In the outer space of planet Qiming, a fleet of large starships was slowly moving. The fleet was mainly composed of cargo ships. Of course, there were also escort ships and destroyers on the surrounding them. The cargo ships were not holding army personnel or army supplies, but all the military academy participants of the mecha battle royale instead. Ling Lan and the others from the First Men's Military Academy were amongst those people.
Of course, a single cargo ship didn't house only one military academy; there were at least 20 military academy teams within one. In the cargo ship that Ling Lan and were in, there were four military academies squeezed together.
This also made the atmosphere in the cargo hold very tense. Four academies, each holding a corner, all taking precautions against each other.
All the members of the First Men's Military Academy were in a sharp battle formation. Taking point was Qiao Ting's 24 man battle team with mecha that all had the same color, looking at the other three military academies menacingly. This was also the biggest reason why the atmosphere in the cargo hold was so tense.
Behind Qiao Ting's battle team, there were special-class mechas which protected both flanks that had Han Yu leading the Wuji battle team and Mu Shaoyu leading the Tianji battle team with one on either side.In the middle of this protective zone between these three teams were ten cargo mecha holding all the different types of supplies that belonged to them, as they didn't have any large weapons. Additionally, they had already distributed a large portion of the supplies and weapons before boarding the ship. Using ten of the cargo mecha for the rest of the supplies was more than enough.
Even more so, after Chang Xinyuan and the other genius mecha engineers had altered the transport mechas, the weight they could hold was increased to more than twice the original amount; thus, these 10 transport mechas were not only just transports used for logistics, but also weaponized mechas that had firepower. This made it so that the participants of the First Men's Military Academy did not waste a single mecha operator in terms of logistics—they really managed to make it so the whole clan could all fight together.
Furthermore, Ling Lan had taken the rest of the clan members to the backline. At a glance, it could be seen that other than a few advanced mechas mixed in, the rest were all special-class mechas. Having this much power, the other three military academies that only had advanced mechas became fearful of them.
And it was in this tense atmosphere that Ling Lan's little team was video chatting in a relaxed manner.
"Actually, I still haven't figured it out. Aren't they just taking us to where the large map was? Why would they need such a large fleet?" asked Chang Xinyuan. He was finally able to ask the question that he was puzzled by. Obviously, transportation within the planet surface would be faster than travelling through space. The cost was also lower. Why would the host choose such a difficult way over an easy one?
"Who knows, maybe they want us to know what it's like to be in a real cargo starship," Luo Lang guessed without a care in the world.
"It can't be that simple!" Han Jijyun didn't think that was the case. "When we knew that we were to board a starship, I was already thinking about why the host party had done this...""Then did you find out anything?" Qi Long asked curiously. He had always trusted Han Jijyun regarding these kinds of matters that tested one's intelligence.
Han Jijyun shook his head regrettably. "I don't know... or rather, I can't make out a reliable answer." Han Jijyun still thought there was something to this arrangement, but it was as if there was a haze covering the answer, making him unable to see it clearly. He didn't want to give up and so asked Li Lanfeng, "Senior Feng, what are your thoughts about it?"
Li Lanfeng frowned. He sighed and said, "Actually, I've also been thinking about this issue."
"What issue?" asked Han Jijyun, unusually anxious as his eyes lit up.
Strategists were all like this. Once they realized a problem was not as simple as it looked, the feeling of being unable to figure it out would make them feel terrible, leading to poor appetite and sleep. They had to fully figure out the problem in order for this to stop, which was why Han Jijyun instantly became excited upon hearing that Li Lanfeng had possibly made a breakthrough.
Li Lanfeng's gaze turned towards Ling Lan who had been silent this whole time and said softly, "The order that Boss Lan gave earlier when we were boarding the starship, you guys haven't forgotten it yet, right?"
At Li Lanfeng's words, everyone recalled the scene of the time when they were boarding the ship...
At the dock, when the First Men's Military Academy came to board the ship, they saw a massively large cargo ship. Everyone could not control themselves and scream, "Wow! This is our Federation's large cargo starship, huh? It really is magnificent. Just think how many people can live in there."
"According to data, just the number of reserve army personnel in a large cargo ship reaches ten thousands. Adding the other types of soldiers, the total wouldn't be less than one hundred thousand people," explained someone who was familiar with starship data to the others.
Just when everyone was shocked by the size of the starship, they heard Ling Lan's cold voice from the team communication channel. "New orders: All teams, immediately acquire your weapons and supplies from the logistics personnel. Location: XX.XX. Do not be late!"
After this order was issued, those who were still in conversation instantly began to get busy. All of them ran towards the location Ling Lan had given them and found the logistics team, led by Lin Zhong-qing, to get their supplies.
They had originally decided to distribute the supplies when they arrived at their destination, but now it was suddenly decided to do so early. Although many of them didn't understand why, getting their share of the supplies (energy storage units, food, weapons, etc.) early still made them happy.
Of course, the reason why they had to wait for them to distribute the weapons and supplies was that the 50 million credits worth of weapons and supplies would be sent to them in the docking area when they boarded the ship, given to all the academies at that time; thus, early distribution would be impossible.
Ling Lan's sudden order made the members of First Men's Military Academy who were at the dock turn upside and busier like ever before, and this made passersby look down on them. Who knew that the students of the First Men's Military Academy would not care about their dignity just to grab weapons and supplies, loudly going about distributing supplies at the boarding dock—this kind of behavior was indeed a shameful display.
Right then, Qiu Yue, who was the commander-in-chief responsible for the transportation this time, was sitting beside the window sipping a cup of tea while looking down at all that was happening on the boarding docks. In front of him, on the commander's seat that was supposed to be his, was a man of incomparable handsomeness, sitting there casually.
"Eh? Why is the seventh boarding dock so busy? Did something happen?" As the commander-in-chief responsible for the transport fleet, he would be wholly responsible if any mishaps occurred during the transport mission.
The handsome man in front of him heard this and lifted his brows, pointed directly at the starship's A.I, and in response the A.I. said, "Commander-in-Chief Qiu Yue, please state your command."
The handsome man looked at Qiu Yue silently while holding in a smile. Qiu Yue walked up to the A.I. and said, "I want an image on the number seven boarding dock. I want to know what happened there."
"Yes!" Following that, a large screen quickly appeared on the virtual screen of the A.I.. The image of seventh boarding area appeared clearly before the two of them.
Qiu Yue saw a mecha clan that appeared as though they were in a messy fight, but in reality they were systematically distributing weapons and supplies. Randomly tapping on one of the mecha, enhancing and zooming in, he could see the emblem of the military academy on its chest. He said in surprise, "It's the First Men's Military Academy?"
He turned around to the handsome man, his face showing a faint smile. "Ling Xiao, these are our juniors. Who knew that they would distribute the supplies and weapons right at the start. Do you think they've figured something out?"
Ling Xiao picked up the teacup beside him. After taking a sip, he then said ambiguously, "Maybe they have, or maybe they haven't."
"You're saying this is luck? Then their luck is pretty good. If they had waited until arriving at their destination to distribute supplies then, heh heh..." Qiu Yue's smile was clearly filled with schadenfreude. He suddenly thought about the reason Ling Xiao mentioned just now as to why he had come to the tournament. Now understanding, he asked, "Isn't your son only 17 years old? How did he get a chance to participate in the grand mecha tournament?" Even Ling Xiao could only participate when he was in his third year.
Ling Xiao held his own forehead gently with his right hand. A smile showing on his face, he said without reservation, "Yeah, second year and already advanced to special-class operator. Not only that, he is also this year's commander for the battle royale!" Regarding Ling Lan's advancement to ace operator, Ling Xiao still didn't really want to have too many people know.
"Holy sh*t, a second year can become a commander. I remember that the First Men's Military Academy sent an ace operator right? Your son was able to pressure someone like that and get the role of commander. He's even more overpowering than you. Ling Xiao, you've got someone that can take over for you!" Qiu Yue's eyes were green with envy. He continued in a depressed tone, "I didn't think that out of all of us, the first to have a son would be you. I always thought that you would be the last one to get married and have a family. At that time, pretty much all the girls liked you. We all thought you had trouble choosing one."
That was part of Ling Xiao's era. In that year's mecha tournament, Ling Xiao led the First Men's Military Academy like they were invincible and pretty much got all of the first place rankings in the tournament. In the end, their score was so high it was terrifying, making a record that pretty much no one could beat.
Too bad that was the last of the First Men's Military Academy's glory days. After Ling Xiao left the academy, they were pressured by the Second Men's Military Academy for three consecutive years, becoming the perpetual second place. This made those who came out from the First Men's Military Academy to reminisce even more of the glory during Ling Xiao's time...
"What do you mean trouble choosing? I was innocent, alright!" Ling Xiao glanced at his good friend, warning him not to speak so carelessly. His wife had come onto the starship with him—he would be troubled if she had a misunderstanding.
"Alright, alright, I know you're afraid of your wife. I won't say it then!" Qiu Yue put his hands up in surrender, showing that he understood. See, this was what it meant by heroes having short tempers and always thinking about relationships. So what if Ling Xiao was well known? He still had to hide his tail and listen when went home. Truth be told, Ling Xiao's tragedy was also why these old friends of his were afraid of taking someone as their wife. They were afraid of becoming the next Ling Xiao.
"This is called sentiments, understand? You bunch of single people definitely won't be able to understand the joy from within," Ling Xiao said, his tone disdainful. Those who didn't walk the same path couldn't share in the experience. The feelings between him and Lan Luofeng could not be understood by these players who had never experienced true love.
"Okay Little Moon Moon, I have to go back and see my wife." Ling Xiao stood up and put on the military cap beside him.
"F***er, don't call me Little Moon Moon!" Qiu Yue yelled furiously. It had been so many years, since Ling Xiao's 'death', that he had heard that name he hated to the bone. Hearing it again now made him feel the anger he felt from before, making him lose the demeanor of a commander, instantly losing control of himself.
In the adviser room beside them, He Xuyang and the starship adviser were drinking tea and conversing. Suddenly, he raised his head like a fox and asked, "Hmm, did you hear anything just now?"
"... No!" That was definitely not their commander's voice! The adviser denied it without hesitation.
"Oh, I guess I heard wrong then." He Xuyang laughed. Little Moon Moon? Starship Commander Qiu Yue? His face held the a trace of smile. He didn't expect that Major General Qiu Yue to have this kind of nickname. Hehehe, their general was really too evil!
"Haha, just like before, you explode when called by that name." Ling Xiao laughed with nostalgia.
"If you say it again, you're no longer my friend!" Qiu Yue yelled angrily.
"Alright, since you've already said so much, I'm not going to say it anymore," Ling Xiao shrugged indifferently and said. He fixed his military cap and got ready to leave.
"What the f***, you're leaving already? Then why did I ask you to come here?" Qiu Yue's face was full of irritation. After finding him, he had only talked to him for a few seconds and yet he was getting ready to back to his wife? Really? Hoes before bros.
Ling Xiao's footsteps suddenly stopped. He hesitated before saying, "I know you're responsible for the transport. That's why I came to see you. I also wanted to ask whether you'd like to come to the 23rd Division."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yue was so excited he almost spilled the tea in his hand. He suddenly walked up to Ling Xiao in one stride and punched his shoulder with great force. His eyes filled with tears, he said, "Man, I was already waiting for your invitation when you established the 23rd Division. I waited one year without anything happening. I thought you had already forgotten old friends like me."
"How could that be? It's only been 17 years and people change. Many of my friends were all holding high positions of authority, which made me cautious. They would not have wanted to start from scratch with me again." Ling Xiao couldn't not care about this. This was also why he had thought over this matter for over a year before making the decision to look for them again.
Ling Xiao's words made Qiu Yue's smile disappear. Like the former, he felt that between the two of them, many people had changed. He could only sigh internally. Seventeen years, enough to change some people and some things. How many people still remembered the promises they once made in their youth?
"Stop sighing. I was already satisfied when you were willing to come. Wait for my orders for the transfer." Ling Xiao couldn't sense Qiu Yue's feelings of loss, smiling as he walked out of the control room. He suddenly thought of something, turned his head to Qiu Yue and said, "Oh yeah, about my son. Please take care of him during all this!"
"Don't worry!" Qiu Yue waved his hand at Ling Xiao to let him not worry. After Ling Xiao left, he smiled devilishly, "Oh I will take very good care of him. Yes, find a difficult spot to throw them off..."
"Distributing the weapons and supplies to each member ahead of time. I believe Boss Lan figured out something," Li Lanfeng said without hesitation.
Everyone looked at Ling Lan, waiting for her response.
Ling Lan didn't answer but instead turned to Li Lanfeng and said, "You should explain why I distributed the supplies and weapons right at the beginning. I think you should have an answer already."
"I can only think of one possibility, which is that this trip isn't as simple as it looks. Maybe there will be sudden changes in the middle of things," Li Lanfeng said what he had thought.
"Then when we boarded the ship, the test of the battle royale had already begun?" Having experienced the military academy's assessment, Han Jijyun's eyes lit up as he thought of this possibility.
Ling Lan nodded and said, "Jijyun is right. I speculate that the battle royale had already begun when we were drawing for base locations. I can't think of any reason why the host would let them get their location safely. If the battle royale was only about defending and attacking base camps, then it wouldn't be a super battle that takes up half of the points of the mecha tournament.
Ling Lan's words caused a thought to flash across the minds of Li Lanfeng and Han Jijyun. They exclaimed at the same time, "It's strategy!"
With a face full of excitement, Han Jijyun said, "Right now, what's being tested is our level of strategy, to see if we are able to see what they have planned. The 50 million credits at the beginning was also testing your overall amount, planning, and strength of the logistics and even mechanics were calculated into it. No wonder it's a battle royale. It practically includes the aspects of all the military academy's majors."
"This also tests Starship Navigation. Is this fleet really going to fly along Planet Qiming? I don't think that's the case." Ling Lan spoke out the result that she and Little Four had speculated. This made the team's members eyes all light up brightly.
"Jijyun, because your talents do not lie in being a navigator. When you enter the transport hold and your line of sight is obstructed while not having radars to help you, there will be no way for you to know the direction in which the fleet is flying. But I'm sure that Luo Chao definitely discovered this issue. I just hope that she can let Lin Xiao know in a timely manner so they won't suffer any losses due to being unprepared." Ling Lan naturally hoped that the First Co-ed Military Academy would be as strong as they could be since they were allies.
While Ling Lan was making guesses, on the First Co-ed Military Academy's side, Luo Chao felt that there was a problem with the trajectory the starship was flying towards. They seemed to have left Planet Qiming and arrived at an unknown location. In the books that she had studied, this unknown location didn't even exist.
Luo Chao quickly reported this issue to Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao was very trusting of Luo Chao. He made everyone line up and began to distribute weapons and supplies within the cargo hold. Seeing this, the other three academies cleverly began to distribute weapons and supplies just like the First Co-ed Military Academy. However, some of the special weapons they put together and didn't distribute...
Just like that, they flew for a bit more than an hour. While all the cadets were still unaware, the starship fleet originally flying together had split up and flew towards different parts of the mysterious planet.
"Beep, beep, beep!" After another 20 minutes passed, the alarm in Ling Lan's supply cargo bay blared suddenly. They heard the person in charge of this supply cargo bay, the JMC, suddenly scream out, "Third cargo bay, please be advised. Third cargo bay, please be advised. We are under attack! We are under attack! Please make an emergency drop in 3 minutes! Please make an emergency drop in 3 minutes!"
This announcement shocked everybody, and even Qiao Ting felt cold sweat for a moment. After JMC's announcement, the cargo bay door that was sealed shut suddenly opened. Due to the sudden opening of the cargo bay door, those who were close to it were sucked out and began to quickly drop downwards toward the ground...
"Little Four, give a me sitrep!" Ling Lan ordered Little Four without panicking.
"We've arrived at an unknown planet!" Following Little Four's voice, a pitch-black planet appeared inside Ling Lan's mindscape. As the image drew nearer and she dove into the atmosphere, Ling Lan discovered that the planet was fully enveloped in darkness—she couldn't see anything even with her aberrant vision.
"How could this have happened?" The expression of Ling Lan, who had been so calm, shifted at this moment.
"The planet below has no sources of light, or rather, its atmosphere has blocked off any light from entering, which is the cause of this planet's complete pitch-black state," Little Four added.
"I'm not sure if our lighting equipment will be enough," Ling said to Lin Zhong-qing as she looked at this dark and lightless planet.
"Every mecha operator can equip two, leaving 80 left," Lin Zhong-qing answered instantly like a human calculator.
"Two each is a bit too few." Ling Lan frowned. She hadn't expected that the lighting equipment she had prepared for two nights would not be enough as they had arrived on a planet that was totally enveloped in darkness.
"Boss, don't worry, there's still daytime on this planet," said Little Four after feeling Ling Lan's worry. "But it's just that daytime is shorter than night time."
"Specifically?" Ling Lan asked sharply.
"Daytime lasts only for 8 hours, while nighttime continues for 16 hours."
"The night's too f***ing long. The lack of light is still quite significant." Ling Lan frowned. She had miscalculated on this part.
Right then, the starship's JMC began to countdown the last three minutes. When he counted to zero and they still hadn't left the cargo bay, the door would close and those who didn't go down would instantly lose their chance to participate. "180, 179, 178..."
Faced with pitch darkness, the cadets who couldn't make heads or tails of the situation at the bottom began to hesitate as to whether they should listen to the JMC's orders. There were even many people yelling that they needed to work together and not jump in head first. If there was danger at the bottom and they couldn't see it, then wouldn't they be as good as dead? These words made many people waver. Just when no one could decide on what to do, Ling Lan opened the communication channel for all teams and gave her second order, "All units move out!"
She knew that all humans felt fear and thus she controlled her mecha to walk up to the cargo door first. She looked down at the rich darkness that was like a terrifying beast that could swallow everything up. Ling Lan encouraged herself a bit before quickly catapulting her mecha out and rapidly descending upon the planet's surface.
"Little Four, analyze all of this planet's data!" In this situation where everything was unknown, Ling Lan decisively chose Little Four to analyze it instead of the mecha's A.I.. Unlike the latter, she trusted Little Four more.
"Light Source: 0; Air Composition: 67% Carbon Dioxide, 30% Oxygen, 3% Other; Wind speed: Level 7; Gravitational pull..." A string of data quickly flashed onto the mecha's data screen. Ling Lan sent this data directly to all the team members of the First Men's Military Academy. She hoped that this way, those who jumped with her wouldn't have problems because they got the wrong data and operated incorrectly.
