Chapter 1247 Little Seven!“But, I still have to go.” Ling Xiao"s gaze was resolute. “That is my child. As a father, I must save him.”
“General!” He Xuyang understood Ling Xiao"s decision but as the chief of staff of the 23rd division and as Ling Xiao"s confidant, he couldn"t let Ling Xiao be in any danger. Even if it was for Young Master Lan, he wouldn"t allow it.
To He Xuyang, Ling Xiao was the most important person in the whole Federation. He was much more important than Young Master Lan.
“You"re a G.o.d-cla.s.s operator of the Federation. You"re the commander-in-chief of the ongoing war. You"re the general of the 23rd division. If something happens to you, the Federation, the entire army, and the 23rd division will all be affected. Please reconsider your decision,” He Xuyang persuaded.
“Xuyang, you think too highly of me. The Federation will still be able to stand tall even after I"m gone. Qi Yaoyang will be able to take over the position as the commander-in-chief. Without me, he will still be able to lead them to victory. I only feel sorry for the soldiers of the 23rd division. My stubbornness placed them in danger. However, I believe that you will be able to protect them. Hence, I"ll pa.s.s the 23rd division to you.” Ling Xiao held He Xuyang"s shoulders firmly. He pa.s.sed his responsibility to this capable subordinate whom he trusted with his whole heart.
Ling Xiao trusted He Xuyang more than the friends he made when he was young. He had disappeared for 17 years. Thus, when he came back, he didn"t dare to even believe in his old friends.
“General, I reject the order. Without you, I won"t be able to bring the 23rd division back safely. You"re Young Master Lan"s father but you"re the father of the 23rd division too. You can"t bear letting Young Master Lan get hurt but what about the millions of soldiers in the 23rd division?” He Xuyang couldn"t control his anger and he questioned Ling Xiao furiously.
He only had one thought in his mind. He needed to prevent the general from leaving. He mustn"t let him jump into the trap even though he knew how dangerous it was.
“You"re right. I"m not a good general.” Ling Xiao"s expression turned sorrowful. “I"m not impartial. I can"t give up my family for the nation. My heart is small. I can only hold my wife and my child. I can only bother about everything else if they"re safe. The Federation, the 23rd division, they all come after my family. This is the real me. I"m just a normal person who cares about his family before the nation.”
“Xuyang, I disappoint you.” Ling Xiao smiled bitterly.
“General, can"t you it is a trap.” He Xuyang shook his head. “Even if you go, you might not be able to save Young Master Lan. You might even be killed in the process. Is this worth it? Yes, you can"t let go of Young Master Lan but what about your wife? How can you bear to let her lose two of her loved ones at once?”
“Xuyang, that will never happen,” Ling Xiao shouted loudly. He continued in a firm tone, “I will bring Ling Lan back. I will never let Ling Lan die there. This is my promise as a father.”
“General…” He Xuyang managed to calm down due to Ling Xiao"s shout. He felt bitter. He could see the resolution in Ling Xiao"s eyes. No one would be able to change his decision. Even if Lan Luofeng came, it would be useless too.
“Xuyang… if… I"ll hand the 23rd division over to you.” Ling Xiao hesitated for a while before saying
His instinct told him it would be very dangerous. He didn"t know if he could make it out alive. He had to plan for the worst.
Ling Xiao went to the mecha hold and boarded (Belief). When his c.o.c.kpit closed, he let out a cold smile.
“This time, I lost. I can"t be as heartless as you. However, if I come back alive, I"ll make you pay the price for it, Great Marshal Lan.”
The mecha"s engine roared. [Belief] flew out of the command ship in an instant and disappeared in the universe.
He Xuyang stared at the big screen as he watched Ling Xiao leaving on (Belief). Many thoughts went through his head. Finally, he stood up and pressed a b.u.t.ton. “This is the latest command. All soldiers of the 23rd division, please prepare to move out. We"ll be leaving for the Qingri wormhole in 10 minutes.”
The entire 23rd division got busy.
He Xuyang looked into the s.p.a.ce and muttered to himself, “General, I"m sorry. I"m not a good adviser too. I can"t just sit and let you be in danger. Let me fight together with you. I believe that we will be able to survive it together.”
In the control room of a Destruction Devil, the optical supercomputer of the starship chatted with its captain as it warmed up the ship. It asked curiously, “General Ling Xiao has already left. Why are we leaving so late?”
The captain was a middle-aged major general. He patiently explained, “The starships need time to warm up. The soldiers need time to prepare too. Ten minutes is reasonable.” The major general sounded as though he was talking to a friend instead of a computer.
“I understand.” The lines on the optical supercomputer moved as though it was nodding
“7th Bugle, when will you call me father?” The captain suddenly asked. He took a lot of effort to raise this cute mainframe.
“My name is Little Seven, not 7th Bugle.” The optical supercomputer suddenly became agitated.
“You came from the 7th Bugle Call. Shouldn"t your name be 7th Bugle?” The captain pouted.
“My name is Little Seven. My boss is… hmph, I"m not talking to you anymore,” Little Seven snorted.
“Who is your boss? You never answer me whenever I ask you this question.” The captain wanted to probe further but the angry mainframe ignored him.
“Fine, I won"t ask you anymore. Little Seven, why can"t you call me father?” The captain suddenly turned depressed. “I endured so much hardships to raise you. Is it too much to ask you to call me father?”
“Hmph, I"ll cut ties with you now.” This sentence appeared on the virtual screen. This showed that the mainframe was still angry.
“You little fellow. I see that you"re really angry.” The captain knew that he wouldn"t succeed so he gave up.
At this moment, the door opened and a senior colonel walked in. “Tian Fang, are you still chatting with your little mainframe?”
“Luo Yang, what"s the matter?” Tian Fang turned serious.
Captain Tian Fang and Adviser Luo Yang were the ones who fetched Ling Lan from the military academy in the past. After gaining many merits under the wings of General Ling Xiao, both their ranks had risen significantly.