Psi Crusher's First Display of Efficacy

At 5:00 AM, the first Psi Crusher deployed to Formiga Laiwen Fortress was completed as planned and began trial operation.

This is a spiral-shaped, disc-like building hundreds of feet high, with an area equivalent to four football fields. It is a perfect combination of modular steel construction and the teardrop-shaped architecture of the Xel'Naga. The arched corridors and openwork stair railings surrounding the silver-grey exterior walls exude an exquisite and elegant artistic atmosphere, while the spiral curves and leaf-shaped textures also possess the mystery and ingenious natural beauty of the Xel'Naga.

Even though the materials used are mostly hastily pressed steel plates and pipes, Dr. Narud manages to create something truly unique.

The Psi Crusher is much larger and more complex than the Psi Disrupter. It mainly consists of a butterfly-shaped giant hub, a controller unit, an energy transmission device, and a transmitter that releases the crushing force field, all connected by thousands of intricate pipelines.

Standing before the Psi Crusher, surrounded by officers, soldiers, and engineers Augustus couldn't help but marvel at it, which made Dr. Narud beam with delight.

Augustus estimated that if he hadn't brought in Dr. Narud, this device wouldn't have been available until at least the next century. Where can you find such a good, diligent, and conscientious worker?

"To put it another way, the crushing field is enough to cover the entire Khar-Augusdugrad. Any Zerg that is inside it will be directly disintegrated by the crushing field that affects the mind and psionic link of the main hive." Dr. Narud, who had just withdrawn from the battlefield, was calm and composed at the moment.

"The Zerg, from the high-ranking Overmind and Cerebrate to the Overlord Brood Queen the Swarm, all use Psionics links to control the lower-level Zerg. This Psionics link is similar to the Protoss's Khala, but it's one-way, equivalent to a radio signal for remotely controlling machinery," he said.

"By analyzing the Psionics link and triggering a backlash, the Swarm can be completely destroyed. The destructive power of the Psi Crusher is far beyond that of the Psi Disrupter. In layman's terms, this force field will not have any effect on humans, but it can easily kill the Zerg."

"Doctor, you say it so easily?" Tychus glanced at Narud, exhaling a puff of smoke. "If you'd been on the battlefield, you wouldn't say that."

"Even dealing with Zergling, a sensitive little mongrel with little shell, is never 'easy'."

"Well, Finley, you will soon witness the power of technology." Narud stood as far away from Tychus as possible.

"I told you, Narud, if it really works, then you deserve the most credit," Augustus.

"I want to confirm whether this is effective for those infected humans?"

"As long as they are also part of the master nest mind, they will be affected," Dr. Narud stated definitively.

"Start it up." Augustus nodded.

"Notify the troops to prepare for the attack."

Dr. Narud personally went to the control panel of the Psi Crusher and entered a series of commands. The disc-shaped dome opened with a violent roar, emitting a bright orange light like a burning furnace. This bright orange light quickly transformed into energy ripples that spread outward in concentric circles, coloring the morning sky with a faint orange hue.

The energy field that spread out like ripples had no effect on those around it, but the scene was still incredibly awe-inspiring. The energy fields of the Psi Emitter and the Psi Disrupter were invisible, while the Psi Crusher made a much bigger noise.

"It looks a bit like the Protoss Ark's reactor furnace." Kerrigan, standing beside Augustus, looked up at the operating Psi Crusher, her long, flowing red hair fluttering in the morning breeze, and her emerald green eyes suddenly turning golden.

Given Kerrigan's keen perception of Psionics, this shattering field was not invisible.

"This design is based on the Protoss solar core on the Hyperion. It concentrates energy into a sphere made of alloy steel and then releases it through a disintegration device," Narud replied immediately.

Of all these people, Kerrigan was undoubtedly the one who terrified Narud the most. The fact that humanity possessed such powerful Psionics, surpassing many Protoss, was what truly shocked and intrigued Narud.

To his master Amon, humans were utterly insignificant. But given time, this race might very well surprise even his creator.

Of course, Narud didn't dare tell Augustus he wanted to study Kerrigan.

"Frontline observation posts and Scout report that the Zerg are retreating," a Formica Command staff officer reported.

"Do you have a picture?" Augustus asked. "Bring it here."

A holographic screen opened in front of Augustus, displaying images taken by a satellite in geostationary orbit.

The brief morning drizzle had more or less dispersed the dust and smoke kicked up by the shells, and visibility was very high.

On the south bank of the Formica River, amidst black smoke and swirling dust, millions of infected humans were retreating. The dark mass of corpses was far from an orderly army, but it was now clearly out of control, collapsing and dying in the crowd.

The Overlord floating in the sky were in chaos, frantically trying to avoid the spreading pulverizing force field, but to no avail. Hundreds and thousands of Overlord fell silently to the ground like punctured balloons, or turned into a burst of blood mist and a pool of viscous blood.

The Zerg trapped in the shattering force field were suffering immense pain, struggling like suffocating humans, and dying in a very short time.

Psi Disrupter can only throw the Swarm into chaotic disorder, while Psi Crusher can kill them outright.

"Notify Mira Han to have her troops cross the Formica River immediately, recapture the lost territory, and continue the pursuit. Mortier, you go and regroup the troops." Augustus glanced at the situation for a dozen seconds and immediately gave the order:

"With the Psi Crusher, the Zerg are no longer qualified to fight us in Formica. This is our chance to completely crush the Griffin Swarm and teach Carlos a lesson in pain."

Along the Formica River, Imperial soldiers in their positions witnessed the Zerg's collapse firsthand, with Infested Terran falling in droves, instantly boosting their morale.

The emergence of the new weapon has completely changed humanity's disadvantage in fighting the Swarm, and it is far more powerful than the Psi Disrupter.

At Augustus's command, all combat troops immediately moved out and advanced towards the main hive area of Griffin Swarm. A large number of Imperial Shock Troopers were also mobilized and set off in full force.

The Imperial army, brimming with fighting spirit, faced almost no resistance. The pulverizing field of the Psi Crusher even killed Zerg hiding underground, and any Zerg under the influence of the hive mind suffered heavy damage.

The Formica River was solid ground, allowing the Imperial Army's armored and motorized units to advance fifty miles in one go, and they could have continued even if it weren't for the inevitable damage to Armored Vehicle and logistical issues.

The Griffin Swarm established only three main nesting areas in Formica, two of which were extremely close to the Formica River and within the crushing force field, killing millions of Infested Terran in less than minutes.

Even if the Swarm doesn't care about the loss of Infested Terran, the appearance of the Psi Crusher renders any attempt to attack human bases futile.

"In this way, Fleets warfare in space becomes the key to victory," Augustus thought for a moment and said.

"Take over to the executive officer, Tulovo, from the Hyperion."

"Your Majesty, the Griffin Swarm has strengthened its Fleets, and two newly emerged Leviathan Swarm are breaking through our defenses." Tulovo was a young man with neatly combed blond hair. He came from an obscure Korhal noble family. Three generations ago, they were just ordinary country gentry, but now the family could be considered quite prominent.

"Ahead of us are the Aleksander and five other infected battlecruisers, while on the flanks are four Swarm Leviathan, bringing with them tens of thousands of Mutalisk and Scourge."

"When did Griffin acquire Leviathan?" Augustus frowned.

Carlos's Griffin Swarm is notoriously poor; among the Cerebrate under the Overmind, it possesses a pitifully small number of Behemoth and Leviathan, even fewer than Prince Tosh of the Blades.

"Since the death of the old Overmind, the Cerebrate were once embroiled in a civil war, but they also became more united than before. Carlos must have borrowed these Leviathan from other Cerebrate, or found wild Leviathan scattered in Aiur and Char," Kerrigan said.

Two Leviathan would be enough to destroy a human Fleets. They are miles long, ten times the size of a battlecruiser, and more aggressive Behemoth, capable of tearing warships apart with their tentacles alone.

"So, Carlos might have been to Aiur." Augustus nodded.

Aiur was once the sacred and ancient homeland of the Protoss Empire, but now it is a wasteland. Its coordinates are no longer a secret, and anyone can go to Aiur and get a share of its resources.

"Tulovo, activate the Hyperion program," he immediately ordered.

"Your authorization is required, Your Majesty." Tulovo looked at Augustus.

"Now you have it," Augustus. "Your mission is to repel this Fleets of Swarm, even at the cost of the Hyperion."

"If this is our mission," Tulovo said, saluting Augustus. "1000% overload, full firepower."

"Long live Korhal!"

"Salute to all the crew members, you are warriors," Augustus.

"Yes, Your Majesty." A dazzling golden light immediately surged behind Tulovo, and the roar of the engine sounded like a pounding heart.

"The enemy has taught us a lesson, Augustus. You shameless bastard, I knew you'd do this." Just as the overload started, Swann's pre-recorded notification came through the other end:

"Uh-oh, I guess I owe you. Watch out, you little brats."

Powered by the Solar Core, the Hyperion was like a war god, as if clad in a golden armor, unstoppable and invincible. The overloaded energy formed a terrifying vortex around it, instantly burning any Zerg that gathered around it to charcoal.

The unvented energy flow transformed into a barrage of thermal particle cannon fire until the Yamato Cannon's barrel overheated and became unusable. This legendary human flagship was burning itself, and any enemies that came into contact with her were scalded and burned, while her shield had transformed into a scorching energy field.

The Hyperion charged into the Griffin Swarm Fleets, met the Aleksander, and forced it to retreat.

The Swarm Leviathan seemed taken aback; they had never imagined that this helpless human warship would adopt such a posture, and for a moment they were at a loss.

Meanwhile, the energy accumulating within the Hyperion continued to increase, even melting its external armor. This was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous move. The Hyperion might not be able to defeat these Leviathan, but if its internal energy went out of control and detonated the Solar Core, it would be enough to create a collapsing, short-lived black hole in the region, taking a massive Fleets with it.

The Swarm Master of the Griffin Swarm was aware of this, Psi Crusher also took it by surprise. Before Carlos could launch his next attack, the Swarm Fleets was forced back by the Hyperion.

The Imperial Fleets once again defended humanity's sovereignty. However, the Hyperion will likely require another major overhaul; its damage is more severe than the previous two times, and even the fastest repairs might take at least six months.

The solar core was not an engine designed for human warships, and it would be far too large for a typical Protoss warship. Even the next-generation Minotaur Battlecruiser would be far from being able to support the solar reactor.

On the ground, Augustus received news of the Swarm Fleets's withdrawal. He should have realized that Carlos wouldn't fight a positional war with him in a straightforward manner.

Waiting for the results was an agonizing process, but if Augustus were commanding the Hyperion, his choice would have been the same as the first mate's.

As an elderly Cerebrate that was given a name by the Overmind, Carlos is definitely the most adaptable one, with an intelligence equivalent to ten Imperial domestic Cerebrate Alpha).

If the Psi Crusher weren't such a terrifying weapon, the Zerg would be completely helpless against it, and Carlos would never have given up so easily.

Until the new Overmind returns to Koprulu, the Griffin Swarm will remain the Imperium's most formidable enemy.

"Narud, I will reward you." Augustus looked at Narud: "Your Psi Crusher ended this war, and your deeds will be remembered by the world."

"I want to name the Imperial University Library, which is under construction, after you, and I also want to erect a statue at the entrance to Augustgrad."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Dr. Narud's expression froze for a moment, thinking to himself, what use is this to me?

He didn't want these useless things; funds and equipment were the most important, but he couldn't say it directly.

"Tell all the people of Formica that the Griffin Swarm has retreated," Augustus continued.

"Let us rebuild our homeland, just as we would rebuild an empire."