I, Yuhaka, am hungry!

The search and rescue team leader was completely bewildered, clearly unaware of why they were being attacked with guns.

Volume 2 [StarCraft II: Back to Home]: Chapter 1820 [The Unknown Zerg]

Faced with the sudden gunfire, the search and rescue team members were completely bewildered. They hadn't expected to be attacked by their own people. If it were Zerglings, they wouldn't be surprised, but being attacked by their own people was a bit hard to understand.

"Hey! We're on the same side! Don't fire!"

After taking cover around the corner, the search and rescue team leader shouted this to the other side of the workshop. Upon hearing his words, the fire from that side stopped, which relieved the team leader. However, just as they came out, gunfire erupted again like a storm.

The search and rescue team members were immediately attacked, and two more unlucky Marines were killed. The search and rescue team leader hurriedly ordered everyone to take cover again, but of course, it would have been the same even if he hadn't given the order.

After the shooting, the search and rescue team members realized that the attackers were either insane or enemies.

Seeing this, the members of the search and rescue team turned their attention to their captain, asking him to make a decision: whether to retreat or launch a counterattack.

The search and rescue team leader, noticing his own members, said to the others, "The firebats will be the vanguard to hold off any attacks and then rush in to counterattack. We need to investigate what's going on with those guys before we can leave, otherwise we won't be able to explain what happened to our superiors."

After hearing the search and rescue team leader's words, everyone had no objections. After all, such a strange situation should indeed be investigated thoroughly. Otherwise, even if they retreated from here, they would not be able to explain to their superiors what had happened. In serious cases, they might be treated as deserters.

The fate of deserters was either being sent to work in mines or being executed.

Faced with this choice, the search and rescue team members naturally chose to fight to the death with the enemies attacking them. Although the other side was using human weapons, if they were either insane or infected, then they were probably infected.

Based on the current situation on the spaceship, the search and rescue team members also believe that the infected are very likely, but they are more afraid of the alien insects than the infected.

After all, infected are much easier to deal with than Zerg; as long as there is enough fire, they can be easily burned to death.

Soon, after preparations were complete, the search and rescue team leader gave the order, and the firebats in the search and rescue team rushed out to form human shields in front of the team. The other members of the search and rescue team followed closely behind, charging forward in combinations of firebats, raiders, marines, and medics.

As the firebats charged forward, most of the bullets that hit their heavily armored bodies were deflected. Although some bullets embedded themselves in the firebats' armor, they did not significantly impair their movement.

Upon reaching the gap in the metal gate, the firebats aimed their flamethrowers at the opening and sprayed scorching flames. As the flames subsided, the gunfire ceased. Seeing no further gunfire, one of the firebats bent down to observe the situation through the low opening. He then saw the cannon barrel of a siege tank pointed directly at him. Upon seeing this, the firebat couldn't help but mutter, "Fuck..."

boom!

With the roar of artillery, the Firebat standing on this side of the breach was also blown away. Although the Firebat's armor was very thick, it was still easily destroyed by the close-range 90mm caliber attack of the siege tank. Most importantly, the plasma fuel tank on the Firebat's back had little protection and was detonated by the strong impact.

The sound of cannon fire followed by the explosion of explosives also affected the search and rescue team members in the corridor, who were immediately thrown out by the shockwave.

The search and rescue team leader was also thrown away by the shockwave. However, because there was a human wall of marauders in front of them, the Marines were in a much better situation and were not seriously injured. However, being thrown away by such a strong impact must have left them dizzy.

The search and rescue team leader struggled to see the scene before him, still feeling dizzy. Through his eyes, he saw the corridor engulfed in flames, his teammates lying around him, some of whom had been knocked unconscious by the shockwave, while others had been killed by the explosion.

Upon seeing this, the search and rescue team leader hurriedly tried to stand up and call for the other team members to prepare to leave. Just then, the team leader heard a muffled footstep. Hearing this sound, the team leader froze. Looking in the direction from which the sound came, he saw a pitch-black figure emerge from the sea of ​​fire. Looking at the alien monster in front of him, the team leader was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

Before him were Zerglings he had never seen before. In the past wars between the Empire and the Zerg, Imperial soldiers had to be very familiar with their enemy, the Zerg. Basically, during their time in the barracks, they would study the Zerg data recorded by the Empire. After all, being familiar with their enemy could help Imperial soldiers achieve higher productivity.

Of course, it didn't actually improve by much (whispering)...

The alien insect with a jet-black shell that the search and rescue team leader was a type he had never seen before. Its head had a triangular crest like a hydra, its body structure was similar to that of a human walking on two legs, and its slender tail had dagger-like bone spikes.

It also has two pairs of arms. One pair has three sharp, slender claws, while the other pair has a structure similar to a human hand. It is this structure that allows it to do things that other alien insects cannot.

To the astonishment of the search and rescue team leader, the Zerg was holding a C-14 Piercer Gauss rifle. This reminded the team leader of the previous shooting incident, and he realized something. Clearly, this place was a Zerg trap, which made the search and rescue team realize that something was very wrong.

Before the search and rescue team leader could do anything, the Zerg in front of him aimed his Gauss rifle at him. Seeing this, the search and rescue team leader quickly raised his shield to block the bullet. In that instant, the Zerg pulled the trigger, the Gauss rifle flashed, and the sound of the bullet hitting the shield rang out.

The search and rescue team leader, who was enduring the attack, gritted his teeth. Although the riot shield could withstand a lot of attacks, no matter how hard he tried, it could still be penetrated by continuous attacks. The Gauss rifle in the search and rescue team leader's hand had been blown away in the previous explosion and was nowhere to be found. In response, he drew the revolver from his leg holster and fired it repeatedly at the Zerg in front of him.

The search and rescue team leader's attacks failed to hit the Zerg in front of him. The Zerg dodged the team leader's shots with uncanny speed, emptying the revolver's cylinder completely without striking it. The team leader was astonished by the Zerg's agility and keen senses. Could such a terrifying Zerg really exist?!

Before the search and rescue team leader could react, the Zerg charged forward. Seeing this, the team leader tried to stand up, but due to the limitations of his power armor, he couldn't get up quickly. Just then, a Marauder lying on the ground raised the grenade launcher on his arm and aimed it at the charging Zerg. However, before the Marauder could pull the trigger, the Zerg nimbly leaped onto the wall and ceiling and pulled the trigger of his Gauss rifle, aiming at the grenade launcher in the Marauder's hand.

As the gunfire rang out, the grenade launcher in the Marauder's hand was also knocked off course. Then, the Zerg that swooped down from the ceiling swung its claws and thrust them straight at the Marauder's round head. In an instant, the claws were covered with a layer of purple light, and in an instant, the Marauder's helmet was torn apart as if it were a piece of paper.

After piercing the opponent's head, the alien insect pulled the head and spine out like pulling up a radish. Seeing this, the search and rescue team leader stood up without hesitation, threw his riot shield at the insect, and then turned and ran without hesitation. He knew he couldn't defeat this unknown alien insect, so he decided to escape first and report this important news back. After all, when alien insects developed new species, they often caused unimaginable damage to the Imperial Army, and he needed to inform the command headquarters about this matter.

The Zerg, seeing the incoming shield, knocked it away. Seeing the fleeing Marine, they aimed their Gauss rifle at the Marine's back and pulled the trigger. However, at that moment, the Marine ran around a corner and dodged the shot.

Upon seeing this, the alien insect let out a piercing roar. Of course, this wasn't a curse for missing its target, but rather a warning to its fellow insects.

Amidst the roars of the alien insects, a large number of other alien insects, identical to the one in question, emerged from various passages, clearly indicating that they were acting collectively.

Hearing the boiling roar behind them, the search and rescue team leader realized that there was a large number of Zerg. This made the search and rescue team leader feel even worse, since what the other side was doing on this Gorgon-class battlecruiser could hardly be anything good.

The thought of the missing crew members, the vanished bodies, and the unknown alien insects using human weapons gave the search and rescue team leader a headache. Why did this happen? The search and rescue team leader felt both helpless and furious about the situation.

However, at that moment, gunshots suddenly rang out. With the sound of gunfire, the search and rescue team leader felt a bullet in his shoulder. This made him feel as if he had been hit hard, and he staggered and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the power suit's balance system quickly maintained his balance, preventing him from falling.

The search and rescue team leader took the flashbang from his waist and threw it behind him. With a loud noise, the team leader heard an angry roar from behind him. It was clear that the alien insects had been stunned by the flashbang he had thrown.

Thinking of this, the search and rescue team leader also injected himself with excitement to speed up his pace and escape from this place.

Just as the search and rescue team leader turned and ran towards the exit, his foot suddenly slipped and he fell to the ground. As he tried to get up, he suddenly realized that his right knee had disappeared.

Upon witnessing this scene, the search and rescue team leader felt as if his heart had fallen into an ice cave. He was completely at a loss, as losing a leg essentially rendered him incapable of escape. As footsteps approached, the search and rescue team leader looked up and saw a girl standing before him. No... rather than a girl, it would be more accurate to say that she was a hybrid of an alien insect and a human.

The other person had a structure and carapace somewhat similar to the Zerg they had seen before. Moreover, the other person also had two pairs of arms, one pair with sharp claws, and the other pair holding a C-10 rifle used by Ghost agents. Looking at the smoking muzzle of the gun, the search and rescue team leader immediately realized that the girl in front of him, who seemed to be infected by Zerg, was the one who attacked him, or rather, the Zerg.

Desperate, the search and rescue team leader did not hesitate to use his last bit of strength to rush towards the enemy in front of him, only to be pierced through the heart by the girl's sharp claws.

As the search and rescue team leader's body, which was in the girl's grasp, limply fell to its sides, the girl threw the body to the ground. She then dragged the body by one foot toward the workshop, where a large number of human corpses were piled up in a pool that resembled an incubation pond. This body was also thrown into this place, becoming an existence exactly like the girl.

Volume 2 [StarCraft II: Back to Home]: Chapter 1821 [The Gene Thief]

At the Zerg hive base located in the Bone Trench, Ehaka, Abathur, and Kerrigan were watching a Zerg girl throwing corpses into hatching pools from the wreckage of a Gorgon-class battlecruiser. Seeing this, Kerrigan looked at Abathur and Ehaka with a puzzled expression and asked, "Is this your new masterpiece?"

Upon hearing Kerrigan's question, Abathur and Yhaka nodded. Abathur then explained to Kerrigan, "The new Zerg unit—the Genestealer—can absorb the essence and memories of its target, thereby gaining the ability to use intelligent biological weapons. It is quick to react, agile, adept at stealth, and difficult to detect. It can also steal the essence of other organisms."

After hearing Abathur's explanation, Kerrigan could roughly imagine something similar to Ghost Agents, but she still looked at Abathur with some doubt and said, "Isn't this Zerg unit somewhat similar to the Oculus's Mimic? Wouldn't the Mimic be better able to create such stealth capabilities?"

Regarding Kerrigan's question, Abathur explained, "No, a Genestealer, stronger than a Mimic, with a completely new architecture, powerful stealth capabilities, strong psionic energy, and the ability to develop underground."

Kerrigan looked at Abathur with some surprise after hearing her answer and said, "Abathur, do you mean that these genestealers have abilities similar to the Queen of the Blastoise?"

When asked about this, Abathur shook his head and said, "No, ordinary gene thieves don't have this ability; only gene thief nest mothers do."

"Nest Mother?" Upon hearing Abathur's words, Kerrigan also saw through the symbiote's eyes a genestealer whose head was much larger than other genestealers. Compared to other genestealers, this large genestealer's crest was larger and more ornate, and its sharp claws seemed capable of easily tearing through alloy plate armor.

Behind this gene-stealer was an organ resembling an ovipositor. Kerrigan could see many eggs in the hatching pool. She could see the human corpses thrown into the hatching pool melting away and disappearing into it. The insect eggs also hatched at this time, but what hatched were not Zerg or gene-stealers, but a group of seemingly ordinary humans.

Kerrigan was stunned by what she saw. She hadn't expected the insect eggs to hatch into humans. Kerrigan looked at Abathur and Yhwach and asked, "This... why did humans hatch?"

In response to Kerrigan's confusion, Abathur explained, "They are a species incorporating the essence of genestealers, resembling humans in appearance, but they are not."

"They're Gene Infected!" Yhwach excitedly told Kerrigan about the race he had named. Seeing Yhwach's "OwO~" expression, Kerrigan asked with some confusion, "Are there any differences between these Gene Infected?"

“Hmm, it looks like a human, OwO~ Actually, it looks like a cocoon~” Yuhaka waved his little hands, trying to explain to Kerrigan in his own way. Kerrigan looked confused by Yuhaka’s explanation, but fortunately, Abathur, who was standing nearby, explained it to Kerrigan.

The general idea is that these humans are like butterflies emerging from their pupae. When the time is right, these human-like gene laureates will "emerge" and give birth to new special gene stealers.

These genetically latent individuals are not much different from ordinary people during their pupal stage. Even after a series of tests, they are found to be no different from ordinary humans, except that they are healthier, stronger, and more intelligent. The only difference is that their minds have been corrupted by Yuhaka. The swarm and the primitive Zerg are not too surprised by this, and instead obey the commands of the swarm or Yuhaka.

If any psychic dares to use their psychic powers to investigate the mind of a latent gene during this period... then their mind will be corrupted by Yhaka. We'll have to wait and see what happens then. (Actually, I haven't thought about it yet OwO)

In addition, gene stealers also have the means of "assimilation," "infection," and "parasitism" to increase their power. The half-human, half-insect girl is a product of assimilation. Compared to the pure-blooded gene stealer (the infected mother), the other party is relatively weaker. However, the other party still has the ability to assimilate, but the gene stealers produced by assimilation are relatively weaker, and their appearance is more human-like.

Assimilation is not a good option in a sense, but it is also the fastest way to turn a target into an allied unit.

After hearing Abathur and Yhwach's explanation, Kerrigan was shocked by the Genestealers they had created. She wondered what kind of people were working with Abathur to create such a terrifying being. However, during her subsequent questioning, Kerrigan learned that Yhwach was the one who came up with the idea, the modification plan, and the essence of the Genestealers, while Abathur was responsible for piecing together these essences into a brand new unit and making some improvements as well.

However, after learning about the uses of these gene-stealers, Kerrigan came up with a brilliant plan: to have these highly skilled infiltrators infiltrate human warships. Once those warships reached Korhal, the gene-stealers and infiltrators would then cultivate a hidden assault force within the world of Korhal. When the Zerg swarm descended, this hidden assault force would attack the ground-based orbital defense system in Korhal. Even just harassing the ground-based orbital defense system would be enough to create an opportunity for the Zerg army.

Considering all this, Kerrigan was quite satisfied with the plan.

..............................................

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Meanwhile, near the wreckage of the Gorgon-class battlecruiser, several armored transport vehicles were parked, waiting for the search and rescue teams to bring out the surviving crew and wounded. However, they had been waiting there for some time, which made them uneasy, since the Zerg swarm's attack was about to reach this area, and if they didn't leave now, they would be trapped in the Zerg horde.

Fortunately, just as the pilots were about to leave, they saw the search and rescue team members appear at the breach in the Gorgon-class battlecruiser. The pilots breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and the crew following closely behind them made them realize that the mission was complete, and they could now give their superiors an explanation.

Soon after the wounded who were not very mobile and the crew members who were not protected by protective clothing boarded the vehicle, the search and rescue team members outside the vehicle patted the door to indicate that they could leave. Hearing the signal from the search and rescue team, the drivers also hurriedly left this hellish place. However, what they did not know was that they were carrying the seeds of destruction toward Khar.

After the genetically engineered infiltrators successfully infiltrated the human ranks, Kerrigan destroyed the second Gorgon-class battlecruiser. This time, the Gorgon-class battlecruiser fared much worse, sinking directly into the lava. There were survivors inside, but they were likely to become roast meat in an oven.

After the second Gorgon-class battlecruiser was shot down by the Zerglings, the commander of Deadbone Trench felt a growing anxiety. Clearly, this Zerg swarm had come prepared; otherwise, how could they have destroyed the second Gorgon-class battlecruiser so quickly?

The commander, thinking about all this, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. At that moment, Warfield's communication screen appeared in front of the commander of Bone Trench. As soon as Warfield appeared, he roared at the commander of Bone Trench, "What happened?! Why has another Gorgon-class battlecruiser crashed here at Bone Trench?!"

"General?!" Upon seeing Warfield's furious expression, the commander of the Bone Trench was startled and quickly stood up to salute Warfield. In response to Warfield's question, the commander of the Bone Trench explained the current situation to Warfield.

Upon hearing the intelligence from the commander of Bone Trench, Warfield stroked his beard. To be honest, after hearing the report, Warfield felt that the enemy's Zerg tactics had changed significantly. As someone who had been fighting the Zerg swarms on Char, Warfield knew very well that the Zerg swarms here used a very aggressive attack style, basically relying on large numbers of Zerg swarms to assault the defensive positions of Bone Trench.

Warfield wasn't afraid of this tactic at all. After all, sending in Gorgon-class battlecruisers would basically mean that the Zerg would be buried under the guns of the Gorgon-class battlecruisers and become skeletons in the Bone Mine.

However, the appearance of the Mosquitoes this time was a bit sudden, which puzzled Warfield. In response, Warfield ordered the commander of the Deadbone Trench to send out another Gorgon-class battlecruiser. However, this time a large number of air force escorts were required, otherwise, if they encountered the Mosquitoes' suicide attack, they would basically be unable to stop them.

Besides deploying air force units, some ground units are also very important. For example, some anti-aircraft units can also resist the attacks of the Mosquitoes. Moreover, the Empire's latest research and development, the War Wolf Mech, also has excellent anti-aircraft and ground combat capabilities. In a sense, its role is stronger than that of the Golia Armed Robot. However, if we really compare air defense, the Golia Armed Robot is more powerful. After all, the Golia Armed Robot was designed from the beginning to deal with ground and air forces. With subsequent technological enhancements, the Golia Armed Robot also has excellent anti-aircraft firepower and range.

Upon hearing Warfield's order, the commander of Bone Trench acknowledged it and proceeded to issue the command. Meanwhile, his adjutant reported that the search and rescue team had successfully rescued a group of crew members. The commander nodded and ordered the crew to be taken to the field hospital. If there were no further issues, they were to be moved to Dreadnought Hills. After all, the Gorgon-class battlecruiser crew hadn't been of much use there, and it was best to send them there, where the battlecruiser crew would be needed.

Meanwhile, at the human fortress located on Dauntless Heights, Warfield couldn't help but ponder the intelligence the commander of Bone Trench had shared. To be honest, the fact that the Zerg swarm had suddenly changed its tactics and stopped being reckless made Warfield feel as if the enemy had switched to a different Zerg and was controlling everything. Considering the fleet that had lost contact earlier, Warfield thought that the Zerg might have returned from somewhere else.

After all, during the Battle of Char, many Zerg units failed to return to Char. After the Queen of Blades returned to humanity, the Zerg were like headless flies, running around aimlessly.

The Zerg swarms scattered like rats fleeing in all directions throughout the Koprulu Sector, prompting the Imperium to continuously dispatch Prometheus Company, specializing in eliminating Zerg, to various Zerg nests in the Koprulu Sector.

Thinking about this, Warfield couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Although the Empire's decision to send him to Char to eliminate the Zerg seemed like a very important mission, he had actually been kicked out of Korhal's political circle. After all, he had followed Prince Valerian in taking away half of the Terran Empire's fleet without authorization, and that alone was enough for Ghost agents to deal with him. If it weren't for the fact that he and Jim Raynor had turned the Queen of Blades back into humans, Warfield didn't think Mengsk would have let him off so easily.

Although the current situation is not much different.

Meanwhile, back on Kerrigan's side, after the second Gorgon-class battlecruiser was shot down, Zagara's Zerg swarm forces began their advance again.

Above the Zagara swarm were also many symbiotes researched by Abathur. In addition to providing special liquids to friendly Zerg units within a certain range, these symbiotes could also spray spines to attack enemies. These special symbiotes would only appear on large Zerg units such as Aberrations, since these symbiotes also needed to absorb nutrients to function.

Larger Zerg don't need to worry about this problem as much, while smaller Zerg are unable to provide the symbiotes with as much nutrition.

P.S.: The Tyranid Genestealers were a bit too ugly, so I made some improvements. At least they look like a combination of Tyranid warrior bugs and Xenomorphs. Like the Genestealers, humans infected, assimilated, parasitized, and hatched by them will become like the Genestealer Cult. Of course, unlike the Genestealers in Warhammer, the Genestealers in Yhaka are developing faster, after all, they have to deal with the current plot.

I might write a section about how the Genestealer Cult under Yhwach develops in Korhal's story. If you don't want to read it, you can skip it. I'll write the title separately. If I forget to write it, please remind me.

Volume 2 [StarCraft II: Back to Home]: Chapter 1822 [The Prematurely Appearing Destroyer]

"The bugs are coming!"

Amidst the shouts of the inland troop defenders at the front lines, hordes of Leapfrogs surged toward the human defensive front like a tidal wave, followed closely by a rolling swarm of Banelings.

Seeing this formation, the Marines in charge of command immediately called for artillery bombardment. The artillery siege tanks in the distance also launched artillery fire at the swarm. With the powerful artillery attack, a large number of Leapfrogs were blown away by the strong artillery fire, and some unlucky Leapfrogs were blown into pieces.

Even under such heavy fire, the Leapfrogs, with their extremely fast speed, rushed to the positions on the Imperial defense line. Because they were Leapfrogs, they could leap up like grasshoppers and pounce on their enemies. The Marines seemed somewhat helpless against these jumping worms. After all, they could easily take out many worms with a sweeping attack, but it was a bit tricky when Leapfrogs jumped onto their heads. Not only could the crossfire not cover the flying Leapfrogs, but the Leapfrogs, because of their pounce, would also quickly close the distance with the Marines, leaving the Marines dumbfounded when facing this new type of worm.

In addition, the appearance of the Aberrations also caused the Marines to turn their firepower towards those tall and strong Aberrations. With their long limbs, the Aberrations could easily step over the small Zerg under their feet. At the same time, their bodies and carapaces were very sturdy. Even if they were hit head-on by the 180mm caliber shock gun of the siege tank, they would not be killed instantly.

Abathur found this genetically inferior but effective Zerg unit acceptable, which also provided Abathur's symbiote with a good carrier, at least eliminating the need to send overlords as mobile artillery platforms.

Under Kerrigan and her Zerg swarm offensive, the Imperial forces suffered repeated defeats. Thanks to the Zerg hosts' ability to produce an endless stream of locusts, the Imperial forces' ammunition was depleted, not to mention the numerous Mirages launching aerial attacks.