Otaku Translation: Carrying the Bases of Starcraft C49

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While the two were lost in thought, Housen had already pushed ahead, weaving through the ranged units and closing in on the bat swarm. The Marines at the front, with their longer range weapons, opened fire first. Countless metal spikes tore through the air, creating sharp sonic booms that rained down like arrows upon the swarm, splattering blood everywhere.

Judicator grenades streaked across the sky, trailing silver-white light. They slammed into the center of the swarm like hail, bursting into dazzling fragments that scattered like fireworks. Injured bats plummeted to the ground like dumplings falling into boiling water, only to meet the bloody slaughter awaiting them at the hands of the Zealots.

The bat swarm erupted into chaos. Panic spread uncontrollably. Some chose to fight back, but their limited range was no match for the C-14 "Impaler" Gauss rifles wielded by the Marines. Before they could even get close, they were shredded by concentrated volleys, turning into grotesque fountains of blood.

Others targeted the Zealots, spraying jets of emerald-green acid from the ducts beneath their tentacles. The corrosive liquid splashed against the pale blue plasma shields, rippling like water before evaporating instantly.

Bodies piled up on the ground. Fear spread like a plague among the swarm. Several bats flapped their wings and fled into the distance—they were afraid!

One by one, more and more bats followed suit, fleeing en masse.

Tang Fang frowned. Though everything seemed to unfold as expected, an inexplicable unease gnawed at him. It felt as though unseen eyes were watching him intently, sending chills down his spine.

"Haha, don’t run, cowards!" Housen shouted, brandishing his K-12 quad-barreled grenade launcher. Judicator grenades rained down relentlessly on the retreating bats, their neurotoxin-laden shrapnel slowing them significantly. A single volley from the pursuing Marines sent them screaming and crashing to the ground.

Behind Tang Fang, Arroz remained as stoic as ever, his face devoid of emotion. But if one looked closely, a flicker of concern occasionally passed through his eyes.

Housen pressed onward, reaching an open area where crystalline pipelines and ultra-long diodes converged. Suddenly, he came to an abrupt halt.

"Tang… Tang Fang, I have a really bad feeling about this."

"You feel it too?" Tang Fang’s voice was low and raspy.

Housen pointed to the wall beside him. "There’s something inside here!"

"Something? What kind of something?" By now, Tang Fang and Arroz had caught up.

The conical machinery and particle collider-like devices that had lined their path abruptly ended here. Following the direction the bats had fled, the open space stretched far into the distance, where new mechanical modules could barely be seen.

Massive crystal pipelines and diodes, each wide enough to require three people to encircle, converged in the middle of this nearly kilometer-wide expanse. Their trajectory suddenly shifted, disappearing into a crevice in the left-hand wall.

"Hmm?" Tang Fang scanned the wall to the left and spotted a large ε symbol glowing with mercury-like light on the surface near the pipeline convergence. "Is this... a door?"

Calling the others over to inspect the engraved rune, Housen examined the surrounding walls and shuddered involuntarily. A chill crept up his spine. "Tang Fang, think carefully. Whatever’s behind this gives me a very eerie feeling."

Tang Fang said nothing, his gaze fixed on the ten-meter-square ε symbol that shimmered like flowing mercury.

Unlike Arroz and Housen, who only felt foreboding, Tang Fang sensed an indescribable restlessness—a call, almost, emanating from within.

He glanced back at the Terran and Protoss soldiers gathered behind them, then checked the Zerg units in his system interface. With resource values soaring to 5,810 and 3,670, he gritted his teeth and placed his hand on the symbol.

If trouble came, they’d face it head-on. With so many combat units and ample resources to spare, even if they encountered a squad of statue guardians, he was confident they could handle it. And if worst came to worst? They could always retreat!

Judging by the layout of the pipelines, whatever lay beyond the door must be crucial. If the psychic fluctuations of the statue guardians could activate Protoss technology, who knew what higher-level psychic cores might await inside?

What if it was a "stargate"? That would be a jackpot.

"Can’t catch a pretty girl without spending money." With that thought, he steeled himself.

As his palm neared the symbol, Arroz and Housen braced themselves, weapons raised.

But before Tang Fang’s hand made contact with the ε symbol, a flash of sapphire light streaked past, the rune rotated, and the door opened.

The trio recoiled instinctively, taking several steps back.

Several breaths passed, yet no danger emerged as they had feared. Tang Fang peered through the twenty-meter-high rune-inscribed gateway. Layer upon layer of intricate machinery surrounded a pulsating azure energy shield, resembling the stands of an ancient Roman coliseum.

Assured that there was no immediate threat, the three cautiously crossed the threshold.

They found themselves in an 800-meter-square room, its ceiling towering nearly a kilometer above the floor. Golden flames and purple lightning coursed through the pipelines overhead, spanning hundreds of meters before cascading downward into the central energy shield.

From their vantage point on the upper level, countless precision instruments were arranged in concentric rings, tapering down via sloped tiers. Through the narrow gaps between the massive circular energy shield—occupying half the room—and the layered machinery, they gazed down at control panels bathed in an ethereal blue glow. Their multicolored lights twinkled like stars in a night sky.

The energy shield, with a diameter of four hundred meters, was surrounded by hundreds of tiers of equipment modules. The surface of the shield reflected a dazzling array of seven-colored neon-like lights, shimmering like a kaleidoscope. It was magnificent! Grandiose!

All three were awestruck—even Arroz, who rarely showed interest in anything, couldn’t help but blurt out, "Damn it, what the hell were the Epsilon doing here?!"

"Tang Fang, the... the door’s closed." Just as Tang Fang was marveling at the sight, Housen tugged at him, pointing behind them.

Turning around, they saw that the previously open rune-inscribed gate had shut itself.

Tang Fang’s expression darkened. Placing his hand on the ε symbol again yielded no response; the meter-thick gate remained immovable.

"We’re locked in," he muttered grimly. Scanning the sides, he found no control panel to reopen the door.

"Look, there’s another door opposite us."

Following Housen’s gesture, they indeed spotted an identical rune-inscribed gate directly across from them. Similarly, countless pipelines entered from outside and converged into the central energy shield.

"So this room filled with precision instruments is the central hub, where those energy flows converge."

Taking a deep breath, Tang Fang turned to Arroz, only to find him ignoring the opposite gate entirely. His focus was entirely on the energy shield above.

"Arroz, what are you looking at?"

"Tang Fang, take a closer look at those pipes running through the ceiling."

Looking up, Tang Fang saw crystal pipelines, ultra-long "diodes," and countless cable-like tubes forming a network. Above the energy shield, crimson organic ducts resembling the underbelly intestines of the centipede monsters from Planet 5 pierced through the shield and extended to the roof, weaving into a spiderweb-like structure. The indestructible ceiling bore countless holes of varying sizes, and astonishingly, the ducts writhed continuously, as if alive.

"We’ve stumbled into quite a place," Arroz said, exhaling a plume of swirling smoke. "Planet Namie might hold extraordinary significance for the Epsilon race."

Housen slammed his fist against the rune-inscribed gate. "Does all this talk help? Our immediate concern is how to get out!"

"If we’re here, we might as well make the best of it," Tang Fang replied, glancing at the other two. "Come on, let’s go downstairs."

"Why?" Housen asked.

Tang Fang shot him a sidelong glance but didn’t answer. Recalling his combat units, he strode toward a nearby lift platform.

Arroz gave him a similar look, slung his gun over his shoulder, and followed.

"Was my question that stupid?" Housen muttered, watching their retreating figures, unable to suppress a sigh.

...

About five minutes later, the lift slowed to a gentle stop at the bottom floor. Stepping off, the trio walked slowly toward the nearest elevated platform.

The so-called control center bore little resemblance to the human-computer interfaces of starship control platforms. Instead, it was a psychic flame suspended in midair, surrounded by countless unfamiliar runes. On either side of the cold flame floated silky silver threads, soft and cotton-like.

"Huh, what’s this?" Housen’s curiosity got the better of him. Without waiting for Tang Fang to respond, he reached out with the same hand that had caused so much trouble.

"Fool, haven’t you caused enough problems?"

The oppressive and dangerous atmosphere of the room put everyone on edge. Having learned from previous missteps, Arroz, fearing Housen’s impulsiveness, had been keeping 80% of his attention on that troublesome hand, ready to intervene. When Housen moved quickly, Arroz was faster. Grabbing Housen’s wrist, he twisted it backward.

"Ahhh!" Housen screamed like a pig being slaughtered. "Arroz, what are you doing?"

"Hmph, saving your life!"

Tang Fang ignored their squabble, his full attention focused on the psychic flame before him. Only now did he confirm that the mental summons he had felt earlier originated from this flame.

After seeing the mechanical facilities within the ruins, Tang Fang couldn’t shake a bizarre feeling. From a purely mechanical perspective, the Epsilon’s technology bore striking similarities to human tech. Yet, in critical areas, it diverged completely—like the flame-shaped control center before him.

To describe it more vividly, the Epsilon’s technology seemed to blend characteristics of the Terran and Protoss races from StarCraft, resulting in a uniquely grotesque style.

Why would a single race develop two drastically different technological styles? What could explain such a phenomenon?

Tang Fang pondered deeply until the argument beside him subsided. Shaking his head, he chuckled bitterly.

Just as scholars had debated for over two centuries about how the Epsilon race vanished without a trace, no definitive answers had been found. As an outsider, why waste time and energy on such questions?

With that thought, he stopped overthinking and began dismantling the armor modules on his arm.

Housen watched as Tang Fang removed the armor from his hand, then reached toward the psychic flame.

"Hey, Arroz, why did you stop me but not him?"

When no reply came after a long while, Housen turned to see the veteran soldier staring in horror at the circular energy shield above.

Housen instinctively looked up. The terrifying sight above froze him to the core. His breath hitched sharply as icy dread coursed through his body.

The energy shield was rapidly dissolving, its once-opaque blue glow thinning and fading. Through the translucent barrier, a monstrous tumor-like entity slowly opened a blood-red eye that dominated most of its body. It cast a chilling gaze toward the trio, making them feel as though they were standing at the gates of an endless slaughterhouse.

"Tang Fang, what have you done?!"

Amidst Housen’s furious shout, Tang Fang jerked his hands back as if electrocuted. Frowning reflexively, he muttered, "I didn’t do anything."

Feeling the tension in the air, he looked up—and instantly, his scalp prickled as every hair stood on end.

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