidence to prove that Hailiya broke the Human United Agreement first. If that wasn't the case, the God-class mecha wouldn't have appeared on the battlefield. Jumping levels in mecha piloting could cause the operator to die. No one would do it if they had a choice.

The mecha operators of the Federation were the treasures of the Federation. They wouldn't want any of them to be sacrificed. If Hailiya didn't break the rules. the mecha operator from the Federation wouldn't have to step out and use his life to protect the base as well as his comrades.

The diplomat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke so sincerely, he even cried when he talked about the pain the mecha operator had to go through. This Oscar-winning performance truly surprised the representatives from other nations. Thus, all the charges against the Federation were taken back.

All in all, the Federation proclaimed that it was all Hailiya's fault. Hailiya had to be punished.

The Federation was known for never admitting it's mistakes. Even if it was in the wrong, they were forced to do it.

At the meeting, the verbal battle was fierce. No one wanted to take a step back. If they didn't have to maintain their bearings as a diplomat, these people might have started fighting. Even though they didn't do that, they still slammed tables and smashed things. If they accidentally hit a diplomat of Hailiya with the object in their hands… Sorry! I didn't do it on purpose.

'What? You're unhappy? Why don't you throw one at me too?'

The accuracy of the diplomats from the Federation was much higher than the diplomats of other countries. This was all thanks to the education of the Federation. They had spent ten years in the military academy so their combat skills were much better than the other diplomats even though their position didn't need them to fight.

On Planet Haijiao, Qi Yaoyang finished his preparations and led the reinforcements to start their plan of retaliation.

The activation of the satellites allowed Little Four to sneak into all the bases of Hailiya. When the Federation started their attack, he interfered with the mainframes, causing them to slow down for a second when passing out commands.

This seemed like a short time but this one second was enough for the protective shield to collapse when their enemies were unable to replenish the loss of energy on time.

Since the delay in the mainframe was too short, the people from the Hailiya army didn't notice anything amiss. They just thought that the attack from the Federation was too powerful so it destroyed their protective shield in an instant.

As more and more bases got destroyed by the Federation, the command center of Hailiya predicted that it might be due to some secret weapon brought over by Qi Yaoyang. (The Federation had sent a god-class mecha over so it was possible that they brought another secret weapon too.) The Hailiya army couldn��t resist against the Federation's forceful invasion, so they retreated. They wanted to retreat to the huge bases at the back and have a final battle with the Federation there.

In Base 013, besides those mecha clans that had to guard the base, all the soldiers followed Qi Yaoyang out to fight, including 250 Ace Mecha Clan.

Almost everyone in 250 Ace Mecha Clan went out this time. Besides Li Lanfeng who was left behind to guard the camp, everyone else was sent out by Ling Lan, including the logisticians. This was a good time to gain military merits. Ling Lan didn't want 250 Ace Mecha Clan to lose this chance.

As for team 08, Qi Long would take over as the temporary leader. His team 03 was almost annihilated and there was no time to reform it. Hence, he was the perfect person to take over Li Lanfeng's position.

Li Lanfeng settled everything at the base and came to Ling Lan's treatment room.

Because of her father's spiritual power, Ling Lan was able to stay awake for a longer period of time. However, Ling Lan, Li Lanfeng, and Li Shiyu felt that they must still let the public think that Ling Lan's injuries were getting worse. If not, the consequences would be disastrous. Even General Ling Xiao would be unable to protect them. Hence, they told everyone that Ling Lan was still sleeping in the healing pod with no signs of getting better.

Before Li Shiyu left the base, he successfully created the second generation of Nuwa agent. He experimented with the Ling family's agent and used his findings to reformulate a new formula for the Nuwa agent. He gave most of it for Ling Lan to drink and injected a portion of it into the recovery agent to heal Ling Lan's badly injured body.

'Isn't the Nuwa agent finished? Why are there still some left?' This was a reward for Ling Lan's kindness. Before all this, she diluted one Nuwa agent and gave it to the ten team leaders so that they could use it in times of emergency. Besides Han Jijyun who used some of it to help the survivors, the other team leaders still had theirs. When they heard how bad their regiment commander's condition was, they gave Li Shiyu their agents, making Li Shiyu feel elated.

He had the Ling family's agent with him too so he decided to use both of them to create a better agent. After a series of coincidence, he invented the second generation Nuwa agent. Its effects were much stronger than the first generation Nuwa agent.

After settling everything, Li Shiyu left unwillingly with 250 Ace Mecha Clan. He brought the equally unwilling Luo Chao and Han Xuya with him too.

In the military, if a female officer wanted to rise in position, they needed to acquire even more outstanding merits than a male soldier. The other way was to have someone powerful helping them.

Ling Lan didn't want Luo Chao and Han Xuya to live under someone's protection in their lifetime. She felt that these two ladies were not weaker than any men, so she didn't want them to miss this chance because they wanted to take care of her.

Li Lanfeng came to the treatment room. He used his domain to inspect the treatment room. When he noticed that everything was proper, he knocked on Ling Lan's healing pod.

This was their secret code. Ling Lan would pretend to be unconscious until he came.

Of course, Ling Lan didn't need the secret code. She didn't tell Li Lanfeng but when she was really unconscious, she was still aware of everything that was happening in the base, including the situation of the war. Plus, with Little Four guarding her, no one had the chance to spy her.

Hence, the moment Li Lanfeng entered the room, Little Four got excited and shouted to remind Ling Lan that Li Lanfeng was looking for her.

At first, Little Four had some qualms against Li Lanfeng. But, now, he treated Li Lanfeng like his life savior. His impression of him rose exponentially.

Even Ling Lan felt happy when she saw Li Lanfeng. Her admiration for Li Lanfeng rose too.

Why were they elated when they see Li Lanfeng? Well, we have to go back to the start.

After Ling Lan took in her father's spiritual power, she was able to keep herself awake for a longer period of time. She started getting bored in the healing pod. At this moment, her instructors, who had been waiting for this chance, caught her.

This time, there were three instructors teaching her. Ling Lan felt confused by that even till today. Those three instructors looked exactly the same. They introduced themselves as triplets and were known as Number Six, Number Seven, and Number Eight.

The three instructors thought her different things. One of them taught her about business, the other taught her about politics, and the last one taught her about military affairs.

First, let's talk about Number Six. The moment he saw Ling Lan, he started scolding her and reprimanding her on some of the decisions she had made for Base 013. He was dissatisfied with these decisions. For instance, when she ordered her team to retreat after snatching the food and water supplies. She could have saved everyone if she decided to hide at the base and wait for a chance to go back after that. However, she wanted everyone to stay together. They were able to return to the base because of luck, really.

Plus, about her controlling the god-class mecha, Number Six felt that this was something only an idiot would do. A professional commanding officer would know when to give up on certain things. Sacrifices couldn't be avoided but she still mustn't put herself at risk before the crisis really happened. This was a taboo.

Ling Lan was stunned by Number Six's reprimanding. Before she could understand everything Number Six taught her, Number Seven grabbed her and told her how to build a perfect base. His political plans and schemes surprised Ling Lan. She realized that everything she did before was nothing compared to what Number Seven was teaching. But, before she could digest everything, the impatient Number Eight snatched her away. Then, he started analyzing the various investments Little Four had been making over the past few years.

Every day, Ling Lan would wake up in a daze. She would constantly receive dumps of information from her instructors before going to sleep confused. Ling Lan realized that all the hard pieces of training she had in the past seemed so easy now. The lessons from these three instructors were the scariest of them all.

However, she wasn't the only one suffering. Little Four suffered with her too. While she was being taught by Number Eight, she grabbed Little Four and made him learn with her. These things were all done by Little Four. Why should she suffer when the main culprit ran around freely outside?

Since Little Four did all the investments, Number Eight didn't reject his appearance. He had many opinions against all the investments he did so when Little Four appeared, he took this opportunity and reprimanded him too.

Every time Number Eight's lesson ended, the two students hugged their heads between their knees. They felt the world spinning around them. None of them had any talent in business so learning this was like torture to them.

When Li Lanfeng walked in, they were currently attending the most dreaded business lesson from Number Eight. Hence, the moment Little Four saw Li Lanfeng, he got excited. His life savior is here! He shouted happily, "Boss, Little Li is here."

Little Li was Little Four's nickname for Li Lanfeng now. This nickname came from the stupid Little White who was currently on Li Lanfeng's shoulder. While Little White was complaining about Li Lanfeng's abuse to Ling Lan, it called Li Lanfeng Little Li. Little Four shared Ling Lan's mindscape so he knew about this nickname too. He felt that this nickname really suited Li Lanfeng so he decided to use it too. The poor Li Lanfeng didn't know that these two cute and stupid figures had given him a not-so-good nickname.

"Ah, Number Eight, Li Lanfeng must be looking for me because he has something important to tell me. Shall we end the lesson now?" Ling Lan's eyes lit up as she looked at Number Eight with anticipation. She looked totally different from the lifeless character just now.

Number Eight felt his teeth hurting. However, he saw Ling Lan's excited face and couldn't bear to reject her. He said helplessly, "Fine, the lesson will end today. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Thank you, Number Eight." The moment Ling Lan finished speaking, she instantly disappeared from Number Eight's space. She didn't forget to bring Little Four, who was suffering along with her, in her escape.

They disappeared before Number Eight could say anything.

"Isn't there anyone for me to pass all my knowledge to?" Number Eight was dejected.

"Don't worry. Ling Lan is a smart person. Even if she doesn't have the talent in this area, she'll be able to get the hang of it after you teach her a few times." A voice sounded in the air.

Two people that looked exactly like Number Eight appeared beside him. When the three people stood together, it was hard to differentiate them. The only difference between the three of them was their clothes. Number Six was wearing the red military uniform of Mandora while Number Seven was wearing a purple shirt. Number Eight, on the other hand, was wearing a white gown.

"Yes. Number Eight, we lack everything but time," Number Seven told him.

"That's the only way." Number Eight gathered his spirit. Fortunately, he had Prince Four as his student too. He was not a talented person but when compared with Ling Lan, he was much better.

"Since Ling Lan had the thought of fighting for more power, she would accept what we taught her." Number Six knew that talent was just a small factor. Ling Lan learned slowly because she didn't like all this knowledge. Her mind resisted them instinctively.

"It looks like the external pressure on Ling Lan is still not enough.�� Number Seven knew this too. Although Ling Lan met many crises during this battle and seemed to have experienced a few life-or-death situations, she was still very confident in herself. She believed in her father and believed that the Federation would send reinforcements. She believed that they were able to go back alive.

She had never been abandoned entirely. She didn't know what it felt like to be forsaken by all her friends and families. If she never experienced that moment, she wouldn't understand that a real powerful person was someone who controlled her own fate. If not, no matter how strong the person was, he was just a chess piece in the eyes of everyone else.

Ling Lan escaped successfully and opened her eyes. She saw that Li Lanfeng had opened her healing pod already and was looking at her intently.

"What's the matter?" Ling Lan raised one of her eyebrows. She was not going to tell him that she was waiting for him to save her.

Li Lanfeng looked at Ling Lan. He hesitated for a moment before finally gritting his teeth and asking.

"Why must there be such a rule in the Ling family?"

Chapter 918 The Promised Battle!

Ling Lan was speechless. She was afraid that she would have to explain her family rule to her friends. However, before she could prepare herself, Li Lanfeng came to find her about it first.

Ling Lan looked at Li Lanfeng coldly. She hoped that Li Lanfeng would understand her gaze and not probe further any further. Truth be told, she hadn't thought of a way out of this lie. Lies could be said, but once you said the first lie, you would need more and more lies to cover up the first lie. It was tiring and nothing good would come out of it.

In the past, Ling Lan's cold gaze would have instantly caused Li Lanfeng to give up. However, this time, Li Lanfeng insisted on finding the truth. Even if Ling Lan might be angry, he still wanted to find the truth.

"Rabbit, I know this rule is not passed down by your ancestors. If not, General Ling would not have married your mother when he was 26 years old." Li Lanfeng did much research on this matter. He even went to the extent of digging up the story between General Ling and Lan Luofeng.

Ling Lan knew that once Li Lanfeng decided to investigate something, it would be hard to fool him. Ling Lan noticed the determined light in Li Lanfeng's eyes. He wouldn't let go unless he got an answer, making Ling Lan felt a little helpless.

'I should think of an excuse now.' Ling Lan's head started hurting. It was hard to fool someone so cunning.

Ling Lan thought for a moment. She apologized to her mother silently and said, "Cough, you know that my father is a very busy man so he rarely has time to accompany my mother. Thus, my mother is very bored at home, so she placed all her attention on

me."

Li Lanfeng frowned. "Is she urging you to marry?"

Ling Lan said in a helpless tone, "It's fine if she just wants me to marry someone. She's just too bored, so she wanted to have a grandson."

"No, if she just wanted to have a grandson, she wouldn't let you marry a man." Li Lanfeng was a meticulous person. He immediately noticed the loophole in Ling Lan's words.

"Li Lanfeng, you still don't understand what my mother's real motive is…" Ling Lan shook her head. "My mother just wants a good reason to force me to have a child."

This statement was half-true and half-lie. Ling Lan still hadn't given up the thought of robbing the sperm bank.

"Huh?!" Li Lanfeng was dumbstruck. He couldn't imagine the traditional and gentle Senior Colonel Lan having such open thoughts.

"Did Senior Colonel Lan set this rule?" Li Lanfeng was finally enlightened. "And General Ling didn't reject it?"

"My father always listens to my mother for such small matters." Ling Lan pouted. What she said was a lie but if her mother really gave her this rule, her father would definitely support her mother. He might even help her mother to make devious plans. As long as he didn't need to betray his country, her subservient father wouldn't reject her mother.

"Actually, you don't have to worry about the gender of a doctor. Senior Colonel Lan will understand." Li Lanfeng didn't want Ling Lan to marry so haphazardly. He hoped that Ling Lan would have a harmonious family in the future and not marry for political reasons.

"If my mother could be fooled so easily, my father wouldn't have fallen for my mother. He only has one woman in his life and that is my mother." Ling Lan apologized to her father silently too for dragging him in this mess.

"So that's why," Li Lanfeng murmured, as he seemed to understand why Ling Lan never bathed with anyone. His resting place was always guarded heavily. Every time he appeared, he was always dressed properly.

"If that's the case, why did you reject Li Shiyu?" Since there was such a rule, why couldn't it be Li Shiyu? Why did she choose Luo Chao and Han Xuya?

"I don't like men," Ling Lan replied with an expressionless face but inside, her heart was crying. She hadn't found a man she liked but she wasn't gay too. The situation was dire at that time so she had no choice but to use this excuse to chase Li Shiyu away. However, she caused her two beloved younger sisters to sink into her lie.

When she woke up after her treatment, she regretted what she did. Her mind was in a whirl at that time so she lost her ability to think carefully. That was why she gave such a low-level excuse.

Li Lanfeng was stunned by Ling Lan's reply. 'Rabbit is not my destined king.'

Li Lanfeng had suspected that Ling Lan was his destined king. After all, among the comrades around him, he was the only one that resembled a king the most. At first, he suspected Qiao Ting. However, Qiao Ting had no chance of becoming a king now. Li Lanfeng thought about how calm Ling Lan was after looking at his face and felt that he was thinking too much. Now, after Ling Lan proclaimed that he didn't like men, he felt that the possibility of him being his destined king was zero.

Yet, for some reason, Li Lanfeng wasn't happy. He felt complicated and a strange feeling started engulfing his heart.

"What do you do now?" 'Is Rabbit really planning to marry one of the two ladies?' Li Lanfeng felt frustrated when he thought about this possibility.

'If I'm not able to stand beside Rabbit, no one can! Not even his wife!'

This sudden thought astounded Li Lanfeng. He felt puzzled. He knocked his forehead and forced himself to remain calm.

"I would only choose the option that benefits me the most. However, I'll take care of this matter. Let me think about it." Ling Lan frowned.

She didn't intend to bring Han Xuya and Luo Chao into her lie. She didn't want to harm their futures. She needed to think of a plan to solve this problem. If not, she would be unable to sleep properly.

"Yes, you have to think about it properly," Li Lanfeng agreed with what Ling Lan said.

He was speaking to himself too. He needed to think about why he had such weird emotions.

With many thoughts in his mind, Li Lanfeng bid farewell to Ling Lan. Ling Lan was relieved that Li Lanfeng didn't probe further. She managed to overcome this crisis.

"Little Four, do you think I should take this chance to declare that my injuries are too serious to be treated and retire from the army?" Ling Lan had thoughts of retiring. After this war, her comrades would be able to gain many merits and attain a higher position. They would be able to take care of themselves. So, it was probably time for her to leave.

"Boss, I'll listen to you." Little Four didn't have any opinions about the matter. The military was fun but the world outside the military was interesting too.

In a forest occupied by Hailiya, more than ten damaged mechas sat together in a circle.

The mecha operators of these mechas stood in the middle of the circle and were cooking some small beasts they found in the forest. These small beasts would satisfy their hunger for tonight.

"This is the last self-heating agent." One of the mecha operators sighed. He wouldn't be able to eat hot food from now on.

"Don't worry. Our reinforcements are here. Unfortunately, we are too far away from the base so we can't contact them. If not, our regiment commander will save us." One of the older mecha operators was confident.

At this moment, a young mecha operator looked up and asked curiously. "Uncle Sun, can you tell us which mecha clan do you come from?"

At that time, they were being chased by an ace mecha clan of the Hailiya army. When they were about to be caught up by the mecha clan, they met four mecha operators who came from the 23rd division. They managed to kill the mecha operators from the ace mecha clan and save them. From then on, they followed the four mecha operators and moved behind their enemies, hiding from them. Even until today, they still felt that they were in a dream.

The man called Uncle Sun smiled. "What's there to talk about? Aren't we all from the 23rd division?"

"Uncle Sun, please tell us. I don't believe that you come from a normal ace mecha clan." That young mecha operator wanted to know where his life savior came from so he kept asking Uncle Sun.

"Ah Luo, don't get overboard," another cold-looking young man said to him.

"Yes, Brother Huo." The young man called Ah Luo lowered his head in disappointment.

"Brother Huo, I want to know too. If I can, I would like to join Uncle Sun's mecha clan," another young man suddenly opened his mouth.

Ah Luo raised his head instantly when he heard someone supporting him. His eyes lit up as he said excitedly, "See, Brother Huo, even Feng-ming wants to know." He turned and placed his palms together. He pleaded, "Uncle Sun, please stop hiding it from. Please kindly tell us."

Brother Huo saw how determined his team members were so he looked apologetically at Uncle Sun.

The man called Uncle Sun looked at his three other comrades. They all nodded in approval. After this one week of interaction with these nine young mecha operators, they acknowledged their abilities and characters.

"Since you all want to know, I'll tell you. Don't think too highly of us," Uncle Sun smiled. "We're really from an ordinary mecha clan. We are from the 250 Ace Mecha Clan that is stationed at Base 013."

Uncle Sun was one of the four people that helped Ling Lan to escape. They couldn't catch up with Ling Lan, so they were surrounded by many Hailiya mechas. Thus, they had no choice but to remain in the second line of defense. After some time, they met these nine young men who lost their sense of direction as they were being chased by their enemies.

"250 Ace Mecha Clan?" Brother Huo was surprised.

"It looks like you've heard about our mecha clan before." Uncle Sun laughed. The people that knew about their mecha clan would know that they were a useless and infamous mecha clan.

"Yes, I know that all the mecha operators in 250 Ace Mecha Clan used to be the best mecha operators of the Federation. All of them had achieved many military merits before," the cold-looking young man said seriously. He knew the condition of 250 Ace Mecha Clan but he never looked down on them. They might not be able to control mechas now but their merits were real.

"Yes, you're right. The mecha operators in 250 Ace Mecha Clan used to be the best mecha operators in the Federation. However, they've all become useless mecha operators. It's an infamous mecha clan now." Sun Yaofei remembered how he was thrown to the 23rd division like a pile of rubbish. His heart ached uncontrollably. He knew that they were just a burden as they couldn't operate a mecha anymore but the actions of their past mecha clans still hurt them deeply.

"Ah!" The other eight young men, who didn't know about the details of 250 Ace Mecha Clan, were dumbfounded. They didn't know that these powerful mecha operators had such a past.

"It used to be called 250 Mecha Clan because there are 250 useless mecha operators in the mecha clan." Sun Yaofei felt irritated when he thought of the meaning behind their name.

"But now, you should be an imperial mecha operator, right?" Brother Huo didn't get distracted by Sun Yaofei's words. From the moment he saw these old mecha operators, he knew that they were not at elite ace. They must be higher than the elite ace level. If not, they wouldn't be able to kill a 12-man ace mecha team.

"Zhenyu, you have good eyesight." Sun Yaofei didn't deny it. "However, I just manage to advance to imperial level after this battle."

Surprisingly, the people Sun Yaofei saved were Huo Zhenyu and his friends. They fought with Ling Lan before.

Sun Yaofei briefly explained to them how they had helped their regiment commander escaped. Huo Zhenyu and his comrades listened attentively. They wished that they could watch the heroic and dangerous battle personally.

"Regiment Commander Ling is really an outstanding commander," Huo Zhenyu exclaimed. Huo Zhenyu was sent to a base in the central region. Unfortunately, the commanding officer of his base didn't have Regiment Commander Ling's capabilities. They didn't manage to last for long before their base was destroyed. He got separated from his mecha clan. But, he was lucky enough to manage to escape with his team.

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��Yes. Our Regiment Commander Ling is a powerful and capable person. I think that he is even younger than all of you. He is the strongest youth I've ever met," Sun Yaofei said proudly.

Huo Zhenyu had a sudden thought. He remembered Ling Lan.

He controlled his emotions and asked calmly, "Uncle Sun, what is the name of your regiment commander?"

"Very simple. He has only one word as his given name. He's called Ling Lan," Sun Yaofei replied.

"Ah!" A few people in Huo Zhenyu's team shouted in surprise.

Sun Yaofei narrowed his eyes. "You know our regiment commander?"

Huo Zhenyu gave a bitter smile. "Of course. He is our junior."

Sun Yaofei slapped his forehead. He laughed and said, "Oh right. I almost forgot that you all came from the First Men's Military Academy. Tell me, is our regiment commander a famous character in the military academy?" Sun Yaofei was very interested to know about this. If he managed to get some information, he would be able to gossip with his comrades after he goes back to his mecha clan.

Huo Zhenyu smiled forcefully, "As someone who was able to control all the factions of the military academy, I can't think of anyone more famous than him."

He didn't expect the other person to be so far ahead of him. They might never be able to fulfill the promised battle.

Chapter 919 It's Him?

As Qi Yaoyang's army pushed forward with each victory, more and more soldiers got dispatched from Base 013. Base 013 gradually turned very quiet and peaceful.

After Han Xuya went out for battle, Lady Mei was promoted to the position of the leader of the JMCs.

They didn't have many things to do so they would chat with each other in their free time in the afternoon. As they started talking, their topic would always stray towards the young and high-ranking officers in 250 Ace Mecha Clan.

"A few of the team leaders are young and capable. It'll be great if I can get to know some of them." The JMCs still had the desire to hook a wealthy husband but when they thought of the outstanding young officers, they felt their hearts fluttering.

"Even the head of the logisticians, Major Lin, the head of the medical department, Major Li, and the other deputies are impressive too. Why do you think there are so many capable young officers in 250 Ace Mecha Clan?"

"Look at who their regiment commander is. It's Regiment Commander Ling. He is the son of General Ling Xiao, the real elite of the elites. He is the only person that can make so many outstanding young officers bow down to him." One of the JMCs was obviously a fan of Ling Lan. Her eyes were filled with admiration as she complimented Ling Lan endlessly.

"When I heard the commanding officer telling us that he is the son of Ling Xiao and he would bring us home, I felt that I'm willing to accept any outcomes even if he didn't last until reinforcements came." Another JMC revealed her true thoughts.

The other JMCs turned silent when they heard this. At that moment, everyone had a similar thought, they would survive along with the base. That was their closest experience with death yet. Fortunately, Commander Ling managed to hold on until reinforcements came. The entire base managed to stand because of Commander Ling's sacrifice.

"I wonder if there are any repercussions for controlling a god-class mecha. I hope that he's fine," another JMC gave a forced smile as she said that. They thought about the dire condition of their commanding officer and didn't have the heart to chat anymore.

"Commander Ling will be fine," Lady Mei said firmly.

All the JMCs looked at Lady Mei. They hoped that Lady Mei had some good news for them. Lady Mei had a good relationship with Han Xuya and Han Xuya was the personal guard of Commander Ling, so she would definitely know the condition of Commander Ling.

"He is the regiment commander of 250 Ace Mecha Clan. He is the commanding officer of Base 013. He'll definitely be able to create miracles just like when he said he would bring us home." Lady Mei didn't believe that the man who created so many miracles would be defeated by these injuries.

The other JMCs nodded. They prayed and hoped that their commanding officer would heal soon. To all the soldiers of Base 013, Ling Lan's position in their hearts was even higher than General Ling Xiao's.

At this moment, two signals suddenly appeared on two of the control panels.

Two JMCs hurriedly answered the call. They heard unfamiliar voices requesting to enter the base. "Tang Ningyu from the Flying Dragon Special Forces would like to enter Base 013 for treatment."

"Mu Chaoran from the Flying Dragon Special Forces would like to enter Base 013 for treatment."

The JMCs didn't let them in easily just because they were from the Flying Dragon Special Forces. They thoroughly checked their identity before letting these two mecha operators in.

The medical department received the news for an emergency treatment so they hurriedly rushed to the mecha hold and waited for the two mecha operators.

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran got down from their mechas. They took off their helmets and revealed their pale faces. Blood dripped down their mouths. The medics did the routine examination of their bodies and realized that they were suffering from some internal injuries. They quickly sent them to the healing pods in the treatment center.

In the middle of the night, when there was no one else in the treatment center, two healing pods suddenly opened.

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran slowly sat up from their healing pods and looked at each other knowingly.

"It seems like you want to find an answer too," Tang Ningyu said.

"I'm not able to give up until I see Ling Lan." Because of various reasons, they were unable to see Ling Lan before they left the Base 013. Mu Chaoran looked at Tang Ningyu and gave an evil smile. "You have the same idea, right?".

Tang Ningyu didn't reply to him. Mu Chaoran wasn't expecting Tang Ningyu to reply too. He understood Tang Ningyu just like how Tang Ningyu understood him. That was why they made similar decisions. They used their injuries as a reason to go back to Base 013 to find an answer.

The two of them disappeared from their treatment room and appeared in front of Ling Lan's treatment room in the next second.

Tang Ningyu took out an object that looked like a button and stuck it on the door. The object shone for a few seconds and the door opened itself. The two of them sneaked inside quickly before the door closed itself automatically. The second before it closed, Tang Ningyu hooked his finger and the shining object landed on his palm lightly, leaving no traces behind. It was as though the door had never been opened.

Li Lanfeng was in his accommodation and self-reflecting on his action earlier on the day. Suddenly, he sat up from his bed with killing intent beaming out of his eyes. In the next moment, he disappeared.

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran entered Ling Lan's treatment room. There was only one healing pod in the treatment room. They were stunned when they saw the healing pod.

A round object laid on top of the healing pod. It was sleeping soundly. It didn't seem to notice the two unwelcome guests.

"Little White!" Mu Chaoran's gaze was complex. He didn't dare to move closer. He didn't know if he should be afraid of the truth.

Tang Ningyu clenched his fist tightly. His heart palpitated quickly and his blood rushed through his body.

'Is it him?'

Mu Chaoran took a deep breath. Then, he looked at Tang Ningyu in the eyes and nodded.

They pretended to be calm as they took their first step and arrived beside the healing pod.

Little White suddenly felt something dangerous approaching it. It opened its eyes instantly and saw two people that shouldn't be here.

"Squeak!" Little White screamed in shock. It was just having a little nap. How did these two people appear?

"Little White, is your master inside?" Mu Chaoran looked at Little White with anticipation. He hoped to sense something from Little White's expression.

Little White looked at Mu Chaoran with innocent eyes as though it didn't understand what he was saying. 'Damn it. There is no way I'm going to tell you anything about my master! My master will kill me if I do!

Chapter 920 It's Not Him!

Little White's innocent look caused Mu Chaoran to jeer at himself. In order to get the truth, he placed his hopes on a stupid pet that knew nothing. He must be out of his mind.

Mu Chaoran reached out his hand, wanting to carry Little White. A fair and slender hand suddenly appeared and picked Little White up before him.

Mu Chaoran and Tang Ningyu's expressions changed instantly. They leaped back and retreated three meters back.

The air around the fair hand started distorting and a whirlpool suddenly formed in the middle of the room. Slowly, a young soldier wearing the military uniform of the 23rd division walked out. It was Li Lanfeng

Li Lanfeng looked at Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran coldly, "I didn't expect the two of you to infiltrate the treatment room."

Tang Ningyu and Mu Shaoyu felt awkward with them being exposed so blatantly. They were frustrated that they got caught in their actions. But, they regained their composure quickly. Tang Ningyu replied Li Lanfeng calmly, "Major Li, long time no see. You look as good as ever."

"There's no need to be polite. What are you doing in the treatment room? If you don't give me a good answer, I'll report to General Ling Xiao and ask him to get an explanation from the commander of the Flying Dragon Special Forces." Li Lanfeng smiled coldly.

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran were agitated. They forgot that Ling Lan was the son of Ling Xiao. If General Ling Xiao misunderstood their intentions, there would be huge trouble coming their way.

"We respected Lieutenant Colonel Ling for his courage so we wanted to take a look at him," Tang Ningyu said earnestly. He didn't want to create trouble for his commander. This was something they should settle themselves.

"Do I look stupid?" Li Lanfeng jeered. He didn't believe what Tang Ningyu said.

"It's the truth." Mu Chaoran was sincere. "However, that's not the only reason. We want to know if Lieutenant Colonel Ling is the person we are looking for."

"You met us on Planet Azure so you should know that we were on a mission at that time. However, in the end, we didn't complete the mission. Another person completed it instead." Mu Chaoran suddenly said the truth. Tang Ningyu was surprised.

Li Lanfeng petted Little White which was lying quietly on his arm.

Mu Chaoran gave a bitter smile. "Your appearance on Planet Azure was too much of a coincidence. Additionally, you picked up Little White. This caused us to suspect that Lieutenant Colonel Ling is the other person who was on the mission."

Tang Ningyu continued, "We want to know who we lost to so we wanted to take a look at Lieutenant Colonel Ling."

Li Lanfeng smiled. He scoffed, "What does it have to do with me?"

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran were stunned. They didn't expect Li Lanfeng to reject them directly. It was wrong of them to sneak into Ling Lan's treatment room but they had no bad intentions. They just wanted an answer.

"However…" Li Lanfeng suddenly changed his words. "If I don't agree, you will be unwilling to give up too. This is not a good thing for our regiment commander, as it'll interfere with his treatment so I'll only give you one chance. I hope that you will not interrupt our regiment commander after this. If not, I'll not show you any mercy."

"Thank you, Major Li." Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran were surprised and elated. They thought that they had no hope but Li Lanfeng was kind enough to let them meet Ling Lan.

Li Lanfeng took out a syringe from the disinfected shelf. Then, he took a bottle of agent and opened the healing pod. He injected the agent into the person lying in the healing pod.

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran's heart pounded furiously. Would the person inside be who they expected? Would they be disappointed again?

The two of them felt that they waited for a long time. However, it was just around three minutes. Finally, they heard a weak cough.

"Lanfeng, what's the matter?" The voice of the person in the healing pod was hoarse and low. It wasn't the soft and gentle voice they had remembered.

'It's not him!' Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran's heart dropped. They felt as though a bucket of ice water was poured on them. Their entire body turned cold.

"Regiment commander, there are two people from the Flying Dragon Special Forces who wanted to meet you," Li Lanfeng whispered to the person in the healing pod. He looked at Mu Chaoran and Tang Ningyu before continuing, "They are Lieutenant Colonel Tang Ningyu and Lieutenant Colonel Mu Chaoran."

"The Flying Dragon Special Forces? Sure, help me up." The person in the healing pod seemed surprised. However, he didn't reject the request.

Li Lanfeng held Ling Lan up carefully. Mu Chaoran and Tang Ningyu saw a person wrapped entirely in bandages. Because of the action of sitting up, some of the bandages had turned red. However, the person still sat up straight. He had a cold and icy aura around him. His gaze was sharp and intense. Even when he was heavily injured, his force of presence still overpowered the three other people at the scene.

"This is a very powerful person! It cannot be their Little Brother Shaoyun.'

There were tears in Mu Chaoran's eyes. In the end, he was still disappointed.

On the other hand, Tang Ningyu got a shock. He grabbed Mu Chaoran tightly and controlled his excitement. 'It's him! It's him!'

Mu Chaoran looked at Tang Ningyu in astonishment. Tang Ningyu's action dispersed some of his sadness.

"It's our benefactor! He is our benefactor!" Tang Ningyu said excitedly.

Mu Chaoran finally got it. Although Ling Lan was not the person they thought he was, they were right to think that he was the person who took the mission. He was also the ice element titled domain realm formidable warrior that saved them.

All of their queries were solved. Ling Lan was the person who took the mission. However, he didn't disguise himself as a scout. He used the chance when Li Lanfeng entered the school to sneak in and investigate the base. Along the way, he saved them. That circular creature should be Ling Lan's pet. That was why it appeared on Planet Azure as well as Planet Haijiao.

Everything was explained. Mu Shaoyu and Tang Ningyu finally got the answer they wanted but they were still sad. Their Little Brother Shaoyun was really dead. They couldn't fool themselves anymore.

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran were the leaders of the two forces of the Flying Dragon Special Forces, so they were able to regain their composure quickly.

They saluted at Ling Lan. Tang Ningyu said with respect, "Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Ling for saving us on Planet Azure."

Ling Lan was confused by their actions at the start. After thinking for a moment, she nodded, "It's you. There is no need to thank me."

Ling Lan didn't hide the fact that she was their benefactor. As for Pei Shaoyun, Ling Lan planned for him to remain dead. Her fate with Tang Ningyu and Mu Shaoyu would end here. When they meet again, they would be just strangers.

Chapter 921 No Place For Us!

Ling Lan didn't reveal any loopholes. She ended Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran's suspicion on her. After chatting with them for a while, Li Lanfeng sent the two people away by telling them that their regiment commander needed to rest.

Tang Ningyu and Mu Chaoran felt that they had gotten the truth so they didn't have the heart to stay at the treatment room anymore. They left dejectedly.

Li Lanfeng closed the door and quickly looked at Ling Lan. Ling Lan nodded to express that she was fine.

"Why did you want to see them?" Li Lanfeng didn't want them to see Ling Lan. He felt that these two people would just be troublesome. However, just as he was about to chase them away, he received an order through Ling Lan's spiritual power. Ling Lan told him that he wanted to meet them. That was why Li Lanfeng changed his tone.

"If I don't let them see me, they'll get even more curious and will think of even more ways to see me." Ling Lan felt a little tired. She was recovering slowly both physically and spiritually but since her injuries were very serious, she would still feel tired easily.

Li Lanfeng noticed this and hurriedly laid her down.

"So, you wanted to solve everything once and for all," Li Lanfeng said firmly.

"Yes," Ling Lan closed her eyes and replied.

"It's all because of this idiot. It always creates trouble." Li Lanfeng looked at Little White with disdain. Little White was attempting to jump into the healing pod along with its master. Li Lanfeng picked it up before it could.

"Rawr!" 'You are the idiot! Damn it, how am I supposed to know that those two people will come on my watch?' Little White waved its tentacles furiously. However, Li Lanfeng was standing behind him so his tentacles were not long enough to reach him. The angry Little White forgot that its tentacles could be extended.

"We can't blame Little White. I was not careful enough." If she didn't bring Little White to Planet Azure, this wouldn't have happened in the first place.

'Sob. My master is the best.' Little White was so touched that it started crying. It waved its tentacles in the air as it ran into Ling Lan's arms to seek for comfort.

Li Lanfeng saw the two fountains over Little White's eyes and frowned. He flicked Little White away with his right hand and then took out a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped his right hand carefully as if he touched something dirty.

Li Lanfeng's actions angered Little White. It rushed towards Li Lanfeng and waved its tentacles around. It wanted to attack this very bad person who always treated it badly.

Li Lanfeng raised his finger and pressed it against Little White's body. Then, he started scratching it.

Little White hugged Li Lanfeng's finger and let out a sigh to show how comfortable it was.

'No, I can't bow down to a bad person!' Little White tried to resist against its nature.

Li Lanfeng looked at it with a cold face. He could feel that Little White had gotten fatter. The food and water supply in the base were limited. Along with the huge stress of the battle, everyone had gotten skinnier. Only Little White ate well and came back fatter. Li Lanfeng was extremely unhappy at it.

Little White narrowed its eyes and laid on Li Lanfeng's hand happily. This time, Little White lost to its nature again and got subdued by Li Lanfeng's finger.

Ling Lan saw the two of them battling again and shook her head. The results were expected. Her Little White was indeed stupid. Once its weak point was known to Li Lanfeng, it would never be able to win against Li Lanfeng anymore. Unfortunately, Little White didn't understand this point and continued to resist uselessly.

After settling Little White, Li Lanfeng looked at Ling Lan again. he pondered over his words carefully before asking, "Rabbit, what do you plan to do after you go back?"

Ling Lan raised one of her eyebrows as if she didn't understand what Li Lanfeng meant.

"Are you planning to retire?" This was the only answer Li Lanfeng got after thinking through all the possibilities.

Ling Lan remained silent for a few seconds. She replied, "You know that this is the safest path for me." She mustn't recuperate. Leaving the military was her only path out.

"Rabbit, are you planning to abandon us?" Li Lanfeng was heartbroken. he had already predicted this result but when he heard it from Ling Lan, he still couldn't help but feel sad.

"I'm not abandoning you. There is just no place in the military for me and my father." Having one Ling Xiao was already enough for the military. If another Ling Xiao appeared, those people would take action against them. To protect the safety of her father, Ling Lan must leave the army.

Ling Lan couldn't blame the military. Some high-ranking officers might have their own personal motives but most of them did it for the sake of the Federation. The Ling family had some secret skills that could allow them to jump level and control a god-class mecha. If she had died, everything was fine. However, she didn't. This was enough to excite the military. Fortunately, her father was already a god-class mecha and one of the ten great generals of the Federation. He was also the general of the 23rd division. These powers were enough to stop the people that wanted to do anything to him.

But, that was it. If she managed to recover, it would prove that the Ling family had a way to resist the backlash from jumping level and operate a god class mecha. This was enough for the military to go crazy. At that time, the powers her father wouldn't be enough to stop the entire military.

Ling Lan knew that her father was clearing her back for her. In the battle of power, the pressure her father was handling was not much lesser than her. He might even be in a more dangerous position than her. One single mistake could cause the destruction of the entire Ling family.

Ling Lan remembered that the mastermind who planned her father's murder in the past was still in the military. After so many years, the other party's faction must have grown even stronger. Ling Lan didn't believe that the other party would stop his actions. He must be waiting for a chance to launch another lethal attack.

For the sake of his father, she mustn't recover in front of the public eyes. She must leave.

Li Lanfeng calmed down when he heard what Ling Lan said. He knew that although Ling Xiao looked glamorous and seemed to have a bright future ahead of himself, he was constantly surrounded by danger.

Ling Lan won huge military merit when she jumped level and operated a god-class mecha. She allowed Base 013 to survive until reinforcements could arrive, shocking the entire Federation. If Ling Lan was just an ordinary soldier, the military would reward Ling Lan heavily and mold her into a hero of the generation to spur the emotions of the citizens in the Federation. However, she was Ling Xiao's son. It was a fact that she jumped level and operated (Belief). Everyone would know about this. The Federation couldn't hide this fact.

As expected of Ling Xiao's son! It could be guessed that Ling Xiao's reputation had reached an extremely high level now. This was like adding oil to a burning flame.

Chapter 922 Slackface!

Ling Xiao's reputation and might was like a marshal in the military. The three marshals were afraid that he would take away their power. Hence, the three marshals might attack Ling Xiao together if he got too strong. They wouldn't allow a fourth marshal to appear in the military.

"Even the First Marshal can't be trusted?" Li Lanfeng didn't give up. He heard that the First Marshal groomed General Ling Xiao as his heir. Shouldn't he be happy that his heir was so outstanding?

"An heir is just an heir when the emperor is still healthy and strong." How many heirs managed to become the emperor in the end? The only time it could happen was when the emperor was old and weak, thus he had no choice but to hand over his power to his heir.

Ling Lan had seen videos about the First Marshal. He was more than 90 years old but he was still very healthy. The humans in this world lived twice as long as the people in her past life. If she calculated the First Marshal's age based on her past life's standard, he would only be around 50 years old now. He was at the prime of his age. So, how could he willingly support a person who would take over his power soon?

Her father was the most outstanding heir in the First Marshal's faction but so what? The First Marshal still had many years ahead of him. He could always groom a new heir again. Hence, her father was not indispensable. A cold light flashed past Ling Lan's eyes. Just like Ling Xiao who managed to come back alive from his ordeal, she no longer trusted anyone around her. She could only rely on herself now

That was why she asked Li Shiyu to declare that she was seriously injured and all the agents had no effect on her. However, even after all that, Li Lanfeng still didn't wish that Ling Lan would leave.

"I understand," Li Lanfeng said bitterly. He thought that he would be able to work hard and progress together with Ling Lan. But, in the end, he had to walk alone to defy his fate.

Ling Lan sighed when she saw Li Lanfeng's dejected silhouette disappearing from the door. "All good things must come to an end. No one can accompany you forever. You all will have to depend on yourselves now."

"Boss, are you sad?" Little Four detected Ling Lan's emotions and quickly came out to console her.

"Yes. I didn't know that it's so difficult to say goodbye to my friends." Ling Lan gave a forced smile. "This is the best time for me to leave, but why do I feel so sad?'

Little Four didn't know what to say. He couldn't understand the friendship between Ling Lan and her friends. Hence, he could only say, "Boss, don't worry. Little Four will always be beside you."

He felt that one person was not enough so he quickly added, "Little Blossom will be beside you too."

Ling Lan felt touched when she saw Little Four's agitated face as he tried to console her. She hugged Little Four and rubbed his small head. "Thank you, Little Four."

Fortunately, Little Four was always beside her. She wasn't alone.

Ling Lan knew that declaring her mecha piloting career's end was the best way to solve this crisis. If not, she might never be able to escape the fate of being constantly hounded on by the higher authorities. However, once she steps on this path, it would mean that she had to bid farewell to the male Ling Lan and all the friends she made on the way, but doing this was very cruel to her friends.

Little Four blushed when he got hugged by Ling Lan. He stuttered, "There's no need to thank me. Boss, I said we'll be with you forever."

"Yes, there's still Little Blossom." Ling Lan smiled. "Oh right, can you ask Number Five when he is going to release Little Blossom? I'm afraid that he might be injured."

Little Four started worrying too, as he hadn't seen Little Blossom in a long time.

Ling Lan and Little Four's desire to see Little Blossom might be too strong. As after they had finished thinking about Little Blossom, they saw a figure dropping from the sky and slamming onto the floor in front of them.

The small person was lying motionless on the floor.

"Little Blossom?" Little Four looked at the sky of the mindscape curiously. There were no changes to it. He didn't know why Little Blossom suddenly appeared in such a strange position.

"It should be Little Blossom." Ling Lan confirmed. Those fat little hands and fat little legs were just like what she remembered.

Little Four walked towards Little Blossom and kicked his butt. "Little Blossom, are you alright?"

Little Blossom finally had some reaction. He pushed his hands on the floor and looked up at Little Four. His gaze was distant. It seemed as though he didn't recognize Little Four.

"Little Blossom? Why did you become like this?" Little Four hugged his head in disbelief. 'Is this the enthusiastic and lively little brother that I know?'

"Training," Little Blossom replied indifferently. The cute and stupid Little Blossom was gone. This child in front of them was just cold and expressionless.

Ling Lan frowned. She moved her right forefinger and a black crack appeared in her mindscape. She reached her hand inside and caught Number Five who was trying to run away. She pulled him out.

"Number Five, can you explain this?" Ling Lan stared at the haggard Number Five coldly.

Number Five knew that he couldn't escape so he tidied his clothes slowly. Just when Ling Lan was about to lose her patience, he said, "I don't know."

"Didn't you take Little Blossom out for training?" Ling Lan frowned.

"At the start, yes. However, someone took him from me." Number Five shrugged.

"Who?"

Number Five continued smiling but he didn't reply. Ling Lan understood Number Five's smile. If he didn't reply, it meant that his lips were sealed on that matter. He couldn't tell her anything.

"Why?" Ling Lan decided to change her way of asking.

"You are unwilling to awaken yourself so she couldn't appear. Hence, she took your man to vent her frustration…" Number Five calmly told Ling Lan that she was the cause of Little Blossom's suffering.

"Awaken?" Ling Lan was dumbfounded. She didn't know what she needed to awaken. She thought for a moment and understood who Number Five was referring to. Out of her nine instructors, only Number Four hadn't appeared yet.

Number Five continued smiling. He didn't reply to her but Ling Lan could tell from his expression that her guess was right.

'What is Number Four supposed to teach me?' Ling Lan couldn't guess it. She didn't know what she needed to awaken before Number Four could appear.

Number Five sighed in his heart when he saw Ling Lan's puzzled expression. 'It seems like Number Four has to wait more.'

Chapter 923 Tolerance!

Hailiya denied breaking the Human United Agreement and sending the God-Killers during the meeting of the Intergalactic United Nations but the evidence that the Federation provided was too solid. They had no way of escape. The Intergalactic United Nations were not stupid too. They knew who was in the wrong. Of course, another factor affecting this decision was that they were afraid of the Federation. Hence, when Caesar decided to remain silent on the matter, they promptly gave Hailiya their punishment.

Many countries in the Intergalactic United Nations were unhappy that the Federation used a god-class mecha but there was no rule restricting the movement of god-class mechas. Thus, they couldn't question the Federation about this. They were furious so they added new rules into the Human United Agreement to make sure that such a situation would never happen again.

The Federation didn't care about all these, because every citizen from the Federation was in an angry frenzy on a different matter. This anger was ignited by the climbing number of casualties from the war on Planet Haijiao.

Although Ling Lan managed to save Base 013 and prevented the reinforcements of the Federation from sinking into Hailiya's trap, the other soldiers on Hailiya were not so lucky. Most of these soldiers died when their bases fell. Only a few extremely powerful or lucky people managed to survive.

As Qi Yaoyang and his army slowly claimed the lands of the Federation back, the number of casualties increased exponentially.

A month later, Qi Yaoyang managed to claim back all the lands they lost to Hailiya with the help of continuous reinforcements from the Federation. By now, the total number of casualties from this battle was out. The number was alarming. The citizens from the Federation knew that many people had died for this war but when they saw 160 million casualties, they were still shocked.

This was the highest number of casualties in 300 years of history of the Federation. They didn't lose to their enemy in battle fairly. They lost because Hailiya broke the Human United Agreement and sent their imperial operators from the God-Killers. If there were less than 100 million casualties, the citizens of the Federation were still able to maintain their composure. However, this number angered them. They were furious.

They wanted revenge. The soldiers of the Federation couldn't just die like this. Rally for wars started happening on many planets in the Federation. The citizens hoped that the Federation would launch an all-out attack on Hailiya to take revenge for the fallen soldiers.

At the Second Marshal's mansion, the Second Marshal looked at the newest information he received and shook his head with a bitter smile. "That sly old fox got what he wanted again." All the citizens of the Federation supported his plan now, so he and the Third Marshal had no choice but to support the First Marshal too.

"What do we do now? Is there really no other way?" Some of his confidants were unhappy that the First Marshal got hold of the situation again.

"Of course. Anyone that disagrees to fight now will be going against the intention of the public. We are unable to stop this." The Second Marshal was able to sit in this position because he was good at analyzing situations. Everything was in the First Marshal's favor now. Thus, they could only go with the flow. If they go against the tide, they would be outcasted by the public.

The confidants knew the Second Marshal was right. The power they managed to wrestle back with some difficulty might be gone because of this. They felt their heart aching. However, there was nothing they could do. They could only smoke their cigarettes silently and keep their frustration in their hearts.

"There's no need to be so dejected. We still have a long way ahead of us. The First Marshal might look glamorous now but who knows what would happen in the future?" The Second Marshal gave a cold smile. That sly old fox must be regretting it now. Even if he wasn't, he would feel frustrated. Ling Xiao, whom he groomed personally, was becoming a threat to him.

"Marshal, are you talking about Ling Xiao?" One of the confidants was very quick-witted so he immediately understood what the Second Marshal meant.

"There will be a struggle for power in the First Marshal's faction. Let's wait for a good show." Ling Xiao was a threat to him and the Third Marshal too but his threat to the First Marshal was much greater. He wondered if the people in the First Marshal's faction had any thoughts about changing their leader… A good show was definitely coming up soon. The Second Marshal was schadenfreude. The First Marshal had been suppressing them for over 30 years. They had kept their anger to themselves for a long time. Hence, they were happy to see the First Marshal getting into trouble.

A similar conversation was going on in the Third Marshal's mansion. The Third Marshal seeked peace. So, he was frustrated when he saw the Federation fighting war after war. Many soldiers died in other countries' soil. Unfortunately, he was always on the losing end in the political battle with the First Marshal. This time, he was defeated by the First Marshal again.

"I hope that the battle can end on Planet Haijiao," the Third Marshal said worriedly. He knew how tensed the Federation was after years of wars. If the Federation couldn't handle the stress, the entire Federation would collapse. Its economy would move backward and there might even be a civil war.

He noticed these dangers. The Second Marshal noticed them too. The First Marshal was even clearer about them. They were all looking for ways to solve the problem. On his end, he wanted to stop the wars slowly and let the Federation have some time to settle their internal affairs. However, the First Marshal planned to bring everyone's attention to their enemies so that they could become the fighting machines of the country. The Second Marshal wanted to find a perfect blend in between these two extreme ends but the Third Marshal felt that it was impossible.

Everyone had their own plans, and none of them approved of each other's plan. This was why the three marshals kept fighting among themselves. They wanted to control the military so that the military could run based on their beliefs. No one was willing to take a step back. Thus, the battle for power would continue until someone fell. However, the most likely situation was that they would continue to keep each other in check until the end.

"Ling Xiao… he is the crux."

Because of the battle of Planet Haijiao, the power of the Second Marshal and the Third Marshal got suppressed by the First Marshal. The military was controlled by the First Marshal now. But, there were hidden dangers too. It all depended on how tolerant the First Marshal was.

Chapter 924 Come Back!

The battle between the higher authorities of the military didn't affect Ling Lan. At this moment, she was being examined by all the military doctors and specialists sent from the Federation. They reached the same conclusion as Li Shiyu. All the agents in the Federation were ineffective for Ling Lan's injuries, including the Ling family's restorative agent.

This also proved that Ling Lan was forced to operate the god-class mecha. Ling Lan was able to operate a god-class mecha for 20 minutes because (Belief] received an order from Ling Xiao to minimize the backlash to Ling Lan. That was why the backlash on Ling Lan dropped by two-thirds.

However, the consequences were still huge. Ling Lan lost his healthy body and was unable to stand up again. He wouldn't be able to operate a mecha anymore too.

Many people in the military were disappointed when they heard this piece of news. But, some people felt relieved too.

Hailiya got punished by the Intergalactic United Nations and the trades coming in the country stopped. This caused a huge commotion arose in the country. Many conflicts happened on various planets so the Hailiya government had to spend time to stabilize their internal affairs, making Hailiya not have the energy nor time to care about the war on Planet Haijiao. The Hailiya army on Planet Haijiao didn't have any reinforcements so they kept retreating. After one month, they surrendered due to the lack of resources.

Planet Haijiao officially became part of the Federation. The military moved new mecha clans into Planet Haijiao. The soldiers that used to be stationed on Planet Haijiao came back to their country, the Huaxia Federation, along with the spirits of the 160 million soldiers that had fallen.

Ling Lan came back with the first batch of people. Li Shiyu, Luo Chao, and Han Xuya came back with her. They were in charge of taking care of her. Luo Lang and Li Lanfeng were present too to protect her.

No one knew what would happen after they come back. After some discussion with the ten team leaders and the heads of the logistics departments, they decided to let Li Lanfeng go back with their Boss. They also kicked Luo Lang, who was powerful but stupid and wasn't much of a help if he stayed on Planet Haijiao, back to the Federation. Luo Lang was there to help their Boss and Li Lanfeng to run some errands. After all, they couldn't let the two ladies run errands, right?

The moment the starship landed in Port Doha, Ling Lan was carried down by Luo Lang and Li Lanfeng who wore the medic attire just like Luo Chao and Han Xuya. They stood beside Ling Lan and guarded

her.

This starship was filled with heavily injured soldiers. Many of them had lost their limbs. However, compared to the people that had fallen, they were considered lucky.

They sat in a car while waiting for the traffic in front of them to clear up. Suddenly, Ling Lan heard gunshots sounding in alignment.

Then, the screen in the car flashed the image of what was happening outside. Luo Lang glanced at the screen and said, "They're having a ceremony for the fallen soldiers."

Li Lanfeng smiled coldly, "Why are they doing this first instead of sending the injured soldiers to the hospital? How funny."

"That's not true. Those that had fallen are the citizens of Huaxia. It's necessary for them to welcome them back." Ling Lan didn't think about it too much. She used her spiritual power to ask Li Lanfeng to think more positively.

Many properly dressed young second lieutenants with stern faces appeared on the screen. Each of them had a box in their hands. The boxes were covered with the flags of different mecha clans. They stood on hover cars and moved towards the street that was filled with people.

Every time a car passed by, the screen would introduce the mecha clan of these people and show how many had fallen. The reason for their death was stated too.

The whole sky of hover cars represented all the mecha clans and the soldiers that had fallen. The family members of the soldiers heard a familiar name of a mecha clan and started crying furiously. Before this, they still bore hope that their child might have escaped the ordeal and was still alive. However, now, they knew that their child had really left them. They couldn't control their emotions anymore.

'Wars only cause sadness!' Ling Lan looked at the people crying on the screen and felt this point deeply.

There were too many hover cars so they needed to wait for more than an hour before they could leave.

After waiting in the car for an hour, Ling Lan was finally pushed into a nearby ambulance. Li Shiyu, Luo Chao, and Han Xuya wanted to get in but they told that only two people could board the ambulance.

Li Lanfeng and Li Shiyu exchanged glances with one another. Li Lanfeng pulled Luo Lang into the ambulance while Li Shiyu and the two ladies would take the car they were previously waiting in.

After some time, the ambulance started moving. A few minutes later, Ling Lan heard a deafening cheer.

Luo Lang pushed open a corner of the curtain and saw the excited expressions of the people outside. They were waving their arms wildly in their direction.

"Regiment commander, they seem to be welcoming you." Luo Lang listened attentively for a while.

"It looks like the military created hype for you." Li Lanfeng spoke to Ling Lan using his spiritual power. If there were more attention on Ling Lan, it would be harder for him to retreat unscathed. Why didn't General Ling Xiao stop this welcome parade?

"Take it as it comes." Ling Lan frowned. She was a useless person to the general public now. 'Why do they have to put me in such a position?'

'No, they put me in this position so blatantly because I'm useless now!' Ling Lan was enlightened. She couldn't help but worry for her father. It looked like her father was having a hard time recently. If not, he wouldn't let her appear in front of so many people, especially when she had secrets on her.

"Lanfeng, contact the other team leaders of 250 Ace Mecha Clan and tell them to keep calm. I think the higher authorities will be doing something to 250 soon. Don't act rashly and wait for me to be back, especially Li Yingjie." Ling Lan gave Li Lanfeng an order after thinking for a while.

"Yes." Li Lanfeng nodded. He also thought that it was impossible for the military to not keep their hands off the powerful 250 Ace Mecha Clan after creating such a huge fuss for Ling Lan unless General Ling Xiao took control of the entire situation. However, was that possible? This wasn't because Li Lanfeng didn't trust Ling Xiao. It was because the three marshals were too difficult to deal with.

But, this was a test for 250 Ace Mecha Clan too. Li Lanfeng wanted 250 Ace Mecha Clan to become Ling Lan's personal mecha clan. Even if the higher authorities send a new regiment commander for them, the spiritual leader of 250 Ace Mecha Clan was still Ling Lan.

The ambulance rode for a distance before stopping suddenly. The driver shouted, "Who are you?"

"This is an order from General Ling Xiao. We will take over from here." A familiar voice sounded. Ling Lan was stunned. It was Ling Yu.

Chapter 925 Impeachment!

"The military ordered us to send Lieutenant Colonel Ling Lan to the hospital for treatment. I'm sorry, we can't accept General Ling Xiao's order." The driver rejected them directly.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ling came from the 23rd division. He should be taken care of by us." Ling Yu sent a glance at his subordinate. His subordinate immediately took out his gun and aimed it at the driver's forehead. He said coldly, "I'm sorry."

"This is against the rule," the driver shouted angrily. He attempted to alert the medics in the ambulance.

The subordinate immediately knocked the driver unconscious. Ling Yu also subdued the soldier sitting on the passenger's seat.

General Ling Xiao said clearly that they must send their young master back to him safely even if they had to use force.

The two people in charge of carrying the stretcher heard the commotion outside, and their expressions changed immediately. Their hands reached behind their backs but Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang, who were well prepared, subdued them instantly.

Li Lanfeng took out a beam handgun from the person's waist. He threw it at Luo Lang and said, "How dare you take out a gun in front of our regiment commander. Are you looking for death?"

Luo Lang took out a beam gun from the person in front of him too. He placed the two guns on his waist and knocked the two medics unconscious.

Li Lanfeng looked at Luo Lang. He carried Ling Lan up while Luo Lang kicked the door of the ambulance open. Then, they quickly got into the hover car Ling Yu was driving and left the scene.

The other soldiers that came after this only saw an empty ambulance and a bunch of unconscious medics.

"Damn it. We were fooled." The leader of the group stomped his feet angrily. Just now, a senior colonel from the 7th division stopped him and asked him about the condition of the injured soldiers from the 7th division. He didn't want to offend the person so he patiently answered his queries. After that, he quickly asked his men to follow the ambulance but they were still too late.

At this moment, the senior colonel from the 7th division came up behind them and shouted in surprise, "Senior Colonel Le, what happened here?"

Major Le looked at the senior colonel. The surprise on his face seemed real. Major Le started wondering if this was just a coincidence.

"Senior Colonel You, I still have some things to deal with. I'll take my leave first." Major Le couldn't confirm his suspicion so he wanted to dismiss the person.

Senior Colonel You heard this and knew that he couldn't interfere in this matter. He said hurriedly, "Please do, please do."

Major Le came to a quiet spot and quickly contacted his superior to tell him about the situation.

"Forget it. This matter will end here. If someone asks you anything, just say that you don't know anything." This was the reply his superior gave him.

"Yes, I understand," Major Le replied. The battle of power between the higher authorities was not something a small figure like him could participate in.

Major Le's superior reported the situation to his senior officer too. He got the same reply.

The moment they entered Ling Yu's hover car, she opened her eyes. "Ling Yu, what's the situation at home?" Little Four told her some things that were happening in the Federation but he didn't know much about the power struggle. Hence, he was not knowledgeable in this area. Ling Lan had to gain more information from the trustworthy Ling Yu before she could make a decision.

"On the surface, there doesn't seem to be a problem. However, the military recently impeached General Ling Xiao for moving the treasure of the country out of the nation. The general is having a hard time." Ling Yu truthfully told Ling Lan General Ling Xiao's current situation.

Ling Xiao came back when Ling Lan was 16 years old but the family head of the Ling family was still Ling Lan. Hence, as a loyalist of the Ling family, he would report the condition of the past family head, Ling Xiao, to Ling Lan without any hesitation. He didn't hide anything from Ling Lan although Ling Xiao asked him to.

"They really did something to General Ling Xiao." Li Lanfeng knew that Ling Lan's operation of a god-class mecha would spark the greed in the higher authorities. He used to think that these people would hold back a little because of General Ling Xiao's name but now, he felt that he was too optimistic. No one was able to resist such a great temptation.

Ling Lan frowned. This matter could be big or small. If the people from the military didn't want to deal with Ling Xiao, they could just ignore this issue. If someone wanted to tackle Ling Xiao, this would be something they could make use of. It'll be hard for her father to clear his name.

"What's the attitude of the First Marshal?" Ling Lan knew that on the surface, her father belonged to the faction of the First Marshal. If the First Marshal wanted to protect Ling Xiao, he would be saved. If not, Ling Xiao's future would be hard to tell.

"Ambiguous." Ling Yu recalled how frequent General Ling Xiao got asked for questioning and guessed that the First Marshal probably wanted to sit on the fence.

"I understand." Ling Lan closed her eyes again. Ling Yu was just a loyalist. He couldn't participate in the battle for power personally. He didn't understand some things that were happening too. If she wanted to understand the situation clearly, she needed to ask her father.

Ling Lan asked Ling Yu because she didn't want to be fooled by her father. Ling Xiao was a good person. His only flaw was that he liked handle everything himself.

"Rabbit, what do you plan to do?" Li Lanfeng quickly used his spiritual power to contact Ling Lan. "I will make a decision after speaking with my father. In terms of understanding the bigger picture, my father is better than me." Ling Lan understood herself well. Her father understood the bigger picture better than her. She didn't want to create more trouble because of her poor decisions.

Li Lanfeng nodded. His heart skipped a beat. 'Rabbit knew what his weakness was so he wouldn't make a decision blindly. However, he seemed to believe in his judgment of himself too much. If I am Rabbit, I would have made a plan already, I wouldn't even think about asking for General Ling Xiao's opinion.'

'Thinking about it, in 250 Ace Mecha Clan, I made some decisions like this too. Did I create trouble for Rabbit unknowingly because of this?' Li Lanfeng felt cold sweat on his back. He reminded himself that he mustn't make similar mistakes again.

Ling Lan didn't know that her words unintentionally caused Li Lanfeng to reflect on himself. This caused Li Lanfeng to change his style in the future and got better at communicating with people. It helped him to prevent possible problems that might arise in the future.