Psi Emitter

"I haven't tested it; scientific experiments are rigorous." Dr. Francos knew that Raynor thought he was joking.

But he really wasn't joking.

To the surprise of both Francos and Raynor, Augustus clearly agreed with the idea that "perhaps there is something in lemon juice that makes Zergling uncomfortable."

"Continue researching in this direction. Zerg are not perfect creatures; they certainly have flaws."

"Even if that were true, they wouldn't die or run away the moment they see lemon juice; that's the effect we want," Raynor said.

"I will get to work on this project." Dr. Francos led Augustus deeper into the research laboratory. "Next, I'm going to show you the monsters our warriors brought back from Los Andares. Some of these monsters are particularly dangerous for our warriors when fighting the Zerg. Also, I must show you a new weapon that was discovered at the Cha- Sara Confederacy base."

"Humans possess heavy artillery capable of piercing the chitinous carapace of Zerg and Power Armor strong enough to withstand sharp teeth and claws, but infection and mutation are the truly invisible enemies."

As they ventured deeper, creatures far more terrifying than the previous victims suddenly came into view:

A canine-like monster is locked in an electrified iron cage—it is clearly not Zergling; the faint golden fur on its body and the drooping ears on its head all indicate that it was originally a pet of the residents of Los Andares, a large golden retriever that once guarded the farm owner's house.

Now, this wretched beast has undergone a horrifying transformation. It has become even larger and stronger, its bulging back now exceeding six feet in length, with pairs of thorns and protruding bone spikes growing on its unnaturally high, bulging back.

This bizarre creature was covered in cracked carapaces and wildly growing spikes. Its once hairy paws were now encased in multiple pairs of retracted bony claws, which were much longer and sharper than before, so much so that the protruding parts pierced into the tissues of its limbs.

Such pain would render a sentient being unable to move an inch, yet it still stood like a lion looking around its territory, occasionally letting out deformed roars.

"The Zerg will take any living thing that comes their way," Dr. Francos said as they walked. "Dogs, cats, birds, even aquatic creatures—they're either devoured by the Zerg or transformed into twisted, deformed monsters. Perhaps the Zerg are looking for redundant parts in the genes of these creatures, or perhaps it's simply to assimilate other species."

"The Confederacy's Zerg researchers have been recording the characteristics of the Zerg they discover. They've found that each Zerg that appears after a certain period of time differs from the first individual discovered. The new individuals either possess more efficient organs and muscles, or they develop more robust carapaces."

"It is foreseeable that the Zerg will continue to evolve. Eventually, after an infinitely long period of time, only the Zerg will remain in the universe. Their form will have reached the pinnacle of what organic life can achieve, making them the ultimate Overmind of the universe."

"Why did they come to the Koprulu Sector?" Raynor asked the doctor.

"They devour everything," Francos said. "The Zerg are like locusts in the universe. They constantly devour other species they deem valuable in order to continuously optimize their own genes. On the path of evolution, it's either progress or regression. The brilliance of civilizations and races in this universe may far exceed human imagination. We are nothing but frogs in a well."

"Humanity just happens to be on the Zerg's hunting path, or rather, our sector is very unfortunately located in the Zerg's hunting grounds."

"So the only outcome is that we have to accept our bad luck?" Raynor said. "How many more of these Zerg are there? How many more groups like Jormungand are there? I'm afraid there are more of these Zerg than germs in the universe."

"Right now, all of this is unknown to us," Francos said. "If we're lucky, the Zerg won't care too much about the existence of humans, because we're useless except for our advanced brains, and the Zerg don't need a thinking brain. They're probably a Gestalt race; they only have a thinking brain."

"Who controls the Jormungand Brood, and by what means?" Augustus asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps all the Zerg are extensions of the same collective will," Dr. Francos said. "But I have a rough idea of how they coordinate their attacks and communication— Psionics. Psionics has not been found in the vast majority of Zerg, but the Overlord possesses obvious Psionics power, and its intelligence far surpasses that of its kind."

"This might be why the Hydralisk went out of control at the Umojan Cerberus Research Station; they are extremely sensitive to Psionics," he said. "Psionics is like a ray of light in the absolute darkness for the Zerg, like oil to a rat."

"When Psionics or Confederacy Ghost operative appear on the battlefield, the Zerg invariably go berserk. When a human Psionics releases their Psionics signal, it's like dropping a drop of blood into an ocean teeming with sharks."

"We obtained a filing cabinet in the Confederacy's Zerg laboratory, and the files there show that the Terran Confederacy is using Psionics attraction to Zerg to create a weapon."

"They want to use insects against us?" Raynor said in surprise. "The Confederacy was planning to do that as early as 2485? But Augustus was still in high school then."

"Perhaps it's not just that," Augustus said at this point. "The Confederacy must have discovered the Protoss long ago."

"Doctor, what is the name of this weapon? How does it work? Has the Confederacy developed a prototype?" Augustus hadn't had time to look at the report submitted by the Revolutionary Army's Alien Laboratory after the Cha Sara evacuation operation.

"The Confederacy's researchers named this weapon a Psi Emitter, which, as the name suggests, emits Psionics signals. It's like firing an extremely bright, long-burning flare in the dark, lightless universe."

"The Hydralisk can sense human Psionics at a distance of about five yards, and the Confederacy's method of utilizing it is very simple." Francos finally led Augustus and the others to a prototype weapon platform.

The prototype weapon looked like just a square black box, secured with simple latches, with several pairs of signal lights on the outside, the purpose of which was unclear.

"Just like I amplify my voice, Psionics speech can also be amplified, because it is a signal of a different wavelength," he said.

"As long as this signal is continuously amplified, then for the Zerg, this distance will no longer be as simple as 5 yards."

"It's 25 light-years."