Char's Meat Grinder

Some time later, at Sunset.

The sky was dark, and the ash clouds on the horizon were edged with gold by the firelight of the lava ocean. This place was near the North Pole of Char, where the violent solar winds brought brilliant bands of blue and white auroras, which the warriors of the Char Expeditionary Force called the skirt of the goddess of death.

Char's night was not truly dark; countless flowing lava lakes and oceans illuminated the starry sky like ever-burning flames, yet visibility remained extremely low. With orbital satellite positioning equipment malfunctioning, the dust kicked up by artillery fire obscured the entire battlefield like a thick fog.

Due to the rapid change in the situation, the Revolutionary Army's Char Expeditionary Force had shifted from a defensive strategy of holding the landing point to a mobile warfare strategy of advancing towards the main base area.

After the reinforcements airdropped to the surface of Char arrived, Commander Lieutenant Jim Raynor ordered the abandonment of all heavy artillery and the advance of over 100,000 troops, including more than 800 Arclite Siege Tank from the 1st and 7th Armored Divisions and 600 Rattlesnake Hover Armored Vehicle equipped with Destroyer railguns, along with the 4th Motorized Division and the remaining four Marine Corps divisions, began towards the main base area.

A large number of half-track heavy armored personnel carriers and 88mm Kel-Morian self-propelled artillery vehicles were at the rear, while large numbers of the Revolutionary Army winged Nightmare-class Wraith and Grizzly Heavy Bomber roared overhead from time to time.

High Priest Fenix, known as the Templar Knights Administrator, led several Zealot legions to protect the flanks of Raynor's forces. Like High Templar riding a storm, he commanded these Protoss warriors wielding blazing blades.

Tens of thousands of Protoss Dragon Riders advanced amidst rising sparks and dust, their nimble four legs traversing the rugged terrain flowing with lava as if walking on a platform, their speed rivaling that of human chariots.

This force, comprised of both the Human Revolutionary Army and the Daelaam, stretched for miles. In the sky, the roaring Revolutionary Army aircraft and magnificent Protoss fighters were doing their utmost to repel the attacks of hordes of Mutalisk, Scourge, Brood Guardian, and Swarm Devourer.

"We're in trouble. Zerg life signals detected at the 12 o'clock position."

Inside an armored Foxtrot command vehicle, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Charles Matt Horner pointed out an anomaly on a Protoss detection device. With all radio equipment malfunctioning, these Protoss devices provided a much-needed solution.

"Okay, I bet this isn't the last wave. The Protoss will hold off these bastards for us, let the Fenix Zealot kick the bugs' asses." In this kind of large-scale war, Raynor couldn't stay on his beloved pony forever.

"Keep moving forward, or we'll be right in the middle of millions of Zerg." In the bumpy armored command vehicle, Raynor asked Charles:

"How is the deployment of the Psi Disrupter progressing?"

The Psi Disrupter is the Revolutionary Army's most important weapon in its fight against the Zerg.

In defensive battles, this powerful weapon, capable of disrupting the Zerg's mind, was used to stop the Swarm's massive, devastating advance. In offensive battles, however, Psi Disrupter helped Revolutionary Army fighters hold onto positions they had captured at great cost.

Deploying a large number of Psi Disrupter along the way can not only ensure the smooth passage cleared by the vanguard, but also provide the isolated army with a safe route back to the landing point.

If the Protoss cannot teleport all their forces back to the Fleets, then this newly opened path will become a true lifeline.

"The engineering team has deployed five Psi Disrupter using next-generation technology, with a straight-line coverage range of over 300 miles. So far, this type of Psi Disrupter has not encountered any effective countermeasures from the Zerg."

"Very good, we are getting closer and closer to the Overmind's lair." Raynor stood beside the small command console in the command vehicle, skillfully using the Protoss console to retrieve monitoring footage from the Protoss Observer.

The Protoss generously provided Raynor's Char Expeditionary Force with a large number of communication crystals and Observer, which were used to equip officers above the rank of platoon and tanks, otherwise even the coordination of armored units and Armored Vehicle during marches would have been problematic.

These Protoss devices, which look like works of art, are unsurprisingly quite effective. They connect directly to Protoss Observer throughout Char's main battlefield, allowing for an unparalleled panoramic view of the entire battlefield.

No matter how painstakingly the Revolutionary Army's engineers studied the operating principles of these Protoss devices and weapons, they made no progress or gains. It was as if each of its ingenious and precise components was crafted in a way that humans had never seen or heard of before, and assembled in a way that was beyond the comprehension of this race.

So much so that Rory Swann, the Revolutionary Army's chief engineer, believed that even the Protoss themselves might not understand how those glittering Kydarin Crystal worked.

"Tassadar's Fleets is under siege by the Zerg Fleets, and they are unable to provide further orbital fire support to the ground forces." Raynor clicked on the console screen, which was flashing with many beautiful geometric shapes, and issued further combat orders to his troops.

The console's interface is set to human language, so even Raynor can understand it. Even if the Protoss didn't do that, Raynor could still understand some Protoss script.

As the friendship between the Korhal Revolutionary Army and the Daelaam deepened, Marshal Augustus Mengsk made the Protoss language an elective course in the Revolutionary Army's schools. The Protoss language became increasingly important in military academies of various branches and schools specializing in weapons research.

The continuous artillery fire on the console screen indicated that Raynor's Arclite Siege Tank were still advancing rapidly. Of course, the main force clearing out the Zerg was Fenix and his Protoss Templar Knights.

Footage taken by the Protoss Fleets from high orbit around Char shows that the entire Char Swarm's main hive area, spanning over 1,000 square miles, is teeming with Zerg, with hundreds of billions of Zerg roaring towards the sky, creating a chillingly vast expanse.

Raynor and Fenix's forces have carved a path through the dense swarm of Zerg, getting closer and closer to the hive area filled with organic structures.

That was the heart of the battle between the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet landing forces and the Overmind Guardians. In just 12 hours, that area had been littered with the wreckage of warships and armored vehicles, corpses strewn everywhere, and countless Zerg and human remains scattered across the crimson earth.

In the scene, a UED battlecruiser is plunging into a dark red sea of lava, inevitably swallowed by the flowing lava. This warship, once a symbol of humanity's supreme military power in the Koprulu Sector, carried at least 4,000 crew members, and now it has sunk in the blink of an eye for Raynor.

"The Zerg in the main hive are in complete chaos now. The last time I saw something like this was back in Aiur," Raynor said. "Humans and Protoss are dying one after another, and the corpses are piling up like mountains."

"The United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet is getting closer and closer to the heart of the main hive area with the help of the Hybrid. It has been confirmed that that is the location of the second-generation Overmind," Charles told Raynor.

"Even such a monster would find it difficult to move an inch deep within the Zerg's main hive area." Raynor zoomed in on the footage captured by a Protoss Observer.

The Hybrid have a significant impact on the Char Swarm. They can disrupt the master's mind, causing members of the Zerg to kill each other, and can also severely damage the master's mind through backlash against the mind-linked connections.

Hybrid with Zerg- like traits can even contend with Ultralisk, while those more Protoss- like, possessing white wings, can use their Psionics power to deliver devastating blows to dense Swarm. They also possess teleportation abilities similar to those of the Protoss Dark Templar, allowing them to crush large groups of Zergling using telepathy.

However, the Char Swarm was not easily defeated. As the battle line continued to advance deeper into the main hive, the mental links between the Cerebrate and their swarm members became increasingly solid, and the Swarm's guardians became even stronger.

In the heart of the main nesting area, amidst a dense cluster of organic structures—hatching grounds, split pools, and evolution chambers—gathered a multitude of terrifying giant Hydralisks and Toaskree Beasts that could be resurrected by the Brain Worms. Even the blood-red Zergling Devourers were far more powerful than their counterparts.

These enhanced Overmind Sentinels are fully capable of fighting against Hybrid, and there are even Zerg that have been killed and devoured by Hybrid of Zerg.

The UED expeditionary landing force suffered even heavier casualties, with countless Earth soldiers shedding their blood on the infernal planet far from their homeland. In one instance, an entire platoon of UED warriors was reaped by several super Toaskree beasts wielding terrifying giant scythes.

The newly emerged Zerg variant also appeared on the battlefield for the first time; it was a sinister monster lurking underground, like a hunter hiding beneath the sand dunes.

They are likely evolved from the Hydralisk of the Tiamat Brood, and are also believed to be some kind of mutated spider-like guardians from deep within the main lair. Their attack method is to launch rows of highly dense spikes from underground that are capable of penetrating steel and flesh.

The new variant of the Hydralisk can kill Earth soldiers in Power Armor by the rank and file. In the heart of the main hive, among the treacherous volcanic hills and ravines, large numbers of Lurker hidden deep beneath the surface can unleash waves of spikes, inflicting heavy casualties on any UED infantry attempting to cross them.

The spikes emerging from the ground are sharp enough to pierce through the tanks of the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet, sever the limbs of humans, and leave them with no complete corpses, their bodies torn to pieces.

In the Earth Forces' communications channels, these previously unseen Zerg variants were referred to as "Char Cave Demon," a testament to their fear of these monsters.

In the most brutal battle zone, tens of thousands of UED soldiers lay their mangled corpses along a front of less than two thousand yards. Creep quickly engulfed them, and before long, these precious human warriors would be transformed into terrifying alien monsters.

The Zerg's attack methods are ferocious and merciless; they will tear their enemies apart while they are still alive.

At this point, UED's advanced nanomedical technology was of little use. Since being transported to the battlefield, the survival time of each UED soldier could be measured in seconds.

Meanwhile, more UED Fleets landing craft were deployed to Char's main hive area. According to the Protoss, at least one million fully armed UED soldiers were transported to Char's surface, and more than half of them were lost within half a standard Earth day.

But this is just the beginning.

The Earthlings who perished at Char were told before enlisting that they were there to protect Earth from the Protoss and Zerg, not to uphold the rule of the United Earth Directorate. Therefore, the courage and fighting spirit of these soldiers were immeasurable.

It is almost certain that the commander of this UED Fleets is their commander Gerard DuGalle, who is aboard the flagship Aleksander.

Due to the unpredictability of the situation, the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet faced many times greater difficulties in its offensive while the Protoss and Zerg were weakened. This isolated force, far from its homeland and deep in enemy territory, could hardly see any hope of victory, as the Zerg and Protoss proved to be far stronger than they had observed.

Therefore, this decisive attack was in an extremely awkward position. If it instead provoked a counterattack by the Zerg against Earth, the war would affect several arms of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Therefore, Raynor can understand DuGalle's firm determination.

"Raynor, the humans of Earth have captured a main hive near the main hive area. That hive belongs to the Cerebrate Nagar, the leader of the Hunter Brood." Fenix's image, submerged in blue nutrient solution, appeared on the screen in front of Raynor.

Despite Fenix and his people's intense hatred for the Hybrid in the hands of the UED, both Tassadar and Fenix believed that now was not the time to settle scores with the Earthlings.

Regardless, the most urgent task is to kill the Overmind.

"They are activating nuclear fusion weapons; proceed with caution."

"This lousy place, Char, can't get any worse no matter how much it's bombed," Raynor said to Fenix. "The Earthlings have already established themselves, and I even think they can actually stand before the Overmind."

"But I don't understand, if only pure void energy can kill the Overmind, then how can Earthlings kill him?" he said.

"As far as I know, Earth's Psionics technology is practically nonexistent."

"General, our communications channel is back to normal!" At that moment, the communications soldier in the command vehicle, who was in charge of controlling the radio, suddenly shouted to Raynor.

"This is quite a surprise. Leaving a broken Vulture unattended won't fix itself," Raynor said. "It turns out the Earthlings cut off communications. DuGalle didn't want us to find out what they were doing from the start."

"I bet Charles, they want to talk to us now."

"We received a message on the communications channel, it's for you," the communications soldier told Raynor.

"And here they are," Raynor said.

"Open it."

"I am Gerard DuGalle." The lean and resolute face of United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet Marshal DuGalle jumped out from the other projection screen that lit up.

"Commander of the Revolutionary Army, the Zerg are the common enemy of all mankind. Our little conflict is insignificant." DuGalle was never one to waste words, especially in this perilous situation.

"Now, I hope to have your help and that of your Protoss allies to form an alliance to attack the Zerg hive and kill that sinister monster."

Raynor and Charles exchanged a glance, both surprised that DuGalle knew about their relationship with the Protoss.

Of course, it's not entirely impossible to guess.

"Tell me more about it."

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