Tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke.
Of course she had been impulsive. She hadn't been calm, but the pressure of years of emotion had been too much for her to control.
Lan Jue wanted to slap himself. He knew the Pharmacist was emotionally unstable, so why had he trusted her? Why had he let her go?
In truth he hadn't been able to stop her.
The last time they had met, she had wanted to say something to him, but in the end she had held back.
No wonder there was a trace of reluctance and longing in her eyes at that time.
"I think the chances of me coming back are slim. Jun 'er is all grown up now, and I'm relieved to have you all looking after her.
Don't tell her what I've been up to. Just tell her mother is away and won't be back for a while.
I've encrypted this document with your fingerprint, so she won't be able to see it.
I've let Jun 'er down, but I can't wait any longer.
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! "
At this point, the light and shadow suddenly converged, and everything returned to normal.
"Mommy, mommy!" Jun'er murmured.
Lan Jue knew by now that he'd been tricked by this little girl. But how could he say a single harsh word to reprimand her at this moment?
And so the Pharmacist left. There was no question that she was headed for the home worlds. Her goal was obvious.
It was a suicide attack!
"Jun 'er, don't worry. I'll go find mother, okay?" Lan Jue pulled Jun' er into his arms, comforting her with the warmth of his embrace.
What surprised him was that Jun'er seemed very calm. She said very seriously, "Mommy will definitely come back.
She will.
Dad, bring her back.
Only you can bring her back. "
Lan Jue's heart was heavy. The Pharmacist had gone to the alien planets. Would they be able to bring her back?
But he had to go, no matter what. For Jun 'er, and for his own heart.
"Jun 'er, I'll take you home. Then I'll go find your mother."
He carried Jun 'er out of Zeus Jewelry Shop. He didn't say anything to anyone. He dropped Jun' er off at the Skyfire Museum, then made for the airship hangar.
Lan Jue knew he had to go alone.
He would have to face the alien planets, and it was hard to say if he'd make it back alive.
But he had to go. If he didn't, he'd have no chance.
If he went, the Pharmacist might have gone the wrong way. She wouldn't be able to reach the Shattered Starfields so easily.
The verti-car raced straight to the civilian hangar. Lan Jue climbed aboard and took to the skies. He didn't stop to rest or recuperate, he was on his way again.
As they passed through the atmosphere, Zeus-1 continued to accelerate. Soon they were at top speed and headed for the Shattered Starfields.
Lan Jue took control of the ship and answered the communicator.
"Shouldn't you be on Skyfire Avenue?" Lan Qing's voice appeared on the screen.
Lan Jue replied. "Brother, I have something to do. The Pharmacist has gone to the alien planets to get her revenge. I have to stop her.
I'm alone, and it's going to be dangerous.
If I don't come back … "He trailed off.
He didn't even bring Lin Guo-guo with him. He couldn't even use his psionic simulation to avoid the aliens.
He didn't want to share the danger with those around him.
Lan Qing's brows furrowed. "Do you know how irresponsible you are?
Star Division needs you, Skyfire Avenue needs you.
At a time like this, how can you let your emotions get the better of you? "
Lan Jue sighed. "I understand what you're trying to say. I have a great responsibility on my shoulders.
But you know I'm a sentimental person. If I didn't help my friends when they were in danger, then I wouldn't be Lan Jue. I'm sorry, brother.
I'll have to trouble you to talk to Skyfire Avenue.
If I don't come back, Star Division should be under Su's command. That's the best choice.
I'll do my best to come back alive. I'll be careful. "
Lan Qing looked him in the eye. After a long moment, he said, "Be careful."
"Mm, alright." Lan Jue hung up, then cut off all communications.
He knew Skyfire Avenue would respond if word got out. They'd try to persuade him to go back. But he was already out, and he had to do everything he could to save the Pharmacist.
For Jun 'er, and for the Pharmacist herself.
Zeus -1 sped through space like a streak of light.
The ship entered cruise mode. Lan Jue closed his eyes and began to gather his thoughts.
He didn't want to die if he could survive.
He wouldn't act blindly, he had to have a plan. He had to think of a way.
First, the Pharmacist's target was her husband, or vengeance for him.
Monarch, the home planet of the aliens. According to the Violet Prince, Monarch had swallowed her husband, and Ultus was there.
If he wanted to stop her, he'd have to find a way to get to Monarch.
Therefore, avoiding detection from the aliens became a very important issue.
Zeus -1 was invisible, and Lan Jue's psychic abilities were exceptional. But he didn't have Lin Guo-guo's psychic abilities.
Zeus -1 was small, but it was the size of an airship. If he was discovered, he'd be hunted down.
Without the Wine Master and the Photographer, Zeus -1 couldn't teleport away.
If they encountered an enemy, they'd have to face them head-on.
That in itself was the biggest problem.
No matter how strong one person was, they couldn't face off against so many aliens.
Oh, no, not just one person.
Lan Jue had hesitated before leaving, but he'd brought Zhou Qianlin with him.
He wouldn't abandon her again. No matter what, they had to be together.
Zeus -1 had been modified many times, and its speed was terrifying. It was almost invincible among the smaller ships.
This was why Lan Jue had a chance of stopping the Pharmacist.
It wasn't easy for the Pharmacist to travel from Luo to the Shattered Starfields.
Even as a Paragon, she still had to rely on a ship.
But the geography of the Shattered Starfields was complicated. Even with a guide, it would be difficult to find her way to the three original planets.
Going from Luo to the Shattered Starfields was a much longer journey than going from Skyfire.
Unless Su Xiaosu was at the controls, the ship's speed would be greatly reduced.
Spaceflight wasn't something that could be done in a day or two. He had a chance of stopping the Pharmacist.
Although Zeus -1 wasn't under Zeus's control, it had been in the Shattered Starfields many times. Its supercomputer kept a detailed record of what was going on. Lan Jue was good at piloting the ship, so he was confident he could get there as quickly as possible.
A few days later, Zeus -1 was in the Shattered Starfields. It continued to fly at top speed.
Lan Jue steered Zeus-1 as carefully as he could through space. Invisibility was up.
No one knew what condition the alien home worlds were in, but as long as they were there, it was impossible to predict what would happen to them.
The Shattered Starfields felt even more deathly still than before. Without a doubt, it was because of the constant loss of life force to the aliens.
The Shattered Starfields were vast, and they didn't know what level of life force the aliens had taken from them.
Huali's analysis had been correct. There was a limit to the aliens' evolution. Although they sought to break through that limit, universal protogenia kept them in check.
Humanity didn't know enough about the aliens.
Let's just treat this as a reconnaissance mission.
Lan Jue sighed helplessly.
But this mission was going to be dangerous. He was going to have to get very close to Monarch.
You have to slow down, sister. Give me a chance to stop you.
Lan Jue didn't take Zeus-1 directly to Monarch. He wasn't stupid enough to do that. If he did, he'd be discovered by the aliens before he even reached the planet. Then he'd be attacked.
Skyfire Avenue had been researching ways to evade detection ever since they discovered the aliens used psionic energy to spy on them.
The Keeper had come up with something called a psionic generator.
Through experimentation, it was found to be about a third as powerful as Lin Guo-guo's own psionic energy, but it was much less flexible.
In other words, it could mimic psionic energy. Part of the alien's knowledge.
It was passive.
Still, its existence served a purpose. At the very least, it allowed Zeus-1 to protect itself within a certain radius.
But Zeus-1 was still a ship, after all. This newly developed psychic simulator had a limited range, and its effects were limited.
It was hard to say how effective it would be.
But Lan Jue had his own methods.
Zeus -1's first destination was the temporary hangar they'd built.
That place would be of great benefit to him.
As soon as he'd set out, he'd realized that getting close to the alien planets with Zeus-1 would be impossible.
He couldn't do it alone without the help of his comrades.
However, being alone also had its advantages. It was a smaller target.
The hangar was still there, and everything looked the same as before. Lan Jue flew Zeus -1 to a well-hidden mountain pass.
He took a few items from the spaceship and quietly left the spaceship.