Chapter 370: A New Journey Begins! Next Stop—Universe 008!
After seizing the pure essence of the Protoss, Amon still needed to forge a pure essence of form to serve as his physical vessel.
Since the Overmind had been altered by Amon and was no longer a purely original primal Zerg, Amon ordered the swarm to invade the human Terran Federation to accumulate the resources needed to recreate a primal Zerg.
At that time, humanity had already developed into an interstellar civilization. The powerful Terran Federation held significant territory and resources in the StarCraft universe.
In terms of technological level and number of colonies, humanity could be considered a hegemonic force in the galaxy. Faster-than-light warships had long been in common use, and they even possessed technologies like "resocialization"—essentially a form of brainwashing akin to mental branding.
With the swarm's invasion of the Terran Federation, the plot of StarCraft I officially began.
What followed was the war between the Zerg and humanity, during which a human woman named Sarah Kerrigan was transformed into the Queen of Blades by the Zerg, becoming their deadly enforcer.
Later, under the influence of a powerful artifact, she regained her human form and allied with humans, Zerg, and Protoss to crush Amon's sinister scheme. Kerrigan ultimately ascended to become the new Xel'naga—a being of godlike power.
After weighing the struggles and conflicts between the various factions, Li Ang keenly observed that Amon was ultimately just a lone wolf.
No one cared about Amon's so-called pursuit of eternal truth or his plan to transcend dimensions and ascend—because destroying the Void and the universe harmed everyone.
Admittedly, Li Ang also wanted to use the Aether Engine to do something similar—but the StarCraft universe was his chosen turf, and he wouldn't allow Amon to ruin it first.
If the universe were to be destroyed, it would be his hand that did it with the Aether Engine. Yes, it was a blatant double standard, but Li Ang had no choice—it had to be this way.
With that thought, Li Ang decided to enter the Matrix Space and convene with two other creators—Primus and the Unicron—to discuss the nature of cosmic order and extradimensional ascension.
After all, both had participated in creating their respective universes, and the Unicron, in particular, had experience traversing multidimensional cosmic spaces. Perhaps they could offer new strategic insights.
"AI Loki, patch me into the Matrix," Li Ang commanded.
[Affirmative, Boss.]
---
Prime Universe – Solar System – Ideal City
Whoosh—!
A maglev train bearing the insignia of the Universal Megacorp zipped through the sixth-level subterranean acceleration tunnel, speeding toward the Myriad realm ( wanjie) Base.
The cargo containers on the train carried weaponry and gear produced in the manufacturing zones.
As for the passenger compartments, they were filled with high-ranking officers and armed personnel in full combat gear, all dispatched per command.
[Attention, staff. This train will arrive at its final destination—the Wanjie Base Hub—in ten minutes. Please prepare to disembark.]
As the announcement played, Panam Wells stretched with a satisfied groan. "Time to get back to work! After all that downtime, HQ finally gave us something to do."
Burp!
Din Djarin let out a full-bodied burp after devouring a massive tomahawk steak and nodded in agreement.
As a Mandalorian bounty hunter, even one day without work meant a day closer to going hungry.
Though now technically on the government payroll, old habits died hard. Din Djarin had no intention of staying cooped up in base training rookies in tedious drills.
Luke Skywalker remained silent, staring out the window. This was his first time in Ideal City. For the past few months, he had been training in the Star Wars universe.
Only after the new deployment orders came through was he allowed to come to the Universal Megacorp 's core zone—Wanjie Base—in the Prime Universe.
[Now arriving at Wanjie Base Hub. All staff, please gather your belongings and disembark in an orderly fashion.]
As the maglev came to a stop, the announcement played once again.
Panam ( pani ), Luke, and Din each grabbed their travel bags and exited the train, joining the crowd of reception staff from the Expansion Division waiting on the platform.
As the trio followed the group forward, they passed numerous hard-light display screens broadcasting messages like [Doomsday Divine Weapon], [Universal Megacorp Trade Network Expansion], and [New Journey Begins—Next Stop: Universe 008!]
Pani slung his travel bag from his right to left shoulder and muttered to the others:
"Hard to believe we've already taken eight multiverse territories. Next up is the ninth. Man, I envy my old man—I missed out on those first few campaigns."
Din Djarin was amazed by how quickly Universal Megacorp had expanded—less than a century, and they'd conquered eight universes.
The Star Wars universe had barely been unified for two years, and now they were launching a campaign into a ninth. This wasn't just a power play—it was an unstoppable dimensional blitz!
Was the boss trying to win some kind of cosmic unification race?
"I heard this next one—Universe 008—is codenamed StarCraft. Supposedly, it's going to be way more dangerous than the others," Luke chimed in.
As someone handpicked by Captain Paul Atreides, Luke had heard a few things about internal plans at the top.
Originally, Governor V had intended to lead an elite expedition to deal with some war-crazed lunatics in an extragalactic star system.
But just one word from Boss Li Ang halted the entire eager task force. Everyone was ordered back to Wanjie Base to standby for a new cosmic expansion.
As for the unknown regions beyond the galaxy, that job had been handed off to the new Galactic Council president—someone named "Sheev."
According to Master Obi-Wan, this new president Sheev had a strange sense of familiarity about him—his speeches and mannerisms reminded him of someone.
Luke, however, didn't care. He had no interest in politicians.
"Doesn't matter how hard the job is. As long as the pay's good, I'm in," Din Djarin said with a smirk, using his tongue to dislodge a shred of meat from his teeth.
He didn't care who he worked for—as long as the money was right.
And so far, Universal Megacorp was by far the most generous employer he'd ever encountered—which was why he was sticking with them, no questions asked.
Before long, the trio and their colleagues boarded another train to the Wanjie Base's main zone, then transferred to the Expansion Division's living quarters to settle in.
Since HQ, Logistics, and Engineering were still assembling the fleet crew, the three decided to unwind at the local tavern.
---
Kabuki Tavern
Soft, elegant music flowed throughout the tavern, soothing the mind and lifting spirits.
Not every soldier wanted to dance in some loud, flashy bar after training. Most preferred to grab a drink in a quiet place with friends to decompress.
At the bar—
"One Johnny Silverhand, one Jackie Welles, and one lime gin," Pani ordered, clearly a regular.
He took a seat with Luke and Din on the high stools.
"Coming right up."
The bartender quickly lined up three glasses. Moments later, a shot of tequila with chili, a lime-and-ginger vodka mix, and a lime gin were placed before them.
Pani downed half his tequila, the fiery alcohol and chili scorching down his throat and into his gut. He sighed with satisfaction.
Between the two vodkas—his father's namesake or Uncle Johnny's recipe—Pani clearly preferred the latter.
Inspired by Pani's boldness, Din Djarin also downed his vodka in one go. It had an interesting kick, though it felt like it was missing something.
Luke sipped his gin quietly, showing no reaction.
"Luke, what's up with you? We're finally here, you should relax," Pani commented, noting Luke's preoccupied demeanor.
He had seemed distant all day, as if weighed down by something.
"I don't know why, but I have this feeling… things won't go smoothly on this mission. There might be sacrifices," Luke said solemnly.
He had already awakened the full power of the Force within him, and with it came an uncanny sense of foresight. When something bad was on the Megacorp, Luke could often feel it in advance.
"Don't worry," Pani grinned. "Even if we die, that's what the clone backups are for. I already uploaded my consciousness using Arasaka's Relic tech."
Pani Wells waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn't take the matter seriously. Although he had no idea whether the thing actually worked, even if he died, at least it would leave something behind for his parents to remember him by.
"By the way, are you guys going to Arasaka to rig up a soul backup? Won't take long," Pani asked.
"Pfft, forget it. Come back to life after dying, just to keep suffering? You've got to be really damn bored for that. Death is the final fairness—better to just lie quietly in a coffin and call it done."
Din Djarin shook his head, clearly disdainful of such things that he saw as desecrating life and soul.
Luke didn't comment either. With the power of the Force, his natural lifespan could easily exceed three hundred years. Even with severe injuries, he was far harder to kill than an ordinary person.
Pani shrugged and looked at Luke again. "Now that you mention it, I just remembered—my old man's been acting weird lately, frowning all the time."
"He's also been running to the Night City headquarters a lot, says he's researching data on Universe 008. Maybe things really are rougher this time than before."
As the topic shifted to the soon-to-be-launched Universe 008, Din Djarin also lowered his voice and shared some intel he had received with the other two.
"Rumor has it that the Supreme Commander for this unification campaign will most likely be Governor V. The boss is paying a lot of attention to this one."
While Din Djarin's information wasn't firsthand, his reputation as a member of the Multiversal Vanguard had helped him build a solid intel network through allies and contacts.
This was a useful habit from his bounty hunting days.
A bounty hunter could afford to be a little less skilled in combat, but his "eyes, ears, and mouth" had to be sharp. If your intel gathering was even a bit slower, someone else would snatch the job right out from under you.
As the top bounty hunter on Tatooine, Din Djarin naturally knew how to build an efficient intelligence network.
Everyone had their own intel channels. For someone like Din, who didn't have direct access to top-tier information, all he could do was gather as much data as possible.
By pulling threads and deducing patterns, he could piece together the truth that came closest to reality. It was a slow process, and the accuracy depended heavily on personal analytical skills.
But this was the limit of what Din Djarin could achieve from his current position. In a constantly shifting world, you had to be one step ahead if you wanted to rise.
Gulp—!
Pani downed the rest of his tequila in one go and laughed boisterously. "Whatever. As long as there's work to do, who cares how hard it is? Someone's gotta do it."
"I'm hoping to earn enough military merit to make my old man take me seriously. And you're banking on promotions and wealth to secure your place in the Vanguard."
"Luke… I don't know exactly what you're after, but you sure as hell didn't come here just to screw around in another universe playing justice warrior."
Pani glanced at Din Djarin and Luke with a grin. Everyone had their own ideals—or desires. Especially among the Universal Megacorp employees who joined the Multiversal Vanguard, each came with their own goals.
The Universal Megacorp oration was the best platform for turning goals into reality. That's why they were all here.
As the only son of Marshal Jack, Pani Wells was a genuine second-generation elite—a born member of the ruling class, someone who started at the top.
But while his father's legacy gave him privileges, it also highlighted the gap between them. Pani didn't want to be seen as just another silver-spoon slacker.
He chose to walk the same path as his father, determined to prove that he was no less capable.
What Pani truly sought was recognition—not handouts.
Faced with Pani's blunt assessment, Din Djarin responded only with a small chuckle. Having grown up in poverty on Tatooine, the kid had known too much hunger—now that he finally had food on the table, of course he wanted to eat his fill.
Back in the harsh and barren world of Tatooine, Din had spent years scheming and struggling with gangsters and crooked merchants, just to steal a few more precious breaths in a land with no air.
What he really wanted was a more spacious world, a higher position.
Luke Skywalker remained silent. The real reason he had joined the Multiversal Vanguard and become a member under Paul's command was at the request of Master Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan hoped that through Luke, he could dig deeper into the mysteries of spice.
Because he had discovered that spice seemed to resonate with the Force—it increased the activity of midichlorians in a Force user's body. Joining the Vanguard was a rare opportunity.
Even more importantly, Paul had revealed critical intel to him: the universe they were about to enter—StarCraft—also contained powers similar to the Force.
Luke yearned to fuse the abilities of all three planes, pushing the upper limits of the Force. As the Chosen One, it was his duty to do so.
Beep beep!
At that moment, the communicators of all three buzzed at once, and Paul's voice came through:
> [Alright folks, vacation time's over. Report immediately to Command Room 124 in the Multiversal Base. David and I are waiting for you there.]
Upon receiving the captain's orders, Pani shrugged. "Welp, looks like HQ is ready to launch the new universe mission. Let's get to work."
The three of them set down their glasses. As members of the Vanguard, they didn't need to pay—they could freely use all Universal Megacorp -owned facilities.
---
Two months later.
With the Wanderer Dreadnought as its flagship, the Ninth Expeditionary Legion passed through the stargate and entered the StarCraft universe.
Around them stretched a vast expanse of darkness. If not for the scouts detecting faint starlight in the distance, Paul might have thought they'd ended up in some void-like hyperspace tunnel.
All in all, they were just unlucky this time. The stargate had dropped them into a dead zone, nowhere near any stars.
"Deploy AI drones. Start scanning the surrounding environment. Let's figure out where we are."
David, having encountered this kind of situation before, gave the command casually with a wave of his hand.
Paul, Luke, and the rest of the Vanguard squad silently observed the darkness outside the viewing window, patiently waiting for the scan results.
Statistically speaking, it was actually normal for a Universal Megacorp fleet to arrive in a region with no star system nearby. Showing up near a star was the rare exception.
The universe may be full of star systems, but when you spread them out, they were like scattered islands in a boundless ocean.
Their expeditionary fleet was just a droplet in that sea. Naturally, the odds were higher that it would land in open space rather than on an island.
Before long, the scan was complete, and the nearby stellar system appeared on their screens. That's when they finally understood their current location.
"According to the data, we're at the outer edge of the Milky Way's spiral arm," reported the ship's onboard AI.
"Alright then, enter the nearest star system. We'll regroup the fleet and set up a forward base there."
David Martinez gave the order.
This new universe, designated Universe 008—StarCraft—was home to four major factions: humanity, the Zerg, the Protoss, and the godlike Xel'Naga.
According to the strategy set by boss Li Ang , their first goal was to quickly form an alliance with the local humans to jointly fight the Zerg and the dark god Amon.
Following orders, the fleet steadily docked into the nearby star system. With a star even larger than the sun, it wouldn't be hard to find a habitable planet.
Meanwhile, at the Multiversal Base HQ, in front of the central control platform—
Li Ang calmly studied the projection of the frontline fleet on the hard-light display, lost in thought. His top priority now was to determine the current point in the timeline.
Without that, his next move would be hard to plan.
If the timeline placed local human civilization before the start of the interstellar era—still at a tribal level—then that meant they'd be missing a key ally.
The Universal Megacorp 's cost of war would naturally increase.
Having just completed the unification of the Star Wars universe, Li Ang was hoping to replicate his previous play—leeching off the Empire's fleets and Stormtroopers.
That's the job of a leader: figuring out how to get big results with minimal cost.
While Li Ang was still mulling over his next move, something unusual suddenly occurred within the freshly landed forward fleet!
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