Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Just like that, Ling Lan and Tang Yu fought for more than 300 rounds. At that point, Ling Lan revealed a weak point, which allowed Instructor Tang Yu to land a hit and defeat her. This result made all the people who were watching cry in agony; all of them had almost lost all of their credits. However, as the dealer, Xie Yi also had a bitter expression on his face, and this was because he had to pay Gao Jinyun and his battle team 180,000 credits. This had made him instantly lose all the credits he had accumulated in the past few years and return to his original poor self.
In Gao Jinyun’s battle team, the vice-captain couldn’t control his feelings of excitement. He grabbed Gao Jinyun’s right arm and shook it violently, asking, “Captain, Captain, I’m not dreaming, am I? We… we really won.”
As Gao Jinyun was shaken about by his vice-captain, he had a stupid smile on his face as if he was in a dream. When he placed his bet in the beginning, he had only done so to support Boss. He didn’t actually want to win any money, but he didn’t expect that his trust in Boss would actually help him win such a huge sum. This time, with his principal amount, plus the interest earned, he suddenly had 120,000 credits. No, wait—if he counted his team’s betting amount, then that would be 240,000 credits. Even after taking away the principal amount of 60,000, it was still 180,000 credits…
Gao Jinyun’s 30,000 credits were accumulated from when he was a child. It should be said that he had taken out all that he owned and bet it on Boss Ling Lan.
All the members in Gao Jinyun’s battle team were from commoner families; they didn’t have any family backgrounds like the other battle teams. Similarly, their team taking out 30,000 credits to bet on Ling Lan wasn’t an easy feat. At that time, the entire team’s credits only amounted to a bit more than 30,000. The only reason they had been willing to take out 30,000 credits was that they trusted their own captain. Now, they had gotten their return for their trust in him. This made the team’s logistics funds increase to more than 100,000. It was enough for their small team to change their equipment and weapons.
Moving away from Gao Jinyun and his team’s excitement, Ling Lan walked out of her mecha’s cockpit. Before she landed on the ground, Qi Long and Han Jijyun had already walked over to her.
“Boss, thanks for your hard work.”
Ling Lan glanced at the crowd that was gathered on the side. She frowned slightly as she said, “Xie lost.” If he had won, the crowd would definitely have scattered.
“Gao Jinyun and his team bet that Boss could endure for 300 rounds and put down 60,000 credits,” Qi Long said with a laugh.
Ling Lan was surprised. “Xie actually dared to do that?” She remembered telling Xie Yi that she would go over 300 rounds this time. Did Xie Yi not listen to her? It seemed that he had indeed been reckless this time around. It was time to beat him up.
Ling Lan saw that Han Jijyun had an odd expression on his face. She uncontrollably thought of something and asked, “Is there another reason?”
Han Jijyun nodded. He sternly told Ling Lan about how Xie Yi dug a hole for himself. Hearing this, Ling Lan glanced towards Xie Yi with a half-smile.
Xie Yi, who was transferring the credits to Gao Jinyun’s battle team, suddenly felt a cold, sharp glare come his way. His entire body felt chilly, as though his blood was frozen. He didn’t even need to turn around to know whose glare it was. He knew he was in trouble; Boss was definitely not going to let him off easy this time.
Xie Yi thought back to the time when he set up his first betting pool…
It happened back in their first year in the military academy. Xie Yi, Qi Long and the others had returned to their own house just like they did every day. Once they entered through door, they could see that their boss was sitting on the sofa in the living room, using his communicator to look through some data.
After Qi Long and the others greeted Boss, they all went back to their own respective rooms and cleaned themselves. Xie Yi’s movements were very fast. When he finished showering, he discovered that Qi Long and the others hadn’t finished yet. There was only Boss still sitting on the sofa, concentrated on the information on the virtual screen.
Xie Yi suddenly had a thought and walked towards the sofa that was facing Boss directly and sat down. Boss’ aura was too strong; he didn’t dare to sit beside him.
After sitting down, Xie Yi fell into several seconds of contemplation before opening his mouth and asking, “Boss, tomorrow is our class’s physical skills battles. The list of names has already been announced. The battle that the most freshmen members are paying close attention to is the one between Qi Long and Commander Wu Jiong. Everyone wants to know who is stronger.”
Ling Lan didn’t raise her head. She replied nonchalantly, “Perhaps everyone else doesn’t have any idea, but those who came from the Central Scout Academy should definitely know the answer.”
Xie Yi smiled. “That’s true. Everyone knows that Qi Long is a bit stronger. It’s just that everyone wants to know how many hits Qi Long would need to defeat Commander Wu Jiong.”
“If he gave his all, he would probably win within 50 rounds. If he restrained himself, he probably would need around 80 rounds.” Ling Lan had raised her head and thought about it for a second before giving an answer.
“Boss, can you tell me just how many it’ll be?” Xie Yi wasn’t satisfied with the approximation of the data the Boss had given him.
Xie Yi’s words prompted a stern look from Ling Lan, which made the former hang his head out of a lack of confidence.
Ling Lan turned off her communicator as she looked Xie Yi straight in the eye and said, “Okay, tell me what you think.”
Xie Yi knew that his thoughts had already been seen through by his hoss. He didn’t hide it anymore and told her everything. “Boss, I was thinking that our team’s logistics funds are running low. Every time we want to buy some necessities, Lin Zhong-qing has to think it over many times and make careful calculations. That’s why I thought of an idea that could add some funds to the logistics division of our team.
“Now that we’re training our physical skills, there could be some competitions. Everyone also seems to be bored and likely to do some betting on the side. I want to make use of this point…” Xie Yi looked at Ling Lan carefully and discovered that her expression didn’t show that she was annoyed. Xie Yi instantly felt better.
The fingers of Ling Lan’s right hand were slowly drumming against the armrest of the sofa. She closed her eyes and began to think on whether this plan was plausible or not.
Seeing her like this, Xie Yi affirmed his decision and told everything he had thought to Boss. He hoped that Boss would support him. “Boss, I won’t create random bets. I won’t open a pool for opponents that I’m unsure about. The only ones that I’ll open would be the ones that I know about. I plan on using our battle team as the main focus.”
“Betting is something that I don’t really like. There are too many uncertain factors involved. You won’t ever know whether you’ll win or lose until the end.” Ling Lan opened her eyes and a cold gleam flashed through them for a second, which instantly snuffed out the courage that Xie Yi had built up just now.
“Unless you can guarantee that you will definitely win!” Ling Lan finished with a sharp look on her face, staring at Xie Yi.
Xie Yi’s expression showed that he was struggling. It was just as Ling Lan had said. Where could he bet to guarantee a win? However, Xie also knew that if he couldn’t guarantee it, Boss would definitely not agree to him starting the bets.
However, Xie Yi really didn’t want to give up on this chance. As the last member to join the team, Xie Yi still didn’t feel fully confident. Although Qi Long and the others had clearly told him that Boss Ling Lan had already accepted him as a member, he had still yet to hear those words from Ling Lan herself. Xie Yi was in a rush, hoping to get a chance to perform and contribute to the team.
Thus, Xie Yi was excited upon discovering that he had a way to help them resolve the pressure of the logistics funds. He didn’t want to give up. Having already made up his mind, he immediately nodded and promised, “Yes, I promise that I will win.”
“If you lose?” Ling Lan wasn’t going to just let Xie Yi off like that.
Xie Yi bit his lip and replied, “I will be willing to be punished by you, Boss.”
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Hearing all this, Ling Lan went into deep thought once again. This made Xie Yi feel perturbed. He didn’t know whether Boss would approve of his idea in the end.
Finally, Ling Lan gave an answer. “I’ll allow it just this time. I hope you can do want you promised.”
Xie Yi excitedly jumped up and instantly bowed down to show his gratitude. “Thank you, Boss, for your trust in me.”
Ling Lan waved her hand. Xie Yi held in his excitement inside and left the living room, making his way back to his own room. He was full of energy as he began to plan for the betting pool tomorrow. He told himself that he had to be careful to make sure he didn’t suffer a setback due to a small careless mistake.
Suffering a serious setback from a careless mistake! Xie Yi remembered his feelings from the past and regretted it strangely. In the past two years, the bets that he had set up had all gone smoothly. With the help of his comrades, he had never lost once. All of this made his confidence inflate without limit and made him lose the caution he had in the beginning.
The bitter result that he had today, after careful thinking, was completely brought about by him digging his own grave… Xie Yi began to worry. Would the good impression that he tried so hard to make in front of Boss be reverted back to the beginning because of this problem?
While Xie Yi was worrying about his well-being, Han Jijyun asked Ling Lan the question he had kept inside him for the past 2 years after he told her the dumb thing that Xie Yi had done. “Boss, I don’t understand why you would have agreed to Xie Yi holding betting pools in the very beginning. This… is clearly not morally right.”
Seeing Han Jijyun’s frown, Ling Lan sighed. Han Jijyun was good in everything, except that he was a bit over the top. It was no wonder, though, because he was a descendant from a big family. These descendants were either quality soldier-like ruffians or exemplary soldiers. Han Jijyun was the latter. He was not very accepting of any act that were against the regulations. To have been able to endure it for so long, he had indeed made Xie Yi his comrade. That was why he was so understanding of Xie.
“For those people came from elite families, they don’t really have that many limitations. We can’t treat them like army personnel,” Ling Lan replied calmly. “Also, two years ago, there was an issue with Xie Yi’s emotions.”
Han Jijyun was surprised. He actually didn’t know about this. “What happened?”
“He couldn’t find his own value in the team. Although he wanted to be the diplomat for the team, the cadets who came from the Central Scout Academy, including Wu Jiong, Li Yingjie and the others, actually still liked to communicate with Qi Long. Xie Yi’s position was indeed very awkward, to begin with,” continued Ling Lan in a sharp tone. She informed Han Jijyun of the situation Xie Yi was in at the very beginning.
Han Jijyun thought back to the past and discovered that it was indeed like that. His face showed guilt as he said, “I’m sorry, Boss. I actually missed this detail.” He was the strategist of the team and yet he hadn’t discovered that a team member’s mental stability was not in check. He had forsaken his position on this part.
“At the time, we had just entered the military academy and didn’t have a firm place to stand yet. Then we were challenged by Leiting Mecha Clan into an arena battle. Everyone’s focus was on that arena battle, so missing that detail was inevitable. You don’t need to feel guilty.” Ling Lan elaborated and made Han Jijyun feel a bit better.
“Although Xie Yi did find his own value back then, it still wasn’t very appropriate in my eyes. However, at the time, it indeed made Xie Yi push past his shaken mentality. This was the most important part. Thus, I agreed with him.” Ling Lan spoke out the reason why she had agreed to Xie Yi’s suggestion in the very beginning.
“Furthermore, the funds of the team’s logistics division did really get replenished. This was a good thing. Jijyun, I think that as long as everyone is willing and doesn’t cheat, rob or trick each other, there’s no good or bad on how the funds are gathered.” Ling Lan didn’t really care about betting. She cared about was whether it was worth it or not.
“Take what I should take. As long as I have a clear conscience?!” Han Jijyun felt like he had understood.
Ling Lan didn’t say anymore. Some things needed Han Jijyun to think about them himself. No one could help him.
Qi Long had been listening to their conversation the entire time. Seeing that Han Jijyun had gone into deep thought, he asked, “Boss, are you preparing to put Xie Yi in his place?”
Ling Lan raised her eyebrow as though she was asking why Qi Long had such a thought.
“Xie Yi’s problem. Boss, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed,” said Qi Long with a smile on his face.
“So you also know.” Ling Lan’s eyes showed a hint of approval.
“My innate talent is Animal Instinct. When I activate my talent, my Animal Instinct tells me that Xie Yi is very dangerous.” Qi Long’s expression suddenly became very serious.
Their words surprised Han Jijyun. He had a face of confusion as he asked, “Boss, Qi Long, what are you guys talking about? What problem does Xie Yi have? Didn’t Boss say that his shaken mentality was resolved?”
Ling Lan looked at Qi Long. This was clearly giving Qi Long the cue to explain to his close friend.
Qi Long rubbed his nose. He could only bitterly explain to his comrade, “You also know that my innate talent, Animal Instinct, can help me sense hidden dangers. Two years ago, although Xie Yi’s mentality was shaken, I didn’t sense any danger from him… but as time went on, even though Xie Yi’s mentality issue was resolved, whenever I activated my innate talent, I could sense the immense pressure he was giving me. This pressure was becoming larger and larger.”
Qi Long looked towards Ling Lan and continued, “It’s just like how Boss usually gives me a sense of intense pressure, but I can still endure it. Once I activate my innate talent, though, Boss’ presence seems so terrifying to the point where if he wanted to me to die, I would die.” After saying all this, Qi Long actually shivered.
Han Jijyun finally understood. “So you’re saying that when you activate your innate talent, the feeling that Xie Yi gives you is very strong and threatens you right?”
Qi Long nodded. Han Jijyun exclaimed with surprise, “Could it be that he has hidden potential?” After saying this, Han Jijyun’s expression showed a hint of sorrow. After all, his so-called comrade had lied to him, which gave him the feeling of being betrayed.
Qi Long didn’t answer. He looked towards Ling Lan because he didn’t know how to say it.
Seeing this, Ling Lan shook her head and said, “No, it’s not Xie Yi’s power. There were a few times when I unintentionally sensed Xie Yi suppressing it.”
Ling Lan’s answer not only shocked Han Jijyun, but also even Qi Long. It was probably because Qi Long hadn’t even thought of this detail.
“Then what is it exactly?” Qi Long asked.
Ling Lan glanced at Xie, who was in the crowd, before looking at Luo Lang who was beside him, and then she began to speak with a certain degree of confidence. “I suspect that it is a second personality, just like Luo Lang’s Alter Ego innate talent.”
“Doesn’t Xie Yi have the Lightning Bolt innate talent? How could he have a second innate talent?” Qi Long asked in surprise. The people of the Federation could only awaken one innate talent—there was no one who could awaken a second.
“I didn’t say it’s an innate talent. It is only similar to Luo Lang’s innate talent. I suspect this has something to do with Xie Yi’s family’s bloodline. Xie Yi doesn’t seem to be surprised by it. He even has a way of holding down that power.
“My guess is that this is some type of split personality… The power it has is extremely overwhelming. It has destructive properties and is probably Xie Yi’s hidden personality,” Ling Lan explained without hesitation.