Chapter 666 - Going Too Far!
Ling Lan chose the wrong person to help her. In front of Lan Luofeng, Ling Xiao was helpless. He would do anything to make Lan Luofeng happy, even if it meant creating trouble for him and his daughter. Not only that, he would do the same thing to the other members of the Lingtian Battle Team too.
Lan Luofeng invited the other members of Lingtian to have a meal together. She wanted to show off her cooking skills in front of Ling Lan's friends and showed them that she was a good mother. Hence, she decided that she would make the dishes all by herself.
Ling Lan saw the confidence and decisiveness in her mother's eyes and knew that her friends couldn't escape anymore. She didn't want her friends to suffer with her so she secretly winked at them and hoped that they would reject her mother.
Unfortunately, no one accepted her goodwill. The temptation of having a meal with their idol was too great. Everyone ignored the wink their boss gave them and promptly accepted Mother Lan's invitation.
No, someone still kept his cool. Li Lanfeng wanted to reject the offer but before he could open his mouth, Zhao Jun tackled him and covered his mouth. He dragged Li Lanfeng to the back of the group. By the time Li Lanfeng managed to break free from the grip, the others had accepted the invitation. Li Lanfeng didn't know what to say.
Ling Lan looked at them helplessly. Li Lanfeng was worried. He felt that something unexpected would happen during the meal. If not, his rabbit would not look at them like that. He understood her gaze. It was filled with pity and helplessness. There was a hint of schadenfreude in it. She seemed to be telling them that they deserved it.
During dinner, he was the only one who remained vigilant. However, he was still unable to escape. He put a small piece of vegetable in his mouth. In that instant, he knew why Ling Lan looked at them with that look.
Compared to the others, Li Lanfeng was in a better situation. He only took a small piece of vegetable so he was able to control the uncomfortable feeling and swallow the weird-tasting vegetable with a straight face.
Qi Long, Zhao Jun, and Li Yingjie were not so lucky. They were extremely excited to see the dishes Mother Lan made for them. These were cooked personally by General Ling Xiao's wife. Only General Ling Xiao was able to eat these dishes on a daily basis. They felt lucky that they were able to have a taste of it again…
Qi Long was the one who thought that he could taste it again. When he went to his boss's house in the past with Han Jijyun, they ate the food cooked by Mother Lan… supposedly. (Actually, the food was made by Ling Nanyi and a servant. They knew how great Lan Luofeng's cooking was, so they would never let her enter the kitchen. Hence, Lan Luofeng only gave them ideas about the dishes. Whether the ideas were taken into consideration by Ling Nanyi, no one knew…)
Anyway, because of that experience, Qi Long was fooled. He thought that Mother Lan was a really good cook. He never expected her food to taste like poison! Hence, he took a large portion of vegetables with his chopsticks. Zhao Jun and Li Yingjie did the same thing too. They placed it in their mouth without any hesitation…
Let's pray for these three people and hope that they would survive Mother Lan's dishes.
A weird taste spread in their mouth. It was an indescribable taste. The food tasted cooked and raw at the same time. The three of them opened their mouth and wanted to spit out the food. At that moment, they felt a sharp gaze staring at them. Their boss was looking at them with cold eyes. There was an underlying threat in her eyes. If they dared to spit out the food, they were dead!
The three of them closed their mouth immediately.
Lan Luofeng noticed that they didn't swallow their food and asked nervously, "Why aren't you all eating? Is it not nice?" She was worried. Were her cooking skills still so bad after so many years?
The three of them shook their heads. They didn't dare to tell Mother Lan that her food tasted bad. Just look at how their boss was staring at them. If they dare to reveal the truth to Mother Lan, they would get killed.
"Since it's nice, eat." Ling Lan placed her right hand on the table and lifted her forefinger. She pointed at the food that they picked up with their chopsticks. Then, she calmly took a piece of side dish from a plate and ate it indifferently.
Sob, as expected of their boss. He could remain calm in all kinds of situations.
The three of them didn't dare to disobey their boss. They had tears in their eyes as they tried to swallow most of the food.
When they decided to stop eating, Ling Lan lifted her forefinger again. She wanted them to continue eating.
The three of them looked at Ling Lan helplessly. They wanted her to let them off this time. However, Ling Lan gave them a death glare. They got a shock and quickly started taking in more food.
Sob, I rather die from Mother Lan's food than from boss's torture. The three of them chose the better option.
Lan Luofeng was elated when she saw her dishes being so popular. She looked at the three young men lovingly. She knew that her cooking was not that bad. Look at how well they were eating her food. She decided that the next time these three young men come to her house, she would cook more food for them.
Luckily, Qi Long, Zhao Jun, and Li Yingjie didn't know what Mother Lan was thinking. If not, they would never dare to come and visit Ling Lan again. However, they didn't. Hence, when they came to visit their idol, General Ling Xiao, again, they never expected to be welcomed with a table full of dishes…
The three of them thought that they would die at the dining table but they proved that the human race is very resilient. They managed to leave the dining table alive. Their footsteps were a little wobbly. The weird tasting food made them lose their bodily functions temporarily. They could only smile stupidly now.
Lin Zhong-qing was much better than them. Although he was excited, he remembered his table manners and ate his food in small bites. This saved him. He was not forced to eat all the food from his boss.
However, he ate quite a bit of food too. His friends were eating so furiously so he couldn't stop eating too. Even with his eating speed, he had temporarily forgotten some of his memories. He forgot how food should taste like.
Li Lanfeng was in the best state. He only took a small piece of vegetable at the start so he maintained his speed and quantity. He ate the least out of everyone and was the calmest among them. While the others focused their attention on battling the food in front of them, Li Lanfeng had the extra energy to talk to Lan Luofeng. Lan Luofeng was delighted by what he said and kept laughing. Ling Lan and Ling Xiao both looked at Li Lanfeng from the corner of their eyes.
Ling Xiao: How dare this young man talk to my wife like that in front of me? Is he disregarding my presence?
Ling Lan: Why didn't I know that he was so talkative? He seems like a different person today. So weird. Forget it, since mother is happy, I will not blame him.
The meal ended with complicated feelings.
Lan Luofeng was the happiest out of everyone. Her dishes were all finished. Li Lanfeng was a good talker and managed to make her laugh all the time. She smiled all the way through the meal.
Ling Lan was the next in line. Since her mother was happy, she was happy too. She would never admit that she missed her mother.
Ling Xiao, on the other hand, felt complicated. He felt good that his daughter and her friends were enjoying themselves. However, if Li Lanfeng didn't put in so much effort to make his wife happy, he would feel more at ease.
Qi Long, Zhao Jun, and Li Yingjie were in a daze so they could be disregarded. Lin Zhong-qing felt relieved. Finally, everything ended. Not only was Mother Lan's cooking poisonous, but General Ling Xiao domineering aura also made him stress too. Although he looked amiable, he couldn't completely hide his aura. He looked at Li Lanfeng with admiration. He didn't expect Li Lanfeng to be so calm in front of General Ling Xiao… this was something he would never be able to do.
After Li Lanfeng walked out of the room, he relaxed his shoulders. He could finally feel at ease now.
Did he act well in front of Mother Lan?
Li Lanfeng was not sure if his performance was good or not… Ling Lan was really important to him. Hence, he was unable to maintain his composure. Li Lanfeng smiled bitterly. Seemed like he still overdid it.
He felt complicated. He helped Lin Zhong-qing dragged the other three back to their rooms and went back. He tossed and turned in his bed for the entire night.
After sending her friends away, Ling Lan turned and entered the dining hall again. Lan Luofeng was happily clearing the table while humming Li Yinfei's most popular song, Tranquil Night. She had been in love with Li Yinfei's songs recently.
"Are you very happy?" Ling Xiao was sitting on the sofa. His voice was gentle but Ling Lan detected a hint of unhappiness in it. Did one of her friends make her father unhappy? Ling Lan hadn't realized that her father was jealous.
"Of course. My baby's friends are the best." Ling Lan felt her father's aura turning colder when Lan Luofeng said this. This feeling was gone in a second. Only a domain realm master like Ling Lan was able to notice such a short change. Hence, Lan Luofeng didn't notice anything. She continued smiling brightly and said, "They knew how to appreciate my cooking. Look at how much those three boys ate. No wonder they are so well-built…"
Ling Xiao's unhappiness disappeared when he heard what she said. He looked at her lovingly.
So what if Li Lanfeng talked so much? In his wife's heart, the three boys who ate more food left a much deeper impression. He was not a threat at all. Ling Xiao felt pity for the young man. He wasted so much effort to make his wife happy and got nothing back in return.
When Ling Lan walked in, Lan Luofeng smiled. "Baby, one of them visited us for the first time, right?"
Ling Lan nodded. "Yes. His name is Li Yingjie. Do you remember the arrogant brat in Scout Academy last time?"
"Oh, it's him. No wonder he looks so familiar. Wasn't he your rival last time? Why did he enter your battle team?" Lan Luofeng asked curiously.
"Maybe my father is too charismatic so he chose to apply for the 23rd Division. However, he didn't want to join other battle teams because he didn't know anyone there so he chose to become my member temporarily," Ling Lan explained.
"That boy seems like a good person. Take care of him next time," Lan Luofeng smiled as she replied.
"I understand, mummy," Ling Lan replied helplessly.
She didn't expect Li Yingjie to gain her mother's liking the first time they met. She thought that he would be the least liked by her mother. Ling Lan suddenly remembered that Li Yingjie was also well-liked by the aunties on the Feiyang Ship… does he have a hidden innate talent? A talent which allowed older women to like him like their own child? She noted this down mentally. The next time they meet a mother, she would send Li Yingjie up first and test her prediction.
Suddenly, Ling Xiao interrupted them. "How well do you know Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng?"
"They are three years older than me. We only worked together for a little over a year. I don't understand them as well as the others but I trust them," Ling Lan replied firmly.
"That's good! But Li Lanfeng…" Ling Xiao paused. He pondered over his words. "Has a bit of a problem."
"Oh?" Ling Lan raised her eyebrows. She wanted her father to elaborate more.
"What is his position in your battle team?" Ling Xiao asked seriously.
"Strategist. At the same time, a capable fighter," Ling Lan replied.
"I remember that you already have a strategist in your team. His name is Han Jijyun, right?" Ling Xiao frowned. "It is not good to have two people in the same position in a team. Two different factions might appear if you have two strategists."
"I know. However, it is fine. Li Lanfeng specialize in hidden schemes while Han Jijyun is a decisive person and likes to scheme openly. They compliment each other well."
"However, he gave me the feeling that he is not satisfied with what you gave him. He wants more," Ling Xiao reminded her.
"More?" Ling Lan frowned curiously. What does Li Lanfeng want?
Chapter 667 - Little Blossom, the Substitute Member!
Lan Luofeng heard the conversation between them, and interjected, "Ling Xiao, you're thinking too much. Although this person isn't as bright as Qi Long and the others, he isn't a bad guy."
Ling Xiao and Ling Lan looked towards Lan Luofeng simultaneously, waiting for her to elaborate more.
"Could it be that you two think that his aura isn't clean? That type of aura isn't something that someone that is evil could acquire." Lan Luofeng said how she felt outright.
Ling Xiao and Ling Lan went into deep thought. Lan Luofeng continued, "Also someone that my little baby Lan acknowledges shouldn't be too weak." Lan Luofeng was without a doubt, a mother who trusted her own daughter unconditionally.
Ling Xiao couldn't refute Lan Luofeng's words. He couldn't just say that he didn't trust his own daughter's intuition… Ah sh*t, he said something wrong again. It wasn't like they were choosing a son-in-law, he shouldn't care about his daughter's intuition.
Ling Xiao thought in his own mind that what he was thinking about was wrong. However, Lan Luofeng's words had made Ling Xiao temporarily put down his disapproval of Li Lanfeng. But in the depths of his mind, he still felt that punk Li Lanfeng was annoying (a strong intuitive feeling). However, Ling Xiao didn't think too much of it. Those punks would be staying under his watch and probably couldn't do anything anyways.
Ling Lan talked with her mom and dad for another short while. Then she returned to the room Lan Luofeng had prepared for her. However, as she entered the room, the cold expression on her face twitched. The pink princess style room was cramping her style! Could it be that her mother was protesting Ling Lan's style?
Ling Lan fell asleep after thinking some random thoughts. It was the first time she had slept soundly ever since she received the previous mission. Even Little Four, who saw the Boss in deep sleep, couldn't help but silence his breathing, afraid that he would disturb her.
Little Four, who had been by Ling Lan's side for all this time, knew that in the past month and a half, his Boss hadn't really fallen into deep sleep even once. She was always alert and would enter battle mode if anything had happened. Little Four was even worried that the Boss's body might not be able to handle it. It was a good thing that Ling Xiao had come. The Boss can finally sleep peacefully.
While watching Ling Lan, who was in deep sleep, Little Four suddenly felt sleepy as well. He blinked confusedly. Could an intelligent entity like himself become sleepy? However, sleeping together with Boss was indeed very tempting for Little Four. Thus Little Four curled up beside Ling Lan's consciousness and slowly fell asleep.
As Little Four slept, his body slowly became translucent in the mindspace. In the end, he became completely transparent and then disappeared from Ling Lan's mindspace.
In the learning space, the originally peaceful environment suddenly became apocalyptic. Not long after, all of the instructors gathered together in Instructor Number One's dimension.
"Number One, what happened? Why are the dimensions unstable?" The mecha data that had been gathered in Number Three's dimension began to get mixed up. This made Number Three very scared.
Everyone looked towards Number One. All of their dimensions had all changed more or less. After so many years, this was the first time a big change had happened.
Number One looked at his own dimension. Dark clouds loomed above in the sky constantly. He couldn't help but frown. He discovered that Little Four's evolution had already become something he could not predict. He also didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing…
"Majesty Four is evolving." Number One was silent for a few seconds, then finally spoke.
"Evolving? You're saying Majesty Four is entering his mature stage? That's not possible!" Number Five exclaimed.
It would require thousands or even tens of thousands of years for an intelligent entity to enter its mature stage. However, it had been just shy of 40 years since Little Four had awakened. In Mandora, he was considered to be still a newborn. When Little Four entered his growing stage 10 or so years ago, Number One had already felt it was odd and completely unimaginable. However, only using 10 years to evolve into the mature stage was impossible! Number Five even thought that Number One was joking, even though Number One never joked about anything.
Number One's calm and collected expression calmed Number Five down. He rubbed his face and asked, "Then what's situation of his evolution right now?"
"I don't know!" Number One shouted out these words clearly. This made all of the instructors frown in dismay. They were all thinking "Number One, you are being too irresponsible. You are Majesty Four's protector!"
"Majesty Four's evolution has surpassed the estimation we had done back in the Mandora star system. Thus, I don't even know what level Majesty Four will be evolving towards." Number One replied calmly.
"Then what should we do now? My dimension is in chaos. There isn't a peaceful place in sight. Why couldn't he just evolve and not cause such a ruckus?" Number Four frowned in dismay as she twirled her finger around her hair.
"Who told you to make such a mess of your dimension? I reckon our Majesty Four is afraid that you'll teach bad things to his Boss, so he took this chance to destroy your dimension." Number Six laughed. His dimension was still alright since there were only a few thunderstorms.
Number Four glared at Number Six. Number Six couldn't endure the glare and began trembling. In the next second, a soft and warm hand held onto Number Six's ear, "Little Six, you actually dare to mock your Elder Sister Number Four? You don't want to live anymore right?"
Number Six immediately begged for forgiveness, begging Number Four to let him go. In the learning space, Number Seven, Number Eight and himself were considered to be the weakest in terms of power and would always be bullied. Just now he spoke too much.
Number Four ruthlessly beat Number Six. Number Seven and Number Eight automatically moved to the side. Only an idiot would dare to anger that scary woman. Number Six was clearly looking for a death wish. Although they were all brother-in-arms, they would stand still and coldly watch on the side in order to protect their own life.
"Crash…" Suddenly the sky exploded and a flash of lightning struck the ground. It split Number One's stone chair into two pieces.
Number Four immediately stopped what she was about to do. She looked towards the stone chair in dismay, "Number One, even your dimension has become chaotic. It looks like Majesty Four's evolution is very dangerous this time."
"Yes!" After saying that, Number One had appeared in the void. A terrifying aura suddenly exuded out of his body. It was as though the dark clouds around them suddenly felt something intimidating and calmed down. Then, the dark clouds dissipated and finally returned to the clear skies it once was.
"You guys stay here and wait for Majesty Four to finish his evolution." After Number One released his aura and stabilized the dimension, he said this to everyone and continued to cross his legs together to meditate.
The other instructors all looked at each other. Number Two, who had a black cloak on coldly said, "Then I'm going to rest now." After saying that, Number Two combined his shadow with Number One's and disappeared.
"Let's all go to sleep. We can't leave here anyways." Number Five shrugged his shoulders. With Number One's domain presence holding the dimension together, none of them had the power to leave. Additionally, their dimensions were not necessarily safer than Number One's domain.
Number Five looked around and saw a place. He wrapped up his sleeves and waved his hands. The sound of twigs snapping began to echo as a sky towering tree was flattened into a flat area. He laid down and smiled towards Number Nine, "Little sister Nine, do you want to come with me?"
Number Nine glared at him angrily, then she sat beside Number One with her legs crossed as well. Only an idiot would go with Number Five.
A figure suddenly appeared beside Number Five. Number Four got closer to Number Five's body and said, "What, you only remembered your younger sister Nine and didn't think of your elder sister Four?"
Number Five's wrist trembled and Number Four quickly moved away…
"Hmph, Number Five, you're so violent. You actually don't care about preserving beauty," said Number Four angrily as she stood beside a tree with a silver needle between her fingers.
"If you want to preserve your beauty, go to the Big Boss!" Number Five laid down, "Don't bother me. I'm not interested in you."
Number Four pouted and whispered, "Perverts' appetites are odd. They actually like icebergs."
"Don't you like icebergs as well?" Number Five's voice echoed in Number Four's ear. After hearing her inner thoughts being brought out into the open, Number Four snorted coldly and vanished without a trace in the next second.
Number Three had already created an open space on the hill. He predicts that he will be living in this dimension for quite some time, thus he actually built a simple house for himself. Seeing this, Number Six, Seven and Eight quickly came to help. The pressure where Number One was was too strong. Only Number Nine, and the incredible existence Number Two could stay around him without a problem. Number Five was clearly a pervert so they didn't dare to get too close to him. Number Four… Wuwuwu, they didn't want to play with her. Thus, they felt that living together with Number Three was the safest choice.
Just like that, the instructors began living inside Number One's dimension while waiting for Little Four's evolution to finish.
Ling Lan had a good night's sleep. After she woke up, she actually discovered that she had passed out for 24 hours. However, after such a long sleep, she had recovered to her peak state. She felt great. Although she felt like she was full of energy, she still felt there was something off. However, before she could think about it in more detail, she was called by her mother, who was worried and by her side this entire time, to go to dinner.
Of course this time, Lan Luofeng didn't cook. If the general's wife cooked everyday, then what's the use of the chefs? Yesterday, it was only because Ling Xiao said the wrong things to cause that tragedy to occur.
After the table was full of delicious foods, Ling Xiao told Ling Lan that they will be flying to Planet Southcrest. After reaching Planet Southcrest, Ling Lan would lead her team members to immediately return to the 23rd Division's headquarters to receive their promotions and rewards. As for Ling Xiao, he would continue to talk with the other generals and would of course be oblivious to everything.
Just like that, once they arrived at Planet Southcrest, Ling Lan departed from her father's quarters. The six of them wore their military uniforms Ling Xiao had prepared for them and went straight towards the headquarters of the division. On their way, Ling Lan finally knew why she felt that something was off. It turns out she hadn't seen Little Four since she woke up. Could it be that Little Four was running around and having fun in the virtual world and forget to come back?
Ling Lan couldn't help but call out Little Four. However, no matter how many times she called out for him, Little Four didn't respond. Ling Lan began to panic. Was Little Four in danger? Thinking back to the 24 hours of sleep she had, she couldn't help but think that something bad had happened to Little Four during that time?
Feeling the anxiousness in Ling Lan's mind, a chubby little kid, who was sleeping soundly in one of the dimensions, was drop-kicked into Ling Lan's mindspace by Number One.
Inside Ling Lan's mindspace, a chubby ball suddenly fell from the sky.
Ling Lan frowned, "Little Blossom, how come you're so chubby now?" Little Blossom was originally not chubby enough to be in a ball-shape.
Little Blossom used his chubby little hands to rub his eyes, yawned and opened his eyes. He saw his master looking at him coldly. He looked around him and felt odd. It wasn't the place where he went to sleep.
Little Blossom, who was still confused, didn't have time to think more deeply. He saw Ling Lan and immediately shouted, "Master, you're looking for me?"
Hearing this, Ling Lan's forehead twitched again, "I wasn't looking for you. I'm looking for Little Four. Where did Little Four go? Do you know?"
Little Blossom thought deeply for a second, then said, "Big Boss Number One said that Elder Brother Little Four is undergoing evolution."
"Evolution?" Ling Lan was stunned.
"Yes, evolution, like sleeping." Little Blossom carefully answered with his fingers in his mouth. He himself had evolved during his sleep.
"Even Little Four needs evolving?" Ling Lan never thought about it before because in the past 20 years, Little Four never left her side like this. She thought Little Four would be with her forever, until she reaches the end of her days.
"Yes, intelligent entities like us must always evolve. If we evolve once, we will become stronger." Little Blossom replied.
After hearing Little Blossom's explanation, Ling Lan knew that it was a good thing, so she felt relieved. However, suddenly losing Little Four made Ling Lan feel that she was not used to it. Thus she asked, "Little Blossom, when do you think Little Four will be able to come back?"
"That I don't know. Every intelligent entity's evolution is different. I would just need to sleep for one night. However, Elder Brother Little Four is stronger than me, so he probably needs a few nights." Little Blossom replied confusedly.
"Hope everything goes well." Ling Lan was very worried. She knew that evolution wasn't risk free. It was similar to her advancing where there was a threshold every time. If she could pass it, then her future would be clear. If she didn't pass the threshold, becoming injured was considered to be light. The most serious consequence was level regression. It could even cause PTSD and make it so she would never be able to advance. There was an even scarier possibility of becoming insane and then perish from the inside out…
"It's alright. Elder Brother Little Four is very strong." Little Blossom was very confident in her Elder Brother Little Four.
"Yes, you're right." Ling Lan rubbed the chubby little boy's head. She should learn from Little Blossom and believe in Little Four.
"So, why are you here?" Ling Lan continued to ask questions. She was looking for Little Four, so why did Little Blossom come out?
"Big Boss Number One told me come and stay with master," said Little Blossom as if he was being wronged. It should be known that he was sleeping in his dimension, but was kicked out into this space by the unruly Big Boss Number One. Now that he thought about it, every time he woke up in the past, he would be knocked out by someone. Now, he believed that it was probably that evil Big Boss Number One.
"Stay with me?" Ling Lan frowned again. What was Number One doing? Does he actually think that she was some little girl who needed a doll to stay with her?
"Well, no. He made me come over to be a substitute for Little Four to help master." Little Blossom felt Instructor Number One sending over a terrifying aura and knew that he had said something wrong so he immediately changed his wording. Little Blossom thought to himself, "Wuwuwu, the master is so kind. Elder Brother Little Four is kind too. Only Big Boss Number One is scary…"
"Help me?" Ling Lan thought it was laughable. It seemed that Little Blossom was Little Four's substitute member. However, didn't this little punk only know how to devour spiritual power? What can he do to help her? Thus she smiled and asked, "Then tell me, what can you help me do?"
Little Blossom rubbed his fingers together and thought with all his might. After thinking for a while, he responded slowly, "Yes, yes, master, I can help you eat things…"
Ling Lan almost fainted, "What else can you devour other than spiritual power?" She didn't want to become a murderous maniac and just let him devour the spiritual power of humans right? This Little Blossom was as expected, not normal.
"Ah… That, yes, I remember now. I can also devour data…" Little Blossom thought deeply for a second and finally remembered the things he could devour.
Ling Lan raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
"Yes, I can devour all of the data in the virtual world! Devour!" Little Blossom pumped his fist in excitement showing that he wasn't someone useless. Ugh, this intelligent entity…
"So you're like a hacker who develops viruses from my previous life." Ling Lan thought deeply about it for second. Although he wasn't like Little Four, who could change and manipulate data at will, he could still make it so others will not be able to find data of her. It was indeed something that could help her and provide her with some sort of aid.
Now that she understood what Little Blossom's capabilities were in a broader sense, she said approvingly, "Not bad. Little Blossom, then I will leave myself in your care from now on."
Little Blossom proudly patted his chest and replied, "Don't worry master. Before Elder Brother Little Four returns, Little Blossom will try his best to help master."
It seemed that he was little punk who didn't know how to be modest. Ling Lan felt that her future was bleak. Why did asking Little Blossom for help made her feel so perturbed? It wasn't as comfortable as asking Little Four…
Little Blossom, did you know that your master dislikes you!
Although Ling Lan had conversed with Little Blossom in her mindspace, in the real world, Qi Long and the others could only see their Boss meditating. Not long after, they had arrived at the 23rd Division's headquarters.
On the outside it was called the 23rd Division's headquarters, but in reality it could be described more as a super city that was surrounded by walls. After reaching a kilometer away from the entrance to the city, the hover car descended to a height of three meters. Flying high in the headquarters was restricted. All flying objects flying above five meters would be ruthlessly shot down. No one could go against this regulation.
The hover car continued to move forward and arrived at the entrance to the city. There was a check-point at the door with two small mecha battle teams guarding it. Those who tried to get into the city with problems or showing odd behaviors, those people would be captured by the guards. And resistance would be met with merciless attacks.
Ling Lan's six man team scanned their communicators at the scanners beside the check-point. The door automatically opened after they scanned their communicators and the hover car continued to move forward. Their identities of course didn't have any issues, thus the mecha teams guarding the check-point ignored them.
Once they had gone into the city, they could see that there were one mecha battle team patrolling the skies, and many military personnel patrolling the ground as well. A short while later, the hover car automatically stopped at a plaza close to the entrance of the city.
At that moment, the plaza had many soldiers standing in it. These soldiers saw the hover car entering the plaza. They all looked at it with curiosity. When they saw six young soldiers walking out of the hover car, they were surprised. It should be known that new recruits almost never had the chance to set foot on the headquarters. But now, seeing how young these soldiers were, these six were without a doubt new recruits.
Chapter 668 - Care!
At that moment, a battle team from the staff officer department was waiting in the plaza. Everyone in the area were curious about their actions but didn't dare to bother them. The Senior Captain leading the battle team suddenly walked towards Ling Lan's group of six. He walked in front of Ling Lan and saluted her, "Hello, are you Major Ling Lan?"
Ling Lan was dumbstruck. She was a Senior Captain a moment ago, so when did she become a Major? She saluted back with many unanswered questions in her head, "Hello, I am Ling Lan and you are?"
"I am the team leader of one of the battle teams guarding the staff officer department, Senior Captain Yue Lin. I came here specifically to welcome you, Major." Although Senior Captain Yue Lin's tone was respectful, his eyes still showed a hint of surprise and confusion. Although he had seen the pictures of Ling Lan's group of six, he was still very surprised at the young-looking faces of the actual person.
After hearing all that, Li Lanfeng and the others, who were standing beside Ling Lan were all moved. If the division's General was considered to be the brains of the division, then the staff officer department would be the center of command for the entire division. The orders and decisions of the General would go through them and then be sent out to every corner of the division.
It could be said that the staff officer department was the most important department of a division. The thousand year war god, Marshal Luo Yasen, who had never lost a battle, had once said that in order to defeat a division, they would need to do was to take out the staff officer department. From this, it can be seen how important the staff officer department was within a division.
Who knew that such an incredible department would actually send people down to welcome them. Ling Lan and the others instantly felt they were being pampered. They didn't stop for a second, sat in the hover car Yue Lin had prepared and flew towards the staff officer department.
As they left the plaza, the veterans, who stood by watching silently, suddenly erupted into discussions.
"The staff officer department actually sent someone to pick them up. Who are those new recruits?"
"That new recruit is already a Major. How can us veterans, who are still with a captain-rank, live in this division in the future?" Some veterans couldn't help but to be green envy…
"Do you guys think those new recruits are going there because something happened at the staff officer department?" Even veterans had exuberant curiosity.
"Who knows. How are we supposed to know what happens at the staff officer department?" The heart of the 23rd Division's control and order was a mysterious and heavily guarded place that people looked up towards. Common soldiers were prohibited from getting close to the staff officer department.
It was also the place that determined officer rankings and promotions. Thus, one should never mess with an officer from the staff officer department. Otherwise, that individual shouldn't even think of getting any promotions. Even if the individual had a chance to, the department would make it impossible.
Of course, if an individual had connections within the staff officer department, then congratulations. As long as the individual did not make any major mistakes, the individuals would easily climb to the position the individual is capable of.
The staff officer department in each division was a force to be reckoned with! This was also another reason why these veterans were surprised when the staff officer department sent people to welcome those new recruits. It should be known that, normally, those guards from the staff officer department would never behave like they had today. Not using their nostrils to look at an individual was considered to be in a good mood.
At that moment, the information about Ling Lan acquiring two Caesar ace mechas was still under wraps. Even those who Ling Xiao had contacted were making moves surreptitiously. In the 23rd Division, other than those who knew about the incident, other officers did not know about this information.
Even though these veterans weren't certain the reason why those youngsters were treated in such a way by the staff officer department, this scene still made those who witnessed it to remember it as clear as day. Not long after, the five divisions all publicly released the information. These veterans then finally understood the reason why those youngsters were receiving so much attention by the staff officer department. Those youngsters were the heroes who achieved greatness for the 23rd Division.
Inside the staff officer department, the Second Staff Officer Tong Zhiying was very busy. After looking at the piles of documents on his desk, he couldn't help but rub his temples… Man, when He Xuyang was there, it didn't feel like he was important. Now that he left, why did he feel that he needed He Xuyang again?
The adjutant beside him quickly brought a cup of water and said, "Major General, please take a break."
"No I can't. That bastard Big He just left and left all these gifts for me. The corps is still waiting for our reply." Tong Zhiying drank the cup of water to help himself become more alert. Then he put down the cup and continued to read through the documents he had on his desk.
The adjutant sighed and took away the cup. Ever since the First Staff Officer He Xuyang temporary left the staff officer department for an errand, Major General Tong would work until midnight. These were the leftover documents that had already been thinned by the lower ranks… It wasn't easy being a high-ranking official.
After flipping through a few pages of the documents, Tong Zhiying suddenly remembered something. He raised his head and asked, "Did that Major called Ling Lan arrive yet?"
The adjutant replied immediately, "He hasn't arrived yet, but the people downstairs have sent someone to welcome them. Don't worry, it won't affect anything."
"That's good. Before Big Boss He left, he repeatedly told me to make sure this must be done correctly. I also want to see this Ling Lan and what he's capable of. He actually made Big Boss He care for him so much…"
Tong Zhiying frowned and continued, "I remember that this Ling Lan is still a new recruit, had only just passed the training period and was distributed to a mecha clan. After less than a month, Big Boss He let him advance to a Major. He even ignored everyone else's criticism and wanted to appoint Ling Lan as the 250 Mecha Clan's Regiment Commander. Although 250 Mecha Clan was useless, it was still an official mecha clan. Once Ling Lan assume the position, he would become a clan level official. He would actually be able to enter the higher-ranks of the division and would have the power to command soldiers…"
"Big Boss He always does his work fairly, but now he looks after Ling Lan. If I didn't know Big Boss He personally, I would even suspect that Ling Lan was Big Boss He's illegitimate child…" After saying all this, Tong Zhiying began to laugh out loud. He couldn't help but think that because He Xuyang cared for Ling Lan way too much.
Tong Zhiying didn't know that although Ling Lan wasn't He Xuyang's illegitimate child, she still had a connection with the highest ranked division officer… Yes, Tong Zhiying had once thought about this, after all they both had the surname Ling right? However, Ling Xiao's image of being fair was deeply embedded in the hearts of the public. Additionally, there wasn't any confirmed reports that indicated General Ling Xiao had children. As for other descendants of the Ling family… Ling Xiao was already being merciful for not making it difficult for them. He wouldn't carefully nurture them right?
The ripple between Ling Xiao and the Ling family was a publicized secret within the 23rd Division.
This was also why Tong Zhiying didn't let his subordinates handle Ling Lan's promotion. Instead, he chose to do it personally. He indeed wanted to know what kind of person Ling Lan was, for Big Boss He to care for him so much.
At that moment, inside the staff officer department, all the staff members were busy. Inside the wide hall, there were staff members coming in and out of different rooms while holding large piles of documents.
Although it was fully technological era where people relied upon the mainframe to arrange everything, the Federation had once seen how terrifying an out of control mainframe could be. Thus, the Federation still continued the habit from millennia ago to use paper documents in order to record information. This was to make sure no issues would arise and was also the reason why the staff officer department had so many documents flying around.
Every application, supply distribution document, promotion documents, etc, were converted into paper form at the staff officer department. Then, these documents would be signed by those who were responsible at those different fields of expertise. In the end, it would be converted back into an electronic form to send it to the lower ranks. The paper documents would be kept in the data storage room in the staff officer department.
Thus, in the staff officer department, it would always be like a battlefield where everyone ran in every direction. Sometimes urgent documents would cause people to run haphazardly. The staff officer department was the most disorderly place in the entire division. It was pure chaos as far as the eye could see.
Ling Lan's group of six followed Yue Lin into the staff officer department. Before they walked even a few steps in, a tightly closed set of doors suddenly opened up. A staff member held onto a pile of documents and was running haphazardly. As luck would have it, he was going towards Ling Lan's group. The documents in his hands were tall enough to block his view. Thus, made him unaware of Ling Lan and the others.
Right as he was going to bump into Ling Lan's group, the staff member suddenly panicked and shouted after he saw there were people in front of him, "Get out of the way! Out of the way!"
Yue Lin didn't think someone would rush out from the room. Right as they were about to bump into each other, Ling Lan suddenly pulled him away. Yue Lin felt his body move to the side uncontrollably. That staff member missed him by a hair.
The staff member, who didn't bump into anyone, didn't see Ling Lan's movements and thought the individual had moved aside. He saw that he didn't bump into anyone and was instantly relieved. He then said, "Brother, nice moves. Thank you." In the next second, he sprinted towards the room he was heading towards.
Yue Lin glanced at Ling Lan with surprise in his eyes. The pull seemed to be simple on the surface, but was not as it seemed. The staff member came towards Yue Lin too suddenly. With his capabilities, Yue Lin wouldn't be able to dodge. Right as the two of them were about to bump into each other, Ling Lan easily helped him get out of the predicament. It seems that no matter from sight to reaction speed, Ling Lan was much better than him… Yue Lin thought about his Refinement stage physical skills and couldn't help but think that maybe Ling Lan had already reached Qi-Jin.
It had to be said that Ling Lan's age made everyone unable to connect her to the level of Domain. No matter if it was the Soul Society or Caesar, while they were looking for the Domain expert within the escort group for the princess, these two parties had instantly ruled out Ling Lan's group. They didn't even think that the Domain expert they were looking for was within Ling Lan's group.
Back then, Ling Lan secretly hid the fact that she had already advanced into Domain level to keep it as a trump card for herself. Now it seemed that it was indeed the correct choice. This made Ling Lan's age into her best protection. No one would suspect her group.
Yue Lin, who initially didn't really care for these newbies, now began to respect them. It was no wonder that he could become Majors at such a young age. Just from his physical skills, it was already many times higher than similar captain level officers such as Yue Lin's own captain.
Yue Lin didn't dare to be negligent anymore. He carefully led Ling Lan to an entrance of a room.
Yue Lin pressed down on a button near the door and the door suddenly opened. What was seen was countless piles documents and a person crawling on the floor as if he was looking for something.
Yue Lin immediately saluted the person on the ground and shouted, "Colonel Yu, Yue Lin at your service. Colonel Ling Lan has been brought here."
Hearing that, the person quickly stood up and looked towards Ling Lan's group of six, who were standing behind Yue Lin, "You guys are finally here. The Second Staff Officer is waiting for you."
Chapter 669 - Regiment Commander!
The adjutant of the Second Staff Officer called just now and asked if Ling Lan had arrived. It looked like Ling Lan had gained the attention of the higher authorities. He would have a bright future ahead of him. The colonel thought to himself. He started treating Ling Lan and her friends better.
In order to become an officer at the staff officer department, you are required to be smart and know what are your superiors' intention. Hence, the colonel knew that Ling Lan was going to be promoted and wouldn't do anything stupid such as offending her. He stopped what he was doing and brought Ling Lan to meet the Second Staff Officer. Since his superior was in such a hurry, he didn't dare to waste any time.
As for the other five members of Lingtian, they didn't have the right to come. The Second Staff Officer only asked for Ling Lan. They were brought to the side and waited there for Ling Lan.
Tong Zhiying just finished settling a document when he heard his adjutant said, "Ling Lan is here."
Tong Zhiying nodded slightly and asked the adjutant to bring Ling Lan in.
Ling Lan came in with Colonel Yu. She saw a major general who looked the same age as He Xuyang. He was sitting behind an office desk and looking at her with a stern face.
Ling Lan just entered the division so she didn't have the chance to meet many high ranking officers. However, she interacted with her father, General Ling Xiao, all the time. Ling Xiao looked gentle but his aura was intimidating. If she was not afraid of him, why would she be scared by Tong Zhiying.
She calmly greeted Tong Zhiying. Her actions were clean and sharp. There was no hesitation or fear in her actions. This left a good impression on Tong Zhiying.
Tong Zhiying asked the two of them to sit down. Ling Lan sat up straight. Tong Zhiying saw her cold and serious face and felt satisfied once again. He liked soldiers who had dignity and were neither arrogant nor humble.
Tong Zhiying's gaze turned gentle. He opened his mouth and said, "You are Ling Lan, right? I called for you because General Ling Xiao has a letter of appointment for you."
Ling Lan immediately stood up. "I'm ready to accept the order."
Tong Zhiying stood up too. His adjutant past him a document. Tong Zhiying opened it and said slowly, "Senior Captain Ling Lan of Lingtian Battle Team has performed exceptionally well in the mission. You will be given the first rank merit and the Purple Cloud Medal of Honor. At the same time, you are appointed as the Regiment Commander of the 250 Mecha Clan. Your rank will be upgraded to a major and you will take over your new position immediately. Person of Appointment: Ling Xiao."
Ling Lan was stunned. She thought that she would only get merits such as the Purple Cloud Medal of Honor. She never expected her father to break the tradition and give her the position of Regiment Commander of the 250 Mecha Clan. She was just a recruit… this time, her father really used his position for his personal matters. Why did she feel so touched?
Ling Lan felt her father's love for her. Her heart was moved. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Thanks for trusting me!"
Tong Zhiying saw Ling Lan's change of emotions. He nodded in satisfaction when he saw how well she controlled her emotions. Ling Lan indeed had great potential.
Although the letter of appointment didn't state what mission it was, Tong Zhiying knew that Ling Lan gained the merits by her own effort. The Purple Cloud Medal of Honor and the attention given by General Ling Xiao proved that all these merits were not gained through connection. Tong Zhiying fully recognized Ling Lan this time.
The meeting lasted for a few minutes. Tong Zhiying was really busy so Ling Lan and Colonel Yu left his office after she got her letter of appointment.
"Congratulations, Regiment Commander Ling!" Colonel Yu congratulated her sincerely. He knew that this young man had a bright future but he didn't expect him to rise in rank so quickly.
Ling Lan's status only had a small change. She rose to become a major. Most people were able to become a major if they had good mecha piloting skills and a stable realm. An example would be Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng. People who made contributions to the military would also be given the major title too. For example, Li Shiyu.
As for those people who held positions that didn't need to fight, they would be given a major position after a certain number of years. Although Ling Lan was considered young, there were still many majors like her in the military.
However, there was a difference between a real military rank and a fictitious military rank. A fictitious military rank just meant that this person could enjoy the benefits given to a person in his rank. These positions didn't hold much power.
This was why Ling Xiao was more powerful than the ten god-class operators. He had real power and had control over a division.
Since Ling Lan was the Regiment Commander of the Mecha Clan 250, this meant that her status was a real military rank. She had control and power over a mecha clan. This was why the colonel was shocked.
Even though a mecha clan was the smallest unit in a division. Ling Lan was still more powerful than Li Lanfeng, Zhao Jun, and Li Shiyu.
"If the 250 Mecha Clan needs anything, you can look for me." Colonel Yu smiled. He would not give up the chance to befriend a powerful regiment commander.
"Thank you." Ling Lan thanked the colonel. She didn't reject his offer.
Although she could ask He Xuyang to help her, she didn't want to trouble him for all kinds of small businesses. After all, He Xuyang belonged to her father, not her. If she could maintain a good relationship with Colonel Yu, she wouldn't need to trouble He Xuyang all the time.
Ling Lan was a cold person but she knew what to say. After exchanging some words, their relationship got better.
It was lunchtime so Ling Lan invited the colonel to have a meal with her. Once they started eating, she didn't need to care about Colonel Yu anymore.
She brought her team members with her. How could they not enjoy a free meal? Hence, all five of them started befriending Colonel Yu and made him comfortable. Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng chatted and drank with him. Relationships between men are built through drinking. The more you drink, the better your relationship was.
Yes, this was why I wanted to be a boss. My men would do everything for me! Ling Lan smiled. She held her glass of tea and looked at her friends happily as they drank with the colonel. The colonel drank until he was in a daze. He asked them to spare him.
After the meal ended, they dispersed. The colonel made friends with Zhao Jun and asked him to drink with him whenever he was free. He would introduce his friends to him too…
Ling Lan was happy that they settled an important person within the staff officer department. After bidding farewell to the colonel, Ling Lan didn't choose to return to Ling Xiao's house to rest. She went directly to 250 Mecha Clan.
"Boss, what shall we do after we go back?" The slightly drunk Zhao Jun asked in the hover car.
It was not easy to be the Regiment Commander of Mecha Clan 250. The mecha operators in Mecha Clan 250 were all useless. A mecha clan without any combat ability could not be considered a real mecha clan.
Ling Lan was resting when she heard the question. She rubbed her fingers and opened her eyes. "What do you all think?"
"Get new recruits. The mecha clan lacks people anyway. We can just let the veterans remain as they are." Li Yingjie knew the origins of the mecha operators in 250 Mecha Clan so he knew it was better to let them remain in the mecha clan.
"Li Yingjie's suggestion is doable. As long as we keep the number of logisticians in check, we can build a powerful mecha clan," Lin Zhong-qing agreed.
"However, we need at least three to five years to train the recruits. I want to go onto the battlefield as soon as possible." Qi Long remembered something and gritted his teeth in anger. "The despicable Twilight Empire did many things recently. Everyone knew that the battle with the Twilight Empire will occur soon. I'm afraid that if we get new recruits, we will be placed in the secondary army."
Just as the name suggests, the secondary army would only go on the battlefield after the main army had all been killed. However, there was almost no chance of happening. That meant that they had almost no chance of fighting and could only become logisticians who cleared up the battlefield.
The moment he said this, everyone, even Li Yingjie, dismissed the suggestion. They were all hot-blooded young men. It was a tragedy for them if they couldn't fight in a battle.
Ling Lan looked at Li Lanfeng. Li Lanfeng smiled bitterly. "It will be impossible to get other mecha operators from other mecha clans unless General Ling Xiao gave an order… however, I believe that he will not do it."
"Since we don't want to get new recruits, we have to find decent mecha operators from the current operators in the mecha clan. I hope that Li Shiyu's medicine was able to cure some mecha operators." Li Lanfeng knew that this was a difficult task. Their own mecha clans had given up on these mecha operators. No matter how powerful Li Shiyu's medicine was, it would be hard to cure them.
Ling Lan knocked her fingers on the handle and went into deep thought.
Mental illness? Psychology barriers? Useless people?
She smiled. A sinister look flashed past her eyes.
Since that is the case, let's see if these people really are useless!
The most extravagant training ground built in the 250 Mecha Clan was finally put to use. During this month, it welcomed its first batch of mecha operators.
Jiang Enhua was an ace mecha master. He was only 33 years old. To become an ace mecha master at this age showed that he was quite a talented person. Although he had many achievements on the battlefield, he was too average compared to the ace mecha masters of the North and South stars. He didn't stand out among ace mecha operators.
Jiang Enhua used to have a bright future. Unfortunately, everything was destroyed in a mecha battle with the Twilight Empire. He was tormented by elite mecha operators of the Twilight Empire. His entire mecha was destroyed. Only his cockpit remained unscathed.
He was found by the logisticians who were clearing up the battlefield. Everyone thought that he was lucky to survive. Only he knew how he remained alive. His opponent broke his psychological barrier and he pleaded his opponent to spare him. He couldn't forget how haggard he was at that time. His opponent sneered at him and mocked him. Ever since then, he didn't have the courage to operate a mecha anymore. He wasted his days and in the end, he was thrown into 250 Mecha Clan by his division.
When he underwent Li Shiyu's medical treatment, he couldn't bear with the pain and begged Li Shiyu to let him off after 15 minutes. He told Li Shiyu everything that happened to him. Li Shiyu looked at him with contempt. He didn't want to waste his medicine on a weak and useless person. He threw Jiang Enhua to Luo Lang and told him to torture him properly.
However, Jiang Enhua had already given up on himself. There was no way he could endure the training. He either pleaded with them to let him off or just fainted on the spot. Towards the end, he would hug the railings at the side of the running track and refused to train. In the face of these mecha operators who gave up on themselves, Xie Yi and Luo Lang didn't know what to do. Even Li Shiyu's medicine couldn't help them.
Any kinds of psychological issues could be cured. However, it was difficult to treat those people who had given up on themselves. Unfortunately, most of the patients in 250 Mecha Clan had the same illness as Jiang Enhua. Once one of them gave up, other people followed. Very soon, a whole bunch of people stood at the side of the training ground. No matter what the Lingtian Battle Team did to them, they didn't want to continue training.
Chapter 670 - Kill Someone?
"Useless!" Luo Lang shouted in anger as he gritted his teeth. His face turned red in anger and his eyes were bloodshot.
"We can only help in their treatment. They have the right to give up if they want to," Xie Yi frowned as he replied. They were just recruits of the 250 Mecha Clan. At the same time, their rank was the lowest among the mecha operators. It would be hard to have the veterans respect them.
"Hmph, since they want to remain as rubbish, let them be." Luo Lang didn't want to continue this arduous and fruitless job anyway. The 250 Mecha Clan was not their responsibility anyway.
Luo Lang pulled Xie Yi up and asked the other members of Lingtian to leave the training ground. They were prepared to let these mecha operators fend for themselves.
"I will give you all three minutes to get up!" A cold voice echoed through the training ground.
Luo Lang and Xie Yi turned their heads. Ling Lan had appeared on the training ground. She wore a military uniform that didn't have any crease on it. The major epaulet replaced his senior captain epaulet. A cold aura exuded from her body. The temperature in the training ground seemed to have decreased.
"Boss!" The members of Lingtian shouted in unison.
"F**k, how dare you order your grandfather." One of the mecha operators, who was a Lieutenant Colonel, who was already angered by Luo Lang and the new recruits. They only cooperated with them because their superiors asked them to. However, now, an unfamiliar recruit was ordering them around with a commanding tone. He couldn't take it anymore and explode in anger.
Once he shouted, the other veterans started shouting too.
The members of Lingtian were furious when they heard these people started mocking their boss. They wanted to charge at them but Ling Lan had already rushed forward and stopped in front of the man who shouted first.
"What did you say just now?" Ling Lan asked coldly.
"Haha, are you deaf? Let me repeat it then…" The mecha operator laughed loudly. He sneered at Ling Lan. He couldn't understand why this recruit wanted to be mocked by him again.
"Grandfather?" Ling Lan looked at him coldly. No one dared to claim to be her grandfather. Anyone who wanted to be Ling Xiao's father was looking for death!
"Hah, good grandson!" The mecha operator didn't sense the danger and replied to her.
"Boom!" Ling Lan kicked the mecha operator into the air. The huge force caused the mecha operator to vomit blood in the air. He slammed into the ground and slid for ten meters before stopping.
A figure suddenly appeared near the mecha operator. Ling Lan stepped on the mecha operator's head. Her eyes were filled with malicious intent. She said dangerously, "Since you really want to die, I will satisfy you." She exerted force on her right foot. The mecha operator's head slammed into the ground. Blood came out of his nose, mouth, eyes, and ears. His expression turned hideous. Ling Lan's viciousness frightened all the mecha operators. They looked at her with fear. The entire training ground turned silent. If a leaf fell down right now, it would be heard.
"You… kill… a lieutenant… colonel… military court!" The mecha operator wanted to struggle but a huge force of presence prevented him from moving. He could feel her killing intent. He felt that he would be killed by her. No, he didn't want to die. But his strong desire to live caused him to continue struggling. After much effort, he finally managed to spit out these words.
"You? A useless piece of trash like you? Do you really think that the military would do anything if I killed you?" Ling Lan smiled coldly. "They might thank me instead for clearing the people who are wasting their money and space."
"A useless trash like you has no rights." Ling Lan smiled dangerously as she scanned the mecha operators around her. Her words pierced right into their hearts.
"Regiment commander… will not… let you go," The mecha operator said helplessly. The regiment commander whom they didn't care about became his only hope.
"Regiment commander? Let me go?" Ling Lan sneered. "Hah, I forgot to tell you all that from today onwards, I will be the Regiment Commander of the 250 Mecha Clan. Hence, I have the power…"
The mecha operators felt their hearts dropped. Were they all going to die today?
At that moment, Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong, who rarely came to the training ground, frowned when they heard Ling Lan's words.
Yang Mingzhi lowered his voice and asked, "Why did their captain become like this?"
Liu Furong shook his head. "He was just cold last time. I have never sensed such a strong killing intent from him before. Did something happen to him during his mission?" He was worried that the young man was affected mentally just like them.
Yang Mingzhi thought for a moment. "The mission should have been completed. He probably doesn't have any psychological trauma too. If not, he would not rise in rank and become the Regiment Commander of 250 Mecha Clan.
"Did the staff officer department make a mistake? Why would they let a recruit be the Regiment Commander of 250 Mecha Clan?" Liu Furong couldn't understand the decision.
"They probably want to reorganize 250 so they used a new method," Yang Mingzhi had a different viewpoint.
"What is it?"
"Since the previous methods couldn't deal with us, they let a recruit to try it out. He is new so he is not afraid of anything." Yang Mingzhi understood why the staff officer department made this decision. There was another merit for choosing a recruit. A recruit had much spirit and would do anything to get results.
"But this Ling Lan's killing intent is too strong. Is he really planning to kill to get what he wants?" Liu Furong asked uncertainly.
This was what Yang Mingzhi was afraid of. The things that the regiment commander was doing made him feel that it was what he intended to do.
Yang Mingzhi gritted his teeth. "No matter what, we cannot let him kill anyone." He would not allow these mecha operators, who became useless due to unfortunate circumstances, die at the hands of their own people. This was a tragedy and humiliation for them. He couldn't let this happen.
"Good. If something amiss happens, let's act together." Liu Furong had the same thought.
In the middle of the training ground, Ling Lan leaned forward and stared directly at his helpless eyes. "You humiliated your superior. This mistake is enough for you to die."
"So, please stop wasting food. Rubbish like you should just die!" Ling Lan narrowed her eyes and lifted her right foot. If she stepped on the soldier's head again, he would definitely die.
Everyone looked at Ling Lan frighteningly. They didn't expect their new regiment commander to actually want to kill someone. There was no pity or remorse on his young face. The indifference on his face made them shiver.
This is bad! Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi exclaimed in their minds. They disappeared from their original positions and appeared beside Ling Lan.
"Boom!" A loud explosion occurred. Two legs appeared on the mecha operator's head and prevented Ling Lan's foot from touching him.
The different forces created invisible blades in the air. A few wounds appeared on the mecha operator's face. However, he couldn't mind the pain right now. He was elated that he was alive. It felt good to be alive.
"It's the North and South Stars. We want Yang Mingzhi to be our regiment commander. Little brat, we don't recognize you as our regiment commander. Get out of here." Since Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong had acted, the mecha operator woke up from his stupor and started shouting again.
How could they let a potential murderer be their regiment commander? They still wanted to live. They didn't want to suddenly die at the hands of their regiment commander.
"Yes, get out of this place. We want Yang Mingzhi as our regiment commander!" The other mecha operators regained their senses too. Compared to the scary Ling Lan, Yang Mingzhi was a much better option. He was supposed to be their regiment commander at the beginning but he rejected the offer.
Yang Mingzhi knew that things were going out of his control. He just wanted to prevent Ling Lan from killing people. He didn't want to be the regiment commander. But, after what the mecha operators said, his actions showed that he had a different purpose. They made him seemed as though he wanted to fight for the position of the regiment commander.
"Why? Do you have something against me being the regiment commander?" Ling Lan raised her eyebrows and asked.
Yang Mingzhi smiled bitterly. "You are kidding. I just want to stop you from killing someone."
"What right do you have to stop me?" Ling Lan mocked. "A useless mecha operator? You don't have the power! A member of the South Stars? Are you one of them?"
The other mecha operators shouted louder at her when they heard what she said. Liu Furong's expression changed too. Ling Lan's words denied all the merits and achievements they made in the battlefields during their time.
Yang Mingzhi didn't reply to her. He just stared at Ling Lan. Her words had angered him.
"Are you angry? Do you think I'm wrong? Let me show you what's the truth then!" Ling Lan suddenly moved her right foot. A huge force exploded. Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt a strong force moving towards them. They couldn't control themselves and fell back. They had to take three steps back to stabilize themselves.
Chapter 671 - Rubbish!
The two of them were stunned. They didn't expect Ling Lan's physical skills to be so powerful. By now, they knew that she had been hiding her true capabilities all these while. A person at the peak of refinement would not be able to defeat one of their mecha operators that easily. No matter how weak he was, the mecha operators must be at least at refinement state. If not, he would not be able to handle the backlash from the movement of the mecha.
Ling Lan forced the two of them away and kicked the mecha operator on the ground. The mecha operator flew towards Luo Lang and Xie Yi.
Luo Lang and Xie Yi held the unconscious man in their arms. Blood was coming out of his mouth. Ling Lan didn't show any mercy to the mecha operator. The force of her kick made him unconscious and severely injured. He was on the brink of death.
"Li Shiyu lacks people to experiment with. Let this rubbish be useful. Tell Shiyu that he can do whatever he wants with him. He will not be held responsible for his death," Ling Lan said indifferently. She sounded as though the man was just an object that could be thrown away after he was used.
"Yes, boss!"
The only people who didn't get frightened by Ling Lan were the members of Lingtian Battle Team. There were used to her ruthlessness. When they were having their devil training, she was even scarier. Also, they believed that their boss would not become a heartless murderer. Anyone who was sent to Li Shiyu would live. Thus, their boss was just creating an illusion that anyone who didn't listen to her would be forsaken.
The other mecha operators were shocked. Even if the North and South Star acted together, they couldn't save that mecha operator. They remembered the medicine that Li Shiyu made. The legal medicines were already so frightening. If he used medicine which was still in its experimental stage… how much scarier would it be?
Living hell! These two words appeared in everyone's head.
Then, Ling Lan's cold voice sounded beside their ears. "Three minutes is ending soon. If you all have not stand up by then, I will send you all to Li Shiyu. This is a good way to recycle rubbish."
All the mecha operators felt Ling Lan's gaze on them. She seemed excited to send them out of the mecha clan with such a method. All the mecha operators stood up. Their desire to live and their fear of Ling Lan caused them to listen to her. However, their eyes were filled with anger. They were dissatisfied with Ling Lan. At the same time, they hoped that Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong would defeat this person and take over the position of regiment commander.
Oppression would lead to retaliation. Ling Lan was clear about this. Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi knew this too. If this was some other time, Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong would feel happy for the mecha operators. They finally had the desire to live. However, the current situation just gave them a headache.
Should they resist against Ling Lan to help the mecha operators or should they hide and give up? If they give up, would they drench the fire that just got ignited in the mecha operators' hearts? Would they return to be useless again? The two of them were in a dilemma.
Ling Lan focused her attention on Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong. She snorted. "Are you two going to stand up for these piles of rubbish?"
Yang Mingzhi took a deep breath and calmed down. He said slowly, "We don't have anything against you. We just hope that you can show some mercy to them since they have contributed to the military in the past."
"So?" Ling Lan replied coldly.
Her reply diminished all the hopes they had. Their past achievements were nothing in their regiment commander's eyes. The honor that they treasured so much was useless to her.
"You bastard!" All the mecha operators were unable to accept this. The only thing they were proud of was denied.
"Anyone who lives in their past and unable to walk out is rubbish." Ling Lan looked at the crowd. "You all are such rubbish. No matter how much achievements you all had, it will not change your useless nature."
"Ah!" All the mecha operators were indignant. They couldn't control their emotions and started shouting.
"Shut up!" Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong couldn't stand it anymore and shouted simultaneously.
"Are you two finally going to act?" Ling Lan looked at them coldly.
"I will not allow you to humiliate my comrades," Liu Furong shouted in anger.
Ling Lan started clapping indifferently. "As expected of a member of the North Stars. You are indeed a good role model for soldiers. However, don't you think that it is really funny for you to say this now?"
"What do you mean?" Liu Furong frowned.
"You are also useless. Do you have any right to say this?" The moment she finished speaking, Ling Lan charged at Liu Furong and aimed her fist at him.
Fast! Liu Furong was astounded. He hurriedly moved back and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Boom!" Liu Furong reacted quickly but he was still unable to dodge Ling Lan's attack. He stumbled for 8 meters before stabilizing himself.
"Is this is how powerful a member of the North Stars should be?" Ling Lan looked at Liu Furong with contempt. He couldn't even take a blow from her. How could he say such things? Ling Lan understood that if she wanted people to listen to her and never disobey her, she needed to have the power and the ability to control them.
"I will give you one last chance. If the two of you can't handle a blow from me with your combined efforts, you all will shut up and listen to me! I am the Regiment Commander of 250 Mecha Clan. In my mecha clan, there is only one rule: Winner takes all. Only the winner has the right to speak."
Ling Lan's words rang through everyone's ears. This was the rule of 250 Mecha Clan. From that day onwards, 250 Mecha Clan changed from a useless clan to a motivated and vicious clan.
Chapter 672 - New Mindset!
Qi Long, Zhao Jun, Li Lanfeng, and Li Yingjie were shocked when they heard what Ling Lan said.
Qi Long picked out his ears with his pinky. He whispered to Lin Zhong-qing, "Why does the boss sound like Li Yingjie now?" Although their boss was dominant, he rarely used words to express himself. Hence, Qi Long was not used to the sudden change in style.
Li Yingjie heard what he said and glared at him. What does he mean by sound like Li Yingjie? That is called the aura. As expected of a powerful but stupid person. He doesn't understand the real meaning of life…
Li Yingjie looked at Ling Lan with admiration. They were both arrogant but he couldn't appear as powerful and overbearing as Ling Lan. How did he manage to suppress the crowd with just his aura? Was it because he was powerful? Li Yingjie suddenly had enlightenment.
Lin Zhong-qing replied Qi Long calmly, "Our boss handles different situations differently." If you think that our boss only has one side to him, you are an idiot.
Qi Long remembered how harmless looking their boss was during the mission. Seems like this poker face boss had many different sides to him. Qi Long felt pressured. As the right-hand man of his boss (he didn't know the presence of Little Four), should he change his style according to his boss?
Not only was Qi Long surprised, but Li Lanfeng was also touched by what Ling Lan said. The image of an arrogant and direct Ling Lan etched into his mind. If he was as powerful as Ling Lan, wouldn't the Phoenix Thrall Fate be a joke to him?
He was restrained by his own abilities. He was not strong enough.
Winner takes all!
If he was able to stand at the peak of the world, who could ask him to lower his head?
Today, Li Lanfeng finally understood that his weakness was not his strength, it was his mentality.
He looked down at his slender and pretty fingers. No one would believe that these fingers belonged to a man. That was why he didn't like his fingers. He would get reminded of the Phoenix Thrall Fate every time he looked at them. Thus, he never let anyone see his hands or his face. He hated his face too…
However, Li Lanfeng noticed that Ling Lan's hands were as pretty as his too. Yet, Ling Lan never felt that there was anything wrong with them. His fist made everyone forget that he had a pair of pretty hands. Other people only knew how powerful his fists were.
Li Lanfeng looked at Ling Lan's eyes. They were cold and confident. Nothing was impossible in his eyes. This was the truth. From the first time he met Ling Lan, he never saw him failing at anything.
Even now, when he thought that it would take years to change 250 Mecha clan, Ling Lan showed him another possibility.
Ling Lan gave these mecha operators who lost their confidence a new way of looking at things.
Winner takes all! Survival of the fittest!
From today onwards, these mecha operators would not have the time to think about anything else. They would be struggling and fighting to be the last survivor.
It had to be said that Li Lanfeng was the person who understood Ling Lan the most. While the others were still puzzled over her sudden change, he already knew why she did this. Whether his guess was right or wrong… he didn't know.
Ling Lan's arrogance successfully brewed some resentment in Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi's hearts. They exchanged glances with one another. Yang Mingzhi smiled coldly. "Since you mentioned it, we will accept your challenge."
The three of them stood at three different corners of the training ground. The fight would be starting soon.
The mecha operators knew that this battle between the three of them would be huge so they retreated back and created space for them.
Lin Zhong-qing suddenly asked, "Do you think that boss will use his domain realm power?" Anyone at Qi-Jin realm would not be able to handle a domain realm power attack.
No one replied. To ensure her success, Ling Lan should use her domain realm power.
Li Lanfeng smiled and muttered, "No! He will just use Qi-Jin power to defeat them."
Li Yingjie expressed his suspicion. "Is that possible? Those two people are in the Qi-Jin realm too. He might not be able to defeat them with a single blow if he used the same force."
Li Lanfeng glanced at Li Yingjie with contempt. Li Yingjie was furious. For some reason, he disliked Li Lanfeng very much. Every time he talked to him, he would feel irritated.
However, Li Lanfeng continued speaking. "Do you think that the Qi-Jin power displayed by a domain realm master is the same as the Qi-Jin power displayed by a Qi-Jin master? Even though boss is just using his Qi-Jin power, it is not the same strength as what you think." Li Yingjie was dumbfounded.
As he pondered over Li Lanfeng's words, Qi Long nodded. "Yes. Even if boss suppresses his realm and used Qi-Jin strength, we cannot handle it."
Li Yingjie understood what they meant. Although Ling Lan used her Qi-Jin strength, the quality and force of her strength were much stronger than normal Qi-Jin masters. This was not something a Qi-Jin master could handle. When battling two opponents who were at Qi-Jin realm, Ling Lan was able to restrain their power using her force of presence. They would be unable to release all their energy. With these two components working hand in hand, Ling Lan would be able to defeat her opponents in one blow.
Everyone's attention was focused on them. Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong didn't move. They had more people on their side so their opponent should attack first. This was their principle.
Ling Lan knew what they were thinking. She smiled secretly. Just like what Li Shiyu said, these two people didn't have any illnesses at all. Seems like there still were hidden tigers in 250 Mecha clan.
Ling Lan was elated. However, she knew that would not be easy to have them listen to her willingly. She needed to win them over.
From the start, Ling Lan's motive was to bait these two people out. They didn't disappoint her.