1191-1200

Chapter 1191 Lingtian, an Independent Army!

While everyone was trying to figure out the real meaning behind the second part of the order they were given, the third part of the order came.

"Thirdly: Gu Dongyang, Sun Yaofei, Qi Long, Li Lanfeng… Those mentioned above will be promoted to major generals!"

A long list of 40 to 50 names all advancing to major general shocked everyone to their core. Was Lingtian going against God? Even legendary mecha clans might not have that many major generals.

Compared to the major generals who were older and had achieved greatness in their past, the two younger major generals on the list seemed to garner more attention.

Li Lanfeng and Qi Long's name quickly became well-known among the soldiers on Base Nebula.

Qi Long was Team 03's team leader and the person just behind Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong. In this battle, his performance was spectacular. Just his own personal achievements of killing three of Knight Mecha Clan���s team leaders was enough for his name to be imprinted in everyone's mind.

However, ranking up by two ranks, from colonel straight to major general… his achievements seemed to not match with the amount of merits he was given.

Everyone suddenly remembered the rumour that spreaded across the base. Qi Long was the son of the Invincible God of War, the 13th Division's general, Sky God, Qi Yaoyang. Everyone seemed to have realized the truth behind the suspicious promotion and quickly silenced themselves in case they incurred the wrath of Sky God.

Li Lanfeng, Team 06's team leader, was originally the same rank as Qi Long, a colonel. Although he didn't come from an impressive background, his growth was still a living example of a commoner raising up to the heavens. The contribution he had made during the battle was enough to put him as one of the three top performers. That was because these top three performers were the ones who combined their strength and killed the regiment commander of Knight Ace Mecha Clan.

Executing a standard mecha clan's regiment commander as a team leader was already shocking enough, not to mention executing the regiment commander of Knight Mecha Clan. Just this achievement alone was enough for him to rise up the ranks.

He was too damn lucky! Everyone looked at Li Lanfeng's name and were all green with envy. Was Li Lanfeng loved by the Goddess of Luck? How could good things always happen to him? (Well, it is because he has such a caring regiment commander.)

Everyone who was still burning from all the different emotions they had from reading the third part of the order, continued to read the next list of names. This was the list of those who advanced to the rank of senior colonel.

Holy, there were so many people who ranked up! Everyone was shocked by the large number of names.

Some carefully counted and realized that there were actually 271 individuals on the list.

Few of the regiment commanders from regular mecha clans looked at the pitiful lieutenant colonel and colonel insignias on their shoulders and felt a bitter taste in their mouths. Had they wasted their lives doing nothing?

Right afterwards, the part of the order where it listed soldiers who were advancing to lieutenant colonel and majors were shown. This time, there wasn't a list. Instead, there was a document, and it was only shown to those who cared enough to log in and look at the names.

However, some officers just had too much time on their hands as they tried to scratch their itch of curiosity. They logged in and looked through the document. They were instantly dumbfounded. The list was so long that even after scrolling a few times, they couldn't reach the bottom of the document. After scrolling for a while, they just assumed all of the official members of Lingtian Mecha Clan must have been promoted to at least major-rank. There were even some captain-rank officers from the logistics department, who had an outstanding performance, successfully promoted to the rank of major. Those who were originally majors, would probably at least be promoted by one rank, not mention the captains and sergeants who had outstanding performances…

After reading through the document, every soldier in Base Nebula believed that Lingtian Mecha Clan probably didn't have any members at the rank of private. The lowest ranked soldier was probably at sergeant-rank.

Of course, the list of soldiers advancing to major or above wasn't as shocking as the orders given beforehand. As everyone was sure that there was nothing that could surprise them even further, the last part of the order made the entire base erupt in shock.

"Lastly, Lingtian Independent Mecha Clan has reached all requirements of advancing. From today onwards, Lingtian Independent Mecha Clan will become Lingtian Independent Army. Additional army personnel additions will be notified later."

"Independent army. Lingtian advanced into an independent army…" someone shouted out.

"That's unbelievable. The 27th Independent Army in history is us, Lingtian!" one soldier from Lingtian Mecha Clan cheered excitedly while pumping his fists into the air.

"Lingtian became an independent army!" Even those proud and stubborn ace mecha clans couldn't hold back the admiration and envy in their looks as they looked towards the excited members from Lingtian.

Were they jealous? No as this was glory admired by all. They couldn't be jealous of them even if they wanted to. That was because that becoming an independent army was not achieved based on manpower. It required the clan to be at the right place and at the right time, and even required amazing luck to achieve such a feat.

In other words, Lingtian was an existence that was being taken care of by God itself. In the past, these other ace mecha clans perhaps could still compare to Lingtian, but now they no longer even dare to have the thought.

Who was willing to compare with a monstrous mecha clan that had already advanced to an independent army after only establishing itself for more than a year? When the difference was infinitely vast, these other clans no longer had the thought of comparing themselves with Lingtian.

"I was thinking why they had let us free today. It seems that's why." The three major generals who walked passed the plaza heard the shouts and screams of everyone. They showed disdain on their faces.

"Now that everything is set in stone, no one can stop Lingtian from flying freely in the sky." Wang Shao sighed. Thus, after just regaining their freedom, they could no longer stop Lingtian no matter what they do.

"I didn't expect Lingtian Mecha Clan to acquire such great merits from the Nebula Boundary Battle…" Qin Youqi had a jealous and angry but yet complicated look on his face.

"An independent army is enough to hold down first-rank five-star clans like ours. Even if legendary mecha clans were to come, they still would have a hard time suppressing Lingtian," Zhang Haoxun said coldly. "Lingtian have become too powerful. They cannot be stopped anymore."

"Just one mistake caused us to lose so much. We wasted our time coming here." Wang Shao shook his head regrettably. They might be in for some reprimand from their chief. He just hoped that the chief wouldn't lose trust in him because of this matter.

Ye Kui also read through the final part of the order in his room, "As expected, just what I thought. The Federation is changing."

Ye Kui's mood wasn't in the best of sorts. He stood up and paced around anxiously. After thinking about how he was heartlessly rejected by Ling Lan, that feeling of failure made him feel frustrated.

"That order back then was god damn stupid!" Ye Kui thought of Ye Xu and instantly cussed out.

If the family didn't force Ye Xu out of Lingtian, perhaps he would still be able to use the friendship between Ye Xu and Ling Lan to improve his family's situation. He could have even made Ye Xu be like the two from the Li family to work under Ling Lan. That way, the Ye family wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore.

The Ye family clearly had the chance to change their destiny, but they didn't hold it in his hands tight enough. This feeling of powerlessness made Ye Kui, who poured everything he had into the Ye family, feel so frustrated that it could almost kill him.

Unfortunately, he didn't have enough say in the Ye family. He could only be considered to be an enforcer and not a decision maker. Even if Ye Kui knew the order given to him by the elders of the family was dumb, he could still only just watch as the Ye family's stubborn elderly pushed the family into the brink of destruction.

Chapter 1192 Base And Manpower!

All the mecha clans in Base Nebula had their own thoughts about Lingtian becoming an independent army.

As for Ling Lan, she only came out of her closed-door meditation three days after the reward was sent out.

She couldn't appear on the day the reward was given out since that would seem too fake. She needed to give the military an out so that they could console themselves.

However, she wasn't doing nothing while doing closed-door meditation. She made many calls with her father discussing the new location of their new base camp. After some back and forth, she and her father finally decided on Base Nebula to be Lingtian Independent Army's new base camp.

Ling Lan had set her eyes on this movable base that was well-equipped with weapons and had all the high-tech facilities from the Federation. She couldn't imagine being in those stationed bases as just imagining her being there gave her the chills. The battle at Base 013 on Planet Haijiao had traumatized her.

Ling Lan liked the flexibility of a movable base. In the past, she wasn't aware of the existence of a moveable base such as Base Nebula, so she never thought about wanting a movable base. However, now that she knew of its existence and she was already in the base, it was hard for her to not want it.

Moreover, she wasn't planning on chasing away the three first-rank five-star mecha clans the three great marshals sent over. They were extra manpower for her to increase the fighting strength of the base. She would be stupid to give them back.

Ling Xiao was astounded by Ling Lan's plan. He was shocked at her greediness but when he thought about it carefully, it was workable.

Of course, Ling Xiao never planned to reject her request anyway. She was his daughter. He would fulfill all the requests she had. Moreover, this request wasn't too hard for him to fulfill.

"I still need to remind you that these three mecha clans don't belong to you. Even if they are stationed at Base Nebula, they might not submit to you." Ling Xiao reminded Ling Lan that the three mecha clans were not easy to subdue.

"They just need to be loyal to their country." Ling Lan didn't care about their allegiance. She wasn't planning to make Lingtian her personal army anyway. The Lingtian Independent Army would be going to the battlefield one day, and there were no factions on the battlefield. On the battlefield, everyone only had one identity, a soldier of the Federation.

Ling Xiao gave her a look of approval. This was how a regiment commander should think.

We would not talk about how Ling Xiao helped Ling Lan to gain more benefits from the military headquarters. All in all, many meetings were held and many factions participated in the discussion. Some wanted to suppress Lingtian while others wanted to help it. Some wanted to send spies in while others wanted to split Lingtian's power. It was an intense struggle. A conclusion was formed only half a month later.

That day, the military headquarters sent a new order to Base Nebula.

The Lingtian Independent Army would temporarily be stationed at Base Nebula. The commanding officer of Base Nebula should cooperate with Lingtian Independent Army to increase its manpower. The Lingtian Independent Army could replenish its manpower from Base Nebula. Jade Cloud Ace Mecha Clan, Fantasy City Ace Mecha Clan, and Nine Alliance Ace Mecha Clan would merge into the Lingtian Independent Army.

The entire base was in an uproar.

"Does that mean that we are going to be part of the Lingtian Independent Army?" Many regiment commanders who had their clans stationed in Base Nebula were excited when they saw this order.

"Also, Jade Cloud Ace Mecha Clan, Fantasy City Ace Mecha Clan, and Nine Alliance Ace Mecha Clan are going to merge into the Lingtian Independent Army. Are they trying to create a legendary independent army?"

When would a new independent army be able to get manpower from powerful ace mecha clans? Moreover, competent soldiers were usually from first-rank five-star mecha clans. These mecha clans could become legendary mecha clans if they worked a little harder, entering the Hall of Honour. No clan in their right mind would agree to give their soldiers away without a sky-high price.

Normally, if a new independent army was able to get manpower from one or two normal mecha clans, it was already considered very lucky.

After soldiers of the base heard the order, they cemented the idea that the Lingtian Independent Army was doted on by the heavens.

At that moment, the regiment commanders of the three said ace mecha clans had received this piece of news too. They quickly gathered together to discuss this issue.

"What do you think?" Wang Shao frowned. A few days ago, his chief told him that their mecha clans might need to remain in Base Nebula for some time. He thought that they would just stay here and guard the base but instead, they were merging with the Lingtian Independent Army.

What were their superiors thinking? Did they send them in so that the Lingtian Independent Army wouldn't become Ling Xiao's ultimate weapon?

"What can we think? It's clearly stated that we're supposed to merge with Lingtian." Qin Youqi was frustrated. He felt irritated when he imagined that he had to listen to a 24-year-old young brat.

"We can only wait and see. Ultimately, we're still in the Federation. It doesn't matter where we go." Zhang Haoxun was extremely calm.

"But it's a newly formed independent army. I'll be embarrassed if I see my old colleagues." Qin Youqi was furious. An independent army was considered as a quasi-division. However, its status and benefits couldn't be compared to an official division.

They used to belong to the 1st division, 2nd division, and 3rd division and they were the highest-rank mecha clan in their division. The difference in treatment was just too stark. This was why Qin Youqi couldn't accept the order.

"I don't think so." Zhang Haoxun had a different perspective. "We might be embarrassed if we merge with any other independent army but the Lingtian Independent Army… don't you think that it is a legend?"

Qin Youqi and Wang Shao went into deep thought. They had been in such high-caliber position for a long time so they weren't stupid enough to be reckless in their decisions.

"Indeed. They're a legend." Wang Shao agreed with Zhang Haoxun after looking back at Lingtian's history. Qin Youqi just scoffed in response, but he agreed in his mind.

"If Lingtian didn't exist and someone tells me that an independent mecha clan can become an independent army in one year. I will just think he is crazy." Zhang Haoxun had a sharp tongue.

"Indeed. I'll be unconvinced too," Wang Shao replied.

"But the truth is laid out right before us." Zhang Haoxun sighed. "Lingtian managed to do it. They even did it solely based on their merits. No one could say anything to bring them down."

Chapter 1193 Script!

"Lingtian is powerful. Ling Lan is powerful too." Zhang Haoxun suddenly lowered his voice. He seemed to be muttering to himself but Qin Youqi and Wang Shao both heard him.

"This merge might be an opportunity for us." Zhang Haoxun's gaze was slowly filled with ambition. "Becoming a legendary mecha clan might not be such a far goal anymore."

Wang Shao and Qin Youqi were stunned by his words. They were both regiment commanders of a first-rank five-star mecha clan so it was unsurprisingly that they had the same ambition as Zhang Haoxun, but no one dared to speak up about it. This was because becoming a legendary mecha clan was very difficult, too difficult perhaps. It was not as tough as becoming an independent army but the difference between the two feats wasn't great.

Basically, those were the two most difficult statuses to achieve for a mecha clan.

"Maybe you're right." Wang Shao's heart started pounding at an increasingly deep rhythm.

Qin Youqi's frustration slowly melted away. His gaze seemed uncertain. He seemed to be in a dilemma.

The Lingtian Mecha Clan, no, it was the Lingtian Independent Army now.

The people from the Lingtian Independent Army received their promotion too.

The administrators of Lingtian sat in the meeting room.

Ling Lan pointed to the notification on the big virtual screen and said, "Congratulations on all your promotions."

Everyone smiled and laughed.

"First, let's welcome Leader Yang and Leader Liu who will become the new vice regiment commanders of Lingtian." Ling Lan clapped her hands slowly.

Everyone followed her and clapped too.

Yang Mingzhi smiled. "The promotion is just for show. My real job is still being a team leader. Please don't get confused."

Everyone laughed at his words.

Liu Furong continued, "Leader Yang has said what I have in mind. I'm still the team leader of Team 02. Please don't be mistaken."

Laughter erupted again. The awkward atmosphere of the meeting disappeared.

"You can't push away your responsibility. You must do what you're supposed to do." Ling Lan didn't mind her grasp over Lingtian was slowly loosening. She had already let go of a portion of her powers when Lingtian was still a mecha clan.

Ling Lan knew she wasn't a robot. She wasn't perfect. She knew what was the strength of her team leaders so she made use of them. The miracles Lingtian created weren't accomplished by herself. It required the effort of everyone in Lingtian.

"We will follow your orders." Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi smiled before nodding.

They only dared to accept their position after the official announcement by their regiment commander.

They knew that Lingtian solely belonged to Ling Lan. There would only be one true commander in Lingtian .

The veteran soldiers were saved from the brink of despair by Ling Lan while the younger soldiers achieved greatness under Ling Lan. The relationships of the team leaders, the heads of the various departments and Ling Lan were even deeper.

The results Lingtian achieved were all linked to Ling Lan. She was also the person who saved all of them during the battle on Planet Haijiao.

Everyone felt that in Lingtian, Ling Lan had the ultimate say. They would only recognise Ling Lan as their true leader. They were willing to follow this powerful leader and risked their lives for her.

If someone was under the impression that he could topple Ling Lan's position in Lingtian, he must not be from Lingtian. Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi both felt that no matter who the military sent to Lingtian, even if it was a war hero, he wouldn't be able to take Ling Lan's straggle-hold of power in Lingtian away.

What about Ling Xiao? Well, since he was Ling Lan's father, the members of Lingtian might give him some face. If not, Ling Lan might be unhappy.

"The logistics departments finally got recognised by the military. Congratulations on entering the military system. You're not just an empty shell anymore." Ling Lan looked at Li Shiyu and Lin Zhong-qing. Their promotions gratified her the most.

Lingtian managed to become an independent army and the logistics departments were all officially set up. Moreover, the heads of the departments were still the same. Her father must have put in a lot of effort to get this reward for her.

Ling Lan believed that various factions in the military must have wanted to send someone to take over these positions but the logistics section was just too important to her. In her mind, only capable people should lead the logistics teams. Thus, when she was discussing with her father, she told him that the heads of the logistics departments must remain the same.

Ling Xiao felt the same way too. Thus, he allowed the positions of vice regiment commanders to be created in exchange for keeping the heads of the logistics department the same.

The heads of the logistics departments were elated. After the battle, Lin Zhong-qing and Li Shiyu became senior colonels. They were the highest-ranked soldiers among all the logisticians while the rest were still colonels or lieutenant colonels.

The team leaders of the mecha teams were mostly senior colonels too. Only team leaders like Qi Long and Li Lanfeng were promoted to major generals.

"One more thing. The mecha teams will be officially promoted to mecha brigade." Ling Lan announced with a serious face.

"Yes!" All the team leaders were surprised.

Currently, the maximum limit of soldiers in an independent army is 50,000. And to work her way around that, Ling Lan decided she would turn all her mecha teams into mecha brigades. By turning all her mecha teams into mecha brigades, she was essentially 'forced' to fill them up with soldiers.

A mecha brigade's maximum limit was a few hundred soldiers to a few thousand soldiers while a mecha team could only have less than a hundred soldiers. Ling Lan didn't want to keep to the standard of having 50,000 people for an independent army.

Thus, we could predict that the number of people in the Lingtian Independent Army would definitely exceed this number.

Ling Lan had already prepared her script in mind to report to the higher authorities.

'You exceeded the limit? How can it be?'

'You are forced to fill the mecha brigades? They should only have a few hundred people? What? Misunderstanding? There are 2000 soldiers in each mecha brigade?'

'What's the maximum limit of soldiers for a mecha brigade? 2000? Well, they didn't exceed their limit…'

'Your independent army has too many people.'

'Really now? Let us pick who to let go. The process might take a while. We've already taken them in so we need to go through the standard procedure to return them.'

'But, no one wants to go back. What should I do? I took them in so I'm willing to be responsible for them.'

'How to be responsible? Well, I'll let them remain here and groom them. If you need them in the future, you can take them away.'

Ling Lan went through all the lines in her mind and nodded in satisfaction.

Chapter 1194 War Between The Two Countries?

The entire human race was currently talking about one incident.

"Have you heard that the Huaxia Federation has found an important spy? I heard that he is from the Twilight Empire." In a classy bar with high-rise ceilings and marble tabletops, there were soldiers sitting around discussing the single incident that had shocked the universe. From their uniforms, it could be determined that they were soldiers of Caesar

"He was the mastermind behind Ling Xiao's 'death'. The Twilight Empire has always wanted to destroy the Huaxia Federation. How frightening. Luckily, they found the spy. If not, our nation might have lost more outstanding soldiers." This was the general sentiment of the people in the Huaxia Federation.

"What a pity. Why is the Huaxia Federation always so lucky? How did they find the spy so early?" While this was the general sentiment of the people in enemy countries.

"The Huaxia Federation and the Twilight Empire are at odds now. I heard that the situation is very tense in the Intergalactic United Nations."

"Are they going to start a war? That's impossible, right?" No one believed that a war would break out. To prevent any catastrophic wars from happening, the Intergalactic United Nations had been stopping any battles that could affect the foundation of a nation. They only allowed small-scale battles to occur.

If a war between the Huaxia Federation and the Twilight Empire actually broke out, it would bring earth-shattering changes. It was because as the war continued on, more and more nations would be dragged into it. Factions would be created, alliances would be formed, deep-seated hatred would burst out, ushering an era of bloodshed and cruelty.

"How is it not possible? That year, when the Huaxia Federation lost its most powerful god-class mecha master, Immortal Bird Ling Xiao, because of the Twilight Empire, it already created tension between the two nations. Luckily, Immortal Bird managed to escape from death's grasp. After the scheme was divulged by Ling Xiao, the entire Huaxia Federation was incensed. They were indignant that the Twilight Empire tried to scheme against their god-class mecha master. Immortal Bird was the idol of the Huaxia Federation. This was an unforgivable matter to the people of the Huaxia Federation." The discussing soldiers had quite a deep understanding on how the Federation worked, so they felt that it was very likely that the Huaxia Federation wanted to start a war.

"Are they really going to start a war for a god-class mecha master?" Some soldiers from another table suddenly asked the soldier who started the discussion out loud.

"The Huaxia Federation seems resolute. They proposed to the Twilight Empire that to stop the inevitable war, they want the current emperor, prime minister, and all members of the cabinet of the Twilight Empire to kill themselves as an apology," the questioned soldier replied with an uncertain expression

The bar suddenly turned dead-silent. Every soldier's pupils dilated as they imagined the horror and destruction this proposal would cause.

"The Huaxia Federation is really vicious. Immortal Bird isn't dead, right? Yet, they want the entire cabinet of the Twilight Empire to die. The Twilight Empire will never agree to the proposal."

"If Immortal Bird really died, the Huaxia

n't have made the proposal. They would probably have directly sent their army to the Twilight Empire. And of course, the Twilight Empire won't agree to the proposal. That's why I said that the war is evitable. Once a consensus can't be reached, the Huaxia Federation will deploy their army."

"Why isn't our military stopping them?" The only country that could stop the Huaxia Federation was Caesar. Moreover, Twilight Empire had a good relationship with Caesar. Caesar should be helping them.

"That's the weird part. Caesar didn't say anything during the meeting of the Intergalactic United Nations. They seemed unconcerned at the plight of the Twilight Empire."

"Have we abandoned the Twilight Empire? This isn't good." The Twilight Empire dared to offend Huaxia because it had Caesar supporting them. Caesar never admitted this but it was an open-secret. If Caesar decided not to help, Twilight Empire would not stand until the end of the coming decade.

"It all depends on the Twilight Empire's stance. If the Twilight Empire is willing to take a step back, the war won't start. If not…"

"What about the other nations? Can't they stop it? The Huaxia Federation is too domineering." Some Caesar soldiers were unhappy with the attitude of Huaxia.

"Well, the Huaxia Federation has evidence against the Twilight Empire. It will be a slap in the face if they let the Twilight Empire off so easily. In cases like these, the Huaxia Federation is just too smart, as they only directed their anger at Twilight. The proposal is ruthless but it's reasonable. The scheme 20 years ago didn't kill Immortal Bird but it made him disappear for 16 years. If this never happened, Huaxia might have grown more powerful now."

"They remembered all the hardship they went through for those 16 years. Thus, when they caught Twilight red-handed, they would bite on it like a ferocious beast. They must make Twilight pay for the 16 years they have endured."

"Twilight is in the wrong so the proposal makes sense. Our military couldn't say anything in Twilight's defence so the other nations won't dare to speak up too."

"Does this mean Twilight is dead?"

"That'll depend on whether the higher-ups are willing to help it. It also depends on the decision of Twilight."

While the human race was debating whether a world war would start, Ling Lan called her father.

"Ah, what momentous event occurred for you to call me… Did something happen? Do you need my help?" Ling Lan only called him when she needed help. Ling Xiao felt like crying. What a poor father he was. His daughter wasn't the slightest bit concerned about him.

Ling Lan was speechless. Was she so troublesome? Ling Lan self-reflected for three seconds.

However, this time, she was calling him because she needed help. Her expression turned serious as she said, "Rumours are flying everywhere. I want to know your real thoughts."

The rumours even reached their base so Ling Xiao must have heard it too.

"It's an exchange. I got what I wanted so I must give back too." Ling Xiao didn't hide the truth from Ling Lan.

"They're using your name to start a war!" Ling Lan immediately understood her father's point.

Chapter 1195 Unable To Handle!

Ling Lan frowned. "Isn't this bad for you? If the war actually starts and the situation goes out of control, you'll be a sinner in history."

"Ling Lan, nothing is set in stone. Sometimes, we need to have the courage to take risks. The Federation needs the war. I need it too. Even if we didn't find evidence against Twilight, I would still have come up with a plan to start a war," Ling Xiao replied seriously.

"Don't you want to remain behind the scenes? If everyone focuses their attention on you, you won't be able to start your plan." Ling Lan understood her father very well.

"We're a bit passive now but it's not bad too. What is mine will be mine in the end." Ling Xiao's gaze was confident.

Ling Lan relaxed. She was sure her father was well prepared but she was still worried. The only way to soothe herself from her anxiousness was to call him.

The two of them continued talking about their situation. Ling Xiao reminded Ling Lan of a few matters to pay attention to when she was expanding her team. If He Xuyang didn't come in to remind him that time was tight, he wouldn't want to end the call.

It was so rare that his daughter called him out of concern. Ling Xiao was so touched.

According to He Xuyang, his intelligence would drop when he was talking to two specific people.

One was his wife, Lan Luofeng. When he called his wife, he would smile sweetly and say all kinds of shameless things. As someone who was single, He Xuyang felt frustrated every time he listened to their sweet nothings. He hoped he could find a lady to marry immediately to soothe his lonely heart.

The second person was Young Master Lan. General Ling Xiao would turn into a dumb father whenever he talked to Ling Lan. The smile on his face was… indescribable. If he could, he wanted to stop the call between his general and Ling Lan. Ling Lan's glorious image of his father was getting destroyed.

Of course, there were pros too. After chatting with his wife and Young Master Lan, Ling Xiao's mood would get ten times better. Thus, He Xuyang welcomed such calls as it made his life easier.

Ling Xiao knew that if He Xuyang kept reminding him, it meant that there was really no time left. He sighed and said, "Lan'er, quickly form your independent army. You must quickly gain full control of Bse Nebula."

Ling Lan turned serious. "Will my independent army be conscripted for this war?"

To protect the soldiers, newly formed divisions would only be sent to the battlefield after three years.

"No one knows what will happen so it's better to prepare early than later. There're many people who don't like us in the military. If they can't harm me, they might harm you." This was the reason why Ling Xiao wanted to quickly rise in power. That way, his daughter could grow up safely.

"I understand. I will quickly expand my team." Ling Lan nodded. It seemed like she had to push her companions harder.

The newly promoted brigade leaders and department heads of Lingtian suddenly felt a chill down their spine. They shuddered.

"It's getting cold." Luo Lang looked at the bright sky curiously.

"Indeed. Don't forget to wear more clothes later," Xie Yi said to him in concern.

"Okay!" Luo Lang smiled brightly at Xie Yi. It felt good to have someone worrying about him.

"Remember to keep warm," Next to them, Li Yingjie said to Lin Zhong-qing who was arranging his documents seriously.

Lin Zhong-qing looked at him as though he was an idiot.

Li Yingjie was furious. "I am concerned about you. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lin Zhong-qing replied coldly, "I'm looking at an idiot."

"Idiot? Lin Zhong-qing, how dare you mock me! I want to fight with you." Lin Zhong-qing was really his arch enemy.

"Go away." Lin Zhong-qing pushed Li Yingjie out of his path.

Li Yingjie was caught off guard so he stumbled and almost fell on the ground.

"Are you ignoring me now?" Li Yingjie recovered his balance, rushed forward and stood in front of Lin Zhong-qing.

Lin Zhong-qing scanned from top to bottom and scoffed. "How did I mock you?"

Li Yingjie stammered, "You said that I'm.. an idio… aren't you mocking me?"

"You don't have common sense so you are an idiot. I'm not mocking you, I'm just stating the truth." Lin Zhong-qing sneered.

"Why don't I have common sense? Lin Zhong-qing, explain yourself."

"The weather at Base Nebula never changes so why must I keep myself warm? Only an idiot will say that." Lin Zhong-qing mocked him.

"…" Li Yingjie was stunned. He was right. The temperature on Base Nebula was controlled by the mainframe. It was set to the most comfortable temperature for them. They shouldn't feel cold.

Lin Zhongqing glared at him before ignoring him and walking past Li Yingjie. This fellow had always been stupid since young.

After Lin Zhong-qing left, Li Yingjie regained his senses. He rushed to Xie Yi and said angrily, "Xie Yi, it was your fault."

"What did I do?" Xie Yi was puzzled.

"When Luo Lang said the weather got colder, why didn't you tell him that the temperature of the base never changes? Why did you ask him to wear more clothes?" Li Yingjie was frustrated. If it wasn't for Xie Yi, he wouldn't have said that to Lin Zhong-qing.

"Li Yingjie!" Xie Yi sighed as he patted Li Yingjie's back. "You must master the art of talking."

"Huh?" Li Yingjie was confused.

"You have to see who you are talking to. Luo Lang is a simple-minded person so I answered him in a straightforward manner. As for Lin Zhong-qing… he is as logical as Li Lanfeng. You can't handle him." Xie Yi chased after Luo Lang after he finished speaking.

"Can't handle him? What do you mean? Hey, explain yourself." Li Yingjie was even more confused. What was Xie Yi talking about? Unfortunately, Xie Yi wasn't answering him as he was busy fluttering around Luo Lang.

Ling Xiao unwillingly hung up the call. He glared at He Xuyang, blaming him for interrupting his personal time with Ling Lan.

He Xuyang shrugged. He was smiling but in his heart, he complained, 'General, do you think that you're just a normal soldier? There're so many things waiting for you to handle. I spend so much effort to squeeze out some time for you to take the call. Why are you still unsatisfied? Do you want me to resign? Hmph!'

Chapter 1196 Commander Ling Xiao!

The war between Huaxia and Twilight seemed sudden but it wasn't.

The Federation had suppressed their fury for more than 20 years. 20 years ago, they didn't have enough evidence to prosecute Twilight. If they did, this war might have started a long time ago.

As for the Twilight Empire, it was obvious that the emperor and the members of the cabinet wouldn't accept the proposal. They would definitely resist. Thus, the Federation's proposal was actually forcing the Twilight Empire to go to war with them.

Only Caesar had the power to say something in the whole situation. However, Caesar just remained quiet. They watched silently as the tension between the two countries increased until the war was imminent.

It was an all out war so god-class mecha masters were able to participate in the war

If there weren't any allies willing to help Twilight, no one was even willing to bet they could win.

Twelve god-class mecha masters of the Federation against the three great mecha lords of Twilight. The difference in strength of the top echelon of the two nations was too vast.

However, everyone was sure that Huaxia wouldn't send all twelve god-class mecha masters out. As it might invite some unwanted attention from other enemy nations while their god-class mecha masters were out. Five god-class mecha masters were enough to win the war against Twilight.

However, war wasn't a numbers game. There were many other factors that could affect the outcome of the war. For instance, the participation of other nations.

If that really happened, it would turn into an intergalactic war. All the nations of the human world would be dragged into it. The question of 'would this happen' was in everyone's mind, and it all depended on a single nation's decision? Everyone was waiting for Caesar's decision. Caesar was the only country that could fight on-par against the Federation.

"Caesar is the only variable of the war. We must be on guard against them." Yang Mingzhi frowned as he looked towards Caesar. Their planetary sector was connected.

The top brass of Lingtian Independent Army was quickly called into a meeting room for a meeting to analyse the current war situation since they might be drafted into the war at any moment.

"We have to watch over Kaluki, Oubang, and Grador too. Once Caesar moves, these alliance nations will move too." Han Jijyun added on as he pointed to a few nations in the other sectors.

"Once Caesar's alliance nations move, our alliance nations will move too." Liu Furong frowned. "That means that a new intergalactic war will occur. The Federation will sink into a swamp of constant battles which would eventually brew resentment within the people of the Federation. This is not good for the image of the general."

This war started because of General Ling Xiao. If they were able to end the war quickly and achieve victory, Ling Xiao's reputation would reach a new height. If that really happened, the entire nation would support any future decision he made. However, once the war dragged on and the civilians had to suffer the losses of their loved ones, the general's reputation would drop to the dregs. Someone just needed to lit the spark and General Ling Xiao would be condemned to hell.

The only way to prevent this was to end the war before Caesar makes their decision," Li Lanfeng replied calmly.

Caesar probably remained quiet because they hadn't reached a general consensus internally. They might also be planning something in secret. But, this wasn't important. As long as the Federation acted quickly, Caesar wouldn't have the opportunity to act.

"I wonder who will be the commander-in-chief for this war. How many god-class mecha masters will they send?" Qi Long asked. "Actually, if the Federation is decisive enough to send ten god-class mecha masters, we will be able to defeat Twilight within a few days."

"Ten god-class mecha masters? That's impossible," Yang Mingzhi dismissed the idea.

"Why?" Qi Long was disappointed.

"In history, the Federation has always played safe. They will ensure the safety of the country first before sending any of their armies out," Yang Mingzhi replied.

This was the Federation's style for the past tens of thousands of years. This was also why the First Marshal was able to stay in power for so long. He would never allow its country to be at risk, which also caused the Federation to not have any amazing military achievements in huge wars. The way of playing safe had been imprinted into the souls of the citizens of Huaxia, even the First Marshal wouldn't divert from this course.

"Five god-class mecha masters might be the limit. They might not even send any." Yang Mingzhi sighed. Actually, he wished that the Federation would send more god-class mecha masters to defeat Twilight as quickly as possible.

"We have to rely on the commander-in-chief now. I hope he will conduct the war in an intelligent manner." Qi Long sighed too.

"I know who will be the commander-in-chief." Ling Lan suddenly opened her eyes.

"Huh? Who is it?" Qi Long asked in surprise. As expected, Boss managed to get wind of the matter of the top echelon before anyone else.

"It's my father, Ling Xiao." Her father told her yesterday night. Since the Federation used his name to start the war, he wanted to be the one in control of the war. He didn't wish to be the scapegoat of someone else's mistake.

"That's good." Everyone was excited. "Sending three or four god-class mecha masters might just be enough."

Ling Xiao was the most powerful god-class mecha master. It seemed like the Federation really wanted to defeat Twilight. They were sending the best person they could.

"That means the 23rd division will be the principal force in the war. Which other divisions are participating?" Li Lanfeng asked.

The 23rd division was only formed a few years ago so unsurprisingly, it wasn't as powerful as the other 22 divisions. If there were no divisions collaborating with them, this would be a difficult war to win.

"The 4th division, the 13th division, and the 7th division," Ling Lan replied.

Li Shiyu and Li Yingjie were stunned. Li Lanfeng didn't have any expressions on his face but he clenched his fist tightly.

Li Yingjie exclaimed, "Why the 4th division?"

Veteran soldiers like Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong knew the secrets of the 4th division. They looked at Li Shiyu and Li Yingjie with a serious expression.

"The 13th division belongs to my father. It seems that the military has a motive behind the deployment." Qi Long felt that something was amiss.

"My father used to be in the 7th division. There are many people who follow my father there." They weren't the only ones shocked. When she and her father heard the deployment of the three divisions, they were worried too.

The military was being too obvious. They wanted to deplete Ling Xiao's strength.

The general of the 13th division, Qi Yaoyang, was under the Third Marshal's wing but it was undeniable that his son was in Ling Lan's independent army. This favour of grooming his son was great enough for Qi Yaoyang to help Ling Xiao occasionally on simple matters. Deploying his division for this war might just be a warning for him.

The 4th division was in the same situation too. Two of the Li family successors were in Ling Lan's independent army. The Li family also helped Ling Lan a lot so the military felt that the Li family was on Ling Xiao's side.

As for the 7th division, half of the division entered the space tunnel with Ling Xiao and died. The other half that was left built a new 7th division from scratch. After more than 20 years, the 7th division progressed quickly and became a division as powerful as the main divisions of the three great marshals. Many new generals were unable to gain full control of the 7th division so the military headquarters was fearful of them.

After Ling Xiao came back, the military was afraid that he might gain control over the 7th division (Ling Xiao used to be the vice general of the 7th division). They were probably using this war to determine the stance of the 7th division.

Ling Lan looked at everyone's serious face and said, "This isn't a bad thing. With this arrangement, everyone will listen to my father's command on the battlefield."

Everyone's expression softened. If you think about it another way, this was a good arrangement for Ling Xiao.

Firstly, the 7th division was as powerful as the first three divisions, so it was able to compensate for the weakness of the 23rd division.

The 13th division had the best mecha mecha master after the twelve god-class mecha masters, Qi Yaoyang. He was able to defeat any mecha mecha masters below god-class with ease. He was a powerful addition to Ling Xiao's team. As for the 13th division, they weren't too strong but they weren't weak too. They were above average among the 23 divisions.

The 4th division was slightly weaker than the average division, but they had the support of the Li family so Ling Xiao wouldn't have to worry about the logistics. Logistics was a critical factor on the battlefield. It might be even more crucial than fighting power.

From the looks of it, the military gave Ling Xiao a very good combination. If something were to happen to the Federation, Ling Xiao would still be able to handle the war himself.

"That's the right way of looking at it." No one wanted to be pessimistic. Hence, they put down their worry and started analysing where the war would start.

While everyone was discussing, Ling Lan wondered if she should have a chat with Ye Kui.

Everyone that was on their side were deployed by the military. Ling Lan liked to be safe. Hence, she had the urge to find new partnerships. Of course, she had many choices but there was a member of the Ye family just beside her. Plus, the Ye family already showed her their intent to work with her.

No!

After considering it carefully, Ling Lan rejected the idea. The heads of the Ye family were not people she wanted to work with. Plus, wasn't she in a collaboration with the Li family? Wait… no, she wasn't. It was just fate that the three potential successors from the Li family were in her team so the Li family had no choice but to help him.

Elite families were not easy to work with. If she wasn't as powerful as them, they would want to devour her. Ling Lan gave a cold smile. She didn't need this kind of partnership.

If her father wanted to collaborate with them, that was his business. Ling Lan knew that she was a little arrogant. Plus, with her father protecting her, she could afford to be stubborn with her choice of partners.

"Ling Xiao! What do you think of the order?" Qi Yaoyang came to look for Ling Xiao immediately after he received the notification.

"Seems like some people don't like your son following my child," Ling Xiao replied calmly. He knew this order a little earlier than Qi Yaoyang. Although he hoped that Qi Yaoyang was able to stay away from this power struggle, he was still implicated in the end.

The people under the wing of the Third Marshal were unhappy that Qi Long wanted to stay in Lingtian. Hence, they used this deployment to warn Qi Yaoyang.

"That stupid child doesn't want to leave. What can I do?" Qi Yaoyang felt frustrated too. He wanted his son to be in the 13th division too.

"Forget it. We can't force our ways on them. If we can't let them live the life they want, we're just too useless as fathers." Ling Xiao didn't mind. No matter how dangerous the situation was, he wouldn't want his child to feel stress.

"That's why I need to go to the battlefield with you now." Qi Yaoyang shrugged. Qi Long always thought that Qi Yaoyang was a stern father who always hit him whenever he could but in actual fact, Qi Yaoyang loved Qi Long with all his heart. That was why he allowed Qi Long to follow the person he wanted and live the life he desired.

Qi Yaoyang wasn't afraid of going to the battlefield. Before he became a general, he was always at the frontline, making him the most experienced mecha master among all the generals.

Qi Yaoyang was only worried that someone would scheme against Ling Xiao after he left. There was no one else by his side to help him.

Ling Xiao smiled when he heard Qi Yaoyang's worry. Qi Yaoyang could feel the anger behind his smile. "I'll admit that I fell into the scheme 20 years ago, but I'll never repeat the same mistake ever again. Never."

Finally, the Huaxia Federation released the order appointing Ling Xiao as the commander-in-chief. The war between the Federation and Twilight had officially begun.

"Fu*k! The Federation really started a war with us. Moreover, their commander-in-chief is Immortal Bird Ling Xiao." The entire Twilight was in an uproar when they heard the news.

Yesterday, they still hoped that Huaxia was just verbally threatening them and wouldn't really start a war. However, this order destroyed their hope. Huaxia really declared war on them.

"Caesar, find Caesar for help." The citizens of Twilight were anxious. They placed their hope on Caesar. However, no replies came.

"Has Caesar abandoned us?" Some of the citizens who respected Caesar started crying.

Chapter 1197 King Muqi!

Most of the people of the Twilight Empire were greatly dissatisfied with the royal family so they all rushed to the streets to

government. They wanted the king and his inner circle to take full responsibility for starting this war.

The current government of the Twilight Empire was in chaos. While they were making preparations for war, they also needed to put aside some time to appease the emotions of those who opposed the war in their nation.

At that moment, in the intergalactic area that connected the Huaxia Federation and the Twilight Empire, there was a secret satellite spaceport. On that spaceport, many large divisions had already silently gathered there.

Ling Xiao walked down the space shuttle and asked He Xuyang who was beside him, "They're all here?"

He Xuyang nodded and said, "4th Division's Commander Luo Mingkun, 7th Division's Commander Yuwen Jian, and the 13th Division's Commander Qi Yaoyang have already arrived at the command center, and are currently waiting for you."

"They came here pretty early." Ling Xiao raised his eyebrow. Not everyone accepted him in the military. He was already prepared for someone to arrive later in order to usurp his command.

He Xuyang smiled after hearing those words. "Um, Li Yuanbin followed Commander Luo here and Staff Officer Zhang Helun came with Commander Yuwen."

Ling Xiao's footsteps slowed down a bit when he heard a familiar name. He smirked and said, "So it's him…"

He Xuyang knew who Ling Xiao referred to by 'him'. It was because the 4th Division's general wouldn't deliberately come late because of their relationship with the Li family. After all, both of the publicly known successors from the Li family were working under his daughter. He had to at least give some respect to the father of the regiment commander of their successors. Ling Xiao originally thought the 7th Division's Commander Yuwen Jian would use this opportunity to cement his authority through defying him… but now it seemed Ling Xiao's old subordinates didn't allow such a thing to happen.

"Let's go see them." Ling Xiao smiled and sat in the prepared hover car. They quickly flew towards the inner parts of the spaceport where the command center was built.

Click… clack… click…

The generals along with their vice generals were all sitting in the command center when they heard the distinct sound of confident footsteps coming closer and closer.

Whoosh! The door of the command center opened automatically. Everyone turned around to look and saw a heroic and yet mild-mannered soldier. Just one look was enough to invoke good feelings about him.

"General Ling!" Everyone stood up immediately and saluted.

Ling Xiao walked into the command center and smiled, "Everyone, please sit."

Everyone then sat back down.

Ling Xiao walked to the main seat and sat down. He Xuyang then immediately handed Ling Xiao the documents he had prepared.

He Xuyang's assistants also handed out documents they had prepared to the other division commanders and their vice generals.

Ling Xiao pointed at the documents and said, "This is the assault plan I've drawn up. Everyone take a look and see if it's alright."

After hearing those words, everyone opened the documents and carefully examined them.

After reading through a few pages, many people frowned. Yuwen Jian was the first who couldn't hold it in. He closed the document and asked, "General, isn't this plan too risky? Every step has many uncertain factors. The plan doesn't look good."

Ling Xiao nodded in agreement. "I also think it's a bit risky. However, I must make something clear, and that is we do not have much time."

After hearing those words, everyone's expressions turned heavy. In reality, after they had received orders to attack the Twilight Empire, they knew the Federation didn't give them much time to prepare.

Once Caesar decided to join the battle, the results cannot be predicted anymore. Although the Federation was hell-bent on going to war, they still didn't want to get into a bad position because of it. The burden on their backs was undoubtedly heavy.

Liu Mingkun's finger tapped on the table and a thought appeared in his mind. He then asked, "How many god-class operators did the military headquarters send to aid us? Other than you general." As the commander-in-chief, Ling Xiao wouldn't go into battle that easily. They could only hope the military headquarters could provide them with some more military strength and more god-class operators. That way, when they went through with this plan, they would be more confident.

"Falling Snow Zhong Zhengxiu, Sky Full Of Stars Ren Jianghui, and Hell Hound Lian Yigui." Ling Xiao slowly read out the list of god-class operators that he had already received

However, the names of these three individuals didn't make the looks on everyone's face get any better. It was because these three people never had the upper hand when fighting against the Twilight Empire's great mecha lords. It could be said that the three god-class operators the Federation had sent were those on the bottom of the barrel of god-class mecha operators. Sky Full Of Stars Ren Jianghui was even the lowest ranked god-class mecha master amongst all of the god-class operators.

"There's one more. King Muqi!" However, after Ling Xiao read out the last name on the list, everyone became much more relaxed. King Muqi was one of the top three god-class operators of the Federation. Even though Ling Xiao rose up above him in recent years, no one dared to question King Muqi's capabilities. Some even thought that in terms of battle experience and performance, Ling Xiao might not even be able to compare to him even though Ling Xiao's piloting capabilities were known throughout the galaxy as having no weaknesses.

When the other two generals and their vice general were smiling from the news, Ling Xiao and Qi Yaoyang looked at each other with a gaze that only the two of them understood.

Ling Xiao knew very well that Qi Yaoyang probably did something to have King Muqi join the war. When he received the list of names, he was also shocked. It should be known that King Muqi had always been stationed at the northeastern border. He had been guarding the area for almost 60 years while never showing his face to the public.

"Then, when will the four god-class operators arrive and how will they be distributed?" asked Yuwen Jian in a concerned tone.

"Falling Snow Zhong Zhengxiu, Sky Full of Stars Ren Jianghui and Hell Hound Lian Yigui will probably be arriving today. King Muqi's time of arrival has not been confirmed yet," replied Ling Xiao.

"According to the danger level of the plan, I will arrange for the appropriate god-class operator to assist," Ling Xiao said as he pointed at the documents in front of him. "Now everyone can think about which path you would like to take."

After he said those words, the entire command center became dead silent. All of the division commanders were calculating which path they should take on. It was just as Ling Xiao had mentioned. There were four paths they could take. There were safer paths and more dangerous paths. However, once they complete the missions, the merits and rewards would be on par with the level of risk they took on the path.

"I will choose the second path," Luo Mingkun and Li Yuanbin discussed amongst themselves for a moment and was the first to ask for the mission on the second path.

Compared to the other paths, the second one was somewhat safer. The mission was more mechanical in nature and it would be in close proximity to all the other three paths. Despite there being a battle there, it was still more like a path for cleaning up the aftermath.

It wasn't because they were afraid of taking risks and danger but rather, it was because compared to the other divisions, the 4th Division was clearly less powerful.

Could the 4th Division's military power be worse than the 23rd Division that had just been established recently? Well, the 23rd Division had General Ling Xiao. If there was any danger, the general could just use his god-class mecha and join the battle as the top ranked god-class operator of the Federation. No one would be able to go against him unless he met up with the Twilight Empire's top three god-class operators at the same time.

Compared to the 23rd Division's confidence in Ling Xiao, the 4th Division wasn't too confident with themselves. Even if there were two god-class operators helping them, they were not Ling Xiao. It just wasn't enough even if there were two god-class mecha operators.

Knowing themselves very well, the 4th Division would, of course, choose the path that was most appropriate. All in all, they were still thinking on the safe side and wouldn't be willing to take any risks that easily.

After hearing Luo Mingkun choosing the second path, Yuwen Jian pondered for a moment before saying, "Then, I'll choose the third path."

Although the third path was dangerous, it was still a mission that suited his likings. Additionally, the path he chose was considered to be the least defended path according to the information the military headquarters had given them.

Qi Yaoyang looked through the documents back and forth, and then said calmly, "I choose the first path."

"General!" His vice general, Jin Anlong had a slight change in expression and shouted out loud.

"Don't worry." Qi Yaoyang smiled as he patted his shoulder to comfort him.

Jin Anlong's mouth moved but in the end, he swallowed his opinion to oppose the idea and accepted his general's decision.

Ling Xiao had a happy look in his eyes. It seemed that in more than a year's worth of time, Qi Yaoyang had already made the soldiers and officers respect him, completely taking control of the 13th Division.

"The first path is very dangerous. There are many positions with heavy amounts of troops from the Twilight Empire." Ling Xiao thought for a moment and then continued, "How about this? King Muqi and Sky Full Of Stars Ren Jianghui will follow the 13th Division."

Ling Xiao looked towards the 7th Division's general, Yuwen Jian, and said, "Hell Hound Lian Yigui will follow the 7th Division. Falling Snow Zhong Zhengxiu will aid the 4th Division."

Yuwen Jian was slightly unhappy with Ling Xiao's arrangements of god-class operators. However, after thinking the 13th Division had chosen the first path, the chance they would face a god-class operator was much higher. Hell Hound Lian Yigui was also clearly stronger than the 4th Division's Falling Snow Zhong Zhengxiu. He wasn't even considered weak when compared to the Twilight Empire's top three god-class operators. With Hell Hound by aiding him, they would probably be fine along the way.

The 4th Division Commander Luo Mingkun also didn't have anything to say. They were only doing a mechanical mission. A god-class mecha master that wasn't weak was enough for him. He originally thought they would be given the weakest god-class operator, Sky Full Of Stars Ren Jianghui. He didn't expect Ling Xiao to give them special care which was Falling Snow Zhong Zhengxiu.

Qi Yaoyang also didn't disagree with Ling Xiao's arrangements. In reality, King Muqi joining the war had something to do with him. Thus, no matter which path he took, King Muqi would definitely be following him. If he had chosen the somewhat safer routes and King Muqi followed him, it would be too much. It would make Ling Xiao be in a tough spot in terms of the distribution of god-class mecha operators.

Thus, Qi Yaoyang choosing the route for frontal assault was predetermined. Ling Xiao already knew his intent to choose the dangerous route. That was why he sent Sky Full Of Stars Ren Jianghui to him. It was to decrease the pressure and burdens for Qi Yaoyang

"Alright, everyone has chosen what they want. Then, my 23rd Division will be responsible for the fourth path," smiled Ling Xiao.

The fourth path was not any easier than the first path, it might be even more dangerous. That was because the first path was a clear frontline assault route. It was going to be used as a decoy to try to attract all the attention of the Twilight Empire. The fourth route on the other hand, was a route for a sneak attack, entering the borders of the Twilight Empire without being discovered. They would attack the capital planet that housed the government powers directly to completely take out the morale of the Twilight Empire.

In order to cover the 23rd Division's movements, the 4th Division responsible for the mechanical mission will be disguising themselves as the 23rd Division. They would create the illusion that their general was in the backlines commanding the troops.

Everyone had received their respective assignments. They were waiting for the god-class operators to arrive to officially begin their assault.

Qi Yaoyang purposely stayed behind. He waited until Luo Mingkun and Yuwen Jian left the command center before turning around to speak to Ling Xiao, "King Muqi will probably get here today as well."

Ling Xiao nodded to show that he already knew about it. He wasn't angry about the fact that King Muqi went to Qi Yaoyang instead of him. Ling Xiao knew the relationship between King Muqi and Qi Yaoyang. The relationship was told to him by Qi Yaoyang himself.

If those from Northeastern Muqi didn't join the military, they would always say their surname was 'Muqi'. If they were to join the military, they would choose one of the surnames between the two choices. Qi Yaoyang chose the surname 'Qi' back in the day.

As an elder of the Northeastern Muqi, King Muqi would, of course, not want anything to happen to Qi Yaoyang in this dangerous war since Qi Yaoyang was the imperial mecha master who was the closest to reaching god-class operator status. Thus, he personally came to protect this junior of his. Otherwise, why would this god-class operator who was already prepared to die of old age come out once again onto the battlefield? Why would he appear on the frontlines?

All in all, King Muqi was here for Qi Yaoyang and was only responsible for Qi Yaoyang himself. His presence wasn't in any way related to Ling Xiao.

Qi Yaoyang and Ling Xiao continued to talk with each other. Compared to the other two divisions, they had more trust in each other.

In reality, whether Ling Xiao's sneak attack would be successful was dependent on how strong of an act Qi Yaoyang put on the front

well, it would be even better. That way, Ling Xiao would be more confident in his sneak attack on the Twilight Empire's capital planet. However, Ling Xiao and Qi Yaoyang wouldn't put their hopes in others. If they did that, they would be too passive and be in more danger. They liked it more when they could have everything in their control.

After they finished discussing, Qi Yaoyang said his goodbyes to Ling Xiao and left the command center. After he walked out, Vice General Jin Anlong finally couldn't hold it in and asked, "General, are you in alliance with General Ling Xiao?"

'Wasn't general under the Third Marshal's faction? Why would he be in such good relations with General Ling who was a part of the First Marshal's faction?' Vice General Jin Anlong, who followed Qi Yaoyang all the way here, felt he figured out a secret.

"I know you're neutral and have nothing to

Qi Yaoyang smiled indifferently. "Although the general and I are of different factions, our goals and dreams are the same. Factions are factions, but they cannot stop us from reaching our goals."

After saying that, Qi Yaoyang turned towards Jin Anlong and continued, "Like you, even though you're neutral, your goal is still the same as mine. To me, you are the most important comrade and someone who I have the most trust in."

Jin Anlong's expression changed instantly. A bright light flashed through his eyes and a feeling of happiness from being finally understood began to emerge in his mind.

"General…" Jin Anlong wanted to say something. However, as someone who wasn't too good with his words, he didn't know what to say.

"Alright, let's not dilly-dally. Now, let's perform perfectly in this war. We will need to work hard." Qi Yaoyang had a huge smile on his face as he patted Jin Anlong on the shoulder before getting in the hover car.

Jin Anlong looked towards Qi Yaoyang's tall and husky silhouette and smiled slightly. Perhaps, he had finally found a capable general who he could give all of his loyalty towards.

Chapter 1198 Prediction!

"Boss! I've got news!" Qi Long excitedly burst into Ling Lan's office.

Ling Lan calmly raised her head. "What is it?"

"The 13th division has officially started fighting with the Twilight Empire at the planetary sector of Planet Wild!" Qi Long was jumping in excitement.

The 13th division was his father's division. Although he quarreled with his father over his decision to stay with Ling Lan, his father still admitted defeat in the end and relented to his choice. Qi Long respected his father a lot. Of course, he could only be the second in his heart behind the one and only.

It couldn't be helped. The first position had been taken by Boss.

"Okay!" Ling Lan nodded. She looked through the documents in her hand and asked, "What about the other divisions?"

Qi Long was stunned for a moment. He rushed here immediately after hearing the news about his father so he didn't have the time to ask about the other divisions.

"The 4th division is untraceable. The 7th division is in the Zheyu planetary sector. We can predict they will choose Planet Muliu as the battlefield so that they can flank the defense army of Twilight from the side." A gentle voice sounded in the room. Ling Lan raised her head again. She saw Li Lanfeng and the other people walking into her room.

Ling Lan nodded at them. "Everyone is here."

"Regiment commander!" Everyone saluted.

"Let's go to the meeting room to guess the plan of our army." Ling Lan stood up and led everyone to the meeting room.

Everyone took a seat in the meeting room. All the brigade leaders that were available had come, even some of the heads of the logistics departments took out some time for this meeting. Ling Lan would call for a meeting to discuss the war situation between the two nations occasionally.

A battle had started between the two nations. This meant that there was no path of retreat.

"Open your minds and voice out your thoughts. There's no need to worry whether it makes sense or not. Just speak your mind," Ling Lan said.

Everyone exchanged glances with each other. There was silence. Li Lanfeng saw this and smiled. He stood up and said, "Let me start first." He walked out and turned on the optical supercomputer in the meeting room. One side of the wall turned into a huge screen. The map of the galaxy was displayed on the screen. It was filled with planetary sectors and planets.

Li Lanfeng moved his hands across the screen and focused the image on the planetary sector of the Twilight Empire.

"Based on the information we have on hand, the 13th division is in charge of the frontal assault. The 7th division is in charge of flanking. The 23rd division will bring up the rear and reinforce any division in need. The 4th division is untraceable. It could be hiding beside the two attacking divisions or it might have another mission which we don't know." Li Lanfeng predicted the mission of every division based on the information they had gotten so far.

"I feel that the 4th division might be in charge of ambush and disturbance to the enemy. They will attack all the sides of the Twilight Empire to prevent Twilight from congregating their military strength on the two battlefields." This was Li Lanfeng's prediction.

Many brigade leaders nodded in agreement.

Han Jijyun frowned slightly. He thought for a moment before opening his mouth. "I just have a question. Based on Big Leader Li's prediction, we're using offensive tactics. However, do we have the time to move slowly through the planets one by one?"

"This tactic is safe and we have deployed more god-class mecha masters than the number of god-class mecha masters in the Twilight Empire. By right, we should be the one winning the war if we slowly push through all the planets. However, we know that time is not on our side. Once Caesar makes their decision and participates in this war, we won't have an advantage anymore." Yang Mingzhi was worried about this point. If he had a choice, he didn't want to start an intergalactic war. The consequences from starting such a war were huge.

"The war just started. We don't know the follow-up plans of our army. Maybe the general has other arrangements," Liu Furong added.

"Maybe everything might just be a probe. Everyone thinks that the 7th division wanted to attack Planet Muliu since it's at the Zheyu planetary sector but that might not be the case," Luo Lang said with a cold face. Everyone knew that Luo Lang had sent his calm personality out.

"There's too little information. Moreover, it is delayed too," Xie Yi said. Base Nebula was in the opposite direction of Twilight. Hence, they were the last people to receive any updates of the war. If Ling Lan didn't use her hacking ability to get some news, they might be receiving them even later.

"That can't be helped. We're not at the frontline of the battle. The news we received has been filtered by the people on the frontline," Li Lanfeng sighed. The higher authorities at the military headquarters might be able to know the exact plan of assault but people like them could only guess based on the bits of information they received. Their guess might be totally different from the real plan.

"Actually, I'm not asking for a perfect replica of the overall plan. I just hope that you can familiarise yourself with the current updates of the war," Ling Lan opened her mouth when she noticed that everyone seemed dejected at their failure to guess the overall plan.

Everyone looked at Ling Lan in surprise. Normally, new divisions, including independent armies, wouldn't be allowed on the battlefield for the first three years of its creation.

"No one knows what will happen in the future. Thus, we must always be prepared for war. The more preparations we make, the fewer the number of unnecessary deaths. I hope that everyone can remember this," Ling Lan said in a serious tone.

"Yes, commander!" Everyone stood up.

Ling Lan asked them to sit down and they continued the conversation.

At that moment, the quiet Yan Three hesitated and finally decided to speak. "Commander, I'm a uneducated person. I don't understand a thing about strategies, so I can only use my past experiences to analyse this war."

"Just say it. Sometimes, your experience is more useful than wild guesses," Ling Lan encouraged him.

"Most of the time, if our goal was to end the war as quickly as possible, we'll attack the central command center and destroy it directly." Yan Three told everyone his decision when facing such battles.

Chapter 1199 Little White's Turbulence?

"However, it's almost impossible to attack the capital planet of a nation during such a huge war. We need to pass through so many lines of defense while remaining undiscovered by our enemies. This is too difficult especially since we would require the strength of an entire division to take down a capital city. It's not like we are just sneaking in as a small group of people. The number of soldiers in a division is too high to remain undiscovered." Yan Three sighed.

Everyone pondered over Yan Three's words, they felt enlightened.

Yan Three got nervous when he noticed everyone was being so quiet. He was afraid that what he said might lead everyone astray so he quickly added on, "I'm just talking nonsense. You don't have to take my words so seriously."

"No, Leader Yan, you make a lot of sense. That is a very good way of thinking about it. To accomplish such a plan, the ambushing army just needs to find a way to hide from the enemy." Li Lanfeng acknowledged what Yan Three had said. However, he understood why Yan Three said it was impossible too. How were they able to make an entire division disappear from their enemy's vision.

"But based on our current technology, it's impossible to hide an entire division." Everyone shook their heads in disagreement. Yan Three���s idea was good but it was more suitable for small scale battles. When they entered the territory of another nation, they would constantly be under the surveillance of the nation's satellites. Even a god-class hacker wouldn't be able to make a division disappear from the surveillance.

Well, if they had a team of god-class hackers, it might be possible. But were there really god-class hackers?

No god-class hacker had ever appeared in the history of the human race.

"We'll put this idea to the side and come back to it again," Ling Lan concluded. This plan was hard to fulfill unless her father had someone like Little Four by his side. But, it wasn't impossible.

Yan Three's idea reminded her that she could do things other people couldn't. Hence, she mustn't be restricted by the thoughts of the average people.

After Yan Three's seemingly impossible idea got acknowledged, everyone became bolder with their suggestion for what the plan might be. Those that thought their ideas were impossible spoke up too. Yan Three's idea sounded even more impossible than theirs but their regiment commander accepted it so there was nothing to be afraid of.

Ling Lan took in some suggestions that were creative but impossible due to the current level of technology. At that moment, Luo Chao entered the meeting room and whispered into Ling Lan's ears.

Ling Lan raised her eyebrows in surprise before she nodded.

"Vice Commander Yang, you take over," Ling Lan said.

Yang Mingzhi nodded. Ling Lan left the room.

Li Lanfeng watched Ling Lan as she left the room. He stared at Luo Chao and frowned. The smile of his face froze.

Ling Lan walked out quickly and Luo Chao hurriedly caught up with her.

"What did Shiyu say?" Ling Lan asked.

Luo Chao replied immediately, "Brother Shiyu said that Little White might have slept for too long. In addition, it has successfully evolved so its wild nature was awakened again. It's very aggressive now. He managed to tranquilize Little White but it probably won't keep it asleep for long. He is afraid he might not be able to control it so he asked me to come and look for you."

"I understand. I'll go there first in case the situation gets worse." The instant she finished speaking, Ling Lan disappeared.

Luo Chao looked at the spot where Ling Lan was standing moments ago. She knew that Boss was a female but the amount of admiration she had for her didn't decrease but increased instead. Boss always did things she and Xuya always wanted to do but couldn't.

Luo Chao believed that one day, Boss would stand at the peak of the human race and look down on everyone. When the truth was finally revealed, no one would dare to say that a woman was weaker than a man.

Luo Chao felt a fire burning in her heart when she thought about the future. She wanted to follow Boss as she walked on the path of glory. She was willing to sacrifice her entire life to stay beside Boss.

While Luo Chao was hardening her resolve to walk towards the uncertain future, the medical department was in a mess. Many medics were moving the patients away from their original locations. Their department head had sent an emergency order for them to transfer the patients as far away as possible.

"Regiment commander!" One of the medics saw Ling Lan appearing in the medical department and exclaimed in surprise.

"Regiment commander!" Everyone started greeting Ling Lan with respect and happiness.

"Maintain order." Ling Lan threw this sentence at them before disappearing again. She could feel the turbulence in Little White's spiritual power already. No wonder Shiyu asked all the medics to leave with the patients. Once Little White's spiritual power went out of control, these people would be hurt by the force. The closer they were to the source, the more injuries they would sustain.

In the next second, Ling Lan arrived in Little White's room.

Li Shiyu was still trying to suppress Little White. He injected many tranquilizers but the effect wasn't good. Little White didn't become unconscious. Instead, it started resisting furiously. Fortunately, the medication had some effect so he managed to suppress Little White for a while.

"Leave it to me." Ling Lan placed her hand on Little White's head. She could tell that Little White was about to change form soon.

"Boss, you're finally here." Li Shiyu heaved a sigh of relief. He felt his forehead was covered with cold sweat. He really thought that a huge disaster was going to happen.

"Little White, what's wrong?" Ling Lan used her spiritual power to communicate with Little White.

"Squeak!" Little White screamed agitatedly. Li Shiyu felt his ears exploding. He almost fainted.

Some of the medics who were near to Little White's room felt dizzy and almost fainted too.

"Bastard!" Ling Lan heard Little White screaming in anger.

"Rawr…"

"He bullied me!" Little White complained to its master furiously.

Damn it. It just woke up and got a bit too excited so it accidentally broke the things in the room, but this fellow just used a sharp thing to continuously poke it. It was so painful. Bastard, bastard, bastard…

Ling Lan was so speechless that she almost vomited blood. So all of these were just a misunderstanding?

Chapter 1200 Zuojing wormhole!

"What's wrong?" Li Shiyu felt nervous when he saw Ling Lan's weird expression.

"Nothing." Ling Lan glanced at Li Shiyu. She couldn't tell him that this was all a misunderstanding.

She didn't want to embarass Li Shiyu so she could only reprimand Little White.

"These are all Li Shiyu's treasures." Ling Lan tapped Little White's fat head forcefully. "You're lucky that he only poked you with needles. If you really angered him, he might have used you for his experiments."

Ling Lan purposely turned to look at one side of Li Shiyu's laboratory that was filled with wilted and yellowish plants. "Just like those plants over there. You don't want to be like those plants, right?"

Little White immediately calmed its burning rage for needles down. However, as Ling Lan continued to talk about the poor fate of those plants, its body tensed up in fear. It remembered that it often came to this laboratory when it stayed with Li Lanfeng. It would always see Li Shiyu looking menacingly at the plants and torturing the plants with all kinds of equipment. In the end, the plants all died a horrible death-being dehydrated until crumbling apart to dust. There wasn't even a corpse left. It was frightening!

Little White was so frightened by its thoughts that it jumped into Ling Lan's arms and buried its head in her chest. Its tentacles were trembling furiously. It had totally forgotten how powerful it was when it attacked Li Shiyu with its spiritual power just now.

Ling Lan sighed as she looked at the naive Little White. What kind of pet did she raise? It wasn't befitting of her domineering image.

Little White looked really pitiful so Ling Lan decided to console it. She lifted a finger and started scratching Little White's body. Little White immediately stopped trembling in fear. After some time, it laid down voluntarily and hummed happily. "This is so comfortable. Master, over here. I want more…"

It had totally forgotten how frightened it was just now. As expected of a stupid pet.

After resolving Li Shiyu's problem, Ling Lan brought Little White back to the meeting room and continued the discussion with everyone.

While they were discussing, a huge army had secretly arrived near the abandoned Zuojing dimensional wormhole.

"General, the condition of the wormhole is unstable. Due to the explosion of Planet Zuojing, the wormhole had turned unstable, causing explosions to be quite frequent in the area which also caused turbulence in the wormhole. Even if we don't encounter any strong turbulence, it would be hard for us to pass through this wormhole without endangering the lives of soldiers." He Xuyang told Ling Xiao the report of the condition on Planet Zuojing.

Ling Xiao frowned. "I didn't expect it to be this bad."

This abandoned wormhole was a very important factor in his overall plan. As long as they could get past the wormhole successfully, they would be able to reach the center of the Twilight Empire. Even if they were discovered, he would still be able to use his raw strength to defeat his opponents as long as Qi Yaoyang was able to hold back one god-class operator. If all went according to plan, he would be able to attack the capital planet of Twilight.

"Shall we find another way?" He Xuyang suggested although he knew that wasn't a viable option.

Ling Xiao didn't reply to him. He pondered for a while before suddenly looking up and said, "Prepare my mecha. I want to enter the wormhole using [Belief]."

He wouldn't be able to make a decision until he personally saw the condition of the wormhole. He truly wished to defeat Twilight, but he wouldn't needlessly endanger his soldiers' lives.

He Xuyang had been following Ling Xiao for many years, so he knew that once Ling Xiao made a decision, no one could make him change it. Hence, he nodded and said, "I'll make the arrangements immediately."

Moreover, he knew that the protective shield of a god-class mecha was strong enough to protect his general, so he had no reason to stop Ling Xiao from doing so.

Soon, the entire 23rd division was aware that their general was going to operate (Belief) to inspect the wormhole ahead. Everyone who was free tried to squeeze beside the windows of the starship just to get a good look of the god-class mecha, [Belief].

Although General Ling Xiao was the general of the 23rd division, his god-class mecha was rarely ever seen. Even at this moment, the god-class mecha was kept in a secret compartment of the mecha hold. Only designated logisticians were able to enter the compartment to perform maintenance on the mecha. No one else could get near it.

While everyone was shoving and pushing their comrades to get a good look, the sound of engines revving was heard and a flash of bright light shone passed them. Then… nothing happened.

"Where is (Belief]?" The soldiers in front of the windows were stunned. What did they just see? Where was (Belief]?

"It has already entered the wormhole." A few ace operators shrugged and sighed in pity.

Their eyesight was a few times better than a normal soldier, but even they could only manage to catch a glimpse of the lingering shadows of a god-class mecha. As expected of a god-class mecha. The speed… it hadn't even activated its Divine Wind system. If its Divine Wind system was activated, they probably wouldn't even be that flash of light.

Of course, this was an exaggeration. There would still be traces left behind but those with poor eyesight wouldn't be able to catch it.

"Who can fight with this speed?" Many soldiers were in awe.

"That's why only god-class operators can fight with god-class operators," the ace mecha masters replied to the shocked crowd. If they met an imperial operator, they might be able to defeat him with overwhelming numbers but if their opponent was a god-class operator… no matter how many ace mecha masters there were, they would die. One attack from a god-class operator was enough to pulverize an entire mecha clan.

Divine Punishment was too frightening.

Ling Xiao controlled (Belief) and entered the Zuojing wormhole. Before he could see what was going on, he felt a powerful force sucking him in.

"General, the force is 1237N." (Belief] immediately reported the strength of the suction force.

"Continue flying in to gather more data," Ling Xiao ordered.

"Yes, (Belief) understands." (Belief] slowly moved forward and gathered data of its surroundings.

Ling Xiao looked at the wormhole that was filled with ruins and meteorites. He couldn't help but remember what happened that year.

The destruction of Planet Zuojing and the entire Zuojing wormhole was caused by him.

The first mission he chose when he advanced to a god-class operator was the destruction of Planet Zuojing. Because of this dumb act he made in the past, he would forever be at loggerheads with the Twilight Empire.

Thinking about it, this was probably the reason why the Twilight Empire kept wanting to kill him.

"I was too naive in the past," Ling Xiao mocked himself.

He thought that he had hid his identity well but he didn't expect a spy to exist among the higher authorities of the Federation. Somehow, this spy knew of his mission.

Luckily, he acted quickly. If not, he might have been killed by the Twilight Empire while he was carrying out his mission.