The UED's Iron Fist
"Where would I find the time to deal with so many trivial and boring women?" Augustus put down the photo in his hand, indicating that he wouldn't envy such a thing at all. But in his heart, he was thinking that Kerrigan was becoming more and more assertive as she got older, and her queen-like desire for control was also growing.
Don't you believe me?
"Hmph." Kerrigan gracefully walked behind Augustus, looking at him with only one eye.
"Sako, why are you still sitting here?" She glanced coldly at Sako Angelini, who was still sitting on the stool, completely oblivious to her surroundings, her bright, beautiful emerald eyes filled with obvious anger.
"Move it to a different place."
Angelini's breath hitched. He immediately stood up and invited Augustus to sit down in his chair.
"This is utterly absurd. Marshal Augustus Mengsk has always been known for his integrity and abstinence from women." Angelini was bound to say a good word for his superior, who had been so kind to him.
"Colonel Arcturus recommended many Korhal ladies of impeccable lineage to Marshal Augustus, but didn't the Marshal refuse them all without hesitation? Ha ha ha."
"Does he dare to agree?" Kerrigan placed her hands on Augustus's shoulders and pressed him into a chair, brushing her long hair from her cheeks. This intelligent and virtuous woman was smiling as she walked up behind Augustus, the brighter her smile, the more Angelini trembled.
"That man is as despicable as ever, Arcturus Mengsk! You deserve to die a horrible death!"
"Marshal, I just remembered there's one more thing to deal with—there are still stubborn Confederacy officials in the Confederacy prison in Vilityia who want me to interrogate them." Angelini quickly made up an excuse and fled.
Angelini couldn't understand what this beautiful redhead was thinking, but the look in someone's eyes when they want to kill them is impossible to hide.
In this world, even a behemoth like Tychus is no match for Angelini; only Kerrigan can completely surpass him in Psionics power. Having only been in the Revolutionary Army for a short time, Angelini discovered that it was full of people he couldn't afford to offend and had to be wary of.
Augustus's army was a gathering of heroes, and this was no exaggeration.
"Arcturus meant well; marrying a noblewoman from the Korhal clan is an effective way to win people's hearts." Augustus had thought that Kerrigan and Arcturus would get along better this time, but the tense atmosphere between them inexplicably returned to its original trajectory.
Although Arcturus and Kerrigan maintained a facade of harmony, Arcturus, disregarding Kerrigan, brazenly introduced Augustus to the woman he considered the most suitable for his brother's marriage, which naturally made Kerrigan feel that her position was under unprecedented threat.
Arcturus was a man of words and a master of disguise; he could be amiable to his enemies and, when necessary, play the most likable role. But for Arcturus, dislike was dislike, and few could change his mind.
Of course, Arcturus did not think that Kerrigan was unworthy to be Augustus's wife, but he did not want to put his brother's important life decision on a woman, which was never his style.
Augustus's brother was such a person. Even if he outwardly listened to your ideas and agreed with them, he had already decided in his heart how to handle the matter, and other people's opinions were completely unimportant.
Anyone who has ever been an enemy of Arcturus will find him to be an extremely difficult opponent, a fact Kerrigan has experienced firsthand. This is why Kerrigan has become so irritable lately; she has gradually come to realize that Augustus's biological brother Arcturus Mengsk, will be her greatest enemy in this life.
"Why doesn't he go and marry one of those flirtatious women himself? That scumbag who abandoned his wife and children." Kerrigan walked behind Augustus and slipped her slender, soft hands inside Augustus's open collar.
"Look at them, just dressed in inappropriate clothes and saying inappropriate things, their hearts are pounding and they're putting on airs when they're a hundred yards away from you."
"It's been over a month, why are you still thinking about this?" Augustus slumped in his chair, utterly troubled. He really didn't know what this woman was jealous of.
It's likely that Lisa Cassidy, who had argued with Kerrigan about this before, had no idea how terrifying the power of this mighty red-haired ghost was; the ghost could easily tear a person's limbs off with her bare hands.
To be fair, Augustus hoped for harmony within his family. But aside from friction and arguments, Kerrigan recently been contemplating killing Arcturus, yet she had no choice but to endure it.
Kerrigan felt she had no right to blame Augustus's family for the incident. Given Kerrigan's past mission to assassinate the Mengsk Family, her relationship with her future in-laws was a nightmare from the start.
"Arcturus Mengsk, don't push your luck." Kerrigan suddenly clenched her fists inside Augustus's clothes, causing the latter to cry out in pain.
After eliminating several highly threatening women, Kerrigan believed her position was secure. Her biggest rival was actually Jim Raynor, because Raynor still maintained the mixed-gender bathing habit he had in the military and often bathed with Augustus.
This made Kerrigan suspect that there might be some shady relationship between them.
"Don't worry, I will always love you." Augustus felt the softness behind him against the back of his head.
"I've already told Arcturus that I can't live without you. If he does that again, I'll never speak to him again," he said softly.
"Then Arcturus immediately fell silent. Don't let his appearance fool you, he's a very gentle person."
"I'm really touched that Augustus Mengsk would say that." Kerrigan noticed Augustus's blushing embarrassment and smiled as she pressed her face against Augustus's cheek.
This man was sometimes far too calm; he always hid his emotions very well, and when he did reveal his true feelings, he did so very well. Those who admired Augustus loved him even more, and those who feared him feared him even more.
"Marshal Augustus Mengsk?" Khas Vanzo, who had been left aside, stared blankly at Augustus and Kerrigan's flirtatious banter, feeling at a loss as to where he was.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Oh, Khas Vanzo." Augustus then remembered that there was someone opposite him. He placed his hands on the table and looked directly into Vanzo's eyes.
"I have long admired your name, the greatest revolutionary hero of this century, the savior of the Viridia Prime."
"You are unworthy of the name of a hero. The Viridia Prime is now groveling at your feet. Augustus Mengsk, you are the one who makes the Terran Confederacy tremble." Wanzo opened his black robe, appearing calm and composed, even able to hold his own against Augustus's cold gaze.
Undoubtedly, this was sarcastic. But that doesn't matter; Wan Zuo could take it as a compliment.
"They should tremble." Augustus moved Kerrigan's face away from his, and in that instant, he was as dangerous as the lion before Vanzo.
"The Viridia Prime is now under the protection of the Revolutionary Army, and its people will forever enjoy their freedom," he said. "This planet will not be the first Confederacy settlement I liberate, nor will it be the last."
"On behalf of the people of Vilityia, I thank you, Augustus. You saved them and ended the more than one-century-long oppression imposed on the Viridia Prime by the brutal Tarsonis Confederacy. The people here will call you and your warriors heroes, for you are freedom and justice."
"You are a rare talent, Mr. Khas Vanzo. You are very good at manipulating people, or rather, you are an expert in this area." Augustus smiled and squeezed Kerrigan's hand.
If Augustus hadn't already heard of the disgusting atrocities Vanzo had committed, he might have made good use of Vanzo's talents and given him a position in the Department of Revolutionary Propaganda. Just as Augustus recruit capable miners from Kel-Morian and hire highly educated managers from Umojan, he was always good at recognizing and employing people and was generous in rewarding his subordinates.
"Inciting people's hearts? I never thought that you, as the leader of the Korhal Revolutionary Army, would say the same thing as the Confederacy." Wan Zuo sighed to the sky, feeling a sense of solitude and a deep sense of loss, which almost fooled Augustus.
"I'm just doing what I believe is the right thing to do. Isn't that all that Korhal IV can do? If a government cannot fulfill its duty to protect its people, then it should be overthrown. This is the most indisputable right in the world, a right that people are born with."
"If a government leader doesn't care about his people, then the people will naturally not help him." Wan Zuo already knew these words by heart, and this wasn't the first time he had said them.
"The Terran Confederacy has 20 billion people on the verge of drowning, while those in power in the Terran Confederacy stand by and watch, indulging in a life of pleasure and decadence," he said.
"The Tarsonis Confederate Congress and the Old Families only care about themselves and do what benefits them. They swear to protect all the people of the Terran Confederacy, yet they only strike hard in the war against the Kel-Morian Combine while remaining silent towards alien creatures."
"When the Zerg and Protoss first appeared before the people, the rulers of the Terran Confederacy only knew how to bestow titles and indulge in pleasure, once again carelessly abandoning their people. One day, the awakened Terrans will surely overthrow them, and when the first person stands up and shouts, millions will follow him."
"You're absolutely right." Augustus listened patiently and agreed that everything Vanzo said was correct. He couldn't find any fault with it. Decades ago, if Augustus's father Angus, had heard Vanzo's words, he would have certainly regarded him as a confidant and entrusted him with important responsibilities.
"Mr. Wanzuo, do you know what kind of destruction the first planet to rise up suffered?" His eyes flickered. "Of course, you're absolutely right. So true."
"You would also say that the first person to step forward always faces great danger, and sacrifice is inevitable."
"But you are different from us. Everything you're doing now is for yourself. You say that only because you're not the one who has to sacrifice."
"If it were for my own sake, I wouldn't need to go to the most dangerous places," Wanzo reiterated.
"But in reality, you yourself don't believe what you just said." Kerrigan looked at Vanzo: "Not a single word."
"You don't even care who succeeds you after the overthrow of the Terran Confederacy, because you'll continue to fight against the new government, and that's your job, isn't it?" she said.
"I must remind you, I am a telepath, and none of your secrets can be kept from me. Even that man named Sako Angelini from earlier was a telepath; no one will believe your lies."
"How could this be?" Wan Zuo broke out in a cold sweat. Of course, he knew what a telepath was.
"Have you been toying with me all this time?"
"It has proven to be a waste of time all along," Augustus admitted. "I have seen many people like you, Vanzo; it is people like you who are ruining the reputation of the resistance."
"You're humiliating me." Wan Zuo angrily tried to stand up, but found that his body was bound to his chair by a pair of invisible hands, and he could do nothing but speak.
"Aren't you doing this for yourself? Once you become the new Overmind of the Terran Confederacy, the Mengsk Family of Korhal will step out of that small planet and become the masters of a Confederacy spanning multiple star systems," he said angrily.
"Before this, the Mengsk Family was already the most powerful family in Korhal, so what you're after isn't the entire Terran Confederacy?"
"I've never thought this way before, nor has my father. He truly wanted to change something. That's why I admire him." Augustus recalled the words he spoke when he first entered the Confederacy Recruitment Center, and he began to think once again about what he could bring to the world, "I will rebuild a new order and save humanity."
"Power is merely a means, not an end. If humanity no longer needs me, I will hand over power to my successor."
"Hehe, who doesn't cherish power? Who's that great? How could that be?" Wan Zuo said with a laugh.
"You have no right to question Augustus." When Kerrigan's eyes flashed with golden light, the bearded man immediately bled profusely.
"Honey, you don't need to explain to him."
"Take him to the courtroom. Someone must be held accountable for the senseless deaths and injuries caused by the riots." Augustus waved his hand.
"Take him away," Kerrigan shouted, and Faraday, who was standing outside the door, led his men to take Vonzo away.
"I know you're just making excuses for yourself. What you really think doesn't matter at all," she then Augustus.
"Who else but you could lead us to establish a new order and move forward?"
"Buzz--" Suddenly, a call came from Augustus's personal terminal.
"Marshal, today the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet launched a full-scale attack on the Confederacy's capital planet, Tarsonis."
"Tell me more details," Augustus stood up.
"The communications network in Tarsonis is in complete disarray; we have completely lost contact with the Tarsonis Revolutionary Party organization and its agents," the other side replied.
"We have contacted Umojan, but they are also completely baffled."
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