Chapter 322 - 1442 - 1456

Chapter 1442 Clear Up.

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

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

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

Boom!

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

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

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

"Boss!"

"Lanfeng!"

Zhao Jun shouted in a low and hoarse voice.

"Boss?"

"Boss!"

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

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

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

Soon, a bunch of familiar mechas rushed over.

"Boss, we came in time."

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

"Charge!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Finish them."

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

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

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

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

This must be their leader.

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

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

Chapter 1443 Family Rule Again?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ling Lan smiled slightly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Boss." Luo Lang looked at her worriedly.

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

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

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

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

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

"Zhao Jun," Ling Lan shouted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before he could finish his sentence, he fainted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Huh?"

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1444 What Do You Want To Know.

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

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

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

Something flew out from that direction and towards Elder Father.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes and no." Elder Father sighed deeply.

"What do you mean?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1445 Be Other People"s Chess Pieces

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

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

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

"Caesar." Ling Lan gave a knowing look.

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

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

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

Ling Lan raised her eyebrows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ling Lan frowned slightly.

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

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

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

Ling Lan didn't reply or deny it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Who?" Elder Father was stunned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1446 Extra Episode 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No woman can resist the charms of a beautiful man!

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1447 11th Preserve District?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not long after, everyone read through the report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1448 Find The Answer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The lead was the 11th Preserve District.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1449 What Do You Have Here?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I know."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1450 Gamble!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1451 Not Interested

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

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

The district mayor's expression darkened significantly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You win!" said the district mayor bitterly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luo Lang and Zhao Jun followed suit.

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1452 Trust in Comrades

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1453 It"s Enough

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

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

"Yes, sir!" replied Ling Lan.

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

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

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

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

"Here," Number One's voice echoed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Little Four was going to come back.

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

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

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

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

Just Ling Lan was enough.

1454 Selfish Person.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1455 Evolve?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Instructor Number One!" Ling Lan quickly shouted.

Number One appeared in an instant.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"No," Number Five instantly refused.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1456 There"s Only One Chance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ling Lan nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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