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Chapter 517 - Winning Gambit!

Let us turn the time back a few minutes prior.

In the headquarters of the Second Men's Military Academy, Ling Lan and Zhuge Jingming were having a clash with words. Knowing that her headquarters' battle team had already gone all out, Ling Lan decisively pushed down the button on the beacon after her conversation with Zhuge Jingming.

Ling Lan calmly looked at the notification on the small screen of the beacon. When the notification showed that it had reached 100%, a line of words showed up as she had expected.

"Would you like to set this location as your new headquarters?"

Ling Lan's lips showed a hint of a smile and the worry on her mind finally lifted. She had won her gambit!

The headquarters was, as expected, did not always stay in one location and could be changed. The battle royale was deemed to be a real battlefield from the start, and in a real battlefield, how could a headquarters be fixed at one location? This was without a doubt contradictory…

In addition to the fact that she had discovered she could light up the map, it didn't matter whether there was anything inside the beacon. This meant that they could take the beacon and run away… Thus, she thought that she would use this beacon to light up a new map. What kind of situation would make her choose a new headquarters?

In order to prove her idea, Ling Lan decided to gamble.

She knew clearly that if she lost, she would have become a sinner in the First Men's Military Academy! It was even possible that she would have been expelled. However, for Ling Lan, that price wasn't too much to pay, and this was because she was a woman. If she really had lost the gamble and was expelled, she would have been able to use the circumstance to disappear from the public. That would have completely gotten her out of the difficult situation where she was living as a man and woman at the same time.

However, if she succeeded… she believed that the cadets who had participated in this year's tournament would receive everlasting glory that would make their futures bright and allow for endless possibilities of growth.

It would not be a bad thing for her or the others if they won or lost, so Ling Lan would naturally not be reserved and decide to gamble. Now it looked like everything had reached the end!

Ling Lan took a deep breath and pushed down the button for confirmation.

Right then, all of the Second Men's Military Academy's people received a notification: "Your headquarters has been successfully taken down by an unknown army. All your members have been determined to be eliminated!"

Everyone in the Second Men's Military Academy screamed out in agony, but their screams were too late. Their mecha were instantly locked up by the A.I.. Those who were on the ground were a bit luckier, while the ones in the air were in trouble; they fell straight down from the sky. It was a good thing that the A.I. only locked down the operating mechanisms of the mecha. The defensive mechanism and power were still intact, making sure they weren't harmed when they hit the ground.

There were also those who had left their mecha to rest. They also received this notification in their communicators and was told to stay where they were. If they moved even a bit, a special surveillance drone made for communicating with the outside would not hesitate to shoot out tranquilizing darts to put them to sleep.

Thus, no one dared to move. This also ensured that those who were eliminated wouldn't try anything and mess up the rest of the battle royale.

Yuan Su, Qiao Ting and the others, who were fighting against that allied battle team of the Second Men's Military Academy, discovered that all of the mecha that belonged to the Second Men's Military Academy had dropped down. Seeing this, they were all smart enough to know what had happened. This was definitely because the Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters had been taken down.

Yuan Su couldn't control himself and laughed, saying, "Hahah, Jiang Shaoyu, Jiang Shaoyu, you actually thought you could take down my headquarters. In the end, it's your headquarters that's been taken down. This time, I'll see if you dare to boast in front of me again."

In this year's tournament, Jiang Shaoyu had made himself the boss. He was always teasing and mocking Yuan Su, who was the thousand-year fourth place, and this had led to Yuan Su harboring a deep hatred for him. Now, seeing that the Second Men's Military Academy had been eliminated, he had to laugh out loud and let out his frustration and anger.

Qiao Ting and Yuan Su were both outstanding leaders. While the opponent's allied forces were in a fit of chaos, they set out battle teams to counterattack. The allied battle team's forces mentality was wavering because of the Second Men's Military Academy's unexpected elimination. They didn't have the intention of fighting anymore and instantly broke down.

The reason that they were no longer willing to keep fighting was that they were worried about their own headquarters. Even the Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters had been taken down; how then could their headquarters be defended?

Now they didn't have the thought they had at the beginning to get a high score. They only wanted to return to their own headquarters to protect it. Now, they only hoped to be not eliminated. Thus, they retreated back into Area Q and M, and returned to their own headquarters to defend it to their death until the end of the battle royale.

In Area G17, Jiang Shaoyu was in a fierce battle with Lin Xiao. Suddenly, he lost control of his mecha and the A.I. announced without remorse: "Your headquarters has been successfully taken down by an unknown army. All members are determined to be eliminated!"

"That's not possible!" Jiang Shaoyu roared angrily. Victory was at hand, yet why was his own Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters taken down when he hadn't even taken down the First Men's Military Academy's?

Unfortunately, even if Jiang Shaoyu didn't agree with the result, there was no turning back. His mecha dropped from the air and crashed to the ground in Area G17.

Right when Lin Xiao struck with his sword, he slashed the air instead. He looked at Jiang Shaoyu's mecha going out of control with surprise. There was another mecha that also fell at the same time as Jiang Shaoyu. Lin Xiao didn't understand why. After his team members reported to him that Jiang Shaoyu's mecha indeed had no more power and was completely locked, Lin Xiao understood what had happened to Jiang Shaoyu…

"The Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters has been broken through? Who has the ability to get into the deepest parts of Area Q?" Lin Xiao thought to himself. He didn't know why, but Ling Lan's cold face appeared inside his mind…

After taking down the Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters, the communicator in Zhuge Jingming's hand also received the short message at the same time. He sighed in his mind. "They were still slower just by a bit."

He couldn't help but raise his head and look at Ling Lan, who was calmly sitting on a chair as though she was thinking about something. Zhuge Jingming felt a fit of rage rise up from within him. Although the Second Men's Military Academy had lost, was the First Men's Military Academy's headquarters still impregnable? Right then, he really hoped that the allied force that he sent would be able to successfully take down the opponent's headquarters. He wanted to see if the other side could remain this calm after finding out they themselves were eliminated.

Unfortunately, as time passed, Ling Lan's expression didn't change. It seemed that his allied forces hadn't brought about any crisis for the First Men's Military Academy.

At that moment, Zhuge Jingming didn't know that the allied forces that he had sent had, in reality, successfully taken down Area G17. Unfortunately, Area G17 was no longer the First Men's Military Academy's headquarters. Taking down Area G17 was like taking down an uninhabited area, which only yielded some points. It wasn't enough to eliminate the First Men's Military Academy.

Ling Lan was able to see what was happening in Area G17 because of Little Four.

"Little Four, this time, I almost took a fall in Area G2. If didn't win the gambit, we would now have been eliminated." Inside her mindspace, Ling Lan had a cold expression and was looking back on her mistake.

Chapter 518 - Addiction!

"Boss, I should have reminded you." Little Four hung his head in shame. It was his job to advise her as an assistant, yet he had been negligent.

"That's why we must remember this lesson. In the future, we need to supervise each other. No matter who makes a mistake, the other will help them find out what it is." Ling Lan smiled at Little Four. Only in her mindscape would she let herself loose and keep acting as a boss.

Ling Lan's curved eyes and expression stupefied Little Four.

Little Four's dumbfounded look made Ling Lan's mood even better. She flicked her finger and said, "Dummy, what are you looking at?"

Little Four yelped and rubbed his forehead. He looked at his boss with saddened eyes, criticizing her ruthlessness. Wuwuwu, his forehead was definitely red from Boss's flick. It was so painful.

By the time the pain had finally faded away and Little Four looked at Boss, she had already returned to wearing her cold facial expression. He regrettably said, "Boss, you need to smile more. You looked pretty when you smiled just now."

Ling Lan gulped and asked, "Pretty? How so?" Would people suspect that she was a female because of this?

Little Four began to look for all types of descriptive words. "Just… just… let me look through the database. Yes, yes, yes, I've found adorable, alluring, angelic, bewitching, charming, cute, dazzling, divine, elegant, exquisite, fair, foxy, gorgeous…" Little Four read out the words that described beauty one by one.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! It can't be that exaggerated, right?" Ling Lan didn't what to say. If she had indeed grown up to be like that, her friends would have already suspected her to be a woman, right?

Little Four looked at Ling Lan blankly. Were this these kinds of descriptions exaggerated? But why did he feel that it was very proper? When Boss smiled a moment ago, even an intellectual entity such as himself had 70% of his energy sucked out of him. If it wasn't for the fact that Boss had flicked him, he may have just shut down right away.

Little Four's blank expression made Ling Lan laugh out loud. As expected of small children. They always said exaggerated things. She took out her hand and rubbed Little Four's hair and asked with a smile, "Little Four, just tell me this. When I smile, would people suspect me to be a girl?"

Little Four thought for a moment carefully and shook his head without hesitation. "No, not really. When Boss smiles, you give off the feeling of a father." It was the same kind of warmth that would make people want to dive into.

Hearing this, Ling Lan told herself that she couldn't smile randomly. Although it wouldn't make people suspect her as a female, it still wouldn't be a pleasant thing if people found out her relationship with Ling Xiao. Ling Lan didn't want to become the Federation's point of focus because of this.

It may have been the Federation's higher-ups wanting to protect Ling Xiao's bloodline, or to weaken Ling Xiao's influence in the army after Ling Xiao had unfortunately "sacrificed" himself. No matter who it was, whether it was the Ling family or others, they were all told to not speak a word of her birth. Ling Xiao's bloodline was not publicized, and thus the public would definitely not know.

Afterwards, when Ling Xiao was "revived", it was by pure luck that Ling Lan was mistakenly put into the First Men's Military Academy. In order for Ling Xiao to protect Ling Lan, he did even more to make sure this information didn't get out. In the end, other than those who knew about it in the past, the matter was told only to some of Ling Xiao's trusted friends.

This was also why no matter how outstanding Ling Lan's performance was in the First Men's Military Academy, no one would connect her with Ling Xiao. In addition, there was a theory that the descendants of a god-class operators wouldn't be very talented. This gave Ling Lan another layer of safeguarding.

In the eyes of the instructors and cadets of First Men's Military Academy, Ling Lan was worse than Qiao Ting, who was another person that would become the king of the academy. How could someone as strong as him be useless and talentless?

This kind of thought process caused everyone to stray further and further away from the truth. If Ling Xiao or Ling Lan didn't publicly announce it, no one would connect the two of them together.

After conversing with Little Four, the frustration in Ling Lan's heart had vanished. Her expression toughened up.

Everyone made mistakes. Mistakes weren't scary, but it was scary to not admit to one. Ling Lan was someone who liked to summarize everything. She knew that making a mistake meant she needed to correct it. This was also the reason why she wanted to quickly grow in the learning space. She would definitely not make the same mistake the second time. It was this aspect of Ling Lan that the instructors of the learning space admired.

After criticizing herself, Ling Lan stood up from her seat. Right when she wanted to give out an order, the communicator on her wrist began to vibrate. She looked down and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes for a second.

When she hit her head again, Ling Lan had already returned to being calm. She ordered Zhao Jun, "Send out the signal flare and let Li Lanfeng proceed with step two of the plan."

"Yes, Boss!" Zhao Jun took the order and walked out of the tent. A few seconds later, a silver flare rose from the Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters.

In the outskirts of the Second Men's Military Academy, Li Lanfeng, who was being cautious of his surrounding, saw this signal flare and he laughed out loud. The flare signified that Ling Lan and the others had completed their mission.

Li Lanfeng's excitement lasted only for a moment before he quickly calmed down. He took out a medicinal agent from the storage box in the cockpit, and he opened and drank it; it was a painkiller agent for quickly getting rid of pain. A few seconds after drinking it, it would numb all the pain in the body, and the effect would last for half an hour.

According to the plan, after Ling Lan took down the headquarters, he would return to Jianqiao Military Academy's headquarters and make it their territory. This would make all the headquarters in Area Q fear for their lives, fear that they would be the next to be eliminated. This way, they would place their forces in their own headquarters, while Ling Lan's group would be able to stay safely in the Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters.

As expected, ten seconds later, the extreme pain he felt from just moving slightly had vanished completely. Li Lanfeng controlled his excited mood and sat on Ling Lan's control seat.

Ling Lan seat had her own scent. A lightly cold scent seemed to slide into Li Lanfeng's nose. He couldn't control himself and took a deep breath and he felt his heart was being satisfied. It was as though Ling Lan was beside him, looking at him with an encouraging expression.

Li Lanfeng felt that he had grown slightly closer to Ling Lan. He should be the first person to operate Ling Lan's mecha(although it was only a temporary mecha). He looked at the control panel in front of him. A few hours ago, it had belonged to Ling Lan, but now his fingerprints would be left on the control panel…

Li Lanfeng's fingers touched the first button for operating. His heart couldn't contain his excitement and thumped furiously, and his whole body became hot. He didn't know why but in his mind, an image of Ling Lan actually appeared which taught him how to operate the mecha step by step. Ling Lan's presence was everywhere, and it was as though he was in his arms. The warmth this feeling brought was enough to make him become intoxicated.

"This kind of feeling is addictive. Why should I share it with others!" Li Lanfeng eyes became cold. He instantly pulled on the engine throttle. The mecha's speed suddenly increased and flew towards the Jianqiao Military Academy's headquarters like a beam of light.

Among the allied forces that were heading back to their headquarters, Jianqiao Military Academy's men suddenly had the same thing happen to them as the Second Men's Military Academy. Everyone knew that another headquarters had been broken through in Area Q.

"Quickly, everyone get back to headquarters!" Everyone rushed back. On the other side, the allied battle teams that were responsible for patrol were all called back by their commanders to return to their own headquarters and defend them to their death.

It was because an unknown force was moving about Area Q that these military academies could only defend their headquarters. They were afraid that they would become the next trophy.

Elsewhere, the military academies in Area M weren't having a good time. The Third Men's Military Academy, who had already recovered, formed a new allied force with Qiao Ting's battle team and the First Co-ed Military Academy. They began their attack on Area M.

They breezed through the area. In order to meet up with Ling Lan, Qiao Ting used his fastest speed and led his team into Area Q. He went to Area Q9, to the original Second Men's Military Academy's headquarters. The military academies who were in the middle of battle didn't know that this headquarters had already become the First Men's Military Academy's headquarters.

After meeting up with Qiao Ting, Ling Lan didn't just defend. Instead, she had Qiao Ting clear out the surrounding areas. Ling Lan knew clearly that the best defense was offense.

The end of the battle royale was drawing increasingly closer. All the military academies that were scared by an ace operator like Qiao Ting didn't dare to move. They only defended their own headquarters to the death. At that moment, the alliance was only a name. No wanted to leave their headquarters to help their allies defend their headquarters.

Having successfully disbanded the alliance in Area Q, Ling Lan took down two more small military academies afterwards.

Finally, the battle royale came to an end. The military academies that had successfully defended their headquarters let out a sigh of relief. They didn't imagine that Ling Lan, who looked as though she was calm and indifferent, had also let out a sigh of relief.

Although they had managed to change their headquarters, they had ended up with enemies all around them. Qiao Ting was fierce, but their numbers were still too little. If the enemy headquarters in the area had cooperated and used numbers to exhaust Qiao Ting's battle team, it was possible that this headquarters would have been in great danger.

Of course, Ling Lan could have moved headquarters again, but she didn't want to become a hobo and run for her life. She remembered that her own father was watching… Although Ling Lan didn't say it, in reality, she really did see Ling Xiao as her father and didn't want to let him down.

In the monitoring room, everyone jumped up upon seeing that the battle royale had ended.

"Quick, let us look at the First Men's Military Academy's score." They all hurried the staff members to calculate the score. As the huge winner of this year's battle royale, everyone wanted to know what their final score was.

"Their overall final score is 17,894!" Everyone gasped after this number appeared.

"They actually took more than half of the points for the battle royale. How is this possible?" The First Men's Military Academy's performance was outstanding. It was far too excessive that they had managed to gain almost 60% of the total points that could be earned.

"The detailed data has come out." The large screen showed the scoring by the mainframe for each part of the First Men's Military Academy's score.

The details in the front were all within everyone's predictions. When they got to the last one, everyone's suspicions were lifted. "Not being restricted by the conditions of the battle royale, finding out the secret behind the true headquarters, and successfully moving their headquarters once. Bonus points: 10,000! (Only valid on first discovery).

Everyone knew why such a high and unimaginable score had appeared for the First Men's Military Academy—the First Men's Military Academy was the first to discover the secret behind the headquarters and successfully moved once. That was why they had earned so many bonus points.

Chapter 519 - Daddy!

"Who would have thought the battle royale had such a secret hidden in it. Great Marshal Yun actually deceived us for so many years." One officer scratched at the table begrudgingly. Back in his time, if he had known that a headquarters could be moved elsewhere, his headquarters would not have been taken down by another military academy.

Great Marshal Yun, full name Yun Chongtian, was the most well known Great Marshal in history. At the same time, he was also the one who created the Grand Mecha Tournament. In the beginning, Yun Chongtian had deliberately created a bunch of rules and restrictions that clouded one's logical thinking, and this had made everyone think that a headquarters' location was to be set in stone. However, they didn't expect that they were all played by Great marshal Yun.

"Did everyone forget the final words of Great Marshal Yun? In the battle royale, there is no difference in strength. As long as you put in an effort, anything is possible!" Ling Xiao plainly reminded everyone. The rules and regulations created by Great Marshal Yun at the beginning were all meant to mislead everyone; it was all a cover for his final statement. It was just that everyone, including Ling Xiao himself, had mistakenly thought that Yun Chongtian's final statement represented his hope in the cadets. They didn't expect that this was the real rule that Yun Chongtian had set for the battle royale.

At that moment, the cadets who were still in the battle royale had received a location for them to gather up. Everyone headed there.

By the time Ling Lan had led Qiao Ting and the others to the gathering point, the officers and staff members who had been watching the battle royale had arrived there much earlier. Upon seeing the members of the First Men's Military Academy arrive, they all clapped their hands in applause.

Ling Lan descended from her mecha and was instantly dumbfounded at this scene. She saw Ling Xiao standing before her with Lan Luofeng behind him. Compared to Lan Luofeng clapping excitedly, Ling Xiao was much calmer. His lips showed a smile and he clapped slowly, but the pride and approval hidden in his eyes were clearly felt by Ling Lan, and she suddenly felt warm. It seemed that her performance hadn't disappointed her father.

Seeing Ling Lan and the others walk towards them, the vice president quickly walked up. He held Ling Lan's right hand with a sincere attitude and said, "Ling Lan, right? Your performance was phenomenal. Congratulations on getting first place in the battle royale and at the same time, first place in the overall ranking for this year's Grand Mecha Tournament."

The vice president didn't feel the hidden killing intent behind him in Ling Xiao's eyes… "Tthis old fart actually dares to take advantage of my daughter!"

Ling Lan gave a salute and pulled her hand out of his clutches. "Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President!" Her cold expression paired with her cold tone caused the smile on the vice president's face to freeze. "This Ling Lan is really calm and collected. Shouldn't he be excited?"

Afterwards, Ling Lan decisively walked in front of Ling Xiao and saluted him, saying, "Thank you, General, for coming down here yourself." This suddenly calmed down Daddy Ling Xiao's frustrated heart.

"This kid actually ignored me!" The vice president was secretly frustrated. He believed that Ling Lan only wanted to please Ling Xiao while ignoring him.

Qiao Ting knew about Ling Xiao and Ling Lan's relationship. He knew that the situation was bad when he saw the expression on the vice president's face; thus, he saluted and said, "Mr. Vice President, you coming here yourself terrifies me." Qiao Ting's honestly terrified expression made the vice president's mood change for the better. The First Men's Military Academy didn't just have one Ling Lan. This Qiao Ting was even more exceptional and was the first candidate they were going to rope in. Having locked onto his target, the vice president tossed Ling Lan into the back of his mind.

As a government organization, the president and vice president didn't really have much power. With everyone enlisted in the army, the military was the ruling power. Everything that the government did was to serve the army. No one wanted to be the major-domo. As the highest power of the government, they also wanted to hold actual power, but in order to do that, they would need to hold military power. As luck would have it, however, the army and government were two different organizations, making it so they were unable to meddle.

In order to achieve their goals, they had no choice but to secretly rope in individuals from all divisions who had potential and were younger. They hoped that after a few years passed, these people would hold military power over most of the middle to lower tier army forces and in the end, be used by them. This was the real reason why the vice president didn't care about the long-distance traveling and came to the Grand Mecha Tournament. It was because the Grand Mecha Tournament could allow cadets to show off for a short amount of time. They would definitely become pillars that would hold up large army divisions in the future, and these were the individuals that they needed to desperately rope in.

Seeing that the First Men's Military Academy had the vice president and General Ling Xiao greet them personally, the other military academies couldn't help but be envious and jealous. However, when they thought about the new score that was publicized, of the First Men's Military Academy breaking the record with a terrifying new historical achievement, the other military academies were soon in no mood to do anything… They had shown their strength and their treatment from the higher-ups was owed to the true combat they had undergone. The other military academies didn't have the right to be jealous of them.

After returning to Planet Qiming, they had another award ceremony for both the battle royale and the overall score. The First Men's Military Academy was without a doubt first place. In second place was the First Co-ed Military Academy, and in third place was the Third Men's Military Academy.

The previous year's first place, the Second Men's Military Academy, did not get any points because they were eliminated prior to the end of that battle royale. Counting only their points from before, their overall score had dropped to below the 20th rank. This made Jiang Shaoyu not have the dignity to come out and receive their award. He simply called in sick and in the end, let their strategist Zhuge Jingming lead their team to the podium.

The awards were quickly distributed. The First Men's Military Academy's team that Ling Lan had led became the most exceptional team. Based on the successful change of headquarters and Ling Lan's exceptional performance in the matter, she was considered to be the most outstanding commander. Qiao Ting was awarded the most outstanding mecha operator and battle team leader. The most outstanding logistics team was also awarded to the First Men's Military Academy. In the battle royale, no matter if it was modifications or transporting of supplies, the logistics division that Lin Zhong-qing was responsible for had performed exceptionally and was acknowledged by most of the referees.

However, the title of most outstanding strategist was somehow given to someone else. Zhuge Jingming from the Second Men's Military Academy had received the award. Han Jijyun and Li Lanfeng had both actually performed very well; however, Zhuge Jingming's last move in Area G2 was too good and was life-threatening to the First Men's Military Academy. If Ling Lan hadn't successfully moved their headquarters, the First Men's Military Academy would definitely have been eliminated. The referees believed that their arrangement was a god-like move and was too amazing. That was why Li Lanfeng and Han Jijyun lost to him.

Seeing the looks on Li Lanfeng and Han Jijyun's faces turn depressed, Ling Lan coldly said, "It's only one loss. There will be many chances in the future to regain what you have lost today."

Ling Lan's words shook Han Jijyun and Li Lanfeng, and their expressions quickly returned to normal; however, there was killing intent hidden in their eyes as they looked at Zhuge Jingming.

Zhuge Jingming's most outstanding strategist award comforted the now hurt Second Men's Military Academy. However, it made Jiang Shaoyu jealous and hate him. A crack instantly formed in the relationship between Zhuge Jingming and Jiang Shaoyu.

Facing all of this, Zhuge Jingming was still as calm as always, and it was his friend who felt very worried instead. After all, they were all fifth-year cadets and were about to sign up for a division. For the Second Men's Military Academy, they would usually cooperate with the Second Division, Ninth Division and Seventeenth Division. These divisions were all under orders of the Second Great Marshal. The Second Division was the head of the three divisions and Jiang Shaoyu was already going to the Second Division by default. If Jiang Shaoyu caused him trouble, it would be disadvantageous to his growth in the future no matter which division Zhuge Jingming entered.

"I'm not going to apply for divisions this year." Zhuge Jingming finally told everyone his decision.

"Why?" his friend asked in surprise.

"The most outstanding strategist? Haha!" Zhuge Jingming laughed bitterly. Getting this award made him doubt himself. Ling Lan, the one who got the most outstanding commander, was the actual person who should have gotten his award as well. He knew clearly that, all of his plans in the battle royale had been seen through by the other party. He lost to the opposition and didn't have anything to blame it on.

"I need to go back and activate the N-mindspace," Zhuge Jingming said sternly.

"You've gone mad!" his friend yelled out. He was also part of the Zhuge family and understood what the N-mindspace meant—that was something that could easily kill someone and only had success rate of only 30%. If it wasn't completely necessary, the people from the Zhuge family would not activate the N-mindspace.

"If I don't activate it, I will definitely not be able to win against him." Zhuge Jingming's expression showed a hint of his own ambition. As the future God Machine, he wouldn't let himself lose to anyone in terms of strategy.

Seeing that Zhuge Jingming had made up his mind, his friend couldn't do anything. Worried, he prepared to go back home to deliver this news to the family head and have him stop Zhuge Jingming from having such idiotic thoughts.

The ending of the award ceremony also meant the end of the Grand Mecha Tournament. All the military academies needed to continue to rest on planet Qiming for a few more days. However, the audience that came to watch had begun to leave, including Ling Xiao. 15 days of staying there was already the limit; the 23rd Division still needed him to call the shots. The staff officers he had left in the 23rd Division had already asked him numerous times since the end of the battle royale. If he didn't leave now, those staff officers would probably all go on strike and leave the division.

Ling Lan led her small team and came to the dock exclusively for Ling Xiao's warship. There were many people here to send Ling Xiao off, people from every military academy. After all, Ling Xiao was an idol for all military academy cadets. Since their idol was leaving, they would naturally come to the dock and send him off.

Ling Xiao led Lan Luofeng through the VIP tunnel to the warship, where he saw Ling Lan standing in the innermost row and felt dismayed. Whenever he spent time with his daughter, he felt that it wasn't enough. He hoped that his daughter could stay by his side and that he could see her every day.

Ling Xiao regretted it the more he thought about it. If he had gone back home first to get a grasp on the situation, perhaps he wouldn't have done something so stupid. Unfortunately, the ship had sailed and no amount of regret from Ling Xiao would change the facts.

"Salute!" Suddenly, a cold voice rang out from on the dock. This voice pierced through the cheering of the crowd on the dock and went straight into Ling Xiao's ear.

Ling Lan and her friends presented him with a cool and handsome salute. It was as though she was telling him that she was enjoying this kind of life, that he needn't worry about her.

Ling Lan's action made all the other military academy cadets on the dock follow suit. A series of salutes could be heard as all of the military academy cadets paid homage to Ling Xiao. They used all of the respect in their hearts to send off their idol, who was an anchor holding down the Federation.

The loud chattering on the dock suddenly became silent. The respect of the military academy cadets coming from their hearts excited Ling Xiao. He sternly gave a salute to everyone on the dock.

"Dad, have a safe flight!" Ling Lan mouthed silently. Ling Xiao almost burst out into tears at this—his daughter had finally called him dad.

Ling Xiao took a deep breath, held down the excitement inside of him and lowered the hand he used to salute. He quickly turned around and led Lan Luofeng into the warship. He had to turn around because he was afraid that if he stayed there any longer, his tears would start falling.

"Lan'er, just wait two more years. After two years, you'll be free," Ling Xiao thought to himself. Ling Xiao's plan was very perfect, but he didn't know that sometimes changes could happen before a plan was set into motion. When Ling Lan joined the 23rd Division, he wouldn't be able to hide her for any longer.

Chapter 520 - Send Off!

Ling Lan had brought back enough glory for the First Men's Military Academy, and this made her name and the Lingtian Mecha Clan become the hot topic for conversation—Ling Lan was even considered an idol by the younger cadets. In the First Men's Military Academy, Ling Lan became the next idol after Qiao Ting to be worshiped by the academy; however, she always lived alone and in addition to her coldness she brought about, people didn't dare to get too close to her. The idolizing didn't affect Ling Lan's lifestyle too much.

When Qiao Ting and the other fifth-year cadets left because of their internships in an army division, the other weakened mecha clans would not be confident enough to go against the Lingtian Mecha Clan, who had reached the top; they all began to be more low key. Ling Lan's outstanding performance in the Grand Mecha Tournament made them clearly understand that without the capabilities of an ace operator, they wouldn't be able to go against her. Everyone all came to a mutual agreement and didn't cause any more trouble. The First Men's Military Academy had once again returned to a time of peace and tranquility.

Very soon, another two months passed and the fifth-years who were successful in their applications for their internships in a large army division were finally going to leave the First Men's Military Academy… all the mecha clans were emotional at this; they all went to the spaceport and sent off their seniors.

On the spaceport, 23 warships formed a straight line. They were the 23 divisions of the Federation. Although some divisions only had a few people from the First Men's Military Academy successfully get in, in order to show that they valued the First Men's Military Academy's cadets, they didn't hesitate to send a standard warship to welcome them.

Ling Lan saw that other than the numbering on the warships and the totem markings, everything else was the same as standard warships. She suspected that this may have been the result of the divisions going against one another.

However, it didn't matter. The ones who benefited from all this was the First Men's Military Academy's cadets. Compared to normal passenger ships, warships were incomparably more comfortable and safe on many levels.

Ling Lan wasn't the only one who came to send them off; the entire Lingtian Mecha Clan had all come out to the docking area of the 23 warships to send off their seniors. Perhaps it was because 70-80% of the cadets were first and second-years, who were curious about the army divisions and wanted to see it for themselves. In the end, they all came and were surprisingly enthusiastic.

Ling Lan's head trembled and hurt as she looked at the crowd of Lingtian Clan members. She could almost see in her mind the empty classrooms that all the instructors were looking at, as well as the angry and frustrated look they would have on their faces.

Ling Lan sighed internally. Today was a good day, so she shouldn't get angry! Thus, Ling Lan decided to ignore these members. She was looking forward to whether or not they would be reprimanded and punished by the instructors when they got back.

This time, Lingtian Mecha Clan was sending off three people, and they were Li Lanfeng, Zhao Jun and Li Shiyu.

It couldn't be helped, as the Lingtian Mecha Clan had just been founded. Other than the three of them who had decided to join the year before, Lingtian didn't have any achievements that were enough to attract other senior cadets to join. After Ling Lan and the others returned in glory, the fifth-years who were focusing fully on evaluations didn't have the time or the state of mind to join a new mecha clan.

Quality over quantity. Although Lingtian only had three fifth years apply for army divisions, these three fifth-year cadets were the most outstanding in their own field. Li Shiyu had graduated at the top of his class in military medicine. Right when his application was sent to the 23rd Division, Ling Xiao wrote him off instantly and gave him the no extra exam treatment, and this had made everyone else become green with envy.

Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng had both advanced to ace level during the at the end of the Grand Mecha Tournament. Although Li Lanfeng's ace operator level wasn't stable, no one denied it. As long as Li Lanfeng was given time, he would definitely easily advance into ace level. No matter which military division they went to, ace operators were all welcomed.

However, compared to Zhao Jun's smooth sailing during examinations, Li Lanfeng had tripped on some of the steps. Although Li Lanfeng's mecha operating talent had moved the examiners of the 23rd Division, his poor physical constitution had the examiners worried. Li Lanfeng used all of his strength to operate the mecha and could only hold on for 10 minutes. This was his biggest issue and made the examiners very hesitant. With this kind of physical condition, even if his operating was top notch, he would still be throwing his life away on the battlefield. They really wanted to give up on him… After all, the number of people they could take in was limited and considered to be valuable, so they couldn't afford to waste a slot.

Although it was cruel, they had to be responsible for their own division. While examining the capabilities of a cadet, they would also think about whether they would undergo growth in the future or not… and living a long life was the most important point. Even when it came to the strongest and most aberrant talents, if they couldn't live long, it would then all be for naught.

However, they couldn't let Li Lanfeng go because they saw another possibility in Li Lanfeng. He was able to advance during battle while under pressure, which would allow Li Lanfeng to have hope of living a long life. The examiners could not come to a consensus and neither could they convince the others on their opinions. Instead, they sent Li Lanfeng to the staff officer department of the 23rd Division to determine his fate. They wanted the staff officer department to decide whether they would take him or not.

In reality, Li Lanfeng's fate wasn't certain, and Ling Lan knew that very clearly. When Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng were going through their assessments, Little Four, who was curious about the details, had sneakily broadcasted their assessments live.

Ling Lan didn't stop him. Although Ling Lan had many ways to help Li Lanfeng get into the 23rd Division smoothly, Ling Lan believed that this was Li Lanfeng's own path. No matter if it was smooth sailing or full of hardships, he had to experience it himself.

Of course, if Li Lanfeng had failed the assessment, he would have had to wait until his sixth year to continue to apply. Even if he failed in his sixth year, it didn't mean that he had no hope of getting into the 23rd Division. But if that happened, Li Lanfeng's path in the future would be even more difficult. Firstly, he would need to apply like any average citizen for soldier tryouts in the 23rd Division. He would have to spend many years and slowly climb up from the lowest rank. Right, it wasn't like this. If he got into the 23rd Division right now, he would have the rank of lieutenant…

However, some things could not be done by just thinking about it. A few days later, Ling Lan received a phone call from her father's first staff officer, He Xuyang.

"Young Master Lan, long time no see, right?" Ling Lan's forehead couldn't help but twitch a few times after seeing He Xuyang's smiling face appear in the virtual video call. She first suspected that perhaps her father had laid some sort of trick for her.

He Xuyang seemed to perceive what Ling Lan was thinking and immediately spoke up for his general. "Young Master Lan, contacting you today has nothing to do with the general."

"Oh?" Ling Lan looked at him slyly. She really didn't know what other connection she shared with this first staff officer aside from her father.

He Xuyang smiled awkwardly. When he had previously contacted Young Master Lan, he was actually sending the general's regards to him. The general was very busy but was scared that he had neglected his only child; thus, he made He Xuyang contact Ling Lan from time to time and make sure he was safe.

However, He Xuyang was still Ling Xiao's first staff officer. His skin was trained enough to be very thick and so he quickly said without a care in the world, "Young Master Lan, the situation's like this. We received the newest assessment results of an applicant from the First Men's Military Academy. The examiners from below could not come to a consensus regarding this applicant. In the end, the application was sent to us and we were told make the decision instead."

Ling Lan thought about it. She knew that this applicant was definitely Li Lanfeng. He was the only one who would make the examiners want to give up and fail him, yet still be reluctant in doing so. His physique was always being worked to its limit, and he was able to break through into ace level during his fifth year. Li Lanfeng's mecha operating talent was undoubtedly monstrous, which was why he was able to continuously break past his body's limits and successfully break through time and time again.

"Who is it?" Ling Lan's tone was very plain as if she didn't know what the situation was about.

He Xuyang knowingly smiled and said, "Li Lanfeng!"

Ling Lan coldly looked at the image of He Xuyang and waited for what he was going to say next.

"I know Li Lanfeng was in your mecha clan and could also have been in your battle team," He Xuyang continued. Although Ling Lan's team's team member list wasn't told to the public, He Xuyang had reached a verdict. Even if he hadn't seen the real list of names, he would be able to determine it from Ling Lan's arrangements in the battle royale.

"Yes!" Ling Lan naturally knew about this and admitted to it outright.

"You should know Li Lanfeng very well. I just want to ask, do you think Li Lanfeng has a chance?" He Xuyang didn't beat around the bush and asked the question he was concerned about.

Ling Lan knew He Xuyang wanted to ask whether Li Lanfeng had a chance to continue to break through in the future. The army divisions accepted applicants from military academies not only to increase their military strength, but also to choose the exceptional seeds that could be nurtured to become a backbone in the division. Officers who were the backbones were 80-90% nurtured by the divisions as their own "inside men". Only these officers would be loyal to their own division and would be able to hold the division together.

In the Federation, the longest legacy was the first, second and third divisions. Their appointed division commander would always become one of the three Great Marshals. This was the legacy. However, because every great marshal was developed by these three divisions, this made the three divisions always become the three strongest divisions in the Federation.

However, nurturing a general would use up countless resources, and this was also why army divisions attached so much importance to every military academy's evaluations. These applicants were their future pillars, and thus they couldn't be sloppy with any of the slots reserved for the cadets. They had to take every detail into consideration, afraid that their negligence would result in taking in a piece of trash. This would waste not only waste a spot, but also waste countless resources of the division.

Ling Lan frowned and asked, "Why ask me? Isn't this something the 23rd Division should be dealing with?"

"Actually, Li Lanfeng was logically going to be given up on," He Xuyang said. "However, he's one of yours, so that made me hesitate a bit."

Ling Lan's hands made a fist, her eyes becoming more colder than before. "What, he's different because he's one of my men?"

"Yes!" He Xuyang's words caused the anger in Ling Lan to rise. She felt that she and Li Lanfeng were being humiliated. Perhaps it was because she was Ling Xiao's "son"? That was why she had special privileges? Was Li Lanfeng someone that would accept this kind of gracious handout because he was one of her men?

"Heh. Young Master Lan, did you think that I was going to give Li Lanfeng a special privilege?" He Xuyang smiled. He had sensed Ling Lan's unhappiness from the coldness between her brows.

"You're saying that's not the case?" He Xuyang words instantly made Ling Lan calm down and the placidness returned to her eyes again. She shouldn't have been concerned; He Xuyang was a very moral person and would definitely not give the general's "son" a backdoor of sorts in order to get on the general's good side.

He Xuyang's eyes showed a hint of approval. Ling Lan's cold and heartless appearance actually showed that she was very emotional—she cared deeply for those around her and didn't allow anyone to look down on them. However, Ling Lan wasn't someone to be controlled by emotions. When she needed to be calm, she would be calmer than anyone.

"Of course not." He Xuyang smiled, and then his expression became serious. "Young Master Lan, I understand you. The people that you set your eyes upon are all remarkable individuals. Li Shiyu is one of them and Zhao Jun is the same. Then I must assume that this Li Lanfeng is the same as well. Although it seems like he doesn't have a future now, being able to become your subordinate, he definitely must have had enough exceptional talent to attract you, and I just want to know what he is exceptional in and whether that is valuable enough for the 23rd Division to invest and nurture him."

Ling Lan went silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Why should I tell you?"

"It's a win-win situation for the both of us! Don't tell me you don't want to get into the 23rd Division in the future? If that's the case, just wait until General Ling Xiao chases you down with his God-class IN mecha from miles away," He Xuyang threatened. "Ensuring that your battle team stays complete would be very beneficial for your future development, Young Master Lan. If Li Lanfeng really is worth nurturing, the 23rd Division won't pass up on the opportunity. It's always a good thing for us to add another strong member into our division. Young Master Lan, don't forget that the 23rd Division is the division of your father, General Ling Xiao."

"Are you not afraid that I would give you false information out of selfishness?" Ling Lan asked with raised brows.

"If Young Master Lan was that kind of person, then he wouldn't be our Young Master Lan," He Xuyang responded, half smiling.

"Well. Since you said that, I definitely can't tell a lie, so that I won't let Staff officer He Xuyang's trust go to waste," Ling Lan replied. "Give him some time. It isn't impossible for him to advance to imperial level!" He Xuyang eyes lit up, but this wasn't enough. As expected, Ling Lan continued, "And, he is also capable of becoming an exceptional strategist."

After hearing Ling Lan's answer, He Xuyang ended his call with Ling Lan in satisfaction. Seeing the screen suddenly turn black, Ling Lan was dumbfounded. This He Xuyang was too much. He was this heartless after getting what he wanted? Not even saying a word of thanks?

He Xuyang didn't know how Ling Lan was criticizing him. He walked in front of his desk and picked up the report. He thought it over for a moment, then wrote down one statement and signed his name.

Allow Zhao Jun enter the 23rd Division as the rank of senior captain!

Allow Li Shiyu enter the 23rd Division as the rank of senior captain!

Allow Li Lanfeng enter the 23rd Division as the rank of second lieutenant!

Compared to Li Shiyu's and Zhao Jun's ranks, Li Lanfeng's rank was very low. One only needed to be at the level of advanced mecha operator to obtained the rank of second lieutenant. Although Li Lanfeng's ace mecha operator level wasn't stable, he was still easily at the special-class operator level. According to the ranks given accordingly to the levels of mecha operators in the Federation, Li Lanfeng's rank should be first lieutenant and not second lieutenant.

This meant that while Li Lanfeng was approved by He Xuyang to enter the 23rd Division, He Xuyang still suppressed Li Lanfeng. This was He Xuyang testing Li Lanfeng!

Ling Lan returned from her flashback and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Although she didn't want to have a hand in the situation, she still did something. It was just that she didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing for Li Lanfeng. Ling Lan believed that since Li Lanfeng was now being eyed by He Xuyang, he would definitely have a rough time in the 23rd Division.

Ling Lan looked at the three of them wearing uniforms standing in front of her, and her worries were gone in an instant. She encouragingly said, "The 23rd Division has formed recently, so they're basically all veterans. There aren't many new people like you guys there. It's going to be a hard road ahead. However, at the same time, it is an opportunity for you guys, since the 23rd Division lacks pretty much everything. As long as you guys behave well, you won't have to be like in the other divisions where everyone has his own task and there's nobody to spare, needing to waste time and resources just to rank up. Maybe when we're fifth-years and enter the 23rd Division, you guys will be our superiors then."

"Don't worry, Boss. Even then, you'll still be our Boss," Zhao Jun said with a smile.

Li Shiyu said, "When you guys come, even if you guys train until your last breath, I will make sure to revive you guys instantly." Li Shiyu's words were vicious, but what he meant was that he would definitely take a spot as a military doctor and not have them worry about the future.

Li Lanfeng looked at Ling Lan with a complicated look. He hadn't expected that Ling Lan would give him such a big surprise when they were about to leave. His expression was very serious and it seemed like he was making a promise as he said, "Rabbit, I will definitely finish that training. When you come to the 23rd Division, you will see a flawless Li Lanfeng."

It turned out that Ling Lan had told Li Lanfeng to quickly resolve the issues of his physical condition. She had created a training regimen along with three sets of extremely valuable basic fundamental physical skills training from the learning space. She told Li Lanfeng clearly that he needed to stick to the training every day and finish the three sets of physical skills, as this way he would be able to resolve the issue of his physical constitution. This unexpected gift had made Li Lanfeng feel ever so grateful.

Ling Lan's training regimen seemed to be meant for just resolving Li Lanfeng's issues on his physical constitution, but only Li Lanfeng knew what Ling Lan had actually given him—he had given him the chance to be reborn, a chance to turn his life around.

Right then, the docks rang with a sound telling the cadets to get ready to board the ships, and this caused dismay to show on the faces of the three who were going to leave the academy for their division. Looking back at the five years they spent in the military academy, only the last year had been fraught with dangers and surprises, and all this was brought about by the person standing in front of them.

"Seniors, go take a look at the 23rd Division. We're counting on you," the members of the Lingtian Mecha Clan all screamed out after seeing that the three of them were about to leave.

"Good luck, seniors!"

"Let's get together again after three years!" These were the second-year cadets who were reluctant to let these three seniors who had treated them well leave after getting to know them in the past year. They also knew that Boss Lan was going to the 23rd Division in the future, so they were prepared to go there as well.

"There's still us after four years!" These were the first-years. They had just joined and hadn't formed any relationships or bonds with these three chosen ones yet they were going off to join the 23rd Division, making the first-years feel that it was a shame they couldn't get to know them. At that moment, they all called out, not caring whether the three of them could hear or know who they were.

The enthusiasm of the mecha clan members made the three of them emotional. Li Shiyu was the softest in terms of emotions, to begin with; his eyes grew even redder than before and were on the verge of shedding tears. Although he had ended up joining Lingtian because of Ling Lan's tricks, after one year of being together, he had come to see Lingtian as family. This scene in front of him made him even more reluctant to leave.

"Alright." Seeing that it was getting out of control, Ling Lan quickly spoke up, and this made the entire scene become instantly silent. Every member looked towards Ling Lan and waited for their Boss Lan to say something.

"You guys have to remember that although there's only three of you, you guys are representing the Lingtian Mecha Clan and Ling Lan. If you get bullied by people in the 23rd Division, don't bring shame to Lingtian," Ling Lan said coldly.

Zhao Jun's eyes flickered. Didn't that mean that if something really did happen, Boss would be able to deal with it? He happily nodded and replied, "Understood, Boss!"

Zhao Jun's behavior made Ling Lan's forehead throb. She quickly looked towards Li Lanfeng and added, "No bullying."

She was right. She should be worrying about the soldiers in the 23rd Division and not the three in front of her. Li Lanfeng had so many tricks up his sleeve, Li Shiyu was the top cadet for military medicine, and even Zhao Jun was a person with a silly face but an evil heart. This made it so that they certainly wouldn't be bullied by others. Her worry just now was really pointless and made her head spin.

Li Lanfeng held in his smile after seeing Rabbit's frustration from not knowing what to do and his head hurting. This made his reluctant feelings instantly lessen. He smiled and nodded while comforting Ling Lan, "Understood. I will definitely look after Zhao Jun."

"Oh ho!" Li Lanfeng's answer made Li Shiyu laugh out loud. "Look after Zhao Jun? Are you sure you didn't mean that you would work with Zhao Jun?"

Zhao Jun looked at Li Lanfeng with indifference. The two of them exchanged a stare that they both understood.

Ling Lan suddenly realized that asking Li Lanfeng to look after Zhao Jun was an absolute mistake. She could confirm that if Zhao Jun was to cause trouble, Li Lanfeng would not only not stop him, but also strategize for him…

Seeing the three of them be less reluctant compared to earlier after hearing her words, Ling Lan's heart softened. As long as they weren't bullied, she couldn't care less about helping the people they were going to bully while in the 23rd Division. The only thing she could do was that when they caused trouble and couldn't resolve it, she would be able to contact her dad in a timely manner and help them out.

Although she had this thought, Ling Lan was still in a bad mood. She pointed to the warship and said, "You guys can leave now." If they stayed any longer, she would have definitely given them a beating. What kind of members had she scouted? Not a single one of them didn't make her worry.

Hearing this, the expressions of the three changed; they knew that the time to leave had come. They exchanged looks, raised their hands and saluted Ling Lan. "Thank you, Captain!"

"Thank you for letting me understand the significance of friendship! I am no longer a lone wolf!" Zhao Jun's eyes were red at that moment.

"Thank you for letting me find myself and help me find the correct path!" Li Shiyu couldn't control himself and ended up blinking. One teardrop dripped down silently.

"Thank you for giving me the friendship that I had always wanted. Thank you for letting me have the chance to change my fate! Thank you!" Li Lanfeng's eyes were steady. Finished speaking, he lowered his hand and said to Zhao Jun and Li Shiyu, "Let's go!" The three of them turned around and walked into the warship, disappearing at the loading dock.

Seeing Li Lanfeng and the other two disappear into the ship, Ling Lan got ready to leave with Qi Long and the others. But right when she turned around, she saw a familiar face walk towards her.

That person saw Ling Lan. His eyes instantly flickered and stopped his footsteps.

"You're here to send them off?" Ling Lan was still a second-year cadet right now, so she couldn't be the one going to the 23rd Division.

Ling Lan lifted her brow in surprise. "Senior Nie, long time no see."

"Long time no see. You're here to send off members from your mecha clan? Or you wouldn't possibly appear here." Nie Feng-ming looked around him. The Lingtian Mecha Clan had almost everyone move out. If these people weren't from their mecha clan, who else could they be? He moved his head and thought for a while about the list of this year's applications that were approved and came to an understanding. "It's Li Lanfeng, Li Shiyu and Zhao Jun. These three right?"

"Yes, Senior Nie." Ling Lan looked at the uniform he was wearing. It had the logo of the 23rd Division. "Congratulations, Senior Nie, you've also entered the 23rd Division successfully it seems."

Nie Feng-ming looked at Ling Lan silently, then suddenly said, "Ling Lan, one year ago, I hated you to the bone. In the battle arena, you were ruthless and wounded me severely which caused me to miss that year's evaluation. You made me waste a whole year's worth of time and so I could only get into the 23rd Division this year."

Ling Lan nodded and said, "I know, but I don't regret it. If it was to happen again, I would still do the same thing." She wouldn't to let someone who wanted to hurt her friends off that easily. Returning the same level of harm was the least she had to do to take revenge.

"I know, you weren't in the wrong. After a whole year, I've calmed down and realized that it was my own fault," Nie Feng-ming said, then continued sarcastically, "But even though I know it's my fault, I still have to take my revenge or else I won't be able to continue on with life."

Nie Feng-ming pumped his chest with his fist. After lying in bed for seven months within the treatment pod's narrow space, he had almost gone insane from the suffocating environment. He had endured through all that because of his desire for vengeance. If he didn't take revenge himself, he wouldn't be able to live his life, to have the chance to move forward.

Chapter 521 - Chase!

"Your boss, Huo Zhenyu, has already made an agreement. We'll resolve this in the 23rd Division three years later." Ling Lan's expression was plain as she told him about the promise between her and Huo Zhenyu.

Nie Feng-ming nodded and said, "The boss' promise is my promise. Three years later, I'll be waiting for you in the 23rd Division." Nie Feng-ming took a stare at Ling Lan again and continued, "However, I still have to thank you."

Ling Lan was stunned. Why would Nie Feng-ming thank her after she ruthlessly made him lose one year's worth of time?

"If it wasn't for you, Boss Huo wouldn't have suddenly changed his plans to apply for the 23rd Division; our battle team would have then split off into many different pieces. But now, our entire battle team has gotten into the 23rd Division. We can now continue to fight amongst our brothers-in-arms. I am also grateful for the ruthlessness you showed back then. So thank you!" Nie Feng-ming said with a serious tone. After saying that, he walked past Ling Lan without turning around and boarded the warship of the 23rd Division.

Nie Feng-ming's words made Ling Lan's heart shake uncontrollably. In reality, what had happened to Nie Feng-ming last year had made Ling Lan feel disdain; she had felt that this person was a terrible person. But now it looked like she was the one who was short-sighted.

No one person was perfect. Everyone had their own interests and tendencies. Even if they were ruthless towards those whom they hated, they wouldn't admit their mistakes, and they would think it was alright no matter how much they gave to those they loved… In that case, with what qualifications could she judge him as right or wrong?

She took a deep breath, looked up towards the sky above the spaceport and looked beyond the stars. Her heart felt clear, as if a layer of fog that had been clouding her had vanished. She showed a hint of a smile, raised her right hand and placed it on her chest softly to feel the beating of her strong heart.

"There was never a so-called right or wrong in being a human or doing something. It was always about whether it's worth it or not! Thus, in the future, I will follow my heart. I'll do what my heart wants to do."

"What kind of Dao is this?" Instructor Number One's cold voice suddenly rang inside her mind.

"It's my natural Dao and also the Dominance Dao that I created." Ling Lan's eyes gleamed without the confusion she once had about creating a Dao.

"What is it based on?"

"The heart. Whether it be the Sage Dao, Sovereign Dao, Killing Dao or Ghoul Dao… every type of Dao wouldn't be able to compare to the heart, the giving of the heart," Ling Lan said without hesitation. "There is no need to force, to hide, to endure, to agonize and to be reluctant. I think, so I do. It's as simple as that."

As Ling Lan's thoughts moved, the sound of a lock opening was heard—the barrier that had been confining her body and mind had broken. The aura that was originally suppressed by Ling Xiao was now finally flowing through Ling Lan's body and merging with it…

Qi Long and the others who were standing beside Ling Lan only felt that there was an aura where Ling Lan stood, and then they couldn't feel her presence anymore. This odd scene made them very nervous. They all scattered and surrounded Ling Lan to protect her.

The odd movements of Qi Long and the others also surprised the other members of the Lingtian Mecha Clan. Seeing this scene, they all formed an endless wall, surrounding Ling Lan in one layer after another.

On the 23rd Division's warship, the commanding officer saw this on his surveillance camera and his eyes narrowed. "Is it an advancement in physical skills? Even I can't actually tell what his real level is… and he's also well respected in the military academy to have hundreds of people move to protect him. How very interesting. I have to remember this person and hope that the next time I come here, he'll be among those that I welcome."

After sending off the fifth-year seniors, Ling Lan and the other cadets returned to their tight study schedule. During this time, Ling Lan had increased the demonic training regimen for Qi Long and the others. Luo Lang came behind Qi Long and was the second person to successfully advance to special-class operator.

Not only that, Lingtian Mecha Clan's other battle teams had good news; Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie had almost advanced to special-class operator at the same time. These two had seen that every member of Ling Lan's team was training crazily. This had moved them, and thus they took their own battle teams and followed the training regimen behind Ling Lan's team. No matter how much Ling Lan had shooed them away, they still wouldn't leave.

Wu Jiong was a smart person. There definitely had to be something mysterious about the training regimen since the members in Ling Lan's team were all quickly advancing to special-class level. If he followed and trained with them, it would definitely be good for him.

Although Li Yingjie wasn't as smart as Wu Jiong, Li Yingjie still knew that following him was definitely the right choice. Since Wu Jiong gave up his dignity to follow Ling Lan's team and train with them, he would naturally follow suit as well.

It had to be said that their decision in this matter was very correct. After giving a beating to all her members, Ling Lan saw their eyes yearning for the training. (Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie were yelping in horror. It wasn't yearning in their eyes, it was fear and terror, okay?) So she graciously allowed them go to the center of the arena and beat them ruthlessly. This made them almost not have enough energy to crawl out of the training room.

After going through thick and thin, Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie's friendship became stronger. These two people, who originally didn't like each other, had in the end held onto each other as they left the training room.

After being beaten like this for two months, Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie advanced to special-class operator one after the other. The time they took to achieve this was one year less than their original estimate of three years. After tasting the sweetness of the beatings, the two of them were no longer willing to leave, and thus the three battle teams fought each other and held battle royales between the battle teams as well. Since Ling Lan's battle team was stronger, Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie's battle teams would always cooperate to go against Ling Lan's battle team. Although the members of Ling Lan's team were all stronger, because Ling Lan didn't fight with them, they would lose more times since they had less than half the number of people compared to the other two battle teams. Of course, after losing, what awaited them was a more terrifying hellish training. This also made the members of Ling Lan's battle team perform crazily in every fight. However, this also made Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie's battle teams counter-attack in a crazed manner as well…

These wild confrontations that were similar to real battles caused the capabilities of all the members of the three battle teams increase exponentially… As autumn passed and spring began, the second half of the school year for the second-years passed by silently in training and studying…

"Wow, this the First Men's Military Academy? It's so big!" Among the crowd of new cadets for the First Men's Military Academy, a baby-faced youngster from one of the teams was surprised that this military academy was as large as a city as he looked around the scenery. His huge eyes that looked terrified, as well as his babyface, made him seem adorable.

"Captain, I'm so excited. I didn't think that I'd be able to get into the First Men's Military Academy." The baby-faced person was wearing a dreamy expression on his face; it was as though he still hadn't woken up from the happiness and joy from receiving his acceptance letter.

"Tao Xiaotao, can you be quiet." A somewhat dispirited-looking youngster appeared to have gotten a headache from the loud noise made by the baby-faced person; he couldn't help but clutch at his forehead.

"Speaking isn't a crime. Aren't you excited? This is the First Men's Military Academy. You know, the academy that took more than half of the overall score of the Grand Mecha Tournament last year. They probably had more than 20,000 points compared to the last few military academies. A score like that also broke the record for the year when General Ling Xiao had participated in…"

Someone talking to him made Tao Xiaotao even more excited. Yan Wuyou's defeated expression made a young man beside him lose control and start laughing.

"Rong Ziruo, you also agree with me, don't you?" Tao Xiaotao saw Rong Ziruo laugh out loud and immediately jumped beside him like a hamster to ask him this question.

Rong Ziruo saw that he was now entangled with Tao Xiaotao and immediately clutched at his forehead while smiling bitterly; he regretted laughing out loud. Once someone became entangled with this Tao Xiaotao, they wouldn't be able to get away. He was also someone that would never shut up.

"Hey, answer me man. Rong Ziruo, Ziruo, Ziruo, Ziruo." Tao Xiaotao began to chant his name.

"Xiaotao, don't disturb Ziruo anymore." A young, handsome youth beside Rong Ziruo wore an expression that seemed a bit sorry for him. He quickly advised, "Otherwise, the captain's going to get angry."

"Hua Qingxin, I'm not going to believe your sissy remarks." Tao Xiaotao wasn't scared of Hua Qingxin's threat.

"Shut up!" A cool youth, who had been in the midst of deep thought, was awakened by Tao Xiaotao's voice. He glanced at Tao Xiaotao with dissatisfaction and coldly told him to stop making noise.

Tao Xiaotao's body suddenly froze and he immediately bowed his head; this made Hua Qingxin hold his hand to his mouth and snicker in secret. Tao Xiaotao looked at him angrily and responded with his head down, "Yes, Captain!" The captain's expression was so cold, Xiaotao was so scared.

Beside the cool youth, there stood a young man with a friendly expression on his face. He glanced at Tao Xiaotao, who was pleading to him for attention, and thought it was funny. He couldn't bear to continue looking at Tao Xiaotao's pitiful expression, thus he said, "Ling Yi, Xiaotao was only really excited. Just let him off this time."

Ling Yi stared at Tao Xiaotao for a moment before saying, "Tiange, the First Men's Military Academy isn't the scout academy we were just at. It is a gathering spot for all the geniuses in the Federation. Powerful people are everywhere. Xiaotao's jumpy personality could easily cause trouble. For his own good, he must keep it in a bit."

The person who was called Tiange had a surname of Yi and he was their team's strategist. Upon hearing Ling Yi's words, Yi Tiange felt that he was right and thus he said, "Ling Yi, you're right. Xiaotao, shut your mouth now. If you speak another word, I'll let the captain beat you up."

Hearing this, Tao Xiaotao's body trembled. The captain's operating skills was too terrifying and he didn't want to experience it, so he instantly nodded to show his determination to not speak. He also covered his mouth exaggeratedly to show that he would not speak another word.

After taking care of the jumpy Tao Xiaotao, Yi Tiange remembered something. He looked towards Ling Yi and said, "Ling Yi, you've trained with your life on the line before. Even if you were wounded all over, you still wanted to improve your capabilities. When I asked why you put in so much effort, you answered that you needed to chase someone and hope to have a chance to fight alongside him someday…"

Yi Tiange words made Ling Yi's eyes flicker and show a bit of nostalgia, a bit of pain, a bit of desire, and most of all—resolve.

"Yes!" Ling Yi confirmed Yi Tiange's words. His affirmation came deep from his throat and actually sounded somewhat hoarse.

"Then can you now tell us who that person is?" Yi Tiange finally asked.

Yi Tiange's questions made the others look towards Ling Yi. The other 5 members of the team also knew that Captain Ling Yi had trained with great effort in order to chase after someone; only, the captain was never willing to tell them who it was. He gave in to pressure in the end, but was only willing to tell them after they got admitted to the First Men's Military Academy.

Ling Yi went silent for a few seconds. He took a deep breath and replied, "In the Grand Mecha Tournament last year, do you guys remember who led the team of the First Men's Military Academy?"

Yi Tiange nodded and smiled, saying, "Yes, of course. I remember because the leader wasn't Qiao Ting, the ace operator that everyone looks up to, but instead an unknown second-year cadet called Ling Lan. It's also a coincidence that he has the same surname as you."

After Yi Tiange finished speaking, he suddenly thought of something. His smile suddenly vanished and he asked with a frozen expression, "Is it that Ling Lan?"

Ling Yi nodded earnestly, confirming what Yi Tiange had said was true.

"A surname of Ling. Could it be that Ling Lan is the captain's older brother?" Tao Xiaotao forgot that he wasn't allowed to speak; he lowered the hand covering his mouth and asked this question in surprise.

At that moment, no one had the time to care about Tao Xiaotao. Ling Yi smiled bitterly and with a shake of his head, replied, "How would that be possible? How could I be qualified to be Young Master Lan's younger brother?"

Seeing that his team members had expressions of curiosity, Ling Yi checked the surroundings and after seeing that there weren't any other people around, he continued, "What I'm about to say next is originally not allowed to be told to you guys. However, you guys are all brothers that I trust. I trust you guys. I'll only say it once. Once you guys hear it, just let it sink in and never tell it to anyone else."

The team members all nodded showing that they understood. Ling Yi's words made them very emotional, and made them grow closer than ever—they were ready to die for one another.

"Young Master Lan is the master of the Ling family, and I am Young Master Lan's loyalist." Ling Yi finally told them his identity. He instantly felt liberated after telling them because he had felt he was being untruthful to his team members by hiding his real identity.