Infested Terran
"Jimmy, have our valiant pilots continue to monitor the battlefield at the edge of the Sara System. All findings must be transmitted to the Marshal's command via the highest priority route," Augustus instructed Raynor.
"I guarantee those lads won't even blink," Raynor replied immediately.
"How does this virus and parasite spread?" Augustus through an anti-gravity mobile platform at the end of the corridor to the alien research laboratory on the upper level of the mobile fortress.
Two Alpha Squadron sergeants in white Power Armor were guarding the entrance. Upon seeing Augustus, these resocialized soldiers immediately gave an impeccable salute. Compared to the generally serious expressions of ordinary Revolutionary Army soldiers, these men wore what Tychus considered silly, professional fake smiles.
"Currently, it appears that these are mainly spread by Zerg Creep, and there is no evidence yet that they can be transmitted through air, Watering Hole, or physical contact," Kerrigan said.
"If that's the case, then there should be specific species within the Zerg population responsible for infecting them." As he spoke, Augustus had already reached the door of the Zerg research laboratory. "Where are the infected people being housed?"
"The medical center at the mobile base is already overcrowded. We are currently placing critically ill patients in the A-11 isolation zone, and the rest are placed in other isolation zones according to their level of infection. All isolation zones have been disinfected and are guarded by the Revolutionary Army Special Forces Battalion to ensure absolute safety," Kerrigan replied.
"Why do they need someone to watch over them? Shouldn't they be too sick to move at all?" Raynor asked, puzzled.
"You'll understand when you see those patients," Kerrigan said.
"Have you ever seen zombies? Those people are them."
"I've seen those kinds of movies," Raynor recalled. "In my mind, zombies were similar to starving Harnack, the only difference being that they were eating people."
The doors to the research center slowly opened as Augustus arrived. Augustus led Kerrigan and the others into the cleanroom, where they wrapped themselves in full protective gear from head to toe and put on breathing equipment before entering the heavily guarded alien laboratory.
Just like Umojan's laboratory, dissection tables of various sizes, robotic arms, control consoles, and low-temperature culture tubes filled with blue liquid occupy most of the space in the entire laboratory.
Even Augustus felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the twisted creatures on the dissection table that were almost beyond human comprehension. The Infested Terran being dissected were covered in festering sores, disgusting vesicles, and umbilical sores.
The Infested Terran appeared here had obviously just died recently; it's unimaginable how their bodies could decompose so rapidly in such a short time.
The man in the black prison guard uniform lay on the autopsy table closest to Augustus. Augustus only vaguely make out that it was a man by the beard on his face. The English letters on his clothes indicated that he had worked in the Confederacy prison in Los Andares before his death.
The man's sunken eye sockets were extremely black, as if some creature had gouged out or eaten his soft eyeballs. Like a scene from a horror movie, the man's entire face was rotten, covered with pustules and sharp spikes as long as daggers.
Tendons and bone spikes burst forth from beneath his armor, and his limbs underwent horrific, visible mutations, with specialized bone spikes and fleshy tentacles replacing his fingers and nails. He had become a complete member of the Swarm, losing all human intelligence and transforming into an uncontrollable beast.
"When we brought these people back, they were at most mentally unwell; some of them had even fought for several days and nights with guns," Raynor said, looking at the man lying on the platform.
"Disease is the most terrible enemy. A well-trained soldier can overcome the fear of sharp teeth, claws, and gaping maws through Holographic Projection training, but he cannot defeat disease."
As they delved deeper, Augustus encountered several familiar faces in the laboratory, including Dr. Francos, the Revolutionary Army's chief alien biologist who had served the Confederacy on Egon Victor V, Stetmann, who was visiting as a student of the former, and Attorney General Collins, Cha Sara.
"Judge Collins, what are you doing here? You should be resting in the single lounge we arranged for you." Augustus very surprised to see the other man there and wondered who had given him such authority, which made the Revolutionary Army marshal somewhat displeased.
"Augustus, I must find a way to save my people. They say the Zerg virus is incurable, but I simply don't believe it." Justice Collins wore a heavy protective suit, and his exhausted eyes, clearly not closed for a long time, were bloodshot.
In this era, advancements in medical technology have rendered centuries-old intractable diseases no longer incurable. However, as humanity continues to explore the universe and encounters numerous natural ecosystems vastly different from Earth's, more previously unseen diseases have begun to emerge. Medical resources remain only accessible to the wealthy, and disease remains one of the enemies threatening human survival.
"We will find it, we definitely will," Augustus said, looking at Judge Collins.
"But I need you to explain to me: why didn't you tell me that the people of Los Andares were infected?"
"We don't know exactly how many people are infected. They've only been infected in the last week; nobody expected it to turn out this way." Attorney Collins ' voice grew even weaker.
"I'm worried that if I tell them, the rescue ship won't come. I can't abandon them."
"I can't condemn you," Augustus, staring into the judge's eyes. "But there must never be a next time."
"Dr. Francos, tell me what's going on with these people." He then looked at Dr. Franks and his young student Stetmann, who were jogging towards Collins not far behind. As a professor and lecturer in the Department of Biology at University of Tarsonis, Dr. Franks was fully qualified to be Stetmann's teacher.
Judging from Stetmann's deathly pale face and startled appearance, he had clearly seen enough monsters that day that he would never forget, and was trembling with fear.
Just as Dr. Francos was about to say something, the chest of Infested Terran on an autopsy table suddenly exploded, splattering blood everywhere, and two flesh-colored worms with hard shells burst out from it. These two blood-soaked monsters opened their small, triangular eyes as soon as they were born and emitted a sharp, terrifying scream, like the sound of stones scraping against glass.
However, before anyone else could sound the alarm, the laboratory researchers who were operating the robotic arm to dissect the Zerg next to the dissection table quickly drew a P-30 electromagnetic dual pistol from their waist and accurately shot the two monsters in the head.
After the two gunshots, the laboratory fell silent. The ordinary Revolutionary Army alien researcher calmly put away his Electromagnetic Rifle and continued his dissection work as if nothing had happened.
Egon Stetmann, on the other hand, let out a scream and then ran away.
"Ah--ah--this is terrifying!"
Egon Stetmann may need a long time to overcome his fear of alien creatures. Egon's not afraid of dead monsters, but it's a different story if they were to move.