Chapter 1181 A Joke!

Ling Yi turned to face Yan Wuyou with a dreadfully pale face. He was aware that Yan Wuyou was wealthy but he didn't know the extent of his wealth. Even Ling Lan's family could only be considered a seventh-rank elite family when they parted ways with the main Ling family.

A seventh-rank elite family was still an elite family but its overall situation was slightly better than an average family. The wealth of a sixth-rank elite family was something an average mind could not comprehend.

Yan Wuyou's face turned pale after his identity was exposed. He turned to look at Ling Yi, and saw the astonishment and suspicion in his eyes. Yan Wuyou felt bitter about the lack of trust Ling Yi had for him. He gave a forced smile and said, "I'm from an elite family but my position in the eyes of the elders in my family is almost non-existent. Is there really a difference between my situation and Ling Yi's situation? No, I'm probably worse off. At least, he still has people who are concerned about him. They will teach him physical skills and provide him with necessities. No matter how expensive the gene agent is, they will buy it for him. In the beginning, I was envious of Ling Yi. Why should a normal civilian like him be able to get things that I couldn't?"

"Initially, I wanted to find out what his identity is, so I befriended him in order to get closer to him. Is he the illegitimate son of some elite family? Is he a young master that is hiding from his enemies?" Yan Wuyou mocked himself. "But, as time went by, I started to forget about my jealousy and accepted Ling Yi for who he is. He was just too sincere between us. He couldn't hide his feelings. He would try and provide us with whatever we need. He never asked for repayment for the thing he had done for us too. Sometimes, I wonder how could anyone be so stupid? He didn't even know who we truly were or what our true intentions were, but he was already willing to pour his heart out to us. This simplicity touched me. In the end, I took him as my best friend."

"Big Leader Li, I've never betrayed Ling Yi. While we were talking in the room, I just lamented the fact that if I had an outstanding older brother, the Yan family's power might have been still in my family's control, and my life wouldn't have been so difficult." Yan Wuyou looked at Li Lanfeng. His eyes were filled with pain. He knew that Ling Yi would be furious when he revealed his true identity so he wanted to slowly reveal it to him. That way, he would be mentally prepared too, and the impact wouldn't be so great. However, he didn't expect he would have no choice but to reveal it this soon. His identity got exposed so suddenly that he didn't know what he should do.

"Actually, if someone wants to create such coincidences, they will definitely leave traces behind. Yan Wuyou, if you want to clear your name, you must find the real betrayer." Li Lanfeng said indifferently, "Wallowing in self-pity is not going to help you."

"I know. It's useless if I don't have any evidence." Yan Wuyou closed his eyes painfully. He carefully recalled what had happened on that day. He tried to recall the conversations between them, trying to find any traces of the betrayer.

If he had the choice, he wouldn't want to suspect anyone of his friends. The six of them knew each other since the first year of Scout Academy. From then on, they got closer and became very good friends. After more than ten years of being together, he had already viewed them as his family members. In the past, he would feel sad at the fact that he didn't have an older brother to rely on, but the appearance of these people made up for his lack of a brotherly figure. He had no regrets now.

He thought that he would walk to the end of his life with these people, but a betrayer appeared and ruined everything between them. This person dragged them into a deep abyss. Now, to protect himself and his innocent brothers, he must find this person. This was like asking Yan Wuyou to stab himself in his heart. It was really painful.

"I am not suspecting anyone. I'm just stating the truth. When I said that I admire my friends for having siblings, Hua Qingxin pointed at Xiaotao. He said that Xiaotao has the most siblings and he is the youngest among his siblings too. His siblings always dote on him." Yan Wuyou didn't want to push Hua Qingxin out but just like what Li Lanfeng said, any schemes would leave clues behind. If he wanted to find the betrayer, he mustn't hide any details.

Hua Qingxin's eyes widened when he heard this. He didn't expect to be pushed out by his trusted buddy.

"More and more people are getting implicated. What is the point of this?" Gu Dongyang frowned as he whispered to Yang Mingzhi.

"I'm sure Big Leader Li already knows who the betrayer is. There's another reason for him to put on this show." Yang Mingzhi sighed.

"What do you mean?" Gu Dongyang was puzzled.

"He wants to remove everyone around Ling Yi. He wants Ling Yi to understand that everything he has is a joke. He wants to destroy Ling Yi." Yang Mingzhi had already understood the intention behind Li Lanfeng's actions.

"Ling Yi is too simple-minded but his personality is not bad. Plus, he is regiment commander's... is this too heartless?" Gu Dongyang felt that they shouldn't be too harsh on Ling Yi.

"That's precisely why Big Leader Li is so ruthless. Ling Yi is a part of regiment commander's family. If he remains so simple-minded, he will be used by regiment commander's enemies. For instance, this current issue. His intention was good and his principles are right but it's just not the right thing to do in the overall picture. Luckily, our regiment commander prepared beforehand so we didn't get punished, but if he didn't, you will probably be stuck in Planet General. You might not be able to come back. Our mecha clan won't be able to become an independent army too." Yang Mingzhi was a gentle person but his experience in political battles told him that people like Ling Yi posed a great danger to the survivability of a clan.

Gu Dongyang agreed with what Yang Mingzhi said. The uncomfortable feeling he had towards Li Lanfeng's actions melted away. No matter how despicable Big Leader Li was, he did it for the sake of Lingtian. Lingtian currently must remain low-key. Before they officially became an independent army, nothing must happen within the mecha clan.

To achieve this, they needed to get rid of uncertain elements. Even if these uncertain elements were innocent, they had to do it.

"What a pity to those young men. They are not bad." Gu Dongyang sighed.

"Sometimes, following the wrong person is a mistake too. Since it's a mistake, they must pay the price for it," Yang Mingzhi replied indifferently. His expression was stern. He seemed to have recalled something in his past.

Hua Qingxin looked slightly feminine. He was quite a beauty. When he got pushed out by Yan Wuyou, he got flustered for a moment which made him look very pitiful.

Unfortunately, the people at the scene weren't affected by his looks. Well, there was someone who was affected but he already had someone else in his heart. Hua Qingxin's face wasn't able to seduce him.

Xie Yi looked at Luo Lang in comparison. Luo Lang's bright and cheerful face made him much happier.

Chapter 1182 Holy Father!

"Ling Yi, after hearing their defense, all of them still seem suspicious to me. What do you think?" Li Lanfeng suddenly turned to look at the confused Ling Yi who was squatting on the ground while hugging his head in despair, seemingly wanting to hide away from the problem.

"I don't know. I really don't know." Ling Yi furiously shook his head. He didn't want to believe that his friends had betrayed him but now, he didn't know if he could trust his companions.

"What a pity. The person you have high hopes for can't help you." Li Lanfeng looked at the other five people with pity. Their faces turned even paler. They looked disappointed.

'We trusted you and were willing to give up everything to follow you. Yet, you don't trust us. You aren't even willing to speak up for us. Have you forgotten about the promise we made?'

Li Lanfeng smiled. 'Ling Yi, you're really too naive.'

"Since I gave everyone an opportunity to defend themselves, Hua Qingxin, I'll give you an opportunity too. Why did you say that? What made you say that?" Li Lanfeng's attitude was gentle. He was fair to all the people and didn't strip Hua Qingxin of his opportunity to defend himself.

Hua Qingxin looked at Li Lanfeng gratefully. He felt that Big Leader Li was the easiest person to talk to among all the team leaders (Most team leaders and veteran members of Lingtian knew Li Lanfeng's true personality, most of the new membersx were still oblivious to his manipulative side).

He controlled the fear in his heart and started thinking about the conversation they had on that day. When Yan Wuyou talked about how good it was to have siblings, he immediately thought of Xiaotao. He was the youngest among his siblings so his parents and siblings doted on him a lot. That was why he had such a positive and outgoing personality.

Why did he have such a strong impression?

Hua Qingxin didn't have any brothers but he had sisters. He had two older sisters and one younger sister. His mother brought him up herself so his personality was more towards the feminine side. His name was also similar to his older sisters'. They were called Hua Qingrui and Hua Qingmi. His mother must be too lazy to think of names so he named him after his sisters.

In most families, the only son would get a lot of love. However, the Hua family was different. Males were not important in the Hua family. Instead of the norm, his mother treated him as the outcast of the family. When he quarreled with his sisters, he would always be the one getting reprimanded, even if he wasn't the one who started it.

Sometimes, Hua Qingxin wondered why he wasn't a female. If he was female, he wouldn't have been treated so unfairly. His family environment made him feel inferior as a male so he tried his best to act more like a lady so that his mother would treat him better.

However, after he entered the Scout Academy, his feminine actions were disliked by other students. The students kept bullying him so he got more quiet and self-conscious as a person, creating a vicious cycle. In the end, Hua Qingxin slowly lost his confidence and accepted his fate.

If Ling Yi and his friends didn't come into his life and rescued him, he might have become a weakling that just allowed people to bully him. He might even commit suicide because of the constant teasing.

Hua Qingxin knew he wasn't a strong-willed person. He was able to achieve everything he had today with the help of his comrades.

Yet, someone with evil intentions was hiding among these people who had helped him selflessly.

Hua Qingxin looked at Tao Xiaotao. Tao Xiaotao always boasted about how much his family members doted on him. His siblings would give him any good food and would help him to take the blame whenever he created trouble. He was very envious of Tao Xiaotao. In the Hua family, he was always the scapegoat, whether he liked it or not.

Yes. He was envious and jealous of Tao Xiaotao. The treatment they received at home was totally different. That was why when Yan Wuyou talked about siblings, he thought of Tao Xiaotao.

But, this was just his own thoughts. Tao Xiaotao didn't purposely instill that thought in him. How could he push Tao Xiaotao out to clear his own name? Tao Xiaotao was already the most suspicious because of his message.

Tao Xiaotao narrowed his eyes when he saw Hua Qingxin looking at him.

Hua Qingxin looked at Li Lanfeng. There were tears in his eyes but he was smiling. "I'm sorry, Leader Li. I can't find any evidence to prove myself innocent."

He was always the weakest among his friends. If he took the blame, it might be good for everyone. He would take it as repaying his friends for their help and friendship for all those years.

Li Lanfeng squinted his eyes. He looked at Hua Qingxin in surprise. This was an unexpected outcome. On paper, Hua Qingxin was the weakest among the six people, but he was quite the strong young man in his mind.

"Hua Qingxin is not bad." Gu Dongyang took a liking for this young man too. Anyone that was willing to die for his comrades wouldn't be too bad.

"He has a weak personality but from the looks of it now, he has the potential to become a good soldier." Yang Mingzhi acknowledged this young soldier too.

"If he could pass this test, we can give him a chance." Gu Dongyang was deep in thought.

"That'll depend on whether Big Leader Li is willing to let him go. Although they're in the ZF department, they're part of Big Leader Li's mecha team." Yang Mingzhi pointed at Li Lanfeng with his mouth.

"Looks like I have to find some gifts for him," Gu Dongyang replied helplessly. Li Lanfeng acted too quickly. He moved these people under his wing so if he wanted Hua Qingxin, he had to request him from Li Lanfeng.

He could look for their regiment commander too but it would be embarrassing to disturb Ling Lan for such a small matter.

Gu Dongyang had a good impression of Hua Qingxin but that didn't mean that he was safe. He needed to pass this test first to prove that there was value in grooming him.

"Do you mean that you're the betrayer?" Li Lanfeng smiled ambiguously at him. He felt interesting to see such a holy father who was willing to sacrifice for his friends.

"I just hope that I won't implicate anyone else." Hua Qingxin closed his eyes.

'Let me be the end of everything.'

The other people looked at Hua Qingxin in surprise. They didn't expect him to be the betrayer. Tao Xiaotao muttered to himself, "How can it be you? How can it be you?"

"Do you really think that you can help your friends by bearing the charges?" Li Lanfeng suddenly asked coldly.

Chapter 1183 I'm Sorry!

Hua Qingxin anxiously looked at Li Lanfeng with shaken and constricted pupils in his eyes. The other five people understood what Li Lanfeng meant. They widened their eyes. 'Does he mean that Hua Qingxin wasn't the betrayer?'

"Maybe you are just pretending to sacrifice yourself but in actual fact, you just wanted to hide your true nature." Li Lanfeng raised his eyebrows. The five young men felt their heart wavering again. Was Hua Qingxin the betrayer?

"Do you think that everything will be better if you take the blame? The real betrayer is still among your friends so the same situation might happen again. Who will be the one getting the blame next time?"

Li Lanfeng stood up and walked towards Hua Qingxin slowly. His gentle aura turned cold. The sudden force of presence caused Hua Qingxin to take a few steps back. He fell weakly on his chair.

Li Lanfeng leaned forward. "Hua Qingxin, don't you think your decision is stupid? You pushed your friends to hell. They will become the scapegoats of the betrayer. I wonder if they will hate you for your selfless sacrifice today when they go to hell. You caused them to miss the opportunity to catch the betrayer."

Hua Qingxin's mind collapsed under Li Lanfeng's questioning. He started shouting, "Stop talking! Please stop!" Why was taking the blame for his friends wrong? What should he do? What should he do?

"Qingxin, Leader Li is right. You shouldn't take the blame if you are not guilty. What you are doing now is a mistake. Any lack of information from you might cause the betrayer to escape." Yi Tiange, who had been keeping quiet from the start, suddenly spoke.

Hua Qingxin looked up immediately when he heard Yi Tiange. His eyes were shining as he looked at Yi Tiange. He seemed to have found his mental support.

Yi Tiange was their strategist. Even Ling Yi would listen to Yi Tiange before he acted. In their hearts, his position was second to Ling Yi.

Yi Tiange nodded at Hua Qingxin. He must explain himself. That was the only way they could find the truth.

Hua Qingxin closed his eyes and calmed himself down. When he opened them again, his gaze turned resolute.

"I said that because I was jealous of Tao Xiaotao. Tao Xiaotao's family must be the most loving family among the six of us. He is a commoner but his parents and siblings loved him so much." Hua Qingxin looked at Tao Xiaotao with a bitter smile. "Yet, he doesn't seem to know how fortunate he is. Familial love is something we don't have. Yet, he always boasts about his family in front of us. It's irritating."

Hua Qingxin sighed. "It might be because Tao Xiaotao always mentioned how his family dotes on him so it left a strong impression in my mind. Hence, when Wuyou talked about how jealous he was, I instantly thought of Tao Xiaotao."

Hua Qingxin looked at Li Lanfeng again. He said seriously, "Leader Li, no one lured me to say that. It's all because of my own jealous thoughts. I have two older sisters and one younger sister but they never dote on me. My older sisters look down on me while my younger sister ignores me. No matter who makes a mistake, I'll always be the one getting punished. The luckier Xiaotao was, the worse I feel. I got even more envious of him."

"I'm sorry. I have no clue who the betrayer is. I can't prove that I'm not the one too. I can only say my true thoughts. Finally, I just want to tell all of you that I'm not the betrayer." Hua Qingxin was firm. If everyone was innocent, he didn't mind taking the blame. However, there was a real traitor among them. His sacrifice would only allow the betrayer to harm his friends. He couldn't allow that.

"It came back to you again. Interesting. Tao Xiaotao, what do you have to say?" Li Lanfeng walked to Tao Xiaotao and smiled at him.

"I don't know. I just want to share my happiness with everyone. I didn't know they were jealous. I didn't know. I was just sharing. Why did it become like this? Why did it become like this?" Tao Xiaotao was agitated and hurt. He just wanted to spread his happiness with his friends, but it was taken the wrong way. He couldn't understand how it became like this.

He was so overwhelmed with emotions that he didn't know what to say. He just kept repeating the same words.

"Ling Yi, you're the leader of the team. Shouldn't you say something? Can't you see that everyone is waiting for you?" Li Lanfeng walked to Ling Yi and stared him down. His target was Ling Yi. He wouldn't allow him to remain quiet.

Ling Yi raised his head slowly. His eyes were bloodshot. He glared at Li Lanfeng with hatred. This was the person who caused him to be in such a situation. He was the one who forced him to suspect everyone. He now didn't even dare to look at his friends. He was afraid of their hopeful gaze.

Damn it, he didn't know who to believe. The trust they had for one another collapsed amidst all the suspicion.

"Ling Yi, you don't believe anyone!" Li Lanfeng mocked him. He looked at the other five people with pity as he noticed their disheartened gaze. Li Lanfeng's words had already left a scar in their hearts. Even if they understood Ling Yi's intention, it still hurt them.

"No. I trust them. However, Young Master Lan is my bottomline. No one can touch that. Someone among them chose to harm Young Master Lan, and I can't forgive that. Even if there is only a slight suspicion, I won't let it go. I rather kill a thousand than to make such a mistake. You all trusted the wrong person. I'm sorry!" Ling Yi shouted angrily.

Tears fell