Dr. Narud, What Do You Think?

Augustus then discussed with Bernard Hansen the situation in the various refugee camps of Agria, as well as the injection rates of nanoserum and vaccines. Subsequently, the Emperor issued an important directive to establish a production line in Agria for local production.

"Agria's pharmaceutical industry is quite advanced, with complete supporting facilities. Organizing Agria's workers for production will be much more efficient." At this point, Augustus gestured for Bernard to follow him outside.

"Is it possible?"

"The biological laboratories and industrial areas of Hudderstown Colony and Megaton have fallen; they are now covered with organic structures of Creep and Zerg, like a thick blanket." Bernard followed Augustus and his entourage out of the office.

"We abandoned all the cities and farms; Agria has almost regressed to what it was twenty years ago."

Bernard knew the Emperor would certainly want an affirmative answer, but Agria's situation was far worse than he thought.

"That's not a problem. I've already ordered the equipment and manpower to be brought in from Antiga. The key is whether the people of Agria have the determination to hold out." Augustus just stepped out of Bernard's office when the azure sky and rows of metal-roofed houses came into view.

"The Empire will not abandon Agria, but I don't know what the Agria people are thinking. This is a true catastrophe, both natural and man-made. If they want to evacuate to the safe core world, then I will not blame them."

Each silver-gray house is shaped like a domed cap, with two lattice windows and external gas pipes for heating and water supply. Neatly planned paths divide the refugee camp's buildings into living areas, complete with sewage facilities, water supply facilities, a reactor power station, and a hospital, making it much cleaner and more hygienic than the slums of Tarsonis.

The population density in the refugee camps was not high. It should be noted that even in the early stages of the Total War during the Swarm invasion, the Zerg did not possess the infectiousness and lethality they have now, and all sorts of infectious diseases would inevitably spread in the densely populated and filthy refugee camps.

During Total War, the number of refugees who died of hunger, cold, and various diseases while in exile was also quite staggering.

A large number of Agria refugees living at Lark's Crossing had already gathered outside, and even more were on their way to catch a glimpse of the Emperor of the Terran Empire. The news of the Emperor's arrival inevitably caused a commotion in the refugee camp, but Augustus had never intended to hide his whereabouts.

The militia and Royal Guard at the Skylark Crossing Refugee Camp immediately set about maintaining order to ensure that the overly agitated crowd wouldn't pull down the emperor's trousers. Because the nanoserum, capable of effectively curing Zerg infection, and the vaccine, which prevented transmission, were surprisingly effective and trustworthy, much like other Protoss creations, group gatherings were no longer prohibited.

It must be said that Augustus was quite popular in Agria, largely due to his good reputation and authoritative leadership image.

Nearly 30% of Agria's population is Korhal, which means they saw themselves as staunch supporters of Augustus from the outset.

Augustus waved to the approaching crowd and received an immediate and enthusiastic response. The people at Lark's Crossing were mostly farmers from the surrounding area, whose homes and possessions had been destroyed in the invasion of the Zerg. They had nothing left to lose but their burning rage.

"Augustus, save us!"

"Your Majesty, when will we launch a counterattack and reclaim our houses and farms?"

"Defeat the Zerg! Agria has not fallen yet!"

Since the Griffin Swarm, Tosh's sorcerous swarm, and the Taldarin Protoss began their invasion of the Terran world, the frontiers have been in dire straits, with more than twenty planets affected.

On his way to support Fleets, Agria Augustus many worlds that were still undecided about whether to side with the New Terran Empire or the old Confederacy. The people there reacted rather indifferently to his arrival.

When Augustus ordered the establishment of governments in these worlds to implement his decrees, the local people inevitably resisted in name only, and the forced implementation would inevitably provoke fierce resistance. Fortunately, even the most ignorant and stubborn people there gradually realized that the Terran Empire's series of market incentive policies aimed at recuperation and economic development were beneficial to them.

Furthermore, under the protection of the Terran Empire's garrison, rampant pirates and bandits were driven out, and the re-established trade routes greatly benefited the planets along the way. Augustus also established a strict system of Psionics oversight to ensure that powerful local officials far from Korhal would not cause trouble.

Clearly, many people on various planets don't care whether the Terran Empire or the Terran Confederacy Overmind the Throne World. They only hope that their original lives will not be affected by the new regime. Only those worlds that originally decided to support Augustus and the Revolutionary Army are immersed in the joy and celebration of the new empire.

"It seems that public opinion in Agria is rising rapidly." Sarah Kerrigan stood beside Augustus, receiving the welcome of the people of Agria alongside the emperor. She had gradually transformed from a guardian lurking behind the scenes into a queen who frequently appeared in public.

"Today, the Imperial Fleets will reclaim Agria, and the Terran Empire will surely triumph!" Augustus walked through the crowd, clenching his fist as he spoke.

"Agria's victory is just the beginning of a series of victories to come; the Terran Empire will not back down."

As Augustus withdrew from public view, Lark's Crossing was already engulfed in jubilation. Before long, this scene would spread throughout the entire Terran Empire.

"With the Emperor's determination, the people of Agria have truly found a wise ruler." Following closely behind the swaggering Augustus, Dr. Narud jogged along, afraid of being left behind, though in reality he was quite fast, and his words were full of flattery.

"All the Terrans know that a wise and ambitious ruler is ruling the empire."

Taking pictures of Emperor Augustus's horses is a skill in itself; one wrong move and you'll end up with a sour mess.

Emperor Augustus became increasingly enigmatic and inscrutable. Even the generals who had distinguished themselves in the wars of rebellion found themselves unable to fathom the emperor's thoughts, and thus grew ever more in awe of him.

Emperors can sometimes appear overconfident—a characteristic of leaders—but as more and more people dare not contradict them, this can easily turn into arrogance.

"Thank you for your kind words." Augustus was not swayed by Narud's repeated calls of "handsome guy," he knew all along that the man had no good intentions.

Apart from the Xel'Naga in the Void, only Augustus knew that Narud was actually an evil Xel'Naga. The avatar he left in the real universe could have ten thousand different faces and ten thousand different identities, but only by using Augustus to achieve his goal of resurrecting Amon was it real.

It is a foregone conclusion that Augustus's Terran Empire will succeed the Terran Confederacy as the most powerful human force in the Koprulu Sector. Although Amon, the Dark God and master of Narud, despises humanity from the bottom of his heart, Narud must do everything he can to obtain enough resources from the Terran Empire to build a massive Hybrid army in order to realize his plan.

In fact, the greater the threat to the Terran Empire, the more likely Narud Augustus to adopt Narud's plan to establish a Hybrid laboratory. Even if Augustus strongly opposes it, Narud is confident that other plans will be approved, as long as Augustus allocates him with enough manpower and laboratories.

Recently, Narud seems to have abandoned the proposal to restart the Hybrid laboratory and is now desperately trying to sell his enhanced warrior program based on genetic engineering and mechanical modification to Augustus, which involves replacing soldiers' bones and organs with mechanically created terrifying warriors (this Imperial project is mentioned in Stetmann's backstory).

With his expertise in genetic engineering, Narud was confident in the plan and proposed starting the experiments with criminals and captured UED soldiers, constantly hinting to Augustus to provide funding. However, Augustus, knowing the principle of using bait to lure fish, only provided Narud with some death row inmates and Confederacy officers and high-ranking officials who had persecuted revolutionaries for the experiments.

If Narud wants to gain Augustus's trust, he must produce some impressive research results.

In order to gain Augustus's further attention, he also proposed a plan to study Protoss warp technology for use in human military deployments.

Narud is an alien scientist with extensive knowledge of Xel'Naga technology. He also points out that by studying Xel'Naga technology, the Terran Empire's technology will inevitably make a significant leap forward.

The Xel'Naga are undoubtedly Giant that humanity can hardly match. Only by standing on the shoulders of Giant can the Terrans contend with their Earth brothers who share the same lineage.

It must be said that Narud, that old fox, truly knew exactly what Emperor Augustus wanted.

When Augustus entered the Agria garrison headquarters surrounding the office of the Agria settler, Brigadier General Garr was waiting for him there with several of his men.

"Salute to Emperor Augustus, Empress, and the Imperial Family." Garr was dressed in a brown-green Imperial Marine Corps uniform.

After the Korhal Revolutionary Army was reorganized into the regular army of the Terran Empire, the functions and branches of each legion were further refined while retaining their original organizational structure. The Imperial Marine Corps was originally part of the Revolutionary Army's Army and Marine Corps, and some Revolutionary Army officers who had accumulated military merits were promoted accordingly.

In the current Terran Empire's army, the Fleets and marines have become the two main branches of service, and the army's functions have actually been replaced to some extent by the marines.

Wearing military uniforms was a tradition among the court ministers and high-ranking officials of Augustus's Terran Empire. Many of them were revolutionaries and soldiers before entering politics.

In the political arena of the Terran Empire, the number of Korhal is not large, and many are old bureaucrats left over from the Confederacy era. However, in the military, the Korhal hold almost all the power.

Without a doubt, Korhal was always the place where Augustus made his fortune.

Garr Gal was also a Korhal. He wasn't particularly revolutionary and joined the Revolutionary Army purely because the Confederacy was pressuring him too much. But that didn't stop him from being a staunch supporter of Augustus. He was very clear about where his power came from and what kind of political system it came from.

"Garr Gar, you have won many victories in Agria." Augustus took off his gloves, shook hands with Garr, and gestured for Bernard and the others to stay and listen.

Colonel Garr was a marine commander in the Antiga Revolutionary Army, commanding a marine division of over 25,000 Imperial Marine Corps, mostly recruited from Antiga itself. His troops were known for their bravery and hard-line tactics, and due to Antiga's terrain, they excelled at armored warfare in the vast deserts and Gobi, often employing flanking maneuvers and armored assaults.

After he led his troops to reinforce Agria, the local militia also came under his command, and he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Agria Imperial Marine Corps.

He had bright blue eyes, but his lips were excessively thin. Garr was not a very easy person to get along with, and he didn't fit in with his passionate colleagues. Ever since he was sent to Antiga, he had been known as the Antiga Blue Viper.

"Fighting a bunch of mindless mutant creatures isn't much of a tough battle, and our main job is to assist refugees in their evacuation." When Garr was still a sergeant, Augustus was already the marshal of the Korhal Revolutionary Army.

"The soldiers on the front lines are the ones who fight; the credit should belong to everyone."

"They deserve praise." Augustus heard of the unit's achievements. A lieutenant who led an Arclite Siege Tank platoon had been reported to the Korhal Empire's armed forces headquarters that he had evacuated more than 5,000 people from a small town using tanks and transport vehicles during the breakout of Agria. He was eventually awarded the Imperial Galactic Order, one of the highest honors.

"Now is the time for a counterattack." He opened the command console and unfolded the battle map, "I have mobilized an entire Fleets, and plan to Agria no fewer than 200,000 ground troops and three armored armies with 10,000 Arclite Siege Tank, Rattlesnake Tank, and Red-banded Snake Tank (the Imperial version of the Rattlesnake in Heart of the Swarm, now an improved and upgraded version of the Rattlesnake Tank by the Terran Empire's Weapon Design Bureau) on Argrea, to destroy the Griffin Swarm's main hive area on this planet one by one."

Augustus pointed to the map and said, "This is the route of attack. Logistics, communications, and air support are in place."

"If I asked you to command this battle, what would you do?"

"Your plan is quite comprehensive, but I believe that to deal with these infected, we must deploy sufficient Firebat troops, flamethrower tanks, and heavy bomber formations to maintain saturated firepower and avoid close combat as much as possible," Garr Gar replied.

"Furthermore, finding the source of the infection is of paramount importance."

"A cautious answer, I thought you would say this plan is too conservative." Augustus nodded. "I believe I have found the source of the infection."

"Dr. Narud, what do you think?"

"The source of infection is obvious: those enormous organic organs that the Zerg use to disperse spores—huge clumps of flesh resembling coral and a violin, which we call Virophage." Dr. Narud hadn't expected the topic to suddenly shift to him, but he reacted quickly, assuming the Emperor was testing his research.

"To deal with the Zerg, fire is the simplest and most effective method; it's like cooking oil over a high flame."