The Command Hall immediately fell silent, then erupted in irrepressible gasps and low cries!
One second!
One seemingly insignificant second!
But this was the vacuum of space!
There was no air resistance whatsoever!
During interstellar travel without resistance, the accumulation of speed was a terrifying process of physical compounding.
The one second of initial velocity erased now, after months or years of continuous acceleration, would translate at the finish line into an enormous time difference of days, months, or even years!
This one second was the chance of survival Great Xia and the Kona Civilization had stolen!
Hum!
The communications panel lit up red as the remote quantum link from the Kona Satellite Base connected.
Zheng Jinren's resolute face appeared in the holographic window, and he asked anxiously:
"Wang Chong! How did it work?! Tell me!"
Wang Chong raised his hand in salute and said excitedly:
"Reporting, Commander Zheng! The slowdown plan is fully viable!"
"Conservation of momentum still holds! The first wave of impacts knocked off one second of its accumulated acceleration!"
On the other side of the window, Zheng Jinren slammed his fist against the Command Console and burst out laughing:
"Good! One goddamn beautiful second!"
"As long as the laws of physics still hold, I don't care whether you're a Demon God or a monster-you'll damn well slow down according to the laws of momentum!"
Zheng Jinren's face was filled with steely killing intent as he ordered:
"Keep hitting it! Take every rock you can get your hands on nearby and fire them all at it like artillery shells!"
"First Cruiser Squadron acknowledges!"
Wang Chong briskly cut the communications link, turned, and roared:
"All ships, turn around! Adjust your trajectories and follow the Kona Fleet to search for a second batch of iron-rich meteorites!"
Three Cruisers painted