Chapter 724: Teleportation, Ultus! (1/2)

Chapter 724: Teleportation, Ultus!

Thor’s Promise shimmered with an internal light. Then, in a flash, an enormous sapphire figure appeared suspended in space. Lan Jue placed the psionic generator and Blinding Stone within Thor’s central gem lattice then boarded the mecha to calibrate.

Thor had been upgraded along with Zeus-1 when Lan Jue had gone to visit his father. Jue Di had fitted the mecha with an important assembly unit called a focal pool. It could accommodate all sorts of power gems in such a way as to have them work seamlessly together.

With the Blinding Stone equipped Thor could cloak itself from view as Zeus-1 had. The psionic generator was more complicated, but after some modifications to the operating procedures Lan Jue made it compatible with Thor. Concealing the mecha would be easier than a whole ship, and safer.

Seated within the mecha’s cockpit, Lan Jue felt at home. It was like a piece of him was returned. He carefully flooded the suit with All-Heaven Lightning.

Thor was constructed with a slew of rare materials that either resisted or amplified electric conduction. It’d cost Lan Jue dearly in both effort and funds to construct. His Discipline was different now, stronger, so he wasn’t sure the suit could support it. He stole a moment in his rescue mission to make sure it could.

All-Heaven Lightning wasn’t just destruction, for within pure destruction was the seeds of life. Thunder essence was an example, where the tremendous power of Tribulation Lightning struck the most powerful lifeforms down or lifted them up.

Thor started to shimmer with a strange dark blue light. In the dim expanse of space it looked black, but when a star’s light bathed it the machine sparkled like a sapphire.

He shot off into space. Lan Jue’s hands immediately fell into a familiar rhythm as they danced over Thor’s controls. Under the cover of Zeus-1’s equipment he was as invisible as space dust, and slipped through the Starfields silent as a specter.

His target was the alien planets. A mecha suit could not compare to a spaceship in regards to speed, but Lan Jue was an important factor. Thor’s current pilot was a different man than he had been, time had moulded him into something better. He was nearly a Paragon, and with the benefit of Qianlin’s help he could fill the suit with enough energy to maintain light-speed travel for long periods.

So far everything was going his way. His only hoped the Pharmacist hadn’t reached those evil worlds yet. He’d gotten a late start, but he was fast and taking a direct route.

As he neared the planets, alien patrols began to appear. Thor’s radar was extended as far as it would go to give its pilot time to react. When a creature appeared Lan Jue kept his distance. At range the psionic generator might fool his enemies, but its efficacy was greatly reduced the closer he came. In the end it came down to how well Lan Jue could fly.

Thankfully space was a big place, and the aliens were few and far between. He maintained lengthy separation but pressed ever inward toward his target.

He leaned upon his knowledge and experience fighting the beasts to know which ones were the most dangerous. As he came upon one kind of alien or another he knew what measures to take in order to remain hidden. After some time the alien worlds appeared in the distance.

He’d lost count how many times he’d seen these planets, but each time he was filled with a pervading sense of dread.

He spotted Queen first, fully recovered from the damage Arachnid had wrought. She and the other two seemed smaller than they had been. All of them were surrounded in a hazy purple atmosphere, and a sense of stillness prevailed. They seemed dormant.

Lan Jue found a sizeable asteroid and settled Thor atop it. He didn’t dare get close to the planets now. Instead he would use his mecha’s remote monitoring equipment to learn what he could.

Where they hibernating? He couldn’t tell, know did he know if the Pharmacist had arrived or not. Lan Jue watched his screens with a frown.

He wanted to save the Pharmacist, but he wouldn’t foolishly throw himself into the enemy’s net if she were already captured or killed. He’d stop her only if he had the chance, otherwise it would be a pointless sacrifice.

You’re not here yet, sis… I know you haven’t gotten here yet!

Communicators were useless out here because of the interference and weak signal, even for Zeus-1. For Thor, radio silence was the only option. He’d tried to reach the Pharmacist several times before entering the Starfields, but she must have had her communications system disabled.

Thor stood on the surface of the asteroid, still like it was just another feature of its topography. Lan Jue continued to watch his equipment and hope. As he looked on aliens continued to come and go from the planets and everything seemed normal.

He spotted a few breeds he’d never seen before, which he carefully recorded in the event he made it back. If he wasn’t able to stop the Pharmacist he didn’t want the trip to be a total waste.

Twenty four hours passed quickly, with Lan Jue vigilantly scanning for any trace of his friend. He was beginning to feel restless. If the Pharmacist had already arrived and the planets were this quiet, it meant he’d missed his chance. Each of these worlds were stronger than his father – stronger than the greatest human alive. What chance did he have if the Pharmacist was in their grasp? The minute he got in close he would be captured and slain.