StarCraft: Tyranid Empire.

Chapter 517 A Passing Dark Priest
By the end of the bitter war, the south bank of Dennis City, across the Formica River, lay in ruins.Due to repeated and prolonged heavy bombing and shelling, there are huge craters and ravines everywhere, which are full of deformed infected people, and the remains of different postures are mixed together, and the corpses are piled up like a mountain.

UNN's military reporter passed out several times, just because he had never seen such a tragic scene.

Whether they are civilians or entrepreneurs, whether they were born beautiful or ugly, they have all turned into monsters with swollen bodies, proliferated limbs, chitin carapaces and insect eyes.As for how they dealt with their former compatriots, one only needs to look at the spread of rotten meat and meat paste to understand.

Anyone who has seen all this may have been unable to eat meat for a long time, and the veterans of the Empire were not affected by it.If other people think it's purgatory, it's only because they haven't seen anything much worse.

On the Formica River, the steel bridge spanning the great river has been submerged and washed away by the shallow water.The other half of the city is also devastated, full of scars left by the brutal war.

In summer, the days are long and the nights are short, and the trees and water plants are flourishing.If you let it go, it won't be long before everything here will be taken back.

On the 14th of that month, the imperial army used solid gas to burn the land poisoned by creep and plague over and over again, and then sprayed chemicals on the scorched land to prevent the plague under the land from resurging.

On the 15th, good news came one after another. According to the tracking and detection report of the scientific ship, the Griffin swarm began to evacuate the invading planet on a large scale, and the psychic smasher was the direct cause of this move.

In the afternoon of the same day, Emperor Augustus announced that the crisis of the twelve planets including Formica had been lifted, and the empire would send more troops, scientists and engineers to help these planets complete the reconstruction work.

A series of victories won the emperor the praise of the people.

On the 16th, the new Formica immigration government and the Senate were also reorganized at the behest of Emperor Augustus, and Paulson, the former chief senator of Formica, became the governor of the empire.This man was already the leader of Formica, and the appointment was well-received.

It was clear that the Emperor had no intention of installing his trusted confidants in Formica.As long as an army is maintained in Formica, democracy in Formica is manageable.

On the 17th, the Governor of the Formica Empire amended the Formica Law, announcing that the Imperial Stormtroopers officially replaced the Formica Federation Planetary Defense Forces as the main armed forces of the colony.In order to ensure the safety of the local star field, the construction plan of two Imperial Marine Corps military bases and a naval air port has also been passed by the Senate, and the tender for the All Formica Construction Company has begun.

At the same time, the compulsory military service system has also been written into the laws of Formica in accordance with the principles of the Imperial Constitution. Every Formica citizen must complete sixteen months of service in the Imperial Stormtroopers until he is reinstated after retirement. One call.

It should be noted that the Imperial Stormtroopers are not a militia, but a regular army.Not in the Marine Corps or Navy.They are separate from the Imperial Marines and are additionally funded by the Imperial Treasury.

The difference is that the Marines are contracted professional soldiers who are better equipped, serve longer and face more danger.This is an extremely dangerous profession. Apart from internal separatist forces and terrorists, the enemies of the empire may jump into bug pits or fight in protoss temples someday.

Generally speaking, the main battlefield of the imperial marines is the sea of ​​stars, while the stormtroopers stay behind.And once the emperor of the Tyrannian Empire thinks there is such a need, the imperial stormtroopers conscripted from all over the place will become an unparalleled and huge armed force.

Warfield was the undisputed leader of the Imperial Navy, Raynor of the Marine Corps, and Admiral Rundstein as Chief of Staff of the General Staff.The newly formed commander of the Imperial Stormtrooper is the well-known Prince Arcturus Mengsk. It is hard to believe that the emperor did not seek personal affection in this appointment.

Both the stormtroopers and the imperial marines set up a boot camp on the burnt land, receiving recruits from the local area to form Formica's future defense force, and about [-] recruits enlisted on the first day alone, including land The most teams.

The fact that Formica was formally merged into the Tyrannian Empire did not cause an uproar. After all, half of the lives of the people here were given by the empire.Even if they have an opinion, they dare not say it now.

By the 22nd, the Griffon swarm had completely evacuated the invading planet.

Since then, Emperor Augustus has faded out of people's sight.But he remained on Formica and was in no hurry to return to Keha.It was claimed that the sympathetic emperor was visiting the abandoned cities of Formica, always looking worried.

On the 23rd, when Augustus came to the southern city of Dennis in casual clothes, there was just a hazy drizzle, and the streets and alleys paved with bluestone slabs were instantly cleared.

Dennis City, this is a city built between the quiet forest and the river, as if on a garden.Dennis, one of the ancestral names of the Formica people, was probably just a dull farmer from another nearby colony.

Now, the citizens of Dennis have decided to name the city after Emperor Augustus.

Walking on the streets of the city, there are lively scenes of repairing houses or expanding blocks everywhere.The builders are all Formica construction workers, and Imperial engineers will also be seen among them.

The Formigans are talented in architecture and woodcarving. They are generally tough, hardworking and creative, and they are always good and fast in doing things.

Soon, this new urban area began to take shape. Around the well-developed main roads, block houses, shops, banks, and school gymnasiums were also being erected.There is a thriving scene here, and there are dark corners.

No sooner had people buried their family and friends than they wiped away their tears and started building new homes.Compared with the worlds that were reduced to ruins under the invasion of griffin swarms, Formica was undoubtedly lucky.

Many are determined to leave this sad place and seek a way out elsewhere on this planet.Formica is full of fertile soil, and people can always survive if they put their heads down and work hard.

The city took in those who remained, but it was still overcrowded, and the local epidemic prevention department was deeply concerned about such a dense population gathering under the shadow of the zerg plague.

But until new shelters are built and new farms and ranches are cleared, the Formigans can only accept a life of overcrowding and poverty like a slum.In the past half a month or so, Formiga has lost almost everything, a generation of young people aged 16 to 20, and their homes.

In the words of the first generation of Formiga pioneers, when they first came here, they only had an ax in hand.

Augustus and his entourage went straight to the western block of Dennis City, where the refugees lived.It's very dangerous in there, with all kinds of homeless and ill-gotten people gathering.

However, the emperor's security work was still perfect. Whenever there was a disturbance, a group of ghost figures of heads of state would jump out on the left, Ogbo agents in plain clothes on the right, and it would rain dark templars from the sky.

Generally speaking, Narud next to Augustus is the biggest threat, but this guy is the safest until he achieves his goal.Narud will definitely plot against Augustus, but he won't tear himself apart yet.

In fact, so far, Narud thought his disguise was perfect.

"Displaced, lacking food and clothing." Augustus walked on the streets where the sewage accumulated, looking at the dilapidated red brick houses and the clothes drying on the rusty iron railings: "Why didn't they go to the refugee resettlement we set up?" point to go?"

This area is no different from the slums that Augustus had seen in Tarsonis. They also lived in crumbling shacks and even cardboard boxes, but at least they could see sunlight here.

Most of the people living here are from the southern city of Dennis City, and they came here in exile.

In the past, the south was much wealthier than the north, despite being part of the same city.Now, the Zerg has completely destroyed the entire southern city, while the northern part has not only been relatively intact, but has also taken the lead in the economic recovery trend of the times.

Many people died in the south, and the remaining people had almost nothing. Even if the people in the north accepted them at the most critical time, the inner imbalance made the contradiction between the two more and more serious.

At this time, it was almost noon, and the men in their prime had already gone out to look for work, and the rest were women, children and the elderly.Their quality of life was terrible, and they ate all the muddy protein distributed by the Imperial Army, and they were covered with cheap military blankets.

But these people did not lose hope, in fact, they were more alive than any of the people Augustus had seen in any of the slums.Everyone was busy, and there were always strangers coming and going here. Except for the thief, no one kept staring at Augustus.

There are many people here, the old butcher who sells canned food, the young logger who prepares to bundle the firewood and send it to the barbecue shop, and the woman who wears a headscarf and sells meat.
It was not difficult for them to identify Augustus. Now is not the era of exile and hiding during the uprising. Augustus has long stopped traveling with his easy-to-accommodate rice mask.The emperor believed that he did not have to deceive others when walking on the land he ruled.

No one thought that the emperor of the Tyrannian Empire would come to this impoverished little place at this time. He should have been sitting in a beautiful chair, sipping tea, and flirting with politicians and bureaucrats.

In the eyes of the Formica, the Tyranid Empire seemed to be no longer a newly established new regime, but a real empire with a powerful army.The Mengsk family is not a new royal family either, they seem to have ruled the empire for many years.

"Refugee resettlement is not a long-term solution after all, and the people here still don't trust us in the final analysis." Kerrigan said: "Besides, there are many jobs in the city, and those who work hard for a while can find a way out."

"This is human nature." Augustus knew that human nature is complicated. Even in Keha in the past, there were many people who opposed the Mengsk family.Most people who survive on the edge of the world do not trust the government and the military, because they have suffered enough from it:

"But that's fine too. Empires should be built by those who believe in their own hands."

With the expansion of the empire's territory, Formica's position in the interstellar shipping line will also become higher and higher.Long ago, water transport brought trade, and now Star Trek brings prosperity.

The most difficult thing is to establish a unified system on such a huge territory so that everyone recognizes the legal system of the empire.

"No one doubts that the Tyranid Empire will not prosper forever under your rule." Dr. Narud was wearing a well-trimmed black suit, and his leather shoes were shiny.

Every time he stepped through the dirty mud and stagnant water in the street, the doctor couldn't help but rolled up his trousers and walked carefully.Narud has never concealed his disgust for this, if in Tarsonis, he is definitely born noble.

Besides, Narud was indeed a gentleman of great taste, demanding a lot from his life, always contemptuous of vulgar Tychus and his like.

"That's the last thing in the world to doubt, Doctor." Tychus Finley wasn't smoking, but was chewing gum.It's not that he quit smoking, but that he ran out of money again.

"Gentlemen, take a look. This is the cane used by Governor Pasha, this is the towel he used, and this wooden pipe he used. Also, this is a part of his skull." At this time , a child who was setting up a stall attracted Augustus' attention.He may be eleven or twelve years old, but he is small and strong.

Dennis's factory does not want such child labor, but those carpenters who make furniture like to recruit such apprentices.The craftsmanship of Formica is mostly passed down from generation to generation in this way.

His gray eyes and light hair reminded Augustus of his nephew Valerian.But the child has now moved into the Keha Palace, and now, as the son of Prince Arcturus, he is sought after by all the palace attendants.

"You're lying, you must have picked this up in the trash to fool people here." Tychus Finley took a few glances and shook his head.You can't see any sympathy in those fierce blue eyes.

"If I were you, I would definitely go to the city where the rich live to steal some valuable things and sell them to the officers of the Imperial Army outside."

"We don't see soldiers, and they never come here, big man." The kid was wearing a dirty and torn plaid shirt, and he seemed completely unafraid of Tychus.

His eyes were full of wariness.

The kid is right, the imperial army is not allowed to enter the city.Although furloughed Imperial soldiers can also be seen in bars, cinemas and opera houses, their quarters have always been distinct from residential areas.

"I'll tell you the way." Tychus wasn't a good guy himself, and he never taught people to be kind.

"Tychus, you don't do anything that involves people." Augustus walked to Tychus.

"Where are your parents, have you registered for a household registration?"

"." The child just looked at Augustus for a while without saying a word: "Why should I tell you?"

"This is a chocolate bag, take it and eat it." Dr. Narud handed the child a piece of dark chocolate wrapped in a square scarf.

"Tarsonis flat landed, very valuable."

"I'm Mai (an imperial agent in the Valerian era in the evolution of the official novel). My whole family died, and then I chopped off their heads one by one. Do you understand? At that time, the entire building People turned into monsters like that, and every one of them wanted to eat me," said the kid.

"That was really a nightmare." Augustus looked at him seriously:
"Why don't you go to the resettlement site of the Tyrann Empire. They not only provide shelter and food for children like you, but also try their best to let you receive education."

"I have been there, and then I escaped. There are people like me there. I don't like it." Mai must have a personality. His eyes are actually beautiful, but they are also dangerous.

"I think the most important point is, why are these monsters chasing and biting you? Child, maybe there is some attractive smell on your body that attracted them." Dr. Narud said meaningfully.

"You're looking for your kind."

"A psyker," Kerrigan said.

"Hey, boy, where are you running?" Tychus grabbed the kid who was about to run away.

"Let go of me! You bastard!" Mai shouted.

"Shut up if you know I'm a bad guy." Tychus thought he was good at disciplining children: "Be careful I'll play your penis."

"Well, wait a minute." Augustus still wanted to ask him some questions:
But then, a dark templar wearing a shabby purple robe appeared in front of Augustus, and after a closer look, it turned out to be Zeratul, the dark patriarch who had disappeared for a long time.

Only Zeratul can come and go like this.

"What brought you here, Master Zeratul." Kerrigan was not surprised by this. In theory, she was half of Zeratul's student.

"You, you, you—" Dr. Narud was startled, his face pale.

"Hello, Human." Zeratul glanced at Narud.

Augustus also did not get the news that Zeratul was looking for him.Of course, if the Dark Master wants to find someone, he will never notify in advance.

"Okay, Zeratul, you have to tell me first whether you bring good news or bad news."

　Thanks for your concern.

　　To report, I mainly suffered from severe insomnia and a fever recently, which caused my original schedule and time to be completely messed up, which was a bit serious.

　　Of course, this would not have happened if I had saved the manuscript, asking for trouble.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)