Chapter 349 – We’re Screwed!
Mars, on a hill made out of red sand:
After placing down the heavy warhead, Chen Yu pressed down on the detonator. He then spread out his arms and looked at the shining sun in the sky while shouting, “Which boy doesn’t dream of getting nuked?”
[Only you.]
[Only you.]
[Only you. +1]
[+1388***4888. (Add me for clips)]
“Counting down from eight, seven, six…”
The floating camera rapidly rose into the air, giving the livestream’s audience a panoramic view of the area. Very quickly, Chen Yu’s figure, which was enveloped by the E·I Force Field, became insignificantly small.
“Four.
“Three…”
The bullet comments gradually stopped appearing.
Although there were many nuclear detonation videos on the internet, watching a nuclear explosion live was still something the vast majority of the livestream’s viewers had never experienced before. So, everyone was naturally engrossed in the upcoming scene.
In fact, some professionals specialized in nuclear weaponry had never gotten the opportunity to personally witness a nuclear explosion, either.
After all, since the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty’s enactment in 1996, nuclear tests had been banned in all environments.
“Two.
“One…
“…
“…”
The countdown ended, yet the thermonuclear warhead remained motionless.
Chen Yu: “…”
A whirl of sand and dust blew past the area, creating a rather depressing scene for everyone to see.
“Um…”
Raising his wrist, Chen Yu looked at the time displayed on his watch. “Is Earth’s ten seconds different from Mars’s ten seconds?”
[UP, your mouth really knows how to jinx things.]
[It’s over. It’s a dud.]
[Theoretically, Earth’s ten seconds really isn’t equivalent to Mars’s ten seconds.]
[All firecrackers face such a problem. If the manufacturer isn’t qualified, it’s normal for the firecracker to choke. Turn off that what’s-it-called force field and give the firecracker a pat with your hand.]
[It’s I·P Force Field.]
[Isn’t it A·V Force Field?]
Chen Yu stood in place waiting for half a minute. After verifying that the hydrogen bomb was a dud, he turned to look at the distant Interstellar Portal.
With his exceptional vision, he could clearly see the Russian commander waving at him desperately.
“What? You want me to bring the warhead back for repairs?” Chen Yu asked.
“!!”
Shocked by Chen Yu’s words, the Russian commander began shaking his head even more frantically.
“What a scaredy-cat. It’s not like it’ll hurt, so what’s there to be afraid of?”
Clicking his tongue, Chen Yu circled around the bomb a few times. After failing to find any surface problems with the bomb, he flew back to the portal and returned to Earth.
Thud.
Chen Yu turned off the E·I Force Field, his feet landing steadily on the ground. He then pulled out the red detonator and asked, “Is there a problem with the detonator?”
One of the engineers on-site hurriedly accepted the detonator and inspected it. He then shook his head and said, “It’s already in an activated state, so we can eliminate the possibility of the remote controller being the cause.”
“Is the signal unstable?”
“The controller uses short-frequency electrical signals. Mars doesn’t have a strong magnetic field, either. So, the signal should be stable. Moreover, even if there is interference, it shouldn’t affect the activation at such a short distance.”
“What’s the cause, then?”
“I don’t know.” The Russian engineer shrugged.
After sending a glance at the floating camera that had caught up to him, Chen Yu hesitated for a moment before picking up the atomic bomb. “If the big one is jammed, I’ll detonate the small one first. If this one detonates successfully, can it cause the other one to detonate as well?”
“No.” The engineer shook his head without hesitation. “The detonation of nuclear weapons requires precise event coordination. Without these events, the chain reaction can’t start, and the bomb will not explode. Among the many bombs in existence, nuclear bombs have always been the safest. Hence, aside from using the activation trigger, it is almost impossible for one to detonate a nuclear bomb.”
“Understood. I’ll blow this up, then.”
After saying so, Chen Yu put some strength into his back and “carried” the nuclear warhead on his shoulder. He then boldly strode toward the portal, the scene appearing comedic no matter how one looked at it…
However, before Chen Yu could even move one foot through the spatial film, his keen eyes suddenly noticed a white light appearing in the distance. Surprised, he hurriedly retrieved his extended leg.
Subsequently, the white light started growing brighter at a terrifying speed. In no time at all, the Martian surface beyond the portal looked as if it had turned into the surface of a star. And despite the spatial film having filtered out a significant portion of the light’s luminosity, it was still impossible for anyone to look at the light directly.
“It exploded! The warhead exploded!”
Chen Yu’s fear lasted only a quarter of a second. Immediately afterward, he tossed the warhead on his shoulder aside without hesitation, activated the E·I Force Field, and charged through the portal excitedly!
While flying, he shouted, “Friends, can you see it? It’s a nuclear explosion! I’m about to go give it a hug!”
[What a crazy line.]
[No comment…]
[Are you Godzilla?]
[A man will not let an explosion appear behind him. ( ͡°͜ʖ͡°)]
[The host’s posture of carrying the warhead just now was pretty cool.]
[Explosion is art!]
[The screen is too bright. It’s hurting my eyes.]
Rumble, rumble…
Half a second later, as Chen Yu moved closer to the explosion’s epicenter, the deafening sound of the blast finally reached him.
The violent turbulence currently present in the air could easily tear a human being into shreds. Even when looking through the E·I Force Field, all Chen Yu could see was a field of white ahead of him.
As for the floating camera flying high up in the air, it could get a clear shot of the overall situation.
That, was a gigantic, red mushroom cloud that was rapidly rising into the air!
Flames and lightning came together to paint a picture using the colors of red, white, blue, gray, and black, and the resulting picture was beautiful beyond words.
The earth was falling apart.
The sky was being torn apart.
Rings of white clouds expanded and shrunk.
The ultimate power of mankind in the 21st century was displayed on Mars for the first time.
Rumble, rumble…
In the distant Earth, everyone who was watching the livestream shuddered simultaneously.
[Crap~]
[Hoo!]
[Screenshot!]
[This really is the magic of nature.]
[Every time I see a video of a nuclear explosion, I get the feeling that human beings are not far away from extinction. After watching this livestream, this premonition has grown even stronger.]
[Is there anyone still present on the scene?]
[Is the portal okay?]
[Mars: Do you know why I didn’t give birth to life now? Fuck!]
[I wonder how many Hiroshima bombs that explosion is equivalent to.]
[Maybe 2333.][1]
[すごい! (Awesome!)]
[実際に見てみたい. (I really want to see it with my own eyes.)]
…
At the same time, inside the spacecraft positioned in Mars’s high orbit…
The Chinese pilot, who was currently strapped to his seat and resting, instinctively opened his eyes and looked out the window in a daze.
“Uh?
“Isn’t that a nuclear explosion…”
After mumbling in a hoarse voice, the pilot yawned and shut his eyes again to rest.
“…”
“…”
“What the?! A nuclear explosion?!”
The pilot hurriedly untied his seat belt, got up from his seat, and leaned against the window. When he stared at the constantly diffusing red circle on Mars’s surface, he shuddered involuntarily.
The pilot pressed the communication button that connected the cockpit with the China Aerospace Headquarters on Earth with a trembling hand. He then shouted in a hoarse voice, “We’re screwed!”