The plains ahead gradually converged, and the mountain ranges on both sides began to rise sharply. Azure-colored rocks jutted out from the cliffs. Perhaps due to the relentless wind at higher altitudes, only mosses that grew close to the ground stubbornly clung to the ridges, adding a touch of eternal life to the desolate, ancient, and distant planet.

Fang Senyan dabbed a bit of the blue ** onto his fingertip, rubbing it slightly, and caught a scent of mingled machine oil and bodily fluid. The sensation on his fingertip was rough, not slick. Jilgisina’s face had turned somewhat pale, and she whispered:

“That is the bodily fluid left behind after a Dragoon is wounded, Brigadier General. This is extremely dangerous… with our current strength, if we encounter more than three Dragoons, we won't even be able to escape. Therefore, for your safety, I suggest we retreat.”

Hmm, in the context of the interstellar world, Dragoons are the main fighting force of the Protoss. They have absolutely no connection to the humans in medieval or fantasy novels who ride creatures that breathe fire and like gold coins.

Legend has it that veteran Protoss soldiers, upon suffering a fatal or crippling injury, face the choice of becoming a Dragoon. Their souls are transplanted into these massive mechanical spiders, controlling the large mechanical skeletons to move as if these skeletons had grown naturally within their bodies.

Dragoons provide crucial supporting fire for the Zealot legions; they launch lightning bolts covered in a layer of electrical charge composed of anti-particles. This lightning, capable of disintegrating everything, is equally effective against aerial and ground targets. However, when engaging small units, they often miss, resulting in only 50% damage most of the time. (In the game, a Dragoon’s attack damage is 20, but it always feels weak against Zerglings or Marines because of this: damage is halved against small enemies.)

This was precisely Jilgisina’s concern: in her eyes, herself, Fang Senyan, and Old Charlie amounted to no more than three Marines. Even with the two accompanying SCVs, they might have a fighting chance against a single Dragoon.

But facing two Dragoons would certainly result in casualties, and three Dragoons meant outright impossibility of escape… because the Dragoon's hide is notoriously thick: 100 Health, 80 Energy Shield, whereas a Marine without a medic has a miserable 40 Health, plus the Marine’s attack power is only 5… the two sides were simply not on the same level.

Fang Senyan smiled. He guessed Jilgisina's thoughts but clearly had no intention of correcting her misconceptions.

Because Fang Senyan objectively assessed his own combat power. He was no mere Marine! He estimated he could contend with an Elite Mammoth enhanced by all the Protoss genetic upgrades—a standard Mammoth is already a monster with 400 Health, 6 Armor, and 25 Attack. An Elite Mammoth would be at least 600 Health, 10 Armor, and 30 Attack!

Therefore, without a squad (twelve units) or more Dragoons, no one could expect Fang Senyan to retreat easily!

As Fang Senyan crested the slope, a powerful blast of air slammed into his face! Although everyone else was knocked back by the astonishing shockwave, staggering several steps, Fang Senyan only shielded his eyes with his hand. His hair and clothes, however, were violently whipped backward by the massive wave of air, and his face seemed to be splattered with something wet. Touching it, he realized it was still the pale blue fluid of a Dragoon.

It turned out that less than five or six meters from where Fang Senyan and his group had ascended the slope, there lay a Dragoon that had just been destroyed. This creature moved on six steel limbs, equipped with advanced hydraulic transmission systems for excellent cross-country performance, resembling a low-slung mechanical spider.

But this Dragoon had exploded violently. Red-hot electrical sparks jumped across its front three steel limbs with a sizzling sound, and its cephalothorax had melted like a candle, oozing large amounts of blue ** and substances resembling organic plastic.

A deep humming sound echoed in the air—the sound of the soul parasitically residing within the Dragoon, devoutly praying to the Protoss before annihilation.

About thirty meters to the right of this destroyed Dragoon was another one, but its body was encased in a circular, grayish-white shell of light, around which grayish-white electrical currents sporadically jumped fiercely. Although this Dragoon’s six steel limbs were still twitching futilely, it was paralyzed, moving one step forward, then retreating one step, stuck in place.

This was the unmistakable sign of having been hit by a GHOST’s Lockdown missile! This thing had a remarkable effect on paralyzing mechanical units; it was rumored that some powerful GHOSTs could even immobilize Battlecruisers or Carriers with a Lockdown missile!

There were four Dragoons on the battlefield in total; two were locked down, and the one just destroyed in front of Fang Senyan’s group had been eliminated by a long-range bombardment from a GHOST!

A GHOST’s standard issue equipment is a 25mm scattergun, but judging by the state of the destroyed Dragoon, that single shot was no less powerful than the strongest single-person standard equipment: the Electromagnetic Guided Long-Range Suppression Tactical Cannon!

Two hundred meters further out, another Dragoon was beginning to advance with long strides, preceded closely by two Protoss basic infantry units, Zealots, surging forward like shadows.

Zealots are tall and slender, about two meters high. Although their core bodies are fragile, the combat suits they wear provide an additional 100 Health and 60 Shield points. A pale blue plasma shield formed around them, and they were equipped with sharp energy blades on their forearms—weapons capable of easily tearing through any flesh or armor!

A GHOST clad in light-gray tactical armor was sprinting ahead, occasionally turning to pull the trigger, causing ripples to flash across the energy armor of the nearest Zealot.

Suddenly, a rotating rod ascended from the Dragoon’s core, and its showerhead-like muzzle aimed forward. A white, oval-shaped photon torpedo shot out, striking the ground near the GHOST’s feet, resulting in a violent explosion. Moist earth flew everywhere, leaving a crater the size of a water vat. As the earth rained down like scattered drops, the pursuing Dragoon and Zealot suddenly froze…

They hadn't been affected by some strange ability; it was because the target they were pursuing had eerily vanished from their front view… The most fundamental ability of a GHOST is invisibility; to be a competent GHOST, one must first utilize their psychic energy to power the cloaking device!

At this moment, Jilgisina, Old Charlie, and the two SCVs were fiercely attacking one of the locked-down Dragoons. The SCV’s Maelstrom Blaster could also inflict respectable damage on units, but its rate of fire was suboptimal.

Fortunately, both Jilgisina and Old Charlie were using the standard loadout for Marines: the 10mm C-14 Gauss Rifle. Under the fire of these two weapons, the Dragoon's energy armor was diminishing at an alarming rate.

However, just as they were intensely engaged, the air about seven or eight meters ahead of them shimmered unnaturally, distorting momentarily. A burly figure slowly materialized from the air. He was a man blackened by gunpowder, with a full stubble, a square jaw, and fiercely piercing eyes. He growled in an oppressed voice, angrily shouting:

“What are you still attacking? Run! My psychic energy is depleted. If those fellows behind catch up, we'll be in big trouble!”

Fang Senyan smiled faintly:

“Why should we run?”

The man paused upon seeing Fang Senyan, then snapped to attention:

“Lieutenant Colonel SNAKE (well, this name has a story behind it, hehe, console gamers should recognize it instantly) reporting to you, sir! Why would a legendary figure like you be on this planet?”

At this distance, the target-less Dragoons and Zealots had clearly noticed the new arrivals and were aggressively closing in. SNAKE immediately cracked his bolt and said anxiously:

“You escort the superior officer and leave first. I will hold them off.”

Fang Senyan’s face suddenly broke into a sly smile, and he sharply commanded:

“Lieutenant Colonel… He looked astonished… You cover me.” After saying this, Fang Senyan grabbed the Combat Alloy Ballistic Shield resting beside him, tilted his body, and charged forward like an arrow released from a bow! Since both sides were already charging toward each other, the short distance of a hundred meters took just over three seconds to reach close quarters!

Leading the charge was the Zealot whose energy armor had been nearly stripped bare by SNAKE. Its blade scraped across the Combat Alloy Ballistic Shield, emitting a piercing screech and leaving terrible scratches!

Amidst a long spray of sparks, Fang Senyan’s calm eyes met the Zealot’s cold, merciless gaze. He lunged forward, closing the distance, and slammed into the enemy’s embrace, driving in with a shoulder block, releasing his stored power and forcing the Zealot to stumble backward.

At this point, Fang Senyan’s fist smashed down mercilessly onto the Zealot’s abdomen. Under the immense impact, the tough yet elastic material of the armor immediately reached its limit, cracking and shattering piece by piece, penetrating deep into the life support systems within the armor. Pale blue fluid was squeezed out by the terrifying force, jetting out from the Zealot’s facial orifices in a horrifying spectacle!