Company D, Second Platoon, First Squad

Augustus's squad was a full-strength unit consisting of twelve men. In wartime, a standard Terran Federal Marine Corps squad would be organized into three four-man fire teams. More elite units would be equipped with single-man shoulder-fired rockets and plasma flamethrowers to provide essential heavy fire support, serving as formidable tactical anchors.

During periods when manpower and medical personnel were abundant, the Federal Interstellar Marine Corps High Command considered it standard for a Federal fire support squad to be additionally equipped with a medic or professional medical staff. However, during the Guild Wars, such a luxury was quite rare.

"I am Augustus Mengsk, and my home is Korhal IV, a garden paradise that feels like a dream." Augustus extended his hand, shaking Jim Raynor's somewhat calloused one.

"You are welcome to visit my home on Korhal."

Unlike the rebel commander Jim Raynor in Augustus's memories, this Raynor was brimming with the youthful vigor and drive of a young man, which was exactly why he hadn't recognized him at first.

The Raynor in the game had a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, his forehead etched with deep, knife-like lines, weathered and wrinkled; that Jim Raynor had been the heart and soul of the Raiders.

Most of the time, Raynor was optimistic, though occasionally, a sense of dejection and frustration would cloud his inner thoughts.

Augustus noted down the name, appearance, and birthplace of every man in his squad.

Of these eleven men, four were of Korhalian descent. Two of them had played cards with Augustus on the transport ship Peace Dove, and the other two were his high school classmates. This, of course, was thanks to Augustus's consistent "good luck"—a prominent family background was undoubtedly crucial for a Transmigrator.

"There's no need to butt heads with me. A recruit sergeant isn't a dormitory manager, and I won't use military regulations to restrict your freedom." Augustus then looked at Harnack Hank, who had been acting like a troublemaker.

"I am Augustus Mengsk, and my only responsibility during these twelve weeks of boot camp is to lead the First Squad of the Second Platoon to victory in every training exercise. If necessary, I will lead you all in kicking the instructor's ass."

Everyone looked at Augustus involuntarily, stunned by his confidence. Clearly, this Mengsk was someone who knew exactly what he wanted, what he should do, and would not hesitate to put it into practice.

Then, under the slightly awestruck gazes of all the recruits, Augustus skillfully produced several decks of cards from his pack.

"It's still early. Want to play cards?"

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, the aggressive Harnack Hank, who had been looking for a fight, completely forgot what he had just said and was the first to jump up.

"Hell yeah! I love playing cards!"

"..."

The game lasted until nearly midnight. Harnack, penniless and having lost even his clothes, had already gambled away his third pair of underwear and was clutching his last pair tightly in his hand. Meanwhile, Raynor and Augustus each had a pair of lace panties in front of them.

Young men from various Federal core worlds and colonies sat on bunks and chairs playing cards; the Second Platoon's dormitory was filled with cheers, jeers, and Harnack's wails.

It wasn't that Augustus and Raynor were particularly good at cards; it was simply that Harnack's luck was abysmal—he was a born loser.

Soon, Harnack lost the underwear he was holding, so he unbuckled his belt, preparing to take off the pair he was wearing.

For the first time, a look of horror appeared on Raynor's face. Augustus's expression turned unprecedentedly grave, and he immediately stood up, intending to stop the red-headed recruit from stripping.

Just then, the seemingly impenetrable Plasteel wall behind him suddenly shattered. A group of human soldiers clad in deep black armor and wielding electromagnetic rifles charged in, raising their muzzles toward the bewildered recruits.

"Eek!" Harnack pulled up his underwear in terror, though half his backside remained exposed.

"What are you looking at! You bunch of perverts!"

Compared to Harnack, the others reacted more normally. Most were paralyzed with fear, sitting on the floor or standing stiff as frozen fish, while others instinctively dove to the ground, seeking cover.

Although he had been startled, Augustus remained seated, his expression unchanged. He immediately recognized the guild insignia on the black-armored soldiers—Tovi Industries, a deep green ring with a hexagram engraved in the center.

These were Kel-Morian Ripper units, composed of the strongest and bravest warriors in the guild. Their battlefield role was equivalent to the most basic marines in the Federal Marine Corps, serving as the solid foundation for the guild's armies.

It was pure fantasy for them to appear in a recruit training camp at this time. As far as Augustus knew, the "Turaxis-Prime Base" where he was stationed was one of the most secure military fortresses in the Terran Confederacy, possessing the largest underground airfield known on the planet.

Aside from recruits and the Engineer Corps, the fortress housed two main battalions and a company of Goliath combat robots, with tens of thousands of engineers, mechanics, and other logistics personnel maintaining the massive facility.

For the Kel-Morians to capture this fortress, they would need to mobilize at least a division-level main force along with massive supporting artillery regiments, armored brigades, and air forces. Such a large-scale troop movement could not possibly go unnoticed.

Even if the Kel-Morian commander had used unfathomable means to bypass orbital sensors, thermal imaging, ground vibration sensors, scouts, and outposts, the ones fighting them would be the Federal main forces on the perimeter, not the recruits in the very center of the base.

The most obvious flaw was the way they appeared. It was absolutely impossible to shatter a Plasteel wall using individual electromagnetic rifles. Not to mention, the other side of the wall was actually the Second Squad's dormitory, yet when Augustus looked out through the crack in the wall, he saw only a vivid, crimson Gobi desert.

"It's a holographic projection, guys." Almost at the same time the Kel-Morian Rippers appeared, Augustus calmly said to the panicked recruits.

High-fidelity holographic projections were expensive luxuries for the civilian class, but in the Mengsk family, they were a mundane part of daily life.

Augustus's intuition told him that when something was too absurd to be true, one had to construct the truth from the known clues.

"Everyone sit down, let's keep playing."

These two sentences immediately calmed the recruits in the squad. Most of them hadn't been able to react yet, but at that moment, they had the distinct feeling that Augustus could never be wrong.

As soon as he finished speaking, the muzzles of the Kel-Morian soldiers' standard-issue electromagnetic rifles erupted with icy blue fire. Augustus felt as if he could feel the bullets passing through his chest, but it was clearly not real.

The recruit Tom Omo fell to the ground in fright. Harnack turned his head to look at him, as if checking to see if he had wet his pants.

Afterward, the Kel-Morian soldiers stopped firing and abruptly dissolved into black data particles, coalescing into a uniformed officer. The officer's face, perhaps synthesized by AI, was plain and unremarkable.

"I am Mechanical Sergeant Travis. Starting today, I will assist in your training. Remember, the enemy will appear before you at any time and in any place. Even at a rear base, you must remain vigilant at all times," the holographic projection said.

"Don't let me catch you, you piece of shit!" Harnack looked at him and gave an undisguised, contemptuous gesture, then, feeling it wasn't enough, added the middle finger—a "cultural heritage" passed down since the Earth era.

"Recruit Harnack Hank, your name has been recorded by the Central Security Bureau. This is your first warning. You should maintain proper respect for your superiors," the holographic projection said with a face that was expressionless in every sense.

"Watch out, Raynor, they must have installed these advanced projectors in every corner." As Harnack muttered curses, Augustus looked at Jim Raynor, who was sitting to the side. "This must have cost the taxpayers a fortune."

"I'm sure my family's farm contributed to that bill," Raynor chuckled.