Zeratul

Will this work?

Raynor walked toward the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment that was suspended between the black inverted triangular supports. This multifaceted object with mysterious engravings on its surface was suspended a few feet in the air, emitting a pale blue glow amidst the flying ashes and sparks.

This mysterious, irregular geometric shape is clearly part of a larger whole, and it is extremely difficult to destroy. Swann used a thermal laser drill but failed to budge it in the slightest, and all human detection equipment is unable to analyze the core of this object.

"What exactly did the person who created it intend to do with it?" Raynor stood before the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment, pacing around it amidst the hum of the Power Armor's servo engines.

Augustus summoned Corporal Faraday and the Ghost operative "Recruit" to inquire about their opinions on the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment.

"Without a doubt, it is a container, a container for storing Psionics," Ghost operative "Recruit" replied. "But it is not complete enough, otherwise its power might far exceed any weapon we possess."

"I trust your judgment." Augustus's words flattered the Ghost operative: "Once we can piece together all the puzzle pieces, it will be a powerful weapon against Zerg and humans."

"Where does your confidence in this thing come from? The only way I can think of using it as a weapon is to smash it into a bug's head." Raynor had a strong prejudice against the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment.

"Why should we believe this thing is so attractive to anything on the black ship? Or should we set a trap around here, like putting oil and spices in a mousetrap?"

"Ah, if they dare to come." Duke, who didn't quite understand what Augustus and Raynor were saying, thought it was finally his chance to shine.

"They'll become a bunch of dead dogs that I'll drown." He gestured menacingly, as if he were choking someone.

"Use your brain, General, we want him alive," Raynor said. "Or don't you?"

"Go eat shit, you brat!" Duke roared angrily. He must have been furious, his face turning blue.

This Duke Family scion, whose personality was so awful it could be described as utterly terrible, was extremely irritable. Raynor had become so adept at provoking him with just a few words that he found great amusement in the other's angry yet helpless expression.

Ultimately, the root of the conflict between Raynor and others and Duke lies in their different backgrounds and ideologies. In Raynor's own words, it's true that people who aren't from the same family can't enter the same door.

Augustus and Raynor were both very familiar with Duke's simple and easy-to-understand facial expressions. The only redeeming quality of this stubborn, forty-five-year-old former Confederacy squadron leader was that even if Duke only had a warship or even just a gun—as long as he had it—he would charge forward without hesitation to confront the enemy head-on.

"Jim, you shouldn't treat an old man like that." Augustus tried to mediate the conflict between the two, hoping it wouldn't escalate the situation.

"Guys, take this fragment of the artifact to command post."

Under Augustus's orders, the Revolutionary Army engineers responsible for transporting the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment carried boxes and other equipment toward the Alpha Squadron's command center.

Even Raynor had to admit that although Duke was a complete idiot, he was, after all, a seasoned officer with considerable insight and command experience. The location of the Alpha Squadron's landing camp and fortifications was impeccably chosen, with a continuous stretch of marching tents and a logistics supply center in addition to the command center.

Duke's experienced engineers found a precious Watering Hole nearby: a non-toxic hot spring. After removing ash, sulfides, and other impurities, the freshwater processor could transform the water into a valuable potable resource.

The command center was located near an orbital satellite base station, with a water tower on the other side. All the equipment was powered by the cargo spacecraft's reactor, a precious resource that was hard to come by on Char. The layout of Duke's military camp was like that of other officers from the Confederacy's aristocratic families, ensuring the comfort of the commander's environment at all times.

Approximately 2,200 Alpha Squadron Marines are guarding the base; almost all of them are Resocialized Soldier. All the officers in Alpha Squadron have been replaced by officers and political commissars from the Korhal Revolutionary Army to ensure that Duke, who always likes to act on his own, will not squander this army.

Alpha Squadron are equipped with CMC-300 Power Armor and possess heavy weapons such as electromagnetic railguns. Apart from the inflexible thinking of the Resocialized Soldier, they are almost second only to a few veteran divisions of the Korhal Revolutionary Army Korhal Revolutionary Army.

Augustus's most elite forces now consist of the Heaven's Devils, including Londerstein, the Korhal Veterans Division led by the Korhal nobles, Milan Han's Deadman's Port Marauder Assault Division, Raynor Raynor's Raiders, Tychus's Wolf Hunters, and the Sara army commanded by former Confederacy - Sara Pulaier.

Governor Mara Sara's troops were given a new name— Sons of Dante.

The interior of Duke's Alpha Squadron command center was surprisingly simple and tidy, reflecting the military's pragmatic style, though the walls were covered with medals and weapons.

The Chinese staff and officers in the command center were basically all dispatched by Augustus. In addition to advising Duke, they also had to keep a close eye on him to prevent Duke from suddenly deciding to lead the marshal's elite troops to fight to the death.

On the entrance steps of the Alpha Squadron command center stood Lieutenant Aisha, relaying Duke's orders. She was a petite yet voluptuous blonde with a charming smile, like that of a smiling cat.

However, no one in the Alpha Squadron would want anything to happen with her, because before she was arrested, imprisoned, and Resocialized Soldier, she had cut off the genitals of eight men in a single week.

Dangerous crimes often follow the same pattern: when you see a drunken, curvy woman on the street, she's likely just lying in wait.

Augustus knew nothing of this; he simply regarded her as an ordinary Resocialized Soldier. Some soldiers might be imprisoned merely for offending a Confederacy nobleman, while others might have committed heinous crimes.

"Summon my elite guard," Duke told the herald.

"We need anti-stealth equipment, but we don't need to deploy too much defense." Augustus looked at the beautiful blonde female officer.

The other woman merely tilted her head, clearly not understanding which of the two conflicting commands to follow. While she was confused, Augustus simply frowned slightly.

"Do as the Marshal says," Duke said immediately.

"I told you so, Duke, those poor guys with neuromodifications are only good for serving tea and water," Raynor said.

"Or would you rather have a servant who only follows orders than a wise adjutant?"

"No, Alpha Squadron has me," Duke replied confidently. "The real commander only needs one person, and that is the smartest one among men."

"Ah, unfortunately you are far from that," Raynor said.

"You smooth-talking country bumpkin, don't let me catch you," Duke said through gritted teeth.

"Then prove to me that you're smart enough, but you can't beat me at chess, poker, or dice," Raynor retorted.

"True talent isn't shown in these low-brow Game," Duke scoffed.

Augustus, surrounded by Raynor, Duke, and a dozen Raynor's Raiders Vulture Motorcycle and Alpha Squadron elite guards, entered the command center. Inside were several LED 2D displays, computer consoles, and camp monitors facing wide tempered glass windows, allowing the commander to have a comprehensive overview of the entire battlefield.

"Put the artifact fragments here." As Augustus turned to look at the main monitor screen, Raynor directed the engineers and soldiers transporting the artifact fragments. "Turn up the power."

The monitor screen displayed a satellite map of the Burning Lands, with the main base, Alpha Squadron outposts, and firing positions marked on the map. Cameras monitored the main access routes to the base, with heavy machinery and automatic artillery positioned beneath each camera.

Due to the amplifying energy waveform of the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment, the electronic equipment in the command center became extremely unstable.

"What do we do now?" Raynor asked Augustus. "Just wait?"

"Jimmy, we didn't come here just to find them." Augustus found the coordinates of several nearby Zerg main hives on the main screen, which was flashing with snow-like gibberish.

"General Duke," he said.

"What are your orders?" Duke immediately adopted a humble and cautious demeanor, which Raynor scoffed at.

"While the Zerg are still in the chaos of fighting each other, I want you to destroy the main hives from B to E." Augustus circled several Zerg main hives on the screen that he believed needed to be eliminated immediately, and manually marked them with letters.

After destroying these Zerg main nests located on the central island reef of the lava lake Alpha Squadron will no longer need to deal with enemies from all directions on the ground and can concentrate on dealing with the Zerg swarming out from the volcanic area to the east.

"Call in our air strike force and transport ships to launch an airborne operation, and withdraw immediately once the target is destroyed," Augustus told Duke.

"I believe that's exactly what you and your Alpha Squadron do best," he said.

"You haven't misjudged him." Duke immediately did as he was told.

This is indeed the kind of combat the Alpha Squadron excels at: launching attacks using Fleets and air superiority. If ground forces must be deployed to destroy enemy forces on the ground, Duke will rely on the air force to launch a powerful surprise attack and then retreat unscathed.

After Duke and his men left the command center, it immediately fell silent, leaving only Raynor, Corporal Faraday, a Ghost operative, and several engineers. Raynor's Raiders with white Wings of Liberty badges on their armor guarded the corridors and entrances of the command center.

Augustus was silent for a few seconds, then he opened the visor on his Power Armor, took a deep breath, and walked towards the huge window of the command center facing the lava lake of the Burning Lands.

The atmosphere in Char has extremely high oxygen and sulfur content, with thick smoke billowing out, as if hundreds of Tarsonis garbage incinerators were spewing out black soot. The air is filled with a smoky, acrid smell that can cause an unpleasant dizziness when inhaled.

Inhaling too much ash fragments into the lungs is also dangerous; Augustus could only breathe relatively clean air in the command center, which had an air purification system.

More than five hours had passed since Augustus's army landed at Char. At this latitude in the Burning Lands, a day is especially short.

As the sun set, the distant sky gradually darkened, and the orange-red glow released by the lava lake turned the ashen clouds on the horizon crimson. In the golden light of the setting star, two purple moons hung in the sky, and a huge red planet with rings appeared on the other side.

In Char, the transition between day and night is so brief it lasts only a moment. Char's thin atmosphere cannot retain heat, and the temperature drops rapidly.

The firelight on the ground became exceptionally bright, as if the furnace fire forged by the god of craftsmen had fallen to earth. Lights flickered in the Alpha Squadron's landing base and soldiers' camps, the lights reflecting off the red glow of the lava.

Augustus stood there for a long time, and no one knew what he was thinking. Raynor didn't disturb Augustus; he simply stood with him.

Perhaps in the eyes of this twenty-two-year-old Shiloh, Augustus was contemplating the future of the Revolutionary Army. Time slowly passed, Augustus did not receive the Dark Templar he had hoped for, but instead received Lieutenant Aisha.

As usual, Lieutenant Aisha delivered the same food and water to the command room at the same time, and Duke's rations were slightly higher than those of the soldiers.

"Please have your meal." Lieutenant Aisha wore her usual saccharine smile. Without anyone reminding her, she was unaware that she should prepare several extra dinners for Raynor and the others.

"You should see there's more than one person here." Augustus took the plate from the lieutenant and said in a commanding tone, "You must."

As soon as Augustus uttered a few words, the already flickering lights in the command room immediately went out one by one, and all the electronic equipment and screens went dark.

"Oh--damn it, the Zerg must have bitten through our wires." Raynor cursed as he turned on the spotlight on his Power Armor chest plate, only to be immediately startled by a face wearing a purple veil that suddenly appeared in the light.

Black mist churned in the command room, causing the temperature indicator inside to drop by more than ten degrees Celsius in a short period of time, and a pair of eyes burning with green Psionics flames brought the chill of the void.

Raynor almost reflexively drew his Colt military revolver from his holster, but the hand holding the gun was immediately seized by a pair of huge hands with dark purple nails and dark gray skin.

He tried to pull the trigger or pull his hand back, but now he couldn't move even a single finger.

Faraday reacted only a fraction of a second slower than Raynor, but Augustus stopped him just as he was about to draw his gun and fire.

"Do not fire, remain calm." Augustus looked intently into the pair of green eyes. "Tell my guards that I am merely receiving a distinguished guest."

This statement was clearly addressed to the visitor.

"I'm afraid there's more than one." Raynor, after all, was a man who had weathered many storms and possessed extraordinary courage. He did not panic because of the scene before him.

Immediately afterwards, two more pairs of eyes of the same color appeared. Their deep purple robes fluttered without wind, as if a strong wind were blowing around them. Augustus could only determine by the light from the Power Armor's searchlights that the owners of these two pairs of eyes were a Protoss woman and a man, respectively.

"Humans... this Xel'Naga creation is far too dangerous for you," the female Protoss said.

"What you possess is a power you cannot control," the male Protoss added.

"Warriors, lay down your weapons. You are our guests." Augustus's unusual composure exceeded the visitors' expectations. They had originally thought these humans were just another group of arrogant fools who wanted to use the relics left behind by the creator Xel'Naga.

"Protoss warriors," he said calmly, "I think we should at least turn on the lights first, and then we can sit down and have a proper talk about the current situation."

"A wise move." The first Protoss to appear was clearly their leader. After he finished speaking, the lights in the command room came on, and the other equipment returned to normal operation.

He had been observing Raynor, Augustus, and the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment without saying a word.

After the lights were turned back on, Augustus was able to see the visitors clearly.

Leading the group was a tall, elderly Protoss. He was somewhat hunched over, and even considering the long lifespan of the Protoss, he was quite old.

A long, dark purple veil was tied around his narrow chin, revealing a broad, gray forehead with sharp, protruding spikes—a feature unlike the light blue skin and smooth facial features of the Aiur Protoss.

The Protoss elder wore a flowing, purple robe that seemed to be woven from the wind, with shoulder straps sewn from some kind of wild animal leather at the collar, and a belt and arm guards inlaid with green crystals around his waist. His robes were quite worn and showed the marks of time, but the elder paid no attention to this.

"In the name of Adun, I am Zeratul, leader of the Dark Templar." The Protoss elder's voice appeared in Augustus's mind. It was hoarse, but not harsh or unpleasant. It was not the sound of dry branches rubbing against each other, but the deep timbre of an old conch shell.

"You are not part of the prophecy." Zeratul stared intently into Augustus's eyes. "You are not the destined one, nor are you ignorant of it."

Augustus knew Zeratul's personality well, so he simply rolled his eyes.

This is Zeratul, a Dark Templar who deeply believes in the prophecies of the Xel'Naga, the creators. He never explains things simply and clearly; his opening remarks are always a series of incomprehensible words.

They never follow the usual path.

"What nonsense is he spouting?" Raynor didn't care about any of that. Upon realizing it was Protoss and not something else, a startled Raynor immediately shouted a complaint.

"No disrespect to the High Priest!" The female Dark Templar's glowing green eyes were fixed on Raynor.

This female Dark Templar was dressed much better than Zeratul; her deep purple cloak, adorned with mysterious symbols and patterns, suggested she was one of their scholars.

"It's you people who are rude—or the Protoss. Why don't you use the main entrance?" Raynor grumbled.

"."

The impulsive Raynor stumped Zeratul and his Dark Templar.

"Whether we go through the main entrance or not isn't the key issue," Augustus quickly told Raynor to shut up. "What I want to know is whether you just killed a Cerebrate."

"Yes, so you'll find that some of the Zerg have suddenly gone mad." Without any arrogance or pretense, Zeratul answered Augustus's question frankly, "That's why we came to this planet—to exterminate the Zerg."

"But as far as we know, a Cerebrate cannot be completely killed... it can be resurrected by the Zerg Overmind," Augustus.

"The Overmind and the Cerebrate are both incredibly powerful, but they are not invincible." Zeratul gently raised his head, perhaps as a specific gesture, but Augustus had no idea of its true meaning.

Zeratul extended a hand, his open palm clenching into a fist, and a gleaming green Psionics blade was immediately projected from the bracers on his arm. That chilling Psionic Blade was completely different from those of the Templar Knights under Tassadar.

"I killed that Cerebrate; its name was Gwen, the Lord of the Silver Swarm," he said. "I used Void Psionics to sever its connection to the Overmind. Gwen's death is irreversible; it will never be resurrected."

"Gwen..." Augustus murmured the name.

It seems the first Cerebrate Sars, which should have been killed by Zeratul, escaped... It has just been resurrected and should still be near the Overmind. But Gwen is in big trouble.

"You had better prove what you're saying is true," Raynor said.

"I can't prove it to you, but he is indeed dead." Zeratul sheathed his Psionic Blade, not wanting to dwell on the matter any longer.

"Alright, I believe you." Raynor shrugged, admiring the Dark Templar's frankness.

Augustus didn't press the matter further.

If Augustus press Zeratul whether he had any contact with the Overmind's mind at the moment he killed the Cerebrate Gwen, the answer would undoubtedly be yes. This is because to completely kill a Cerebrate, one must go through this process, and Zeratul might even consider it an honor.

However, Zeratul was unaware that this contact was bidirectional. The instant he made contact with the Overmind's mind, the Overmind also learned the coordinates of Aiur, the Protoss homeworld, from Zeratul's mind.

Aiur is about to fall again.

Progress 8/44

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