546 - 554

Chapter 546 - Decision!

Xie Yi and his dark alter ego nodded. They were attracted by the scene happening below and thus neither of them said anything. Humans would have no recollection of anything that happened to them before they turned three years old, but this did not mean that memories prior that age did not exist; they were merely hidden deep within the mind. Only someone like Ling Lan who learned spiritual control would be able to dig those memories out.

A young father walked over hugging a baby.

"It's my father," Xie Yi said excitedly.

"Elders of the family, my child was born. I have brought him here today." Xie Yi's father went forwards and bowed to the elders. Xie Yi realized that there were seven elders in front of his father.

One of them waved at Xie Yi amiably. "Come, Xie Ling, carry him over here and let me take a look."

Xie Yi's father carefully passed the baby to the elder. The elder touched Xie Yi and smiled happily. "Not bad, he has a good physique. Little Seven, it is up to you now."

Another elder took over Xie Yi. He closed his eyes as he touched Xie Yi's head. After a few seconds, he opened them. He looked excited yet grim. "The two egos in this child are both very strong."

The rest of the elders had been relaxed at the start, but upon hearing this, their eyes lit up and they looked at Xie Ling simultaneously.

Xie Ling was happy at hearing that his child had two strong egos, but after a while, he appeared to be in a dilemma.

Normally, when a child from the Xie family was born, one of the two egos would be stronger than the other and thus the elders of the family would seal the one that was weaker. There were also some children who had two equally strong egos. This kind of child had a greater talent and would become the pillars of the Xie family. In these cases, however, the elders would have trouble choosing which ego to seal.

Xie Ling struggled for a long time before asking carefully, "Elder Seven, can I see the two energies?" Xie Ling didn't make a hasty decision. He had been looking forward to the arrival of Xie Yi for a very long time. As a father, he wanted to choose the best one for his child.

Elder Seven nodded and accepted his request. Every elder of the Xie family knew a secret technique. Elder Seven's technique allowed him to see the energy of different egos, as well as to replicate it.

Very soon, two energy bodies appeared on Elder Seven's hand. One of them was very cold, while the other was hot.

One of the elders felt the two energies and said, "Xie Ling, I think that we should keep this ego." He pointed at the cold energy. "Someone with such energy would be calm and mature. In other words, it would be harder for the devil in his heart to appear and damage the seal. I can foresee him becoming the most important pillar of our Xie family."

The other elders nodded in agreement to his words.

Xie Ling didn't reply but instead looked at the two energy bodies and hesitated again. In the end, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to clear the thoughts in his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were already cold and determined—he had made his decision.

He suddenly knelt down and said to the seven elders, "Please forgive me for my selfishness. I choose to seal this ego." He pointed at the cold energy that the elders had recommended him to keep.

Xie Ling's words caused a change in the expressions of all the elders, who exchanged glances with one another. They hadn't expected Xie Ling to make this decision at all. The entire main hall was silent for a while, after which the oldest elder said, "Xie Ling, you have to think carefully. If you choose the other ego, there is a high chance that the devil in his heart will appear and that will cause our seal to be destroyed. If your child doesn't have the ability to suppress his other ego, he will become crazy. He might even become a formidable, frightening monster. If that happens, we will have to kill him. Your decision might end up killing your child."

Xie Ling was indifferent. He nodded his head. "I understand and know that if I make this decision, Xie Yi will have a hard time in the future. However, I want to have a happy and optimistic child. This is my selfish motive. Please fulfil my wish." Xie Ling kowtowed to show his determination.

The oldest elder stared at Xie Ling for a few seconds and saw how resolutely Xie Ling was kneeling on the ground; there was no hesitation to be found on him. The elder sighed lightly and said, "Up to you. I hope that you will not regret it the next time."

"Thank you, elder!" Xie Ling raised his head. There was no regret in his expression. The elders knew that this decision could not be changed anymore.

Once two equally strong egos appeared, the father had the right to make the decision—even the elders of the family couldn't interfere with his choice. This was the rule passed down from their ancestors. Hence, although the seven elders were dissatisfied with the decision, they had to follow the rules. There was nothing they could do. The seven elders worked together to seal the cold ego. Afterward, they passed Xie Yi to Xie Ling and chased him out of the old residence.

The elders were furious. They couldn't do anything even though they knew that Xie Ling was making a mistake; they could only chase him out so that they wouldn't be able to see him. What they didn't see couldn't hurt them. Xie Ling was already lucky that they didn't kick him out.

Xie Ling left the old residence and the scene changed.

The dark alter ego stood beside Xie Yi, feeling hurt. "So father likes you. He doesn't want me!" His eyes turned red and his emotions became unstable. He was on the brink of going berserk.

"Continue looking. That isn't the end!" Ling Lan shouted when she saw what was happening. Her shout woke the dark alter ego up like a thunderbolt and his emotions disappeared. He felt calmed.

"My father has already given up on me, right? What else is there?" The dark alter ego turned his head to glare at Ling Lan. That was no way to tell a lie—he was no idiot.

The scene changed again.

"This is my house," Xie Yi said. He hadn't known that his house never changed in the least over the past 19 years. It looked exactly the same as the present house he lived in.

"The answer will be revealed soon," Ling Lan said calmly, looking at the dark alter ego.

Xie Ling placed Xie Yi on a small bed and looked at his son in a daze, tears falling down his cheeks.

"I am sorry," Xie Ling whispered. "I know what the sealed world looks like. It is a cold, quiet and oppressive world. The warm Xie Yi will not be able to survive there. Once I seal him, he will definitely turn crazy and fall into self-ruin. However, I know that you can do it. You are calm and mature. WIth anger and hate, you will be able to live in that world."

Chapter 547 - Thank you!

The dark alter ego was stunned upon hearing his father's words. His father knew what the sealed world was like, but only a sealed ego would know this—how did he know? Xie Yi was shocked as well. His father had chosen him because the former knew that he would never be able to survive in the sealed world.

"Both of you are my children and I can't bear to give up either. I am a selfish person. I want to give everything to my child, not just half the world, so I can only let you suffer. You are the best so you will definitely be stronger than the warm Xie Yi in the future.

"I picked the warm Xie Yi because I believe in his kindness and optimism. When he discovers your existence, he will not kill you—he will find a way to keep you and solve this problem. This is the one thing that you can never do. You are cold and logical, so you will always choose the best path for yourself. You will not take any risks and this is why I can't choose you. The secret technique of the Xie family seals the dark alter ego safely…"

Xie Ling reached out and caressed Xie Yi's forehead. "However, the kind and vibrant Xie Yi will let the devil in his heart appear easily. The seal will be destroyed, but I hope that during that time, you will be able to direct all your hate on me and live well together with the warm Xie Yi. I believe that the warm Xie Yi will be willing to do so as well."

Xie Ling gazed at Xie Yi remorsefully, merely sitting where he was in a daze for a few minutes. He only regained his senses when Xie Yi started crying, quickly hugging and coaxing him…

Ling Lan snapped her fingers and the scene in front of them disappeared. The next second, they were back in the sealed world.

"This is the truth? He sacrificed me so that he could live??" The dark alter ego looked cold and angry. He found it funny that his father had given him up to keep the weaker ego alive.

"In actual fact, your father understand the two of you very well. You're still alive. Although you're a little malicious, you aren't a lunatic yet," Ling Lan said calmly.

"But why did I have to suffer for so many years because of him?" The dark alter ego sneered. He hated his father and Xie Yi even more now.

"You father said that it was because he wanted you two to be stronger," Ling Lan explained.

"I will become stronger if he is alive? What a joke." The dark alter ego was unable to accept her explanation.

"You know that it's the truth." Ling Lan stared at the dark alter ego coldly. The dark alter ego was speechless.

"This point was proven when you worked together with Xie Yi just now. Your father must have been clear about this," Ling Lan continued.

Xie Yi eyes started glowing and he interrupted Ling Lan. "Boss, do you mean that my father knew what would happen after the seal was broken?"

Ling Lan nodded. "Yes. My guess is that your father personally broke his own seal and interacted with the sealed ego. He probably worked together with his dark alter ego before, which is how he knew what the sealed world is like and what would happen after the seal is removed. Of course, there is another possibility. Your father might have come to know a little about it due to a good friend of his experiencing something similar.

"You might live a peaceful life without half of your ego and you could still advance quickly. However, removing half of yourself is the same as removing half of your talent—you'll never be able to reach the peak of your potential. Your father knows this so he wanted to give you both the chance of reaching the peak. That is why he chose the best path for you. He didn't care if other people misunderstood him."

Xie Yi was in a daze as he listened to Ling Lan. His face dimmed. "No wonder my father doesn't like to stay at home. I never noticed it the last time, but now that I think about it, he would always take the missions that no one wanted to take. The long, hard and dangerous missions…"

"That's because he's stupid. He brought it on himself," the dark alter ego said angrily. If his father had chosen him at the start, he would not have needed to live such a hard life.

"Don't say bad things about my father," Xie Yi yelled angrily. Xie Yi was brought up by his father and the latter had always loved him. Hence, he couldn't accept his dark alter ego saying bad things about his father. He pounced at the dark alter ego and the two of them broke into a fight, rolling back and forth on the sea.

Ling Lan raised her eyebrows and moved away from them.

Both of them harbored grudges against each other, so it would benefit them if they had a small fight now. Also, Ling Lan felt that boys should fight occasionally; it was a good way of improving their relationship. Xie Yi's egos were both guys so this rule would apply to them.

Xie Yi and the dark alter ego fought for almost half a day before finally getting tired. They lay on the floor together, panting.

Having calmed down, Xie Yi looked at the dark alter ego. He no longer hated or feared his dark alter ego. He opened his mouth and said, "I'm sorry! Thank you!"

The dark alter ego was stunned. He knew what these words meant.

Xie Yi continued, "Father was right. With my personality, I wouldn't have been able to survive a day in this world. I would definitely not have been able to survive for 16 years." He suddenly smiled. "If you were the main ego, I might not have been able to break through the seal for my entire life. There would have only been two endings for me—going crazy or disappearing totally. My endurance isn't as good as yours."

He was not as strong as Luo Lang either. If it was Luo Lang, he would be able to survive in any kind of environment. He had so many personalities inside his mind and every single one of them never gave up pestering and trying to control him. However, he still maintained his personality. He was optimistic and happy. On the other hand, he, Xie Yi, had only one dark alter ego. He would become frustrated, agitated, scared… he felt that he was quite weak. His father's concern was right.

Xie Yi was grateful to his father for all the things he had done. When he thought about this, he felt sorry towards the dark alter ego and was grateful to his dark alter ego as well. His dark alter ego had been sealed for 16 years, yet he still controlled his hatred and anger to work together with him.

The dark alter ego pouted with disdain. "It's good that you know."

He had been fighting Xie Yi for three years, so he knew what kind of person the latter was. Xie Yi would definitely not have been able to survive in this sealed world. Even if the seal was broken accidentally in the future, a crazy or dead Xie Yi would have been no threat to him. However, Xie Yi's boss was right too. Without Xie Yi, he would lose the chance to reach his full potential.

Chapter 548 - Solution?

The two people became quiet again. After a long while, Xie Yi said carefully, "I would like to know how we can solve our problem." His expression was firm. "Mind you, I won't give up this body."

The dark alter ego sneered. "So you'll continue to control this body and I'll continue to live in this world?"

Xie Yi frowned. "That's not what I meant. Boss said just now that we can cooperate with each other. Since that's the case, why not we continue this cooperation?"

"Continue cooperating? How? By releasing me every few days?" The dark alter ego was not pleased.

"I'm not sure either. However, I believe that my boss will know." Xie Yi revealed his trust in Ling Lan through his eyes.

"You think your boss knows everything?" The dark alter ego glanced at Ling Lan with doubt. Although she was very strong and he feared her, he didn't have much hope that she would be able to solve their problem.

"Of course, my boss will definitely find a solution," Xie Yi replied with certainty.

Fine, he was brainwashed! Before the dark alter ego could reply, Xie Yi raised his voice and shouted, "Boss!"

"Yes?" Ling Lan appeared before them within a second and looked at them calmly.

"Boss, do you know how to solve our problem?" Xie Yi asked hopefully.

Ling Lan shook her head. "I'm not sure if my idea will work."

Xie Yi's eyes brightened. His boss had an idea, but she just didn't know if it would work. He knew that his boss was trustworthy. Xie Yi gave the dark alter ego a pleased look, but the latter almost choked in anger.

The dark alter ego sneered at Xie Yi. "He doesn't know if his idea will work yet. What are you being so proud for?"

Xie Yi immediately turned his head towards Ling Lan. He hoped that Ling Lan's idea would be able to give a blow to this arrogant and irritating dark alter ego.

Ling Lan shook her head. Xie Yi seemed to become more stupid after he met his dark alter ego. She was starting to doubt whether merging the two of them was a good idea after all. Xie Yi used to be a smart fellow.

Ling Lan covered her mouth and coughed. She felt that she needed to believe in her comrades and not underestimate them. She said calmly, "We need to find the reason why you two appeared in order to solve the problem."

The dark alter ego nodded at Ling Lan's words, feeling that Xie Yi's boss was still quite responsible. Xie Yi nodded his head furiously, too. As expected of his boss—he was always so thorough.

"From what I see, the spiritual fusion between the two of you will create an extremely strong spiritual power. This spiritual power can cause harm to the body and hence, the body's self-defense mechanism kicked in and split your spiritual power into two before you gained consciousness. That's why you have a split personality. This should be the special ability of the Xie family's bloodline. A lot of babies with strong spiritual power tend to die the moment they're born, while those that manage to survive will have to be bedridden for their entire life."

Ling Lan recalled how she was sick for the entirety of her previous life and she remembered how Li Lanfeng had poor health, too. The reason behind both cases was that they had overly powerful spiritual power. The Xie family's bloodline was actually quite nature-defying, enabling babies with strong spiritual power to survive and have a healthy body. Due to their strong spiritual power, these children would learn things faster, too.

However, you need to pay for what you get. If the descendants of the Xie family wanted to become strong, they needed to face the so-called devil in their hearts, which was their sealed alter ego. This process was very ingenious.

"The awakening of your alter ego proves that your body was strong enough to hold your other personality," Ling Lan explained seriously to Xie Yi. "Your body had the extra energy to handle the sealed ego, which was why your dark alter ego appeared.

"In other words, there is no such thing as a devil in your heart." Ling Lan's analysis was so shocking to Xie Yi that he gaped widely.

"Of course this is true. How could he be the devil in your heart? You didn't know of his existence before this, did you? I don't believe that you never made mistakes or felt regret in your childhood. Why did he only appear now?" Devil in the heart? What lie was this? Ling Lan didn't believe in such things at all.

Xie Yi smiled bitterly and then opened his mouth to speak. "The elders say that the negative feelings in us would accumulate and forced the devil in our heart out at a certain point…"

"Good explanation. Do you believe that?" Ling Lan asked indifferently.

Xie Yi pondered over it seriously before replying in a helpless tone. "If you hadn't told me all this, I would have." The elder's explanation was never doubted at all. No one had ever analyzed the explanation carefully. The members of their family all thought that since the elders had plenty of experience, whatever they said had to be right.

Xie Yi looked at Ling Lan with a firm expression. He trusted his boss. "But I think what you say makes more sense." He turned to look at his dark alter ego, who was deep in thought. "What do you think?"

The dark alter ego raised his head to nod at Ling Lan. "I thought about it. What you said should be the truth." He agreed with Ling Lan's analysis.

"Since you two belong together, why not merge together again? There shouldn't be any problem with that," Ling Lan suggested.

"There will still be a main ego. I'm not willing to bow down to him." The dark alter ego raised his objection first. His arrogance did not allow him to bow down to anyone, not even his other self.

Ling Lan smirked. "I didn't say that Xie Yi would be the main ego after the merging." She herself was not sure what would happen after they merged.

The dark alter ego looked at Ling Lan with a puzzled expression. "I looked into Xie Yi's memory and there's a person called Luo Lang. His personality is the main ego while his alter egos listen to him."

Ling Lan replied calmly, "In Luo Lang's case, he awakened his innate talent. Those aren't his alter egos. He uses a summoning technique—Spiritual Possession. Your case is completely different from his."

The dark alter ego was smart and immediately understood. "You mean that since Xie Yi and I belonged as a whole, you're not sure who'll become the main ego after we merge?"

Ling Lan nodded her head. "Yes. This is why I don't know whether it'll work or not. I don't know what will happen after the merging." They might not even be able to have their own thoughts anymore, but this was something Ling Lan would never tell them.

Xie Yi and the dark alter ego fell deep into their thoughts. Ling Lan's method had its risk—no one knew what the outcome would be. It could fail, or it could succeed. They could even end up becoming a completely different person…

Chapter 549 - Merge!

Xie Yi was the first to look up from his thoughts. He said to Ling Lan, "Boss, I'm willing to merge." If he didn't merge, he would need to suppress the dark alter ego. However, he didn't hate the dark alter ego. He had now seen the world that the dark alter ego lived in and couldn't bear to let him continue living in it. His father was right—he was too soft-hearted.

The dark alter ego looked at Xie Yi in disbelief. "Your boss said you might not be the main ego in the end. Why are you still willing to merge?"

Xie Yi smiled. His smile was bright and vibrant just as before. "If you become the main ego, it must be because you are stronger than me. I can accept that." Xie Yi was speaking the truth. If he couldn't even win against his dark alter ego, who had only held his body for a few minutes, he felt that he would have no rights to be the main ego.

The dark alter ego stared at Xie Yi intently. After a few seconds, he turned his head and said to Ling Lan, "Since he's willing to take the risk, I have nothing to worry about either." Ling Lan was very powerful. If Xie Yi chose to suppress him, Ling Lan would definitely help Xie Yi. The dark alter ego knew that at that time, he would be sealed again and this seal would be stronger than the one before. He might not be able to break it at all…

Xie Yi's decision had given him another path. He finally understood what his father's last words meant. Xie Yi was a soft-hearted person. Xie Yi gave him a chance to live after he broke the seal. If he had been the main ego, he would have calculated all his gains and losses and chosen the path that benefited him the most. He would not have given Xie Yi any chances.

As the dark alter ego felt gratitude, the hatred and anger in his heart disappeared. The two people began to grow closer to one another in front of Ling Lan…

"Open your minds and accept one another." Ling Lan's cold voice rang beside their ears and they followed her words. Xie Yi accepted the dark alter ego's negative emotions and the dark alter ego accepted Xie Yi's life in the past 19 years.

"So this is how painful it felt to stay here alone… but all of that is going to end soon. You'll have an interesting life just like mine in the future. I'll accompany you for the rest of your life."

"So you have negative emotions, too. Your life wasn't all happy and smooth. You also had your downs." When the dark alter ego saw the memories of how Ling Lan tormented Xie Yi till he almost died, he laughed silently. "Will I be able to experience all this as well?"

"Yes, we're supposed to be together. You only slept for a few years and missed out on that period. But my memories are yours, just like how your memories are mine, too."

"We'll learn and grow together!" Xie Yi and the dark alter ego smiled at each other, following which they turned into two balls of mist, which began to intertwine. Gradually, a new human figure was formed.

"What will Xie Yi's personality be like?" Ling Lan thought curiously. She wanted to smile but got a shock instead. She waved her finger and a piece of cloth wrapped around the human figure.

What the hell. Did the new human figure have to be naked? Ling Lan was once again reminded that she was a female. She didn't have what the other party had.

Xie Yi abruptly opened his eyes and, noticing the cloth wrapped around him, waved his hand. The cloth disappeared. Ling Lan appeared in front of him. He smiled and cried out, "Boss!"

"Wear your clothes." A cold voice entered his ear.

Xie Yi looked down and he patted his forehead while laughing. He was grateful for his boss' thoughtfulness which prevented him from feeling awkward. He snapped his fingers and his school uniform appeared on him. He looked at himself and made sure that he was presentable before crying out again, "Boss, I'm done."

Ling Lan turned around to look at Xie Yi and asked calmly, "How do you feel?"

Xie Yi took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes, enjoying his current state of being. "I feel good. My body feels energized." He widened his eyes and looked at Ling Lan seriously as he continued, "I want to fight you again. I want to see if you're worthy of my loyalty."

"Loyalty?" Ling Lan raised her eyebrows. "I don't lack people who are loyal to me."

"Like how I was in the past?" Xie Yi gave a sinister smile.

"That's my comrade." Ling Lan walked closer to Xie Yi. Her eyes pierced right into his gaze and he couldn't maintain his smile anymore.

"Aren't you sad that I'm the one here?" Xie Yi tried to force out a smile again. He had made a deal with Xie Yi; he needed to find out what Xie Yi was to Ling Lan.

"He is him, you are you. Is there a difference?" Ling Lan replied indifferently. "I believe him. He won't disappoint me."

"Unfortunately, he lost. He was taken over by me. Your comrade has disappeared." Xie Yi retracted his smile and cold insanity filled his eyes.

Xie Yi's words didn't anger Ling Lan. She reached out to calmly fix Xie Yi's tie, following which she lightly touched Xie Yi's clothes as if she were patting some dust away. After doing all this, she said, "If you want to understand me and understand my relationship with Xie Yi, stay alive. Find and feel it for yourself."

Xie Yi's eyes turned red and tears silently fell from his eyes. "Can I still live?"

"Of course. As long as you want to live, you can. Merging doesn't mean that one of you has to die. You two can live together," Ling Lan replied sincerely.

"I want to live, I want to live…" Xie Yi repeated these words over and over again.

"Continue to live then." Ling Lan hugged Xie Yi tightly and patted his back hard.

Xie Yi's expression became more firm. When he opened his eyes again, the cold insanity in them was gone—his eyes were calm. He raised his head to look at Ling Lan and smiled. "Boss, you're hugging me too tightly. It hurts."

Ling Lan let go of Xie Yi and carefully examined him. She nodded after a while. "Doesn't look bad."

"Isn't it better if I destroy the dark alter ego?" Xie Yi asked unhappily.

"Destroying him won't solve anything," Ling Lan replied nonchalantly. "Also, you can't destroy him. I think that he will most likely destroy you instead."

"Then why didn't you believe him just now?" Xie Yi was curious.

"Because you can't bear to destroy him," Ling Lan replied.

"Not fun at all. How did you know that the personality I showed just now wasn't me?" Xie Yi felt unhappy.

"By feeling," Ling Lan answered. Before Xie Yi could ask anything again, she said, "Since your problem is solved, let's go back now." She snapped her fingers and the both of them disappeared from Xie Yi's mindscape.

Chapter 550 - Recoil!

In the cockpit of his mecha, Xie Yi's eyes suddenly moved and he came back to life.

"We're back again. Your world is very uncomfortable," Xie Yi complained.

"Ling Lan is very powerful! Of course he's powerful. He's my boss. He's not my boss yet… wait!" Xie Yi rubbed at his eyebrows as he talked to himself, and then he worriedly continued, "We need to discuss how we'll be communicating from now on. It's okay right now since there's only the two of us here, but it would be quite strange if we talked like this in front of someone else."

"What shall we do then? Do you want me to disappear?"

"Of course not. My boss doesn't want you to disappear either. Can we not talk and use our consciousness to communicate instead?" Xie Yi replied.

"We can try. Using my consciousness? I always did that in the sealed world."

"It's good that you don't have a problem, but I do. Let me try to use my consciousness to talk. My consciousness, consciousness." Xie Yi started hypnotizing himself.

"Pfft…" Xie Yi laughed.

"I said to use the consciousness to talk. Why are you laughing out loud? I know you're laughing at me." Xie Yi got angry.

"I get it. I'll laugh at you in my consciousness." Xie Yi rolled his eyes. The next second, the cockpit fell into silence.

"I'm extremely curious as to whether Luo Lang and his alter egos are also as lively when they talk to each other."

…

"Hey, why aren't you speaking?"

"Hey, why are you so quiet. Don't tell me you disappeared. This isn't funny at all." Xie Yi got anxious.

"You were the one who asked me to stop talking."

"I asked you to stop talking verbally, not to stop talking through your mind. Is it fun to scare me like this?" Xie Yi was furious. The dark alter ego was not fun at all. He admired Luo Lang. He admired that face that he could subdue all his alter egos while he himself could only be played around by his other personality. Xie Yi started to respect Luo Lang even more. He decided to learn from Luo Lang and not let the dark alter ego bullied him anymore.

Luo Lang? He had to go and understand this person whom Xie Yi respected so much… the other Xie Yi thought secretly. Doesn't the other Xie Yi know that he would know what he is thinking? Erm, it should be the same the other way round as well…

The two different Xie Yi were confused. They had just merged and so Xie Yi was not able to grasp the switching of the two personalities yet. Hence, this would always happen. This was one of the hidden treasures of Ling Lan's battle team in the future and something that every new member wanted to see. Lin Zhong-qing made this into a reward which could be redeemed with battle points. Because of this, Xie Yi became a legend in the battle clan.

"Beep, beep. Lingtian No. 8 has lost and is out of the battle." All the participants in the competition received this announcement. Leiting didn't have any reaction, but the members of Lingtian were astounded.

Lingtian No. 8 was the mecha controlled by their boss—Ling Lan.

Tang Yu also realized this and was shocked; he couldn't believe what had happened. In actual fact, they hadn't even witnessed the scene of Lingtian No. 8 fighting. Did Ling Lan accidentally log out of Mecha World? Was he forced to log out due to his login pod short-circuiting?

The members of Lingtian understood what had happened quickly. Did someone win against their boss? That was impossible. Everyone rejected this speculation.

Ling Lan opened her login pod in her villa. Her face was pale. She wanted to get up, but blood gushed up her throat and she spat it out. The login pod was stained with her blood.

"Boss, are you okay?" Little Four shouted in concern through her mindscape.

Ling Lan quickly started practicing her Qi exercises and slowly recuperated. Her massive headache got better, too. After a long time, Ling Lan opened her eyes and gave a forced smile. "I was still too rash."

Her energy was not enough for her to execute the top-tier technique of the Divine Command sect—Invasion of Dreams. She had forced herself too much and got hurt; her spirit was heavily injured. She was kicked out of the competition by the mainframe due to no longer being able to operate her mecha.

Invasion of Dreams was a dangerous technique, to both the user and target. If someone forcefully executed this technique, they would be heavily injured and might injure their brain—it could even render that person brain-dead. It was similar to what spectres were capable of, but was more powerful as it could be used in the real world.

Invasion of Dreams required the user to use their spiritual power to enter another's spiritual world and read their memories. A powerful person could change a person's memory. They could even destroy a person's spiritual world. The victim would either injure the brain or turned brain-dead. This was similar to the abilities of the spectres in the virtual world.

The Divine Command sect was able to survive because they only passed this technique to one disciple in each generation. This disciple would be taught personally to prevent the secret from being leaked. If they didn't do this, the different countries would definitely kill them as they would not allow this formidable technique to exist. Even if there were survivors, they would become the secret weapons of a nation.

Of course, this formidable technique could not be executed so easily. According to the requirements set by the Divine Command sect, it was necessary to reach the peak realm, which was half step to God-Realm, in order to execute this technique. Otherwise, the user would be seriously injured.

Ling Lan would not endanger herself. However, she had carried out research with Little Four and realized that in the virtual world where everyone was using their spiritual power, she would be able to execute Invasion of Dreams with Little Four's help and enter the spiritual world of others.

This conclusion allowed Ling Lan to make a plan. Ling Lan knew that she needed to enter Xie Yi's spiritual world in order to solve his problem—to meet the other Xie Yi. She was unable to do this in reality, but she could do so in the virtual world.

However, the dark alter ego was very scared of Ling Lan and didn't give her any chances to invade his spiritual world. Ling Lan had no choice but to find other ways to catch him off his guard. In the end, Ling Lan chose to do it during the challenge.

The results proved that her plan was a success. The dark alter ego appeared and she managed to enter his spiritual world successfully.

However, she had still underestimated the recoil of this technique. She had forced herself to stay till the end, but by the time Xie Yi merged with his dark alter ego, she could not support herself anymore and ended her conversation with him.

Chapter 551 - Work Hard For Me!

"Boss, you were too rash." Little Four reprimanded Ling Lan upon seeing her condition improving.

"I didn't expect the recoil to be so strong," Ling Lan replied innocently.

"Don't lie to me. If you didn't reenact Xie Yi's memory, the recoil wouldn't have been this strong." Reenacting the memory required an abundance of spiritual power. Ling Lan was already pushing herself when she used Invasion of Dreams. She was lucky that she didn't get worse injuries.

Little Four got scared by the thought and started tearing up.

Ling Lan blinked. She wanted to change the topic, but when she saw the fear and remorse in Little Four's eyes, she apologized to him instead. "I'm sorry that I let you worry. I won't let myself get hurt again. Don't worry about me." She reached out and touched Little Four's head, feeling grateful for his concern.

Little Four's anxiousness taught Ling Lan a lesson and she told herself to prepare well before doing anything in the future. She could not let the people who loved and cared for her worry again.

Ling Lan saw that Little Four was still sad and quickly changed the topic. She asked, "Do you think that our clan can win the challenge?"

Little Four stopped crying and answered her seriously. "Although you got kicked out of the challenge, Leiting No. 1 is out of the battle too. If Qi Long maintains his normal standard, the other members of Leiting Mecha Clan won't be able to win against him if they fight one-on-one."

"I think that there's no way our clan will lose." Little Four raised his head proudly. The Lingtian Battle Clan had grown into a clan full of special-class operators. They were able to become the pillars of the Lingtian clan. His boss was not the only strong person in the team now.

"Everyone has grown up. I can let go now." Ling Lan stood up, walked to the window and looked at the scenery outside her house. She had been staying here for more than two years. Now that her team members had grown stronger, she could focus on herself.

Little Four was puzzled at Ling Lan's words. "Boss, what do you mean?"

"Closed-door meditation," Ling Lan replied with a smile. She had wanted to meditate so that she could merge all the things she had learned during this period of time. However, before this, there were too many things on her heart and she was not able to meditate in peace. The challenge this time was not only the start of her plans to unify the military academy, but it was also a challenge she posed for the clan. She wanted to know if they could operate all by themselves.

This was also why she crossed realms to help Xie Yi solve his problem. Ling Lan liked to settle everything properly and make sure that nothing was left to chance; it was the only way she could put her heart at ease. According to her analysis, this trait was inherited from her mother. Actually, her real age was around the same as her mother. People of this age liked to concern themselves with everything. It was hard for her to change.

Little Four's eyes lit up, his face filled with surprise. "Boss, are you…"

Ling Lan nodded. "It's time."

It was time for her to stop protecting her teammates and let them battle with the other factions themselves. No matter what the result was, it would hasten their growth.

"But you're going to unify the military academy soon. If you meditate now and they lose, your efforts will all be wasted." Little Four worried about leaving the situation in the hands of others.

Ling Lan smiled gently and flicked Little Four's forehead. "Do you think that I honestly want to become the king of the military academy?"

Little Four rubbed at his forehead, confused.

"If I don't give them a goal to work towards, they won't have the motivation to become stronger. Being the king of the military academy is a goal that's big enough for them to work hard for," Ling Lan explained. She was not an arrogant person. She would not have done this without a valid reason.

"So, let's make them work hard for me and for the goal." Ling Lan gave a brilliant smile, which brightened up her face, too. Mesmerized, Little Four suddenly wiped at the corners of his mouth. My boss shouldn't smile too much.

The battle between Lingtian and Leiting didn't end due to the exit of Tian Jiajun and Ling Lan. After a few hours of fighting and ambushing, the Lingtian Mecha Clan won against the Leiting Mecha Clan with three members surviving the battle.

This meant that the Leiting Mecha Clan, which had been around for a few hundred years, would be disbanded and merged entirely into the Lingtian Mecha Clan. The name "Leiting" was merely history now. Some new members of Leiting might build another Leiting Mecha Clan in the future, but it would not be the same clan as before. It would be a new mecha clan.

Everyone thought that there was no stopping of Lingtian after they defeated Leiting, but it was during such a time that Ling Lan announced her closed-door meditation.

This news caused an uproar among the people in the military academy. Everyone felt that Ling Lan made the wrong decision, that she chose the worst time to meditate. If she had gone to meditate a few months later, she would have been able to lead the Lingtian Mecha Clan in destroying all the other factions and become the king of the military academy. Her name would have gone down in the school's history as a true hero.

Many felt that Ling Lan made a wrong decision, but the other mecha clans were relieved; they felt hopeful about being able to win against the Lingtian Mecha Clan. This change made it difficult to predict the results of the future battles, but Ling Lan had achieved the results that she wanted.

A human would only treasure the things that he or she fought hard for. The Lingtian Mecha Clan needed this training.

After Ling Lan went into meditation, Lingtian battled with many other mecha clans. The former Leiting special-class operators were still angry about the merger, so the members who participated in the battles were all operators from the original Lingtian Mecha Clan.

Although the Lingtian Mecha Clan did not have as many special-class mecha operators as the rest of the factions, they learned from Ling Lan's tactics and knew how to make the situation advantageous to them. Hence, the Lingtian Mecha Clan always chose the twelve-man team challenge mode. They did not give the other factions a chance for them to use their numbers against them.

Chapter 552 - Close Combat King!

The first match that took place after Ling Lan was gone was the match between the Lingtian Mecha Clan and Tianji Mecha Clan. The Tianji Mecha Clan was the third faction in the military academy. They had always been one rank below Lingtian Mecha Clan. They had a greater number of mecha operators as compared to Lingtian and the quality of their mecha operators was better too. Many people felt that Lingtian Mecha Clan would lose this battle and give up their first-rank position.

At the start of the battle, the Lingtian Mecha Clan was taken by surprise and five of their members were eliminated within an hour. The people felt that their prediction was true.

However, the remaining seven members were not agitated at all. Their mentality stayed strong and they remained calm. They used all the methods that could think of to kill their opponent. They told themselves that killing one was their mission and killing two was a bonus. They fought hard and managed to salvage the situation. The score was 2:3 towards the end of the battle. Two Lingtian mechas and three Tianji mechas were left.

The three Tianji mecha operators left were the strongest of the cohort while Qi Long and Luo Lang were the ones who survived.

Lingtian No. 1, Qi Long, was the strongest special-class operator in Lingtian, second only to Ling Lan, but he had only advanced recently. Lingtian No. 4 had also advanced less than half a year ago, so no one thought that they would be able to defeat the three Tianji special-class operators who had been at this level for three years. However, the Lingtian Mecha Clan left everyone in shock once again.

Lingtian No. 1, Qi Long, rose up because of this match. His close combat skills were amazing and frightening. The combined attack of Tianji No.1 and Tianji No. 2 was not able to defeat him. He managed to last till Lingtian No. 4 killed Tianji No. 3. Although Lingtian No. 4 also performed well, he did not get as much recognition as Qi Long. His excellence, calmness, and perfect operation were buried under the hype about Qi Long's close combat skills.

Qi Long didn't lose when facing two mechas and even defeated Tianji No. 1 easily after Luo Lang came to support him. In the end, the two of them killed the last mecha from Tianji and won the competition. The rumors of Lingtian Mecha Clan being a third-rate mecha clan without Ling Lan was broken.

Qi Long's invincible and domineering close combat skills allowed him to gain the approval of the cadets who loved close combat. Some first years and second years even made Qi Long their idol. Before this, a huge portion of the cadets had fallen in love with balanced mecha after seeing Ling Lan's performance in the Grand Mecha Tournament. When they saw Qi Long's performance, they started hesitating and wondered what mecha they truly liked. The cadets took this chance to seriously ponder about their decision and find the right path for themselves. Hence, many juniors of Ling Lan became outstanding mecha operators. Of course, all of this happened in the future so it was not important now.

Qi Long's exceptional performance proved to everyone that the Lingtian Mecha Clan didn't only have Ling Lan—they had Qi Long too.

However, there were more challenges awaiting Lingtian. Qi Long's excellent performance caused the other mecha clans to be on their guard. In the upcoming third match, Lingtian would face the Wuji Mecha Clan who was ranked fourth. The Wuji Mecha Clan made some adjustments to their plan.

Since they didn't have the confidence to defeat Qi Long, Wuji clan chose to pester Qi Long and prevent him from attacking anyone. They sent out a strong long-range mecha operator and succeeded in their plan.

The plan made by Wuji was perfect. The long range mecha operator had taken ample preparation. He maximized the speed of his mecha engine, so Qi Long was not able to hit him. Qi Long could neither attack nor shake him off. There was nothing he could do.

The Wuji Mecha Clan's action enlightened the other mecha clans and they felt more at ease. Qi Long's close combat mecha had its weakness too. It was not as fast as long-range mechas and this was something they could make use of.

Once they held Qi Long up, Wuji Mecha Clan went to attack the other mecha operators of Lingtian without any worry. Wuji was an old faction too. They had a strong foundation. Without Qi Long, Wuji was stronger than Lingtian, and the ensuing battle proved this point. The competition didn't lean to one side and both clans had mechas eliminated. As time passed, however, Lingtian started to have more mecha operators being killed and Wuji started to gain the upper hand…

When the score was at 4:2, Qi Long was still being held back by the long-range mecha, while the other three mecha operators from Wuji went to attack the remaining Lingtian mecha. Everyone expected this mecha to be destroyed, after which Wuji would target Qi Long together. However, a mecha operator from Lingtian unleashed his potential again. This time, it was Xie Yi, the mecha operator who had substituted Ling Lan in the first match that had passed.

Although Xie Yi had used the Chain Combo skill to defeat Tian Jiajun in that match, he was on the losing end from the start and Ling Lan suddenly announced her close door meditation right after the match. With the rose of Qi Long after that, everyone's attention was drawn away and he was ignored. However, a capable individual would always appear in front of everyone again.

Xie Yi didn't get nervous in this dire situation. Unexpectedly, he was calmer than normal and his operating level suddenly rose from the intermediate level to the optimal peak. He used his exceptional skills to defeat two mechas and then self-destructed with the last mecha.

This was the worst battle the Lingtian Mecha Clan had ever experienced. Xie Yi's self-destruction saved Lingtian and angered Qi Long. Qi Long had a breakthrough in his hand speed during this moment. This breakthrough allowed him to catch up with the long range mecha and defeat him. Lingtian won the battle.

If Xie Yi hadn't unleashed his potential and was defeated by the three mechas, Wuji would definitely have won this match. This was a close call for the Lingtian Mecha Clan.

Chapter 553 - Releasing Potential!

After the match, the members of Lingtian felt fortunate. They were lucky that their opponent was Wuji and not Leiting or Tian Ji. Not all the special-class operators from Wuji had reached the peak-level of the special-class. Among the three mecha operators that had surrounded Xie Yi, only one was at peak-level, while the other two were at intermediate-level; this was why Xie Yi was able to stay alive and even defeat two special-class operators while running away. If all of them had been at the peak-level, Xie Yi could at most have defeated two mechas. He would never have been able to bring down the third mecha in a mutual self-destruct.

After reviewing their battle, the Lingtian Mecha Clan finally understood why their boss had chosen to start with the strongest mecha clan first. At the start, their opponents didn't know their true power. As their abilities became revealed to all the other cadets, the mecha clans that had yet to fight with them would carefully analyze them and think of counter-measures. However, since the mecha clans were weaker, Lingtian Mecha Clan would not be defeated easily.

It would have been safer had they chosen to start from the weakest mecha clan, but then the stronger teams would have gained more information on them. If the mecha operators that Xie Yi encountered had all been at peak-level… Luck might allow them to win once, but not twice. If they met a stronger opponent in the next match, they would lose the battle easily.

Han Jijyun looked in the direction of Ling Lan's meditation room and he sighed emotionally. Having realized that the seemingly crazy order of battle was actually the most advantageous to them, he admired his boss' decision-making ability. He would always make decisions with foresight and deliberation.

Although the end of these two matches signaled the end of Lingtian's hardest period, it didn't mean that they would definitely win the matches thereafter. No mecha clan would want to give up their rights and bow down to another mecha clan. They would fight against them no matter how hopeless it seemed.

As expected, in the third match with Dwotong, Dwotong drew a lesson from Wuji and Tianji and sent out their best long-range mechas to hold back Qi Long and Xie Yi who had turned the tables around for the two past matches.

The other ten mecha operators went to kill the rest of Lingtian. The Dwotong Mecha Clan had equipped all their mechas with powerful long-range weapons. They prepared to use the long-range weapons against Qi Long and Xie Yi after killing the other members of Lingtian. That way, they could prevent any chances of having a short-distanced fight with Qi Long and Xie Yi. Dwotong's plan was good, but yet another member of Lingtian released their potential…

"In the third match, Lingtian No. 4, Luo Lang, had an outstanding performance and defeated two mechas in a row. He self-destructs along with a third mecha and Dwotong's plan failed."

"In the fourth match, Lingtian No. 2, Wu Jiong, was really impressive when he self-destructs with an opponent's mecha after defeating another one. LuoJi Mecha Clan got flustered after losing two mechas and Lingtian seized this chance and won the battle."

"In the fifth match, Lingtian No. 7, Lin Zhong-qing, released his potential and defeated two mechas. Afterward, he successfully held back the third mecha and allowed Lingtian to have an advantage in quantity. In the end, Xiling got defeated."

"In the sixth match, Lingtian No. 3, Li Yingjie, amazed everyone by…"

The mecha clans that fought Lingtian in the following matches tried to hold back the members that released their potential, but the new members continued to exceed their expectations. They could not predict who would release their potential next. Hence, they could only be defeated by Lingtian and be merged into the Lingtian Mecha Clan. After Lingtian defeated the top 8 mecha clan of the military academy, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. No one expected Lingtian to fail at unifying the military academy unless the 12 members got a stomach ache on the day of the match and decided not to take part in it…

There were some mecha clans who wanted to poison the Lingtian Mecha Clan in real life. They couldn't do anything to Lingtian in the virtual world, so they hoped that they could hurt them in reality. However, everyone knew that this was impossible. The disciplinary team of the military academy was keeping an eye on them. The disciplinary team wanted to have an opportunity to show the cadets their power to prevent them from forgetting their frightening existence.

After the sixth match ended, Ling Yi walked out of his login pod in silence. He had watched all the six matches.

The other login pods in the room opened soon after him and five people walked out.

"Leader, why did you come out so quickly?" Tao Xiaotao looked shocked. Their leader had always come out last in the first few matches. He always had to rewind the match a few times before he got satisfied.

Ling Yi didn't reply to him. He walked to the washroom and filled the basin with water, following which he suddenly dunked his head into the water and held his breath for a few minutes before looking up again. The water on his hair splashed onto the mirror in front of him. Ling Yi started at his reflection. He could see the doubt in his eyes.

"I'm not qualified." Pain filled Ling Yi's eyes as he widened them. The master that he wanted to protect had so many powerful people around him. Originally, he thought that he had the rights to stand beside him, but now, it just seemed to be his wishful thinking—he was nothing.

"Leader, we are still first years." Yi Tiange walked over and consoled him.

"I'm only one year younger than them, yet the distance between us is vast," Ling Yi said in a low voice, turning around.

"Leader, no one can reach the highest level in just one step. Among the first years, you are outstanding, too. I have looked up information on them. When they were first years, they were no stronger than you are now. We can catch up with them as long as we work hard," Rong Ziruo said as he passed him a towel calmly, seeming confident.

"Yes. When you said that you wanted to bring us into the First Men's Military Academy, everyone laughed and said that you are dreaming. Even we didn't have confidence. However, you did it. We passed the examination and entered together. You can do whatever you want to do. I believe that you can." Tao Xiaotao nodded his head firmly as he said all this. The trust in his eyes warmed up Ling Yi's heart and his self-doubt disappeared.

"Yes, I can do it. If they can do it, I can too." Ling Yi regained his confidence.

Rong Ziruo and Yi Tiange exchanged a glance with each other before looking at Tao Xiaotao and smiling. Although Tao Xiaotao always created trouble and was like a kid that never grew up, his pureness made him sincere and trustworthy. He was an excellent stabilizer to use when other people doubted themselves. It seemed to them that they needed to treat him better from now on.

Chapter 554 - Little Four's Word?

Lingtian faced dangerous battle, but the overall situation was stable. The members of Lingtian gradually got better in their mecha operating skills so as long as they maintained their standard, Lingtian would unify the military academy.

As compared to the good news from Lingtian Mecha Clan, Ling Lan's meditation was not going smoothly.

A few months ago, Ling Lan had managed to merge all her knowledge about mecha piloting and use them smoothly. She was confident that she would be able to make a breakthrough in her hand speed that had been stagnant for over a year. However, she would always lose control at the crucial moment and all her prior efforts would be in vain. She was just a slight distance away from the requirements to advance to an imperial operator.

Ling Lan failed many times and grew slightly frustrated. Why couldn't she make a breakthrough? She was proficient in the basic controls that her father, her instructors and Instructor Number Three of the learning space taught her. She had satisfied all their requirements, so she didn't know what she needed to work on now.

After Ling Lan failed again, she took a deep breath and entered careful contemplation regarding this matter. She knew that she lacked something to achieve her breakthrough, lacked something to become an imperial operator.

"I have nothing that I can practice on anymore and I have completed many dangerous missions in Mecha World. I believe that my temperament has met the requirements as well after so many years of practicing in the learning space… What on earth do I lack?" Ling Lan rubbed her temples and went deep in thought, but she still couldn't figure out what she was lacking.

"Boss, don't be anxious. Why not ask Number Three?" Little Four couldn't bear to see Ling Lan facing any trouble so he quickly shared his opinion, hoping that it would help Ling Lan.

Ling Lan's eyes lit up. "Little Four, you're right. Maybe Instructor Number Three will know what my problem is." Her mecha piloting was mostly taught by Instructor Number Three; thus, if she had any problems, Number Three would definitely know.

Ling Lan controlled her consciousness and entered the learning space. She opened the door to Number Three's room without hesitation and saw Number Three smiling amiably at her. He said, "I thought that you didn't need me anymore."

Ling Lan was speechless. What was her teacher trying to say? He made her sound like an ungrateful person… fine, she was in the wrong anyway. She hadn't thought about seeking help from Instructor Number Three before she meditated herself, so it was understandable that Instructor Number Three would tease her. She deserved it.

Ever since she had finished her lessons with Instructor Number Three when she was 16 years old, she had been figuring things out all by herself for the past two years. This habit made her forget about her Instructor Number Three. She had wasted one month.

Ling Lan knew that she made a mistake, but she didn't feel remorse or regret. One would definitely make some mistakes or do some stupid things in the process of growing up. There was nothing wrong with this. One just needed to learn from it and listen to other people's experiences so as to not make the same mistake again.

Ling Lan's mentality was good. She knew how to criticize herself; hence, she only felt awkward for a moment. Afterward, she asked, "Instructor Number Three, if you can't bear your loneliness, I recommend Instructor Number Five. He'll find a solution for you."

Number Three's smile froze at her words as he remembered how crazy Number Five was and a chill ran down his spine. He knew that Ling Lan had a good relationship with Number Five. Number Five was extremely satisfied with Ling Lan so he would not reject her most of the time. If Ling Lan had a chat with Number Five, the latter would definitely come and find him… he didn't want to offend the scary Number Five. Number Three changed the topic quickly. "Ling Lan, why did you come and find me?" He had been observing Ling Lan, so he knew of her current situation.

"I feel that I'm ready. Yet I can't increase my hand speed for 0.1 seconds. I want to ask whether you know what I am lacking," Ling Lan asked seriously.

Number Three pondered the matter for a while before replying, "You have to understand the reason for yourself. I can't just tell you directly. Let me bring you to experience it."

The moment he finished speaking, Number Three waved his hand and a great force struck Ling Lan, who fell backward and suddenly dropped down.

Ling Lan received a shock upon being hit, but she believed that Number Three would not harm her. She quickly steadied herself and waited for her consciousness to recover.

"Boom." Ling Lan felt herself being slammed into something and then her body was in so much pain it felt as though she was run over by a car. She got the wrong impression that she was back in her past life, the life where she had to endure unbearable pain all day long.

"Hello. Hey, wake up." She felt someone slapping her face lightly. Ling Lan opened her eyes and saw a young man with sharp ears, blue eyes, golden hair, and some wrinkles on his face. The man was looking at her worriedly.

"Elf?" Ling Lan was stunned for a moment. Did she transmigrate again? Before she could think any further, the explosion beside her shocked her.

"Lan Si, you are finally awake. This is great," The young man exclaimed happily upon seeing Ling Lan opening her eyes.

"Who are you?" Ling Lan regained her calmness. She knew that this was probably an illusion that the learning space had created. She had been through many missions in the learning space and seen many different people. They were all human beings that took the form of people she saw in real life. However, this world looked like that of Greek mythology. The explosions and smoke in the air reminded her that she was not in a world of myth; it was a modern battlefield.

"I am Ji Sheng. Did you hurt your head when you flew away due to the explosion just now?" shouted the young man called Ji Sheng. "Ah, Lan Si, this is bad."

"Shut up. My head is hurting. It'll get worse if you scream any more. Tell me what's happening here." Ling Lan shot a cold glance at Ji Sheng, who became frightened.

Ji Sheng covered his mouth immediately and shook his head.

"What is this place? What year is this? What are we doing? Why did I faint?" Ling Lan threw a series of questions at Ji Sheng and asked him to reply.

Ji Sheng replied honestly. He wanted to help his friend regain his memory faster so he put down the hands covering his mouth and said quickly, "This is the Mandora star system, planet No. 113. We are in the Mandora star calendar, year 44443-7327. We are fighting against the T21 division. We collided with two enemy planes just now, but we managed to parachute out. Just as we were planning to go back to our base, a missile landed right beside us and you were thrown off by the force. You landed on your head and fainted afterward. I called out to you for a long time before you woke up."

"Mandora? King mecha learning device?" Ling Lan was shocked. Wasn't Mandora the place where Little Four came from? Was this Little Four's world?

"Ah, Lan Si, are you starting to remember everything? You are right. After birth, we would be equipped with the king mecha learning device. We would then wait for the learning device to be activated," Ji Sheng replied to her happily.

"I have some impression now. However, there are still some gaps in my memory," Ling Lan replied calmly with a frown.

Ji Sheng, on the other hand, was very happy. Lan Si was getting better. He didn't recall much, but it was better than nothing.

"The activation of the learning system depends on our innate talent. The stronger your innate talent, the earlier the system will activate. The fastest time recorded was 15 months after childbirth. Of course, that child is an anomaly and will definitely become one of the most powerful king mecha operators in the future," Ji Sheng continued. He was envious of that child. His own innate talent was merely normal and so he had activated the learning system when he was 8 years old. He had just become an intermediate mecha warrior.

"I remember this. I want to know who our enemies are and where they come from." Ling Lan stopped Ji Sheng from continuing this topic.

Ling Lan remembered Little Four mentioning how powerful the Mandora star system was. The star systems around them were not their match at all. However, without the experiences on the battlefield, the military strength of a nation would deteriorate. In order to maintain their strength and continue producing outstanding warriors, the Mandora star system combined all their technology and invented the learning system. It allowed the people of the Mandora star system to experience battles in the learning system and henceforth become a mecha expert. Some might even become a king mecha operator.

However, the Mandora star system was experiencing an attack now. There was something amiss going on.

Ji Sheng's expression dimmed at Ling Lan's question. "The king mecha learning device is very cruel. The elimination rate is as high as 30%. Some people even ended up harming their brain and becoming mentally disabled because they couldn't handle the vicious training. Because of this, a portion of the people protested. They felt that this was a scheme by the intelligence entities who wanted to control the humans and build their own nation."

"Intelligence entity?" Was he referring to Little Four and her instructors in the learning space?

"Yes. The Mandora star system is made up of two kinds of people. One group is made up of Mandora citizens like us and the other contains the intelligence entities. They were just an intelligent system at the start, but they evolved and started to have their own consciousness. We worked together and created this strong and powerful Mandora star system. To show that the Mandora citizens accepted them wholeheartedly, we used the current mainframe's name to name the current era. The name would only change when the next mainframe takes over."

"If that's what happened, why did the people feel that the intelligence entities wanted to control the humans? Survival of the fittest is an old law of nature. They could not suspect the intelligence entities just because of this," Ling Lan asked curiously.

"Someone suggested that the implantation of the learning system was a scheme by the intelligence entities to control the Mandora citizens. The intelligence entities could kill anyone that resisted against them using the learning system's chip. After some time, a huge bunch of important talents died suddenly from an explosion in their brain. It almost destroyed an entire generation. People started suspecting that the intelligence entities were killing talents among the Mandora people to prepare for their takeover. General Liya also found evidence to support this hypothesis, so the Mandora citizens were enraged and killed all the intelligence entities…" Ji Sheng didn't believe that this was the truth. There was doubt in his eyes. However, he was just a normal person and his opinion would not affect the war at all. The only thing he could do was follow the flow of the crowd.

"Hence, the war started. We are fighting against the intelligence entities." Ling Lan already knew what happened in the Mandora star system, but she was not sure what the result was. Who won the war?

If the intelligence entities won and Little Four knew about this war, he must have been produced after it happened. If that was the case, why did the intelligence entities continue implanting learning systems in humans? Was it just to cultivate mecha operators? Were they not afraid that humans would go against them again? Were they really aiming to control the Mandora citizens?

Cold sweat fell down her forehead, but Ling Lan regained her senses and calmed down instantly. She rejected this line of thought. She could feel Little Four's sincerity, which was not something that could be faked. Her instructors were strict and vicious, but their motive was clear; to make her stronger, with the exception of Number Five.

Did the Mandora citizens win, after which the rulers of the country used the learning system again because they knew the benefits it could give? No, if the Mandora citizens won, the rulers would not have gone back on their words. The only possibility was that the learning system was implanted in a small number of people. For instance, their secret military forces…

Ling Lan felt that she had correctly guessed the sequence of events. She felt that the Mandora citizens were stupid, but she was one of them now. She had no choice but to fight with the Mandora citizens.

Having gotten the information she wanted, Ling Lan returned to the base camp with Ji Sheng. They returned to their mecha clan. After resting for two days, they received a new order.

There were 6 people in each mecha clan. Ling Lan was in the same clan as Ji Sheng. There were 4 other mecha operators and they were all intermediate mecha warriors. They were only brought into the army because there were too many warriors on the intelligence team. Almost all the Mandora citizens were mobilized for this war.

Ling Lan got onto her mecha. She was familiar with the Mandora star system's mechas. Number Three had asked her to research about Mandora star system's mechas to understand the difference between a good and bad mecha. Ling Lan fiddled with the machine for a few minutes and familiarized herself with the control.

Ji Sheng was shocked when he saw Lan Si operating the mecha so smoothly. "Lan Si, when did your piloting became so good?" They were only able to complete some simple actions and were not able to move their mecha as though it was part of their body.