1431 The 7th Preserve Distric
Ling Lan led Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang to their mechas. After boarding their mechas, they ran for quite a distance, passing the door to the Mecha Scavenger Alliance to leaving the mountainous portion of the Kamoda district before stopping their mechas.
"Cough, cough, cough. The waters within the Lawless Lands are deeper than I had previously thought." Ling Lan frowned. She took out a medicinal agent beside her and drank it in one big gulp.
"You're injured," Li Lanfeng immediately knew something was up.
"Lord Qian is too strong. Although it seems as though I wasn't at a disadvantage, in reality, I still got injured," Ling Lan didn't hide the fact.
Even though Instructor Number One had helped her, her body still couldn't endure Instructor Number One's possession because she hadn't reached god-realm yet.
"If it was possible, I really want to bring the whole Lingtian here with us." Luo Lang felt somewhat frustrated. It was because Boss didn't have enough people to work with. Otherwise, why would Boss have to work so hard just to play around with the other 12 lords?
"It's not that simple. Not only is the Federation's inner circle paying attention to Lingtian's every move, other nations are also doing the same. If we are unlucky, this may become the battlefield for an intergalactic war. It wouldn't benefit us," Li Lanfeng said calmly.
"I'm just saying." Luo Lang shrugged. He respected Lanfeng's shrewdness so he wouldn't doubt Li Lanfeng.
"No matter. Sometimes, succeeding in greatness doesn't need to come from our own hands." Ling Lan suddenly spoke out loud.
"To have the 13 Lords fight each other?" Li Lanfeng knew what Ling Lan was talking about.
"Don't they fight every year?" Luo Lang didn't understand.
"The battle royale now is created by the 13 Lords as a show to entertain the outsiders," explained Li Lanfeng. "They all make sure to regulate the battle royale to a certain degree to not cause too much damage to each other. It also helps in training their troops, leaving only the strongest to survive… What Boss means is to make them actually become enemies and fight to the death with each other."
"They've already been cooperating for decades. Is that going to work?" Luo Lang was quite worried.
"That's because the benefits of doing so were not enough in the past," Ling Lan said calmly.
"As long as they are human, they will have greed. Even those who are given the title of god wouldn't be able to escape this nature." Li Lanfeng smiled. "That's why they will always have a weakness."
"Was your time in the Mecha Scavenger Alliance successful?" Ling Lan suddenly asked Li Lanfeng.
"I didn't let you down." Li Lanfeng sent the data he acquired to Ling Lan. When Ling Lan was speaking with Lord Dui, he wasn't doing nothing. He used his spectral abilities, infiltrated into the Mecha Scavenger Alliance's optical supercomputer and found the intel they wanted.
Of course, Li Lanfeng was after all not a professional hacker and not like an invincible cheat engine like Little Four. The intel he acquired was very limited.
"7th Preserve District?" Ling Lan saw the name and was somewhat confused.
"In Kamoda, there are a total of 30 safe zones where the average commoners can live. These 30 districts are all named as preserve districts," explained Li Lanfeng.
"Zhao Jun and them went to the 7th Preserve District to do what?" Ling Lan frowned.
"It's probably because they needed to have a place for the injured to rest so they went there. It could also be because of some factors out of their control, or perhaps they fell into a trap…" There was too little information, so Li Lanfeng could only speak out all the possibilities that he could think of.
"We'll know the truth when we get there. Don't worry," Ling Lan said calmly. Ling Lan trusted that Zhao Jun wouldn��t randomly go to a place that had nothing to do with them.
The three of them quickly piloted their mechas and rushed towards the 7th Preserve District.
At that moment, in the outskirts of the 7th Preserve District, a woman wearing a white cloak was with a group of children helping a group of strong men bandage their wounds.
"We finished treating your wounds. You can leave now." said the female doctor in an annoyed tone towards the young man walking towards her.
"Doctor Ju, there are too many of us that are injured. Our medicinal agents are all used up. If you don't help them, they'll definitely die," said the young man with a pained look on his face.
After hearing that, Doctor Ju's beautiful face had a struggling expression on her face. At that moment, she didn't see that the man she was bandaging had rolled his eyes. The look that man had while he looked at the young man was filled with contempt.
"How about I add in some more of our own medicinal agents and let you take them with you?" Doctor Ju struggled with herself for a moment before deciding to help these people.
In reality, it was a coincidence that Doctor Ju encountered these people. It was because one of the children in this district was sick and the herbs she needed to treat the child was used up. The child's sickness also couldn't wait. After thinking about it, Doctor Ju decided to run out of the safe zone and go into the mountains a few kilometers away to gather the herbs.
There were originally no issues. However, when she was about to return with a bountiful amount of herbs, a mecha fell down from the sky and smashed down on the ground less than 100 meters away from her.
After feeling the shockwave of the crash, she couldn't control herself to go towards where the mecha fell. After walking for a good minute, she saw a mecha operator climbing out of the smoking mecha.
Before she could say a word, the mecha operator instantly took out the beam gun from his belt and aimed at her without warning. Just when she thought she was about to die, a beam of light suddenly shot down from the sky to instantly kill that mecha operator.
Although that person had accidentally saved her, Doctor Ju still had a one track mind and believed that since she was saved, she must repay the favor.
Thus, she followed the mecha that saved her towards their battlefield. The situation was dire. The group that saved her had more or less two to three mechas surrounding each one of them. However, this group of mecha operators was undoubtedly very strong, strong to the extent where they were stronger than the strongest mecha operators from the 7th Preserve District. In the end, the overwhelming number of enemies were successfully pushed back by this group of mecha operators. However, for such a result, almost everyone had injuries.
Compassion was something Doctor Ju always had. Moreover, these were people who had saved her, so Doctor Ju didn't hesitate and asked whether they needed help along with whether they needed medicinal agents.
After hearing her words, the mecha operator who had saved her was instantly moved. He immediately asked her to come look at his injured comrades.
Right at that moment, Doctor Ju knew that the leader of this group was actually the young man in front of her, and he was quite a chatterbox (when did Zhao Jun become a chatterbox?).
She thought about it and she allowed the young man to send the injured to the 7th Preserve District because there were too many of them and Doctor Ju didn't have enough medicinal agents on her. She originally thought the young man would be suspicious and hesitant. She didn't expect that he just agreed with her wholeheartedly.
Then, the result of that decision was that the 7th Preserve District became sort of a paradise for the injured of that group of mecha. No matter who got injured, they would be sent to her. Once they recover, they would regroup and continue to fight.
Doctor Ju's words were undoubtedly ignored. Zhao Jun immediately shook his head and said, "We won't leave until the battle royale is done, so Doctor Ju, we will still need your help in the future."
"I-I don't want that…" Doctor Ju felt her world collapsing. If she had known it would come to this, she wouldn't have tried to repay the debt of saving her life in the first place.
1432 That"s Enough
"Didn't you say that as long as you get into contact with your Boss, you would be able to resolve the issue with the medicinal agents?" Doctor Ju looked at Zhao Jun with hope in her eyes. She hoped that she would hear some good news from him.
"But you also should know that there is no signal in Kamoda." Zhao Jun's expression darkened. Being the smart person that he was, he realized they were set up from the beginning.
Doctor Ju knew what Zhao Jun said was the truth, but…
"But with just my own strength, I can't satisfy the amount you guys need to use." She was worried. The amount of raw materials for medicinal agents she could gather around the area had been progressively decreasing. If the battle royale didn't stop soon, she would have to go further away from the 7th Preserve District to find more raw materials. For a normal woman like herself, it was undoubtedly a difficult and dangerous task for her to do.
"I know… and I'm sorry. " Zhao Jun sighed deeply. How could he not have known about what Doctor Ju was concerned about? In reality, if he didn't have to pressure such a fragile woman so shamelessly, he wouldn't do it. However, in order to save the comrades he fought side by side, he couldn't help but be forceful in his attitude while putting pressure to this innocent woman.
As long as they could hold on until the end of the battle royale, he would definitely repay this woman. Zhao Jun surreptitiously clenched his fists and reminded himself to remember the kindness she treated them with in the past few days.
At that moment, Zhao Jun didn't know that Boss Ling Lan was already rushing towards them with Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang.
"Did you get the right information?" Miles away from the 7th Preserve District, a large mecha clan was garrisoned in a valley.
"It's correct. They are hiding in the 7th Preserve District." The scouts team responded.
Bang! The regiment commander of the mecha clan struck the mountain wall with his mecha's fist, creating a large hole in it.
"The 7th Preserve District shouldn't exist anymore," said the regiment commander in an icy cold tone.
"Regiment commander, what should we do?" the team leaders of the mecha teams around him promptly asked.
"Since they don't want to live anymore, we shall satisfy them," said the regiment commander mercilessly.
"But the 7th Preserve District is under Lord Demon's protection." One of the team leaders was hesitant. After all, Lord Demon was part of the alliance. If they did this, wouldn't Lord Demon be dissatisfied with them?
"We kill them all and then push the blame onto Lord Gen." The regiment commander had thought about his plan long before this.
"Understood!"
"Elder sister, Elder Father is looking for you." Just as Doctor Ju finished treating an injured soldier, she saw Little Qing, who was a 12-year-old girl apprenticing under her, ran in with bated breath.
Doctor Ju's hands froze in place. She turned her head with a stiff expression on her face. "He is looking for me? For what?"
"I'm not sure, Elder Father didn't say," said Little Qing as she shook her tiny head.
"Okay, I'm going right now." Doctor Ju slowly stood up from her stool as she spoke. She calmly walked to the bathroom to wash her hands before going out to meet Elder Father. Although she looked outwardly calm, while she was washing her hands, her hands were slightly trembling.
'Elder Father' was a term of endearment given to the district mayor of the 7th Preserve District. He was given such a title because the reason why they were able to have a peaceful place to stay in an area of constant war was because of Elder Father's capabilities. Even though he was their savior, personal details about Elder Father were not known to anyone in the district, it was as though he was shrouded in a cloud of mystery. They only knew to call him Elder Father because the older generation had always referred to him respectfully as Elder Father, so those who joined after also followed suit.
Elder Father normally wouldn't deal with the affairs of the district, but once he said something, it was like an imperial decree that everyone must follow.
After walking through the door of a normal looking thatched house, she saw Elder Father sitting beside a fire pit with a branch in his hand. He looked as if he was grilling something. Not long after, a delectable scent of meat began to waft to her nose.
"Elder Father, you're looking for me?" Doctor Ju surreptitiously swallowed her saliva before knocking on the opened door.
"Sit,�� said Elder Father as he pointed towards the tree stub beside him.
"Okay." Doctor Ju carefully sat down just as Elder Father had told her to. She carefully adjusted her sitting posture before staring towards Elder Father's direction. Everyone in the district at her age were all brought up by Elder Father, so they all respected him greatly.
"I heard you saved some injured men," Elder Father asked softly. He usually never interfered with the 7th Preserve District. He would just allow the children to do what they wanted.
"Yes, they saved me, so I couldn't just leave and not ignore their call for help." Kindness should be repaid, and similarly revenge should be taken if necessary. Elder Father had taught them that when they were very young.
"Yes, that is how it should be." Elder Father had a light smile on his face, but it quickly turned into a look of reprimand. "However, all things must be done to a certain point. You shouldn't overdo it, otherwise you would feel the backlash thereafter."
Doctor Ju was confused why Elder Father was reprimanding him. She couldn't understand what Elder Father meant with his statement.
"The 7th Preserve District was allowed to retain its peaceful state because we never got ourselves involved with the battle royales." Elder Father gently patted Doctor Ju's head, just like how he did when she was younger. "However, if we get caught up in it, then the 7th Preserve District will no longer be as peaceful as before. Little Ju, you will need to make a hard decision."
Doctor Ju put her head down and thought deeply for a moment. After a few seconds, she raised her head with a look of determination in her eyes, "Elder Father, I understand."
Elder Father looked at her into her deep eyes and sighed. "Fate comes and goes. If you want to do it, do as your heart says."
"I'm sorry, Elder Father. I've disappointed you," Doctor Ju felt guilty for her rash decision.
"It's fine. I'm very happy you could make a decision. You've matured greatly." Elder Father's warm hand rubbed Doctor Ju's head. The kindness and compassion in his eyes didn't decrease by one bit, even after she made such a decision.
"If you want to leave, you should leave as early as possible. Even if they were to hide themselves well, those who want to know will still be able to find them. If you stay here any longer, it wouldn't benefit anyone," Elder Father reminded in a calm tone.
"I understand." Doctor Ju was surprised by his words.
"Take Little Qing and the other children with you. It's better for them to leave with you than to stay here," said Elder Father.
Doctor Ju frowned slightly at his words. Little Qing was the oldest out of all of the children under 12 years old. The youngest in the district was only 7 years old. Was it really a good idea for them to experience the brutality of a battlefield where they might die if they were unlucky and live a path of bloodshed at such a young age?
"Staying here will only make them become common folk. The future of the 7th Preserve District's children will be in your hands." Elder Father seemed to understand what Doctor Ju was thinking and explained his reasoning.
"Understood, Elder Father." Despite Doctor Ju not liking it, no matter how difficult Elder Father's requests were, she still wouldn't refuse it. At most, she would use her own life to protect Little Qing and the other children.
"Time is of the essence. Tell Little Qing and them to pack their things and leave immediately. Don't come back unless the battle royale ends." Elder Father was undoubtedly someone who was decisive.
"Okay, I'll take them away immediately." Doctor Ju felt the hurriedness in Elder Father's tone, so she stood up instantly and left the room.
"Regiment commander, Doctor Ju is going to take the children and come with us?" After suddenly receiving Zhao Jun's announcement, many of the team leaders didn't understand why. They were here to fight a battle royale, not here to be babysitters for children.
"It's my fault," Zhao Jun's expression was serious.
"Huh?" Zhao Jun randomly admitting to a mistake confused everyone.
"I was too simple-minded to think the 7th Preserve District was able to provide us some breathing room." After Zhao Jun heard Doctor Ju telling him that she was going to take the children and follow them to leave immediately, he understood this fact.
The so-called preserve districts were only playthings for those lords. They could take these places out any time they wanted.
The team leaders immediately understood the meaning behind Zhao Jun's words.
"We didn't cause trouble for the 7th Preserve District, did we?" One of the team leader's was frustrated. It wasn't because they didn't like those children. It was just that they felt taking children in the battlefield wasn't a good idea. However, now, they understood that staying here wouldn't be the best for the children either.
"Let's just hope we still have time," Zhao Jun looked at the setting sun in the west. He hoped that his worries were only just a thought.
1433 Go Back!
"Regiment commander, we have a major problem. We discovered an enemy mecha clan." Right as Zhao Jun and the others were done settling the children settled in their mechas, the scouts around them gave them bad news.
"Predict their trajectory." Zhao Jun's heart skipped a beat, but he still asked with hope in his voice.
"They are going towards the 7th Preserve District, where we are. We're exposed." Not only after, the scouts team predicted the target the enemy mecha clan was moving towards.
"Damn it," Zhao Jun cursed softly in consideration of the children around them. He then jumped into his mecha's cockpit.
Doctor Ju had just settled in the secondary seat. When she saw Zhao Jun jumping in with a dark expression and hurriedly closing the cockpit, she knew something was wrong.
"Retreat at top speed," Zhao Jun ordered in his clan's commlink channel.
"Yes, Regiment commander!" Without saying anything else, all of his team leaders knew what had happened.
Zhao Jun piloted his mecha, quickly leading his mecha clan out of the 7th Preserve District. Doctor Ju then asked loudly, "Regiment Commander Zhao, tell me! What is wrong?"
Zhao Jun didn't answer, only the sounds of his fingers tapping on the control panel echoed through the cockpit. His fingers quickly danced around the control panel and his mecha speed increased by one level once again.
"Tell me, is something happening to the 7th Preserve District?" Doctor Ju wasn't stupid. Zhao Jun's attitude proved what she had guessed.
Zhao Jun didn't answer. One reason was because he didn't know how to answer. The second reason was because he believed answering wouldn't result to anything.
"I want to go back." Doctor Ju was still worried about her friends and family in the 7th Preserve District.
Zhao Jun totally ignored her, and the mecha still quickly rushed forward. He was trying to rush out before the enemy could encircle them.
If the enemy had sent out one mecha army, perhaps Zhao Jun would still try to fight. However, this time, the scouts gave him the intel that it was clearly three mecha armies cooperating with each other. Even if the mecha operators in his clan could fight 1 against 3, Zhao Jun wouldn't be dumb enough to go against enemies that had 10 times the number of people they had.
"Did you not hear me? I want to go back." Doctor Ju wanted to grab onto Zhao Jun's hand with the intention of stopping him.
Before she could reach him, she felt a force instantly push her hand back.
"Calm the f*ck down," said Zhao Jun angrily.
"Elder Father is there. My friends and family are all there. How can I be calm?" Doctor Ju shouted.
It was easy for bystanders to say that, but it was her own family members they were talking about, who could actually stay calm in her situation? Doctor Ju knew if she went back, she wouldn't be able to do anything, but she couldn't control herself. She wanted to go back, even if it meant dying with them.
"What can you do if you go back?" shouted Zhao Jun. "If they can't find us, they won't have a reason to attack the 7th Preserve District. Don't make things more difficult."
Doctor Ju became silent. After a few seconds, she said softly, "They aren't going to attack the 7th Preserve District? Can you really fool yourself like that?"
Zhao Jun turned silent. It was just as Doctor Ju had said. The words he said just now couldn't even fool himself. With three mecha armies surrounding the 7th Preserve District, there was no doubt that they had solid intel about their location. If they couldn't find them, it would quite possible they would wipe out 7th Preserve District to let out their rage.
"Elder Father predicted it would come to this. That's why he told me to take the children away…" Doctor Ju now understood everything. She slumped back down to her chair with tears rolling down her face. She didn't know whether she should resent or thank Zhao Jun for saving their lives. She couldn't even look at Zhao Jun with a straight face.
"I'm sorry." Zhao Jun squeezed those words out of his mouth with difficulty. If it was possible, he also didn't want to do this. However, at that moment, they had lost contact with Boss so they were all on their own now. After fighting constantly for so long, they had already reached the point where they were running out of bullets. Reality forced them to find a safe place to let his clan members rest and treat their wounds. The appearance of Doctor Ju and the 7th Preserve District was like a silver lining of hope for Zhao Jun. Perhaps his selfishness made Zhao Jun unwilling to think about the consequences of his actions.
He was still a selfish person. He also didn't have Boss's ability to easily resolve a difficult issue.
"It's me who caused the death of everyone in the district. I'm too simple-minded to think it would be fine." Doctor Ju mocked herself while smiling as tears dripped down her face. Her smile was depressing.
Zhao Jun's hand on the control stick tightened for a moment before loosening again.
"But I must go back. Regiment Commander Zhao, please put me down. I beg you. Please take Little Qing and the others to a safe place and let them live peacefully…" said Doctor Ju.
"Do you know how far away we are from the 7th Preserve District now? If you go down now, you would have to walk back for an entire day," said Zhao Jun.
"I have to go back no matter how far I am." Doctor Ju looked towards Zhao Jun with a determined look in her eyes.
Zhao Jun knew Doctor Ju had made up her mind. He couldn't help but curse under his breath, "F*ck!" Then he pushed down on his commlink connect button, "Leader Mu, the mecha clan will be under your command now."
Leader Mu shuddered when he heard those words. "Regiment commander, where are you going?"
"I need to go back to the 7th Preserve District." He was indebted to Doctor Ju. Plus, the 7th Preserve District being on the brink of destruction was because of him. If he didn't go back to take a look, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
"You can't, regiment commander! Going back to the 7th Preserve District is too dangerous." Leader Mu immediately refused. He couldn't watch as his regiment commander planned to give up his life.
"That's an order." Zhao Jun was also a person who wouldn't change a decision he made.
"F*ck!" Leader Mu also swore under his breath. He pushed down on the commlink connect button, "Have the team leaders without the children come out and follow our regiment commander."
If that was the case, then he must increase his chances of survival. He couldn't just let his regiment commander go there and give up his life.
Not long after, ten team leaders came out from the clan and followed behind Zhao Jun.
Then, Zhao Jun's entire mecha turned 180 degrees towards the opposite direction. The 10 mechas behind him also followed suit. They were just as elegant and agile, without stagnating.
Zhao Jun ran for a short while before seeing beeps on his radar. "Activate the chameleon system."
The 11 mechas stopped nearby the district. They soon camouflaged themselves with the scenery around them. Other than touching them physically, the mechas on the Lawless Lands wouldn't be able to discover them.
This was also why Zhao Jun had been able to escape the enemy armies' encirclements. However, the enemy seemed to have discovered this as they would destroy the environment around them every time they patrolled the area, ensuring that Zhao Jun and them didn't hide around them.
A few minutes after they hid themselves, they saw a large team of mechas coming towards them.
"It looks like their encirclement has successfully trapped us in." Zhao Jun frowned. At the same time, he rejoiced that the others had left quick enough. They managed to get away in a crack of the enemy's encirclement before the enemy could completely surround them.
"What do we do now?" Doctor Ju asked worriedly.
"We'll see how the situation goes. If we don't get discovered, we will follow behind them." Of course, in order to avoid being discovered on the enemy's radar, they must change into manual mode.
1434 One Round Of Humiliation Was Enough
The 7th Preserve District was surrounded completely. Elder Father was consoling the citizens of the district who were surrounding his thatched house.
"Why are they surrounding us? This is a preserve district." Many people couldn't understand what was happening in their state of fear.
Grief flashed past Elder Father's eyes. There was never any actual safe place in the warring districts. A preserve district was just a blessing the 13 Lords gave them when they were in a good mood. They could take it back anytime they want.
"Calm down. Let me go and ask them." Elder Father comforted the defenseless citizens. Those that were able to fight were already fully armed after Little Ju left.
The 7th Preserve District would never allow them to be seized without a fight. If the other party couldn't let them go, they would try to pull them down to hell together. Killing intent appeared in Elder Father's eyes.
The situation was very bad. Just like what Elder Father had expected, their opponent knew Little Ju had saved those soldiers, and now, they were coming here to retrieve them.
"I'm sorry. We are totally ignorant of the matter. As for those people that you mentioned, they're not in the 7th Preserve District," Elder Father spoke in an unyielding tone.
"In that case, there's no need for the 7th Preserve District to exist." The regiment commander of this mecha clan was a cold-blooded person. He decided the fate of the tens of thousands of people in the 7th Preserve District with just one sentence.
"Are you trying to violate the rules of the battle royale? All the 13 Lords approved of the construction of the 7th Preserve District," Elder Father said angrily.
He had guessed this ending but when it really happened, Elder Father couldn't maintain his composure.
"So what?" The regiment commander smiled coldly. Would the 13 Lords punish them for these ordinary and useless low-class people? No, they would even feel that making them in their backyard was a waste of time.
"Raze the 7th Preserve District down. I want to see what other districts dare to take them in again," The regiment commander said viciously.
He wanted to massacre the 7th Preserve District in order to vent the frustration he had endured in these past few days. At the same time, he wanted to use them as an example to warn the other districts to let them understand their position in the Lawless Lands. They were just useless lambs that could be culled anytime they want.
"Kill them!" The regiment commander didn't give Elder Father any more time of his day as he immediately ordered a massacre.
Swoosh! A mecha positioned behind the regiment commander shot at Elder Father. Elder Father was soon going to be devoured by the beam ray.
Bang!
Suddenly, numerous mechas dropped down from the sky. One of the mechas opened his beam shield in time and blocked the beam.
"Elder Father, we're here." A deep and strong voice came from the mecha.
"You came just in time." Elder Father threw this sentence down and disappeared on the spot the next second. After some time, another mecha appeared beside the speaking mecha. It was Elder Father's mecha.
"Huh?" The regiment commander couldn't help but feel surprised when he saw the bunch of mechas suddenly falling from the sky.
These mechas didn't belong to Lord Gen as these mechas in front of him were very old mecha models. But, their owners seemed to have taken great care of them, so much so that they looked brand new. If it wasn't for their dated outer shell, the regiment commander might think that they were the current-gen mechas.
He didn't expect this seemingly ordinary 7th Preserve District had such a bunch of powerful mecha operators hidden inside it.
The malicious intent in the regiment commander's eyes grew stronger. He had already broken his relationship with the 7th Preserve District openly, so all the more he wouldn't allow anyone from the 7th Preserve District to live. No matter how powerful they were, they all must die here.
"Kill them!" The regiment commander gave the order, and more than a hundred mechas rushed out towards the mechas from the 7th Preserve District.
The mechas from the 7th Preserve District had to face double the amount of mechas they had.
It was obvious that they didn't plan to engage in a battle of attrition with Elder Father. They wanted to end this fight quickly and then pillage the entire 7th Preserve District.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The mechas used their cold weapons to fight against one another. Although Elder Father's team had half the number of men, their mecha piloting skills were not bad at all, maybe even a level higher than their opponents. So, the enemy mechas weren't able to do anything to them for quite some time. Some of them even managed to suppress their enemy even though they were fighting with two mechas.
"Damn it." The regiment commander looked at the fight for a few minutes and soon he noticed that the situation wasn't as optimistic as he imagined. He cursed silently before he gave his next order decisively, "Send in another brigade. We must finish those pieces of trash in the next three minutes."
"Yes." The leaders of the brigades replied simultaneously.
Before they could decide which brigade would go, they heard an agitated voice. "Don't fight with me. This time, it's time for Brigade 21 to shine."
The brigade leader of Brigade 21 hadn't achieved much on the battlefield, so he was quite desperate for an opportunity to earn some merits. Luckily, they seemed to have faced some easy prey.
The other brigade leaders knew of Brigade 21's miserable situation so they didn't try to snatch it away from him. The brigade leader of Brigade 21 happily led his team and entered the battlefield. Now, Elder Father's team members had to fight with three enemies each. The situation changed instantly. Danger was everywhere.
"Elder Father…" Doctor Ju, who was sitting in Zhao Jun's cockpit, shouted when he saw Elder Father in danger.
Zhao Jun had followed behind the mecha army secretly and sneaked their way here. They didn't dare to get any closer when they saw the mechas at the boundaries of the 7th Preserve District. They decided to hide and observe from a distance away.
Doctor Ju clearly saw what was happening to Elder Father.
But, in this kind of situation, Doctor Ju didn't dare to beg Zhao Jun. She knew that if they exposed themselves now, it was the same as seeking death. She respected and loved Elder Father but she couldn't let a stranger die for her own selfish desire either.
She couldn't do it so she could only cry silently. Her tears dropped down one by one. At this moment, she hated herself for being weak. She hated herself for being rash and stupid.
"Is it very painful to see your loved ones dying?" Zhao Jun's voice sounded clearly beside her ear. It was cold.
"Do you hate yourself for being useless, for being stupid, and for being reckless?" Zhao Jun was speaking her true thoughts. Doctor Ju forcefully pinched her thigh. She wanted to use the pain to regain her composure. Doctor Ju knew that once she lost control of her emotions, she might break down and resent everything in the world.
"I also hate it. I hate that I can only hide at the side and watch my brothers fight… so that we will have a chance to live." Zhao Jun's expression was blank but cold. He seemed to have thought of something. "At times like that, I will tell myself that I will only allow such weakness once. The next time, even if I die, I will stay beside them."
"Damn it, I don't want to be a coward again. Even if Boss said that I'm stupid and irrational, I don't care anymore," Zhao Jun shouted. Then, he controlled his mecha and shot out like a cannonball.
At the same time, the ten mechas behind him emerged too.
They had the same thoughts as Zhao Jun. They felt sad for what happened at Qingri wormhole but at the same time, they also remembered the humiliation they felt.
One round of humiliation was enough. They didn't want to suffer a second one. This was how Lingtian was like!
1435 A Killing Blow!
Eleven mechas suddenly appeared and attacked the mechas that were surrounding Elder Father's mechas.
"Why did you come back?" Elder Father shouted furiously when he saw them.
Right from the start, when he asked Doctor Ju to leave with those children, he had never thought of leaving this place alive. Thus, when he saw them coming back, he was shocked and furious.
Bang! Zhao Jun blocked the cold weapon that was attacking Elder Father and laughed crazily. "I'm not a coward."
"Idiot." Elder Father scolded angrily. But, the anger in his heart wasn't as strong as his words. He just felt that these people were a little stupid but his emotions were complicated.
"I don't mind being an idiot. At least being an idiot can answer to my heart." Zhao Jun's reply was upright. Now, Zhao Jun had a deeper understanding of what Boss had said before. He said that you would have real courage when you could answer to your heart.
Zhao Jun only had eleven people on their side but they were all outstanding mecha operators. Moreover, the equipment on their mechas were top-class, even by the Federation's standard. Thus slowly, they were able to withstand this huge wave of mechas.
The regiment commander gritted his teeth furiously when he saw this. They were the mecha who messed with them everytime they fought a battle. They were very much so a pain in the ass to the lords. In the end, they had no choice but to work together to devour this personal mecha clan of Lord Gen.
Of course, the main reason for doing so was to wash away the disgrace they had from all the defeat in the past.
He pressed his connect button furiously. "The target has appeared. Location: xx,xx"
He was reporting to his superiors; the commanders of the three mecha armies.
"Arriving in three minutes." Almost at the same time, a few replies were received on the channel.
"Let's see where you can run to." The regiment commander gave a sinister smile. He was determined to win.
Three minutes weren't too short nor too long. The moment Zhao Jun managed to suppress the first wave of mechas, three minutes had passed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Suddenly, mechas started to drop like flies from the sky. The moment they landed on the ground, they started attacking Zhao Jun and his ten team members.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The members in Zhao Jun's mecha clan were all carefully selected. Even in Lingtian, his mecha clan was among the top five in terms of ability. Thus, even though this sneak attack was sudden, they were still able to resist.
Zhao Jun forced the last opponent to retreat before carefully looking at his enemies, and his heart dropped.
The newly appeared mechas looked different in terms of design from the mechas that were initially raiding the district. It was obvious that they weren't from the same mecha army. Zhao Jun had guessed that there might be a few mecha armies working together but when the truth laid out in front of him, he still felt slightly bitter.
"You really put in much effort to take care of us," Zhao Jun said coldly.
"Hmph. You can talk all you want now. We'll make sure you can't go back alive," the person who replied was still that regiment commander. He gritted his teeth forcefully and squeezed the words out of the gaps of his teeth when he was saying this sentence. You could tell how much he hated Zhao Jun and his mecha clan.
"Try it then." Zhao Jun sneered.
"Kill them!" The two parties couldn't live under the same sky. There was no need to say nonsense between them. A few sentences was enough.
This time, the mechas that their opponent sent were lesser than the first wave but they were all elites. They were probably team leaders. This increased the pressure on Zhao Jun and his team members. After some time, a few mechas on the opposing side were destroyed. Fortunately, the modified mechas by Chang Xinyuan were extremely sturdy. It was able withstand a few blows from their opponent. There wasn't much damage or harm done to the mechas.
But, no matter how strong the mecha was, it had its limit too. Zhao Jun understood that if they didn't get out of this place soon, all eleven of them would lay here forever and become wandering spirits.
Did he regret it? Zhao Jun didn't regret anything. He was wrong to involve the district from the start. Everyone had to pay the price for their mistake. If he died here, he deserved it. He wouldn't blame anyone.
"Boss, are we not going to help him?" Far away, Luo Lang, who was hiding and watching this battle, couldn't help but open his mouth.
"Since he made the decision, let's see how far he can reach," Ling Lan replied calmly.
"But, I think that Brother Zhao can't handle it anymore." At this moment, someone in Zhao Jun's mecha clan got injured again and Luo Lang's eyebrows jumped uncontrollably. His heart pounded furiously too. During the entire time he spent watching the battle, his heart was extremely lively. For a moment, Luo Lang felt that his heart might stop working.
"Don't worry, Luo Lang. Boss is confident," Li Lanfeng smiled and comforted him.
"Erm…" Luo Lang was speechless. Zhao Jun was Li Lanfeng's best buddy. Why wasn't he anxious? Instead, he, who wasn't as close to Zhao Jun, was feeling nervous and worried.
"That's because you're stupid." A mocking voice appeared in his mind. Luo Lang pouted his lips secretly. This personality really wasn't cute at all. Little Leng was still the best. He didn't know when Little Leng would finish resting and come back. Luo Lang missed his cold and indifferent calm personality. His calm personality really cared about him.
Zhao Jun and his men fought with their lives on the line, and they managed to endure a few more minutes. During this time, the strongest person of the cohort, Zhao Jun, even managed to destroy a few mecha when he had the chance.
However, his action struck the hornet's nest as the opposing regiment commander sent out 20 mechas again. They were all team leaders too.
It was obvious that the other party had no intention of letting Zhao Jun alive. They didn't want to give them any chances.
"Have you confirmed the location?" Ling Lan asked Li Lanfeng.
"Yes." Li Lanfeng sent the locations of three red dots to Luo Lang and Ling Lan.
"What's this?" Luo Lang was surprised.
"These are the places where the commanders of the three mecha armies are hiding," Li Lanfeng explained. "I was already searching for their position, but they were very cautious in hiding their location. However, I successfully got their coordinates when they ordered for more reinforcements."
"So, we were not waiting here to see Brother Zhao's capability. We are waiting for an opportunity to hit them where it hurts." With the help of Li Lanfeng's explanation, Luo Lang gradually understood why they had to wait.
"We have too little people. We must kill them with one strike." Ling Lan's eyes lit up. She had been waiting for a long time for this moment.
"There's only one chance," Ling Lan reminded.
"Yes." Luo Lang grabbed his control stick tightly. This was their only chance to save Zhao Jun and his men. They mustn't make any mistakes.
"Charge!" After counting three seconds silently, Ling Lan suddenly shouted loudly.
The three mechas shot out like ferocious tigers leaping out of their cages. They pounced at their targets.
The three commanders were staring at their mecha screens intently and waiting for their men to kill those wicked enemies. At this moment, they felt a shudder in their hearts. They quickly shifted their mechas to evade.
A cold flash of light was seen. Three different shaped but equally sharp swords stabbed into their cockpit from the back of their waist accurately.
A killing blow!
1436 Won"t Regret I
The video chat display of the commanders suddenly turned black.
"What happened?" The team leaders were stunned. They tried their hardest to reconnect with them, but all they heard from the other side was silence.
"Commander Ai'er."
"Commander!"
"Commander Qiao!" There were shouts coming from different parts of the army, but none received any response.
"Let's go take a look." In unison, everyone started to turn around to go check their commander, including the team responsible for guarding the three commanders.
"They're here. You guys be careful." Ling Lan felt the ground below her shake violently and calmly reminded Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang.
"Understood." Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang held their control sticks firmly, fully knowing that a bloody massacre was about to begin.
Taking out the commanders was the first and easiest step of saving Zhao Jun and the others. The next and most dangerous was how they would handle the cumulative anger of three armies.
If they managed to hold them off for long enough, Zhao Jun and the others would be safe. If they couldn't hold them off, not only would they perish here, Zhao Jun and the others wouldn't be able to live the next day either.
Whether they live or die would depend on this.
"How about it, Ling Lan? Should I take over?" A familiar and sharp voice rang in Ling Lan's mind.
"I'll be fine, Instructor Number Three. If I can't even manage this much, I will be too embarrassed to say I'm your student," Ling Lan said calmly.
She was just facing a bunch of average mechas. Moreover, they weren't even god-class operators. She didn't need Instructor Number Three to handle a bunch of small-fries.
"I know, but you can't say the same about your comrades." Number Three asked with a light smile on his face. Compared to Ling Lan, Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang were clearly in more risk of dying. If they were unlucky, they might actually die here.
"This is something they must experience anyway. I can't follow them and take care of them forever." When Ling Lan spoke those ruthless words, her expression was freezing cold. However, for some reason, there was also a hint of warmth in her eyes.
"Oh you." Number Three sighed. Sometimes, letting go was also a type of courage, a courage not everyone had.
"So, you're already mentally prepared about your decision, even if the outcome is the one you desire the least?" Number Three's expression suddenly turned stern.
"Of course. I may be angry or sad, but I won't regret it," Ling Lan shouted angrily. As the shout left her throat, her left hand danced around the keyboard and her right hand pulled forcefully on the control stick. Her mecha shot up like a cannonball towards the incoming mechas.
"Ah!" The enemy mecha operator only saw a white flash of light coming down from the sky, before feeling a bone-crushing feeling in his abdomen. The pain totally fried his mind, and all he could do was scream in pain. Just before the last bit of oxygen left his body, he let out a small whimper before staying forever silent in excruciating pain
"What happened?" Another team of mecha from afar, unaware of the danger that was about to befall them, asked angrily.
"Wu…"
"Ah!"
"Ouch!"
"Ugh…"
The commlink channel could only record their dying breath before cutting off in an instant. Those who heard those noises felt a chill going down to their spines. The mystery of the killer shocked them to their core. However, they all knew that something terrible must have happened to their comrade.
Everyone was on high alert. Their only solace was the weapons in their hands, the only thing that could provide them with a sense of safety. Not long after, the truth behind the sudden deaths were revealed.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Screams echoed from their commlink channel.
It was good that it was just an enemy attack.
The brigade leaders felt as if a boulder was being lifted off their shoulder. In the Lawless Lands, people weren't scary. What was truly scary were the unexplainable phenomenons happening in random districts. As a member of the official armies of the 13 Lords, they knew much more of the secrets in the Lawless Lands than a normal commoner of the Lawless Lands.
"Report your positions. Don't get left behind. We'll surround them together." The brigade leaders all contacted each other. They believed they fell for the attack because they were separated.
"Alright." The team leaders contacted each other. On the other side, Ling Lan activated all of her reconnaisse systems. Despite not being as detailed and clear as Little Four, it was still enough for Ling Lan to use.
"Firmament, don't disappoint me," shouted Ling Lan in her mind. Her mecha leaped into the air before dropping like a huge cannonball towards the closest enemy mecha.
Although Ling Lan's piloting abilities could easily overpower these mecha operators, she wouldn't be able to insta-kill those enemy mechas if it weren't for Firmament.
When Ling Lan first received the Firmament, its edge was the best available in the market at that time. In ranking of cold weapons for ace mechas, it could be easily ranked in the top 10.
Of course, as Ling Lan's mecha reached the imperial level, Firmament which had followed Ling Lan for her entire journey and had helped her achieve many military merits, seemed to not be able to follow in Ling Lan's footsteps.
If it wasn't for Chang Xinyuan, Ling Lan would have had a headache with picking another cold weapon to replace Firmament. After all, Ling Lan was quite used to Firmament, changing it suddenly would make Ling Lan feel odd. Although with Ling Lan's adaptability and the experience she had, she would eventually be able to get used to her new weapon, however, the unexplainable connection between the weapon and the user wasn't something that could be offset by a short amount of training and some experience.
Lucky for Ling Lan, she had a mecha modification master like Chang Xinyuan by her side, so she didn't have to worry about that problem. After Chang Xinyuan reforged it on multiple occasions, Firmament's edge had reached a level where it suited her needs.
It could be said that unless it was a cold weapon made for a god-class mecha, out of any cold weapon made by humans, if the Firmament's sharpness was in the second place, no other human-made cold weapon would dare to proclaim first. The way Chang Xinyuan put it was that it was enough for Boss to use until he switched to a god-class mecha.
However, no matter how strong the Firmament was, after piercing through mecha cockpits for so many times, the blade's edge would dull. Once Firmament loses its terrifying sharpness, no matter how overwhelming Ling Lan's piloting skills were, she wouldn't be able to cull down the overwhelming amount of enemy mechas in front of her. Moreover, she would be able to intimidate them if she weren't insta-killing them.
In mecha battles, although it was mostly on abilities, mentality was also something that shouldn't be disregarded.
Just like right now. A group of team leaders appeared in front of Ling Lan. However, after seeing Ling Lan cut down two of their mecha operators with just two slashes of her sword, these leaders panicked. Some of them also hesitated their movements.
Although their hesitation wasn't obvious, it was still enough for a mecha operator of Ling Lan's level to kill these people.
Ling Lan's mecha flashed around the battlefield, creating multiple afterimages in the process. Her movements were swift and unpredictable. If one stopped to look, she would have already gotten in front of that person. If they took another look, they would see multiple mechas toppling down with a flash of white light.
"Ah!" A team leader shouted with an earth-piercing scream. Perhaps it was to make himself less scared, or perhaps it was to let out his fear. He raised his large sword in a desperate attempt to kill the monstrous spectre that was killing his comrades.
Shoo! A deafening sharp sound echoed in his ears.
1437 No Need It
"Ugh…" The team leader looked down at his abdomen. Darkness was encroaching his vision, but a blood-stained sword would forever burn in his mind. It sliced through his abdomen and blood slowly poured out from his body.
Shoo! The blood-stained sword instantly vanished from his sight. It was as though what he saw, the pain he experienced, and the agony he felt were just an illusion. Unfortunately, the gut-wrenching pain in his abdomen brought him back to reality.
"Ah!" The team leader shouted in agony. That terrifying mecha wasn't just an illusion! It was actually piloted by a terrifying monster!
"In the Lawless Lands, you all are the strongest mecha operators there are. Unless a god-class operator comes, you are invincible." He remembered the words Lord Demon had told them in the past.
"You lied to us, Lord Demon…" The team leader angrily breathed his last breath. He died with regret in his mind.
Ling Lan pulled out Firmament from the destroyed mecha. The resistance she felt when she pulled back her sword made her frown slightly. It meant that the damage on Firmament had already caused it to lose its original sharpness.
"Attack!" A new group of team leader mechas that had just arrived saw the mechas of their comrades be slaughtered mercilessly, and they all exploded with anger.
In a battlefield, there was no right or wrong. They were all comrades who moved forward or retreated together. Comrades could only survive by fighting side by side in battle of bloodshed. The feelings they had for one another was embedded in their bones. The anger and sadness of seeing their comrades killed off was not any less than what they would feel if it was their families who were the ones being killed. This trait could be also found in Ling Lan and her friends.
Ling Lan didn't hesitate when she saw a large crowd of mechas coming towards her. She just went straight towards them with no fear whatsoever. To compensate for Firmament getting dull, she used more of her mecha piloting abilities rather than the barbaric stab and thrust.
Shing! Another mecha perished by her hand. Ling Lan didn't know how many team leader mechas she had slain. These people might have been good people who loved their families and loved helping others on an ordinary day. However, here, they were all enemies. This was not a situation where she could display her compassion.
"This type of useless war really annoys me." It was clear that there weren't any problems with the nation or feuds between families. It was just a game played by those in higher power, but countless people were required to pay with their lives for their enjoyment. This was the first time Ling Lan felt annoyed by the Lawless Lands. "I hate it. I hate it very much."
As Ling Lan cried out angrily, Firmament mercilessly stabbed through another mecha's cockpit.
"Then, you must become a player and not a pawn," suddenly Instructor Number One's voice echoed in her ears.
Ling Lan's gaze became sharp as ever. "From when I first landed in the Lawless Lands, I never thought of becoming a pawn. Lord Qian, Lord Qian…"
Out of the two times she said Lord Qian's name, the first was said softly with regret. The second one was said while biting her lip with unhidden anger.
"As long as you've made your decision." Number One's voice was still calm and collected.
In the place where Ling Lan couldn't see, Instructor Number One's own dimension, his originally cold face had a rare look of worry, uncertainty before turning into a helpless look.
"Isn't this what you wanted? Why would you regret it?" Suddenly, a pair of white jade-like hands appeared in the air and ripped open the dimension. A graceful silhouette walked out from the dimensional tear with a look of contempt on her face.
Number One gave her a blank stare before slowly closing his eyes to ignore her.
"Your expression really annoys me sometimes." Number Four puffed up her soft cheeks. She walked up and touched Instructor Number One's cheek.
Bang!
Number Four was sent flying backwards.
Instructor Number One slowly said, "Number Four, don't overstep your boundaries."
"Overstep what boundaries? I just like you, what's wrong with that? I liked you before we came here. After coming here, I still like you. Why am I wrong for chasing the person I like?" Number Four whined as she balanced herself.
"Don't forget our responsibility, Number Four." Even when facing the woman who was the epitome of seduction, Number One was still as cold as ice. Number Four's words didn't make him waver one bit.
"Responsibility? Majesty Four? He's already half dead, what responsibility do we have other than to wait for him? About Ling Lan? What should I be responsible for if you don't give me a chance to meet her?" After saying that, Number Four felt her stomach was filled with unsettled feelings. Which of the other instructors were as held back as her? She finally had a female student for her to have a chance to show what she could do. However, as luck would have it, she actually didn't have any chance to show up in the past 20 or so years. She sometimes would even think that Ling Lan was actually a man and not some woman.
The one who caused those sleepless nights was none other than this icy cold corpse Number One. Just looking at him made her angry and annoyed… Argh! He was too lovable. Alright, Number Four knew that in this lifetime, she was set on Number One. She was definitely a masochist for liking such a terrible man.
"The Ling Lan we know now doesn't need the knowledge you have," Number One was very determined about this point.
"Ling Lan is a girl. You can't develop her like a man," Number Four walked up, grabbed Number One's collar and said angrily.
"No matter if Ling Lan is a man or woman, she is destined to become a king. A king won't need lessons that would give her weaknesses," Number One said calmly.
"How are my lessons giving her weaknesses? I can develop into someone who could manipulate men with her womanly charms, to make men grovel under her feet! How is that weak?" Number Four couldn't accept Number One's reasoning.
Number One took Number Four's hands off his collar and softly placed it on her chest. "Only those who are not strong enough need those types of irrelevant skills. Ling Lan is strong enough and will only grow even stronger in the future. Number Four, you clearly understand this, that is why you never force yourself to appear in front of Ling Lan and only silently wait for your opportunity."
"My knowledge is irrelevant?" Number Four asked in a saddened tone. By the time those words left her mouth, she was already on the verge of tears.
"It is irrelevant now, but it doesn't mean it will be in the future. Ling Lan doesn't need it right now." Seeing Number Four in such a sad state, Number One mellowed his tone. But, before Number Four could notice it, he raised his head to look at the outside world to see Ling Lan fighting furiously. This was her own fight. Even if the instructors wanted to help her, they wouldn't be able to do that. "You understand, right? What Ling Lan needs the most is power right now. Her own power and power of her followers. All of these don't fall into your expertise."
"I'm just unnecessary." Number Four mocked herself as she smiled bitterly. A drop of her tears dripped down her face.
"Each person has their own value, it's just your time hasn't come yet." Number One held Number Four's hand and pushed it slightly. He pushed her away from him and then said, "When Ling Lan reaches the next stage of her life, she will need you."
After saying that, Instructor Number One closed his eyes. Number Four wanted to say something else, but she discovered that she was now out of Instructor Number One's dimension.
Number Four immediately stomped her feet in frustration before returning to her own dimension.
"Hmph. Not letting me touch him, but then touching me himself?" Number Four washed away the expression of weakness she had in front of Number One and smiled like a fox that just had a large meal.
"Also, Little Ling Lan, you have to make your masters proud. I'm still waiting to come out. Don't lose." Number Four stopped smiling and was slightly worried for Ling Lan's situation.
Although she hadn't conversed with or met Ling Lan, she still watched Ling Lan grow up from when she was a child until she was an adult. For her, it was like watching her own child grow up. Her feelings towards Ling Lan weren't any less than the other instructors. Plus, there was also Instructor Number One in the mix. With him liking Ling Lan and caring for her, Number Four definitely would also like her and care for her.
Chapter 1438 Won"t Let Others Have It Easy
"Ugh!" His mecha was struck consecutively. The immense shocks from the hits, even after the mecha had provided protection against them, still caused Li Lanfeng to be injured. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Beep! Beep! Beep! Warning! Warning! Mecha damage has reached 47%. Please retreat immediately." The optical supercomputer if the mecha gave out a warning, advising that the mecha was no longer fit to fight.
"Retreat? If he doesn't retreat, how could I?" Li Lanfeng smiled coldly. From when he followed Ling Lan into the battlefield, he had decided to move forward or retreat together.
The high-intensity fight had truly exhausted him, but now his spirit instantly exploded in strength.
"Ah!" He shouted angrily as the large sword in his hand slashed horizontally. The slash sent three mechas attempting to take him out to fall back.
"Also, as long as he's alive, I won't let myself die." Li Lanfeng held his sword and rushed forward. "Even if I do, I won't let you have my life that easily… now die."
His large sword ruthlessly stabbed towards an enemy mecha's cockpit. Even though the enemy mecha was aiming for mutual destruction, he still didn't relent and push forward.
Shing!
The large sword stabbed through the cockpit and similarly, the opponent's large sword also stabbed through Li Lanfeng's cockpit.
"What's happening?" The opponent was shocked. The feeling the arm of the mecha gave him felt as though he had missed. However, he clearly saw the large sword hit its mark.
He wanted to get to the bottom of this, but he didn't have any chance to do so. It was because at that moment, his cockpit was struck and the immense pain took over his senses. The mecha flopped and smashed into the ground, causing dust to rise into the air. The mecha operator, who had lost his life, didn't have the chance to see that the large sword in his mecha's right hand had actually split in half. The half that was still intact also had a light layer of dark fog on it.
In the end, that dark fog dissipated. The sword was now even shorter than when the mecha fell to the ground. However, these were all small details that probably wouldn't be discovered by anyone.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The three enemy mechas that surrounded Li Lanfeng all fell to the ground. They were all killed in one hit after being stabbed in their cockpits by Li Lanfeng.
The fallen mecha operators didn't know how they died even at the moment of their deaths. After all, they were the first to attack, but they were the ones who died. However, for some reason, the opponent they struck first in the cockpit, managed to miraculously survive.
Li Lanfeng finished off the rest of enemies around him and then a new wave of them rushed towards him.
The battle was going to continue like this until one side loses confidence in themselves.
On Luo Lang's side, it was a similar situation. His situation might be even more precarious than Li Lanfeng's. He was struck so many times that the optical supercomputer's warning alarms were going off for more than a minute. The damage the mecha sustained was already over 50% and was almost at 60%.
Luo Lang knew very well that once it passed 60%, the battle power of the mecha would decrease exponentially. Once it passes 70%, it would no longer have the power to fight.
"Is this death?" Luo Lang didn't panic but instead asked this question calmly.
"Luo Lang, you have to live even without me being here." The words Xie Yi told Luo Lang echoed inside his head again.
"Xie Yi, I won't go back on my word. I will definitely live a good life." Luo Lang's originally calm expression became sharp.
"Alter Ego! You're actually activating this domain at this moment. Do you want to die?" an angry voice rang in his head.
"Since I want to live, I need to take the necessary risks," Luo Lang said calmly.
"Calm personality?" The evil personality's expression changed slightly.
"Yes and no." Luo Lang smiled sharply.
The evil personality was stunned for a moment before a big change in his expression took over.
"Evil personality, you have to help me this time," Luo Lang said calmly.
The evil personality's expression froze for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "When did I not help you?"
"That's good to hear." Luo Lang laughed out loud. His entire mecha rushed forward and pounced towards the enemy mecha group.
Chapter 1439 Reinforcements?
Luo Lang dodged his opponent's attack precisely. His giant sword slashed towards his opponent's cockpit. The huge force caused his opponent to slam on the ground heavily.
The evil personality noticed that in that instant, Luo Lang's spiritual power, no, it should be considered the calm personality's spiritual power, diminished by a little.
The full potential of the mecha could only be achieved by accelerating the mecha to its fastest speed. Based on Luo Lang's original hand speed, it was impossible for him to do that. That was why he had to use his spiritual power to make up for it.
He couldn't operate the mecha in its full potential because the mechas Luo Lang and Li Lanfeng were piloting looked like ace mechas but in fact, they were modified imperial mechas.
Imperial mechas were usually controlled manually with the hand. Then, more experienced imperial mecha operators would transition into using spiritual power to control their mechas. All god-class operators had to go through this step to achieve what they had achieved.
An imperial mecha was like a training mecha for future god-class mecha operators. By piloting them to their full potential, it would allow the mecha operator to slowly move away from hand control to where he could just use spiritual power to control the mecha. Thus, in order to advance to a god-class mecha master, you need to have a very strong spiritual power. If your spiritual power didn't reach the requirement, you wouldn't be able to control a god-class mecha even if you were given one.
The evil personality looked at Luo Lang who was immersed in the battle and sighed softly. He slowly went back to Luo Lang's mindscape and supported the primary personality with his spiritual power.
Personalities like him might lack some things but they would never lack spiritual power. That was because they were spiritual beings to begin with.
More and more mechas fell down beside the three of them. But, their combat ability didn't decrease at all. It looked no different from when they started fighting.
"Are we still fighting?" Someone was trembling in fright.
"They shouldn't for too long. We need to take revenge for our commander." There was no lack of hot-blooded people in the Lawless Lands. This was the reason why they were able to maintain a strong reputation for so long.
Another bunch of people who didn't fear death rushed forward.
Ling Lan was already numb from all the fighting. It could be seen clearly that there was no sword aura on Firmament anymore. Ling Lan being able to kill one opponent with one strike was all because of her frightening speed and spiritual power. This allowed her mecha to have enough energy to break the defense of her opponents' mechas.
But, everyone had their limit. Ling Lan didn't know how long she was able to last. She didn't know how long Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang could last too. But, since the fight hadn't ended yet, they could only continue fighting. This was their only way to find a chance of survival.
"Charge!" Almost simultaneously, the three of them shouted furiously and raised their giant swords. They charged towards their enemies again.
"They're not human…"
Another bunch of people died. This time, their opponents didn't fill up the gaps like they did before. Being brave and fearless of death depended on the situation too. Many people had already gotten killed on their side, Yet, their opponent's strength hadn't decreased. They even got stronger instead.
Ling Lan glanced at the mechas that were surrounding her but didn't dare to take a step closer. She shook her Firmament slightly.
"Come on," Ling Lan said coldly.
Silence was the only reply to her. Ling Lan smiled coldly. Her mecha stomped its feet and rushed over.
'If you're not coming over, I'll come to you!'
Ling Lan wanted to rest but she was more afraid that if she relaxed, she would lose her drive to kill. Instead of letting that happen, she would rather make use of the time to kill another batch of enemies.
Her opponents panicked when they saw Ling Lan attacking them voluntarily without resting.
They didn't charge at Ling Lan but instead, chose to run away.
"Trying to escape? In your dreams!" Ling Lan sneered. Her mecha disappeared and appeared beside another mecha. She stabbed Firmament viciously into the mecha's cockpit.
Another stab, another kill. Clean and precise, just like her earlier moves.
All the mechas ran far away. They were afraid that they would be the next person to visit Death.
Ling Lan tried her best to open her slightly sore eyes. After fighting for so long, even she had reached her limit. Her sweat drenched her body many times over. If it wasn't for the automatic drying system of the mecha cockpit, she would be completely wet now.
Just as Ling Lan was about to start killing again, her enemy got into a frenzy.
"Ah!"
Screams of agony suddenly appeared in her enemy's team channel. Those were the cries of death. It was obvious that someone had died again.
Who was it? The three mecha clans were commanded by three different people. There was no interaction between them. Hence, no matter how dire the situation on the other side was, the other mecha clan wouldn't know anything. Thus, this scream could belong to their soldiers.
The only possibility was that, besides this terrifying monster in front of them, another new monster had appeared.
Soon, they heard the sound of fighting on the outskirts.
'Enemy attack!' This was the first thought in their minds.
As expected, the alarm for an enemy attack sounded the next second.
"What should we do?" Their commander was dead and many of their team leaders were killed by Ling Lan too. There was no one that could make a decision.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
…
Screams of pain could be heard continuously. Soon, everyone understood that there wasn't just one enemy. There were many of them.
"There are too many monsters. Help, help." The other side was already in a mess. Cries for help drowned the channel.
No one knew how many enemies there were. On the other side, the team leaders surrounding Ling Lan had gotten frightened by her. Thus, when they heard that there were more enemies coming over, they didn't want to fight anymore.
"Run!" Someone shouted.
"Run!" The people behind agreed with him.
The team leaders' mechas were the first to retreat. After that, the ordinary team members started retreating even faster.
Ling Lan didn't chase after them. Instead, she turned and rushed towards Luo Lang.
As compared to Li Lanfeng, she was more worried about Luo Lang.
"Enemy attack!" The other mecha army instantly rang the alarm when they saw Ling Lan.
Soon, a row of mechas welcomed her.
Ling Lan held Firmament and rushed forward without any hesitation.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The sword flashed and a few mechas fell to the ground. Ling Lan had broken through the first line of defense easily. She quickly moved towards Luo Lang's location.
"Surround her," The mechas in the outer ring started shouting.
"What is that?" At this moment, someone shouted in astonishment.
"The Demon 37 army is retreating."
"Why are they retreating?" The already confused soldiers were shocked.
"Look at the coordinates xx,xx." Some realized the situation and immediately reminded them.
Soon, everyone fixed their screens at that coordinate. They realised that without them knowing, the mecha clan they had been looking for revenge had appeared there.
"They're not retreating. They're running away." They saw their alliance army clearly now. They weren't retreating but running away in a flurry.
The mecha clan that they thought they could easily devour was killing their alliance army like ferocious tigers coming down the mountain.
"They're coming over here." Before they could understand why this was happening, they saw the mecha clan flying towards them viciously.
"We don't have enough men on our side. Requesting for reinforcements. Requesting for reinforcements." Their opponents were closing in on them from all directions. Based on their estimate, they would soon be overwhelmed by the incoming enemies.
Chapter 1440 Fight Until The Very End
Luo Lang barely managed to beat back the mechas surrounding him. The damage of his mecha had already reached 60%. The combat ability of his various mecha components had dropped drastically. Fortunately, the evil personality was nice enough to fuse and replenish his spiritual power so that he could maintain his exceptional reaction speed. Moreover, since he was fighting them like a rabid dog, the enemy mechas were quite afraid of him so they didn't dare to attack him too violently. If not, he might be at his wit's end already.
Luo Lang shook his head suddenly. Just now, he felt his vision getting blurry. He was a little dizzy.
"Have I reached my limit…" Luo Lang sighed softly as he gave a bitter smile. Was he going to go back on his promise?
"Don't be disheartened. We can do it." The evil personality that had always looked down and mocked him unexpectedly encouraged him.
"So you're afraid of death too." Luo Lang laughed heartily. He finally found a chance to get back at this evil person who didn't treat him nicely.
Although Luo Lang was pure and naive most of the time, when he wanted to anger people, he was quite good at it.
The evil personality didn't say anything. He seemed to be agreeing with Luo Lang silently. But, he also felt wronged. How can he be nice all the time when talking to this stupid and naive person whose brain never worked properly?
"Don't worry. I will not let you die until the very last moment," Luo Lang suddenly retracted his smile and continued his sentence in a serious tone.
He wasn't joking or teasing the evil personality when he said this. He was being totally sincere. In Luo Lang's heart, the calm personality, the evil personality, and all the other personalities were never clones of himself. He had always treated them like real humans. He treated all his personalities like brothers.
The evil personality trembled a little. His gaze turned deep as he looked at Luo Lang. Suddenly, he seemed to understand why the calm personality respected the primary personality so much.
'Maybe, this time, you're right,' The evil personality thought to himself.
"Sure. Let's fight until the very end," the evil personality said calmly. His tone and expression sounded a little like the calm personality now.
Luo Lang felt comfortable with how the current evil personality was acting. He smiled and said, "Okay, let's fight until the very end."
He pulled the control stick furiously. His spiritual power, with the support of the evil personality, exploded again.
The badly damaged mecha slammed into the mechas that were carefully closing in on him.
When they saw Luo Lang rushing over to attack them again, the mecha operators surrounding Luo Lang gritted their teeth and raised their swords. They charged forward and the fight started again.
Mechas fell down one by one. The wounds on Luo Lang's mecha got increasingly more severe as time went by.
"Alert! Alert! The damage of the mecha had reached its maximum. The mecha will lose its combat ability in approximately ten seconds. Alert! Alert!" The mainframe of Luo Lang's mecha suddenly gave off an ear-piercing alarm. It seemed like his mecha couldn't hold on for much longer
"Sigh, it's the end." Luo Lang gathered all his energy and unleashed it all in this final attack. Even at the last moment, he hoped he would bring more enemies down with him.
"You have done well." A familiar but unfamiliar voice appeared beside his ear. It sounded like the calm personality but maybe it wasn't.
"I still broke my promise.��� Luo Lang closed his eyes in pity. The mainframe had just finished its countdown and the mecha exploded with a loud 'boom'.
Luo Lang's mecha exploded into a giant mushroom cloud. Luo Lang's cockpit flew out quickly amongst the explosion.
When Chang Xinyuan designed this model in the past, he took into consideration the survivability of the mecha operator when the mecha lost its combat ability entirely.
He made use of the large explosion created by the self-destruct sequence installed in the mecha, as well as the immense energy and heat produced during this moment to disrupt the vision and the reconnaisse systems of the opponents' mechas so that the cockpit would be able to escape out of their visible range within a short time. The most extravagant thing was that these cockpits were equipped with the expensive chameleon system. After it shot out of the mecha, it would be able to collect information about its surroundings and merge with the environment.
"Finally! Hurry up and find the cockpit," The enemies shouted happily when they noticed that Luo Lang's mecha was finally done in by them.
Luo Lang killed so many of their comrades so they really wouldn't be able to let him go, unless they tortured the hell out of him. Even if he was dead, they wanted to find his corpse and beat it until it became a pile of blood to vent their anger.
But, before they could do anything, they saw a mecha dropping down from the sky.
Boom! The mecha landed with a forceful quake. Some weaker mecha operators almost lost their balance.
Ling Lan slowly stood up, allowing the dazzling sunlight shine on her mecha, almost blinding the onlookers in the process. She looked at the familiar mecha components scattered on the ground with a chilling gaze and her grip on the control stick tightened.
When the enemy mechas saw this newly arrived mecha raising its cold weapon that was drenched in blood, they took a step back uncontrollably.
"Don't be afraid, he's already at his limit." A team leader shouted loudly when he noticed that the morale of his men was being sapped away by their opponent. Although he was also scarred, those words he said still brought him a sliver of courage.
Still, he wasn't talking nonsense. The exterior of Ling Lan's mecha was indeed filled with scratches and burn marks. Even Firmament, which was covered with dried blood, had dents and chips all over its edge. The blade didn't even look sharp anymore.
Yet, even so, the straight and tall mecha body and the intimidating presence in the eyes of the mecha gave them the illusion that it was looking at them with contempt. The eyes of the mecha were a reflection of the eyes of the mecha operator. Although they were robotic eyes, it somehow gave them the feeling as if they were gazing at a metal giant.
It was a frustrating feeling. Finally, the frustration spilled out of their chest which turned into an angry roar. "Charge!"
All the mechas rushed out in tandem. The frustration in their chest, the huge pressure bearing down on them, and the fear and weakness in their hearts meant that charging forward was the only way they could save themselves. Once they shrunk back, they would lose all hope of becoming anything significant in this lifetime.
Ling Lan looked at them charging at her indifferently. She stomped her feet furiously and her mecha shot out like a black ray of light.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Ouch!"
…
When the lights of all the mechas went dark, Ling Lan spun her Firmament and sheathed in its holder.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The mechas around her fell down consecutively.
"Ling Lan has become stronger." In the learning space, Number Three felt content when he saw how Ling Lan was performing.
"But she has already reached her limit," Number Nine, who was standing beside Number Three, said worriedly. There was pain in her eyes.
Number Five silently appeared beside Number Nine. He comforted her by saying, "This is the path she chose. No matter what the result is, she must accept it."
"I know." Surprisingly, Number Nine didn't argue with him.
"If you know it, why did you…" Astonishment could be seen in Number Five's eyes.
"I know that but I still feel bad for her, alright? Can't I feel this way?" Number Nine glared at Number Five.
"Erm…" Number Five was stunned by Number Nine's sudden burst of anger. He almost couldn't maintain the everlasting smile he had on his face, the smile that all the other instructors hated.
Number Nine snorted at him and disappeared the next second.
Number Five touched his face awkwardly. He just wanted to console Number Nine. How did he offend her instead?
"Women are unreasonable sometimes." Number Three gave a knowing look as he patted Number Five's shoulder. Before Number Five could respond, he moved and left.
Number Five patted the spot where Number Three touched him with disdain. He smiled and said, "You're just as worried about her. Why are all of you hiding it?"
He looked intently at Ling Lan who was still fighting. The next second, he disappeared.
He didn't notice that he had also lost his calmness. The living dead that never cared about anyone in the past was gone.
Chapter 1441 It"s them!
"Kill them!"
"Charge!"
On the outskirts, the mecha clan that came unexpectedly broke through a certain point in the line of defense and charged into the district without any hindrance.
The commotion over there quickly affected the mechas in the center.
Zhao Jun and his men, who were already exhausted from the constant fighting, noticed that their opponents' attacks had suddenly weakened a little.
A few smart people quickly turned on their radar system and noticed the numerous green dots on the map.
"Alliance army!" Only the mecha operators from Lingtian were recognized as their alliance. The others were all yellow dots or red dots.
A thought appeared in Zhao Jun's mind. He got anxious. "It's them."
It was clear that only his mecha clan had so many people in this district. They had disobeyed his orders and came to save them.
They were looking for death. Zhao Jun knew this clearly. Their opponents were a few times of their size. This time, they really couldn't go back home anymore.
Zhao Jun was furious and agitated but a warm feeling flowed through his heart. The warm feeling in his heart made him feel rejuvenated again.
"Damn it. Gather your senses. Don't let them come for nothing," Zhao Jun shouted angrily. He held his giant sword tightly and forced an enemy mecha in front of him to move back.
"Yes, regiment commander." His comrades who were fighting too shouted back furiously.
They had already reached their limit but when they saw their comrades coming to save them, they were suddenly full of strength again.
"Your men?" Elder Father forced an enemy back and panted as he asked. As expected, once you got old, your stamina would deteriorate significantly. He only fought for a short while but he already found it tiring.
"Yes, they came," Zhao Jun replied calmly. Although they disobeyed his order, he felt their sincerity. They were willing to go through life and death with them.
However, if they were lucky enough to survive this ordeal, he would definitely teach these bastards who ignored his order a huge lesson. Zhao Jun gritted his teeth in frustration, and the strength he used when he was wielding his sword increased multiple folds.
"Commander, they've rushed in. What should we do?"
"Calling for commander, calling for commander. A huge number of enemies has been discovered in Zone 023. Please give an order. Please give an order."
"Commander! Please reply! Please reply!"
The enemies surrounding Zhao Jun and his men couldn't find their commander so the situation started turning into a mess. All of them fought for themselves and they couldn't cooperate with one another. The advantage they had because of their numbers had disappeared entirely.
"Damn it, Demon 37 troop is retreating. They're retreating. They want us to die for them… Ah!" One of the mecha operators screamed in pain in the commlink. Then, he went silent.
More and more mechas started appearing around them. In that instant, it seemed as if their surroundings were filled with their enemies. They couldn't find their comrades. These mecha operators finally got scared.
"We can't be their scapegoat! Damn it, Team 1099, follow me." Finally, one of the team leaders, who was fighting, couldn't bear it anymore and chose to retreat voluntarily.
His decision affected the other teams around him, and a lot of teams started dashing out rapidly.
The mecha operators, who lost their team leaders, saw the other mecha operators retreating. They couldn't receive any orders from their superiors so they conformed to the majority and started retreating furiously too.
Ling Lan had just finished off the mecha operators surrounding her. Just as she was about to continue taking care of the enemy mechas that were closing in on her, unexpectedly, the enemy mechas suddenly turned around and ran away furiously. In a blink of an eye, there were no more mechas in front of her.
"Did they just run away?" Ling Lan was shocked.
"Yes, Little Ling Lan. Tsk tsk tsk, you have obviously scared them away. How scary." Number Five sniggered in Ling Lan's mindscape.
"All thanks to your guidance." Ling Lan raised her eyebrows. She turned and took a few steps. She came to an empty spot. She squatted down and pushed the grass aside. A piece of rock was revealed.
"Luo Lang, are you alright?" Ling Lan pressed her communication button.
"I'm alright, Boss." The stone suddenly split open to reveal Luo Lang being sprawled on the floor. This rock was actually the cockpit. It managed to disguise itself successfully through using the chameleon system.
As he was speaking, Ling Lan's cockpit opened. Luo Lang used all four limbs to crawl up from the ground and climb into the cockpit.
"Sit tight," Ling Lan ordered in a low voice. Luo Lang quickly buckled his seat belt. Ling Lan's mecha jumped up again towards another location.
She must rush to find Li Lanfeng now. She was afraid that Li Lanfeng had reached his limit.
Li Lanfeng didn't know how long he had been fighting. He just dodged numbly, waved his sword numbly, and operated his mecha numbly.
Li Lanfeng even thought that he was just a bystander, watching another Li Lanfeng who was fighting.
This was obviously a result of his spiritual power controlling his body. But, this was the only way he could control his mecha when he was already at his limit with a seriously injured body.
If this continued, Li Lanfeng knew that the state of his body, which he took so many years to nourish, would deteriorate again.
But so what? His Ling Lan would only be safe if he dragged more opponents down with him.
Suddenly, he felt another mecha coming towards him. Li Lanfeng instinctively raised his sword and slashed at the incoming mecha.
Clang! The mecha grabbed his mecha's right wrist swiftly.
Li Lanfeng was dumbfounded but before he could react, he heard a familiar voice. "It's alright, Lanfeng. You can rest now."
"Rabbit…" Li Lanfeng smiled. He forced himself to say the nickname he had always kept in his heart. Then, the mecha fell down.
Ling Lan lifted him up with her left hand and said in a low voice, "I'll take over from here."
She hugged Li Lanfeng's mecha in her left arm and wielded Firmament with her right hand. Her mecha stomped on the ground and she shot out, bringing Li Lanfeng's mecha with her. She charged forward like a cannonball towards the enemy mechas that wanted to surround them but didn't dare to.
Luckily, Li Lanfeng was alright! Ling Lan was in an extremely good mood. She chose to save Luo Lang first because she was confident of Li Lanfeng's ability but deep down inside, she felt sorry towards him.
Even with one mecha in her arms, Ling Lan's agility wasn't affected in the slightest. She made a few evasive maneuvers and struck down a few mechas.
"Charge! Regiment commander is over there!" Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. The enemy mechas surrounding Ling Lan started running away abruptly.
At the same time, many familiar mechas rushed over.
"Regiment commander! We're her… erm, Boss!" The excited voice suddenly got stuck in his throat. Many mechas that were rushing over almost hit their legs together. Fortunately, their mecha piloting skills were top-class so they stopped themselves from getting embarrassed just in time.
"You came to the wrong place. The target is at xx,xx. You have thirty seconds. 1, 2, 3…" Ling Lan said coldly.
"Charge!" All the mechas dashed towards the coordinates given to them as though there was a devil chasing after them. They suddenly wished that they had a pair of wings.
"Let's go." Ling Lan reminded Luo Lang and Li Lanfeng. She brought Li Lanfeng's mecha and flew into the air. In a blink of an eye, she flew by the other Lingtian mechas.