Chapter 392: Three Months to Prepare! Psionic Power! The Key to Controlling the Zerg!
The sightseeing tour didn't last long. Under Paul's guidance, the Raiders quickly arrived at the Megacorp's central scientific hub.
There, surrounded by a team of senior researchers, the fragments of the Keystone from the StarCraft universe were on display in the heart of the lab.
The five fragments hovered in mid-air, drawn together by some invisible force. They naturally arranged themselves into a configuration that hinted at their original shape.
Yet something equally mysterious repelled them, keeping the pieces just far enough apart to prevent their complete reassembly.
Dr. Halsey came forward to greet Paul and the others, holding a detailed analysis report on the Keystone.
"Welcome to the Science Nexus," she said, then cut straight to the point. "We've confirmed the Keystone's functions and the conditions required to activate it."
Upon hearing this, Raynor immediately stepped forward, unable to contain himself. "Well? Can it really turn Kerrigan back into a human?!"
Ever since all the fragments had been collected, Jim Raynor had been clinging to hope, desperate for any sign that Kerrigan could be restored. He had been living for this moment.
"Based on intelligence from multiple sources and our own testing, the Keystone releases a psionic field capable of reversing Kerrigan's transformation into the Queen of Blades. Theoretically, yes—it's possible to save her."
Halsey nodded. Raynor finally exhaled a shaky breath of relief. The fear that all his sacrifices had been for nothing had haunted him for far too long.
Paul, however, had more pragmatic concerns. "What else can it do for us?" he asked.
Now that Raynor's issue seemed resolvable, Paul wanted to ensure the Keystone could serve the Megacorp's interests. After all the trouble they'd gone through, he wasn't about to let it benefit someone else alone.
"Plenty," Halsey replied. "Each fragment holds immense energy. If we can harness that and channel it into a weapons megastructure, it could serve as a powerful psionic core."
"More importantly, the Keystone can disrupt Amon's psionic control over this dimension, severing his connection to both the Zerg and Protoss. In a way, you could call it a kind of 'demon-repelling relic.'"
She gave a half-joking smile. In truth, most of this intel came from Li Ang . The lab's own analysis had only scratched the surface. With the full-scale Zerg invasion already underway, there simply wasn't enough time for slow, methodical research.
"I've heard the Zerg are already attacking our front-line bases," Paul mused. "If we leave the Keystone in the main universe, those bugs won't find it."
If the Zerg were drawn to the Keystone's energy signature, hiding it within the Science Nexus should render it effectively invisible.
But Halsey's next words completely upended that assumption.
"No—we need to take it to the front lines. That's the only way to lure the Zerg in."
Paul and Raynor instinctively frowned. "Why? That area's about to become a war zone. What if the Zerg capture the Keystone?!"
"During the charging process, the Keystone emits short-range psionic pulses," Halsey explained calmly. "These pulses differentiate between humans and Zerg, and they're lethal to the latter."
"Once it's fully charged, it can unleash a wide-area psionic blast that will wipe out every Zerg within an entire star system. All we have to do is hold the line."
"And when Kerrigan arrives, we'll need to purify her back into a human. Using Scorpid Virus would risk killing her along with the rest."
With the Zerg flooding in by the billions, the Megacorp's key plan was to bait the Queen of Blades into the battlefield, wipe out her forces, and then neutralize her with the Keystone.
It was a trap tailor-made for Kerrigan.
"Do the other division heads and field marshals know about this?" Paul asked.
The operation would inevitably lead to a fierce battle. Whether they used Sentinel bots or Astartes soldiers, casualties were certain—and likely not minor.
"They do," Halsey confirmed. "They're already constructing defensive structures at the front-line base. To draw the Zerg in deeper, the outer perimeter has been deliberately left lightly defended."
"Only once they reach the innermost three-tier defense zones will we deploy heavy strategic weapons—including the Scorpid Virus."
A fallback plan had to be in place. If the swarm became too overwhelming, the virus spores would be activated to sterilize the entire area. Even if that meant sacrificing Kerrigan, it was a price they were willing to pay.
Paul nodded. The higher-ups had clearly thought everything through. All they needed to do now was follow orders.
"We've got around three months to build our defenses. Once that's done, the Zerg main force should arrive."
This was likely the Megacorp's final major challenge within the StarCraft universe. If they could successfully capture Kerrigan, upload her consciousness into the Matrix, and complete the Ascension Protocol by feeding her planetary essences and Xel'naga genetic matter...
Then the "god" engineered by the Megacorp would be ready to rise.
The consolidation of the StarCraft dimension would be complete. The only tasks remaining would be to mop up the Protoss, the Terran Dominion, and the UED.
Given the Megacorp's strength, they could easily reshape human politics within a year, eliminating any high-ranking officials who failed to align with the new order.
"…Will Kerrigan really come?" Raynor asked softly.
He hadn't yet realized that the Union's goal wasn't to save Kerrigan, but to ascend her.
In fact, even Paul was unaware of the true agenda—only a handful of the Union's top executives knew the full plan.
Once Kerrigan became a Xel'naga, she would gain eternal life, dwelling in the Void, while Raynor remained in the mortal realm. The two would be separated by dimensions, bound only by their psionic link.
Their only remaining form of communication would be long-distance mental chats—eternal lovers in a cross-dimensional relationship.
Halsey glanced thoughtfully at Raynor, wondering whether to prepare a separate body for Kerrigan—one she could use in the physical realm. That way, the lovers wouldn't have to endure constant separation.
After all, even Adam Smasher, with a 97.9% cybernetic conversion rate, had uploaded his mind into a new flesh body just to continue dating the Arasaka heiress.
If Kerrigan had a body of her own in this realm, they could work during the day and cuddle at night. Not a bad arrangement.
"She's the Zerg's queen. Amon will definitely send his strongest minions to reclaim the Keystone," Paul said with conviction.
After discussing a few more scientific topics, Paul and the others left the Nexus to officially report in at Night City.
For the next three months, the Megacorp's divisions focused entirely on fortifying their forward base in the StarCraft universe, constructing layered defenses.
Meanwhile, Paul, Raynor, and the Raiders participated in daily training to learn the Megacorp's protocols and operations.
When the time came, most of the combat would be handled by Sentinels and other AI units. There'd be little need for real soldiers like Paul.
Using humans only created more corpses—and more biomass for the Zerg.
With that in mind, Paul's team was expected to remain in the rear, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and capture the Queen of Blades.
While the Megacorp's forces geared up for war, Li Ang —stationed at the multiverse base—made an unannounced trip to the Science Nexus.
He felt no anxiety about the coming Zerg assault. As far as he was concerned, it was already a done deal.
Even in the unlikely event that the Megacorp failed to repel the swarm, he had other contingency plans ready to keep the Integration Campaign moving forward.
At this stage, Li Ang was already preparing for what came after the StarCraft dimension was secured. It might seem like he was popping champagne before halftime, but the plan was solid.
Given the Megacorp's overwhelming advantage, defeat was no longer in the cards.
Li Ang was eager to finish consolidating this world—so he could move on to the next expansion pack and continue his campaign of multiversal integration.
It wasn't long before Li Ang, accompanied by Secretary-General Lucy and the head of the Imperial Guard, Mann, arrived at the biotechnology division of Quintessa.
Inside the massive laboratory, countless alien insect specimens floated suspended in transparent containers of all shapes and sizes.
Jumpers, spine crawlers, cockroaches, fliers, thunder beasts—virtually every type of alien insect was represented here.
In sealed compartments nearby, corporate researchers in heavy hazmat suits were carefully dissecting the insectoid specimens, extracting their internal organs with meticulous precision.
The air was thick with the stench of steaming, lethal green fluids and twitching organic matter, but the seasoned corporate personnel moved with practiced ease, wholly unbothered by the grotesque display.
Some of the containment rooms even housed living specimens—thunder beasts, fliers, and other creatures—roaring in rage as they spat corrosive fluids against the reinforced walls and secreted creep across the floor, attempting to establish a hive.
Unfortunately for them, there was no suitable biomass for spawning new broods. Even the creep would wither and die before long due to lack of nutrients.
This scientific hub was a colossal complex dedicated to the Mega Megacorp's biotechnology research. Every staff member here was highly experienced in handling unexpected incidents.
Even if something went wrong, they could swiftly bring it under control.
Not to mention Quintessa—this "godlike being"—was stationed here, overseeing everything.
At the moment, the Megacorp's biologists were fully immersed in analyzing data on the alien insects, hoping to turn this hyper-reproductive species into a usable biological weapon.
If Universal Megacorp could control both the Swarm and the Zerg, it could flip the tables in any future confrontation with the Zerg civilization—becoming the invaders rather than the defenders.
Defeating the Zerg using their own methods!
And the cost of warfare for the Megacorp would drop significantly. For someone like Li Ang, who specialized in speedrunning objectives, this was an absolute win.
When Quintessa noticed Li Ang's unexpected visit, she stepped forward to greet him, her tone faintly reproachful. "What brings the Executor to my department today?"
Since joining Universal Megacorp, every time she'd tried to learn more about Li Ang, he had firmly shut her down.
But the more he kept her at a distance, the more intrigued she became. Her curiosity gnawed at her, compelling her to stay in the scientific hub.
Now, as she worked within the hub, she gathered every scrap of information she could about Li Ang—from colleagues, staff, even classified whispers from the upper echelons.
For a being that bordered on godhood, mundane emotions were meaningless. The only thing that piqued her interest was uncovering mysteries.
And within all of Universal Megacorp, Li Ang was the greatest enigma. That was why she pursued him so relentlessly.
"Just a routine inspection. I'm here to check on your progress," Li Ang replied casually.
Quintessa chuckled dismissively. "If you wanted an update on our work with the Swarm, you could've just asked. It's not like we're keeping secrets from you."
"Then tell me—have you made any progress?" Li Ang asked directly, deciding there was no need to mince words with someone as straightforward as her.
"A bit."
With that, Quintessa began leading Li Ang through the various departments of the lab, sharing her findings. She was clearly passionate about genetic research.
After all, she'd been tinkering with genetic engineering for billions of years. The countless species from other multiversal realms had provided her with ample inspiration.
In a way, working for Universal Megacorp was helping her refine her craft even further.
"We tried to identify genetic flaws in the Zerg and use those weaknesses to engineer a targeted virus—one that could take them down without needing to waste our stockpile of Manticore Virus."
"But so far, progress has been slow. The Zerg genome is remarkably optimized. Finding exploitable weaknesses is proving incredibly difficult."
As she spoke, she projected detailed analysis results onto a hard-light display for Li Ang to examine.
He nodded slightly. That was completely understandable.
The Zerg were essentially the pinnacle of biological perfection, carefully selected and refined by the Xel'Naga. As one of their chosen successors, their physical forms were virtually unmatched.
When the Protoss entered their rebellious phase and stopped following orders, the disillusioned Xel'Naga turned their attention to the Zerg.
Under their guidance, the Zerg came within a hair's breadth of reaching ultimate evolution and ascending.
But then the Xel'Naga were brutally betrayed by Amon, halting the Zerg's progress.
Even so, the Swarm remained just shy of transcendence. Their genome was already near perfection in the field of biology.
Identifying genetic flaws and engineering a viable viral weapon would take years, at a minimum—not something achievable in just three months.
"But there's some good news," Quintessa continued. "The Zerg's biological structure has given us a new idea—we might be able to develop a symbiotic weapon system using their genetic traits."
The concept was simple, if a bit brutal: implant the Zerg directly into human hosts to form a symbiotic relationship.
When needed, the implanted Zerg could react instantly—generating chestplate armor, bony blades, shields, and other biological weapons on demand.
It was similar to how Venom worked.
And given the Zerg's innate talent in this area, the potential was enormous. If harnessed correctly, it could greatly enhance the effectiveness of corporate soldiers in future operations.
"In addition," she added, "we also experimented with using the Zerg hive mind to control them directly. But unexpectedly, our collective neural network wasn't very effective."
"Low-tier Zerg could be influenced, but thunder beasts and fliers—the more advanced ones—were far more resistant."
She showed Li Ang another set of research data.
Although most Zerg were mindless biological weapons, controlling them still required powerful psionic energy.
Zerg Overlords, for instance, possessed immense mental power. And in the StarCraft universe, mental energy was essentially synonymous with psionics.
If Universal Megacorp could tap into the psionic energy of the Keystone, they might be able to build a new Collective Neural Network 2.0—Zerg edition—and potentially seize control of the entire Swarm.
"Control the Zerg using the Keystone…"
Li Ang had to admit, this was a truly surprising development. If they could really command the Swarm through psionics drawn from the Keystone...
Then Universal Megacorp's ability to unify the multiverse and stabilize its trade networks would increase exponentially.
But before he could ask how long this would take, Quintessa added, "Unfortunately, we still know next to nothing about psionics."
"At this point, the only ones who could help us complete the psionic tech tree are either Kerrigan, after her ascension into a Xel'Naga, or the Daelaam Protoss."
If Kerrigan ascended to godhood, then all psionic mysteries would become mere formulas and theorems to her.
With divine guidance, and the sharp intellect of the Megacorp's researchers, it wouldn't take long to fill in the gaps and integrate psionics into their arsenal.
"Understood," Li Ang nodded. Psionics truly were vital in the StarCraft universe.
In the original plotline, Mengsk of the Terran Dominion had used a psi emitter to lure the Zerg into attacking human colonies.
Even after reverting to her human form, Kerrigan was still able to control parts of the Swarm through sheer psionic force—acting as a command beacon for Zerg forces.
All of this pointed to one conclusion: psionics were the key to controlling the Swarm.
Otherwise, the Overmind would never have chosen Kerrigan—with her immense psionic potential—as the Queen of Blades.
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