1451-1460

Chapter 1451 Not Interested

"You are no different from 'that person'." The district mayor calmed his nerves and then said calmly, "Giving it to you is the same as giving it to him. It wouldn't benefit the Lawless Lands at all."

"Good things should be kept to yourself, but trying to keep it without the ability to protect it is an unforgiving mistake." Ling Lan stood up from her seat and walked next to the district mayor. She then smacked him over the shoulder. "When everyone in the 11th Preserve District dies, do you think the natives of Lawless Land would still exist after a few decades?"

The district mayor's expression darkened significantly.

"You would rather sacrifice the future of the natives of the Lawless Lands than to take a chance on grasping a future where your people can finally hold their heads up high. How dumb can you be." Ling Lan inched her face closer towards the district mayor. A constant smile was plastered on her face and her tone was full of mockery.

The district mayor tried to turn his head, but he knew he couldn't afford to. The lives of everyone in the district were on his shoulders. He couldn't evade Ling Lan's gaze. Once he evaded, it was like evading the responsibility on his shoulders.

After a short while, the district mayor finally calmed himself and asked, "If I tell you, will you let us go?"

Knowing he didn't have any choice, the district mayor began grasping for straws to survive.

Ling Lan shook her head and laughed, "You're too naive. No matter what you say, you will suffer the same end anyways. However, I can promise I won't slaughter the citizens in the 11th Preserve District. So, tell me the secret that would cause unrest amongst the lords. At least, your deaths would then be of more value."

"Hahaha…." The district mayor suddenly laughed derisively towards the sky. After laughing, he looked at Ling Lan with an enraged look in his eyes as he spoke coldly, "If it's death either way, I would be an idiot if I told you anything."

"Whatever. If you want to do that, sure. Anyway, now, I won't need to make him my enemy and I could just continue to be Lord Gen. That's not bad either," Ling Lan had a nonchalant look on her face.

The district mayor started at Ling Lan to see if he could find any hints of hesitation. However, he didn't see anything but instead, he saw her becoming more confident. Maybe that was Lord Gen's real thoughts on this issue.

The mental wall of the district mayor completely collapsed. With the faith he had on the secret he held protecting them collapsing, he lifelessly flopped on his chair.

"You win!" said the district mayor bitterly.

His right hand slowly reached towards his waist to pull out a sharp dagger. With the dagger in hand, he stabbed his own left shoulder.

Blood spewed out of the wound. Diyi, who was still catching his breath, couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Ling Lan, Luo Lang and Zhao Jun on the other hand were only watching the district mayor calmly, being totally not surprised by his sudden self-mutilation.

The district mayor had always believed the citizens of the Lawless Lands were gifted with a heavenly physique, making them stronger, stronger than the average person, but these foreigners weren't even human. They were a bunch of abnormal beings.

Although the district mayor was going through a difficult time in his mind, the hand holding the knife didn't stop at all.

The knife continued to roughly cut open the flesh on his shoulder. He carved out chunks of his flesh to the point where his bones could be seen from the surface. When the bones surface in everyone's vision, they realized a part of his shoulder was actually made out of metal.

Despite the district mayor almost carving out a few pounds of flesh, no blood leaked out of his body due to his exceptional control over his muscle, which constricted the blood vessels around his shoulder.

He gritted his teeth as he used the tip of the dagger to chip against a certain point on his metal shoulder bone. As the knife chipped away the bone, a small compartment within the bone was revealed.

He then used the tip of the dagger to dig the compartment. A black object quickly flew out from there and shot towards Ling Lan.

Hundreds of silver threads suddenly appeared in front of Ling Lan and quickly created a net, instantly catching the black object within it.

The district mayor endured the pain and spoke with bated breath, "Everything you want is there. As for whether you can decrypt it or not, that'll depend on you."

Ling Lan looked closely at the black object suspended in mid-air by her silver threaded net. She went into deep thought as she scrutinized the black object.

"I hope you can keep your word and let the citizens of the 11th Preserve District go. As for us, you can kill us if you want." The district mayor laughed bitterly.

"He also has one of these, doesn't he?" Ling Lan didn't answer, but rather asked a question instead.

The district mayor's eyes narrowed. The look he gave Ling Lan was complicated.

"This is becoming interesting." Ling Lan stood up. A slight look of helplessness was shown in her eyes, but also an unseen look of joy.

"We can finally go back. This time, we have to rest up well," Ling Lan turned towards the door and didn't turn back.

Luo Lang and Zhao Jun followed suit.

The district mayor looked at the fading silhouettes of the three of them in both fear and surprise. When the three of them walked out the door, he finally couldn't help but ask, "You're not going to kill me?"

"Not interested. As for whether the 11th Preserve District will be able to live to see the next day, that's your problem, not mine."

There was no one there, but Ling Lan's cold voice rang in the district mayor's ears.

The way she said it was cold and heartless, but it seemed to have made him feel somewhat… grateful?

Chapter 1452 Trust in Comrades

After three days, the battle royale had finally reached its end.

In the end, all the lords suffered wins and losses in this battle royale, but one lord's result stood above all. With the newly appointed Lord Gen, Ling Lan, having such great performances despite participating for the first time, it brought great shock to the lords. When comparing the losses they had sustained from the battle to the benefits they had reaped from the battlefield, she definitely had won out.

Like previous battle royales, after it was over, people would sit down and negotiate benefits and compensation. However, these diplomatic matters that required brainpower weren't Ling Lan's responsibility.

Li Lanfeng, who had just woken up from his long rest, was immediately kicked out of the rainbow palace before he could have a serious talk with Ling Lan about his family rule.

With him as main representative and Zhao Jun as his assistant, they went to Lord Qian's territory to fight another battle royale but with brains against the representatives sent by the other lords. There were no weapons or smoke, but it was more compelling than those types of bloody battle royale and more mentally draining.

After sending out Li Lanfeng, Ling Lan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. In reality, she was also afraid that Li Lanfeng would find her and talk to her about it. Although Ling Lan didn't believe that Li Lanfeng was actually willing to marry a man… her. Plus, as he was a very intelligent man, he would definitely use this opportunity to ask for some weird request. Before she could confirm what Li Lanfeng wanted, Ling Lan decided that she wasn't going to give Li Lanfeng that chance to ask for something in return.

Ling Lan liked to make preparations for anything she did. The situation back then forced Ling Lan to make the decision to treat Li Lanfeng's injuries. However, it didn't mean that it would cause her to be at a disadvantage.

"I will definitely find out what you actually want." Ling Lan smirked in delight, basking in the glory that she had beaten Li Lanfeng in a fun game. After sorting the steps she needed to take to overcome this predicament, she looked down at the black object on her palms that was 'given' to her by the district mayor of the 11th District.

"Luo Chao!" Ling Lan turned around and shouted towards Luo Chao who was idling on the sofa.

"I'm here, Boss." Luo Chao got beside Ling Lan in just one step.

"I need to go for closed door meditation for a while. You and Xuya will be responsible for the Gen district in the time being. If you need to fight, go find your brother. If you need to discuss something, find Shiyu," ordered Ling Lan.

"Ah? Oh!" The unexpected arrangements made Luo Chao gasp in surprise. Then, she calmed herself and took her orders like a textbook soldier.

"Luo Chao, you and Xuya are already very strong." Ling Lan seemed to have sensed the unsettled feeling and uncertainty in Luo Chao's heart. She reached her hand out and patted the back of her head, "You have to believe in yourself."

"But…" It was the first time Luo Chao was responsible for such an important role. So, naturally, she wouldn't have the experience too. At first, she was jealous of her brother being a regiment commander, but she quickly appeased herself by knowing the fact that the only reason why her brother was a regiment commander of a clan was because Boss had partnered him up with a skilled deputy who made up for his flaws. Her brother's job in that clan was to be the main fighter of the mecha clan.

"Don't pressure yourself too much." She patted her head lightly. Ling Lan with a gentle smile on her face said, "If you need help, don't be afraid to ask your comrades, they are your comrades for a reason."

Luo Chao gradually calmed down and she nodded with great force, "I understand, Boss."

Then, she felt her head get patted lightly again. "You can do it!"

Ling Lan's soft and gentle voice flowed into her ears, but there was no one standing in front of her. Luo Chao knew that Ling Lan probably went to have her closed door meditation session. She didn't know where Ling Lan had gone, but she didn't need to know. She only knew she needed to protect the entire Gen district until Boss returns.

Below the rainbow palace, in the vast swamp area, Ling Lan found a suitable area for closed door mediation and before she knew it, she was instantly swallowed up by the ground.

In a dark hole, Ling Lan slowly opened her palm to reveal the black object that was sitting in her hand.

"I didn't think that this star system would have something that originated from Mandora… Mandora, just what type of star system is it? I really want to see it for my own eyes."

"Ling Lan, are you ready?" As she was imagining what would be like to live in the Mandora star system, Number One's voice steadily rang in Ling Lan's mindscape.

Chapter 1453 It"s Enough

"Instructor Number One, I'm ready," Ling Lan said calmly.

"Begin the transport. I have already relayed the path to you. Be careful," Number One said in a serious tone.

"Yes, sir!" replied Ling Lan.

After saying that, Ling Lan closed her eyes and the black object on her hand began to crumble apart. The black outer shell continued to crumble apart to reveal a handful of silver sand that was glittering in the light inside.

Just as the black outer shell finished disintegrating, the silver hand laid flat on her hand before sinking into her skin.

In Ling Lan's body, the silver sand entered Ling Lan's bloodstream. It began to flow from her hand to her feet before finally reaching her head.

A hardly visible thin layer of sweat formed on Ling Lan's forehead. In order to control the silver sand to not harm or move to another location in her body, Ling Lan must use all of her concentration to direct the flow of the sand. Moreover, with the fact that she only had one chance to do it, added to the pressure.

"Here," Number One's voice echoed.

Ling Lan's body shook violently. The silver sand broke through the walls of her mindscape and rushed straight for the learning machine.

At that moment, in Ling Lan's mindscape, an enlarged structural blueprint of the learning machine had appeared. Number One had already marked a few points on it which Ling Lan must carefully place the silver sand in their respective points. If the silver sand was deposited wrongly, Number One would instantly destroy the silver sand. If that happened, it would mean Ling Lan had failed what she was trying to do.

Before going about doing this, Number One already had a serious conversation with Ling Lan. If there were any mistakes during the process, they would rather give up on the chance of upgrading the hardware than to let anything happen to the learning machine.

It couldn't be helped. The learning machine was just too precious. Not only was there the learning machine, there were also people who Ling Lan cared about in it. For example, the instructors, Little Four, and Little Blossom. Also Ling Xiao and Xie Yi, who were waiting to be revived. Ling Lan couldn't gamble with their lives on the line and she didn't want to do it either.

What Ling Lan took from the district mayor of the 11th District seemed to be a data storage device in the beginning, but it was actually a rare material that would cause a giant commotion if they were in the Mandora star system. The silver sand could actually be used to upgrade the hardware of the learning machine by one level.

Once Ling Lan had acquired it, Instructor Number One immediately sensed it. He quickly told Ling Lan to quickly go into her mindscape and prepare to upgrade the learning machine.

Of course, the reason Instructor Number One was so quick to make such a decision was because of Little Four, who had been in a coma. When Ling Lan touched the black object, Little Four's body reacted greatly to it. It was definitely an important item connected to Little Four's body since it was able to cause such an acute reaction.

In the end, it was Little Four's body's natural instinct to get stronger that caused him to have such a reaction.

As time went by, more and more silver sand was slowly getting deposited into their designated points.

The mass amount of sweat had already caused the hair of Ling Lan's forehead to stick to her forehead. Ling Lan's always calm demeanor was actually broken in this procedure.

Both Ling Lan and Number One knew what upgrading the hardware meant…

Little Four was going to come back.

Number One had initially thought he needed decades of Ling Lan's spiritual power to replenish him. Now that if the hardware upgrade was successful, the energy it replenished might be able to awaken Little Four.

"Good job, you succeeded, Ling Lan," Number One said with satisfaction.

Despite him being calm and cool, a look of joy still couldn't escape his eyes.

If someone had told Number One that he would one day have a disciple that he would be completely satisfied with, he probably would think that person was dreaming or perhaps drunk. However, now, Number One was able to tell everyone without hesitation that Ling Lan was his favourite disciple and only disciple.

Just Ling Lan was enough.

Chapter 1454 Selfish Person.

At this moment, Ling Lan didn't relax even though the silver sand had been successfully deposited in their respective points. Instead, she prepared herself for the incoming recoil the hardware was generating.

Little Four's learning device wasn't the average learning device, to begin with. Thus, the process of upgrading it wasn't also a normal process too. The recoil generated during an upgrade was enough to devastate a normal person. Only people with exceptionally strong spiritual power would be able to endure such recoil. Even so, the price they had to pay to endure such torment was not to be slighted either.

However, this amount of recoil didn't put pressure on Ling Lan as she had the spiritual cultivation of the Divine Command sect which was already close to god-realm.

Ling Lan withstood the strongest three waves of recoil. After enduring those waves, the waves got decreasingly less powerful. As the waves of recoil ended, Ling Lan finally relaxed. She knew that it was the sign that the hardware of the learning device had upgraded successfully.

"You have done well." Number One, who was guarding Little Four, suddenly opened his mouth.

"Thank you, Number One," Ling Lan appeared behind Number One silently and whispered.

After enduring the recoil, Ling Lan hurriedly came into the learning space to inspect the effects of the upgrade had on Little Four.

"Little Four���s condition is improving. Don't worry." Number One knew what Ling Lan was worried about so he gave her the answer first.

"Is the upgrade enough for Little Four to wake up?" During this period of time when Little Four was in a coma, Ling Lan realised how important he was to her. Without Little Four, her heart felt empty. She knew that Little Four might wake up after this but the strong and confident Ling Lan suddenly felt afraid. She was scared that her expectation was set too high that the reality would disappoint her.

"Even if he doesn't wake up now, it won't be long before he does," Number One said calmly.

"That's good." Ling Lan's gaze turned firm. Being weak was just temporary. Being strong was eternal.

"Number One, Little Blossom's situation is improving!" Number Five suddenly appeared in the room and exclaimed in surprise.

Number One frowned. He lowered his voice and said to Ling Lan, "I'll go and take a look."

He disappeared with Number Five without waiting for Ling Lan's reply.

Only Little Four, who was hovering in mid-air, was left in the room, as well as Ling Lan, who was standing beside him.

Ling Lan stretched her hand out. Her slender and glowing fingers gently caressed Little Four's chubby cheeks. Even though he had been in a coma for such a long time, he still maintained his chubby and cute look.

Little Four's whiny look whenever he did anything wrong surfaced in Ling Lan's mind. He always would hug her and call her 'Boss' in a cute manner in an attempt to flatter her. He would complain to her angrily and tell her his plans to drag Li Lanfeng down.

"Little Four, I really miss you," Ling Lan said softly.

There was no one else around her so in front of Little Four, the person who accompanied her for two lifetimes and understood her the most, she let go of herself.

"Do you know when my father died, I was really sad, but what caused me to almost breakdown mentally was you. Little Four, when you suddenly disappeared, I thought that I was abandoned by the entire world," Ling Lan smiled as she said. Tears started to appear in her cold and indifferent eyes.

"But, I didn't believe, I didn't believe that you'll abandon me. You once said that you'll accompany me for life. You'll even accompany my children for their entire life too…" Ling Lan stroked Little Four's cold cheeks softly. They didn't have the warmth that Little Four had in the past. Now, Little Four looked more like a robot, even if he looked like a human to the naked eye.

"There's not many people I trust. My parents, you, the instructors, the comrades that grew up with me, and the friends that went through life and death with me… But, the only person I trust completely is you. Even my parents can't make me do that." Ling Lan raised her head and controlled her tears. "Little Four, ultimately, I'm still a selfish person. Besides you, whom I know entirely, I've never given all my trust to someone else."

Chapter 1454 Selfish Person.

At this moment, Ling Lan didn't relax even though the silver sand had been successfully deposited in their respective points. Instead, she prepared herself for the incoming recoil the hardware was generating.

Little Four's learning device wasn't the average learning device, to begin with. Thus, the process of upgrading it wasn't also a normal process too. The recoil generated during an upgrade was enough to devastate a normal person. Only people with exceptionally strong spiritual power would be able to endure such recoil. Even so, the price they had to pay to endure such torment was not to be slighted either.

However, this amount of recoil didn't put pressure on Ling Lan as she had the spiritual cultivation of the Divine Command sect which was already close to god-realm.

Ling Lan withstood the strongest three waves of recoil. After enduring those waves, the waves got decreasingly less powerful. As the waves of recoil ended, Ling Lan finally relaxed. She knew that it was the sign that the hardware of the learning device had upgraded successfully.

"You have done well." Number One, who was guarding Little Four, suddenly opened his mouth.

"Thank you, Number One," Ling Lan appeared behind Number One silently and whispered.

After enduring the recoil, Ling Lan hurriedly came into the learning space to inspect the effects of the upgrade had on Little Four.

"Little Four's condition is improving. Don't worry." Number One knew what Ling Lan was worried about so he gave her the answer first.

"Is the upgrade enough for Little Four to wake up?" During this period of time when Little Four was in a coma, Ling Lan realised how important he was to her. Without Little Four, her heart felt empty. She knew that Little Four might wake up after this but the strong and confident Ling Lan suddenly felt afraid. She was scared that her expectation was set too high that the reality would disappoint her.

"Even if he doesn't wake up now, it won't be long before he does," Number One said calmly.

"That's good." Ling Lan's gaze turned firm. Being weak was just temporary. Being strong was eternal.

"Number One, Little Blossom's situation is improving!" Number Five suddenly appeared in the room and exclaimed in surprise.

Number One frowned. He lowered his voice and said to Ling Lan, "I'll go and take a look."

He disappeared with Number Five without waiting for Ling Lan's reply.

Only Little Four, who was hovering in mid-air, was left in the room, as well as Ling Lan, who was standing beside him.

Ling Lan stretched her hand out. Her slender and glowing fingers gently caressed Little Four's chubby cheeks. Even though he had been in a coma for such a long time, he still maintained his chubby and cute look.

Little Four's whiny look whenever he did anything wrong surfaced in Ling Lan's mind. He always would hug her and call her 'Boss' in a cute manner in an attempt to flatter her. He would complain to her angrily and tell her his plans to drag Li Lanfeng down.

"Little Four, I really miss you," Ling Lan said softly.

There was no one else around her so in front of Little Four, the person who accompanied her for two lifetimes and understood her the most, she let go of herself.

"Do you know when my father died, I was really sad, but what caused me to almost breakdown mentally was you. Little Four, when you suddenly disappeared, I thought that I was abandoned by the entire world," Ling Lan smiled as she said. Tears started to appear in her cold and indifferent eyes.

"But, I didn't believe, I didn't believe that you'll abandon me. You once said that you'll accompany me for life. You'll even accompany my children for their entire life too…" Ling Lan stroked Little Four's cold cheeks softly. They didn't have the warmth that Little Four had in the past. Now, Little Four looked more like a robot, even if he looked like a human to the naked eye.

"There's not many people I trust. My parents, you, the instructors, the comrades that grew up with me, and the friends that went through life and death with me… But, the only person I trust completely is you. Even my parents can't make me do that." Ling Lan raised her head and controlled her tears. "Little Four, ultimately, I'm still a selfish person. Besides you, whom I know entirely, I've never given all my trust to someone else."

Chapter 1455 Evolve?

"That's why Little Four, wake up, I need you!" This was the first time Ling Lan said that she needed someone. The Ling Lan now was no longer the strong and invincible commander in everyone's eyes. She was no longer the dominant Boss who all of her comrades believed that she could fight off thousands of soldiers. Now, she was a girl who needed someone to rely on.

"I'll give you one chance. If you don't wake up now, I might not need you anymore." Ling Lan's demeanour suddenly turned cold and her expression turned indifferent. She slowly took back her finger, as if the weak expression she just showed was an illusion.

Her weak self was extra baggage. Faced with the loss of Little Four, she went back to demeanor of the Ling Lan from her previous life. The weak version of Ling Lan that was dependent on everyone else around her to survive, that was sad that everyone showed concern for her but no one actually felt concerned for her, and that was lonely.

If staying here being all weak wasn't going to do anything, then she would be going to do what she needed to be, a cold and heartless commander.

Just as she turned around to leave, the corner of her sleeve was suddenly pulled on by a chubby little hand.

"Don't… leave!" Little Four's weak voice rang from behind her.

Ling Lan's body shook and her eyes instantly teared up.

She rapidly blinked her eyes. The blinking immediately erased the immense joy she had along with the weakness she shouldn't have had or rather shouldn't have shown.

She turned around and flicked her finger lightly, "Dumb Little Four. You finally slept enough."

The Little Four hovering in mid-air groaned in pain. Then, he immediately jumped up and held his forehead with a look of being wronged. With a sad look on his face, he said, "Boss, I'm a patient right now, can't you be a bit more nice to me?"

"Nice?" The bones on Ling Lan's finger began to make cracking sounds. She then spoke in a cold tone, "Do you need me to give you a massage personally?"

It was clear that this 'massage' would definitely make Little Four be in so much pain that he would rather die.

As an intelligent entity, Little Four was, of course, not related the word 'dumb'. He shook his head furiously.

Right as Little Four was about to cause himself to faint from shaking his head too much, a hand suddenly held his head and stopped his shaking head.

Ling Lan's head caressed Little Four's head. This sudden warmth stunned Little Four.

"Boss?" Little Four raised his head in surprise.

In the next second, Ling Lan used all of her might to hug him. The hug was so tight that Little Four actually felt as though he was suffocating.

"Little Four, it's good that you're fine." Ling Lan's calm voice flowed into Little Four's ears. Despite it sounding cold as it had always been, Little Four still managed to hear the happiness and gratefulness in Ling Lan's heart.

As the hug continued, Little Four could feel his body warming up to the point where his main CPU might overheat.

"Next time, I won't allow you to take such risks again. Even if it is for mom or dad or even me. I won't allow it. Don't ever do that again, do you hear me?" said Ling Lan sternly.

She hoped that Little Four would always exist even at her passing. Even if one day she weren't to exist anymore, she still hoped Little Four would continue to exist in this world and live without any worries.

Little Four felt himself short-circuiting for a moment. The two top level restrictions of the learning machine actually somehow went against each other which made his circuits go haywire.

The first responsibility of the learning machine was to protect the life of the host, and the second responsibility was that it couldn't go against the orders of the host.

Ling Lan, who was holding Little Four, felt that Little Four's body had frozen stiff. Upon realization, she quickly and gently placed Little Four down. When she saw a sleeping Little Four again, she felt her mind was about to collapse.

"Instructor Number One!" Ling Lan quickly shouted.

Number One appeared in an instant.

"Instructor Number One, what's wrong with Little Four?" Why did Little Four suddenly stop responding to her. His originally bright and lively eyes actually darkened. It was as though he was a robot that suddenly lost its power.

Instructor Number One lightly pushed down on Little Four's head and frowned slightly. "He actually began evolving right after he woke up. He really is a piece of work."

Evolving an intelligent entity like Little Four required work to be done in advance to prepare for it. Usually, it required months of dedicated research and careful experimentation of the direction of the evolution to increase the chance of success, otherwise, the evolution would fail easily.

Instructor Number One thought Little Four was too impulsive to evolving himself after sensing he could evolve. How could he know that it was because of some of Ling Lan's actions and words that caused Little Four's original restrictions to have a terrifying flaw? In order to repair this flaw, Little Four naturally chose to evolve after sensing the room for an evolution. This was actually a method Little Four used to protect himself.

"Is Little Four in danger?" Ling Lan said worriedly.

"At most, he would just fail and waste this opportunity to evolve that you managed to acquire with great effort," said Instructor Number One frustratingly.

"That's fine." Ling Lan was no longer worried. As long as Little Four was fine, no matter how wasteful it was, Ling Lan wouldn't mind.

Number One understood the meaning behind Ling Lan's words. He shook his head silently. With a host who pampers her own intelligent entity without thinking about any of the risks… Number One felt his head hurt.

Each and every one of them weren't easy to deal with.

Little Four's evolution wasn't something that could be done in just one or two days. So, after getting assured that nothing would happen to Little Four, Ling Lan left the room.

She used her spiritual self to scan the entire rainbow palace to discover that everyone was systematically going about their work.

Seeing this, Ling Lan was no longer worried. She took a deep breath before taking a step forward to arrive beside Instructor Number Five.

Instructor Number Five was studying Little Blossom's situation closely. After sensing Ling Lan��s arrival, he said, "A portion of Little Four's energy was devoured by Little Blossom. I'm not sure if Little Four was affected or not."

This was the result after Instructor Number One and Number Five analyzed them. Otherwise, with Little Blossom's terrible state, things wouldn't get better so suddenly.

"Little Four just woke up, but now he's evolving himself," said Ling Lan calmly. "Also, without Little Four's consent, Little Blossom can't devour Little Four's energy."

Ling Lan was much more knowledgeable of the relationship between Little Four and Little Blossom compared to the two instructors. Although Little Four bullied Little Blossom, Ling Lan knew that Little Four actually cared a lot for Little Blossom. It was probably when Little Four sensed Little Blossom was in danger, he voluntarily sent energy to Little Blossom.

"If he's fine, that's good," Number Five had a nonchalant look on his face. He was now more interested in Little Blossom. The way he looked at Little Blossom was like a wolf watching its prey… as if he was hoping to get a bite of him.

"Instructor Number Five, I want to enter the virtual time dimension." Ling Lan's words instructor made Number Five retract his gaze.

"Why?" Instructor Number Five had a stern look on his face.

"I want to find the catalyst to advance into the god-realm," Ling Lan said in a serious tone.

"No," Number Five instantly refused.

"Instructor Number Five," shouted Ling Lan with determination.

The two of them stared at each other. After a few minutes, Instructor Number Five wiped his helpless expression with his hand and said in dismay, "Convince me with a good reason."

"Lord Qian," Ling Lan only said those two words.

Number Five was silent for a while, then said, "You should know where your problem lies."

This time, it was Ling Lan who was silent. Having been stuck at the peak of the imperial realm for so long and not being able to touch up the god-realm, she ,of course, knew the reason.

She advanced too quickly. Although the advancements were carefully done, her basics were still clearly less solid than those who have had decades or even centuries of time to build it up. Even if there was the learning space's time machine speeding things up, giving her more time to train, it still wasn't enough to make up for centuries of work.

Advancing into the god-realm required enough power in layers. Otherwise, if the layers were too thin, it wouldn't work. That was the issue Ling Lan had. Her amount of power was not enough, so she couldn't get close to the door of the god-realm.

Slowly, gathering power was the best method to advance into the god-realm. Unfortunately, Ling Lan couldn't wait!

Chapter 1456 There"s Only One Chance

"Lord Qian won't give me time." Especially after she had received the thing Lord Qian wanted. If things kept going the way it did, Lord Qian would definitely make a move soon. However, this time, he wasn't going to let her off easy like before.

"You were too hasty in your decisions," Number Five said helplessly.

"I can wait, but the others can't." Ling Lan's expression was determined. The move she made seemed to have been made blindly without any care about the consequences, but in reality, the only way they could escape from the clutches of Lord QIan was by doing those seemingly reckless actions.

"With your wits, you clearly could have avoided it." Number Five still thought Ling Lan's plan this time was not well executed.

"Why should I refuse what has been given to me?" Ling Lan responded coldly.

"However, at the same time, you also paid the price for it in time. You clearly had time to prepare for it." Number Five, a person who disliked taking any risks, didn't like Ling Lan's extremely reckless way of doing things.

"What's destined to come will come eventually. Plus, what's the point of getting one to two more years. If I can't advance into the god-realm, I can only be a pawn in Lord Qian's grasp, not his opponent." Ling Lan saw through it all. "In that case, I would rather grasp all of the opportunities laid before me regardless of risk, and perhaps something magical might happen."

"For others, one or two years are indeed useless, but for you, with the virtual time dimension machine, it's not like you are helpless." Ling Lan's words could fool others, but they couldn't fool Number Five. He knew about Ling Lan just as much as Ling Lan knew about herself.

"Using the virtual time dimension machine will only help me sense the catalyst to advance the first time I use it. If I don't succeed in my first try, then the subsequent trials would only help me acquire more experience, but I will no longer have a chance to advance. In that case, what's the point of having that one or two years? I would rather risk it now." Ling Lan knew very well what she wanted. "Sometimes, fighting against the tide doesn't mean there's no chance of winning."

Number Five looked at Ling Lan with a heavy gaze. "It seems, you've made up your mind."

"After meeting Lord Qian, I realized that this was the only path I can take." Every decision Ling Lan made, although not necessarily calculated, was made through careful deliberation over the pros and cons. After deliberating over and over again, she made the conclusion that what she did was the best choice.

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I'll let you go in. Just like you said, you only have one chance," reminded Number Five.

Ling Lan nodded.

Number Five's finger slashed the air beside him lightly and a dimensional tear slowly opened up. It gradually got wider and wider until it was wide enough for a person to fit through.

Ling Lan nodded gratefully towards Number Five and walked into the dimensional tear without looking back.

Boom! The dimensional tear crackled the moment Ling Lan went in. It was then the dimensional tear started to swirl, gradually getting smaller and smaller with each turn before disappearing in a 'pop'.

The next second, a slender figure appeared beside Number Five.

"Why didn't you try to stop her?" asked Number Five. Even though she was so worried, Number Nine didn't even try to persuade her against it or even see her off, Number Five thought it was out of character for Number Nine to do that.

"No one can stop Ling Lan from doing what she wants. Even Number One can't do that." The time Number Nine spent with Ling Lan was the longest out of all the instructors. Her feelings for Ling Lan had already surpassed the love for a disciple. It could even be said that she had already thought of Ling Lan as her child.

When Number Nine realized her motherly feelings for Ling Lan, she no longer gave Ling Lan any instructions or suggestions. That was because she knew her feelings would affect her judgment., and without proper judgement, she wasn't qualified to be an instructor for Ling Lan. The only thing she could do now was to trust in Ling Lan. Even if she was worried and desperately not wishing for her to go, she couldn't come out and affect Ling Lan's decision.

"Number Nine, the rule of the dimension states that you shouldn't have feelings for the host," reminded Number Five.

"Then you can enforce that rule right now," Number Nine glared at Number Five as she replied.

Number Five smiled sweetly after hearing those words, "Why should I enforce it. This place isn't Mandora. There isn't that annoying disciplinary committee too."

"If there really was a disciplinary committee, you would have gone there long ago I'm sure." Number Nine didn't leave any face for Number Five and spoke out his true intentions.

"Expected of the person who understands me the most." Number Five's smile became even sweeter. Even his eyes were smiling. The originally cold smile actually looked beautiful at that moment. It was like a flower blooming in the harsh cold winter.

"It's already been so long but I still don't understand you." Number Nine looked at Number Five with disdain and then disappeared in the next second.

Number Five sighed softly after Number Nine left. "Yeah, it's been so long already, but why don't you understand what I want…"

Chapter 1457 Her Choice

Ling Lan stood on top of an iceberg and looked at the endless white snowy landscape before her.

If it wasn't for the fact that there was a red setting sun in the west, Ling Lan perhaps thought she was going blind.

She didn't know how many sunrises and sunsets she had seen since she had been in here and she didn't know how many world-ending apocalypse she had experienced either.

The power of nature made Ling Lan, who was halfway into the god-realm, felt as though she was an insignificant ant in this giant world.

She softly spoke, "Is it still not enough?"

Ling Lan's cold and sharp eyes darkened significantly. Teetering between life and death was usually the easiest way to improve oneself. However, facing death time and time again didn't give Ling Lan what she wanted.

"Did I not dive deep enough? Even though the catalyst is in front of me, I can't reach it?" A bitter smile formed on Ling Lan's face.

As days, months, years gone by, Ling Lan knew her chance to enter the god-realm was getting slimmer and slimmer.

"I am unwilling to just give up like this!" Ling Lan's expression turned icy cold. She knew very well what the outcome would be if she didn't advance into the god-realm.

"I have said it before, I won't allow myself to be helpless ever again!" Ling Lan clenched both her fists. "Master, I'm sorry. I need to use the forbidden Divine Command Sect technique."

After saying that, Ling Lan's entire body sank into the snow.

Number One, who had his eyes closed while meditating, instantly opened them.

"You're not going to stop her?" Number One's shadow suddenly spoke in a cold voice. It was Number Two.

Number One's eyes flickered slightly before slowly closing them. "This is her choice."

"Advancing to god-realm is still too difficult for the present, Ling Lan." Number Two didn't think it was a good idea.

"If she doesn't force it, she would only have a few more days to live anyways. Dying now or later is all the same so might as well risk it all. "A charming voice rang from the other side of the dimension. A dimensional tear opened up and Number Four walked out while striking many different poses.

"Even you can't sit still anymore?" Number Two sneered.

"Our fates are tied with Ling Lan. If she doesn't advance to god-realm, would it benefit us?" Number Four smiled lightly.

"…" Number Two was speechless. He didn't want to speak with these intelligent entities who already had their own agendas. He quickly disappeared from Number One's shadow.

"He ran away pretty quick," Number four sneered coldly.

"That's because you are being unrealistic so he didn't want to speak with you anymore." Number Five's voice echoed from behind Number Four.

"How am I not being realistic?" Number Four ruthlessly stared down Number Five.

"If Ling Lan were to die, we would at most return to the drawing board and wait until Majesty Four awakens to find the next host and start again." Number Five pointed out the specialty of their learning machine.

"Yeah right, if Majesty Four didn't evolve and create a connection with Ling Lan, what you said might be true. However, now, if Majesty Four were to wake up and find out that Ling Lan had died, he definitely would choose to destroy himself. Then we'll all die," Number Four rebutted.

"You forgot the meaning of our existence again, haven't you?" Number Five responded helplessly.

Number Four was speechless and couldn't find the words to refute him. She could only look towards Number One angrily. "Number One, are you thinking of using your final authority if that happens?"

Number One slowly opened his eyes. All of the instructors had already come into his dimension unbeknownst to him. It seemed that Ling Lan's situation worried every instructor.

Looking at them standing there with hopeful eyes, Number One snorted coldly and said, "Everyone go back to where you came from now!"

"Alright, fine, fine. I'll go back. Staying here won't do any good anyway." Number Five smiled with an indifferent look on his face.

Looking at that irritating face, Number Nine couldn't control her urge as she released a furious kick towards his knee. After kicking Number Five, she quickly disappeared, without turning back to see what the outcome of her kick was.

Number Five gritted his teeth and rubbed his kicked knee. While limping, he walked forward and similarly disappeared from the dimension.

"If there's nothing fun happening here, then I'll be leaving too." Number Three yawned like he didn't have care in the world. Before he finished his sentence, he had already left.

"You men are all so stubborn and so boring." Number Four flicked her wavy long hair and walked out of the dimension the same way she came in.

The other instructors slowly disappeared after Number One ordered them to leave. In the end, Number One's shadow also became lighter before finally disappearing in a flash as well.

The entire dimension returned to its peaceful state. Then, Number One slowly closed his eyes.

"No, I won't." Number One's lips moved slightly.

"Ow, ow, ow…" The immense pain made Ling Lan tremble. The immense pain seemed to be coming from deep within her body, but also seemed to be from the outside of her body as well.

"Quickly, quickly, patient on Bed N27's suddenly has a reaction. Give her a dose of painkiller." A woman's voice rang beside her ears, with a hint of worry and panic in her voice.

"Ling Lan, don't be scared. Ling Lan, don't be scared. You're very brave. You have to believe in yourself. This time, you will be able to endure it." On the other side, another soft female voice sounded as an ice cold towel was used to wipe her forehead. The refreshing feeling coming from the towel was the only thing stopping Ling Lan from fainting.

"Ling Lan, you are the strongest girl I know. You definitely can endure it." From a further place, there was a voice of a crying woman cheering her on.

Ling Lan suddenly felt her arm get injected by a needle. The cold liquid was then felt going into her bloodstream.

However, all of this didn't have any effect on the unbearable pain she was feeling. Ling Lan thought that she was going to die from the pain.

"Ah!" Ling Lan finally screamed out.

"How's the situation?" A familiar male voice suddenly echoed in her ears.

"Dr. Li, we just injected a dose of painkiller, but it doesn't seem to have an effect," replied one of the female voices.

It was then a warm hand touched her with the intention of checking on her. "Her condition worsened this quickly. If we don't stop it soon, Ling Lan won't be able to live past tonight." the male voice sounded firm but yet had a hint of unwillingness to it.

"Wuwu… Then what should we do?" One of the female voices actually began crying.

"Ling Lan's so nice. I don't want anything to happen to her," said the other girl while sniffling.

"You all need to focus. You're all nurses. If you panic, who will the patients depend on?" the male voice suddenly shouted angrily.

"But, but, what should we do?" The female voices suddenly had more strength to it, as if they were awakened from the shout.

"Continue to inject painkillers. Remember to not go past the limit," ordered the male voice. "Nurse Han, go apply for the new experimental medicinal agent immediately."

"But, doesn't it have irrecoverable side effects? Our superiors have already ordered us to not use it carelessly." Nurse Han was somewhat hesitant.

"Why think about that when the situation is this grave" the male voice was determined.

"But if something bad happens, it will be on your accounts, Dr. Li," said Nurse Han with uncertainty.

"If we don't try, it's the same as doing nothing. No matter what the outcome is, I will take full responsibility," replied the male voice calmly. It seemed that this decision was made through careful deliberation, not panic like what he just showed.

"Alright, Dr. Li." Nurse Han realized that Dr. Li had already thought it through, so she didn't try to convince him otherwise anymore. She turned around and went to apply for the experimental medicinal agent.

"Ling Lan, endure it for a while. The new medicinal agent will be here soon. You will get better, so you have to hold on." Beside her ears, that soft female voice had been constantly cheering her on. This voice also sounded very familiar. It seemed that this voice had been standing with her the whole time she was in pain.

It was just that she had never thought of giving up, but why was everyone here afraid she would give up and why were they so desperately trying to cheer her on to continue to live?

Although Ling Lan felt dizzy from the pain, her brain was still working at full speed. When she came about this realization, she was somewhat confused.

Chapter 1458 Five Years Into the Future?

not long after, nurse han brought back the new experimental medicinal agent.

after a few sharp crackling sounds, a needle was injected into her arm. a cool liquid went into ling lan's bloodstream through the needle.

the pain that was coming from deep within the bones began to get better. feeling much better, ling lan took a deep breath to calm her nerves. after taking some much needed breaths, ling lan finally opened her eyes.

the blinding white light blinded ling lan's eyes for a second. for a moment, she thought that she was still in the snowy mountain range from before.

"ling lan, you're awake. how do you feel?" a voice filled with joyful surprise made ling lan return to reality.

ling lan frowned slightly. she quickly realized that her cautionary abilities and sensitivity were now greatly weakened. even if she had failed to advance into god-realm, she wouldn't instantly regress to someone with only the basics in physical skills. what was happening?

"ling lan, don't scare me like that. look at me. look at me…" a soft hand softly caressed her face while panicking. that person's voice began to tremble.

'their force of presence is that weak? they aren't better than the average person. my comrades have never been that weak.'

ling lan's gaze finally fell upon that person.

"luo chao?!" the familiar face stunned ling lan.

"ling lan, that's good, you still remember me," luo chao smiled as she cried.

"what is this place?" ling lan looked at this familiar yet strangely unfamiliar place.

"ling lan, this is the military's central medical department," replied luo chao.

"military's central medical department?" ling lan was confused for a moment, "it's such a familiar name."

"of course, you've been living here for more than 20 years." luo chao sighed deeply, releasing the frustration and sadness she had felt in the past few days. "unfortunately, we couldn't find the reason for your condition."

"20 years?" ling lan was shocked.

"it's fine, ling lan. you've once again won against the disease. you're the best." luo chao seemed to have already become used to ling lan returning from death's door every time. while she wiped her ling lan's forehead using a wet towel, she was cheering ling lan on at the same time.

"what's the time right now? give me the year." ling lan frowned and asked. she had already sensed the strangeness of this place. this military central medical department didn't have a single person who trained their physical skills. every doctor or nurse who passed by had weak forces of presence, and she was also the same. no, her aura was even weaker than the weakest of nurses. it was so weak that she might leave this world in the next second.

"april 2nd, 2018. april fool's just passed," luo chao replied with a gentle smile. this type of occurence where ling lan didn't know the date and time had happened many times in the past so she had already gotten used to it.

"really…2018? five years later?" ling lan furrowed her brows. currently, it was five years after her supposed death in her past life. with a mind full of questions, ling lan moved her body and used all her might to sit up.

luo chao immediately went to help her after seeing ling lan move.

"laying down is better for you. your body's condition isn't too good. sitting will burden your muscles and organs too much." a male voice shouted in a serious tone.

ling lan looked over and as expected, it was the answer she had in her mind—li shiyu!

"in my memory, you guys probably came here in the last five years," ling lan said calmly.

before she died, this world didn't have li shiyu, luo chao and the others. if her assumption wasn't wrong, that nurse han, who went to report the results of the experimental medicinal agent, should be han xuya.

"yeah, five years ago, you were in grave danger. everyone thought you weren't able to live. i even heard that you had stopped breathing and your heart had stopped beating. luckily, dr. li was in the military central medical department giving a seminar then. when he heard of your condition, he decisively chose to help. after months of intensive care, you finally showed signs of improving. it was then when dr. li took over your case, and since we are doctor li's assistant, we followed dr. li here." luo chao carefully recounted what happened in the last five years. she explained slowly while making sure ling lan was doing okay. the five years they have been together, they had already thought of ling lan as their own sister.

"i'm not sure how much time dr. li has invested into researching your disease for you. but, if you want to repay us, then don't let this disease defeat you." a familiar female voice suddenly rang from the door.

ling lan looked over. as expected, it was han xuya.

"actually, i find it a bit odd. why did you stay here?" you would have a much brighter future if you go research some other disease." ling lan turned and looked towards li shiyu.

the information she had wasn't enough. ling lan could only deduce the background of li shiyu from the future world.

li shiyu was stunned for a moment. it was as if he didn't expect ling lan would ask this type of question. he tilted his head down to think about it and said, "perhaps, it was just destiny. perhaps, your condition interests me. or perhaps… i have already gone bored of praise and needed some challenges in my life."

"it looks like i gave you a lot of hardships." ling lan smiled.

"yeah, there's so much that it almost makes me suspect all that i have achieved." li shiyu smiled bitterly.

it was because of this almost unsolvable problem that he kept refusing to return to the headquarters. he had stayed here all this time for this girl he was worried about. he had stayed here for almost five years. his instructor back at the headquarters had been barking at his ears about him wasting five golden years in his life.

there had also been people who also suspected whether he had fallen in love with this tough girl. however, internally, he knew that he pitied and worried about her, maybe even liked her. however, it was nowhere close to the word 'love'. of course, he couldn't ensure that as time passed, this 'like' might not grow into 'love'…

"my condition isn't something that can be treated in this world. you know that." ling lan looked at li shiyu intently. she believed that in this world, li shiyu was still a genius in terms of medicine which meant that he knew about her body's condition.

"as an esteemed doctor, i won't acknowledge the term 'terminal illness'. no matter what disease or condition, i will always believe there is a chance to live." li shiyu looked unwilling to give up. just like how he was in the future world with li lanfeng's terminal illness, he was still trying to fight a cure and had been trying to do so for more than 10 years.

"even in this world, you are still you." although ling lan wasn't sure why she had returned to this world and why these people who shouldn't have existed here randomly appeared before her. these people, no matter their personalities or attitudes, were not different than her comrades in the future.

"you're tired. rest well and don't speak too much." seeing ling lan slowly closing her eyes, luo chao, who had been paying attention to ling all this time, immediately suggested.

she was truly the same as luo chao. she was still as detailed and as sensitive. as long as ling lan had a slight change in her mood, she would be able to sense it.

this feeling was familiar. there was someone in the future world who could also quickly capture her change in mood. it was just that he was more discreet than luo chao. no matter if it was a concern or a reminder, he would say it in a more discreet way. even if she sensed it, she would accept it wholeheartedly.

li lanfeng… she actually thought of him. was it because of li shiyu being here?

ling lan slowly shook her head. she stopped thinking about it since it could not be explained. of course, her head shaking also caused luo chao to speak up with concern. if it wasn't for han xuya, who couldn't bear to watch anymore, pulling her away, ling lan probably needed to try to comfort that little girl who was scared for her.

still, it felt really good to return to this world and meet a few familiar people!

ling lan closed her eyes tiredly and went to sleep once again.

Chapter1459 Who Are You?

"Ling Lan, look. Are these flowers pretty?" Luo Chao smiled brightly as she held a bunch of blooming flowers while skipping in from the entrance.

"Yes, not bad." Ling Lan raised her head calmly and looked at it.

"Luo Chao, can you don't talk so loudly? Ling Lan's ears won't be able to take it." Han Xuya glared at Luo Chao angrily.

The experimental agent had saved Ling Lan's life but it had its side effects. Ling Lan was losing her sense of hearing every day. Based on what Li Shiyu said, if they didn't find a solution for it soon, Ling Lan would lose her sense of hearing entirely.

Ling Lan didn't just have difficulties hearing. If the noise was too loud, her eardrums would burst from the vibration too. It was a contradictory problem. If someone wanted Ling Lan to hear them, they would have to speak loudly. However, if they were too loud, it would damage Ling Lan's eardrum.

Luo Chao's bright smile was wiped away when she heard this. She looked at Ling Lan with pain in her eyes.

"It's alright. Being able to survive is better than anything." Ling Lan smiled brightly.

In this world, she was just an ordinary lady. She didn't have any responsibilities. She could laugh if she wanted to without any burden.

"It's good that you think this way." Han Xuya smiled too. She seemed a little relieved.

During these five years, after accompanying her through all of what had happened, she saw clearly how strong Ling Lan's personality was even though she was so weak. Doctor Li once said that if this illness fell on a tough man, he might not be able to persevere until today. But, even though she knew how strong Ling Lan was, Han Xuya was still afraid that losing her hearing would be a fatal blow for Ling Lan. She was scared that Ling Lan would break down.

"Is the weather outside good?" Ling Lan looked outside the slightly opened window. The slight breeze of refreshing wind and the sun hung high in the sky invoked the urge within her to go out.

"Yes, the weather is really good. The flowers in the forest had all bloomed…" Luo Chao noticed Ling Lan's gaze so she said impulsively, "I'll ask Doctor Li if you can take a walk outside."

"Erm…" Before Ling Lan could open her mouth to stop Luo Chao, she had already rushed out like a gust of wind.

"Will it be too troublesome?" Ling Lan frowned slightly. She knew that if she wanted to go out with her weak body, they would need to make many preparations which would be a huge hassle. Even if these people were her familiar comrades, in this world, they were strangers. They had no relationship with her so it wasn't right to trouble them so much. In actual fact, deep down inside, Ling Lan didn't like to bother other people. This was why she had the habit of settling everything herself.

"No. It might even be good for your recovery." Han Xuya appeared forthright but she was actually very sensitive. She could tell what Ling Lan was worried about.

"…" Ling Lan was speechless. Han Xuya sounded like she was coaxing a little child. Was she so easy to coax in their eyes?

In these past few days, she realised that in Luo Chao and Han Xuya's eyes, she was a bright, cheerful, and naive young lady that loved to smile and was full of hope…

She didn't expect to be treated like a naive and pure lady by her comrades one day. This feeling was strangely familiar.

Why did she find it familiar? Ling Lan raised her head and thought about it carefully. In the future world, she seemed to have played this kind of character before. At that time, her comrades said that her acting skills were outstanding. She really acted perfectly like a naive and pure young man. Now, thinking back, it might be because of her past. In order to survive, in order to gain medical attention, she needed to paint herself into someone the doctors and nurses liked. After putting on the show for a long time, even she started to believe that she was this kind of person.

"Did I come back in time so that I can see who I really am? What a bloody punishment." Ling Lan gave a bitter smile. She came back to peel away her fake mask and examine the real her… This really wasn't a good experience.

After a series of complicated paperwork, Ling Lan finally sat on the wheelchair. She was pushed out of the ward by Luo Chao and Han Xuya. Of course, the busy Li Shiyu had no choice but to put down his work. He stood behind them with a stern expression.

The danger of this trip outside was very high. If not, Li Shiyu wouldn't have this dark expression. But, what made Ling Lan curious was how Li Shiyu, who viewed her safety as the most important matter, got convinced by Luo Chao to accept this dangerous request.

"I thought that you would reject it." Ling Lan looked at Li Shiyu whose expression became more and more serious. He would come and inspect her condition occasionally.

Li Shiyu was examining her body when his hands froze. He took a deep breath and continued with his examination. At the same time, he asked, "I thought that I'll reject it too."

"But you still agreed." Ling Lan smiled. She looked like a little fox now.

Li Shiyu's face turned a little red. He didn't want his thoughts to be noticed by Ling Lan so he changed the topic hurriedly, "Don't you miss your parents and your younger brother?"

Ling Lan asked him back, "They hadn't visited me for quite a while, right?"

She went to the gates of hell and came back but the three closest people in this world never came to visit her. If Li Shiyu didn't mention them, she had almost forgotten that they existed.

The three people turned silent at her question.

"It has been very long, right? So long that they had already forgotten that they still have a daughter," Ling Lan said calmly. When she advanced to the imperial realm, she had already broken the ties with her past life. Now, these three people were just strangers to her. She had no feelings towards them.

Her expression caused a misunderstanding to form among the three people. They all thought that Ling Lan was hurt by the actions of her family. Han Xuya held the handles of the wheelchair tightly and said sincerely, "Ling Lan, you still have us."

"That's right. We'll accompany you and you will overcome your illness." Luo Chao bent down and looked up at Ling Lan earnestly. She used her gaze to tell Ling Lan that even if the entire world didn't want her, they would stay beside her.

"Is it good to be so emotional?" Ling Lan patted Luo Chao's head and laughed silently. "Also, do you really understand me?"

Luo Chao looked at Ling Lan in confusion. She didn't know why Ling Lan said this.

"You… ever since you woke up, you never mentioned your parents or your younger brother," Li Shiyu suddenly said.

Ling Lan turned around and smiled at him. She signalled for him to continue.

"Actually, before you went into a coma, you would ask about them once a month, and the way you ask about them is always different." Doctor Li's gaze turned deep.

Han Xuya and Luo Chao started feeling sad for Ling Lan. There was a tinge of anger in their eyes too. They were feeling hurt and wronged for this young lady who got abandoned by her family secretly.

"At that time, no matter how you tried to hide it, you can't hide how much you miss them. It's in your eyes. But now, when you mentioned them, you don't have any emotions anymore." The things that Li Shiyu noticed were more than the two ladies.

"Once your pain accumulates until a certain degree, it will die," Ling Lan said calmly. "As a doctor, you should understand this more than me."

The pain in Luo Chao and Han Xuya's eyes got stronger.

"But, the time for that is too short… Also, you seem to have forgotten a lot of things… especially during these past five years." Li Shiyu stared at Ling Lan intently. "So, who are you?"

This question astounded Luo Chao and Han Xuya. They looked at Li Shiyu simultaneously in shock.

Chapter 1460 It"s Me, But Also Not Me

"who am i?" ling lan looked towards the sky in a daze, and as the bright sunlight shone on her face, she squinted her eyes. "i'm not quite sure actually.""no matter what you are, there must be a reason for you being here," li shiyu said calmly."in the past, i was me. in the future, i will still be me, but now, i'm not me." ling lan looked towards li shiyu with a sharp look in her eyes, "tell me, who am i?"

these statements regarding 'i' and 'me' confused li shiyu. he frowned slightly and began to ponder deeply about it.

"i'm tired. i want to go back to rest." without waiting for shiyu to answer her seemingly nonsensical question, ling lan turned towards luo chao and han xuya and smiled lightly. "i'm sorry for being so troublesome."

"oh, oh, it's fine. it's fine." han xuya was surprised by those words and didn't say anything else. although there were a bunch of questions she wanted to ask ling lan, she just calmly pushed ling lan back into her room.

luo chao looked towards li shiyu, who was still in deep thought. her mouth moved, but in the end, she didn't make a sound. instead, she followed behind han xuya and went back with ling lan.

ding! ding! ding! a tune was suddenly played from li shiyu's pocket.

hearing the tone, li shiyu awakened from his deep ponderment. he looked around and realized that there was no one around him. he straightened the look on his face and reached his hand into his pocket. he took out a cell phone and took the call unconsciously.

"yes… who is this? you need something, elder brother?" li shiyu, who was still daydreaming, heard a familiar voice and was instantly alert. hearing the voice, his expression instantly relaxed and even his eyes were filled with smiles.

"grandpa wants me to go back home? not interested." li shiyu's expression suddenly became cold before returning to being warm again. "elder brother, how is your body recently?"

"that's good that there's nothing wrong. when i have time, i will come and examine you," li shiyu said sternly. "if you feel something wrong with your body, you definitely have to contact me."

"huh? i was thinking about something just now and was not in the right state of mind." the person on the other side of the call seemed to have discovered li shiyu's dazed state earlier. "it's actually nothing really. it's just that there is one thing that worries me."

"yes, it's related to medicine somewhat, but could also have no connection to it at all. this thing is a bit… unexplainable." li shiyu didn't know how to explain it to the person on the other end of the call.

"it's not that i don't want to tell you elder brother… these things, it's… alright, alright, if you want to know then i'll tell you." the person on the other end of the call seemed to be getting angry at li shiyu. after numerous pestering, li shiyu could only give up and tell everything that had happened to the person on the other end.

"yes, it's that girl. her condition is the same as yours. it's just that hers is worse than yours. she's almost near the point of death each day…" li shiyu's expression was blank. the reason he stayed behind all those years ago was because of this. much of the reason why his brother had become better in the past 5 years was because li shiyu had this live experimental subject, ling lan. she helped him eliminate the failed treatment methods and only left him with the ones that worked.

without the permanent damage caused by the failed methods and the side effects caused by the failed medicinal agents, her brother's condition became better and better. ling lan on the other hand, although he made sure to keep her alive, she was still being tormented by death everyday. at this stage, li shiyu didn't know whether he was being grateful or hateful towards her.

"speak to her?" the suggestion given by the person on the other end of the call seemed to have surprised li shiyu. "no, why do you need to tell her about your situation?"

"equivalent exchange?" li shiyu's expression showed that he didn't understand. "my motive? is it that unbelievable?…but grandpa won't allow your situation to be exposed to the public."

suddenly, li shiyu laughed. "elder brother, you know me best. elder brother, you're right. trust should be the basic thing to have between people."

"but, are we actually going to tell her everything about her father, mother and younger brother?"

"will she be able to handle it if we tell her?"

"alright, elder brother, i can't convince you. i will have a serious talk with her. i hope it can be just like you said. hopefully, she can give me an answer." li shiyu sighed and said, "otherwise, i will actually not be able to eat or sleep."

li shiyu arrived at ling lan's room. he knocked on the door and walked in after opening it.

ling lan was half lying in bed. han xuya and luo chao were sitting on the sides of the bed and were talking to her. after they saw him walk in, the fiery atmosphere instantly became ice cold.

in the past, they had always looked at him with warm looks in their eyes. now, those looks actually became somewhat cold.

but, these were his nurses, they should be standing with him. they were somehow unknowingly taken away by that girl and was now on her side. now, the two of them had somehow deemed him as an enemy.

"i want to talk to you," li shiyu took a deep breath and said slowly.

"talk about what?" ling lan raised her eyebrows.

"talk about why i'm here and why you're here," li shiyu covered two bases in one sentence.

ling lan smiled and nodded. li shiyu had many questions for her, but she also had questions for him as well.

"five years ago, i coincidentally came here for a seminar, and while i was speaking with the director of the place about all types of conditions and diseases that were in the department. our conversation led us to speak about your condition." li shiyu reminisced about the past. "when i heard about your condition, i was shocked because i was very familiar with your condition."

li shiyu had a pained look on his face. seeing that look, ling lan closed her eyes slightly. it seemed that this world had perfectly duplicated everything of her friends. li lanfeng, oh, it should be li mulan, also existed in this world. then, it would perfectly explain why li shiyu would take it upon himself to save her.

"so, i'm just a lab rat." ling lan just deduced a bit of the information she had and knew what role she played in this world.

ling lan's words stunned li shiyu to the core. he had only begun explaining and she had already guessed the truth.

"he's the most important person to you, right?" ling lan didn't find it strange. if the li lanfeng in the future could fool li shiyu and make him do his bidding, then the li lanfeng of this world would also have this ability.

li shiyu slowly calmed his shocked expression. he was originally still somewhat uncertain about the decision his elder brother made to publicize the information. now, he was convinced to do it.

in reality, he felt guilty for treating ling lan like this. now that he could speak about it, the burden in his heart was being lifted as he talked about it.

"yes, he is the most important person in my life. he is so important that even if i researched a few effective treatment plans, i wouldn't dare to use them as i wasn't 100% certain about them." li shiyu looked at ling lan intently and continued, "that day, when you suddenly had too great of an adverse reaction, you had even stopped breathing and your heart stopped beating, the nurse went to report to the department head in a panicked state, and the department head requested me to perform surgery on you. back then, i only wanted to make sure whether there was anyone else in this world who had the same condition as him."

"then, you found me." ling lan knew what happened afterwards. li shiyu would definitely not give up such a perfect lab rat. he definitely wasted a herculean effort that day to drag her away from death's door.

"if i didn't do what i did, you would have actually died that day," li shiyu said sternly.

"okay, i understand," replied ling lan. otherwise, she wouldn't have time traveled to the future and find her new family, friends and lover… ugh, lover should get in line. she'll have one eventually. ling lan cheered herself on. she didn't believe that she wouldn't be able to get a wife of her own.