"What the hell are the observatories paid to do!"
"There were no spatial fluctuations! Optical detection found no target!"
"How can a meteor this massive just appear out of thin air!?"
"It really did fucking appear out of thin air!"
"What's the feedback from the satellites?"
"We haven't had any damn satellites for a long time!"
Staring at the gigantic meteor on the display screen, which had a diameter of a full kilometer, the Mu Continent's central authority, the "Science Deliberation Committee," had descended into utter chaos.
No one present was an illiterate.
To be precise, every single member was a scientist who lacked no relevant astronomical knowledge—they all knew full well what consequences a meteor of this size would bring upon the Mu Continent.
And moreover...
"This is an attack from the Honkai Beasts. No, this is an attack from the Black Emperor."
This thought became a consensus in everyone's mind the very moment the meteor appeared.
Its predicted point of impact was aimed straight at the Eye of the Abyss. Based on destructive power estimates, the maximum blast force of the meteor bombardment would cover an area "60 times its diameter"—a distance that perfectly stopped just short of the Honkai Beast army's front lines.
As for the subsequent thermal radiation and shockwave hazards…
Honkai Beasts were not fragile carbon-based lifeforms. They might be affected, but they would absolutely not suffer the same catastrophic casualties as humans. Even if the human guerrilla teams that had infiltrated five kilometers behind the Honkai Beast army were completely wiped out, it was unlikely that even the smallest Honkai Beasts in the legion would die in significant numbers.
This was...
"A premeditated plan."
"We're being treated like livestock herded into a pen."
The meteor's speed was extraordinarily fast.
Under the combined effect of some force, or perhaps several forces, this meteor had completely evaded all of humanity's detection methods.
Until the moment it wanted to be discovered by humans.
From that point on, the threat of humanity's conventional weapons against an asteroid within the atmosphere had been reduced to its lowest point. Unless they could completely annihilate its existence, any explosive action could potentially lead to an even greater disaster.
A shattered meteor.
Its threat to civilization was in no way smaller than a whole one.
Did humanity possess the means to completely disintegrate the meteor?
Yes, but...
"Prepare the Abyss Cannon."
The President of the Deliberation Committee made the final decision.
During this period, aside from powering the necessary quantum weapons, all the quantum energy collected from the Eye of the Abyss had been stockpiled by the Mu Continent.
That decisive measure from the Flame-Chasers...
To ensure the experiment's success, the Mu Continent needed to collect a quantum energy reserve equivalent to about five times the amount needed for a single attempt. So far, the energy collection process was only about 40% complete.
In other words.
The experiment could only afford to fail once.
But now, facing the meteor rapidly falling from the sky, the President had to make a choice immediately. According to the observatory's structural analysis of the meteor's integrity, completely annihilating it until not even dust remained would require at least 40% of their quantum energy reserves. The maximum estimate came to exactly 50%.
That's right.
The meteor descending from the sky, as if perfectly calculated, had only given humanity one chance...
"Fire!"
There was no time for hesitation.
As alarms blared across the entire Mu Continent, the large-scale "scientific research" device located at the Eye of the Abyss, the "Abyss Cannon," had already unleashed a pillar of light that shot into the heavens!
VMMMM!!
A dazzling column of light pierced the sky!
The flameless meteor collided head-on with the brilliant radiance—
TSSSSSSSS!!!!
"..."
A blinding white light obscured everything.
The Abyss Cannon did not disappoint the people of the Mu Continent. The initial purpose behind this device's creation was indeed for scientific research: to use spatial energy to constrain quantum energy for more efficient ultra-long-distance transmission.
Of course.
Dual military-civilian use had always been a habitual practice in the Mu Continent's research and design philosophy.
"Did we succeed?"
"We succeeded!"
The scientists today were clearly having trouble controlling their emotions.
Although it had consumed 50% of their energy reserves, it had also crushed the Honkai Beasts' offensive. The meteor, which was powerful enough to destroy the Eye of the Abyss and even inflict irreversible trauma on the Mu Continent, had just been blasted directly into ash by the Abyss Cannon!
This was the first true victory the Mu Continent had achieved since the war began. They had successfully foiled the Black Emperor's scheme!
However...
Not everyone was so ecstatic.
At least, the President was not. The original design intent of the Abyss Cannon, besides accumulating experience for ultra-long-distance quantum energy transmission technology, was also to fulfill the mission of defeating super-massive Honkai Beasts.
If fired at full power, the quantum energy beam from the Abyss Cannon was potent enough to annihilate a full-strength Judgement-class Honkai Beast in a single shot.
In other words.
This was the most threatening weapon the Mu Continent possessed against the Black Emperor after learning of his existence. But now...
This weapon had lost its lethality.
The remaining quantum energy was only enough for a single experiment—
Crack!
The sound of shattering glass came from the communications station.
The latest intelligence from the observatory had arrived: it was true that the Abyss Cannon had successfully destroyed the meteor, but no one ever said...
"A meteor!"
"A second one!!!"
For a scientist, being the President of the Deliberation Committee was not a pleasant job. Only a senior with great prestige and abundant achievements was qualified to sit in this position.
But it also meant that it was difficult for him to continue focusing his energy on scientific research.
More importantly.
Making a choice often meant making a sacrifice.
To fire the remaining 50% of their quantum energy reserves...
While it could certainly resolve the threat of the second meteor falling from the sky, the "overheating (super-quantization)" problem of the Abyss Cannon caused by consecutive firing would render this crucial weapon unusable for a short period. If the "Black Emperor" took the opportunity to attack, the Mu Continent would lose its means of retaliation. Moreover, the resulting delay in the experiment's progress would place the Mu Continent in an incredibly perilous situation.
"Prepare the nuclear missiles."
"Request the observatory to provide the optimal detonation solution... Don't be stingy with the stockpile. Minimize the damage as much as possible."
It was a move made in desperation.
Using nuclear missiles to detonate a meteor striking from high altitude.
It was not much different from detonating a nuclear weapon in one's own home. The secondary disasters caused by the nuclear explosion and the fragmentation of the meteor...
"Preparations com—"
"Launch."
Before the messenger could finish his words, the President had already made his choice.
His choice was the same as the Soviet Union's. No, it was far more painful than the Soviet Union's.
The latter, after all, was fighting an away game.
The Mu Continent, however... was truly cutting off its own arm.
WHOOSH!!
More than thirty hypersonic missiles armed with nuclear warheads shot up from their silos, following their predetermined trajectories!
Towards the seemingly slow-moving, giant ball of fire—
BOOOOMM!!!!!