Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 812

Chapter 812

Chapter 812: Return, Discuss

If the alien planets were in the process of evolution than their goal was delaying the humans . Once their evolution was complete, nothing could stand in their way .

Time was the enemy of humanity .

Should they rush in, then? No one was sure how many of the alien forces had survived and pushed deeper into the center of the solar system . Aside from the progenitors, their only serious loss was Monarch’s avatar, which Lan Jue and Qianlin had killed on Heaven’s Light . The majority of their strength remained intact, and who knew what they were doing in the darkness around Europa .

Whatever ships and personnel they had in this hodge-podge group of soldiers was all that was left of mankind’s defense, they couldn’t be allowed to lose . If they did then all of their efforts up to this point had been for naught . It would mean the potential destruction of their species .

With risks so high Lan Qing had to keep his responses measured . What he needed was more precise data before they could plan their next step .

A series of discussions ensued between him, Hua Li, and Kang Hui . The talks were aimed at hammering out the next phase of their plan .

Right now the armada was busy shuttling people from the planets and gathering them on Angel . From there they would be able to protect them more efficiently . While they worked to evacuate the survivors, they were also waiting for backup and resources from elsewhere .

The first shipment of food and drink came two days later, and helped ease the anxious situation the allied forces had found themselves in . Without food and water the survivors were at risk of rioting, but now that they had sufficient stores all was well . It was still too early for them to ponder on everything they’d lost . What they wanted more than anything was to leave this place and flee the danger that haunted them .

Lan Jue’s 1 decision was contrary to their wishes . For the allied forces, and in order to ensure the best chances at victory, none of these Westerners could be allowed to leave Angel until the fighting was through . They simply couldn’t spare the ships to get them to safety .

The Western government had been destroyed by the sudden alien attack and no help was forthcoming . There were grumblings from the survivors who clearly didn’t like the decision, however they had been saved by these outsiders and had to accept reality . The root of their hope for the future was that these soldiers didn’t fail .

There was power in numbers, and as resources began to pour in the survivors set about caring for themselves . Thankfully Angel, though ravaged, had much that could be recovered . They set about restoring their homes .

Lan Qing ordered a simple census and found that the survivors were talents in their respective fields . That was to say that the alien only chose the more outstanding humans to keep for their mutation process – the weak, the infirm, the young were reduced to energy for consumption . Their reasons were clear – to look into their DNA and see what made them special .

There was a silver lining to the cruel efficiency of the alien selection process . After a brief period of chaos these elite citizens banded together and started to organize their own recovery . With the military’s support they began to rebuild .

Scant though materials were, Angel still had a fair amount left once its vital energy had been recovered . The aliens were only interested in vital energy, so things like ore were of no practical use to them . The building blocks required to salvage the planet remained, though of course the process would be long and slow .

It was the best Lan Qing could hope for . At least the survivors had something to keep them busy instead of harassing the soldiers .

The second shipment arrived on the afternoon of the fourth day . It was also the day two of his most important agents appeared in his office . When he saw Lan Jue and Qianlin, his face relaxed from its typical stony expression .

“What did you need to see us for in such a hurry?” They’d received the summons to see Lan Qing the moment they stepped out from isolation .

Lan Qing pursed his lips . “I need you . We still don’t know anything more about the alien home worlds . We’ve sent out many scout teams but haven’t heard anything back, we suspect they’ve all been destroyed . We even sent a small contingent of five Paragons out to learn what they could, but they were met by five Paragon-level aliens . They only just managed to escape . ”

Lan Jue furrowed his brow . “They’re still trying to cut off intelligence . This is a problem . ” Without more information about their target they couldn’t formulate a plan . They didn’t even know if the planets were still there . They could just fly the whole armada into the center of the solar system and see what they could find, but that posed considerable risk .

Lan Qing was trying to turn the situation around, but if they lost this war Middle Heaven was the Eastern Alliance’s last hope . As admiral Lan Qing couldn’t ignore that fact . As a result his tactics were moderate, and heavily relied on Lan Jue .

The admiral explained . “I need you to go yourself, you have more scouting experience than anyone . Between you and Lin Guoguo, you have the highest chance of success . What we need you to confirm is that those planets are still here . If they are we can continue . ”

As he’d mentioned, Lan Qing had asked a group of Paragons to go scouting during Lan Jue’s sequester . Lin Guoguo had gone with them, but they were nonetheless discovered . The alien blockade was dense, and the closer they got to Europa the harder it became to push on . A net of umbrella-type aliens stood vigil, in search of human scouts and backed up by the alien generals . So far no intelligence sorties had completed their mission .

Lan Qing was knew his brother very well . Lin Guoguo would perform differently with her boss present, and Lan Jue knew the aliens’ particularities very well . It seemed like his younger brother was the all-around best choice for the mission .

“Alright, I’ll be ready to head out soon . Has there been any change to the battle plan?” Lan Jue asked . He knew the dilemma they faced by the time he returned to Middle Heaven . How they broke the enemy lines would be critical .

Hesitation flickered in the admiral’s eyes . “The core plan hasn’t changed . However the aliens are more cunning than we thought . We may seem to have the upper hand, but they continue to determine the pace of the war . We’re being led by the nose . I have a sneaking suspicion that they haven’t used their full strength against us yet . They have suffered losses, but their strongest are still out there somewhere . This fight is still under their control, and I’m sure once we penetrate into the middle of the planetary system we’ll be under heavy assault . If I were them, I would have taken my cue from the fight around Angel . I’d stop any attempts at frontal assault and resort to guerilla warfare – picking off our numbers and forcing us to waste time until the home planets have finished evolving .

Lan Jue offered his thoughts . “I’ve been pondering it myself . They certainly didn’t leave these mutants here out of the kindness of their hearts . They knew we’d have to deal with them, it’s part of our nature to help our own despite the trouble it’d cause . They probably hoped the survivors would riot and force us to change focus, dissuade us from our offensive . ”

Lan Qing nodded . “Just so . Luckily Qianlin’s abilities saved us that headache . Otherwise we would have really been in trouble . But things aren’t all bad – at least I’m fairly certain the planets are near Europa and have started their evolution process . If they weren’t their current strategy wouldn’t make sense, they would have more than enough strength to wipe us out . Yet for now they haven’t made any move to fight back, which means one of two things . First, the planets aren’t here . Second, they’re evolving . It goes without saying that the second eventuality is far more likely, but we need to confirm it first and find a way to get close . ”

After a moment of silence, a sagacious light glimmered behind Lan Qing’s eyes . When he spoke again his voice was even and low . “According to recent estimations there are two things that are integral to our future success . The first is to coax the enemy into a direct confrontation . If we can manage that I’m sure we can weaken their forces even further . We have an advantage with our bastions, but it isn’t absolute . In fact the alien forces are most likely to destroy them during an all-out offensive, but it’s also where our opportunities are greatest . ”

“The second is to interrupt the alien home world evolution process . Right now that seems very difficult due to the sheer number of monsters protecting them . We also know they’re intelligent and cunning – I’m sure there’s some defensive plan they have in place we’re not aware of yet . Depending on what that is we may not cause them much damage even if we charge in with our full armada . In fact I’m fairly sure our earlier victory was achieved because our enemy allowed it . ”

“Ah?!” Lan Jue was stunned by what he’d heard . “They lost on purpose? Why?”