Chapter 523: The Human Anti-Missile Defense System
Chapter 523: The Human Anti-Missile Defense System
Ji Xinghuo hovered in the sky, looking south.
Not far from the border of the Hindi Kingdom and the Dravida Republic, the Macro Eye flew over a thousand kilometers and directly observed the area west of the capital, Bangalore. Three intercontinental missiles shot into the sky, leaving three fiery trails that penetrated deep into the atmosphere.
At the same time, his phone projected a three-dimensional image, presenting the dynamics of these three intercontinental missiles in a stereoscopic view.
Their speed was increasing.
Ji Xinghuo's expression turned solemn; this development was unexpected.
The Dravida Republic was the second most powerful country in the South Asian Union, but the situation within the country was not as dire as in the Hindi Kingdom. The Elephant Master had not implemented oppressive rule like the Brahma King; he was only responsible for plundering wealth and resources and did not interfere in politics.
For this plan, the Fuhrer had arranged for three Heavenly Kings in the Dravida Republic, with "Marshal" Wu Huai'an taking the lead, accompanied by Luo Yimeng and Qi Feiyang, each with their own tasks.
It was initially expected that after the death of the Elephant Master, the resistance in Dravida would not be fierce.
The previous report had indeed indicated smooth progress.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
However, now that the Hindi Kingdom had been suppressed, a mishap had occurred in Dravida.
The three intercontinental missiles likely carried at least three nuclear weapons and were probably multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, capable of striking multiple targets simultaneously.
Ji Xinghuo observed for a few seconds; the Dravida air defense system showed no signs of interception.
He shook his head.
The country's nuclear weapons must have had enemy-identification signals that prevented them from being targeted by their own air defense system. Even if they intervened with the air defense system now, it would be too late.
On his phone, information from various sources kept refreshing.
"Fuhrer, the targets of the launches are not our country," Wu Huai'an immediately reported.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, even if the targets of these three intercontinental missiles were the Asia-Pacific Community, they wouldn't be able to cause any harm. They would be shot down before entering the airspace of the Asia-Pacific Community, and the probability of penetrating the air defense system was infinitely close to zero.
"What are their bombing targets?" Ji Daosheng asked.
"New Bharat."
Ji Xinghuo was surprised by the reply.
"These people are insane," he said, immediately guessing the launcher's intention. Knowing that they couldn't inflict damage on the Asia-Pacific Community, they chose to bomb New Bharat. If successful, the Asia-Pacific Community's plan would be completely ruined.
New Bharat had a permanent population of over 50 million, and there were currently three or four Heavenly Kings there, as well as delegations from various countries.
The bombing distance was close, and the reaction time was short.
Whether it was an interception from the Asia-Pacific Community or outer space, it would be too late.
Moreover, the control of the Hindi Kingdom's air defense system had just been transferred, and there might be loopholes or delays, making the success rate of striking the target high.
"Who launched them?" Ji Daosheng asked again.
This time, Qi Feiyang replied, "An engineer responsible for nuclear weapons system maintenance. I have already taken control of him."
"Can the remote self-destruct program be activated?"
"It's been locked down," Qi Feiyang answered.
"Noted."
Ji Daosheng did not immediately pursue the matter further.
How a maintenance engineer obtained the launch codes, evaded the Heavenly Kings, and successfully launched three intercontinental missiles to create this crisis was highly suspicious. But now was not the time for accountability.
"Fuhrer, the Hindi Kingdom's air defense system has initiated an interception," Hawk Ji reported promptly. "However, the interception target is still flying within the atmosphere, at an altitude below 50,000 meters. We cannot guarantee a 100% interception rate."
"We can only hope for the best," Ji Daosheng said helplessly.
Everyone's hearts tightened.
Even if only one nuclear bomb landed, and the target was not New Bharat, the negative impact would be immense and immeasurable. After two world wars, the shadow of nuclear weapons loomed over the heads of everyone on Earth, penetrating deep into their bones and refusing to leave.
If the liberation of the South Asian subcontinent could be achieved without bloodshed, this plan would be considered a success.
But if a nuclear explosion occurred, the resistance from the people would surge.
The unification process would encounter numerous twists and turns.
Ji Xinghuo's gaze followed the missiles. The three intercontinental missiles rose one after the other, constantly adjusting their trajectories and accelerating toward the northwest. In the western part of Dravida, even ordinary people could see the strange phenomenon in the sky with their naked eyes.
This scene, familiar from movies, television, and numerous works of fiction, instantly plunged countless people into panic.
On the phone's 3D projection, the missile data was intuitively listed.
Altitude, speed, trajectory, and more.
In 4 minutes and 48 seconds, the first intercontinental missile would enter the border of the Hindi Kingdom and could turn toward a target at any time.
Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo said, "I'll go intercept them."
"Xinghuo?"
Ji Daosheng was startled and immediately objected, "It's too dangerous! I would rather have the nuclear bombs fall and cause a tragedy, adding a flaw to this plan or even failing it, than let you take such a risk. You are a hundred times more important than everyone in the entire South Asian subcontinent."
"Please rest assured, Fuhrer. I know what I'm doing," Ji Xinghuo replied.
Hearing this, everyone felt incredulous and wondered how Ji Xinghuo planned to proceed.
They subconsciously thought that Ji Xinghuo intended to withstand the nuclear blast with his body.
But that was impossible.
Even the Star Shepherd Saint would be wary of nuclear weapons; at the center of a nuclear explosion, even they might be reduced to ashes.
After a few seconds of silence, Ji Daosheng said, "You go, and make sure to prioritize your own safety."
"Yes," Ji Xinghuo replied.
Soaring southward, Ji Xinghuo's flight path arced upward, carving a trajectory through the atmosphere like a rocket.
As he flew, he activated the Myriad Manifestations Star Pupil interface.
[Spiritual Source Energy: 2,431,418]
During the months he spent in Titanium Ring City, he would occasionally venture to Black Ring Star to hunt and harvest spiritual source energy, but he hadn't used any of it. By the time he returned to Earth, he had accumulated over 2.1 million points.
And today, he had reaped a bountiful harvest in the Hindi Kingdom.
The four Heavenly Kings, along with countless Legends, Supers, and high-level Deviants—possibly totaling seven or eight thousand—had contributed over 300,000 points of spiritual source energy, an unexpected bonus that would now come in handy.
Ji Xinghuo's consciousness settled on an ability.
[Ability: Shadow Clone (Level 4, 6718/511,711)]
This ultra-limit ability, still at Level 4, required over 500,000 points of spiritual source energy to upgrade, yet it remained unevolved. His plan was simple: to use shadow clones to detonate the nuclear weapons, but currently, he could only create eight clones, which might not be enough.
"Upgrade."
As Ji Xinghuo sped through the sky, he channeled his spiritual source energy into the ability.
He ascended like a rocket, soaring away from the earth.
At the same time, the progress of the Shadow Clone upgrade skyrocketed. As Ji Xinghuo reached the stratosphere and air resistance dropped precipitously, his flight speed surged, breaking through 15 Mach!
At this altitude, the curvature of the Earth was perfectly visible, a breathtaking sight.
Ji Xinghuo felt the cold.
He gazed at the sun in the dark void of space, its rays shining upon him yet offering no warmth.
Silence enveloped him.
The Photosynthesis Ring he wore on his finger activated, ensuring he felt no discomfort. In truth, his strength had long surpassed the need for oxygen to sustain his energy, and neither the low temperatures nor the vacuum of space affected him.
But this was his first time flying so high, and the sight of Earth below filled him with a sense of novelty.
At that moment, the Shadow Clone upgrade was complete.
[Ability: Shadow Clone (Level 5, 1/5,111,011)]
"Holy crap!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed softly, his eyes widening at the seven-digit number, requiring over five million points of spiritual source energy to upgrade.
The Level 5 Shadow Clone was still an ultra-limit ability.
It doubled the number of clones he could create to 16, and each clone could be imbued with up to 100,000 points of starlight.
Moreover, the main body could swap places with any one of the shadow clones, but there was a distance limit.
This distance was approximately 500 kilometers.
Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up.
This was an incredibly powerful escape ability. With 16 shadow clones spaced 500 kilometers apart, he could consecutively swap positions, fleeing over 8,000 kilometers in an instant—a distance comparable to a stellar leap.
And the clones could swap positions with each other on Earth as well.
However, there was no time to dwell on this newfound power.
The three intercontinental missiles were nearing the border of the Hindi Kingdom, maintaining an altitude of about 50 kilometers in the stratopause.
Ji Xinghuo flew towards the missiles.
Half a minute later...
Without needing the Macro Eye, Ji Xinghuo could already see the intercontinental missiles. His brain, supercharged with calculations, adjusted his speed and trajectory. The stargland in his chest cavity output at full power, causing his starlight to boil. One by one, shadow clones appeared around him.
Each clone was infused with only 20,000 points of starlight.
With a total of 16 clones, Ji Xinghuo had nearly depleted his starlight, and the Dark King, already merged with his body, absorbed dark energy to replenish it.
The clones appeared with an initial velocity, and Ji Xinghuo multitasked, turning one of them back in the direction it had come from. The remaining 15 clones, unconcerned about starlight consumption, accelerated madly towards the missiles.
Meanwhile, Ji Xinghuo himself began to decelerate, eventually hovering in the mesosphere and entering stealth mode.
Soon...
One by one, the shadow clones drew close to the missiles, positioning themselves directly above the border of the Hindi Kingdom. The missiles began their maneuver adjustments, descending in altitude, their outer shells shedding as they entered the final strike procedures.
"As expected, they're MIRVs, with one missile carrying five nuclear warheads!" Ji Xinghuo observed clearly.
Almost simultaneously, the first shadow clone arrived, speeding towards the missile at 15 Mach. The two hurtled towards each other, their relative speed exceeding 30 Mach, covering a 10-kilometer gap in just one second!
The shadow clone transformed into a bolt of lightning that flashed through the stratosphere, but it missed by a hair's breadth.
Then came the second, the third...
BOOM!
The third shadow clone finally collided with the missile, detonating it an instant before its five nuclear warheads could separate.
In that moment, a second sun rose in the southern skies of the South Asian subcontinent!
(End of Chapter)
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