The Conclave's Hypertension Operation

For Augustus, Zeratul's Xel'Naga ship, the Void Seeker, warped him from the ground onto the ship in an instant. The surroundings went dark for a moment, and then the ground beneath his feet transformed into a solid black cabin.

"Why aren't you turning on the lights?" Raynor readily accepted the Protoss's amazing technology without making a fuss.

The initial cabin was dark, but as they arrived, the surrounding bulkheads and floor began to shimmer with a green light. This green light resembled the reflection of sunlight off lush vegetation rather than some unnatural artificial light source. The green light, flowing back along spirals and mysterious symbols, eventually formed grid-like fan-shaped and hexagonal patterns, like the tender shoots of ferns.

The floor wasn't covered with carpet or non-slip tiles, but rather with some kind of soft, sound-absorbing material similar to black sponge. Even when the alloy stabilizing boots of the Power Armor stepped on it, they wouldn't make a sound.

"It's freezing in here." Tychus opened his helmet visor and looked around. "It's like being in an ice cave. Damn it, are we in one of those Dark Protoss ice cellars?"

The Void Seeker's cabin was large enough to accommodate Augustus and his companions, along with their vehicles. Along the edges of the cabin, clusters of sharp, green-glowing crystals could be seen. These crystal clusters were rooted at the junction of the cabin's four walls, as if they were growing out of the cabin itself.

The cabin wasn't completely silent; besides the crisp resonance of the crystal matrix, there were sounds like rushing water and wind and sand, giving one the peculiar feeling of being in nature rather than on a ship.

"This is undoubtedly a Xel'Naga ship, a creation of the gods who once bestowed knowledge and wisdom upon the Protoss." Taldarin walked with his long, mechanical Dragoon limbs. "It is not one of the ships the Xel'Naga left behind in Aiur. This ship contains powerful Void energy; perhaps the Xel'Naga once piloted it through the universe."

"Truly remarkable. Even today, our spaceships are nothing more than imitations of the Xel'Naga warships."

"Long ago, the Dark Prelate piloted this ship through the universe, searching for traces of the Xel'Naga's travels and those rambling prophecies in the void." The Dark Templar approached Augustus and Taldarin.

At that moment, a projection appeared before Augustus, showing the Zerg main hive nested among the lava islands. The sight within shocked all the humans and Protoss present: countless Zerg organic structures made of black chitinous carapaces, spikes, grayish-brown vertebral skeletons, flesh-colored vesicle wings, and covered in mucus and deep purple Creep.

These buildings seem to be alive; their surfaces are constantly expanding, contracting, and multiplying. The tops of the buildings contract like breathing openings, and the tendons and veins on the main structure wriggle, delivering blood and nutrients to all parts of the structure, as if the entire ground were alive, a piece of subcutaneous flesh exposed to the air.

The scene was filled with pulsating Zerg organisms, the tallest of which even surpassed the Family Sky Tower on Tarsonis. At the center of these structures Overmind the colossal Zerg Overmind, its body stretching for miles in diameter, much of it buried deep beneath the hard volcanic rock. Above the Overmind, thousands of spikes pierced the sky, and a single, chilling eye coldly surveyed its surroundings.

Augustus, Taldarin, and Raynor all crowded around, and the other Protoss Templar Knights couldn't hide their curiosity either. The Protoss and human warriors, dressed in gold-blue armor or gold-red Power Armor, huddled together, their relationship clearly improved by their shared experience of fighting side by side.

"That is the master of all Zerg, the Overmind," the Dark Templar Augustus. "Its existence may be as long as the Zerg race itself."

"Why do bad things always outlive good people?" Tychus mocked both the Overmind and the Protoss at the same time.

"The Overmind is likely immortal. Dr. Francos and Stetmann's research shows that the Zerg's cells regenerate much faster than humans', yet they do not age," Augustus explained.

"But it's also possible that the insects were killed by us not long after they were born." Raynor pointed to the illusory light and shadow, staring at the hazy shadow above the main hive.

"That's a wormhole? On the surface of Char?"

"That's right, a wormhole constructed using Psionics," Taldarin said. "This means that the Psionics power of the Zerg Overmind has exceeded the limits that a living being should possess, or rather, it is the sum of the will of the Zerg."

"In the past, our expedition fleet would occasionally enter natural wormholes, which could shrink a journey of tens of thousands of light-years or even more to the distance of walking from your own doorstep to your neighbor's nursery." Raynor, after all, had been a captain, and compared to Tychus, who neither listened nor learned, he at least studied diligently.

"But we have no way of figuring out what lies behind a seemingly stable wormhole, or how long they can last—minutes, years, or longer. Everything has an end."

"If we could master this technology, we could connect distant colonies and frontier star systems, establishing a stable transportation network where technology and trade complement each other," Augustus exclaimed.

"I don't think that's very likely, unless we capture the Zerg Overmind and make them work for us," Tychus said.

"If you want to go and die, I won't stop you," Raynor chuckled.

"Where do they want to go?" Taldarin stared intently at the wormhole in the light and shadow.

It was a hazy, black vortex composed entirely of void energy and dark matter, swirling within Char's remaining atmosphere. At first, the vortex radiated bizarre, colorful light and raging storms that tore at the earth's surface, but eventually, only a black circle remained.

The extreme blackness at the center of the circle, like a black hole, absorbs natural light. A massive Swarm Leviathan, is passing through this black wormhole, its giant, solar sail-like fins flapping in the gale, surrounded by countless Zerg flying creatures.

The Swarm Leviathan is a colossal creature even more aggressive Behemoth, capable of hyperspace travel in space as well. Even when facing humans, the Zerg did not deploy the Leviathan; it's hard to imagine what kind of enemy prompted the Swarm to unleash these terrifying creatures.

"I hope it's Tarsonis," Tychus said. "We'll go back and clean up the mess after the bugs wipe out the Confederacy."

"We've arrived." At that moment, the Dark Templar reminded the Void Seeker passengers, "The Void Seeker are above this main hive."

"Where is your governor?" Taldarin pressed the Dark Templar.

"It's at an observation post near the main lair, on the summit of the highest volcano in the vicinity," the Dark Templar replied.

"Teleport me there immediately," Taldarin commanded.

"Count me in," Augustus. "Zeratul must have found more clues about the Swarm's strange behavior."

"As you wish." The Dark Templar immediately contacted his companion who was in charge of managing the warp matrix core of the central node.

In the time it took Augustus to close and reopen his eyes, the ground beneath his feet changed from a black, sound-absorbing sponge-like surface back to the ashes of Char.

He was standing atop a massive crater, surrounded by jagged rocks and ash, with thick black smoke and heat rising behind him, and the ground trembling slightly from time to time.

The clouds resembled white smoke rings swirling around the mountaintop. When Augustus looked down from his position, he could only see churning clouds of ash, composed of tiny ash fragments that came and went, sometimes splitting apart to reveal cracks.

Zeratul, the Dark Prelate, stood alone behind a massive black volcanic rock, braving the fierce mountain winds.

This was a scene that left a deep impression on Augustus. Zeratul's dark purple robe had turned rusty from the erosion of time, and the cloak beneath his brown fur-trimmed garment fluttered like a banner in the mountain wind.

Zeratul lowered his head, clearly deep in thought.

This elder, who enjoys extremely high prestige among the Dark Templar of Nerazim, is one of the few remaining Dark Prelate and a governor whose position is second only to the matriarch Raszagal. However, Zeratul never manages the affairs of the tribe; he is merely a free spirit, a traveler exploring the unknown and mysteries of the universe.

"Zeratul, elder." Augustus approached Zeratul, showing obvious respect. His sincerity was genuine, which was an important reason why Zeratul regarded Augustus with special regard.

Every Protoss, whether civilian or warrior, is a mind reader, so much so that they don't consider contact with humans an offense. Even without Zeratul exploring the true secrets deep within Augustus's heart, he could sense the young human's genuine feelings.

Augustus's respect for Zeratul was so genuine that even Zeratul himself found it strange. Zeratul always suspected that Augustus had known him for a long time, but he didn't pry into it, simply accepting it as part of fate.

The Dark Templar have always reciprocated the respect shown to those who respect them.

"You've arrived," Zeratul, looking at Augustus.

Zeratul bowed deeply as he swept his gaze over Taldarin, Templar Knights Protoss High Priest, standing beside Augustus.

"Homage to the High Templars, the Grand Archon, and the great Dragoons of Tal'Darrin. Perhaps the Lady still remembers you. I am Zeratul, the Dark High Priest, leader of these Dark Templars."

Zeratul said with deep respect, "You are all warriors of Adun's time; compared to you, I am but a ignorant child with shallow knowledge."

Ever since Taldarin's army landed at Char, Zeratul has been observing them.

"But we only saw one enemy." The High Templar around Taldarin were also warped to Zeratul's vicinity. Ever since they boarded the Dark Templar's Xel'Naga ship, the Void Seeker, they had been on edge, walking on thin ice.

The High Templar unsheathed their gleaming blue Psionic Blade, pointing them directly at Zeratul.

"Not enemies, but brothers." The Taldarin's attitude toward Zeratul was much more lenient, to the point that his Templar Knights were always worried that their archon had been corrupted by the Dark Templar ' decadent ideas.

"There should be no war between the Templar Knights and the Dark Templar." Compared to the Dark Templar, the Taldarin were more concerned about what lay behind this wormhole.

"The Zerg are definitely preparing to invade a planet or an entire civilization," he said to Zeratul. "Have you figured it out?"

"I'm not sure." Zeratul swayed slightly. "A terrifying, singular hive will is being transmitted through the Swarm's consciousness. The Cerebrate are discussing the Overmind's grand plans within the hive. It's clearly an attack against the Protoss."

"Our colonies are far beyond the Koprulu Sector, where the Auriga Tribe's invincible Fleets (The Great Fleet) is also stationed," Taldarin said worriedly. "The Conclave's fears have come true. If we don't eliminate all the Zerg in this sector, it will escalate into Total War that engulfs the entire Protoss Empire, and our people will be plunged into the flames of war."

"The Overmind's target might be Aiur," Zeratul said. "I came into contact with the Overmind's mind several times while killing those Cerebrate. Its race has been searching for the Protoss's traces throughout the universe. Once the Zerg discovers us, they will seek a way to merge with the Protoss. This is the mission given to the Overmind by its creators."

"Aiur is its target. It knew of Aiur's existence, it always had. Why?"

"Aiur! No!" For the first time, Taldarin showed signs of losing control. "How is this possible? Aiur's coordinates have always been a secret; her location has always been hidden beneath the gravitational field we set up."

"I hope this is just needless worry," Zeratul said. "During my last meditation, I seemed to foresee a future of darkness and endless war in the Koprulu Sector."

The Dark Templar ' technology differs significantly from that of the Templar Knights. Compared to the numerous tribes and large population of the Aiur, they are not as adept at forging and piloting warships as the Auriga Tribe, which commands the Protoss Fleets. However, they are far more skilled in spacetime technology.

It is said that the wise men among the Dark Templar who have mastered the mysteries of time and space can foresee fragments of the future, thus providing guidance to others—although the number of Nerazim prophets is extremely small, and their prophecies are not always accurate.

Zeratul may indeed have foreseen something, but Augustus did not believe he knew the truth.

"I must report this to Executive Officer Tassadar and to the Conclave of Aiur, and prepare them, whether it is just a possibility or not." Taldarin activated his communication device to contact the Protoss Expeditionary Force Fleets's Star Shuttle, but the next piece of bad news followed.

"What on earth is the Conclave thinking?" After a dozen seconds of silence, Taldarin suddenly roared.

"What's going on, Consul?" Augustus approached Taldarin, already guessing what was happening.

"I shouldn't have mentioned this to you, this happened while the Fleets was still fighting the Zerg in high orbit around Char." Taldarin looked at Augustus: "The Protoss Empire Conclave has declared that Tassadar is no longer the executor of the Koprulu Expeditionary Force because he disobeyed the order to purify all Infested Terran planets and even associated with the Fallen Dark Templar."

"The Conclave will send a new executor from the Akilae Tribe to replace Tassadar, and a highly respected arbitrator will also go with him due to his disillusionment with the Templar Knights class," he said sadly.

"Tassadar was ordered to return to Aiur alone to face trial, while the expeditionary force was to continue with its original orders."

"Trial? Does that Conclave think everyone else is a fool?" Tychus glared fiercely.

"Even a fool wouldn't surrender after committing a crime, let alone voluntarily turn himself in to the police." He seemed quite familiar with this. "Not to mention having to travel countless light-years back."

"If it were me, I wouldn't give a damn about the Conclave; I'd just pack up and leave."

"This is ridiculous! Changing generals at the last minute? Just for a few lame reasons?" Raynor was also puzzled. "What's going on here?"

"I can't believe those are the arbitrators who have always ruled the Protoss Empire with wisdom and foresight," Zeratul exclaimed in amazement.

"The history I've learned tells me that it is the arbitrators of the Protoss Empire who define the laws and guide the Protoss to always be on the right path."

"That's their style." Augustus looked at Taldarin: "So, who will temporarily take over Tassadar's position while he's no longer the executor?"

"It's me," Taldarin said.

"There is still room for maneuver in this matter," Augustus said with a smile. "There is an old proverb that says, 'A general in the field may disobey orders from others.'"

There was an earthquake in Changzhou. I've never seen an earthquake before, it was terrifying.