I have to admit, the Queen of Blades, or rather, the cunning human agent Kerrigan, was a genius, a genius who dared to joke around with her own soul!
After discovering that a force even stranger than the Xiling Empire was subverting the entire Kepru Sector, she decisively split her mind and "placed" a part of her mind into an "absolutely safe database". Guess what that database was?
The entire Zerg race!
The Queen of Blades had planned a very strange evolution for the entire Zerg race. She had each Zerg unit grow a neurotumour in their body. The neurotumour was very small, and its function was so simple that it could only produce innate reflexes. It might seem useless to a fighting race, but it was connected to the core nervous system of each Zerg race. The nervous system was a racial characteristic of the Zerg race. They used it to complete their mental network, thereby putting the entire race under mental control. In short, it was equivalent to a biological radio network. But this radio network was even more powerful, and its transmission speed was even more astonishing: infinite speed.
I know it's hard to understand. Physical transmission in space cannot exceed the speed of light, but the Zerg's mental connection was real-time. The Zerg Overlord, who was a light year away, could control its army without any time difference. Two Zerg brains hundreds of millions of kilometers apart could talk on the phone without any delay. The phenomenon reflected during this period was as inconceivable to human scientists as quantum effects (although in the eyes of the Schilling people, this kind of non-delay communication was like a native telephone. Of course, the Schilling scientists were also a little surprised that the Zerg could evolve this kind of communication organ).
Under the connection of this neural network, the specially evolved neurotumours formed a whole.
"That's my brain," the Queen of Blades said with a proud tone. "My mind has been replicated in the entire race. All the Zerg have formed a huge brain. They will think for me after I completely lose myself. A new Overlord will never appear. This is immortality in another sense. Of course, at first, this plan was only to fight against the 'revelation' that had begun to corrode my mind, but I didn't expect it to come in handy now. I can feel that my mind is imprisoned in this space. Outside, another Queen of Blades must have been reborn like a ghost and completely freed from the fate of slavery. This huge 'brain' is divided into tens of billions of independent thinking parts. Each of them has no unique characteristics, and the 'revelation' is ineffective against this kind of joint thinking!"
It was a crazy plan, really.
"Alright, but the truth is that the Zerg are no longer under your control, right? The other Kerrigan only has the memories and thought patterns that you had when you duplicated your mind. She won't listen to you. You're no longer the ruler of the insectoids. "
Liliana said flatly, using her own unique way to provoke the Queen of Blades' spirit. This was one of the few personal interests of this nasty fake loli.
"No, it's still me," the Queen of Blades retorted indifferently. "That mental dungeon has a fatal psychological flaw. She has no sense of self and only acts according to the code of conduct I gave her. Of course, this situation won't last forever. One day, my shadow will realize her own existence, but as long as I reappear before that moment comes, none of this will happen. According to the program I've set, the shadow will unconditionally merge with my mind, and the rule of the Zerg will still be in my hands."
"You're trying to regain your freedom in this way," Liliana exposed the Queen of Blades' plan on the spot.
The Queen of Blades did not deny it, nor was she surprised. Before facing us, she had chosen to overestimate the position of the mysterious Shiring Apostles. This was the reason why she could remain calm. "Yes, this is a win-win situation for both sides. The Zerg may not be able to fight against the Xiling Empire, but they can at least hurt you. If the Zerg can return to my control, this kind of damage can be avoided. At least before you deal with the source of the 'revelation', there is no need for us to go to war."
She straightforwardly admitted that the Zerg and the Shiring Apostles were absolutely opposed to each other, and then threw out an inconspicuous but tasty bait. This kind of negotiation was really … creative, because it happened between the hunter and the prey, and now the prey was bargaining with the hunter. What was even more amazing was that the prey had really found something to negotiate with!
I felt like I had fallen into a terrible endless loop. Kerrigan was quite adept at using his weak but valuable advantage to maximize the benefits he could grasp, even if it was just to survive for a few more days. Knowing all this, it was hard for us to refuse the other party's offer. Firstly, it was really insignificant to us, and secondly, we had never planned to kill Kerrigan in the first place.
Forget it. Let's wait until Tawil converts Kerrigan. At worst, we can just vaporize all the Zerg that had gone out of control. Although that would mean we would have to put in a lot more effort than we had originally planned, the war with the three galactic races was already a lot more than we had planned.
"Let's not talk about that for now." I scratched my head. I didn't know how to start a conversation with this former Federation agent whose thoughts were completely different from humans. So, I decisively pushed the bearded uncle to the table. "Erm, do you know this uncle?"
"James Reynolds. It's been a while."
Kerrigan didn't react in the way I had expected. It was as if he had bumped into a passerby on the street and barely remembered his name. "I heard that you have sworn allegiance to the ruler of the Xiling Empire. It seems like it's true. You have made the right choice this time. You will soon become the most powerful human ruler in the entire Sector. Even though you will only be a puppet."
Did the original novel mention that the Queen of Blades was a master of imagination?
Compared to Kerrigan's calm and even mocking expression, Uncle Reynolds's expression was full of excitement. The muscles on his face twitched violently as he looked at his ex-girlfriend who had turned into a 'monster'. In the end, he could only mutter a name, "Kerrigan …"
"Pfft, uncle, go on and do it!"
Lina, who was watching from the side, was anxious for him. She shouted loudly without any hesitation, and then kicked Uncle Reynolds, causing him to stagger. What a pity, I almost had a passionate hug with Sister K. Uncle, can't you pretend that you slipped?
"Do it?" Kerrigan didn't care about Reynolds's embarrassment. He was only curious about the words that the little girl in front of him had said.
I hurriedly explained, "Uh, that was our initial plan. We wanted Reynolds to chase after you and get married in a few days. Then, our mission to maintain the peace of the universe would be completed. By the way, do you prefer a traditional wedding or a modern one? I do have an Imperial Army officer who runs a wedding company. It hasn't opened for two months, but the service is excellent. Ugh, what's with that expression? "
Kerrigan stared at me blankly. Then, his expression twisted. "Are you using this method to insult me again?!"
Again? Oh, the first time she mentioned might be …
Thinking of this, I turned my head slightly to look at the expressionless Pandora. It seemed that she was the one who had knocked out the Queen of Blades with three thousand iron hammers and carried her back. Noticing my gaze, Pandora didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, she raised her head slightly and nodded at me.
"This girl can be a little unreliable sometimes …" I shrugged, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
After staring at us for a long time, Kerrigan suddenly sighed as if he had accepted his fate. "I didn't expect you to … Your image is really beyond my expectations …"
"Then, what image do you think I should have?" I looked at her, amused. "In a hall covered with a cosmic star map, I was surrounded by a group of generals with poles on their shoulders. I stood there with a stick in my hand, and the entire star map suddenly changed color with me as the center?"
Kerrigan stared at me as if she was looking at a prehistoric creature. In the end, she nodded with a twisted expression.
"Alright, let's not talk about this nonsense." I finally extricated myself from this meaningless topic. "Now, let's talk about the main point. Tell me everything you know. First, about the revelation. I can see that the influence on you is different from the other races. It's a mind control that has been strengthened countless times, but it's done while the person being controlled is awake. To be honest, we also have a mind control master here."
As I spoke, I tilted my head slightly and nodded at Sandora. She bared her teeth at me, and her cute expression made Kerrigan's jaw drop. Just a few seconds ago, this blonde girl had been talking to him with a cold, regal expression and tone.
It reminded me of schizophrenia — if Schilling people had such a disease.
"To be honest, this kind of control is more like a suggestion than a control. It's fundamentally different from my superpower. I've explained it to you before … Mm, forget it."
Hey! Speaking of which, why do you suddenly look like you've accepted your fate, girl?
After we left the spatial cage, we began to plan our next move. Our top priority right now was to find the source of the so-called 'revelation'. According to Kerrigan's intelligence, the 'revelation' hadn't disappeared at all. Instead, it had hidden itself in the minds of the natives of the Kepru Sector in a more powerful and stealthy way. Under normal circumstances, it was subtle and gentle. Its purpose was to make people whose minds were easily controlled have a common direction in their thinking. In extreme cases, it could become quite forceful and directly use mind control to deal with certain strong people, such as the Queen of Blades. This was probably the mastermind's last resort. As long as a conventional 'revelation' couldn't affect Kerrigan, it wouldn't affect any insectoid. The only option 'it' had was to forcibly control the highest commander of the insectoid race. This kind of control was obviously carried out while the person being controlled was awake. Take the Queen of Blades for example. She knew very well how useful her insectoid army was against those huge planetary battleships that could 'erase' an entire planet in a matter of minutes. However, she couldn't resist her own thoughts.
Although the Queen of Blades did not say it clearly, Sandora guessed that this kind of control was actually an enhanced version of the 'power of attraction'. It was just that this power of attraction was more forceful, which made people feel like their minds were being controlled. Under its influence, the Queen of Blades still had some freedom of thought, as long as she could abide by one rule: fight against the Xiling Empire. As long as she followed this rule, she could do whatever she wanted. For example, she could choose to be captured alive while fighting against the Empire and escape from our control.
To be honest, this possibility made me heave a sigh of relief. It was not a big deal for my girlfriend to have this kind of ability, but it would be terrible if the enemy was also a master of mind control.
In addition, according to the analysis of an expert like Sandora, although the latter method of control was obviously more effective, it did not seem to be easy to achieve. At present, only Kerrigan was confirmed to be affected, and she still had the opportunity to leave a way out for herself before she was completely controlled. As for the Proteus' Protoss', they were almost unaffected. This showed that the powerful psychic power of the Proteus was quite effective in the process of fighting against the 'Revelations'. Otherwise, it would not be just the Tadalim and the bunch of lunatics who took drugs that we were fighting against, but the entire Proteus race.
However, despite coming to such a conclusion, Zeratul still hurriedly bid farewell to us. After learning of the new mutation of the 'Revelations' threat, he was very worried about his compatriots who were left behind in Shakuras. In his words, even the strongest warrior would have a weakness in the soul, and the power of evil would never miss any opportunity. He had to inform his people of this news in advance and personally lead them to investigate the truth. Through Zeratul's medium, the Proteus survivors who gathered in Shakuras and the surrounding planets had already expressed their willingness to help us find the source of the 'Revelations' and to assist us in battle when necessary. As the last group of intelligent creatures in the Kepru Star Region, the Dark Templars had long since discovered that we had been attacking those desolate planets and were trying our best to prevent the expansion of the war. This made the Proteus people who advocated power and justice have a much better impression of the Xiling Empire.
"Then, we have to change the actions of the starships." On a platform near the outer space on the side wall of the 'Empire Admiral', Sandora stared at the dark space and said to me calmly, "The Empire's extreme deterrence might no longer be effective. No matter what we do, the humans and Tadalim will never be able to wake up from their madness. However, there is at least one good thing. The insectoids are no longer a threat — at least not for the time being."
I agreed with Sandora's statement. Even if our starships were to head directly to the mother planet of the humans, the humans who had been completely corrupted by the 'Revelations' wouldn't be able to raise their hands and surrender. The planetary fleet threat measure that I originally thought would be effective soon had now been proven to be a waste. It really made me feel like I was punching cotton.
"Perhaps we should consider eliminating the effective forces of Tadalim. Compared to the fragile humans, those Proteus lunatics are more dangerous. According to the information provided by Kerrigan, they are fanatics who are extremely hostile to the Empire even though they are not affected by the 'Revelations'."
"Ah Jun, when did you learn to kill so decisively?"
Sandora turned her head and asked me with a slightly surprised tone. Her ocean-blue eyes shone with a mischievous light. Under the dark background of the universe, it was as though the brilliance of the stars had gathered in those beautiful eyes. Sandora's eyes had always been the part of me that was most intoxicated by. That kind of light that was as deep as the sea could always calm the most agitated heart.
"I feel that we have fallen into a trap from the very beginning." I sighed and voiced my conjecture. "The appearance of that insect was too coincidental. Even though there seemed to be countless explanations for its appearance at the time, now I really doubt how much of a coincidence it would take for the star sniper cannon to precisely teleport a carbon-based lifeform that was hundreds of light-years away when it was collapsing. Furthermore, it was guaranteed that it wouldn't die during the hundred-light-year space jump. Then, it was our large-scale expedition to the Kepru Star Zone. From the perspective of a bystander, it was almost an inevitable reaction after discovering dangerous lifeforms like the insect race. Then, it was our first unpleasant encounter with Mengsk and Tadalim. Their appearances were also full of coincidences. Even before that, when we were saving the Earth in the Magic Forbidden World, what do you think the probability of a star ring fragment randomly jumping in the vast universe just so happened to take away an asteroid belt from the Kepru Star Zone that was wrapped in the wreckage of human fighter jets? We are stuck in a quagmire here, as though we are being led by the nose by someone, and … "
"And those star ring fragments were modified by the power of the Abyss. They were modified with the characteristics of intelligence," Sandora finished my sentence and suddenly leaned towards me. "I had my suspicions for a long time, and I could feel that you understood it no later than I did … even though you usually look like you are just waiting to die."
I said, "… We are discussing serious matters here, be serious!"
"Alright, be serious!" Sandora immediately smiled mischievously. Then, she crossed her arms and turned her head to look at the endless starry sky. "Then, Ah Jun, do you know why out of the countless civilizations that were born in the Endless World, only the Schilling Family was able to develop to the peak and even step into the realm of Gods?"
Although I didn't know why Sandora suddenly changed the topic, I cooperated and asked, "Why?"
"Because of our logic … our way of thinking, we are destined to be unable to understand what 'failure' means. It is just like how a computer, after receiving an impossible command, wouldn't realize that this command will cause it to collapse, and would confidently fall into an endless loop. Perhaps this analogy isn't appropriate, but that is how we are. We don't understand what 'failure' is, and we only have the concept of 'delayed success'. To us, any situation, even death, only means that the final victory is delayed. This is why the Shiring Apostles didn't seem to encounter the barriers of normal civilizations in their development, because we don't even know that there is something called a bottleneck in the development of civilizations …"
"How a bunch of brainless people struggled to become Gods." I shrugged and made a highly generalized statement. Then, Shadora pounced on me and bit me viciously.
But to be honest, after listening to Sandora's confession about the entire Schilling Family, I suddenly realized that I really should learn from this bunch of brainless people …
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