The Final Eight Minutes
How fast is light? It can travel 300,000 kilometers in a straight line per second. 🐟🐯 ♠🐨
How far away was the Asteroid from Earth at that time? Less than 60 million kilometers.
In other words, this first salvo of Laser Cannon would hit the Asteroid head-on in less than 200 seconds, or a little over three minutes. And in less than seven minutes, humans would be able to observe the changes in the Asteroid through astronomical telescopes.
The White House General Command Center in America.
"God, bless your children." Beads of sweat appeared on the dark-skinned president's forehead as he made the sign of the cross on his chest, his eyes fixed on the constantly scrolling latest news on the screen.
The generals and cabinet ministers standing nearby held their breath.
Old Zhou stood ramrod straight, staring intently at the screen in front of him. No one else beside him uttered a sound.
Leaders from the European Union countries, India, the Soviet Russia, and the HR Alliance, across 23 Base City, watched this scene with bated breath, an unprecedented pressure weighing on Earth Humans!
Is it survival?
Is it death?
Soon, everything will be revealed!
Meanwhile, in space.
The busy researchers got back to work with great enthusiasm. The second salvo would begin in ten minutes, and they had to get there before then to conduct a full inspection of the Laser Cannon and readjust its angle.
The six powerful humans sitting in their fighter jet seats were also constantly monitoring the latest news on the intelligent Auxiliary Optical Computer.
suddenly--
"Professor Flamenco has sent an update: the first round of Laser Cannon has penetrated the Asteroid's surface head-on, and the Asteroid's outer layer is beginning to disintegrate. Everything is progressing smoothly!" A emotionless electronic voice echoed within the fighter jet.
But the six powerful humans seemed to hear heavenly music, their faces beaming with radiant smiles. Thor, in particular, cheered excitedly, "I knew it! I knew it would succeed!"
"Gaga gaga, oh oh oh." Mo Henderson wiggled his buttocks triumphantly.
"Great, we succeeded!" Luo Zhe clenched his fist.
The usually taciturn Fourth Speaker Ister, pulled out two bottles of liquor from somewhere, then magically produced several glasses, poured them for everyone, and then raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"Everyone, come on, let's drink and celebrate our success!" Fifth Speaker Atkin laughed and raised his glass.
At the same time
Leaders and top officials from all over the world were instantly in an uproar!!
How exciting! This crisis is finally over!
A few minutes later!
"The second salvo is being initiated!" The indifferent electronic voice sounded again, but everyone was celebrating and no one paid any attention; proceeding normally was the greatest victory!
"Three! Two! One!"
"Emission!"
Laugh!
Countless dazzling white beams of light shone once more, shooting towards the distant depths of the universe.
On Earth, in Professor Flamenco's observatory in Hongning Base City, everyone was busy, their faces beaming with joy at the prospect of a new beginning. 💝✋ ♜🎯
Suddenly!
"Professor, come and see, the situation has changed!" an observer exclaimed, immediately drawing strong dissatisfaction from his colleagues who were working diligently around him.
Professor Flamenco was comparing images of the Asteroid before and after it was directly penetrated by Laser Cannon when he suddenly heard his beloved student's cry. He frowned slightly, but immediately put down the photos and went over.
"Faye, what is it?" Professor Flamenco asked.
The observer, named Faye, stammered, pointing at the telescope with trembling hands, "The... the surface of that Asteroid has completely disintegrated!"
His companions mocked, "Faye, are you still half asleep? We already knew this three minutes ago. And you even told us yourself!"
Professor Flamenco frowned and said, "Faye, this is a crucial moment. If you're not in good spirits, then have your junior brother take your place. We don't have time to play games with you." With that, the professor turned to leave.
But Faye grabbed the professor's hand, explaining anxiously, "No, no, no, Professor, it's true! Look for yourself! That Asteroid, which was originally comparable in size to the moon, has completely disintegrated. Compared to the speed at which a planet usually disintegrates, this disintegration is astonishing! And there's a huge fireball shooting out from inside the Asteroid at an extremely high speed!"
Professor Flamenco's expression changed, and his frail body erupted with immense strength as he grabbed Faye by the collar. "What did you say?"
Faye's collar was gripped tightly, rendering him speechless. He could only instinctively point to the telescope. Professor Flamenco quickly pushed Faye away, then sat down in front of the telescope and began to observe intently.
The companions who had been laughing at Faye realized the seriousness of the situation, stopped laughing, and went to the professor's side to wait for news.
After a while, Professor Flamenco, with a grim expression, looked away from the telescope and sent the latest information directly to Hong's Smart Optical Computer through the observatory system.
***
Warning! Warning!
A rapid electronic sound suddenly rang out, and the six human powerhouses who were excitedly celebrating on the fighter jet were all stunned on the spot, subconsciously turning their heads to look at the three-dimensional virtual projection to the side.
"Professor Flamenco has sent the latest news: the Asteroid's surface has completely disintegrated!" Before Luo Zhe and the others could even get excited after hearing the first half of the statement, the second half completely extinguished their enthusiasm for celebration.
"According to observations, a massive fragment, possibly metallic, with a radius of twenty kilometers, is currently hurtling towards Earth from inside the disintegrating Asteroid. Apparently affected by the explosion, this fragment is traveling at a speed of 100,000 kilometers per second, equivalent to one-third the speed of light."
"It is expected to make a head-on collision with Earth in ten minutes!"
"First Speaker, please prepare!"
Half a minute ago, the cockpit of the fighter jet was filled with excitement, but suddenly it fell silent. Everyone stared intently at the screen, their hearts pounding, as the cold words on it seemed to mock their futile efforts.
"How could this happen?" Hong's face turned pale instantly, and his body trembled!
Thor was holding a wine glass and about to drink it down in celebration, widened his eyes and the glass slipped from his hand unconsciously!
"Smack!" "Smack!" "Smack!"
The glass shattered, shards flying everywhere; the sound was like a sharp sword piercing everyone's heart.
Luo Zhe stared blankly at the text on the screen, his lips trembling. "How could this happen? Why did this happen?" Everything was fine just a few minutes ago, everything was going smoothly, how could it suddenly turn into this situation?
"Ten minutes!?" Atkin muttered, shaking his head repeatedly, tears silently streaming down his face. His ambitions were yet to be fulfilled; how could it end like this?
"Boom!"
The wine glass in his right hand shattered in his hand, the unfinished red wine sliding down his fingers to the ground. But Mo Henderson paid no heed, his face expressionless. Despair!
My heart is filled with sorrow, as if I were dead!
This moment!
The heart of the Earth has stopped beating, and all of Earth Humans who have heard this news are filled with despair!
This moment!
Everyone inside the cabin seemed to witness the annihilation of humanity!
"The latest observation report shows that the speed of the suspected metallic planetary debris is still increasing, currently reaching 120,000 kilometers per second. It is expected to make a head-on collision with Earth in 8 minutes. Please take precautions!"
The electronic voice broadcast the data emotionlessly, yet no one inside the cabin reacted; everyone remained silent, like statues, like the dead!
Luo Zhe felt his mind go completely blank for a moment, and he couldn't hear any sounds from the outside world.
"There are only eight minutes left, what can I do?"
"A clever trick backfired!!"
"What else can I do?" Luo Zhe stared blankly ahead, his eyes unfocused.
My writing skills are still lacking. Even when I've figured out how to write it, the final product still feels a bit off.