Chapter Twenty-Four: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

After Tassadar and his group departed, the Fang King immediately set his plans in motion. He first dispatched his minions to capture the so-called ‘defector’ broodmother, intending for her to witness firsthand the fate awaiting her saviors. Then he began preparing for Tassadar’s arrival, determined to give him a proper surprise.

Indeed, the so-called Overmind was nothing more than a puppet the Fang King had casually chosen—he had always manipulated the swarm from the shadows. Even if this Overmind died, he could simply install another one in moments.

With most of the Fang King’s attention devoted to toying with Tassadar, the Skrull Empire observed a noticeable slackening in the Alpha Fleet’s offensive, granting them a much-needed respite. Recently, several outbreaks of infection had been reported on the colonies of the Avabon Empire. Thanks to their previous experience with the mushroom incident, the Skrull Empire quickly contained these infections and determined that this was a different strain: only those directly wounded by Alpha organisms had any chance of contracting the virus.

With the offensive slowed, the Skrull Empire intensified its screening for infections. Since there was no cure, any infected individual was summarily executed and burned to prevent further spread.

Returning to Tassadar, his group arrived at the broodmother prison after only a few hours. Careful reconnaissance of the surrounding mountains led them to focus on a seemingly nondescript hill ahead.

“There is indeed a stronger, more elusive darkness shrouding this place. Tassadar, how should we proceed?” Zeratul communicated his thoughts via psychic link. Though he’d long sensed the dark energy atop the hill, for the sake of their ruse, he pretended ignorance.

“Pay it no mind; act as if we’re unaware of the dark energy,” Tassadar replied, his gaze thoughtful as he regarded the hill. This was unlike the canyon—here, it would be easy for a few to slip away. If that were the case, assassination should be their primary tactic.

“Zeratul, I want you to lead the Dark Templar and eliminate the minions—leave the broodmothers alive. The rest of the Templar will spread out at the base of the mountain with me, both to block any escape and deal with potential reinforcements,” Tassadar ordered.

So they split into two groups: Tassadar led the High Templar to intercept any messages, while Zeratul and his Dark Templar slipped into the shadows, approaching the broodmother prison unseen. Not a single minion noticed their presence as they closed in. With the assassinations underway, the prison became eerily silent; the customary rustling of countless creatures vanished. By then, all the guards in the prison had been quietly eliminated.

Entering the cellblock, Zeratul revealed himself to the broodmothers after dispatching the last sentries. The sight of rolling insect heads and the sudden appearance of this strange being forced the terrified broodmothers to stifle any screams.

“I am Executor Zeratul of the Protoss Empire. We have come to rescue you,” Zeratul’s calm psionic waves soothed the frightened broodmothers. Before he could ask any questions, a voice spoke up, “Are you truly here to save us? I am Lysa, broodmother of the Central Hive.”

Zeratul looked over and, as expected, saw a broodmother veiled in traces of dark energy. So, it begins, he thought, unperturbed. “We are indeed here to rescue you. The Overmind is a tyrant, who has slaughtered countless aliens and oppressed his own kin. Our mission is to help you overthrow his rule.”

Lysa blinked, her tone despondent. “But what good is killing the Overmind? Our people have already betrayed us.”

Zeratul narrowed his eyes. “The Overmind controls them. Once he’s dead, you will regain your authority. Now, tell me—where is the Overmind?”

Lysa shrank her fat neck. “No one knows his location. His movements are always a mystery.”

“Oh? Is that so? Even his own daughter does not know?” Zeratul’s energy blade glowed, mere centimeters from Lysa’s throat.

“How did you know that?” Lysa stared at Zeratul in terror, afraid to move a muscle.

“It’s simple,” Zeratul replied coldly. “I heard it myself.”

Heard it? The Fang King fell into contemplation. These strange Protoss emerging from the shadows had already surprised him, but hearing that phrase, his cunning mind immediately recalled a previous scene. Could he have witnessed the broodmother’s entire spawning process at the canyon? The Fang King’s eyes narrowed. Having survived so many years, he was always acutely aware of anything that might threaten him.

So, he suspects my presence but pretends ignorance, eh? Bold of you, Tassadar. The Fang King, who had originally planned to leave the planet, reconsidered Tassadar’s actions. Does he think he can catch me off guard and defeat me? He grinned wickedly. Since you dare not call your fleet, you must be hoping to ambush me when I’m inattentive. Watching Zeratul, a cold glint flashed in the Fang King’s eyes. Sadly, you have no idea I can observe your every move—your secret weapon is already exposed.

Confident he’d seen through Tassadar’s ruse, the Fang King bared a bloodthirsty smile at Zeratul and his group. I must admit, you’ve surprised me again. But now that you’re exposed, prepare to meet your doom, losers. He would proceed as planned, but now with heightened vigilance against the Dark Templar.

Zeratul and his companions, however, were unaware their plan had been largely uncovered. They had not guessed that the dark energy was not just a tool the Fang King used to control his minions, but also his eyes and ears.

In the ensuing conversation with Lysa, Zeratul confirmed the so-called Overmind’s location: a sea cave on a distant island. After reporting this to Tassadar, they moved the broodmothers into the nearby mountains and departed.

“The Fang King gave up the Overmind’s location so readily—something has changed,” Zeratul mused as he traveled, communicating with Tassadar.

After hearing Zeratul recount the events in detail, Tassadar pondered for a moment and then said, “It’s likely he’s guessed our true objective. Through those dark energies, his servants can communicate with him directly.”

Zeratul’s expression darkened. “Should we revise our plan? The Fang King is surely fully prepared by now.”

Tassadar shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Even if he suspects from your sudden appearance that we uncovered the broodmothers’ secret and deduced our real target is him, he also knows we haven’t called the fleet. His arrogance will make him believe we intend to use your stealth to assassinate him. As long as he doesn’t know about the secret technique, he will still underestimate us. That said, your mission will be even more dangerous now.”

Zeratul sighed. “Had I known, I would not have used my cloak; perhaps we could have assassinated him outright.”

Tassadar chuckled softly. “There was no other choice. Had you not revealed yourself, the route the Fang King provided would have been far more circuitous, and over such a long journey, mistakes would have been inevitable. We didn’t expect him to gain real-time intelligence, but whether we were exposed or not was never the crux of this plan. As long as he doesn’t flee, it’s a success.”

“All we can do is hope nothing else goes awry,” Zeratul replied.

Meanwhile, in the Temple of Shadows, the Fang King received a new guest.

“Well, well, well, look who it is—my dear child, Karel. So, you dare come alone to kill me?” The Fang King raised his right hand, a crimson energy trapping Karel in midair.

Having been alerted by Zeratul’s group, the Fang King had taken multiple precautions against such stealth tactics, and now, by sheer luck, he had caught a valuable prize.

Karel had been searching the sector for traces of the Fang King. As a former subordinate, he was acutely sensitive to the Fang King’s power. Upon detecting it, he immediately traveled to this planet, hoping to destroy the Fang King with his own hands—only to walk straight into the trap.

“My, my, Karel, why the long face?” The Fang King leaned close, whispering in Karel’s ear. “I see you’ve finally reached Aiur. What’s this? You’ve abandoned the power I taught you—how disappointing. In all these millennia, you haven’t improved? Oh, that antique starship must have taken thousands of years to reach Aiur, and coupled with you abandoning your cultivation… Tsk, tsk, you’ve wasted all my careful nurturing.”

“Fang King!” Karel spat through clenched teeth. “Spare me your falsehoods. I swore to kill you with my own hands, to avenge my parents and siblings! You will pay for your lies!”

“Silly child.” The Fang King patted Karel’s face. “So, they’ve told you the so-called truth, haven’t they? Why are you so naïve? In fact, they lied to you—your real parents were my loyal followers.” He tilted Karel’s chin upward, forcing their eyes to meet.

“No, that’s impossible. They wouldn’t lie to me.” Karel’s mind went blank at the Fang King’s words, unaware of the faint red glow seeping from the Fang King’s hand into his body.

“Now, my dear Karel, tell me—how did you find this place?” As the Fang King’s eyes flashed crimson, the confused Karel slowly replied, “I—I found it myself. I am very sensitive to your power.”

Satisfied, the Fang King intensified his control. “Tell me, did you come alone, or did you inform the fleet?”

“I—I came with my companions. I didn’t inform the fleet.” Karel seemed about to awaken from his stupor, and the Fang King had to redouble his hold, knowing it wouldn’t last long.

“Then tell me—why, when you’re so weak, would you dare attempt to assassinate me?” The Fang King caressed Karel’s cheek, strands of red energy spreading across his face.

“Because, because, because…” Karel’s expression contorted violently, as if he would break free at any moment. “Because I invented a secret technique…”