Chapter 260: Super-Weapon Class Unknown Main Cannon
The 'Wuyi' class is equipped with two triple-barreled medium electromagnetic cannons, each with a maximum power equivalent to 5% of the 'Qinling' main cannon's power.
To minimize irregular rolling of the hull caused by recoil from kinetic cannons in a zero-gravity environment, its two turrets are positioned on the dorsal and ventral sides, overlapping vertically, with the midpoint of their connecting line passing precisely through the hull's center of gravity, thereby canceling out the rolling moment through simultaneous firing.
As for the minor mechanical errors generated during actual firing, they can be corrected by the attitude adjustment engines, requiring only a small amount of energy consumption.
Supported by an almost perfect engineering design, the 'Xianxia' and 'Minjiang' maintained a very stable orbital attitude, continuously unleashing firepower onto the desolate planet below.
To prevent the projectiles from instantly sublimating into metal vapor due to intense heating upon contact with the target, the medium electromagnetic cannon's caliber is actually the same as the heavy one, with standard warheads also weighing 600 kilograms, possessing substantial volume and mass.
The difference lies in its much lower muzzle velocity, 'only' 27 kilometers per second, which is approximately Mach 80 at sea level on Earth.
When conducting ground bombardment from high orbit, due to the combined effects of planetary gravitational acceleration and atmospheric friction deceleration, the warhead's final impact velocity upon striking the ground is Mach 95.
The kinetic energy upon impact increases by 41% compared to when it left the barrel, roughly equivalent to 74 tons of TNT explosive, barely entering the power range of a miniature tactical nuclear warhead.
During four consecutive minutes of bombardment, the two 'Wuyi' class frigates fired a total of 10 volleys, launching 360 tons of metal kinetic warheads, accounting for one-third of their magazine capacity, with a total power of 8880 tons of TNT, equivalent to sixty percent of the Hiroshima nuclear explosion.
However, unlike a nuclear explosion, this energy is concentrated on 120 points, each less than 0.01 square meters, like a metal downpour.
If it hits, it's enough to destroy most buildings and war vehicles.
"Enemy kinetic projectiles detected on radar! Many! No less than 100!"
When the rain of projectiles descended to an altitude of approximately 4 square kilometers, Mr. Sang received a report from his subordinate.
"Calculate the trajectory, normal interception will suffice."
He was completely unperturbed, full of confidence.
"Also, have the fleet prepare for takeoff!"
"Yes!"
No sooner had the subordinate finished speaking than Mr. Sang felt a subtle tingling sensation on the back of his hand and the nape of his neck.
Not far away, an extremely powerful electric field was rapidly being established.
Some extremely power-hungry equipment was rapidly charging.
The next second, everyone on the Cangyuan Fleet saw an extremely bright blue-violet beam of light appear in the Ruins Star's atmosphere.
At the same time, instruments recorded a powerful electromagnetic pulse, with a peak almost twice that of a 'Qinling' class main cannon's firing.
You cunning Dark Sun...
You really did hide something here!
"Battle Perception Department, report on what just happened."
"AI judges that a high-power intercept laser was fired from the ground!"
Ye Xing shouted.
"A large number of luminous phenomena were detected in low Earth orbit, presumed to be reflections formed by laser beams! Moreover, the spectral signature shows that the luminous objects are primarily composed of iron, and the number of luminous objects is exactly 120, meaning all the projectiles we fired have been intercepted!"
He turned his head.
"Boss, good thing you had us perform an orbital maneuver immediately after firing, otherwise, we would have been swept by those lasers by now!"
Jubian also turned his head, pushed up his air-glasses, and said, "The enemy's laser frequency is different from ours, very likely in the ultraviolet band, possibly even reaching the X-ray band, so the photons have enough energy to excite or ionize air atoms in the atmosphere, producing light like lightning, just as we saw before! Executive Officer, the opponent's laser technology is much stronger than ours!"
However, if they have such a powerful laser cannon, why didn't they use it for the Punishment Fleet before?
Hearing him say this, many people felt puzzled.
"Normal, as expected, no need to be nervous."
Lu Yuan also felt strange, but couldn't attend to it for now, responding with the calm demeanor of a leader.
"What's the ground observation situation like?"
Ye Xing: "It's not working well! We completely failed to see any objects similar to laser cannons or warships on the ground, yet the optical lenses on the Xianyang should have sufficient magnification and resolution!"
"It's alright."
Lu Yuan looked at Xian Yu, who was leaning on the sea chart table with both hands, frowning.
"We must assume that Dark Sun has also installed the 'Mirage' system, like the one on the Apollo drone, on the ground. What we saw before was not the actual terrain, but a projected illusion, a city-scale optical camouflage."
"I agree. And I have a bad feeling, this time, the opponent's technological level is finally no longer inferior to Cangyuan's. It's going to be a tough fight."
"At least the fleet hasn't suffered a direct hit yet."
Caoyuan maintained the composure and calmness of a professional soldier.
"This indicates that at the current orbital altitude of 95,000 kilometers, our stealth measures are still quite reliable."
"You are very right."
Lu Yuan raised his voice, calming the morale in time.
"Everyone, this battle is not like before. Dark Sun and we each have our strengths and specialties in technology! Everyone must avoid underestimating the enemy, but also don't belittle yourselves!"
"Understood!"
"Don't worry, Boss!"
"Very good! Then, according to the plan, continue to descend along the polar orbit, keep the target location at a near-horizon position, and then give Dark Sun a close encounter, as a reward for them!"
"Alright!"
On the surface of Ruins Star, Mr. Sang quietly held a glass of red wine in one hand and propped his chin with the other, intently staring at the screen displaying the combat status.
Finally, the first good news since the start of the battle appeared!
"Report! Our radar has just detected a large object, presumed to be a warship, at an altitude of 83,000 kilometers, and it's still descending! We cannot yet achieve precise fire control lock, but Cangyuan is definitely there!"
The pirate officer in charge of radar operations on the ace 'secret weapon' sent a communication.
"It seems they hope to shorten our reaction time window for interception by lowering their altitude, haha! What a bunch of simple-minded fellows!"
"Shut up!"
Hearing this, Mr. Sang, who had been rather gentle before, immediately became like someone who had eaten gunpowder.
"Anyone who dares to make light of the enemy again, after this battle, I will be the first to flay him!"
"Yes—sorry, Mr. Sang!"
"Wait for them to descend further, then, we'll deliver the 'surprise'!"
19 minutes later, Xianyang Bridge.
"Report, Executive Officer, we have received a radio broadcast from the ground, it's an audio and video signal."
Lu Yuan's lips curved slightly upwards.
It's coming.
Mr. Sang, after all, couldn't resist saying a few words before the 'big' event.
It's a common trait of leaders.
"Play it."
Soon, the image of Mr. Sang, with his civilian-style buzz cut, replaced the Ruins Star, appearing on the curved display screen of the viewport.
"Executive, the other party rested his elbows on the table, hands clasped beneath his chin, his tone unusually calm.
"Given the current state of our two sides, I regret that I cannot offer you a greeting.
"But I sincerely invite you to calm down and negotiate with me face-to-face at the fourth Lagrange point of this planet, to end our grievances in a more peaceful way.
"Apollo and Cangyuan are both excellent companies, both bearing their own ideals, both needing to feed thousands of employees. There's no need to fight to the death here and let other factions in the Star Alliance take advantage.
"If you agree with my proposal, just reply 'Agree'."
"If you don't agree, I know you will definitely maintain radio tactical silence, so, 30 seconds after this message is sent, if I still don't hear 'Agree', then, I wish you good luck."
At the same time Mr. Sang finished his communication, the 'Mirage' on the surface of Ruins Star was deactivated.
"What the hell is that!?"
Lu Yuan and the crew members moved in unison, standing up from their positions.
On the optical magnification screen, the desolate landscape had completely changed; amidst the ruins, a gigantic black multi-legged mech had appeared.
Its appearance was somewhat like the Mechanical Desert Spider, a specialty of Li Star, but not entirely identical.
The three pairs of limbs connected to its head and thorax were thick and rounded, with a streamlined appearance, and the large, fleshy tail behind it occupied more than two-thirds of its total volume, currently held high, looking like a strangely shaped skyscraper.
This size and posture, rather than resembling a spider or an insect, was more like a cephalopod, such as a squid.
It indeed had a size far exceeding that of ordinary super-tall skyscrapers, with a total length of about 1200 meters, and its walking tentacles alone had a diameter of nearly a hundred meters, with a volume comparable to Cangyuan's frigates.
Around this mechanical behemoth, there was also a circle of black 'smoke', which were clearly a massive swarm of drones.
"Executive, that big squid—the electromagnetic field strength around the unknown target is rapidly rising, it's almost off the charts!"
"Understood, pay close attention to observation, this is very important. Also, 'big squid' is very fitting, let's use that codename for now."
"Understood!"
On the ground, Mr. Sang waited quietly for 30 seconds, then shook his head in disappointment and amusement.
Facing death, yet unrepentant.
I gave you a chance, so don't blame me!
"Fire our main cannon."
"Heheheh~ Received! Witness true firepower, you little pieces of trash from Cangyuan!"
The giant mech's tail then began to bend, and the tail-tip structure gradually spread open in the process, its central cannon pointing towards the airspace where the fleet was located, near the horizon.
The next instant, the entire world was swallowed by a golden flash of light.
"Mr. Sang—!"
A few seconds later, amidst intense electromagnetic interference, the pirate subordinate's communication came through.
"Main cannon sweep completed, at least three Cangyuan fleet warships exploded and sank on the spot! As for the remaining survivors, they are fleeing at high speed below the horizon! They're scared—they're running for their lives! Hahahaha! A bunch of blustering fellows, they're no match for the true golden age military might!"