98: Chapter 98 Electromagnetic Cannon and Plasma Shield

Northwest, deep within the Long Corporation experimental base.

There was no bustle of a conventional weapons testing ground here, only a near-absolute silence and the faint, characteristic ozone smell of high-energy electric fields permeating the air.

In the center of the testing ground stood a silver-gray structure resembling a giant turret, with sharp lines and a sense of industrial power. This was not a traditional chemical-energy artillery piece, but a next-generation strategic deterrence experimental prototype spearheaded by Long Zaifei and secretly supported by Graden—the "Xingtian-class" Railgun.

According to the established agreement with Graden, the "Xingtian" project was still in its ultimate debugging phase and had not been authorized for actual combat firing; all test data had to be reported simultaneously to the overseas headquarters. But at this moment, the personal grudge surging in Long Zaifei's eyes had long since overridden the terms of the agreement. He intended to use this "Spear of the Firmament" to avenge the blood feud of the Long Corporation's destruction.

Its principle discarded gunpowder, instead utilizing a massive amount of electrical energy stored in giant underground superconducting energy storage rings, released instantly. Through multiple linear electromagnetic acceleration tracks, it accelerated a specially made metal projectile to an unbelievable speed. Its power lay not in an explosive charge, but in that terrifyingly peerless kinetic energy.

Currently, Long Zaifei stood in the main control room, the real-time status of the "Xingtian" system displayed on the holographic screen before him. The energy indicator of the storage rings had reached 97%, with pale blue cold light flowing through the structural gaps. The aiming system had already locked onto target coordinates thousands of kilometers away—after correction, it was no longer an attempt to paralyze the entire park, but focused on a single point: the estimated location of the underground core laboratory of Fanxing Technology's Pan Shi Base. He would crush the Fanxing Factory in the purest and most violent physical way!

"Report: The final self-check of the 'Xingtian' system is complete; all parameters are normal. The special high-density tungsten alloy projectile has been loaded, with a mass of 127 kilograms and a theoretical muzzle velocity of... 780 meters per second." A technical supervisor in a protective suit reported with a slightly trembling voice; this speed was already approaching the first cosmic velocity, and its kinetic energy was enough to pierce through homogeneous steel plates several meters thick. "Sir, according to headquarters' regulations, approval must be submitted before any combat firing..."

"Regulations?" Long Zaifei's voice was bone-chillingly cold, his eyes hardened with malice. "Right now, I am the regulations."

A line of crimson warnings suddenly exploded in the center of the screen:

[Graden Headquarters Emergency Directive (Level 3 Encryption)]

Prohibited Items: Use of strategic-grade kinetic energy weapons in the core areas of any sovereign nation.

Special Warning: The "Xingtian" system is limited to deterrence and extreme self-defense; it shall not be fired without the joint authorization of headquarters and the three directors.

Current Status: No legal authorization key detected—the firing sequence has been locked according to regulations.

The main control room fell into a dead silence. All the engineers stopped what they were doing and looked at Long Zaifei.

"Sir..." the chief engineer's voice was dry, "The headquarters' directive is mandatory. According to Article 7 of the agreement, if we force a launch, Graden will cut off all technical support and list us as a rogue unit."

Long Zaifei did not look back. His hands tapped rapidly on the control panel, inputting a thirty-two-digit backup password—a backdoor program he had secretly implanted three months ago.

[Verifying permissions...]

[Warning: Unauthorized permission override attempt detected]

[Warning: This operation will violate Articles 4, 7, and 9 of the "Graden Organization Covert Action Guidelines"]

Long Zaifei's finger hovered over the confirmation key, pausing for a second.

In that second, Chen Fan's face flashed before his eyes—the young man who had looked him in the eye amidst the ruins of the Starry Sky Laboratory, with no fear in his eyes, only a kind of calm that he loathed.

"Continue charging." Long Zaifei's voice was as cold as ice. "Target: Fanxing Technology factory. I want that place turned into a glass crater three hundred meters in diameter."

"Boss!" The chief engineer's face turned pale. "This is a blatant violation of organizational discipline! Graden will—"

"Once I kill Chen Fan, headquarters will only thank me for clearing the obstacles for them." Long Zaifei interrupted him, his gaze sweeping across every face in the main control room. "Now, execute the order."

No one dared to speak again.

[Permission override successful]

[Warning: This operation log has been uploaded in real-time to the Graden Arbitration Committee]

The technical supervisor's face went white, not daring to say another word.

"Environmental parameters?" Long Zaifei didn't bother with his subordinates' hesitation and asked directly.

"Ionosphere status is stable; the predicted trajectory is clear. Meteorological conditions in the target area are good, with excellent visibility."

"Very well." A cruel curve formed at the corner of Long Zaifei's mouth. An electromagnetic cannon attack had a nearly straight trajectory and was extremely fast, making it difficult to warn against or intercept. More importantly, the effect it produced—a deep crater and shockwave formed by a high-speed impact from the sky—could easily be explained as a rare "meteorite impact" or "debris from a disintegrated ultra-high-speed aircraft." It perfectly fit his attempt to stage an "accident."

He knew that this was a blatant violation of Graden's core protocols; once exposed, not only would the project be halted immediately, but he himself would face liquidation from headquarters. But he could no longer care; the Long family's decades of foundation had been destroyed by Chen Fan's hands, and this hatred had long since consumed all his reason.

"Final target confirmation: Magic City, Fanxing Technology Pan Shi Base, underground structure core area. Attack mode: Single shot, maximum power." Long Zaifei issued the final command, every word ruthless. "'Xingtian,' initiate launch countdown."

"Ten, nine, eight..."

In the main control room, only the cold electronic counting voice echoed. Everyone held their breath, staring at the silver behemoth on the screen ready to strike, the air thick with suppressed dread—they all knew this was an illegal, all-or-nothing, mad attack.

"...Three, two, one! Launch!"

There was no deafening roar of a cannon, only an extremely low "hum" that felt like the pulse of the earth's heart! In the testing ground, the silver-gray cannon body recoiled violently as the recoil system activated, and the air in front of the muzzle was ionized due to instantaneous plasma formation and shockwaves, bursting with a blinding white-blue light! A blurred dark shadow, almost invisible to the naked eye, tore through the air, piercing the firmament with the force of a thunderbolt and vanishing instantly at the edge of sight, leaving behind only the lingering smell of ozone and distorted heat waves in the air.

Almost at the same microsecond "Xingtian" fired, in the Fanxing Factory laboratory.

The piercing alarm was no longer the previous electronic interference warning; instead, Xiao Zhi let out a top-level shrill shriek mixed with physical impact threats: "Boss! Ultra-high-speed kinetic strike alarm! Monitored Northwest coordinates, ultra-high-energy electromagnetic acceleration signature detected! An object is approaching our base at a speed exceeding seven thousand meters per second along a near-straight trajectory! Estimated impact time... 87 seconds! Mass and velocity estimation... the impact energy is sufficient to penetrate the base's existing physical protection layers!"

An electromagnetic cannon! A physical projectile!

Chen Fan's heart sank. Long Zaifei was indeed ruthless and desperate! To get revenge, he had actually resorted to using such a strategic-grade killing machine! This was harder to defend against than an energy attack; the speed was too fast, leaving an extremely small window of time to react!

87 seconds! Less than a minute and a half!

"Xiao Zhi! What's the plan to resist the attack?" Chen Fan asked nervously.

"Physical kinetic projectile... extremely fast... electromagnetic acceleration... the surface will inevitably form a plasma sheath due to atmospheric friction; a Plasma Shield can reduce the attack damage." Xiao Zhi's tone actually carried a hint of urgency.

"87 seconds!" Chen Fan stared at the projectile of death approaching at seven times the speed of sound on the screen, "Xiao Zhi, all protection systems to maximum power!"

"Boss, the theoretical impact limit of the existing physical protection layer is five thousand meters per second—the target speed is seven thousand eight hundred meters per second! The success rate of taking it head-on... is 0.3%!"

Chen Fan's brain was working frantically. The Amplification system could amplify physical objects and energy fields—but facing a 127-kilogram tungsten alloy warhead slamming in at nearly the first cosmic velocity, what could he amplify?

"Wait..." Chen Fan's gaze suddenly locked onto the monitoring data. "The projectile's surface temperature has exceeded three thousand degrees Celsius; the plasma sheath has already formed!"

A crazy idea exploded in his mind.

"Xiao Zhi! What if what I amplify isn't an 'object,' but 'the physical process itself'?" Chen Fan's voice trembled with adrenaline.

Chen Fan concentrated his will, essentially using his strongest mental power, targeting the area above the Fanxing Factory to construct a high-density, strongly constrained Plasma Shield! The shield's form simulated a hemispherical energy barrier with a thickness of one hundred meters!

At an altitude of about one hundred meters above the base, a visible hemispherical Plasma Shield with a dark purple glow suddenly took shape in the fractions of a second before the projectile arrived!

At the same time, that tungsten alloy projectile, bearing destructive kinetic energy and glowing red-hot from atmospheric friction, like the finger of death, pierced through the clouds with a sharp sonic boom and a searing airwave, stabbing down fiercely towards the Fanxing Factory!

Just as it was about to enter its final dive trajectory less than ten kilometers from the ground, it slammed headfirst into that newly formed, invisible yet incredibly powerful Plasma Shield!

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening roar tore through the sky! The high-speed projectile collided violently with the Plasma Shield, instantly erupting with a brilliant light comparable to a small nuclear bomb! Dense ripples appeared on the shield's surface, and the energy value plummeted at a visible rate. Meanwhile, the tungsten alloy projectile, under the scorching of the high-temperature plasma and the tearing of the strong magnetic field, saw its kinetic energy decay rapidly and its trajectory shift violently!

"Crack—"

With a crisp sound, the Plasma Shield shattered, turning into energy particles that scattered across the sky.

Chen Fan steadied himself in the control center, looking at the image of the apocalyptic impact crater from the external surveillance on the screen, and the status indicators showing the base was damaged but all key systems were green, he slowly exhaled a turbid breath filled with dust. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his back was completely soaked.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, the military's space-based monitoring network had already captured the abnormal electromagnetic signals from the "Xingtian" launch and the brilliant light in the suburbs of Magic City that rivaled a meteorite impact.

Inside the Western Theater Command Center, a report marked "Top Secret" circulated rapidly: "Ultra-high-energy electromagnetic radiation signatures detected in an unknown Northwest region, suspected strategic-grade electromagnetic weapon test firing.

An unidentified high-speed object impact event occurred in the suburbs of Magic City, with an impact energy equivalent to approximately 50 tons of TNT. It is recommended to immediately initiate emergency investigation procedures to verify the weapon's ownership and launch intent."