"I hope Admiral Lan Qing can fulfill your promise and protect my family."
At this point, he had given up on the idea of getting his fleet back. That was unrealistic.
But even if they went to the Eastern Alliance, the Austin family would still have their own forces in the Eastern Alliance. At the very least, those forces would give their family a chance to rise again.
Li Cha looked at Lan Qing in a completely different light. Seeing the man in person, he suddenly felt that the admiral looked very familiar. Ah!
He remembered.
Why did this Admiral Lan Qing look so much like that man?
The man who had stolen Qian Lin!
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside, and a man walked in.
"I hear you've taken in the Austin family's fleet?"
Lan Jue said to Lan Qing as soon as he stepped through the door. It was only then that he saw the Austin father and son standing there.
Li Cha was taken aback at first, but his eyes were almost spitting fire as he glared at Lan Jue. He had never imagined that this man would be here.
From their similar appearances, he could roughly guess the relationship between Lan Qing and Lan Jue. If he had known that Lan Jue was here, he would never have allowed the fleet to surrender!
Lan Jue also saw Li Cha. He walked to Lan Qing's side and smiled. "We meet again."
Li Cha gritted his teeth. "Where is Qian Lin?
Where did you take Qian Lin? "
Lan Jue sighed. "There's no point in asking pointless questions like that.
I don't think you'll ever have the chance to see him again. "
Li Cha was stunned. The anger on his face slowly faded. The man in front of him, standing next to Admiral Lan Qing, did not seem any weaker. The feeling of insignificance in his heart was still there.
Why was there such a big difference?
Why was there no chance at all?
A hint of bitterness appeared on his face. "Is she alright?"
Lan Jue fell silent. "Not very good."
"What?" Li Cha suddenly flew into a rage. He took a step forward and grabbed Lan Jue's lapel.
Sylva Austin couldn't stop him in time.
At that moment, the Western League manager could not help but feel anxious. How could his foolish son do such a thing at a time like this?
This was their territory, and their lives were in their hands at any time.
Li Cha glared at Lan Jue with reddened eyes. "She's not good?
What happened to her? "
Lan Jue's annoyance with the man vanished as he looked at his friend's red eyes. No matter what was said or done, this was a man who truly loved Qianlin.
"She got hurt while trying to save me. Don't worry, I will definitely heal her." Lan Jue said solemnly. He did not try to break free from Li Cha's grip.
Li Cha's breathing quickened slightly. Finally, he slowly let go of Lan Jue's lapel and said dejectedly, "Take good care of her. Don't let her get hurt.
I know I don't have any chance, but I still hope that she will be fine. "
"Mm.
I'm sure she'll be fine. "Lan Jue nodded solemnly.
Sylva Austin breathed a sigh of relief. At least his son was able to calm down.
Li Cha looked deeply at Lan Jue. Suddenly, at that moment, he felt as if he had changed. It was his mentality.
It was as though in that moment he'd matured. He no longer felt there was a gap between him and Lan Jue. He'd completely given up on Qianlin. The words his father had spoken to him earlier haunted his heart.
Lan Qing sent the father and son away. Then he turned to Lan Jue. "Weren't you in seclusion?
Why are you out? "
Lan Jue smiled. "It's about time."
Lan Qing's eyes lit up. "About time, you mean …"
Lan Jue nodded. "But I can still suppress it. I'm sure the longer I keep it under control, the better it'll be.
Also, when the Pharmacist broke through, there was a sudden burst of power. It was the true aura of Occisus.
It was the same aura that had scared the Violet Prince away.
If Qian Lin and I break through at the same time, the energy will be even stronger.
The energy generated from the breakthrough would be even stronger, so I didn't want to waste this burst of energy.
We're going to fight the aliens soon, we'll pick a good time. "
A rare smile spread across Lan Qing's face. "Alright.
When you break through, we'll find a chance to have a real fight. "
Lan Jue chuckled. "I'm going to beat you."
Lan Qing suddenly muttered a few words. Lan Jue's smile froze. "Can you not be like this?
This is revenge! "
Lan Qing's response was indifferent. "That's my father's decision. If you have the guts, go talk to him.
If you can convince him, you don't have to use the title. "
"You win!
I'm leaving. "Lan Jue spat out the words, then turned to leave.
"Wait a moment." Lan Qing called out to Lan Jue.
"Hm?" Lan Jue turned back to face him. Lan Qing's face was serious once more.
"From what we've heard so far, the situation doesn't look good.
The aliens have taken over many of Europa's planets. You don't need to ask to know what they're up to.
We don't have any confidence in winning this fight. We only have three bastions right now.
We're weaker than our opponents in terms of combat power.
But there are advantages to having fewer people. "
Lan Jue's heart skipped a beat. "You mean the aliens will underestimate us and evolve?"
Lan Qing nodded. "Yes.
If we can gather seven or eight more bastions this time, the home worlds will have more to offer.
After all, they wouldn't necessarily be a match for us in a direct confrontation.
But we've only brought three bastions. I'm sure the aliens will be able to detect this. "
"Father said the continual spatial jumps take a toll on their core. At their level, if they can't withstand the pressure of universal protogenia, they'll die.
That means they're more anxious to evolve than we thought.
When they realize that our absolute strength isn't a threat to them, it's very likely that they'll make a prompt decision and start evolving immediately. "
"Our problem is we don't know how long it'll take for the aliens to evolve.
We need to attack as fast as we can.
We're betting on this.
But a gamble is a gamble. No matter what, we need to investigate them. You know how important that is.
Once we're sure they're evolving, we can begin our operation. "
Lan Jue nodded. "You're right, let me go.
I'll do everything in my power to finish the job. "
A strange expression crossed Lan Qing's face. "Ah Jue, did you know?
I was hoping you wouldn't succeed. "
"Oh?
Why is that? "Lan Jue asked curiously.
Lan Qing explained. "If you fail, it means the aliens are more than aware of what they're doing. That increases their chances of evolution.
Go ahead and prepare to investigate. I also need to come up with two complete plans on my side.
Once we're done, we'll begin the operation.
Huali isn't far, we'll meet up with her first. "
"Alright!"
The Austin family only had one fleet, but it had to be said that a fleet built by the family was far superior to the standard military fleet in terms of equipment and combat effectiveness.
It was very simple. Who wouldn't be willing to spend more on their own safety when they didn't lack money?
It didn't matter how much it cost, as long as it was good, they would use it.
This was the case for battleships, as well as mechas.
The Austin fleet was equipped with the most advanced technology in the Western Alliance, and even some from the Northern Alliance. As for how it all came about, you'd have to ask the Austin family themselves.
It didn't take long to assemble the fleet. With the cooperation of the Austin family, the task was completed.
The stronger they were, the better their chances of success would be.
Six fleets surrounded Middle Heaven as they made their way deeper into the Western Alliance.
A day later, the fleet stopped once more. This time it wasn't to intercept the aliens, but to meet up with their allies.
Off in the distance, an enormous blue bastion floated in the air.
It was about half the size of Middle Heaven.
Middle Heaven was the largest bastion in history. It had only been built after the discovery of the element of ink that it had been able to move.
It was also because of the thick layers of rock that the bastion was so large.
This bastion, however, was constructed from an unknown blue metal.
Lan Qing and Lan Jue peered through the window at the bastion. After a series of data analysis, they had the same thought. Huali was being modest.
From the surface it was obvious that this bastion was even more powerful than the Northern Alliance's Terminator.
Be it in size or equipment, it was the same.
Unlike the fleets Huali had faced before, this bastion was surrounded by four blue-painted fleets.
A total of four space fleets!
Lan Qing and Lan Jue knew that the Hanhai Group was rich, and the most powerful family in the Major League. But now they understood what it meant.
Compared to the Hanhai Group, the Austin Family was nothing.
If the Hanhai Group really wanted to rule the Western Alliance, they could do so if the Eastern Alliance and Northern Alliance didn't interfere.
"Ali, you've given us a big surprise!" Lan Jue looked at Huali's face on the comm screen. Her voice was full of praise.
Huali smiled. "This is the first time the Four Divine Monarchs have engaged in interstellar warfare. How could we not give it our all?
This is all we've got.
I'll leave it to you, boss. I promise I'll follow your orders. "