49: Chapter 49 Individual Sniper Cannon! A Genius Tactical Concept

The atmosphere in the Void Engine miniaturization laboratory made Laya feel very uncomfortable.

Elia, walking slightly ahead, also noticed their brief whisper and Laya's slightly pale complexion, casting a concerned glance back.

Chen Jingyi remained as expressionless as ever, though her gaze behind her lenses quickly swept over the surrounding instruments, as if recording and analyzing something.

"We've arrived." Yimoku stopped in front of a central demonstration area separated by a circular energy barrier.

The barrier rippled like water and vanished silently. An old man who had been waiting there for some time walked up to greet them.

His hair was silver-white and meticulously combed; he wore delicate gold-rimmed glasses and an immaculate white research coat. His face was stern, his eyes sharp and full of wisdom, and his entire being radiated an air of authority accumulated from years of immersion in an ocean of knowledge.

"Yimoku, thank you for your hard work." The old man's voice was steady as he nodded to Yimoku, then his gaze fell upon the four of them, including Li Yuan.

"This is Professor Augustus Reinhardt, the head of this laboratory and the chief engineer of the mini-mega particle rifle project," Yimoku introduced briefly.

Professor Reinhardt didn't engage in unnecessary pleasantries, cutting straight to the point with a gesture of invitation: "Time is precious, students. This way, please."

He guided them forward and pointed to the target not far away: "This is the project you are here to help test."

Everyone's gaze followed his direction, turning toward the platform hovering in the middle of the demonstration area.

A rifle.

Its entire body had a dull tungsten steel color, refracting a restrained metallic texture under the laboratory lights.

The gun body was about 1.35 meters long, with smooth lines full of power. Deep blue energy veins pulsed slowly beneath the tungsten-colored base, as if it were alive.

Its material was a composite of crystal and metal, with a flowing luster like liquid metal on the surface, which seemed to still be extremely slowly adapting and adjusting itself.

The thick barrel occupied the center of vision, covered with dense heat dissipation holes and multi-layered energy guide grooves.

At the end of the barrel were triple-nested focusing rings; deep in the center of the rings, a dark core was slowly rotating, and just staring at it made one's eyes sting.

"This is the test target for this time, project codenamed — 'mini-mega particle rifle'." Professor Reinhardt's voice carried a hint of pride.

He swept his gaze over the four young people who were stunned by the weapon itself: "Before I officially start introducing it, I first need to correct a common public misconception."

He paused and threw out a question: "Do you all believe that the reason the Zerg have been able to contend with us for hundreds of years is because of their despair-inducing, absolute numbers?"

Elia nodded subconsciously; she had seen with her own eyes scenes of the Zerg Tide flooding defensive lines like a tsunami. Li Yuan also nodded slightly; he had felt the pain of this firsthand in the ruins of Edge Star No. 7.

"This perception is not entirely correct." Professor Reinhardt's voice was firm. He waved his hand in the air, and a massive holographic projection of the Andromeda Galaxy star map unfolded.

"Just looking at the battle cases so far, the number of attacking Zerg generally has not exceeded the number of humans in the corresponding star sector!" The professor's finger traced the dense light points on the star map representing human colony stars. "A standard planet can easily support billions or even tens of billions of people. And the number of colonial star systems controlled by us humans has already expanded to over one trillion? Humans are the true scourge of the universe, a truly exponentially expanding species."

"As for the Zerg, what is currently certain is that they possess biotechnology beyond human understanding, as well as biomass recycling and utilization capabilities, but in terms of quantity, they do not present an absolute numerical advantage." As the professor waved his fingers, the statistics of the Zerg Swarm from previous major battles were listed.

Depending on the size of the battlefield, the number of the Zerg Swarm fluctuated between tens of billions and several trillion. "Especially highly intelligent Zerg like Queens; in battles, they generally operate in clusters of less than 10."

This conclusion completely overturned the inherent perceptions of Li Yuan and the others. Elia couldn't help but speak up: "But Professor, if we have the numerical advantage, why is the situation on the battlefield always so difficult? We always feel like we are being submerged by an endless sea of insects?"

"Good question." Professor Reinhardt looked at Elia with approval, then his expression became more serious. "The core of the problem lies not in 'quantity', but in 'ratio' — the ratio of effective combat units."

He called up a new data chart: "Among hundreds of thousands of ordinary humans, perhaps only a few can awaken B-rank or higher talents, becoming combat forces that can truly 'trade' with or even suppress elite Zerg units on the front lines."

"And our warships, our mechs, their production speed cannot keep up with the recovery speed of the Zerg Tide. Currently, the Zerg can use over ninety percent of their biomass and energy for hatching combat units."

"But we can't. We need to maintain social structures, develop technology, and ensure the survival of countless non-combatants in the rear. The more advanced the warship, the more production support personnel it requires." The professor's answer carried a wisdom that saw through the essence of things.

He changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming high-spirited: "Therefore, hundreds of years ago, someone proposed an extremely bold counter-strategy: Since it is difficult for the 'quantity' of our high-end combat power to keep up with the Zerg, why not carry out an ultimate 'misaligned configuration'?"

His gaze fell on the hovering particle rifle: "Why not bring ship-level destructive firepower down to the individual soldier!"

"Hiss—"

Li Yuan felt a current surge from his spine to his brain; this was a tactical plan that very much aligned with his values!

Individual, anti-ship weapon!

"All fear stems from a lack of firepower!" Professor Reinhardt's voice was sonorous and powerful. "This is the original intention behind the birth of the 'Individual Sniper Cannon' route! It aims to equip every frontline soldier with fangs of firepower strong enough!"

"This path mainly faces two chasms." The professor held up two fingers. "First, the energy source. What kind of energy can support such terrifying energy consumption while still being miniaturized enough for an individual soldier to carry? Second, the weapon material. What kind of material can withstand such violent energy impact without being instantly annihilated?"

He swept his gaze over everyone, his tone filled with immense reverence: "But — 'Death Karl's Gift' solved all of this!"

He waved his hand again, and the holographic projection switched, displaying a magnified view of an extremely complex structure at the core of the rifle.

"The success of the Void Engine miniaturization has made this vision possible!" The professor's voice was very excited. "It can redefine the energy source, obtaining nearly infinite energy from the void! At the same time, it can also 'redefine' the weapon material, enabling it to possess strength that transcends physical limits!"

Just as the professor was passionately explaining the design of the mini-mega particle rifle —

"Wait a minute!"