As for why the Western Alliance hadn't done so, Lan Jue didn't know.
But at least he knew it was the right thing to do.
Middle Heaven's true speed was on full display. On the north side of the planet, more than twenty jets spat out orange light. It looked like the entire back of the planet had become a star.
It was the fastest of all the Bastions, heading for Monteux at top speed.
The Eastern Alliance's fleets were the fastest to retreat.
Because they were the most well-prepared before this.
No matter how selfless Lan Qing was, he would still notify his own people as soon as possible, and then notify Admiral Kang. He wanted to buy as much time as possible for his side.
Lan Jue didn't disembark from the ship. Instead, he used the ship's communications and radar to observe the situation.
When he saw the Eastern Alliance's fleets pass An Lun, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The Eastern Alliance only had one Bastion and five fleets, but An Lun was large enough to provide cover.
It was enough to protect five fleets.
After the space fleet, it was time for the transport ships to disembark.
These were the best of the An Lun army, including the Bloodiron Khans.
Middle Heaven didn't hold anything back as it raced toward Monteux.
And at this moment, in the distance, the four administrative planets began to undergo strange changes.
The first is that their rotation is getting slower and slower.
The planet's surface began to shake violently.
Even from space, it was clear that the planet's surface was beginning to crumble.
Depressions appeared one after another, followed by columns of magma spewing out of the ground.
It was about to begin!
The Northern Alliance's Bastions began to slow and stop.
For the Northern Alliance, protecting their bastions was their top priority. Their fleets and landing troops came second.
Most of the fleets had retreated to the rear of their bastions.
Their landing troops, however, were slower.
However, Kang Hui could not take the risk. At a time like this, nothing was more important than protecting the fleet.
But Middle Heaven continued its relentless charge. It showed no signs of stopping or turning back.
"Boom!" In the distance, a dazzling light suddenly lit up. Dirk's Star had exploded.
The terrifying explosion seemed to illuminate the entire universe in an instant.
A powerful light burst out in all directions along with a terrifying shockwave.
Lan Jue subconsciously clenched her fists.
Although Monteux Star had yet to explode, he knew very well that Monteux Star was the largest of the four administrative planets. If it exploded, it would be the most destructive.
Brother, you must control it well!
He didn't dare contact Lan Qing right now. He knew that Middle Heaven was under Lan Qing's control, and he couldn't afford to disturb him.
The landing ship was getting closer and closer.
In the distance, the other two smaller planets also exploded.
The terrifying explosion and light made it difficult for the radars to see what was going on.
Only Monteux Star had yet to explode, but it was shaking more and more violently. The planet's surface was collapsing faster and faster. It was only a matter of time before it exploded.
Just then, a beam of light shot out from Middle Heaven's surface. It fanned out in all directions and enveloped all the ships that were making their way back.
In the next instant, all the landing battleships flashed and disappeared into the pillar of light.
All of Middle Heaven's engines shut, and the orange light vanished. The bastion's forward momentum slowed to a crawl.
It didn't even turn around. In front of it, a series of giant propulsion systems opened, and a beam of orange light shot out.
Not only did it stop the ship's forward momentum, but it also pushed it back. It picked up speed and flew back in the direction it had come from.
At the same time, a halo of orange light burst forth from Middle Heaven's surface.
This layer of light protected every corner of it.
There was an explosion, and Monteux Star began to collapse in on itself. A moment later, an explosion of unparalleled proportions erupted.
Figures appeared in Middle Heaven's control room one by one.
The silver light receded, and without hesitation they placed their hands on the control grips. They poured their energy into the ship.
Every one of them was one of humanity's greatest.
In the center of them all was the foremost of humanity, Jueti!
With Jueti at the center, Roxanne, the Wine Master, the Gourmet, the Pauper, the Driver, the Pharmacist, the Clockmaker, Lan Jue, all of the Paragons of Skyfire Avenue, and the Goddess of Wine, Bize, were all pouring their energy into the ship.
All of Middle Heaven shook violently, and the entire bastion shook violently.
Everyone had a grim expression on their faces, but their eyes were filled with determination.
No doubt Middle Heaven was a little too close to Monteux, but no one blamed Lan Qing for it.
Lan Qing was doing this to save his comrades.
Lan Jue knew her brother better than anyone else. He was the most confident of them all, and she knew that Lan Qing would never do anything he wasn't sure of. His decision meant that Middle Heaven would be able to withstand the blast.
The entire universe was a sea of tempestuous energy. One could only imagine the shockwaves from the four planets exploding.
The battleships behind the bastion trembled.
Of the landing craft, only the East's had returned.
The Northern Alliance and Western Alliance were in dire straits.
Could the ship's defenses withstand such a massive explosion?
The answer was obvious.
However, at this point in time, no one could do anything about it.
The only thing he could do was to protect himself and survive this wave of explosion.
The shockwaves from the explosion lasted for a full ten minutes before fading away. Just as Lan Jue had predicted, Middle Heaven had withstood the brunt of the blast.
In fact, during the entire process of the impact, the tremors were only intense at the very beginning. Towards the end, the tremors had become much smaller.
Clearly they hadn't suffered much damage.
Even the Paragons let out long sighs of relief. They felt as if they had just escaped death.
No matter how strong they were, it wouldn't be easy for them to survive an explosion like the one at the center.
Unless they were like the Wine Master or the Photographer, who were adept at teleportation, they had a better chance of survival.
The Gourmet's face was ashen. "Too cruel. These bastards are too cruel.
I wonder how they're doing. "
His family was with the Northern Alliance, and one of the Northern Alliance's commanders was the heir to the Hades bloodline. He was the hope of his family, Chu Cheng.
They didn't know if Chu Cheng had survived the blast or not.
A Paragon's survivability was strong.
However, the Northern Alliance probably hadn't received the landing ships. The planet had exploded early, so there was no telling what would have happened.
At this time, the outer space was filled with cosmic turbulence, causing all the electronic wavebands to be interrupted, and they could not contact each other.
Lan Jue took a deep breath. His heart had calmed. No matter how much he hated the aliens, there was no point in arguing.
The aliens had paid a heavy price as well. In order to confuse the allied forces, many aliens had been left behind on the four planets. There was no way they could have survived the blast.
Humanity's losses were not small. The Northern Alliance and Western Alliance's troops, especially their mecha clans, must have suffered heavy losses.
But they had been discovered in time, and the losses to their ships and bastions were minimal. They still had the resources to fight the aliens.
After this incident, there was no doubt that humanity's fear of the aliens had deepened. They would also be more experienced.
In this battle, if they had not discovered it in advance, there was no doubt that the humans would have suffered a crushing defeat. The current situation could only be said to be a lose-lose situation for both sides, which was not too bad of an outcome.
Lan Jue invited the Paragons to rest while he made his way to Lan Qing's office. Middle Heaven had shown its true power, and not only had he been pleasantly surprised by it, but it had also shaken the hearts of the West and North.
Monteux was the planet's largest and most explosive. Middle Heaven was the closest to the planet, so it didn't take much effort to stop the explosion. Middle Heaven's speed and defense played a big part in that.
The Eastern Alliance was the true victor. They hadn't suffered any losses, and had gained a significant amount of vital crystals.
"Brother!"
Lan Jue walked into the control room and saw Lan Qing standing in front of a monitor, staring at the data.
Lan Qing didn't even turn his head. "I told you to call me by my title."
Lan Jue walked to his side. "Relax, the explosion is over."
Fourth update!