Reborn Before the Apocalypse: My Backing is the Nation

Chapter 121 Human Shield
At this point, only five astronauts remain alive.

One of them must be responsible for logistical support, and only four people can be responsible for transporting hydrogen bombs.

Four people sharing the weight of 250 kilograms, especially when their lives are constantly threatened and their spacesuits could collapse at any moment...

Tong Zheng's eyes were as cold and sharp as a hawk's.

He looked at the astronaut who was originally in charge of the left-center part of the hydrogen bomb. Before Tong Zheng could make a move, he took the initiative to go around to the right rear corner of the hydrogen bomb and took the handle at the right rear corner of the hydrogen bomb in place of his comrade.

The four men pulled together and lifted the hydrogen bomb up again.

The group started moving forward again, but at a slower pace.

The three-minute countdown now has only 110 seconds left. In the previous 20 seconds, our team has only advanced 30 meters.

There are only 40 meters left to go before the end of the tunnel.

At this current speed, walking the last 40 meters within 110 seconds is no problem at all.

However, the problem is that our side seems unable to maintain the current pace.

A moment later, a large amount of white mist also appeared on the body of the astronaut who was following behind the team and undertaking the task of logistical support. After swaying for a moment, he slowly collapsed.

From this moment on, no one can repair their own damaged and leaky spacesuit.

The four remained silent, making no response to their comrade's fall.

At that moment, the world in people's eyes consisted of only one thing.

At the end of the passage, there was a glimmer of light.

Nothing else.

The four were still moving forward at top speed.

40 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters...

There are only 92 seconds left until the pre-set time for the hydrogen bomb to explode.

At that moment, white mist also emerged from the astronaut in the left rear corner of the hydrogen bomb, and he slowly collapsed.

The heavy hydrogen bomb fell to the ground once again, and the team stopped again.

Tong Zheng silently turned his head and quietly looked at the hydrogen bomb that had fallen to the ground.

At this moment, only 3 people remained on our side.

He knew clearly that, in terms of load, under full force, his side was not unable to bear an average load of about 80 kilograms per person.

The problem is that, due to the inherent structure of the hydrogen bomb, these burdens cannot be evenly distributed.

Two people on the left, one person on the right?
The person on the right would then need to bear a load of over 100 kilograms, which exceeds their physical limits.

The two people in front, and the one behind, were in the same situation.

It has become impossible for the astronauts to lift the hydrogen bomb forward using their physical strength.

What should we do?
The mechanical timer ticked to 88. Ahead, they could even see the outline of the floating city.

The remaining 20 meters became an insurmountable chasm, separating life and death, hope and despair, making it impossible to cross.

So……

Tong Zheng took a deep breath.

He went to the front of the hydrogen bomb, took out a rope, quickly tied it to the front of the hydrogen bomb, then bent over and lowered his head, his whole body tense like an old ox.

The other two companions also bent down at the same time, placing their arms against the back of the hydrogen bomb.

The three of them exerted force simultaneously. The next moment, the heavy hydrogen bomb left a clear scratch at the bottom of the tunnel.

And so it began to slide abruptly.

Ahead, the light that symbolizes hope shines ever brighter.

In the final 20 meters, another 10 meters were forcibly crossed.

Then, of the three remaining astronauts, one of them collapsed from exhaustion.

The last astronaut besides Tong Zheng changed from pushing to squeezing, and sat directly on the ground, his back against the tail of the hydrogen bomb, using both legs and arms to exert force at the same time.

Behind the glass helmet, his face was contorted in a rage, his jaw clenched, his eyes bulging, blood vessels cracking on his face, and his throat vibrating incessantly as if he were roaring. But his roars were confined to his spacesuit, not escaping a sound to the outside world.

At the same time, Tong Zheng, who was in front, also pulled the rope with all his might.

With their combined efforts, the hydrogen bomb, which had stopped moving, began to move slowly again.

Ahead, the cliff face at the end of the passage was clearly visible. The enormous floating city, shrouded in mystery and the unknown, also came into Tong Zheng's view.

Destroy it, destroy it.

Destroy it, and civilization can continue, and humanity can continue to reproduce on Earth.

Our country, our family, our loved ones, our friends, and our compatriots will be able to continue living.

It must be destroyed, it must be destroyed...

But at that moment, Tong Zheng suddenly felt a chill all over his body.

He lowered his head with some difficulty and saw that a large steel plate on his chest had burst open.

The spacesuit finally gave out.

Feeling as if his whole body had swelled up, Tong Zheng clearly sensed his life and consciousness being rapidly drained away.

He knew that from this moment on, he had about two minutes left to live.

This is the limit of how long a human can survive in a vacuum environment.

But in those last two minutes of his life, he was only able to maintain consciousness for the first 30 seconds.

This is also the limit of what the human body can do in a vacuum environment.

So……

He used his last bit of strength to crawl to the side, clearing the way for the hydrogen bomb to continue its advance.

At this moment, the hydrogen bomb is less than 4 meters away from the end of the tunnel.

Using the light emanating from the floating city, he turned to look at his comrades.

That comrade was still holding back behind the hydrogen bomb, pushing it with all his might.

Only 4 meters left! We must push it through, out of the passage, and into the cavity. We absolutely must push it through...

You can do it, you definitely can do it...

At this moment, only one voice was screaming wildly in Tong Zheng's heart.

But the hydrogen bomb remained motionless.

The next moment, his comrade's body relaxed.

One person alone cannot make it happen.

Tong Zheng's heart sank instantly. But...

There seemed to be no disappointment or despair on that comrade's face.

Under Tong Zheng's watchful gaze, he took out the high explosives from his waist and pressed them against his abdomen.

Tong Zheng's pupils widened instantly.

He instantly understood.

Although this is a vacuum environment, there is no air and therefore no shock wave, but the fragments generated during the explosion themselves possess extremely high kinetic energy.

So, can we use this kinetic energy to complete the final push of the hydrogen bomb?
However, if the bomb is directly attached to the hydrogen bomb, the hydrogen bomb casing will be damaged, preventing the hydrogen bomb from detonating.

Then let's add a human shield between the bomb and the hydrogen bomb!
This human shield filters out the destructive force of the explosion, allowing only the backward kinetic energy to be applied to the hydrogen bomb!
Under Tong Zheng's watchful gaze, the comrade resolutely pressed the detonation button.

The next moment, the bomb exploded in a burst of intense fire, then exploded silently.

Under a cloud of red blood mist, spacesuit parts and shattered limbs exploded instantly.

The hydrogen bomb was also suddenly pushed back by the violent impact, directly passing the end of the passage and hovering in the cavity. In the weightless environment, it began to fly towards the floating city.

(End of this chapter)