Deep into the Jungle

This newly completed settlement consists of 10,000 modular single-story prefabricated houses and functional houses with two or more stories, nestled among the dense jungle of Bhekar. A power plant powered by a shipboard fusion reactor provides the energy needed for these buildings.

The residential houses are arranged in a colonial grid pattern from south to north, with a wide four-lane asphalt road and an airport for parking transport planes in the middle. From the air, it looks like a blue and white grid.

The components of these block-shaped houses were cast from concrete and lightweight alloys in the Korhal IV factory. The metal shells were painted with a blue and white base coat and sprayed with a gold and red emblem of a whip ring. The Mengsk Family wolf head and the red flag with a gold star of the Korhal Dominion flew over the command center, which served as the highest building.

The settlement was surrounded by a 10-foot-high wall of Plasteel fortifications. The jungle outside the wall had been leveled by plasma flamethrowers and bulldozers, clearing the field of vision for the soldiers on guard duty on the protective wall.

Even today, the inhabitants of the settlement remain skeptical about the effectiveness of this defensive wall. Rumors and terrifying stories begin to circulate among the uneasy colonists, who believe that those strange alien creatures could leap over the high wall with a mere hop, passing through it like ghosts.

This colony, which had been thriving just a month ago, was once full of hope, and people temporarily forgot the sorrow of leaving their homes and focused on building a new home.

Bhekar is an ideal colony, requiring no lengthy terraforming process to make it habitable for humans. It will become the first new home for the wandering Korhal people, who will carry on the indomitable spirit of their ancestors to explore this primitive world.

This is how it should be.

Next to the command center are the military camp square and dispatch square, which are also built of prefabricated panels. About a battalion of the Revolutionary Army soldiers in red Power Armor and nearly three thousand soldiers in dark gray uniforms, holding C-13 Gauss Rifle, stood upright in the dispatch square. Next to them were light reconnaissance vehicles produced by the Korhal military factory and armored heavy combat vehicles with a heavy machine gun mounted on the roof.

The flag bearer held the bright red flag, and every soldier's face was solemn. All the soldiers knew very well that in this perilous world, they were the only wall between their families.

The ratio of soldiers among the Korhal is an astonishing five to one. Except for the disabled and those in special positions, all men and women aged sixteen to fifty are required to receive professional military training as a reserve force that can replenish the front-line manpower at any time.

These soldiers, especially those in the colonial Fleets, were a very diverse group, including both working-class people from the capital city of Sterling and fishermen from maritime cities.

"At ease, attention." Rick Kydd used the loudspeaker inside his commander's Power Armor.

"We've encountered bizarre creatures unlike anything we've ever seen before; those monsters are the most terrifying enemies humanity has ever faced," Rick said in less than a minute.

"On this planet, eight thousand light-years away from Korhal, live two highly evolved intelligent races. One of them is a race full of malice towards us, refusing to understand and communicate peacefully. What awaits us is a war to the death." He was only in his early twenties, but he already acted like a general with an imposing presence.

War and the cold-blooded killing as a sniper have made Rick the most ruthless warrior in the Heaven's Devils. He will never allow himself to betray Augustus's trust or disappoint him. Therefore, any enemy who stands in his way will be resolutely and without hesitation eliminated.

"No matter how long the battle lasts, there will only be one outcome: either we completely wipe out these monsters, or they exterminate us. Gentlemen, the tough guys of Korhal IV, let those arrogant monsters see what human courage is all about." His voice echoed across the command plaza.

"When you return in triumph, they will greet you like heroes."

"Fight for Korhal! We are the Sons of Korhal!" the soldiers shouted in unison in response to Rick.

To the Korhal, the Sons of Korhal are not the name of a terrorist organization. In fact, every Korhal who reminds themselves to remember the fall of Korhal calls themselves Sons of Korhal and takes pride in it.

Investigators from the Terran Confederacy will find that among the exiled Korhal, there is no information about the terrorist organization Sons of Korhal, or that every Korhal is Sons of Korhal.

"Order all troops to proceed from Alpha Gate, with tanks and Firebat units in the lead," Rick continued, "Take off the bombers and prepare to drop incendiary bombs."

"The Scout has reached the airspace above where the Vulture sent out its distress signal. It's twelve miles away, covered by dense primeval forest. In that complex ground environment, radar equipment is completely ineffective, and the Scout's thermal imaging equipment can only detect captured soldiers," his adjutant replied.

"Apart from that, we did not detect any enemy troops."

Rick's adjutant was named Aaron Philip. Like many officers in the Revolutionary Army who came from humble backgrounds, Philip was just the son of a construction worker. During his school years, he earned a full-year scholarship to the Sterling Artillery Academy for his outstanding academic performance, and he joined the Korhal Revolutionary Army immediately after graduating when the Korhal War of Independence began.

Just like that, the officers under Rick's command had all sorts of professions before joining the army. Some were pastry chefs or cooks, and many came from all walks of life, including elementary school teachers, taxi drivers, art students, and journalists.

Angus Mengsk, the chief speaker of the Korhal Council, once declared to his supporters that whether nobles or ruffians, they were all willing to defend their homeland, and that this was the great and united Korhal nation.

"They're lying in wait," Rick said. "They're using the lives of their own people to force us to send in rescue teams, and they're trying to provoke us so that we'll leave the city and go into the jungle."

"Then, what awaits us is the cruel hunt by aliens," he said. "Like the hunters on Korhal, they set traps, waiting for deer or wild boars to walk into them, and then shoot them one by one."

"This is good. I've been waiting for this opportunity. Our warriors desperately need to engage in a battle of swords and fire, to confront a real enemy, not just shadows or fear. Otherwise, even if these damned monsters don't wipe out all our commanders, the isolated cities will slowly crumble."

"We've become the prey," said Rick's lieutenant Philip. "One day, humanity has become the prey again."

"Let's go." Rick said, taking the Boatswain Sniper Rifle, which had been with him since his days in the Confederate Marine Corps, from his adjutant. The rifle was well-maintained and gleamed.

Fearing that the enemy possessed the capability to launch a devastating attack on human air forces, Rick dared not send all his soldiers on transport planes.

Rick rode at the head of the Sabre Command Vehicle from the Guild Wars era. The infantry, in three columns, marched at three miles per hour through the complex jungle terrain, with a wing of Avenger and five Wraith Fighter providing air support overhead.

For the first six miles, the jungle was low and flat, and the Revolutionary Army troops marched at a relatively fast pace. But as they went deeper into the jungle, with taller and denser vegetation, Rick had to order his soldiers to abandon their vehicles and proceed through the jungle with only supplies.

This is a green jungle world full of orchids, ferns, and early angiosperms, with ancient relics buried by time in the corners covered by plants.

The weathered, gray buildings are engraved with mysterious and ancient symbols and characters, which shimmer with a mysterious fluorescent green light, like fireflies, in the darkness.

Ancient ruins, older than the entire history of humankind, lie hidden in the lush, dense forest. The majestic rectangular structures resemble the Mayan pyramids of Central America, while the circular altars seem to be associated with some cruel and bloody sacrificial rituals.

In the distance, the Terrazine, rising straight up like columns of smoke, permeate the vast primeval forests and grasslands, turning the azure sky of Bhekar into a magnificent purple.

If they paid attention to the sky, they would see that in the clouds of purple Terrazine, huge paddle-shaped fins and outlines resembling giant whales would occasionally emerge, as if a group of floating whales were swimming in the air.

To this day, no human has discovered any unusual life forms thriving in certain idyllic corners of Bhekar.

As the vanguard of the Revolutionary Army gradually penetrated deeper into the jungle, Rick also led a company equipped with Power Armor on foot through the dense jungle of Bhekar.

The dense canopy of broad-leaved plants gradually blocked out the sunlight overhead, casting a dark shadow in the woodland. The forests of Bhekar were eerily silent; there were no sounds of birds or beasts, only the buzzing of primitive insects perched on the flowers.

The rhomboid leaves of the shrubs were still covered with a layer of damp moisture, and the uniforms of the Revolutionary Army soldiers gradually became damp and sticky. As Rick's vanguard got closer and closer to their destination, there was almost no path to follow in the dense forest.

In this situation, Rick and his men had to use bayonets to cut down small trees and the tough vines that entangled between them. Because the soldiers' visibility was obscured by the surrounding environment in the dense jungle, the Revolutionary Army officers had to use radio equipment to repeatedly confirm the position of their troops.

Nearly 3,500 soldiers were scattered in the dense jungle, advancing in search formation, with each soldier three to five meters apart. Every ten minutes or so, the Revolutionary Army's marching column would briefly stop, regroup, and officers would report to their commander whether any of their troops had gone missing for unknown reasons.

Soldiers clad in crimson Power Armor formed the core of the formation, marching on the outermost perimeter, while more soldiers in ordinary cotton uniforms provided fire support, carrying Gauss Rifle, gas flamethrowers, and heavy machine guns.

When they were less than a mile from their destination, Rick sent out another team of elite scouts, but they lost contact with him within a dozen minutes.

Rick and his men immediately realized that the enemy was nearby.

A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves beneath the Revolutionary Army soldiers' feet, and before they knew it, Rick was sweating profusely.

"Sergeant Noid is still nowhere to be heard from. The tracking device in his Power Armor shows that he hasn't moved for over twelve minutes." A captain's voice came from his helmet as Rick's power boots touched the wet grass. A dozen or so adjutants and guards in Power Armor stood beside him, walking forward step by step.

The soldiers scanned their surroundings, using thermal imaging devices in their Power Armor visors to detect any movement in the jungle. As Rick's most elite unit, their visors were equipped with sophisticated anti-stealth devices.

Since the human army of the Terran Confederacy does not have large-scale cloaking equipment, equipping a large number of anti-cloaking devices is both unnecessary and costly. If Augustus n't equipped his battalion-level and above command posts with anti-cloaking tactical goggles to deal with the Confederacy's Ghost operative, then for the current colonists, the invisible enemy would be virtually invincible.

The limited functionality of this detection equipment meant that Rick's soldiers could only observe enemies within their field of vision with the naked eye, which created fatal blind spots.

Holding the Boatswain Sniper Rifle, Rick could almost hear his own heartbeat. He couldn't help but recall the first time he held this gun—he was a human Psionics with level five Psionics, and time would slow down when he was focused.

Even the rustling of leaves seemed to slow down in Rick's eyes, yet his mind remained clear. He listened to the rustling of the branches and the occasional whispering sounds coming from the bushes in the dense forest.

Rick kept thinking about where he would start his attack if he were in Rick's shoes.

Suddenly, Rick abruptly looked up at the sky and was shocked to find a blurry figure standing on a banyan-shaped tree to his right. Judging from its long dreadlocks and gleaming scarlet eyes, it should be the same creature as the monster they had killed earlier.

It was wrapped with one strong arm around a leaning branch, holding a scarlet, five-foot-long light blade in its other hand, its feet braced against the thick trunk, like an eagle preparing to swoop down.

"Watch out for that tree at ten o'clock, on the treetop!" Rick shouted immediately.

Realizing Rick had spotted him, the creature leaped down from the tree, its crimson cloak billowing behind it.

The surrounding Revolutionary Army soldiers immediately opened fire on him, but the nail bullets, which could easily tear apart an adult, bounced off as soon as they hit him, and a circular shield protected him from all the damage.

He advanced with elegant steps amidst the rattling gunfire, effortlessly decapitating the nearest Revolutionary Army as he ran. Then, with a horizontal slash, he cleaved a lieutenant in two at the waist, and red blood immediately rained down from the sky.

Power Armor is as fragile as tofu.

With absolute composure, Rick used his battle-tested sniper rifle to fire shot after shot at the enemy's head, while his loyal men rushed forward, firing back and holding off the enemy between themselves and their commander.

The alien monster slashed down twelve Revolutionary Army soldiers in Power Armor as it marched on, then sliced Rick's adjutant, Philip, in two with a single blow. It was almost unstoppable until a grenade struck it, causing it to stagger and fall to the ground.

He clearly underestimated the power of human weapons and had too much confidence in his shield.

As the alien creature roared in a strange language, Rick could only guess, based on his own experience, that it was swearing.

Meanwhile, Rick continued to fire shots into the man's face until he stopped moving.

"Can you speak English?" he asked the dying creature with a tone of utter disgust.