Black Curtain

The bridge deck of the Hyperion was still trembling, as if this enormous steel behemoth was sailing through a storm powerful enough to overturn a city—a storm that was not some unusual natural phenomenon, but rather composed of millions of frenzied flying Zerg.

The battlecruiser, with its deep blue outer armor plating and a mottled gray wolf's head insignia on its bow, was sailing several thousand feet above Los Andares, the capital of Cha Sara. Centered on it, swarms of Zerg flying creatures—giant Overlord, Brood Queen of spider-like queens, and Mutalisk flapping their membranous wings—approached from all directions, like clouds of black smoke.

At an even higher altitude, four Behemoth-class Battlecruiser of the Revolutionary Army descended from the sky, their hulls emitting a bright light as they passed through the atmosphere, as if their surfaces were covered in flames.

The Wraith and Avenger with delta wings clashed with the Mutalisk flying outside the observation window. Human fighters were frequently hit by acid or torn apart into plumes of black smoke as they fell. Large numbers of Zerg were blasted to pieces by human machine guns and laser cannons.

"How's the rescue going?" Augustus asked, one hand resting on the railing in front of the Hyperion's bridge, feeling the slight tingling sensation from the ship's tremors.

Although the Hyperion had a mechanically Adjutant, Augustus still preferred to have more tactically astute and autonomous individuals serve as his military advisors and battlefield adjutants.

Even so, Augustus frequently needed to use his Adjutant to compile and verify the massive amounts of data in the Hyperion archives database and communication networks. To this day, the Adjutant remains one of the most outstanding inventions of humankind in the Koprulu Sector.

The Adjutant is absolutely loyal, capable of performing trillions of calculations in a matter of seconds, and able to remain steadfast and focused at all times to help a human commander observe the battlefield situation and assist the commander in making sound decisions.

By this time, more than five hours had passed since the Revolutionary Army arrived in high orbit around Cha- Sara. During this time, Augustus's Fleets had been engaged in fierce fighting with the Confederacy and the Jormungand Brood Fleets in the Sara System. Every few minutes, a report on the location and casualties of the troops that had landed on the surface of Cha- Sara was submitted to Augustus.

"Tychus Finley's forces and Harnack Hank's Red Devil Firebat Unit have cleared a Zerg hive on the front lines of Los Andares, burning tens of thousands of Zerg to ashes. Currently, the judges of Los Andalus are evacuating the last remaining personnel," Kerrigan said.

Sarah Kerrigan much more mature now than when she first met Augustus. If she was just a girl before, she can now be called a woman.

To prevent the Swarm from noticing Kerrigan, Augustus ordered Kerrigan to discard all Umojan Psionics enhancement devices and minimize her use of Psionics.

Generally speaking, Zerg creatures like Hydralisk can sense Psionics within a range of about ten to several tens of yards. Unless Kerrigan is involved in a direct confrontation with the Zerg, the probability of her being noticed by Zerg is extremely low.

"Send all our aircraft, gunboats, and armed assault ships to provide cover for those transport ships, otherwise they'll be sitting ducks," Augustus told Kerrigan.

At this moment, even with the naked eye, Augustus could see the Revolutionary Army transport ships taking off outside the observation window. These transport ships were easily identifiable by the red Sons of Korhal insignia and the Red Cross emblem on their wide hulls.

The most difficult phase of the rescue operation was landing on Cha Sara and evacuating the remaining people from the planet.

The Zerg have no humanity or chivalry whatsoever. To them, humans are no different from other species, except for a few individuals who possess Psionics that drive them mad. This is nothing more than a routine hunt and a feast of consuming biological matter.

Even without being on the battlefield, Augustus, stationed on his flagship, was able to figure out what was happening on the surface of Cha Sara through the intermittent images transmitted back by various aircraft probes and road troops.

The Hyperion's main screen displays the Adjutant's face in the lower left corner, while most of the footage comes from the front lines and evacuation areas.

Revolutionary Army soldiers clad in crimson CMC Power Armor have taken full control of the Confederacy forces' positions, and the red flag with a whip ring has replaced the Confederacy's red and blue Stars and Stripes. The well-prepared Revolutionary Army has brought a large number of concentrated gas flamethrower weapons and high-explosive Electromagnetic Grenade; fire is always the most effective means of dealing with the Zerg, no matter when or where.

The Jormungand Brood of Los Andares never launched a final assault on humanity; they showed little interest in destroying everyone on the planet. Just like the Zerg's relentless siege of the city over the past two months, the Jormungand Brood seemed to be probing humanity, merely recording their fighting style.

The leader of the Jormungand Brood has been observing, watching with a cruel and absolutely cold mind as humanity struggles to survive in the face of the Swarm, racking their brains for even the slightest hope of survival.

The Revolutionary Army soldiers who landed in Cha Sara, along with their accompanying medical personnel, were welcomed and supported by the people of Los Andares. Just a few months earlier, the people of Cha Sara had felt fear and hatred towards the Revolutionary Army, but now they had undoubtedly become their loyal supporters.

"Have Tychus bring back a few live Zerg samples. My Xenomorph researchers need new samples to analyze the Zerg's weaknesses." Augustus need to waste any more words reminding the Cha Sara people stranded in Los Andares to board the ship and leave as quickly as possible. Faced with the desire to survive, no one needed anyone else's urging.

"Have you found the location of the Jormungand Brood's main hive?" he asked again.

"According to reconnaissance reports, the Zerg's nests are primarily built underground," Kerrigan told Augustus.

"The Zerg ' habits are similar to those of some kind of underground burrowing spider, and their social structure is closer to that of termites. They have dug more than two hundred feet (about sixty meters) deep into the earth of Cha Sara, with the various giant caves connected to each other by long passages, resembling a huge underground kingdom."

"It's a nightmare." Augustus knew that the Jormungand Brood to Cha Sara might not be recovered for decades. Even if humanity wiped out all the Zerg and burned down all the main hives and Creep Tumor in the future, the planet would still be a complete wasteland.

"New report, Augustus," Kerrigan suddenly Augustus.

"Call me Marshal." Augustus took two steps.

"My probes detected radar and communication signals in the southern hemisphere of Cha Sara, which is the far side of the planet." Kerrigan glanced at Augustus: "As far as we know, there aren't many people left on the far side of the planet."

"Are there any survivors?" Augustus frowned.

"Based on our decryption results, those communications used at least level five encryption, so they couldn't be civilian communication devices, and they didn't send any distress signals," Kerrigan said.

"Send a survey team to investigate this matter. No, at least two more special tactical companies," Augustus.

An investigation into Sara reveals a rather bizarre situation: the vast majority of the planet's population is concentrated in the northern hemisphere, where the Revolutionary Army landed, but the Jormungand Brood invasion clearly began in the southern hemisphere, with the main hive structures also located there.

"What are you doubting?" Kerrigan had gotten used to not trying to read Augustus's mind; otherwise, their interactions would become quite unpleasant.

"Do you remember the Confederacy research center on Victor V that studied the Zerg?" Augustus asked.

"If the Confederacy has already broken the taboo, then there is clearly more than one such laboratory," he said. "The Confederacy likely has such a laboratory in Cha Sara as well, and they have already achieved some results, which is why they have survived."

"What about Jim? Let him take charge of this."

"These bastards," Kerrigan muttered as she relayed Augustus's order, instructing Jim Raynor, who was on the landing deck of the Hyperion, to immediately organize an elite force to carry out Augustus's command.

"You think these Zerg were brought here by the Confederacy? That's why they stood by and did nothing, because that's the outcome they wanted—but why would the Confederacy do that?"

"The Zerg is a weapon." Augustus held a profound meaning. "The Zerg are mindless monsters, brutal and bloodthirsty, seemingly born only to kill. As a weapon, they are undoubtedly the most efficient and deadliest."

"Think about it, if the Kel-Morian people were still fighting the Terran Confederacy, what would happen if the Confederacy released the Zerg in Moria or lured them there?" Augustus.

"Even if Moria manages to reach them, their strength will be severely damaged, forcing them to seek help from other human brethren, and ultimately they may only be able to exist as vassals of the Terran Confederacy."

"No one will suspect the Terran Confederacy." Kerrigan was a smart woman, and she quickly understood what Augustus meant. "The Confederacy will destroy all evidence, just as they did to the Ghost operative."

"In the end, they'll just say: the poor Kel-Morian people just happened to be on the path of the alien migration." Augustus said meaningfully, "Our Kel-Morian compatriots are really too unfortunate, and out of consideration for our fellow humans, Father Tyrannosaurus will be generous, and the Kel-Morian Combine will only have to pay a very, very small price."

"That's what those calculating politicians in the Confederacy Parliament are like; they don't care if hundreds of thousands die to achieve their goals. I've seen that from what happened to Korhal IV. You can never reason with the vampires in Tarsonis's 'Royal Court,'" he said.

"But they shot themselves in the foot," Kerrigan said. Whatever conspiracy the Terran Confederacy was plotting, having the Zerg destroy Sara was definitely not their original intention.

Cha Sara has always been a thriving planet, loyal to the Confederacy. If any planet were to be destroyed, the first one would be Cha Sara, which had once betrayed the Confederacy.

"Regardless, they have undoubtedly gone too far." Augustus said calmly, "They may have only encountered a few hundred or a few thousand Zerg, so they assumed that even if their numbers were much larger, they would still be within a controllable range. But in reality, the number of Zerg is only in the hundreds of millions—they are playing with fire and getting burned."

"When the Zerg have completed their mission, burying them in the ground makes excellent fertilizer, and they might even be made into food for export to the Kel-Morian and Umojan people," he said.

"But the Confederacy miscalculated one thing: they had never encountered a Zerg carrying deadly viruses and parasites before."

Augustus could guess the cause and effect. There must be many Zerg individuals from the Jormungand Brood in the Confederacy's Cha- Sara base, all of whom came from the latter's reconnaissance forces. Originally Jormungand Brood would have waited a few more years before invading the Sara System, because they were not in a hurry to devour humans.

After Kerrigan attracted the attention of the Swarm Overmind, a series of chain reactions accelerated the Jormungand Brood's invasion of the Koprulu Sector and led them to the reckless Confederacy researchers.

Even so, the Terran Confederacy probably still believes that the situation is under their control, and their biggest concern is that the fact that the Zerg exists will be revealed, thus allowing them to stand by and watch Cha Sara be destroyed.

Since all of Cha Sara's people had seen the Zerg, in accordance with the Confederacy's usual practice, eliminating all those in the know was the best way to destroy the evidence.

"This is Tychus Finley and Hank's troops. We have completed our evacuation and are requesting permission to withdraw." At this moment, Tychus's old face, with a cigar in his mouth, suddenly appeared on Augustus's main screen.

Tychus, clad in crimson Power Armor, stood atop the colorful crest of a massive Hydralisk, with the even larger Firebat Commander Harnack Hank behind him and several engineers operating a crane to move Zerg carcasses and load them onto a ship.

"Approval of this request," Augustus.

"I never thought you wouldn't approve." Tychus's helmet was still stained with dark purple blood. "I'm just saying this as a formality. Seriously, why is it always Hank and me who do this hard and tiring work, while you hide behind the screen?"

"If you can stand here and 'command the three armies,' I would be happy to go to the front lines myself," Augustus said. "The more capable you are, the more you will be rewarded; the greater the risks you take, the more you will gain."

"Commanding an army is out of the question; I can't even manage myself." Tychus believed his strength lay in his self-awareness, just as he never denied that he was a bad person.

"But I just like a marshal like you. I'm a Revolutionary Army, and I don't do revolution for money or any kind of reward."

"Your salary will triple this month, and the money will be transferred to your account at Yumo Bank." Augustus understood the hidden meaning in Tychus's words; this wicked villain would only work for money. This money might be a huge sum, but it would definitely be worth it.

In any case, Tychus Finley would soon spend the money in the Hyperion's bar or at the gambling tables, and it would eventually end up back in Augustus's pocket.

"You may not know this, but I want to tell you I love you, Augustus," he said shamelessly as Tychus boarded the evacuation ship.

"You really should come out on the surface and hunt bugs. I'm telling you, I won first place in the Hydralisk Killer competition. Tychus Findlay insecticide, you deserve it."

"Next time," Augustus shrugged, "Navigator, return to Cha Sara's high-altitude orbit immediately."

But as the Hyperion raised its bow to prepare for departure, the voice of the Revolutionary Army Lieutenant General Horace Warfield came through the communications channel.

"Steel Justice calling the Hyperion's bridge: Confederacy Fleets Omega Squadron is heading straight for us. The enemy flagship Omega of the Dead, is firing on us."

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