Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 671

Chapter 671

Chapter 671: Tyrannosaurus-Class Bastion Ship

Ling Ya smiled sweetly, completely absent the antagonism from before . “It’s a shame I wasn’t able to receive commander Lan Jue’s instruction . ”

Lan Jue looked her way . “Our two forces are allies . We don’t want to hurt anyone, just maintain the peace . When we encounter the alien creatures I’d be happy to compare kill counts with the colonel . ”

“It’s a deal,” she replied with a lopsided grin .

Although she was speaking to Lan Jue, her eyes inadvertently swept toward Su Xiaosu . The angel looked familiar, she thought . It had been uncomfortable to discover her battle prowess was even slightly inferior to the woman .

Wu Qiu went on . “I was told this is not your first excursion into the Shattered Starfields to hunt for aliens . Perhaps you could tell us more about what happened when you encountered the alien planets?”

Lan Jue smiled at the secretary . “I suspect the admiral will ask similar questions . Don’t you think it’d be prudent to discuss it then?”

Wu Qiu had come upon some resistance 1 . He just smiled and said nothing further . He’d already provoked his Eastern guests, he could expect the cold shoulder .

As the verti-car quietly soared through the ship’s interior they were treated to vista of spider-web like walkways cris-crossing one another across vast distances . The building below them were getting smaller, indicating that their car was heading upward .

They passed three separate security checks before ultimately arriving in an oval area . The verti-car touched down, and the two Northern officers lead Lan Jue and his team from the car . Wu Qiu guided them to a large building about the size of a football field . After another check they were permitted inside .

“Commander, if you would leave your team in the waiting area and follow me to the admiral?” Wu Qiu requested .

“Very well . ” It wasn’t necessary for everyone to clutter up the admiral’s office .

Ling Ya motioned for him to follow . “Please come with me . ”

Lan Jue gave his companions a nod . Ling Ya and the Driver took up the lead as they headed for the waiting room, followed by the Paragons . None of them removed their helmets or spoke . Wu Qiu directed Lan Jue toward another hallway .

Three more security checks later, they entered an elevator .

“You know I still think about your performance in the Adept Tournament!” Wu Qiu said conversationally .

Lan Jue replied with a demure smile . “I was just lucky, and the age restrictions helped . Your Discipline was impressive… peak of ninth level, I reckon . Dispersion . ”

Wu Qiu sighed . “It wasn’t once I reached this level that I understood why Skyfire Avenue adheres so strongly to purely congenital Talent . Acquired power has its limits . After all, the technology far surpasses the capabilities of the human body . ”

“It’s a problem with methods to overcome . His Majesty the Terminator found a way, didn’t he?” Lan Jue answered .

Wu Qiu chuckled politely . “How could I hope to compare to his Majesty . ”

A gentle ‘ding’ announced their arrival . The elevator doors opened .

A spacious room was revealed to them with a snow-white floor constructed of some special sort of glass . Military men bustled here and there, none below field-grade officer ranks . Beeps and clicks issued from high-tech machines that filled the room .

Lan Jue’s eyes glittered as he looked around . Although it was his first visit to a Bastion ship, this was clearly the control room .

A Bastion’s size and mass was comparable to a small planet . It took an army to build one, and it was far too large to be run by even a sizeable team . There was the main control station, but also several control sectors that worked in tandem . The main control station was like the brain of the ship, which passed orders to the various sectors . These sectors controlled ship movement, weapons systems, and life support to name a few examples . Each section was independently operated by a team of officers .

Because of this structure, the soldiers treated the ship no differently than being stationed on a planet . Some of them had been living here for dozens of years . The living areas were analogous to cities on Skyfire or Luo, and in theory were much safer .

A touch of pride was revealed in Wu Qiu’s smile . “This is Tyrannosuarus’ main control station . The Admiral’s officer is on the other end, he’s expecting you . He’s very interesting in what you learned in your last trip . We appreciate your hard work . ”

Lan Jue was the definition of polite propriety . “Your praise is undeserved, Secretary . We are happy to help however we can, in the name of humanity . ”

The station’s officers paid them no mind, too busy with their duties to dawdle . Ebbs and flows of energy buffeted Lan Jue from all sides, telling him nearly all of these soldiers were Adepts . All sorts of Disciplines were represented, filling the area with a vibrant atmosphere .

Lan Jue knew that Adepts were preferred for high-grade research and command positions . The reason was simple; they could do more than your average human . Their Talent gave them advantages and staying power in a fight . Tyrannosaurus seemed no different, however there weren’t any high-level Adepts here .

Wu Qiu lead Lan Jue to a silvery-white elevator in the back . They stepped in and continued their ascent . During the ride Lan Jue felt no less than three passes of energy sweep across their bodies – more checks . Wu Qiu’s credentials stopped any untoward reactions from being tripped .

They certainly took defense seriously!

The ride took only a few seconds . When the doors opened again, all sound from the station below was gone . There was only the quiet buzz of electricity to break the silence .

First to catch Lan Jue’s eyes was nothing short of the boundless universe, spread out before him . The vaulted room was transparent from floor to ceiling . One wall was taken up by a series of monitors, thick with strings of complicated data . The other flickered with blinking, enigmatic lights . Even if Lan Jue knew what they were he wouldn’t have known what they meant .

A Spartan desk of white was toward the back, and behind it sat a man .

Even seated Lan Jue could see the man was very tall . His features were the familiar type of his own Alliance 2, with lines belying his middle-age . Dark hair matched darker eyes, typical for Easterners . Four golden stars twinkled on his shoulder strap, indicating his high rank .

“Sir!” Wu Qiu snapped to attention .

The Admiral lifted his head from the holographic device on his desk . His eyes went to Lan Jue first . They were calm eyes, but somehow strange like they bore their own unique allure . It was like he could peer directly into your soul .

But, then, the commander of the Northern army’s Tyrannosaurus-class Bastion wrinkled his eyebrows and shut his eyes .

Wu Qiu started and suddenly stppped forward, blocking Lan Jue’s view . He could feel undulations of power coming off the secretary . Lan Jue, meanwhile, did not move .

“It’s fine . ” Kang Hui’s voice was low . He rose from behind the desk and approached, stopping beside Wu Qiu . His eyes were lit with appreciation . “Hello, Commander Lan . “I am Kang Hui . ” As he spoke the Admiral offered a salute .

Lan Jue was not a member of the military so did not return the salute . He nodded instead . “Hello, Admiral Kang Hui . ” His response was even .

Kang Hui turned toward Wu Qiu and nodded . The secretary took a few steps back but remained in the office .

Surprise lingered in Lan Jue’s mind . Kang Hui was the leader of one of humanity’s most destructive weapons – and yet, his Discipline was hardly substantial . At best he boasted a seventh level Discipline, far inferior to the likes of Wu Qiu or Ling Ya . His Discipline, he suspected, had something to do with his eyes .

Kang Hui probably saw the uncertainty in his guest’s look . He smiled . “Welcome to Tyrannosaurus, commander . Please sit . ” He indicated a metallic sea situated in front of the desk . Wu Qiu separated himself further, stepping off to the side of the room . However he remained, likely to ensure the Admiral’s protection .

Lan Jue did not stand on ceremony and took the offered seat . Kang Hui returned to his own chair opposite .

“I’m a direct sort of person, commander . We have embarked on this journey on behalf of humanity, to meet the alien threat . I don’t imagine its necessary we go over the guiding principles, so I’ll get to the point . We are hoping you can help us learn more about our enemy . ”

Lan Jue answered with a slight nod . “We’re here to help in your operation . We can be ready to leave right away and begin sending back information . ”

Kang Hui leaned back . “I was hoping we might first discuss what you learned during your last tour, get a clearer picture of the situation . According to our information you made two trips to the Shattered Starfields . The first time you uncovered their planets’ ability to teleport . Your second visit served to learn more about the creatures themselves . I must express my admiration of your work, especially since our own scouting attempts have repeatedly ended in failure . Some of our scouts were even equipped with cloaking devices, to no avail . ”

Lan Jue nodded knowingly . “Their counterreconnaisance capabilities are very strong . They identify one another through powerful psionic bursts . They use this to identify and locate non-alien lifeforms . As a result Blinding Stones are effective, but only to within a certain range . Once close enough, their psionic abilities render them useless . We learned this the hard way . ”

Kang Hui regarded him with some surprise . “You were discovered? With all due respect, how did you accomplish your mission?”

Lan Jue smirked . “We killed the one that spotted us and kept going . ”

He didn’t go into detail about Lin Guoguo or her methods, that was a state secret . She’s joined them for this trip as well, but remained back on the ship . He kept in contact with her through the Soulcaller gem . After all, the North had tried to kill him a number of times – it was important to be on guard .

 

The Chinese here is interesting, I thought, if I’m understanding it right . ‘Hit a nail’ is the translation, but ‘nail’ was the name for the front entrance of a government official’s mansion – a place where the common man was not permitted to pass . So ‘to hit a nail’ meant to come upon an impassable obstacle  The term is ‘chinese face’ Please download our sponsor's game to support us!