Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 658

Chapter 658

Chapter 658: Aliens Reemerge!

The pulses of thunderbolt power that came from Lan Jue had undergone a clear, qualitative change .

The Driver, seated across from him, opened his eyes . He sounded upset . “I’m not there yet . I still need time . ”

“About half a month,” Lan Jue replied . “You’ve been working hard, don’t push yourself too much . ”

The Driver had worked harder than every over the last stretch of time . He’d been tirelessly cultivating in attempts to catch up with Lan Jue and transform his Discipline . However, there was an enormous difference in potency between him and the Jewelry Master . It would take time to close that gap . Grasping this opportunity would take time to fully realize .

That is not to say the Driver had not sensed progress, he had undergone his own significant transformation . He had reached the peak of ninth level, and suspected that he could breakthrough to Paragon once the evolution of his Discipline was complete . However, hoping and achieving were different beasts . There were at least ten times as many peak-ranked Adepts as there were Paragons in the universe . Breaking through was a rare happening .

Lan Jue enjoyed most of the thunder essence’s benefits, but some small amount of the immortal qi contained inside was transferred to the Driver . It had a metamorphic effect, however the Driver adhered to Lan Jue’s suggestions and restrained the growth of his powers . He intended to temper his abilities as much as possible, and shore up his foundation . It was a long and grueling path .

“Alright, I’ll head back . I need to consolidate my Discipline . ” Lan Jue stretched and rose to his feet . The crystalline quality gradually disappeared from his flesh . The waves of energy from him also became gentler and more subtle .

By the time his feet touched the ground he was back to normal, and his powers were once again contained within . Now that the conversion of his Discipline was complete, he was a conduit of yin-yang lightning . In other words, he was All-Heaven lightning . It was sure to substantially speed up absorption of the thunder essence . The power within the essence was concentrated, and very pure . In all this time he’d only managed to take in one-tenth of it . However, even that little bit was incredibly potent .

The immortal qi was another matter . It wasn’t only useful to him, but to Qianlin as well – even more so . The Queen of Heaven abilities were inherently rich with congenital qi, so although her consciousness had yet to return, her powers felt like a fairy goddess .

Beep! Beep! His communicator called for his attention . He peeked at the screen and saw it was Lan Qing calling .

“Hey, brother!” 1 He said by way of greeting .

Lan Qing’s tepid voice replied . “Where are you?”

“I’m headed back to the surface shop,” he said .

“I’m going there now . ”

When Lan Jue got back to the jewelry store, Lan Qing was already waiting for him .

“What’s the rush?” Lan Jue asked in curiosity .

Lan Qing’s face was downcast . “A planet in Eastern space has reported an alien sighting . I have to go . ”

Lan Jue was shocked . “Which one?” If it was an Eastern planet, did this mean the aliens had chosen them to begin their invasion?

“Lyr,” he answered .

When he heard the name, Lan Jue’s heart sank . Lyr, former home of the Bookworm . It was a planet covered in oceans that were teaming with life . Lyr University had a long history of rivalry with the NEU . More importantly, it was where the Tears of Neptune were mined – items integral to the extraction and purification of the vital crystals . If the aliens were there, it meant…

Lan Qing’s troubled voice continued . “We can’t underestimate them, the aliens may very well be smarter than we are . Come with me, now isn’t the time to mobilize An Lun . Is the Star Division ready for deployment?”

“Let me check with the Wine Master for instructions,” he said . The communicator didn’t even have a chance to ring before the Wine Master answered .

“Jewelry Master, aliens have been sighted on Lyr . The soldiers garrisoned there have already engaged the enemy, but they need reinforcements . We can respond quickest, so prepare Star Division for dispatch . ”

“I heard the news from General Lan,” he said . “We’ll leave as soon as we can . I’ll tell the Division to get ready . You stay here and look after the Avenue, and make sure this information doesn’t get out . We mustn’t let the West or North know . We’ll handle it . ”

The sudden tense situation shattered Lan Jue’s calm . He was ready for action . He fired off a series of orders through his communicator, and half an hour later Zeus-1 was tearing through the atmosphere toward Lyr .

Skyfire wasn’t far from Lyr . Majesty was further away at An Lun but at top speed it would arrive at roughly the same time . An expedition cruiser was with Zeus-1 as well – Lan Qing’s transport . He was bringing an elite squad of mecha pilots .

Lan Jue connected with his brother’s ship through the bridge’s main controls .

“General Lan, please share the information you’ve received with us . ” The two brothers faced each other through the screen .

“I’m sending it now,” he answered .

For this excursion only Su Xiaosu of Zeus’ Amazons had come along, the others remained behind to look after the stores . They knew the market better than anyone .

Besides Xiaosu, the Driver had also come along . The Wine Master, Clockmaker, Keeper, and Bookworm had all remained on Skyfire . Lan Jue also didn’t trouble his parents . Preliminary reports suggested the invaders were typical breeds, none of the stronger ones . There was no need to bother the two strongest humans alive . Lan Jue and his brother had also sensed a problem the last time their father took to the field . They had an unspoken agreement not to trouble him unless necessary .

The Accountant wasn’t on Zeus-1 because he had been left on An Lun to iron out their plans for electronic warfare . He’d taken well to the role, and in fact was an entirely different person than when Lan Jue had first met him . Now he was one of the most important people in the Division . Since Xiaosu had returned to Skyfire with Lan Jue, he had been left in charge of the Division together with the Bartender and Coffee Master .

Lan Jue had told them about the crisis on Lyr moments after he’d learned about it . Majesty was already on the way .

A data upload began . It wasn’t much, just a few images . There were some surface photos and satellite images, and that was all . Su Xiaosu opened the files so Lan Jue and the Driver could examine them .

Judging by the satellite imagery things didn’t look too bad . There were a few small splotches of purple here and there, but nothing dramatic . After so many encounters they knew the aliens tactics . The more their caustic power covered the planet, the more dire the situation . So far it wasn’t an occupation .

The environment was different on Lyr than it was on Taihua, the last Eastern planet visited by these creatures . Taihua was a tourist planet, its population was few and far between to protect the planet’s environment . Lyr, though, was a colonized planet . Although it had a relatively small landmass, there was a stationed military presence . The closest interstellar fleet had already responded .

Images from the planet’s surface revealed that the aliens were coming from the sea . Once they made it on land they began to terrorize the population .

“What do you think? You have a plan?” Lan Qing asked .

Lan Jue studied the pictures with furrowed brow . “On the surface it doesn’t look bad . Typical invasion procedures, from what we’ve experienced . It starts with a progenitor . It infiltrates the planet and starts to gather vital energy to create its soldiers . They in turn spread out and gather more energy for the progenitor to continue the cycle and grow stronger . So long as the progenitor remains alive and life remains, it’s soldiers never stop . If there are first responders left they should use their most sensitive sonar scanning systems to sweep the ocean beds . ”

Lan Qing responded . “They have sonar, but you know that Lyr’s oceans are full of power gems . The magnetic fields they release will interfere with their systems . They won’t be able to get any accurate readings . Right now the soldiers are busy trying to stem the tide of creatures coming from the ocean . They’re holding, but the corruption is spreading fast . A fair amount of area has already died . Transport ships have already begun evacuating civilians and two small fleets are on their way . In six hours they will have a few mecha units to shore them up until we arrive . ”

“Alright . We proceed full speed ahead and try to get there as soon as possible . ” Speed was the best option . Thankfully the East was ready for war, so their response was quick . If they hadn’t been waiting for it, it could have taken them three days to muster a defense .