Moebius Corps

"If you succeed, you will save billions of people. Narud, you are the savior of humanity."

"It is my duty." Narud bowed like a proper Tarsonis gentleman, his white mustache curling up even higher.

"A sense of mission to save humanity drives me forward. Nothing excites a researcher more than seeing new technologies applied to people's lives and achieving great success in combat."

In an instant, a golden light seemed to surge across Dr. Narud's face. The light stung Tychus's eyes, causing the tough man in the Royal Guard's crimson uniform with gold tassel epaulets to curl his lip.

Narud's reputation within the Terran Empire was by no means bad. He was the chief academician of the Imperial Royal Academy of Sciences, the first Xenomorph Physiology PhD, the greatest Xel'Naga scholar in human history, and had even attracted the attention of the Dark Templar.

A peerless hero!

In fact, Narud has always been widely praised. He was an absolutely brilliant scientist with an equal level of diligence. Narud was often able to work for three or four days straight without sleep, and had almost no entertainment or hobbies. He was more like a great scientist who was selfless and devoted to science.

In Augustus's words, our Dr. Narud is busier than the donkeys in the production team; he's a model worker among model workers.

Dr. Francos, Augustus's most outstanding Zerg biologist, bluntly stated that Narud possessed the most powerful brain known to humankind, and his position in fields such as genetic engineering and Xel'Naga technology was unparalleled. He asserted that for the next fifty years, all human technology would be a poor imitation of Emil Narud.

Of course, that was just extremely high praise.

Apart from Augustus, no one knew that Narud had long since ceased to be human.

Tychus simply disliked Narud; he always claimed his intuition was spot-on, but this never helped him escape the military police's pursuit.

"If Tychus's level of understanding were even half a toe's, I wouldn't need to keep him locked up every few days," Augustus nodded.

"Great, I need someone in my life who will contradict him."

"Sergeant Tychus is just outspoken; I have no conflict with him." Dr. Narud quickly stated that he disdained to lower himself to the level of such a boor, and always kept his distance—a gentleman keeps his distance from Tychus.

Narud was a man who paid great attention to appearance, manners, and etiquette. He frowned at Tychus's rude appearance, which seemed to be the reason why he always avoided contact with military personnel.

At this moment, Imperial drones began spraying nanoserum into the atmosphere of Seth. This potent antidote would soon be spread throughout Seth, after which the landing Fleets, supported by orbital fire and air power, would descend to the ground to fight the mutated zombies infected by the Griffin Swarm.

In reality, there are very few survivors left on Seth; now, only a military shelter established by the Antiga Empire exists. The planet's ecosystem has been destroyed by the ever-regenerating, mutating, and rapidly spreading Zerg virus, rendering it unsuitable for human habitation.

No matter how desperate the people on Seth are, they must set off to leave.

"Your Majesty, Major Mortier of Formica has sent an email saying that the Aleksander has appeared in this system, and the colony is in grave danger. He requests the support of the main Fleets." Augustus's adjutant approached.

"Sending time?" Augustus's eyes lit up:

"Play on the home screen."

"Four days ago, this sector had no communication base stations, and transportation and communication were very backward. This is a common problem in the Edge World; here, messages from a planet are always quite delayed," the adjutant replied, then respectfully switched to the main screen as ordered by Augustus.

"This is Mortier. Formica is under attack by the Griffin Swarm. One million Zerg have landed before I sent this distress message, and the infected UED flagship Aleksander has also been discovered among the Swarm."

A young man dressed in Imperial Marine Corps camouflage windproof clothing and wearing goggles on his forehead stood in a clearing in a lush green forest, with a huge Imperial Goliath Combat Robot behind him and the Imperial flag fluttering in the wind.

After that, dozens of local loggers in orange overalls, led by imperial officers, were cutting down trees in the forest to set up fortifications. It was a vast forest, with ancient trees and lush foliage that even blocked out the sunlight.

"Formica has seven million miners, loggers, metallurgists, and furniture factory workers and their families, yet it has only half a Marine brigade, less than three thousand men. Any Imperial troops who hear this distress signal, please help Formica."

"Pick up Formica's coordinates on the star map," Augustus continued.

Formica is an Earth-like planet with 80% of its surface covered in green. All data indicate that Formica is very suitable for the survival and reproduction of life. The evergreen forests that cover the continents provide the planet with extremely high-quality timber resources, and the woodlands rich in humus are also excellent land for growing crops.

Augustus remembered the name Formica, not only because he had personally signed the order to send relief troops to the region.

Formica's high-quality wooden furniture and other products are sold all over the world and are popular among noble and upper-middle-class families.

The majority of the population of this settlement consists of lumberjacks and factory workers, and this single resource alone has made Formica a rather well-known and wealthy settlement. Located between the Edge World and the Middle World, it can be considered the border of the civilized world.

In Augustus's memory, after the fall of the Confederacy, Formica quickly established a highly autonomous government and sought a political status similar to an autonomous city-state, so he was not in a hurry to send troops to reclaim this world.

When the Griffin Swarm invaded, Formica had no choice but to seek the protection of the Terran Empire, just like other worlds, and voluntarily shoulder the various expenses of the Empire's garrison.

Overall, Formica never considered opposing Augustus and the Terran Empire. When the Zerg invaded, the Confederacy failed to help Formica, and they didn't have high hopes for the Confederacy's successor, the Terran Empire.

However, there is one thing the Empire can rely on: they are almost always there for help, and they will come when there is trouble. But even though the Imperial Army has expanded to six million men, it is still not enough to maintain its control over its vast territory.

Today is different from the past; it's no longer a time when an ordinary Marine Corps company can suppress a rebellion on a planet.

For the newly established Terran Empire of Augustus, this war came at just the right time. Without the threat of external enemies, the various worlds would inevitably harbor their own ambitions, and at the same time, war could effectively divert internal conflicts, which would be conducive to the transition and transfer of power.

The people of the various colonies of the Terran Confederacy, especially those on planets in the central Koprulu Sector and even more remote areas, were utterly disappointed with the Confederacy and its extravagant and insatiable politicians and nobles.

In peacetime, the developed industry and cutting-edge electronic products have led to a huge trade deficit between the core world and the Edge World. Cheap crystal minerals, high-energy gas, wood, stone and rare metals produced in the Edge World are continuously poured into the core world, processed into products and sold to them at high prices.

This brought huge profits to the monopolistic enterprises controlled by the Old Families nobles, making the entire Territory of the Terran Confederacy a treasure trove for their wealth extraction.

In peacetime, public discontent is not enough to shake the government's rule. But once the central government's power weakens, people begin to want to break away.

When war comes, the general public is more accepting of the significant decline in living standards during wartime, and the call for a strong government that can lead them to victory grows louder.

"Hopefully Formica can hold out until we arrive." Kerrigan frowned.

Normally, half an Imperial Marine Corps brigade would be enough to defend an ordinary colony world, but Formica had clearly encountered the main force of the Griffin Swarm. And Augustus could not afford to ignore it.

"Carlos and DuGalle want to start a direct battle with us at Formica? But they don't have to. The invisible Zerg virus is the most terrifying weapon," Augustus said, pacing on the bridge of the Hyperion.

"Perhaps the application of the nanoserum made Carlos restless; he's not one to sit still," Kerrigan said.

"If Her Majesty the Queen is correct, then Carlos should be eager to challenge us to war. Formica is likely to become the main battlefield, making it the perfect time to put the new Psi Crusher into practical use. All experimental data and preparations are nearing completion," Dr. Narud said opportunely.

"Research into the Zerg hive's mind and unique Psionics connections has made groundbreaking progress. The new Psi Crusher can backfire on the Psionics connections between Zerg, causing their minds and bodies to collapse simultaneously in a very short time. It is far more powerful than the Psi Disrupter of the past."

"It seems you have a plan in mind." Augustus looked at Narud and smiled with satisfaction.

Augustus knew long ago that if Narud wished, and if he, Xel'Naga, were to share even a fraction of the knowledge he had stored up throughout countless reincarnations, humanity could benefit immeasurably.

The creator of the Overmind is Amon, and as Amon's most loyal and only surviving servant, Narud's understanding of the Zerg and the Hive may be far inferior to Amon's, but in this universe, no one can compare.

As long as Narud the donkey continues to pretend to work diligently and bask in the glory of toying with humans and mocking the Emperor of the Terran Empire.

Both sides were pleased; it was a win-win situation.

Narud could never have imagined that he had already been exposed by appearing in front of Augustus under the aliases Duran and Narud, and that the latter would have to cooperate with him to complete the charade.

"If we can deploy a large number of Psi Crusher on the Edge World, the Empire can buy itself at least five years to recuperate and develop its military!" Dr. Narud's eyes were sharp as he spoke.

"Once the Zerg evolve again and correct the flaws in their Psionics connection, an unprecedentedly powerful Terran Empire will await them!"

So far, the Overmind and most of the Cerebrate have left the Koprulu Sector, the Griffin Swarm is the Terran Empire's greatest enemy, and the Protoss threat has been greatly reduced.

While war has its drawbacks, a prolonged and protracted conflict is enough to bring down any powerful regime.

Augustus indeed need a relatively peaceful transition period between 2499 and 2500 to seek to consolidate the Empire's rule and revive its economy. During this period, combating the Griffin Swarm and maintaining a diplomatic peace between the Protoss Empire became the main tasks.

"Golden words—I have high hopes for the Psi Crusher." Augustus looked at Narud and said, "Doctor, I hope you're not lying to me."

"Practice is the best teacher." Narud, after all, was a master of reincarnation, and his words are definitely worth considering:

"Just try it, Your Majesty, and you will know the value of the Psi Crusher."

"Very good. Very good." Augustus said "very good" twice, seemingly unable to control his excitement:

"Do it this way, using both the Psi Disrupter and the Psi Crusher simultaneously; it's bound to produce amazing results."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Dr. Narud smiled and counted on his fingers, "Regarding the funding for Moebius Plan, could you perhaps reconsider? Also, I would like at least this number of biologists, materials scientists, Fleets engineers..."

Moebius Plan, proposed by Dr. Narud, primarily aims to develop new military technologies and build warships through research into Xel'Naga technology. Simultaneously, Mobius technology will also be used to create a next-generation Imperial army.

Emperor Augustus approved the plan immediately after reviewing it, and he also finalized its name. However, the actual allocation of funds was repeatedly delayed. Although the Terran Empire had regained control of most of the assets held by the Old Families, it urgently needed money in various aspects.

Like all arrogant scientists and inventors, Narud couldn't help but ask the Imperial government for funding, laboratories, facilities, and manpower, since he couldn't conjure up money or people.

Narud consistently tried to prove to Augustus that Hybrid technology was absolutely controllable—the materials and data he provided were always flawless, yet it just wouldn't pass muster. This was because the foolish emperor was always worried about the Protoss's attitude, believing it would trigger a war between humanity and the Protoss, and Narud had to prove that his research could ensure the Terran Empire had nothing to fear from the Protoss Empire.

Hybrid are no match for the Protoss Fleets that dominates the Protoss. The Emperor hopes that Narud can use his research on Xel'Naga ship technology to develop human warships. Only then will he consider developing Hybrid.

"Yes." Emperor Augustus seemed pleased and willing to bestow further favors upon Narud:

"To ensure the plan can be carried out covertly and to protect the participants, I must also deploy a professionally trained military unit for their protection."

"Since that's the case, let's call it the Moebius Corps."

Moebius Corps.

"No need, Your Augustus." Narud was taken aback.

"No one should be able to."

"That's settled then," Augustus.

"This is standard procedure; Agent Umojan is omnipresent."