In an instant, the atmosphere in the 23rd Division grew much better. The military soldiers who truly loved the 23rd Division became more loyal to the division as well as to Ling Xiao.

The timely reorganization also saved Li Lanfeng and company, and they immediately heaved a sigh of relief. They knew that someone on top had been targeting them, but they weren"t able to do much despite being on their guard; they had ended up being targeted eventually. For instance, the escort mission that had seemed very safe on the surface was actually filled with danger. If they hadn"t had the capabilities, Zhao Jun would not have been the only one to be seriously injured. All three of them, including their temporary team, would have been stranded to become food for star-level brutal beasts.

Of course, this did not mean that the 23rd Division was completely free of all outsiders. Ling Xiao knew that he couldn"t be too extreme. As long as those people didn"t hurt the 23rd Division"s foundation and their brothers-in-arms, whether it be spies from other divisions or soldiers with their own agenda, Ling Xiao would let them stay and not touch them.

He needed to know how to compromise adequately in his position. If he truly took control of the 23rd Division like it were his own army, someone from the Federation would start to grow worried. As for him, he might become an eyesore in the military headquarters.

But if that was all, he would not be scared. After all, the military would always be guarded against their generals and G.o.d-cla.s.s operators even as they gave them important roles and tasks. He didn"t mind being guarded against more. However, he had two soft spots now: Lan Luofeng and Ling Lan. They were his dearest treasures and he didn"t want them to be hurt in any way. That was why he had to lower his head and make some compromises.

As the 23rd Division was vigorously undergoing a reorganization, Ling Lan welcomed the next day peacefully.

In the afternoon, the entire military academy was empty; there was almost no one in the school. All the students were either in the mecha combat hall or watching the live broadcast of the upcoming mecha compet.i.tion with their friends. Some had gone back to their accommodations and prepared to enter Mecha World so that they could experience the battle first-hand.

The administrators of the military academy hadn"t freed a day this time for everyone to watch the battle. However, since this battle would affect the future progression of power in the school, most of the students, whether they had a mecha clan or not, took leave on the day to watch this future-determining ultimate battle.

As the number of people taking leave increased, the instructors decided to take leave too. There were not many people for them to teach that day and they were keenly interested in this match as well.

The instructors wanted to know if Ling Lan was able to take over the First Men"s Military Academy. If he succeeded, it would be a first in the history of the First Men"s Military Academy and they would be a witness of the event.

Similar to the other mecha tournaments, a VIP room in the military academy grew lively again as instructors and administrators appeared inside to watch the ultimate mecha battle; the room was filled up within a minute.

The moment Tang Yu entered the room, he saw numerous faces familiar and unfamiliar. They were all sitting with people they were close to and were in the middle of a furious discussion. They spoke about their opinions as well as the different possibilities of this match.

Tang Yu immediately spotted the princ.i.p.al; he was sitting right in front of the big screen, smiling as he sat there. For some reason, no one sat beside the princ.i.p.al even though many people went over to greet him.

Tang Yu smiled and walked over. He greeted the princ.i.p.al. "Princ.i.p.al, h.e.l.lo. Long time no see." Counting the time, he had not seen this mister for almost eight months.

The princ.i.p.al saw Tang Yu and his polite smile immediately became sincere. He patted the sofa beside him and said, "Come, come. Tang Yu, sit beside me. Tell me about the details of the compet.i.tion later."

The princ.i.p.al"s words caused jealousy and envy amidst the people who didn"t leave. Tang Yu didn"t act polite with the princ.i.p.al and immediately replied, "No problem!" He sat on the sofa that the princ.i.p.al indicated immediately after he finished his sentence. Even without raising his head, he could feel the intense glares shooting at him.

Tang Yu didn"t care at all. Ever since he watched the battle between Lingtian and Leiting with the princ.i.p.al last year and they discovered Ling Lan"s secret together, he had formed an alliance with him. This year, he had gained the t.i.tle of the trusted subordinate of the princ.i.p.al so he was used to this treatment. By now, he was indifferent towards them.

Tang Yu sat down and started chatting with the princ.i.p.al. The time of the compet.i.tion came closer and closer. Everyone in the VIP room had sat down and no one was walking around anymore. They patiently waited for the compet.i.tion to start.

The princ.i.p.al leaned towards Tang Yu when he saw no one interrupting them and whispered, "Tang Yu, do you think that Lingtian has a chance of winning this time?"

Tang Yu replied in a low voice, "Princ.i.p.al, as long as Ling Lan maintains his standard, there should be no qualms about the result." Even he himself didn"t have the confidence to win against Ling Lan. Hence, in this situation where Leiting didn"t have a successor to Qiao Ting, Tang Yu felt that Ling Lan would not lose even if she decided to take a small nap.

Of course, Ling Lan would not make such a low-level mistake… as compared to Qiao Ting, Ling Lan was colder and more vicious. He couldn"t think of a way in which Leiting would be able to defeat Ling Lan—the latter had almost no weak points. If they wanted to reenact the self-destruct plan Ling Lan had carried out the last time, they would be knocked down before they could even come near. There was no way they could harm her.

"Princ.i.p.al, Ling Lan"s talent in mecha operation is the greatest I have seen in my life. It is the only one I have seen too," Tang Yu exclaimed.

During the one year that he spent teaching Ling Lan, he managed to learn many things. Although they had a teacher and student relationship, they were more like friends that understood each other and had the same position and status.

Tang Yu hadn"t expected to make a breakthrough in his hand speed, which had been stagnant for a very long period of time, in the year he spent fighting against Ling Lan. This little breakthrough had made him elated. He had been stuck at elite ace status for over ten years. As he grew older, the chances of him advancing to the imperial level grew smaller. Tang Yu had given up a few years ago but luck just came to him so suddenly…

The princ.i.p.al"s smile deepened as he listened to Tang Yu"s words. He asked purposely, "How is he as compared to Ling Xiao?"

Tang Yu"s heart dropped and there was an awkward expression on his face. His words just now had been ambiguous and might have given others the impression that even the G.o.d-cla.s.s operator, General Ling Xiao, couldn"t be compared to Ling Lan. Tang Yu knew that Ling Xiao was the princ.i.p.al"s old friend.

He quickly tried to salvage the situation. "General Ling Xiao is an exception, exception."

The princ.i.p.al merely waved his hands and said, "Don"t act polite in front of me. I am asking this sincerely. If he really has a greater talent than Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao would be elated to know it too." Then something occurred to the princ.i.p.al and he started laughing happily.

Tang Yu was stunned for a moment, following which something flashed across his mind: Ling Lan, Ling Xiao. They had the same surname. Are they father and son? Oh, no, no way. He had to be thinking too much. Tang Yu quickly denied this thought of his.

The descendants of a G.o.d-cla.s.s operator would be truly normal people for the next few hundred years. This law had never been broken, so he had to have been thinking too much just now. Was he part of the Ling family then? Tang Yu thought of another possibility, but he denied it after a while too. Tang Yu remembered that 19 years ago when, General Ling Xiao was "sacrificed", his relatives attempted to take over the general"s achievements, which had caused the general"s family to become enraged and break all ties with the Ling family.

If there was indeed a prodigy in the Ling family, General Ling Xiao, no matter how big his heart was, would not be elated. Tang Yu felt that his thoughts made sense.

When he saw the confused expression on Tang Yu, the princ.i.p.al felt satisfied. He remembered how shocked he was when he found out that Ling Lan was Ling Xiao"s son and saw his perfect operation skills. He had even called Ling Xiao to ask him if Ling Lan was really his son or if he picked him up from somewhere. But that was when the princ.i.p.al realized how scary Ling Xiao was when he went crazy… the princ.i.p.al shivered and felt lucky that he had only called him instead of going to ask in person. Otherwise, he might not have been able to sit here and watch the compet.i.tion in one piece. This showed how much Ling Xiao treasured Ling Lan.

Commentary: Sulky Ling Xiao bit his little handkerchief and felt wronged. "I was suspected of being infertile. Shouldn"t I be angry? Shouldn"t I…"

The princ.i.p.al swept the image of Ling Xiao"s eerie-looking face out of his mind and gave Tang Yu a reminder out of kindness. "Tang Yu, don"t let theories bind your thoughts."

Tang Yu looked up in astonishment. He opened his mouth and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. "He, is he really, the father?" The sentence was not long, but the princ.i.p.al understood what Tang Yu wanted to say. He gave the latter a firm nod.

Tang Yu"s body shook in excitement and his face turned red. Out of all the people over here, he respected General Ling Xiao the most. He didn"t expect himself to have the honor of teaching General Ling Xiao"s son. Moreover, his son was such a talented young man, too.

Tang Yu calmed down after being excited for a while, following which he looked at the princ.i.p.al curiously. He truly wanted to ask the princ.i.p.al: why was Ling Xiao"s son able to break the law of nature?

Tang Yu and the princ.i.p.al didn"t know that Ling Lan was a female and not a male. The research carried out by the Federation was only based on male descendants… so they shouldn"t bring up this law on this weirdo Ling Lan.

The princ.i.p.al shook his head. "I am not sure either. Maybe a mutation occurred. However, it is a good thing." The princ.i.p.al smiled. They were on the same side as Ling Xiao, as it was a good thing that he had such a talented son. It was better than having a normal son, right?

Tang Yu agreed with the princ.i.p.al"s words. This was a good thing, so why should he probe further?

At this moment, someone in the VIP room shouted, "The compet.i.tion is starting."