Chapter 87
Korhal IV, Sterling Skyport, Christmas Eve.
After three days of Galaxy Jumper travel, Augustus, Lisa, and the others landed in a starship skyport outside Sterling City, the capital city of Korhal IV, in their intergalactic jumper. Without exception, everyone who had never been to Korhal before was stunned as they stepped off the Galaxy Jumper's gangway.
Sterling Skyport's imposing terminal building is a cube-shaped structure with a stainless steel frame and large, color-changing glass panels, and its interior is decorated with black aluminum railings and travertine marble.
As passengers enter, they can see the gentle sun shining over Korhal IV through the curtain wall-like glass windows and the lush vegetation planted in the stairwells and corridors. Hovering intelligent robots and turbine-type drones are constantly cleaning the mirror-like floors and windows. Every Korhal resident is well-dressed and speaks elegantly.
To avoid drawing attention, Augustus wore only a dark brown square-neck long-sleeved jacket and crisp trousers, along with blue and black striped sneakers, looking like a young student. Lisa, on the other hand, wore a knee-length light yellow pleated skirt, a black cotton short-sleeved T-shirt, and a leather bag that was actually a medical kit slung across her waist.
Tall and dark-skinned Connor Ward wore a black short-sleeved leather vest and ripped jeans. His nose, broken in battle and slightly crooked, framed a pair of half-open, pale blue eyes that always gave off a fierce feeling. His exposed arms bore a skull tattoo of the Heaven's Devils.
If Ward stood beside Augustus like a burly and fierce bodyguard, then Harnack and Zander, dressed only in leather jackets and casual loose trousers, looked like two groundhogs just crawling out of their burrows, occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise.
Augustus didn't wait long at the terminal. Soon, a group of men in security uniforms and butler uniforms escorted a burly man to them. All of them had a golden wolf's head embroidered in gold thread on the front of their coats, which was the emblem unique to the Mengsk Family.
Leading the group was Acton Field, the security captain for the Mengsk Family and one of Angus's most trusted men. He had served the Mengsk Family for many years and practically watched Augustus and his sister grow up.
"You little rascal, none of the Mengsk kids are ordinary people," Acton said, patting Augustus on the shoulder as they embraced.
"Where are Mother and Dorothy?" Augustus asked with a smile.
"They're still in White Stone Castle in the mountains north of Sterling, remember? The place where your grandfather died," Acton said.
"I still remember him." A blurry image appeared in Augustus's mind. His grandfather was very tall in his memory, but his voice and smile were already very distant. The Mengsk Family still continued the tradition of the royal family in the Earth era. Angus named his youngest son "Augustus" in memory of his father.
Angus deployed an entire security force, three Type 58 Puma Armored Vehicle, and twelve Vulture to escort his son.
The Vulture Motorcycle formed a triangular formation surrounding three Armored Vehicle. One of the Armored Vehicle carried Augustus and his men, while the other two were fully loaded with soldiers carrying live ammunition.
This is not a pathological overprotection. Although the Mengsk Family's power in Korhal is deeply entrenched and unshakable, like a towering tree rooted in Korhal, some potential business rivals and Angus's political enemies often hire assassins to kill the family's few members.
Given the Mengsk family's immense power and wealth, even a guard like this, to deal with kidnappings and harassment, is essential.
Augustus sat in the back seat of one of the Jaguar Armored Vehicle, by the window, gazing through the bulletproof glass a few feet away at the rapidly receding scenery. A serious-looking Acton and a somewhat uneasy Lisa sat beside Augustus.
"I heard from your mother that you're ready to retire?" Acton said.
"Yes, and I don't plan to wait until next year. The war is over, and I submitted my retirement papers last weekend, but they haven't been approved yet," Augustus. "If all goes well, I can retire next month."
Like his Arcturus, Augustus had no attachment to the army. Now a second Augustus, and even if he were to become a field officer after the war ended next year, he didn't want to stay any longer.
His own father was about to rebel, and the whole planet was about to be in revolution. If he didn't run away quickly, was he going to stay in the army and wait to die?
Augustus's only concern now is his Heaven's Devils; otherwise, he wouldn't have planned to return to Meinhoff after Christmas.
"Alright, your father needs a helper." Acton nodded. "He's still so young, yet his hair is almost completely white."
"Field, where are we going, Sterling City or the White Castle?" Augustus asked.
"Go to your mother's. She misses you." Acton
Due to local government environmental protection policies, Sterling Skyport is actually far outside the city's perimeter. The Mengsk Family's convoy had to drive a considerable distance after leaving Skyport to reach their more remote destination.
The escorting convoy sped along the main roads outside the Sterling City area, passing through the rural fields between the silver-gray mixed industrial park and the metropolitan area.
It was autumn, and the greenery along the main road was still lush and vibrant. Further away, the vast wheat fields were still bathed in the rich colors of autumn, turning a luxurious golden hue. The sky was a clear, bright blue, and the drifting clouds resembled a herd of Pegasus galloping by, creating a scene straight out of an idyllic oil painting.
Unlike other planetary worlds in the Terran Confederacy that prioritize economic development while disregarding environmental pollution, Korhal IV revised its air purification regulations and visionarily introduced a large amount of renewable resources. Therefore, while maintaining a high level of technological and industrial development, Korhal remains a lush and beautiful world.
Augustus continued to gaze at the scenery outside the window. By this time, the fields and dense forests had receded into the distance, and the hills south of Sterling City gradually magnified in his eyes.
Between the hills, numerous dense silver specks of light could be seen, reflections of metal and glass. Augustus could almost see Sterling's dazzling neon lights and enormous holographic screens and billboards, and hear its vibrant clamor.
The convoy drove onto a silver-gray alloy bridge spanning the hills, and as the slope continued to rise, the entire Sterling City could now be seen.
Sterling is like a city cast in mercury, where gleaming metal and glass reflect a dazzling silver light in the sunlight, while the network of bridges and major transportation arteries running through the city resemble dense and clear black lines in a mercury world.
In the heart of the city, towering skyscrapers stand amidst a cluster of silver-gray buildings. These majestic structures, with their distinct polyhedral shapes and other geometric structures that defy human imagination, evoke a sense of technological wonder and the beauty of a futuristic world.
In Augustus's memory, Sterling at night was as brilliant as summer fireworks, a sea of neon lights and countless IAA projection screens converging into a sea of light that stretched to the mountains to the south and the coast to the north. The dazzling lights reached the sky, zigzagging and reflecting among the clouds like rosy clouds.
The lights of Korhal are colorful, dazzling, and breathtaking.
Thanks to Qingdi Qiongye Junbujian, Book Friend 20200118134700663, Coughing to Death, Glory to the Eldest Son, Aiur's Knight, The Distant Shogun, Shen Zhixi, A Dream of a Thousand Years, and Floating Light Boat for their monthly tickets.