Chapter 671: Tyrannosaurus-Class Bastion Ship (2/2)

The station’s officers paid them no mind, too busy with their duties to dawdle. Ebbs and flows of energy buffeted Lan Jue from all sides, telling him nearly all of these soldiers were Adepts. All sorts of Disciplines were represented, filling the area with a vibrant atmosphere.

Lan Jue knew that Adepts were preferred for high-grade research and command positions. The reason was simple; they could do more than your average human. Their Talent gave them advantages and staying power in a fight. Tyrannosaurus seemed no different, however there weren’t any high-level Adepts here.

Wu Qiu lead Lan Jue to a silvery-white elevator in the back. They stepped in and continued their ascent. During the ride Lan Jue felt no less than three passes of energy sweep across their bodies – more checks. Wu Qiu’s credentials stopped any untoward reactions from being tripped.

They certainly took defense seriously!

The ride took only a few seconds. When the doors opened again, all sound from the station below was gone. There was only the quiet buzz of electricity to break the silence.

First to catch Lan Jue’s eyes was nothing short of the boundless universe, spread out before him. The vaulted room was transparent from floor to ceiling. One wall was taken up by a series of monitors, thick with strings of complicated data. The other flickered with blinking, enigmatic lights. Even if Lan Jue knew what they were he wouldn’t have known what they meant.

A Spartan desk of white was toward the back, and behind it sat a man.

Even seated Lan Jue could see the man was very tall. His features were the familiar type of his own Alliance 2, with lines belying his middle-age. Dark hair matched darker eyes, typical for Easterners. Four golden stars twinkled on his shoulder strap, indicating his high rank.

“Sir!” Wu Qiu snapped to attention.

The Admiral lifted his head from the holographic device on his desk. His eyes went to Lan Jue first. They were calm eyes, but somehow strange like they bore their own unique allure. It was like he could peer directly into your soul.

But, then, the commander of the Northern army’s Tyrannosaurus-class Bastion wrinkled his eyebrows and shut his eyes.

Wu Qiu started and suddenly stppped forward, blocking Lan Jue’s view. He could feel undulations of power coming off the secretary. Lan Jue, meanwhile, did not move.

“It’s fine.” Kang Hui’s voice was low. He rose from behind the desk and approached, stopping beside Wu Qiu. His eyes were lit with appreciation. “Hello, Commander Lan. “I am Kang Hui.” As he spoke the Admiral offered a salute.

Lan Jue was not a member of the military so did not return the salute. He nodded instead. “Hello, Admiral Kang Hui.” His response was even.

Kang Hui turned toward Wu Qiu and nodded. The secretary took a few steps back but remained in the office.

Surprise lingered in Lan Jue’s mind. Kang Hui was the leader of one of humanity’s most destructive weapons – and yet, his Discipline was hardly substantial. At best he boasted a seventh level Discipline, far inferior to the likes of Wu Qiu or Ling Ya. His Discipline, he suspected, had something to do with his eyes.

Kang Hui probably saw the uncertainty in his guest’s look. He smiled. “Welcome to Tyrannosaurus, commander. Please sit.” He indicated a metallic sea situated in front of the desk. Wu Qiu separated himself further, stepping off to the side of the room. However he remained, likely to ensure the Admiral’s protection.

Lan Jue did not stand on ceremony and took the offered seat. Kang Hui returned to his own chair opposite.

“I’m a direct sort of person, commander. We have embarked on this journey on behalf of humanity, to meet the alien threat. I don’t imagine its necessary we go over the guiding principles, so I’ll get to the point. We are hoping you can help us learn more about our enemy.”

Lan Jue answered with a slight nod. “We’re here to help in your operation. We can be ready to leave right away and begin sending back information.”

Kang Hui leaned back. “I was hoping we might first discuss what you learned during your last tour, get a clearer picture of the situation. According to our information you made two trips to the Shattered Starfields. The first time you uncovered their planets’ ability to teleport. Your second visit served to learn more about the creatures themselves. I must express my admiration of your work, especially since our own scouting attempts have repeatedly ended in failure. Some of our scouts were even equipped with cloaking devices, to no avail.”

Lan Jue nodded knowingly. “Their counterreconnaisance capabilities are very strong. They identify one another through powerful psionic bursts. They use this to identify and locate non-alien lifeforms. As a result Blinding Stones are effective, but only to within a certain range. Once close enough, their psionic abilities render them useless. We learned this the hard way.”

Kang Hui regarded him with some surprise. “You were discovered? With all due respect, how did you accomplish your mission?”

Lan Jue smirked. “We killed the one that spotted us and kept going.”

He didn’t go into detail about Lin Guoguo or her methods, that was a state secret. She’s joined them for this trip as well, but remained back on the ship. He kept in contact with her through the Soulcaller gem. After all, the North had tried to kill him a number of times – it was important to be on guard.

1. The Chinese here is interesting, I thought, if I’m understanding it right. ‘Hit a nail’ is the translation, but ‘nail’ was the name for the front entrance of a government official’s mansion – a place where the common man was not permitted to pass. So ‘to hit a nail’ meant to come upon an impassable obstacle

2. The term is ‘chinese face’