StarCraft: Tyranid Empire

Chapter 100 The Dilemma of the People

Renault's mother, Carol, knew that her son was coming back, so when she was free, she always stood at the door and looked up at Shiloh's drowsy sky due to sandstorms, even though the bright sun might burn her beautiful pale green eyes.

Most of the farmland in Centerville has been abandoned. The economic depression caused by the war, population loss and lack of fuel are the main reasons for soil erosion and desert expansion.

Although startled by the fierce Tychus Finley, Carol didn't say much, just smiled and invited Augustus and others into the front hall of the dome.Soldiers noticed that despite the ravages of hunger and poverty, the gentle and beautiful Shiloh woman kept her home clean and in order.

This very Shiloh Colonial cabin is a metal and granite building, with brown walls that can even see local prehistoric vertebrate fossils and beautiful spiral patterns.

There is a small rectangular oak dining table and a few chairs in the front hall. These wooden furniture are quite expensive in Shiloh, which lacks vegetation and forests, almost equal to the value of precious metals.Between the table and a star map of the Koprulu sector that hung on the wall was a red carpet that the mistress of the family had woven herself.

When Carol was pouring tea for the guests, Reynolds noticed that there was a lot less furniture in the house. His father's favorite Josala sunwood music box was gone, and many old furniture in memory seemed to be erased by time.

"Where's Dad?" Raynor said as he poured tea for his mother.

"He's still working on the farm and on his way back."

"Mrs. Reynolds, I'm Lieutenant Augustus Mengsk, Jim's officer." Augustus introduced himself to Carol, pointed to the others and said, "These are all comrades in the same class of Jim. I don't know Jim Did I tell you that he is already the corporal squad leader of this squad?"

"We're proud of him, sir." Carol handed Augustus a cup of cold black tea. In Shiloh, which is always extremely hot for most of the year, this is a favorite of farmers and workers. A must drink.

"Sit down, gentlemen. Oh, and a pretty lady."

"Mom, why don't you use the money I gave you to buy some food." Lei Nuo helped his mother put the back pot containing herbal tea back into the refrigerator: "Dad still sold that music box?"

"Since you left, the government's taxes have increased month by month, and farms have suffered a sharp decline in production due to shortages of genetically modified seeds and agricultural robots. Even so, Shiloh, as the main agricultural world, still has to pay food as a form of tax payment. government to supply the troops at the front."

"Shit, someone must have taken all that food. Jim's mother, you must have no idea how we got through our days in the army. Eating shit all day long." Harnack was wearing a black jacket with civilian attire and ripped dark blue jeans, he cut his hair into a mohawk-style comb before leaving the barracks.

Between Harnack's bald skulls stood a head of crimson hair like a brightly colored comb.

"Shut up, Hank," Augustus whispered.

"At first, we used the salary you sent back to repay the debt we owed. However, the few sums sent back later are by no means what you can get with your military rank and seniority. They come from unknown sources, and you didn't tell us that you Where did you get the money, your father and I think we shouldn't use it." Carol glanced at Harnack for a few moments and then withdrew her gaze.

"We're all worried about you, boy, if you got the money by crime or some other way I don't know about. Well, we mustn't touch it."

Raynor was speechless, although he did not consider it a crime to profit from the spoils, nor a pang of conscience to take away wealth that would go to the rich and powerful, but his parents did not know.

"I think there may be some misunderstandings." Augustus looked at Carol and said, "Ma'am, you don't have to worry about the unknown origin of the money, because it was earned by Jim's life and death in the war."

"My warriors are richly rewarded for their exploits and have the right to dispose of their trophies, which Jim deserves. I learned of the predicament of the Raynor family, so I gave him an extra bonus. He never To explain to you, it is only because of the military's secrecy regulations."

"Really? Jim." Carol looked at her son, she was dubious about what Augustus said.

In Carol's eyes, Augustus is definitely an excellent soldier. He is young and handsome, and he is not frivolous at all. He always stands upright like a green pine tree, which is very easy to win the favor of an older woman. Good impression.

"Of course." Renault nodded quickly.In a way, what Augustus said is basically the truth of the facts.

"We are the demons of heaven, and many colonies speak of our name and deeds."

"You never lied to me. But we still can't accept them, they belong to you, we are your parents not vampires." Carol looked at her son and shook her head.The personalities of the Renault family are very similar, that is, they are very persistent in what they are looking for, and it is difficult to be persuaded.

"I know your concerns." Augustus noticed some opened cans in the Reynolds' kitchen and realized that the family was eating them as a staple.

"You want to earn the money you need to live with your own hands, but poverty will eventually destroy your body."

Judging from the inferior metal packaging alone, Augustus could imagine that the cans purchased by the Renault family were likely to be low-priced smuggled goods when the farm went bankrupt and could not apply for any subsidies.

The sources of such smuggled canned food are often very complicated. They may have been stored for more than ten years, expired and spoiled and breed bacteria, and they also include those synthetic foods that come from black-hearted processing factories in the marginal world.

The smugglers travel between the stars just to avoid the quarantine, or to avoid a series of additional qualification certificates such as food safety production licenses that non-creation families need to purchase, and stay in various illegal black ports to send a message to the people at the bottom of the world. Sell ​​these bootlegs at unbelievably low prices.

Eating these canned foods, whose quality is not guaranteed, means taking many risks, and diseased mold can be fatal.In the Koprulu sector, although many incurable diseases have been eradicated, there are still many more, emerging diseases that are incurable.

It is likely that these took the lives of Raynor's parents.

This is also the fate shared by Shiloh and other people in the colonial world, poor food, poor living conditions, and a bleak future.

Augustus realized that the only way to save these people was to reshape this rotten system.

Carol Raynor nodded, and Augustus only hoped she had listened.

Next, Augustus didn't say anything more, and left more time for Renault, his mother, and his father who was about to come back, and let him convince his family by himself.

The spaceship stayed in Shiloh for a short time, only half a day.Augustus did not have the courage to meet Tom Omo's parents because he believed Omo's death was his own responsibility.

Before the spaceship was about to set sail for Tarsonis, Augustus placed a bouquet of flowers in front of Omo's grave and stood there for a long time.

(End of this chapter)