A few hours later.
【Notice!】
[200 kilometers to the target!]
[Slowdown program activated!]
The prompts on the holographic image piqued Bart's interest.
200 kilometers is an extremely short distance for a Hummingbird starship.
Amid the discomfort of the deceleration, a small asteroid with a pitted surface and a metallic sheen appeared before Bart's eyes.
It is only half the size of Psyche, and its surface has a far less metallic sheen than Psyche.
"First, initiate the docking procedure."
Bart straightened up, his gaze fixed on the "grotesque" asteroid in front of him.
As per Professor Lü's request, he needed to land on the asteroid and analyze its internal composition.
Under Yi's control, the Hummingbird Starship gradually slowed down and moved closer to the asteroid.
...
Mars City One, main conference room.
The moment the communication was established, the true appearance of the asteroid was revealed to everyone.
The Hummingbird starship slowly docked on it.
As the nanorobots were deployed, rows of precise data appeared before Lü Yongchang.
“30% iron and nickel, and 50% rock…” Lu Yongchang rested his chin on his hand and nodded thoughtfully.
A few minutes later, the data transmission was complete.
"Professor Lü?" Albert looked at Lü Yongchang nervously from across the conference table. "Can Mars withstand the impact of this asteroid?"
Upon hearing this question, Lü Yongchang was momentarily stunned.
Then, he looked at Albert with a strange expression: "Congressman Albert, I can assure you that Mars can absolutely withstand the impact of this asteroid."
As he spoke, Lü Yongchang turned his head and winked at the virtual image of Zero.
In the holographic image on the conference table, an asteroid is shown hurtling straight toward Mars.
“Of course, we definitely can’t withstand the impact of this asteroid.” Lü Yongchang shrugged. “This is a zero-calculation simulation.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the asteroid and Mars made "close contact" in the picture.
The area around the massive impact crater is filled with scorching magma.
That's the result of the asteroid's kinetic energy being converted into internal energy.
The Martian surface environment has undergone tremendous changes; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it hell!
At the moment of impact, countless rocks were accelerated to escape velocity and flew into space.
Time began to accelerate.
Under the influence of Mars' gravity, they formed a ring-like structure similar to Saturn's rings.
Once the dust settled, Mars became the only solid planet in the solar system with planetary rings.
Looking at the simulation in front of him, Albert swallowed hard.
"Yongchang, don't scare the other councilors," the council chairman's voice came through. "Is there any solution?"
Lu Yongchang smiled easily and stood up from his seat.
"There are currently two solutions."
"First, send out a large number of hummingbird-type mining starships and dismantle them all before they arrive."
The members of Congress nodded in agreement.
That's a good solution.
Lu Yongchang then changed the subject: "However, there is a problem with this plan."
"Given the mining speed of the Hummingbird Starships, even if we send all the Hummingbird Starships in the asteroid belt, we still won't have enough time."
"Therefore, I prefer the second option."
As he spoke, Lü Yongchang made a gesture in the air.
A brand-new holographic projection image appeared before everyone.
In the image, a menacing-looking starship is quietly moored beside a Martian spaceport.
At the bow of the starship, five thick cannon barrels are arranged in a row.
"This is... a phoenix?" The councilor frowned and asked softly.
Lu Yongchang's eyes lit up, and he nodded to the old man: "The councilor has a good eye."
"You can still recognize this Luan Bird Starship even after it's been modified like this!"
The old man smiled and shook his head: "So, what can this modified starship do?"
When the old man asked him a question, a mysterious smile appeared on Lü Yongchang's lips.
"Speaker, have you ever heard of electromagnetic railguns?"
Before anyone could react, the holographic projection in front of them changed again.
Five straight, gleaming cannon barrels were presented to the crowd!
"Now I'd like to introduce the latest research findings from the Academy of Sciences." Lü Yongchang waved his hand in the air, "Electromagnetic coil gun!"
...
Half an hour later.
Inside the main conference room, all the councilors stared wide-eyed at the holographic image in front of them.
"Professor Lü, is this data reliable?!" Jingpu asked, his eyes slightly red and his breathing rapid.
"Can the shell really reach a speed of 6000 kilometers per second?!"
"It even contains miniature nuclear bombs?!"
"This, the power of this shot is...!" Jingpu took a deep breath and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "...destroying the heavens and the earth?!"
A look of satisfaction and pleasure appeared in Jingpu's eyes.
As a former Soviet president, the moment he saw that rugged cannon barrel, he felt his life had been elevated!
Lu Yongchang's lips twitched.
The expression on Representative Putin's face at this moment was exactly the same as Yevgeny's a few days earlier.
“Member Jingpu, calm down.” Lu Yongchang sighed softly. “This thing isn’t as powerful as you think.”
"Perhaps it would be good for dealing with asteroids."
"But in interstellar warfare, this thing cannot play a decisive role."
Jingpu's expression froze.
Before he could continue speaking, the councilor's voice came again: "Yongchang, how is the construction progress of this Luan bird?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Yongchang's expression turned awkward.
"Cough cough!"
He coughed twice forcefully.
"Manufacturing progress..."
"Currently, the Luan Bird Starship has entered the Mars Spaceport."
"..."
The main conference room was quiet.
Sitting next to Lü Yongchang, Fang Xu silently covered his eyes with his hand.
What kind of nonsense is this?
"...You mean to say that the renovation hasn't started yet?" The councilor paused for a moment, then asked again with a strange expression.
Lü Yongchang nodded silently.
The atmosphere in the conference room grew increasingly strange.
"But it's not a big problem!" Lu Yongchang smiled awkwardly, reached out and slid his hand in the air to switch the holographic projection screen.
"According to calculations, this asteroid will reach the vicinity of Mars in about a month."
"We have ample time to modify the Luan Bird Starship."
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will confront it at a distance of 100 million kilometers from Mars."
"Perfect, it can help us test the power of the electromagnetic coil gun."
"To be on the safe side, the Academy of Sciences will focus all its efforts on manufacturing Hummingbird-type starships within this month and recall all Hummingbird-type starships currently in operation."
"If the electromagnetic coil gun fails to intercept it, we can also break it down into smaller pieces with less destructive power."
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