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Chapter 240 - Leiting's Intentions?

"It shouldn't be. The Thunder King is in Closed Door Meditation right now, preparing to advance to ace operator — he should not have the spare time to bother with this sort of trivial thing," Xie Yi suddenly cut in to say.

News of the Thunder King's Closed Door Meditation to advance to ace operator was pretty much known throughout the whole First Men's Military Academy. Even they as new students had also heard a thing or two about it. After all, such a super talent emerging from the military academy — the news was worthy of being widely promoted.

A thought stirred in Ling Lan's mind at those words. She said hurriedly, "Wait, let me think. This may be an opportunity for us to develop."

Ling Lan's words made the group's eyes light up. They suppressed the excitement in their hearts, afraid that they would disturb Ling Lan's train of thought if they spoke up.

Mind you, the new cadet regiment seemed to be doing well right now, without being especially pressured by the other factions. But in reality, those factions were like a sword hanging above their heads — they were constantly under threat. Because they could not know when those factions would decide to make a move to apply pressure on them, to force them to have no choice but to join those factions in the end.

The students of the Central Scout Academy had always been a bunch of extremely talented students, hence they were all extremely prideful. They were unwilling to go against their personal wishes due to external pressure — this was why they had so quickly reached a consensus to establish the new cadet regiment.

Initially, the Central Scout Academy faction which Zhang Jing-an represented would have been a great haven for them. Unfortunately, the grade that Zhang Jing-an represented was the one who had been defeated by them back then in the grand armed melee. Thus, the new cadets did not want to let someone who had once fallen by their hands to lead them now. At the heart of it, they did not think much of Zhang Jing-an — this was also one of the reasons why Zhang Jing-an had failed to convince anyone to join his faction.

Of course, Ling Lan's existence was another reason why they were unwilling to join Zhang Jing-an's faction. If Ling Lan had not been around, many of them would have at least temporarily joined Zhang Jing-an's faction for security due to the pressure. However, Ling Lan had come to the First Men's Military Academy. In the new cadets' eyes, Ling Lan who had led them to victory in the grand armed melee, and who had successfully snatched the administrative rights of the spaceship, was undoubtedly much more worthy of their trust. This was also one of the reasons why the new cadet regiment was established so successfully.

"Jijyun, tell me, the other side being so open with their provocation, without even trying to hide which faction they came from ... is it really only to make an example out of us?" Ling Lan began to suspect the other's motives.

Typically, in order to achieve greater deterrent effect, one side would create a moral high ground for themselves, pushing the responsibility of instigating the conflict to their opponent. In the end, they would further prove their superiority with a one-sided victory — at that moment, riding on the wave of that success, they would find it much easier to attract some exceptional new cadets into their ranks ...

However, Leiting had acted in a rather impatient manner this time. They were obviously trying to incite the anger of the new cadets as quickly as they could — their methods crude and rough. Even if they won in the end, Leiting would still incur the bad reputation of picking on the weak and bullying the freshmen. This may end up making the other uninvolved new cadets grow worried, afraid that they would be bullied as well, and would instead negatively affect Leiting's efforts in recruitment. It just did not make sense no matter how Ling Lan thought about it.

"If not, then for what reason? Could it be that they simply want to beat us into submission to make us join them?" Jijyun could not think of any other explanation. "Although we have more people, it is still far from the numbers of all the new cadets. Every year, the military academy takes in up to 7000 new cadets."

Something abruptly occurred to Ling Lan at Han Jijyun's words. She suddenly asked seriously, "What if, they knew the assessment results of us new cadets?"

The results of the new cadets' assessments would be recorded in the students' respective files, and these results would affect the mentorship and material resources the military academy would invest into the cultivation of the individual students. In fact, it was already being reflected in reality now. Their group of students had all been placed into the best classes of their respective specializations, having access to the best teachers as well as the best material resources in their studies and training.

For example, in Ling Lan's Mecha Piloting Class-A, not only were the various instructional teachers all the most outstanding in that field, even the teachers in charge of the practicum portion were all mecha operators of ace level and above. Not only that, when it came to the distribution of the real-world training mecha, the students would often be given one of the best mecha the school had to offer. Of course, how good of a mecha would still depend on how well they performed in their virtual mecha training practices.

At these words, Han Jijyun seemed to think of something, and his expression shifted slightly, "The other side has our new cadet assessment results? There's a hacker ..." The military academy had a specialised hacker training class, so it was extremely believable that there would be hackers within the various factions.

"Won't the military academy have put up proper defences?" Knowing well that there were hackers among the students, Han Jijyun would be somewhat dissatisfied with the protective measures of the school if they so easily allowed others to access the information of the new cadets.

"Perhaps, this is also a test the military academy has set for the hacker students." In contrast, Ling Lan did not find it strange — defences were built to be broken; the only difference was in whether others succeeded in breaking through or not.

Ling Lan's words enlightened Han Jijyun; this was a distinct possibility. In order to spur a hacker into putting their all into cracking a defence, there must be sufficient incentive, and the assessment details of the new cadets were undoubtedly a most attractive prize. After all, even if the hackers themselves were unconcerned, the organisations they belonged to would want it, which gave the hackers no choice but to comply.

"From the looks of things, Boss Lan, your suspicions should be correct. They are not trying to make an example out of us ... their real objective is in fact us . This fight, it looks like we cannot avoid it." Ling Lan's deduction made Han Jijyun realise the truth of the situation, and he could not help but begin to worry.

"Leiting is determined to get us. That's why even though the Thunder King is in Closed Door Meditation and thus lacking a leader, they still want to make us join them by force as soon as possible. They are afraid the other organisations will also find out about this news and intervene." Ling Lan had basically figured out Leiting's entire purpose by now, "From the looks of it, our assessment results are still unknown to the other factions ..."

Right then, Ling Lan instructed Little Four within the mindspace to go to the military academy mainframe and take a look, to see if someone had already broken through its defences to steal their data.

Very swiftly, Little Four returned with an answer. There was indeed someone who had succeeded in accessing the database to download a document with their info. Additionally, that person had left behind a defensive layer of their own. Currently, there were several other hackers working on cracking that defensive layer — based on their progress, they would probably only succeed a week from now and get their information.

Since Ling Lan now knew about this, she naturally let Little Four put extra security around their information. She did not wish for their data to once again be obtained by others. The more people who knew, the more danger the new cadet regiment would be in. This was because they were like infants holding onto treasure chests — without sufficient strength to protect the wealth that belonged to them, their final outcome could only be to watch as others stronger than them came and took it away ...

Receiving Ling Lan's orders, Little Four scampered over to handle it. Of course, he patted his puffed up little chest and guaranteed that, in this world, no one would be able to steal the data from under his protection, aside from those in the military academy who had the right to view the data.

"Still, no matter why Leiting is doing this, their challenge towards us this time is not entirely a bad thing for us." After resolving this latent problem, Ling Lan let out an internal sigh of relief. Now, she need only focus on handling Leiting. Even if Leiting was the top faction in the school, as long as it was just one faction, the pressure was much reduced.

An idea flashed through Han Jijyun's mind, and he hurried to agree, "That's right, this clash is indeed not a bad thing for us."

Qi Long's head felt like it was waterlogged from all the subtext embedded in the conversation between his boss and his sworn brother. He could not help but open his mouth to ask, "What in the world are you two talking about? What good thing bad thing?"

In an uncommon turn of events, Han Jijyun did not answer Qi Long's question, instead continuing to say to Ling Lan, "Due to the uncertainty of the situation, the other factions in the military academy are likely waiting to see the results of Leiting's advance on us."

"If we are unable to fend off Leiting's attack, even if we do not want to go to Leiting, it is unavoidable for us to end up joining some other faction. The final outcome of our new cadet regiment would definitely be to split up and be separately absorbed into the other factions," Ling Lan calmly laid out the final outcome of their new cadet regiment, "However, if we can survive this advance, even though we'll be pitted against Leiting, as long as our assessment results are not found out by the other factions, they will not risk fighting against Leiting and angering the Thunder King to intervene. After all, we aren't the only new cadets. They would be perfectly happy to see us at odds with Leiting, each at the other's neck, giving Leiting no mind to bother with the other new cadets, so they would have better luck in their own recruitment."

"Going up against Leiting, although we might very likely lose terribly, it is also an opportunity for us. Leiting can become our opponent, but they will also become our protective talisman." Han Jijyun then added, worried, "But, how can we ensure our data isn't obtained by the other factions?"

"On this matter, don't worry. I will handle it," replied Ling Lan decisively. Only then did Han Jijyun remember that their Boss Lan was most likely an unfathomable hacker — this had already been proven on the spaceship. A smile instantly broke out on his face.

At this time, the others had also figured things out. Xie Yi asked, "Does this mean that, even though things look bad for us, the situation is actually not as terrible as it would seem on the outside?"

Ling Lan shook her head, "Well, we can't say that. At most, the chances of winning and losing are half and half."

That said, Ling Lan turned her head to look at Han Jijyun and instructed, "Jijyun, go and contact the regiment commanders of the new cadet regiment 1 . Ask them to gather at our villa. Since we have decided, we need to let them know."

"Yes! Boss," replied Han Jijyun. However, he was still a little concerned as he asked, "What if this makes them cower?" This was not like during the grand armed melee — Leiting's strength and numbers really exceeded theirs by too much. Furthermore, they had just arrived at the academy, and had not yet properly established their foothold. It was a legitimate concern that many of the new cadets would be plagued with doubt and fear.

"Just tell them first. If they don't want to be involved, let them withdraw," said Ling Lan dispassionately, "I have never expected them to make any moves anyway."

Han Jijyun was visibly taken aback by these words, and then his eyes lit up. "Boss, are you saying ..."

Ling Lan did not respond, but Han Jijyun too did not expect Ling Lan to answer, because he already had a vague answer in his heart.

Meanwhile, at this moment, in the living quarters of the military academy of a particular year, quite a few people were glaring angrily at the person in the head seat. From among them, a young man with a hard expression yelled angrily in interrogation, " Lin Zhidong 1 , what the hell do you think you're doing? If Regiment Commander Qiao finds out about these things you did, you can just wait for the regiment commander to skin you alive!"

1. This probably includes all the team leaders, as they take turns filling in the as fifth regiment commander.

2. Don't bother racking your brains for this one. New character alert. (We got so many Li, Lin, Ling ... :p)

Chapter 241 - Truth!

"Stay calm!" Facing his companions' inquisition, Lin Zhidong did not become angry, merely asking them levelly to settle down.

"Indeed, we are all from Leiting, all friends. Let's discuss things civilly. Mu Ying, don't be impatient, let's hear Lin Zhidong's explanation." A young man seated beside Lin Zhidong advised the livid Mu Ying with soothing tones while throwing a look at Lin Zhidong at the same time, urging him to start explaining things quickly.

"Honestly, if Regiment Commander Qiao were not in Closed Door Meditation, I would have suggested directly to let Regiment Commander Qiao go forth personally to bring those people under control." Opening his mouth, Lin Zhidong did not explain, instead stating his opinion.

"Why did you have to be so impatient? Couldn't we do this gradually in a more subtle manner? Do you know that these actions of yours will smear the good name of Leiting?" Mu Ying once more leapt to his feet upon hearing Lin Zhidong's words, practically spitting in rage as he almost shoved a finger right onto Lin Zhidong's nose.

Lin Zhidong pushed the other's finger aside with one hand, turned to look at the others present, and said, "Do you all also think the same way?"

The young man who had initially been playing mediator instantly smiled wryly and said, "Zhidong, your actions over these past few days have really gone a little overboard. Before he went into Closed Door Meditation, the regiment commander had said that any action representing Leiting as a whole needed to be discussed and agreed upon by all of us first before execution. You skipped talking to us, directly going ahead to provoke the other side so openly ..." He cast a glance at the others then added, "We just feel extremely uninformed!"

The corner of Lin Zhidong's lips carried a hint of a sneer. He looked towards the others — their gazes held unconcealed censure. He sniffed coldly and said, "It's not that I didn't want to tell you all, but I was afraid that if I told you all, this secret would get out. At that time, the loss for Leiting would be considerable."

"You don't trust us?" Mu Ying leapt up once again 1 .

"Yes, I do not trust you all," replied Lin Zhidong unreservedly.

"You ..." Lin Zhidong's words made the faces of everyone there change. They felt that these words were a huge insult directed at them.

Seeing the situation turning sour, the mediating young man quickly said, "Zhidong, how can you say things like that? Being friends for so many years ... don't you have even this bit of trust in us?"

Hearing this, Lin Zhidong's expression gentled slightly. "It's not that I don't trust you all. I just don't trust the people by your sides. The more people who know, the easier it would be for this secret to get out. And this matter concerns whether we, Leiting, will finally be able to conquer and unite the factions in the military academy in the future."

"What do you mean?" Lin Zhidong's words caused everyone's expressions to shift.

"You all must use your spiritual power to make a vow, that the secret ends here with you all, otherwise I will not tell you." On this matter, Lin Zhidong was surprisingly insistent and forceful. This also made the group exceptionally angry, almost flicking their sleeves to storm away.

The mediating young man once again spoke up to ease the tension, "Zhidong, is this really necessary? Making a vow with spiritual power is no small thing ..."

"The secret I'm about to say has great importance for Leiting. I believe that when the regiment commander finds out, he will also approve of the way I've handled things," answered Lin Zhidong calmly.

Mu Ying was the first to jump out. "If I have to make a vow, then I'll make a vow! But, Lin Zhidong, if the secret you tell is less than dogshit, I will definitely report this to the regiment commander and get you kicked out of Leiting."

Lin Zhidong said haughtily, "If you all think this secret is not worth your spiritual power vows, you don't have to report to the regiment commander. I will ask to leave on my own."

"Fine, Lin Zhidong, you must follow through with your words!" That said, Mu Ying was the first one to make a spiritual power vow. The others, seeing that Mu Ying had already done so, could only follow suit helplessly.

Seeing that everyone present had made a vow, only then did Lin Zhidong bring out a document from beside him. He then passed it to the mediator youth who was sitting closest to him.

The youth opened it, and his expression changed as he read its contents. He forcefully suppressed the urge to ask questions, merely passing the document to the next in line. A similar expression appeared on the next person's face as well, and very quickly, the document had been passed through everyone's hands to finally return to Lin Zhidong. Lin Zhidong threw the document to one side, where an energy converter was already prepared. The converter deconstructed the file, turning it into immaterial energy, and saving it into an energy block.

"Now you've all seen it. This is why I did not notify you all, choosing to provoke the other side directly," said Lin Zhidong coldly.

"How can this be?" Mu Ying's face was a picture of disbelief. "One or two is still believable, but for an entire ship's new cadets to be this way — this is too outlandish."

In the face of Mu Ying's scepticism, Lin Zhidong's face darkened. "Do you all not trust my hacking skills?"

One of the group could not help but say awkwardly, "Zhidong, you're the hacker with the best grades in this school. We all trust in your abilities. It's just that the contents inside are just too outlandish, so we can't help but be a little suspicious."

"Could they have cheated?" Another in the group glanced at Lin Zhidong and then said slowly, "Or perhaps the information Zhidong obtained is false?" At the heart of it, they still did not believe in the appearance of these results.

His companions' distrust made Lin Zhidong's expression turn stormy. He held back the rage in his heart as he sneered, "This information, was obtained by me from the academy's mainframe's most secure S-tier. If even the S-tier needs to contain such a fake document, I really don't know where else real documents should be stored. Should they be stored on the Federation's mainframe's S-tier instead?"

"As for cheating, do you all really believe in that reason yourselves?" asked Lin Zhidong with a mocking tone, "The ones who test cadets are all hardened veteran soldiers who have been baptised in the flames of fire. Getting them to help you cheat? I don't know what price one could use to move them. Let me put this another way. Even if they cheated, would they make it so obvious? All the students on the entire ship being so outstanding? Not a single one who failed?"

Lin Zhidong's words made the others all cool down instantly. Indeed, a fake document would never be placed in the S-tier of the military academy's mainframe. Since Lin Zhidong had said S-tier, then it definitely could not be wrong. After all, every year, the information Lin Zhidong had mined from the S-tier on the new cadets had always been extremely accurate — it was impossible that he would have obtained false data from a wrong direction this time. Besides, if this was truly a case of cheating, the method was really too idiotic. These abnormal results would certainly attract the attention of the school administration, and prompt inquiries and investigations to prove its validity. No one would dare to be so blatant and daring in doing such an idiotic thing.

"I believe, not much longer after this, the hackers of the other factions should also be getting this data. At that time, there won't be any hope for us to monopolise this group of people." Lin Zhidong swept his gaze around their circle before continuing to say, "You all are clear on Regiment Commander Qiao's standards of recruitment. He only accepts new cadets whose assessment results are pass and above. Especially for those who did well, he would not hesitate to employ measures to obtain them. We cannot allow Regiment Commander Qiao miss out on these excellent talents while he is in Closed Door Meditation."

Lin Zhidong's little speech made everyone's expressions turn grim. They all knew Qiao Ting's methods — if he knew the assessment results of these new cadets, he would definitely use all sorts of means to pull them into his fold.

"However, since they are so exceptional, they probably won't be so easy to subdue?" Everyone loved excellent talents, but these people would often be extremely proud and self-assured, unwilling to easily submit to another.

"That's why I set up this stage. Even if we're a bit arrogant, we need to let the other side accept our challenge and then follow up with a bet. When they lose, they'll have to collectively join us, Leiting." Lin Zhidong had already thought things through.

"What if they are afraid and don't dare to accept our challenge?" After all, Leiting was the number one faction in the school — these new cadets may find their legs trembling from fear at the mere mention of Leiting's name.

"That would be even better. We can just push for them to join us if they don't even dare to fight us. We can then promise to pardon all past transgressions against us. But if they dare to join any other factions, we'll beat them up every single time we see them. In the mecha world, we will block off all avenues of their growth — if we can't use them, then we will crush them completely," said Lin Zhidong with a cold smile. He had already considered both possible reactions from the other side. He would not let them escape his grasp — he would make sure to wrap this up well before the regiment commander emerged from his training.

"If it's a battle with the new cadets, the school rules only allow physical skills combat. And those students are from Doha, which prioritizes physical skills the most. I fear that we won't be able to have much of an advantage."

"No matter how strong they are in combat, they are still just first year cadets, young fledgelings freshly out from the scout academies, while we're already 4th year or 5th year senior cadets. Mecha combat has not only improved our mecha skills, it has also spurred on the development of our physical skills. Those extra years of combat experience is enough for us to push them around," said Lin Zhidong with a cold smirk, "Even those among us with the weakest physical skills would have been able to make up for the lack of talent in three years' time. You think they have a chance?"

"Well that's true." The group nodded all around. They may have put their focus on mecha combat for the past few years, but in their spare time they had still gone to the physical skills combat hall to spar with others for the fun of it. They too had sensed the benefits mecha combat had brought to their physical skills — during their spars, they had been able to instantly discover their opponent's openings. Undoubtedly, their physical skills and vision had improved greatly from when they had first entered the academy.

"Won't the other factions interfere? If they too know about these people, they will not let us monopolize them." Someone else brought up another issue.

"Hackers. Our school only has a few names on record, and they all only belong to the top 4 factions. However, I am the first to obtain this information. In order to delay the others, I've even added some precautions of my own, so they'll need to spend some time to crack it. Though I don't know when they'll be able to break through, I have been watching their progress. Still, this matter should not be dragged out — if it's dragged out too long, and the others obtain the real data as well, we may very likely end up with nothing to show for our efforts 1 ..." explained Lin Zhidong, "So, we need to issue a challenge to the new cadet regiment and settle things. Once we succeed in absorbing them into our fold, even if the other factions discover the truth then, they will not dare to offend us with the regiment commander around."

"That's good. Looks like we need to issue our challenge as soon as possible ..." All those seated here finally came to an agreement, and they began discussing when they should issue their letter of challenge to the new cadet regiment.

1. T/C: This Mu Ying really seems to be a 'jumpy' fellow. xP

2. 竹篮打水一场空: Original phrase here is literally '[end up with] empty air from drawing water with a bamboo basket'. Basically, a lot of work with nothing to show for it.

Chapter 242 - Letter of Challenge!

In reality, the new cadet regiment received the letter of challenge even earlier than Ling Lan had predicted. Two days after their discussion 1 , the new cadet regiment's public regiment commander, Wu Jiong, received Leiting's letter of challenge!

On that day, around noon, Qi Long, Wu Jiong, and the others from the Mecha Piloting Class-A had just completed their brutal physical training for the morning. Dragging their tired selves to the large military academy canteen to eat, they had barely sat down and taken a few bites when a raucous commotion broke out by the canteen doors, causing the initially noisy canteen to instantly fall silent.

"Which of you is the regiment commander for the new cadet regiment? Show yourself to accept this letter of challenge!"

The one who spoke was a cadet dressed in a blue military-style uniform. He swept a gaze over the people within the canteen, his haughty expression seeming to view them as trash. Behind him were five or six cadets also dressed in the same uniform. Based on the uniform colour alone, it was clear that they were definitely part of the top 500 brilliant students within the military academy.

The basic colour of the military academy uniforms was green, signifying the average student. Blue represented the top 500 outstanding cadets in the school, based on their cumulative grades from all aspects. Meanwhile, the dux 1 of each specialization of each year would be wearing the glorious white uniform exclusive to them. This was a reward for the elite of the elites, as well as a type of respect accorded to them. Take the Thunder King for example. He was the dux of the 4th year mecha piloting specialization, so his uniform was the only white one among those of that year within that specialization.

Initially, there had been a few other people dressed in blue uniforms who had been eating, who had turned with expressions of irritation at being disturbed, but when they saw the badge pinned on the chests of the interrupting group, their expressions shifted, and the rage on their faces faded away. This was because they knew which faction that badge represented — it wasn't something they could afford to go up against ...

Wu Jiong and Qi Long shared a knowing glance. That night, Ling Lan had already assembled them and told Wu Jiong, Li Yingjie, and the other team leaders of her suppositions. Thus, they had constantly been waiting for Leiting's move, and now they had finally come.

"What? Is the new cadet regiment so gutless, not daring to accept our Leiting's letter of challenge?" mocked the youth in the blue uniform. He had already been informed by the upper ranks that he must enrage the leaders of the new cadet regiment, so they would accept the letter of challenge on impulse. Of course, if they refused to accept no matter how he taunted, then he would throw down this ultimatum — the regiment commander of the new cadet regiment would have to go to Leiting's headquarters to apologise personally to the vice regiment commanders, otherwise they would not be spared.

Qi Long threw a glance at Wu Jiong — for this type of antagonistic scenario, his affable face was not at all suitable. In Boss Lan's words, Qi Long had a goofy nice-guy face, much more suited for acting innocent and shifting blame after the new cadet regiment had gone out to bully others.

Wu Jiong understood tacitly what he should do. He used his chopsticks to rap the dishware before him, and then with a harsh throw, his chopsticks smacked loudly onto the metal table, emitting a crisp loud clang. The atmosphere of the initially silent canteen became fraught with tension due to this sharp noise.

With a subtle smirk on his lips, Wu Jiong leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed before him as he said evenly, "I am the regiment commander of the new cadet regiment. Speak if you have something to say, fart if you have to 1 !"

Boss Lan had said before — they absolutely could not lose in terms of attitude!

These past few years, although Wu Jiong had always been suppressed by Ling Lan and Qi Long, he had still been an active participant and leader in the grand armed melee back then, as well as in the fight for the spaceship's administrative rights. These victories made him composed and confident, and because he had always been pressed down by others more exceptional than him, he had not become overconfident and arrogant. Right now, even though he was facing the military academy's number one faction Leiting, his heart was as calm as ever, not at all apprehensive.

This attitude of Wu Jiong's was clearly out of Leiting's expectations. Rage emerged on their faces, and the lead youth in particular took one step forward and yelled, "Punk, you watch your mouth!"

Wu Jiong threw a cool glance over and said calmly, "What? You have something to say?"

The clear contempt in Wu Jiong's gaze made those people step forward instinctively, faces overcome with rage as they seemed intent on teaching Wu Jiong a lesson.

But before they could get any closer, the new cadets who had originally been seated quietly in the canteen suddenly all stood up in a clatter. They glared angrily at the people from Leiting, as if warning them that if they dared step any closer, then the new cadets could not be blamed for not being courteous anymore.

Seeing 300 over people stand up altogether in one go, the expressions of the five or six people from Leiting paled abruptly. Their steps faltered, and after several changes in complexion, the head youth in blue actually began to laugh, "Haha, that earlier was just a joke! Seeing the new cadet regiment so united, we Leiting feel very heartened by this! You all are worthy to fight against Leiting!"

This person was extremely thick-skinned — even as he flattered the new cadet regiment, he did not forget to elevate his own faction. He smiled gently at Wu Jiong and asked, "This regiment commander, how may I address you?"

Wu Jiong uncrossed his arms to tap his fingers lightly against the surface of the table. He stared at the head youth with a half-smile — this familiar expression made Qi Long and those in his team feel an ache in their teeth. Please, no matter how much you idolise our boss, you really don't have to learn his mannerisms, right? They felt cold just looking at him.

Perhaps this expression of Wu Jiong's put a lot of pressure on the head youth, for his smile actually slipped off his face. In the end, he could only stand there awkwardly, unsure how to wrap things up.

As expected, this expression of Boss Lan's could really do a lot of damage ... he would have to use it more in the future; it was enough to subdue some minor characters. Wu Jiong tucked away this expression, satisfied, and opened his mouth to say, "My surname is Wu. You may call me Regiment Commander Wu!"

"Regiment Commander Wu, impressive as expected. With you to lead them, the new cadet regiment will certainly do well." The head youth immediately threw up a thumbs up in response, expressing his heartfelt admiration. Since mockery and pressure would not work, he could only try cajoling. As long as the other side accepted their challenge, he would find a way to avenge this humiliation.

No matter how the head tried to hide it, the indignation in his eyes had still been detected by Qi Long and the others. However, since they were already determined to clash with Leiting anyway, they really did not care whether the other was offended or not.

"May Regiment Commander Wu please accept this letter of challenge from Leiting? With such an exceptional opponent as yourselves, we of Leiting are also overjoyed!" Under the glares of over 300 people, the blue-clothed head youth nervously walked over to Wu Jiong, withdrew a rectangular card from his pocket, and handed it over with both hands.

Right then, a hand intercepted to take the card. It was Ye Xu, who was seated beside Wu Jiong. At this moment, he had already stood up, snatching the card over with one hand to then pass it to Wu Jiong.

Only then did Wu Jiong accept the card and open it. Inside, it was written that three days later, the two sides would engage in a physical skills showdown at the combat hall. Both sides would send 5 representatives, with winning 3 out of 5 being the winning condition. On top of that, there would be an additional wager involved, to be disclosed on the day of the showdown, and it cannot be refused 1 .

Sure enough, Leiting's objective was their new cadet regiment as a whole — Boss Lan's predictions were not wrong. Seeing this, Wu Jiong knew for certain what was going on. That wager was definitely for the new cadet regiment to join Leiting ...

"Alright, three days later, at the combat hall. Be there or be square!" Wu Jiong snapped the card shut again, and replied with firm conviction. This had already been pre-discussed, so Wu Jiong naturally dared to accept right away.

"Good! Regiment Commander Wu is refreshingly straightforward as expected. Three days later, we'll await your grand presence at the combat hall!" His mission complete, the head youth of the Leiting group was all smiles.

At this time, from another table, Li Yingjie threw a cold glare their way and said imperiously, "Since you're done with your bullsh*t, you can scram!"

The people from Leiting had been frozen in place by the sheer force of presence of Wu Jiong and those 300 or so people, and now they were being openly derided by some punk from who knows where. They were abnormally frustrated — they had no way to oppose the new cadet regiment's Regiment Commander Wu, but teaching this pompous brat should be fine, right? And so, several people began moving towards Li Yingjie with sinister intent.

Li Yingjie flicked his fingers and kicked away the chair behind him, saying with a cold smile, "What? Want to fight?"

With this one sound, a flurry of the screeching noises of chairs being shifted rose throughout the canteen. The 300 or so people who had been standing in place, glaring angrily at them, had actually pushed away their chairs and begun moving closer, several of them already rubbing their palms together in anticipation of a fight.

With that, they could not be unaware that this cocky punk before them was definitely someone from the upper ranks of the new cadet regiment. The blue-clothed head youth could no longer hold back the rage in his heart. He pointed an angry finger at Li Yingjie and said savagely, "Fine! Three days later, just you wait!"

That said, he led his posse to scurry away, sent off by a wave of raucous 'scram!'s from behind, compounding their shame. Ever since joining Leiting, they had always been above others, playing the role of the bullies; but today, they were treated to a taste of being bullied mercilessly by others, and it was almost enough to make them shatter and swallow their teeth 1 .

Seeing the people from Leiting scurry away, only then did Wu Jiong pass the letter of challenge to Qi Long across from him. Qi Long flipped it open to read, and instantly began to chuckle coldly, "As Boss expected. Leiting has really taken us, the new cadet regiment, for a fish fillet on the chopping block, ready for them to cut as they will."

At this moment, Wu Jiong was already anxiously looking for his chopsticks. Earlier, to create the right atmosphere, he had coolly thrown his chopsticks onto the desk, and now he had no idea where they had flown to ... his poor stomach was so hungry it was about to revolt. If he still did not eat, he would become the first regiment commander to faint from hunger. For the sake of aiding the new cadet regiment's stand, he did not have it easy ...

"I can't take it anymore. Lend me your chopsticks!" Seeing Qi Long's chopsticks set on the table, Wu Jiong could bear it no longer, taking it into his hands to begin eating rapaciously ... Boo hoo hoo, the morning's physical training had already squeezed him dry of his vital energy — if he did not replenish it, he would really starve to death.

"No! Those are mine!" Exasperated, Qi Long threw aside the letter of challenge in his hands, wanting to snatch his chopsticks back, but Wu Jiong was a step quicker. He dashed over to the next dining table, not forgetting to say as he went, "I supported you in acting out this scene. You should repay me somehow — lending me your chopsticks can be considered repayment."

Qi Long directed a rude gesture at Wu Jiong, but did not continue to give chase. Wu Jiong was not wrong; he should have been the one to step up and accept that letter of challenge ... but he was very hungry too! Although he had eaten a bit more than Wu Jiong earlier, his appetite was naturally voracious — how could those few bites earlier be enough to satisfy his stomach which was equally bawling from hunger?

His gaze turned, and he saw Han Jijyun eating seriously beside him, bite by measured bite, slow and methodical, not at all impatient or hurried. It was as if he were not at all hungry, and was only eating to complete the mission of eating ...

"Oh Jijyun, since you aren't that hungry, then first take care of your big bro here!" Qi Long cheerfully snatched away the chopsticks from Han Jijyun's unresisting hand and then began happily eating again.

Han Jijyun stared blankly at his now empty right hand, and then turned to look at the joyfully eating Qi Long. He almost wanted to dump the dishes before his eyes onto Qi Long's head — was there a sworn brother who would do such a thing? Not causing trouble for others, but troubling one of his own instead?

At another table, Lin Zhong-qing saw this scene and let out a soft sigh. He took out a small pouch from his waist, drawing out a few short metal sticks from inside it. Screwing them together, it took but a few moments for him to produce a pair of regular-sized chopsticks, which he then passed silently to Han Jijyun.

Receiving the chopsticks, Han Jijyun tamped down on his anger and resumed eating. In his mind, he decided that he would definitely not help Qi Long next time. No matter how much Boss Lan bullied Qi Long, he would turn his head and pretend he saw nothing 1 .

The news of the new cadet regiment's haughty acceptance of Leiting's letter of challenge soon spread throughout the entire military academy. Those various large factions which had always been suppressed by Leiting were naturally gleeful at their misfortune — it was unexpected that the forceful Leiting would also have times where they had their faces smacked so hard. However, they did not believe that the new cadet regiment could withstand Leiting's subsequent vengeance. They were all waiting for the new cadet regiment to disperse under the pressure, and were prepared to slip in in the aftermath to take advantage of the panic and chaos to bring those lost new cadets into their own factions.

Just as everyone was waiting to see the downfall of the new cadet regiment, only Li Lanfeng greeted the news with deep contemplation, his expression serious and considering.

1. i.e. Ling Lan's discussion with her group, not Leiting's discussion, though those two discussions could theoretically have happened on the same day.

2. i.e. top student in a specified academic discipline. (This is a legit word; look it up. :3)

3. It's pretty common to liken speaking nonsense to farting in chinese culture. For example, an equivalent to the the English interjection of "Bullshit!" would be "(You) fart!". Basically, think of a person just letting out hot (smelly) air that serves no purpose but to annoy others.

4. T/C: Wow, what bad terms. Anyone with half a brain would be able to smell something fishy about this ...

5. from clenching their teeth too hard.

6. T/C: The lesson we get from all of this, is to never get between hungry people and their food. Food is serious business, yo!

Chapter 243 - The Distance between the Two?

Li Lanfeng's attitude was only clear to one person by his side, Zhao Jun. Zhao Jun was a little bemused by it, asking, "Why? Do you have some other insight?"

Li Lanfeng lifted his head to glance at Zhao Jun, and said contemplatively, "The new cadet regiment accepted the letter of challenge in such a high-handed fashion ... it's clear to see that they have full confidence in themselves."

Zhao Jun did not think much of it. "The students from the Doha Central Scout Academy have always thought highly of themselves, somewhat blind to reality. Wasn't Zhang Jing-an exactly like this back then? Clashing with the Thunder King right from the start, and now he doesn't even dare to make a peep, tucking his tail between his legs whenever he sees the Thunder King ..."

Zhao Jun rubbed his jaw. "Right now, I really want to see the faces of those new cadets after they've been thoroughly thrashed by Leiting. Their expressions must be very interesting."

Li Lanfeng breathed out slowly and silently, then asked softly, "That aberrant who Zhang Jing-an is still so conscious of after three years — could he only be at the level of someone like Zhang Jing-an?"

At these words, Zhao Jun's expression shifted. He too recalled the secret news he had uncovered from Zhang Jing-an's faction. That aberrant was someone who Zhang Jing-an hated so much his teeth gnashed, but even so, Zhang Jing-an still had not dared to make a move, forcefully holding back his anger to watch the new cadet regiment establish itself with cold eyes ...

"Who exactly is that aberrant? I heard that the one who presented himself to accept the letter of challenge was a youth called Wu Jiong. He claimed to be Regiment Commander Wu of the new cadet regiment ... could it be him?" Zhao Jun was not very good at analysing data.

"Regiment Commander Wu? Have you ever heard of a true regiment commander being addressed with a surname attached? Only the second or third in command, those vice regiment commanders and such, would have their surnames attached to the title, for convenience of distinction!" said Li Lanfeng calmly.

A cold light flashed through Zhao Jun's eyes. "In other words, the true regiment commander of the new cadet regiment has not yet shown himself."

"Showing one's trump card right from the start, now that would be stupid," replied Li Lanfeng, "So, I have my reservations on the outcome of Leiting's operation this time."

Right then, Li Lanfeng's mind was filled with the information on this batch of new cadets he had gleaned from the S-tier of the military academy mainframe ... those were not a bunch of ordinary new cadets! If the people from Leiting underestimated them, without the Thunder King to hold down the fort, Leiting might really end up capsizing their boat in a ditch.

Of course, it would be his pleasure to see the Thunder King suffer a loss!

********

At this moment, Ling Lan, who was in the mecha world desperately raising her level, did not know that Leiting's letter of challenge had already been delivered into Wu Jiong's hands. However, Ling Lan had already asked the team leaders to inform their respective team members about their upcoming clash with Leiting two days ago.

Telling them served two purposes — one, was to let the regiment members know the decision of the new cadet regiment; two, to distinguish those members within their organisation who would veer with the wind 1 , only thinking to use the new cadet regiment to establish themselves. Ling Lan believed that a faction's strength laid not in numbers, but in unity — only if they were willing to share their trials and rewards equally would they be able to go far. She felt that the pressure from Leiting this time would be a great opportunity to assess the will and motivation of the members of the new cadet regiment.

As for Ling Lan's team, Qi Long and the gang would naturally follow their boss loyally. Meanwhile, Wu Jiong was extremely taken in by Ling Lan, for Ling Lan's many daring decisions had benefitted him greatly. Moreover, ten years of being schoolmates had shown Wu Jiong that Ling Lan was an extremely trustworthy person — he would never abandon any comrades that follow him. Thus, Wu Jiong was willing to fight alongside Ling Lan for a better future. He wasn't afraid — even if they lost terribly in the end, it would be a waste of their youth if they did not take wild risks!

As for Li Yingjie, even though he had always had a bit of a grudge towards Ling Lan and Qi Long, Ling Lan's strength truly left Li Yingjie speechless. Additionally, Ling Lan did not do anything to restrain Li Yingjie's temperament or personality, even outright stating that the arrogant tasks would be his responsibility. This made Li Yingjie feel deep down as if he had finally found someone who understood him. Under these circumstances, when Ling Lan asked him whether he wanted to leave the regiment, Li Yingjie had instantly refused.

Li Yingjie did not consider anything else. He only thought that since Ling Lan believed in him and trusted him, then he must live up to this trust 1 . Besides, when has the cocky Li Yingjie ever been afraid of someone? The number one faction in the military academy? So what? He, Li Yingjie, would not submit. This was his pride as a member of the first elite family of the Federation.

As for the other students from the Central Scout Academy, Ling Lan's decisions had never disappointed them before, so even though they were somewhat unsure about things this time, they were still determined to push forward or retreat alongside Boss Lan. This was because they knew that if they did not resist, they would still be seen as potential slaves by the other factions. In that case, they might as well fight it out in a gamble — after all, in their eyes, Boss Lan was extremely strong and had never failed their expectations.

Rather, it was the decision of the students from the other scout academies of Doha which surprised Ling Lan and the others. They had initially thought that a majority of these people would withdraw from the new cadet regiment, wisely choosing to protect themselves, but surprisingly, most did not want to quit, willing to advance and retreat together with the new cadet regiment. Only an extremely small number chose to quit, not even 30 people in total. Therefore, the total number of people in the new cadet regiment was still endlessly close to 500, not reduced by much. This made many factions which had wanted to see the new cadet regiment fall apart greatly disappointed ... especially Zhang Jing-an, who had wanted to take advantage of the situation to recruit people.

Of course, it had to be said that these students' decision not to withdraw, their willingness to fight with Ling Lan, had a lot to do with one man's efforts. He was the one who had joined Ling Lan's party midway during the spaceship's operation, Third Elder Brother Gao Jinyun.

During this period of time, Gao Jinyun had built up quite a reputation among the students not from the Central Scout Academy. After all, he had been the only team leader who had participated in the plan to conquer the ship who was not from the Central Academy. Under his publicity efforts, Ling Lan's image rose to lofty heights in the new cadets' minds. Even though Leiting was the number one faction in the school, in these new cadets' eyes, that Boss Lan, who was strong enough to 'defeat' the captain, was no weaker than Leiting's regiment commander, the Thunder King. And this was the main reason why they were willing to support Ling Lan in this clash.

Their way of thinking was undeniably extremely naive, exactly like that of a newbie ... but newborn calves are not afraid of tigers 1 , and sometimes, what looked like a reckless action would turn out to be a momentous turn capable of changing one's fate.

********

That night, Wu Jiong and the others brought the letter of challenge right away to Ling Lan's villa to pass it to her.

Ling Lan sat on the sofa in the hall and calmly opened the letter. When she saw the contents of the challenge, the corner of her lips quirked up involuntarily. "Sure enough, their challenge is one of physical skills! This is our chance."

Wu Jiong's expression did not ease by much. "They will definitely send the combat experts of the higher grades, perhaps even seniors of the 6th year. They are older than us by five years. Five years' time is enough to pull apart from us by a whole realm." Wu Jiong was currently only at Refinement stage — if the opponent sent only those from Qi-Jin stage, they would lose for certain if they only relied on Qi Long and Ling Lan.

"Not necessarily!" replied Ling Lan decisively.

"How so?" asked Wu Jiong uncomprehendingly.

"Jijyun, can you find the course curriculum for all six years of our mecha piloting specialization?" Ling Lan abruptly turned her head to ask Han Jijyun.

Although Han Jijyun was not sure why Ling Lan would ask about this, he still nodded and began looking up the course info of the military academy on his communicator. In the end, he connected his communicator to the largest virtual projection system of the villa walls, to display the contents of his search.

"Wu Jiong, take a look, what do we have to learn in our six years here?" said Ling Lan, pointing at the info displayed on the screen.

Wu Jiong cast a baffled look at Ling Lan, but still strode forwards without any objections. He scanned the screen quickly and was struck with realisation. "So that's how it is. In our six years, there really aren't many physical skills courses!"

"That's right. In our six years here, the military academy focuses on cultivating our mecha piloting skills, and not our physical combat skills. Thus, the upper years would not have put much attention and effort on physical combat skills, so the gap between us and the seniors should not be as wide as you might imagine ..." Ling Lan stated her thoughts. "This is also why I believe we have a chance. In terms of physical combat, I believe the students of our Central Academy are definitely the best," said Ling Lan with steely conviction.

"Yep, Boss, you're right," Qi Long was the first to respond enthusiastically. Although the others did not say anything, the initial worry and grimness in their eyes had faded, and their gazes began to shine.

Qi Long and the others had regained their confidence so swiftly because Ling Lan's words were not pure consolation, but rooted in truth. Compared to the other scout academies, the Central Scout Academy was undoubtedly one which placed the most emphasis on physical combat skills. It could be said that among the exceptional combat experts within the military academy right now, a large portion were from the Central Scout Academy ... only a handful were from the scout academies from other planets.

Of course, good physical combat skills did not equate to good mecha piloting skills. As mentioned previously, the talent for mecha piloting was different from the talent needed for physical combat, which was why those with good combat talent may not necessarily become excellent mecha operators. This was also why Zhang Jing-an and his group had been finding it harder and harder to thrive within the military academy.

Mind you, from the second year of admission to the academy onwards, after the cadets officially become mecha operators, the competition between students was no longer centred on physical combat, but on mecha operated combat.

"But, even if we survive this time, what if other organisations come after us?" Although Wu Jiong now had confidence, he was still worried about the future of the new cadet regiment. If those other factions came after them one after another, even if they were made of iron, they would eventually be beaten down.

"Don't worry. After we win this time, the other factions will not come after us," said Ling Lan evenly.

"Why?" asked Wu Jiong.

"If even the first faction Leiting cannot take us down on physical skills, can they do it?" replied Ling Lan, "I reckon that even if they challenge us again, it will definitely be after we officially become mecha operators. That time will truly be our most difficult time. Not only will we have to fend off Leiting's revenge, the other factions will also be waiting to strike."

The Thunder King would not allow the new cadet regiment that had sullied the reputation of Leiting to continue existing. For some reason, Ling Lan actually recalled those words of [No Mecha Unrepaired] — the Thunder King was not someone who could be easily reasoned with ...

Although Ling Lan's tone was dark and heavy, her face displayed no sign of pressure, calm as ever as she said, "However, at that time, we will no longer be freshmen. Two years' time is enough for us to gather our strength."

Only then did Ling Lan look towards Wu Jiong and say, "Of course, this period of time won't be easy for us. We'll need to raise our mecha piloting skills as quickly as possible. Otherwise, two years later, lacking strength, we will still become fish meat on a chopping board, free for anyone to slice and dice."

1. 见风使舵: Original being 'steer depending on the wind', which means to go whichever way the wind blows. In other words, fair-weather members who only want to stick around for the good times.

2. T/C: Awww... Li Yingjie, you've grown up so much.

3. 初生牛犊不怕虎: Exactly as translated. They are young and do not know any better, fearless in their ignorance.

Chapter 244 - My Goal!

Wu Jiong's expression turned cold and his gaze became solemn. "It looks like we'll need to work hard! I hope that after two years, our new cadet regiment will be able to become one of the top four factions in the academy. At that time, even if the Thunder King wants to consume us, he will have to stop and think about it."

"One of?" Ling Lan threw an icy glance over and said with a huff, "You only have that little bit of ambition?"

Wu Jiong was dumbfounded. "Boss Lan ..."

"My goal, is not being one of the factions." Ling Lan's words made Wu Jiong somewhat confused, unsure what in the world Ling Lan was trying to say. However, Ling Lan's following words almost made him fall over in shock. Ling Lan raised a finger to point straight up as he 1 said coldly, "My goal, is to unite the factions of the military academy. In other words, by the time I leave the military academy, there will only be one faction in the school, and that will be ours!"

Ling Lan's face was cold as ever, his expression extremely serious — it was clear to see that everything he had said was from his true heart. Despite his stature and build not being as imposing as Wu Jiong's, his force of presence was absolute in its domination of the scene, suppressing everyone present. This made Wu Jiong lament once more the distance between him and Ling Lan. Ling Lan could become the boss, not only because he had enough strength and capability, but also because he dared to think the unthinkable.

"Alright, Boss Lan, just based on these words of yours alone, I, Li Yingjie, acknowledge you full-heartedly as my boss!" A voice carried over from the doorway. Wu Jiong did not have to turn his head to know who it was 1 —— Li Yingjie. This stubborn, prickly, and insubordinate fellow had finally admitted his deference towards Ling Lan.

Li Yingjie's admission similarly surprised Ling Lan. With a quirk of her brow, she teased, "I thought that I was already your boss since a long while back."

Li Yingjie choked, the colour of his face fluctuating unpredictably, and he finally deflated and said, "Forget it. Since I've already acknowledged you as Boss, you can just say whatever you want." Li Yingjie could not refuse to submit — he could not beat Ling Lan in a fight, and he did not have as much guts as the other either. And now, he had even lost to Ling Lan in terms of sheer arrogance. What right did he have still to refute Ling Lan's words?

Li Yingjie's defeated manner made Ling Lan feel rather sorry for him. In the end, she still liked the cocky Li Yingjie better, so Ling Lan pointed at the sofa beside her and said, "Sit, Li Yingjie. I do not wish for you to lose your personality. As long as you are capable enough, I don't think there is anything wrong with being arrogant. In future, if there's anything you can't handle, just look for the others, and if they can't handle it either, come find me ..."

Following Ling Lan's words, Li Yingjie's expression lifted up proudly once more, his eyes shining with vibrant light. Behind him, an invisible tail rose higher and higher. Wu Jiong, Qi Long, and the others turned away speechlessly, unable to watch. Oh, this innocent child ... Once again being coaxed by Boss Lan onto the path of being a great rogue; he had obviously had the opportunity to change his ways and return to the proper path ...

Ling Lan looked at Li Yingjie's expression and felt rather guilty. Bewitching an innocent babe like this to do bad things — would she be struck down by lightning ...?

********

Time passed swiftly, and very soon it was time for the wagered fight between Leiting and the new cadet regiment. The exclusive combat hall of the military academy had long been filled with students from the various years. Of course, a large majority of the students were there to see Leiting torment the new cadets. Only very, very few new cadets still carried a tendril of hope that the new cadet regiment which was also made up of freshmen would be able to create a miracle, and do them freshmen proud.

Li Lanfeng and Zhao Jun both arrived a bit late, but they did not have to squeeze and shoulder their way to a good position at the front of the arena stage. As high-ranking members of one of the four top factions in the military academy, one of the VIP boxes in the combat hall was reserved exclusively for them.

They took an elevator up, and then walked to stand before one of the rooms to the side. On the door was a square screen of roughly 30 centimetres. Li Lanfeng raised his right hand and waved it at the screen, and then the room door slid lightly to the left, revealing an entrance of about 2 metres wide. The two of them did not hesitate, entering right away.

The moment they entered, a voice could be heard to say, "Haha, speak of the devil 1 ! Lanfeng, come, let me introduce you to a talented young fellow."

Li Lanfeng looked in the direction of the voice and saw Han Yu sitting on a sofa waving at him in a rather irreverent manner. Meanwhile, a fresh-faced lanky youth of about 1.8 metres tall was standing tall beside him. He was presumably a new cadet from this year's batch, and the youth was currently observing him smilingly, a trace of respect in his gaze.

Li Lanfeng's lips curved up slightly, revealing a slight smile, making his entire being seem endlessly warm. This smile startled the other however, a thread of confusion flashing through his eyes, but the other quickly got a hold of himself to regain his original expression.

The smile on Li Lanfeng's lips grew deeper. He turned to look at Han Yu, who had been observing his expression intently, and as if not at all aware of Han Yu's previous impolite attitude, he smiled easily and said, "Han Yu, how nice! Congratulations on gaining yet another great fighter. However, no matter how glad you are, you still need to test him well. Don't let some pretender slip in and profit from the confusion again."

Li Lanfeng's words made Han Yu's complexion shift slightly. They made him recall when he had happily taken in a bunch of freshmen who had come from his planet a few days ago. Back then, he had brought those new recruits over here to show off to Li Lanfeng because not a single person from Li Lanfeng's third-rate planet Azure had managed to get into the First Men's Military Academy this time.

Unexpectedly, those recruits had all been useless fellows — the moment they were pressured by Zhao Jun's aura, they had all actually cowered with their tails tucked between their legs, not daring to say another word. Those timid and cowardly expressions still made him furious when he recalled them now. The reactions of those people had truly disgraced their planet Wuji.

All this was because Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng were both from third-rate planets. The two were from different planets though — Zhao Jun was from planet Redrock 1 , while Li Lanfeng came from planet Azure. Meanwhile, planet Wuji was a first-rate planet within the Federation, much better in terms of both level, treatment, and resources than the third-rate planets. Therefore, losing face in front of Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng was extremely infuriating for Han Yu.

Han Yu took a good look at Li Lanfeng, trying to see if the other was intentionally making a crack at him. However, Li Lanfeng's eyes were unbelievably clear and limpid, and his warm smile and gentle aura had not a single shred of malicious intent in it ... could it be that he was overthinking things?

Han Yu could not see anything strange about Li Lanfeng's demeanour, so he sniffed coolly and said, "Hmph, would I make the same mistake again?" He pointed at the youth beside him and continued, "Lanfeng, this is my junior, his name is Zhou Ya 1 . His specialization is military strategy, and he is the first rank in the military strategy specialization among this year's freshmen." When he said this, Han Yu's expression was proud, not forgetting to glance at Li Lanfeng to gauge his expression to see if there was any change. Sadly, his efforts were all in vain — Li Lanfeng's expression was no different from usual, as calm as ever.

Han Yu deflated slightly, turning his head to introduce to the youth, "This is the strategist of our Wuji Mecha Clan, Li Lanfeng. In future, you should learn well from big brother Li. Wuji's future will eventually depend on you and your strategies."

"Big Brother Li, hello, please watch out for me in future." Zhou Ya gave Li Lanfeng a military academy cadet bow, his gaze curious as his eyes roved over this gentle-mannered youth before him.

Before Li Lanfeng arrived, Regiment Commander Han Yu had hinted that he hoped Zhou Ya would be able to replace Li Lanfeng and take his position quicker, to become the primary strategist of the Wuji Mecha Clan. Hearing that, he was naturally extremely moved — Regiment Commander Han Yu's words proved the other's trust and acknowledgement of him. Still, he would not become proud and self-conceited because of this and offend Li Lanfeng recklessly.

Frankly, in his conversation with Regiment Commander Han Yu, Zhou Ya had vaguely made out the regiment commander's wariness towards Li Lanfeng. This proved that the other was absolutely not someone to be crossed easily. Otherwise, he would not have been able to retain such a secure hold on the primary strategist position within the mecha clan as someone not from planet Wuji.

Li Lanfeng politely returned a bow of his own, and said with a smile, "Zhou Ya, right? Don't be so formal. I'm not specializing in strategy. It's just that Regiment Commander Han Yu was lacking such an important role, so he made do with me filling in. Now you're here, I can take the burden off my shoulders. It's like Regiment Commander Han Yu said, the future of the Wuji Mecha Clan will depend on you all."

Done speaking, Li Lanfeng did not forget to pat Zhou Ya's shoulder in encouragement. Then, seeking out a random sofa, he sat down. True to his words, his expression was clearly much more relaxed, as if he had genuinely spoken from the heart.

This made Han Yu and Wei Ji, both of who had been closely observing Li Lanfeng, to furrow their brows. This was why they had always been wary of Li Lanfeng — Li Lanfeng's expression was always very composed, gentle, and unassuming. It could perhaps even be described as somewhat easygoing and content with one's lot ... but would there really be a cadet, outstanding on all fronts, who had no ambition whatsoever? Both their gazes involuntarily met once more, reading the same suspicion in the other's eyes.

Wei Ji turned his gaze away and suppressed the misgivings in his heart. Standing up, he greeted with a smile, "Zhao Jun, what are you standing at the door for? Still not coming over to sit? I too happen to have a talent from Wuji for you to meet." He pointed at the seat next to his, indicating for Zhao Jun to come over.

Zhao Jun had initially been coldly watching the attacks, both open and covert, being exchanged among the people in the room. Now, seeing Wei Ji calling him, a trace of interest instantly appeared on his austere face. He walked forwards, eyes trained on the youth with a somewhat lazy expression standing by Wei Ji's side, and asked seriously, "A prodigy at mecha piloting?"

Wei Ji choked at those words, and said sulkily, "Zhao Jun, you know that these students have just started working with mecha. No matter how talented, it would be impossible to tell in such a short amount of time!"

Zhao Jun threw a disgruntled glare at Wei Ji. "You know very well that I am only interested in mecha piloting. Why would you mislead me?"

Wei Ji prodded at Zhao Jun helplessly for a moment, finally saying with a bitter chuckle, "Fine, fine, fine, just say it's my fault. But this Wang Hui is a combat genius from our planet Wuji, already at the optimal peak of Refinement stage, just a half step away from entering Qi-Jin stage." Wei Ji's tone was threaded with a faint trace of pride.

Mind you, these past few years, Zhang Jing-an was the only one who had already advanced into the early stage of Qi-Jin before entering the military academy. The others, no matter how strong, had only been at Refinement. Even the number one of the military academy, the Thunder King Qiao Ting, had only been at the peak of Refinement when he had first entered the academy, a level weaker than Wang Hui.

Of course, when the Thunder King had been a freshman, he had already displayed his terrifying talent in mecha piloting, which was how he had begun suppressing Zhang Jing-an ever since the second year. By now, he had completely left Zhang Jing-an several horse heads behind 1 , shooting straight up to become the number one of the military academy.

1. The following parts refer to Ling Lan as 'he' since it's seen from Wu Jiong's perspective.

2. T/C: Well, I mean, the dude did just announce his name very loudly ...

3. 说曹操曹操就到: FYI, the Chinese version goes like this — 'speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives'. Cao Cao being a famous Chinese warlord of the Three Kingdoms period. Look him up on wikipedia for more info.

4. 赤岩星: pinyin being planet 'Chiyan'. I had wanted to find a grander word for 'red rock', but geology really isn't my forte and my google searching didn't give me anything appropriate. Oh well, the name's here to stay now. :p

5. Recap: This character first appeared in Chapter 222, along with Wang Hui, at the space fortress. They are both cadets from another planet, and Zhou Ya is the one who sees Han Jijyun as a rival.

6. 甩了张京安几个马头: This is a rather direct translation of the phrase, but it makes sense to me in English too. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, think of horse-racing and consider the length of a horse's head as a unit of measurement. The Thunder King's 'horse' is quite a few horse heads ahead of Zhang Jing-an, i.e. ZJA is now trailing behind TK in the race for advancement.

Chapter 245 - The Dux Li Shiyu!

Without question, the Thunder King was a marvel — and Wei Ji hoped that Wang Hui could reproduce this miraculous achievement of the Thunder King. That way, a few years later, when the Thunder King graduated and left the military academy, it would be the time for their Wuji Mecha Clan to rise to the top.

Learning of Wang Hui's combat level, Zhao Jun's eyes flashed brightly. "Not bad, with the addition of these two talents, Wuji's future is boundless!"

Zhao Jun's words made Han Yu and Wei Ji laugh, pleased. In contrast to the shrewd and unfathomable Li Lanfeng, Zhao Jun, who only knew to fight, was much simpler — his words would never twist and turn; what was said was what he meant.

Having said that, Zhao Jun clapped Wang Hui on the shoulder approvingly, then walked over to sit down beside Li Lanfeng.

This move of Zhao Jun's made Han Yu and Wei Ji frown, a trace of frustrated regret in their eyes. Back then, they should not have tried some petty tricks in order to keep Zhao Jun in check through fear, thus enraging him, giving Li Lanfeng the chance to become the mediator between the two sides. From there, Li Lanfeng had gained Zhao Jun's friendship, resulting in their current close relationship. If Zhou Ya really succeeded in replacing Li Lanfeng, they might still be unable to chase away Li Lanfeng too obviously, to force him to resign from his post within the clan ...

Over these past few years of cooperation, they had come to learn that Zhao Jun was a very loyal and steadfast person, definitely someone who would sacrifice his life for a friend. If Zhao Jun became discontented with them over Li Lanfeng, he might choose to leave the Wuji Mecha Clan in a fit of rage to follow Li Lanfeng, and that would be a major loss for them.

Zhao Jun was a genius at mecha piloting, strong enough to squeeze into the top three of their year. Excluding Li Lanfeng's strategic planning, Zhao Jun was integral to the Wuji Mecha Clan's secure third-place ranking. If the two of them went off to join another faction because of this, it would very likely affect the position of their Wuji Mecha Clan among the school factions ...

Han Yu's and Wei Ji's eyes met, sharing a glance, conveying their tacit decision to temporarily set their plan aside and continue tolerating Li Lanfeng a while longer. Zhou Ya and Wang Hui still needed some time to grow anyway; their mecha clan indeed still needed Li Lanfeng's strategic mind.

Of course, they decided mentally that they would find a chance to drive a wedge between Li Lanfeng and Zhao Jun in the interim — once the two became at odds, it would be time for them to banish Li Lanfeng.

So decided, the two began conversing enthusiastically with Li Lanfeng and Zhao Jun. Not long after, a dark wall within the box suddenly lit up — it turned out that this was a high-tech screen, and it was currently set up for direct viewing without any segmentations. Of course, it was also possible to choose to dissect the screen into several windows for multiple viewing angles. Right then, on the arena stage dominating the screen, several youths in blue uniforms suddenly appeared. Their expressions were composed and proud; it was the delegation from the Leiting Mecha Clan. With that, the four of them in the box stopped their conversation, turning their eyes to the large screen.

In the dark box, facing the screen, no one saw Li Lanfeng's smile turn mocking from its initial warmth, and his clear gaze became deep and dark. The current Li Lanfeng was no longer at all kind and approachable, instead emitting a cold edge.

********

The moment the Leiting people got on the stage, they received the passionate cheers of all the students in the audience of the combat hall. The Federation had always championed the rule of survival of the fittest, and this was displayed most vividly within the military academy. The Leiting Mecha Clan was the strongest faction in the military academy, and so obtained the acknowledgement and respect of the majority of the cadets.

At this moment, the other boxes on the second floor were gradually being claimed by their respective owners. Practically all the people in the boxes took the cheers coming from the combat hall below as a matter of fact, absolutely certain that the final victors would be Leiting. Only in one particular corner of one of the boxes was there someone worrying about the fate of the New Cadet Regiment 1 .

"F*ck, the whole hall is cheering for Leiting. No one thinks the New Cadet Regiment will win. Honestly speaking, I don't think the New Cadet Regiment has any hope of winning either. I say, has your younger cousin brother's head been shot at before? Actually daring to accept Leiting's letter of challenge?" In that box, a baby-faced youth in a blue uniform abruptly smacked his hands onto the arms of his sofa, his entire expression a mask of rage at the perceived incompetence.

Standing before the screen, a person in a white uniform was standing tall with his back to the baby-faced youth. He cut a dashing figure, and with a hand on the frame of the screen, he replied without even turning back, "It's fine since he has already accepted. At least I'll be able to see how much this younger cousin brother of mine who has always been aiming for the first inheritance rights has grown."

"Just for that reason? That's why you actually emerged from your laboratory to come see this competition that he is destined to lose?" The baby-faced youth's face was filled with incredulity.

He knew his sworn brother — ever since they had entered the First Men's Military Academy, and he had chosen to specialize in military medical research, it was like he had been possessed by a demon. Day and night, he was always at the laboratory with his instructors researching the various strange and bizarre diagnostic and treatment questions known to the Federation at present. Perhaps he truly had talent in this respect, for he actually managed to successfully produce several treatment procedures in the course of his research, which after practical real-world testing, were discovered to be extremely effective. As a result of his exceptional performance on these course problems, from the start of the second year, he had successfully become the dux of the military medical research specialization. Since then, the position of dux had seemed reserved for him alone, never to budge.

The baby-faced youth had always believed that if the Thunder King was a peerless prodigy in mecha piloting, then his good friend, Li Shiyu, was certainly a horrifyingly aberrant existence in the medical field. The two dominated over the masses in their respective domains, becoming the indisputable number ones of their fields.

"Lose?" Li Shiyu muttered to himself. At this moment, five more figures appeared on the arena stage, dressed in the average cadet's green uniform. It was the five representatives of the New Cadet Regiment here to participate in the physical skills combat showdown.

Through the screen, Li Shiyu stared at the cocky punk who was standing with his arms crossed on the stage. His initially handsome face instantly became dark and foreboding, as he bit out word by word, "If that punk loses, I will make him pay the price." The latent energy spurring gene agent S-modification that he had just developed recently — didn't it just happen to be lacking some human experimental candidates? Perhaps Li Yingjie would be a suitable experiment subject.

At this moment, Li Yingjie, who had his chin lifted up defiantly, suddenly felt a chill pass through his body. He could not help but shiver, causing Luo Lang beside him to glance at him disapprovingly, "You're afraid now?"

Li Yingjie glared at Luo Lang, and shot back, "Who's afraid? There was just a gust of cold wind earlier ..."

Cold wind? Luo Lang looked around at this fully enclosed combat hall with not a single gap for air flow — the temperature forever maintained at 20 degrees by the thermostat. In this place where not a trace of wind could be created ... a cold wind? Who was he trying to fool?

Luo Lang sniffed and rolled his eyes, no longer paying any mind to the cowardly Li Yingjie beside him. He had originally thought that the always cocky Li Yingjie did not know what fear was, but the other was unexpectedly just a tiger in a cave — only cocksure and domineering in its own den.

Luo Lang's sniff clearly revealed his true opinion, which caused Li Yingjie's complexion to flush and pale erratically. He wished dearly that he could grab hold of the other's collar and yell in his face: What the hell are you sniffing for?! Everything this bro has said is the truth! There really had been a blast of cold wind, or else why would this bro shiver?

Unfortunately, reality did not permit Li Yingjie to do so. He could only suppress the urge to right this misunderstanding and put aside his shame for now. In his heart, he decided that he must obtain victory in the fighting ring — he would use reality to tell Luo Lang that he, Li Yingjie, had never been afraid of the opponent before.

These things that happened on the stage could not be observed clearly by the spectating students. All they could see was a pretty youth and a prideful youth bending their heads close to exchange a few words, and then move apart again to stand still, patiently waiting for the referee the school administration had assigned to appear.

The military academy permitted wagering on fights, whether official or personal. The only difference was that, official fight wagers would be officiated over by the academy's referee, while personal fight wagers would not involve the academy in any way.

Still, both types of wagering had one restriction — no deaths could be incurred. If an incident of death occurred, the academy would dispatch a team to investigate. And if the offending side was discovered to have killed with intent, the student or organisation which had intentionally caused the death would be mercilessly court-martialled and tried under the full force of the law. The most severe punishment possible naturally being the death penalty.

Thus, even if there was discord or conflict among the cadets which was carried over into their wagers, the wagers would typically not result in any deaths. Of course, cases where the perpetrator intended to die along with their victim were not included in this.

The fight wager between the two factions, Leiting and the New Cadet Regiment, was an official fight wager, which was why a referee from the academy would be present. This official wager was the result of agreement on both sides, because both sides were afraid that the other party would go back on their word.

Mind you, the results of an official fight wager were guaranteed by the academy. The moment the results were out, the wager would have to be fulfilled. Even if one party regretted the wager after the fact and wanted to renege on it, the other party could request for the school administration to step in and forcefully carry out the terms of the wager. Leiting was determined to obtain the New Cadet Regiment. In order to ensure nothing went wrong, they would certainly choose an official fight wager. Meanwhile, the New Cadet Regiment had similar concerns, so, without any objection, the wager this time naturally became an official fight wager.

********

"Shiyu, look. That youth by your younger cousin brother's side is so pretty, just like a girl. Is he participating as well?" The baby-faced youth seemed exasperated at the sheer incompetence on display, "Heavens, does the New Cadet Regiment not have anyone else? Actually sending out such a delicate youth to fight ... how could they bear to do so 1 ?"

Right then, Li Shiyu too laid eyes on Luo Lang's appearance, and he was instantly stunned. Another face floated into his mind's eye — different, yet equally beautiful — no, that other face was even lovelier than the face of this youth before him, so beautiful that it almost felt as if it should not appear in the human world ...

Li Shiyu's heart abruptly spasmed violently — was this the reason why the heavens was unwilling to give his eldest cousin brother a healthy body? Because he did not belong to this common world to begin with, and needed to be reclaimed?

No, I will not allow it! Even if I have to fight against the heavens, I will keep Brother Mulan here!

Li Shiyu gripped the frame of the screen tightly, his fingers locked around it, savouring the pain travelling up through his fingers. It was as if this was the only way to soothe the wrenching pain in his heart. It was precisely due to this unbearable pain that he had chosen a different path without any regrets. Even if he would lose the inheritance rights to the Li family because of this, he would not regret it.

A crisp "Crack!" rang out — a piece of the screen's frame had actually been shattered by Li Shiyu's iron grip. Baby-face instantly jumped up and rushed over, taking Li Shiyu's hand in his even as he bemoaned, "Heavens, my points ..." Although this box was theirs by right for the year, anything inside that was destroyed would still needed to be paid for.

1. From this point on, I'll be capitalising 'New Cadet Regiment' as the context seems to be using it as a proper noun now to refer to the group.

2. T/C: Oh dear lord, Luo Lang is gonna punch you so badly if he hears this.