Chapter 63
After meticulous observation by the Astronomical Bureau, they finally determined that the planet's orbit was indeed heading towards Earth and that it would collide with Earth in a month.
Currently, there are three main contingency plans for dealing with planetary impacts.
The first option is to launch a high-speed spacecraft to collide with the asteroid, using its kinetic energy to change the asteroid's trajectory. The second option is to launch a spacecraft to orbit the asteroid, using the spacecraft's weak gravity to slowly change the asteroid's trajectory. The third option is to detonate a nuclear bomb near the asteroid, using the shock force of the explosion to liquefy the asteroid or change its trajectory.
However, none of these three contingency plans can solve the current situation.
The first contingency plan has been proven to be feasible, but it is only applicable to planets with smaller diameters.
The second contingency plan is currently only a conceptual study, and even if it can be realized, it will take a very long time.
The third contingency plan currently only exists in theory. Whether it is possible to accurately launch a nuclear missile at the target planet, and how to deal with the uncontrollable debris generated by the nuclear explosion, are still unknown.
According to observations, the asteroid heading towards Earth is as large as 30 kilometers in diameter, which is equivalent to a sphere with a diameter of 30,000 meters. If placed on a city, its width would easily cover half of the city's area.
The asteroid Chicxulub, which scientists predicted struck Earth and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, was only 10-15 kilometers away. The planet that is now heading towards Earth is twice the size of the planet that wiped out the dinosaurs!
This discovery was quickly and urgently reported.
Meanwhile, countries around the world have been monitoring this planet heading towards the blue planet.
The world was stunned by this news.
What do you mean? I just woke up and you're telling me the world is going to end?
This matter is being widely discussed by media outlets around the world.
An interview is playing on a TV program called "Flower Country".
"Let me explain to you the consequences of planets of different diameters colliding with Earth. We basically don't need to intercept asteroids with a diameter of less than ten meters, as they will burn up in the atmosphere upon impact with Earth. Asteroids with a diameter of less than one hundred meters will cause damage to Earth, but the damage is localized and controllable. With our current scientific methods, we can intervene."
"Planets with a diameter of less than one kilometer, or one kilometer, pose a greater threat. If such a planet were to collide with Earth, it could destroy a continent and cause a massive climate catastrophe. Planets of this size are still controllable. We can launch spacecraft to collide with them and deflect their orbits. This has already been verified by some countries."
"The damage caused by an asteroid larger than one kilometer hitting Earth would be global, leading to drastic climate change and mass extinction. A planet of this diameter is simply impossible to intercept unless a nuclear bomb is detonated in space."
"And thirty kilometers... the damage it brings is devastating. It will cause global extinction of species. The impact will trigger disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, further leading to the collapse of the entire ecosystem."
The host felt a little breathless. He asked cautiously, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "Can't we use a nuclear explosion to shatter it into pieces in outer space?"
Unfortunately, the expert's answer completely shattered the hope in her eyes.
"No, a planet with a diameter of 30 kilometers contains immeasurable mass and kinetic energy. Even the most powerful weapon humanity currently possesses, nuclear weapons, are insignificant in the face of it and cannot alter its orbit at all. With current human technology, it is impossible to shift the planet's orbit or destroy it."
"Are we left with no choice but to wait for death?"
......
"Are we left with no choice but to wait for death?"
No, that's absolutely not the case. Humanity still has a glimmer of hope, and there's still a chance for survival on Earth.
The lifeline lies within her, no, within the system that parasitizes her.
"System, do I have enough points now to have the authority to know the whole story?"
"Beep - Okay."
"Where would the host like to begin listening?"
“Listen from the beginning.”
Xia Ke locked herself in her office and listened quietly to the voice in her mind saying, "I am the No. 001 Savior System. I exist in every world that is about to perish. My creator hopes to use my power to help every world that is about to disappear to be reborn."
"Excuse me for interrupting, but I remember you said at the beginning that you were an intelligent assistant for starting a business, and your task was to accompany me in starting my business."
"That's just one of my plugins. In fact, I have countless plugins that I can repackage myself into different systems depending on the world. For example, there are cultivation plugins, magic plugins, and technology entrepreneurship plugins. These are just a few of my many plugins."
"Why install so many cleaning components?" Xia didn't understand. Wouldn't it have been better to be straightforward from the beginning and accumulate strength to fight against destruction?
There are many reasons for doing this.
"The birth and destruction of the world follow certain laws. Third parties should not and cannot intervene, otherwise they will be squeezed out of this world. Therefore, appropriate packaging is necessary."
"Another reason is that the salvation system will make the host resist. The host selected by the system must have enough sense of justice, empathy, and compassion. He may not be a good person in the worldly sense, but he must not be a bad person. This leads to such people often feeling that they cannot bear the fate of the whole world and refusing to bind themselves if they know the truth of the matter from the beginning."
If Xia Ke put herself in that shoes, she would never have agreed to be bound to a system that claimed to be a savior.
She couldn't bear the weight of the life and death of a nation, or even a planet. If she knew, she would surely go insane with anxiety.
"Why not align yourself with the nation? The power of the nation is always greater than that of an individual."
"There's a saying on your planet that I think is very true: those who get involved in politics have dirty hearts."
"I once pledged allegiance to a country, and the end result was that before the disaster even arrived, that planet died in internal strife."
"The power of the state is too great and the harm is too great. In order to prevent the tragedy from happening again, my creator changed my underlying program to prohibit binding to non-personal groups and also prohibit my host from having too strong a connection with a certain group. Your current connection is still within the controllable range, but if you actually lose absolute control of Hongqi Piao Company, then you will violate this rule, and the system will immediately unbind you."
"Would I become an idiot if I unlinked them in this situation?" Xia Ke vividly remembered the system's statement when she asked to unlink them during their first meeting, saying that forced unlinking would turn her into an idiot or kill her.
"meeting."
Xia Ke: ......
"So, are the frequent large-scale disasters that have occurred recently also a harbinger of the impending destruction of Earth?"
"Yes."
"Why did this happen? The conditions at the time clearly didn't meet the criteria for such a disaster, so why did it still happen, and why is there an asteroid about to hit Earth? Was all of this a coincidence, or was it deliberately orchestrated?"
Xia Ke couldn't understand what the system was saying. "I guess you can count both."
She pressed on urgently, "What do you mean?"
Are aliens trying to conquer Earth, so they're using such an extreme method to wipe out everything living on Earth?
"It is Earth itself."
"If a planet accumulates too many hidden dangers and chronic diseases during its long development, when this level reaches a critical point, the planet's will will save itself, and the best way to save itself is to destroy humanity, which brings about all the diseases."
Xia Ke was so shocked that she was speechless for a long time; she had never imagined that such a promise would be made.
So, humanity's existence has become a burden for Earth?
After a long silence, Xia Ke managed to utter, "But system, I still want to live, and humanity still wants to live."
Although people in modern society talk about death all the time, when faced with death in real life, no one can face it calmly and willingly. After all, it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death. Only by living can there be hope, and only by living can there be a future.
"System, you must have a way to resolve this crisis. Please tell me."
"After this crisis, I will definitely tell the country to pay attention to the care of our planet and never arouse its annoyance again."
The system's purpose was to help humanity, so it naturally wouldn't refuse. "Flip to the bottom of the system store, there's a nuclear fusion cannon that can help humanity shatter this asteroid in outer space. Also, on the second to last page of the system store, there's a planetary shield that can intercept the explosive fragments produced when the nuclear fusion cannon destroys the planet, and it can also keep the dust in the atmosphere. On the fifth to last page of the system store, there's a super-star atmospheric cannon that can disperse the dust and planetary debris surrounding the atmosphere, allowing sunlight to shine on the blue planet again and preventing climate disasters."
Xia Ke's fingers flipped through the pages frantically under the system's guidance, and she found the items the system had mentioned.
The Nuclear Fusion Cannon can be unlocked for 1.5 million purchase points, the Planetary Shield for 1 million purchase points, and the Super Star Atmospheric Cannon for 490,000 purchase points.
Xia Ke trembled when she saw the prices of these items.
She currently has just enough points to unlock the right to purchase these three items, and even after buying them, she will still have 10,001 left.
Xia Ke didn't know if the price was a coincidence or if the system was helping her.
Everything was just right.
She solemnly thanked the system, then picked up the phone and dialed Chen Ying's number.
While waiting for Chen Ying to arrive, Xia Ke asked the system, "System, may I inform Minister Chen of your existence?"
If the truth cannot be revealed, she cannot explain her source of information. Even if the organization trusts her, it will never easily believe her one-sided story when it comes to matters concerning the planet.
"Can."
Chen Ying arrived quickly. Upon hearing that the asteroid had collided with Blue Star, she had been waiting for news from Xia Ke. Xia Ke had provided warnings and effective solutions for so many previous disasters. Faced with this disaster, which was almost impossible for humanity to solve on its own, Xia Ke was the first person she thought of.
Will she have a solution?
She hoped that everyone in the organization who knew Xia Ke's background shared this hope.
Only Xia could save Blue Star.
In the top-floor office of the Red Flag Flying, Chen Ying learned the whole story. Ignoring her shock, she took Xia Ke's hand, opened her spatial ring, and said, "Let's go to Beijing. This matter is too big for me to handle alone."
After hearing Xia Ke's words, the leaders of Beijing were equally shocked and immediately made a decision to have their subordinates raise money.
The money was raised quickly, and countless zeros disappeared from Xia Ke's account. Suddenly, two huge things appeared in the empty warehouse. The Earth Shield had been placed directly into the Earth's atmosphere by the system when it was purchased.
Xia Ke looked up at the sky. The summer sky was a clear, bright blue, looking no different from usual. But she knew that the last protective shield of Earth had been deployed there.
The large items in the warehouse were quickly moved away by scientists and experts for research. After Xia Ke bought the items, there was nothing more for her to do. At her strong request, she was returned to Hongqi Village.
The first thing Xia Ke did upon arriving at Hongqi Village was to announce the holiday in the company group chat.
Holiday time, now—the Blue Star crisis is over.
Everyone is in a state of panic, and some places have already descended into chaos. In the last month of human existence, many people have unleashed their inner darkness and are constantly causing trouble.
Hongqi Piao Company is doing alright; the employees haven't made any moves yet. Xia Ke guessed that they were stunned by the sudden news and would definitely leave the company once they came to their senses. Who wants to spend their last month at the company with their bosses and colleagues?
While scientists and experts were studying how to use the two weapons, a statement was broadcast on the news in the United States.
"Ten days from now, my country will use a nuclear fusion bomb to shatter the planet that is heading towards Blue Star. A planetary shield will be deployed above Blue Star to intercept the debris generated by the nuclear fusion bomb. After the planet is shattered, my country will use a super-stellar atmospheric cannon to disperse the cosmic dust and planetary debris in the atmosphere, ensuring that sunlight can re-penetrate the atmosphere and reach the surface of Blue Star, preventing climate disasters caused by dust blocking sunlight."
The news caused a global uproar as soon as it was broadcast.
Governments around the world were stunned. When did the Flower Country develop such a large-scale weapon of mass destruction, a planetary shield that could protect the entire Blue Star, and an atmospheric cannon that could blow away cosmic dust? When did they develop these?
Many people called Flower Country, expressing their willingness to cooperate with Flower Country.
Those who took advantage of the world's impending destruction to commit crimes were stunned. Wasn't the world supposed to be destroyed? Now they're doomed. The world can continue to live, but their fate is uncertain.
Ten days later, in this highly anticipated live broadcast.
During the live broadcast, scientists from the Flower Kingdom were testing a nuclear fusion cannon. As the countdown ended, the cannonball flew out of Earth at the speed of light. In the satellite footage, people saw the cannonball fly to the asteroid in the blink of an eye. It was so small, and the size difference between it and the huge planet was like that between a basketball and an egg.
They collided.
Bang!
The blinding white light was the first thing people noticed. People all over the world were forced to close their eyes because of the sudden white light. Then, a huge rumbling sound came from the ground, so loud that the ground shook.
When people opened their eyes again, they found that the sky had suddenly turned dark.
Countless dust particles accumulated in the sky, blocked by something, and the sunlight was obscured in the blink of an eye, plunging the whole world into darkness.
The live broadcast was interrupted; the satellite was torn apart by the massive shockwave and could no longer function.
In the pitch-black live stream, countless netizens from the country were anxiously asking, "Did it succeed? I saw that big thing seem to explode."
"It must have succeeded, otherwise it wouldn't have produced so much debris and dust."
We're alive?
"Yes, we survived!"
"Ahhh, I'm so happy!"
The government quickly released this good news.
However, the crisis is not over yet. The cosmic dust that is scattered throughout outer space must be cleared as soon as possible, otherwise it will affect the operation of satellites in orbit, affect sunlight, and cause climate disasters.
Fortunately, they have the Super Star Atmospheric Cannon.
After the Flower Kingdom issued its statement, almost every country on Earth sent representatives to the Flower Kingdom. Through negotiations, these countries were able to purchase the Super Star Atmospheric Cannon from the Flower Kingdom to solve their own problems with the accumulation of cosmic dust in their atmospheric layers.
As for the other two weapons, people from other countries haven't even gotten a glimpse of them. These weapons, capable of destroying an entire planet, will be sent to various research institutes after their success to become research data for scientists, hoping that one day Earth can also create weapons of the same magnitude.
Six months later, the cosmic dust that had accumulated in the atmosphere of Earth was finally blown away, and the azure sky reappeared before people's eyes. The long-lost sunshine brought new warmth and hope, and people came out of their homes to feel the beauty of surviving this catastrophe.
Hongqi Village.
"Host has 10,001 points remaining. Would you like to use them now?"
In the courtyard of her self-built house in the countryside, Xia Ke stretched out her body as much as possible to ensure that every side was bathed in sunlight. During the six months without sunlight, the temperature dropped rapidly. Although she was wearing a temperature-controlled suit and wouldn't get cold, people without the sun would wither just like flowers and plants without the sun. During this period without sunlight, Xia Ke felt that her mood had become much lower.
"I haven't asked you yet, but what use are points to you?"
The system paused for a moment, then said, "You can think of it as the effect of money on humanity."
Xia Ke laughed, "Oh, is that so? Then can I give you the rest of my points?"
Thank you for bringing new life to Earth.
The system felt that its program was stuck. It had hosted many hosts, some who saved the world and some who failed, but no one had ever offered to give him points for free, whether they succeeded or failed.
His core is getting a little hot.
"No, host. I earn points through task commissions or commissions from purchasing goods in the system store."
"Okay, then I'll spend all these points." Xia Ke opened the system shop. The system shop had many items, but Xia Ke was unsure what to buy, so she simply asked the system for help.
"System, can you recommend something suitable for the current level of technological research on Earth?" The development of all things has always been gradual. The things we bought from the system before were very good, but their technological level far exceeded that of Earth. Even with the research materials provided by the system, it would still take a long time to fully absorb them.
"The last item on the last page of the system shop: The Complete History of the Development of Various Disciplines in Interstellar Space. I think you need this."
The purchase right for the complete book on the historical development of various disciplines in interstellar space requires 10,001 points, and the price is 0 yuan.
"System, I remember the last item in the system store was the nuclear fusion cannon." She remembered it very clearly, after all, she had bought it just half a year ago.
In his mind, the system's mechanical voice sounded, "Yes, this is a gift I'm giving you."
Tears welled up instantly, and dozens of exquisite books fell to the ground from mid-air.
"System? System?"
"Salvation System No. 001!"
"Intelligent Assistant for Startups!"
Her mind was quiet, and the whole world was quiet. Xia Ke knew that the system voice would never appear in her world again.
......
The research data was taken away by the state with utmost care, and the employees of Hongqipiao went back to work. The world resumed its normal rhythm, but Xia Ke was the only one who felt empty inside.
Although she initially resisted the system and they had their share of arguments, Xia Ke has come to regard it as a friend after it has been with her for so long. It is always sad to lose a friend and never see them again in this lifetime.
A month later, Xia Ke went to Beijing for a meeting.
After the successful nuclear explosion that shattered the asteroid, the world order was rewritten. Other countries on Earth, fearing its power, implicitly regarded it as their leader. This time, the country organized a world-class conference, and naturally, our country had to give it face and send people to participate.
In the solemn meeting room, Xia Ke sat in a seat near the front.
She carefully arranged the pen and paper for taking notes and sat up straight.
The meeting began.
The meeting moderator took the stage and said, "Thank you all very much for participating in this meeting. The theme of this meeting is the Global Summit on Environmental Protection, Resource Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration."
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