From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 618 "Haha, little Jimmy, don't get excited."

Lyon keenly caught the fleeting hesitation in Jim Raynor's eyes.

The Ranger leader's eyes moved back and forth between the holographic image and the scene outside the window, but Leon and Mike did not show any sign of anxiety.

They have seen too many soldiers struggling in the cracks of war, and this hesitation is nothing more than the aftereffect of the survival instinct.

"Maybe we can try another approach."

Leon put away the holographic imaging, and his tone was as calm as if he was discussing the ordinary sandstorm in Mar Sara, rather than an alliance that could change the pattern of the galaxy.

"First, we will work together to clean up the remnants of the Terran Empire in Mar Sara and jointly build an evacuation route for civilians." He raised his hand and pointed out the window. "Your rangers, Mike and I, and the Giant (Flame Lizard) team on standby outside."

Mike immediately understood and added, "Just treat it as a trial period? Let's see if we are really assholes like Mengsk."

Renault stared at the two of them for a few seconds.

"Ha ha!"

He suddenly laughed and pulled a crumpled cigar from his pocket.

The clicking sound of the gears of an old-fashioned lighter broke the silence, the orange flame illuminated the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and the burnt aroma of tobacco mixed with the scent of whiskey lingered in the air.

"Hoo~!"

Silver-gray smoke rings overflowed from between the teeth, forming a misty halo above the head.

"Okay, cowboys." The Ranger Commander stood up by supporting himself on the table. "Then let me see what you can do."

The three men pushed open the broken door of the bar, and the scene that came into view was absurdly "dramatic".

More than twenty rangers wearing blue CMC power armor were in a tense standoff with six Flame Lizards.

The scene was truly hilarious.

Even if the Rangers were wearing CMC power armor, their heads would only reach the Flame Lizard's neck and chest armor.

A young ranger's Gauss rifle (StarCraft model) was vibrating slightly, the muzzle constantly adjusting its angle as the Flame Lizard's chest plate rose and fell as it breathed.

This type of Gauss rifle is effective against ordinary enemies, but to penetrate the titanium tank armor with energy shield, it requires a near-perfect shooting angle and continuous fire suppression.

In contrast, the Flame Lizards stood in a suffocating stillness, with .75cal bolters hanging seemingly casually on their leg armor. But everyone knew that these killing machines were not as clumsy as they looked, and could enter combat status in an instant.

"Turn on the insurance, guys! Relax!" Renault shouted incoherently while biting his cigar, "You don't have to rush to collect your pension today! And you don't have to prepare for my funeral!"

With the appearance of the three men, both parties in the confrontation, or the rangers who were hiding in this town with Jim Raynor, immediately breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their guns as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

The captain of the Flame Lizard Squad nodded slightly, which was probably an Astartes-style expression of friendliness.

Just as the tense atmosphere was about to dissipate, a piercing alarm harmonic suddenly erupted from the guard tower on the east side of the town.

The rusty metal brackets trembled in the sound waves, startling flocks of local vultures.

"Boss!"

The Ranger's voice came from the communicator, with the crackling sound of sand hitting armor in the background. "An unknown guy is approaching! Alone!"

Renault instantly switched the cigar to his left hand, and with a flip of his right wrist, he pulled out a legendary Star Crusher revolver and pointed it in the direction of the sound. The chrome-plated gun body drew a cold arc of light in the morning light.

"An Imperial lackey or a Zerg mimic?"

The commander's voice suddenly dropped to freezing point.

"The armor paint looks like the old Ranger model, but the friendly signal is unrecognizable!" The Ranger's voice was full of confusion, "Wait. Is he waving at us?"

Everyone looked towards the town entrance at the same time.

In the wind and sand, a blurry figure was walking towards them slowly, with steady steps, like a dormant beast slowly approaching.

As the distance shortened, everyone finally saw the full appearance of the opponent's power armor.

It is a war-torn CMC-400 power armor, with bullet marks and scratches all over the surface, but the overall structure remains intact, and there are quite unique girl graffiti printed on the shoulder armor, as well as the number of the Terran Empire prisoners.

When the other party stopped more than ten meters away from the crowd, the helmet mask rose with a "hiss", revealing a weather-beaten face and a pair of sharp eyes.

The other person also had a lit cigar in his mouth, and the cigarette butt glowed dark red in the dim light inside the helmet.

"Wow, little Jimmy." The man grinned, "You made a new friend?"

Jim Raynor's pupils contracted slightly, his fingers still on the hammer of the revolver, and he did not relax his vigilance.

"Tychus Findlay."

Renault slowly pronounced the name, his tone mixed with caution and a hint of imperceptible complex emotions, "How did you escape from the Imperial Prison? Were you released on parole for good behavior?"

The burly man named Tychus Finley laughed loudly, his laughter was rough and deep, and he spread his hands and made an exaggerated surrender gesture:
"Yeah, man, I'm a model citizen."

The corner of Renault's mouth twitched, but his eyes remained cold.

"Tychus, stop talking about useless things."

Tychus restrained his smile, and the cigar smoke swirled in front of him, making his expression unclear.

The muscular man lowered his head slightly, glanced at Leon and Mike who were standing next to Renault, and then glanced at the six silent flame lizards, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Haha, little Jimmy, don't get excited."

Tychus' voice lowered, with a rare seriousness, "When the Empire transferred me and a group of prisoners, I broke open the freezer and killed dozens of guards to escape, but I couldn't get out of this mobile cage.
So, I couldn't wait to come and see my old friend." After a pause, Tychus glanced over and said, "I didn't expect that this place is even more chaotic than I imagined, Jimmy."

Renault did not respond immediately, as if he was assessing the truthfulness of the other party's words.

At the same time, on the screens of Leon and Mike's holographic glasses, the data stream from the Intelligence Department was rapidly refreshing, giving them a brief profile of the tough guy in front of them.

"Target identified: Tychus Findlay.

Identity: Former Ranger member, now a wanted criminal in the Empire.

Danger level: High.

Note: According to reliable intelligence, the target has had secret contact with Arcturus Mengsk, and the other party's power armor is a special prisoner uniform. If you try to use the human technology of the local universe to dismantle it, it will directly lead to the other party's death. Therefore, it is suspected that he is a spy of the Terran Empire. It is recommended to remain vigilant. "

And Tychus seemed to have noticed something, and his eyes glanced back and forth between the two of them, finally settling on Leon.

"Why, handsome old man?" He grinned, revealing his yellow teeth. "You've never seen a fugitive?"

Leon also did not answer, but the captain of the Flame Lizard Squad slightly adjusted his stance and raised the muzzle of the bolter an inch.

Renault finally spoke, his voice low and cold:
"Tychus, you're just in time." He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "We are planning to clean up the remnants of the Terran Empire in Mar Sara and rescue some civilians."

Tychus raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a charity event, Jimmy."

"You can choose to help or get out." Raynor looked at him straight, "But if you dare to do anything tricky..." Tychus raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but his eyes were still playful.

"Come on, man. If I wanted to cause trouble, I would have shot you just now." He patted the heavy pistol on his waist. "But since you invite me so warmly, I don't mind stretching my muscles."

Renault stared at him for a few seconds, finally snorted coldly, turned and walked towards the assembled rangers.

Tychus stood there, watching Raynor leave, then turned his gaze back to Leon and Mike.

"So, you two are Jimmy's new bodyguards?"

Mike quipped, "No, we're here to make sure he doesn't get shot in the back because of some 'old friend'."

Tychus laughed and patted the breastplate of his power armor. "Interesting! I like people who speak their mind."

Leon remained silent.

The wind and sand gradually rose, and the scorching sun enveloped the abandoned town.

A dangerous collaboration begins.

Leon planned to wait until they arrived at the space gate with the Rangers before exposing Tychus's identity as a spy.

Furthermore, since the Intelligence Department has indicated that the opponent's power armor cage cannot be forcibly removed by bypassing Arcturus Mengsk's supervision with the local human technology, they will use the technology of their human empire to crack it.

At this moment, Tychus was joking with the rangers while smoking a cigar, and his rough laughter echoed in the square.

But Leon noticed that the seemingly unfocused tough guy would deliberately maintain the best shooting angle every time he moved, and his eyes hidden behind the smoke were always observing the status of everyone's weapon.

What is more noteworthy is that although Jim Raynor appears indifferent on the surface, he maintains a subtle tacit distance between himself and Tychus, which is obviously an instinctive reaction formed after years of fighting side by side.

Therefore, Leon could see that Tychus Findlay had a close relationship with Jim Raynor, and his overall strength was definitely not weak, so he was a character worthy of being included in the human empire's forces.

“Get ready to board!”

Mike's reminder interrupted Leon's thoughts.

Six Flame Lizards were the first to board the Thunder Raid Boat, their magnetic boots echoing heavily on the metal deck.

The rangers were divided into three groups. One team boarded the old large armored transport vehicle, another team squeezed into several modified assault vehicles, and the last group was four siege tanks, responsible for providing absolute fire support.

Tychus jumped onto one of the assault vehicles with ease and patted the driver's helmet:
"Steady, boy, I don't want to break my cigar."

Leon took one last look at the assembly area, sent a message to the front-line base requesting the evacuation of the people in this small town, and then stepped onto the assault boat.

The hatch closed, and with a violent vibration, the vehicle group started at the same time, maintaining a constant speed and rushing towards a settlement occupied by the remnants of the empire two hundred kilometers away.

Before long the outline of a settlement appeared on the horizon.

A towering alloy wall surrounds the entire settlement, with automatic turrets and sniper posts installed on top.

In the residential area and the star port, more than ten transport boats were busy "loading cargo" on the landing platform.

To be precise, it is accepting officials, officers and their families from the Terran Empire.

Civilian transport boats were roughly requisitioned, and the dignitaries rushed to board with their luggage and valuables, while civilians were stopped outside the star port by armed imperial soldiers.

The crowd was filled with desperate cries and angry curses, but anyone who tried to break through the blockade would be ruthlessly shot down by the Gauss rifle.

Blood spread across the metal floor and no one dared to take another step forward.

Even more ironic is that the Terran Empire's radio is still playing a warning in a loop:

"Attention! The mutant giants created by the rebels in collusion with the aliens are about to attack this area! All civilians please go to the underground shelter immediately! I repeat, those giants are bloodthirsty murderers, do not approach them!"

Fear spread among the people, and many people did not even know that the so-called "monsters (Astartes)" were actually here to save them.

The Thunder Assault Boat carrying Leon, Mike and six Flame Lizards did not slow down, but instead accelerated suddenly as it approached the starport.

The energy shield surrounding the submarine rippled and forcibly broke through the anti-aircraft firepower network outside the star port.

The shells from the automatic turret exploded countless sparks on the shield, but failed to stop the advance of this steel behemoth.

"Prepare for a hard landing."

The driver's metallic voice came over the communication channel.

The landing gear of the assault boat was not even fully lowered before the boat slammed heavily onto the apron of the starport.

Bang—bang—bang!

As soon as the hatch opened, six Flame Lizards leaped out like beasts out of a cage, and the roar of their bolters instantly tore through the nearby Imperial soldiers.

Buzz~——Sizzle——!!

An Imperial officer raised his pistol, but was cut in half by the Flame Lizard's chainsword the next second.

Another soldier tried to hide in the bunker, but was smashed to pieces along with the wall by the power fist.

The Astartes' fighting style is simple and efficient.

They will not waste bullets, but will rush directly into the enemy group and crush all obstacles with the most primitive force.

At the same time, Jim Raynor's Rangers launched a full-scale offensive on the periphery.

The siege tank's heavy artillery blasted open the gate of the settlement, and the rangers on the assault vehicle quickly broke in with the cover of smoke bombs and engaged in a fierce firefight with the Imperial defenders.

Tychus, holding a cigar in his mouth and holding his heavy rotary machine gun, laughed wildly and fired, and the bullets tore a huge gap in the Imperial soldiers' defense line.

In the chaotic battlefield, Leon and Mike's figures disappeared like ghosts, and the optical camouflage cloak made them almost completely invisible.

They sneaked into the starport command center silently, and their exclusive firearms were in silencer mode, so every shot made almost no noise.

The high-ranking officers of the Terran Empire didn't even have time to react before they were shot in the head.

The screen of Lyon's holographic glasses kept marking key targets, such as the captain, communications officer, logistics director, etc., who fell one after another.

After dealing with most of the enemy's high-ranking officers, Leon directly contacted the investigation department of the front-line base and said:

"This is Team 7. We have suppressed the Terran Empire troops at our location and requested an escort formation to prepare to receive refugees."

Mike stood in front of the console and quickly hacked into the star port's dispatch system, forcibly unlocking the permissions of all transport boats.

In the broadcasting system, Mike's voice replaced the original false propaganda of the Terran Empire and said:

"Attention all civilians, the transport boat is open for boarding. I repeat, the transport boat is open for boarding. This is not a trap. Please evacuate in an orderly manner."

At first, people were still hesitant, until a few brave civilians rushed to the transport boat, and the Imperial soldiers on guard had already been cleared out.

Finally, the crowd rushed to the starport like a tide, with ecstasy and tears of survival, but when they saw several Flame Lizards violently killing Tyranid soldiers, they were stunned on the spot.
(End of this chapter)