The giant corporations that started from Night City

Chapter 498: Serial firecrackers, hot metal rain! Fear spreads!

Just when people on Earth thought that only the Mantis was destroyed and no other warships were included, a violent explosion suddenly occurred in a corner of the combined fleet.

The burning flames continued to spread in all directions, and a wildfire broke out in the steel jungle, leaving everyone stunned and surprised.

"What's going on? Why did the explosion happen suddenly? Where is the water drop? Where did it go?!"

The humans who were still watching the live broadcast had no idea what was happening. The first flaming star-class battleship suddenly exploded, creating a series of powerful shock waves.

The nuclear fusion reaction generated by the detonation of the nuclear reactor caused the fireball caused by the thermonuclear explosion to slowly appear inside the hull, and then quickly expand and disperse.

The entire dense fleet was illuminated by a strong light. In the dark and silent space, the human fleet was like a lit firecracker.

It turned out that the water droplet, which had appeared harmless and motionless not long ago, suddenly rushed out of the Mantis at the third cosmic speed and flew towards the fleet array.

The attack method of water droplets is quite simple, even crude, that is, impact.

The speed of 17 kilometers per second hit the battleship's fuel tank, causing the entire battleship to explode and disintegrate. The first battleship to be affected, the "Infinite Frontier", turned into a fireball, and the shock wave tore apart the surrounding battleships.

Fleet International's clever and extremely short spacing became the fuse that triggered a chain reaction disaster. Every time the water droplets ignited the battleship's fuel depot with a turn that broke the physical limit, it would cause a large sea of ​​fire in space.

Before anyone else could react, a row of star-class battleships inside the fleet matrix exploded one after another, turning into burning nuclear fusion fireballs at intervals of less than a second.

The nuclear fusion explosion caused by the water droplets hitting the fuel depot, the shock wave caused by the fusion reaction, the impact of the broken debris...

All of the above factors caused the fleet array to become extremely chaotic. More than a thousand shining suns turned into chain firecrackers, exploding, colliding and annihilating one after another.

The humans watching this live broadcast were completely stunned.

Because they still don't realize the cause of the explosion. If there is an enemy, why can't they see it? The explosion seems to have appeared out of thin air.

At this moment, everyone was in a state of extreme shock and fear. In the past two hundred years of space strategic simulations and tactical research, humans have imagined countless extreme war environments.

But witnessing more than a hundred warships exploding like a string of firecrackers in just one minute was really beyond their psychological endurance.

For a moment, some people thought that a third-party force had appeared whose strength far exceeded that of the Three-Body Civilization and human civilization, so it used invisible "magic" to destroy human warships.

But soon, an eagle-eyed viewer saw the full picture of the culprit and shouted: "It's the water droplets! The water droplets attacked!"

After learning that the damage was caused by water droplets, people still couldn't understand the reason. How could a water drop of only three meters accomplish such horrific and efficient damage in such a short time?

This is not technology at all, it's clearly magic!
At this moment, the frightened fleet immediately searched and matched the massive amount of battlefield image data, and finally found the trace of the water droplets.

After software analysis, the generals found that except for the high-temperature halo at the tail of the water droplet caused by the high-speed propulsion, the appearance of the water droplet had not changed much.

Still perfectly streamlined, the extremely smooth surface reflects the light of the nuclear fireball and metallic lava.

Strong light and dark red flickered alternately, like drops of burning blood.

Everyone finally realized the problem. The water drop was not a messenger sent by the Three-Body Civilization, but a demon that slaughtered them!
Seeing this, the commanders-in-chief of the North American and European fleets immediately issued an order: "All attacking units, lock on to the water droplets and open fire--!"

In an instant, all the star-class battleships activated their interception weapons and used electromagnetic kinetic cannons to attack the incoming water droplets.

The metal bullets fired by the electromagnetic gun have extremely strong destructive power. The huge kinetic energy brought by the high speed makes each metal bullet equivalent to a super blockbuster bomb when it hits the target.

Hundreds of metal bullets like this can be fired every second, each as big as a basketball, flying at a speed of up to 80 kilometers per second.

The actual power is enough to flatten a mountain on the ground within a few minutes!
However, when these electromagnetic shells hit the water droplets, they only produced a spark, and then the shells shattered into powder.

In contrast, the water droplets were safe and sound throughout the entire process. Not only was their moving speed not affected at all, but even their smooth and flat surface did not have the slightest dent or damage.

Even if you use a very high-power microscope to observe it, what you will see will be an absolutely smooth mirror surface without any scratches.

The propulsion force of the water droplets maintained a high speed throughout the entire process, and it continued to charge against the electromagnetic cannons of the human fleet, destroying one star-class battleship after another.

"This thing is a strong interaction material..."

Some crew members on the Infinity-class aircraft carrier noticed the extraordinary nature of the water droplets. In fact, such a solid material is not uncommon within a giant enterprise, and can even be considered a common material.

The neutron armor plates used on the warships of the elite forces of the Universal Corporation are actually some kind of strong interaction material, but their strength is much stronger than that of water droplets.

The difference between this material composed of strong interaction forces and ordinary matter is so great that it can be said that it is as different as the difference between solid and liquid.

Even if the electromagnetic shells of a star-class battleship are used to hit water droplets, it cannot be said to be like hitting a stone with an egg. It is like using a water gun to spray water. The difference in the material form is too great, and humans simply cannot use conventional materials to destroy water droplets.

It is possible to grind an iron rod into a needle, but it is impossible for modern humans to destroy a water droplet.

The graceful water droplets moved freely in the combined fleet, charging left and right, and nothing could stop their charge.

Seeing that electromagnetic kinetic weapons were ineffective against this thing, the desperate Combined Fleet resorted to laser weapons.

But there is no doubt that this is an even more stupid decision that will only make them reap what they sow.

When multiple laser beams hit the water droplets, an extremely strong glare was emitted from the surface of the water droplets, the brightness of which even overshadowed the light of the surrounding nuclear fireballs.

Then, the lasers coming from all directions were reflected by the absolutely smooth surface of the water droplets, and scattered irregularly into the depths of the universe, some of which naturally fell on the densely packed joint fleet.

Some unlucky star-class battleships were hit by their own laser weapons, which burned through the decks and left huge holes, sucking some innocent crew members into outer space, where they eventually suffocated to death.

The dazzling water droplets, with a light that seemed to be able to swallow everything, shattered the second formation of the Combined Fleet. Everyone could see the tragedy, but they were powerless to do anything.

In the past two hundred years of space warfare research, human thinking has always been grand narrative, believing that the opponent will drive a huge fleet and crush human civilization with a torrent of steel.

The city-sized death fortress turned the battlefield into a meat grinder, with the steaming exhaust gas and loud roars interpreting the tragic history of human civilization.

The idea of ​​all possible extreme weapons and tactics is nothing more than the Three-Body Fleet using antimatter weapons to attack. Just a peanut-sized piece of antimatter is enough to destroy a star-class battleship.

The engines currently used by the Trisolaran fleet are antimatter engines, so it is not surprising that humans speculate that they control antimatter weapons.

But now, the weapon that has put the combined fleet into a desperate situation is nothing more than the detector of the Three-Body Civilization. That drop of water is just a drop in the ocean of Three-Body's power.

And this drop of water, relying on the ancient and primitive impact, destroyed the combined fleet into pieces.

Every impact of a water droplet was towards the nuclear fusion reactor of the warship. The high-temperature halo at the tail of the water droplet directly caused the explosion, like the spark that ignited a powder keg.

The straight-lined star-class battleships were like a lit fuse. After a violent explosion and burning, they left behind a two thousand kilometer long trail of ash emitting a dark red afterglow.

The completely melted hull turned into millions of tons of liquid metal emitting a dark red glow, splashing and spreading in all directions, and the flying rain of flowers fell without resistance in outer space.

A torrential rain of hot metallic magma created a wave of liquid metal in the cold and silent space. Even the warships that were not hit by the water droplets could not escape the attack of other ship wreckage.

The command system of the Combined Fleet has completely collapsed and paralyzed. They have tried all means of attack on the water droplets, but to no avail.

At this moment, they were like prisoners with their hands and feet tied, and could only line up one by one in despair and wait for the bullet of water drop to pierce their heads.

All warships hit by water droplets will first be in a red state, gradually heat up and explode after three seconds, and the fusion reaction caused by the nuclear fuel will turn into a nuclear fireball that engulfs everything.

All life will vaporize in an instant.

Apart from the psychological pain and torment they endured before death, these crew members did not suffer any physical torture, which was a blessing in disguise.

"The intelligent recognition system inside the water droplet is very accurate and fast. Every impact is aimed at the fuel depots of these warships. It is really an elegant and sophisticated killer."

V couldn't help but admire that such a huge disparity in strength was a battle. Of course, there was human arrogance and stupidity, but more importantly, it was the disparity in technological strength between the two sides.

The Universe Corporation's neutron annihilation, MD-500 Little Doctor, gravitational distortion and other attack weapons also have similar physical beauty, so when V saw such a clean and tidy killing, he couldn't help but applaud the technology of the Three-Body Civilization.

In this space battlefield, the warships that can receive the "favor" of water droplets are definitely lucky.

The other crew members who were hit by the shattered hull, doused by hot metal rain, and pulled into outer space were not so lucky.

Their deaths were all kinds of strange.

Some were roasted to death by the high-temperature metal rain, some were thrown into space and suffocated to death, some were smashed into pulp by heavy objects, and some died of convulsions due to heart attacks caused by fear...

But these people will not be noticed.

Because the 100,000-kilometer metal cloud filled with metal fragments and condensed by high temperature and explosion, and the burning nuclear fireball complement each other, forming a magnificent space scene.

Such dazzling and beautiful things are truly intoxicating.

The blood-red sunset looks like the red makeup on a girl's face.

But there is no doubt that this was a complete bloody massacre. During the entire killing process, the Combined Fleet did not launch any effective counterattack.

They were not even able to organize an orderly evacuation.

The space is too narrow to support the warships inside to turn around, and the warships at the edge are the first target of attack by the water droplets.

Therefore, no one can escape from this land of death. They can only watch themselves getting closer and closer to death.

As the last star-class battleship of the Combined Fleet turned into a blazing fireball, the entire North American and European fleets were wiped out.

There was no sound in space. All the explosions, the painful and helpless cries, and the roars of grief and anger broke out in the eerie and cold silence.

The chain of death formed by the high-temperature metal wreckage stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers. The water droplets ruthlessly tore apart the pride of Fleet International with their technological power spanning multiple technical dimensions, such as strong interaction force, fluidless propulsion, and hyper-dimensional computing.

The suddenly interrupted live broadcast, the shattered wreckage of the warship, the desperate cries...all of this happened three hours ago.

This doomsday battle has actually ended long ago, and what humans on Earth see is nothing more than a delayed replay of death.

At this moment, all regions on Earth fell into a brief silence. People could only hear their own heartbeats, and the fear in their hearts had not yet completely surged into their hearts.

Because they couldn't believe what they saw, they would rather suspect that they were still asleep than accept the news that Fleet International was completely wiped out.

It was not until someone suddenly jumped down from a high altitude and fell to the ground with a thud, turning into a pulp of rotten meat. The blood and broken human tissue scared the lady next to him so much that she screamed. Only then did people come to their senses.

After leaving the beautiful home of my imagination, what I saw when I opened my eyes was the bloody reality.

The doomsday battle is over, but mankind has not emerged from the trough to usher in new life and hope. Instead, it has completely headed towards the end and conclusion of civilization.

“Ahhhh——!!”

Sharp howls and fear spread quickly, and people all over the world were in an uproar. Civilization and order fell apart in the blink of an eye, and countless people fell into despair and madness.

They attacked and bit each other, as if they had regressed to the primitive age millions of years ago in an instant.

At the same time, the space battlefield had become completely cold and silent. The shining metal clouds had lost their light in the cold space and finally disappeared into the darkness.

The metal cloud will then be gradually stretched under the gravitational force of the sun until it becomes a long metal strip.

In the long years to come, it will continue to become an extremely thin cloud of metallic dust surrounding the sun, floating in the cold and lonely outer reaches of the solar system with those millions of restless souls.

It took less than an hour for the three-meter-long water drop to transform the magnificent human fleet into a ridiculous "metal soul ring".

But the water droplet is just a probe of the Trisolaran civilization. There are nine more probes like this that will arrive in the solar system one by one within three years.

(End of this chapter)