1411-1420

1411 Stupid Little Girl

Li Shiyu felt his world was being overturned. His emotions were in a mess. He looked up at Luo Chao to see a tinge of worry on her face. However, there were no signs of anger. He felt weird so he asked, "You, don't hate Regiment Commander Li?"

His brother was the third party between the relationship of Luo Chao and Boss. Shouldn't Luo Chao be angry and furious at his intrusion?

"Huh?" Luo Chao was puzzled by Li Shiyu's question.

"You're Boss's fiancée. Why aren't you angry at all?" Li Shiyu couldn't understand what Luo Chao was thinking.

"Ah…" Luo Chao finally understood why he was confused by her mild reaction. Right, she was the rightful fiancée of Boss. Why was she getting stepped on by Regiment Commander Li?

She pondered for some time. She had never thought about this so when Regiment Commander Li's affair came out, she was stunned.

But, she couldn't tell Li Shiyu the truth so she replied, "Actually if Boss likes him, I can accept it. It's just that the news came so abruptly that I can't control my emotions."

"You're… really a stupid little girl." Li Shiyu felt deeply saddened when he saw Luo Chao taking a backseat in her relationship. In the past, he thought Boss was someone who would take care of his younger sister's future but now, it didn't seem to be the case.

"Why don't you ask Regiment Commander Li about it? If they're really together, I'll learn to accept it," Luo Chao bit her lips as she asked. She felt a little unwilling, but if her goddess chose Regiment Commander Li, she had to force herself to change her attitude towards the matter. She felt that she could do it.

"Really!" Li Shiyu touched Luo Chao's hair lovingly. She was too kind.

If his elder brother was really in a relationship with Boss… Shiyu couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

Luo Chao was definitely not his elder brother's match. She might not even know how she died.

After all these years, Li Shiyu had gained some understanding of his elder brother's real personality. His elder brother was someone who wouldn't allow any obstacles in his path. If what Luo Chao said was true, Luo Chao and Han Xuya would become the obstacles that his elder brother wouldn't allow to exist.

Two days passed by quickly. The battle at the frontline became even more heated. Reports came flying in every few hours. These reports might be about their own team or their opponent's team. There were reports about the other armies too. The entire rainbow palace was running on full gear because of the battle.

Logistics was very important during a prolonged battle. Fortunately, the previous Lord Gen had an abundance of supplies, and with Ling Lan getting a continuous supply of resources from Lingtian and the Chaotic Lands, her army had a smooth journey during the battle.

Victory reports kept coming from the frontline so everyone in the rainbow palace were all in a good mood. They seemed exceptionally light-hearted when they did their work.

But, someone wasn't happy. As time went by, his emotions got heavier. He would occasionally be in a trance and sigh.

Soon, Ling Lan heard about his abnormal state.

"Oh? Are you saying that Li Shiyu's emotions have been weird lately?" Ling Lan closed the file in her hand when she heard this. She was a little confused. She looked at Han Xuya intently.

"Yes." Han Xuya was in charge of organising the medical supplies so she met Li Shiyu very often. She was quite a perceptive person so after a few interactions, she noticed something wrong with him.

"Luo Chao seemed strange too. But, no matter how much I pestered her, she just brushed it off by saying she is fine." Han Xuya changed the topic and talked about Luo Chao. She seemed confused. The people around her had been acting weirdly in these past few days.

Li Lanfeng, who was arranging piles of documents at the side, let out a slight smirk when he heard this. He seemed to think that what Han Xuya said was interesting.

Yes, Regiment Commander Li too. Han Xuya saw Li Lanfeng from the corner of her eyes. She felt that Regiment Commander Li's gaze was chilling when he looked at her.

Luo Chao? Did she really have a misunderstanding? Should she look for Luo Chao to have a chat and tell her that there was nothing going on between Li Lanfeng and her?

Ling Lan felt her head hurting. This was the trouble created by Li Lanfeng. Thinking about this, she turned and glanced coldly at Li Lanfeng who was snickering secretly at the side.

Li Lanfeng felt Ling Lan's gaze. He shrugged innocently and expressed that he didn't know anything.

Ling Lan was thinking if she should punish Li Lanfeng with a month of training. However, this fellow was in charge of her three meals. If he really collapsed from the punishment… she wouldn't have any food to eat.

F**k, the result of punishing him was that she would go hungry? Ling Lan felt speechless. She realized she had no choice, but to forgive him.

Still, she felt that she needed to meet Luo Chao to explain to her. As for Li Shiyu, Li Lanfeng was his brother, right? Let Li Lanfeng solve his younger brother's problem.

"Lanfeng, go find Shiyu and show him some concern. Tell me what's the matter with him." Ling Lan decisively threw this responsibility to Li Lanfeng.

"Yes, my Lord Gen," Li Lanfeng smiled as he replied. There was happiness in his voice. He seemed to be teasing Ling Lan too.

The moment he finished speaking, he disappeared on the spot. He went to look for Li Shiyu.

Only Ling Lan and Han Xuya were left in the meeting room. Han Xuya didn't have to worry anymore so she crossed her arms and said with contempt, "Boss, don't you think that Regiment Commander Li's tone is unbearable?"

Ling Lan replied calmly, "Isn't it very normal?" That's because you haven't seen how shameless he was when he laid on her bed. Once you see that, everything else is normal.

Normal? Han Xuya started wondering if she was thinking too much. She always believed that Boss was right.

"Yes, it's very normal, Maybe I got affected by Brother Shiyu and Luo Chao. Because of them, everything felt weird lately." Han Xuya gave herself the perfect excuse.

Ling Lan didn't know what to say when she looked at Han Xuya. Sister, I was just saying nonsense.

In the medical department, Li Shiyu, who was keeping records on the stock of medical agents, couldn't help but let out a sigh as he looked at his agents.

How was he supposed to look for his elder brother to talk about this? Luo Chao asked him to question his elder brother but he didn't know where to start. If everything was just Luo Chao's misunderstanding, would he hurt his brother if he asked him directly?

In these past two days, after calming down and recalling what Luo Chao said, he felt that her evidence wasn't solid enough, so there was a high likelihood of it being a misunderstanding.

Of course, this was because Li Shiyu couldn't believe that his immortal-like elder brother would degrade into such a character unless he really loved Boss. But, in all these years, he never noticed his elder brother showing that kind of feeling towards Boss. Did his elder brother hide his emotions too well or did Luo Chao overanalyze?

Thinking about this, Li Shiyu couldn't help but sigh again.

"I stood here for five minutes and you have sighed three times. Shiyu, what is on your mind?" A gentle voice entered his ears. Li Shiyu raised his head abruptly to see his elder brother standing in front of his desk looking at him with a frown with a gaze filled with worry.

1412 Truth?

Li Shiyu was pleasantly surprised. "Brother, why are you here?"

"Can't I come to see you when I'm free?" Li Lanfeng raised his eyebrows.

"You're usually busy. If there's no business, you won't come and look for me." Li Shiyu directly exposed his elder brother's lies.

Li Lanfeng rubbed his forehead awkwardly. It looked like having a younger brother who knew him too well wasn't a good thing. He couldn't put on the nice guy facade he was so used to.

"Xuya said that you have been acting weird lately. She's a little worried so she told Boss, and Boss asked me to talk to you." Since he was exposed, Li Lanfeng didn't pretend anymore. He immediately told Li Shiyu his intention for coming.

Li Shiyu looked at Li Lanfeng with an aggrieved expression. Wasn't his gloomy mood caused by the person in front of him? Now, the guilty person came to question him with an innocent face. Li Shiyu could feel a mouthful of blood getting stuck at the back of his throat.

Li Lanfeng was a perceptive person, so he immediately understood what Li Shiyu meant just by looking at him. He pointed at himself and asked, "Because of me?"

Li Shiyu replied to Li Lanfeng with an 'it's good that you know' look.

"My body condition has been very good recently. I didn't cause any trouble recently too." Li Lanfeng immediately denied any responsibility for Li Shiyu's down mood by showing the facts to prove that he didn't do anything to make his younger brother unhappy.

"You didn't cause any trouble?" Li Shiyu squeezed the words out from between his teeth.

Li Lanfeng's expression was very innocent, he really made it seem as if Li Shiyu was in the wrong instead. With the help of his beautiful and ethereal face, Li Shiyu, for a moment, really thought that he was in the wrong. Did he misunderstand his elder brother?

Huh? When did his brother take off his mask? Li Shiyu immediately saw the mask in Li Lanfeng's right hand…

F**k. Can his brother be more shameless than this? Is he trying to use his beauty to escape the questioning?

Li Shiyu had seen this face many times so he was slightly immune to it. He got enchanted for a moment but he soon managed to barely regain his composure. "Brother, don't try to be evasive."

Li Lanfeng saw that he couldn't escape this time so he asked helplessly, "Fine, what do you want to say? Since you think that I'm guilty, you should at least give me the reason why."

Li Shiyu contemplated for a while before asking carefully, "Erm, Luo Chao said that she saw you sleeping over at Boss's bedroom two days ago. What happened?"

Li Lanfeng snickered a little when he heard this. He said calmly, "What else can happen? I discussed some matters with Boss until late at night so I ended up sleeping there."

"There are many bedrooms at Boss's place. Sleeping on the same bed… Boss never allowed that before." Li Shiyu was too shy to speak directly.

"That doesn't mean that it will never happen." Li Lanfeng smiled ambiguously. "Why are you saying all that? Do you think it's not right?"

"Boss, Boss, knows your appearance… Brother, if you do this, won't people misunderstand?" Li Shiyu's face turned red but he still expressed his worry.

"What kind of misunderstanding can they have?" Li Lanfeng raised his eyebrows slightly. His faint smile disappeared and his gaze turned cold.

The change in his expression caused Li Shiyu to feel that his elder brother had suddenly become very distant. It gave him the illusion that he would lose his elder brother at any moment. Li Shiyu was frightened. He shook his head hurriedly and said, "Nothing, nothing. I'm just worried that you'll be harmed by rumours."

"Rumours? Why didn't I hear about it? What kind of rumours?" Li Lanfeng asked nonchalantly.

"Actually, it's nothing. Maybe I had a misunderstanding too." Li Shiyu didn't dare to look at Li Lanfeng's eyes. At that moment, he felt that he must have misunderstood his elder brother and that Luo Chao probably misunderstood what Boss said.

"What kind of misunderstanding are you talking about?" Li Lanfeng continued pressing for an answer. "If you don't say it, how can I relieve you from your doubts? With our relationship, there's no need to hide anything between us. It's better to be frank. Misunderstandings only happen because people aren't frank enough. If it is not resolved, the misunderstanding will fester and in the end, become a huge and destructive problem. We are both mature people. It's better if we solve it now."

Li Lanfeng's words lessened Li Shiyu's guilt a little. He felt that his brother was extremely right. Although he believed his elder brother, he also needed to convince Luo Chao with facts. He didn't want Luo Chao to continue on with the misunderstanding and get constantly hurt by it.

"Luo Chao thought that you and Boss are in that kind of relationship." Li Shiyu finally said it.

Li Lanfeng's fingers, which were holding his mask, tightened a little. His expression was dark. But, he asked in a slow tone,"You, do you believe it?"

Li Shiyu shook his head hurriedly. "I don't believe it."

"Why?" Li Lanfeng sighed.

"Because, brother, you're not that kind of person. Even if he's Boss, you won't…" Li Shiyu was a little anxious. He got convinced in the past so now, he wanted to make up for it by showing Li Lanfeng how much he trusted him.

Slap! Li Shiyu felt a slight pain on his forehead. Li Lanfeng flicked his forehead and laughed softly. "You're really my stupid younger brother…"

Li Shiyu held his forehead in shock. He didn't know why Li Lanfeng said that.

"You will always push aside anything that you deem unpleasant, and indulge yourself with a pleasant illusion of reality. But, reality is cruel," Li Lanfeng said indifferently, "How fortunate is the calculative and sordid Li family to have such a naive person like you…"

Li Shiyu's confused eyes slowly dilated as Li Lanfeng started speaking. In the end, his eyes were filled with alarm and shock.

Luo Chao was speaking the truth!

"Are you shocked?" Li Lanfeng smiled coldly. "Shocked that your pure, clean, and strong image of your brother is this kind of character?"

"Brother, what are you saying? Are you in your right mind?" Li Shiyu shouted agitatedly. He had already regained his senses.

"Why are you so agitated?" Li Lanfeng gave a mocking smile. He took a long step and came right in front of Li Shiyu. "Actually, you only cared about your Little Sister Luo Chao. You're just hurt that a third party like me appeared before she married Boss. Oh, actually, I'm the fourth party. There's Han Xuya after all."

"You, what are you saying?" Li Lanfeng's words caused Li Shiyu to stammer instantly. He looked completely nonplussed.

"Isn't that true? Whenever Luo Chao is around, your gaze will unconsciously move to where she is. When she needs your help, you always help her wholeheartedly." Li Lanfeng laughed softly when he said this. "You even feel resentful towards Boss because of Luo Chao. Although you tried to hide it, my dumb younger brother, I understand you too well. One look and I know what you're thinking…"

"No, I don't!" Li Shiyu denied it agitatedly. He would never have any evil thoughts towards his Little Sister Luo Chao.

"You love her but you don't know it… how sad." Li Lanfeng sneered and shook his head.

"No, Little Sister Luo Chao is my family. I treat her like my little sister," Li Shiyu repeated the words over and over again. He seemed to be convincing Li Lanfeng and convincing himself too.

"Really? In that case, I will not need to worry when dealing with Luo Chao," Li Lanfeng said calmly.

1413 Forced?

"Brother, what do you mean?" Li Shiyu was extremely sensitive when it came to Luo Chao. Hence, when he heard what his brother said, he could feel a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"The Li family never shares." Li Lanfeng gave Li Shiyu a knowing smile as he glanced at Li Shiyu.

Li Shiyu's expression changed entirely. "You plan to get rid of Luo Chao?"

"If you admit your real feelings, I might show some mercy." Li Lanfeng smiled. "Of course, if you don't care, I won't bother."

"Brother, you can't do this. Luo Chao and Han Xuya are our sisters. They're Boss's fiancées. If you do this, you will anger Boss." Li Shiyu grabbed Li Lanfeng's hands and begged him earnestly.

Li Lanfeng struggled his hands out of Li Shiyu's tight grip and patted Li Shiyu's head. There was a faint smile on the corner of his lips, and the smile got bigger slowly. In the end, the smile bloomed on his elegant and beautiful face. The entire room turned bright because of his smile.

The smile that could overthrow a country! The smile that could enchant the entire world!

Li Shiyu had some resistance against the smile, but even he couldn't help but enter into a trance. However, he regained his senses very quickly. It wasn't because he was strong-willed. Instead, it was because there was no warmth in Li Lanfeng's eyes at all. There was only coldness. The coldness froze Li Shiyu awake.

Li Shiyu couldn't help but shiver furiously in place. He didn't know if he was trembling due to Li Lanfeng or was he worried about the clueless Luo Chao and Han Xuya.

"Shiyu, based on my relationship with Boss, do you think he'll get angry?" Li Lanfeng smiled and said.

"But, but, but on the surface, Luo Chao and Han Xuya are Boss's fiancées…" Li Shiyu could only grab onto this life-saving straw. He kept emphasising Luo Chao and Han Xuya's identity.

"Look, you also know that it's just on the surface…" Li Lanfeng patted Li Shiyu's face lightly. He spoke in a mocking tone, "But, my relationship with Boss is a fact."

Li Shiyu's face turned pale. He opened his mouth but couldn't refute.

"You are worried about you Little Sister Luo Chao, right?" Li Lanfeng scoffed. He slowly leaned towards Li Shiyu's ears and whispered, "You will have time to worry about her in the future."

Then, Li Lanfeng wanted to turn around and leave. However, he realised that Li Shiyu was holding onto his sleeve firmly. Li Shiyu's face was filled with humiliation and fear but when he grabbed Li Lanfeng's sleeve, he held onto them firmly and tightly.

Li Lanfeng turned around to look at Li Shiyu. "Why? Do you have anything else to say?"

"Brother!" Li Shiyu shouted in anguish. "Please let Luo Chao and Xuya go!"

"Who do you want me to show mercy to?" Li Lanfeng raised his eyebrows and gave a faint smile. "Is it Luo Chao or Xuya?"

"They're both my younger sisters…" Li Shiyu pleaded. However, his voice sounded so weak.

"To me, they're not. They're my rivals. They're my enemies." Li Lanfeng was an extremely selfish person. The only person he cared about was Ling Lan. Maybe he had some brotherly feelings towards Li Shiyu too, and that was only because Li Shiyu treated him wholeheartedly and was loyal to him. That was why he was a little more lenient towards him. But, that was the most he could do.

Li Lanfeng was fully aware that Ling Lan was the most important person to him. He would never give him up, even if he had to sacrifice himself.

To Li Lanfeng, Ling Lan meant the world to him, and if it meant he would have to give up on his lovely younger brother, as well as his best buddy Zhao Jun who went through thick and thin with him, he would do it in a heartbeat. With him being so cold-blooded, why does he need to concede to Han Xuya and Luo Chao who were a lot more distant to him. In his eyes, they were obstacles he would get rid of eventually.

Moreover, since he had already tasted success, how could he let the two eyesores hurt him any longer? Li Lanfeng had turned crazy because of his possessiveness. He would think of all kinds of ways to clear the obstacles in his path. As for whether Luo Chao and Han Xuya would get hurt, why would he care?

"Brother!" Li Shiyu shouted in agony.

"You can let go of me." Li Lanfeng raised his free left hand to signal Li Shiyu to release him.

"Brother, let them go. I beg you." Li Shiyu was too aware of his elder brother's cruel methods. In the entire Lingtian, no one dared to offend his brother. The most frightening thing was, those people that got schemed by his brother didn't even know who calculated against them. They blindly came to find his brother like an idiot to ask him to help them, only to be fooled again.

Li Shiyu suddenly remembered that when his elder brother showed him his calculative side, he never hid from him. He seemed to be purposely reminding him what kind of person he was. Hence, the image of a powerful and scary elder brother was ingrained in the depth of Li Shiyu's heart. That image breeded terror in his heart when he knew his brother was going after Luo Chao and Han Xuya.

"You never actually thought of me as your younger brother," Li Shiyu said miserably. The elder brother he was willing to sacrifice his dream of being a mecha operator for, the elder brother that was his whole motivation for becoming a military doctor, the elder brother that he treated wholeheartedly, the elder brother who he visited everyday with care and concern, had never treated him sincerely before. The sacrifices he made ever since he was young had become a joke.

"You're still so stupid now. I don't know what to say to you, my younger brother." Li Lanfeng smiled mysteriously. "If I didn't realise that you have feelings towards Luo Chao, I won't have done this."

Li Lanfeng reached his left hand and tapped Li Shiyu's forehead. "I'm trying my best to tolerate your stupidity because I treat you as my younger brother. If not, do you think you can live so comfortably? Look at that stupid Li Yingjie."

"So, you are saying I should thank you? After all I have done for you?." Li Shiyu's expression was agitated.

"If you don't want to view me as your brother anymore, I don't mind. There are no family affections in the Li family anyway, especially for me. I was groomed to be the first inheritor of the Li family so familial relationships are just a joke to me." Li Lanfeng's expression was indifferent. However, Li Shiyu still detected the hint of self-contempt and disdain that flashed passed his eyes.

Li Shiyu's heart trembled. He was a smart person. If not, he wouldn't be able to become one of the best military doctors after he changed his career path. He thought of the person whom the Li family pushed out to flirt with men, the social butterfly Li Yinfei.

Mind you, Li Yinfei's face belonged to his elder brother. How disgusting must the Li family be to make this decision of turning his elder brother's face into one of a performer without his consent? When they allowed people to make fun of and to look down on Li Yinfei, they were looking down on his elder brother too.

Did his elder brother choose this path because he was forced by the Li family?

How stupid was he to think that the Li family would let go of his elder brother so kindly, especially when his elder brother had this beautiful face which could destroy a country?

1414 He"s Very Good!

Li Shiyu started wondering about the inner workings of his family. His entire body started trembling violently. His elder brother's words echoed beside his ears. "I'm trying my best to tolerate your stupidity because I treat you as my younger brother. If not, do you think you can live so comfortably? Look at that stupid Li Yingjie."

Was he able to live so comfortably and choose the career he wanted because his elder brother had formed a pact with the Li family?

For instance, when the time arrived, he would become the beauty that climbed onto powerful figure's beds?

Li Shiyu clutched his brother's sleeve even tighter. He said with anguish, "Brother, am I able to leave the Li family because you made some promises with grandfather?"

Li Lanfeng was stunned. He turned his head and replied quickly, "I didn't."

"Brother, you're lying." Li Shiyu said with sorrow and anger. "Why can't you tell me the truth? Is it because I'm not strong enough?"

Li Lanfeng turned and looked at Li Shiyu. His gaze was flickering and he revealed a hint of helplessness in his expression. "Why do I have to mention what happened in the past? I'm fine as long as you're doing well."

So it is true!

Li Shiyu was enlightened. His freedom was built on his elder brother's sacrifice. If it wasn't for the Li family, why would his elder brother be willing to play such a character? He was already Boss's most trusted aide and one of the best strategists in the Federation. Once he returned to the Federation, he would be able to rise to a high position that had actual power with his own capabilities. If the Li family just helped him a little, being an adjunct in an independent army was an easy task. Even if he entered the 4th Division, he would be able to command an army.

However, from the looks of it now, the Li family wasn't satisfied with what they had. They wanted more. They wanted to control the entire 4th Division as quickly as possible.

The only way they could achieve this target was to work tightly with Boss. Based on what Boss was doing now, if he was given enough time, he would be able to rule over the Lawless Lands, and with the power of the Lawless Lands, when he returned to the Federation, he would definitely be able to rule over the nation.

At that time, the Li family, which had an intimate relationship with Boss, would be able to rise high in power within the Federation.

Li Shiyu didn't forget that besides the Lawless Lands, Boss controlled two huge divisions in the Federation. One was the 23rd Division of the Federation and the other was the only powerful mecha independent army, the Lingtian Independent Army.

Both of these armies were powerful enough to affect the decision of the military world in the Federation. In addition to his status as the king of the Lawless Lands, if Boss was willing to help, the Li family would be able to get the 4th Division they deeply yearned for.

But, how could the Li family be sure that Boss would definitely help them? With the help of his elder brother, of course. In order to please his beloved, Boss would help them.

Indeed, the Li family was playing a good game. But, how could they disregard his elder brother's dignity and ask him to do something so shameless? Even if they were able to get the 4th Division, he wouldn't be able to clear this stain in his life.

Li Shiyu felt his heart hurting for his elder brother. He understood why Li Lanfeng always said that the Li family was a selfish and calculative family. That was because his elder brother had grown up amidst all these schemes. His elder brother was even hurt by them, while he got protected very well because of the sacrifices his elder brother made. He was able to do what he liked without knowing all the plans happening behind his back.

The most frightening thing was, he almost hated his elder brother because of a misunderstanding. If he didn't realize this, he would be another person who hurt his elder brother.

He was really a stupid younger brother. How could he not notice the things his elder brother did for his sake behind his back?

Li Shiyu felt his heart throbbing in pain. He was so oblivious. He always thought that his grandfather really loved him and his elder brother.

"Brother, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Li Shiyu lowered his head and apologised to his elder brother repeatedly. This was the only way he could feel better.

"What are you sorry about? We just did what we both wanted. I don't owe you anything and you don't owe me either," Li Lanfeng said calmly.

"But…" Li Shiyu still wanted to say something. However, Li Lanfeng reacted faster than him and interrupted his speech, "I don't have any path of retreat anymore. But, you do."

"Huh?" Li Shiyu was confused. He didn't know what Li Lanfeng meant.

"Don't be deceived by your arrogance. I don't have much time left. Luo Chao and Han Xuya's ending depends on you." Li Lanfeng's expression was grave. He looked as if he couldn't bear to do it.

"Li family." Li Shiyu immediately understood. As Boss's journey in the Lawless Lands became smoother, the Li family would get more anxious. This explained why his elder brother was in such a hurry to act.

"Think about it carefully. I can only drag for three more days." Li Lanfeng gave Li Shiyu a deadline. He knew that it was hard for Li Shiyu to make up his mind within such a short period of time, especially when Li Shiyu still thought that his feelings for Luo Chao were still brotherly love.

"Okay." Li Shiyu nodded seriously. He slowly released his hands that were holding onto Li Lanfeng's sleeve tightly.

He had to think about this matter now. For the sake of his elder brother, Luo Chao, and Han Xuya, he must understand what his true feelings were. He didn't want any of these three people to get hurt.

Li Lanfeng patted his shoulder and wanted to leave.

Li Shiyu suddenly thought of something. He grabbed onto Li Lanfeng's sleeve once again.

"What do you want to say this time?" Li Lanfeng turned around with a helpless expression. However, there was a faint doting emotion on his face.

Li Shiyu lowered his head and struggled for a moment. Then, he raised his head and asked seriously, "Brother, are your feelings towards Boss real?"

He couldn't bear to see his elder brother getting hurt.

The corner of Li Lanfeng's lips lifted up slightly. There was warmth in his smile. This was the first time his elder brother gave a smile with some temperature in it. This smile might not be as enchanting as the ones before but it warmed up Li Shiyu's heart. His agitated heart started calming down gradually.

"He's good and I'm good too." Li Lanfeng smiled happily as he replied to Li Shiyu with this sentence. This short sentence represented his feelings, his boss's feelings, and their relationship.

"That's good. That's good…" Li Shiyu didn't know if he should be happy or sad. He just repeated his words continuously as he released his elder brother's sleeve. He watched as his elder brother's figure disappeared in front of him.

He stood blankly on the spot. After a long while, he gave a bitter smile. Even if they liked each other, the world discriminated against gays. Would their relationship have a happy ending? Li Shiyu wasn't sure. In the end, he could only sigh.

However, his worry for Li Lanfeng and Boss only lasted for a while. That was because he still had a messier relationship to clear up.

Were his feelings towards Luo Chao like what his brother said or did he really treat her as his younger sister? Li Shiyu didn't dare to think about this deeply in the past but now, reality forced him to think about it carefully…

Li Lanfeng appeared in front of Ling Lan's door. His lips moved up slightly and he sneered.

As expected of his stupid younger brother!

1415 Who Does He Like?

Li Lanfeng quickly restrained his expression. The mocking smile changed into a warm and gentle smile. He walked into Ling Lan's room with an innocent and harmless aura.

Ling Lan was busy with her work. When she noticed the door opening, she stopped what she was doing and looked up. "Lanfeng, you're back."

'Yes," Li Lanfeng smiled as he replied. He walked to Ling Lan's desk and started arranging the files that were in a mess.

"How's the situation?" Ling Lan decided that she wouldn't do her work anymore. She leaned back against her chair and asked in a lazy tone.

"Nothing much." Li Lanfeng's hands paused slightly while he was tidying the files. He contemplated for two seconds before opening his mouth slowly, "Our youngster at home is all grown up now. He knows how to be lovesick now."

"Lovesick?" Ling Lan was dumbfounded. She never expected to hear this answer from Li Lanfeng.

The Li Shiyu who put all his attention in inventing and testing new medication actually liked someone?

Ling Lan always thought that among her comrades in Lingtian, Li Shiyu would be the hardest person to get moved by someone. His entire mind was on his medical career… Plus, Li Shiyu treated this fox vixen in front of her as his idol. He treated his elder brother wholeheartedly.

Ling Lan sometimes felt that Li Lanfeng disappointed his younger brother. The amount Li Shiyu had put in for his elder brother and the affection he received weren't proportionate.

"Who does he like?" Ling Lan was a little curious.

She suddenly realized that her comrades around her had grown up unknowingly. All of them were starting to get lovesick.

Li Lanfeng was lovesick and so was his younger brother. She wondered if Qi Long and the rest of her comrades were having this feeling too.

Ling Lan touched her chin. She felt that she needed to think about her comrades' future carefully now.

Li Lanfeng glanced at Ling Lan and opened his mouth. He seemed to be having some difficulty with telling the truth. In the end, he didn't say anything. He just gave a long sigh.

It had something to do with her? Ling Lan immediately understood what Li Lanfeng's gaze meant.

There were only two ladies that had something to do with her. They were Luo Chao and Han Xuya…

Han Xuya was a straightforward and outright person. She liked Qi Long ever since she was young. Although Qi Long had rejected her and she had set her mind on becoming stronger with no intention of solving her marriage problem, Ling Lan still believed that she wouldn't like someone else any time soon.

Plus, the interaction between Li Shiyu and Han Xuya was more friendly than affectionate. Han Xuya wasn't as close to Li Shiyu as Luo Chao. Even if Ling Lan didn't take too much notice of them, she knew that Li Shiyu was extremely serious when he was teaching Luo Chao medical knowledge.

Luo Chao was a part-time student but in fact, her medical skills wasn't any weaker than those ordinary military doctors that graduated with a medical degree. She might even be more proficient than them. As someone who had a midlife career change, this proved how much effort Li Shiyu put in her.

After eliminating the impossible, the answer was obvious. Ling Lan raised her eyebrows in surprise and said, "Luo Chao?"

Li Lanfeng instantly gave a bitter smile when he heard this. "Nothing can be hidden from you. Don't be angry. I've already reprimanded him. He should be more clear-minded now." He sighed softly again.

"I'm not angry. I just didn't expect Shiyu to like Luo Chao." Ling Lan was unexpectedly calm. Li Lanfeng frowned secretly at her calmness. For a moment, he didn't understand what Ling Lan was thinking.

How could Li Lanfeng know that Ling Lan was actually a lady? The two fiancées she had were just younger sisters to her.

In Ling Lan's eyes, Luo Chao and Han Xuya were both outstanding and exceptional ladies. It was normal that someone liked them. If no one liked them, that would be weird. But, she just didn't expect Li Shiyu to be the one that liked Luo Chao.

"Shiyu has always been immersed in his research so he didn't have any chances of interacting with other ladies. As time went by, before he even realised it, he had already fallen for her." Li Lanfeng ignored his confusion for the time being. Everything must go according to his plan. He gave a helpless expression and looked at Ling Lan apologetically. "Shiyu has always been naive. Don't blame him. Also, this kind of thing…"

Li Lanfeng appeared to be in a dilemma. He said ambiguously, "Maybe Luo Chao gave some wrong signals to Shiyu so Shiyu misunderstood her."

Ling Lan frowned slightly when she heard this. "You're saying that Luo Chao…"

But Luo Chao never told her this. Ling Lan was puzzled.

"Maybe Shiyu was misled." Li Lanfeng changed his words. "However, we can't ignore this problem. I suggest that we must split them up appropriately to prevent a huge mistake."

A huge mistake? Ling Lan furrowed her brows again.

Li Lanfeng lowered his head and contemplated it for some time. Then, he raised his head and said apologetically, "We are having a huge battle now. After this, there will be even more battles. We don't have the time to be distracted. We should nip this problem from the bud as soon as possible. However, if we want to do that, Luo Chao will have to suffer a little."

"What do you mean?" Ling Lan raised her eyebrows.

"Three days later, the Jialan Ship will finish unloading all its goods. After that, it will be going back to the Federation to source for the next batch of resources. Luo Chao can go back with the Jialan Ship at that time." Li Lanfeng said calmly, "To prevent anything from happening, Han Xuya can accompany her too."

Li Lanfeng decisively brought Han Xuya into the mess.

Ling Lan narrowed her eyes. A cold aura exuded from her body and she glared at Li Lanfeng coldly.

Li Lanfeng squinted too. But, on the surface, he still appeared calm and composed. He looked as if he was just giving a normal suggestion with no selfish motives.

"Li Lanfeng, you're very selfish." So what if Li Lanfeng appeared calm? Just like how he understood Ling Lan, Ling Lan knew him very well too. One look and she knew what he had up his sleeves.

Li Lanfeng pretended that he didn't hear what she said. He continued looking at her indifferently.

"Li Shiyu is your brother so you want to protect him. I can understand that. However, Luo Chao and Han Xuya.. are my fiancées and younger sisters. I cared about them too." Ling Lan gave a cold smile.

Li Lanfeng's face twitched a little when he heard this. He gritted his teeth and forcefully suppressed this heart-throbbing pain.

"Now, you want to send my younger sisters away because of your little brother… Li Lanfeng, do you think I will agree? Especially when your younger brother is the one who made the mistake in the first place." Ling Lan stood up. Now, she was like the parents of the ladies, furiously beating up the force of presence of the male's family in an attempt to build a high status for her younger sisters.

This sudden movement caused Li Lanfeng to take a step back unconsciously.

"Shouldn't your younger brother be punished instead?" Ling Lan placed one hand on the table and leaned towards Li Lanfeng. She stared at him intently.

They were very close to each other. Ling Lan's calm breath blew up Li Lanfeng's hair. Because of her movement, Li Lanfeng was squeezed between Ling Lan and her desk. He had the illusion that he was being engulfed by Ling Lan's aura.

Li Lanfeng opened his mouth. He was still able to maintain the calmness on his face but his ears and the skin behind them had turned red.

416 Rats From The Same Sewer?

"What should we do then? Shiyu can't leave. The resource we lack the most in the Lawless Lands is medication, and he is required to solve this problem." Li Lanfeng's heart pounded furiously for an instant. However, he quickly regained his composure. He then logically explained why he suggested keeping Shiyu back and sending Luo Chao away.

"If you think it's fine for them to be like that, you can keep them here. However, I still suggest making some arrangements to prevent any undesirable outcome from happening…" Li Lanfeng appeared to have understood Ling Lan's worries, so he altered his suggestion.

She stared into Li Lanfeng's dark eyes and said sternly, "I'll ask Luo Chao for her opinion first."

For this kind of matter, Ling Lan wouldn't just listen to one side of the story. Li Shiyu was important but to Ling Lan, Luo Chao was equally as important.

Li Lanfeng's gaze flickered. He pondered carefully before suggesting, "Shiyu is young and easily embarrassed. When I talked to him, it took me a lot of effort to dig that out from him. I even beat around the bush for quite a while. I think that Luo Chao is the same too. When you ask her about this, don't be too direct. Luo Chao might be too shy to say the truth or she might sprinkle in some lies that may affect your judgment."

"Really?" Ling Lan half-believed in his words. She never had any good lady friends in her past life. This lifetime, because of special circumstances, she didn't have such lady friends too. Luo Chao and Han Xuya knew that she was a woman but they still treated her like their brother. They cared about her, trusted her, and admired her. However, they would never spill their hearts out to her.

"You're her fiancé. How can she tell you these things?" Li Lanfeng reminded Ling Lan about her identity. He felt that it still wasn't right so he volunteered. "If you ask Luo Chao about this with your identity, she might think that you're going to punish her. Why not let me have a chat with Luo Chao?"

Li Lanfeng thought that Ling Lan would accept his suggestion but instead, she shook her head and said, "It's alright. I will take note of it. Let me deal with Luo Chao."

Ling Lan knew that Li Lanfeng suggested this out of goodwill. He didn't want her relationship with Luo Chao to become awkward. But, that was if she was a man. In reality, she was a woman, and Luo Chao knew this. Hence, if she went to talk to Luo Chao about it, Luo Chao wouldn't misunderstand her intention. She would also believe that Luo Chao would reply to her truthfully.

Ling Lan's reply was unexpected so Li Lanfeng's earnest expression froze for a moment. Fortunately, he was good at controlling his expression so he gave a smile soon after. "That's good. I hope that we can solve this perfectly. I really don't want my stupid little brother to get hurt. What a pity…"

Li Lanfeng let out a forlorn sigh when he said this.

Li Lanfeng was stingy with his emotions and liked to calculate everyone, but Li Shiyu was still his younger brother after all. How could he throw this kinship away so easily? Plus, Li Shiyu treated him sincerely for so long. Even a rock would turn warm from all these years of care and concern.

Initially, Ling Lan wanted to talk to Luo Chao after she finished settling the affairs at the frontline.

However, she didn't expect something huge to happen.

A four-way royale battle suddenly occurred on the frontline, and the Kamoda battlefield was uncontactable. When Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng heard about this, they threw these small matters at the back of their minds and focused on tackling this sudden war.

When they heard that the other three lords sent more troops into Kamoda, Ling Lan decided to send a new mecha clan into the area too.

Ling Lan suspected that this sudden battle royale and the fact that her men were uncontactable was a scheme plotted against her.

"You are going to Kamoda? No way." Li Lanfeng instantly rejected Ling Lan's decision when he heard it.

"It's too weird that they're uncontactable. I need to see what's happening personally. I suspect that this might be a trap," Ling Lan said calmly.

"That's a mecha battle. What can you do if you go there? Unless you have a god-class mecha, you won't change anything." Li Lanfeng had thought of this probability too, but so what? How could he let Ling Lan risk himself?

"Although it's not a god-class mecha, it's still an imperial mecha that has been modified by Chang Xinyuan, and that's enough for me," Ling Lan said. If it was in the central regions, there would be no chance for her to enter a battlefield secretly with her mecha, much less make a difference in the grand scheme of things. However, this was the Lawless Lands. There were many ace mechas here but very little imperial mechas. God-class mechas were even rarer. The modified imperial mecha Chang Xinyuan made for her wasn't the best in the Lawless Lands, but it was enough for her to be on top of the food chain here.

"Do you really think that there are no god-class mechas here?" Li Lanfeng smiled coldly. "Based on my analysis, there are at least two to three god-class mechas in the Lawless Lands."

"I know." Ling Lan didn't deny it. She felt the same way too.

"Why do you still want to go then? What if you meet a god-class mecha?" Li Lanfeng was furious. He felt that Ling Lan was taking an unnecessary risk. He was fooling around with his own life.

"They won't appear," Ling Lan replied indifferently, "Li Lanfeng, based on your intelligence, you should have come to this conclusion. Why aren't you trusting your judgment but instead, afraid of the illogical possibilities?"

Li Lanfeng opened his mouth to refute her point, but he couldn't come up with one . He was usually able to remain heartless and cold-blooded. As long as the possibility of success was more than half, he dared to put even his comrades in danger. But, he just couldn't bear letting Ling Lan be in any forms of danger. However, how could he tell him that? He knew that he would lose his mind when facing Ling Lan, including the calmness and viciousness a strategist should have.

"I'll go with you." Since he couldn't stop Ling Lan, he would go with him. Even if there was danger, he would protect Ling Lan.

"The rainbow palace needs you." Ling Lan would not allow Li Lanfeng to follow her. The battle royale at Kamoda was important but the rainbow palace was important too.

"It's alright to hand the rainbow palace over to Shiyu, Luo Chao, and Han Xuya for a few days." Luo Chao and Han Xuya managed to learn some management skills under Ling Lan's training. As for Li Shiyu… he dropped this subject halfway through, but still as the second-in-line inheritor of the Li family, he had been specially groomed before. He should know what he needed to know. Li Lanfeng knew that Li Shiyu was actually quite good at overall management. Well, at least compared to Li Yingjie, he was much better at it.

Li Lanfeng always suspected that all the scheming and calculative genes of the Li family had congregated in him during his generation. Maybe that was why his two younger brothers were so naive.

Fortunately, they still had their intelligence genes. If they focused on a certain direction, they were still able to become the cream of the crop of that path. This was the only feature that allowed Li Lanfeng to still believe that they were his younger brothers.

The firmness in Li Lanfeng's gaze and his unrelenting attitude gave Ling Lan no choice but to agree with him.

Ling Lan knew that once Li Lanfeng made a decision, he wouldn't change it.

Huh? Why was his bad habits so similar to hers? Was this what they meant by rats from the same sewer scurry together?

1417 Saw Through I

The Kamoda district was an expansive area, and every once in a while, flames of war would rage there. Other than the mecha clans that were working directly under the 13 Lords, commoners would try their best to stay away from the district.

However, that didn't mean Kamoda didn't have citizens living there. In reality, Kamoda had a large amount of common folk living and growing their population in this district. It was just they had learned to hide whenever a large-scale battle royale began, and they would also try their best to not get close to the dangerous parts of the district. Luckily, the battle royale usually didn't last for too long. As long as they endured until it ended, they would be able to return back to their homes and live their normal lives again.

However, not every person who lived in the Kamoda district had this mentality. Some bolder commoners were quite fearless when it came to matters of war. The only reason they were living in Kamoda was to reap any scraps of war.

The Lawless Lands had always been scarce on resources. If anyone was asked what was the most valuable scarps on the Lawless Lands, everyone would say with certainty that it was mechas and mecha parts, even second hand ones were quite pricey.

It was because of this fact that a new type of job quickly gained prominence in the Lawless Lands, mecha scavengers. Their grounds for scavenging were the large battlefields that frequent battles, and Kamoda was such an area.

The higher the risk, the higher the reward. In order to earn more money in the Lawless Lands and for their family members to live better lives, even if they fully knew doing this was like reaching their hands into the jaws of a tiger, these people were still willing to risk it every time.

A group of refurbished mechas were hidden in the bushes, carefully watching the area in front of them. In that flat plain in front of them was a brutal battlefield. The mechas from both sides were battling for their lives. There were already quite a few destroyed mechas on the ground…

That was all money!

The people in the hidden group of mechas couldn't help but look at the mechas like they were gold. They were now waiting for the last dregs of those mechas to finish fighting before they would sneak out and do their thing.

Finally, one side of mechas couldn't hold out against the relentless battering of their opponents, and they made an instant decision to stop fighting and escape. The victorious mecha army seemed to be in a killing craze as they actually continued to chase after them. Not long after, there were no longer any moving mechas in that area.

The youngest of the group hiding behind the bushes couldn't stay put any longer when he saw this scene. Right as he was about to stand up, he heard his leader's stern voice coming from their mecha commlink channel. "Don't move."

"Ah?" The young man was perplexed.

"Wait for a while and see if any of the mechas moves," reminded his leader.

In the area in front of them, the seemingly wrecked mechas might not be completely dead. The mecha operators working under the lords were all quite strong. They were the strongest within the Lawless Lands. As long as they hadn't died, they would still have plenty of battle strength. They were scavengers and not mercenaries. Everything must be done carefully to reduce the chance of them dying to the minimum.

The young man understood this point and stopped his mecha from moving to wait.

After another five minutes passed with no mecha moving, he finally heard their leader shout out in the commlink channel, "Move out."

Around 6 or 7 mechas got rid of their disguises as they quickly rushed towards the targets they had their eyes on.

The young man had his eyes on a mecha that was relatively intact. As long as he brought back the mecha, he wouldn't need to work one bit for three years. Of course, for safety purposes, they would first completely dismantle these mechas, change them into parts and sell the parts separately. That way wouldn't expose the fact that they had scavenged them from a battlefield.

Right as they were trying their best to take the mechas with them, they suddenly heard their leader nervously shout, "Quick, hide. Mechas are coming."

After hearing those words, they didn't think for a second as they instantly tossed aside the mechas and quickly rushed towards their original hiding spot. Only the young man was there shocked, standing motionlessly. The shout made him panic for a moment, but only made him hesitate for a short while. After seeing everyone else tossing aside the mechas, he also followed suit and ran back to their original hiding spot.

Right as he finished hiding himself, he saw three mechas appearing from the edge of the horizon.

"It's fine. It's only a small mecha formation." The leader breathed a sigh of relief in the channel. Even if they were discovered, they were still able to handle three mechas.

Becoming a mecha scavenger wasn't something anyone could do just because they wanted to do it. The requirements for such a profession were high to work in this field. A person must at least be a mecha operator. Otherwise, no one would team up with them, leaving them to scavenge by themselves. Although working alone came with its perks like not splitting the profits, it still had a major problem, the problem of not having any channels to sell the goods. For a lone scavenger to sell their spoils, he would have to ask for help from a scavenger organization. However, the price they quote such lone scavengers were scarps compared to the actual value. With such exploitation running rampant, it wasn't worthwhile for a person to risk their lives and to work alone.

So, over time, no one worked alone anymore.

"Boss, there seems to have been a small mecha battle below. There's still fire and smoke coming from there. It probably ended not long ago." After acquiring the situation on ground, Luo Lang reported it to Ling Lan.

"Let's go down and take a look." While coming down here, Ling Lan hadn't met up with any mecha armies from any of the factions. She also hadn't seen any battlefields. And now, she finally saw one, she would most definitely go down there to carefully examine it. Perhaps she could acquire some useful information.

Three mechas slowly landed in the plains below them.

Luo Lang and Li Lanfeng each chose a destroyed mecha. They knelt down to carefully examine them while also not forgetting to take photos of them.

"If I'm not wrong, the mecha I'm looking at should be one that works under Lord Zhen." Li Lanfeng compared the color and shape of the mecha and the symbol on the chest and arms to the database and reached this conclusion.

On the other side, Luo Lang immediately reported, "The one beside me should be from Lord Demon's faction."

"It seems Lord Zhen and Lord Demon's mecha teams encountered each other and fought each other." Ling Lan looked around and saw around 17 or 18 dilapidated mechas on the ground. If it was actually a war with large numbers of mechas, the final number of mechas destroyed wouldn't be so low. The only possibilities were that this was a battle between two battle teams or more accurately two weak battle teams.

"It seems the large-scale battle royale is real." Luo Lang sighed.

"That may not be the case. It could also be just for show," Li Lanfeng didn't agree with him.

"A show? But so many people died," Luo Lang was confused.

"The person of power only looks at the big picture. Plus, if there are enough benefits for them, sacrificing some pawns are worth it," Li Lanfeng said calmly.

Luo Lang frowned slightly after hearing those words. He didn't like those types of plans. But, he decided to not argue with Li Lanfeng about that, so he piloted his mecha to look towards another direction. He then saw through his screen some ashes.

"Ah, there are ashes here. It was blown here," Luo Lang said joyfully. "It seems that there are still people alive who flew towards that direction." The direction Luo Lang pointed towards was indeed the direction the mechas escaped towards.

'Leave, leave…' The young man hiding in the bushes kept repeating those words in his head. He was frustrated because he didn't know why the three mechas were taking their sweet time. It was clear that there wasn't anyone alive in the wreckage.

At that moment, Ling Lan's gaze fixated on a destroyed mecha. No matter how she looked at it, the pose it had was odd.

Li Lanfeng saw the direction Ling Lan's mecha was looking. She was looking directly opposite of Luo Lang. He thought for a moment and then piloted his mecha, landing beside that mecha Ling Lan was looking at.

Li Lanfeng knelt down and looked carefully. He smirked slightly. "It seems there are traces here as well."

"You see it too?" Ling Lan said plainly.

"Yeah, the traces are quite obvious." Li Lanfeng made his mecha stand up.

1418 Curious!

"It seems we found something by sheer luck that others would search far and wide for." Ling Lan's gaze fell upon the bushes and forest beside her.

The leader of those hidden saw that one of the three mechas looked towards their direction and his heart skipped a beat.

Were they discovered?

Before he could determine that fact, he heard that mecha that was looking in their direction shouted, "Come out."

Was it a ruse? Or were they actually discovered?

The leader was hesitant. He didn't know whether to go out to fight or continue to hide.

Everyone else was waiting for their leader's orders. Their hands were already on the control stick waiting for their leader to give the order to attack. Once their leader ordered an attack, they would rush towards the three mechas and surround them.

The reason mecha scavengers could survive so long in the Kamoda district was because no one could hold anything over them. The job of a mecha scavenger was a brutal one. They would either take out those who discovered them or escape with their tails between their legs. If they couldn't escape, they would immediately self-destruct to not allow any information of scavenger organization to be leaked out.

Not knowing why, the leader of that group kept feeling that the three mechas standing before them were dangerous. He thought for a moment before deciding to bet on the fact that it was just a ruse.

Ling Lan saw no activity in the forest and looked towards Li Lanfeng.

Without being given any orders, Li Lanfeng knew what Ling Lan meant. He took out the beam gun from his back and instantly pointed it towards the forest.

It wasn't a ruse! They were actually going to attack.

The leader of the scavengers immediately ordered, "Attack."

If they hid anymore, they would be idiots. The opposition was clearly going to attack the place they were hiding at to get them out of that position by force.

After that order was given, six mechas jumped out of the forest from different positions. They were very well coordinated with each other. They split into two groups of three and attacked Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng, who were closest to their position.

Seeing this, Li Lanfeng walked in a 'Z' shape and dodged the attack of the first mecha. At the same time, the beam gun had already become a large sword.

Bang! The large sword instantly blocked the attacks from the other two mechas.

The attack was the accumulation of force of two mechas, but Li Lanfeng blocked it with ease. Not only did he not budge from it, he also used the force of the block to send the two mechas attacking him to fly backwards.

On the other side, Ling Lan saw three people come towards her. She didn't pull out her sword but instead, backed up quickly, instantly dodging the attacks.

How could those three people be willing to give up on their pursuit? After seeing Ling Lan dodge backwards, they piloted their mechas and instantly followed up to attack.

Bang! Their attacks were finally blocked by a large sword.

'Did that person finally make a move?'

The three of them looked past their weapons. The mecha they were originally attacking was already 20 to 30 meters away from them. The one that blocked them was actually the third mecha on the other side of the battlefield. When did he arrive?

They originally wanted to use their position to their advantage to quickly take out the two closer mechas. After taking the two of them out, they would then go all out on the mechas furthest away from them. That was why when the third mecha appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye, these three scavengers couldn't believe their eyes.

"Your opponent is me." They heard a voice coming from that mecha. That person spoke with a nonchalant tone, as if he didn't see them as a threat.

Despite the mechas of the scavengers looking so so and even somewhat dilapidated, they were definitely still not any weaker than standard mechas after being modified by the top-class engineers of the scavenger organization. These people piloting these mecha were also experienced ace mecha operators. Despite not being comparable to the elite ace operator armies under the 13 Lords, they were still not any weaker when compared to operators from standard armies. In fact, they were even a bit stronger than the standard ones.

In order to survive, these scavengers were much more shameless than mecha operators. Thus, their fighting style was more towards the despicable and dirty side.

Thus, if their opponent looked down on them, they wouldn't become angry. Instead, they would be happy. They were used to grasping any advantage they could get, and one of those advantages was when their opponent would look down on them, they would surprise them with unexpected strength.

Perhaps, the reason the scavenger organization made the outer appearance of the mechas so dilapidated was with this reason in mind. It was perhaps that they wanted their opponents to think of them as weak.

The three of them quickly backed up slowly. They didn't try to split up to go after Ling Lan. Instead, they surrounded this new mecha while trying to find a chance to destroy it.

Although they didn't know why the other mecha didn't want to join the fight, they still wouldn't refuse such an advantage for them, right? Were they going to be stupid and split one person to attack that one person? No!

Interesting!

Luo Lang excitedly licked his lips. The display on his mecha's display was showing the area around him in a full 360 degrees, allowing Luo Lang to have complete vision of his opponents' movement.

They suddenly pounce towards him with unexpected strength!

Luo Lang shifted sideways and dodged the extremely well hidden knife from the first mecha. At the same time, the large sword in his hands swung backwards to slash at the mecha attacking him from above.

Luo Lang's heavy slash came too suddenly, but the mecha operator attacking from above was a still veteran after all. After seeing the sword slash coming right at him, his engine throttled to instantly stop him from dropping any further downwards. He forcefully stopped his mecha in mid-air as he prepared to dodge the sword slash.

"Nice try," Luo Lang laughed softly. The large sword he originally swung backwards, suddenly flew out of his hands to fly towards the dodging mecha.

"Look out." The third mecha was originally going to attack Luo Lang from the ground. After seeing the sword in the air, he could only give up on his original plan. He temporarily switched the focus from Luo Lang to the flying sword. He was attempting to bring down the sword.

Bang! His large sword struck down Luo Lang's sword.

At that moment, Luo Lang took one step and arrived next to the location where his sword was struck down. He quickly picked it up and swung it towards one direction.

This time, he was attacking the mecha that he evaded in the beginning.

This was unexpected as Luo Lang recovered pretty quickly. It could be said that when Luo Lang tossed out his large sword, everyone believed he had lost his chance to beat them. How could they have known Luo Lang did all that to attack that one mecha?

The large sword forcibly swept that mecha. The immense force instantly sent that mecha flying. It smashed into the ground and skidded on the ground for more than 10 meters before stopping.

After seeing their comrade being struck down, the other two mechas actually didn't panic. They didn't choose to go save their comrade, but rather continued attacking from two blind spots, one from above and one from below, before Luo Lang could recover from his previous attack.

It could be said that when their comrade had taken a hit, these two were still able to calmly choose the best position of attack. This type of mentality proved these mecha operators weren't ordinary people.

After watching to this point, Ling Lan couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. She was now somewhat curious about this group of mecha operators.

1419 Speaking With Someone Who Is Smar

"Don't kill them," Ling Lan ordered decisively.

Luo Lang was originally planning on destroying one of the mechas. After hearing Ling Lan's orders, he immediately stopped his sword mid-slash. Instead, he began to evade the flurry of swords coming at him.

Afterimages of Luo Lang's mecha were formed. With unbelievable movements, he managed to escape from the pincer attack of the two mechas from his two blind spots.

At the same time, without any prior preparations, he used the strength of his arms to execute a True Whirlwind Strike.

This was considered a special technique which was done with no signs of preparations. The explosive nature made it impossible to defend against.

The unexpected attack made the two mechas unable to evade in a timely manner.

Bang! Bang! The two of them were struck by the large sword in the whirlwind. The two mechas flew backwards before smashing to the ground.

Luo Lang closely chased after them. The large sword in his hand ruthlessly slashed towards the mecha closest to him.

He chose to slash at the chest of the mecha because he remembered Boss's orders. The hip area and the cockpit were connected to the operator's lifeline. If he wished to finish them in one hit, he would choose to hit them either on the hip or cockpit first but this time, he was not gunning for that.

The chest was where the engine was situated. Once that was destroyed, it would turn the mecha into a giant piece of junk. It was clear that attacking them on the chest was the best choice if they wanted to leave them alive. However, the chest was where it was the most fortified. If the power of the attack wasn't stronger than its defensive strength, then the attack wouldn't do anything to it.

However, for Luo Lang, it wasn't a difficult thing to do, especially when he was piloting a mecha Chang Xinyuan had modified for the brigade leaders, no, regiment commanders. All of its specifications were not far off from top-class imperial mechas.

Luo Lang's attack was quick, giving his opponent no chance to react. Right as he was about to land his attack, a white light suddenly shot out from the forest. It moved towards Luo Lang's back.

A sneak attack!

Luo Lang seemed to not have realized it as he continued to slash his large sword down towards the mecha below him.

Bang! The large sword struck the chest area of the mecha below Luo Lang, causing sparks to fly. The armor on the chest of the mecha was instantly cut open, showing the metal parts and wiring with sparks flying out.

It was a clear indication of Luo Lang achieving what he wanted to do.

When that white light was about to hit Luo Lang's mecha, it was suddenly intercepted by another white light. It didn't harm Luo Lang's mecha one bit.

The person who made a move was Ling Lan. Luo Lang trusted that Boss would definitely protect him, and Ling Lan was definitely not going to stand by and watch as his underling got ambushed.

After achieving the desired result, Luo Lang stomped on the ground with his mecha's right leg. His mecha then flew up in the air and the large sword in his hand ruthlessly slashed towards the other mecha that was preparing to stand up.

Right as Luo Lang's sword reached that mecha, a large mecha suddenly rushed out of the forest with a sharp spear. The sharp spear pointed its tip towards Luo Lang's mecha's cockpit.

Bang!

A loud bang was heard. The force behind the spear was astounding. The entire ground actually shook which caused dust to fly up into the air, lowering the visibility of the area.

Immediately after, there was another loud 'bang' followed by the sound of cracked metal.

After the dust slowly settled, the scene in front of them could finally be seen clearly.

Ling Lan was on one knee, with her right hand pushing down a mecha onto the ground. The mecha Ling Lan held down was flailing its limbs, struggling to get up. However, no matter what it did, it couldn't get out from the seemingly weak hold of her right hand.

In front of Ling Lan, Luo Lang stood there with one hand holding his sword hilt downwards. The tip of the large sword had already stabbed into the chest of the mecha laying on the ground. It was clear that it passed through the mecha and stabbed into the ground.

In just an instant, these people took out two of their mechas. When their leader appeared, he was also held down by the opponent using only one hand with no chance of fighting back.

No matter if it was the three mechas that were fighting Li Lanfeng, or the mecha that Luo Lang had sent flying earlier, all stopped fighting immediately. They all fixated their gaze on Ling Lan in unplanned unison and their disheveled leader. They could only stand there and watch.

He was undoubtedly the strongest out of all them to be able to become their leader. However, their strongest mecha operator couldn't even go one round with the opponent and was even easily held down by them. This difference in power made these scavengers understand that these three mecha operators weren't ordinary mecha operators. No, they weren't even part of the strongest elite ace operators working under the 13 Lords… Were they some of the legendary imperial operators who guarded the 13 Lords?

They were all veterans in the Lawless Lands, so they clearly knew of the exalt status of imperial operators in the Lawless Lands. In reality, there were quite a lot of imperial operators in the Lawless Lands. However, each of them were considered to be their own boss. These imperial operators were known to the public as the strongest individuals after the 13 Lords.

These imperial operators were much stronger than those titled domain realm formidable warriors. Titled domain realm formidable warriors were at most the guards or butlers of the 13 Lords and were still considered servants. However, imperial operators, other than those under factions, had signed contracts with the 13 Lords to cooperate. Even if one was to join the ranks of the 13 Lords, they would be given the status of guests to the 13 Lords. Not only would they have actual power, they would also be given the freedom that everyone in the Lawless Lands hoped to acquire.

An imperial operator was enough to take out their entire scavenger team, not to mention three of them. No matter how many people they had, it wouldn't be enough for these three to play around with.

Mecha scavengers were people who would lower their dignity to the strong, because they knew what they had to do to survive in this harsh environment. When they realized that they couldn't win, they wouldn't waste time and would just beg for their lives instead.

The leader of the group struggled for a moment. After discovering that he indeed didn't have any chance to escape, he stopped, surrendered and smiled bitterly. "Duke, I surrender. I won't try to escape. If you have anything you want to ask, I will definitely cooperate, so can you please let me go?"

'Duke' was the respectful way of calling imperial operators in the Lawless Lands. It was a show of status.

While the leader was struggling, he still calmly contacted his two comrades who had been struck. After discovering they were alive, being the smart man he was, he quickly guessed what Ling Lan and them wanted from them. This leader decisively chose to cooperate since their lives were in their opponents' hands.

Mecha scavengers didn't want to die unless they couldn't escape from it. It was because there were still family members who needed them to take care. They couldn't just die like that.

"You're very smart. I like speaking with smart people," Ling Lan said indifferently while loosening her right hand. She then slowly piloted her mecha to stand up.

1420 Partners?

The leader of the scavengers, who was just given back his freedom, quickly crawled up to a standing position. He looked around to discover that the other two opposing mechas had already blocked off all their routes of escape. It seemed like he needed to put down the idea of running away.

The leader sighed in his mind and spoke up with sincerity in his tone, "Duke, please ask your questions."

"Where are you from, who are you, and why are you here?" Ling Lan asked the three basic questions. She needed to understand who these people are and what they were doing here.

With mechas that looked like a mess with patches and spare parts of mechas of other models being jumbled together, they definitely weren't from mecha armies under the 13 Lords. The mecha armies of the 13 Lords would definitely not have any mechas that seemed so dilapidated.

Ling Lan carefully studied the mechas in front of her. Their mechas looked rough around the edges from all the repairs, however in fights, the power their mecha showed and their defensive strength was not any weaker than the official mechas from the Federation. This proved that behind these mecha operators, there was an expert modification master, and behind the expert modification master was an entity that could gather this many exceptional mecha operators and an expert modification masters. No matter if they were an organization or not, their power wasn���t something that they could ignore.

The leader of the scavengers hesitated, he was in a dilemma. If he were to expose the scavenger organization behind them, they wouldn't be able to live a good life even if they were to return back alive. However, if he didn't tell them, he wasn't sure whether it would anger these three people standing before them which might cause their death.

The reason he brought these people out here to take such risk was to feed their families, and he wanted to bring them home safely.

The leader knew very well about the situation of his underlings' families. They couldn't afford to die. Once they passed on, their family members probably wouldn't be able to continue to live in this dog-eat-dog world that was the Lawless Lands, not to mention there was even a first-time scavenger he needed to be responsible for. A young man like him had unlimited potential in the future. If he just died here, it would be very unfortunate.

The leader thought about it for a moment, sorting out in his mind about the details he could spill. "We are mecha scavengers. In every battle royale, we would come here and look for mecha parts that could be exchanged for money."

"Mecha scavengers?" This answer surprised Ling Lan. She didn't expect a profession like this to come up in the Lawless Lands.

"There's a battle royale every year. In every royale, there would be losers and winners. According to the rules, anything the losers left on the battlefield would belong to the victors as spoils of war. For example, these destroyed mechas would be cleaned up by the victors after the battle royale," explained the leader of scavengers. "We on the other hand would sneak into the battlefield, using the small time window before the victors could come to clean up to pick a few parts to sell. We would then go to the black market and exchange them for some daily necessities or money."

"We don't have a choice but to do this risky job. There's elders and children at home who can't feed themselves. They need us to make money to live, and they are still barely scraping by. In the Lawless Lands, if a person wanted to make money, other than putting their lives on the line, everything else was suicide. We can't die. The fates of so many people on our shoulders…" The bitter sadness in his tone showed that they were forced to do this job.

"So you mean you found out about this money making scheme accidentally?" asked Ling Lan.

"Yes." The leader nodded.

"Your mechas are modified quite well, huh?" Ling Lan suddenly changed the subject of the conversation.

"Huh?" The leader of the scavengers could grasp the underlying intention behind Ling Lan's words in that moment.

"Although your mechas are visually disgusting, the different parts actually melded together quite well. The modifications done on the mecha aren't lowering the specs of the mecha at all," said Ling Lan with a half-smile on her face. ���And the defensive strength of your mecha is tough even with all the patches and repairs."

The leader of the scavengers could feel his heart tightening up. At that moment, he didn't know how to respond.

"I'm sure you know what that means, right?" Ling Lan said calmly.

"Um, what does it mean?" the leader could only follow the conversation and ask.

"The person who modified your mechas is a master-level engineer. You guys are quite lucky to randomly have such a big shot working with you," Ling Lan said sarcastically as she smiled slightly.

"Haha, yeah, we really are lucky." The leader could only pretend to play dumb until the end. In the cockpit, he was already completely soaked through and through with cold sweat. It was because he knew he could no longer lie to the opponent. Most mecha operators wouldn't focus on mecha modifications. How could he have known that this imperial operator standing before him was knowledgeable enough about mecha modifications to see through the secrets of their mechas' repairs with just one look?

They were too unlucky!

"You guys are part of an organization." Ling Lan didn't need that leader's answer to conclude that. From the way the leader answered her questions, she had more or less already confirmed this. That was why Ling Lan said it as a statement and not a question.

The leader had been afraid he would expose the organization. However, after the opposition made it clear, it was as though a tense string had snapped, allowing him to finally feel relieved, causing him to lay flat in his cockpit.

Ling Lan didn't hear a response, but not answering could also be an answer.

"A mecha scavenger organization. The mechas you bring back would be handled by them. They would then give a certain price for the quality of the mecha you have brought to them… Members like yourselves would then also receive some benefits from the alliance or organization, such as mecha modifications." Ling Lan continued, "This would explain why your mechas had signs of a master-level modification engineer's work on them."

The leader of the scavengers was completely speechless. Just in a few sentences, the opponent had already exposed the inner workings of their organization.

"Yes, perhaps, you appearing here is also because your alliance or organization had given you the coordinates, and these coordinates would require money or points to redeem…" Leader of scavengers went through a myriad of expressions the longer Ling Lan spoke. It was because what Ling Lan said was the complete truth. He felt relieved that he wouldn't have to expose the organization, but he was getting more fearful of this imperial operator standing before him.

"That's interesting." Ling Lan was quite happy. After entering the Kamoda district, she no longer had any intel, and with the fact that she couldn't get in contact with Zhao Jun and the other two, she was going in blind. She could only fly around like a headless fly and hope a blind cat like her could encounter a dead mouse. She didn't think they would be so lucky not to encounter a dead mouse, but rather a fat and lively rat.

It was clear that in the Mecha Scavenger Organization, had intel about the other battlefields, and this intel was indeed what Ling Lan needed the most at this moment.

There was once a saying that would say that war was fought with logistics, but intel was essential for winning a war.

Ling Lan put much importance on the intel that could determine the win or loss of a battle. That was why Ling Lan decided right then and there to turn towards a different direction. They would go and meet with this secretive Mecha Scavenger Organization.

Ling Lan believed that the Mecha Scavenger Organization definitely didn't just have intel about the situation in the Kamoda district. This was an organization that managed to perfectly dismantle mechas from the battlefield, silently sell them without showing any flaws on the markets of the Lawless Lands, and not be discovered by the 13 Lords in all these years. Its power and roots were definitely planted firmly into the Lawless Lands.

Perhaps, they would be a suitable partner to cooperate with.