Chapter 673 - Profound Ultimate Technique?
Just like what Li Lanfeng predicted, Ling Lan used her Qi-Jin power to fight them. She didn't do it because she was confident in her ability. She did it because she knew that they would only be convinced if she gave them a huge blow using similar levels of power and skill.
Three invisible forces exploded out from their bodies. As the force got stronger, the mecha operators around them felt the force of presence coming down on them. They took a few more steps back before they could stand up straight again.
When they stepped back, Qi Long, Zhao Jun, and the other members of Lingtian who reached Qi-Jin level stood out. They were standing at the same spot and didn't seem affected at all.
Actually, they were struggling too. The huge energy coming from the three people made them uncomfortable but they could still resist it.
The mecha operators knew that these recruits were stronger than them. They were as strong as Luo Lang and Xie Yi.
Since Luo Lang and Xie Yi underwent the training with them, they saw their true powers before. They were talented young men who managed to achieve Qi-Jin state at such a young age. They thought that these two young men had the strongest physical skills in Lingtian. However, that didn't seem to be the case. The five new people that appeared today were as strong as them. Their regiment commander was even scarier. He must be the strongest person in the entire team. If not, how could he stand up straight right in the faces of two members from the North and South Stars?
Ling Lan didn't release all her strength instantly. She slowly increased her power so that her opponents would be able to use their full strength. That way, they would be convinced when she defeats them.
When Ling Lan felt that Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong had reached the peak of their strength, she attacked.
She disappeared. Before the audience could react, Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt a huge force coming towards them. They were well-prepared for it so that punched their fists out and welcomed Ling Lan's attack.
Damn it! When they came into contact with the force, they were astounded. This force was much stronger than they had expected. They were unable to handle it with one fist.
Both of them were veterans with many experiences. They decisively raised their left hands and attacked again using their entire Qi-Jin power.
Two loud explosions occurred. Since the two fists were punched at almost the same time, you would need to listen carefully to detect the two explosions. Some of the mecha operators didn't listen properly and thought that they only used one fist.
Three forces collided. The two of them managed to resist against Ling Lan's strength with their two fists. They reached a standstill.
With each passing second, their faces turned paler. They realized that Ling Lan had more than one wave Qi-Jin force coming towards them… no, by right, there was only one force. However, the force kept slamming into them like waves. The waves got stronger each time. There seemed to be no end to the force.
They felt that the force was not becoming more and more powerful but rather, it stacked onto one another. They resisted four waves of attack. They had reached their limit. They hoped that this was the end of Ling Lan's strength.
However, reality was cruel. The fifth wave appeared. They were in despair. The wave rushed down at them and finally broke through their defense.
"No, we can't be defeated at the last wave!" The two of them looked at each other. There was determination in their eyes. They gritted their teeth. "Pfft!" Blood came out of their mouth. They chose to use up all their Qi-Jin strength to resist the attack.
"Pfft!" Another mouthful of blood came out. The fifth wave was stronger than the fourth wave so even though they resisted against it, they were still injured internally.
However, it was worth it. They succeeded.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt the fifth wave disappearing and heaved a sigh of relief.
They were both senior colonels. They knew that there was an ultimate technique that could allow someone to stack his Qi-Jin. However, it could only be done five times. No one in the Federation could stack it more than five times. If someone really succeeded, it would have become a Profound Ultimate Technique.
There were only three techniques which were deemed as the Profound Ultimate Technique. This stacking skill was not one of them.
As this thought flashed through their minds, Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt another huge force coming down on them again.
"The sixth time? Impossible!" They were dumbfounded.
They didn't believe that this was happening but it was the truth.
"Bang!" Their bodies flew back amidst the huge explosion. They slammed into the ground and slid for a few meters before stopping.
They clenched their chest in pain. Blood kept dripping down their mouth. Their internal injury got worse after they were hit by the sixth wave. They were unable to stand up now.
Ling Lan retracted her power the moment the sixth wave touched them. This was why they were still conscious now.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong were defeated with a single blow…. and they were seriously injured. The mecha operators were astounded. They placed all their hopes on them but they couldn't even take a single blow. Who was this young regiment commander?
Ling Lan retracted her fist and stood up straight. She looked as though she hadn't moved at all. She pulled her sleeve down and tidied herself. Then, she scanned the crowd.
Chapter 674 - Day Training! Month Training!
The gaze was cold and indifferent. It was a look of contempt. To Ling Lan, they were not humans. They were just pieces of trash.
This look meant that she treated them as nothing. That was why she ignored them entirely. This was utter humiliation. In the past, they would be furious and shouted at Ling Lan. However, now, they shrunk back and lowered down their heads.
Even Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong couldn't defeat Ling Lan when they joined forces. What could they do? In the military, those people who were strong gained respect and followers.
Ling Lan walked towards Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong after looking at the crowd. She leaned forward slightly. She used this posture to pressure them even further.
She said calmly, "In my mecha clan, you all are just normal mecha operators. Besides that, you and your past achievements meant nothing. Remember this!"
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong looked up at Ling Lan with pale faces. Her force of presence was enough to shut them up completely. They didn't expect themselves to lose so terribly.
Ling Lan didn't wait for their replies. She didn't need them to. She just needed to win them over and scare the other mecha operators. She had completed her task beautifully. She straightened her back and turned around. "Everyone will gather at the training ground at 7 am sharp tomorrow. You all can leave now!"
"Yes!" Some mecha operators replied instinctively. By the time they realized what they did, Ling Lan had disappeared.
Li Lanfeng came over and added, "Of course, you can choose not to come, However, our regiment commander hates people who don't listen to orders. I cannot guarantee what will happen to you if you disobey him."
The mecha operators shivered in fear. They had no thoughts of resisting and reminded themselves to be early tomorrow.
"Oh right, please remind those people that didn't come today. The regiment commander ordered for everyone to report to the training ground tomorrow. If someone doesn't come, we might all have a hard time." Just as everyone was prepared to leave, Li Lanfeng continued reminding them.
F**k, can you finish saying everything at once? While they cursed out Li Lanfeng in their hearts, they quickly went to remind their friends to not be late tomorrow. They told them about Ling Lan's ruthlessness and to not take the gamble tomorrow.
While Li Lanfeng was reminding the mecha operators, Qi Long, Zhao Jun, Li Yingjie, and Lin Zhong-qing came to Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi. Qi Long looked at them with concern. He looked so sincere. "Senior Colonel Yang Mingzhi, Senior Colonel Liu Furong, how are you two holding up? Let us send you two to the medical department."
Undoubtedly, Qi Long's kind face lowers people's guard. Yang Mingzhi didn't reject him. He gave a forced smile. "Sorry to trouble you all."
"It is what I should do. You are after all our seniors. We look forward to hearing about your experiences." Qi Long gave a shy and sincere smile. He scratched his hair in a flurry.
Li Yingjie held Liu Furong up with the help of Lin Zhong-qing. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. What good acting!
After so many years, Li Yingjie knew that Qi Long looked honest but was actually an evil person. He was as bad as Li Lanfeng. Li Yingjie glanced at Li Lanfeng who was warning the other mecha operators.
Since Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong were injured badly, they walked at a slow pace.
Yang Mingzhi felt a little bored so he asked, "Are you in the same battle team as the regiment commander?"
"Yes, he is our captain." Qi Long seemed to have forgotten that his captain injured the person he was holding and immediately admitted their relationship.
Yang Mingzhi smiled helplessly. As expected of an honest person. He didn't know how to beat around the bush. However, this was good too. He would be able to pry more information about Ling Lan out of him.
"How does your captain treat you all?" Yang Mingzhi continued asking.
Qi Long thought about it seriously before answering. "Not bad. As long as we are not training."
Zhao Jun, Li Yingjie, and Lin Zhong-qing instantly nodded in agreement.
Why did everyone's expression change? What kind of training did they have? Yang Mingzhi couldn't help but be curious. "How does your captain train you?"
Qi Long replied without any hesitation, "He would beat me till I'm half dead."
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt their hearts jumped. Beat him till he's half-dead? Is this the truth or is it exaggerated?
"Really?" Liu Furong asked, "Like us?"
Qi Long looked at them. He pouted. "Of course not."
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong relaxed. Why would anyone beat someone until he is half dead during training? It's impossible. This young man is exaggerating.
"At least you two can still walk. Every time training ends, I will be dragged to the medical room by my boss. It feels like I'm dying but Li Shiyu's medicine always revives me." Qi Long's words made Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong's heart pumped faster. Was this how their regiment commander trained people?
They didn't believe what Qi Long said so they looked at the rest.
Zhao Jun sighed. "If it was the day training, it was still fine. We could have some time to rest and recover. If it was the month training, I really felt like I would die…"
"Day training? Month training? What's that?" Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong were confused.
Lin Zhong-qing thoughtfully explained to them. "Day training means a training session that lasted only for a day. We would get to rest and receive treatment after the session. This is the easiest form of training. Month training lasts for a month. We would be tortured every single day and won't have the time to rest. We only had a night to recover. The next day, no matter what state we were in, we must go back to train. When we reached the 10th day, everyone felt that they would die already…"
Lin Zhong-qing recalled the memories and shivered. "Luckily, we all survived." He looked at Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong with pity.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong met all kinds of people so they immediately noticed the look. They thought about something and their expression changed. "Is the regiment commander going to give us the month training?"
Qi Long nodded instantly. "Most probably."
"Why is he giving us month training right from the start? Shouldn't we start slowly?" If this was true, Yang Mingzhi felt that the mecha operators in 250 Mecha Clan would not able to handle the training. Did the regiment commander want to get rid of certain people?
"Because boss is dissatisfied with all of you. Since he is dissatisfied, he will train you all until you reach his standards. Senior, do you think any mecha operators can reach boss's standards?"
Yang Mingzhi was speechless. He replied softly, "But he can't just start with the month training like this." The mecha operators in 250 Mecha Clan were people who received many merits and achieve many achievements. Was it fine to treat them like this?
"Why not? When I just entered the battle team, I went through the month training too." Li Yingjie asked curiously, "If I can handle it, why can't the seniors handle it?"
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong didn't know what to say. They didn't have any interest to continue to talk to them anymore and were sent to Li Shiyu.
Li Shiyu was flipping the documents at his office desk. When he saw two people being sent in, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "For experiments again?"
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt their eyebrows twitching. Doctor Li looked like a gentle person but in actual fact, he was evil. How could he react so calmly to human experiments? The military banned human experiments.
Qi Long waved his hand immediately. "No, no. These two seniors are here to be treated."
"They are hurt?" Li Shiyu put down the documents in his hand and took such a medical device from the side. He inspected their bodies and said, "All your organs are injured. However, you handled it well by stopping the bleeding with your Qi-Jin so the injuries didn't get worse."
He scolded them, "You two are already close to 50 years old. Why are you two still fighting like young men? I can treat you two this time but next time, don't look for me."
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong smiled bitterly. "You thought that we fought each other?"
Li Shiyu scoffed. "If you didn't injure each other, how did you two get hurt so badly?"
Yang Mingzhi sighed. "The regiment commander did this to us."
"You mean our captain?" Li Shiyu was shocked.
"Yes!" Yang Mingzhi was not afraid of embarrassing himself. After all, this news would probably spread throughout the entire 250 Mecha Clan soon.
Chapter 675 - Why?
Li Shiyu looked at Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong. He nodded and got up. He went to the cabinet at the side and took out two bottles of agent. Then, he took two syringes and sucked up the agent.
"Arm," Li Shiyu said calmly.
Yang Mingzhi rolled up his sleeve. Li Shiyu injected him with the agent. He took the other syringe and injected Liu Furong.
After that, he took two ropes from the back of his table and said to Qi Long and Zhao Jun, "Have them lie on the bed and tie them up. This will prevent them from hurting themselves."
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt their hearts jumped. "What kind of agent did you give us?"
"A good one. It will let you recover in 12 hours." Li Shiyu replied calmly, "Of course, since the agent is a bit stronger, there would be more pain. I'm worried that you two won't be able to withstand the side effects of the medicine. If you hurt yourself, my precious medicine will be wasted."
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong didn't believe Li Shiyu entirely. However, Qi Long and Zhao Jun trusted him so they immediately pushed the two people on the bed. Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong wanted to struggle but they realized that they couldn't exert any energy. They looked at Li Shiyu angrily. "What did you inject into our body?"
Li Shiyu was irritated. "I said that it's good medicine. Oh, there is some anesthesia inside it too. It is to prevent you from hurting yourselves."
"Since there is anesthesia in the agent, why are you still tying us up?" Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt that something was amiss. They watched as Zhao Jun and Qi Long tied them up on the bed.
"This anesthesia works for normal mecha operators but I'm not sure if they work on you. Hence, it is safer to tie you two up," Li Shiyu said indifferently.
Yang Mingzhi wanted to say something but, he suddenly felt excruciating pain. Every single part of his body was trembling in pain. His expression turned hideous.
Ever since he finished building up his tolerance against the effects of medicines, this was the first time he felt such tremendous pain. He started cursing. He gritted his teeth and forced a word out of his mouth. "Why?"
Li Shiyu raised his eyebrows. "Why what? Why is it so painful when your body already built tolerance against medicine?"
Yang Mingzhi nodded. This simple action required all his effort.
"The medicines you took in the past were destroying your body. Hence, your body is used to the pain caused by the destruction of your body. However, my medicine is different. It doesn't destroy to heal. It improves your body's natural healing system."
"Why?" Yang Mingzhi was not satisfied with the explanation. He forced himself to speak again. This still didn't explain why he was experiencing such unbearable pain.
"I just increased your natural healing ability by a few thousand times. Normally, your cells multiply once every day. Now, they multiply a few thousand times every day. Since the speed of regeneration increased, the pain experienced during healing will be amplified more than a thousand times too. Since it is a natural form of healing, your body does not recognize it as medicine…" Li Shiyu continued, "Tolerance against the effects of medicines has loopholes. This was what I found after doing much research. Congratulations, Senior Colonel Yang, you are the first tester for this medicine."
"Why?" Yang Mingzhi asked the third time. Why was Li Shiyu treating them like this?
"Our captain never does anything for no reason. Since he did this to you, you must have done something wrong. Since you are in the wrong, you must be punished," Li Shiyu replied.
"So you punished us for your captain?" Liu Furong asked painfully. Why did they land themselves in the hands of a fan of their regiment commander? They felt wronged.
Li Shiyu was shocked. "What are you all saying? Why would I punish you all for the sake of my captain? That is what our regiment commander should do, not me."
"Then why are we experiencing such torture? Ah!" Liu Furong felt really uncomfortable. He screamed in agony.
Li Shiyu replied, "So that you can recover in 12 hours and be ready for the month training tomorrow. That is the real punishment. I will not let you run away from the training because of your injuries."
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong were stunned. So that's why? He treated them so that they could attend the monthly training and be tortured tomorrow?
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong were in so much pain, they were unable to think properly. They fainted. On the bright side, they wouldn't feel the pain anymore.
When they woke up the next morning, the ropes had disappeared. Two beautiful ladies were attending them. One of the ladies looked at them shyly and noticed that they were awake. Before she could say anything, the other healthy-looking beauty came in with two metal boxes and put them on the table heavily.
"Your breakfast. Hurry up and eat it. If not, you will have to go for your month training on an empty stomach," The healthy-looking lady shouted at them.
The shy lady was afraid that they would misunderstand them so she said, "It's already 6.45 am. Brother Shiyu said that you two will wake up between 6.40am and 6.45am so we prepared breakfast for you two."
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong were confused. This was a totally different scenario compared to the one yesterday. Was this a trap or were they trying to make up for yesterday?
There was no time for them to think further. They opened the metal box and gobbled down the food. Within two minutes, they finished their breakfast. Not one bit was left. After they put down their metal boxes, they realized that their injuries, which normally needs at least three months to recover, healed in 12 hours. They didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
They were elated. They inspected their bodies with their Qi-Jin energy. Their injuries were really healed. Also, their body was in a better state than before. Some old injuries were healed too.
The medicine that Li Shiyu invented was indeed impressive. It even cured injuries and illnesses military doctors couldn't cure. Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong felt complicated. If the medicine didn't have such a painful side effect, it would be much better.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The sudden knocks on the door frightened Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong. They looked over. Li Shiyu stood at the doorway with his arms crossed around his chest. He said calmly, "Since you all helped me with my experiment, I will give you two a friendly reminder. No matter what happens, listen to our regiment commander."
"There are 10 minutes left until the gathering time. Don't be late on the first day," Li Shiyu said.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong regained their senses. They had no time to waste. They quickly got off the bed and disappeared from the hospital.
"Brother Shiyu, how many people do you think can survive the first day of boss's devil training?" Han Xuya asked curiously.
Li Shiyu knocked on her forehead. "I only know that we have a war to fight today." He walked out and started preparing for the day.
Han Xuya was confused. She asked Luo Chao, "Luo Chao, what does Brother Shiyu mean?"
Luo Chao smiled gently. "Brother Shiyu meant that there would be many people sent to the hospital later. We should prepare for it." She walked out of the room and helped Li Shiyu to prepare the medicines.
Han Xuya thought for a moment and finally understood what Li Shiyu meant. She sighed. "I knew that many people will be unable to handle the training. No way! The three of us can't handle this. I will go and look for help."
Han Xuya rushed out of the room and went to the male dormitory. She pulled all the members of Lingtian out of their beds. Even Chang Xinyuan, who was in his modification chamber, modifying a mecha, got pulled out by Han Xuya.
When Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong arrived at the training ground, many mecha operators were already there. They scanned their surroundings. The mecha operators that were present yesterday came. A portion of those that weren't present yesterday came too. The other portion didn't.
More than 200 mecha operators stood at the training ground. However, they only filled up a small corner of it. This training ground was built based on the size of a normal mecha clan. It was able to accommodate 1500 mecha operators.
The time reached 7 am. Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong noticed that more than 30 mecha operators hadn't arrived. They frowned. They couldn't help but feel worried.
Clear footsteps sounded at the entrance. A group of soldiers wearing the 250 Mecha Clan uniform marched in an orderly manner.
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong looked over and recognized some people in the group. Qi Long, Zhao Jun, and Li Yingjie were present. Luo Lang and Xie Yi, who had been with them for the past two months, were in the group too. The other two people who came back with Ling Lan yesterday and Han Jijyun was also there.
After they stepped through the door, they spread out and formed a line. They placed their hands behind their back and stared at the mecha operators intently.
Another set of footsteps sounded. A cold figure appeared at the door. It was Ling Lan.
She wore her Major uniform with a pair of brand new military boots. She looked prim and proper. The only difference from her look yesterday was the short whip in her hand. It made her looked more malicious.
Chapter 676 - Ten Small Teams!
"Attention!" Qi Long shouted suddenly. All the mecha operators stood at attention.
Ling Lan slowly knocked the short whip against her left palm. She walked to the mecha operators that were standing at the front row and scanned them with cold eyes. All the mecha operators felt nervous. They were afraid that they made a mistake.
However, not everyone was sensible enough. Some mecha operators who weren't present yesterday hadn't recognized Ling Lan as their regiment commander. Hence, they didn't pay much attention to the orders given. They maintained their original position and stood around casually. A few of them even leaned on one leg.
Ling Lan slowly walked towards a mecha operator who was standing sloppily. She patted the person's chest with the whip and asked, "Didn't you hear the call for attention?"
"Aren't I in attention?" The mecha operator rubbed his eyes and dug his ears.
The mecha operators who were present yesterday felt their heart dropped. They felt that this person was doomed.
Ling Lan didn't reply to the mecha operator. She retracted the whip and knocked it against her left palm again. She was thinking about something.
The mecha operator sneered. Seems like the new regiment commander is just a paper tiger. At that moment, Ling Lan moved.
The whip in her right hand swung at the mecha operator's right leg. There was the sound was bones breaking.
"Ah!" The mecha operator screamed in pain. He fell on the ground and grabbed his right leg. There was fear in his eyes. He didn't expect the new regiment commander to break his leg just because he didn't stand at attention.
Ling Lan kept her whip indifferently. She said calmly, "Since you can't stand at attention, there is no use for your legs."
She stepped past him and scanned the other mecha operators.
The other mecha operators who didn't stand properly immediately corrected their posture. They were scared. They finally understood why their comrades' faces were pale when they came back yesterday. This was why they kept reminding them that their regiment commander is a devil.
The mecha operator groaning on the ground was dragged away by Xie Yi and Luo Lang. Peace returned to the training ground.
Ling Lan was satisfied with everyone's posture so she returned to the front. She said coldly, "First, I will announce that I, Ling Lan, will be the Regiment Commander of 250 Mecha Clan from now on. I hope that all of you will remember this point."
"Next, the 250 Mecha Clan will split into 10 small teams. There will be 25 people in every team. I will announce the team leaders for the small teams now."
"Team 01, team leader: Yang Mingzhi!" Yang Mingzhi was stunned. He is the team leader of Team 01? He raised his head and looked at Ling Lan in disbelief. Ling Lan stared at him coldly.
Yang Mingzhi regained his senses and hurriedly received his order. "Yes, regiment commander!"
Yang Mingzhi had been the commanding officer of a 1000 member mecha operating team before so, by right, a team of 25 people should mean nothing to him. However, for some reason, he felt his heart pounding furiously when he heard Ling Lan's order. He was excited. This emotion seemed unfamiliar to Yang Mingzhi.
"Team 02, team leader: Liu Furong!"
Yang Mingzhi was shocked to hear the name. He looked at Liu Furong.
Liu Furong was astounded too. He didn't expect himself to be a team leader. Yang Mingzhi bumped him with his elbow. Liu Furong regained his composure and received the order.
"Team 03, team leader: Qi Long!" Ling Lan gave the members of Lingtian a chance to be the team leaders too. Since they were already powerful enough, she had to give them more experiences to grow up.
Qi Long heard his name being called and stood up straight. He shouted, "Yes, regiment commander!"
"Team 04, team leader: Zhao Jun!"
"Team 05, team leader: Luo Lang!"
"Team 06, team leader: Li Lanfeng!"
"Team 07, team leader: Xie Yi!"
"Team 08, team leader: Han Jijyun!"
"Team 09, team leader: Gu Dongyang!"
Gu Dongyang was a mecha operator who had been recognized by the Federation. According to what Li Shiyu reported, his recovery was the fastest and he was one of the people who were willing to cooperate with Xie Yi and Luo Lang during the treatment. Since he had the heart to stand up again, Ling Lan would support him entirely. Making him the team leader was the first sign of support she showed.
Gu Dongyang's mouth corners twitched when he heard his name being called. He was excited. He shouted in a hoarse voice, "Yes, regiment commander!" No one realized his hands were clenched into a fist. He felt hope lighting up in his heart.
"Team 10, team leader: Li Yingjie!"
Li Yingjie was stunned. He was a team leader too? He just entered the Lingtian Battle Team. He was just a new member. He couldn't control his emotions and shouted loudly, "Yes, regiment commander!"
Li Yingjie realized the distance between him and Ling Lan. If it was him, he would be selfish and only promote his own men. He would not give any chance to other people. Li Yingjie knew that there were many people in Lingtian Battle Team who were capable of being a team leader. However, Ling Lan gave him the spot…
Li Yingjie was touched. He was grateful for Ling Lan. He thanked her for taking him in when he just entered the 23rd division. He also thanked her for remembering him and giving him the position of a team leader… he suddenly felt that he was willing to do anything for Ling Lan.
"The team leaders of the 10 teams are temporary. If the team leader doesn't perform well in the next month, he will be replaced by someone better than him. There is only one rule in 250 Mecha Clan. Only the strongest can speak." Ling Lan continued. The 10 team leaders got a shock while the other mecha operators felt encouraged.
"Now, the mecha operators here will be split into 10 small teams. As for those that are not present, you all will send them personally to the treatment room. Since they dared to disobey my command, they will pay the price for it."
Liu Furong and Yang Mingzhi smiled bitterly. They became Ling Lan's knife. As for Gu Dongyang, he didn't have such worry. He felt that people who disobeyed their superiors should be punished.
Chapter 677 - The Last Team!
Very soon, all the mecha operators were split into 10 teams. There was an average of 22 people per team. The remaining three of each team were still sleeping in the dormitory.
The 10 team leaders rushed to the dormitory district with their team members and kicked opened the closed door without any hesitation. Their regiment commander said that the last team to complete this mission would be punished. The entire team would have to run 30 km with weights on.
The mecha operators were not afraid of running 30 km. They hadn't been running for a while but their foundations were still there. However, they dread carrying weights. The weights that Ling Lan asked Chang Xinyuan to bring over were not the normal 5 kg or 10 kg weights. One set weigh 150 kg.
A person who reached refinement was able to lift more than 500 kg of weight but that was just for a short moment. It was different from carrying the weights for a long period of time. Even at their peak physical state, the mecha operators could only run 10 km with 150 kg of weight on them. But, with their current physique, they might only be able to run for 5 km. 30 km… they might just die halfway.
No one wanted to die. They had given up on themselves but they didn't want to die. Hence, the mecha operators accepted their team leaders without any retaliation. Although most of them belonged to Lingtian, they had no objections.
No, that's impossible. It's just that in their situation, they had to put down their unhappiness and focus on completing the mission together.
When these mecha operators saw their comrades wandering alone in the dormitory district, they pounced on them like a tigress who saw a deer. They grabbed the person tightly and dragged him to find Li Shiyu.
Every team was doing the same thing. Within a short time, all the remaining mecha operators in the dormitory were taken away by the ten teams.
Ling Lan relaxed when she saw the empty training ground. She asked in a low voice, "Little Four, am I doing the right thing?"
She was confused about her decision. The training she planned was extremely tough. The people going through the training were her brother-in-arms as well as mecha operators who had many achievements. They were not her enemies. Was this the correct decision to make?
"Anything you do is right!" A cute voice sounded in her mindscape. The person who replied to her was Little Blossom. Ling Lan remembered that Little Four was still sleeping, as he needed to evolve. Little Blossom was the one accompanying her now.
"Everything I do is right? What do you know?" Ling Lan knocked Little Blossom's head. Little Blossom was obedient. If she didn't give any order, Little Blossom would not do anything on his own. If she gave a decision, Little Blossom would support her entirely. He was not like Little Four who liked to do stuff behind her back and always give her stupid ideas.
However, she missed Little Four. She missed the person who always created trouble for her.
"Master, do you miss Little Brother Four?" Little Blossom could sense Ling Lan's thoughts. He bit his fingers in confusion. As a newborn, he was unable to understand why his master missed Elder Brother Four. He couldn't comprehend the relationship between his master and Little Four.
"Yes, I miss him. I don't know when he will wake up, whether his evolution is successful, and whether he is in danger."
"Don't worry, Elder Brother Four is strong. Nothing will happen to him. Also, Elder Brother Four thinks the same way as me. You are the most powerful person I know. Anything you do is right," Little Blossom replied.
Little Blossom was speaking the truth when he said that Little Four was powerful. He was not just trying to console her. As an intelligent entity, Little Blossom knew how scary Little Four was. This was why he was willing to recognize Little Four as his elder brother. He willingly bowed down to Little Four.
Ling Lan didn't know that Little Blossom was speaking the truth. But, she still felt Little Blossom's good intention. She rubbed his head and said gently, "Thank you, Little Blossom."
These mecha operators had given up on themselves. Normal methods wouldn't work on them. She needed to use harsh means to get them to stand up again. Thus, she must let them struggle between life and death every day. This would release their hidden potential.
Ling Lan's gaze turned firm. Little Blossom was not good at speaking like Little Four but she still gained strength from his words.
At that moment, the first team came back. It was Team 01 led by Yang Mingzhi. Yang Mingzhi saluted to Ling Lan and reported his group's progress. Then, Gu Dongyang's team came back.
They had stayed at 250 Mecha Clan for a long time so they were familiar with the mecha operators in 250 Mecha Clan. They knew who didn't come so they specifically went to the dormitory where the missing mecha operators were at. Hence, they used lesser time than the other teams.
After the two team leaders finished their mission, they exchanged glances and felt relieved. They could run 30 km with the weights on but their team members couldn't. As the team leader, they could not let anything happen to their team members on the first day of training. Based on how vicious their regiment commander was, he would definitely give them a harsher punishment if they couldn't finish the task on time.
They couldn't care much about their brother-in-arms in the other teams. All the other teams were their competitors. There was no such thing as helping each other.
Very soon, the other teams started coming back. Yang Mingzhi saw Liu Furong running back and felt happy for him. When Li Yingjie came back, he saw that all the other teams were present already. His expression changed.
He left 250 Mecha Clan for two months so he was not familiar with the people in the mecha clan. Qi Long had the help of Han Jijyun so he was able to find his team members quickly.
Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng faced the same problem as Li Yingjie but they cooperated with each other and managed to finish the task before Li Yingjie.
Li Yingjie was alone and could only run around the dormitory blindly. He took a long time to find the final three members of his team and became the last team to complete the task.
Chapter 678 - Rebellion!
Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong were secretly happy the last team leader to complete the mission were from Ling Lan's battle team. They wanted to see if their heartless and vicious regiment commander would treat his men the same way as he treated them.
Ling Lan was not surprised that Li Yingjie was last. When she assigned Li Yingjie as one of the team leaders, she had expected this result.
Ling Lan was not purposely trying to torture Li Yingjie. Li Yingjie had the capability to be a team leader. He has been a leader ever since he was in the Scout Academy. However, he needed to improve his personality and ways of doing things. It would take some time before he gains the recognition from his team members but Ling Lan didn't have the time to wait for him.
She knew that the war was going to happen soon. There was not much time left. Hence, she decided to use the most extreme methods to train her mecha clan members the moment she has the chance too. She must fully control the 250 Mecha Clan as soon as possible so that her comrades could have enough experience and participate in the war.
Li Yingjie was lacking but Ling Lan believed that as long as he managed to gain the respect of his team members, his team would be on par with the rest of the teams.
After going through thick and thin together, Li Yingjie would definitely gain recognition from his team members. The process might be difficult for him but it would be rewarding in the end.
Of course, Li Yingjie didn't understand all these currently. He stood in front of Ling Lan with a pale face. He was dead. He knew what Ling Lan was capable of.
Ling Lan looked at Li Yingjie coldly. She didn't express her disappointment but the emotionless gaze made Li Yingjie worried. Is he useless?
"30 km with weights. Do you need me to remind you?" Ling Lan didn't question him. She just repeated her order.
"Yes! regiment commander!" Li Yingjie gritted his teeth and saluted. He turned around and said, "Carry the weights now." Then, he ran to the side first and started carrying the weights.
His team members didn't want to follow him but Ling Lan's malicious gaze stopped them from complaining. They swallowed their words. They still remembered what happened to the person who didn't stand at attention. They didn't want to be the second person to suffer so they obediently followed Li Yingjie.
At that moment, they still had some hope that if they fell in exhaustion, their regiment commander would not force them to complete the 30 km run. This hope prevented them from doing anything overboard.
As Li Yingjie brought his men to carry out the punishment, Ling Lan ordered the other nine teams to carry out the training for the day. There was an uproar. Their training was even harder than the 30 km run with weights. What kind of punishment was that?
Ling Lan's voice echoed through the training ground, "Don't worry, after they completed the run, they will still have to complete the training."
Everyone turned silent. Soon, they started talking among themselves again. They knew that if Li Yingjie's team carried out the training after the run, all of them would die. No one would be able to survive the training. They felt depressed. Was their regiment commander trying to kill some of them using this method so that the new recruits could take over their positions?
The life-or-death situation ignited the flame in their hearts. Their eyes turned firm as anger burned inside them. Although they had given up on themselves, they still had the desire to live. If not, they would be in a coffin now.
Ling Lan wanted to inform the mecha operators in 250 Mecha Clan that as their regiment commander, she could kill them without tainting her hands if she wanted to. She wanted them to know that she didn't care about their life at all.
Without a doubt, Ling Lan's actions infuriated them. She touched their baseline. Their unyielding spirit was sparked.
When Yang Mingzhi, Gu Dongyang, and Liu Furong heard what Ling Lan said, this was their first thought too. Was their regiment commander trying to kill them?
They thought that Ling Lan would slowly increase the intensity of the training but reality proved that they were wrong. Ling Lan jumped straight into the most intense training on the first day. Not many people would be able to handle the training. Most of them would probably faint halfway through. In their memory, even the special forces didn't have such intensive training.
They were just mecha operators who hadn't been working out for many years. Was their regiment commander trying to create results quickly? Or was he too young so he acted rashly?
If that was the case, it would be a pity. Everything would go to waste. The current situation would be destroyed by his actions. If they guessed correctly, the mecha operators would rebel against their regiment commander soon. All the mecha operators might die in this rebellion if things got out of hand…
Then, the three of them remembered that there was a rule which stated that all soldiers who rebelled could be killed by their superiors without reporting to the higher authorities.
Was this their regiment commander's plan? Was he trying to kill all the mecha operators using this rule? The three of them felt a chill down their spine as they thought of this possibility. They looked at Ling Lan who was wearing a poker face.
As expected, the mecha operators started rebelling.
"Are you trying to kill us with this training? We won't accept it," one of the mecha operators shouted angrily.
"Yes. No other mecha clan has such harsh training. This is not normal."
"He is trying to kill us. If we don't retaliate, we will all die here."
"Resist! We must resist!"
"Rebel! Rebel! Rebel!"
"Rebel!" Close to 200 mecha operators started chanting. This showed how scary Ling Lan's training was.
"Shut up!" Yang Mingzhi screamed suddenly. He couldn't let the mecha operators die here. Liu Furong and Gu Dongyang woke up from their thoughts when they heard Yang Mingzhi's voice and started holding back their team members too.
Ling Lan frowned slightly. She thought that the three of them would just watch the other mecha operators with cold eyes. She never expected them to try and stop their team members. This caught her by surprise.
Although she let them become team leaders, she didn't think that she was able to win them over. She had beaten Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong up in front of so many people. This was humiliating to them. She was happy if they didn't create trouble for her.
Ling Lan didn't know that the three of them were just afraid that she would kill all the rebelling mecha operators. This showed how successful she was at building up her image of a malicious and heartless regiment commander.
However, the furious mecha operators didn't appreciate what they were doing. Many of them thought that they had gone to Ling Lan's side and scolded them too.
A cold voice rose above the masses. "You don't want to train? Sure. All the team leaders, send them to the laboratory." Ling Lan was not afraid of the mecha operators at all. Resisting showed that they still had some fire in them. It was a good thing.
Ling Lan's words caused an outburst.
"We have received merits. We don't want to become guinea pigs. If we don't resist, we will all die. Brothers, charge!" A figure rushed towards Ling Lan.
The attack was so sudden that Qi Long and the other members of Lingtian didn't notice it. By the time they saw the figure, he was already right in front of Ling Lan.
"You are looking for death!" Ling Lan swung her whip at him.
"Smack!"
The mecha operator flew out and slammed onto the ground. He slid out for a few meters. A blood trail was left behind. After he stopped, the ground below him turned red quickly.
Everyone was shocked by what they saw. Yang Mingzhi rushed forward in despair and felt his pulse. It was gone. The mecha operator was killed by Ling Lan by a single whip.
"He's dead." Yang Mingzhi moved his mouth and squeezed those two words out forcefully.
"Attacking his superior. He deserves to die." Ling Lan replied calmly. Everyone sucked in their breath. This person was extremely heartless.
This was the first time Ling Lan killed someone in front of them. They dared to retaliate because they felt that their regiment commander would not dare to kill anyone. After all, she didn't kill the person who offended her on the first day. All she did was beat him up badly.
However, now, they know that their regiment commander really didn't care about their lives. She just didn't kill them yesterday because she didn't have a valid reason to. Once she has one, she would have no more qualms.
"Damn it. We must take revenge for our brother!" Another mecha operator shouted and rushed towards Ling Lan.
"Smack!" The mecha operator flew out and landed beside his dead comrade. Blood oozed out of his body. He was also dead.
"Attacking your superior. You deserve to die!" Ling Lan used the same reason.
"Let's kill Ling Lan. If not, we will die anyway. Kill him!" Another voice rang through the training ground. Everyone started shouting.
"Kill him!" Someone followed.
"Kill him!" "Kill him!" "Kill him!" The mecha operators chanted. Ling Lan's had finally angered all of them.
"So this is how it feels to be a villain. It doesn't feel good." Ling Lan was depressed. She never wanted to be a villain but she had no choice.
Yang Mingzhi, Gu Dongyang, and Liu Furong saw the angry crowd and knew that it was hopeless now. They stared at Ling Lan with pale faces. Was their regiment commander going to contact the law enforcement department? Were they going to watch their comrades dying in front of their eyes?
"Kill me? Do you all have the capability to?" Ling Lan sneered. The nonchalant look in her eyes was the final straw. Everyone charged at Ling Lan angrily. They couldn't defeat Ling Lan alone but they could definitely kill her if they attacked together.
Yang Mingzhi, Gu Dongyang, and Liu Furong were shocked. So what if the mecha operators managed to kill Ling Lan? Attacking their superior was an offense that would get them executed. If Ling Lan didn't die, he would have a valid reason to kill all the mecha operators. There was no way these mecha operators would survive.
They felt despair. Their friends who once achieve many merits were going to be killed by their own people…
"Ice Blockade!" The entire training ground turned into an ice world as soon as a cold voice was heard.
"Domain realm master!" Yang Mingzhi was shocked. The three of them jumped back and used their Qi-Jin power to protect their bodies. They tried to block the domain realm energy.
However, they worried for nothing. Ling Lan's energy went passed them. The mecha operators who led the attack on her turned into ice statues. The expression on their faces froze. They didn't have the time to react or stop when this happened and were frozen on the spot. All the other mecha operators stopped in their tracks. They didn't have the courage to act anymore.
The once noisy training ground was dead silent. The mecha operators who escaped the attack stared at Ling Lan frighteningly. The fact that Ling Lan was a domain realm master dashed all hopes they had of resisting. They only had one thought now: They were dead!
Ling Lan looked up and smiled. She knocked the whip against her left palm and said softly, "Why? Team leaders, do you all need me to repeat myself?"
Yang Mingzhi, Liu Furong, and Gu Dongyang regained their senses and shouted at their team members who hadn't turned into ice statues. They started preparing for the training today. Qi Long and the other team leaders called their team members too.
The mecha operators looked at the real-looking ice statues and shivered in fear. They didn't dare to say anything. They might die from the training but there was a possibility that they would survive. If they resist, they would definitely die. They knew which option was better.
The mecha operators finally understood what Ling Lan meant when she said the only the strongest can speak.
Everyone started training with their various team leaders. Only the ice statues were left in the training ground.
Ling Lan walked to the two mecha operators who were dead and kicked them. She said indifferently, "They are gone now. You can get up now."
The two mecha operators jumped up. One of them smiled, "Boss, how is our acting?"
"Not bad!" Ling Lan said. She pointed at his face and asked, "Luo Shaoyun, your face looks weird. Also, why was it you two?"
Luo Shaoyun rubbed his face and said pitifully, "We couldn't control what we change into after we took the Face Changing Agent. Only Yuan Youyun and I turned into 40-years-old men. Everyone else looked too young." He frowned after speaking. It was mentioned that the face they turned into depended on their mental age. Does this mean that Yuan Youyun and his mental age had reached 40 years old?
Yuan Youyun felt depressed too. He thought about the same thing.
Ling Lan guessed their thoughts from their expression and wanted to laugh. Luo Shaoyun and Yuan Youyun were more mature compared to people like Li Jinghong and He Chaoyang. However, she felt that Lin Zhong-qing was the most detailed and mature out of their group. The idea that your changed face reflected your mental age must be fake news.
Ling Lan was a little wrong in her logic. Why must people who are more detailed and mature have a higher mental age?
"Stop feeling depressed. The Face Changing Agent only lasts for a day. You will regain your youthful looks tomorrow. Ask Li Shiyu to come over and collect his patients." Ling Lan consoled them and gave them an order.
Chapter 679 - I Want
She couldn't let those now unfrozen mecha operators return to their teams just yet. If not, the fighting spirit in the mecha operators would be extinguished again. She just managed to inspire their desire to become stronger.
"Yes, regiment commander!" Luo Shaoyun and Yuan Youyun saluted and received her order.
Very soon, Li Shiyu and Lin Zhong-qing came with a bunch of people. Without the seven people who became team leaders, there were only nine people, including Ling Lan, left in the Lingtian Battle Team. Ling Lan watched as her team members dragged the unconscious mecha operators on the ground away. Even Luo Chao, who was weaker than the others, had to drag two people at once. Ling Lan felt that there were not enough people in her battle team.
Maybe I should take in more people if I see anyone with enough potential. Ling Lan thought to herself.
The mecha operators thought that they could relax after leaving the sight of their vicious regiment commander but they were wrong.
Ling Lan would walk between the ten teams and supervise them. If she saw any mecha operators not training diligently, she would hit them immediately without any warning. Then, she would order someone to drag the person away. Her heartless actions instilled fear in all the mecha operators' hearts. No one dared to be lazy anymore.
The 250 Mecha Clan consisted of all the useless mecha operators from various divisions. Hence, most of them were unable to complete the training. Before they were halfway through the training, all of them were exhausted. Only the ten team leaders remained standing.
They thought that they were able to end their torture for the day but they were too naive. Since Ling Lan gave them this training, she had the confidence that they could all complete it.
Very soon, Li Shiyu came over with the other members of Lingtian and injected the mecha operators with an agent that allowed them to regain their stamina rapidly. After they experienced the effects of the agent, the mecha operators started groaning and rolling around on the ground. They scratched the ground and begged Ling Lan to let them off. They felt as though they were in a living hell.
Unfortunately, their pleas were unable to soften their regiment commander's heart. Ling Lan's face turned darker.
"I've filmed this scene. It will be displayed on all the screens in our mecha clan base. You all will be able to see your ugly faces for a month."
The mecha operators were unmoved by Ling Lan's words. They were already useless people. They were not afraid of looking at themselves. Also, everyone in this mecha clan was the same.
Ling Lan knew what they were thinking so she continued, "If you all can't complete the training in one month, this video, as well as the other videos that will be taken in the future, will be shown to the entire 23rd division. If you all still can't complete it within three months, the videos will be spread to the entire military."
"Of course, I will do a thorough job and write all your details in the video. I will tell everyone your identity as well as the merits you have achieved in the past. It will definitely be interesting to see your past achievements and your current state."
Ling Lan smiled. "I'm not sure if your past comrades would feel ashamed of you when they see the videos."
"No!" The mecha operators shouted in despair.
When they left their battle teams and comrades, they left as a hero. They knew that in their battle teams, they were still considered respectable seniors. It would be a hard blow to their juniors or comrades if they realized that their heroes and seniors were in such a haggard state.
This must not happen! The mecha operators exclaimed in their hearts. Ling Lan forced out their ego and sense of shame. Everyone had a bottom line that could not be touched. Once someone hit their bottom line, they would retaliate furiously.
All the mecha operators got up from the floor. They only had one thought in their mind. They must complete their training and not let the video be shown in public. They could not accept such humiliation.
Ling Lan was relieved to see such a reaction from the mecha operators. Luckily, they still had something they wanted to protect. They still had some pride left.
Ling Lan was afraid that these mecha operators had really given up on life. If that was the case, she would not be able to help them at all. They would really be useless to her.
Of course, if they were really useless, Ling Lan would kick them out of her the mecha clan. She needed to be responsible for her other team members.
In the cafeteria of 250 Mecha Clan, all the mecha operators sat at the dining tables. A widespread food was laid out in front of them. This was definitely enough to replenish the energy they have lost during the training.
The once lazy chefs quickly brought out the food and placed them in front of the mecha operators. Ever since Ling Lan took over as the regiment commander, the logistics department of 250 Mecha Clan started becoming efficient.
From this moment onwards, the 250 Mecha Clan turned from the most relaxed mecha clan to the scariest mecha clan to be in. Some logisticians entered this mecha clan using their connections so that they didn't have to work too much. However, they regretted their decision instantly. Not only do they have to complete their logistics work, but they also need to undergo harsh training too. This was not something a logistician should do. They wanted to rebel but after looking at the videos played before each meal, they gave up on the idea.
After the food was laid out, the logisticians retreated to the side. A screen came down from the ceiling and started playing the video taken when the mecha operators begged to be released from their training. The logisticians felt a chill running down their spine.
The mecha operators were used to seeing the video. Some of them had started improving and their faces were not shown on the screen. Those that were still shown felt ashamed of themselves. They were all useless people at the start of the training. So why were some of them able to improve. Why couldn't they do the same too?
They had enough of the gazes by the logisticians!
They didn't expect the logisticians to watch their videos with them.
They felt humiliated. Their weak side was displayed to the logisticians.
It should be known that the logisticians' job was to service the mecha operators. Hence, they had a natural respect for mecha operators. Yet, in the 250 Mecha Clan, the logisticians no longer looked at them with respect and envy. It was replaced by a look of disdain. The mecha operators couldn't accept this change in attitude.
As the logisticians lost their respect for the mecha operators, they gained more fear towards Ling Lan. They would not be able to forget Ling Lan's viciousness anytime soon.
They felt that since even ace operators were unable to win against their regiment commander, they would have no chance of retaliating against him. If they didn't listen to him, he could just kill them as easily as killing an ant.
Ling Lan was surprised that the logisticians were impacted by the video too. It meant that she didn't have to waste any more effort in worrying about them.
The logisticians' training was harsh but they were not as tough as the mecha operators' training. If they pushed themselves a little, the logisticians could complete the training. Hence, they didn't have much of a reason to rebel against Ling Lan.
Those logisticians that came to the 250 Mecha Clan to have an easy life wanted to leave the mecha clan secretly. Since they couldn't offend their regiment commander, they could just hide from him.
However, their wishes weren't fulfilled. Ling Xiao had his eyes on the 250 Mecha Clan. Who dares to touch the mecha clan now? The logisticians lost their connections and could only train obediently.
Who said that the 250 Mecha Clan is the most relaxed and comfortable mecha clan to be in? I will kill the person who told me that. This was what the logisticians were thinking.
250 Mecha Clan became a mecha clan that was easy to get in but difficult to get out. Thus, Ling Lan's actions were not found out by anyone else in the 23rd division. Mind you, her actions could land her in the military court anytime.
Ling Lan was able to have such a smooth journey because of her father. As expected, no matter what era it was, having a good father was an important thing.
At the staff officer headquarters, He Xuyang and Tong Zhiying agreed with Ling Lan's methods. They had been watching over the 250 Mecha Clan and saw the improvements in the mecha operators. This showed that Ling Lan's harsh and high-pressure methods were effective.
Tong Zhiying wanted to create a record of the 250 Mecha Clan so that he could research on why Ling Lan's method was so effective. Unfortunately, this proposal was rejected by General Ling Xiao. He even gave a strict order that there would be no records of Ling Lan's doings in the 250 Mecha Clan.
Tong Zhiying didn't understand why the General gave such an order. Since Ling Lan was able to cure the mecha operators that were once deemed useless, his methods might be useful in helping the other mecha operators that were met with mental obstacles. If they were able to find out the reason why the method was working and make it known to the other mecha clans, the entire Federation would benefit. Why didn't the general allow it?
On the other hand, He Xuyang understood Ling Xiao's worry. Ling Lan was General Ling Xiao's son. He has a high chance of taking over the general's position. Hence, he couldn't afford to have any dark histories. The things that Ling Lan did to the 250 Mecha Clan were good but it could also be used against him.
At that moment, Ling Xiao was hiding in his office and looking at the documents about the 250 Mecha Clan. He had tears on his face. His cute and cuddly princess was getting further and further away from him…
No. His baby daughter is a sweet and obedient little girl. How could she be misunderstood by others? He must hide all the evidence to protect his daughter! Ling Xiao was firm. He opened his optical supercomputer and used his rights as a general to delete all the information about Ling Lan's doings in the 250 Mecha Clan. He gave an order to forbid any other generals from obtaining information about the 250 Mecha Clan.
If he had the ability to, he wanted to prevent everyone from getting any information about the 250 Mecha Clan. However, his position was not high enough to do that. Maybe he should climb higher in rank… Ling Xiao raised his head. An idea was forming in his heart.
The four-star Planet Liaowang was not a suitable planet for humans to live in. However, there were ample resources on Planet Liaowang and laborers were needed to open the mines. The salary for these jobs was much higher than normal so many commoners were attracted to the offer. They planned to work for 20 to 30 years and earned their pot of gold. Then, they would return to their three-star planet and enjoy city life.
In order to let humans live in Planet Liaowang safely, the Federation built two giant cities on Planet Liaowang. Each city was able to hold close to 100 million people. The workers on the planet would bring their families along so there would be Scout Academies as well as specialized schools. Those people who couldn't get into the Scout Academies could attend these specialized schools and learn specialized skills to support their families.
Chen Yang's family was a normal family. They lived on the Planet Liaowang. Chen Yang was a normal mine worker and his wife, Luo Min, was a normal woman who worked at a supermarket as a stock managing assistant. She received the most basic first level salary. There were many families like Chen Yang. However, because of his oldest son, Chen Yang and his wife were slightly different from the other families. Many people were jealous of them.
Chen Yang's son was called Chen Yifan. When he gave this name to his son, he probably thought that his son would have a normal life. However, the moment his son was born, he knew that his son was special. His son's physical constitution reached an S rank. When this news reached the military headquarters, they immediately sent people over and wanted to nurture his son.
Chen Yang and Luo Min gave birth to their son ten years after their marriage. Hence, although they knew that their son would have a bright future if they let the military nurture him, they were still unable to let him go. From the name, you could tell that this couple had no huge ambitions in life. They just wanted their family to be safe and sound. Hence, Chen Yifan was not taken away.
The military felt regretful but they didn't force Chen Yang. There were many children who had S rank potential so it was fine if one of them didn't join them. However, in order to not waste Chen Yifan's potential, the military decided to give Chen Yifan all the benefits he should have. All the medicines that were given to an S rank baby were given to him too.
As Chen Yifan grew older, he started to display his potential. In the Scout Academy, he was always the top few in terms of the physical skills test and theory exams. His parents were proud of him. Sometimes, they wondered if their son could have been stronger if they had sent him to the military.
This thought came out again when they gave birth to their second son, Chen Yi'an, two years later. His potential was only C rank. If they knew that they would have a second child so quickly, they would not have wasted their oldest son's talent.
When Chen Yifan was 16 years old, he entered the Third Men's Military Academy. Everyone was jealous of Chen Yang and his wife but no one understood the regret they had.
Chen Yifan had been in the military academy for six years. In those six years, he never went back home. He would only have a video call with them once every new year. Chen Yang and his wife missed their son but since they had Chen Yi'an accompanying them, life was not that hard.
If Chen Yifan was their pride, Chen Yi'an was their worry. Chen Yi'an's potential was not high so it meant that he would not be able to reach a high level in terms of physical skills. Not only that, he was not smart either. After graduating from the Scout Academy, he was only able to study at the mecha engineering school for three years. He barely managed to pass his exams. Chen Yang and his wife thought that Chen Yifan had taken away all their best genes and that's why Chen Yi'an was so normal.
However, no matter how normal he was, he was still their son. When Chen Yi'an reached the age where he could enter the military, Chen Yang and his wife had a dilemma.
They hoped that Chen Yi'an would be able to pass the recruit test and enter the military. As long as he didn't need to go onto the battlefield and survived until his retirement, the country would give him a good job and his life would be stable. However, the recent news made them worry that their son would have to go to war. If that was the case, they hoped that their son would not pass the test. As they could still afford to take care of him.
"Bang!" The door flew open. Chen Yi'an smiled as he walked in. He was not worried about entering the military at all.
Chen Yang scolded him, "Don't you know how to open the door properly. Sooner or later, you will break the door."
Chen Yi'an ignored Chen Yang. He pushed the person behind him and shouted, "Tadaa, look at who I brought."
A familiar figure appeared beside Chen Yi'an. Chen Yang and his wife rubbed their eyes in disbelief. A moment later, they widened their eyes. "Yi… Yifan?"
Chen Yifan nodded calmly. "Yes. Father, mother, I'm back."
Chen Yang and his wife were elated. They hurriedly pulled Chen Yifan onto the sofa. After they recovered from their happiness, they remembered, "You graduated from the military academy, right? Which division were you assigned to?" They were sure that Chen Yifan would get into a military division. They knew that with his ability, he would be able to survive in the military well.
Sometimes, the child that was more capable would be neglected by their parents while the one that was not as smart received more care.
Chen Yifan remained silent for a moment. "I didn't take the military academy exam."
"Why?" Chen Yang was shocked.
"No reason," Chen Yifan replied impatiently. The six years in the military academy made him understand that the world of soldiers was not as pure as what he had imagined. There were different factions and powers in the military. If he wanted to rise above everyone else, he needed to follow what everyone else was doing. Chen Yifan was unable to accept this.
"But, that is your path. It was a shortcut for us to become a civilian too." Chen Yang shouted in anger. Why did his son choose to give up such a good opportunity? This was something everyone on Planet Liangwang wanted. However, they now don't even have the opportunity to become civilians.
Chen Yifan replied Chen Yang with an indifferent face.
Chen Yi'an was not smart but he could still sense the anger in his father. He pulled Chen Yifan up instantly and shouted, "Father, I'm going to the armory and see if my name is on the list."
Then, he ran out of the house with Chen Yifan. Chen Yang vented his anger on Luo Min when she tried to speak up for her son. He told her that Chen Yifan became like this because Luo Min pampered him too much.
Luo Min was not someone easily bullied. She screamed back at Chen Yang and forced Chen Yang to calm down. Now, they have to worry about both of their sons.
Chen Yifan thought that Chen Yi'an lied to their father in order to bring him out but instead, he was speaking the truth. He went to the armory and got the news that he was accepted. Chen Yi'an hugged Chen Yifan and jumped around happily.
"Don't go," Chen Yifan told him with a stern face.
"No, I want to go." Chen Yi'an was a stubborn person.
"You might die on the battlefield," Chen Yifan continued in a serious tone.
"Since I want to become a soldier, I have prepared myself for it," Chen Yi'an replied firmly.
"Are you going to leave our parents alone?" Chen Yifan said furiously.
Chen Yi'an looked at him with a puzzled expression. "You will be home, right? You won't be going into the army so you can accompany our parents."
Chen Yifan didn't know what to say. He didn't expect this to be a reason for Chen Yi'an to enter the military.
The two brothers ended their conversation unhappily. Chen Yang and his wife felt their world turning upside down. Their talented older son didn't want to enter the military while their slightly underperforming younger son wanted to enter the army.
The date of registration for the military had arrived. Chen Yi'an packed his luggage and prepared to leave the house. Whether or not his parents agreed, he would enter the military.
He opened the door and saw his brother standing there. Chen Yifan looked at his younger brother and asked, "Do you really want to go?"
"Yes. General Ling Xiao said that we must protect our country. I want to protect our country." Chen Yi'an was naive and not that smart but he was stubborn. Once he made a decision, no one could stop him.
Chen Yifan saw Chen Yi'an's determination and turned around. When he noticed that Chen Yi'an was not following him, he asked, "Why are you still standing there?"
Chen Yi'an scratched his head. "Brother, what do you mean?"
"What do I mean? I'm entering the military with you." Chen Yifan felt helpless. If his brother entered the military by himself, he would most likely be used. He needed to look after him.
"Ah!" Chen Yi'an was stunned. Didn't his brother say that he didn't want to enter the military? Chen Yi'an left the house with this query in his head.
After the two of them left, Chen Yang and his wife opened their room door. Luo Min had tears in her eyes while Chen Yang appeared to be in shock.
"Are you happy now? Both your sons have entered the military." Luo Min punched Chen Yang angrily. If Chen Yang was willing to sit down and talk nicely, would her sons leave without bidding farewell to them?
Chen Yifan smiled bitterly. He hugged Luo Min and said, "They have their own path. We can't stop them. With Yifan's help, Yi'an will be fine." Chen Yang felt complicated too. If his two sons swapped their ambitions, he would not need to worry so much.
Hence, the Chen brothers' names were entered into the recruits list. Chen Yifan chose to become a logistician so that he could take care of his little brother. He chose to enter the 23rd division too.
They were both not certain if they were able to enter the 23rd division. If the number of applicants to the 23rd division was more than the number of available slots they had, the mainframe would choose the better candidates first. As people from Planet Liaowang, the Chen brothers would not be on the priority list.
The two of them waited for an hour before receiving a message on their communicator. The message stated which starship they were allocated to.
Chen Yifan prayed before looking at his communicator. When he saw that he entered the 23rd division, he jumped up in excitement.
"Brother, I'm going to the 23rd division." General Ling Xiao was the reason why Chen Yi'an wanted to join the military. Hence, he wished that he would be able to enter the 23rd division and become a member of General Ling Xiao's division.
Chen Yifan smiled gently. "Congratulations." Then, he turned at walked to the right.
Chen Yi'an got a shock. He pulled Chen Yifan back and asked, "Brother, where are you going?"
Chen Yifan knocked Chen Yi'an's forehead helplessly. "The starship."
"Starship? Why does it sound so familiar?" Chen Yi'an scratched his head.
"Didn't you see the information written below? You need to board the starship to go to the 23rd division."
"Oh, right." Chen Yi'an finally understood. He widened his eyes. "Big Brother, how do you know that I need to get on the starship?" Were the people from the academy so amazing? Could they predict the future?
Chen Yifan sighed. If he wasn't here to look after his brother, he might be unable to even past the recruit training camp. He waved his communicator in front of his little brother. When he saw the confused look on his brother's face, he said, "Because I'm going to the 23rd division too."
Chen Yi'an was elated when he heard this piece of news. To him, his older brother was a person who could do anything. He felt happy that he could be in the same division as his brother. The nervousness that he felt disappeared.
Chen Yifan felt pressured when he saw his little brother's happy face. Was he really able to survive 10 years in the military with his brother?
At the headquarters of the 23rd division.
He Xuyang was arranging the documents in his hand. He placed all the documents that needed the general's signature on one side.
Beep, beep. An announcement appeared on his optical supercomputer. It reminded him that a call was coming in.
He Xuyang answered the call. His assistant's voice sounded. "Chief of staff, the Regiment Commander of the 250 Mecha Clan, Ling Lan, is looking for you."
The documents in He Xuyang's hand dropped on the floor.
"Chief of staff? Are you okay…" His assistant asked worriedly.
He Xuyang calmed himself down and replied, "I'm fine. Let him in."
F**k, why did this person come again? He Xuyang felt desperate. Nothing good would happen when Ling Lan looked for him.
He Xuyang recalled how often Young Master Lan looked for him whenever he needed more resources and weapons. Nowadays, the faces of the people from the Logistics Department would turn green whenever they see him. These things had nothing to do with their department but he still had to do it. He still owed the Head of Logistics a huge favor.
He Xuyang felt unhappy. Why don't Young Master Lan look for the General? Finding the General was the most effective way. The General just needed to give an order and everything would be settled. The old bastard from the Logistics Department would not dare to defy the General.
Ling Lan liked to find He Xuyang because it was easier for her.
Whenever she looked for her father, he would always ask her about the mecha clan. Ling Lan didn't like to talk. She knew that with her status, He Xuyang wouldn't dare to ask her anything. He would also satisfy all her needs. Ling Lan believed that her father would give her what she wanted so she just needed He Xuyang as the middleman to talk to her father.
Ling Lan walked in. He Xuyang smiled and asked, "Ling Lan, what do you need?"
He knew that General Ling Xiao wanted to hide Young Master Lan's identity so he called Ling Lan by his name. Someone might enter his office suddenly so He Xuyang had to be careful. The possibility was not high but it was better to be cautious.
"Chief of staff, I have to trouble you again," Ling Lan said indifferently. She sounded as though she was here to greet him.
He Xuyang rubbed his face and said helplessly, "What do you need this time?"
"Soldiers!" Ling Lan replied blatantly.
He Xuyang raised his right hand and pointed at Ling Lan. His hand was trembling. "Shouldn't you look for your commander or the subcommander?" Do you think that I'm Doraemon? Do you think that I can fulfill all your wishes?
"Troublesome!" Ling Lan thought for a while and replied.
He Xuyang looked as though he received a huge blow. Young Master Lan looked for him not because he was amiable and easy to interact with. He looked for him because he was convenient.
He must have owed Ling Xiao and Ling Lan a huge debt in his past life. This was why he needed to serve them now.
He Xuyang thought about the general who threw everything at him… Sob, these two people are both bad people!
"Don't tell me that you can't do it!" Ling Lan pressed against the office table with her hands and looked down on He Xuyang. An oppressive aura formed around her.
As expected of Ling Xiao's son. He Xuyang exclaimed in his heart. However, despite how much he liked Ling Lan, he didn't want to relent so easily. He was the Chief of staff for General Ling Xiao. How could he be scared by a regiment commander so easily?
"Ling Lan, why don't you look for your direct superior, the Commander of the Middle Second Corps. Many soldiers are assigned to the Middle Second Corps." He Xuyang shrugged. "I'm just the Chief of staff. I can't do anything about the distribution of soldiers."
"Master, he is lying!" Little Blossom shouted angrily in Ling Lan's mindscape. Although he was unable to download data secretly and use them like Little Four, he could still view the documents on He Xuyang's optical supercomputer. Ling Lan had warned him against destroying the information on any optical supercomputer from the 23rd division. Hence, Little Blossom could only suppress his desire.
Ling Lan knew that He Xuyang was lying even without Little Blossom's reminder. The staff officer department is the only department that was linked to all the other departments. Although the main job of the staff officer department was to create a battle plan, this mission would only be given during a war. During normal times, the staff officer department was in charge of the operations of the entire division.
Ling Lan was not surprised by He Xuyang's rejection. He always did this when she looked for him. She patted the documents beside him and said, "Chief of staff, should I find a document that can help you regain your lost memory?"
She didn't know whether there was a document related to the distribution of soldiers but she didn't care. She just needed to frighten him. If he didn't get scared, she would think of another way.
Ling Lan was lucky. There was indeed a document related to the distribution of soldiers in the pile of documents. He Xuyang felt frustrated as he looked at the confident Ling Lan. He suspected that there was a traitor in his team who revealed the content of the documents to Ling Lan.
Of course, he knew that that was impossible. Everyone in the staff officer department had a good character. They underwent many tests before entering this department so no one would leak any information out.
He Xuyang gave up. He asked, "How many people do you need?"
Ling Lan raised her hand. He Xuyang heaved a sigh of relief. Luckily, he didn't ask for many people. "50 people? No problem." He just needed to send a request in the mainframe to fulfill her request, He didn't need to negotiate with other departments or report to General Ling Xiao.
He Xuyang didn't want General Ling Xiao to know that he helped Ling Lan with many things. The general was a fair person. He wouldn't want his son to make use of his connection.
He Xuyang was thinking too much. Ling Xiao would never stop him from helping Ling Lan. If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't be too conspicuous, he would have given Ling Lan everything he could.
Ling Lan shook her head to express that the number was wrong.
He Xuyang's face changed. "Don't tell me that you need 500 people."
Ling Lan put down her hand and replied nonchalantly, "Thank you for your help."
He Xuyang wanted to vomit blood. "Really? That's impossible." No mecha clan took in so many soldiers at one go. Only those mecha clans who suffered huge damages during a battle had such a privilege. If not, 50 people were the maximum.
Ling Lan answered, "A normal mecha clan should have around 4000 to 5000 people. There will be 1500 mecha operators in the mecha clan. However, our mecha clan only has 250 people. Even with the addition of logisticians, we only have 350 people in total. Chief of staff, don't you think that the division is paying too little attention to our mecha clan?"
He Xuyang was speechless. He stuttered, "The 250 Mecha Clan is a special mecha clan. That's why there are so little people."
"I only need 500 people. 100 ace operators and 400 excellent logisticians," Ling Lan told He Xuyang her request.
"100 ace operators? Impossible. Do you think that ace operators can be found everywhere?" He Xuyang shook his head. Asking for 500 people was already a huge request. 100 ace operators? Did he think that the 23rd division belonged to him?
Fine, the 23rd division is lead by his father. In other words, it really belonged to him.
Ling Lan frowned. She thought about it and changed her requirements. "50 ace operators and 450 logisticians."
He Xuyang shook his head again. Ace operators were the main strength of a division. Moving one ace operator required a whole list of the protocol. 50 of them? Ling Lan might as well kill him. Even if he looked for General Ling Xiao, he would not be able to get them within a short period of time.
Ling Lan looked at him coldly. "Let's not waste time. Why don't you tell me what you can give me."
He Xuyang was afraid that Ling Lan would ask for even more things so he hurriedly replied, "I can't give you any ace mecha masters. The most I can give you is 50 advanced mecha warriors and 200 recruits."