The virtual empire starts from the game

Chapter 640 Tearing Through the Heavens! Physical Body Ascends! (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month)

Are space balloons equipped with weapons?
Of course there are.

But can this weapon fight off an alien fleet?

Ok……

No rational person would expect to defeat a steel-built space fleet with three slow-moving "balloon ships".

Calling these three space balloons "spaceships" is an extremely high compliment, heavily influenced by player bias.

In reality, judging from its design drawings and overall performance, this thing is simply a tourist attraction device.

Slow acceleration, comfortable ride, and large windows on all four sides for easy sightseeing...

Its only weapons are a laser generator on each of the front, back, left, and right sides, used to shoot down space debris and micro-meteorites that may threaten it along the way.

However, since it was the spaceship's first launch, the players were unaware of their own capabilities.

I don't really care.

Anyway, I got excited and rushed over!
The result was as expected—

It's just like players popping balloons at a roadside stall.

The Plans Shrimp Man's spaceship easily blew up the three enormous gasbags of the space balloons.

A large amount of gas escaped uncontrollably into space, completely tearing the players' expensive bulletproof, explosion-proof, and corrosion-resistant leather airbags to shreds.

Next up is the passenger cabin, which is full of players.

One of them was hit by a bluish-green shell.

Before the cabin exploded, the players inside had already been melted into pus by the corrosive acid, their deaths were extremely gruesome!

Another one fell into the atmosphere like a meteorite and instantly burned up due to intense friction.

It fell back down the same way it flew up.

As for the last one...

The Plans Shrimp Man's ship approached and captured the cabin, gaining 300 new prisoners.

As for the players on the ground, they had just finished watching the destruction of the three "space balloon fleets" in the live stream when they saw a huge fireball fall from the sky and smash down on their heads.

"Boom" a loud noise.

The explosion affected a large portion of the space balloon launch and landing area, and also ignited two other space balloons under construction.

The players who were watching the spectacle suffered heavy casualties.

To this day, that landing pad has not been fully repaired.

It wasn't that everyone was inefficient, but after confirming that this thing was thin-skinned and heavy-duty, and had no power to resist the Plans Shrimp Man's spaceship, everyone was a bit too lazy to repair it.

I only want to deal with the Plans shrimp man first before considering space tourism.

As for how to deal with the Planck Man...

The answer, of course, is the planetary cannon right in front of us!
This thing is nothing like a space balloon; it looks like a weapon of war!
Based on the information pieced together from various technological blueprints, this cannon's function is not limited to simply transporting goods and people.

In extreme cases, it can also be used as a super electromagnetic cannon!

The technical approaches are all quite similar.

In Mengjinli, some experts have already calculated that if the Plans Shrimp Man's spaceship remains stationary, then the planetary cannon operating at full power could very well hit and destroy the Shrimp Man's spaceship!
Coincidentally, some of the Plans Shrimp People's spaceships were indeed stationary relative to the Earth's surface!
And it has been still for a long time.
This information has been double-confirmed—

Everyone witnessed the spacecraft launch.

And the 300 players captured by the Plans Shrimp Man, repeatedly confirmed.

This big shot has already made a bold statement: "If I miss, I'll eat my computer live on stream!"

That's why the completion of the cannon is so highly anticipated!

This is not only a hope for returning to space, but also a clarion call for a counterattack!
Players crowded around the cannon, and even the rooftops of the surrounding buildings were packed with players, each holding binoculars and cameras, waiting for the moment the cannon would fire.

And that moment came very quickly—

The massive, cold steel skeleton of the planetary cannon stands majestically in the city, its dark electromagnetic acceleration track pointing diagonally to the sky, and its intricate circuitry arranged neatly within the semi-hollowed-out "cannon barrel".

With the last screw welded in place, the final progress bar of [Deep Space String] was finally filled.

Inside the massive base of the Deep Space String, the organizers of the massive infrastructure project are gathered in the operations center.

Cat Tea, a newly crowned honorary player and affectionately known as the "Saintess of Civil Engineering" by her fans, is also among them.

After confirming that [Deep Space String] was 100% intact through the powerful inspection system – “Game System Notification”, they eagerly turned on the power.

The next second, a deep humming sound suddenly rang out!

The buzzing sound wasn't loud, but it carried a powerful, awe-inspiring force.

The entire ground began to tremble with this buzzing sound!
The tremor even spread outwards, allowing players on the outer buildings to feel it clearly.

The thick cable on the base began charging with a humming sound, and the indicator light on the control panel quickly changed from standby yellow to bright white.

An electronically synthesized voice sounded from the control panel.

The same sound was also broadcast simultaneously to the onlookers through a large loudspeaker outside the base station:
"The Deep Space String is being activated; the first self-check is in progress."

"The core energy links are stable."

"Electromagnetic confinement field activated."

"Power boost in progress..."

"10%, 20%, 30%... 100%!"

"The Deep Space String is ready and can be put into operation at any time."

"Please select the launch mode and enter the ballistic parameters!"

……

The electronic sound from the speaker was completely calm and undisturbed.

But the players who heard these announcements cheered with excitement!
Especially as the power of the planetary cannon gradually increases, all players can clearly see it, whether at a distance or close range.

On the enormous "cannon barrel," which is fifty meters in diameter and over three hundred meters long, a green indicator light slowly grows longer.

For every 10% increase, a blue electromagnetic pulse will light up from the base and quickly sweep across the entire acceleration track!
The flash of the cannon barrel was so clear that it could be seen even without binoculars!
After the 10 electromagnetic pulses ended, all the indicator lights lit up. The moment [Deep Space String] finished charging, the entire square erupted in thunderous cheers!

Next, Wei Yun, the math guru who was willing to gamble his professional reputation and eat his computer live if he lost, walked to the front of the crowd and carefully adjusted the ballistic parameters.

So the barrel of this super cannon, which is over 300 meters long, began to slowly rotate and rise.

The deep rumble of the machinery made the hearts of the players watching the spectacle below the cannon pound, and they couldn't help but get excited along with the players.

"Got it! This is it!" The big boss stepped aside from the control panel.

"OK, next we'll take off the Tissot and replace it with our cannon!"

—[Deep Space String] is described as a "carrier device" in the system description. Its main function is to launch cargo into space, and it can also transport people if it is not afraid of death.

But using it as a weapon is the player's own idea.

Although several experts have demonstrated its feasibility, the blueprints naturally do not include the corresponding ammunition and loading structure.

Fortunately, there are enough players, and many "superhumans," to easily solve the reloading problem using makeshift methods.

A human-powered suspension system, consisting of 40 power-specialized players and 50 experienced drivers in hovercars, precisely places a 30-meter-long, specially designed super projectile into the guide rail.

"The shell has entered the rails!"

Everyone evacuated quickly.

The command center, which had been itching to proceed, immediately began the next step:
"Countdown to launch!"

"54"

All the players in the room counted down in unison, following the voice coming from the loudspeaker!

"321!"

"Planet Cannon—Fire!"

A blinding blue-white light suddenly erupted from the connection between the electromagnetic rail and the base, like liquid lightning, sweeping up the entire barrel and filling the entire rail in an instant.

A dazzling arc of electricity leaped violently on both sides of the guide rail, crackling and popping.

At this moment, this astonishing industrial creation, propelled by immense energy, unleashed unimaginable power! Boom!!!
A terrifyingly loud explosion suddenly erupted!
It wasn't an explosion, but the roar of a shell breaking the sound barrier in an instant.

The super projectiles, meticulously crafted by the players, instantly accelerated to a speed undetectable by the human eye, enveloped in a ball of destructive energy...

Break through the clouds, tear through the sky, and soar straight into the heavens!
Players on the ground and rooftops were blinded by the dazzling beams of light, yet they couldn't bear to look away.

But the projectiles were just too fast!

The beam of light disappeared from view in just a few breaths, leaving only a straight trail in the blue sky.

At that moment, the vast majority of people lost sight of the shells.

But there are still some people who don't.

They even possessed "first-person" footage of the artillery shells!

In the brief interval before the shells were fired, more than a dozen players displayed their unique abilities—some descended from the sky, some remained hidden in the giant guide rail, some flew over in hovercars, and some even used a large slingshot to launch themselves onto the guide rail.

Of course, sabotaging the launch is out of the question—given Sanjay's example, very few people would dare to do something that would incur public wrath.

Their goal was simple:
Let's ride the cannonball and soar into the sky together!
Unfortunately, most of these people were intercepted by other players before they could even get close to the cannon.

Only three lucky ones managed to land on the shells.

Two of them were electrocuted into charred remains by the terrifying energy surge from the cannon barrel—and they were instantly blown apart, their bodies flying in all directions in an extremely gruesome manner.

There was only one exception.

A rare and special Nen user: [Aloka Giro].

Although the full health bar was almost instantly emptied upon contact with the shell.

But he didn't die; instead, he managed to hold onto his last bit of health!

The next moment, the shell pierced the sky at a speed exceeding the limit.

And he, despite not using any securing devices, was still carried by the shell straight into the sky!

In Not-So-Cheeriro's live stream, all the viewers shouted in unison:
“Awesome!!!”

This is not a Cleopatra's Nen ability:

[Death Wish]
This Nen ability allows him to bind himself to a target, and he will not die until the target "dies".

Even if it suffers a fatal blow, is hit with all negative status effects, has no stamina left and can't move, it will be forcibly controlled to the last 1 point of health, and will stick to the target tightly.

This effect will not disappear until the target "dies".

He only realized a few days ago that this ability could be used not only on "living people" but also on "inanimate objects"!
After that, he had this idea.

Of course, this effect also has limitations—

It did not last long.

With his current Nen ability level, he can only last for a maximum of 1 minute.

But now, one minute is enough!

Today, Michelangelo has created a miracle—

He was pulled along by a super cannonball, his flesh and blood rising into space!
Thunder (residual energy from the electromagnetic cannon) and flames (ignition from high-speed friction with air) forged his body and will!
He used all his strength, but could only utter one sentence:

"Now I finally understand why cultivators are afraid of tribulations!"

"grass!"

The viewers in the live stream laughed and flooded the chat with messages like "Congratulations on your ascension, fellow Daoist."

Fortunately, he didn't have to endure this pressure for long.

Just over ten seconds later, he broke through the Carmen Line with his own flesh and blood and ascended into space!
Upon seeing the Plans Shrimp Man fleet, another deadly test immediately followed—

[vacuum]
However, he had completely lost consciousness and felt nothing about it.

They just stared wide-eyed at the rapidly growing alien spaceship!

One second ago, it was just a tiny dot.

It shrinks to the size of a paper airplane in the next second.

The next second, it had transformed into a large passenger plane.

Another blink of an eye.

The pitch-black, icy Plans Shrimp Man warship is already rushing towards us!

The super cannonball has successfully completed its mission.

The explosion occurred right before the eyes of the sullen Michelangelo.

When the [Death Wish] effect ends, death arrives instantly.

Not Michelangelo's soul left his body.

Watching this silent explosion unfold in the stillness of space—

The super shell, powered by its own oxidizer, explodes in the airless space, briefly forming a sphere of light.

But before the light sphere went out, the Prans shrimp-men's warship had already been smashed to pieces. The blazing flames and high temperature swept across the entire warship, bringing death to all the shrimp-men inside!
The horrific impact and debris easily tore the entire warship apart.

The warship that once descended upon the bustling metropolis and which all players on the server struggled to destroy, is now being shattered and disintegrated right before their eyes.

It turned into a large mass of space debris scattered in all directions.

The same scene also appeared on the observation window of the control center—Deep Space String is a space transportation device, so it naturally has a matching detection device.

As for the players outside, they all pressed their eyes against the binoculars, following the trails left by the shells in the sky to find the destination.

Lucky players may witness the tiny warship silently disintegrating in space.

The voice rang out again from the loudspeaker:
"Planet Cannon, target hit!"

"We destroyed the Plans Shrimp Man's warship!"

"Everyone! Rejoice!"

"Our counterattack begins!"

The players gathered here shouted in unison, releasing their excitement:
“Awesome!!!”

"Fuck it, after waiting for so many days, I can finally vent my anger!"

"Fight! Keep fighting! Take it all!"

"Invincible! Absolutely invincible! It was worth the two weeks of hard work!"

"Haha, finally we can go to space!"

……

The players are so excited.

They shouted, jumped, stomped their feet, and hugged each other, creating a deafening roar and shaking the earth.

A new voice also blared from the loudspeaker, perfectly timed:
"Let these alien bugs see our power!"

"Deep Space String, initiating self-check, preparing for secondary charging!"

"Loading team, prepare! Second round!"

"Ballistics expert, we're counting on you!"

……

The first test launch instantly destroyed a powerful warship, which gave everyone a strong sense of confidence!
Now that we have seen the light of victory, we must continue our efforts and stride forward towards victory!
-

As players excitedly prepared for the second shot, the shrimp-man fleet, which had been quiet in space for over a month, was also awakened by this cannonball.

All the spaceships started moving.

Three of them even slowly rotated, turning their main guns toward the planet's surface.

A bright white light shone from the muzzle of the cannon.

At the point where the three main cannons met, players were cheering and jumping for joy as the planetary cannon underwent its second recharge.

The Plans Shrimp Man's orbital strike is coming!
This attack will be three times stronger than before!
(End of this chapter)