Watching the experimenters place the metal projectile onto the rails, Todd looked at the empty keel seat behind the railgun and asked curiously, "Who's going to fire it?"

While directing the personnel present to make final adjustments, Wayne replied, "I have already sent someone to notify the railgun driver; she will arrive as soon as possible."

Todd was somewhat surprised: "You mean, not everyone can operate this cannon?"

"The operator who launches the electromagnetic gun must connect his body to the keel of the gun. At the moment of launch, a powerful electric current will pass through the nervous system, and ordinary people simply cannot bear that kind of pain."

Todd asked curiously, "So, who can take on this role?"

"Your Majesty, do you remember? The carrier of the Tesla parasite, the girl you rescued from the cave who was abandoned—Cosette. She was one of the few pilots who could activate this giant cannon."

Todd thought for a moment and quickly remembered the alien girl who had been abandoned by her parents in a cave and was quietly waiting to die.

Wayne added, "I am currently looking for ways to expand the ranks of electromagnetic cannon pilots. After testing and observation, the elven race in the Crusader, if given a series of training and with the right equipment, may be able to meet the requirements for operating electromagnetic cannons."

Todd nodded, turned around and went to the lab's office area, where he casually found a chair and sat down.

The wait wasn't long.

Soon, Cosette, still sleepy and somewhat dazed, was led into the laboratory by the Crusaders.

"Why so late..."

Cosette didn't finish her sentence when she caught sight of Todd sitting in a chair, smiling, and immediately swallowed the rest of her words.

Wayne, holding a notepad in one hand, said to Cosette, "His Majesty is coming to watch the launch of the alien railgun today. The charging is now complete, and it can start at any time. Get ready."

Cosette strained to look away from Todd, nodded to Wayne, and then, led by the Crusaders, entered the back room of the laboratory.

Wayne walked over to Todd and whispered, "Your Majesty, there's an observation deck above the lab where you can watch the launch just as well, and it's much safer. Would you like to...?"

Todd stood up from his chair, shook his head, and said, "No, I'm staying here."

Seemingly having anticipated this answer, Wayne shrugged helplessly: "As you command."

A few minutes later, Cosette emerged, wearing a bodysuit made of special leather and gelatin with a row of raised round holes on her back for nerve connections. She then walked up to the alien railgun and took a deep breath.

She slowly sat down in the chair made of keel, leaning back as the sharp parasitic nerve hooks pierced her skin.

With a hint of pain in her eyes, Cosette shouted towards Wayne, "I'm ready!"

After checking with the staff around him once again to confirm the status of all the equipment, Wayne finally nodded and said, "Let's begin."

Cosette stretched out her hands, grasped the handles at the ends of the gun rails, and quietly closed her eyes.

The parasitic limbs of the keel around the seat, like living tentacles, slowly stretched, lengthened, and closed, eventually enveloping Cosette and forming a closed cockpit connected to the railgun.

Then, two keel rails, each tens of meters long, began to slowly rise and align themselves with the wall at the end of the laboratory, accompanied by a slight humming sound.

Wayne then said to the experimenters, "Open the gate!"

The heavy creaking of hinges echoed in the empty hall. The wall at the far end of the laboratory, controlled by a hidden mechanism, slowly rose and opened, gradually revealing the outdoor scenery to everyone.

The laboratory, built in the mountains, faces the sea directly after the gates are raised. The roar of the surging waves and the fierce wind sweep out from the outside, sounding deafening.

Wayne ordered again, "Correct the target!"

Several Xenomorphs clad in dragon-bone armor used micrometers and prism gauges to lock onto an isolated island about 8 kilometers from the laboratory as the launch target. After repeated calibrations, they turned back and reported, "Target data has been transmitted back to the cockpit!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Cosette's alien railgun, propelled by the movement of the keel limbs, slowly moved its muzzle and finally locked onto its target.

Seeing that all preparations were complete, Wayne loudly issued the final command: "Launch!"

The shimmering blue light on the surface of the alien railgun grew brighter and brighter, and its flow speed increased. In the end, the entire giant cannon seemed to lose its original color and turned into an extremely dazzling blue sun that was impossible to look at with the naked eye.

The electromagnetic thunderous roar filled the entire space, pounding on everyone's eardrums like a storm, completely suppressing the sounds of waves and wind from the outside world.

Throughout the enormous laboratory, the only sound was the increasingly sharp and intense electromagnetic energy.

In a mere fraction of a second, a flash of light comparable to a sunspot eruption exploded from the alien railgun.

A beam of light, traveling at near the speed of light, shot out from the cannon and vanished in an instant.

Almost simultaneously, a dull yet enormous explosion, accompanied by a slight tremor of the ground, shook the entire city of Muxi.

Compared to the others who were affected by the flashes and sounds, Todd was the first to return to normal.

He walked to the gate at the end of the laboratory and looked at the isolated island in the distance that had been chosen as the target.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!