Nuke the Insect Hole

Before the Fenris Brood's reinforcements could encircle them, Augustus's forces quickly but orderly withdrew from the border checkpoint outside Geladi City.

However, the Fenris Brood seemed uninterested in pursuing Augustus's forces. Only a small squad of Zergling followed them at a leisurely pace, while the rest of the Zerg gathered at the bottom of the wormhole to guard it.

Augustus stopped in a depression six miles from the checkpoint, waiting for the arriving transport ships to land. The depression was an almost perfectly circular shape below sea level, like the part where someone had embedded a coin in the soil and then dug it out.

While gathering the wounded together, he ordered the Goliath Combat Robot and Arclite Siege Tank to establish defenses and dispatched more than a dozen scout squads outside the temporary settlement. Only then did Augustus's men have time to set up Psi Disrupter to stop the Zerg continuing their pursuit.

Augustus only put down the soldier he was carrying while waiting for the transport ship to arrive.

This soldier was named Elwin, a member of Augustus's loyal Marshal's Guard. Few knew that Elwin also had another identity: he was the last remaining heir of an old noble family in Khastilling.

When Augustus removed Elwen's armored helmet, he was already in tears, lamenting that he could no longer fight for the Marshal. A cunning and vicious Fenris Hydralisk had cruelly severed both of Elwen's legs, and although the Power Armor's servo-locking devices and hemostatic agents had stopped the massive bleeding, he was no longer able to fight as a Marshal Guard's bodyguard.

Augustus knelt before Sergeant Elwen, praising the soldier's bravery and patiently telling him that he would never abandon him and that he still had the opportunity to fight as a member of the Revolutionary Army.

Tychus and Faraday stood beside Augustus, watching everything unfold. Faraday had a serious expression, while Tychus silently smoked, clearly displeased with the scene before him.

Dark Prelate Zeratul bent down to examine the warrior's injuries, but he was powerless to help. If the Protoss could regenerate severed limbs, there would be no need for Dragoon; they could be equipped with artificial intelligence instead of crippled Protoss warriors.

Not far away lay more than forty wounded Revolutionary Army and their remains, many of whom had been torn to pieces and their bodies could not even be recovered. Among the survivors, some were brave and remained silent, while others wept silently.

They are the bravest warriors, having experienced battles large and small, and even saved many people from the sharp teeth and claws of the Zerg, but honor cannot make these warriors invulnerable.

After comforting Sergeant Elwen as if he were his own brother and son, Augustus went to the other wounded. Some of them were luckier, having only had their armor pierced by the sharp scythe-like forelimbs of the Zergling. After returning to Umojan for treatment and recuperation, they still had the chance to pick up their guns again. The others were not so fortunate.

The soldiers who had been infected by the giant Defiler's deadly venom did not survive long; they all died from brain asphyxiation caused by the neurotoxin. Augustus had lost count of how many fallen warriors he had said goodbye to. He had thought he would remember all their names, but in the end, he could not.

So many people had been sacrificed that it would take Augustus several days just to read out the list of those who had perished.

After assuring the wounded that they would receive timely medical treatment Augustus went to a higher hill outside the depression and used binoculars to observe the checkpoint they had escaped from.

He couldn't see exactly how many Zerg were there, but he could see the black, twisted wormhole in the sky.

It was already afternoon there, the sun low on the horizon, its light a pale orange that contrasted beautifully with the azure sky of Haj. Normally, Augustus might have had the leisure to appreciate this scene; the air here was as pure as glass, a bluish-green hue, as if it came from the highlands.

At this time of year in Grandi, especially during windy weather, the temperature remained around ten degrees Celsius. Without the servo system inside the Power Armor, Augustus and his men would have had to waste their energy on the terrible weather.

"The bugs are getting away!" Tychus said with ill intent, standing to Augustus's right.

"The Zerg are preparing to leave Haj; their mission is complete," Zeratul said.

"We failed to keep that pupa, we failed to keep that Psionics named Gabriel Tosh Haj forever," Augustus lamented. He was now more worried about the fate of everyone in the Koprulu Sector, including his family, than about Tosh alone.

The Overmind will use Tosh to create a character similar to Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades. He will be a terrifying character with both an immortal body and powerful Psionics, rather than someone like the Cerebrate who is helpless against enemies like the Dark Templar.

This new swarm agent will also be key to the Zerg's liberation from the enslavement of the Fallen Xel'Naga Amon, which is why the Overmind had to create such a creature.

However, Sarah Kerrigan should be irreplaceable. She is not only the most powerful human Psionics in history, but also a unique human with some other connection to the Zerg. No one can replace Kerrigan, and the Overmind is probably not very satisfied with Tosh as a replacement.

Augustus more concerned that Tosh might not be the only candidate for the Swarm's agent.

Regardless, Augustus was no longer able to kill Tosh. At this moment, in Augustus's vision, swarms of giant Overlord and Mutalisk were circling the wormhole, with groups of Mutalisk occasionally pouring into it from other directions.

"This is the Hyperion, this is Jim. The fusion strike is ready. When can we send the nuclear missile in?" Raynor's voice came through the communication channel at that moment.

"Now," Augustus.

"Okay, let me find that red button." Raynor replied, "I didn't really like this thing in the past—a simple press could decide the life or death of hundreds of millions of people. But if it's the Zerg that's taking the nuclear bomb, then I don't feel so burdened."

"That's one of our already limited reserves. It's enough for tactical nuclear weapons to be effective against ships. It looks like we'll have to tighten our belts for a while, since we can't build such large fusion weapons right now."

"Look up at the sky, guys. In eight minutes, a nuclear rain will fall on parts of Haji Geladi City. This is Jim Raynor reporting."

"So we'll be seeing big fireworks soon," Tychus in on the channel.

A few minutes later, the first curved contrail streaked across the sky above Augustus's head; it was a small tactical nuclear bomb with a yield of 20,000 tons of TNT. Then came the second, the third, and the fourth. The one with the brightest contrail was the Apocalypse-class Nuclear Missile, which released far more energy than all the other tactical nuclear bombs combined.

If there were a command center Augustus, topped with state-of-the-art sensor arrays, radar antennas, and signal towers, then he would likely have already received an alert from his mechanical Adjutant that a fusion strike was underway.

"Fusion strike weapon. Primitive but powerful." Zeratul was also staring intently at the sky with his green-glowing eyes.

"That's my favorite thing when these nuclear bombs land on the enemy's heads instead of my own people," Tychus roared. "I can't wait to see which lucky guys get their hands on them—I told you, damn bugs, we'll see."

Augustus watched as at least forty nuclear missiles flew toward the wormhole. The Zerg tried to intercept the missiles, but to no avail. More than thirty missiles passed through the wormhole, while the rest detonated above the checkpoint.

In an instant, the world turned a blinding white, the light powerful enough to pierce a human eye. The ground began to tremble, and crimson clouds rose over the region.

"Jim reporting for you, Augustus. We detected that the energy emanating from Haj's wormhole is weakening, and it may be collapsing soon." Half a minute later, Raynor contacted Augustus.

"It's a pity we can't see what happens behind the wormhole, but I bet it's quite exciting."

"Hopefully those nuclear bombs will kill Tosh." Augustus shook his head; he had done all he could.

Although Augustus was not a fatalist, all he could say now was to leave it all to fate.

The place where Augustus had just fought had been razed to the ground, the wormhole had completely disappeared, and the shockwave from the nuclear explosion had torn apart all the Zerg there.

"My Observer show that the Zerg on Haj are withdrawing from several major settlements. It's strange that they don't intend to continue the attack and devour all the people?" Raynor said on Augustus's channel.

"The Overmind isn't trying to conquer Haj; it's just searching for the Swarm agent on this planet," Augustus explained. "The Zerg don't need to evacuate immediately until our fleet and Tassadar's Fleets arrive."

"But after the Protoss Fleets arrived, the Zerg gave up, because the Protoss would eventually destroy the entire planet," Raynor said. "That's the Protoss's style; that makes the Haj's strategic value to the Swarm zero."

"If it's just us coming, then it's hard to say," Augustus.

"Latest Zerg Fleets movements detected. The Leviathan Swarm in high orbit Haj is retreating; it looks like they're preparing to leave." Raynor cheered again, "Good things come in pairs!"

"The rest is much simpler." Augustus announced his orders, "Once it is confirmed that the Zerg Leviathan has left, immediately send two divisions to the surface of Haj. We need to wipe out all remaining Zerg and Confederacy forces on Haj."

"Hopefully, the governor and generals of Haj will cooperate with us more; after all, we're not here to rescue them," Raynor muttered.

"I heard you have some wounded. The Alpha Squadron's science ship, the Amerigo, is entering Haj's atmosphere to come and support you. If the weather is good in that area, you should be able to see that behemoth by now."

As Raynor was speaking, a colossal object appeared above them—a scientific vessel with a diameter exceeding 1,700 feet (approximately 530 meters).

This bright white Alpha Squadron science vessel is cast from a large metal frame and sturdy electroplated steel plates. The sloping superstructure is equipped with advanced sensor arrays and landing platforms, making it look like a mobile steel platform floating in the sky in the glow of the plasma thrusters.

This colossal exploration vessel is almost equivalent to a mobile space station. It can also be modified to perform the functions of Mothership, and can accommodate fighter jets, transport aircraft, and carry sufficient supplies and personnel.

However, the science ships of this period did not have self-defense capabilities and were auxiliary ships incorporated into the main Fleets. Therefore, two entire squadrons of nearly one hundred of the latest Wraith were escorting the Amerigo. These fighters came from the Nova Squadron Fleets, which had recently joined the Revolutionary Army.

One after another, APOD transport ships that had taken off from the science ship landed in the depression where Augustus was located, transporting everyone aboard the Amerigo. After directing the crew to take the wounded to the Amerigo's first aid station, Augustus went inside the science ship.

The Amerigo was a large ship; its passageways and corridors were even wider than those of the Hyperion.

At the same time, as it is a scientific research and exploration vessel, its internal laboratories and warehouses are much larger than those of giant ships like battlecruisers, since scientific ships do not need to carry fighter jets and other weapons. Its interior structure, including the design of crew cabins, entertainment areas, and mess halls, is more human-centered, unlike the cold and utilitarian style of Fleets warships.

Augustus led Tychus and the others through the corridors and via the stairs straight to the bridge of the Amerigo, with the Dark Templar Zeratul following silently behind. Although Zeratul had various worries, he usually kept them buried in his heart.

That's not because the Protoss are a taciturn race. Whenever Zeratul talks about something, it usually means that he has thought about it countless times in his mind and already has his own answer.

The bridge of the Amerigo was far from being a wide bridge like the Hyperion, offering a panoramic view of the entire battlefield, but it could barely be called a combat center. The observation windows between the steel hull plates seemed too small, but the control panel displays connected to the detectors, sensors, and detectors served as the commander's eyes, allowing him to see more information.

The captain of the scientific vessel was Lieutenant Commander Maar Heisenberg, a middle-aged man with blond curly hair who exuded the elegance of Tarsonis nobleman in every gesture—which Tychus privately called affectation.

"Marshal Mengsk, the Zerg life signal on Haj is now less than 100,000." Lieutenant Colonel Heisenberg saluted Augustus as he entered. "Considering that the Leviathan in orbit have been withdrawn, the Zerg population on Haj should not increase in the short term."

Augustus did not dislike aristocratic officers like Heisenberg, as long as they were talented and proven loyal after being read by Psionics, he trusted them implicitly.

"We must wipe out all the Zerg and their main nests in Haj to prevent the Swarm from expanding further. We must use intense fire to eliminate any possibility of them rising from the ashes." Augustus walked past Lieutenant Colonel Heisenberg, turned around, and looked at everyone behind him, speaking with a serious and resolute expression.