Bloody Battle

"Well done, Dark Templar!"

Rick Kydd extended his right hand, his massive metal glove from his Power Armor clenched into a fist.

After fighting the Zerg for so long, even the most ordinary soldiers knew that deep within the main hive, a Zerg creature called the Cerebrate was controlling these bloodthirsty and furious monsters on the battlefield.

Once a Cerebrate is completely killed and its resurrection prevented, a large number of Zerg in its swarm will be driven to their ultimate destruction by uncontrollable rage.

"That's not enough." Fenix's voice boomed. "We've penetrated deep into the heart of the hive, and we've never been so close to those trembling Cerebrate hiding in their lair."

Fenix was an exceptional commander who always stood at the forefront with his Templar Knights. Even when Fenix was a Templar Knights, he was the one who initiated the charge and leaped into the enemy ranks.

"Only if we keep advancing and force the Cerebrate to focus more on commanding the Zerg ahead will Zeratul and his Dark Templar have a better chance of killing the Cerebrate."

If it were only the Dark Templar of about a hundred men that Zeratul used to lead, their success rate in assassinating the Cerebrate would undoubtedly be insufficient. However, after returning to Shakuras and gathering more Dark Templar and even the elite Dark Templar, tens of thousands of Dark Templar and Shadow Masters would be enough to make the Overmind feel threatened.

When a massive Dark Templar emerges from the shadows, it can hardly be called an ordinary assassination.

Zeratul's Dark Templar were willing to pay any price, no matter how great the sacrifice, as long as they and the Allied Forces could kill the Cerebrate, it was all worth it.

The Dark Templar have customs quite different from their relatives in Aiur, and they hold an incomprehensible reverence for death. In the eyes of the Dark Templar, the closer they get to death, the closer they are to the cold void, and returning to the void is the destiny of generation after generation of Dark Templar.

"That's why I was ordered to come here." Rick knew perfectly well Augustus and the Allied forces' operational intentions, which were clearly visible in the war meetings and on the accompanying maps.

Unless absolutely necessary, or to wait for reinforcements, engaging in a protracted war and a war of attrition with the Zerg is tantamount to suicide. Any resourceful Protoss or Terran commander would aim to kill the Cerebrate and destroy the Zerg hive and even the hatcheries within it.

At this moment, more transport ships of the Revolutionary Army 1st Airborne Division landed on the barren land where Martians flew. The landing gear that popped out from under the fuselage kicked up scorching air waves as they landed, and rows of soldiers in black and gray CMC Power Armor walked down the gangway.

Arclite Siege Tank and Goliath Combat Robot, bound by heavy iron chains in the cargo hold, drove out one after another. The gold and red painted vehicles and mechs were painted with the standard and numerical designations of the Revolutionary Army, and the soldiers next to these Giant looked small.

Among the soldiers stood Firebat clad in heavy armor and a squad of Marauder dressed in similar uniforms, many of whom were Warhound I heavy mechs modified from SCV.

Compared to the Goliath Combat Robot, the ordinary mechs modified from SCV are only 4 to 5 feet (about 1.2 to 1.5 meters) taller than the CMC Power Armor. They are simply reinforced with a frame, alloy steel plating, and high-strength steel plates, and are equipped with a large titanium steel blast shield.

The mass-produced Warhound use a stripped-down version of the Rattlesnake Tank's railgun and 30mm autocannon, so their batteries and thrusters are also larger than the originals. Their weaponry is not always fixed; they are also heavily equipped with hydraulic flamethrowers to suppress Zerg of Zergling.

The construction of these mechs was all under Augustus's orders and entirely the work of Chief Engineer Rory Swann and his engineering team. After all, the Kel-Morian people were best at armoring their civilian equipment with cannons and deploying it to the front lines.

When faced with Swarm, the Warhound, wielding its shield, can also undergo slight deformations and retract its limbs to form a shield wall. These modified SCV effectively enhanced the firepower of the Revolutionary Army's ground forces. However, even though the modifications were made using nearly obsolete engineering vehicles, the modifications in the heavy factory workshop were quite crude, yet still very expensive.

Heavy armored soldiers, tanks, and mechs with massive walking legs formed a steel torrent that surged forward amidst the roar of tank engines and the hum of the Goliath Combat Robot's servo system. Fighter jets roared overhead, and the first test firing by friendly artillery on the right exploded in the distance.

As Rick ordered his soldiers to assemble, the 1st Division, once in motion, stretched as far as the eye could see, with countless matte masks swaying in the sunlight.

"I see in these humans a courage that fears not to die." Fenix praised the well-disciplined Revolutionary Army soldiers, saying, "Brave humans! Even the most invincible Templar Knights in the history of the Protoss Empire are no more than this."

"Compared to the Protoss, we have many flaws: clumsiness, cowardice, greed. But humanity has just as many strengths as weaknesses." Rick Kydd smiled gently. "Far from our homeland, we are more united than ever before. Human courage lies in the song of sacrifice."

"I've seen many human soldiers, all of them resolute and skilled warriors," Fenix continued. "But just a few years ago, they were ordinary civilians engaged in the Khalai trade, some of whom had never even seen a weapon. Now, they can fearlessly face dozens of Zergling."

"War, death, and the loss of loved ones are enough to change a person, to make him stronger," Rick said. "Augustus say that war is forging us into steel."

"You are a piece of steel, Yaco Bennett. You think you're an executioner, but let me tell you, you're not just good at killing." Fenix was still using Rick's real name, though the latter had stated that he would never use his own name or family name again unless he inherited the Bennett Family.

Now, Rick feels completely unfamiliar with the name when he hears it again.

"I command this army in the name of Marshal Augustus Mengsk, and all the praise and respect I have received is based on my brave warriors," Rick said.

"The Protoss believe that an outstanding legion may not necessarily have an outstanding leader, but an outstanding leader will certainly lead a battle-hardened army. Augustus Mengsk is already exceptional among his own kind, and his warriors are role models for humanity."

Fenix mentioned his leader to Rick: "I've had long conversations with him more than once, and he always attributes his achievements to you guys."

"Augustus never talked about himself because there were just too many people praising him," Rick said.

"Yaco Bennett, perhaps you haven't noticed, but Augustus Mengsk's words and character are influencing you." Fenix could see right through Rick's heart. "The education you received in your family didn't prevent you from becoming a soldier. In fact, you are a born warrior. You've learned a lot from Augustus, and therefore you care for your men, which is why you are so beloved."

Apart from those incorruptible political commissars of the Revolutionary Army, many generals in the Revolutionary Army were well-liked. They were either caring for their subordinates and good at managing the army, or, like Mira Han and Tychus Finley, they took a different approach and used their unique style to make their subordinates listen to them.

"Colonel Rick, sensors have detected Nydus Worm activity beneath your feet. Beware, the Swarm is approaching." At that moment, Rick heard the emotionless alarm from his Adjutant.

"The enemy is Zerg! All troops on alert! Load your weapons!" Rick immediately ordered over the channel.

The 1st Airborne Division was at the forefront of the attack echelon, with only Pulaier Player and General Duke's troops in front of it. But the Zerg were not just wild beasts that charged recklessly; they could ambush like spiders that weave webs, and launch surprise attacks from the air and underground.

"My legion of Zealot is on your right flank." Without any communication devices, Fenix's order was transmitted to his entire legion via the mind network Khala.

Rick couldn't see the Protoss's main force with the naked eye, but given Protoss deployment speed, they could arrive at any battlefield at an astonishing pace.

At that moment, as if a tsunami was about to strike, the ashes on the ground trembled from the ground. Two months ago, this place was a lush, green garden world filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, but now it was as desolate and lifeless as the world of death Char.

Beneath the feet of a well-prepared paratrooper unit, the ground suddenly trembled and collapsed. In an instant, a crater dozens of feet in diameter swallowed the three paratroopers who were holding Gauss Rifle. They vanished in the blink of an eye, as if they had fallen into an abyss.

Blood splattered in the ever-expanding crater, which resembled a gaping maw. A hideous and ferocious maw rose from the ground amidst the roar of gunfire. Hundreds and thousands of Zergling and Hydralisk jumped from the giant mouth of the Nydus Worm, which was suspended in the air, and pounced on the Revolutionary Army soldiers on the ground, wreaking havoc. Blood was drawn in an instant.

In an instant, dozens of Nydus Worm leaped out of the ground, throwing the dark Swarm into the crowd.

Their vibrant, blood-red skin gleamed menacingly in the sunlight, and the proliferating spikes and exoskeleton armor made these monsters look even more like true demons. Without a doubt, this was a Swarm of the Tiamat Brood, the Overmind's guard, the most terrifying of the hives.

Rick's communications channel immediately descended into chaos. Officers were repeating their commander's orders, some soldiers were asking their comrades for directions, and others were screaming in pain. No matter how invincible a human army may be, it will be utterly overwhelmed when faced with a Swarm that far outnumbers it.

These were the elite troops of the Revolutionary Army. If they were just new recruits who had only received a few days of training and were sent to the battlefield, they would have long been unable to suppress their fear and would have scattered and fled, attacking their own allies, causing a large number of well-equipped human troops to be routed and slaughtered.

In the Terran Confederacy, such situations are not uncommon in regions that have never experienced war and in armies that have not undergone resocialization. Confederacy armies that once displayed great prowess against the Kel-Morian Labor Auxiliary often crumbled at the first touch when facing the Zerg, abandoning their armor and weapons.

Rick ordered all units in the airborne division to move closer to friendly forces, while simultaneously ordering them to kill the Nydus Worm at all costs and to drop high-temperature plasma flames into their foul-smelling intestines.

When Rick looked at the Nydus Worm that was leaping out of the ground not far from his location, he was horrified to witness a terrifying sight:

The Nydus Worm, roaring and opening its gaping maw, relentlessly spewed out infected humans and soldiers clad in Power Armor, some of Infested Terran with terrifying, explosive chemicals. The moment the infected landed among the soldiers, they triggered deafening explosions, tearing many soldiers to shreds, some leaving no trace.

So far, the only human inhabitants of Aiur are the Revolutionary Army, whose hideous infected were once allies of the 1st Airborne Division. In numerous battles deep into Aiur, many units have been lost forever in the dangerous jungle.

The Swarm reshaped the bodies of the captured human soldiers and comrades the Revolutionary Army couldn't take with them, controlling them with the mind of the hive, turning these brave and steadfast warriors into slaves of the alien monsters they once loathed.

Some of the infected Revolutionary Army soldiers had not yet had their entire bodies covered by the mutations, clearly because the Swarm had not had time to fully assimilate them before they were thrown onto the battlefield.

Some people still retain past memories and consciousness; some are even still conscious, but they can no longer control their bodies and can only watch as they hold Gauss Rifle tightly connected to their body by tendons, ligaments, and mucous membranes and fire at their compatriots.

Both Rick and the Revolutionary Army, who were facing the infected, felt immense sorrow and anger. In the past, those warriors, wearing yellowish, disgusting helmets and covered with deformed tentacles and sharp appendages, may have been role models in the military. They were sons and husbands who swore to fight for the freedom of humanity, but now they had lost their own freedom.

"It must be the Cerebrate Carlos that created these infected humans. Zerg cannot infect Protoss, but they can control human minds." Fenix looked in that direction, and the Templar Knights around him ignited their azure Psionic Blade and rushed towards the Nydus Worm.

They were Fenix's most valiant Zealot, moving with incredible speed and charging like Hurricane at sea.

The running Templar Knights, clad in heavy armor, moved with the agility of predatory felines, weaving through the constantly firing Revolutionary Army like streaks of blue light brushing past them.

"Once again," Fenix said, walking towards the swarming Zerg, "I fight alongside the brave men of humanity."

"I am deeply honored."

"Me too." Rick closed his helmet, which was painted with the skull of the Heaven's Devils, and took the FN-92 Boatswain Sniper Rifle off his back.