Chapter 728 - Winner in Life!
The reason why the 13th Division could stand their ground among the top few divisions was mostly because they didn't actively participate in political fights. They were always considered to be in a neutral position. Although the 13th Division didn't have too many connections with the Third Marshal, they never caused fissures in their relationship with the Third Marshal's faction. The Third Marshal had more than just the 3rd Division under his command. If they do antagonize the Third Marshal, the 13th Division wouldn't be able to fend off against multiple divisions attacking them at the same time. Furthermore, the other neutral divisions may not lend them a helping hand either. Their General Zhao would definitely not allow something like that to happen…
However, Vice General Qi wasn't someone who gives up easily. He also stood on a different side of General Zhao. As it was public information, Vice General Qi had worked under the Second Marshal. He was someone who supported the 13th Division to join the Second Marshal's faction. It was possible that this time, he fully supported the idea of offending the Third Marshal's faction to force General Zhao to join the Second Marshal's faction…
"It's hard to resolve." He Junyi also thought about the disputes between the higher-ups in the 13th Division and too, had a headache. Back then, he used his connections to take his clan to be stationed in Soldier City, it was so he wouldn't be forced to pick a side. Even though he hid so far away from the division, he still couldn't escape from having to pick a side.
"We can't run from it, so we can only make a decision. Where do you stand?" Yue Putian asked seriously.
"General Zhao is a lone wolf. Back then, he only became the General of the 13th Division because the three Marshals didn't want to let either side get the upper hand. In the end, luck landed on General Zhao's hand, who is neutral. Vice General Qi is connected to the Second Marshal but the few officers below him all have their own factions. In reality, among the 23 divisions in the Federation, the 13th Division has the messiest factions allegiances…" He Junyi said frustratingly.
"You don't think General Zhao is any good?" Yue Putian seemed to have understood He Junyi unfinished statement.
"I also don't think Vice General Qi is good either." He Junyi didn't deny Yue Putian's question and spoke out another thought that he had.
"Then, what do we do in this situation?" Yue Putian was kind of confused.
"Report it as is," He Junyi replied coolly. He quickly sent an official investigation report to the division, then silently waited for the higher-ups to give him the orders.
He Junyi using the official report meant this matter was no longer a private matter for Vice General Qi. Although doing this meant offending Vice General Qi, causing them to be careful with each step they would take in the future, but by doing this would decrease the chances of being abandoned by Vice General Qi to nil and becoming a scapegoat after the fact.
He Junyi chose the most neutral path since there wasn't a way they could make both parties happy. Additionally, by doing it the official way, even if Vice General Qi planned on doing something to them, he would need to find an actual and legitimate reason. Otherwise, the other factions who wanted Vice General Qi's position would use the opportunity to bring him down.
The messy politics they hated that gave them headaches were now what they depended on to protect them. He Junyi and Yue Putian couldn't help but laugh bitterly. If this were to continue, the 13th Division might become the weakest division among the 23 divisions.
After learning Yue Putian had reported this situation straight to the military headquarters, Vice General Qi was livid. He hated the fact that those two looked down on him as they chose to offend him rather than the others. Although this action by the two of them caught Vice General Qi with his pants down, he still had managed the 13th Division for so many years. If he could stand at a similar position as General Zhao, then how could he not have his people within the military headquarters?
Not long after, a new order was given out, ordering the Regiment Commander of the 13th Division's stationed clan, Regiment Commander He Junyi and the Regiment Commander of the Wild Lion Ace Mecha Clan, Regiment Commander Yue Putian to go to the Regiment Commander of the 3rd Division's stationed clan to make Qiao Ting apologize…
"They're going too far!"
The Regiment Commander of the 3rd Division's stationed troops slammed the table angrily and almost splitting the desk in half.
The Regiment Commander of the Red Flame Ace Mecha Clan, Regiment Commander Xu Qiuming frowned as he looked through the report the two clans from the 13th Division had sent in. Their attitude was quite tough and seemed that this issue was going to be hard to resolve.
He put down the report and looked towards Qiao Ting who sat there in common military fashion and softly asked, "Qiao Ting, what do you think?"
Qiao Ting coldly said, "They wrongfully accuse me and want to hang me up for trial?" Although he had gone to that store, he only came into contact with Ling Lan and the two of his members. He didn't even know of Young Miss Qi, how could he have bullied her?
"However, they said it was you. Unless you have evidence that could prove your innocence. Otherwise, you won't be able to get out this easily," Xu Qiuming told Qiao Ting the difficulties he had currently.
"The team members that went with me could prove my innocence for me. I never even met her." Qiao Ting rejoiced at the fact that he had went shopping with his team members.
"They are from the same battle team as you. Their statements won't be considered valid." In the military, although witness statements from members of the same battle team were not rejected, but those statements wouldn't be considered main evidence. Those statements could only be used as supporting evidence for other main pieces of evidence. This was to avoid the emotional aspect of brother-in-arms and the possibility of fake evidence. However in this case, Qiao Ting had lost a chance to prove his innocence.
"There's surveillance inside the store, it can prove my innocence." Qiao Ting's expression went cold and spoke with a sad tone.
The two regiment commanders looked at Qiao Ting's troubled expression and they couldn't help but sigh, "Qiao Ting… If they already prepared to go against you then that means they already have hard evidence on you."
"That's not possible." How could there be evidence of something that he didn't do?
The two regiment commanders looked at each other. Xu Qiuming understood and explained to Qiao Ting, "That evidence isn't something they said, but is actual evidence. It's just that if they think it's real then it's real."
Qiao Ting's expression tensed up, "You're saying their so-called evidence is fake?" If that was the case, then he wouldn't be able to explain himself no matter how much he tried. Who was it that wanted to go against him? The anger in Qiao Ting rose up but he didn't lose his cool. He began to quickly think about ways to get himself out of this difficult situation.
"We can go to the shop and get the untouched surveillance footage!" Qiao Ting quickly thought of a way. As long as he has the footage, no matter what the other side said, it wouldn't be that easy to pin it on him.
Seeing Qiao Ting immediately realize a way out of the situation, the two regiment commander nodded in acknowledgment. Intelligent, capable, ability to understand quickly and calmly analyzing the situation without panicking. As expected of the genius the Marshal had set his eyes upon.
As for this issue regarding Young Miss Qi… The people of the Third Division was not that easily bullied.
The two regiment commanders' eyes glimmered. The 13th Division's Vice General Qi along with the Second Marshal's faction would not have an easy time taking down someone with limitless potential.
The two of them quickly escalated this issue to where the faction of the Second Marshal purposefully did some meddling in an attempt to attack the younger generations they were currently nurturing. This made the two of them become even more annoyed at Vice General Qi and the Second Marshal's faction.
Xu Qiuming saw the hope in Qiao Ting's eyes. Qiao Ting hoped they would send someone to get the original footage from the store. Xu Qiuming sighed. Qiao Ting was still too young and naive. How could the opposition give them a chance to get the original footage if they had already placed the blame on him? It could be predicted the original footage at the store would have been destroyed or damaged by now.
Xu Qiuming showed an expression of pity, making Qiao Ting's heart drop. The calm expression he originally had finally began to change, "Is the original footage gone?"
As expected of an intelligent person, he reacted quickly. Xu Qiuming didn't answer and instead contacted his subordinate. In front of Qiao Ting he asked, "Little Yuan, did you get the original footage from the store?"
"Regiment commander, I was just about to report my mission status to you. According to the store owner, after taking the surveillance footage, Young Miss Qi destroyed their surveillance equipment. They paid hackers to recover it but it was ineffective."
"Got it, then just stop trying. Come on back." Xu Qiuming was already mentally prepared for this. He only ordered his subordinate to go the store to get the footage just in case. Now it seemed that the 13th Division really did everything flawlessly. They didn't give them any chance and wanted to completely pressure Qiao Ting.
Most importantly, this issue was a difficult one. It could be a big issue or it could be a small one. This was fully dependant on the opposition. If the opposition wanted an apology, then it wouldn't be that big of an issue and wouldn't cause any problems for Qiao Ting in the future. They were afraid that the opposition might make the issue about harassment of a female. That would make it very difficult for Qiao Ting in his future. In the military, the most non-tolerable mistake was making mistakes like these. Once the other side uses this reason, Qiao Ting would be done for.
The reality Qiao Ting thought of was the same as Regiment Commander Xu had predicted. The original surveillance footage was destroyed and there wasn't any evidence to prove his innocence. Qiao Ting finally felt panicked. He slapped himself with great force to try to calm himself down. At that moment, he finally understood what it meant to be unable to explain himself even though he was innocent.
"Qiao Ting, don't worry. The Marshal won't let their plan come to fruition," comforted Xu Qiuming.
However, this might result into a fight between the Second Marshal's and Third Marshal's factions. In these kinds of fights, many officers from both sides would be moved around. Some would fall and other rise. It could also create an opportunity for the First Marshal's faction and other factions to use it to their advantage…
If it was possible, they didn't want to see this kind of situation to occur. However… Qiao Ting must be protected! If they easily abandoned an exceptional and capable genius like Qiao Ting, then who else wouldn't be abandoned? Once the Third Marshal's faction loses the favours or the faith of the people, it would definitely crumble down. This was the most terrifying outcome.
They understood this and their Marshal understood it even more.
It had to be said that Qiao Ting was lucky. Before this debacle occurred, Qiao Ting wasn't someone who couldn't be abandoned. That was because he wasn't as important as he was now. Whether the Marshal was willing to help protect him or going to protect were two different things. However now, Qiao Ting was someone that the Marshal could not give up on and couldn't not protect.
Furthermore, as luck would have it, before this situation occurred, Qiao Ting had successfully advanced to the domain stage. He had it registered which made him be the first to break the record of the Federation for the youngest domain expert… This made Qiao Ting jump from being one of the quite talented mecha operators to a genius who was on par with the monstrous individual within the Flying Dragon Special Forces. He also became an important bargaining chip that they could not abandon.
Xu Qiuming had a complicated expression on his face as he looked towards Qiao Ting. Some people were winners in life, like this Qiao Ting! Even if he was to be in a crisis, there would still be someone there to protect him, helping him to get past it. It would make people be green with envy.
Chapter 729 - The 13th Division's New General?!
Qiao Ting didn't forget about Ling Lan. After all, Ling Lan and his two female team members could prove that he had already left the store. However, he didn't want to ask them to testify for his innocence. He didn't want Ling Lan to know of his pitiful state… Moreover, Qiao Ting felt that he had received a lot of help from Ling Lan which made Qiao Ting feel even harder to face Ling Lan. Qiao Ting made a decision. As long as there were still other ways to resolve this situation, he would definitely not ask for Ling Lan's help.
Right as the 3rd Division's stationed mecha clan, Red Flame Ace Mecha Clan's regiment commander was busy handling Qiao Ting's issue, a letter of challenge was sent to their headquarters. This letter of challenge was sent by the 23rd Division's newly coined 250 Ace Mecha Clan, which they had proven to be one after their amazing performance in the land clearing mission.
The reason for the letter of challenge was because of Gu Dongyang. Although Gu Dongyang's conflict didn't cause any sides to lose or gain something, Ling Lan still wanted to protect her subordinates' honor and dignity. She definitely wouldn't just swallow the anger of the attack just because they were new in the city. It was after she and Little Four were done going through the regulations of Soldier City, that they decisively played their move. While the 3rd Division was panicking from all the work they had to do, Ling Lan made a move decisively and stomped on them ruthlessly.
This was what the regiment commander of the stationed mecha clan of the 3rd Division wanted to see. However, currently, they were not able to take advantage of it. In order to fully protect Qiao Ting, who the Marshal had firmly decided to protect, they no longer had any extra manpower to fight off 250 Ace Mecha Clan's challenge. In addition to that, if they were to fight with 250 Ace Mecha Clan, it might give the First Marshal's faction a good reason to meddle in the fight. Then, the Third Marshal's faction would have to fend off attacks from both the First Marshal and Second Marshal's factions, which they could very well might not be able to do.
After carefully thinking it over, the regiment commander had to give up on the decision of probing Gu Dongyang's situation. After all, there were still chances in the future to deal with Gu Dongyang's issue and didn't need to be done at this moment. Thus, he proactively asked for peace between the two clans. He sent a representative to 250 Ace Mecha Clan to express how sorry his was.
After receiving a reply, 250 Ace Mecha Clan didn't continue to badger them. The two representatives from each clan began to negotiate regarding compensation. In the end, although the result was the peace that was agreed upon, the price paid for that peace made the regiment commander of the stationed clan of the 3rd Division bleed from the inside out.
God, the negotiating representative from 250 Ace Mecha Clan is a terrifying human optical supercomputer. All of the demands he had requested were exactly the bottom line of how much he could afford… No matter how painful it was for the regiment commander of the stationed mecha clan of the 3rd Division, he still had to give the agreed compensation. At the same time, he had to thank 250 Ace Mecha Clan for not taking advantage of them while they were under siege.
Additionally, being in a poor mood, his tone of voice wasn't very good when he replied to Major General Jiang Wei. Although he himself had indeed made a move due to the issue of Gu Dongyang, he still couldn't deny that Major General Jiang Wei's orders was the main reason for him to launch the attack. If it wasn't for his orders, would he even pay any attention to 250 Ace Mecha Clan? Would he ask Qiao Ting to investigate the backgrounds of the members of 250 Ace Mecha Clan? Without his orders, he wouldn't know of Gu Dongyang's presence and wouldn't have had to sent people to investigate. The most important part was that he wouldn't have ordered everyone who was on vacation to go to the shopping district to deal with Gu Dongyang. Then, Qiao Ting wouldn't have appeared in that store, causing the annoying issue with the 13th Division's Young Miss Qi…
In short, the root of the problem was this petty, incapable and conniving Major General Jiang Wei.
After receiving the reply of the 3rd Division's stationed mecha clan's regiment commander, Jiang Wei almost smashed his optical supercomputer. This was the disadvantage of being a division officer without any actual power. Even though he was a major general and was a member of the military of the Federation, many ranks higher than those regiment commanders, he still couldn't earn or receive the respect of those regiment commanders who had actual military power. Those regiment commanders did whatever they wanted, without giving any reasons before hanging up.
Jiang Wei originally wanted the troops of the 3rd Division stationed in the city to smacked the 23rd Division. He wanted to Ling Xiao to lose dignity. Now, he was the one who lost dignity…
"Wu Yong, I'll remember this. I will definitely not let you live it down." Anger filled Jiang Wei's eyes. He temporarily put aside his hatred and envy towards Ling Xiao and 250 Ace Mecha Clan, and began to sharpen his blades, readying up to teach Wu Yong a lesson he wouldn't forget.
Soldier City was quiet. After three days, the headquarters sent representatives to award the top 10 mecha clans. As the main performer of the military, Li Yinfei sang a few popular songs among the Federation for the troops of the ten mecha clans.
Although Qiao Ting admired Li Yinfei, he didn't know the outcome of the issue regarding Young Miss Qi. Having many worries in his mind, he, of course, wasn't in the mood to find an opportunity to get to know his goddess.
Even without Qiao Ting, Li Yinfei still had many other young men welcoming her warmly. No matter how innocent and pure Li Yinfei's smile was, she still couldn't hide her excitement and a hint of ambition that no one knew about.
Ling Lan led her entire clan to her clan's designated seating area and she chose to sit at the back on the right of the exit. Only they sat this way with very few people sitting at the very front, creating a large gap of empty seats between them. When Li Yinfei was performing, every time she looked at that area, she could feel her heart boiling.
Are they not welcoming her? Li Yinfei's performance was at the end because the award ceremony had begun at the very beginning. Li Yinfei thought that those from 250 Ace Mecha Clan had left after the award ceremony. She didn't think that 250 Ace Mecha Clan was actually a mecha clan as it didn't even have enough numbers to form a battalion. Of course, they wouldn't leave in the middle of the performance. Even if Ling Lan was cold, proud and indifferent, she still wouldn't do something idiotic like that.
Although Li Yinfei didn't know who the Regiment Commander of 250 Ace Mecha Clan was, she already put large 'X' on 250 Ace Mecha Clan in her mind. It had to be said that there had to be some fate between the two people. Li Yinfei and Ling Lan was fated to not be fated at all. Although they weren't at the point where they hated each other, they still managed to reach a point where neither of them saw each other as people.
There were two other people who didn't have a good impression on Li Yinfei. One was Li Lanfeng and the other was Li Shiyu.
Ling Lan felt the darkness seeping out from Li Lanfeng's body. She turned around and asked, "You don't like Li Yinfei!" This wasn't a question but a statement. No matter how well Li Lanfeng hid his feelings, Ling Lan still managed to see through him with a single glance.
"I don't like that face…" Li Lanfeng clenched both of his fists. Every time he saw Li Yinfei's face, his heart filled with humiliation.
Hearing this, Ling Lan raised her head to look at Li Yinfei, who was performing to the best of her abilities on stage. She carefully examined her then nodded, "Yeah, I don't like her either." It wasn't that she didn't like her goddess-like beauty. It was her face, it continued to give Ling Lan an unnatural feeling. It irritated her. The longer she looked at her, the more irritated and uncomfortable she became.
Li Lanfeng turned around stunned. He didn't know whether he should be happy or angry. Being in a complicated mood, he opened his mouth in a mock attempt to say something. He could only change his action into a bittersweet smile while keeping his actual feelings inside.
After resting for a short while after the award ceremony, the top 10 mecha clans returned to their own divisions. Compared to the peacefulness of Soldier City, the headquarters of the military and the divisions were considered rowdy.
It was because Ling Lan had ignited a flame which finally started spreading everywhere, causing battles to erupt everywhere. First, the 13th Division and 3rd Division began to go at each other. One wanted to severely punish Qiao Ting, but the other believed that was only a small problem and believed Qiao Ting had just made a small mistake. Qiao Ting was a genius from the new generation and should be only lightly punished.
It couldn't be helped. The 13th Division had hard evidence. This wasn't beneficial for Qiao Ting. Even if they knew Qiao Ting didn't do anything and the evidence was forged, at that moment, they could only ask for a light punishment. It was now impossible to reach a non-guilty verdict.
The integrity of the evidence was brought up for analysis but no one knew where the 13th Division found an imperial rank hacker who made the Third faction's imperial hacker unable to find any flaws. This made the 3rd Division feel quite helpless. However, this proved that the Second Marshal's faction had made all the necessary preparations to destroy Qiao Ting's future.
During the disputes between the two divisions, the First Marshal's faction, Second Marshal's faction and other smaller factions used this chance to take some advantages for their own benefits. Originally, it was only a small dispute between the 13th and 3rd Division. Now, it was as though all of the higher-ups within the Federation's military had a hand in the situation.
Ling Xiao had ordered his people to make moves in the headquarters before the First Marshal's faction was even notified because of Ling Lan's early notification on the issue. With more time for preparation than the others, after making multiple moves, he easily acquired many important positions among the top brass of the military. It was no accident that those who took those positions were all confidants he had arranged to be there long ago. Of course, on the surface, those people were all neutral and was not connected with anyone with the First Marshal's faction.
Ever since Ling Xiao returned to the Federation, he wasn't planning on trusting anyone before he finds the person who plotted against him. This included the First Marshal, who treated him as a nephew. In order to form his own faction, Ling Xiao silently nurtured and inserted his own confidants while under the watchful eyes of the First Marshal's faction.
It had to be said that after disappearing for 16 years, all the connections and faction members Ling Xiao had publically from before had been reduced to zero, silently disappearing from the public eye. Although some people went onto better prospects, other still patiently waited for Ling Xiao's successor. Thus, after Ling Xiao returned, he quickly picked out a few loyal members who could endure the trials and put them into the deputy rank of important positions. Compared to the main job position, these deputies were not paid any attention.
Five years of hiding was to wait for this opportunity. Under the large movements of all factions, Ling Xiao's small changes were quickly swallowed all the important positions without anyone finding out.
On top of that, as someone under the First Marshal's faction on the surface, Ling Xiao also reaped many benefits. The First Marshal's faction also put forth a lot of effort and reaped many benefits for itself as well.
Of course, some benefited and some lost. The results of the Second and Third faction's battle against each other caused both sides to lose a lot. However, after the battle, the higher-ups in the military that were from these two factions were all elites. It will be very difficult the next time someone wanted to look for trouble with these factions.
However, the 13th Division had the worst outcome from the fight. General Zhao and Vice General Qi were all taken down from their positions. Although General Zhao was indeed treated unjustly by taking his position away, being neutral was still an offense. In addition to that, he didn't have anyone behind him to back him up. If a verdict of negligence was slapped onto his name, he would be easily taken down his position.
In actuality, the reason why General Zhao could sit on the seat of a general was because back then, each faction didn't want to give it to the other factions. In the midst of the stalemate, this position accidentally fell into his hands. Unfortunately, without any charisma, General Zhao wasted many years and didn't gain any control of the 13th Division at that time. Instead, he caused the 13th Division to become split apart into different factions, forcing the division into chaos.
The disappointment the Federation's military had towards General Zhao caused them to make a move on the 13th Division. Now, this time, the military was given a reason to make a move.
Vice Geeral Qi was as dumb as a human could possibly get, even a dog wouldn't bite the hand that feeds it. If this issue wasn't caused by his failure as a father, perhaps he would have had a chance to advance and take the position of general that he wanted so much. Unfortunately, the Third Marshal hated his guts because this man caused his faction lose much influence and power. He almost even destroyed a genius who he set his eyes on and nurtured with full support. If the Third Marshal didn't bring him down, how could he calm the fiery anger he had within his heart?
Faced with the anger of a Marshal, no one dared to protect Vice General Qi, even the Second Marshal had to hide away for a while. Thus, Vice General Qi became a chess piece that was heartlessly tossed aside to quell the anger of the Third Marshal.
Both authoritative figures of the 13th Division were taken down, there would of course be new general to be arranged to take the position. Although the First Marshal's faction wanted this general position, the Second Marshal's faction and the Third Marshal's faction were totally against it. These two factions had the same thought that they definitely couldn't let the First Marshal's faction to take advantage of the situation. They already had lower number of generals compared to the First Marshal's faction. If the First Marshal's faction were to take the position of general for the 13th Division, the other two factions would become powerless.
The military also didn't want the First Marshal's faction to increase its influence. In the end, after the other factions reached an agreement, where the Second Marshal's faction and Third Marshal's factions would choose one person to compete for the position.
The Second Marshal's faction sent out a previous commander lieutenant general in a department under the 13th Division, Yu Dong. The person the Third Marshal's Faction had sent out was a commander lieutenant general in a department under the 3rd Division, Qi Yaoyang.
After hearing about the candidates, those in the Second Marshal's faction went pale. They knew they were going to lose. The insane God of the battlefield, Qi Yaoyang, who never lost once. Not only was his name famous among common soldiers, even within the Federation's military, there were many people who admired him. They didn't think that the Third Marshal's faction would send out this god-like individual. It should be known that people like him were hard to keep in check. They weren't sure where the Third Marshal got confidence to be able to order around this god-like individual.
Without much of a fight, Qi Yaoyang defeated Yu Dong with an overpowering advantage and took over the position as the General of the 13th Division. Yu Dong on the other hand became the Vice General. As for whether Qiao Yaoyang could actually control the 13th Division and whether Yu Dong could strike back and take the position back, was all up in the air. However, it could be predicted that there will definitely be a bloody battle within the 13th Division.
However, all of this was not related to Ling Lan and 250 Ace Mecha Clan. They arrived at the headquarters of the 250 Ace Mecha Clan in the 23rd division. It was just that they didn't that there was an important thing waiting for them in the headquarters.
Chapter 730 - Investigation!
Ling Lan led 250 Ace Mecha Clan's members and approached the entrance of their base camp. Seeing how the entrance was heavily guarded, she raised her eyebrow instantly.
"Boss, something is wrong." Qi Long, with his innate talent Animal Instinct, immediately felt something odd was happening.
"Those at the entrance aren't our people." Li Lanfeng, with his great memory, saw through the issue immediately.
After hearing those words, the team members instantly had their guards up. They were surprised that after successfully completing the land clearing mission with flying colors, their own headquarters would be surrounded by strangers. Who was it that dared to make a move on 250 Ace Mecha Clan? Did these people not know this ace mecha clan is protected by General Ling Xiao?
The companions who knew about Ling Lan's real identity, of course, knew the Big Boss of the 23rd division was their own Boss's biological father.
"Just pretend to not know anything. If by any chance something happens, don't resist," Ling Lan thought deeply for a moment, then ordered.
Ling Lan believed her father wouldn't let her fall into an inescapable trap. If he didn't notify her of anything beforehand, it would mean that her father was still in control of the situation. It was just that she wasn't sure what had actually happened. Who are those people surrounding the clan and where did they come from?
Ling Lan didn't want the situation to go out of hand and too complex since she didn't fully understand the situation yet. Thus, she ordered her team members to stay calm and watch the situation unfold itself.
After being told what to do, Ling Lan's companions walked into the base camp with smiles on their faces. After going through many bloody battles with their Boss, their acting was on point. Their fake expressions were almost flawless. If they were to act in the 21st century, every one of them would be able to win an Oscar.
Right as they entered the base camp, they saw He Xuyang smiling as he led a group of people to welcome them.
"Welcome back Regiment Commander Ling, being awarded as one of the top 10 mecha clans in your first land clearing mission, you have brought great honor to the 23rd division. The general is very pleased with your performance." He Xuyang had a politically correct smile on his face while speaking in a formal manner. With this facade, Ling Lan didn't even need to think to know the people who followed behind He Xuyang were probably not her father's confidants.
Without He Xuyang's reminder, Ling Lan saluted in the most standard way that a lower ranked subordinate would greet their superiors. She shouted in a serious tone, "Hello, First Staff Officer He, sir.
Before He Xuyang could respond, one of the individuals who followed behind him, a young man with an insignia of a major on his uniform, suddenly approached and rudely interjected, "Regiment Commander Ling, we are from the Federation's Military Disciplinary and Investigation Committee. We would like your cooperation in our investigation."
His expression and tone were similar to of which someone with a higher authority would speak to someone of a lower rank. It was as though he was ordering around his servant. His attitude instantly angered the mecha operators from 250 Ace Mecha Clan.
"What? Asking our regiment commander to cooperate with what investigation? Investigate what?"
"A measly major actually dares to be disrespectful to our regiment commander? He really doesn't know his place."
Everyone in 250 Ace Mecha Clan were all veteran elites who fought on multiple battlefields. Veteran elites were considered the hardest opponents on the battlefield. After experiencing countless of life or death situations, they would gradually get stronger. At the same time, the lawlessness of the battlefield made them become ruffians who wouldn't bow down to anyone. They were also not afraid of the supposed higher-ups of the military and would say what they had in their minds. Not long after, the spot became noisy. In a single moment, the entire area had lost control.
Yang Mingzhi, Liu Furong and Gu Dongyang, who stood at the front, frowned. The words 'Disciplinary and Investigation Committee' made them remember some not so great memories.
Seeing the mecha operators yelling and cursing, the major had a hint of anger on his face. He felt his authority was being challenged. He immediately waved his hand and fully armed soldiers suddenly stormed in from the surrounding area. They pointed their guns towards everyone in 250 Ace Mecha Clan.
Faced with hundreds of beam guns pointed directly at them, all the mecha operators stopped talking and the entire area became silent, causing the major to have a smirk on his face. They were pretty smart for remembering to bring enough people to instantly shut down these ruffians who only knew about fighting. As expected, if he didn't take them down a peg, they might have actually thought the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee was weak and useless.
The major tilted his chin up high after thinking he had regained control of the situation. He then shouted proudly, "Regiment Commander Ling, please tell your team members to stay silent. Otherwise, don't blame me if we take them out for obstruction of justice. They might be going to military prison."
"I remember the military doesn't restrict freedom of speech. People have the right to state their opinions. When did the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee have the power to change the rules of the military at will?" As long as it wasn't a rebellion, the restrictions applied on soldiers were quite loose. He wants to scare her with this pointless scare tactic? He was definitely looking down on Ling Lan.
Ling Lan had a hint of mockery in her expression. She looked towards the major with some pity in her eyes. Did the major actually think that those hundreds of beam guns were enough stop these veteran elites who had crawled out from countless life or death situations? Did he not see that the mecha operators were all excitedly waiting for her to give the order to attack?
Additionally, this young and naive major was being used as a scapegoat by his superiors and he himself knew nothing about it. It was indeed pitiful. Furthermore, when it came to rules and regulations of the military, with Little Four in hand, how could Ling Lan lose in this aspect?
Ling Lan's rebuttal questions silenced the major. While he was trying to mumble out some words, a senior colonel beside him couldn't help but glare at him. As expected, he was too young and couldn't be relied on for things like this. He fell into the opposition's trap before even understanding his opponent. It seemed that this chess piece was no longer useful.
After deciding to give up on the young major, the senior colonel suddenly laughed out loud. He then spoke up, "Actually, we would just like to question Regiment Commander Ling a few things. I hope Regiment Commander Ling can just provide some information for us. We're not looking for trouble. Everyone, please be rest assured. Little Ma from our department is still young, and not reliable when it comes to these types of things. Regiment Commander Ling, please do forgive him if he had offended you."
"So after seeing forcefully probing wasn't working, they plan on playing the good cop to lower my guard?" Ling Lan's eyes flickered and didn't answer. She only nodded to show that she had agreed.
The major knew he had made a mistake and might possibly lose points with his superiors. He was angry and vengeful. The major made a decision that during questioning, he would definitely make it difficult for Regiment Commander Ling. He wanted Ling Lan to know that offending him was definitely not a good idea.
Seeing that Ling Lan didn't object to his proposal, the senior colonel was overjoyed. Being able to take down the Regiment Commander of 250 Ace Mecha Clan without any bloodshed was the best outcome. Although they were sent here by the military, they still had to give General Ling Xiao some dignity since they were in the 23rd Division, and couldn't make too much of a scene. Otherwise, if they actually angered General Ling Xiao, they probably wouldn't be able to walk out of the headquarters of the 23rd Division alive.
Thinking up to this point, the senior colonel felt helpless. If it wasn't for the fact that they needed to collect evidence from 250 Ace Mecha Clan, why would they come near the headquarters of the 23 Division? Luckily, General Ling Xiao was a man of justice. He wasn't like other generals who protected their subordinates by setting up obstacles for them, making them unable to investigate.
If the outcome of this investigation was satisfying, they would have made an achievement for the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee, as they took out a tumor from the military and saved the soldiers who lived in inhumane conditions.
Right as the senior colonel was about ask Ling Lan to follow them, Ling Lan spoke up, "I just returned here, and my uniform is a bit tattered. Since you're here to seek some information, then please wait for a moment and let me freshen myself up. Then, I'll will speak with you."
Although Ling Lan's tone seemed respectful, she still made a decision herself. Before the Senior Colonel could refuse, she saluted He Xuyang and said respectfully, "First Staff Officer He, I apologize for leaving abruptly."
"Haha, you're tired from traveling and indeed need some rest. I understand, I understand it very well." He Xuyang didn't give the senior colonel a chance to speak and instantly smiled as he replied.
Ling Lan then turned around gave Lin Zhong-qing an order, "Senior Captain Lin, please lead these officers to the meeting hall to wait for me."
"Yes, regiment commander!" Lin Zhong-qing walked up and gestured towards the officers from the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee to follow him.
The people from the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee could only watch as Ling Lan left with her clan members. In the end, they helplessly followed Lin Zhong-qing to wait in the meeting hall.
They didn't notice that no matter if it was Lin Zhong-qing who was leading them or He Xuyang, who was still smiling behind them, both of their expressions had hint of coldness.
Those from Lingtian, who followed behind Ling Lan, found it odd for the people from the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee to come to their 250 Ace Mecha Clan to look for their Boss. However, they weren't worried for their Boss's safety. They knew very well that if they actually posed a threat to their Boss, General Ling Xiao would make a move and resolve it quickly.
Yang Mingzhi, Liu Furong and Gu Dongyang, who didn't know Ling Lan's relationship with Ling Xiao, were quite concerned and worried. They knew very well what seeing the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee could mean. People who were under the watchful eyes of theirs would either die or lose a part of themselves. If one was to say the three of them were fearful of Ling Lan's ruthless ways back in the day, in the past three months of the land clearing mission, they realized the great capabilities of Ling Lan as a regiment commander. They slowly accepted this young yet capable regiment commander as their own regiment commander.
Could their hopes that had just been brought up, be once again shattered by the politics of the higher-ups?
Yang Mingzhi hesitated for a moment. As they were about to part ways, he finally spoke up, "Regiment commander, talk with them within 250 Ace Mecha Clan. Don't leave with them." In 250 Ace Mecha Clan, if something was to occur, they could still protect their regiment commander. If their Regiment Commander was to leave with them, then no one would be able to help him.
Ling Lan was stunned. Although Yang Mingzhi was very cooperative with her training exercises and completed her commands well, she still knew very well that he never saw her as his regiment commander. He just didn't want to make life difficult for himself, so he complied with everything she had said. Ling Lan didn't want to force the issue, after all, Yang Mingzhi was originally a major and could be the leader of a brigade. No matter if it was in terms of experiences or merits, he had many more compared to Ling Lan. Yang Mingzhi cooperating fully was the best outcome Ling Lan could ask for.
It was just that she didn't think he would speak up for her. Does this mean she has received some of his trust?
These nice surprises kept coming. After Yang Mingzhi spoke up, Liu Furong and Gu Dongyang all agreed with Yang Mingzhi's opinion on the matter. They believed she shouldn't leave 250 Ace Mecha Clan. If the opposition wanted to take Ling Lan by force, they could help in stopping them from doing so.
Ling Lan was grateful. The words of the three of them were, however, not wise at this moment. It should be known that if they had any physical altercation with them, they would easily be considered to have betrayed the military. Then Yang Mingzhi, Gu Dongyang, and Liu Furong would lose all of their merits and achievements, and become criminals in the military records. The place where they would be sent to, would probably be the military prison.
"I know, but please do not worry," Ling Lan said in a serious tone.
However, Yang Mingzhi and the others didn't trust in Ling Lan's promise. General Ling Xiao had shown no intentions of protecting 250 Ace Mecha Clan since the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee had arrived at 250 Ace Mecha Clan with First Staff Officer He. Who else could help Ling Lan if the head of the division wasn't going to do anything?
Seeing Yang Mingzhi and the others were indeed worried about her, Ling Lan was afraid that they would make sudden moves based on their concern. She thought for a moment then spoke, "It will be fine. I have the same surname as General Ling Xiao. He will protect me."
After saying that, Ling Lan disappeared. She was probably going to her room.
Yang Mingzhi, Gu Dongyang and Liu Furong looked at each other. Liu Furong wasn't sure what he had heard was correct and so he asked, "What did Regiment Commander Ling say just now? Did you guys hear it?"
"He said he and General Ling both have the surname Ling, so the General will protect him…" Gu Dongyang repeated.
"But, General Ling Xiao always resolves things justly. Even if it was his own family, he still may not make any moves…" Liu Furong frowned and didn't understand why Ling Lan was so confident that Ling Xiao would do something like that.
Yang Mingzhi on the other hand had a light bulb lit up in his head. He remembered he had heard something many years ago from someone. When Ling Xiao 'sacrificed himself', he had a posthumous child. Back in the day, the Ling family and Ling Xiao's wife, Lan Luofeng, had fierce fight for Ling Xiao's inheritance. In the end, Lan Luofeng had won. This was also the reason why the Ling family had left Planet Doha. Then, he thought about how when Ling Xiao returned, he didn't meet with any family members except for his immediate family members. Now it seemed the event was true…
Could Ling Lan be Ling Xiao's… Yang Mingzhi's heart began to beat furiously. If that was the case, he and Liu Furong might perhaps be able to get justice for their comrades who sacrificed themselves for nothing.
Yang Mingzhi had a realization, but he didn't tell what he had thought of to Liu Furong and Gu Dongyang. General Ling Xiao had kept his son a secret for a long time. There was definitely a reason behind it. He shouldn't say anything in case he screws it all up.
Seeing Liu Furong and Gu Dongyang still confused about the meaning behind Ling Lan's words, Yang Mingzhi coughed and said, "Our regiment commander can definitely resolve this issue. It's the same as when we thought 250 Ace Mecha Clan would never be able to stand up again. Now, we should learn to trust our regiment commander."
Hearing Yang Mingzhi's words, Liu Furong and Gu Dongyang seemed to have realized something. They both nodded and returned to their own dormitories to wait for the final result.
Chapter 731 - First Meeting!
Right after Ling Lan returned to her own room, her already freezing cold expression became even colder. Although she knew her father wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, she still felt uneasy by the fact that things were out of her control. She felt somewhat defeated.
As expected, she couldn't be like her father Ling Xiao, a person able to control everything within a grasp of his hand. She circled around the small living room, seemingly in deep thought for quite a while. She then decided to still find her father to ask what was going on.
"Little Four, help me contact…" Right as Ling Lan was about to ask Little Four to contact Ling Xiao, she suddenly had a thought that maybe Ling Xiao couldn't contact her since he would have contacted her by now.
It was clear that the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee was sent by the military, He Xuyang's off-putting behavior also proved it was not known to the 23rd division. They came to do a private investigation, catching all of them off guard.
In the military, the disputes between the different factions were ongoing. Ling Lan thought about the havoc she had caused in Soldier City. Shouldn't the military be in chaos because of that event? Maybe that could be why all the different factions are sending out their people in the shadows. Maybe the request to investigate her was just a smokescreen, and their actual target was actually Ling Xiao?
Ling Lan had a lot of thoughts swirling in her mind, which made her really anxious. She knew if her father had received any information about the current situation, he would have already made a move. Did her father's enemies discover something off about her father's movements, so they decided to test out the waters with her?
Conveniently, 250 Ace Mecha Clan appeared during this time, from being a useless mecha clan to a top 10 mecha clan in their first land clearing mission. It was indeed easy for people to formulate intricate conspiracy theories about her father situation . It seemed she needed to be more careful and shouldn't let anyone know of her and her father's relationship. Otherwise, even if she eventually took the position of regiment commander through sheer merits and achievements, it would still cause heavy damage to her father's reputation, giving his opposition a chance to attack her father. Perhaps, her father not contacting her directly was also because of this issue.
Ling Lan had a few conclusions after minutes of circling around the living room. Currently, her relationship between her father must continue to be only a normal working relationship between a general and an ace mecha clan's regiment commander. She should only be a normal officer working under her father. This might lessen his worries so he could make moves whenever he wanted to.
Although Ling Lan knew that the top brass of the military definitely knew the truth, but they probably had some sort of agreement, and wouldn't actively announce the relationship between her and Ling Xiao. Their confidants might also know something, but would definitely not dare to let any of that information leak out.
It meant that on her side, she would just need to be careful to not let the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee find out her relationship with her father.
A bone-chilling breeze suddenly blew across the small living room. She predicted the reason why the higher-ups of the military had sent the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee to investigate the 23rd division privately, was to find out about her relationship with her relationship with Ling Xiao and then to publicly announce it? Of course, it didn't eliminate the possibility that they wanted to give her father a bad name. It seemed her father's public image had made the higher-ups envious of him.
Now, they wanted to catch her off guard and have her make mistakes to show them her weak point for them to use it to their advantage… they severely underestimated her.
With that thought in mind, Ling Lan sat on the sofa in the living room with a well-thought-out plan, her lips perked as she sneered. What could they do if she contacted her father?
"Little Four, contact mom and make sure no one discovers you." Alright, let's see what you can do, God of the virtual world, Little Four. Compared to Ling Xiao, Lan Luofeng was a smaller target.
"Understood, Boss." Little Four's expression had hints of excitement. Only at these moments, he wouldn't feel sleepy and would be full of energy. Additionally, he could finally speak to his warm and kind mother.
"Hmph, just as Boss had predicted, these bastards actually dare to monitor mother's communicator. If I was to let you find me, then how could I still stand around Boss? This position of number one underling can only be kept if I am capable."
The petty Little Four traveled pass the surveillance of these people while memorizing their information. After this event blows over, he planned on finding them one by one to make them pay.
Lan Luofeng, who was sitting in the office's sofa while looking at her communicator, suddenly saw a string of small words appear on it. The words made her display a smile on her face. She stood up with grace and walked towards Ling Xiao, who was looking through documents at the other end of the room. Then, she sat down beside him.
Ling Xiao raised his head in surprise as he saw Lan Luofeng sitting beside him. In the past few days, Lan Luofeng didn't give him any good looks. He didn't think that today she would actively move closer to him. Is she forgiving him? Ling Xiao knew he had done many things recently that went beyond what Lan Luofeng could endure. Thus, he didn't dare to have any opinions about Lan Luofeng's treatment towards him.
"Ling Xiao, I have something I need you to do. Do you have time?" She showed her communicator discretely and shook it in front of Ling Xiao. The message on it made Ling Xiao smile.
"If my wife needs me, I'll make time even if I don't have time!" Ling Xiao held Lan Luofeng's hand to gesture to her that he had already sealed off his office. No one would be able to eavesdrop on them. As for hackers… since his daughter told him she would take care of it, then it wasn't a problem he had to worry about.
Lan Luofeng glared at Ling Xiao. If it wasn't for the fact that her daughter was looking for Ling Xiao, she wouldn't give him the time of day. He actually agreed for those bastards to investigate her baby girl. If she didn't make him sleep on the floor for a month, she would no longer call herself Lan Luofeng.
Ling Xiao didn't know his pitiful days hadn't ended yet. He hugged Lan Luofeng lightly, then pushed on the connect button on Lan Luofeng's communicator. A five or six old little kid jumped out and smiled like a little doll, wearing a red outfit and was very festive. Lan Luofeng loved this little kid the moment she laid her eyes on him.
"Hello mom and dad, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ling Little Four. From now on, I will be your son" Little Four's smile was cute, and his expression was sparkling with excitement. This was the first time he talked with mom and dad. He didn't know whether they liked him or not.
Little Four, who was always full of confidence, began to doubt himself. He looked at Lan Luofeng and Ling Xiao with a sad look. Ling Xiao didn't feel anything but Lan Luofeng thought it was very cute. If Little Four wasn't just a virtual entity, Lan Luofeng may have already held him in her arms and kissed him a few times before letting him go.
"So cute!" Lan Luofeng held her face with her hands and shrilled, heart shapes started forming in her eyes. As expected, Lan Luofeng couldn't resist the charm of a cute kid.
"Where's Ling Lan?" Only the handsome and dignified Ling Xiao was reliable and instantly went looking for the main individual in the incident.
"Boss is on the line. It's just I wanted to say hello to mom and dad first." Little Four showed a pure smile. That pure expression of ass-kissing made Ling Xiao's hairs stand up on end. He instantly had a bad feeling about Little Four. Where did his daughter find this little punk? He actually dared to lure in his wife… Ling Xiao felt sour.
It had to be said that, Little Four's cute appearance made Lan Luofeng and Ling Xiao have two different impressions. Ling Xiao felt Little Four was too cute and didn't have anything that was like a man. His impression of Little Four was definitely not very good.
Little Four didn't know Ling Xiao's thoughts at that moment. After being satisfied, he immediately moved aside. On the virtual screen, Ling Lan's cold and calm face appeared.
"My Baby Lan" Before Ling Lan could say anything, Lan Luofeng couldn't control her emotions as she shouted with her reddened eyes. Her daughter, who she originally could have held in her arms, must face trials and tribulations by herself because of her and Ling Xiao's mistake. Now, she could only watch as her daughter suffer while unable to do anything to help.
"Mom, I'm fine." Ling Lan could only comfort Lan Luofeng first. However, when Lan Luofeng wasn't paying attention to her, she glanced towards her father. Her glance was blaming him as to why he hadn't comforted his own wife, making her face a crying mom all the time.
Ling Xiao could only show a pained expression as he smiled bitterly. Could he tell her that he couldn't do anything about Lan Luofeng? Wouldn't that affect his dignity as a father?
Ling Lan was only just criticizing him and Ling Xiao still thought he had dignity? That was funny. Ling Lan already knew her father couldn't do anything about her mother. If he could do something about her mother, would he have been kicked out of his own home and become Ling Lan's personal bodyguard? Did he actually think that as a general, he had nothing better to do?
Some things were better not mentioned because Ling Lan still wanted her father to have some semblance of dignity left in case he needed it.
Ling Xiao was pitiful. He still didn't know that with his daughter, his image was no longer dignified… He thought he had faked it well all this time.
Lan Luofeng knew that it wasn't the time to be emotional. She forced herself to stop crying and smiled, "My Baby Lan, your father's here. If you feel wronged, talk to him." After saying that, she pulled on Ling Xiao to let him speak.
Ling Xiao actually wanted to talk with his daughter for a while, but he still coughed and said in a dignified tone, "Ask me whatever you want."
Ling Xiao knew of his daughter's personality. She definitely wouldn't ask for help. She was definitely asking about things she couldn't figure out herself.
"Have they found out anything?" As expected, Ling Lan went for the main topic right off the bat. She could only think of a way to go against the opposition if she knew what they were here for.
Ling Xiao half-smiled and glanced at Ling Lan. This made Ling Lan frown. Her father's expression meant it was her fault that these issues occured? What mistake did she make? Ling Lan couldn't help but think where she had made an error.
"In the 6 months' time, you haven't been able to subdue everyone in 250 Ace Mecha Clan. That's a fail," said Ling Xiao.
Ling Lan had a realization, "Did someone from my clan complain to the military?" That was the only possibility for the military to send people here and catching her father off guard.
"Do you get it now?" Asked Ling Xiao.
"The people who I took with me for the land clearing mission are probably fine. Those who could have issues are only those left in the headquarters." Ling Lan quickly determined the list of suspects. This would explain why the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee of the military would come to 250 Ace Mecha Clan to investigate. The person who reported it to the military was definitely within 250 Ace Mecha Clan. If someone from the land clearing mission reported it, then they probably would have been kept at Soldier City to be investigated and not be able to return to their base camp.
Chapter 732 - Interrogation!
"To be honest, you're pretty lucky. If you didn't cause the dispute between the 3rd Division and 13th Division, making all of the factions in the military fight over positions which caused them to not have any expendable resources to investigate you, you might have been told to stay in Soldier City for the investigation. If you were really held back in Soldier City, it would have been much more difficult for you to get out of this situation." Ling Xiao rejoiced at the fact that Ling Lan had created a scene. It was originally supposed to test the waters of the military, but he didn't think it would help them reap so many benefits and also accidentally helped her out of a crisis-like situation. Now that she had returned to the 23rd division, it was more difficult for the opposition to lay a hand on his daughter.
The coldness in Ling Xiao's expression seeped through his joyful facial expression. If those people dared to betray his daughter, then that meant they were ready to give up everything.
"Do you know what they had reported you on?" Ling Xiao realized Ling Lan hadn't asked him about this.
"The military is usually careful but they still sent the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee, so it's probably my training methods." Ling Lan didn't need to think and knew that only this would cause people to denounce her.
"Do you know what the name of the crime is?" Ling Xiao smiled. If his daughter could take only such a short time to realize the problem, it meant that she was a sensitive and intelligent person. Even if she was to face other traps and plots against her in the future, she would be able to handle them.
In actuality, the reason why Ling Xiao hadn't contacted Ling Lan wasn't because he was afraid that their relationship would be exposed. What could happen even if they were exposed? Who was Ling Xiao ever afraid of? He wanted everyone to know that he has a capable and special child.
In short, Ling Xiao used this situation to test Ling Lan's problem solving skills. After all, if Ling Lan continued to live within the military, as she climbs the ranking ladder, these plots from different powers would be countless. She must get used to them for her to live in the military. Ling Xiao was very satisfied with Ling Lan's performance this time.
"Probably being violent and violating human rights or something like that," Ling Lan said nonchalantly. Ever since she decided to use this method to forge these mecha operators into sharp blades, she was already prepared that she would be met with a problem like this.
"Do you have any plans to resolve it?" Ling Xiao raised his eyebrow as he asked. Knowing the problem but without the capabilities of providing a solution was also a fail grade.
"It's simple, just don't admit to it," Ling Lan smiled coldly. At that moment, other than the witness statements of those mecha operators who betrayed her, the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee would be hard-pressed to find any other hard evidence against her. How could she leave any evidence if she had already thought that an outcome like this might happen? The video footage were all destroyed by Little Four. Without capabilities similar to Little Four, they were impossible to recover.
"Don't let the number of mecha operators' witness statements get past 10% of the clan's population. Otherwise, even if they don't have evidence, the opposition can still make a case." Ling Xiao reminded.
"Don't worry, I have a way around it." Ling Lan smirked. The game had begun. She was already going to send away those conniving and sly individuals from 250 Ace Mecha Clan after she completed the land clearing mission. She didn't think that they would actively give her an opportunity to let her cast them away in public…
Ling Lan didn't know whether she should mock them for thinking they were smart or pity them for causing their own demise. She only hoped that they won't regret what they had done.
After talking for a short while afterwards, Ling Lan said goodbye to her mom and dad. At that moment, Ling Xiao suddenly asked, "Who was that little punk at the beginning?" During the three months that he was alongside Ling Lan, he never saw a little kid with her. Ling Xiao remembered that intelligent A.I., Meng Lan. Did that Ling Little Four come from the same place as Meng Lan?
Ling Lan was originally planning on telling the truth, she suddenly had a playful thought. She straightened her face and said in a serious tone, "Dad, after so many years, shouldn't you give this little brother an official identity?"
"Ling Xiao?!" Lan Luofeng, who was full of smiles while watching the two of them talk to each other, had her eyes went bright red instantly and began to scream after hearing Ling Lan's words.
"Nonsense!" Ling Xiao had a pained expression. He angrily glared at Ling Lan and quickly comforted his wife to not listen to Ling Lan's nonsense.
"Mom, I love you. And Dad, be safe!" Ling Lan's expression showed a hint of playfulness. Lan Luofeng, who originally thought Ling Xiao had done something to betray her, instantly understood that it was Ling Lan's prank. She felt angry and happy at the same time. It seemed that Ling Lan had felt something wrong was going on between Lan Luofeng and Ling Xiao. Thus, Ling Lan gave her a chance to let out her anger.
"She really is my little sweetheart!" Lan Luofeng thought as her eyes began to redden, but it returned to its original large fiery eyes in an instant. She shouldn't waste her daughter's goodwill.
As for Ling Xiao, he was suffering and happy at the same time. He both loved and hated his daughter's prank, and didn't know whether he should cry or laugh.
After hanging up the call, Ling Lan's smile disappeared and returned to her cold expression. She quickly washed-up and changed into a clean major uniform. At the same time, she ordered Li Lanfeng and Li Shiyu to accompany her to the meeting hall to fight a weaponless battle.
Faced with these kinds of plots, traps and maybe even lying with a straight face, the conniving and sly Li Lanfeng was more suitable than the virtuous Han Jijyun.
As for Li Shiyu… back then, the reason why her father sent her to 250 Ace Mecha Clan now became her weapon for counter-attacking. Ling Lan even thought that maybe from the very beginning, her father had already prepared everything for her. He was just trying to see whether she will use it or not.
Ling Lan smirked. If this was her father's test, then she would let her father know she wasn't some useless heir.
Not long after, Ling Lan led Li Lanfeng and Li Shiyu, who had prepared thoroughly, to the meeting hall. As they were walking there, Ling Lan told them about her predictions and why they had come to 250 Ace Mecha Clan. The two of them also made their preparations and walked into the meeting hall full of energy.
The Disciplinary and Investigation Committee had expressions of dissatisfaction when they saw Ling Lan bringing two majors with her. Ling Lan didn't pay them any heed and immediately sat down at the main seat. Li Lanfeng and Li Shiyu also sat down beside Ling Lan, without any regard for the others. They would, of course, not give the opposition any good looks since they didn't come here to be peaceful.
After Ling Lan showing that she was the master of the place, she gestured the opposition to sit down and speak. Only the senior colonel, who was sly and conniving, wasn't affected and kept smiling, the others were more or less angered by Ling Lan's attitude. Especially the young major, with his expression becoming more twisted.
Li Lanfeng scanned around the room, and knew the senior colonel would be the most difficult person to deal with. He took a deep breath and focused. He must fight a brilliant battle for himself and Ling Lan.
On the side, Li Shiyu had his eyes somewhat closed. Before his regiment commander throws him into the fray, he would only be a bystander and wouldn't participate in the battle from the beginning.
"You seem quite busy, Regiment Commander Ling. You made us wait for a very long time." Before Ling Lan could say anything, the young major jumped out and spoke loudly.
"Of course, our regiment commander is a commander of a clan. He is much busier than major like us who don't have actually power." Li Lanfeng said while smiling. Although it seemed he was mocking himself, he was actually mocking the young major. The young major could not find a proper rebuttal, so the stress started building up in him which almost made him faint.
"Actually useless!" The senior colonel, who led the team, cursed internally at the fact that his subordinate was useless. His expression however didn't change as nodded and smiled, "Indeed. Major Ling has made many achievements at such a young age, resulting in being a regiment commander at such a young age. Perhaps you are a genius that General Ling has set his sights on. Your future is limitless, Major Ling."
Ling Lan had her eyes half open and didn't respond, making the senior colonel feel awkward for talking to himself. He couldn't help but insult Ling Lan in his head for being a sly bastard.
His words were actually a trap. No matter how Ling Lan responded, they would be able to continue to question her. Now that her lips were tightly sealed and wouldn't say anything, the senior colonel couldn't continue to ask questions. Even if it was the confident senior colonel, he still couldn't help but feel demotivated from the defeat he took at the very beginning of the interrogation.
The entire meeting hall was silent. Ling Lan's group of three came to this meeting with the thought of speaking only when necessary. They won't actively speak to the opposition to let the opposition find a chance to question them. Thus, they calmly held the teacup Lin Zhong-qing had brought and drank from it slowly. This extremely calm demeanor made the people from the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee irritated.
The only way to get through Ling Lan's defenses was to make her panic, increasing the chances of her making a mistake, waiting wasn't an option. Those from the committee knew that they weren't given much time. If they couldn't find hard evidence in the required time, they could only return without achieving anything. Just as Ling Lan had thought, they only had a small amount of people speak and make witness statements. They didn't have actual evidence and the amount of witness statements were not enough to make a case…
After thinking about this point, the senior colonel sighed internally. There were clearly so many people who had stayed back at the base camp, but in the end, only less than 10 individuals were willing to expose their regiment commander's abusive training methods. The others, no matter how much they questioned, threatened or tricked them, they still couldn't make the others say anything. This made the senior colonel admire this young regiment commander's methods of being able to make his subordinate not dare to speak a word in a short time.
However, the more the situation continued on, the more he wanted to rip off Ling Lan's facade. He definitely couldn't let this violent individual rise up the ranks. If that happened, there would be more soldiers going through inhumane training methods. The senior colonel's eyes flickered, and a strong will showed within them. Wasn't this the reason why the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee existed?
The senior colonel threw a glare at this confidant. A lieutenant colonel, who was a subordinate of the senior colonel, spoke out in a formal and cold manner, "Regiment Commander Ling, we've looked through your files. You are a new recruit who just entered the division this year. You're still short a few days for an entire year. Please explain how did you manage to jump the ranks from being a new recruit to a regiment commander?"
After hearing him, Ling Lan raised her eyes and smirked, "I thought the documents have it clearly written down. Did you not read it?"
Hearing this, the lieutenant colonel instantly shouted, "Ling Lan, please correct your attitude. When I'm asking you, you must answer."
Ling Lan frowned and spoke with a hint of confusion, "Mr. Senior Colonel, are you here to question about things? Or are you here to interrogate me?"
They want to scare her? However, Ling Lan was quite daring. Otherwise, she wouldn't cause so many troublesome situations to occur, causing her father to have headaches when he cleans up after her. Ling Lan knew it all very well. She was indeed not a naughty child.
Chapter 733 - Loggerheads!
The senior colonel was frustrated. With the current amount of evidence, he couldn't register this case to court. Hence, he could only ask her for questioning and not interrogate her. These two terms meant similar things but there was a huge difference between them.
Initially, he thought he could scare the evidence out of Ling Lan since she was young and inexperienced. Yet, she was surprisingly well-seasoned. A single sentence from her placed them on the passive side.
Since Ling Lan asked, the senior colonel had to reply. "This is just a questioning. My men are just too passionate about their job. If they did anything wrong, please forgive them."
Ling Lan gave a cold smile. "Since they are part of the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee, they should know what they should do and what shouldn't. If they do not, they shouldn't be able to sit in this position." Ling Lan looked at the fierce-looking lieutenant colonel. She said indifferently, "Lieutenant colonel, what do you think?"
The lieutenant colonel's face twitched. He suppressed his anger and didn't reply to her. He must not be angered by Ling Lan. If he did, Ling Lan might be able to derail the conversation for it to not be about her, in that situation, the loss would outweigh the gain.
The senior colonel felt he needed to speak up now. He pulled the conversation back to the main topic. "Regiment Commander Ling, we have seen your data. However, there are some doubts we would like you to clear up."
Ling Lan glanced at the senior colonel calmly. The senior colonel didn't wait for Ling Lan's reply and immediately asked her, "Regiment Commander Ling, after you entered the 23rd division, you didn't undergo the three months long recruit training camp. May I ask why?" Injured? This was not a good reason to escape from the recruit training camp. There must be something going on.
Li Lanfeng heard this questioned and scoffed. The people from the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee looked at him angrily. The senior colonel controlled his temper and turned to look at him. He said with a tinge of unhappiness in his voice, "Major, is there anything wrong with my question?"
Li Lanfeng coughed. He smiled and replied, "The reports clearly stated the reason why our regiment commander didn't undergo the recruit training camp. Our Regiment Commander Ling was injured at that time. As for how he got injured, it's written there too. The 23rd division headquarters gave him a special dispensation so he didn't need to undergo the recruit training camp. I don't understand why you feel the need to ask this question when the answers are written so clearly. If you suspect there is something wrong with the documents, you should ask the headquarters."
"I just want to hear the reason from Regiment Commander Ling directly." The senior colonel was furious after listening to what Li Lanfeng said. F**k, I've never seen such an uncooperative soldier.
"Of course, you can. However, our regiment commander can refuse to answer such meaningless questions." Li Lanfeng smiled gently. He was not afraid of the senior colonel's intense gaze.
"The Disciplinary and Investigation Committee will report your actions to the higher authorities. If you continue to not cooperate with us, don't blame us for being merciless." The lieutenant colonel could no longer control his anger.
"Please do it." Li Lanfeng waved his hands indifferently. His calm expression made the people from the Disciplinary and Investigation Committee feel even more indignant. They didn't expect to meet such huge resistance the moment they started their investigation.
"Regiment Commander Ling, please remember that you are a soldier. You should cooperate with us and help us with our investigation." The senior colonel slammed the table and glared at Ling Lan furiously. His gentle expression and friendly demeanor had disappeared.
"Senior colonel, our regiment commander would not be sitting here wasting his time, listening to your accusations if he didn't want to cooperate with you." Li Lanfeng slammed the table too and glared at the senior colonel coldly.
F**k, you are in our territory. If they allowed themselves to be bullied in their own territory, they should just dissolve their mecha clan.
Ling Lan sat in the middle of the confrontation like an ice statue. She ignored the argument that was happening and sipped her tea nonchalantly. Leopard is performing well, I must give him a thumbs up later. As expected, it's relaxing to have someone at the front-end fighting for her. I need to nurture him more in the future.
Ling Lan found Li Lanfeng's usefulness and decided to use it shamelessly.
The senior colonel glared at Li Lanfeng for a long time. In the end, he backed down first. He looked at the calm Ling Lan and reprimanded her, "Regiment Commander Ling, is this how you treat your guest?"
Ling Lan looked down and blew her tea elegantly. She took a sip and replied indifferently, "Senior colonel, if you want to ask, ask something that isn't written in the reports. Let's not waste each other's time." She raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at the senior colonel.
"Our mecha clan needs to be on the battlefield soon. Every minute we are wasting could be put to better use. One minute of training could increase our chance of survival in the battlefield. Let's not waste time, indirectly killing people."
You are a murderer! The senior colonel screamed in his heart. Those people said he had killed two mecha operators heartlessly. However, no information could be found even after they searched through the entire database of the 23rd division. It was as though the two mecha operators never existed.
The senior colonel didn't know he had found the truth. The greed for merit blinded him, causing him to oversee this possibility.
The senior colonel took much effort before he managed to control his anger. He no longer waited for them to make a mistake. He could tell the three majors were very experienced people. It would be difficult dealing with them. Just like what Ling Lan said, he should stop wasting each other's time and go directly to the point. Even if he didn't get any information, it was better than getting angered by them like this.
"According to what we know, you brutally killed two people when you first became the Regiment Commander of 250 Ace Mecha Clan. This was the reason why your men reported to us that you didn't have the capabilities to be their leader."
Ling Lan raised her eyebrows. "Who said that?"
"We have enough evidence to prove that you were vicious towards your men when you were just appointed as a regiment commander. You killed two people, Regiment Commander Ling, if you confess now, you may still have a chance to get a lighter sentence." The senior colonel stared at Ling Lan. He directly threw this question at her so that she would get agitated. That way, she might show them some loopholes.
Confession will place you in jail while resistance allows you to go back home for the new year. This was a saying used in her past life, and it speaks the truth.
Ling Lan wanted to go back home for the new year. There was no change in her expression as she firmly replied with a calm face, "I didn't."
"Didn't? You are lying!" The young major who had been controlling his anger and watching the questioning from the side sprung up furiously and shouted at Ling Lan.
"I'm lying? Where is your evidence then? Who are the people that died? What are their names? Where are they from? When did they enter the military?" Ling Lan threw a flurry of questions to the other party.
The other party was speechless. They didn't have any relevant evidence but this caused them to suspect even more that someone was protecting Regiment Commander Ling behind the scene by destroying all the evidence against him.
"Since you can't show any evidence, should I suspect that you are trying to frame me?" Ling Lan glanced at the officers intently. The officers lowered their heads, not daring to look at Ling Lan directly.
"What is done by night appears by day! Regiment Commander Ling, the people that accused you are from your own mecha clan, not us." The senior colonel gave a cold smile. He refuted Ling Lan's words.
Ling Lan had nothing to respond to this query. Someone from her mecha clan complained against her. Whether the complaint was true or fake, she couldn't refute it.
The Senior Colonel was delighted. He finally managed to gain the upper hand in this confrontation. He waited to see how the other party would respond.
Li Lanfeng smiled. He finally entered the trap. He waited so long for this moment.
Li Lanfeng gave a gentle smile and answered calmly, "Senior Colonel, those people that accuse our regiment commander, are they the people who stayed back at the base?"
The senior colonel narrowed his eyes. He looked at the smiling Li Lanfeng and pondered over his intention for asking this question. He couldn't find what the other party wanted to do, so he decided to be safe and remain silent.
The senior colonel smiled and looked at Li Lanfeng, without replying to him.
Li Lanfeng didn't seem awkward after he got ignored. He nonchalantly continued on, "You all should know that there are different levels of mecha operators in a mecha clan. Some are good, some are bad. This time, our regiment commander brought all the capable soldiers on this mission. Those that are left…" Li Lanfeng appeared to be sad and disappointed. He clicked his tongue to show his unhappiness. "Actually, our regiment commander had made a decision, that if these mecha operators couldn't pass the test after he comes back from this mission, they would be moved to normal mecha clans or be sent out of the military."
The senior colonel got a shock when he heard that. He said without thinking, "You can do that?" When he came, his superiors had told him what kind of mecha operators were in 250 Ace Mecha Clan…
Li Lanfeng appeared stunned by the senior colonel's expression. "Why can't we do that? An excellent ace mecha clan should only keep the best mecha operators. Those that didn't meet the requirements would be cut."
He was trying to confuse truth by mixing it with falsehood. They were being incredibly disrespectful towards these mecha operators who achieved many merits before. The senior colonel was furious but he controlled his emotions. He signaled his assistant to hand him the folders with information about the mecha operators of 250 Ace Mecha Clan.
He took the documents and slammed it in front of Li Lanfeng. He said coldly, "I've read through the background of all the mecha operators in 250 Ace Mecha Clan. They are excellent mecha operators from other divisions. How can they be not capable? Are you trying to send them away just because they don't listen to you?"
Li Lanfeng didn't flinch (Well, he was wearing a mask so even if he did, they wouldn't be able to see it.). He took a folder out and pushed it towards the senior colonel. He said with a smile, "Being outstanding in the past doesn't mean they will remain outstanding. Why don't you take a look at the documents inside this folder first?"
The senior colonel took out the documents from the folder curiously. It contained the past results of these mecha operators. He was shocked. The results were terrible. The senior colonel knew these mecha operators were forsaken by their past division, so it was normal to have such results.
The documents felt like a hot potato in his hands. These documents alone were enough to refute his statement that these mecha operators were excellent. However, if he showed his hand now, would he get used by them? The senior colonel's mind worked furiously.
The senior colonel saw the three majors staring at him, waiting for his reply. He then thought of something. "Everyone has their lows, we should be more patient towards them." Even if they wanted him to show his hand, he wouldn't do it.
"Senior colonel, you are right. The military has its rules but we are not heartless. However, these mecha operators had been like this for a few years. We need to be responsible to the other soldiers. We can't let them continue like this. It is unfair to the other soldiers who are fighting hard at the frontline, who are working for their benefits while these operators just stay at the base doing nothing, but mope around and obtaining the same benefits as those who are working at the frontlines." Li Lanfeng tapped on the document in the senior colonel's hand, signaling him to look carefully.
The senior colonel's expression changed. He knew what these mecha operators were like. Is the other party forcing him to state his intention? Then, he remembered what the commander had said when he came to the 23rd division. He sneered. "They have many achievements during their time in the military. Even if they can't regain their powers, we should still not give up on them. Are you trying to deny their merits? Do you want the soldiers in the military to be disappointed in us?"
"Senior colonel, is there a misunderstanding?" Li Lanfeng was elated when he heard the senior colonel finally stating his true intention. He pretended to be surprised and explained himself, "I'm just saying that we need to be responsible for them since they can't go back to their old days and control a mecha, we should send them to where they truly belong. Letting them stay in 250 Ace Mecha Clan is just harming them."
"Isn't this…" The senior colonel stopped talking abruptly. He was shocked to realize that he had walked into the other party's trap. 250 Ace Mecha Clan was a forsaken ace mecha clan. However, it was not an official status. If the 23rd division wanted to reorganize 250 Ace Mecha Clan and Ling Lan carried out this mission on an order, then there would be no problem at all.
As the regiment commander of an ace mecha clan, he had the right to send those underperforming soldiers out from his clan. The senior colonel turned pale. He let down his guard and got fooled by the other party.