"Connect it."
"Admiral Kang Hui!" Yan Yuan's solemn face appeared on the screen.
"Admiral Yan Yuan, what's going on?" Kang Hui asked.
"We were ambushed by an alien planet," Yan Yuan explained. "It's more powerful than we thought. It slammed into Heron with its main body and forced us to cut off our tails.
I have a detailed record of the battle, I'll send it to you in a moment. Heron will arrive in fifteen minutes.
What's the situation on your side? "
Kang Hui's hands clenched into fists. "We're in a stalemate, but First Fleet sacrificed their lives for the Alliance.
I'm preparing to give chase, I'll talk to you later.
Get to me as quickly as you can. "
"Alright." Yan Yuan nodded.
Kang Hui's side of the battle had stabilized, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, another urgent message came through.
"Arachnid was ambushed by an alien planet. Everyone on the Bastion was killed. Not a single survivor."
Kang Hui felt like he was in a trance when he received the message. The image of Holmen's cold face flashed before his eyes.
Holmen had died?
Along with his Bastion?
How was that possible?
Holmen …
Kang Hui felt a chill run down his spine.
The alien planets were split into three fronts. Aside from the main front, where Lan Jue was able to hold his own, the other two fronts were in dire straits.
They'd lost this battle!
Heron was on its way, but so were the other two planets.
A pained expression flashed across his face, but he still made a prompt decision and gave the order.
"Everyone, retreat. Return.
Third and Sixth Fleets will cover our retreat.
Notify Admiral Yan Yuan of our coordinates and have Heron follow us. We'll leave the battlefield as fast as we can and leave the Shattered Starfields.
Also, use the strongest signal to inform the Alliance of the current situation. "
They had to retreat. If they could preserve their army, they'd be able to fight again in the future. If they allowed the three planets to regroup, they'd be doomed.
No matter how unwilling he was, he had to make this decision at this moment.
First Fleet was gone, he couldn't risk it.
Tyrannosaurus, under the protection of the four fleets, sped back in the direction they'd come.
Of course, even in the process of retreating, they maintained the highest state of combat readiness.
The alien planet came to a stop in the asteroid belt. It sat there quietly, watching everything unfold with cold eyes.
The main cannon was fully charged!
Lan Jue let go of the controller in front of her.
He had also just received news of the withdrawal of the army.
"Let's go back," the Wine Master said.
The silver light broke through space again and brought everyone back to Kang Hui's office.
Kang Hui sat behind his desk. In this short period of time, he seemed to have aged ten years. His hands were pressed against the desk, and because he had exerted too much force, they had lost their color.
The depths of his eyes were filled with pain.
"Marshal, what's going on?
Why did they retreat? "Lan Jue asked.
Kang Hui's voice was bitter. "Heron was almost destroyed. It cut off its tail and fled. It's only a capital ship left.
Arachnid's fleet was annihilated, destroyed by an alien planet.
Before he died, he chose to self-destruct.
Moreover, the entire battle scene was transmitted over.
We'll be able to see it soon enough.
If we didn't retreat, the planets would have gathered and no one would have been able to escape. "
Although they had guessed what the other two planets were planning to do, hearing it from Kang Hui's mouth still made Star Division's hearts sink.
The Northern Alliance had been defeated.
Three bastions and five fleets were assembled.
Still they had lost.
What's more, they hadn't been able to see the full extent of the aliens' power.
After all, they hadn't had a direct confrontation.
At first glance it seemed the bastions could hold their own against the alien planets.
But was that really the case?
The alien planet's cunning and intellect exceeded everyone's expectations.
Humanity had always prided themselves on their intelligence, but this time it seemed they had run into a wall of steel.
The alien planets seemed to know the Northern Alliance's movements, and had used the Shattered Starfields' complex terrain to ambush them.
What's more, it was clear that any one of these planets was stronger than a bastion.
Although the faces of the raiders were becoming clearer to the people, it was just that.
If they wanted to see them clearly, they'd need to fight more.
Their defeat meant that if the aliens teleported to any part of humanity, they wouldn't be able to stop them.
The tension in the room was heavy, but Kang Hui couldn't let his guard down. This was the Shattered Starfields.
They'd needed to clear a path to get here, but they still needed to leave.
After a period of time, the asteroids in the Shattered Starfields would change again, sealing off the path they'd come through.
As they retreated, the home worlds could catch up to them at any moment.
"Run a comprehensive analysis. Send me the video as soon as it's finished." Kang Hui had regained his composure.
No matter what, he had to bring these soldiers back. After this battle, they would at least have the experience to fight the aliens. This experience would be invaluable to humanity.
Lan Jue looked out the window. She could still vividly remember the First Fleet's attack on Moonfiend.
On one hand, humanity had witnessed the power of the aliens, but on the other, it had also witnessed the cunning and intelligence of the aliens.
From beginning to end, humanity had been led by the nose and was at a disadvantage. That was why they'd come to this.
In Lan Jue's heart, she didn't think the Northern Alliance had lost.
No matter what, the battle between humanity and the aliens was inevitable. The Northern Alliance had been the first to charge in and face the alien home worlds single-handedly. That was a bold move.
It took courage and strength.
Although the losses were heavy, it was also a valuable opportunity for humanity to learn more about the alien planets. One battle was worth more than ten reconnaissance missions.
"Admiral, I want to go back to the planets.
Keep going! "Lan Jue turned to Kang Hui.
Kang Hui paused. "Now?"
Lan Jue nodded solemnly. "Yes, now!"
The battle had just ended, and the reaction of the alien planets after the battle, whether they'd teleported or not, was important.
There was never too much reconnaissance.
In fact, Lan Jue felt a lot of helplessness in her heart during the battle just now. In such a huge battle, their individual contributions were negligible.
Still, he hoped he could contribute a little more to humanity's fight against the aliens.
At the very least, he had to do something.
"Okay, then be careful." After thinking for a while, Kang Hui agreed to Lan Jue's words.
Lan Jue shook her head. "No, we can't all go.
You are the leader of the army.
The aliens could still infiltrate the city.
Therefore, we must leave enough people to protect you during this reconnaissance. "
If these words were said when they first arrived, the ability users around Kang Hui would have been furious.
However, Star Division's strength had been demonstrated through the events that had transpired so far. Five Paragons!
Five Paragons working together could turn the tide of a war.
Lan Jue looked to Roxanne. "Mother, you, the Gourmet, and the Pauper will stay behind and protect Admiral Kang Hui.
Wine Master, Clockmaker, I'll have to trouble you to come with me. "
Although there were five Paragons, Lan Jue was the leader of Star Division. It was up to her to make the necessary arrangements.
Roxanne was the strongest, and with her there Kang Hui would be much safer.
The Wine Master, on the other hand, could control long-distance teleportation to ensure Zeus -1's safety. Of course he would follow Lan Jue.
As for the Clockmaker, she and the Wine Master were already together. They wouldn't be separated so easily.
"Alright, be careful."
Roxanne's aura was strong in this critical moment. She didn't stop Lan Jue just because he was her adopted son.
This was the right thing to do.
"Alright, let's go!"
The others who weren't Paragons followed Lan Jue. Su Xiaosu was responsible for the ship, Zhou Qianlin couldn't leave Lan Jue's side, and Lin Guo-guo was responsible for confusing the Paragons. The Pharmacist and the Driver were both masters of their generation, and had ways to deal with the aliens. Together they weren't enough to protect the bastion, but they were more than enough to protect Zeus -1.
Ten minutes later Zeus -1 emerged from Tyrannosaurus' propulsion system and headed for the depths of the Shattered Starfields.
Su Xiaosu was at the controls of the ship. Her emotions were complicated. She'd named Moonfiend herself, and built her own faction there. Now it was nothing more than a speck of dust in the annals of history, gone forever.
Of course she didn't feel good about it.
Lin Guo-guo sat in the pilot's chair, her consciousness connected to the ship's systems. She could sense what was happening outside.
Her radar was on full alert.
Lan Jue didn't return the way they'd come. Instead, he took a detour to avoid the aliens' pursuit.
This mission had no specific objective, but Lan Jue had a few things in mind. First, he wanted to know if the planets would join forces, and if they did, what would they choose?
"Connect me to Admiral Kang Hui," Lan Jue said to Su Xiaosu.
"Yes, sir!" Su Xiaosu answered.
After this experience, they'd built a good relationship with Kang Hui. He'd given them a special communication line so they could keep in touch.