The Antiga Frontline

"Report your location, Tychus."

Augustus stood on a dried-up riverbed and gestured for the soldiers of the 1st Brigade of the Guard Division behind him to halt. At Augustus's command, the approximately two thousand Revolutionary Army soldiers behind him, clad in crimson CMC Power Armor, immediately stopped in unison within a few movements.

This was a unit directly under Marshal Augustus's command, and only Resocialized Soldier could maintain such strict obedience.

The right flank of the Guard Division consisted of over five hundred Raynor's Raiders under Jim Raynor, riding in light vehicles, while the left flank was composed of armored forces consisting of forty Arclite Siege Tank and several regiments of Goliath Combat Robot.

Standing where Augustus was, one could already vaguely see the outline of a city. The domed colonial buildings stood in the dim yellow sand, and the dark shadows of the high-rise buildings divided the orange sky into jagged patterns.

That is Andasar, the capital city of Antiga Prime.

Augustus had heard of this place many years ago; the city had seen numerous rebellions against the Terran Confederacy since more than a decade ago, and news of the rebellions had reached as far as Korhal IV.

After that, the city remained under the strict military control and repressive policies of the Terran Confederacy. The people of Andasar were also one of the forces most closely associated with the revolutionaries of Korhal, and the local resistance was secretly supported by Augustus's father Angus Mengsk.

This is also why Augustus chose to come to Antiga Prime; with the support of the locals, the rescue operation would be much more effective. If possible, Augustus happy to temporarily take over control of the entire Antiga Prime from the Terran Confederacy and announce to the world that it has become independent.

"I am Sterling Wolf Hunters from Tychus Findlay, approaching Andasar. Hopefully, the Confederacy officials there are ready to receive us." Tychus's voice came clearly from the communication device inside Augustus's helmet.

Although the number of Confederacy troops stationed on Antiga Prime far exceeds the combined number of troops stationed on the two planets in the Sara System, they are still at a significant disadvantage in their battles against the Zerg.

Therefore, when Antiga's government began seeking support from other planets in the vicinity and Tarsonis, Augustus's Fleets received numerous distress signals before even reaching the planet.

The information revealed in the signals all indicated that the main defenses and military fortresses of Antiga Prime had been destroyed by the Zerg. The Confederacy forces had been routed, and the Antiga's weakly defended cities were exposed to the Zerg's sharp teeth and claws.

In the past few weeks, the governor of Antiga personally commanded several battles aimed at defending the main city of Antiga, but this layman's haphazard command led to disastrous consequences.

Governor Antiga mistakenly believed that the Zerg were just a bunch of mindless beasts, so he hastily assembled all his troops and marched toward the seemingly undefended Zerg main nest.

However, it turned out to be an obvious trap. Antiga's planetary defense forces, colony marines, and militia were all wiped out, and even the Confederacy general who commanded the army was dragged into an underground lair by the Zerg. The Antiga governor, who was hiding in his office, fled the planet overnight and his whereabouts are unknown.

Thus, before the Confederacy Fleets even reached Antiga Prime, all of Antiga's Confederacy military forces were annihilated. At this point, the Korhal Revolutionary Army, which had arrived in Antiga, became the only military force that could potentially save the people of Antiga.

Augustus was leading his army to rescue Andasar, which was surrounded by the Swarm. However, because the Confederacy garrison in the city refused to open the airport to the Revolutionary Army, the Revolutionary Army had to travel by land from the nearest landing point to Andasar's main city.

"We've encountered quite a few 'scouts' of insects along the way. Damn it, this place is teeming with insects, like a rotten, red apple riddled with worms." Tychus's voice suddenly became intermittent, pausing at times, within Augustus's helmet.

"I must warn you that the insects here are faster and stronger than those in the Sara System. The moment they appear, they're coming to wipe you out. Compared to them, the Jormungand Zerg the Sara System are just a cat slowly toying with a mouse."

Immediately afterwards, as if subjected to strong signal interference, Tychus's voice was interrupted by a burst of electrical noise.

However, Augustus too worried about Tychus's safety; what he should be worried about was the enemy he was about to face—the Revolutionary Army tyrannosaurus. The only thing that concerned Augustus was that the uncontrolled Tychus would destroy everything in its path like a mad beast.

Fortunately, Augustus had finally taught Tychus the importance of popular support, so he wouldn't just smash up commoners' houses.

"Marshal, Zerg spotted at two o'clock, number unknown." As Augustus tried to re-establish a communication link with Tychus, Faraday beside him pointed to Augustus's right front.

"It's Zerg. They're no pushovers. I'd rather face several times more Confederacy soldiers." Raynor took a few steps forward and pulled out his revolver.

"The Zerg's awareness has clearly increased. They've already corrupted the underground of this area, and they're moving right beneath our feet!" Sarah Kerrigan took her C-10 shotgun from behind her back and pulled down her goggles.

The soil on the surface of Antiga Prime is dry and hard, but this does not prevent the Zerg from digging deep underground burrows and establishing a well-developed network of underground tunnels, much like an ant nest. Through these underground tunnels connecting various nests to hatcheries, the Zerg can appear on different battlefields in a very short time to launch surprise attacks or blitzkriegs.

"Establish a defensive line," Augustus said, frowning.

The soldiers behind Augustus reacted immediately. They drew their guns and cocked them. The Arclite Siege Tank, with a hissing sound as the pressure relief valve opened, retracted its twin 80mm cannons and set up its stabilizing support.

The Goliath Combat Robot, like Giant, moved with heavy steps to the forefront of the line alongside the Firebat troops clad in heavy Power Armor. The rotating machine gun barrels constantly adjusted their angles according to the aiming system's judgment.

"Brothers, watch out behind you, or some bugs might gouge your butts out!" Raynor added in the command channel.

At this moment, a series of terrain data appeared on the HUD display screen on the Augustus Power Armor helmet visor.

Antiga Prime was once a world with vast oceans and numerous lakes, but now only the erosion marks scattered across its surface and the dried-up oceans can prove that this planet was once a blue ocean world.

Antiga today is not much different from Ma Sara; its only redeeming quality is its unique "desolate and barren" scenery and the melancholic beauty described by poets.

It is precisely because of this that the surface of Antiga Prime is mostly flat alluvial plains, canyons, and hilly and ravine landforms that were once seabed. On the vast red plain in front of Augustus, there were almost no obstacles, and the view was unobstructed. Therefore, he could easily see the Swarm running in the distance.

Just a few miles from Augustus, the dust kicked up by swarms of Zerg as they ran blotted out the sun, which seemed to be obscured by the dust raised by the Swarm.

"This is a new Zerg army." The image on Augustus' helmet zoomed in as the camera focused, and with a little comparison, he could tell the difference between the Jormungand the Sara System and the Antiga Zerg.

The Zerg that appeared in Antiga had bright orange crests and protruding carapaces of the same color. Compared to the purple Jormungand Brood, they were significantly faster and their attacks were as swift as lightning.

"The Zerg of Antiga are clearly different from the Jormungand of the Sara System; those differently colored crests and decorative specialized structures are probably for easy differentiation between the different groups," Kerrigan said.

Generally speaking, both the Terran Confederacy Joint Command and the Revolutionary Army Marshal's Command will only name the Zerg that appears in each star system with the name of that star system, such as the Sara Swarm or the Antiga Swarm.

But soon, humans discovered the distinct differences between the various insectoid colonies, and that they did not remain in the same star system or on the same planet.

Each insectoid colony is different.

For example, some groups are so numerous that they overwhelm any enemies in their path with overwhelming attacks, while others are so few that they specialize in hunting or searching for superior genes in the universe.

Others are completely driven by their berserk genes and excessive hormones, slaughtering everything in their path like crazed berserkers until they die. These berserk Zerg obey only the masters of their own clans, and in some cases will even attack their own kind.

It is precisely this distinction that has led humans to unanimously name the Zerg of each nest with unique names.

"In the codenames of the Terran Confederacy command system, these Zerg before us are named the Garm Brood (garm, the Hellhound in Norse mythology, the guardian of the gates of the underworld, always appearing covered in blood)," Kerrigan told Augustus.

"The Zerg that appeared on the other side of the planet had metallic blue crests; they were named the Surtur Brood (after the first fire Giant in Norse mythology, who wielded a massive flaming sword)."

"According to intelligence we obtained from the fallen Antiga Confederacy command center, the Garm Brood's combat methods are quite different from the Jormungand Brood. Even when they have an overwhelming numerical advantage, they are accustomed to launching surprise attacks, and if their attacks are thwarted or they are at a disadvantage, the Garm Brood's Zerg will immediately retreat," she said.

"We now know that each Zerg hive is controlled by an unknown Zerg creature called Cerebrate. The Cerebrate of the Garm Brood seem to have a rather cautious nature. Usually, the Garm Brood will not launch an attack unless they are certain of a decisive victory. As for the Surtur Brood, they seem to appear very rarely."

"So, the Zerg's Cerebrate has already figured out what's going on with us?"

"Let them see the human Hellhound missiles too! Where is our air support?" Augustus shouted into another channel.

"The squadron is on its way, sir." His question was immediately answered by an Air Force lieutenant colonel who was leading a formation in a heavy bomber as it sped over the ground troops.

Revolutionary Army pilots who were promoted through numerous battles were the best of the best, each possessing the courage and resolve to perish alongside the enemy of Korhal at any time.

"The ground is Zerg, sir. Where should we fire? They're everywhere." The Air Force lieutenant colonel's voice came through immediately.

"Then fire everywhere," Augustus replied swiftly and without hesitation.

"Yes, sir. Men, we are the flame; whatever we touch, friend or foe, will be ignited!"

Even after becoming a lieutenant colonel, this hot-blooded young pilot still occasionally uttered surprising remarks, just like he did in junior high school, simply because he felt it was impressive.

Augustus did not have to wait long.

As the bomber formation swept across the sky, casting a shadow, a barrage of incendiary bombs and high-explosive missiles rained down on the Revolutionary Army's positions. The ground was instantly engulfed in flames, and countless Zerg were blasted into fragments, Zerg howls immediately diminishing.

However, the calm lasted only a short while before the rustling sounds resumed. Although the bombardment killed a considerable number of Zerg, it did not stop their advance.

Compared to the Garm Brood Jormungand Brood clearly possesses a greater number of Zergling. These small monsters, as deadly as velociraptors, are the foundation upon which the Garm Brood launches its surprise attacks and are the embodiment of the Swarm's fear-spreading power.

The Arc Tank fired first, and the devastating firepower of its 120mm shock cannon instantly covered the frontmost group of Zerglings, followed by the ground-attack missiles carried by the Revolutionary Army Goliath Armed Robots, specifically designed to deal with the Zerg.

The fierce firepower slaughtered the Garm Brood head-on like a storm; even the Zerg's hard carapace could not withstand the human's artillery fire.

However, at that moment, the hard red ground behind the Revolutionary Army's lines suddenly began to collapse, and a large number of Garm Brood of Zerg with dark orange skin poured out from the collapsed cavern.

"Damn it," Raynor cursed under his breath. "I knew these bugs would do this. They're much smarter than that cold-blooded, cruel bastard Duke."

"Forward! The Third and 5th Battalion, move closer to Major Nailifa's Arclite Siege Tank. Hold the line; reinforcements will arrive soon," Augustus ordered.

"Where are the reinforcements?" Raynor asked a foolish question.

"Duke's Alpha Squadron is right behind us," Augustus replied. "If we hold on, the tide will turn, and we'll be the ones surrounding these bugs."

"Duke may be a bit dim-witted, but if you just tell him to keep going, his poor brain might get the hang of it." Raynor was still laughing heartily. Even when facing tens of thousands of Zerg, this brave man remained unfazed.

"The Garm Brood won't let us pass easily... because it probably knows very well that humans are extremely vulnerable when isolated and helpless, and once they enter the city to build fortifications, they will no longer face an encirclement and annihilation battle in the wild, but a siege battle with heavy losses." Augustus's eyes were sharp.

"I thought the bugs didn't care about the losses at all," Raynor shrugged.

"Jimmy," Augustus.

"The scariest thing is that we know they might genuinely not care about losses. But for the Zerg's Cerebrate, too many losses on a local battlefield mean the failure of a campaign, and the Swarm Overmind cannot tolerate failure."

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