Huali sighed. "You don't understand what's going on in my family. Don't think about it too much.
Let me go with you this time.
I just want to tell you that even if something happens to me, the Hanhai Group won't fall into chaos. "
"Absolutely not!"
Lan Jue's voice was low. "Your family's situation is so complicated, I can't let you go.
You must know that Neptune is our main force. If we lose you, we won't even have a thirty percent chance. "
Huali knew Lan Jue well. From his tone of voice she knew he had no chance.
He could only sigh and say, "Alright then, but you have to be careful and don't force yourself.
There'll be plenty of opportunities for scouting.
Don't throw yourself into danger. "
Lan Jue chuckled. "Don't worry, Qian Lin will be coming with me. Even if it's not for myself, I'll be careful for her sake. I'll do my best to protect myself."
Huali paused at the mention of Zhou Qianlin. "Has Qian Lin recovered?"
Lan Jue nodded. "Should be soon.
According to my calculations, she'll recover once she becomes a Paragon.
That's my biggest motivation right now. I won't let her go again. "
Huali nodded. "If you don't want me to go, then I won't stay here any longer. I'll head back."
Lan Jue was surprised. "What's the rush?
The scouting mission won't leave for another two or three days. Now that you're here, we should have a good chat. We can't drink right now, but something to drink is fine.
Come on, let's go. "He pulled Hua Li along with him as they made their way inside.
Middle Heaven and Neptune met up. The two enormous bastions maintained a certain distance from each other as they slowly made their way toward Europa, escorted by their respective fleets.
Although there were fewer bastions this time, the fleets were almost as large as last time's.
They wouldn't attack directly, they needed to get a feel for the situation first. Tyrannosaurus also needed to regroup.
In order to ensure a safe rendezvous, Tyrannosaurus sent Lan Qing its coordinates through special encryption. Then it flew silently through space to avoid being detected by the alien planets.
On the other hand, Lan Jue and Poseidon weren't too worried. Middle Heaven and Poseidon were formidable fighters, and they had ten fleets to protect them. If a fight broke out in space, they'd be doomed.
That way, they would be able to maintain their formation and fight.
The alien planets might not be able to win.
According to Lan Qing's calculations, it was more important for the alien home worlds to consume more life force and human DNA. They wouldn't spend too much time and energy on anything else.
The overall strength of the human race had been weakened to the point where it was difficult to threaten them.
The best course of action for the aliens would be to take over Europa and the nearby planets. They would be able to absorb as much life force as they could and use it to study human DNA.
Huali stayed on Middle Heaven for a day. She and Lan Jue talked about everything under the sun, then went to see Lan Qing before returning to Neptune.
Although he said he didn't care much for Mo Xiao, he still respected Mo Xiao.
Mo Xiao was in charge of Neptune, but Mo Xiao was the father of his child. He had no choice but to do so.
"Ah Jue, we're three days from Europa. We'll meet up with Tyrannosaurus soon.
Your reconnaissance mission must begin immediately. Once we're together, we can begin our plan. "Lan Qing spoke to Lan Jue.
Lan Jue nodded. "I'm ready.
I'll be going with the Wine Master and the Driver.
The Pharmacist and the Driver.
With me and Qian Lin, we won't have a lot of people, but it'll be enough.
Su Xiaosu will stay behind, she'll be in charge of Star Division. Guoguo, Mika and Xiu Xiu will come with me.
They'll be in charge of the ship and avoiding the aliens' psychic probes. "
"Safety first," Lan Qing said. "We can't afford to lose this fight.
We can't afford to lose anything.
Do you understand what I mean? "
Lan Jue nodded. "I understand.
Father will be going as well, but I'll try not to let him get involved. "
Jueti had been in seclusion for the past few days.
The Paragon vital crystal he'd acquired had some effect on him. At the very least, it was a consumable item when he was using his ancient martial arts. It wouldn't drain him as much as it did before.
Lan Qing nodded. "Then you should leave as soon as possible.
Come back as soon as you can. "
"Alright."
Lan Jue knew the importance of this mission. It was the foundation of their mission.
Whether or not the bastions could complete their mission was crucial to his investigation.
Three hours later, Zeus -1 quietly left Middle Heaven.
Before they left, Zeus-1 switched off all communications and lights. Then, without a sound, they soared into space.
They wouldn't be able to send back any information before the mission was complete. This was to prevent the aliens from intercepting the signal.
Europa. Lan Jue had been there many times, but never before had he felt the same way.
Europa wasn't just the capital of the Western Alliance. It was also the home of the Pontiff's Citadel and the Dark Citadel.
Now it had fallen under the control of the aliens.
Lan Jue didn't know how Satan and the Pontiff were faring.
According to the Western Alliance, not many of the Pontiff's Citadel's leaders had survived. The Dark Citadel was relatively intact, but now it was gone. That was a huge blow!
The Hades bloodline no longer had to contend with the Demon King for control of the Dark Citadel. Even the Dark Citadel was gone!
Lan Jue couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
The world was fickle, and things had changed. Things that used to matter were no longer the same.
"Boss, we're on course." Mika's voice called out.
Mika was in charge of the ship's controls, Xiu Xiu was in charge of the shields and weapons systems, and Lin Guo-guo was in charge of psionic interference.
Kerr was absent this time. Kerr had stayed behind to help Su Xiaosu.
"Alright, full speed ahead." Lan Jue ordered.
Mika pushed the thrusters, and Zeus -1 picked up speed.
Of the three women, Mika's emotions were the most conflicted.
Europa was where she'd grown up, and she was a citizen of the Western Alliance.
She didn't feel a sense of belonging there, but it was still her home!
She didn't know where the Demon King was. He'd escaped, but there was no way to get in touch with him.
No way to get in touch meant uncertainty.
Ever since the alien invasion, Mika's hatred for her father had been steadily diminishing. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent a message to Satan on Monteux, telling him to evacuate as soon as possible.
I hope he's still alive.
Mika muttered to herself.
No matter what, he was still her father.
Xiu Xiu occasionally turned her head to look at Lan Jue. Every time she saw the beautiful woman by Lan Jue's side, her eyes darkened.
This time, Zhou Qianlin wasn't one with Lan Jue. She was by Lan Jue's side.
Today she wore a long white dress, Lan Jue's favorite. Pure, white, simple, and unadorned, it accentuated Zhou Qianlin's immortal aura.
Her eyes were still lifeless, but her expression wasn't as stiff as it had been before. From time to time, her eyes would fall on Lan Jue, and her expression would change. She seemed to be thinking about something.
It was because of Zhou Qianlin's subtle reactions that Lan Jue knew she wasn't far from waking up.
This was Lan Jue's greatest wish.
If it weren't for this scouting mission, and the upcoming battle, Lan Jue and Zhou Qianlin would have broken through to the next level.
According to Xuanyuan Shishi, Zhou Qianlin's chances of recovery were high.
Jueti and Roxanne went off to cultivate. Unless it was a critical moment, they wouldn't be needed.
The Wine Master, the Pharmacist, and the Driver were in the cockpit with Lan Jue.
The Wine Master was chosen because of his teleportation abilities, the Driver's long-range combat abilities, and the Pharmacist's.
With Lan Jue and Zhou Qianlin's Harmonious Swords, they were perfect for breaking through.
If they couldn't do it together, then they'd have to rely on their mother and father.
In the entire human world, it was impossible to find a second scouting team like this in the organization.
Zeus-1's speed was incomparably fast. It had been repaired after their last sprint, and it proved that its endurance was quite good. The Paragons had given it little to no damage at all.
All it had done was replace a few parts.
The Wine Master stood at Lan Jue's side. "No matter what happens, don't act rashly. Stay calm."
"Alright." Lan Jue nodded.
He knew what the Wine Master was implying.
Many planets had been taken, and only recently. As they investigated, it was likely they'd come across some gruesome scenes. The Wine Master was warning them to remain calm, to avoid unnecessary mistakes.
It would take the army three days to reach Europa, but it was only two days away from the administrative planets on the outskirts of Europa.
Zeus -1 sped up to full speed, and in a little over a day they came upon a planet belonging to the Western Alliance.
It was one of the outer planets of Europa.