Terrazine and the Chimera Pirates

"Nothing is more disgusting than seeing Kel-Morian people on Confederacy territory. The Kel-Morian Combine is nothing but rats in the gutter, as the Guild Wars have proven."

"I'll say the same thing to you, you Tyrannical bastard. You mean nothing to me. You think the Kel-Morian Combine is afraid to fight another war? We'll take back everything we've lost sooner or later!"

While Horace was engaged in a heated exchange, the overseer Kel-Morian, who had just escaped death, still had the energy to retort sharply, and his voice sounded quite strong.

"Regardless of who Altera should belong to, most of those factories and refineries have already been destroyed or infected by the Zerg." Augustus stopped the argument between the Kel-Morian and Horace with just one sentence.

"The Zerg's offensive is as swift as the infection; they are more terrifying than any enemy we have ever faced. Humanity must unite and work together to defeat this powerful foe in the universe."

"Our hatred for each other is utterly insignificant in the face of the threat from other races."

Horace and the Kel-Morian overseer could only shrug, but they still cursed each other in their hearts. The conflict between the Terran Confederacy and the Kel-Morian Combine had already begun when their controlled territories overlapped during the period when the two forces expanded massively in the Koprulu Sector. The Guild Wars simply transformed this conflict into a deep-seated hatred.

"The most dangerous enemy always comes from within," Kerrigan pointed out sharply at this point.

"Like those people in Tarsonis," Augustus continued Kerrigan's words.

Tychus Finley, piloting his tall, heavy mech, led the soldiers of the 2nd Company through the fortifications to Augustus. The electroplated titanium alloy steel plate in front of the mech's cockpit was stained red with the blood of the Zerg, making the Mengsk Golden Wolf insignia on it appear even more ferocious and menacing.

"I need a break, Augustus. I think this thing might need some repairs." Tychus opened the cockpit door, lowered the rope ladder, and climbed down.

Behind Tychus, two rows of soldiers from the 2nd Company, who had just been withdrawn from the front lines, were returning to their assembly point. Their Power Armor was stained with the blood of Zerg and humans, a testament to their bloody battle.

These soldiers were highly praised among those they rescued, with some even calling them angels. The people of Kel-Morian worshipped their ancestors, so this was seen as a blessing from those ancestors.

He pointed to the 40mm hardened steel rectangular shield on the right shoulder of the gold-red mech, which was covered in scratches and bite marks, and said, "God knows what the Hydralisk ' spines are made of. This poor little shield was almost pierced through, and the chassis frame was also damaged—it was crawling with Zergling and Raptor at the time."

This robust shield is also a new design from the Revolutionary Army's technology lab, capable of protecting the relatively vulnerable joints and cockpit of human mechs. This design is not unique to the Revolutionary Army; the Kel-Morian also install fixed shields on the side of their Goliath Combat Robot to protect against shrapnel from explosive shells.

A similar inspiration may have come from the armed security forces of the Morian Mining Guild, whose security personnel, armed with sonic and stun weapons, would often hide behind rows of riot shields and fire on strikers and demonstrators.

The Revolutionary Army's military research center is now attempting to apply this lightweight shield design to CMC Power Armor. With the emergence of the Zerg and Protoss, humanity must advance military technology research to cope with the increasingly severe battlefield situation.

"The engineers always complain that you're a destroyer—both to yourself and to others," Augustus told Tychus.

"That's right, we always break things, and they're responsible for repairing them until they break again." Tychus seemed to be in a good mood; the thrill of facing an entire Jormungand Brood was sending his adrenaline soaring.

"Repairing it shouldn't be a problem, but we still have a tough battle to fight before that." Augustus's gaze passed over the mech piloted by Tychus and landed on the distant battlefield.

Affected by the Psi Disrupter, large numbers of Jormungand Zerg killing each other, and their cruelty has increased exponentially. Based on past experience, most Zerg that lose control of the Cerebrate will die from their frenzied attacks on each other, but some will try to escape the range of the Psi Disrupter and become "feral" Zerg until they are regained control of the Cerebrate.

In the distance, a colossal, crazed Ultralisk ravaged its kin, crushing Zergling, Hydralisk, and Defiler into a bloody pulp. In the sky, the Mutalisk clashed, and occasionally, some Overlord caught in the crossfire would plummet from the sky like deflated balloons, their bodies shattering to pieces.

Uncontrolled Zerg swarms toward Oasis Town, but these sporadic and weak attacks are quickly wiped out by the Oasis Town's defensive firepower.

"Don't let your guard down. Hold the line until I issue the next order," Augustus commanded over the 011th Battalion's communication channel. "The Zerg could return at any moment."

Then, Augustus had Kerrigan turn on a 3D map Holographic Projection device she carried with her and summoned the overseer Kel-Morian, who had just been arguing with Horace.

How many oil refineries are there around here?

The last time Augustus met the Kel-Morian was in Moria. He had to admit that the Kel-Morian, who took pride in their family lineage, were actually much easier to deal with than the Tyrannosaurus and Umojan. Most of the time, they were honest businessmen who believed in getting what they paid for.

"I don't know the exact number, but it's probably over five hundred," said the foreman Kel-Morian, after a moment's thought.

"Mark it on top," Augustus said, looking at the other person.

The factories that the Kel-Morian people secretly built in Altera were obviously not marked on the Confederacy's maps. These factories were also quite well hidden, making them impossible to detect using satellites or aerial reconnaissance. Some factories were even built underground.

The overseer, Kel-Morian, immediately did as Augustus instructed, knowing that this would save his people.

"I never knew there were so many, oh you thieves." Horace didn't care about the property of the Terran Confederacy; it was just that, to someone who had become integrated into local life, Kel-Morian was stealing his belongings.

"Kel-Morian's high-energy gas distillation technology and factory automation technology are already quite advanced. You don't think we didn't calculate labor costs before investing in these facilities, do you? Compared to Altera's abundant high-energy gas and Terrazine resources, the cost of maintaining automated equipment is negligible."

"Terrazine?"

While Augustus speaking, Tychus had already obtained an Antiga cigarette from Faraday: "Those purple gases from Bhekar that the Tal'darim are so addicted to?"

"Later I learned that the far side of the planet in the D-4358 colony is filled with this 'toxic' gas, and the people there are said to have demonic purple eyes. This stuff can enhance a person's senses in every way, including both pain and pleasure. It's much more stimulating than anything I've ever seen," Tychus said.

"Terrazine is a rare resource, but it is also very dangerous." Augustus thought of the Tal'darim in the Revolutionary Army's alien laboratory who often walked around in front of the researchers with a rudimentary prosthetic limb.

This Tal'darim has now mastered human language and is thriving in the research station. His most frequent phrase is. "Want a Breath of the Creator?"

Because the Tal'darim always hoarded more Terrazine than permitted, Dr. Francos and his young apprentice Stetmann at the research station would frequently have to conduct surprise inspections to confiscate it.

"Terrazine is a byproduct of high-energy gas, but it is extremely rare and currently only found on planets," Overseer Kel-Morian continued. "Terrazine is extremely rare, highly addictive, and expensive as a highly sought-after drug."

"Terrazine can greatly enhance human perception, so it was used as a catalyst for the indulgence of the nobility. Those who ingest it will experience all sorts of hallucinations, to the point that they believe they have some kind of superpower, such as being able to hear the thoughts of others," he said.

"How is this possible?"

"Without exception, those who ingested Terrazine either went insane or died suddenly."

"However, Terrazine might actually enhance the telepathic abilities of those who ingest it," Kerrigan said at this point. "Dr. Francos tested it on a cat and a PSI Level 3.5 criminal volunteer, and found that after inhaling large amounts of Terrazine, he did indeed acquire the telepathic abilities and a certain amount of Psionics that is typically found in Level 5 Psionics."

"However, the side effects were equally uncontrollable, causing terrifying hallucinations and violent tendencies. In the end, the doctor had to abandon the research."

"So, you're secretly mining Altera's Terrazine resources and then selling them at high prices?" Augustus asked the overseer, Kel-Morian.

"This is not our primary task. The guild's goal remains Altera's abundant high-energy gas resources. Under normal circumstances, we would rather let the Terrazine slowly volatilize into ordinary high-energy gas."

"Terrazine also has some attraction to Zerg, which may be one of the reasons why the Jormungand Brood attacked Altera," Kerrigan said.

"If we're talking about Terrazine, Bhekar definitely has more than Altera. How come I never thought of that before?" Tychus said, stroking his chin.

"Who are you planning to sell the Terrazine to, drug addicts in the Confederacy or the Taldarim?" Augustus looked at the markings that the overseer Kel-Morian had made on the holographic map and calculated the distance.

"Even if we're desperate for money, we won't turn to drug trafficking. As for the Tal'darim, they'll just use force to take the Terrazine." Augustus made his decision as he spoke, ordering several exploration and rescue teams from the 7th Division, the closest to Oasis Town, to be sent to these Kel-Morian mining sites to search for possible survivors.

"I mean, if possible. I mean, if I'm really short of money." Tychus's pockets were always empty because he would spend all the money he had as soon as he got it.

"That's impossible unless you're no longer a Revolutionary Army." Augustus interrupted Tychus, ruthlessly crushing Tychus's last hope.

After receiving confirmation from the commander of the 7th Division, Augustus gathered his guards and returned to the town center along the route they had come from to find the mayor of Oasis Town.

Only after the Jormungand Brood outside had mostly fought amongst themselves did Augustus order his troops to clean up the mess.

To deal with the Zerg, simply killing them is not enough; the main hive and hatcheries must be completely destroyed, and the infection eradicated with fire. The Protoss are far more adept at this than the humans.

With the help of Tassadar and Zeratul's Fleets, Augustus only needed to send troops to protect human settlements, without having to confront the massive Jormungand Brood head-on. Of course, even if Augustus to fight against hundreds of millions of Jormungand Brood, he would be utterly defeated.

As one of the most important ground-based assault hives in the Swarm, it's only a matter of time before the Jormungand Brood overwhelms hundreds of thousands of the Revolutionary Army soldiers, like a tide spreading across a beach without making a ripple.

Adhering to the Dae'uhl Doctrine, Tassadar still regards the Protoss as the Preservers of humanity and sees it as his duty to exterminate the Zerg, who are also creations of the Xel'Naga.

Augustus just learned that one of his captains had found the mayor of Altera when the mayor's shuttle was attacked by Mutalisk while attempting to leave Altera and enter space, and was forced to make an emergency landing near the advance route of a Revolutionary Army company.

Altera is an even more desolate planet than Haj, with a sparse population. Several Confederacy colony governors have served on this planet, but all have died in assassination or local armed conflicts. The Confederacy military bases here are also in a semi-abandoned state, and soldiers with some connections try to avoid being transferred to this dangerous and troublesome place.

On Altera, a planet teeming with criminals and spies, the Confederacy's order and laws have vanished, and the people living there have their own set of survival rules.

Despite the election process being rife with money-for-power deals, threats, murder, and even blatant vote-buying, the mayor of Oasis Town was, after all, elected by the town's residents, which at least demonstrates that he possesses some ability.

A dozen minutes later, Augustus met the mayor of Oasis Town in a two-story modular building in the Oasis Town.

To Augustus's surprise, the mayor was quite young, only in his early thirties.

Upon meeting the mayor of Oasis Town, he appeared quite pleased, proclaiming Augustus the savior of Altera and the hero of the Terrans. He even knelt down and kissed the ground beneath Augustus's feet, saying that he would eventually become the king of Koprulu.

If it weren't for the fact that the other party had once tried to abandon his townspeople and flee at all costs, Augustus almost have truly believed that he was a person who Altera and the people of Oasis Town.

The mayor of Oasis Town spouted a string of lies, claiming that he had long been a supporter of Augustus's father, Angus Mengsk, and he actually recited Angus's political demands and the Revolutionary Army's program word for word.

If Kerrigan hadn't exposed him, Augustus would never have known that the mayor of Oasis Town was a captain of the Chimera Pirates, and that he was also a high-level Psionics.

After confirming that he was an old friend of the Chimera Pirates, Augustus did not hesitate to have him locked up and instructed Kerrigan to find out the despicable motives of these Chimera Pirates technology dealers in Altera.