1394 - 1405

1394 Naive!

Lord Li stood up from his seat with wary eyes. "Lord Gen!"

He had never seen the new Lord Gen before, but Lord Li was certain that this unfamiliar guest was Lord Gen.

"Lord Li, I've heard much about you," Ling Lan said indifferently.

"Why did Lord Gen come to visit me?" Lord Li signalled for the maids beside him to leave. Then, he continued, "We are enemies now. Isn't it a little rash of you to come without any warning?"

"That is precisely the reason why I am here." A majestic ice throne slowly condensed behind Ling Lan. She flicked back her gown and sat down cross-legged on the throne, giving off the impression that she was the owner of this palace.

Her sudden movement did shock Lord Li a little, but after he realized what she was implying by her actions, he felt a little infuriated and humiliated. He really abhorred those who didn't have manners.

"Once the battle royale starts, the result will be decided on the battlefield. Even if you come and find me now, I can't do anything." Lord Li suppressed the anger in his heart and spoke with an unfriendly tone. If he had a choice, he wanted to kick this impolite brat out of his palace.

"I have no interest in this matter," Ling Lan replied coldly. "I came because I want to ask you when you're planning to return my goods to me."

Lord Li was stunned. In a blink of an eye, he laughed loudly. "Hahaha, Lan Xiao, Lan Xiao, don't you know that once the battle royale starts, everything you take becomes your spoils of war?"

"I honestly didn't know that," Ling Lan answered calmly.

"Now that you know, you can leave. Pardon me for not sending you out." Lord Li stood up and waved his sleeve nonchalantly.

"There's no need to hurry." Ling Lan completely ignored Lord Li.

"What else do you want?" Lord Li replied furiously, "I've already made myself clear. Plus, I don't welcome you here."

"Didn't you say that once the battle starts, everything you take is your spoils of war?" Ling Lan smiled. Her smile caused the entire palace to lit up. "I'm sure you have pretty good stuff locked up here."

Lord Li was in a daze. He didn't expect such a cold and unfriendly person to be so mesmerizing when he smiled. Fortunately, he liked women. If not, he might not be able to control himself.

Even so, Lord Li was still affected by the smile, slowing him down by a beat. After calming down, he finally realised that Lord Gen wanted to rob him.

At this realization, Lord Li exploded in anger. He curbed himself to the best of his ability because he didn't want to fight with the other party. Every single move made by an imperial realm formidable warrior was lethal and terrifying. If two such individuals fought, carnage and destruction would follow.

While he was furious out of his mind, he was still confused. He and Lan Xiao weren't life-or-death enemies. Nothing could be gained if they beat each other up. Plus, as someone who had been one of the 13 Lords for a long time, Lord Li treasured his life. How could he take the risk of dying?

However, even though he feared the possibility of death, he couldn't possibly let Lan Xiao step all over him like that. When need be, he would fight to the tooth and nail

"Hahaha! You are pretty confident, huh?" Lord Li looked up at the sky and laughed heartily. Suddenly, he lowered his head to equal that of Ling Lan as he glared at Ling Lan sinisterly with a vicious gaze."Don't think that just because you killed the previous Lord Gen, you are able to do whatever you want in the Lawless Lands."

Ling Lan softly yawned as her eyes stared into Lord Li nonchalantly. There weren't any fluctuations in her emotions when she heard what Lord Li said. It felt as though everything Lord Li said was bullshit.

1395 You"re Dreaming!

The atmosphere between Lord Li and Ling Lan turned viscous. It seemed a huge fight was imminent.

Suddenly, both of them jumped up from their thrones simultaneously. A long whip appeared in both of their right hands and they slashed the whip at each other viciously.

One red and one blue. Two long whips with two different colours cracked at each other forcefully in mid-air.

"Smack!"

A loud ear-piercing sound was let out. Sparks of two different colours could be seen as the whips slashed along each other. Seeing that their initial attack was a failure, the owners of the two whips flew back and landed on the ground.

Ling Lan twisted her waist and her neck to let out some tension in her body. She flicked her right wrist and the blue whip cracked in the air once again, rushing towards Lord Li ferociously.

Seeing the vicious whip, Lord Li just snorted in derision. He shook his wrist and his red long whip welcomed the blue whip.

"Smack!"

This time, an even higher pitch sound pierced their ear drums, and more sparks filled up their vision.

Ling Lan stretched her right hand out and caught the long whip that bounced back right in her hand. Then, she did a spin, spinning her red robe as well. She did this spin to counteract the force coming back from the whip.

Lord Li grabbed a hold of his whip too, but he chose to take two steps back to eliminate the force.

Ling Lan stabilised her body and looked at Lord Li in a composed manner. She said, "Maybe that can make you change your mind."

A red light flashed past Lord Li's face. His gaze turned sharp and killing intent exploded from his body.

In the face of the overwhelming killing intent, Ling Lan's expression still remained indifferent. She already had facial paralysis for more than 20 years of her life. If Lord Li was planning to affect her with that little amount of killing intent… well, it would be quite difficult.

Lord Li frowned when he saw Ling Lan's ever-unchanged expression and gaze. The next second, the killing intent disappeared.

"You want to continue this farce?" Lord Li asked coldly.

"That'll depend on your decision. If you want to fight…" Ling Lan's gaze turned sharp and icy. "I'll fight."

She spoke firmly without any hesitation. Fighting spirit exuded from her body in an instant. This showed her resolution.

A disheveled look appeared on Lord Li's face for a split second. He didn't expect that Lan Xiao would disregard his own life and take such a huge risk just to get his goods back.

How unlucky! Lord Li cursed. He had no choice but to soften his attitude. "What do you want?"

"What you stole from me…" Ling Lan said slowly.

When he heard this, Lord Li felt that he could still accept it. Just as he was about to agree, he heard the rest of Ling Lan's sentence. "But five times more."

"You're dreaming!" Lord Li shouted angrily.

"If you don't agree, I don't mind. I really do want to know how strong Lord Li of the 13 Lords is." Ling Lan lifted her left hand and an ice tri-edge trench knife slowly formed in the air. Ling Lan wrapped her fingers around the icy handle.

As for the blue long whip in her right hand, the flowing water started condensing before turning into a transparent Tangdao with a cold aura.

The chilling sword caused Lord Li's face to twitch. He clenched the fire elemental whip in his hand.

Should he fight or not?

There were only two paths in front of Lord Li.

If he didn't fight, he needed to give the other party five times the goods he snatched. This young and hot-blooded brat would definitely not give in if he didn't satisfy his criteria. If he chose to fight, there was a possibility of death. No one could know what the end result of an imperial realm battle could be.

"Two times." Lord Li gritted his teeth. He decided to take a step back but he would never agree to repay five times the amount.

Ling Lan looked at him indifferently. Obviously, she wasn't satisfied with the number Lord Li gave.

1396 I"m Not A B*tch.

"Three times. Don't get too carried away with yourself," Lord Li said with a furious expression. If Lord Gen still wasn't satisfied with this, he would fight even if he didn't want to.

In reality, the amount of goods Ling Lan brought back was really huge. If he was really going to pay five times more, he would probably die of heartache. As such, he would never agree to her radical request.

"Fine. Since we're both members of the 13 Lords, I'll give you some leeway." Looking at Lord Li's heartbroken expression, Ling Lan knew that she was close to his bottom line. This was the only reason why she agreed to settle for three times the amount.

Actually, Ling Lan didn't care how much compensation he gave. After all, there were two huge powers behind her helping her to gather her supplies. The only issue on her hand was time. The reason why she wanted five times the amount of compensation was to make an example out of Lord Li. If she didn't punish Lord Li for what he did, the other lords might think of her like a doormat who they could steal off of with no repercussions.

Even if she really did tolerate Lord Li's actions, the same thing would happen a second time, a third time, and multiple times in the future if she didn't nip the problem off the bud immediately. Plus, as a person of her caliber, she could never allow this to happen, as this would undermine her legitimacy as a representative of the Soul Society.

Another reason was that ever since she was young, Ling Lan had always been the bully, and in the Lawless Lands, this wouldn't change. Her image mustn't fall.

"When the battle royale ends, please pay me what you owe." After resolving the issue, Ling Lan gently opened her hands, letting the Tangdao and the tri-edge trench knife fall to the floor before dissipating them into a ball of cold mist.

"Don't worry. I will not forget my promise." Lord Li squinted. The fire whip in his hand also disappeared.

"However, my promise won't stand if you lose the battle royale. The battlefield will decide everything. If you lose, you will concede your invaded territories and have to cough up everything you snatched." Lord Li said coldly, "Lord Gen, don't go against this rule."

Ling Lan raised her eyebrows. "The battlefield will resolve itself. It has nothing to do with me."

"Then, why did you still ask me for compensation?" Lord Li asked angrily. This was his rightful gains from the battle royale. Why was this fellow shameless enough to ask for it back?

Ling Lan tidied her gown and looked up. She sneered. "Because I'm not a b*tch."

After she finished speaking, her body slowly merged with the background and disappeared. Only Lord Li was left in the palace.

Lord Li stood still for a moment. Then, he went back to his bedroom to lay on his bed. He crawled onto his bed, placed her hands above his stomach and shut his eyes.

More than ten seconds later, Lord Li suddenly snorted and laughed. "That fellow is really not afraid of anything…"

He actually became an example to warn the other lords. This fact infuriated Lord Li. However, there was nothing he could do, unless he was willing to risk his life just like the other party and accept the battle.

But… he was too old to take such risk anymore. Plus, life just became more valuable the more you lived it. He really didn't want to risk his life just over some stolen goods unless there was no other choice.

'Let's wait and see. Let me see if you can still be so arrogant after the battle royale ends,' Lord Li thought to himself furiously.

On the other side, Zhao Jun brought his mecha clan and entered the Kamoda District.

This was the section the 13 Lords segregated for mecha battles. This area amounted to 50 acres, making the surface area as wide as the main territory of a lord.

This piece of land would be given to the lord that won the battle royale last year. Lord Gen lost terribly last year so he didn't have the home ground advantage. He could only attack from the outside.

Fortunately, the Kamoda district was very big. They could attack the district from all directions. Even if the owner of this land wanted to ambush them, he couldn't do it unless he had reliable information regarding their offensive plans.

However, the lord who lost would be guarding against this leak of information too. To counteract this problem, he would give the leader of the mecha clan the luxury of choosing where to attack from several preset options.

This act stopped any chances of them getting exposed and being ambushed.

And as battle royales got more figured out, no one had the interest to do such an arduous and fruitless job anymore.

1397 Blood Path!

This time, honestly speaking, Zhao Jun's mecha clan only had about 2000 people. Among the tens of thousands of mecha operators on the battlefield, his mecha clan didn't seem significant at all.

Hence, when the mecha clan Zhao Jun led disappeared secretly from the waiting zone of the battle royale, no one noticed their disappearance, including Lord Zhen's subordinates who were supposed to be in the same group as them.

Maybe Lord Zhen's subordinates just ignored them because they didn't think Zhao Jun's 2000 mechas could affect the results of the battle royale.

The Kamoda district consists of a bunch of various environments, simulating various environments an army might encounter which they should get used to, making it a perfect battlefield to train the people of the Lawless Lands. The area consisted of flatland, highlands, deserts, grasslands, a jungle, an endless swamp, a lake thousands of square kilometers wide, and, of course, a continuous stretch of mountains.

With the known fact that fights frequent the area, the citizens of the Lawless Lands never really settle in the area. Only people who were driven into a corner and with no place to go back to would take the risk and live here, hoping for a slim chance of survival.

"Regiment commander, there's a mecha clan in front of us with more than ten thousand mechas." The leader of the scout team reported his newest findings.

Zhao Jun asked, "Do you know who they belong to?"

"We saw the symbol on their chest. It's a lightning bolt. They should be under Lord Zhen." Soon, the team leader sent the video clip they recorded to Zhao Jun.

"Ignore them. We'll go around them," Zhao Jun ordered calmly.

"Yes, regiment commander." The leader of the scout team ordered his men to change their scouting areas.

After some time, they met another group of people but this time, they met their own people. The mechas they met had a symbol of a seven-colored scorpion on their chest. It was a ten thousand mecha squad under Lord Gen.

Zhao Jun still chose to evade them. He didn't choose to gather with the main army.

Zhao Jun knew that although the addition of their 2000 mechas would increase the combat potential of that mecha squad, who would be the one in command? If the other person's commanding ability was on par with Boss, fine, let's not make things difficult for the other party. If the person's commanding ability was on par with him, he didn't mind listening to them. However, from the video clips taken by the scout team, it was obvious that the commander didn't know what tactics were. His mecha squad was flying above a piece of flatland extremely obviously.

To Zhao Jun, they were basically calling to be targets. Even if they wanted to commit suicide, they shouldn't do it so obviously.

Of course, Zhao Jun wouldn't be a busybody and remind the other commander kindly. Maybe his kind reminder might be viewed as a provocation instead. If the situation wasn't handled carefully, disputes could happen easily. After all, he was the new Lord Gen's men. The new and old guards already had a grudge, and he didn't want to magnify it.

Actually, Zhao Jun didn't understand why Boss didn't take bold and drastic measures to reorganise the confidants left behind by the previous Lord Gen but instead, left them alone. To prevent them from being discontented, he didn't interfere with them at all. The new guards only formed a new click by themselves, separating themselves entirely from the old Lord Gen's click. They were like two parallel lines, no one would meddle with each other.

Based on Boss's usual brutal and cold-hearted methods, he would definitely create a huge bloodbath in order to be able to control the entire Lord Gen's territory. Zhao Jun was already eagerly waiting to fight with Boss. But, unexpectedly, Boss's attitude towards them changed 180 degrees, turning into a gentle lord before them. If he didn't understand Boss well, he would have suspected if the ruthless version of Boss was an illusion from his nightmare.

But, his puzzled mind was soon resolved when Li Lanfeng came to pass him Boss's order before they left. Based on this order, Zhao Jun knew that the cold and vicious Boss was still there. He just hid his intentions well, only revealing his fangs when it was the right time.

Zhao Jun appeared rash and impatient, but he was actually an extremely calm and calculating person. Just like what Li Lanfeng said, Zhao Jun was the best at protecting himself. If his interest wasn't affected, he would choose to be a bystander. You could say that he was cold-blooded. It was this trait that allowed him to have a good relationship with all the brigade leaders (now, they were all regiment commanders) of Lingtian. Even Li Yingjie, who didn't have a good reputation, had a good relationship with him.

Thus, even though he knew that this mecha clan might suffer heavy losses when they would eventually get ambushed, he still ordered his mecha clan to move away from them as far as possible.

He wasn't interested in becoming a life saviour, especially when he still had to carry out the important mission Boss gave him. He mustn't make such a dumb mistake at this critical juncture.

The 2000 mecha operators slowly moved away from the flatlands and entered the jungle zone.

Most wouldn't choose to enter this zone, as everyone was well aware that a jungle with a lot of trees was the easiest place to lay an ambush. If you entered recklessly, you were looking for death.

However, to Zhao Jun's mecha clan, the jungle wasn't really dangerous to them. They only needed to have good mecha piloting skills to maintain their speed as they passed through the forest.

That was because to increase their chances of success, Qi Long sent over the most powerful batch of modified mechas. All the specs of these mechas had reached the fundamental requirements for imperial mechas. Moreover, they were all equipped with the chameleon system.

They were able to get the chameleon system all thanks to Boss. When he was still the commander of Lingtian, he forced the chief of staff, He Xuyang, to give him these systems. It was said after that, He Xuyang ran to find General Ling Xiao because he wanted to retire from his position. But, in the end, he got persuaded to stay by General Ling Xiao. As for how General Ling Xiao persuaded him… this had always been one of the secrets of the 23rd division. Interested parties could search for the answer themselves.

The moment the mecha team entered Kamoda, they activated their chameleon system and maintained a steady speed which suppressed the noises of their mechas.

"Regiment commander, the two mecha clans we met all had around ten thousand people. I feel that in this place, the default for a mecha clan is ten thousand people." The secondary commander, Pan Dongyu's voice sounded on Zhao Jun's team channel.

"Yes. That should be right." Zhao Jun had the same thought too.

"Once we meet our opponent, it will be a little tough for 2000 of us to fight with 10000 of them." Pan Dongyu frowned slightly. Although he believed in the abilities of his clan members and felt that they could fight with three opponents at once, fighting with five opponents was still too frightening. Once there was too much pressure on his clan members, they might not be able to perform to their best, and this could cause a huge number of casualties. It was a consequence both he and Zhao Jun couldn't handle.

"If we don't even have the courage to do this, why are we here?" Zhao Jun replied calmly.

A part of his mecha clan consisted of his original team members but most of them were experienced mecha operators moved over from the other mecha brigades. Moreover, they were the most powerful batch of mecha operators that moved over. Many of them were veteran mecha operators from the original 250 Mecha Clan. They knew that Boss was in trouble so they voluntarily agreed to be moved. Some were the mecha operators who used to be stationed at Base 013. They managed to survive due to the protection from Boss. Yan Three was a public figure so he couldn't move here. If not, he might have fought with Zhao Jun for the position of regiment commander.

All in all, Zhao Jun went through a whole series of struggles and fights in order to clear a blood path to come to the Lawless Lands.

1398 Hate Fighting?

In the conference room of the rainbow palace, Li Lanfeng, Luo Chao and Han Xuya were busy with their work.

Ling Lan sat in the main seat of the room, holding her head with her hand with her eyes closed.

Han Xuya, who was using the newly invented optical supercomputer to receive signals, had a look of joy on her face as she received a signal. She immediately deciphered the signal and walked beside Ling Lan after organizing the information.

"Boss, this is the first battle report from the battlefield on the frontlines." Han Xuya handed over the document in her hands.

Ling Lan opened her eyes and took the document. She looked at it and her mouth instantly pouted.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Li Lanfeng, who was sitting beside her, was studying the map of the area of Kamoda. Even though he was not looking at Ling Lan, he could sense the change in pressure coming out from Ling Lan's body, so he immediately raised his head to ask her what was wrong.

"Yeah, Zhao Jun and one of Lord Li's mecha teams encountered each other." Ling Lan handed the document in her hand to Li Lanfeng, "He decided to face them head on."

"Zhao Jun always fights like that. Plus, if they've already encountered each other, if they don't fight head on, it will make us look weak." Li Lanfeng smiled as he gave an explanation for his friend.

"He's in the jungle area." Ling Lan sent a side glance at Li Lanfeng. It was as though she wanted to see just how much Li Lanfeng could make the situation sound better.

Li Lanfeng's smile instantly froze. Luckily, he was someone who was adept at being shameless. "It's because of the mindset of everyone in the jungle that gives him an inherent advantage. While everyone is setting up ambushes in the dark, he would crush them through brute force in broad daylight. Perhaps there will be a surprise."

"Okay, I'll wait to see that surprise you mentioned." Ling Lan didn't expose Li Lanfeng for forcing the fact. Although she was somewhat unsatisfied with Zhao Jun's decision, she still decided to not do anything about it. The most she would do was to drag him back into the training room after he comes back to sharpen him. As for whether he would be hanging near death's door, it would depend on Ling Lan's mood at the time.

Li Lanfeng could only give Ling Lan a faint smile. What could he do? Zhao Jun was his friend. Even if he knew that the decision Zhao Jun made wasn't optimal, shouldn't he, as his friend, back him up?

Ling Lan stopped talking about this topic. After all, Zhao Jun was the only one who knew the real reason why he made such a decision. She couldn't just sit here and make a judgment for him. If she did, why did she even delegate her powers in the first place. Ling Lan decided that afterwards, when Zhao Jun would send her the complete report, she would analyze it again.

Ling Lan went into deep thought. While doing so, her fingers rhythmically tapped the table. This finger tapping thing was a habit she had inherited from her father, and it would show itself when she was deep in thought.

When the sounds of tapping entered everyone's ears, everyone subconsciously softened their steps. They were afraid of making any noise that might affect Boss's train of thought.

Suddenly, Ling Lan raised her head and looked towards Luo Chao, who held the secretary position, and asked, "Luo Chao, does Zhao Jun have enough medics and medicinal agents with him?"

"Department Head Li equipped Regiment Commander Zhao with S level equipment. As long as they don't go over the top, it should be enough to hold until the battle royale finishes," replied Luo Chao.

"S level. That's two Nuwa agents for every mecha operator." Ling Lan nodded and then turned towards Li Lanfeng, "Lanfeng, you know Zhao Jun best. Do you think Zhao Jun would go too over the top in this battle royale?�� Ling Lan put more emphasis on 'too'. It was clear that Ling Lan knew that Zhao Jun would do something over the top, but she didn't just to what extent.

"Zhao Jun… When he's calm, he's very calm. When he needs to go crazy, he goes really crazy. So, I can't really give you a definite answer. " Li Lanfeng frowned. "He and Qi Long, once they go into battle mode, they're both hot-blooded and even insane. However, the source of their hot-bloodedness and insanity are completely different from each other."

"Qi Long honestly enjoys the thrill that a fight brings him. Watching Qi Long fight, no matter how crazy or difficult it is, we are able to sense the excitement and exhilaration from Qi Long. Additionally, his special physical constitution and innate talent makes him very suitable for prolonged fights, and the longer he fights the higher the chance of him getting an epiphany to become stronger." After saying all that, a look of envy fell upon Li Lanfeng's eyes. That special physical constitution was something everyone looked towards with jealousy.

"But Zhao Jun isn't like that… His hot-bloodedness and insanity are forced onto himself. It could even be said that he hates fighting, despite giving people the impression that he loves to fight." Li Lanfeng's gaze was stern. After knowing Zhao Jun for so many years and being his friend for more than ten years, Li Lanfeng, who was naturally good at digging deeper into things, of course saw through what was hidden within Zhao Jun's heart.

Li Lanfeng's shocking words stunned Luo Lang and Han Xuya, and their stunned state was not without reason. In Lingtian, if anyone was asked which regiment commander liked to fight the most, they would rank Qi Long, Zhao Jun and Luo Lang as the top three candidates. However, Li Lanfeng's words completely shattered their perception of Zhao Jun.

However, Ling Lan wasn't surprised by this. "I've sensed this in the past. It's just that it's Zhao Jun's personal matter and I shouldn't talk about it."

"All in all, it's still because of his family background. The identity of a commoner caused his starting point to be extremely low, but luckily, his outstanding talents shined through, causing his family to put all their hope onto him. Additionally, being in a poor third-rate planet forced Zhao Jun to depend on himself and climb up the ranks one by one. While under immense pressure, in order to become stronger, sometimes he could only go towards danger," explained Li Lanfeng.

After hearing the explanation, Luo Chao's eyes brightened. "That's why he does the same thing as Elder Brother Qi Long. He forces himself to fight in order to get stronger."

Li Lanfeng nodded. "Yes. Many times Zhao Jun would force himself towards his limit in the hopes of finding a way to become stronger, whether it is improving his sense of combat or his proficiency in mecha piloting."

"He isn't like Qi Long who enjoys fighting because of the thrill. It was instead reality forcing him to fight." Luo Chao had a sad look on her face. The image of a lonely child appeared in her mind, a child had nothing and could only fight and fight, bleed and bleed, in order to strengthen himself until he finally got accepted into the First Men's Military Academy.

"This is the reason why he couldn't control his titled domain level technique yet. Forcing himself to fight would in the end become the devil in his heart," Ling Lan said calmly. "Perhaps this battle royale will give Zhao Jun a chance to rid himself of that problem."

Li Lanfeng's eyes instantly brightened, "Really?"

Ling Lan nodded, "There are opportunities. I protected you guys too much in the past. Although you guys were safe, it also decreased your chances of growing on your own. When Zhao Jun understands the burden of bearing the responsibility of the lives of thousands of people on his own shoulders, the problem with the way he does things will be resolved."

1399 Judging.

Zhao Jun held the control stick tightly in his hand. Sweat was coming out of his hand continuously before evaporating in an instant.

Zhao Jun was nervous. There seemed to be a huge problem weighing down on his heart.

At first, he thought that there was nothing he was frightened of. However, when he had to give the order for his team to fight with a mecha clan that vastly outnumbered them, Zhao Jun suddenly realized he wasn't as fearless as he thought.

Although he had been through countless torturous battles and had fearlessly led his mecha team to fight on the first line of offense, he realized he could do all those war god-like acts because he had comrades he could trust behind him, and at anytime he was no longer able to withhold any longer, his trusty comrades would lead reinforcements to save him.

Because he had this confidence, he didn't feel any pressure. He just needed to focus on fighting. However, now, in this unfamiliar Kamoda district, where he had no reinforcements, he could feel the chilling wind blowing behind him.

Moreover, in the past battles, Boss or the strategists would be the ones giving the direction. He was just an executor. Yet, at this moment, he had to measure all the possibilities and make a decision with no one helping him. Whether it was right or wrong, it was his decision to make. If it was right, everything would be still alright. If he made the wrong judgment, the entire mecha team would be annihilated.

Zhao Jun finally understood what responsibilities a regiment commander had to endure.

Would they really be able to fight against five enemies each? Zhao Jun hesitated.

"Regiment commander, our enemy is already less than five kilometers away from us." The leader of the scout team hastily reported.

"Should we fight or not?" Cold sweat formed on Zhao Jun's forehead. Was he able to handle the trust of these 2000 mecha masters? The pressure of failure was rapidly creeping up on him.

"Regiment commander, they're already four kilometers away." Mecha moved at a very fast speed. Within a short time, they had shortened the distance by one kilometer.

"Zhao Jun, don't be nervous. Think about Boss. What would he do?" Zhao Jun violently grabbed his control stick with his left hand, but his right hand was still trembling.

"I don't create trouble but that doesn't mean that I'm afraid of trouble. Since some people aren't afraid of death and have come to offend us… let's kill them all." In his mind, Ling Lan's indifferent voice flooded his mind. Boss was never afraid.

"Since there has to be a fight, let's not think about how to evade it. What I should think about is how to exterminate the other party and eliminate all future troubles." Yes, Boss never backed down. He liked to solve their problems once and for all. He wouldn't forgive their enemies.

"The chance of us winning is more than 50%. Why not take the bet?" That's right, Boss was a decisive person. No matter how bad their situation was, he would be able to lead everyone and cleared a path for themselves.

"Zhao Jun, I believed you!" The voice of Boss when he was passing the leadership of the mecha clan to him came up in his mind. This was what he said.

Yes, Boss always believed in them. Even if they made a huge mistake, even if he punished them heavily, the trust he had in them never diminished.

"That's right, since Boss trusts me, Zhao Jun, why don't you trust yourself?" Zhao Jun suddenly smiled brightly. Deep down in his heart, he hated this kind of endless battle. However, as long as his comrades were fighting, as long as everyone needed him, he wouldn't retreat from the frontlines.

"Since Boss trusts me, Zhao Jun, why can't you trust them?" The first half of the sentence was the same as before but the last part was different. The former was him judging himself while the latter was him questioning himself.

"Everyone, split up and cooperate with each other for an ambush." A glimmer of decisiveness showed Zhao Jun's eyes. He gave the order to fight without hesitation.

"Yes." The leaders of all the teams received his command.

Soon, the mechas started splitting up. Each team went to search for the best ambush location. To facilitate their ambush, the chameleon system would be constantly activated.

In the far corner, Lord Li's ten thousand men mecha clan was rushing in their direction quickly. On the way here, they didn't sense anything amiss here.

"Anything up front?" Every mecha clan had a team of scouts scouting the situation in front of them. Lord Li's army placed high importance on their frontline scouting. Every kilometer they moved the strategist of the regiment commander would ask the scouts about any changes up front.

"No enemy mecha clans have been discovered currently." Although the jungle zone was known to have a lot of ambushes, their radar and other reconnaissance equipment all showed that it was safe.

"Everyone, be careful. Based on the news given by the command center, we should be meeting an army from Lord Zhen or Lord Gen if we head in this direction." The voice of their regiment commander appeared in their channel to remind them.

"I sure hope those two teams won't work together," One of the team leaders was a little worried as he said.

"It shouldn't be possible. Lord Zhen and Lord Gen's relationship isn't good, so the relationships of their subordinates are bad too. It's rare to see them getting along harmoniously," Someone refuted.

"That's in the past. I heard that Lord Zhen supported the new Lord Gen in taking over the new position." One of the team leaders seemed to have some ways of getting secret intel.

"That's impossible, right? How can our Lord Li watch Lord Zhen expand his influence without doing anything?" Another team leader refuted the idea again. Their relationship with Lord Zhen was quite bad. Although it wasn't as bad as the relationship with the old Lord Gen, it wasn't any better either. As for why Lord Li and Lord Zhen had such a bad relationship… we have to talk about their domain concept. The latter had the lightning element while the former had the fire element. Both of them wished for the title of the most powerful offense domain concept. The two lords wouldn't bow down to each other so after a few altercations, the relationship turned sour.

"Stop talking nonsense. Even if their relationship is good, they might not cooperate. They are for sure guarded against each other." One of the team leaders saw through the lords.

There might be alliances formed during a battle royale, but everyone knew your ally this year might be your enemy the next year. No one would maintain a working relationship partner whom they collaborated with for only a few days. Everyone just appeared harmonious on the surface. Sometimes, for the sake of benefits, they would play dirty with one another.

"As long as they don't cooperate, we are not afraid of anyone,�� Another team leader said arrogantly. He was boasting. In these few years, Lord Li had always owned the territory of Kamoda because he was always on the winning side of the battle royale. Their mecha clan might not be the first among all of Lord Li's mecha clan but they were among the top three. He had never lost for the past few years. It was understandable that they felt proud of themselves.

"Okay, stop chatting. Even if there's no situation reported up front, everyone still has to be careful." The regiment commander appeared and ended this conversation.

At this moment, a portion of the mechas had already entered Zhao Jun's ambush zone.

"Leader!" After seeing so many mechas coming over, the team members that were hiding in front started feeling restless.

"There's no need to hurry. Let them leave." Their leader was very calm. Only a small portion of the mechas had entered their trap. If they revealed their fangs now, they wouldn't be able to achieve the greatest result. They needed to bear with it for a while longer.

In Lingtian, once you got on the battlefield, all the mecha operators would have to listen to their team leaders unconditionally. The ranking system must be abided strictly. Anyone that dared to break the rule would be punished. The punishment was enough to ensure that they lived in hell every day in the future.

The mecha operators knew this so after their team leader spoke, no one said anything else. They controlled their impatience and waited silently.

1400 A Heaven-defying Cheat Code!

After lying prone there waiting patiently until their bones were about to creak from exhaustion, finally, most of the opposing mecha army had entered their trap. Seeing that none of them had been discovered yet, the team leader let out a minute sigh of relief. The sigh of relief coming out of his body was like a burden on his heart being slowly lifted, it felt as though he had been liberated and was ready to fight to the bitter end. With his whole heart and soul being all geared up to fight, he let out a magnified roar that traveled through the whole jungle.

As his roar died out, shadows started raining down on the unsuspecting mecha army. While they were raining down the air, silver sheens of light were falling along with them.

To prevent their opponents from discovering them from using infrared equipment, they didn't bring any heat-generating weapons, which meant they were executing this ambush with only cold weapons.

Before long, a scene of massacre and desolation followed with the descent of the silver sheens. In the back of their minds, they knew this day might possibly be their end, but they did not agree with that notion, so they would fight and fight until they were the only ones left standing.

"Regiment commander's orders: Once the Nuwa agents are finished, we will retreat from the frontlines." As the gruesome fight carried on, it naturally would get more intense, and as such it was inevitable that mecha operator's on Zhao Jun's side would get hurt in the process. Once someone sustained any life-threatening injuries, they would be sent back to the medics to be injected with the life-saving Nuwa agent, and after a few minutes of rest, they would jump right back on their feet and continue to fight. However, even with such a powerful lifeline, it was still limited in supply, and thus it was why Zhao Jun ordered his men to stop when they ran out of such powerful medicinal agents.

Although Zhao Jun's mecha clan was outnumbered by the enemy by five times the amount, they still managed to grasp the overall tempo of the fight as they were able to get the jump on the enemy first. Moreover, with their powerful combat ability and with the help of the Nuwa agent, they continued controlling the tempo of the fight within a tight grasp, and thus the situation started tilting in Zhao Jun's favour.

With their unrelenting spirit and seemingly undying status, the feeling of fear started to spread across the whole army. As the number of comrades on their side got fewer and fewer, that feeling of fear took over their already erratic mind. Before the commander could even order a retreat, a portion of the mecha operators already had a mental breakdown. They actually started running away.

Once one mecha operator started to flee in fear, it caused a domino effect within the others as they all started slowly taking steps back before fully running in a mad dash.

Soon, Zhao Jun's mecha clan started to wake up from their semi-bloodcrazed state, as they looked around the jungle, they realized the ground was littered with corpses and dyed with blood. They look around their vicinity, but not a single enemy in sight. They were seethed that the enemy would take the fun away from them.

Zhao Jun did try and chase after the fleeing enemies, but when he realized that they were going towards the flatlands, he decisively called back his mecha operators and hid back in the jungle.

Zhao Jun won this battle but the number of agents on his hands were severely depleted. The more saddening fact was that casualties were sustained. Although only three mecha operators had died, it was enough to sadden their comrades.

Although the Nuwa agent was able to save a person's life even if they were at the brink of death, if you were unlucky enough to get hit in the fatal spot, you would die immediately. No amount of Nuwa agent would be able to save your life. This was the situation the three casualties faced.

However, these mecha operators grew up on the battlefield. They were used to saying farewell to their comrades. After they grieved for a while, they recovered from their grief and started clearing up the battlefield. They sharpened the weapons and started searching for any survivors from their enemy's side.

Based on the rules of the Lawless Lands, if these survivors weren't saved by their surviving comrades or some sort of reinforcement, once the battle ended, they would become slaves of the winner.

Zhao Jun and his men knew clearly that Boss lacked everything, including men. The more capable slaves they captured, the better it was for Boss.

Of course, to ensure their safety, these slaves were chased away from Zhao Jun's mecha clan by some of his men to be locked up in a temporary location. There would be a small mecha team stationed there watching over them.

"Regiment commander, how are we going to act after this?" The team leaders couldn't wait for their next fight after they tasted their first success.

Zhao Jun pondered for a while. He said, "Control this jungle first. Close all entry and exits."

"Huh? We're not fighting anymore?" The team leaders were a little disappointed.

"I've thought about this carefully. I don't think that Boss sent 2000 of us into Kamoda to fight on the frontline." Zhao Jun said, "That was the mission of the mecha army directly under the previous Lord Gen and Lord Zhen…"

"Then what do we do? Be an onlooker?" One of the team leaders asked curiously.

"No, we're going to completely crush our defeated enemy." Zhao Jun smiled.

"I see." Anyone that was able to become a team leader wasn't stupid. Hence, the team leaders instantly understood Zhao Jun's ambiguous words.

"When both sides suffer heavy losses, it will be the time we act." Excitement was seen in Zhao Jun's eyes. Fortunately, he got enlightened just in time. If not, he might have died to pay for his mistake.

"Boss, news finally came back from Zhao Jun's side." Han Xuya, who had always been waiting for the result of the fight, jumped up in excitement immediately when she received a report back from Zhao Jun.

Li Lanfeng, who had always been calm and composed, couldn't control himself either. He stood up and shouted, "Hurry up and say it."

"We won completely. We destroyed more than 4200 enemy mechas and gained a total of 4577 prisoners. 2800 mechas escaped. But, three mecha operators on our side died." When she read the last past, Han Xuya's voice sounded slightly dejected. However, she regained her composure quickly. Compared to what they had gained, these deaths were negligible.

Luo Chao, who was worried at the start, gave a bright smile when Han Xuya read the result of the fight.

"It looks like Zhao Jun didn't fight with his opponent directly. He at least used tactics," Li Lanfeng smiled as he said. Based on Zhao Jun's intelligence, he should have thought about using tactics, but there was still the possibility of Zhao Jun going crazy and ordering his men to fight the enemy head on. But, luckily, that didn't happen.

The only person that remained indifferent was Ling Lan. When she heard the result, there was no change in her emotion. She just asked calmly, "Ask Zhao Jun what he plans to do after this."

Han Xuya immediately sent Ling Lan's inquiry over to Zhao Jun. Within one second, Zhao Jun gave his reply. "Wait and see. Bear the fruits of other people's labor."

After hearing Zhao Jun's reply, Ling Lan gave a light smile. It looked like Zhao Jun had understood how to become an outstanding regiment commander.

"Very good. Li Lanfeng." Ling Lan shifted her cold gaze towards Li Lanfeng. This was the look of a person who had been accustomed to hold a bunch of power and authority.

Li Lanfeng stood up straight. "Yes."

"Immediately lead two medical battle teams to reinforce Zhao Jun." Ling Lan knew clearly that Zhao Jun lacked all kinds of medical agents at this moment, especially the Nuwa agent. Nuwa agents must be the main reason why there were so few casualties. Without the Nuwa agent, at least half of Zhao Jun's mecha clan might have died in order to take down a ten thousand-men mecha army.

A fight was tough, especially when you wanted to fight against an enemy that had overwhelming numbers. If he didn't have those agents, the price he had to pay for a victory would be expensive and tragic. At this thought, Ling Lan was glad that she decisively took Li Shiyu under her wing. This decision allowed Lingtian, as well as her, to have the most heaven-defying cheat code——more lives. Ling Lan felt that this cheat code was on par with Little Four, maybe even more useful than him. With the Nuwa agent in hand, she could own the entire world.

(Little Four cried sadly. You can't just throw me into the dusty corner just because I'm in a coma… No, I must wake up immediately to prove that I'm the most useful and heaven-defying cheat code. Li Shiyu, you bastard. Move to the side… Sob, I understand it now. Li Shiyu must be my natural enemy. He wants to take away my position as the most important underling to Boss. How irritating!)

"Yes." The moment Li Lanfeng replied, he disappeared from the spot.

The medical teams had already finished their preparations. They were just waiting for Ling Lan's order.

Luo Chao and Han Xuya left the meeting room and started getting busy with their work. When Ling Lan was left alone, she slowly opened her hands, revealing her completely wet palm

Chapter 1401 Unexpected Even

"It turns out that I'm still afraid." Ling Lan remained silent for a few seconds before mocking herself.

The battle of Twilight caused her to almost lose her father and her brother, Xie Yi. This event had truly scarred Ling Lan's heart, and with that scar, there was now a weak point in her heart. But, the situation and the circumstances around her didn't allow her to be weak. She had no choice but to force herself to be calmer and stronger than everyone around her.

After entering the Lawless Lands, Ling Lan knew that a series of bloodbaths were waiting for her. She knew that the number of deaths on her side would only increase, and she was truthfully prepared for it. However, when reality hit, Ling Lan realized that she was still afraid of losing any more than what she already had lost. It was especially apparent when she heard Zhao Jun decided to launch a frontal attack, her heart scrunched up tightly.

Fortunately, the more she cared about something, the more indifferent she would appear on the surface, which meant that no one knew what she was afraid of when they were looking at her.

"I really am not a qualified king." Ling Lan's gaze darkened slightly. Her entire body became dull and gloomy. However, the next second, she opened her eyes wide and a powerful force of presence was released. Although it only lasted for an instant, everyone in the rainbow palace was instantaneously plastered to the floor.

Luckily, the force of presence was gone almost instantly, so it didn't hurt anyone in the rainbow palace. But, the people here still felt frightened. They didn't know if their Lord Gen suddenly lost control of his anger or was it because another imperial realm formidable warrior passed by and decided to perform another show.

"If I can't do it, I won't. I'll just do what I want." The Dao that Ling Lan chose, although she named it the Dominance Dao, it wasn't what it meant literally. It didn't mean that she would be vicious and selfish. What she meant was a Dao of a free heart.

The former meaning was being selfish and the latter was proving her heart. They seemed similar but there was actually a huge difference in them.

Based on what Number One said, Ling Lan's Freedom Dao was a few tiers higher than the normal Dominance Dao and Killing Dao, and with that, the difficulty of cultivating such Dao skyrocketed. Other Daos were considered the minor way while Ling Lan's Dao was a Dao to the main origin. The minor way might be weaker but because it was small, it was hard to go wrong, as such the rate of success of cultivating such Dao was higher too. However, Ling Lan's Dao on the other hand crossovered with too many other paths, which made it difficult to make every step right on this path. Plus, since this was a unique path she chose herself, she didn't have any prior experiences she could take as reference. Ling Lan had to rely on herself. This made the difficulty of this path even harder to measure.

At this moment, her Profound Insight, which had been limiting her enlightenment all these while, suddenly crossed its bottleneck and a new series of enlightenments appeared in Ling Lan's mind.

Ling Lan was pleasantly surprised. She hurriedly closed her eyes and carefully felt this new series of enlightenments. It was a few hours later that she opened her eyes again. She let out a deep sigh. "So that is the case. I almost made a grave mistake."

The Dominance Dao was never truly her. When she forced herself to change to fit her Dao, she was twisting her true nature. Fortunately, she realized this early enough. If she really walked on the Dominance Dao, she believed that she would definitely regret it at the end.

Ling Lan smiled. Her heavy heart lightened up instantly and she felt more relaxed.

In the learning space, a few of the instructors stopped what they were doing in unplanned unison and looked up at the virtual sky.

A rare smile appeared on Number Nine's cold and stern face. It was a very faint smile but it was beautiful.

Number Five was stunned. He gave an sly smile and said, "This is exciting. Is this luck or is it something else? This is worth analysing."

Number Four gave a relieved smile. Suddenly, she realized something. "Ah… does this mean that I have to wait longer? This is infuriating." She was only able to appear if Ling Lan met some obstacles or had a hole in her soul. Number Four felt frustrated. The relieved feeling she had when Ling Lan walked back on the right path disappeared in an instant. She wished that time would move backward to the moment when Ling Lan achieved the enlightenment. If she had the power to, she would definitely mess up Ling Lan's enlightened state.

Number Three proudly raised his head towards the sky and laughed loudly as he sat in his own space. "Hahaha… As expected of my beloved disciple."

Number Two slowly came out of the darkness and looked at the dark skies. He said softly, "This is good." Then, he went back into the darkness.

Number One opened his eyes slightly and looked into the empty space. After a while, he closed his eyes again. In that slight time window when he opened and closed his eyes, there seemed to be a faint, almost unnoticeable smile on his face.

Before Ling Lan was able to finish feeling happy for the fact that she managed to correct her mistake in time, a sudden realization almost made her expressionless face turn hideous…

In the past, she never took note of this matter because Little Four had always reminded her about it. Her mother, Lan Luofeng, would also contact her to remind her when the time came. Thus, no such problem happened in the past 20 years. However, now, Little Four was in a coma and she was far away in the Lawless Lands, causing her mother, Lan Luofeng, to not be able to contact her. This small matter that she had disregarded for one year now came to find her for trouble.

Was this extreme joy turning into sadness? Ling Lan stared at the patch of water mark on her seat. She didn't need to see it to know that it would be red in colour.

This had never came for 20 years so Ling Lan almost forgot that her body still had this ability. But now, her old friend came to have a heart to heart talk with her. She felt like cursing biology…

"Ask Luo Chao and Han Xuya if they know whether there are any hormone suppressors among the goods." Ling Lan could only seek help from Luo Chao and Han Xuya now.

When Luo Chao and Han Xuya knew this, they were dumbfounded. They went into a daze.

Fine, they knew that Boss was a lady but Ling Lan's powerful and dominant image was ingrained too deeply in their minds. Sometimes, they would forget that Ling Lan was a lady unconsciously and treat her as a man.

They took a while to clean up for Ling Lan. After doing so, they quickly went to check on the cargo. However, there was no good news as Luo Chao and Han Xuya was told that they didn't have the hormone suppressor that Boss needed. They were still in shock when they heard the reason why. The people in the cargo they asked told them that Li Shiyu felt that forcefully changing a person's natural body hormones might seem harmless on the surface but deep down, it might not be the case. He hadn't researched the implications but it was better to not mess with anything that they weren't sure about.

Plus, there were more men than women in the Lingtian Independent Army, especially among their comrades. They only had two younger sisters, Luo Chao and Han Xuya. They just wanted to dote on them, so how could they bear to let them fight on the frontline? Thus, their younger sisters wouldn't need to use this kind of thing. This was the reason why Luo Chao and Han Xuya didn't need to undergo any hormone suppressor treatment like most of the female soldiers did before entering the battlefield. They had the luxury to bring along the monthly necessity that they needed to use.

Chapter 1402 Probe!

"I wonder if Li Shiyu brought any hormone suppressors with him." Ling Lan didn't think that the possibility was high but to make things easier, it was better to ask Li Shiyu about it.

"Xuya and I can go and ask him." Luo Chao knew that Ling Lan didn't want to expose her real gender so she volunteered to probe Li Shiyu about it to see if they could get anything out of him.

After some time, the two of them came back with a helpless expression. It looked like they didn't get anything.

"What happened?" asked Ling Lan.

"When Brother Shiyu heard that we wanted hormone suppressors, he scolded us before we can finish our sentence." Han Xuya wiped the cold sweat off her forehead. This was the first time she realised how scary a good-tempered person could be when they got angry.

"Brother Shiyu thought that we wanted it for ourselves. He's worried that we want to use it." Luo Chao spoke up for Li Shiyu in a soft voice. "Boss, if you don't have to use that thing, don't use it."

Luo Chao was worried about Ling Lan's body. She had been using hormone suppressors to control her natural bodily function for more than 20 years. She was scared that it could maybe permanently harm Ling Lan's body. She seemed alright now, but what Li Shiyu said made sense too. There had to be a price to pay when you defied nature. Luo Chao was frightened that the price Ling Lan had to pay in the future would be too big for her to handle.

Ling Lan had been Luo Chao's male idol ever since she was young. Even though she was a lady now, she was still her male idol. She really hoped that Ling Lan would have a good life, a life filled with no regrets.

"We will be going through a lot of tough battles soon. Once this thing comes, my ability will drop. So, we need to think of a way to solve this." Ling Lan could already feel her body was showing her signs of getting weaker. If this happened during a battle, it wouldn't be good.

Luo Chao knew that Ling Lan was right. They weren't at a safe place. This was the Lawless Lands where danger was found everywhere. No one knew what would happen tomorrow. Boss had the ambition of unifying the Lawless Lands. If every month there would be a time window when she would be weak, it would be quite frustrating.

"But, where can we get hormone suppressors if Brother Shiyu doesn't want to help us?" Han Xuya scratched her head. She couldn't think of another way out. Ah!

The three people in the room all wore a helpless expression on their faces as they stared at each other. They didn't know what to do.

Luo Chao and Han Xuya laughed when they saw their cold and indifferent Boss showing the same helpless expression as them… They felt that their relationship with Ling Lan seemed to have gotten closer than before.

"I'll look for Li Shiyu personally." Ling Lan gritted her teeth. She prepared to use her status as Boss to suppress him if need be. Of course, that was if Li Shiyu did have hormone suppressors.

Li Shiyu was in his laboratory, analysing and researching on all the plants he had gathered from the Lawless Lands. He wanted to use these plants to make useful agents.

When he knew that they had to stay at the rainbow palace for a long time, the first thing Li Shiyu did was to move his research equipment and devices to the rainbow palace. Then, he put in 100% of his enthusiasm to start his agent factory.

Li Shiyu knew that just based on transporting goods, even if the Jialan Ship went back and forth non-stop, it would be unable to satisfy the huge amount of agents Boss required. The only way to get a large amount of agents in reserves was to use the local resources to create agents.

To hasten the speed of production, Li Shiyu started with the agents that had already existed on the Lawless Lands and was proven to be effective. Within a short time, he was able to analyze the various ingredients needed to make these agents.

However, the agent-making procedures on the Lawless Lands were very outdated. The original recipe had many flaws too so the agent it created wasn't the best. It couldn't meet Li Shiyu's expectations. Now, he was combing through all the permutations and combinations of ingredients and concentration that could make the best treatment agent. Once he succeeded, they would be able to be self-sufficient in creating these treatment agents, which had the highest demand. That way, the Jialan Ship would be able to take back more raw ingredients for the Nuwa agent and he would be able to make more of this life-saving agent to prepare for their future battles.

Just as he was focused on his research, he suddenly felt an intense glare shooting daggers at his back. He hurriedly turned his head and saw Ling Lan standing at one side and looking at him silently.

"Boss, why do you have the time to come here?" Li Shiyu was surprised. Ling Lan was the Boss but he respected all his comrades like peers. Once they started working, he would rarely disturb them. For instance, once Li Shiyu entered the laboratory, Ling Lan wouldn't disturb him even if something huge happened.

"Did something bad happen?" This was Li Shiyu's first reaction. His expression changed as he quickly asked Ling Lan this question before she could reply to his last.

"Erm…" Ling Lan answered in a hesitant tone. "The problem is not big. Are you free?"

Li Shiyu knew that Ling Lan was asking if he had the time to chat. If he wasn't free, Ling Lan would leave and wait for him to be free.

"I can do my research later. Boss, what is the matter?" Li Shiyu decisively put down his research. Although Boss said that it wasn't an important affair, it still must be something big for him to come here personally.

Unexpectedly, Ling Lan didn't reply instantly. Instead, she remained silent for a moment as if she was having difficulty saying it. She placed her fist in front of her mouth and coughed lightly.

"Erm, just now… Luo Chao and Xuya came to find you." Ling Lan felt that this thing was a little hard to talk about.

Li Shiyu was surprised. She didn't know why Boss mentioned Luo Chao and Han Xuya. After all, they came for hormone suppressors. When Luo Chao asked him about it, she was extremely shy too. Did she go and look for Ling Lan out of unhappiness because she didn't get it from him?

Li Shiyu shook his head. He felt that based on how embarrassed Luo Chao was when she came, she wouldn't dare to talk about such private matters in front of Boss. If he thought carefully about it, Han Xuya had more hope of doing this.

"Boss, did Han Xuya tell you everything?" Li Shiyu probed Ling Lan carefully. He realized that it was really awkward when two men were talking about the private matters of a woman. Not only that, he had to probe Boss to make sure that he got the correct intention.

"They told me some things. That thing is very important to them. If you can, help them with it." Ling Lan didn't explain further.

Did this mean that they said or they didn't say it? Li Shiyu started pondering in his heart. Did Luo Chao and Han Xuya find an alternative to the hormone suppressor or did they really tell Boss that they needed the hormone suppressor?

Li Shiyu decided that he should just wait and see first. If they didn't tell Boss about the hormone suppressor directly, he would make Boss feel awkward if he mentioned it first. At the same time, Luo Chao and Han Xuya would feel awkward in front of Boss too.

"That thing will do nothing good for their body. I think it's better for them to not use it." Since Boss didn't say what it was, he wouldn't either. This was the safest way.

"But, after some time, when I start my plan, there will be countless battles. Without that thing, it will be dangerous for them to enter the battlefield," Ling Lan didn't say what she needed explicitly.

Chapter 1403 I"m Not Stupid!

"If we needed the two of them to enter the battlefield to fight, we're really lousy." Li Shiyu didn't agree with this point. When he saw Ling Lan furrowing her brows furiously, he knew that Boss was still worried. Thus, he added, "Don't worry, if there's really a need for it, I'll prepare it for them. However, I won't give it to them now."

Ling Lan's eyes lit up. "You have it?" That's good news.

However, Li Shiyu's reply crashed all of Ling Lan's hope. "Not now."

"Didn't you say that you'll prepare it for them if they need it?" Ling Lan asked him back.

"I need time to analyse how it's made. Or maybe the Jialan Ship can bring some of it along when it comes back with the next batch of goods." Ling Lan was very disappointed by Li Shiyu's words. No matter how fast the Jialan Ship was, it would take at least two months to make a trip back. Including the time needed to load and unload the goods, it would take at least three months. That meant that she had to endure three months of her menses.

"No matter what, we should prepare all kinds of agents just to be careful," Ling Lan said helplessly.

"I was in a rush when I came so I only had the time to bring the agents that we needed the most. I ignored those that aren't necessary," Li Shiyu spoke righteously. Ling Lan was crying in her heart. Was she able to tell him that hormone suppressors were what she needed the most?

"Also, Boss, the thing that Luo Chao and Xuya want might do harm to their bodies. You should persuade them against using it." Li Shiyu's expression was filled with worry. He sincerely hoped that his two younger sisters wouldn't use hormone suppressors.

"If they don't need to use it, I also hope that they won't use it either. However, no one knows what will happen in the future, so it's better to prepare while we can. It might be harmful but it's better than dying," Ling Lan said calmly.

Li Shiyu trembled a little when he heard Ling Lan's words. He started self-reflecting. Was he too extreme when he rejected his younger sisters? After all, life was the most important thing. If you were dead, everything else would be useless.

Also, if there were really any harmful implications from using the hormone suppressor, they still had him, right?

Li Shiyu managed to convince himself. He nodded his head heavily and said, "I understand. Boss, after I finish making the healing agents, I will start researching on the medication Luo Chao and Xuya need."

Since they needed to use it, he would rather make it himself. He had more confidence in his own medication… He didn't like hormone suppressors, but as a top-class military doctor standing at the peak of the medical world, he knew all the formula of all the medication in the Federation, including hormone suppressors.

Now, he just needed to take out the portion that he felt would cause harm to the body or use other medications to suppress the harmful effects. That way, he might be able to create a hormone suppressor that he felt was safe.

"I'll rely on you then," Ling Lan replied in a composed tone. The result wasn't as satisfying as what she expected but at least Li Shiyu didn't despise the thought of making hormone suppressors. This was extremely good news for her. She would be able to get the agent she needed from Li Shiyu and she didn't have to resort to think of other ways of finding it.

After that, Ling Lan disappeared from the laboratory. Li Shiyu shook his head with a bitter smile when he saw that he was alone again.

Boss personally came for such a small matter. It looked like Boss really placed much importance in his two fiancées.

By right, Li Shiyu should feel relieved. However, for some reason, he had a bitter feeling in his heart. It felt as if the younger sisters he doted so lovingly was being snatched away. Although it was by his well-respected Boss, he wasn't able to chase away the sense of grief at the bottom of his heart.

This was probably the feeling of being an older brother. This was the first time he experienced this feeling. Li Shiyu was inexperienced in this area so naturally, he used this to explain his emotions.

As the battle royale at Kamoda got more chaotic, the mecha clans from both sides started engaging in violent fights. At the start, the result was evenly split but as time went by, Lord Zhen and Lord Gen's side started winning.

How did this happen? That was because after every huge fight, Lord Demon and Lord Li's mecha armies would be ambushed by a mysterious mecha clan.

There weren't many people in this mecha clan, but that was the exact reason why they were able to move around quickly and mysteriously. However, they would only appear after a mecha army had won a tough fight, taking them out instantly when they were fatigued from the earlier fight. On the other hand, if there were still a huge number of mecha operators left, this mysterious mecha clan would swiftly retreat after creating the first round of casualties. They really came and went like the wind. People were caught off their guards.

Lord Demon and Lord Li's army suffered heavy losses. Thus, they started collecting information on this mysterious mecha clan. But, there was too little information on them. They were unable to conclude within a short time if this mecha clan actually belonged to Lord Zhen and Lord Gen.

No one knew who they belonged to but the remaining mecha clans and mecha army of Lord Demon and Lord Li started keeping their guards up…

However, it was not very useful. After they fought a tiring battle with Lord Zhen and Lord Gen's army, when they were already tired and drained of energy, they would always meet the ambush of this mysterious mecha clan.

"Haha, Lanfeng, your strategy is really amazing." After Zhao Jun once again easily annihilated a mecha clan that belonged to Lord Demon, he patted Li Lanfeng's shoulder and laughed excitedly.

"Don't be happy so early." Li Lanfeng glanced at him. He didn't hide the look of pity in his eyes.

Zhao Jun's laughter was stuck in his throat. He remembered the first sentence Li Lanfeng said to him when they met. "You're dead."

"What's wrong?" Zhao Jun asked in confusion. They just won a huge fight.

"Haha, fighting ten thousand people with 2000 men. You're really awesome!" Li Lanfeng mocked.

"I didn't have a choice then." Zhao Jun touched his nose cheekily. After he calmed down, he realised that his decision at that time was indeed a little impulsive.

Fortunately, they had Military Doctor Li's Nuwa agent to help them. That was why they took the victory with only three casualties. If not, they might have to sacrifice close to a thousand mecha operators in order to win over their opponent. However, to Boss, this wasn't a victory at all. Only idiots would do something like this. This was a huge failure in his book.

"You need to explain to Boss after you go back." Li Lanfeng scoffed. "However, I don't think you will have a chance."

"Lanfeng!" Zhao Jun grabbed Li Lanfeng's shoulder and looked at him lovingly. "We are best friends, right?"

"No!" Li Lanfeng replied decisively.

"Lanfeng, you can't be so heartless," Zhao Jun said with a pitiful expression.

"I'm not stupid." Li Lanfeng wanted to break free from Zhao Jun's large hand. He didn't want to interfere in this affair.

Li Lanfeng was always someone who never allowed himself to get into a passive or disadvantageous position. Based on the mistake that Zhao Jun made at the start, Ling Lan would definitely punish him. It would definitely be a torturous punishment too. He wouldn't be stupid to help Zhao Jun.

"No, you must help me." Zhao Jun held Li Lanfeng's shoulder tightly. He wasn't willing to let him go.

Li Lanfeng didn't say much, but he understood that Boss was unhappy. If Boss was unhappy, he was dead, and the only person who could solve his problem was Li Lanfeng.

Everyone in Lingtian knew that Boss never changed his decision easily. If there was anyone that could make Boss change his mind, it was this sly fox Li Lanfeng.

Chapter 1404 Enchanted!

"Must?" Li Lanfeng turned to him as he flashed an eerie smile. "Why must I help you?"

Li Lanfeng didn't understand why Zhao Jun was so confident. History had shown, any problem that was concerned with Ling Lan, he would always side with her.

"You won't help me?" Zhao Jun returned the gesture with a similar eerie smile. "Then, don't blame me if I tell Boss that you don't like Han Xuya and Luo Chao after I go back."

Li Lanfeng squinted his eyes as a dangerous gleam flashed by them. "What part of me doesn't like them?"

In that instant, the thought of destroying Zhao Jun went through Li Lanfeng's mind.

"If you like them, why are you trying so hard to push them away? Hehe," Zhao Jun sniggered as he said. He wasn't the least afraid of the dangerous aura Li Lanfeng was exuding.

"Zhao Jun, did I ever tell you that you must always act with caution if you want to live longer?" The smile on Li Lanfeng's face got progressively more devilish.

Zhao Jun immediately wiped away the smug smile on his face. "Fine, fine. Don't smile like that. It is creepy. Just take it that I didn't say anything."

It couldn't be helped, he was just too familiar with that smile. That was the smile when Li Lanfeng was scheming someone's death. He had seen and experienced the aftereffects of the smile, so the smile now would just give him the chills. In fact, he wouldn't mind it too much if the smile was not directed at him, but when Li Lanfeng smiled like that at him, Zhao Jun could feel his blood turning into ice.

Li Lanfeng retracted his devilish smile slowly. He remained silent for a few seconds before opening his mouth and asking in a composed tone, "Was I too obvious?"

"Not really." Zhao Jun touched his nose and continued awkwardly, "It's just that I understand you too well to fall into your trap. You are quite impatient towards people you don't like."

"Really? I thought I was quite patient," Li Lanfeng muttered to himself softly.

"Huh?" Zhao Jun acted as if he didn't hear what Li Lanfeng said. No one knew if it was because Li Lanfeng's voice was too soft or was Zhao Jun pretending to not hear it.

Either way, Li Lanfeng wasn't interested in continuing with this topic. From Zhao Jun's words, he knew that the effect of his outer facade was fading away.

Yes, when he saw Luo Chao and Han Xuya staying beside Ling Lan every day, he felt as though his heart was being stabbed by a thousand knife cuts. He had really tried his best to endure until now. If he hadn't controlled himself, the exploding amounts of jealousy within him could have manipulated him to lay his hands on Luo Chao and Han Xuya. But, luckily, in the end, his rational side still suppressed his emotional side.

"Actually, you don't have to worry. From what I see, Boss will not lose his edge nor ambition because of his romantic relationships." Without asking Li Lanfeng directly, Zhao Jun could only guess why Li Lanfeng didn't like Luo Chao and Han Xuya. In his mind, Li Lanfeng was an ambitious person. So, as an ambitious person, he would do everything in his power to propel himself forward, but unexpectedly, Li Lanfeng seemed to have tied his ambition with Boss. In that case, it was natural for him to discriminate against any 'unfavorable' elements that would affect Boss's grand ambition.

"Yes, I'm not worried about that. If I was worried about that, I wouldn't have allowed them to stay beside Boss," Li Lanfeng said. "On another note, about your problem, do you think Boss will lighten your punishment just because I say so? If you really do want a lighter punishment, you should perform better so your achievements would offset your initial failure. And to do that, you will have to complete the task Boss gave you with minimal casualties. This is the only way I think you will have a chance to survive."

"Okay! Help me to think of a plan please." Zhao Jun would pester Li Lanfeng until the very end. Thinking about the hours of work he would have to do to get this pest away from him, Li Lanfeng could already feel the back of his head itching.

"Remember that you owe me a life." Li Lanfeng helplessly agreed, a part of the reason was because he wanted to get rid of the pesky bug, but the main reason why he wanted to get away was because he wanted to go back to Ling Lan's side. Without him looking after Ling Lan, he was afraid that Ling Lan would cheat on him, wait, no. He meant he was afraid someone would snatch Ling Lan away.

He used one night to summarise all the information on the enemy he had on his hands. Then, Li Lanfeng came up with a few protocols for Zhao Jun to follow in different situations. There were protocols if they wanted to ambush, spy, or even infiltrate. All in all, Zhao Jun would have to rely on himself during the battle to decide what he decided to go. Li Lanfeng couldn't help him with this. After all, Zhao Jun was the regiment commander of his own mecha clan. This was the difference between a strategist and a commander. Strategists would only come up with the framework of the plan, while the commander would execute the plans. But, plans were plans in the end. There would always be an unstable element when applied to reality. Thus, it was up to the commander to make the necessary adjustments.

Li Lanfeng came hurriedly and left hurriedly. Three days later, he returned to the rainbow palace.

"Huh? Why are you back so early?" Even Ling Lan was surprised by Li Lanfeng's speed.

"Why did you say it like that? Do you not want to see me?" Since they were alone, Li Lanfeng took off his silver mask. His face, which could mesmerise people in a second, had a tinge of mock anger and resentment on it, adding flavour to his already cute puffed up cheeks. Ling Lan almost couldn't handle it.

"Can you speak properly?" Ling Lan held onto her forehead as she sighed.

Didn't this man know that his face could bend a straight man? Why was he still giving this expression? If she was really a man, Ling Lan didn't know if she could remain straight.

"I am hurt by your words." Li Lanfeng gave a beautiful mourning expression as he leaned on Ling Lan's chest. His entire face showed that he was looking for consolation.

Suddenly, his doey expression turned grave. He straightened his body and grabbed Ling Lan's chest forcefully. His entire aura turned cold. "You're hurt."

"Huh?" A moment ago, he was still looking for comfort like a petite young lady. Why did he change the topic so abruptly? Ling Lan was stunned.

"Why hadn't Li Shiyu treated you? Why is the smell of blood on you so strong?" Li Lanfeng was extremely nervous. "Where did you get hurt? Are you still bleeding? Is it because Shiyu's agent doesn't work? What happened? How did you get hurt when I just left for three days?"

Why was he so helpless every time Ling Lan was hurt? Every time Ling Lan was hurt, she wasn't the only one in pain. He was hurting too. The difference was, Ling Lan's body hurt while his heart hurt.

Upon hearing Li Lanfeng's rapid series of questions, no matter how calm Ling Lan was, she still couldn't control the flow of her blood. It shot right up to her head. She was embarrassed!

"Ah, why is your face so red? Is it because…" Lanfeng's face was pale. There was a stark contrast with Ling Lan's red face and her normal cold face. Just when he was about to turn his head and call for Li Shiyu's help.

Suddenly, his world started spinning. Boom! He got pressed down by Ling Lan. At the same time, Ling Lan used her right hand to press his mouth firmly to stop him from shouting.

"Shut up," Ling Lan said with frustration and anger.

Just based on the swift and precise action Ling Lan did just now, suppressing him with a single move, it was enough to prove that there was nothing wrong with Ling Lan's body.

Li Lanfeng was a smart person. He got agitated just now because he was too concerned about Ling Lan. So, when he noticed that Ling Lan was alright, his rationale took over and he nodded his head obediently to show that he wouldn't say anything.

After Ling Lan noticed him nodding, she put down the hand that was covering his mouth, revealing the extremely beautiful face. The corners of his eyes and the corner of his lips were both filled with smiles. The bright smile told Ling Lan that Li Lanfeng was very happy that nothing happened to her. He was really worried about her…

Although Li Lanfeng's series of questions made Ling Lan very awkward and even embarrassed, when she saw the smile, her heart started getting warm and restless. She was grateful for the concern Li Lanfeng had for her.

Yes, she would never admit that she got enchanted by his smile.

1405 Teach Me Then.

"I had a breakthrough recently. I lost control a little during the process so some problems arised. I'll be fine after some time," Ling Lan carefully explained. She was a little surprised by her fluency to come up with an excuse. But, what she said was the truth. She just took away an important point because she didn't want the people who cared about her to worry, and of course know her true gender .

"As long as you're fine," Li Lanfeng smiled gently as he said.

"But still, your nose is really sensitive… You can actually smell it." Ling Lan was a little speechless.

Li Lanfeng smiled and remained silent. He wouldn't tell Ling Lan that his entire mind was on him. He would notice it even if there was just a slight change about him.

Ling Lan felt that she had explained everything she should, passing this crisis smoothly. Hence, she pushed her right hand on the ground and jumped up.

She looked down to see Li Lanfeng still lying on the ground with a faint smile. She stretched her hand out naturally and prepared to pull him up.

Li Lanfeng's smile got brighter when he saw the outstretched hand. He reached his hand out and felt force coming from the hand to pull him out. With the help of that firm hand, he stood up from the ground.

Li Lanfeng didn't control the sudden force. He just allowed it to pull him into the other person's arms.

Ling Lan was flabbergasted as she hugged the beauty that voluntarily fell into her arms… What was going on? She didn't use that much force, right?

"I was too worried just now. When you suddenly attacked me, I instinctively wanted to resist, but I stopped my domain forcefully when I realised that it was you. I got injured by the backlash." Ling Lan felt the warm breaths by her ear. It was a little itchy. Li Lanfeng was explaining why he was so weak.

Was he saying that it was her fault?

Forget it, they were just hugging each other for a while, right? It wasn't the first time they hugged. They had done it many times in the past, so once more wouldn't mean anything. Moreover, Li Lanfeng was a beauty. She wouldn't lose anything by hugging him.

Li Lanfeng gave an evil smile when he noticed that Ling Lan had stopped resisting. His plan succeeded. He leaned closer to Ling Lan and furiously breathed in the cold aura on Ling Lan's body. He hoped to get more of it so that he could be able to satiate his desire for a longer period of time.

Love that penetrated through the bone. This was definitely an emotion that could turn someone crazy. Sometimes, Li Lanfeng felt that he had already gone berserk.

"Are you feeling better?" Ling Lan asked in concern. If he still wasn't feeling well, maybe he needed to be fed with agents.

Li Lanfeng could feel that Ling Lan was about to release him. He wasn't willing to let Ling Lan go so he turned his body and grabbed Ling Lan's waist tightly. He leaned his head on Ling Lan's shoulder and said with a hint of desperation as if he was using all his might to bear with the pain, "Ling Lan, in the past, I told you that I like someone, right? I really really like that person."

Ling Lan wanted to push Li Lanfeng away, but when she heard the sorrow in Li Lanfeng's heart, she continued hugging him. "What's the matter? Tell me about it."

She had never been in a relationship but she had read multiple romance novels before. Thus, she might still be able to help her friends with some advice.

"But, that person doesn't like me. That person doesn't like me at all," Li Lanfeng choked as he said that. Even if Ling Lan couldn't see Li Lanfeng's expression, she could feel his despair.

Ling Lan knew that Li Lanfeng was chasing the person he liked, but she always thought that it was not an issue to him. He was a sly person and had many tricks up his sleeves. After scheming against the person a few times, no woman would be able to resist him. But, surprisingly, the strategist that she thought was omnipotent would meet such a huge rejection.

"How did you chase after her?" Ling Lan decided to find the problem from his methods.

"I hint my love to that person many times but that person didn't seem to get it. So, it must be because that person doesn't like me but didn't want our relationship to become awkward so that person pretended to be oblivious, "Li Lanfeng replied.

"Not everyone is so quick on the uptake. If you don't outright say it, how will the other party know?" Ling Lan felt helpless. In the novels, many people missed their love of their lives because they didn't confess. She once thought that the people in this world were more straightforward but from the looks of it now, they were no different from the people in the world of her past life. They still had romantic problems like one-sided love.

"Really?" Li Lanfeng seemed uncertain.

"Of course," Ling Lan said firmly.

"But, what if that person rejects me if I confess? Ling Lan, I'll really become crazy if that person rejects me. I really love that person. I love that person so much," Li Lanfeng said as he clutched his chest. He was afraid of the answer. If Ling Lan rejected him, he wouldn't know what he would do. He really didn't know if he would resort to hurting Ling Lan at that time. This was the reason why he didn't dare to take the crucial step.

Ling Lan didn't know what to say. She didn't expect Li Lanfeng to be so crazy in love. This fact angered Ling Lan quite a bit. Who on earth was that person who mesmerised her strategist to this point? If she really rejects Li Lanfeng, her strategist would be destroyed.

To prevent one of her important men from getting destroyed, Ling Lan had no choice but to rack her brains to come up with a solution to help Li Lanfeng get the lady he liked.

"If she doesn't agree, we can knock her unconscious so you can sleep with her first?" Ling Lan knew that this idea wasn't morally right, especially to the lady, but for the sake of Li Lanfeng and herself, she had to resort to more devious means. Of course, based on how much Li Lanfeng loved this lady, he wouldn't do anything bad to her. He would definitely be a good husband and father.

After thinking about this, the guilt in Ling Lan's heart lessened a little.

"Knock her unconscious?" Li Lanfeng raised his head and looked at Ling Lan oddly. "I can't do it."

"Why not?" Ling Lan was surprised. Li Lanfeng was a titled domain realm formidable warrior while she was an imperial realm formidable warrior. How could they not be able to do this?

"That person… holds a high position. There are many powerful people around that person, including imperial realm formidable warriors…" Li Lanfeng chose a few points to reply to Ling Lan. He spoke cleverly. It was up to the listener how she wanted to interpret his answer.

In actual fact, Li Lanfeng was crying in his heart. If he could do it, he would have done it a long time ago. Of course, in order to make the other party be responsible for him, he had already prepared himself mentally to be the one at the bottom.

"You fell in love with such a powerful person? She even has imperial realm formidable warriors protecting her? There's only four families in the Federation that have this ability. Which one is she from?" Ling Lan knew that the Li and Ye families were pushed out by the government of the Federation to suppress the four elite families. Solely based on their foundation, the Li and Ye families weren't strong enough. However, with the help of the government and the fact that the Li and the Ye families each owned half the business world, the reputation of these two families was higher than the four elite families. It was understandable that they became the top two elite families.

As expected, this dense man never understood his obvious hints. Li Lanfeng sighed in his heart deeply again. He didn't have the interest to reply to Ling Lan anymore.

But, when Ling Lan heard Li Lanfeng sighing, she thought that she made the right guess. She thought that Li Lanfeng felt too hopeless so he didn't want to say who that person was…

Ling Lan contemplated for a moment before saying, "Why don't you seduce that person?" Since they couldn't use brute force, they could only use the soft approach. Ling Lan didn't believe that any women would be able to reject Li Lanfeng if he seduced the lady with this mesmerizing face of his.

"Seduce?" Li Lanfeng's eyes lit up. Would this work?

"That's right, seduction." Ling Lan gritted her teeth.

"But I don't know how." Li Lanfeng's gaze turned dull.

"You don't know? Learn then." Ling Lan was agitated. Why were her men all so troublesome? Not only did she have to guide them to become stronger, she even needed to help them think of ways to get their wives now. Why was it so difficult to be a Boss?

"Teach me then," Li Lanfeng smiled and said.

He was waiting to say this sentence all along.