700 - 704

Chapter 700 - The Return of Little Four!

Ling Xiao walked to the virtual girl.

"Everything is normal. Please show your identification chip," the virtual girl smiled as she spoke.

Ling Xiao aimed his communicator at the girl and heard a beep. The virtual girl covered her mouth in surprise, then said excitedly, "Dad… daddy."

Huh? Why did she call him 'daddy'? Ling Lan instantly felt dark clouds passing over her head. She felt that her father was going to be stolen from her.

Ling Xiao also had a similar expression. Although he really wanted to see Ling Lan wear a skirt and call him 'daddy' in a cutesy way, he definitely wasn't desperate enough to want this virtual girl to call him 'daddy'.

The virtual girl seemed to have calmed down. She blushed, bowed and apologized, "Sorry General Ling Xiao, please accept my apology. I was too excited just now." She stood upright and continued, "My creator is a loyal follower of you, General Ling Xiao. My creator had made me recognize General Ling Xiao as my father. Because of some of my creator's residual emotions within me, I have disrespected General Ling Xiao just now."

The virtual girl's explanation made Ling Xiao frown even more. To be able to create such a life-like intelligent entity would of course be an old researcher who had studied intelligent entities for decades. It's unsettling to let a hundred year-old man call him 'daddy'. That would be a lot of pressure on him.

Right as Ling Xiao wanted to indicate that he didn't have any thoughts of being anyone else's 'daddy' except Ling Lan's, Ling Lan had a spark in her mind. She suddenly thought of something and immediately pulled Ling Xiao back, "Dad, I'll explain this to you in the future."

Ling Xiao stared blankly at her for a moment then suddenly understood something, "Lan'er, you know who's the creator of this intelligent entity don't you?"

"If my guess is right, then it's him." Ling Lan looked at the virtual girl and her eyes flickered. Could it be that punk thought she was being too mean to him, so he created this thing to remind her about him?

"It's fine then if you know what's wrong." Believing in his daughter would explain it to him in the future, Ling Xiao nodded and let this matter rest for now. Ling Xiao believed his daughter would be able to resolve this and would definitely not let him have a child that came out of nowhere.

Ling Xiao didn't know that his daughter had already sold him out completely. Without him knowing, his daughter already got him a son. In the near future, this situation would almost split the family apart. Of course this was all in the future and will not be explained here.

Ling Xiao walked into the small door while the virtual girl still had an excited expression on her face, leaving Ling Lan by herself. Ling Lan didn't hesitate and walked up. The virtual girl didn't ask Ling Lan to show her identity chip like the others. Instead, she respectfully shouted, "Master, I'm happy to see you."

These words had basically confirmed Ling Lan's suspicions. Ling Lan coldly asked, "Is your creator Little Four?"

"Yes master," replied the virtual girl as she nodded.

"Did Little Four leave anything he wanted to say?" Ling Lan continued her questioning. She missed Little Four very much. When will Little Four be able to wake up?

The virtual girl thought hard for a moment then replied, "I'm not sure if those words were what my creator wanted to say, but when he was creating me he always mumbled them…"

Ling Lan felt something was off, but she calmed herself down and let the virtual girl to repeat what Little Four mumbled. She wanted to know what Little Four was thinking or what Little Four needed.

The virtual girl's eyes suddenly turned black. The voice that she was using was not the voice she was using just now, but rather Little Four's voice. These words were unconsciously spoken by Little Four while he was creating the intelligent entity.

"Boss, you should have a warm demeanor, don't be so cold…"

"Boss, you should speak gently, don't be so cold…"

"Boss, you should smile more, don't be so cold…"

"Boss, caring about your younger brothers goes a long way. You should definitely not resort to domestic violence…"

"Boss…"

"Little Four, you're dead!" Ling Lan finally understood that this girl in front of her was Little Four's image of her in his mind. Did that punk Little Four still dislike her current image?

Ling Lan's fingers trembled. Hearing all this, the virtual girl's eyes twitched. She looked at her angry master, then thought about her naughty creator. She decisively sided her master, not with her creator.

As an intelligent entity, it must control the situation. She clearly understood that if one wants to survive one must hug the thighs of the strongest person. It was clear that her master was the strongest person and could protect her. Knowing who was the strongest, XXQ1 decisively tossed her creator aside and completely sold out her creator.

Little Four, who was sleeping in the learning space, suddenly felt his body shiver. He was actually woken up by the cold.

He rubbed his eyes and finally opened his two eyes that had been shut for a long time. As he opened his eyes, a chubby face appeared in front of him, covering his entire world.

"Little Blossom?" Little Four was surprised. He pushed Little Blossom's chubby bun-like face aside with disgust. Man, why wasn't it the Boss waiting by his side? It seemed however, that he had heard the Boss's voice, as if calling out to him.

"Elder Brother Little Four, you're finally awake." Although Little Blossom almost fell over after being pushed by Little Four, he was still very happy to see his Elder Brother Little Four awake. Thus, he decided to forgive Elder Brother Little Four's barbaric behavior.

"Finally awake? Didn't I just sleep for a little while? You are making a fuss out of nothing." Little Four rolled his eyes towards Little Blossom, dissatisfied about Little Blossom's lack of tact.

"Elder Brother Little Four, you've slept for a very long time. It would be nice if I can sleep for that long," Little Blossom said with envy. Those bad people in the learning space forced him outside to be beside master because Little Four was in a deep sleep. Although being with master was very fun, Little Blossom still liked to sleep when he has nothing else to do…

"Very long?" Little Four was stunned. He suddenly counted his fingers and in the next second he shouted with his face in his hands, "I actually slept for more than half a year?"

"Yeah, more than half a year." Little Blossom nodded in agreement. Did Elder Brother Little Four just realize this just now?

"Wah wah wah, this isn't good. I'm gonna fall out of favor with Boss!" Little Four pulled on Little Blossom's collar and shook him violently, "Tell me, who was beside Boss while I was sleeping?" Little Four would definitely get rid of that person if he knew which bastard took his throne as the first underling.

Little Blossom was shaken until his eyes were spinning and could not answer Little Four's question.

Little Four noticed Little Blossom wasn't answering and looked at him. He saw Little Blossom being dizzy from his continuous shaking. He immediately stopped and patted Little Blossom's chubby face, hoping that he would return to normal.

Right as Little Blossom stopped being dizzy, Little Four gritted his teeth and asked again, "Little Blossom, tell me, who has been beside Boss while I was sleeping?"

Little Blossom didn't recover from the dizziness completely. After hearing the question, he unconsciously pointed at himself and replied with a dumb look on his face, "It was me!"

"You?" Little Four was stunned.

"Yes. Elder Brother Little Four wasn't here so I stayed beside master while you were sleeping…" Little Blossom told Little Four about this with a dumb look on his face.

"Argh, Little Blossom, I'm going to kill you." Little Four instantly exploded. He grabbed Little Blossom's collar once again and began violently shaking Little Blossom.

It turns out, the person who took his spot was actually his subordinate. As expected, it was hard to prevent thieves from his own home. Little Four was inexplicable angry…

After being shaken by Little Four again, Little Blossom finally realized the danger he was in. Although he loved to sleep, he didn't like fainting caused by an outside source. In order to save himself, his slow and dumb little brain finally clicked, "Master… master is going to be taken away by someone else…"

"What?" Little Four instantly stopped shaking Little Blossom. His eyes looked at him sharply.

Little Blossom saw that his world was no longer shaking and instantly breathed a sigh of relief. He pointed towards the outside world and said, "That intelligent entity is stealing master away."

"Pfft, since I, Little Four, has arrived, I would definitely not let other intelligent entities touch my Boss." Little Four tossed Little Blossom aside and in the next second, bolted out of the learning space.

Little Blossom finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing he managed to deceive Elder Brother Little Four to make him leave. However, he knew that when Elder Brother Little Four realizes what he had done, he would definitely be beaten to a pulp by Elder Brother Little Four. He thought about it for a moment, then in the next second, he appeared at the center of the learning space.

"What are you doing here?" Seeing an uninvited guest appearing in his dimension, Instructor Number Five couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Although he was a little kid, he was still the first person to visit his dimension after Younger Sister Number Nine visited him.

"Let me hide here for a while." Little Blossom bit on his fingers as he spoke. Although he was afraid of Instructor Number Five, Number Five was the only one he could go to for help. Of course, he could also have gone to Number One for help, but Little Blossom wasn't sure whether or not he would be instantly shaken until he faints if he had gone into Instructor Number One's dimension. Little Blossom hated that feeling. Comparing the two, Little Blossom chose to come to Instructor Number Five's dimension instead.

Number Five glanced at Little Blossom with interest. Wasn't this little kid afraid of him.

Number Five's glance made Little Blossom's body shiver, but he still managed to calm himself down. Compared to Elder Brother Little Four's domestic violence, he felt that Instructor Number Five's threats were less scary. As expected, the Doomsday Flower had a different understanding of the word 'threats' compared to normal people. He actually believed the perverse Number Five's threat levels were lower than Little Four's threat levels…

"Who are you hiding from?" Seeing Little Blossom not shying away from his gaze, Number Five suddenly became interested and asked him.

"Elder Brother Little Four," Little Blossom replied honestly.

"Majesty Four? Why are you hiding from him?" Number Five smirked, his eyes filled with colors of the rainbow as if he was plotting something.

"Elder Brother Little Four wants to beat me. Beating is very scary." Little Blossom was an honest child and told Number Five all the details of why he was hiding from Little Four.

Number Five's smirk became a grin, "You can definitely hide here, but Little Blossom, you should understand that in this world you can't enjoy something for free. If you want to hide here then you have to pay a price."

"What price?" Little Blossom asked confusedly as he bit on his chubby fingers.

"Be my guinea pig for experiments." Number Five finally spoke out what he wanted.

"Guinea pig for experiments?" Little Blossom didn't understand what those three words meant.

"Yes, I developed a new training method. Back then, Ling Lan had helped experiment with it. Now that Ling Lan's busy, she doesn't have time to help me. Little Blossom, are you willing to help me?" Number Five's expression seemed saddened as he looked at Little Blossom with a pitiful look on his face.

Little Blossom didn't think much about Instructor Number Five's expression. Once he heard that his master was a guinea pig once, blood instantly rushed to his head, blocking out any rational thought. Does this mean that he would be helping his master? Now that his master didn't have time for it but Little Blossom has some time, then Little Blossom would substitute be a guinea pig.

It had to be said that Little Four's brainwashing was very successful. In Little Blossom's mind, Ling Lan was held at the highest regard. When he believed that being a guinea pig for experiments was something Ling Lan needed to do, Little Blossom would help his master do it no matter what the cost.

"If it can help master, then let me do this experiment. In the future, if Instructor Number Five requires a guinea pig, no need to look for my master. Just come find Little Blossom." Little Blossom's eyes brightened as he looked at Number Five. His eyes were filled with wholeheartedness and joy knowing he will be helping his master.

Number Five was defeated by Little Blossom's expression. He put his hand over his face and changed his expression instantly. He then spoke in a forceful manner, "In that case, then come in here with me." Afterwards, he kicked Little Blossom's chubby buttocks and kicked him into a random dimension. This was to make him try out the perverse training that would completely make people go insane.

Seeing his dimension returning to the previous silence, Number Five couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, "I'm not sure whether I did the right thing or not…"

"That's surprising, the usual cold-blooded and ruthless Number Five actually has times of hesitation. I would never have thought that could happen." Number Four's flirtatious face appeared in front of Number Five. Number Five laughed coldly and pointed his finger towards her.

In the next second, Number Four moved far away and said softly, "You don't even care for a woman's beauty. Wasting such a good shell."

Number Five huffed coldly and said, "Number Four, I can't withstand your love. If I dared to care for the beauty of a woman like you, I would probably lose half of my life-span in the next second. Only Big Boss can withstand you. If you want someone who cares for your beauty, you should go find him."

He already has someone he liked, Number Four wasn't even on his radar.

Hearing Number Five referring Number One, Number Four's expression worsen. She couldn't help but snort coldly, "Hmph, you're 'Big Boss' is like an iceberg, meditating everyday. It's possible that he lost all of his seven emotions and six desires."

Number Five sneered, "It seems you have tried to flirt with the Big Boss, but didn't get the outcome you wanted."

"Number Five!" Number Four's face became pale instantly.

Number Five composed himself, stopped sneering and asked plainly, "You don't come looking for me often. Tell me, what do you want?"

"Shouldn't Ling Lan study under me now?" Number Four said as she bit her lip. Her chances were becoming slimmer and slimmer.

As Ling Lan entered 250 Mecha Clan and had climbed the ranks, the triplets, Number Six, Seven and Eight, smiled more and more often. There was no doubt that from Ling Lan's current progress, the three of them would be able to teach their abilities soon. It was possible that after a very short while, the three of them would be teaching Ling Lan.

Only Number Four found herself losing hope as time goes on. The higher the rank Ling Lan acquires in the division, the more she strays away from being a cute feminine girl. Number Four even felt that Ling Lan was slowly becoming a man. Not a tomboy but a man. Ling Lan was becoming a real man. How could Number Four be not worried?

Originally, Number Four had gone to meet Big Boss Number One, but Number One didn't have the intention of letting Number Four teach Ling Lan. He only said two words to Number Four, "Too early!"

"Still motherf***ing early?!" Number Four couldn't help but swear. These stupid men just know power, power and power. Did they not know using a woman's charm was also a powerful ability. Unfortunately, inside the learning space, she couldn't communicate this into these old men's thick skulls. The only one she could have some sort of communication with was that perverted Number Five. This was the reason why Number Four would come find Number Five.

"Does Number One not approve of you teaching Ling Lan?" Number Five was undoubtedly the smartest of the bunch, immediately understanding Number One's decision from Number Four's demeanor.

"Don't mention that iceberg to me!" Number Four suddenly exploded in anger. Immediately afterwards, she returned to her original flirtatious personality. She then smiled and said, "I've been temperamental lately, sorry about that."

Number Five rolled his eyes. Was it because she wasn't getting any action lately? It was indeed difficult for a demonic succubus like Number Four to patiently stay in the learning space for hundreds of years by herself. Especially so when she doesn't have any chance to find other things to do in order to cope with her loneliness, so she was indeed quite pitiful. However, no matter how pitiful she was, Number Five didn't plan on offending Number One. Since Number One had already made a decision, Number Five would of course not go against it, thus he could only apologize to Number Four for his actions.

"Number Four, you should know that we must all listen to Number One's orders. Since Number One didn't let you make any moves right now, then you can only wait." Number Five affirmed his position on the matter.

"If I wait any longer, my chances will be close to nil." Number Four could wait any longer. She slashed the air with her finger and images of Ling Lan from back then appeared. "Look, does Ling Lan look anything like a woman? Back then, you can still see some semblance of a female from her. Now, it's all gone. From the front, side, and back. No matter which direction you look at, the feeling she gives others is a man, a man and a man… Are you guys really going to twist a girl's mentality into a man's?

Number Five scrutinized the images of Ling Lan. In the end, all of the images showed her having a sharp look in her eyes. With the killing intent emanating from her eyes, even Number Five felt a bit afraid of her.

Ling Lan had indeed become very strong, just as they had wanted her to grow into. However, her cold face no longer had any hint of being a woman, made Number Five frown uncontrollably. He remembered Ling Lan's chubby and soft baby face. She was so cute beyond the bounds of her gender…

When did Ling Lan wear such a dominant face? It was almost a second 'iceberg' like Number One. She looked the same as the deity Number One hoped Ling Lan would be, who doesn't have any indication of gender. The difference was worlds apart from the past.

Unknowingly, his disciple strayed too far. A monstrous individual that could turn the world upside down was not born, but an iceberg that could freeze people to death was born instead? Number Five felt frustrated. How did his disciple be so similar to Number One but him, the one who taught her?

Although he respected Big Boss Number One, he wasn't willing to share his disciple. Number Five's eyes showed a hint of determination.

As if she could read Number Five's thoughts, Number Four's flirtatious eyes glistened. She continued, "There's still a chance to fix this if you let Ling Lan study under me. I will definitely make Ling Lan reacquire her charm as a woman and completely shatter that 'iceberg'.

Number Five closed his eyes. Although he wanted to bring his disciple back on the right path, he still didn't want to become Number Four's scapegoat for punishment. Number Four didn't want to cause a scene with Number One. Similarly, Number Five didn't want to do that as well. In reality, he was someone who liked to plot against others in shadows. He wasn't like Number Three, who was stupid enough to jump out in the open and fight Number One head on.

Number Five smiled, "Number Four, I've said this before. Only the Big Boss has the right to make a decision for this matter." He casually expressed his feelings regarding this matter and how it had nothing to do with him.

Number Four frowned, "Number Five, you actually don't care about Ling Lan's life?"

Number Five found an empty space, crossed his legs and sat down. He closed his eyes and said calmly, "Number Four, you and I both know very well when we will be allowed to appear in front of Ling Lan. It is all based on Ling Lan's choices. At first she wanted her body to become stronger, so Number Nine appeared in front of her first. She then has the heart of a warrior, so Number One came out next to teach her. She didn't want to continue to be weak so that gave me, the pervert that I am, a chance to appear in front of her, using different methods to train her. After that, she wanted to learn about mechas and then Number Three appeared. She wanted to practice spiritual powers thus Number Two also appeared…"

"Our appearances were all related to what Ling Lan needed in her heart at different moments in her life. That's why we were awakened. Thus, if Ling Lan didn't have any thoughts of competing, Number Six, Seven and Eight would not have any chance to appear in front of her. You are the same. If Ling Lan's female heart does not awaken, then you would never be able to get near her. You know this information very well so why would you be frustrated from this?

"Is it because you feel that it is impossible for Ling Lan to awaken her female heart by herself? So you want to use outside forces to force her to awaken?" Number Five immediately opened his eyes and a bright light flashed between them. It actually made Number Four shudder.

"It's possible Number One already knew what you were thinking. That's why he rejected your idea. Number Four, it is indeed too early." Number Five closed his eyes once again. Using outside forces to force an awakening wasn't impossible, but it will have a few side effects. For Number Five, he definitely wouldn't want these unknown side effects on Ling Lan. Ling Lan was his most prized disciple.

It should be said that even though Ling Lan was considered very important by Number One and Number Five, Number Four still thought of the importance they placed on Ling Lan lightly. This was the reason why she was rejected every time she proposed something about Ling Lan. Number One and Number Five indeed didn't want to anger Number Four, but they were paying more attention to Ling Lan's livelihood. They would not allow any actions that could bring about any danger to Ling Lan.

"Alright, you guys are all satisfied and don't care about me right?" Number Four smiled coldly. They were indeed protecting Ling Lan, but what about her? She didn't even have a chance to appear before Ling Lan. This made her feel wronged. Even if they didn't let her teach Ling Lan, it would still have been nice if they had let her meet Ling Lan a few times. They wouldn't even let her do that?

The frustrated Number Four wasn't that unreasonable and wanted to teach Ling Lan right at this moment. In actuality, Number Four knew very well that if Ling Lan didn't want to, Ling Lan would not be able to learn very well, no matter how much she forced her to learn. She was only extremely lonely and just hoped she had a disciple to talk to. Was a demand like that difficult?

"It's not that we don't care about you. Didn't the Big Boss say to wait?" Number Five frowned and had a headache from Number Four's behavior.

"I waited from her past life to this life and then waited in this life until Ling Lan is 21 years old. How long do you guys want me to wait? Until Ling Lan becomes an old lady?" After speaking about waiting, Number Four completely broke down. She had already waited for a long time for a disciple right?

Number Five didn't know what to say and knew Number Four was quite depressed. In her past life, Ling Lan had a heart of young lady but didn't have the physical capabilities to activate the learning space. Even though Number Four had the thought of teaching Ling Lan, she wouldn't have any way of getting close to her. In this life, Ling Lan's body was strong enough to activate the learning space, but as luck would have it, she went on the path of becoming a dominant and strong individual. The heart of a young lady from her past life was tossed to some corner by Ling Lan. The amount of time Number Four had waited for Ling Lan was indeed quite long. It was no wonder that Number Four was so frustrated.

However, shouldn't she have gone to the Big Boss to resolve this issue? Why did Number Four come to find him instead? Number Five suddenly realized it and instantly sighed. The Big Boss probably couldn't handle Number Four, so he sent Number Four to come find him instead. Without a doubt, he had become the Big Boss's scapegoat… Number Five instantly had a few words appear in his head, "Big Boss, you're too crafty."

Number One felt Number Five's resentment while in his dimension. He opened his eyes slowly and then calmly closed them again, "Better you than me." These words began to flow through the entire dimension…

After realizing he had been sold out by the Big Boss, Number Five seemed to be calm, but on the inside, his head was spinning. He was thinking about how to get rid of this troublesome woman… Sh*t, the best way to get rid of women like her was to give her a man. Did he have to give up his own body?

After thinking about the cold and sharp Number Nine, Number Five instantly calmed down. No matter how troublesome, he wouldn't sell out his body. He still wants to have a chance to hold Number Nine's little jade white hands. Number Five knew that he couldn't give up his own body so he could only find another man…

As if they had heard Number Five's thoughts, the other male instructors in the learning space instantly closed off their dimensions. They definitely wouldn't let the two perverts, Number Four or Number Five, invade their world…

"A bunch of cowards." Number Five said in his mind. Suddenly he saw that within the perverse training method he had developed, there was a small chubby boy looking around with interest. He instantly had an idea.

Number Five opened his eyes and smiled, "Number Four, you haven't taught anyone your abilities in a long time right?"

After hearing Number Five asking about her profession, Number Four's mood calmed down a bit. She sighed and said, "Yeah. Let me count. Sh*t, it's almost been hundreds of years."

"Then you should get familiar with your teaching materials in case when Ling Lan wants it, if not you wouldn't be able to teach her well", Number Five reminded.

"Are you doubting my abilities?" Number Four squinted her eyes and a hint of killing intent appeared in her eyes. She was sharpening her weapons, getting ready to teach a lesson to this despicable Number Five. She hated people who did not trust her skills.

"Of course not. I'm only saying that before Ling Lan discovers her female charm, you should find a student and to be more familiar with your teaching materials. This way you would know how to teach a student, so you won't be like us, messing up a lot in the beginning. Thus made Ling Lan suspect our capabilities. In the end, we used a herculean amount of effort before managing to have Ling Lan reinforce our overpowering image in her mind." In order to get Number Four to listen his arrangements, Number Five began to make things up.

"Really?" Number Four said with a hint of suspicion in her voice. She never heard others speak about something like this. All of the instructors who came into contact with Ling Lan all praised how their disciple was good and whatnot. It was also because of these people showing off that made her become jealous and frustrated. She wanted to quickly come in contact with this excellent disciple all the instructors raving about.

"Of course, no one would want to tell others about these humiliating things right?" Number Five smiled and said.

Although Number Four didn't fully believe Number Five's words, she still wanted to avoid something like that happening if by any chance his words were true. She was already behind the other instructors in terms of time. If her teaching was also worse, wouldn't her position in Ling Lan's heart be gone?

Number Four decided that no matter if it was real or fake, she should still pay attention to it. However, after thinking about finding a student, she became depressed. If she could teach other students then why would she be frustrated from not being able to teach Ling Lan?

"What you're saying is nice, but I need to find a student first right? Where am I going to find one? In this space, isn't there only just Ling Lan?" Number Four was depressed. Was Number Five playing games with her? His suggestions were impossible for her to do.

Number Five smirked and pointed towards a certain corner.

Number Four looked over with a bit of suspicion in her heart. Her eyes glimmered as though she had seen something, "A chubby little boy."

"He's a very good person to teach. Congratulations." Number Five didn't hesitate to sell out Little Blossom.

Number Four was angry and flipped, "Number Five you bastard. That's a child and he's also a man."

She taught mature female charms. Please be advised, it was 'mature female charms'. The main reason was of course the mature level. How could this little kid with five hairs on his head with his bare butt still showing have any connection with being mature? This wasn't even the most important part. Didn't he hear the second part? Female charms. He should at least give a girl. What was she going to do with a little boy? This isn't how someone should swindle someone…

"What's wrong with a boy? If you really could develop this little boy into a monster, then when Ling Lan needs you, wouldn't it be much easier for you teach her? What else could be difficult for you if you could teach a boy?" Number Five smiled and said. "Also, you're bored anyways. You can take that little chubby kid and play with him. If you break him, no one would blame you."

"Really?" Number Four raised her brow flirtatiously and a flash of light glimmered past. Even Number Five, who's heart belonged to someone else, had his heart skipped a beat uncontrollably. If it wasn't for the fact that his smiling face had already become a habit, Number Four might have detected his lies.

Number Four was as expected the most charming out of the nine of them. She was the real killer in the shadows. This was also why it was difficult for Number One to face Number Four. Number Five thought about this in his mind, but his spoke with determination, "Of course."

Number Four smirked. With a new toy in hand, she instantly felt better about not meeting Ling Lan, calming her down. She took back 70%-80% of charms. Her eyes began to move and glanced at Number Five with a flirtatious look, "I didn't think that Little Five cared about me this much. Then your elder sister will take advantage of Little Five's graciousness."

Number Five felt his body shake. It wasn't for the fact that he had somewhat of a clear mind, it was possible that his soul may have been taken by Number Four. He closed his eyes and began to mumble something under his breath.

"I didn't think that Little Five liked to recite those Buddhist scriptures from Ling Lan's previous live. Does it really have any effect?" Number Four suddenly appeared behind Number Five. She hugged him and blew into his ear as she smiled flirtatiously.

Number Five's body shook off Number Four.

"Little Five, you really don't know how to take care of a woman." Number Four wasn't angry but instead smiled flirtatiously.

Number Five finally opened his eyes and returned to his clear-mindedness, "Elder Sister Four, you don't need to play with me anymore. Little Five can't take it. If Elder Sister Four doesn't like that little chubby boy, then just disregard what I said earlier." Number Five returned to his previous smiling face.

Number Four frowned. She hardly managed to get a toy. If Number Five actually doesn't give it to her, then it would be real troublesome. Thus she replied, "Alright, I'll let you go this time. Next time, if you dare to plot against me, don't think you'll get off that easily."

Number Five's expression didn't show the embarrassment in his heart. He was still calm as the wind as put his hands out in respect, "Thanks for your understanding Elder Sister Four."

Right as Number Four was about to leave, she suddenly turned around before Number Five could react and pounced on him, "Little Five, I really like you. Next time your elder sister will come play with you alright?"

Number Four caressed Number Five's face. In the next second, she disappeared into the chubby kid's training area to go find her little boy.

Let us say a few prayers for Little Blossom's depressing future.

"Number Five, you're despicable and shameless!" A cold snort came from behind Number five. The smile that Number Five had on his face instantly crumbled. He immediately turned and shouted, "Number Nine, it's not what you think…"

"Crash!" A flash of light struck down. Number Five quickly dodged, the flash of light skimmed his face. The lightning crashed into the ground and instantly created a large hole in the ground.

Seeing Number Nine's terrifying attack, Number Five had cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He almost became a eunuch. Even if they were only spiritual entities, that 'thing' was still very important…

"Number Nine, I did not do anything with Number Four." Number Five saw Number Nine looking at him coldly and finally knew why Number Four had done what she did before she left. It was clearly to get back at him for plotting against her. That annoying woman. Next time when he sees her, he would definitely not let her live it down.

Number Four's behavior was already testing Number Five's limits. Number Five actually became angry. However, he shouldn't be in a hurry to take revenge on Number Four. The most important thing was how could he get on Number Nine's good side again. Sh*t… He will definitely kill Number Four. The situation he created after all those years of hard work was completely destroyed by her.

"Don't explain anything to me. I just want to ask you. Why did you sell out Little Blossom?" Number Nine asked calmly. What did Number Five and Number Four's relationship have anything to do with her? But Little Blossom belonged to Ling Lan. Why did Number Five give him to Number Four to train? If Little Blossom got hurt, wouldn't Ling Lan be sad?

In Number Nine's mind, no one else was more important than Ling Lan. Whoever made Ling Lan sad, she would definitely not let them off easy. Even if Number Four and Five were stronger than her, she would still fight with them with all her might.

"Don't you think Little Blossom is too naive? That's not how the Doomsday Flower should behave." Number Five realized that Number Nine's attention wasn't on his relationship with Number Four. He breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt disappointed. It seems that his image in Number Nine's mind was still terrible.

Number Five was only disappointed for an instant but he regained his fighting spirit in the next second. The road ahead was still long. He still needs to work hard to get Number Nine's heart. Number Five pumped himself up.

Number Five's words made Number Nine think deeply for a moment, "So you want Number Four to teach him? But what can she teach him? You might as well teach him yourself if you let her teach." Number Nine did not agree with Number Five's decision.

Number Five smiled bitterly. Originally, he was going to teach him. Who knew that Number One would pass him the troublesome Number Four for him to resolve the issue. With a look of dismay on his face, he looked at Number Nine, who didn't know what actually happened. Could it be that all of this was caused by their Big Boss, Number One?

Number Five swallowed this idea into his stomach. Even if he explained, Number Nine would still probably believe that he should take responsibility. Number Five clearly knew that Number Nine admired her Big Brother Number One.

"You actually think that Number Four only has the ability of using female charm? If that was the case, then she wouldn't be ordered in front of me and become Number Four," Number Five said softly.

In reality, the numbers the nine of them were assigned were not random. It was actually based on their power. Number One was was already their Big Boss so being first was justified. Number Two was low-key but Number Five knew of Number Two's abstract and terrifying methods. If he fought against Number Two, he Number Five would probably be the one who dies. As for Number Three, his physical skills were not that strong compared to them, but in the Mandora star system, biomechas were considered to be overpowered. Once Number three pilots a biomecha, even Number One would not be able to defeat Number Three. Thus, he was the third strongest. The others didn't have any disagreements about it.

Back then, Number Five actually hoped he would be ranked fourth. It was just that back then when he fought with Number Four, he read one of her moves wrongly, resulting in him being fifth instead… It was also the reason why Number Five knew how terrifying Number Four could be from their battle. This reason was also why he decided to let Number Four teach Little Blossom. Although Number Five was also using Little Blossom to get out of the situation, he wouldn't actually harm Little Blossom. Number Four was still a powerful and methodical individual.

After hearing Number Five's words, Number Nine instantly went into deep thought. She was the last one to enter the learning space, so she automatically became the last member. However, she had once heard Number One said that the rankings of the people in front of her were quite intense, many large battles had taken place. Now that she thought about it, Number One probably meant the battle between Number Four and Five.

"Alright, if you think it's fine then I won't say anything else. However, if something were to happen to Little Blossom or if Ling Lan becomes sad, you and Number Four will feel my wrath," Number Nine left these to Number Five, then left his dimension.

Seeing his dimension being treated like a door where anyone could just pass through, Number Five felt frustrated. However, he didn't want to close off these openings either… What if Number Nine wanted to come here again and couldn't get in, wouldn't she be saddened by that? Number Five comforted himself this way.

It turns out, in order to get even the slightest chance of meeting Number Nine, even though Number Five knew he had holes everywhere in his dimension, he pretended to not know they existed. This gave Little Blossom a chance to enter his dimension to hide and in turn also let Number Four easily tear open his dimension's barrier and enter his dimension.

Ling Lan didn't know what had happened in the learning space. She only knew that she would be ruthlessly teaching Little Four a lesson to let him know the result of looking down on her was going to be morbid.

After calming down, Ling Lan continued to ask questions to XXQ1, "Then what do you remember when you were completely finished?" That punk Little Four actually created an intelligent entity without her knowing about it. Furthermore, it somehow got into Lin Zhong-qing's hands, becoming the mainframe of the XXQ1 base camp in the end.

"I'm not sure. When I woke up, I was already in the warehouse of the 250 Mecha Clan. It was Senior Captain Lin who found me." XXQ1 sobbed as she spoke. She felt sad after thinking back to how she was found through all the landfill in the warehouse. It was as though she wasn't good enough and was tossed aside.

"Warehouse? I see." Although Ling Lan felt it was odd that XXQ1 had appeared in the warehouse, it could explain how Lin Zhong-qing managed to get his hands on it. After thinking about it, Ling Lan knew that Little Four wouldn't talk with anyone other than her. Therefore, Lin Zhong-qing wouldn't be able to acquire XXQ1 from Little Four.

"Master, please give me a name, I don't want to be called XXQ1." XXQ1 finally mentioned something she had always wanted. Couldn't she have been given a nicer sounding name? She was a girl after all.

"Is your name not XXQ1?" Ling Lan was stunned.

"Of course not. That name was given to me by those men who stood beside Senior Captain Lin. They didn't even ask me for my opinion on the matter and gave me a name only a man would use," said the intelligent entity spitefully. It seemed that in the beginning, she didn't know what was happening and didn't want to offend anyone. Thus she accepted the name that she didn't like. Now that she had met her real master, she would of course request a name change.

"Does the person who discovers your first not name you?" Ling Lan suddenly said playfully.

"Of course not. My creator had already set my master as you, Ling Lan, from the very beginning. Even if I was activated by others, I would only temporarily obey them. However, if you, my master, comes, then I would belong to you." The intelligent entity finally told Ling Lan about her settings before being born into this world.

"So I am your master from the very beginning." Ling Lan's eyes began to water with a hint of sadness. "Little Four, no matter what you do, you always think about me. Even if you nurtured a new intelligent entity, you didn't even forget to set her master as me, Ling Lan. However, all of this isn't what I want. The thing that I want most is for you, Little Four, to be with me. Be with me when the sky's gray. Look at this world and its flourishing infrastructure… Little Four, when will you wake up and call me 'Boss' in a clear and sharp voice everyday?"

"Boss!"

Ling Lan's heart trembled. Did she miss Little Four that much that she was hearing things?

"Boss, you have someone new to play with now? So you don't want me anymore?" Little Four appeared in front of Ling Lan all teared up. His eyes were filled with sadness.

Little Four? Ling Lan couldn't help but rub her eyes. She saw Little Four standing in front of her. She then looked at the virtual girl who had an expression full of shock.

As expected, she missed Little Four too much so she heard wrongly and saw an illusion. Ling Lan lifted her head and looked up… Little Four actually appeared with XXQ1 in the real world. It seemed her brain had become jumbled.

Chapter 701 - Meng Lan!

"You dare to compete with me." Little Four pointed at XXQ1 angrily. He wanted to destroy this woman. Why did he even create intelligent entities, undermining his own position as the number one underling? Was he stupid?

The voice sounds so real. Ling Lan convinced herself that she must be under an illusion but she still looked down. She saw Little Four looking up at her. He had tears on his face and he seemed afraid.

"Little Four?" He seems so real. Ling Lan reached out and tried to touch Little Four's face.

Her hand passed through his face. As expected, it was an illusion, this Little Four in front of her is not real. Ling Lan felt downhearted.

"Boss, this is just my virtual body. After I gain a real body, then you can touch me." Little Four shouted happily. Ling Lan's eyes were filled with care and longing. Indeed, he is still his Boss's favorite. Even if she has a new intelligent entity, his position as the number one underling would not be taken away.

Little Four's voice woke Ling Lan up from her daze. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Little Four intently. In the end, she confirmed that this bastard Little Four was finally awake.

"Little Four, you are so dead." Ling Lan unleashed her spiritual power, pinning down Little Four.

"Boss, domestic violence is frowned upon, don't do it!" Little Four saw Ling Lan's fierce expression and immediately knew what she was going to do. He quickly disappeared, hiding in Ling Lan's mindscape.

"Little Four, how dare you try to run? If I catch you, you are really dead."

Ling Lan chased Little Four around in her mindscape for an hour before managing to grab his throat. "F**k, how can you sleep for half a year without telling me anything? Do you think that I have a good temper? If I don't teach you a lesson now, I'm not your boss." Do you know how worried I was for these past six months?

"Boss, if you continue shaking me, I'm gonna go back to sleep again." Little Four understood Ling Lan's worries, but he also felt his chip was getting warmer. He was afraid his boss might accidentally kill him so he quickly shouted.

When she heard that Little Four might fall asleep again, Ling Lan started to calm down. She released her grip and said angrily, "I'll let you go for now. When I have the chance, I'll teach you a lesson."

Little Four coughed fervently. He hoped that his chip would cool down but no matter how he tried to control it, it wouldn't. Little Four feared and desired the heat at the same time.

"So, why did you sleep for such a long time?" Ling Lan finally asked Little Four about his condition.

Little Four was puzzled too. "I don't know. That day, I saw you sleeping soundly. After a while, I fell asleep too. When I woke up, half a year has already passed."

He just wanted to sleep with his Boss. Why did he sleep for half a year? He didn't accompany his Boss for so long. When he thought about how his Boss might have suffered because of the fat and stupid Little Blossom, he felt terrible.

"I heard from Little Blossom that you were evolving. What part of you evolved?" Ling Lan examined Little Four carefully. Little Four was still a little child. He didn't grow taller. Ling Lan couldn't see what was different about him.

The moment he thought of Little Blossom, his Boss mentioned Little Blossom. Little Four hated Little Blossom now. However, he still maintained his innocent smile on his face. He couldn't let his boss know that he was jealous.

Boss said that he was evolving? Why didn't he know about it? Little Four managed to catch the main point in his Boss's words. He was confused. But, if his Boss said that he had evolved, it must be the truth, Little Four trusted Ling Lan. Hence, he started inspecting his body carefully.

He smiled excitedly. "So that's what happened. Boss, I really evolved and got a new ability. I'm able to appear with a virtual body in the real world within 10 meters from you. However, I can only maintain the virtual body for half an hour."

So this was why he slept for half a year. It was not a satisfying result but he could live with it.

Ling Lan now understood why she could see Little Four's virtual body in the real world just now. So this was Little Four's new ability. He didn't need any medium and could appear as a virtual image as long as he was near her. This ability meant nothing to Ling Lan but for Little Four, this was a chance for him to consolidate himself as Ling Lan's number one underling in front of her comrades.

"That is a good ability. However, you will have to appear as my personal optical supercomputer. I'm sorry about that." Ling Lan rubbed Little Four's head as she felt apologetic towards him. She was still unable to provide him a better identity. She was still too weak. She couldn't let him reveal his true identity.

She could give him this fake identity because Little Four created XXQ1. Little Four used his own hard work to allow himself to have the chance to reveal himself. She owed him so much.

"Boss, are you saying that I can interact with your comrades?" Little Four was elated.

"Yes. You created XXQ1 for this purpose, right?" She knew Little Four's thoughts without the need for him to say anything.

As expected of his Boss. She knew exactly what he was thinking but she still let him carry on with his plans. Little Four jumped into Ling Lan's arms and hugged her tightly. "Boss, you treat me so well. I feel so happy. I really love you. Really."

Ling Lan touched Little Four's forehead and spoke in a soft voice which only she could hear. "You treat me well too, alright. You think of me first before you think about yourself. I'm not a cold-blooded animal. I'm not ungrateful."

Little Four could only faintly hear what his boss said. He looked up in confusion. "Boss, what are you saying?"

Ling Lan flicked his forehead. "I said, how long are you going to stay in my arms?"

Little Four's face turned red when Ling Lan exposed him. He hadn't seen his boss for half a year. Wasn't it normal for him to want to stay with her longer? She shouldn't blame him.

However, Little Four had his pride so he thought about a diversion and jumped down. "Boss, did Little Blossom create any trouble for you during these 6 months?"

At crucial times like this, Little Blossom is the best diversion. Little Four betrayed Little Blossom without any hesitation. Little Blossom was with Number Four currently, becoming Ling Lan's substitute. Sob… he is totally dead.

"No. Little Blossom was obedient." Ling Lan proved that Little Blossom was not a troublemaker.

He was obedient? A Doomsday Flower? Obedient? Little Four felt that the Little Blossom that Ling Lan knew was different from the one he knew.

"Little Blossom is a good kid. You must protect him." Ling Lan rubbed Little Four's head. Little Blossom was not as talkative as Little Four but it tried its best to do the things Little Four normally did. They were two different kinds of intelligent entities so it was hard for Little Blossom but he still tried his best.

Little Blossom respected Little Four. He respected Little Four as much as he respected her. Sometimes, Ling Lan would get jealous. After all, she was Little Blossom's master. However, Ling Lan was touched because of Little Blossom's feelings towards Little Four. Little Blossom really took Little Four as his older brother.

Who said that intelligent entities don't have feelings? Ling Lan scoffed in contempt at the research of intelligent entities carried out by the Federation. The two intelligent entities she had were full of emotions. Ling Lan just didn't know that this was something different, it was something innate.

Ling Lan smiled. Since they didn't know this, she would not tell them. This would be Little Four's punishment for sleeping for six months and scaring her. Ling Lan kept her findings a secret. This caused Little Four and Little Blossom to have many funny encounters in the future.

Little Four felt sad when he heard what his boss said. Little Blossom managed to gain his Boss's favor in these past six months. However, as a magnanimous person, he would not treat Little Blossom badly because of this. Little Four nodded firmly. "Yes boss, I'll treat him well."

He was someone true to his words. Also, there would be more intelligent entities around his Boss in the future. He rather let Little Blossom be the one gaining his Boss's liking. After making this comparison, he felt much better.

"Let's stop talking about Little Blossom. Let's talk about XXQ1 now." Ling Lan pointed at XXQ1 who was still waiting outside. She interacted with Little Four for a long time in her mindscape but in the real world, only a second had passed.

"XXQ1?" Little Four blinked. This was an unfamiliar name to him, Who was it referring to? Little Four was too busy regaining Ling Lan's favour that he didn't realize that the intelligent entity he created was called XXQ1.

"The intelligent entity you created," Ling Lan reminded him.

"Oh? Which bastard gave her that name? It's awful," Little Four said angrily. He took so much effort to create an intelligent entity but the name she has was so terrible. It made him furious.

"Lin Zhong-qing." Ling Lan outright betrayed Lin Zhong-qing. She would never take the blame for anyone.

"Ahhh, Lin Zhong-qing, I will not forgive you!" Little Four shouted. Not all intelligent entities were kind. There were some who liked to bear grudges. Little Four was one of them.

Little Four cursed Lin Zhong-qing. Then, he appeared in front of XXQ1. He looked at the woman in awe. This was his work. Little Four felt that he was impressive.

Ling Lan smacked Little Four's head, waking Little Four up.

XXQ1 bucked up her courage after seeing her creator appearing in front of her and said, "Master, please give me a new name."

She also hated this name.

"Boss, please change her name." Little Four's eyes lit up. He finally remembered that only his boss had the right to give the intelligent entities he created a name. Lin Zhong-qing was not able to.

Ling Lan looked at the two pairs of eyes that were shining with anticipation. She sighed. How much did they hate this name? It was for sure Lin Zhong-qing would become one of the people whom Little Four hated the most in the future.

"What name would you like?" Since a woman was getting a new name, she needed to like the name. Ling Lan was a democratic leader. She instantly asked her about her preferences.

The woman started thinking. Her eyes lit up. "Master, I would like the word 'Lan'." Her creator always thought about this word so she got influenced and started to like this word too. If she could, she wanted her name to have this word.

Ling Lan immediately knew why the intelligent entity liked this word. She glared at Little Four. What was he thinking about when he was creating this intelligent entity? This 'Lan' was definitely the 'Lan' in her name.

Little Four didn't dare to look at her in the eyes. Ling Lan's heart softened. Little Four thought about her all the time so the intelligent entity he created got affected. Anyway, the name 'Lan' didn't belong to her. Since she liked it, she should use it in her name.

Ling Lan thought for a moment and said, "Fine. You'll be called Meng Lan from now on." This was the Ling Lan in Little Four's dream, Meng Lan.

Ling Lan smiled after she finished speaking. It was not a bright smile but it dissipated the coldness around her. The two intelligent entities were stunned. Woah! Boss (Master) is so beautiful!

Intelligent entities usually have strong resistance against beautiful things so they quickly calmed down. Meng Lan said excitedly to Ling Lan, "Thank you for giving me a name." She could finally not be called XXQ1. Meng Lan wanted to cry. She almost went crazy after being called XXQ1 for so many days.

Chapter 702 - The Dignity Of A Father!

After settling Meng Lan's name situation, Ling Lan asked her to open the door. She walked in.

The moment she walked in, she said, "XXQ1 will be called Meng Lan from now on."

Now everyone knew why their boss spent such a long time outside. He was changing the name of the mainframe of this base. They had to admit that this name was much better than XXQ1.

Ling Lan was relieved everyone was satisfied with this name. After that, Lin Zhong-qing signaled for them to enter a changing room.

At that moment, Ling Xiao's mood changed drastically. His daughter was changing with a bunch of stinking young men without his supervision. Ling Xiao wanted to kill all the young men here but fortunately, he was someone who could control his emotions. Hence, he didn't explode.

However, Ling Lan still felt the difference in her father's aura. His aura was almost exploding out from his body. Ling Lan thought for a moment and immediately understood why her father was feeling this way. She was just changing her clothes in the same room with a bunch of young men. However, she was not taking all her clothes off. She wore her singlet so no one would see her body. Additionally, after she took the suppression shots, she didn't have any curves. No one would see through her disguise.

Thinking about this, Ling Lan started getting worried. Her mother only gave her two more years. Based on her mother's temper, she would definitely stop her from taking the suppression shots. Her body would start growing after that so… Ling Lan sighed. Luckily, she still had two more years. She could think about this later.

Okay, Ling Lan is someone who likes to push her worries back. If it is not going to happen soon, she will not care about it.

After everyone changed into their military uniform, Ling Lan finally saw what her father looked like after disguising himself. He wore a mask like Li Lanfeng. Ling Lan looked at him curiously. The rest of the people just quickly spared a glance at him. Since he was a loyalist, it was normal that he didn't want anyone to see his face.

Everyone stretched their bodies after changing their attire. They finally felt that they were alive. The mecha protective vest was comfortable but it restricted their movements too much.

The entrance of the changing room was different from its exit. Once they opened the exit door, a familiar smell wafted into their nose. They saw a field of green. It was like they were back at the Federation.

"Those are all virtual images." Ling Lan quickly identified what she saw. She looked at Lin Zhong-qing. Seemed like Lin Zhong-qing had an effective discussion with the chief of staff. He took everything that he could and couldn't take.

Ling Lan felt her father boring his eyes at the back of her head. She pretended to not feel it. She would not admit that she took too many things.

Ling Xiao looked at the scene in front of him. His face twitched. Did He Xuyang give all the good things to his daughter? He even gave her this device. Was this a land clearing mission? This seems more like a vacation!

The most important features of a temporary base were its safety and efficiency. Features that could help with a person's psychology would never be taken into consideration when building a temporary base. However, 250 Mecha Clan made their base into a comfortable and perfect home.

This is damn… amazing! Ling Xiao decided to compliment He Xuyang when he gets back. It was a waste to keep this device in the warehouse so he rather gave it to his daughter. Ling Xiao was happy to know that Ling Lan could rest in such a base during these three months.

Of course, it was all her credit that she managed to fully utilize this device. If other bases got this device, would they be able to create such an amazing base? Ling Xiao looked at Lin Zhong-qing who was leading the way. His daughter had such good foresight. She picked an amazing chief for her logistics department. That was why she could have such a perfect temporary base. These devices were already functional but to input everything into the design of the base, it required some skills. Lin Zhong-qing definitely had the skills to do it.

"No mecha operators had entered this base. There is only a small portion of logisticians doing the final cleaning," Lin Zhong-qing reported to Ling Lan. Ling Lan nodded. "Not bad."

Lin Zhong-qing's eyes lit up when he heard Ling Lan's compliment. He was elated. He was probably the only one who knew how hard and how much effort he put into the preparation and the construction of this temporary base. However, all the hard work paid off when his Boss praised him.

Lin Zhong-qing knew that to his Boss, 'not bad' was already a good compliment.

Ling Lan looked at organized roads as well as locations for soldiers to eat and train. She was even more satisfied. She turned around and shouted, "Yang Mingzhi."

Yang Mingzhi was looking at the various facilities with the other team leaders. He was extremely happy to see how well built this base was.

F**k, this is the first time he will be staying at such a comfortable temporary base during a land clearing mission. He remembered the places which he stayed at last time. There was only enough space for him to lie down. He was not able to see the sun from his room and could only look at the light bulb above him. Yang Mingzhi finally understood how incapable those logisticians were. They could have made the temporary base more beautiful but they didn't. Mecha operators like them weren't able to get a good rest after their dangerous missions.

While Yang Mingzhi was criticizing the logisticians in his previous mecha clan, he heard Ling Lan calling him. He immediately went up. "Regiment commander, I'm here."

"Discuss with the other nine team leaders to split all the mecha operators into three groups. One group will be doing the scouting mission, one group will be on guard, and one will be resting. The three groups will rotate."

"Yes!" All ten team leaders received their orders.

Lin Zhong-qing wanted to bring Ling Lan to the resting room for the regiment commander but Qi Long grabbed him and asked him to stay back to lead the ten teams to their resting area. Lin Zhong-qing only managed to point at the direction of Ling Lan's resting room before he got surrounded by the ten team leaders.

Ling Lan and Ling Xiao smiled at each other. They walked towards the direction Lin Zhong-qing pointed. Since everything was prepared, they should take a good look around this place.

"Ah, this is your room." Ling Xiao pointed at the nameplate on the door which had the words 'Regiment Commander' on it and smiled.

Ling Lan placed her communicator in front of the device that was on the side of the door. A beep was heard after the device scanned her communicator. The door opened automatically. This was her private room.

Ling Lan walked in. There was a small living room with some sofas and a coffee table in it. An office table was at the further end of the room. An optical supercomputer was placed on the table. The light on the optical supercomputer shone to signal its presence. This would be where she would have meetings with the ten team leaders.

On the right side of the living room, there was a door. When she walked closer to the door, it automatically opened, revealing a small dining room and a small kitchen. Further inside, there was another room. This should be her bedroom.

As expected, there was a bed and a bathroom behind this door.

Ling Xiao followed Ling Lan to the dining room. He walked into the kitchen and opened the small refrigerator. There were already many foods inside. There were both cooked and raw food as well as nutritional agents. "It seems like you got everything you could get. Your subordinates are very thorough."

Lin Zhong-qing was always a thorough person. Ling Lan nodded. "Yes, indeed."

"With these people beside you, your mother and I will be less worried." Ling Xiao took some raw food out and prepared a meal for his daughter In the good old days, he won over his wife's heart with his cooking skills. If he couldn't cook, Lan Luofeng might not have married him.

Lan Luofeng was an idiot in cooking so to make sure that her future family would have food to eat, she required her future husband to be able to cook. Hence, the high and mighty General Ling Xiao had to learn cooking for two months before he managed to win Lan Luofeng's heart.

Ling Xiao only realized sometime later that based on his family's financial capabilities, he would not need to cook personally. Well, we could say that a man in love was a stupid man.

Ling Lan was filled with anticipation. She heard her mother complimenting her father's cooking before but she never tasted it. She thought that she would never have the chance to taste her father's cooking but who knew that on a new planet, she would have the chance to try it out.

Ling Lan felt that the mask was a hindrance so she reminded her father, "Daddy, there are only two of us here. You can take off your mask now. Don't you find it a hindrance to wear it?"

Ling Xiao was enlightened. He took off his mask. After he took it off, he suddenly thought of something and his body tensed up. He slowly turned around and explained to Ling Lan, "I accidentally hit my face a few days ago…"

Ling Lan eyes twitched a little. She said emotionlessly, "Be careful next time."

"I will." Ling Xiao quickly turned his head back. His daughter didn't notice anything, right? She didn't. Yes, she didn't.

Ling Lan also turned her head around instantly. I must control myself. I must not laugh.

Ling Xiao saw Ling Lan walking out of the kitchen and returning to the living room. Fortunately, his daughter didn't realize anything. If not, it would be humiliating for him. That was frightening. I must tell Luofeng to not scratch my face the next time we fight. I need to maintain my dignity in front of my daughter.

Ling Lan sat on a random sofa casually. Then, her tense expression livened up. She covered her mouth. There was no sound but her eyes were curved and there was happiness in her gaze. The entire room seemed to have lit up from her smile. Unfortunately, no one saw it.

Those scratches on her father's face must be made by her mother. Her father's explanation proved that he was feeling guilty. Ling Lan felt that her father's actions were stupid and couldn't help but smile even more brightly.

She always thought that Ling Xiao was a serious and dignified father but now, he was more of a funny father. He was someone who tried to maintain a powerful fatherly image in front of her but would always make mistakes unintentionally. Ling Lan always laughed at her father's stupidity. Compared to a mighty father, Ling Lan preferred this image more. She was able to feel her father's pure love for her.

"Little Four, our father is very cute," Ling Lan said softly. However, Little Four didn't hear what she said. The moment Little Four knew Ling Xiao was here, he went crazy. Ling Lan locked him up in the little black room so that he wouldn't disturb her.

Ling Lan had a good meal with her father. After Little Four was let out, he glared at Ling Lan for a long time. Also, the temporary base of the 250 Mecha Clan made all the other mecha clan green with envy.

This was because by the time 250 Mecha Clan completed the construction of their temporary base, no one else had applied to make their temporary base. This showed how many obstacles all the mecha clans met during this land clearing mission. Hence, they were all jealous of 250 Mecha Clan's good fortune.

Five mechas had the number '7' painted on their left arms, proving they were from the 7th division. On their chest, there was a symbol of a lightning bolt. This was the totem of a mecha clan. Having this totem meant that the mecha operators operating these mechas were ace mecha masters who had a title. These mecha operators were supposed to be the elite of the elite and treated like princes in their mecha clans. Yet, now, they were running away in a haggard manner. There seemed to be a frightening enemy chasing them.

After running furiously for a long distance, they had to slow down. They realized that there was a lake in front of them.

The mecha operator who had the highest position among the five of them was shocked. There were three dangerous locations to be wary of in a land clearing mission, one of them would be a place with a large body of water. No one knew what was under the calm surface of the water.

The mecha operator looked at the lake with vigilance. He asked another mecha operator, "06, have you managed to contact the regiment commander?"

"No.03, do you think that the regiment commander was killed by the monster?" The mecha operator sounded as though he was crying. While they were running, they remembered to release signals in hopes that their regiment commander and the others would bring them some news. However, no one replied to them.

Chapter 703 - Rescue!

"No way!" No.03 shouted. "Regiment commander is so powerful. How could he lose to the monster?"

This was the only way No.03 could encourage himself. He didn't expect this planet to be filled with dangers. They had not had a good rest or a meal for almost a week. With every step they took, they would meet all kinds of different monsters. The moment they killed one monster, another monster would come.

These monsters were not afraid of death. There seemed to be no end to their numbers. They had to resort to cold weapons due to their beam guns running out of energy.

However, those small and weak-looking monsters were like irritating tiny ants. They were able to kill many of them with each attack but the monsters would keep crawling at them like an endless tide, and would only stop after tearing them apart bit by bit.

This was the reason why their entire mecha clan got annihilated almost immediately. No.03 remembered the order their regiment commander gave and quickly controlled his emotions. "Our regiment commander asked us to seek help from the other divisions. Let's release our SOS signals again and see if there are any mecha operators around us."

He must find help and save his comrades.

The other people got reminded by him and quickly started releasing their signals. However, the screen just remained blank, showing no signs of working.

"It seems the signals are blocked here. What's happening?" The five of them exclaimed.

When they were fighting with the monsters, they were still able to send out signals. Unfortunately, there was no one around to save them then. Did they enter an area that has monsters that could block signals?

They felt a sinking feeling in their stomachs. They hurriedly searched around the area. They flew here and there, trying to find signs of life but this area showed no signs of life. It was eerily quiet. This was an entirely different situation compared to what they had gone through just now. It was like entering a completely different world.

"What is that?" A mecha operator saw something on the screen and hurriedly zoomed in on the area. He finally saw a small plaque around one kilometer away.

The words '250 Mecha Clan' were written on the plaque. The mecha operators were shocked. Did they come to 250 Mecha Clan's territory? They started to relax a little. Does this mean that they are safe?

When they saw this peaceful piece of land, they understood why their regiment commander was jealous of 250 Mecha Clan. While they were fighting with their lives to find a safe place to set up their base, 250 Mecha Clan found it easily.

"There's movement." Someone received a thermal signal and got nervous. They saw 10 familiar mechas moving towards them. They relaxed again. They knew that they were in another division's territory.

No.03 furiously waved at the 10 mechas. They could see the 10 mechas but their radar remained empty. The radar couldn't detect their signal. This area had indeed blocked all forms of signals. He wondered how 250 Mecha Clan was able to communicate with each other.

The people from the 7th division didn't know that there was a powerful intelligent entity in 250 Mecha Clan. With the help of this intelligent entity, 250 Mecha Clan were able to communicate with each other. This lake was able to block all signals but it couldn't block the short communication devices the intelligent entity had created. Every mecha had a messaging device installed in it. This was why 250 Mecha Clan segregated the area into a few sections. They were afraid that they would lose each other if they flew out of the range of the messaging device.

Their maps located in their cockpits informed them the furthest distance they could go. They were not allowed to fly further into the area beyond their map.

"404, I think that there are mechas from another division over there. Why are they at our territory?" One of the ten mecha operators saw the five mechas.

"Let's go over and take a look. Be vigilant." 404 thought for a moment before deciding to interact with the other party. However, he still reminded his team members to remain on their guard. Each group of ten mechas had a temporary leader. This leader of this group which was on a scouting mission was 404.

"Yes, 404." The mecha operators operated their mechas and flew towards the five mechas.

"Are you all from the 23rd division?" No.03 saw these mechas moving towards them fully armed so to prevent any misunderstandings, he hurriedly greeted them first.

"Yes, are you from the 7th division?" 404 only recognized the number '7' on their mechas. He didn't recognize the totem so he didn't know which mecha clan these mecha operators were from.

"We are from the Bing Ge Mecha Clan under the Three Sun fleet." No.03 proudly introduced. They were an ace mecha clan with a title. They were not a common mecha clan like what 250 Mecha Clan was.

"Bing Ge? I think I've heard of it." 404 didn't have much of an impression of this mecha clan so he just replied casually.

The expression of the mecha operators from Bing Ge changed when they heard what 404 said. They felt that this mecha operator was too rude. How could he be so perfunctory? Was he trying to give them an opening gambit? Was he pretending to not know them?

Their mecha clan was the only ace mecha clan in the past five years to have its own title. Their arrogance could not be changed just because of the indifference of the mecha operators from 250 Mecha Clan. The five mecha operators from Bing Ge scoffed. Their first impression of 250 Mecha Clan was bad.

Actually, the five mecha operators misunderstood 404. The mecha operators in 250 Mecha Clan, besides the people from the Lingtian Battle Team, were all famous more than 10 or even 20 years ago. They were deemed as useless by their own division and were sent to the 23rd division five years ago. They wasted their time lounging around in 250 Mecha Clan so it was perfectly normal for them to not know anything that happened in these past five years. If Bing Ge existed 10 or 20 years ago, 404 might know who they are.

The five mecha operators from the 7th division didn't know this so they were furious. However, in spite of this, they couldn't offend them because they were in their territory and they desperately needed their help. Hence, they controlled their anger.

"Oh right, why are you in our territory? Did you get lost?" If that was the case, they would have to bring them back to their base and asked the base to contact their mecha clan.

No.03 immediately started asking for help. His emotions burst out in a flurry. "Our entire mecha clan was ambushed by creatures from this planet. They are in danger. Please contact your regiment commander now. We would like to ask for help on behalf of our mecha clan and comrades."

"Don't be anxious. What happened to you? Slowly speak. I'll inform my regiment commander about this." 404 hurriedly stopped the other party and reminded him to speak clearly.

Under 404's guidance, No.03 finally calmed down. He told 404 what happened to their mecha clan.

"This is what happened, regiment commander." 404 didn't dare to waste any more time after knowing what happened. He immediately contacted Ling Lan. This was an issue regarding his fellow soldiers' lives.

"Okay, wait there. We will find the location of Bing Ge Mecha Clan and make the necessary arrangements." Ling Lan stopped the call. She turned serious.

Her new subordinate, the circular creature, said that there were many beings on this planet which were more powerful than it. She thought it was referring to large-sized monsters. However, she seemed to have mistaken. Those smaller creatures which were able to produce more offsprings were even more frightening than the large creatures.

"Lan'er, what is your decision?" Ling Xiao asked. This was a real test for Ling Lan.

Ling Lan's gaze was cold. She turned on the optical supercomputer and called for Meng Lan.

"Hello, master. What do you need me to do?"

"Contact the command center of Rising Sun fleet and tell them what happened to the mecha clan from the 7th division. Ask them to seek help from other divisions. Call all the mecha operators that are resting now. They will follow me to the location where they met the creatures to rescue them." The two orders from Ling Lan depicted her attitude towards this matter.

Ling Xiao was satisfied with her answer. A qualified soldier would never abandon his comrades. Ling Xiao felt gratified by Ling Lan's decision. His daughter is the best. She is perfect.

"I'll go with you." Ling Xiao wore his mask and prepared to leave with his daughter.

"Didn't you say that you will not attack?" Ling Lan asked in surprise.

"I remembered that you ordered me to look after you. How can I go against your order?" Ling Xiao smiled as he tapped Ling Lan's forehead. He didn't plan to show his strength but it didn't mean that he would stay at the side and watched them heartlessly. If those creatures dared to harm his daughter, he would definitely kill them.

"Daddy, if you continue protecting me like this, I will start relying on you." Ling Lan frowned. She had no plans on becoming a useless second generation of a top-level military family.

"I believe that you won't. Also, this might be the only time when I can protect you. How can you bear to take this chance away from me?" Ling Xiao looked at her pleadingly like a little dog was abandoned by its owner.

Daddy, can you please change back to your general self? Ling Lan was speechless. She felt pressured. When her father pleaded, it was more stressful than when he makes a command. Ling Lan couldn't do anything about it. She gave up. "You can do what you want…"

Sob, I hope that mummy will not kill me and ask me to return her charming husband back.

"What? Bing Ge Ace Mecha Clan got annihilated?" The commander-in-chief of Three Sun fleet which belonged to the 7th division shouted in anger when he heard the news from the commander-in-chief of the Rising Sun fleet.

"This is so humiliating. They didn't look for their own division but instead, seek help from another division." One of the officers in the command center scoffed. He was unhappy that Bing Ge didn't look for them directly.

"What are you muttering to yourself? Hurry up and search for the location." The commander-in-chief got more furious when he heard his officers talking among themselves.

"I've found them. The last message sent by Bing Ge was received an hour ago. They requested an energy storage unit for beam guns to be sent to them." One of the officers finally found some information on Bing Ge.

"Why didn't we sent it to them?" The commander-in-chief glared at the officer furiously.

"The commander of the starship that Bing Ge was on felt that the coordinates Bing Ge gave were not safe. Hence, he rejected the request." The officer felt cold sweat forming on his forehead. The person in front of him was the supreme commander of this mission. However, the starship commander was not wrong too. He had the right to reject the request if he found the location to be dangerous.

"Did anyone check with Bing Ge after they were rejected?" The commander-in-chief calmly asked. Normally, if the two parties had different opinions, the command center would step in and review this case before making a final division.

This time, no one answered him. Seemed like after they got a reply from the starship commander, the people in the command center threw this matter aside. No one followed up with the mecha clan. None of them expected Bing Ge to be annihilated in a short one hour. In the end, Bing Ge had to seek help from another division, causing the 7th division to lose their dignity and reputation.

The commander-in-chief smashed the table in front of him into pieces. He knew that someone had neglected their duties. He didn't expect something like this to happen under his watch. In a land clearing mission, the mecha operators had to risk their lives to help their division gain more resources. Yet, their superiors disregarded their efforts. How was he supposed to answer to the mecha operators that fought hard at the frontline?

"Inform all the mecha clans under the Three Sun to go the location where Bing Ge went missing as quickly as possible. If there are any survivors, we must save them." The commander-in-chief quickly gave his orders. The most important thing now was to save the mecha clan. He would deal with the commander of the starship which Bing Ge was on later.

Chapter 704 - Attack!

After the order was given, all the mecha clans under the Three Sun fleet, especially those who were nearer to the location of the ambush, started acting immediately. All the other commander-in-chief also gave a similar order. They were not from the same division as Bing Ge but all of them were from the Federation. All the soldiers in the Federation were their comrades. They would not abandon their comrades.

No.03 was agitated. Ever since he sent a request for help to 250 Mecha Clan, they had been waiting. 404 said that he had reported the situation to the higher authorities. They had to stay at the same place and wait for the command from the higher authorities.

The five mecha operators from Bing Ge were unhappy that 404 and the other nine operators were watching over them. If they had more people on their side, they might have left this place and would immediately go to the base of 250 Mecha Clan to seek help.

After 20 minutes of waiting, 404 still hadn't given them any concrete answer. The five mecha operators from Bing Ge couldn't stand it anymore. They decided to go to the base of 250 Mecha Clan and look for the regiment commander themselves.

The moment they moved, 404 noticed them. The 10 mechas surrounded them with their beam guns aimed at them.

"What is the meaning of this? How dare you point your guns at your comrades!" No.03 shouted.

404 replied calmly, "Please wait over here." He must follow his regiment commander's order.

"You asked us to wait? Do you know that our regiment commander and our team leader is still fighting? We don't even know if they are still alive. They are waiting for us to save them but you asking me to wait? Bastard! If 250 Mecha Clan doesn't want to help, you can just tell us. We will not trouble you. However, you do not have to prevent us from seeking help from mecha clans, right?" No.03 shouted furiously.

"Our regiment commander has given his order. Your SOS has been sent to the higher authorities. We are still preparing. Please wait patiently." 404 continued to repeat what Ling Lan told him.

He understood why they were so anxious but being anxious would not save their comrades. They need to make ample preparations before going on the rescue mission. If they act rashly, not only would they be unable to save their comrades, they might endanger their own life.

"Prepare, prepare. That's what you said 20 minutes ago, you have been preparing. Are you done preparing yet? Is the life of the mecha operators from Bing Ge not worthy enough for you to save? Is that why you keep dragging the time? This is murder! Murder!" Another mecha operator from Bing Ge started crying. The longer they wait, the more danger their comrades were in. How could they wait patiently?

"Your comrades' lives are worthy but so are ours!" 404 glared at the other party with bloodshot eyes. He finally got triggered. He couldn't maintain his composure anymore.

"From the video you gave me, we know that the creatures are frightening. If we make a small mistake, our entire mecha clan would be annihilated. However, even though this is the case, the mecha operators from 250 Mecha Clan still took on the challenge and gathered everyone available in the base for this rescue mission." 404 shouted furiously, "Our regiment commander treats our mecha operators very well. He would never act rashly. He only attacks when he has the confidence that we will succeed. Our regiment commander will not let anyone sacrifice themselves unnecessarily in this mission."

If his regiment commander last time was as decisive and placed as much importance on the lives of his mecha operators like Ling Lan, he might not have felt so much disappointment and despair and in the end, becoming a despondent person… 404 blinked and removed the sorrow from his eyes.

"Bullshit, Bing Ge…"

No.03 wanted to refute but 404 interrupted him. "Your regiment commander made four mistakes. First, when you first entered the base of those creatures, he should have ordered an immediate retreat as you weren't able to accurately judge how powerful those creatures were."

"Second, when you realized that only beam guns can kill those creatures, he should have gauge whether you all were able to kill all the creatures before the energy in your beam guns ran out. Hence, even if you couldn't determine how strong your opponents were and weren't sure whether you should retreat or not, your regiment commander should have ordered a retreat at that moment."

"Our regiment commander did calculate this. He felt that we didn't need to retreat. However, he didn't expect more and more creatures to come as we started fighting…" No.03 tried to explain himself.

404 scoffed, "These two mistakes are not fatal. Normal commanding officers might make the same mistakes. However, the worst mistake your regiment commander made was this. When he realized the energy in the beam guns couldn't last till all the enemies are destroyed, he still stayed there. He chose to request the starship to give him more energy storage units This decision placed the entire mecha clan at unnecessary risk."

"We have been fighting constantly for three days and three nights. Even if the regiment commander asked us to retreat, we could not do it. It is the fault of the commander of the Aoxi fleet. If he had agreed to provide us more energy storage units, we would not be in such a position." No.03 was indignant. In his heart, he pushed all the blame on the commander of Aoxi fleet.

"Stupid! How can you hand over your life to a commander you can't trust? I must say that your regiment commander was blinded by interest." 404 sneered. He recalled what Ling Lan told them when they pleaded with him to let them off from the harsh training. He said that it was extremely stupid of them to put their lives in the hands of other people.

"Our regiment commander did this for us." No.03 remembered the resource they found and felt bitter. The resource might be the reason why their regiment commander decided to take the risk. Unfortunately, the resource wouldn't belong to Bing Ge anymore.

"Although the third point is the worst mistake your regiment commander made, he is still the cause of the annihilation of your mecha clan." 404 remembered what happened to his mecha clan many years ago. The situation was similar. That year, because of a mistake of their regiment commander, the entire mecha clan died.

"Bullshit. Our regiment commander fought till the end so that we could escape. What did he do wrong?" No.03 shouted. They were still alive because his regiment commander protected them. His regiment commander would die to make sure that his mecha operators would survive. There was nothing wrong with his decision.

"Can you say that he made the right decision just because he fought till the end?" 404 didn't have any relation with the regiment commander of Bing Ge. He was just furious because the regiment commander made an extremely wrong decision and basically killed his entire team.

"Actually, he should have been more decisive and sacrificed some of the mecha operators by letting them self-destruct. That way, you five will not be the only survivors. Most of your mecha clan members would be still alive," 404 shouted angrily.

This decision seemed cruel but an outstanding commander should know when to make a sacrifice. If not, most of the mecha operators would have to die. The entire mecha clan might even be annihilated. Bing Ge was a perfect example. If their regiment commander was just more decisive and gave up those mecha operators that had lost their ability to fight, the majority of his mecha operators would still be alive. Those mecha operators would be willing to sacrifice for their comrades too.

That time, if his regiment commander had ordered him to fight in order to buy some time for his comrades to retreat, he would have done it without any hesitation. Yet, their regiment commander got nervous and made a wrong decision. In the end, all his comrades died. He was able to survive because his team leader protected him with his own body.

No.03 felt cold sweats on his forehead when he heard what 404 said. If 404 didn't say all the mistakes their regiment commander made, No.03 would not think so deeply. However, after 404 exposed the truth, No.03 started thinking back and realized 404 was right. If their regiment commander was more decisive, their team leader might have been able to escape…

He shook his head furiously. He couldn't think about their regiment commander like this. Their regiment commander had risked his life for their safety. How could he question his regiment commander's decision?

No.03 froze on the spot. 404 vented his anger out. However, he still felt sad because he was not joining the rescue mission…

Just as he was feeling sad, he heard a sound. There were mechas near him. 404 saw a group of mechas appearing in the sky above them. The mecha in front was very familiar to him as it was the second most used mecha of their regiment commander. During their harsh training, their regiment commander liked to use this mecha to fire long-range attacks at them.

However, the most hated long-range mecha during that time looked very amiable at this moment. 404 sighed. Why couldn't he participate in the rescue mission?

"Our regiment commander is here," 404 said before welcoming Ling Lan.

"Bing Ge?" Ling Lan looked at the five mechas who seemed to be hesitating whether they should come over or not.

"Yes," 404 replied. He thought for a while and decided to make a request. "Regiment commander, our team just reached this area. We didn't do much today. I would like to request to join the rescue mission."

Ling Lan felt that since the five people from Bing Ge had been interacting with 404's team for a while now, they might feel more comfortable with them and might provide more information because of this. Hence, she agreed to 404's request. 404's team was elated.

Time was tight so 404 informed the five people from Bing Ge and they joined the main rescue team. There were close to 100 mechas flying towards the spot where Bing Ge was attacked. Four teams were taking part in this rescue mission. They were Qi Long's team, Li Lanfeng's team, Luo Lang's team, and Liu Furong's team.

Soon, they arrived at the edge of a dense forest.

"Boss, this should be the place where Bing Ge met the monsters." Qi Long and his team reported their findings after they scouted the area.

"Did you see the video Bing Ge sent over?" Ling Lan frowned. It was another one of the three most dangerous locations in the land clearing mission: The forest. This was where Bing Ge went missing.

"Yes, we saw it. Those ant-like creatures are weak alone but when they attack together, they are frightening." They all saw how the creatures bit through the mecha's outer shell. A chill ran down their spines. Luckily, they saw that when there was a beam shield, the creatures were not able to penetrate it. Hence, they managed to calm down a little.

Why was it only a little? It was because the energy in the beam shield was not limitless. After those ant-like creatures exhausted the energy in the beam shield, the mechas would become their food.

"Cold weapons can't harm them much. All mecha operators, check your weapons. Change them to firearms and make sure that there is enough energy in them." Ling Lan would not allow her mecha clan to be in the same situation as Bing Ge. Once everyone was prepared, Ling Lan entered the forest.

The forest was quiet. It seemed to be safe. Many people would think that the Federation's mecha were large and powerful but on this planet, they were just like a speck of dust.

The trees were huge and tall. They couldn't see the top of the tree. Even the tree branches were taller than the mechas. The mecha operators felt like they were walking in a normal-sized forest with their own bodies.

Ling Lan's heart stopped. She remembered her new subordinate which was still hiding at the bottom of the lake. The circular creature was able to use its spiritual power to attack people. She suspected that the creatures on this planet all had this ability. It should be known that no matter how vast this forest was, these experienced mecha operators should never such an illusion. Without a doubt, this was a form of spiritual attack. It was to lower the mecha operators' guards.

"Be careful, everyone." Ling Lan's cold voice sounded on the team channel. The mecha operators who started relaxing due to the peaceful environment started turning vigilant again.

"Have the five mecha operators from Bing Ge lead the way." Although they knew Bing Ge went missing in this area, they didn't know exactly where they disappeared. The five mecha operators from Bing Ge would know their coordinates better since they had escaped from this area.

Ling Lan decided to let the mecha operators from Bing Ge lead the way so that they didn't have to waste time locating the main army of Bing Ge. She knew that time was tight. She couldn't waste any more time.

The five mecha operators from Bing Ge heard the order. They hastened their pace and came to the front of the group.