The miniature sun of the tactical rocket had acted like a beacon in the planet's biological night. Worse, it had acted like a gong strike, a declaration of war that the entire local food chain had heard.
They came. All of them.
The reptilians, in howling packs. The scorpionoids, in swarming waves. Flying things with membranous wings that dove from the sky. Giant burrowers that emerged from the ground. The entire planet seemed to want to tear out this radioactive tumor he had created.
Julius did not retreat.
Anchored at the edge of the vitrified crater, his body redesigned by the fire of survival, he became an anchor point, a fortress. The M-55, reloaded several times for 20 points each, roared at regular intervals. Each WHOOSH was followed by a flash of light and a wave of heat that swept away tens, sometimes hundreds of creatures, turning charges into ashes and statistics.
< +300 energy units.>
< +450 energy units.>
< +220 energy units.>
When the waves were too close for the heavy reload of the rocket launcher, he resumed the Gauss Pistol. In his now sure and strong hands, the Necron weapon was deadly accurate. One ray, one disintegration. He no longer aimed randomly. Each shot was calculated, economical.
< +15 energy units.>
< +15 energy units.>
< +5 energy units.>
It lasted for hours. Maybe days. He lost track of time. There was only the regular breath of his new lungs, the hum of the Gauss, the thunder of the M-55, and the monotonous voice of the System in his skull, counting a macabre score.
His body, pushed beyond its limits, demanded something else. Simple muscular strength was no longer enough. He felt his reflexes weakening, his perception blurring. So, he drew again from his points, buying in the frenzy of combat.
[Metabolic Catalysis - Level 1] - 50 units.
[Muscle Reinforcement - Level 2] - 100 units.
[Neural Reflex Enhancement - Level 1] - 75 units.
Each enhancement was a wave of novelty that overwhelmed him. His muscles became denser, his movements faster, almost preternatural. The world around him seemed to slow down. He could follow the trajectory of a leap, anticipate a bite. He was no longer just strong. He had become fast. Dangerously efficient.
The slaughter became a macabre and mechanical dance. He no longer felt fear, no longer disgust. Only a cold determination. It was maintenance. Pest eradication.
When the last wave, a horde of armored beetles the size of dogs, was reduced to a field of smoldering chitin by a well-placed rocket, silence fell. A heavy, thick silence, broken only by the crackling of embers and the hiss of superheated air.
Julius lowered his rocket launcher, smoke escaping from the tube. His body was covered in soot, dried xeno blood, and the fine metallic dust left by the Gauss. He was exhausted, but standing. More alive than ever.
< Threats neutralized. Total accumulated energy: 1,245,239 units.>
The number flashed in his vision, so astronomical it made him dizzy. Over a million points. The fruit of his massacre. The price of his survival.
He breathed deeply, the pure air filling lungs that had never known nicotine.
"System," he said, his voice hoarse but steady. "Filter the summoning options. I only want to see the human elements from StarCraft. Nothing from the Zerg, nothing from the Protoss. Only the Terrans."
The holographic menu, once so limited, literally exploded before his eyes. Hundreds, thousands of schematics, names, descriptions scrolled past. But he had eyes for only one.
[Terran Barracks - Main Production Structure]
Cost: 300 energy units.
Prerequisites: [Command Center] not detected. Autonomous operation activated in survival mode.
Function: Production of basic infantry units (Marines, Marauders). Integrates a recruitment/teleportation system, an automatic armory, and maintenance quarters.
Consumption: Requires a continuous supply of minerals (500 units for initial activation, then 100 units/day for maintenance). Mineral deposits have been located 2.3 km from your position.
A smile, the first genuine smile since his arrival in hell, stretched Julius's lips. Fear, loneliness, horror... all of it was still there, deep down. But now, he had a lever to lift this world.
"It's good," he murmured. "We're going to stop camping. It's time to build ourselves a base."
He looked at the huge number, his war booty.
"Buy the Barracks. And find me a secure location to deploy it. We have an army to raise."
The solo survival phase was over. The era of the Foundation was beginning.