The Prisoner Serving Time Inside the Body

Noris VI has fallen.

Even during the massive invasion of Earth by the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet, when the Terran Confederacy fought back in disarray and suffered heavy losses, the fall of this planet was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Confederacy.

Augustus stood on the open tarmac of the Noris Resocial Center, the last remaining commander of Confederate Marine Corps division, still putting up a desperate fight, announced his surrender. Prior to this, they had inflicted unimaginable losses on Edmond Duke's Alpha Squadron Alpha Squadron, nearly bringing it to the brink of total annihilation several times.

The situation was turned around thanks to the Fleets's fire support and Pulaier Player's heroic efforts, which also led to Pulaier's promotion to the rank of general.

This helipad is more than ten times the size of the Hyperion's upper deck, yet it is merely one of the smaller of the many docking areas at the Noris Resocialization Center. It is a pragmatic military airfield with cold, hard lines, much like the ones Augustus had seen in Confederacy military bases and interstellar ports in the past.

The tarmac was filled with the Revolutionary Army transport ships and shuttles, and rows upon rows of the Revolutionary Army soldiers stood armed on all sides. The red and blue Confederacy flags had been removed and replaced with red Revolutionary Army.

More Revolutionary Army transport ships are landing, and the trails of fighter jet thrusters can be seen even on the distant horizon.

Just then, in Noris VI, the dark sky was filled with lightning and thunder, and the wind and clouds were churning. Augustus, standing on the helipad, could hear the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs. The weather on this planet was unpredictable, sometimes sunny and sometimes cloudy, just like a charming but coquettish young girl.

However, in Augustus's view, this planet was utterly devoid of beauty.

"Noris VI Resocialization Center." Arcturus Mengsk stepped down the shuttle gangway behind Augustus, wearing a khaki trench coat that reached his knees, as elegant and timeless as the clothes in his wardrobe.

"Conservative estimates suggest that at least 1.5 million Resocialized Soldier are sent to the Terran Confederate Marine Corps and Navy every year. This is an astonishing number, but the actual figure is certainly far higher."

"This resocialization factory, which will continuously produce large numbers of fearless warriors, is now ours. The Confederacy will definitely regret this."

"Arcturus, taking on this mess is not a wise move." Augustus, dressed in a high-collared dark blue military uniform with a bronze-buckled belt, exuded an ascetic air. "Without enough criminals, we'll end up resorting to the Confederacy's old trick of filling the ranks with ordinary people."

"It won't be long before the atrocities committed by the Terran Confederacy in Noris become common knowledge. They are turning innocent people into mindless killers." He took a few steps forward, speaking as he walked.

"Those people were originally ordinary people, just like us, struggling to survive in this world. They were flesh and blood, and in some faraway place, they must have families waiting for them to return, just like you and me, brother."

"That would be such a pity." Arcturus shook his head and followed Augustus, but inwardly he agreed with the other's statement.

Given Arcturus's character, he had plenty of ways to meet the production needs of the Resocialization Factory, such as increasing the severity of the penalties and throwing anyone in the Terran Confederacy who disobeyed Augustus into the Resocialization Factory.

Arcturus is capable of such a thing; even if half of Tarsonis's people opposed him, he would imprison them all. Korhal is Arcturus's homeland, and he has no more mercy to spare for his enemies.

"Do you really think the Terran Confederacy's actions in Noris are correct?" Augustus asked Arcturus.

"Do you want me to discuss with you the meaning of philosophy or morality for the survival of a race? But the Zerg and Protoss don't have such things." Arcturus said, "You will understand one day, when the brutal Zerg rampage across our homeland, when the Protoss set planet after planet ablaze, when our warriors are all dead and wounded and our recruits have no time to train."

"We will have to activate these factories," he said.

"Can you really expect soldiers whose legs go weak at the mere sight of Zerg to fight against an enemy that is tougher, more cunning, and more bloodthirsty than themselves? Rather than letting them sacrifice themselves in vain, it would be better to resocialize them and give them combat experience and courage."

"I don't deny your opinion, Arcturus, nor do I believe humanity will necessarily reach that point. In this vast universe, humanity faces unimaginable enemies in every direction, and the Human Regime in Koprulu has already fallen apart. To preserve humanity's hope, we must establish an efficient and authoritarian government through force, and then deal with our enemies by any means necessary."

It was precisely because Augustus fully understood Arcturus's thoughts that he countered his argument. "But look at the soldiers standing here. What is it that supports me, and why do they stand so firmly by my side and yours? It is their belief that their leader can bring about real change."

"I didn't come to this point with the intention of building a Terran Confederacy that's no different from the past."

"Then let me see." Arcturus smiled and shook his head.

"You've always known what to do."

"Yes, he always knew." Kerrigan usually didn't interrupt Augustus and Arcturus ' conversation.

Augustus walked through the flashing lights of the parking area to the entrance of a downward-facing elevator leading into the interior of the resocialization center. There stood a squad of Marshal Guard soldiers and two Goliath Combat Robot, heavily on guard.

The elevator slowly descended, and after a few minutes, Augustus's view suddenly opened up. The interior of the Socialization Center was a completely different world. Through the transparent glass curtain wall outside the elevator, Augustus could see layers of separated experimental areas, monitoring areas, and restricted areas.

Its interior walls are made of gray and white steel, and these simple, cold steel structures seem to be covered with a layer of frost under the blue and white lights. The upper and middle floors are laboratories and conveyor belts carrying huge cryogenic tubes. Each cryogenic tube is numbered with laser, and then a robotic arm completes the next step of the operation, just like a real factory.

When Augustus looked at these devices, they had already ceased operation.

But Augustus could also imagine the scene at its height, where young people of different classes and statuses, whether they were men or women, murderers or children of local nobles, were brutally stuffed into one huge jar after another to welcome a "new life".

If Augustus had joined the army not at the end of the Guild Wars, but now under the rule of the Terran Confederacy, he would most likely have faced the same fate as these people.

The resocialization factory will alter his brain, replacing the past with a false memory, making him a completely different person from the past. But the past memories still remain, and he is still trapped in a pathetic walking corpse.

"It's truly pathetic," Kerrigan said. "I understand this kind of transformation. Resocialized Soldier have always been called brainless idiots, and no good officer would want to lead such an army."

"Those cryogenic tubes in the resocialized fish cages have replaced doctors and scalpels; they are truly 'instruments of torture,'" she said. "Have you ever heard of people in Taradorn still using fish cages to raise fish in the ocean? Those people in those cryogenic tubes are playing that role."

"This resocialization factory contains at least 100,000 people who are undergoing or about to undergo reformation, and the vast majority of them are completely unaware of the fate that awaits them."

"There are indeed unforgivable sinners among them, and I will show them no mercy," Augustus. "But I have ordered the release of the innocent, who will be taken in by the Revolutionary Army."

"The director of the resocialization center destroyed the files on these people, and now it's very difficult to figure out whether they were criminals or people forcibly brought here by the Confederacy government," Kerrigan said.

"Then let the Ghost operative read minds one by one," Augustus. "The Confederacy judicial and enforcement departments are a complete mess; framing is all too common. How can we trust their data?"

"We only have less than a hundred Ghost operative, and most of them are on missions. How can we possibly read minds from so many people?" Kerrigan said.

"I only need one solution," Augustus. "Karax and his engineers are still on the Hyperion. Well, I'll go and seek their help myself in a little while."

"However, the Protoss do not enjoy reading human thoughts."

Besides, there were actually quite a few High Templar and Dark Templar on board the Hyperion of Augustus. Only a few people knew this, and most of the Hyperion's crew were completely unaware that there were Protoss on the ship.

The former was primarily to protect the Solar Core and the Engineers, while the latter seemed more to serve Augustus himself. Augustus would never seek help from these Protoss unless absolutely necessary.

This wasn't because Augustus bribed or hired these Protoss. In fact, trying to control Protoss through money or favors is completely futile, because they simply don't care about such things.

After the Battle of Aiur, Augustus had earned the respect of many Protoss, Dark Prelate Zeratul had repeatedly sent his Dark Templar secretly protect Augustus.

As the dust settled from the First Total War, Zeratul vanished into the vast Sea of Stars and the endless void. A small group of his former followers, the Dark Templar, decided to remain by the side of Augustus, the human who had impressed them so much.

This is absolutely absurd; in the eyes of the Protoss, humans are not much better than monkeys.

A deeper reason lies in the fact that some of the Xel'Naga prophecies collected by Zeratul mentioned Augustus, saying that he was the chosen one. Of course, Augustus unaware of this; he genuinely believed that he had conquered the Protoss through his personal charisma.

Normally, the Dark Templar never appear before humans, and even Augustus didn't know where they were, only that they lived near the engine room of the Hyperion.

This kind of life is perfectly normal for the Protoss, especially the Dark Templar, who always try to avoid being exposed to others.

However, sometimes, the Revolutionary Army soldiers who gathered to play cards would notice something was amiss. They would often hear whispers around them, and the person cheating would inevitably be exposed and embarrassed.

Only extremely powerful human Psionics can detect their presence.

"Leave it to me, Marshal, I will take care of it." At this moment, Sako Angelini, dressed in a bright white ghost combat suit, appeared before Augustus.

"I am an expert at finding spies and traitors."

"Very good." Augustus had considerable confidence in the abilities of this level 10 Psionics.

Angelini disappeared again, seemingly enjoying the feeling of being out of sight and out of existence.

The elevator continued downwards.

The lowest level is the most confidential core area, which differs greatly from the minimalist layout of the other areas. Augustus could even see a small park created by artificial lighting.

The green lawns, winding paths surrounded by hazelnut trees, Fountain with colorful lights below, and white wooden benches create a tranquil and comfortable atmosphere, which is adjacent to the living quarters for the researchers inside.

The Confederacy architects who designed this resocialization center attempted to create a comfortable environment for the staff, but after a while, the isolated researchers still seemed apathetic.

One of Tychus Finley's men was waiting for Augustus at the elevator exit and led them to the main control room on the lower floor.

There were many researchers there, both men and women, strapped to electric chairs in bizarre positions. Their mouths were gagged, and they could only stammer and mumble.

"I never knew Finley had such a peculiar hobby." Arcturus's face was as hard as steel, and he finally managed to utter this sentence after a long pause.

"That's because you don't know that bastard," Augustus. "You'll see what the notorious Black and White Duo of thieves are like when Raynor and Tychus are together."

"Boss, I did a pretty good job, right?" Tychus had just been teasing a researcher who was about to wet his pants, but when he saw Augustus, he immediately ran over.

"Well done," Augustus, and Tychus immediately beamed with joy.

Tychus wasn't like this before; he used to ignore everyone.

"Look at this scumbag, Dr. Stanislav Boggs, the chief advisor of the Confederacy Resocialization Program. He has killed countless people," Tychus said, pointing to one of the researchers in a white coat.

"Those words take on a different meaning coming from your mouth." Augustus glanced at Boggs, who immediately began to struggle violently, as if he had something to say to him.

"After joining you in this rebellion, I can only say I've become a revolutionary fighter." Tychus chuckled. "I used to think I was a bad guy, but now I know there's always someone better."

Compared to them, I'm practically a kind-hearted female college student.

"Then, since you know this man is guilty of grave sins, why not kill him?" Augustus asked.

"He said he knows a lot of secrets about the Confederacy resocialization program that would be very useful to you," Tychus said. "If he hadn't said that, I would have stuffed a grenade in his ass by now."

"Let him speak," Augustus ordered.

"Dr. Boggs, you have five minutes to reveal your secret. Give me one reason not to kill you."