Chapter 156 I Can Do It

Seeing that Moqi Lianhao, Zhanyuan, and Xuan Xuan were all staring at him, Liao Kun, despite being an elder, felt his face burning under their gazes. He explained, "The people who investigate the mecha modification process are strictly vetted. There is no way they would casually leak information."

Xuan Xuan looked at him, confused as to who he was. She glanced at Zhanyuan, who in turn looked at Moqi Lianhao, coughed, and said, "This is Liao Kun, the principal of the Federal First Military Academy."

Moqi Lianhao cast a cold glance at Zhanyuan, who quickly looked away. Why did he suddenly feel as though he had dropped a generation in front of Moqi Lianhao?

He felt an involuntary sense of respect upon seeing Moqi Lianhao.

Yet they were of the same generation.

He glanced at Xuan Xuan and thought, *Fine, dropping a generation it is.* Actually, he had only just reached adulthood. With human lifespans being so long nowadays, the age gap between them wasn't really that significant. It didn't seem quite like robbing the cradle, after all.

Seeing Zhanyuan look away, Moqi Lianhao became even more suspicious. There was no reason for Zhanyuan to avoid his gaze unless he had something to hide. After throwing another glance at him, Moqi Lianhao turned to Xuan Xuan and said, "This is your principal. Call him Grandpa Liao."

Liao Kun belonged to the same generation as Moqi Yi and was not much younger.

Xuan Xuan gave Liao Kun a look. Earlier, he had seemed to be smiling with ill intent, and it was his subordinates who had leaked her information. Although she hadn't suffered any harm, it was still, strictly speaking, their fault.

Ignoring Moqi Lianhao's instruction, Xuan Xuan remained silent and did not address Liao Kun.

Liao Kun understood Xuan Xuan's current mood, but he still believed that his subordinates would not make such a mistake. He pointed at Xuan Guo and said, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. As for her, may I take her with me for now?"

With a wary look in her eyes, Xuan Xuan immediately retorted, "No way. She is my spoils of war."

Rubbing his nose in embarrassment, Liao Kun looked at Moqi Lianhao. This incident had taken place at the Federal First Military Academy and stemmed from the freshmen competition, so handing her over to Liao Kun was appropriate. However, Xuan Guo was a special case; whether she was parasitized by the Zerg had not yet been confirmed. Hesitating for a moment, Moqi Lianhao said, "This person is rather unusual. I need to consult my father first."

Liao Kun was momentarily stunned. How could he not have the final say over an ordinary student?

Though he found it unusual, he respected the decision and nodded.

When Moqi Lianhao asked Moqi Yi, the latter pondered for a moment before smiling. "Of course there is no problem. I still trust the reputation of the Federal First Military Academy and Liao Kun."

No matter what, given the status and influence of the Federal First Military Academy, pulling them onto their side was the best course of action. The matter of Zerg parasitism would become known to them sooner or later, and Moqi Yi felt that the time was right.

Moreover, taking Xuan Guo back after handing her over to them wouldn't be an issue, especially since Xuan Qin had already been found.

Liao Kun nodded. Seeing Xuan Guo's relaxed expression, he felt a bit puzzled, but still had someone take her away.

If there was a mole within the Federal First Military Academy, the issue had to be thoroughly investigated.

Before leaving, Liao Kun said to Xuan Xuan, "Keep it up. I have high hopes for your team."

Xuan Xuan gave a slight nod. Since her grandfather and father both seemed to have a good relationship with him, Liao Kun did not linger any longer. He not only needed to announce the investigation results regarding the cheating allegations, but also investigate whether the information leak had originated from his own subordinates.

After Liao Kun left, Moqi Lianhao's expression grew even darker. He cast a side glance at Zhanyuan, finding him more and more unpleasing to the eye. With a cold hum, he said to Xuan Xuan, "Let's go."

Though regretful that Xuan Guo had been taken away, Xuan Xuan obediently followed behind Moqi Lianhao.

Zhanyuan followed at a distance behind them, pondering when he might find an excuse to visit the Moqi residence and see Tong Wan.

When Xuan Xuan and the others returned to the martial arena, Moqi Weihao and Moqi Weihan had already arrived. Seeing Xuan Xuan approach, they asked, "Are you alright?"

Xuan Xuan nodded, but noticing their odd expressions, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Baili Ruchen tried to stall us, but then suddenly left with red eyes. Seeing that he was in bad state, we quickly contacted Third Uncle and asked him to find you," Moqi Weihao said. Baili Ruchen's expression at the time had been somewhat frightening.

Xuan Xuan was a bit puzzled as to why Baili Ruchen would suddenly have problems. "What happened?"

"It seems the Zerg inside him acted up," Lou Yitong said.

Xuan Xuan thought for a moment. "Since the mother worm inside Xuan Guo ran into trouble, it's only natural for the larva inside him to react."

Moqi Weihao and Moqi Weihan wore complex expressions. No matter what, he was still their uncle, but his actions had simply crossed the line.

Lou Yitong added, "His spiritual power seems to be malfunctioning as well."

Xuan Xuan gave Lou Yitong a surprised look. Could she even detect something like that?

"It's a curse—a little trick I placed on him back on Tianshui Star," Xuan Xuan explained. Yet she felt a tinge of regret; because of Lou Yitong's special talent, she lacked other magical abilities, otherwise she probably would have had a great talent for curses.

"A curse?" the others asked in unison.

Xuan Xuan nodded. "It's just a dark-type ability, though the Zerg larva inside him ended up using poison to fight poison, rendering the curse largely ineffective."

Xuan Xuan had only just discovered that Zerg larvae could actually absorb the energy of a curse, which was somewhat unfortunate.

Before the matches began that day, Liao Kun made a public announcement: the cheating allegations raised by Xuan Guo yesterday against the "Seconds" team were unsubstantiated. Furthermore, because Xuan Guo had intentionally slandered them, her team was disqualified from the competition.

The entire arena erupted in an uproar, hardly believing their ears. The way people looked at Xuan Xuan's team had completely changed. Whether it was the Federal First Military Academy showing deliberate favoritism or whether they had truly modified their mechas on their own, it was enough to keep everyone's eyes fixed upon them.

Meanwhile, Xuan Guo's team, the dark horse of the tournament, had been eliminated just as they were beginning to show their potential.

Many people felt it was a pity, as they had been major contenders for the championship. Quite a few teams felt relieved, however, as the elimination of such a formidable and highly coordinated team removed a heavy burden from their minds.

Instead, Xuan Xuan's "Seconds" team drew the attention of even more people. The championship, which originally should have effortlessly fallen into Aizhe's hands, now carried a hint of uncertainty.

Most members of the "Seconds" team had yet to step onto the stage, and one of their mainstays, Moqi Weihan, had not even shown his hand. Though a few others were not mecha majors, following Zheng Chao's precedent, no one present dared to look down upon them.

Due to the disqualification of Xuan Guo's team, only nine teams remained to participate in the finals.

The finals would be primarily team matches.

To ensure fairness, matches were still decided by drawing lots.

Originally there should have been five groups, but now there were only four. The remaining team would automatically advance directly to the final match.

However, the final draw yielded a result none of them had anticipated: Aizhe's team and Xuan Xuan's team were matched against each other in the very first round.

Even Xuan Xuan found it somewhat bizarre.

Meanwhile, the members of the other seven teams could barely keep from grinning from ear to ear. Among the three strong competitive teams, one had been eliminated early, and the remaining two were set to clash before the battle for the championship and runner-up titles.

Regardless of who won, the loser would be eliminated and miss out entirely on the final showdown.

And for all the other remaining teams, their chances had just increased.

Aizhe's expression remained normal; a confrontation with Xuan Xuan's team was inevitable. If he couldn't defeat them, whether he placed second or ninth made no difference to him, so the timing of the match didn't matter.

Xuan Xuan tugged at her hair. She was somewhat surprised to run into Aizhe's camp so early, but with only nine teams left, an encounter was bound to happen eventually.

Would it be better for everyone to go up?

Or should she just let Moqi Weihao and the others handle it? Lou Yitong possessed a unique ability, and Xuan Xuan did not want to expose her prematurely, especially in an arena setting like this.

"Lou Yitong doesn't need to go up first," Xuan Xuan said.

Moqi Weihao glanced at Lou Yitong and nodded in agreement. The rest of them should be able to handle it; why expose the growth in Lou Yitong's strength now?

"Once we're up there, Moqi Weihan and I will take the lead on the offense. I'll keep an eye on Aizhe, and Moqi Weihan, you dart between two targets. The others will each tie down one opponent. They only have six people, so you don't need to defeat them—just stall them. Once Moqi Weihan finishes his targets, he can turn around and support you. I won't give Aizhe the chance to worry about anything else, and if an opportunity arises, we'll take him down," Moqi Weihao arranged the strategy.

Xuan Xuan nodded; Moqi Weihao's plan was sound. Just as they were about to step onto the stage, Lou Yitong suddenly stepped forward. "I want to go up too."

Xuan Xuan raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

Everyone else stared at her as well. Feeling awkward and flushing red, Lou Yitong forced herself to explain, "I don't want to be dead weight forever. I want to help everyone too. I can do it."

"It's not that we think you're dead weight, we're just worried for your safety. Especially since your abilities have changed, you're bound to attract a lot of attention. In a match, you'll be their primary target," Xuan Xuan said.

Lou Yitong didn't think her abilities were particularly extraordinary, but she didn't want to be a burden anymore, and she trusted the companions behind her. "I believe they can protect me."

Xuan Xuan smiled, sensing that Lou Yitong truly cared about this team and trusted her teammates. Nodding, Xuan Xuan gave her consent.

Moqi Weihao, however, looked troubled. Once Lou Yitong's support abilities were revealed, Aizhe would undoubtedly target her first. If she entered the match, they only had five people to begin with, meaning they would have to spare someone just to protect her—and even then, they couldn't guarantee she wouldn't be in danger. Although Lou Yitong's support skills were powerful, precisely because of that, he wanted to protect her properly. "You don't have a mecha. If the opponents attack once you're on the martial arena, we might not even have time to save you."

Lou Yitong looked aggrieved. Was Moqi Weihao still thinking of her as a liability?