The memories of the Protos in the broader context of the Motherland—the burgeoning power of the Gods—had driven Yang Ying. The moment his eyes fell upon this planet, he knew: this was where the Protos would finally make their home.

This world was choked with vegetation; the sky and the oceans were of an almost crystalline purity, a tableau of untouched wilderness. To release the Zerg here—never mind anything else—that pristine environment wouldn't survive a few years. Soon, creep would cover the ground, trees would wither, and buzzing swarms would turn this lovely blue-green sphere into a purple ghost town. What a colossal waste that would be.

Now, on the Floating Continent, the Human faction had already rooted itself within the Sol System. Yang Ying had long sought a true haven for the Protos and the Humans in the greater galaxy. The territory of the Floating Continent was finite, and its resources limited; only the boundless expanse of the real world offered a true direction for the factions’ future development.

Originally, Yang Ying had planned a long game: first, familiarize himself with the Galactic environment, gain a deeper understanding of the various high-level civilizations and species within the Milky Way, and only then decide on the next course of action.

The main objective Yang Ying set for himself on leaving the Sol System was simple observation; the collection of various mineral resources was merely a secondary concern. But plans rarely survive contact with reality. He hadn't been out long before stumbling upon an unclaimed habitable world, complete with vast ore deposits.

Yang Ying felt his heart thumping against his ribs. Even as a peak Master of transcending levels, such a discovery sent a tidal wave of excitement through him.

He allowed the feeling to wash over his mind. The world before him was so beautiful, so vast, so breathtakingly profound, just waiting to be conquered. What greater joy could there be than this moment?

Once his mood settled, Yang Ying exchanged views on the planet with Katerina. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he turned his gaze toward the edge of the grassland, sensing movement approaching from the jungle fringe.

Moments later, the dozens of Marines guarding that sector also seemed to notice something. They raised their Gauss rifles and opened fire into the thicket. The bursts of sound served as an immediate warning to the surrounding troops; everyone snapped to high alert.

The sharp rounds tore through branches and leaves like a sudden tempest, leaving behind a wreckage of shredded foliage, yet amidst the undergrowth, dark shapes were flashing by with incredible speed.

Their movements were lightning-fast, swifter than any terrestrial cheetah. An ordinary human gaze could not follow them, but they could not evade the muzzles of the Gauss rifles. Clad in powered armor, the Marines had their helmet auxiliary targeting systems locked onto the targets long ago.

Yang Ying was already beyond the mortal plane; his eyes saw with perfect clarity. The speed of those shadows was negligible to him, akin to standing still.

They were dozens of lean, powerfully muscled creatures with angular heads and no visible eyes—robust beings resembling Gauls, but far stronger than the frail ones.

They moved like the wind through the brush, but within ten seconds, they were riddled, turned into sieves by the high-penetration Gauss slugs.

"That’s less capable than a puppy," Yang Ying commented dryly.

The first priority after landing was establishing a secure foothold. As the various units deployed, they occupied key points across the grassland, establishing a three-dimensional defensive perimeter with no blind spots. Any creature attempting to charge the line would find only death awaiting it.

Two minutes later, a massive beast, twenty meters high, charged toward them. It resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex, covered in scales, with two thick horns crowning its head. A mounted tank pivoted its barrel toward it, firing a single round that punched clean through its chest and back, vaporizing flesh and spraying blood like a sudden downpour. This occurred while the creature was still two kilometers from the grassland.

Almost simultaneously with the cannon blast, a flock of winged creatures dove from the sky. They possessed sharp teeth and talons, and their membranous wings spanned two meters, allowing for nimble movement. They moved in swarms, numbering in the thousands upon arrival.

A fierce volley of gunfire erupted immediately. The Marines swept their rifles toward the sky, while the Behemoth utilized the anti-air cannons mounted on its hull to lay down a dense barrage, weaving a net of death alongside the ground troops.

However, the enemy was overwhelming in number. Seeing this, Yang Ying summoned two thousand additional Marines and a hundred massive Robots from the Floating Continent. Instantly, their side’s firepower became crushingly dominant. Within two minutes, more than half the flying creatures were obliterated, their corpses raining down, turning the ground crimson with pooling blood.

The remaining flyers finally broke, shrieking in panic as they scattered, clearly terrified into retreat.

As the Behemoth landed, over a dozen Observers dispersed in the outer orbit, gradually encircling the entire planet.

Beep.

The communicator at Yang Ying’s waist chirped. He activated it, and a holographic projection opened: it was Howard.

"Sir, preliminary analysis of this planet is complete."

"Continue," Yang Ying instructed.

"We have the relevant staff officer here; let him brief you. He understands the details better." Howard stepped aside, replaced by a stern-faced, impeccably uniformed officer.

The staff officer saluted crisply before speaking: "Report, sir. The planet’s average radius is [Redacted] kilometers, slightly larger than Earth. Surface gravity is [Redacted] Gs. Total landmass is approximately [Redacted] million square kilometers, more than Earth. Furthermore, the atmosphere contains forty percent oxygen, significantly exceeding Earth’s levels. Preliminary analysis shows that the planet’s flora has a higher oxygen production rate than Earth’s vegetation."

Yang Ying nodded. As soon as he had arrived in orbit, he had noticed how wonderfully invigorating the air felt. Though he no longer required oxygen, he hadn't entirely abandoned the act of breathing; that’s when he suspected the air was exceptionally rich in O2.

Listening as the staff officer detailed the preliminary findings one by one, Yang Ying realized the environment was extremely suitable for habitation, requiring no terraforming whatsoever—direct immigration was possible. The only remaining complication was the planet’s native organisms.

"The Observers have now scanned every inch of the surface. No signs of intelligent life have been detected."

"I understand," Yang Ying said, having waited for exactly this confirmation.

After ending the communication, Yang Ying stepped into an open space and gestured. A flash of golden light erupted, and a Protos contingent was summoned. The figure leading them was enveloped in purple flame: it was the Praetor, Cass.

"This planet is called Aiur. There are no intelligent competitors here, only powerful, strong-limbed beasts. This is our ideal home. Brave warriors of the Protos, you are needed to cooperate with the Human faction to establish the first Protos foothold here," Cass commanded immediately upon his arrival.

"Yes, Speaker," the assembled Protos warriors dispersed, integrating into the defensive line.

Over a dozen Protos Probes began selecting sites, preparing to summon Protos structures. The Protos' spatial technology was extraordinarily advanced; the probes could pinpoint locations and pull structures directly from the Floating Continent into reality.

Soon, bursts of white light bloomed across the grassland. These luminous orbs spun like miniature vortexes, gradually revealing the forms of various Protos buildings.

The first to appear was a massive, pyramidal structure: the Protos Nexus, functioning as the main base. Following it, dozens of Pylons materialized sequentially. Pylons were the energy source for all Protos architecture; without them nearby, no structure could operate.

Only the Nexus and Pylons could be teleported directly. All other buildings required the channeling power of the Pylons and thus had to be summoned within their vicinity.

Once the initial landing zone stabilized, several High Templar and Dark Templar proactively volunteered to venture into the jungle to conduct active defense; they were no longer satisfied with passive guarding on-site.

Yang Ying knew the Protos warriors were proud and brave. They had acted infrequently within the Sol System, and warriors with battle fervor, like Zealots, were desperately eager for action. Combat itself was the fastest path to improving their power. Yang Ying readily agreed, permitting them to enter the jungle and proactively sweep for hidden threats.

The Protos possessed highly sensitive sixth senses, making jungle exploration effortless for them. Yang Ying assigned each Templar a squad of Zealots for support, further augmenting each team with a few Marines to act as ranged fire support. While larger units like the Dragoons and Immortals were less practical in the dense jungle, the opponents were mere beasts with slightly superior strength—no match for the Protos warriors.

Concurrently, the sky filled with Human Spectre fighters, Valkyrie escorts, and Protos Scouts and Corsairs, all patrolling and assisting the ground forces in their expansion.

The Protos Corsair could unleash devastatingly rapid neutron beams with splash damage, excelling in group combat. It possessed a special ability called 'Disruption Web,' which could block attacks from a single direction, though once deployed, the Corsair was immobile. It was usually reserved for ground targets. The Scout, costing only one supply point in the game, was equipped with missiles and Photon Cannons, typically used for reconnaissance but capable of functioning as a fighter against technologically inferior races.

In this synchronized air and ground advance, countless native creatures were eliminated. Unlike the Zerg, these organisms lacked a unified Overmind; they fought like scattered sand and posed no challenge to the combined Protos and Human forces.

"It seems securing this planet won't be a major problem," Yang Ying smiled at Katerina after receiving reports of steady progress across all fronts.

"But Commander, this planet is enormous. We don't know how many