This Area Is Placed Under the Protection of the Revolutionary Army

Ister walked up to Augustus Mengsk, his blue eyes wide as he carefully observed the face of the distinguished gray-haired man before him. He was incredibly handsome, as if he had stepped out of a poster.

The soldiers gathered around the Revolutionary Army marshal like stars surrounding the moon, all watching his every move and treating his every word as golden rules.

Even at such a young age, Augustus was already the supreme leader of the rising Korhal Revolutionary Army. The Terran Confederacy's deliberate smear campaign and framing of Augustus only made him more widely known, and his glorious and noble positive image gradually shone brighter with the invasion of the Zerg.

In the first Total War between humans and alien races in Koprulu, the Terran Confederacy, which only cared about preserving its core world, completely lost control of most of the peripheral planets, while the Korhal Revolutionary Army's reputation and support in those worlds grew day by day.

Therefore, in a region like Halsen, which falls within Tarsonis's sphere of influence, the name Augustus Mengsk is heard more frequently. Even if they don't want to talk about the figure too much, UNN news from Tarsonis mentions Augustus Mengsk and his evil, infamous rebels again and again.

In the past two or three years, Augustus Mengsk has become an indispensable figure in the UNN daily news: he is the greatest enemy in human history, and his crimes are countless. Remember his incredibly evil face so that you can assist the government forces in arresting him.

"You, you are Augustus Mengsk!" Ister realized that Augustus was the person he had always wanted to be.

"Great hero!" Loran cried out, tears streaming down his face.

"I am not a hero," Augustus. "My child, I am far from being a hero."

At that moment, an accompanying physician brought over two cups of freshly brewed hot tea and solid cocoa bars. This male doctor with short brown hair had been Angus Mengsk's personal physician and health consultant, and now he was assigned to oversee Marshal Augustus Mengsk's daily diet and health care.

It's worth mentioning that Lisa Cassidy, the Heaven's Devils, was the most deserving candidate for the position, but she clearly failed.

"A sincere compliment is worth more than a thousand insincere flatteries," Sarah Kerrigan said.

"I am very popular with my people," Augustus said with satisfaction. "This is one of the best pieces of news I have heard in months."

"Everyone knows you," Ister said.

"Thank you," Loran said to the doctor as she accepted the hot drink.

"I know, whether it's a good impression or a bad one, they all know that there's probably someone like me in the universe." Augustus looked at the siblings seriously for a while. "The enemy's attacks and slanders cannot defeat the Revolutionary Army; they will only make us stronger."

"Children, tell me what's going on here?" he asked.

"Zerg." Ister paused, feeling incredibly angry at this term that had only become widely known in the last year.

"They slaughtered everyone in the town, leaving no one alive."

"The immigrants nowadays lack weapons for self-defense; not every edge planet is Mar- Sara and Abaddon," Kerrigan said. "The Confederacy forces were supposed to protect this place, but they failed."

The Terran Confederacy had eliminated many unstable factors with its victory in the Guild Wars, but people soon discovered that their lives had not become better than before after the war ended.

On the contrary, the Guild Wars did not destroy the Terran Confederacy, but they did destroy the people at the bottom of the population who supported the entire Confederacy. In the fight against the Kel-Morian, the nationalist spirit of shared hatred of the enemy made people temporarily ignore the significant decline in living standards caused by the war.

The people of the Terran Confederacy are more tolerant of oppression and exploitation than the career politicians and nobles in the Confederate Congress imagine, but that does not mean they are hardworking donkeys who will never resist.

"My warriors have taken control of Halsen, and the invading Zerg will be wiped out," Augustus. "Humanity has not lost hope."

At this moment, several more APOD transport ships flew overhead, some of them modified heavy transport aircraft, their roars deafening as they passed through the low sky. High-speed Wraith continuously emerged from the clouds and headed into the distance, creating a spectacular sight of large formations traversing the boundless fields.

Ister had never seen anything like this since birth. Halsen had always been a relatively peaceful colony world, and because of its proximity to Tarsonis, there was hardly any sign of pirate activity.

"Where did they come from? Brontes, Sigma, or Jotun?" Ister named several planets that had recently been frequently attacked by the Zerg.

By the latter half of that year, the insect plague had affected hundreds of colonies, and even the important core worlds were besieged. Forget about defeating the Zerg and reclaiming lost territories; even the Terran Confederacy's ability to hold onto its remaining worlds was now a question.

"The Zerg here have the same DNA as the Zerg that invaded Brontes; they are a branch of the Garm Brood," Augustus. "The Zerg in each world are not exactly the same; they evolve completely different characteristics depending on the world they live in and the enemies they face."

"They also assimilate local creatures to fight for the Swarm. The mastiff-like creatures that appeared in Halsen are mutations of canines; they are smaller than Zergling, but also more ferocious."

"It's too dangerous here until my warriors have completely wiped out the Zerg from Halsen. Get on the ship, and they'll take you to a settlement sixty miles away, where there are millions of others like you facing this situation," he said.

"No, I'm staying," Ister said firmly. "I want to avenge my parents!"

"You don't understand anything, Ister, you're just causing them trouble." Loran always thought more deeply Ister: "If you go to the battlefield, they'll at least send another person to protect you."

"Then I will join the Revolutionary Army," Ister said.

"You are too young, child," Augustus said, using a more tactful approach. "We cannot take you away."

Perhaps only Augustus willing to listen attentively to a child's words, while a noble general like Edmond Duke, who rose to the rank of general through birth and seniority, would only say that this little country bumpkin doesn't know anything at all.

"Alright." Ister quickly accepted the news. He knew that if he joined the army, the Revolutionary Army would really have to find the smallest possible Power Armor.

"When you grow up, you'll have plenty of opportunities to go to the battlefield." Augustus watched as the exhausted siblings boarded the transport ship, and watched as the deceleration thrusters used to slow down the ship's descent within the atmosphere slowly retracted.

"At that time, the doors of the Revolutionary Army will always be open to you." Augustus did not look down on him because he was just a child.

Augustus waved his hand, and as the cargo ship's hatch slowly closed, the gentle expression on his face gradually faded, until only a cold resolve remained.

"That boy possesses some kind of Psionics talent, but it's not obvious; I think he might be around level 4.5. Ister has the X-factor, which is why he always hits his target," Kerrigan said. "He's a natural soldier, and most importantly, he looks up to you."

"Just like our sniper Rick ... what a good kid." Unsurprisingly, Augustus once again convinced that his life's goal was to protect people like him.

Augustus was not the only one in the universe to advocate freedom and truth, but he was certainly one who consistently put his ideals into practice.

"Where are the men of Londerstein?" Augustus asked.

"The New Boston area has a mountainous landscape rarely seen in Halsen, covered with vast vineyards." Kerrigan the reports from various units to the Field Marshal's headquarters by heart.

Augustus many military advisors, senior staff officers, and adjutants, but ultimately, Kerrigan took on all of these roles. As Tarsonis' most successful Ghost operative in history, Kerrigan was a true all-rounder in every aspect, even learning new things she had never encountered before.

Marshal Kerrigan's status and prestige within the Revolutionary Army were unparalleled, so he had no need to worry about losing power. Kerrigan obeyed Augustus's every word without question; she still loved Augustus as deeply as she had when she was sixteen, to the point that she almost never objected to any of Augustus opinions or requests.

"Order him to advance immediately toward Sigis, where a Zerg secondary hive has been heavily damaged by Protoss artillery fire. All tanks and fighters in the area will provide support. Whatever happens, his order remains the same—advance," Augustus.

Even without a battle map at hand, Augustus knew the landmarks on it by heart.

"Did Duke's guys take down Newco?" he asked Kerrigan again.

"They've entered the city, where people are lining the streets to welcome the Revolutionary Army," Kerrigan replied.

As a former Confederacy Navy squadron, Alpha Squadron still retains its old paint scheme, only adding Revolutionary Army insignia to its armor. In any case, the people of Halsen don't really care about these differences, as the paint schemes of various Confederacy Army units are already quite diverse.

"Hopefully Duke will remember what I said...tame his temper, he must be patient with the common people," Augustus.

"Jack Haller's Nova Squadron, together with the Templar Knights of Tassadar, defeated a Zerg hive force in the Gilan region. Haller personally went to the front lines, and a political commissar dispatched to Nova Squadron witnessed him unleashing superhuman Psionics power on the battlefield."

Kerrigan continued, "Reports indicate that the Protoss left after the battle. They rushed to the next extremely intense battlefield without stopping."

"After the war ends, I will commend all the soldiers who participated in the war for their bravery," Augustus.

At that moment, a sharp, terrifying howl suddenly rang out from all around. The soldiers around Augustus stood shoulder to shoulder, looking around warily.

"Draw your guns, load them, and prepare to fire!" Marshal Guard Faraday, the Marshal's bodyguard, immediately ordered.

Kerrigan glanced around. "Don't worry, it's just an injured Hydralisk."

"Find it," Augustus. "Sufficient live samples may allow our scientists to find out why the Zerg's claws are sharper than titanium blades."

Corporal Faraday waved his hand, and several soldiers, led by a sergeant, headed in that direction. Before long, they found a giant Hydralisk whose spine had been blown off by Electromagnetic Grenade.

Even after suffering unimaginable fatal wounds, this Hydralisk still survived, and according to research by human scientists, even the most severe fatal Zerg can be slowly healed by the hydra's own self-repairing mechanisms.

The Zerg's resistance to various viruses and its powerful tissue self-repair capabilities could also bring a leap forward to human medical development. Humans are learning new technologies from their enemies, including the Protoss.

The still-roaring Hydralisk was immediately hauled onto a transport ship. Several engineers used laser saws to cut off the Hydralisk's two pairs of forelimbs, just like they would a crab, and then used a crane to drag it into the cargo hold.

After that, Augustus walked a few more steps along the edge of the field, looking in the direction the Reaper Company had left in. He was waiting for further reports from Raynor and the others so he could decide where to go next.

It was high noon, the sky was a clear, deep blue, and the green wheat fields stretched like an ocean. Augustus only ever seen such a scene before in Agria. Such a vast, fertile plain was perfectly suited for mechanized farming, while rural areas like Korhal IV, nestled among mountains and forests, had a more authentic, lived-in feel.

It must be said that looking out over the forest from the ridges of the fields in Halsen is an extremely spectacular sight. The surging waves of wheat are like an ocean, vast and boundless. Standing in the boundless fields, one feels as if they are about to be submerged by these rolling waves, giving one a breathtaking sense of awe.

Augustus couldn't help but wonder how many colonies Halsen could provide food for, and how many people that food could feed. The food production in the Revolutionary Army territory of Agria was rising steadily with the influx of Korhal immigrants, but it still couldn't compare to Helsein.

To Augustus's regret, he was still unable to wrest it from the Terran Confederacy. Halsen was an extremely important planet in the planned counterattack against the Confederacy world.

Taking over Halsen will undoubtedly cause the Terran Confederacy great anxiety.

"Raynor just reported that he has taken Haytham County, where there's a broadcasting tower that can broadcast to the entire planet," Kerrigan asked.

"He wants you to say something—preferably something that sounds impressive."

"Did he really say that?" Augustus.

"The area has been placed under the protection of the Revolutionary Army."