1125 Baseline!

Yang Mingzhi thought deeply about Ling Lan's words. After a few seconds, he smiled bitterly. "You understand the situation well. I was too simple-minded."

"You're not simple-minded. You just don't want to think," Ling Lan answered.

Yang Mingzhi was stunned by the sudden praise. He laughed after a while. "Regiment commander, don't be so direct. I have some ego too."

"There's not much time left. I'll only be able to let go of the Lingtian Mecha Clan after you sort out your thoughts." Ling Lan seemed to be referring to something.

Yang Mingzhi sighed. "I didn't manage to fool you."

"You didn't plan to fool me in the first place. If not, you wouldn't show so many loopholes to me," Ling Lan replied indifferently.

"Isn't it because you stopped caring about these things? Or was I too sensitive?" Yang Mingzhi slightly smiled as he asked.

"There's no point in saying such things. You know that Li Lanfeng has always been watching you." Ling Lan pouted. She always hated talking to sly old foxes. They always beat around the bush.

"I was under the impression that you won't trust Big Leader Li." Yang Mingzhi smiled.

"Oh? Why?" Ling Lan raised her eyebrows. She was curious about the reason why.

"Li Lanfeng is from the branch family but he has a strong connection with the main family. Moreover, you have two other successors of the Li family in your team. I thought that you would have your guards up against them." Yang Mingzhi had his own information sources so he managed to discover Li Lanfeng's identity.

As for Li Shiyu and Li Yingjie, anyone who wanted to know more would be able to easily uncover their identity. The Li family had never thought of hiding them.

"They didn't go to the 4th division but came to the 23rd division instead. It's obvious that they wanted to make use of General Ling Xiao's power…" Yang Mingzhi looked at Ling Lan's mecha. He said with respect, "Or they might be eyeing you instead. They want to make use of your fame to break the bind the military has on the Li family."

"Actually, the Li family is very successful through your teachings. Under your guidance, the three members of the Li family gained a good military rank. Every one of them is lieutenant colonels or higher. Li Lanfeng is even a colonel." Yang Mingzhi smiled. "26 years old. When I was 26 years old, I was still working hard to become a senior captain. I only became a colonel after turning 35 years old. I'm really jealous of them. Why didn't I meet such a good regiment commander like you when I was young?"

"I think you are very clear about their schemes already." Yang Mingzhi turned serious. "Do you really not mind or are you guarding against them while using them?"

"I've checked your past before you entered 250 Ace Mecha Clan. The First Marshal should be the one asking you to tell me all these information, right?" Ling Lan frowned. She went straight to the point.

"Regiment commander, since you already know it, why do you have to ask?" Yang Mingzhi gave a forced smile. All his secrets were uncovered. He was the team leader of Team 01 but he was also the First Marshal's man.

"I just want to clear everything up at once." The Lingtian Mecha Clan could seem mysterious to outsiders but she knew everything about the clan clearly. This was the only way to prevent Lingtian from falling apart internally.

Ling Lan created Lingtian but one day, she might have to leave this mecha clan. However, she didn't want Lingtian to only last briefly after her departure. She hoped that the spirit of Lingtian would pass down to future generations continuously.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you're First Marshal's man," Ling Lan said seriously, "My father is under the First Marshal too. Hence, we're from the same faction."

Yang Mingzhi smiled bitterly. Was it really the same?

Today, if our loyalty lied towards the same person, then we're from the same faction. Tomorrow, if our ideas are different, we would have to go our separate ways. However, the two people must be in the same position for that to happen.

He was groomed personally by the First Marshal. If his mecha clan didn't get annihilated and he didn't get mentally traumatized by it, he might have already become the general of the 1st division. That year, he was supposed to rise to become a major general.

However, even after he gave up on himself, the First Marshal didn't give up on him. He still treated him very well and dragged him everywhere just to make him forget the pain. He was the one who didn't want to bother the First Marshal so he applied to come to the 23rd division. If not, he might have been the most trusted adviser of the First Marshal.

His connection with the First Marshal was too deep. He didn't know what he would do if the First Marshal asked him to leave Lingtian and go back to the 1st division.

That was why he tried his best to groom Liu Furong, Gu Dongyang, and the other team leaders. In the end, he was just a visitor of Lingtian, and he didn't know how long he could stay for.

"Of course, just like what you said, the military is guarding against all the elite families, including, the Li family, Ye family, and the four big families. This was why members of other families could attain high positions in the military but the members of elite families couldn't." Ling Lan had always chatted with her father about the secrets of the military so she knew how vigilant the military was of elite families.

"But… what do all these have to do with me?" Ling Lan asked lightly, "I'm just a regiment commander."

"They're able to get what they want if they follow you." Yang Mingzhi was shocked.

"They need to have the strength to do that first. If they have it, why should I prevent them?" Ling Lan didn't care.

"Aren't you afraid they'll take over your power?" Yang Mingzhi frowned.

"Only unconfident people will have such thoughts." Ling Lan smiled and said proudly, "Even if I gave Lingtian to them, it'll still be my Lingtian once I step in."

Yang Mingzhi felt his heart pounding. He looked at the mecha floating in mid-air with a complicated expression. He felt that if the sky dropped, this mecha would be able to hold it up.

"I understand." Yang Mingzhi smiled. From the very beginning, Ling Lan wasn't afraid. That was why he didn't guard against the Li family or the First Marshal. From the moment the Lingtian Mecha Clan was created, Ling Lan was its soul.

"Our choice might be different, but that doesn't mean we can't work together."

"I understand, regiment commander." Yang Mingzhi smiled brightly.

"I only have one request. Don't do anything that could harm Lingtian directly or indirectly. I won't forgive anyone who does that." Ling Lan told him her baseline.

"I understand, regiment commander." Yang Mingzhi turned serious as he made his promise.