Chapter 1232 Reversal!
The other two Destruction Devils could only suffer the brunt of their beams while they were being harassed with beams by the Twilight imperial mechas. Yet, this unusual Destruction Devil managed to fight back despite its known faults. It prompted the leader of the Twilight imperial mecha operators to order his team members to attack the two normal Destruction Devils mercilessly and destroy them as quickly as possible. As for the unique Destruction Devil, he decided to let it be for now, and after they finished off the other two Destruction Devils, they would return and steal the unique Destruction Devil for themselves. He believed that this Destruction Devil would bring great surprises to Twilight in the future.
Sometimes, a single mistake could change the entire outcome of the battle.
The 40 ace mechas from the Federation split into two equal groups. One group flew towards the imperial operators while the other group split into two teams again and chased after the imperial operators that were attacking the two normal Destruction Devils.
The imperial operators from Twilight just sent five imperial operators to stop the group of 20 ace operators. The leader of the Twilight mecha operators felt that this would be an easy win for them. However, the result astounded him.
In response to the approaching five imperial operators, the 20 ace operators formed five small teams. Each team targeted one imperial operator. In a blink of an eye, the five imperial operators from Twilight were dead.
"That's impossible." The leader of the Twilight mecha operators exclaimed in disbelief. His imperial operators didn't even have time to react before they were killed.
The imperial operators from Twilight turned anxious. Before they could regain their senses, the 20 ace mecha masters from the Federation had arrived in front of them. They started attacking the imperial operators.
Boom! Three Twilight imperial operators who were surrounding an imperial operator from the Federation got blocked by two ace mecha
masters.
"You're finally here." Yang Mingzhi heaved a sigh of relief. The reinforcements were finally here.
"We were always here. The commander just wanted to see your performance," Gu Dongyang replied calmly.
"Yes. We wanted to help you long ago but the commander forced us to wait." A familiar voice came from the other modified mecha. It was the leader of Team 15 and the ex deputy leader of Team 03, Sun Yaofei.
"It seems like he is disappointed," Yang Mingzhi smiled bitterly.
"You'll have to ask him personally for the answer for that. Let's kill these small fries first. If not, the commander might get angry." Gu Dongyang reminded Yang Mingzi that this wasn't a good time for a chat.
Yang Mingzhi and Sun Yaofei shuddered in fear. They stopped talking and focused on controlling their mechas. They tried their best to get rid of their enemies as soon as possible.
If Boss actually got angry and decided to give them the ultimate level month hell training to soothe his anger, they would not be even able to leave their corpse intact.
Even veterans soldiers like Yang Mingzhi and Sun Yaofei felt fearful when they thought of Ling Lan's stern expression. They didn't want to be the next Xie Yi or Qi Long.
Gu Dongyang, Sun Yaofei, and Yang Mingzhi spoke in the team channel so all the other mecha operators from Lingtian heard their conversation. They were all reminded of the consequence of performing badly, so they got really motivated and started attacking their opponents furiously.
Just like the three veteran soldiers, none of the mecha operators wanted to be the next unlucky soul.
You could say that Ling Lan was like a pressure cooker. The moment she stood behind her team members with a death glare, the mecha operators would be able to unleash all their potential.
The mecha operators from the Federation became more aggressive and quickly controlled the situation. The two Destruction Devils that were running away turned back and started firing at the Twilight mechas too. The tides were turned.
"Damn it." The leader of the Twilight mecha operators watched in dismay as the entire situation changed due to the arrival of the 40 ace mechas.
By now, he knew that the 40 ace mechas were modified mechas. However, the degree of modification those mechas got were in much higher quality than the modification mechas from Twilight received. In Twilight, modification only allowed their mechas to just be slightly more powerful ace mechas. However, the modified mechas from the Federation were imperial mechas with the appearance of an ace mecha.
If these monsters participated in a normal war between the boundary of two nations, they would definitely dominate the battlefield. When did the technology of the Federation become so advanced?
The leader of the Twilight mecha operators felt that he must send this information back to his nation. If his country didn't know about the frightening Destruction Devil and the modified ace mechas, they would be caught off their guards and suffer heavy losses.
The leader of the Twilight mecha operators was a decisive person. Since they didn't have any chances of winning, he ordered his men to retreat. He was the first to turn his mecha around. Even if he was misunderstood by his men, he must send the message back to his nation immediately.
The leader of the Twilight mecha operators left so suddenly that the Federation mecha operators who were fighting with him couldn't react in time. They just looked at his silhouette as he left the battlefield.
At this moment, the leader of the Twilight mecha operators felt a pinging sense of danger approaching him at high speeds. He activated his beam shield without thinking.
Bang! A beam ray hit his mecha. Fortunately, he activated his beam shield in time so he managed to block the beam. However, the powerful force behind the beam still injured him slightly. He could taste blood in his mouth.
An ace mecha suddenly appeared in front of him. The leader of the Twilight knew that his opponent must have installed the chameleon system. If it wasn't for his instinct, his mecha might have been badly damaged.
"Our commander ordered that no one must escape. If you run away, we'll be in trouble." Someone spoke in a light tone on the public channel.
"Xie Yi, why are you talking so much?" an unhappy voice said after him.
"Erm, okay." Xie Yi's smile disappeared. Sob, he wanted to perform well in front of Luo Lang but he always showed him his stupid side instead. Xie Yi felt frustrated. This wasn't the image he wanted to display in front of Luo Lang.
As the two of them spoke, another ace mecha appeared on the other end. The two ace mechas surrounded the leader of the Twilight mecha operators.
The leader of the Twilight mecha operators didn't dare to underestimate any ace mechas now. The beam shot just now proved that these two ace mechas in front of him were modified mechas too. In his mind, they were as powerful as imperial mechas.
Chapter 1233 Clean Up The Battlefield!
"Let's attack him together." Luo Lang grabbed his huge sword tightly and shouted at Xie Yi.
Both him and Xie Yi were pseudo imperial operators, not fully fledged imperial operators. Their modified mechas had a lower operations requirement to allow them to release 80% of the mecha's ability. If they were operating real imperial mechas, they wouldn't be able to unleash half of the mecha's potential. Thus, they were still unable to fight with imperial operators alone.
They were lucky that Chang Xinyuan and Boss managed to make these modified mechas. It shortened the distance between them and actual imperial operators, allowing them the opportunity to fight with imperial operators to gain experience of how an actual imperial operator should fight.
Just as Luo Lang shouted at him, Xie Yi grabbed his sword too and attacked without any hesitation.
The two young pseudo imperial operators managed to be equal in match with an imperial operator from Twilight. However, as they were still pseudo imperial operators, the leader of the Twilight mecha operators would have a higher chance of winning the fight the longer the fight dragged on.
However, time wasn't on the team leader's side. He knew that once the other modified ace mechas killed their opponents, they would come and help their comrades. If that happened, he would have no chance of escaping
The people from the Twilight Empire were ruthless. They were ruthless to their opponents as well as themselves. They advocated the samurai spirit. They were willing to pay any price to complete their mission. The same goes for the leader of the Twilight mecha operators. He decided to fight with his life.
Each stab, each swing of his sword was fatal. Xie Yi and Luo Lang started to waver under the constant pressure the leader exerted. They weren't prepared to risk their lives like their opponent. After all, they weren't the ones with nothing to lose.
Thus, the tides of the fight changed. They were now being suppressed by the leader of the Twilight mecha operators, instead of the other way around.
The leader raised his sword up high to execute a devastating chop. Xie Yi and Luo Lang had no choice but to cross their arms above their heads and hope it would be enough to withstand the chop. However, the devastating chop never came. When they opened their eyes to see where the leader was, they saw him retreating swiftly.
They got fooled! Xie Yi and Luo Lang were still too inexperienced. Experienced soldiers would have made plans to prevent their enemies from escaping while defending themselves.
Xie Yi and Luo Lang reacted quickly and chased after the leader of the Twilight mecha operators. However, the leader got further and further away. Just as he was about to leave the Qingri wormhole, a sword slashed at him.
The sword appeared without any warning. The attention of the leader of the Twilight mecha operators was on the two mechas behind him so he was caught off guard. Before he could react, his cockpit was stabbed.
A mecha slowly appeared beside him.
The leader of the Twilight mecha operators didn't understand why there was another ace mecha hiding here. Did his opponents know that he was going to escape in this direction? That was impossible. He didn't plan his escape route. It was all instinctive.
It must be a coincidence. Somehow, he chose the path with an ambushing mecha.
"I'm so unlucky." The leader of the Twilight mecha operators felt regretful as he died.
"Boss." Luo Lang and Xie Yi shuddered when they saw the mecha.
"Clean up the battlefield," Ling Lan replied calmly.
"Yes, Boss." The two of them quickly turned around and rushed back to the battlefield as if there was a monster chasing them.
"Will I eat them? Why did they run away so quickly?" Ling Lan felt frustrated. She knew she had a poker face but that didn't mean that she was angry. She just didn't want to destroy her image.
The mecha operators from Lingtian fought even more aggressively once they knew that their commander was on the battlefield. They wanted to show their commander how hardworking they were so that their commander wouldn't punish them.
The effects were amazing. Within a few minutes, all the mecha operators had finished their opponents. They started cleaning the battlefield.
There were some mecha operators who were injured but none of them died. The cockpits of the modified ace mechas had a better structural integrity so the survival rate of the mecha operators increased drastically. Out of the ten mechas that were destroyed, only two mecha operators were in dire condition. They used Li Shiyu's life-saving agent to save their last breath before sending them back to Base Nebula.
Lingtian was able to end this battle without losing anyone. This was the result of their hard work. Whether it was the modified ace mechas or the life-saving agent, they were all created by Lingtian. No one had propped them up to this point, it was all due to their hard work.We mustn't forget the veteran soldiers who had once given up on themselves. Among the 80 imperial operators and pseudo imperial operators, besides Ling Lan's childhood friends, most of them were the veteran soldiers from 250 Ace Mecha Clan. The moment they stood up again, they were destined to be different.
Without these veteran soldiers, Lingtian wouldn't be as powerful as they were now.
After cleaning up the battlefield, a huge transport fleet slowly floated over.
The three major generals inside the transport ships were stunned when they saw the ruins of mechas floating in the vast space.
They were experienced soldiers so they knew that these ruins belonged to imperial mechas from Twilight. They could tell that there were many of them too. If their transport ships met these imperial operators, it would be a crisis for them. They would be lucky if half of them managed to escape.
Fortunately, the Lingtian Independent Army saved them from such disaster. They didn't know how many casualties Lingtian had but they could tell that they won the battle. If not, they wouldn't be able to pass this wormhole so smoothly.
"Our head is right. The Lingtian Independent Army has the right to go on this mission." Major General Xu finally accepted the Lingtian Independent Army.
"Only the ruins of Twilight mechas could be seen." Major General Qiu was astounded. There should have been casualties on the Federation's side too but all he saw were damaged Twilight mechas. This was out of his expectation.
Chapter 1234 Base Satellite Feiyu
"Maybe Lingtian had already finished cleaning up the scraps of their mechas." Major General Di expressed his opinion after seeing the logisticians of Lingtian dragging every salvageable Twilight mecha back to their starship systematically.
"That's true. No wonder they asked us to wait for a long time. If the battle ended quickly, they would have the time to clean up the battlefield." Major General Xu agreed.
The three of them didn't dare to look down on the Lingtian Independent Army anymore. Maybe the military sent them over not because they wanted to give them an easy way to gain merits, but because they trusted them. The military was confident in Lingtian's abilities to escort the transport fleet safely to their destination.
Even after finishing off the final mecha operator from Twilight, Ling Lan still didn't meet up with the transport fleet. Yang Mingzhi and the escort team were in charge of cleaning up the battlefield so she didn't have to do it. Thus, when the transport fleet arrived, Ling Lan was already moving to her next destination with Base Nebula.
This time, the destination was Base Satellite Feiyu, the frontline logistics headquarters of the Federation.
The transport fleet had a smooth journey after passing through the Qingri wormhole.
Satellite Feiyu was a man-made satellite. It was as big as the moon. The Federation created this satellite to guard against Twilight.
Unlike the rare moving bases, Satellite Feiyu wasn't able to move freely like Base Nebula. Its movements were restricted. It could only spin around a certain path.
It didn't have strong defensive or offensive capabilities but as a frontline base, this much was enough.
Ling Lan didn't choose to enter the base. She stopped a few thousand kilometers away. She asked Little Four to hide Base Nebula from anyone's sight. As long as Base Nebula didn't move or produce any heat, no one would be able to find them.
Yang Mingzhi followed the transport fleet into Base Feiyu after receiving Ling Lan's order.
From the moment Ling Lan moved Base Nebula out of the Nebula boundary, Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong never contacted her. They only communicated with her when she contacted them.
Ling Lan did this because she didn't want them to be implicated by her decision. Ever since she received the order from the military headquarters, a sense of crisis lingered in her heart. It was still there, even now.
After reaching a certain stage in physical skills, the human body would naturally be able to detect danger. This was the reason why Ling Xiao prepared his legacy before he left for his mission that year. This time, Ling Lan was prepared to face the worst case scenario.
After Qi Yaoyang received the news that the Lingtian Independent Army had escorted the transport fleet safely to Base Feiyu, he heaved a sigh of relief. He trusted Ling Lan but as a father, he was worried about his son.
When his staff officer told him that an imperial mecha team had ambushed the transport fleet, Qi Yaoyang's heart pounded furiously in fear. He knew that the transport fleet was fine now so he didn't jump out of his chair. An imperial mecha team wasn't a threat to official divisions but it could easily annihilate a newly formed independent army as well as a weak transport fleet.
"Are you saying that the Lingtian Independent Army only suffered a few casualties after destroying an imperial mecha team?" Qi Yaoyang was flabbergasted. If his mecha clan met such an imperial mecha team, it would still suffer heavy losses before defeating them.
Base Nebula was hidden from public sight so the condition of the two heavily injured mecha operators were not released. Hence, Qi Yaoyang only knew about the injured people resting on the three Destruction Devils. He wondered if Lingtian concealed the poor details of their fight because they wanted to gain more merits.
However, he knew that it was impossible. Other armies might need military exploits but the Lingtian Independent Army didn't.
"Let's go to Base Feiyu." Qi Yaoyang believed in Ling Lan but he still wanted to make sure that Lingtian was safe.
The moment Qi Yaoyang reached Base Feiyu, he went directly to find the Lingtian Independent Army. He saw the brigade leaders waiting at the entrance of their starships.
They saluted when they saw Qi Yaoyang.
Qi Yaoyang glanced at the energetic little brat who was smiling stupidly. He said, "Let's go to your control room. Tell me about what happened in the Qingri wormhole."Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong exchanged glances with each other and smiled at each other knowingly. They led Qi Yaoyang to the control room. When they entered the control room, they saw a beautiful lieutenant colonel talking to the mainframe of the ship in a gentle tone.
The lieutenant colonel heard the commotion, she turned around. Her eyes lit up when she saw Qi Yaoyang. "General." She stood up and saluted.
"Luo Chao, long time no see. Look at how much you've grown." Qi Yaoyang's expression softened when he saw Luo Chao. After the twins from the Luo family followed Ling Lan, his relationship with the Luo family had gotten better. Every holiday, the children from the Luo family and the Han family would come and visit him. Qi Yaoyang had a strong impression of the twins. After all, it was hard to see such identical twins with different gender.
"Come, come. Have a seat." Qi Yaoyang asked everyone to sit down.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong weren't in the same caliber as Qi Yaoyang but the difference between them wasn't huge. Thus, they didn't appear flustered and found a seat casually. On the other hand, the younger soldiers were nervous when they saw the undefeatable god of war, Qi Yaoyang, in person. Fortunately, the vicious training from Ling Lan allowed them to regain their composure quickly.
"Where is your commander?" Qi Yaoyang asked in surprise when he didn't see Ling Lan.
"Our commander tasked us to lead ten mecha brigades to escort the transport fleet," Yang Mingzhi replied calmly, "The commander is protecting us secretly."
Yang Mingzhi knew that they couldn't hide the truth from experienced soldiers like Qi Yaoyang. Thus, he told him the truth. He knew that Qi Yaoyang was on their side since he was Qi Long's father. Hence, he would definitely do them no harm.
Chapter 1235 I'm Your Father!
"I see." Qi Yaoyang was experienced enough to know what Ling Lan's plan was. "One in the light, one in the dark. This is a good plan."
"I just want to know if you really annihilated the imperial mecha team."
Qi Yaoyang went directly to the point.
"Isn't it just an imperial mecha team? Nothing is impossible for Lingtian," Qi Long raised his head proudly and replied.
"Don't be so arrogant, little brat. Tell me, how did you do it?" Qi Yaoyang knew that only the brigade leaders and vice leaders were given imperial mechas. It meant that there were at most around 40 imperial mechas in Lingtian. In the report, there were more than a hundred imperial mechas on their enemy's side. It would be impossible to defeat their opponent with just 40 imperial mechas. There must be some other secret factor.
Qi Long shook his head hurriedly. "This is Lingtian's secret. I can't tell you."
"Damn it. I'm your father." Qi Yaoyang was furious.
"I'm a soldier of Lingtian first before being your son. Even if you're my father, I can't tell you." Qi Long didn't give his father any respect.
Qi Long's attitude angered Qi Yaoyang. He flared up. "Stupid brat, I'm your superior too. I'm the general of the 13th division."
"I'm under my Boss, Lieutenant General Ling Lan. I'm not under you, old man." Qi Long wasn't afraid of his father.
"You've gotten bolder, little brat. Are you looking for a beating?" Qi Yaoyang stood up and appeared in front of Qi Long. He grabbed his collar, preparing to teach this brat a lesson.
Damn it, why was Ling Xiao so fortunate? His son was strong, smart, and obedient. If Ling Lan caused any trouble, it was because he was too outstanding.
He was so envious when Ling Xiao flaunted his son's achievements in front of him. His eldest and second eldest son were obedient but their potential was average. They would at most be a senior colonel under his protection. His youngest son was talented but his results had nothing to do with him. Ever since he was six years old, he felt that Qi Long was like Ling Xiao's son, not his.
Qi Yaoyang was infuriated when he thought about this. Ling Xiao already had an outstanding son. Why did he still want to lure his son?
Qi Yaoyang chose to forget the point that his son was the one who wanted to join Ling Lan's team. He felt that he might vomit blood if he acknowledged this point.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong reacted quickly when they saw this. "General, calm down."
With the help of Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi, Qi Long managed to slip away from Qi Yaoyang's grasp.
When Qi Long was released from his father's grasp, he quickly dashed three meters away from Qi Yaoyang and arranged his collar. "Father, General Qi, I'm part of the Lingtian Independent Army now. If you want to punish me, you must ask my Boss first. Don't act beyond your authority."
"Acting beyond my authority? I'm your father. Why can't I reprimand my son?" Qi Yaoyang's anger was sparked again.
"General, general, please calm down." This time, even Qi Yaoyang's deputy and advisers came to console him. They couldn't let the father and son pair start a fight here.
"Qi Long, be quiet." The other brigade leaders of Lingtian persuaded Qi Long too.
In the Qi family, Qi Long's mother would mediate their argument so they wouldn't quarrel so furiously. If Mother Qi wasn't around, Ling Lan was able to suppress Qi Long. Now that both of them weren't present, the argument between the father and son went out of control.
Qi Long felt that it was unnecessary to quarrel with his father too so he pretended to zip his mouth with his hand.
He went to a corner and sat down quietly. He decided to remove himself from his father's vision so that he wouldn't anger his father further.
Qi Yaoyang scoffed and ignored his son. If his son didn't provoke him, he wouldn't be angry either.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong heaved sighs of relief secretly. They managed to evade a crisis. Yang Mingzhi looked at Qi Yaoyang apologetically and said, "General, just like what Leader Qi said, this matter concerns the secret of Lingtian. We don't have the right to answer you. If you want to know, you can ask our commander when you meet him."
"Forget it. I know that you won't tell me without Ling Lan's approval." Qi Yaoyang felt helpless but he approved of their secrecy."Maybe I can ask General Ling Xiao. It might be easier." Qi Yaoyang smiled.
"Indeed," Yang Mingzhi replied.
What General Ling said had nothing to do with them.
Qi Yaoyang asked about the logos and serial numbers of the imperial mechas from Twilight. He also asked about the condition of the three major generals of the transport ships. Before leaving, he walked to the mainframe of Destruction Devil and patted it lightly. "How are the Destruction Devils doing?"
"It's better than most battleships, especially its agility and speed. However, when it is surrounded by imperial mechas, there's nothing much it could do. At most, it just lasts longer than the average starship," Yang Mingzhi replied.
"That means it's still quite useless," Qi Yaoyang pondered as he spoke.
Yang Mingzhi didn't reply to him. Qi Yaoyang could say that they were useless but he couldn't.
The other Destruction Devil might be useless but the Destruction Devil Qi Yaoyang was patting was different. It was able to fend off against many imperial mechas due to the presence of a superior mainframe. There were only two mainframes like this in the Lingtian Independent Army. Both were created by their commander. However, just like the modified mechas, they were a secret. No one should know about it, not even Qi Long's father.
Chapter 1236 A Tragedy!
Just like that, Qi Yaoyang came and left quickly. Before he left, he didn't forget to 'pat' his unfilial son, Qi Long, on the head a few times to relieve his anger. Qi Long on the other hand didn't react and just endured it. This image gave Han Jijyun, Zhao Jun, Li Yingjie and the others an odd feeling.
However, not making a scene was still a good thing. Everyone just assumed that Qi Long knew that he was in the wrong.
Yang Mingzhi and the others all respectfully watched as Qi Yaoyang left. Qi Long on the other hand stayed in the control room to avoid being disciplined by his father again.
Seeing only Luo Chao and Han Xuya beside him, Qi Long daringly decided to turn on his communicator. Then, Ling Lan's indifferent face appeared on the virtual screen.
"Boss." Luo Chao and Han Xuya shouted in surprise.
In order to make sure Boss's whereabouts were not discovered, they didn't even dare to contact Boss. Ever since they went in different directions, the girls hadn't communicated with Ling Lan either.
Ling Lan saw Luo Chao and nodded, "Luo Chao, you did well. In the future, when you have a chance, get closer with Jialan. Only when Jialan fully accepts you, will you be able to combine with it and become one. You will then be able to do whatever you want."
"Yes, Boss," Luo Chao responded while blushing. The joy in her eyes could not be held back. She finally could show her worth and help Boss Ling Lan.
"Xuya, how's piloting an ace mecha going?" Han Xuya had broken through her limit a short while back, becoming a rare female ace mecha operator, and thus receiving the Federation's recognition. However, what Ling Lan wanted from Han Xuya did not amount to just being an ace mecha operator. She wanted to teach the altered Qi meditation exercises to Han Xuya and Luo Chao. She hoped that one day they could create miracles for the Federation like becoming the first female imperial operator or the first female starship commander.
Luo Chao and Han Xuya were destined to never reach the highest level of god-class operator because of their own talents and abilities, even if Ling Lan were to use the Qi meditation exercises to help them. Even Ling Lan, who had cheat codes, only had the opportunity to advance, it was not a certainty yet. Whether she could succeed in the end would depend if fate was kind to her. Moreover, Qi Long, Luo Lang and others who were qualified, only had a single chance to advance into god-class, and the probability of that happening was very very low. If Ling Lan hadn't helped them, even the chance they had might not exist.
The advancement into god-class was too difficult and unnerving. This was also why in the population of the trillions, the Federation only had no more than twelve god-class operators at the same time. Currently, it was the generation when the Federation had the most god-class operators in all of its history. It was also the generation where the Federation was at its strongest.
After hearing Ling Lan's question, Han Xuya immediately replied, "Boss, Qi Long said I have already reached the level of a standard ace operator. If I want to become an elite ace, I won't be able to achieve that through training. I must go through battles and acquire experience in order to grow."
Ling Lan raised her eyebrows and turned towards Qi Long. "Oh? So you are supervising Xuya's training?"
Qi Long unconsciously rubbed his nose and replied, "Um Boss, everyone was busy and I was the only one not busy. That's why I taught Little Sister Xuya."
"Busy? Zhao Jun and the others told me that during this time with the transport fleet, they were so bored they were molding…" Ling Lan looked at Qi Long calmly. "Who should I believe?"
"They probably had free time on their hands after the battle." Qi Long put on an honest smile indicating he didn't know anything.
"Is that so?" Ling Lan half-smiled. Her gaze seemed to have seen through Qi Long's thoughts.
"It's definitely like that," said Qi Long with determination. His cheekiness seemed to be comparable to Li Lanfeng's beauty.
The conversation between the two of them made Han Xuya feel odd. Luo Chao seemed to have discovered something. She put her hands over her mouth to try to hide the smile that was beginning to form.
After seeing Luo Chao trying to stop herself from laughing, Qi Long, who was originally calm, now had the back of his neck all red.
Although Han Xuya didn't know what was happening, she still managed to realize that Qi Long was troubled by Boss's questions. After thinking that she had been bothering Qi Long quite a lot recently, she wanted to help him. She injected, "Boss, why did you contact us today? Is there something going on?"
Ling Lan turned towards Han Xuya and smiled with her eyes for a second, "Jialan thought there was something wrong, so it contacted me surreptitiously."
As Ling Lan's attention was redirected, Qi Long was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Xuya with a grateful look that was filled with feelings that only he knew about.
Han Xuya responded to Qi Long's look with a bright smile, stunning Qi Long by the sheer beauty of her smile. Then in response, he subconsciously gave an honest smile which made him look even more dumb.
'Who knew that the black-bellied Elder Brother Qi Long would also have a day like this. It really is quite sad.' Luo Chao couldn��t look at such a dumb Qi Long in the eye. She could only turn towards Ling Lan in the virtual video call and exchanged a look that only the two of them knew about.
"Jialan? What did she think happened?" For the clueless Han Xuya, she was curious after hearing Ling Lan's words.
"Well, it was because someone almost fought with his father. Jialan was afraid that they would destroy her home in the midst of their fight," Ling Lan said while glancing at Qi Long, who had returned to normal, with a mocking tone in her voice.
"So it was because of elder brother Qi Long." Han Xuya finally realized it and laughed out loud after remembering Qi Long's expression from a while ago.
Qi Long rubbed his forehead helplessly. His image was completely destroyed.
"No wonder Elder Brother Qi Long didn't say anything when General Qi smacked him a few times. You definitely told him to not go against General Qi." Luo Chao finally understood why Qi Long was so obedient in the end.
"No matter if it is military rank or actual relationship, General Qi has the power to discipline Qi Long," Ling Lan said nonchalantly. "He has to endure it even if he doesn't want to."Ling Lan's words made Qi Long put his head down in shame. Even Boss stood by his father's side on the matter, what else could he do? He could only let it happen.
"However, that should be the limit of his obedience. In the future, when we're out fighting wars, that won't be the case. Lingtian Independent Army will do whatever we need to do." As Ling Lan's tone changed, she became cold as ice.
"Yes, Boss." Qi Long was full of energy. He stood up straight once again. In reality, Boss always took his side.
At that moment, everyone who sent off Qi Yaoyang returned to the control room. After seeing Ling Lan on the virtual screen, they instantly shout in joy, "Boss!" "Commander!"
"Zhao Jun and Li Yingjie ultimate level day training for three days," A cold glare from Ling Lan crossed Zhao Jun and Li Yingjie, who were the only ones to call her 'Boss'.
"Argh!" Zhao Jun and Li Yingjie put their hands on their head and cried out in agony.
The others all laughed softly as they saw this. In order to make sure Lingtian wasn't too personal, their commander forbade them from calling him Boss in a public space.
"Qi Long, fives days of ultimate level day training." Qi Long was still in schadenfreude. He didn't think such terrible luck would befall him. Moreover, his punishment was more severe than Zhao Jun and Li Yingjie's punishment.
Chapter 1237 A Bad Premonition.
"Ugh, why do I get five days?" Qi Long said frustratingly
"Being disrespectful to the general and disrespectful to your parents. Additionally, you went against the rules of the division. You're being punished for numerous crimes. Five days is considered a light punishment," Ling Lan said calmly.
"Going against the rules of the division? Boss?" Qi Long remembered he had called Ling Lan 'Boss' at the beginning. However, he wasn't the only one who broke the rules. There was still… His gaze moved towards Luo Chao and Han Xuya. The two of them saw him looking at them and instantly threatened him with their glares. If he was going to sell them out, they were going to eat him alive.
Suddenly, he felt a coldness seeping deep into his bones. Qi Long turned around and saw his Boss look at him with a half-smile on his face. That look was like blades of ice piercing his bones and was cutting through his body.
Ugh, how could he forget. Luo Chao and Han Xuya were Boss's fiancées. How could Boss have the heart to punish them… Qi Long felt a feeling of regret in his mind. If he had known it was going to be like this, he wouldn't have contacted Ling Lan.
"Yes, I understand." Qi Long didn't dare to sell out Luo Chao and Han Xuya and could only accept Ling Lan's punishment.
Seeing everyone present, Ling Lan told them her plan. All in all, they must continue to stay on Base Feiyu if she didn't give them any other orders. If something unexpected were to occur and they were unable to contact her, then they would contact General Qi Yaoyang and obey General Qi Yaoyang's orders. Other than the two of them, they must not accept any orders from others or other departments. That included the three marshals and General Ling Xiao.
After those words were said, everyone was in shock. It should be known that the three marshals were basically the rulers of the military. Even the 23 divisions would have difficulty disobeying their orders, not to mention their independent army. Plus, General Ling Xiao was Ling Lan's father, but Ling Lan wanted them to ignore General Ling Xiao's orders. What had happened between the two of them? Why did things develop into something they couldn't understand after being apart from their commander only for a few days?
"I know my father. He wouldn't go past me and order you around." Ling Lan looked at the shocked expression on everyone's faces and explained, "This order for relocation is most likely a plot against my father and I, so I had to keep a trump card in my hand just in case."
After saying all that, Ling Lan's expressions suddenly turned sharp, "You guys are the trump card I'm keeping to the end. Nothing must happen to you. As long as you guys are safe, we will be able to turn the tide at the crucial moment."
Feeling the heavy responsibility on them, Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong's expression changed instantly. Their commander was clearly setting up a huge plan and was planning on fighting a ruthless battle with the opposition. They were a seemingly useless piece of the puzzle, but they were actually the lynchpin of the entire plan.
"Remember what I said. Your mission is to try your best to protect yourselves. No matter what happens, don't let yourselves get dragged into the mess. That's the only way we'll have a chance to have a future." Ling Lan reminded everyone cautiously once again.
Everyone all shouted in agreement. Ling Lan then disconnected the video call with a satisfied face.
The entire control room was completely silent. Liu Furong rubbed his face in frustration and then asked Yang Mingzhi, "Mingzhi, what do you think our commander meant?"
Yang Mingzhi, who was usually calm and collected, couldn't contain his anxiousness. He spoke in a worried tone, "How would I know?"
"This plan gives a bad feeling." Qi Long scratched his head intensely. His instincts told him that the situation was not good. However, he didn't know why it was not good.
"Everyone stop thinking about it too much. Boss likely has a backup plan," said Han Jijyun as he saw everyone panicking from Ling Lan's plan.
"Let's hope that's the case." Everyone, who couldn't find the reason for the order given to them, could only hope for the best. However, everyone still felt a bit uneasy.
At that moment, they understood how important Ling Lan was to them. As long as Ling Lan was with them, even if they were in Base 013 facing death in the eye, they would never cower in fear. That was because their commander, their Boss, was with them. That gave them enough courage to face all the difficulties they would encounter.
"I'm really jealous of Luo Lang and Xie Yi. Back then I should have just stayed in the base no matter what." Zhao Jun sighed. If he had known it was going to be like this, he would have hugged Boss's leg and cried and begged to not leave. That way he wouldn't be here and be feeling anxious.
"Yeah, yeah, if only Luo Lang and them were here," Qi Long also thought of this and immediately responded.
"You think our Boss is going to change the orders?" Han Jijyun's statement broke Zhao Jun and Qi Long's thoughts. "Choosing the ten of us was the result of careful consideration by our Boss."After hearing this, everyone looked toward Han Jijyun and waited for him to explain.
"With Qi Long here, if by chance we were in trouble, General Qi wouldn't just sit idle and watch." Seeing Qi Long wanting to respond to his statement, Han Jijyun smiled coldly and cut him off, "You're going to tell me that you and your father don't get along? If that was really the case, would Uncle Qi and General Ling Xiao become such close friends? Wasn't it because you work under Boss and Boss is Ling Xiao's son? When are you going to stop deceiving yourself?"
Ling Lan's order also forced Han Jijyun to think. Han Jijyun couldn't help but become angry at Qi Long even though he would usually endure and let go of Qi Long's irrational reactions.
"I didn't say anything," Qi Long said helplessly. He couldn't disagree with Han Jijyun because Han Jijyun spoke the truth. He indeed had the courage to speak against his father because he wasn't afraid of him and he knew his father actually cared the most for him. Qi Long seemed to be honest and earnest, but underneath that bubbly smile was an individual who was villainous and calculating. He understood everything perfectly. Playing dumb and acting blunt was only to let others to perceive him as such.
"Vice Commander Yang, although your background isn't clear to us, everyone still managed to guess it more or less. Our commander picked you to leave Base Nebula and take control of the situation here is probably because he wants to borrow the power of the First Marshal." Han Jijyun knew the situation was dire and changed his tone from the usual non-offensive way of speaking to a more passive-aggressive approach.
Yang Mingzhi heard this and instantly smiled bitterly. "That is true. Thank you for everyone's tolerance of me. I had once spoken to Vice Commander Liu that as long as our commander doesn't betray the Federation, I would always be a member of Lingtian and never betray him."
Everyone looked towards Liu Furong. Liu Furong nodded with a serious expression on his face to show that Yang Mingzhi was speaking the truth.
Everyone's expressions loosened a bit. As for the battle team members who followed Ling Lan from the beginning and grew into an independent army, in their minds, they only saw Ling Lan as their Boss. If someone dared to offend their Boss, they would toss them aside heartlessly. Even if it was their vice commander, Yang Mingzhi, the Sagittarius.
Chapter 1238 Hidden Intentions!
After he received the answer he wanted, Han Jijyun turned to look at Li Yingjie. Li Yingjie couldn't maintain his arrogant facade under Han Jijyun's blatant stare and replied anxiously, "I was unwilling to accept Boss in the past but now, I respect him sincerely. I will never betray him."
Li Yingjie was arrogant and unruly. However, after staying with Lingtian for a while, he was finally willing to rein in his arrogance and listen to Ling Lan. At first, he joined Lingtian because he wanted to survive his period as a recruit safely. But, after so many years, Ling Lan had earned his respect with her powerful abilities and competent leadership.
He didn't expect to have such a good time in Lingtian. Moreover, he was promoted to a senior colonel under Ling Lan's guidance. The other descendants of the Li family, who were in the 4th division, might not be able to even reach this rank in their entire life. He had real military power too. His rank as a senior colonel wasn't just for show.
Every time he went back to the Li family, his relatives would look at him with envy and jealousy. You could imagine how delighted Li Yingie was to see their jealous expressions. Although his second eldest brother, Li Shiyu, was a senior colonel too, he was just a military doctor (Li Yingjie felt that being a brigade leader of a mecha brigade was better than being a military doctor).
Hence, he hoped that the inner circle of Lingtian wouldn't misunderstand him. His heart was with Lingtian. He had decided that he would remain in Lingtian for the rest of his life. He believed that if he followed Boss, he would be able to achieve higher height than he ever could on his own.
"That wasn't what I meant." Han Jijyun was speechless. "I just wanted to say that the Li family would help Lingtian because of you."
"That's true." Li Yingjie nodded immediately to the claim. He had always thought that he was the most suitable candidate for the family head of the Li family. His elder brother, Li Shiyu, used to be his direct competitor. However, his decision to become a military doctor meant that he had to give up the opportunity of becoming the family head. As for his eldest brother who he never saw before, he hadn't heard any news about his achievements. It meant that his eldest brother was probably an incapable person. He didn't have to worry about him snatching his family head position.
"Yan Three is a commoner. He doesn't belong to any families or factions. Thus, it's easier for him to be noticed by those upright officers within the military. During crucial times, he might be able to earn their support." Han Jijyun analysed all the brigade leaders thoroughly.
Personal ability was just one of the factors that allowed Yan Three to climb to his position today. The other factor was the support of those upright and strict officers. This bunch of officers didn't belong to any factions or organisations. However, when they noticed someone with a similar background, they would work together to help this person grow into one of their colleagues. That was why some commoners were able to climb to high positions in the military. This bunch of officers was helping them secretly.
Finally, Han Jijyun looked at Liu Furong. Liu Furong's position was like Yan Three but after his family integrated itself into the Ling family, Liu Furong belonged to the Ling family's faction.
"You don't have to say it. I know what my purpose is." Liu Furong stopped him from saying any more.
"Even if I don't say it, everyone knows it. I'm sure Vice Commander Yang knows it too." Han Jijyun turned and looked at Yang Mingzhi.
"Of course. Our commander trusts me but not completely. Liu Furong is my assistance as well as my resistance." Yang Mingzhi smiled. From the moment Ling Lan chose to send Liu Furong on the mission with him, he knew what Liu Furong's purpose was. He felt a bit dejected but he approved Ling Lan's decision. He acknowledged Ling Lan's leading ability even more now.
This arrangement proved that Ling Lan was a qualified leader. Only someone with both intelligence and boldness would be able to lead Lingtian to greater heights.
"I think the reason for Vice Commander Liu's presence is different from what you all are thinking." Zhao Jun suddenly opened his mouth.
"Oh?" Everyone looked at Zhao Jun curiously as they waited for his explanation.
"Among the ten of us, only Vice Commander Liu can represent the Ling family. Based on the general's prestige, Vice Commander Liu will be able to gain the general public's support. Sometimes, the support of the public is more important than the support of some officers," Zhao Jun explained calmly.
Everyone felt enlightened by his words. Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong pondered over his words carefully and felt that this might be Ling Lan's true intention.
Yang Mingzhi sighed. "Ling Lan's competence as a leader is far greater than mine. I am too narrow-minded."
Liu Furong smiled knowingly. "Me too. Commander is young but he has great foresight. Our thoughts are still stuck in our small little worlds but he is already thinking about the universe."
Everyone continued the discussion for a period of time before leaving.
Zhao Jun wanted to go back to his room to take a rest when he heard Han Jijyun calling for him, "Brother Zhao, wait for a moment."
Zhao Jun turned around in astonishment. He had a good relationship with Li Lanfeng so Han Jijyun wasn't very close to him. Han Jijyun rarely came to look for him personally.
"What's the matter?" Zhao Jun asked.
"Who told you about the reason for Vice Commander Liu's presence?" Han Jijyun asked Zhao Jun directly.
"Why do you ask?" Zhao Jun smiled.
"I know that you're smart. You never outwardly show it but I know that you and Qi Long are always well aware of what is happening around you. You're just too lazy to use your brain. Well, that's probably because there's a very smart person beside you all the time. You have Leader Li Lanfeng, while Qi Long has me." Han Jijyun said indifferently, "I'm not looking down on you but you won't be able to think about that if no one told you."
Zhao Jun shrugged. "You already know who it is."
"Li Lanfeng!" Han Jijyun said firmly.
"Since you already knew it, why are you still asking me?" Zhao Jun was confused."I just want to confirm my prediction," Han Jijyun replied.
"Then?" Zhao Jun couldn't understand why intelligent people always make things so complicated.
"I lost to him again. Please tell him that this will be the last time I lose to him." Han Jijyun left immediately after he finished pouring his thoughts out.
Zhao Jun felt speechless as he looked at Han Jijyun's disappearing back. He lowered his head and said, "Did you hear it?"
"Yes, I heard it." Li Lanfeng's voice entered Zhao Jun's ear. Zhao Jun was wearing an earpiece all this while. Zhao Jun was talking to Li Lanfeng before Han Jijyun stopped him.
"You really know how to play with people, huh? Are you learning from Zhuge Liang? You asked me to open the message you sent me on the communicator after Boss's name appeared." Zhao Jun secretly complained in his heart. That's right, Li Lanfeng was the one who played with him.
"I'm just worried that they will misunderstand Boss. I said that if someone managed to understand Boss's real intention, you won't have to say anything." Li Lanfeng laughed softly.
"You know that no one will understand Boss's real intention. If not, you wouldn't have sent that message." Zhao Jun rolled his eyes. Why did Li Lanfeng pretend to be kind when he was actually looking down on everyone's intelligence?
Chapter 1239 Sense Of Crisis!
"I informed you just in case my prediction is true. Who knew that none of them could guess Boss's intention?" As his old friend, Zhao Jun could hear the arrogance in Li Lanfeng's voice.
"You stimulated our Little Brother Jijyun again." Zhao Jun couldn't help but sympathize with Han Jijyun. Han Jijyun was a good adviser. However, he was too straightforward. Thus, he was at a disadvantage when he faced Li Lanfeng who was well-versed in scheming. He would probably suffer for a few more years because of Li Lanfeng.
"Han Jijyun still has a long way to go before becoming a qualified strategist. It is beneficial for him to meet some setbacks." Li Lanfeng didn't pity Han Jijyun. He just hoped that Han Jijyun would be able to take over his position soon.
Ever since he realised his feelings for Ling Lan, Li Lanfeng knew that he wasn't suitable for the position of Ling Lan's strategist. An outstanding strategist must always remain calm and composed in every situation. He must be ruthless and emotionless when making decisions that could affect millions of lives. Sometimes, he might need to be heartless and 'sacrifice' some soldiers for the greater good.
However, he couldn't bear to let Ling Lan be in any danger so he would naturally choose the safest option of any plan. Most of the time, this was the worst version of the plan. In the end, Lingtian and Ling Lan would be hurt by his feelings for Ling Lan.
Since he knew his problem, Li Lanfeng gave up his original plan to become an adviser and decided to groom his successor. The best candidate was Han Jijyun. Thus, we could predict that Han Jijyun would continue to receive setbacks until he satisfied Li Lanfeng's requirements.
Zhao Jun raised his eyebrows in surprise. He understood what Li Lanfeng meant. "Did you give up on your goal?" Zhao Jun knew that when Li Lanfeng entered Lingtian, his aim was to become the best strategist for Lingtian.
"No. I just altered my goal a little. It will definitely be harder to achieve my new goal." Li Lanfeng smiled bitterly. If he had a choice, he wished that he was still the emotionless Li Lanfeng. That way, he wouldn't be in so much pain everyday. He wouldn't need to be tortured by his emotions and lose the calmness of a strategist.
"What goal is more difficult than becoming an adviser?" Zhao Jun was puzzled. He suddenly thought of something and exclaimed in fright, "Are you trying to usurp the throne?"
"What nonsense are you saying? Do you think I can usurp the throne under Boss's rule?" Li Lanfeng shook his head in a fluster. His goal wasn't Ling Lan's position, but to be beside him. He wanted to get the position of being Ling Lan's queen.
"That's good. I just want to remind you that our boss is a bugged character. You might be a very smart guy but I believe that no one can fool Boss. Even if they manage to do it, they will have a terrible ending." Zhao Jun firmly believed that nothing could defeat Boss. Hence, he felt that Li Lanfeng had no chance of succeeding if his goal was the throne of Lingtian.
"Don't worry. I can betray anything but him." Li Lanfeng's voice was so soft that Zhao Jun had to ask, "What did you say?"
"Nothing. I might not be able to contact you anytime soon. You'll have to rely on yourself from now on." Li Lanfeng quickly ended the conversation and hung up.
Ling Lan put the file in her hand down when she heard Li Lanfeng ending his call. She looked up and said, "Is that Zhao Jun?"
Li Lanfeng made the call in her office so it was hard for Ling Lan not to listen to his conversation. She didn't listen to it purposely but there were still a few sentences that floated into her ears. From these sentences, she knew who Li Lanfeng was talking to.
"Yes." Li Lanfeng smiled brightly. He was smiling like a cat that just finished eating a huge fish.
"Are you pressuring Jijyun again?" Ling Lan knew of Li Lanfeng and Han Jijyun's competition. She silently consented to the competition. She hoped that they would be stimulated by each other into improve further due to the sense of urgency that their competitor might surpass them.
"No." Li Lanfeng denied it instantly. He could admit blatantly in the past because he didn't know his feelings for Ling Lan. Now, he needed to cast away his scheming image and create a virtuous and gentle image so that Ling Lan would consider him as a potential partner.
"Aren't you the one who wrote the message?" Ling Lan smiled as she glanced at Li Lanfeng. He talked to Zhao Jun openly in front of her. How could she not know what they were talking about? Wasn't it a little fake to deny it now?
"I am just worried that they will misunderstand your goodwill." Li Lanfeng's tone suddenly turned serious. His beautiful eyes were brimming with emotions. The anticipation in them seemed to be urging Ling Lan to compliment him.
Ling Lan touched her head helplessly. She asked Little Four about recent oddities in Li Lanfeng's actions but he said that Li Lanfeng was fine. If Little Four didn't sound so firm, she would have suspected that Li Lanfeng's soul had been sucked away by some stray dog who craved for attention.
"Fine. You did well." Ling Lan couldn't do much to Li Lanfeng. However, her compliment was made whole-heartedly. She knew that Li Lanfeng made this arrangement to help her. He was afraid that this misunderstanding might affect the plans she made."Thank you." Li Lanfeng shamelessly accepted Ling Lan's compliment.
Ling Lan felt speechless. She controlled her desire to kick this person out of her room.
"Let's be serious now." Li Lanfeng suddenly became stern. His presence had totally changed from it was before.
Li Lanfeng knew that Ling Lan might chase him out if he continued seducing her. He didn't want to be known as the first person to get kicked out by Ling Lan, as it would ruin his image as Ling Lan's potential suitor. Thus, he quickly changed his attitude. It could be said that Li Lanfeng was the only person who understood Ling Lan well, with the exception of her parents, Little Four, and the instructors in the learning space.
"Why have you come?" Ling Lan was curious why Li Lanfeng came to look for her too.
"Did you detect something?" Li Lanfeng asked.
He noticed that Ling Lan had no intention of answering to him so he continued, "After entering the titled domain stage, we will become more sensitive to danger. Since I managed to feel a sense of crisis, you should have felt it too as you're in the imperial stage now."
"Yes. I never experienced this feeling of constant dread before. No matter what plans I made, this feeling won't disappear. It became stronger instead." Ling Lan knew that she couldn't hide it anymore so she told Li Lanfeng her true feelings for the past few days.
Chapter 1240 Cast A Stone To Find The Path
"Do you think we will face an impossible hurdle?" Li Lanfeng looked grave. If Ling Lan felt that it was dangerous, they must be in grave danger.
"I don't know. The feeling is very vague. I just know that it's dangerous but I don't know what is dangerous or who is dangerous." Ling Lan frowned.
"The future is unpredictable. We don't know what traps are laid out before us. All we can do is to make ample preparations." Li Lanfeng felt helpless too. Their enemy was hidden too deeply. Even after collecting a lot of information, they still couldn't find the mastermind behind their troubles.
"There's nothing much we can do now. I hope that it won't be as bad as I think it will." This sentence was to console Li Lanfeng. Unless someone meddled with fate, her instinct should be right. After all, her innate talent was Profound Insight.
Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng kept a close watch on the series of events that was happening. However, contrary to expectations, they only received more good news for the next few days. General Ling Xiao managed to destroy a few more important planets of Twilight before he disappeared from everyone's sight again.
Ling Lan and her entourage analysed General Ling Xiao's assault plan. However, they couldn't find any pattern in his movements. A few days ago, he was at the east of Twilight. Today, he appeared in the west. Everyone thought that he would go to the north or south after this but instead, he went back to the east.
While everyone was praising Ling Xiao for his unpredictable offensive tactics, Ling Lan wondered if her father just followed his feelings and attacked wherever he wanted to. She suspected that it had nothing to do with planning
Of course, to protect the glamourous image of her father, Ling Lan wouldn't tell anyone her real thoughts.
After Ling Xiao destroyed the fourth planet of the Twilight Empire, the military of Twilight finally erupted in anger.
"Useless! Every one of you so-called analysts got led by the nose by Ling Xiao. Half of our manpower and finance went down the ground for that fruitless pursuit." The emperor threw the financial report angrily in the prime minister's face.
"Yes, it's our fault." The prime minister lowered his head and admitted his mistake sincerely. It was true that half of the military's manpower was used to find Ling Xiao and his 23rd division. At first, they thought that they would be able to catch Ling Xiao soon. Instead, they allowed Ling Xiao to destroy three of their planets and escape right under their nose. If ambush on Three Stars Lock was included, it would be four times Ling Xiao had escaped under their watchful eyes.
The first time might be a coincidence since they were unprepared but four consecutive losses couldn't be explained by sheer coincidence.
"I don't want to listen to you admitting your uselessness. I just want to know how we can kill this damn Immortal Bird so that he can never come back to life again." The emperor exploded in anger.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We've finished all our preparations. Ling Xiao won't be able to escape this time." The prime minister looked up. Killing intent flashed oozed out of his eyes. It was time for Ling Xiao to pay his blood debt.
"I hope you meant what you say," the emperor replied furiously. None of the promises his prime minister made in the past were fulfilled. What his prime minister just said had already been said countless times yet, there were no results to show for. The emperor found it hard to believe his prime minister now.
"Your Majesty, if I fail again, I will apologise with my death." The prime minister was determined to show his confidence in his plan. Their trap had been laid. It was foolproof. If Ling Xiao still managed to escape again, he wouldn't have the dignity to continue living.
The emperor squinted his eyes and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. After some time, he nodded and said, "I'll wait for your good news."
In the Federation, everyone was rejoicing over the good news. They felt that General Ling Xiao could win the war single-handedly.
However, there were other voices in the military too. Some felt that Ling Xiao emphasised on the wrong thing. Shouldn't he have focused on the main army? Some people even said that Ling Xiao left the three divisions behind because he wanted to gain all the merits.
Of course, these voices were very small. They were pushed down by Ling Xiao's supporters the moment they emerged.
Some people also mentioned that Ling Lan disregarded the order from the higher authorities and moved Base Nebula without reporting to her superiors. They said that she violated the military rules and should be called back for a trial. However, surprisingly, the military headquarters ignored these people. Many factions stood up for Ling Lan too. The military immediately reissued an order allowing Ling Lan to move Base Nebula. The people from Lingtian thought that Boss had passed this obstacle safely.
However, when Ling Lan received the order, her expression turned even darker. Li Lanfeng frowned too.
Ling Lan closed her eyes and furrowed her brows.
Suddenly, she opened them and asked, "Are you sure that the Li family didn't involve themselves in this?"
Li Lanfeng nodded seriously. "From the information they sent me, they didn't do anything. Even if they did, they didn't go all out."
"My people stood up but they got suppressed almost instantly. It seems like many people don't want me to go back." Ling Lan's gaze was stern.
She was the one who asked her people to condemn her. They were the ones who suggested that she broke the military rule. Ling Lan wanted to use this to test the water. The result she found was terrible.
"The Li family didn't place all their bets on you." This plan was created by the two of them. To heighten the effect, Li Lanfeng contacted the family head of the Li family. He asked the Li family to cooperate entirely with their plan. From the result, they could tell that the Li family didn't approve of Li Lanfeng's plan. They had other thoughts in their mind.
"Benefits are always the most important thing to the Li family. It's understandable why they made this decision. They might think that it's better for them if we stayed at the frontline." Li Lanfeng sneered. His contempt towards the Li family was obvious.
Li Lanfeng didn't like the Li family. If they listened to him and cooperated with Ling Lan, he might bear with them and help them due to the blood ties. Now… once he and Ling Lan overcame this obstacle, he would slowly deal with them.
"I feel that the trap is laid before my father and I. However, I can't see it." Ling Lan hated it when she couldn't control the situation.
"No matter what the order is, we just need to stay inside Base Nebula. Even if there are dangers, we'll be able to remain safe with the weapons and equipment on the base." Li Lanfeng decided that they would stay inside Base Nebula and not go out. This was a bad idea but it was the safest.
"They wouldn't forget about Base Nebula." Her opponent was too strong. Ling Lan felt that she was being suppressed all the time. "They will definitely find a reason to get me out of Base Nebula. It will be something I can't reject."
Chapter 1241 The Trap Is Here
Li Lanfeng knew that his suggestion wouldn't work. Since their opponent planned so carefully, they wouldn't give them any chances to stay in Base Nebula.
He sighed. "It looks like we can only wait and see what happens. We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
Ling Lan said with regret, "We lack information. Our intelligence network is still lacking. Our opponents didn't give us enough time to solve this weakness."
"In general, we lack time." Li Lanfeng knew what was truly limiting them. He suddenly had the urge to fight for the position of the family head of the Li family unlike in the past when he didn't have any desire for it.
If he became the family head of the Li family, he would be able to use the intelligence network the Li family had built over the years to help Lingtian. This would solve the problem.
After a series of handover, the logistic supplies on the transport ships were all unloaded. The transport ships prepared to leave.
Soon after, Ling Lan received an order to scout the Qingri wormhole. This was to ensure that the transport fleet would have a safe journey back.
The Qingri wormhole was within the planetary sector of the Federation. However, a part of it was close to the planetary sector of Twilight. The Federation had already encountered one ambush there so they wouldn't allow another ambush to happen.
This seemingly safe order caused Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng's expression to turn grave. Both of them detected the impending danger in this mission.
"Do you think they will attack us there?" Ling Lan inspected the route to the Qingri wormhole while Li Lanfeng inspected the order they received carefully.
"I feel that they'll attack us on the route to the Qingri wormhole. An ambush had already happened in the Qingri wormhole so patrols in the wormhole are much denser than before. Hence, if they want to attack us in the Qingri wormhole, they must be prepared to sacrifice an army to do so." Li Lanfeng expressed his opinion.
"Our enemy is an ambitious person. He might have hid in our nation for more than ten years. His rank is probably very high now. To him, sacrificing an army is nothing. He might even be happy to see that." Ling Lan held a different opinion.
"Hence, it's possible that a second ambush might happen in the Qingri wormhole." Li Lanfeng immediately understood what Ling Lan meant.
"Yes. We might meet an ambush at any moment now." Ling Lan sneered. "However, I feel that they will choose to ambush us in the Qingri wormhole. They might think we will feel safe there."
Most would never expect a second ambush would occur, at the same location nonetheless. Thus, it was possible that their opponent used this mindset against them.
"That makes sense. However, there is another possibility. Our opponent might predict our mindset and ambush us before we enter the Qingri wormhole. That way, they can catch us while we're still preparing for battle." Li Lanfeng proposed another idea.
"Well, we can look at it that way too." Ling Lan closed her eyes. Her thoughts became clearer after discussing Li Lanfeng. "They might have already expected the first ambush to fail. Once we escape from the first ambush successfully, we will be complacent in our victory. During this time, they will lay a second ambush to destroy us completely."
"The best place for the second ambush is… here." Li Lanfeng and Ling Lan pointed at a certain spot on the map simultaneously.
Their fingers touched. Ling Lan smiled at Li Lanfeng when she noticed that he had the same thoughts as her.
Li Lanfeng blushed when Ling Lan smiled at him. He took his finger back and lowered his right hand slowly. While Ling Lan was looking away, he rubbed his forefinger with his thumb and felt the spot where he and Ling Lan touched. He smiled secretly as he recalled the feeling
Right after Base Nebula departed, Ling Lan ordered all the soldiers to be combat-ready. All the mecha operators would board their mechas and wait in the mecha hold.
The atmosphere in Base Nebula was tense. No one knew why they needed to be prepared when they were in such a safe location. They hadn't even left the planetary sector of Base Feiyu. However, Ling Lan was the highest-ranked officer of the base. Their commanding officer, Commander Ye, also chose to listen to him. Hence, everyone still obeyed Ling Lan's order and arrived in their positions.
The fastest team to be prepared was unsurprisingly the Lingtian Independent Army. All the team leaders quickly gathered their team members and waited outside their personal ejection tunnels.
Han Xuya was dispatched to the transport fleet so Lady Mei was currently in charge of the JMC department. During the expansion of the Lingtian Independent Army, Lady Mei performed exceptionally well and was recommended by Han Xuya to be one of the candidates for vice-head. After a series of tests, Lady Mei defeated the other candidates and became the vice-head of the JMC department. She didn't miss the opportunity Han Xuya gave her.
Lady Mei had already brought all the JMCs to their positions. Once Ling Lan gave the order, they would activate the launching ports and eject the mechas out.
This was Lady Mei's first time handling such an important mission. She looked calm but her tight fist revealed her excitement and uneasiness.
"Mei Mei, you mustn't be anxious. You can't embarrass your head. You mustn't do that." Lady Mei cheered herself on. She respected her head, who was as capable as a man. She hoped that she could complete this mission perfectly to prove that her head's recommendation was correct.
When you respect a person, you won't want the said person to be disappointed or questioned. This was how Lady Mei felt towards Han Xuya. Anyone could be disappointed in her but Han Xuya. Other people could question her but they couldn't question Han Xuya.
Although the atmosphere of Base Nebula was tense, nothing amiss could be detected from its appearance. It continued to move forward slowly and lazily.
Meng Lan controlled the radars in Base Nebula and diligently searched the areas around them. Since this mission was taken by Meng Lan, Little Four started capturing all the signals around them, hoping to find some useful information.
Base Nebula proceeded safely for ten minutes. Their surroundings were quiet. It seemed as though there wasn't any ambush.
Li Lanfeng frowned. Were they wrong?
"Don't be anxious. This is just the start." Ling Lan was calmer.
"I'm afraid that problems might occur if we wait for too long." Li Lanfeng knew that the soldiers below them were just normal people. They would be tired when they maintained a state of high alert for a long period of time. If their enemy attacked them while their pilots were fatigued, it would be disastrous.