Interstellar Marine Corps

The Mengsk family's guard convoy, marked with the golden wolf-head emblem, passed through the magnificent walls left over from the Colonial Era and entered the downtown area of Stirling, the capital city of Korhal, driving along the wide ring road toward the recruitment center established by the Terran Confederacy Interstellar Marine Corps.

The sky was immediately shrouded by the shadows of skyscrapers and the glint of glass; the convoy, composed of Vulture Motorcycles and armored vehicles, seemed to be traveling through a canyon rift made of steel and glass.

The number of ground-effect cars and hover cars in the lanes gradually increased, forming an endless, bustling stream. Augustus's expression remained as calm as water, though inwardly he marveled at the city's technological sophistication and prosperity.

It was morning in Stirling, and the sidewalks on both sides of the road were crowded with people in formal wear and work uniforms, alongside IAA cleaning robots and sales robots. In Stirling at sunrise, countless people rushed about for their dreams and families; this was the life of the ordinary people who supported this prosperous world.

On a holographic projection screen atop a skyscraper belonging to the UNN Global News Network, dazzling luxury advertisements were playing, ranging from art treasures made of gold, silver, and rare materials to floor-length dresses endorsed by celebrities.

The armored vehicle slowed down as it passed Stirling Academy, as Angus had intentionally signaled the driver to reduce speed.

"The director and the deans of Sterling Academy have tried to expel you many times, claiming you disrupt the order of instruction and violate school rules." Angus looked out the window at the marble high walls of Sterling covered in deep purple vines and the majestic gate. When the crowd near the academy looked toward the armored vehicle, Angus waved his hand, a politician's signature smile appearing on his face.

"Those teachers haven't had any knowledge left to teach me for a long time." Augustus recalled the rhetoric he used to use, pretending to be indifferent and disdainful: "Staying in their classrooms just to graduate is a waste of life. Besides, haven't those jointly signed directors and deans all been fired by you?"

After nearly two hundred years of accumulation over a dozen generations, the Mengsk family's industries spanned Stirling and other prosperous cities on Korhal. Angus was also the primary investor in Sterling Academy, the most prestigious institution of higher learning on Korhal; those teachers and managers were, in reality, working for him alone.

"That is all because these people appear respectable on the surface while embezzling and taking bribes in private," Angus said. "Regardless, I hope your time at the academy remains a beautiful memory in your life."

Augustus turned his head to glance at Sterling Academy. Behind the gray railing, on the lush lawn, leaning against the bell tower built of gray granite, statues of historical figures, fountains, and flowerbeds, first-year students dressed in slim-fitting formal wear were practicing elegant light sword techniques under the guidance of a swordsmanship teacher, their footwork shifting lightly with flashy moves.

Augustus was not skilled in swordsmanship, but his older brother, the eldest son of the Mengsk family, Arcturus Mengsk, was a lover of melee weapons.

Arcturus could always achieve the best in the things he loved; he was a young and famous sword master. He did not study swordsmanship to kill enemies, but to temper his will. The first-year students might look elegant, but they would only receive a comment of "soft and weak" from his brother.

After lingering for a moment on the snow-white thighs of the girls, Augustus withdrew his gaze at the right time.

"It's not too bad, I suppose," Augustus said.

"Protect yourself." Out of the blue, Angus suddenly blurted out a sentence completely unrelated to the previous topic, though he immediately corrected himself: "Limited by experience, young people must always take some detours. But one day, you will eventually return to the right path."

"The people of the Mengsk family are born to accomplish great things."

Augustus nodded in response.

Not far from the academy was the recruitment center established by the federal government in Stirling, located in the prime area of the Queen's District. The recruitment center was a cold structure of alloy steel. A red and blue flag fluttered in the wind at the top of the center; on the bright red field was a diagonal cross composed of blue lines, with many white star symbols dotted between the cross.

Standing at the arched frame entrance of the recruitment center were two federal soldiers wearing light blue power armor and holding rifles; they were known by a more familiar name—Federal Marine Corps.

The chests, backs, shoulders, upper arms, forearms, thighs, calves, and buttocks of those federal marines were covered in extremely thick exoskeleton armor. They wore anti-fall boots with larger contact areas and gripping claws, and matte helmets in orange-yellow.

These exoskeleton armor components were connected by screws, capacitor servos, and haptic feedback systems, with built-in life support systems. The servo motor units allowed the marines wearing the power armor to lift heavier weapons, such as the AGR Gauss Rifle.

CMC-200 Power Armor.

Before the start of the Guild Wars, this model of power armor was hailed as an epoch-making progress for Terran Military Industry. Even today, when the CMC-300 has been released and is shining brightly, this reliable individual armor remains highly favored by federal soldiers. Of course, on some more remote colonial planets and edge worlds, the magistrates there still use older power armor models and black powder weapons from centuries ago.

Wearing power armor, the height of a federal soldier far exceeded the average height of a Korhal male, standing a full eight feet tall, and their frames were much more burly. In front of the six-foot-tall Augustus, they looked like giants.

The convoy slowly came to a halt. Squads of security personnel in dark brown uniforms, holding plasma rifles, filed out of the armored vehicles to push back the onlookers and set up a perimeter. Field, the guard captain of the Mengsk family, jumped off a Vulture Motorcycle and personally opened the door for Angus and his family.

Just as Augustus was preparing to get out of the car, a pair of small, soft hands cupped his face from behind. The little girl stood behind Augustus's seat back, bent over, and buried her face between his right cheek and his shoulder.

"Augustus," Dorothy said in a trembling voice, "you promised you would write to me."

Augustus's collar was soaked by Dorothy's tears in a matter of seconds. The little girl must have been crying silently for a long time, her face covered in tears, while he had been looking at the scenery outside without noticing at all.

An irrepressible sadness filled Augustus's heart. Although as a transmigrator he had no real feelings for his family in this new world, the memories of the past still deeply influenced him.

Augustus knew he could not ignore the little girl's sobbing; she was the pearl in the palm of the Mengsk family.

"I will, little one," Augustus used the nickname his brother Arcturus had for their little sister: "I will send you an email every week."

Augustus stood up, leaned down, and kissed Dorothy's smooth forehead, then he smiled, revealing a gentle expression.

But this smile, which had once captivated many cute girls at Sterling Academy, soon froze. Augustus saw his mother, her face distorted, on the verge of a breakdown.

"Augustus... my child..." Katherine suddenly hugged Augustus, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, and she was almost unable to speak.

"Thinking back to the first time I saw you... it feels like a lifetime ago..." His mother's emotions stabilized slightly, shifting from wailing to a sob with a trembling voice.

"You must be strong and learn to respect everyone you will fight alongside in the future. Perhaps one day, you will become the leader of these people, leading them to the end of the sea of stars, to places we can no longer see. But remember, Korhal will always be your home."

"Forgive your father; we will always love you."