Chapter 120: A Grand Firework Display
“Good!”
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Upon hearing that the Executive Officer had finally decided to use nuclear weapons for a counterattack, many players excitedly pounded on their desks, and the live stream saw a peak in bullet comments.
“That’s right! The good guys can finally drop nukes too!”
“The Executive Officer is a true man.”
“Don’t talk to me about considering the big picture or avoiding escalation; blood debts must be paid with blood!”
“The game developers are good; the storyline has finally aligned with the players' thoughts.”
“Um, everyone,” Nan Guo de Xue stood up, “I don’t want to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, but nuclear bombs, in space, their efficiency should be very low, right?”
“It’s not high.” The one who rode a motorcycle to work overtime, who had contributed to building the fighter jets earlier, confirmed.
“There’s no air in space, so a nuclear explosion won’t produce a shockwave, and the diameter of the superheated plasma will shrink significantly.
A 12-million-ton nuclear warhead, its killing radius—I estimate it’s only about two or three hundred meters. Considering the extremely high relative speed of space fighters and their relatively loose cruising formation, it’s difficult to wipe them all out in one go.”
Lu Yuan: “It’s fine, I didn’t plan to intercept with nuclear bombs directly. Butler, play the PPT.”
“At your command, sir!”
Behind Lu Yuan, a holographic blueprint of the Apollo fighter jet was displayed.
“Everyone should know that military spacecraft are very sensitive to weight. The Apollo fighter jets, like our ‘Shrike,’ use carbon skeletons and carbon shells that are lighter than aerospace aluminum alloy.”
“So they don’t have the Faraday cage effect and can’t defend against nuclear electromagnetic pulses!”
Someone immediately reacted.
Lu Yuan smiled.
“You’re right. My plan is to detonate nuclear bombs in the upper ionosphere when the Apollo reinforcements approach Li Star. Our warheads are very powerful. If we detonate three simultaneously, they can create an electromagnetic pulse with a killing radius of over 1,500 kilometers, capable of completely paralyzing Apollo fighter jets in an orbit of about 700 kilometers. I’ve already had the Butler calculate all of this, and it’s theoretically completely feasible.”
“Hmm! This plan is good!”
Black Smoke was the first to agree.
“When the reinforcements approach Li Star and prepare to land, they will definitely decelerate first! Intercepting them at that time will greatly reduce the difficulty.
Moreover, fighter jets paralyzed by EMP can be quickly repaired and used to expand our own strength. Excellent! Truly an excellent plan, Executive Officer!”
While his words were correct, everyone was quite speechless at his exaggerated tone and demeanor.
When it comes to flattery, if you, Uncle Black Smoke, claim to be second, no one dares to claim first.
Nan Guo de Xue: “Despite this, this plan still requires precise timing. How will we know when and where the enemy will arrive? The ‘Shrike’ radar has limited volume, and its detection Ran Ge for Apollo fighter jets is no more than 200 kilometers. In space, this is basically close-quarters combat. If we want to ambush the enemy at a fixed point, orbital maneuvering is extremely difficult and prone to errors.”
Indeed, this is a technical challenge.
Guo Li Cheng suggested: “Isn’t the radar on the industrial ship larger? It could help the fighter jets get a wider view.”
Ye Xing waved his hands repeatedly: “No, no, no! That definitely won’t work. That’s like a support hero scouting with their face. What if something goes wrong and it gets shot down?”
Guo Li Cheng: “You’re right…”
Ye Xing: “Don’t be so reckless in the future—”
“Ye Xing is right,” Lu Yuan agreed, “The industrial ship is too valuable to allow any mishaps. In fact, I plan to start the main engine as soon as possible, let it temporarily change orbit, and hide it on the other side of Li Star, away from the general direction of the Apollo reinforcements’ attack.”
He didn’t want to lose this precious big toy before even getting to play with its transformation feature.
“Is there still xenon gas fuel on board?” Loulan asked, “Can we extract some to upgrade the power of our fighter jets?”
Black Smoke: “Yes! But extracting fuel from a magnetic mirror reactor is very troublesome; it almost requires opening the entire reactor. No matter how much we work these few days, it definitely won’t be enough time.”
Nan Guo de Xue: “Moreover, with our current recycling technology, xenon gas reactors cannot be miniaturized enough. Space fighter jets can only temporarily use hydrogen-3 cold fusion batteries.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
What should they do?
A moment later, Salty Fish broke the silence.
“Everyone, perhaps, I have a way…”
At the same time, on the surface of Li Star.
Ranqilaile was driving with Ma Lou, speeding at 100 kilometers per hour across the vast Desert.
The enormous nuclear mushroom cloud had finally completely dispersed, and the scorching sun overhead now felt surprisingly comforting.
Ranqilaile was the most outstanding among the new batch of players, reaching Level 2 before everyone else, and was already able to go on missions with players from the first or second echelons.
He never hesitated to share his experience in grinding monsters and doing quests, and he consistently produced strategy videos, gaining considerable fame among new players and earning the respectful title of “Brother Ran.”
Of course, the price was often being late for and leaving early from work.
However, his direct superior had been invited for a “tea talk” and hadn’t returned, so no one usually managed him, making it irrelevant.
As the saying goes, my superior’s superior is not my superior.
Awesome!
“Attention everyone, target has appeared, 11 o’clock position, altitude 760.”
Brother Ran looked up and saw a spaceship emitting a silver glow in the sky, flying towards them.
That was the legendary Omar Minister’s private transport, the Apollo warp yacht. It was indeed beautiful!
“Did Apollo really comply with our conditions? Are they scared?”
Ma Lou: “Not necessarily. I estimate they’re confident they can take it back later, so they want to show weakness temporarily to stabilize us.
Don’t mind him. We accept all comers. Disperse formation and prepare to receive!”
After the warp yacht landed, a total of four all-terrain vehicles flanked it, their dark muzzles aimed at the other side.
The yacht’s side door opened, and two Apollo pilots raised their hands, descending the foldable gangway.
“As per our previous agreement, the yacht has been delivered to your Chief.” The other party clearly didn’t want to say another word, “We hope this makes you deeply appreciate Apollo’s spirit of contract!”
What the hell is spirit of contract.
What the hell is Chief!
Ma Lou was amiable. He nodded, not bothering to argue with the other side.
“Alright, you can go now.”
The two on the other side didn’t move. One of the pilots narrowed his eyes: “We currently have no transportation to return. You need to provide us with an all-terrain vehicle.”
Ma Lou looked him up and down, realizing the other party was serious.
Brother, are you okay?
If you had tried to rob, cheat, or ambush, I would have respected you more. Begging with such arrogance?!
He shook his head vigorously: “Impossible. If you’re really in difficulty, I suggest you figure something out and have your colleagues send someone to pick you up. If you don’t agree to this suggestion, I can only let you rest in the Desert for a few hundred or thousand years, and you won’t have to worry about how to get back.”
“Hmph—” A mysterious smile appeared on the other’s face, “Minister Omar had already anticipated this; he knew you were a bunch of unreasonable barbarians! Never mind, enjoy the convenience brought by Star Alliance’s top technology, if you really know how to drive and operate it, haha!”
The other person laughed a few times with him and then left together.
Watching their retreating figures, Ma Lou shook his head helplessly.
What a bunch of idiots.
Did they really think we didn’t see through their superficial compliance?
“You really have a good temper, Boss Ma Lou,” Brother Ran leaned in, “If it were me, I would have already pulled the trigger. These game NPCs are even more disgusting than those annoying people in real-world companies!”
“Actually, I almost couldn’t hold back either.”
Ma Lou smiled easily, looking up at the sky: “However, the Executive Officer has ordered that we should try to minimize friction with Apollo these two days, avoid causing trouble, and show a willingness to cooperate.”
Brother Ran: “Oh~ So, the boss is planning something big?”
Ma Lou: “Yes, something so big that the entire Desert will clearly see it. Alright, let’s start scanning!”