1441-1450

1441 It"s them!

"Kill them!"

"Charge!"

On the outskirts, the mecha clan that came unexpectedly broke through a certain point in the line of defense and charged into the district without any hindrance.

The commotion over there quickly affected the mechas in the center.

Zhao Jun and his men, who were already exhausted from the constant fighting, noticed that their opponents' attacks had suddenly weakened a little.

A few smart people quickly turned on their radar system and noticed the numerous green dots on the map.

"Alliance army!" Only the mecha operators from Lingtian were recognized as their alliance. The others were all yellow dots or red dots.

A thought appeared in Zhao Jun's mind. He got anxious. "It's them."

It was clear that only his mecha clan had so many people in this district. They had disobeyed his orders and came to save them.

They were looking for death. Zhao Jun knew this clearly. Their opponents were a few times of their size. This time, they really couldn't go back home anymore.

Zhao Jun was furious and agitated but a warm feeling flowed through his heart. The warm feeling in his heart made him feel rejuvenated again.

"Damn it. Gather your senses. Don't let them come for nothing," Zhao Jun shouted angrily. He held his giant sword tightly and forced an enemy mecha in front of him to move back.

"Yes, regiment commander." His comrades who were fighting too shouted back furiously.

They had already reached their limit but when they saw their comrades coming to save them, they were suddenly full of strength again.

"Your men?" Elder Father forced an enemy back and panted as he asked. As expected, once you got old, your stamina would deteriorate significantly. He only fought for a short while but he already found it tiring.

"Yes, they came," Zhao Jun replied calmly. Although they disobeyed his order, he felt their sincerity. They were willing to go through life and death with them.

However, if they were lucky enough to survive this ordeal, he would definitely teach these bastards who ignored his order a huge lesson. Zhao Jun gritted his teeth in frustration, and the strength he used when he was wielding his sword increased multiple folds.

"Commander, they've rushed in. What should we do?"

"Calling for commander, calling for commander. A huge number of enemies has been discovered in Zone 023. Please give an order. Please give an order."

"Commander! Please reply! Please reply!"

The enemies surrounding Zhao Jun and his men couldn't find their commander so the situation started turning into a mess. All of them fought for themselves and they couldn't cooperate with one another. The advantage they had because of their numbers had disappeared entirely.

"Damn it, Demon 37 troop is retreating. They're retreating. They want us to die for them… Ah!" One of the mecha operators screamed in pain in the commlink. Then, he went silent.

More and more mechas started appearing around them. In that instant, it seemed as if their surroundings were filled with their enemies. They couldn't find their comrades. These mecha operators finally got scared.

"We can't be their scapegoat! Damn it, Team 1099, follow me." Finally, one of the team leaders, who was fighting, couldn't bear it anymore and chose to retreat voluntarily.

His decision affected the other teams around him, and a lot of teams started dashing out rapidly.

The mecha operators, who lost their team leaders, saw the other mecha operators retreating. They couldn't receive any orders from their superiors so they conformed to the majority and started retreating furiously too.

Ling Lan had just finished off the mecha operators surrounding her. Just as she was about to continue taking care of the enemy mechas that were closing in on her, unexpectedly, the enemy mechas suddenly turned around and ran away furiously. In a blink of an eye, there were no more mechas in front of her.

"Did they just run away?" Ling Lan was shocked.

"Yes, Little Ling Lan. Tsk tsk tsk, you have obviously scared them away. How scary." Number Five sniggered in Ling Lan's mindscape.

"All thanks to your guidance." Ling Lan raised her eyebrows. She turned and took a few steps. She came to an empty spot. She squatted down and pushed the grass aside. A piece of rock was revealed.

"Luo Lang, are you alright?" Ling Lan pressed her communication button.

"I'm alright, Boss." The stone suddenly split open to reveal Luo Lang being sprawled on the floor. This rock was actually the cockpit. It managed to disguise itself successfully through using the chameleon system.

As he was speaking, Ling Lan's cockpit opened. Luo Lang used all four limbs to crawl up from the ground and climb into the cockpit.

"Sit tight," Ling Lan ordered in a low voice. Luo Lang quickly buckled his seat belt. Ling Lan's mecha jumped up again towards another location.

She must rush to find Li Lanfeng now. She was afraid that Li Lanfeng had reached his limit.

Li Lanfeng didn't know how long he had been fighting. He just dodged numbly, waved his sword numbly, and operated his mecha numbly.

Li Lanfeng even thought that he was just a bystander, watching another Li Lanfeng who was fighting.

This was obviously a result of his spiritual power controlling his body. But, this was the only way he could control his mecha when he was already at his limit with a seriously injured body.

If this continued, Li Lanfeng knew that the state of his body, which he took so many years to nourish, would deteriorate again.

But so what? His Ling Lan would only be safe if he dragged more opponents down with him.

Suddenly, he felt another mecha coming towards him. Li Lanfeng instinctively raised his sword and slashed at the incoming mecha.

Clang! The mecha grabbed his mecha's right wrist swiftly.

Li Lanfeng was dumbfounded but before he could react, he heard a familiar voice. "It's alright, Lanfeng. You can rest now."

"Rabbit…" Li Lanfeng smiled. He forced himself to say the nickname he had always kept in his heart. Then, the mecha fell down.

Ling Lan lifted him up with her left hand and said in a low voice, "I'll take over from here."

She hugged Li Lanfeng's mecha in her left arm and wielded Firmament with her right hand. Her mecha stomped on the ground and she shot out, bringing Li Lanfeng's mecha with her. She charged forward like a cannonball towards the enemy mechas that wanted to surround them but didn't dare to.

Luckily, Li Lanfeng was alright! Ling Lan was in an extremely good mood. She chose to save Luo Lang first because she was confident of Li Lanfeng's ability but deep down inside, she felt sorry towards him.

Even with one mecha in her arms, Ling Lan's agility wasn't affected in the slightest. She made a few evasive maneuvers and struck down a few mechas.

"Charge! Regiment commander is over there!" Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. The enemy mechas surrounding Ling Lan started running away abruptly.

At the same time, many familiar mechas rushed over.

"Regiment commander! We're her… erm, Boss!" The excited voice suddenly got stuck in his throat. Many mechas that were rushing over almost hit their legs together. Fortunately, their mecha piloting skills were top-class so they stopped themselves from getting embarrassed just in time.

"You came to the wrong place. The target is at xx,xx. You have thirty seconds. 1, 2, 3…" Ling Lan said coldly.

"Charge!" All the mechas dashed towards the coordinates given to them as though there was a devil chasing after them. They suddenly wished that they had a pair of wings.

"Let's go." Ling Lan reminded Luo Lang and Li Lanfeng. She brought Li Lanfeng's mecha and flew into the air. In a blink of an eye, she flew by the other Lingtian mechas.

1442 Clear Up.

Zhao Jun and Elder Father finally managed to last until reinforcements arrived. They gathered their strengths for a moment and fought for a while longer. But, after all, they had already reached their limit. They were right in the center of the fight too so their enemies wouldn't give them any chances to catch their breaths.

"Ah!" One of the mecha operators from Elder Father's side got struck by their enemy. He fell down with a loud scream.

"Are we finished?" The moment this sentence appeared in Zhao Jun's mind, he heard a loud roar. "Charge!"

Boom!

A mecha flew down from the sky and landed on the ground lightly.

Oh, wait, it wasn't just one mecha. It was also holding a mecha that seemed to have lost its ability to move in its left arm.

The model of these two mechas was too familiar to Zhao Jun. They were so familiar Zhao Jun, a tough guy who wouldn't cry easily, had tears in his eyes.

"Boss!"

"Lanfeng!"

Zhao Jun shouted in a low and hoarse voice.

"Boss?"

"Boss!"

Zhao Jun's shouts awakened his comrades who were still fighting. The first cry sounded confused but the second cry was filled with joy.

They were already at their wit's end but suddenly, energy flowed into their bodies and they managed to suppress their enemies who were attacking them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Noises of mechas fighting were heard.

Soon, a bunch of familiar mechas rushed over.

"Boss, we came in time."

The bunch of people were panting furiously. In order to rush to the designated location within the time limit Boss set for them, they ran like never before.

"Charge!"

Ling Lan threw this word down coldly. Her voice was filled with killing intent.

The moment she landed, she understood the situation of the battle. Zhao Jun had eleven men with him, but there were only seven people standing now. That meant that four had already fallen…

"Charge!" The mecha operators from Lingtian just arrived at the scene so they didn't understand what was happening. However, when they heard Ling Lan's order, they charged towards their nearest enemy without any hesitation.

This was Ling Lan. She was the soul of Lingtian. With an order, even if they were asked to die, the soldiers of Lingtian would never hesitate.

They gave all their trust to Ling Lan. Because of this trust, they believed that Boss would never lead them to their deaths.

They weren't brainwashed to be deadly loyal. It was just an unbreakable trust that was won through sincerity.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ling Lan's Firmament formed rays of black light in the air. She pushed back the enemies that were surrounding Zhao Jun.

"Zhao Jun, I'm here." Ling Lan's indifferent voice appeared on the mecha channel.

"Boss!" Zhao Jun was only able to shout this word. He couldn't say anything else.

"Regiment commander, we're here too." Around ten more mechas rushed over and saved the rest of Zhao Jun's men who had already reached their limit.

It was really them. Zhao Jun felt his chest warming up…

Suddenly, he understood what Ling Lan meant when he said that he wouldn't abandon any of his comrades.

"Finish them."

Ling Lan's calm voice sounded again. Zhao Jun and his men, who just got saved and were feeling touched and excited, felt a chill on their back. Without even thinking, they raised their giant swords in their hands and rushed towards the enemy mechas fearlessly.

At this moment, they had all forgotten that they had already reached their limits. They just felt that their bodies were suddenly filled with energy and the fact that they mustn't embarrass themselves in front of Boss.

After Ling Lan gave the order, she started clearing up the enemies before everyone else.

Elder Father laid on the floor exhausted. His age didn't allow him to stand up with energy again and fight another round. He was really out of energy.

This must be their leader.

Elder Father's gaze landed on Ling Lan's mecha. Every single attack she did was sharp and clean. There was no unnecessary actions or energy wasted.

'He isn't simple,' Elder Father thought to himself silently.

Chapter 1443 Family Rule Again?

By this time, their enemy had no thoughts of fighting anymore. They got the news that their alliance army had already retreated and they were the only army still fighting. In addition, the continuous swarm of mechas from Lingtian and the fact that there were no commanders giving orders caused their psychological barrier to break down. Within a short time, they had all ran away like the tides of the ocean.

Ling Lan gave the order to chase them for 50 kilometers. The Lingtian army only came back after they chased their enemies for exactly that distance.

Zhao Jun opened his cockpit and came down with Doctor Ju.

Doctor Ju rushed to Elder Father's mecha and shouted agitatedly. "Elder Father, Elder Father, are you alright?" Elder Father's mecha was already lying on the ground. She was really worried.

Elder Father's cockpit opened with a loud bang. Elder Father crawled out with some effort and said tiredly, "I'm fine."

He had rested for a while so he finally had the energy to move.

Doctor Ju saw this and immediately took out the agent she had prepared from her medical bag. She passed it to Elder Father.

"Use ours." A cold voice sounded behind her. Doctor Ju turned around hurriedly. She saw a soldier full of killing intent standing behind her. He had a bottle of agent in his hand. It was tightly sealed but her instinct told her that this agent wasn't simple.

"Thank you," Doctor Ju said with pleasant surprise.

She took the agent from the soldier and wanted to open it for Elder Father to drink. However, Elder Father reached out and grabbed her hands to stop her. "This is just a minor injury. There's no need to waste such a good agent."

Ling Lan said calmly, "This medicine might be good for your old injuries."

"Really?" Doctor Ju's eyes lit up. Her reason for becoming a doctor was because she didn't want to see Elder Father being troubled by his old injuries again.

"If that's really the case, this medicine is too precious." Elder Father was touched but he still rejected. "It's better to leave it for those who need it more." Elder Father looked at the mecha operators that were injured and reminded her.

"There's enough." Ling Lan looked up slightly at the horizon. "This battle royale is ending soon."

"Based on past experiences, it's almost the end." Elder Father smiled bitterly.

Ling Lan smiled slightly.

Doctor Ju had already opened the agent at the side. She calmly passed it to Elder Father. Seeing Ling Lan's insistence, Elder Father didn't refuse anymore and drank it directly.

"Thank you for taking care of them." Ling Lan glanced at Zhao Jun who was standing diagonally behind her.

"There's no need to thank me. It wasn't my idea to care for them," Elder Father replied. He frowned slightly. He just drank the agent but he had already started to feel the effect.

Elder Father wasn't able to hide his change in expression from Ling Lan. Seeing this, Ling Lan raised her hand and asked Elder Father to just focus on recuperating, rather than continuing to talk to her.

Elder Father nodded gratefully. He found an empty spot and sat down. After some time, his expression gradually turned hideous. Doctor Ju, who had been observing him, felt her heart pounding furiously in fear.

"That's how the Nuwa agent works. The greater the pain, the more effective it is," Zhao Jun walked up to her and explained hurriedly.

Doctor Ju nodded to show that she understood. Then, she started waiting patiently at Elder Father's side.

By this time, the search and rescue had ended. The leader in charge of the search and rescue looked gloomy. This time, they had lost two leader caliber soldiers. Fortunately, the other two leaders still had one breath left so after drinking the Nuwa agent, they managed to survive.

"War!" Ling Lan closed her eyes to hide the pain in them. When she opened them again, she had resumed her calmness.

"Bring them back home," Ling Lan said in a low voice.

"Yes, Boss." The leader took the order and left. Even if the leaders died here, they would bring them home to the place where they grew up in.

"Boss." Luo Lang looked at her worriedly.

"What's the matter?" Ling Lan raised her eyebrows.

"Brother Lanfeng's condition seems terrible." After the battle ended, he went to treat Li Lanfeng.

Ling Lan was shocked. She moved her body and immediately came in front of Li Lanfeng's cockpit.

"What happened?" Ling Lan frowned and asked when she saw the medic standing outside the entrance of the cockpit with a helpless look.

"Ah, report. Regiment Commander Li's body is covered with wounds. It has been a long time since he got injured. In addition, the automatic drying system of the cockpit caused his undergarments and his skin to get stuck together. If we want to take them apart, it will reopen the wounds again." The medic's face scrunched up with frustration. Li Lanfeng seemed to be experiencing excruciating pain. If they wanted to take off his clothes to treat him, it was almost the same as peeling the entire skin off.

"Zhao Jun," Ling Lan shouted.

"Yes." Zhao Jun immediately came beside Ling Lan.

"Immediately built a temporary medical tent," Ling Lan ordered. "We'll treat his wound right here."

Ling Lan knew that the longer they dragged, the more serious Li Lanfeng's injuries would be. Although the Nuwa agent's self-healing ability was very strong, it was not enough to heal all the gaping wounds on his body, not to mention the internal injuries. If they didn't separate the clothes from the skin as soon as possible, once the clothes got stuck in the wounds… it wasn't just about peeling the skin. They would need to dig into the flesh too.

"Yes." Zhao Jun knew that they couldn't waste any time so he hurriedly led some men and built a new temporary surgery tent.

"Cough, cough…" Li Lanfeng suddenly coughed a few times. A drip of blood flowed down the edge of his lips. His body was breaking down. If it wasn't for Li Shiyu's life-saving agent, he might have died this time.

"Commander, the Li family has its family rules too," Li Lanfeng smiled and said to Ling Lan weakly.

"Huh?" Ling Lan frowned. "Don't speak. Save your energy for the treatment later.

"I have to say it. I'll bandage my wounds personally later." Li Lanfeng's expression suddenly turned serious.

"What do you mean?" Faint anger appeared in Ling Lan's eyes.

"I can't let anyone see…" Li Lanfeng gave a bitter smile.

Ling Lan then remembered Li Lanfeng's beautiful face. She understood a little of what he was saying.

"They will just be bandaging the wounds on your body," Ling Lan explained. "I will watch over them."

"Not only that. Everywhere…" Li Lanfeng forced himself to keep conscious. "Although it isn't as strict as the family rules of the Ling family, it isn't any better…" He grabbed Ling Lan's hand. "It will affect my future. Don't let… anyone… see it… anyhow… go back to the base camp, find… Shi…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he fainted.

Ling Lan furrowed her brows even more furiously. It was obvious that Li Lanfeng's injuries didn't allow him to wait until he went back to the base camp for treatment.

"Boss, we're done." Zhao Jun had already finished building the temporary tent.

"Boss?" The medic looked uncertain. Were they going to carry out the treatment?

"Prepare all the antiseptics and bandages." Ling Lan made a decision swiftly. She would take care of the problem when it came but now, she must save Li Lanfeng first.

"Yes, Boss." The medic rushed to prepare the medications and bandages.

Ling Lan carried Li Lanfeng up and swiftly walked to the temporary tent built by Zhao Jun and his men.

She carefully placed Li Lanfeng on the stretcher. After some time, the medic came back with all the necessary medications and bandages. He placed them at the side.

He took the pair of scissors and was just about to cut the clothes. Just then, he heard Ling Lan's voice. "Let me do it. You can go out."

"Huh?"

"Yes?" Ling Lan glanced at the medic. Her gaze wasn't cold but the medic still felt as if an icicle just penetrated his soul.

"Oh, oh, alright. Alright." The medic didn't know what he was saying. By the time he regained his senses, he had already ran out of the tent.

He patted his chest lightly. Only the regiment commanders would be able to withstand the aura of their commander. You could really kneel in fright from just his glance.

"I don't know what your family rule is but since you're so afraid of it, it's not something simple. Maybe it'll be easier to solve it if I'm the one doing this." Ling Lan sighed softly. Then, she took the pair of scissors and started cutting the undergarments that were stuck to the skin.

Wait… My Ling Lan, have you forgotten that you're a lady? How can you look at a man's naked body? Even though it's covered in blood and badly injured.

Chapter 1444 What Do You Want To Know.

Night came. Elder Father sat beside a campfire alone, listening to the warm crackling of wood chips being burnt. His hands were holding a metal skewer with a slab of meat over the fire, waiting patiently until it was cooked to perfection.

Oils from the fat of meat dripped into the fire, creating a crisp sizzling sound that echoed through the campsite. Everyone in the vicinity turned their heads to take in a waft of perfectly cooked meat. Hunger pangs started wrecking through their body, but they didn't dare to walk over there to request for some because someone they were deathly afraid of was already there.

"You've come at just the right time. The meat is perfectly cooked." Elder Father revealed a gentle smile in a certain direction.

Something flew out from that direction and towards Elder Father.

Elder Father caught the item with one outstretched hand. He turned his gaze towards the item in his hand to see that it was a bottle of liquor, a rare one at that. It was white liquor specially brewed by the Federation's military.

"Thank you!" Elder Father's eyes lit up in excitement. He adeptly opened the bottle and downed a huge gulp.

"This sures brings back memories." Elder Father wiped his mouth with his sleeve and let out a satisfying sigh.

"It has been more than ten years, right?" Following this sentence, Ling Lan walked out of the darkness slowly.

"Hmph, why do you say that?" Elder Father smiled mysteriously.

"Before I came here, I met Lord Qian." Ling Lan found a seat beside Elder Father casually and sat down.

Elder Father paused for a moment, showing a pondering expression. Then, he continued drinking another gulp of the liquor before putting down the bottle slowly. "Did he ask you to come here?"

"No, he didn't tell me." Ling Lan calmly took the metal skewer from Elder Father's other hand and pulled it towards her body. She blew at the barbecued meat that was giving off an enticing fragrance.

"How did you find me then? Especially when the signal is blocked." Elder Father was confused.

"So, you know who Lord Qian is…" Ling Lan raised her head and smiled ambiguously.

Elder Father didn't reply to her. He just stared silently at the warm campfire. He seemed to be in the midst of recalling something.

Seeing this, Ling Lan wasn't in a hurry to rush him. She continued blowing the piece of meat in her hand. When it wasn't scalding hot, she took a bite to have a taste of the delectable meat.

'Huh, it's actually not bad.' Ling Lan's eyes lit up with surprise. Within a few seconds, she finished 2.5 kilograms worth of meat in her hand.

She had fought in a mecha battle before this and after that, she helped Li Lanfeng with his injury. These took up much of her stamina so her appetite got a little larger than usual.

When Elder Father noticed that Ling Lan really liked his barbecued meat, he took another few more skewers of meat and placed them over the campfire to cook.

One of them focused on barbecuing while the other was focusing on eating. Although no words were exchanged, the atmosphere between them was harmonious.

Elder Father felt that the time was about right so he begrudgingly put down the liquor bottle. He slashed in the direction of the meat and a few deep cuts soon appeared on the meat. Then, he flicked his fingers and the seasoning got sprinkled onto the meat. Soon, the fragrance of the meat engulfed them. These perfectly cooked meats were ready to be eaten.

Elder Father passed the barbecued meat to Ling Lan. After passing it to Ling Lan, his hands instinctively went towards the bottle of liquor and he took a huge gulp from it.

He wiped the corner of his mouth forcefully and said, "You can ask now. What do you want to know?"

Ling Lan took a bite of the meat. She slowly chewed it a few times before opening her mouth. "You probably came to the Lawless Lands with Lord Qian, right?"

Elder Father looked at Ling Lan in surprise. "Why do you say that?"

"No matter how much the Federation trusts someone, they wouldn't leave him without any scrutiny. Moreover, the Lawless Lands is a special place. They wouldn't completely trust anyone with it," Ling Lan said calmly.

"You're really sent by the Federation. They're probably starting to suspect the Lawless Lands, right?" Elder Father seemed to be on guard.

"Are you sure?" Ling Lan lifted the corners of her lips slightly.

"The ability and equipment of your mecha team can only be provided by the Federation or Caesar. Your looks… If Caesar wants to form a mecha clan that was full of ace mecha masters with this many pseudo imperial operators and a few imperial operators, it would still be quite difficult for them." Elder Father had good eyesight. The moment these people acted, he knew their level.

"Lord Qian has really betrayed the Federation?" Ling Lan asked.

"Yes and no." Elder Father sighed deeply.

"What do you mean?"

"If the Federation didn't restrain his men, he wouldn't have any worries anymore." Elder Father gave a bitter smile.

"I'm a little curious. That year, the Federation sent you probably because they wanted you to restrain him. Why are you lacking behind so much? You are even hiding here now…" Ling Lan looked up at Elder Father.

Elder Father laughed forcefully when he heard this. "Trust…"

"You were betrayed by someone." Ling Lan immediately understood. "If I'm not wrong, Lord Qian acted personally."

"Why do you think so?" Elder Father asked Ling Lan back.

"Since the Federation sent you here, your ability at that time must be on par with Lord Qian. If not, you wouldn't be given the important task of restraining him. Among the bunch of people sent in the past, Lord Qian and you should be the most powerful ones. The rest wouldn't have the ability to injure you heavily. The only person who could hurt you so heavily until you are unable to recover even now must be him," Ling Lan calmly explained her guess.

"I just don't understand why weren't you guarded against him in the first place since you're tasked with restraining and watching over him." This was the point Ling Lan couldn't figure out.

"In the Lawless Lands, it is hard to find a place for yourself here. That year, a few thousand of us were sent here. Now, only less than a handful survived. At that time, in order to survive, we don't have the time to think about the issue about trust, missions, or anything. We can only survive if we helped each other…" Elder Father clearly remembered the past. Signs of deep-seated pain showed in his eyes. The comrades that fought with him fell down one by one along the way. The ones that survived grew apart and in the end, they broke their ties.

"So you believed him." Ling Lan understood it now. "I didn't expect him to leave you alive."

Elder Father understood what Ling Lan meant. By right, Lord Qian could just kill him and end everything. He forced a smile on his face and said, "Maybe we're getting too old that we reminisce about the past more. He might still want to leave some old friends behind or have some memories of the past."

"Or maybe he felt that you're not a threat to him anymore so it's alright to let you live." Ling Lan hit the nail in the head while not giving Elder Father any face.

Chapter 1445 Be Other People"s Chess Pieces

Elder Father was silent for a moment. Then, he said slowly, "Maybe… what you say is the truth."

The atmosphere around the warm campfire turned gloomy, but Ling Lan didn't seem to notice. When she opened her mouth again, she went on to an entirely different topic. "I don't think that Lord Qian purposely maintains this situation because he's afraid of the Federation."

Elder Father gathered his composure and replied, "We're not the only ones in the Lawless Lands."

"Caesar." Ling Lan gave a knowing look.

"Yes. The amount of effort Caesar put in to conquer and control the Lawless Lands is not any lesser than ours," Elder Father said with a muffled voice. Most of the comrades that came together with him had died in the hands of Caesar. The two nations had too many altercations in the dark, no one knew what they had to pay for this 'peace'. They just maintained a fake state of peace on the surface. When they met in the Lawless Lands, the two parties tore off their friendly facade and attacked each other like rabid animals, all they wanted to show to the other party was to see who was stronger and who had better tactics.

"From the looks of it now, our side seemed to have control of the situation," Ling Lan said calmly. Since Lord Qian and Lord Kun were both from the Federation, it was obvious who made the call among the 13 Lords.

Elder Father gave a bitter smile and shook his head when he heard this.

Ling Lan raised her eyebrows.

Elder Father said, "How can Caesar allow themselves to suffer such a loss? No one knows when they will act."

"But Lord Qian is already in the god-realm. Is he not enough to control them?" Ling Lan was in deep thought.

"How sure are you that there are no god-realm masters among the people sent by Caesar?" Elder Father asked Ling Lan.

"What's Lord Qian's intention?" Ling Lan didn't seem to have heard what Elder Father had said and asked him back this question.

"How would I know? I haven't seen him in a long time, so long that I almost forgot I knew him." After that, Elder Father downed some more liquor down his throat. His expression was a little indifferent. He was not even drinking for the taste anymore, he was drinking to wash away the painful memories surfacing in his mind.

"In the Lawless Lands, you should be the one that understands him the most." Ling Lan raised her head. Her gaze was intense and sharp, so sharp that Elder Father couldn't deny her words.

Elder Father took another gulp of liquor to calm his turbulent emotions. The man in front of him was very young but his gaze and the aura on his body could even suppress him. Mind you, he was someone who wasn't even afraid of Lord Qian.

Elder Father arranged his words in his mind and said slowly, "He has always been a confident person. Maybe he already knows what to do."

Ling Lan frowned slightly.

"Is there a problem?" Elder Father asked curiously when he noticed this.

"Maybe we have been used," Ling Lan said in a composed manner.

Elder Father was astounded. Then, he immediately got enlightened. "Lord Qian?"

Ling Lan didn't reply or deny it.

"He…" Elder Father sighed. "He has always been good at scheming."

"If he didn't betray the Federation, I don't mind being someone else's chess piece," Ling Lan answered nonchalantly.

Elder Father's eyes brightened up a little when he heard this. He couldn't control himself and said, "Good, good, good… With people like you in the Federation, it's worth it even if we died here."

"Don't say the word 'die' so easily. Staying alive is more useful than being dead." Ling Lan stood up.

Elder Father smiled sadly. "If we can live, who would want to die? But, with my current strength, there's not much use of being alive either…"

"That might not be true…" Ling Lan smiled at him mysteriously.

Elder Father shook his head. "I know my own body. You don't have to console me."

Ling Lan didn't say much more. She just saluted to Elder Father and disappeared on the spot the next second.

Elder Father sat beside the oddly cold campfire and drank a few more mouthfuls of liquor silently. Unknowingly, he had finished the entire bottle of liquor.

"Seriously, shouldn't he ask more about Lord Qian…" Elder Father said helplessly. He threw the empty alcohol bottle into the campfire as he gave a low sigh.

The next day, when Elder Father got up, he realized that the surroundings were very quiet.

"Why is it so quiet?" Elder Father asked in a puzzled tone when Doctor Ju came to inspect his body.

"They left." Doctor Ju seemed to be on low spirits.

"Who?" Elder Father was stunned.

"Regiment commander Zhao and their leader?" Doctor Ju replied in an uncertain tone.

"They left so quickly?" Elder Father frowned. "They had many injured men, right? Why don't they stay here to let them recuperate first?"

"They seemed to be in a hurry. Regiment commander Zhao and his men left in a rush. They only had the time to tell me that they were leaving and asked me to inform you. They hoped that you wouldn't blame them for being disrespectful."

"I understand. They're not the only mecha clan that participated in this battle. There might be other people waiting for their reinforcements. Time waits for no man." Elder Father expressed that he wouldn't blame them.

"Lord, Lord Gen and his confidants had left the 7th Preserve District. We can't find their location now." All the lords received this intel almost at the same time.

"What a pity… they actually escaped," Lord Holy said with some regret.

"The Mecha Scavenger Alliance actually let them off? I thought that there would be a good show to watch. How boring." Lord Demon laid on the couch in her bedroom and appeared to be very bored.

"Lord Gen is still quite smart." Lord Zhen smiled.

"Don't disappoint me, brat…" Lord Kun furrowed his brows slightly as he looked at the direction of the battlefield.

"How far can you go?" Lord Qian looked at the 3-dimension map in front of him with a smile on his face. "This game is getting more and more interesting."

Chapter 1446 Extra Episode 1

After going through a series of assessments, the first batch of graduates from the First Military Academy of Country Lan finally reached the moment where they needed to make the decision that would affect their future.

"Oh right, have you thought of which division you want to go to?" The students who were gathered in the plaza and waiting for the virtual screen to show their information couldn't help but ask each other when they met anyone they recognized.

"Of course, I want to go to the Emperor's Lingtian army. That is our most powerful division. They're the real emperor's army." Everyone got excited just thinking about the prospects of joining such an illustrious division. They would rise in rank tremendously if they managed to enter the Lingtian army and become the emperor's personal soldier.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. You need to pass through various difficult tests before you can enter Lingtian. Not only do you need to have outstanding personal strength, but your political background must also be adequate too. We don't have the right to enter Lingtian." In the crowd, there was someone who clearly understood the criteria of entering Lingtian clearly so he couldn't help but burst their bubbles.

"I know. I'm just dreaming about it. Still, my biggest goal in life is to enter Lingtian." 20-year-old men were all full of ambition and enthusiasm.

"Hmph, who isn't. We used to be an undeveloped zone enslaved by other nations. Now, we have successfully built our nation and have a spot in the Intergalactic United Nations. These are all possible because of our emperor. Who doesn't respect our emperor?" In Country Lan, Emperor Lan was everyone's idol.

"Can you stop daydreaming? It's impossible for us to get into Lingtian. Let's find a more reachable division. Do you all want to get randomly allocated by the system?"

"Of course not. I heard that those who didn't get chosen by any division or didn't manage to register in time would be allocated by the system randomly. Emperor Lan specially granted this favour so that they won't lose their chance to enter the military."

"Actually, there're many divisions that are not bad. For instance, General Qi's Longdou Army, General Luo's Yizi Army, General Xie's Zhuolang Army, General Han's Zhongce Army, General Lin's Zhongqing Army… and Marshal Li's Mufeng Army." Someone mentioned the most famous armies in Country Lan. The commander of these armies were people who fought alongside Emperor Lan in the past.

"The other divisions might be alright but Marshal Li's division might not be a good place to go to now…" someone said with pity.

When this was said, the atmosphere turned tense. Everyone said that Country Lan was perfect. The only problem was the relationship between Emperor Lan and Marshal Li.

Emperor Lan married someone recently. This person was sent by the Federation to make peace with Country Lan through a marriage. Hence, the relationship of the young master of the top elite family in the Federation, Li Mulan, who was Marshal Li, and Emperor Lan became dangerous.

There was a rumour that they used to be a couple in the past. However, the old fogeys in the parliament were afraid that once Emperor Lan and Marshal Li got married, they would be too much of a power couple. They were also afraid that no one would be able to restrain Emperor Lan in the future so they proposed that the emperor's husband mustn't have any real military power. If Marshal Li wanted to marry Emperor Lan, he needed to give up his current status…

Imagine a man, especially a man who had immense military power in his hands, having to give up his power to become a toy-boy?

In the end, Emperor Lan and Marshal Li broke up. Unfortunately, before their relationship could heal, the Federation took the opportunity to send a beautiful man to marry Emperor Lan…

No woman can resist the charms of a beautiful man!

Although they felt pity for Emperor Lan and Marshal Li, they had to admit that the emperor's husband now was really beautiful. It was understandable that Emperor Lan would get moved by him.

But, since then, Emperor Lan and Marshal Li became enemies. This made Marshal Li's Mufeng Army that not very attractive division to be recruited by.

"I don't care. I just don't want to go to the Mulan Army." As compared to the Mufeng Army, these cadets hated Empress Li Zhunjiang's division more.

It was called an army but in actual fact, it was a toy that the emperor gave to her husband to play when he was bored. The soldiers inside there were lacking in all areas. They were all weak people who had negative combat abilities. People who graduated from the military academy looked down on this division. As the cadets from the First Military Academy, there was no way they would want to go to this army.

"Sigh, I hope that heaven will help me!" Everyone agreed with this sentence.

Chapter 1447 11th Preserve District?

The 11th Preserve District got news that the 7th Preserve District got surrounded by the armies of the 13 Lords. It caused a huge uproar within the district.

The district mayors had more or less talked to each other before. Some of them even had good friendly relationships with one another.

Compared to the other districts, the 11th Preserve District and 9th Preserve District had more interactions due to their close geographic locations. A lot of people in the 11th Preserve District had people they knew in the 9th Preserve District.

A crowd had already gathered at the residence of the district mayor of the 11th Preserve District. Most of the crowd had agitated and confused expressions.

"Mayor, do you think they have discovered something?" A middle-aged woman asked agitatedly

The district mayor of the 11th Preserve District was a tall and muscular middle-aged man. His eyes were bright and his gaze was sharp. When he heard what the women said, he glared at the woman. "Why are you so anxious? Don't scare yourself."

"I'm just afraid that…" The woman immediately shrunk back.

"Afraid your head!" The district mayor was exasperated at his people.

"Shouldn't we at least make some preparations? Maybe their next target is us?" A man from the crowd frowned and suggested.

"We shall not do anything that will attract suspicion." The district mayor thought for a moment before deciding to keep everything the same.

"But if something really happens, the future of the Lawless Lands and us will perish here." As the hope and seeds of the locals, nothing must happen to them.

"In that case, tell me where can we go?" The district mayor shook his head and said, "The Lawless Lands is big, big enough to accept everyone who comes here. But, the funny thing is, there's no place for locals like us to live safely."

The moment he said this, everyone turned quiet. Those younger ones weren't able to hide their anger.

"It's better if we don't do anything. That way, no one will suspect us… Sometimes, staying put is better than making a move." The district mayor sighed.

"Being passive isn't how we do things." Some of the crowd were unhappy.

"Of course, we have to know why they decided to attack the 7th Preserve District first." The district mayor squinted. He knew that the district mayor of the 7th Preserve District wasn't a local of the Lawless Lands.

"Report! We have received a report from the frontlines." Suddenly, a young man squeezed past the crowd to get to the district mayor.

The district mayor looked at the report and started pondering. He didn't forget to pass the report to the crowd beside him. All the people gathered here were worth trusting. They were on the same boat after all.

Not long after, everyone read through the report.

"It looks like the 7th Preserve District asked for their own death. They took in the enemies of the lords. This had entirely nothing to do with us." Finally, they felt at ease. When they first heard about the 7th Preserve District being surrounded, their first reaction was that they were discovered.

"We can't deny the possibility that they are trying to fool us." Someone was still extremely careful and cautious.

"Yes. We still need to be careful." Most of the people agreed with that person.

"Am I the only one that is thinking about the background of the two sides?" Someone had a deeper look at the situation.

The district mayor's gaze turned sharp. He pointed at the person and said, "Tell me about it."

The person nodded and continued, "The people who surrounded the 9th Preserve District consisted of three lords." To prevent people from eavesdropping on them, he used hand signals to tell everyone who the three lords were. "The one that was being surrounded is the newly ascended lord."

"Are you saying that they combined efforts to give the new lord a hard time?"

"They might be settling accounts with him." The person shook his head. "All in all, the new lord can't make any complaints against such treatment."

"The 13 Lords will never allow a new lord to join them so easily." Everyone nodded. If that wasn't the case, they wouldn't be in such a bad state. They had to hide in this place and conceal their identity while living the life of a normal person.

"The new lord must be in a tragic state now." No one had high hopes for Lord Gen.

"Let's see the result of this battle." The district mayor knew that this fight would affect Lord Gen's position in the Lawless Lands.

As a local of the Lawless Lands, he wanted to send these foreigners away. Thus, he was happy to see internal strife, and even hatred, among the 13 Lords, as this could be an opportunity for them to grow and prosper.

If the 13 Lords started supporting one another and helping one another, they would really need to cry.

Chapter 1448 Find The Answer.

"Boss, where are we going?" After flying blindly with seemingly no goal in sight, Luo Lang finally couldn't withstand the urge to appease his curiosity.

"To find an answer," Ling Lan replied calmly. Currently, Li Lanfeng was seated limply on the auxiliary seat next to her. He was still unconscious.

"Answer?" Luo Lang was puzzled. Why was Boss being so indirect with his words? Why couldn't he understand anything? In the past, when Xie Yi was beside him, he would always explain everything whenever he didn't understand something. Now, realizing he was so helpless without Xie Yi, Luo Lang started to miss the times when he had Xie Yi beside him. Back then, he wouldn't need to care about anything then as Xie Yi would do everything for him.

"Why did Lord Qian betray the Federation? The information I have now is not enough." Ling Lan couldn't help but frown when she said this.

Lord Qian had already reached the god-realm. He belonged to the tip of the totem pole of formidable warriors. Logically, as long as he didn't leave the Lawless Lands, the Federation couldn't do anything to him even if he disobeyed them. But, realistically, that wasn't the case. On the surface, the Federation couldn't mess with more god-realm formidable warriors or god-class operators when their plates were already filled with god-realm formidable warriors and god-class operators from Caesar, but based on her deep understanding of the Federation, Ling Lan knew that there were a few god-realm formidable warriors that they hadn't revealed yet. If the Federation really wanted to deal with him, they had their ways.

If she was aware of this, Lord Qian must know this too. Hence, without ample reasons, a sly old fox like him wouldn't take the risk to betray the Federation so easily. He even attacked his companions who went through thick and thin with him.

This was the reason why Ling Lan didn't ask Elder Father more about Lord Qian. Even after spending years together as a competitive rival to Lord Qian, Elder Father still truly didn't know about the true face of Lord Qian. Because of his pre-set impression of Lord Qian being wrong, he got schemed by Lord Qian in the end.

Since the Federation gave him this important mission to infiltrate into the Lawless Lands, Lord Qian must be an extremely intelligent person. As one, he naturally wouldn't let go of any suspicious factors. If Elder Father wasn't guarded against Lord Qian, it meant that he didn't know what Lord Qian truly cared about. Lord Qian might have allowed Elder Father to live because he was his old comrade, but the most likely reason was because Elder Father was totally oblivious about Lord Qian's true thoughts, so it was totally useless to question Elder Father further as it might skew her impression of Lord Qian into a totally different direction.

Since Elder Father didn't have the answer, she needed to find other ways to get it. Luckily, Ling Lan had previously gone through the historical records about the Lawless Lands during this period of time, and she finally found a lead where they could obtain the answer.

The lead was the 11th Preserve District.

These people were the true natives of the Lawless Lands who knew the true faces of 13 Lords. Yet, the 13 Lords chose to ignore and let them be. They seemed to be sowing seeds or planning something. Of course, since they belonged to different factions, every lord had their own goal in mind. Ling Lan was a newly arised lord so even though she knew that there was something wrong with this district, she couldn't interfere with them immediately.

The previous Lord Gen might have his plans but unfortunately, he died. His plans were forced to stop. Of course, some other lords might have stopped his plans because they didn't want her to join the inner circle.

It would be impossible to start the infiltration towards the district from the roots. If she had enough time, Ling Lan had the confidence that she would be able to infiltrate the 11th Preserve District. But, she knew that the thing she lacked the most now was time.

Plus, Lord Qian wouldn't give her the chance to infiltrate into their system. She understood this even though she only met him once.

Since he wouldn't give her the opportunity, she could take the initiative before they could interfere with her. Ling Lan had never thought of letting go of the initiative.

She lifted her arm and signaled for everyone to a stop when she noticed that they had reached her destination.

Almost all the mechas behind her stopped abruptly in mid-air.

"Camouflage on the spot," Ling Lan ordered calmly.

Following her orders, all the mechas disappeared and started looking for their hiding spots.

Ling Lan, Zhao Jun, and Luo Lang stepped out of their cockpits. As they landed on the floor, the chameleon systems on the mechas activated to make them disappear on the spot.

Chapter 1449 What Do You Have Here?

The district mayor of the 11th District discussed with his confidants for a long time but nothing came out of it. They only ended the discussion on a sour note and left hastily.

The district mayor watched as everyone left his office. Then, he let out a deep forlorn sigh. That sigh essentially encompassed the frustration, anger, and helplessness about the situation at hand.

The district mayor's chief secretary, Diyi, asked in a low voice, "What's the matter?"

The district mayor gave a bitter smile. "The longer we stay here, the more I feel lost."

Diyi didn't reply when he heard this. Instead, the muscles on his cold face just twitched uncontrollably.

"You feel it too?" The district mayor looked at the peaceful grassland outside his window with a stern face. The sun was still bright but inside, his heart was cold, cold as the coming winter.

They had been hiding for so long under the burning sun, but they had never felt warm before. Instead, what was theirs before, the sun, their land, and their people, all became unnatural to them. They didn't even remember the days when they basked in the glorious sunlight, without wondering when would the lords cast their shadows over them again, locking them in eternal darkness. Did the 13 Lords really get fooled by them? His only hope now was that the new lord would attract their attention away from them.

"This battle royale got complicated for no real reason. Also, the 7th Preserve District…" Diyi revealed the worry in his heart.

"We can never tell them about that. We can only talk about them secretly." If they wished to unite the Lawless Lands together, they needed to give the people hope, not a reality with no future. They needed to subtly manipulate the people in order to make them persevere in their fight for freedom. This was a fight for freedom against invincible weapons and power. No one would be willing to take the bet if they knew that they would lose.

"I know."

"I just hope that Lord Gen will give us more hope." Maybe he was their single chance of salvation? As long as the other lords had all their focus on Lord Gen, this might be their opportunity to break free from their shackles.

"What hope do you need me to give?" A cold voice suddenly shattered the solemn atmosphere. The voice was monotone enough to be mistaken as if a robot had said it. That emotionless and ever-unchanging voice terrified him to the core.

Still, as an experienced people's man, he managed to quickly put on a facade of calmness. He looked up towards the door coldly and said, "Since you came, why do you still need to hide?" He was speaking in the Federation language. It sounded a little awkward but it was still quite accurate.

The moment he finished speaking, a figure appeared out of thin air five meters away from him. With clear and ear-piercing steps, the figure walked towards his table..

The figure was wearing a mecha suit. He didn't have any expression on his face but his cold aura was enough to freeze the air in the room.

The figure who just came was very impolite, showing no respect to one's elderly. He just directly walked to the right side of the district mayor without any ounce of respect.

Suddenly, a chair was pulled out from under the table. Two people wearing the same mecha suit appeared behind the seat. Each of them held each side of the chair and pulled it out slowly, seemingly preparing a seat for their leader.

One of them was muscular, tall, and handsome, while the other was skinny, frail, and beautiful. There were two entirely different styles but when they stood together, it didn't seem weird. It looked quite harmonious.

The man with the cold aura seemed to have expected this. He just walked directly towards the seat and sat down on it casually.

The district mayor controlled the turbulent emotions in his heart as he squinted his eyes. "Lord Gen."

Based on what he said at the start and how his subordinates were able to appear beside him without them noticing, the district mayor quickly inferred who this man was.

Ling Lan just glanced at him indifferently. She neither denied or affirmed his words.

However, the district mayor wasn't asking a question, he was instead stating a statement. Thus, he didn't need Ling Lan's reply either.

"Oh, Lord Gen is here. I apologise for not welcoming you. May I know why you're here?" The district mayor suddenly smiled and welcomed Ling Lan enthusiastically.

"You… what do you have here?" Ling Lan didn't act polite or beat around the bush. She just went straight to the point.

"What do we have?" The district mayor's expression didn't break but his eyes narrowed slightly. If Ling Lan hadn't taken special care to observe him, this minor change might go undetected.

'As expected, there is something weird going on here.' The ends of Ling Lan's lips lifted slightly into a barely noticeable smile.

Chapter 1450 Gamble!

"Heh, what do you mean by that, Lord Gen?" The district mayor had a surprised look on his face, as if he didn't understand what Ling Lan was talking about.

"You know very well what I am talking about and so does Lord Qian. That's why he let you people live in the 11th Preserve District all this time. Am I wrong?" Ling Lan's eyes stared into the eyes of the district mayor. The shapeless pressure she exuded pressure him to the point where a thin layer of sweat formed over the district mayor's forehead.

The district mayor's breathing got rapid in shorter intervals. With Ling Lan's force of presence that was half-step into the god-realm, even if he used all of his body's strength to resist, it wouldn't be of any use.

Right as the district mayor felt that he was about to cave in from Ling Lan's pressure, the mountain-like pressure disappeared. Not expecting it, he overexerted himself by using all of his power to resist against nothing. He groaned and a mouthful of blood shot out from his mouth. He lost a lot of his energy as he slipped on his chair.

Ling Lan's force of presence was controlled perfectly. The force that was put on the district mayor didn't affect the chair one bit. She also didn't give him any chance to resist the force.

Diyi looked at Ling Lan with fear in his eyes. However, he didn't dare to move an inch. That was because at that moment, Luo Lang's right hand was holding his right shoulder with an index finger perking up slightly on the artery on his neck. If he even moved a single inch, his neck would be punctured.

The district mayor understood the dangerous situation he was in. He realized he wouldn't live to see the next day if he did not do what Lord Gen wanted him to do.

When he raised his head to look at Ling Lan again, the calmness in his eyes disappeared and instead, it was replaced with fear.

"Tell me and perhaps you will have a chance to take your revenge," Ling Lan closed her eyes and said indifferently.

"Giving it to you is no different than giving it to him." The reason the district mayor could become the most authoritative figure of the district was because he was the strongest both mentally and physically. Even in front of Lord Gen, he immediately calmed his steel nerves and replied in a normal tone.

"But you hate him very much, don't you," Ling Lan said nonchalantly. "Are you willing to die just like this?"

"Bringing him down with you before you die and cause civil unrest within the lords. As long as there's this possibility, don't you want to try it out?" Ling Lan spoke slowly in a mild-mannered tone. It was as though she was making a suggestion to an old friend.

The district mayor could be seen struggling internally. He realized he was slowly moved by those devilish words. It was just as Ling Lan had said. He didn't want to die without doing anything significant. Even if he had to die, he must bring the most hated enemy of the Lawless Lands down with him.

"Heh, maybe you are working with them. Wouldn't me telling you be the same as telling him?" The district mayor wasn't going to tell their secret that easily, especially when this secret was going to dictate the future of the Lawless Lands and the original natives of the Lawless Lands. He wouldn't expose the secret until he had no other choice.

Ling Lan half-smiled as she looked at the district mayor and said slowly, "I think you are mistaken about something. You don't have a choice."

"My mecha army is just right outside the district. If you don't tell me, I will raze and burn down your district to the ground. Once I wreck everything you hold dear in your heart, I'll go find what I want personally, even if I can't find it, I'm sure I'll get some clues. Plus…" Ling Lan turned towards Diyi. "Perhaps there are people who are willing to use it in exchange to have a chance to live."

Ling Lan's words caused the district mayor and Diyi to visibly panic. Yet, the district mayor looked at Diyi and then turned towards Ling Lan, "You don't need to waste your time. Only I know this secret."

Ling Lan calmly looked at her hand and said, "I'm a person who loves to gamble."

Then, she leaned towards the district mayor and smiled. "How about we bet on it?"

After Ling Lan finished speaking, Luo Lang's hand, that was now holding Diyi's throat, began tightening his grip.

"Ugh… ugh… ugh…" Diyi tried his best to struggle, but how could he get out of the vice-like grip? He used all of his might to open his mouth, as if he was trying to say something.

"Stop!" In the end, the district mayor lost in the bet.

Looking at him trying to stop Luo Lang, Ling Lan smirked in delight . Seeing that smirk, Luo Lang's hand loosened around Diyi's throat.