96: The old order sank to the bottom of the sea

Ains's voice boomed like thunder, and the glass windows of the entire Ten Thousand Nations Roundtable auditorium trembled slightly.

He waved his hand, and the holographic projection instantly split into two screens: on the left, the joint fleet's fighter jets were taking off from the Emerald Atoll, and on the right, the armored doors of the Titan Industrial City's underground hangar were slowly opening.

"Do you all want to know Titan's true power?" Ains's voice suddenly became eerily calm, "Alright, then watch closely."

In the projection, thirty-six Dark Crow Shuttles, like demons awakened from the abyss, ascended vertically in a manner that completely defied aerodynamics. They were pitch black, with a liquid metal-like sheen on their surface, and three streaks of faint blue plasma flames flickered from their tails.

"Dark Crow Shuttle," Ains introduced softly, "Cruising speed Mach 5, maximum overload 20G."

Almost the instant he finished speaking, the thirty-six dark crows accelerated simultaneously, breaking the sound barrier within 0.3 seconds, with conical sonic boom clouds erupting in the air. They tore through the clouds in a perfect triangular formation, their tail plasma engines carving thirty-six faint blue trails across the sky.

"My God..." The Nova United States Air Force representative's lips trembled, "This acceleration... it's faster than a missile..."

"Impossible..." North Steel's technical consultant murmured, "A pilot would be crushed into paste under such maneuvering..."

"There are no pilots," Ains sneered, "AI controlled, remote operation, ion engine thrust, ducted fan engine assist."

On the left side of the projection, the joint fleet's radar officer was frantically shouting: "Unidentified flying objects approaching! Speed Mach 2! Still accelerating!"

"Launch Conventional-6! Quickly!" The anti-air Commander roared hysterically.

Twelve anti-air missiles shrieked into the sky, but collectively lost control the moment they locked onto their targets.

The dark crow formation suddenly dispersed, each shuttle performing a 20G sharp turn at supersonic speeds, their nano-material surfaces continuously adjusting their aerodynamic profiles, leaving bizarre, twisted trails in the air.

"Metal hydrogen bombs," Ains's voice was as cold as a machine.

Two dark crows suddenly dived, precisely dropping two silver-white warheads from an altitude of 150 meters above the sea. These warheads activated the moment they touched the ship's waterline, and blue-white energy ripples spread across the sea.

"Boom—"

There was no flame or shockwave of a traditional explosion, only a dazzling blue flash. The waterline of two ten-thousand-ton cruisers suddenly caved in, the ship's steel directly liquefying under the high temperature.

The entire warship was snapped in half by an invisible giant hand; the front half of the bow tilted high, revealing a fractured surface melted into molten iron; the rear half was largely vaporized by the immense energy, and then slowly sank to the seabed.

Only a hundred-meter-diameter whirlpool was left on the sea surface.

"Lesson one," Ains faced Eastern Federation representative Zhou Zhengyang, "Steel skeletons are worthless against energy weapons."

The F-34C formation on the aircraft carrier deck scrambled, only to face an even more brutal slaughter. The Dark Crow Shuttles, at Mach 5, could still perform incredible "Herbst maneuvers"; they cut into the fighter formation with right-angle turns that defied physical common sense.

"Plasma weapons," Ains's voice was like a death sentence.

Twelve dark crows fired simultaneously, their nose-mounted plasma cannons unleashing blue-white energy beams. These plasma streams, with temperatures exceeding the sun's surface, easily penetrated the F-34's fuselage; the hit fighter jets didn't explode, but directly melted into metallic droplets, falling like rain towards the sea.

"Lesson two," Ains turned to North Steel's representative, "Flesh and blood are no match for mechanical Warriors."

The right screen switched to twelve nightingale transport planes, shaped like giant steel eagles with outstretched wings. Their belly bomb bays opened, dropping three hundred metal pods. These pods automatically disintegrated a hundred meters above the aircraft carrier deck, revealing the Warrior combat robots inside.

Each Warrior was two meters tall, with a cermet composite skeleton covered by adaptive armor, and their eye sensors glowed crimson. They crashed onto the deck in a freefall, yet gracefully half-knelt to cushion the impact, leaving spiderweb-like cracks on the aircraft carrier deck.

"Third tactical squad, clear anti-air positions," the leading Warrior robot issued a mechanized command. Its voice was clearly transmitted to the conference hall through the ship's broadcast system.

Three Warriors simultaneously activated their back vector thrusters, assaulting the ship's island with arrow-like speed. Each flash of their right arm's electromagnetic rifle penetrated several layers of armor, turning the operators behind into a bloody mist; their left arm's plasma pistol was used against heavy weapons, melting a Phalanx CIWS into molten iron with a single shot.

East Ocean representative Takenaka Heizo suddenly vomited. In the projection, the Warrior robots were systematically "clearing" the deck. Their killing efficiency was terrifyingly high; each flash of their pulse rifles meant another soldier fell, while bullets striking them only produced a few sparks.

Most chillingly, these robots displayed an almost artistic combat coordination. They would cover injured comrades, prioritize heavy weapon operators, and even deliberately leave communication soldiers alive.

This was clearly to ensure that the fleet command heard every detail of this massacre.

"Attention, 11 o'clock direction, torpedo bay," the squad Commander suddenly ordered. Two Warriors immediately deployed their shoulder launchers, and miniature missiles precisely penetrated the torpedo bay's observation window, triggering a chain explosion of the ammunition inside.

Their close-quarters combat ability was the most terrifying. When a squad of Marines tried to ambush them with anti-tank rocket launchers, the leading Warrior simply grabbed a ship's cannon with one hand and threw the barrel like a baseball, pinning three Marines to the bulkhead.

"Lesson three," Ains's voice suddenly carried a hint of deliberate pity, "Individual bravery is meaningless in the face of a technological gap."

On the left side of the projection, on the bridge of the Nova United States Seventh Fleet's flagship, the gray-haired old Captain was roaring into the communicator: "All units, free fire! Repeat, free—"

The voice abruptly cut off. A Warrior robot burst through the door, its optical sensor scanned the communication officer slumped on the ground, and it actually spoke in standard English: "Surrender, or be destroyed."

In the conference hall, Nova United States Secretary of State Johnson's communicator suddenly rang. The Yongning Ocean Fleet Commander's voice was filled with unprecedented terror: "Sir... we lost... we're no match at all... request... request permission to surrender..."

The communicator dropped to the marble floor, making a crisp sound.

In the Federal Center, in the Roman Palace war room, Hixon stared at the real-time satellite footage, his coffee cup long since cold. In the footage, the wreckage of the fleet was slowly sinking in the Andaman Sea, and the oil slick floating on the surface shimmered with an eerie iridescence under the sunlight.

"Have the casualties been confirmed?" The President's voice was hoarse, unlike his own.

Minister of Defense Grayson wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Two aircraft carriers, seven destroyers, three cruisers... a total of fourteen thousand officers and soldiers, with fewer than three hundred survivors."

"My God..." The President's military advisor, Major General Mark Evans, made the sign of the cross, "This is worse than Pearl Harbor..."

"Shut up!" Hixon suddenly exploded in rage, smashing his coffee cup against the wall, "I want to know what the hell those things are! Those flying triangles, those damned robots!"

SIA Director Robert Hudson trembling, pulled up a document: "According to survivor descriptions, those aircraft, called 'dark crow', exceed Mach 6 and can perform maneuvers in the air that violate aerodynamics... Our pilots lost consciousness before ejecting."

The Starlight Command Chief Technology Officer suddenly interjected, "Mr. President, what's even more terrifying is their weapon system. Metal hydrogen bombs… this weapon is still in the theoretical stage!"

On TV, UNN was broadcasting the chaotic scenes at the New Village Stock Exchange. The Dow Jones Index plummeted 3000 points, triggering the first-ever full-market circuit breaker in history. The screen switched to Golden Serpent Street, where panicked investors were selling off all military and energy stocks.

In Fog City, at 10 Downing Street, a secretary reported in a flustered voice, "The Fog City Financial Times Index has fallen 40%, and the pound sterling to eagle dollar exchange rate has dropped below 1:1.3…"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt was on the verge of collapse, "The Bank of Fog City just experienced its worst run on banks ever! People are frantically withdrawing cash!"

The Iris Emblem Institute in Champs Elysees Federation was also in chaos. Champs Elysees Federation President Macaron looked at the report from the Minister of Economy in his hand, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, "Europa Union Aviation, Dassault, Thales… all military industrial enterprises' stock prices have gone to zero."

"Mr. President," the Minister of Economy's voice trembled, "what's more serious is the energy market. Brent crude oil prices have fallen below 20 dollars… Jinsha Kingdom has announced a temporary halt to all production increase plans."

Macaron suddenly looked up, "Why?"

"Because… because of the fusion reactor Titan displayed in the Emerald Principality." The Minister of Energy's face was pale, "The oil age is over."

At the Edo Prime Minister's residence, the Prime Minister had the latest assessment report from the Ministry of Defense spread out before him.

"What's the conclusion?" His voice was dry.

Defense Minister Akio Kyuma bowed his head, "We analyzed all combat footage… the existing military system is meaningless in the face of Titan technology. A Dark Crow Shuttle can easily annihilate the entire Air Self-Defense Force."

"What did the Nova United States people say?"

"They…" Kyuma swallowed hard, "might have to…"

In the underground command center of the Federal Center, the metal casing of the nuclear briefcase reflected the stark white lights. Hixon's finger hovered above the red button, the bulging veins on the back of his hand like wriggling earthworms.

"Confirm the order, Mr. President." The voice of the Strategic Command Commander sounded as if it came from far away, "Trident D5 missile, 12 multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, target Mandala, Emerald Principality."

On the Secretary of State's tablet, UNN was broadcasting the chaotic scenes at the New Village Stock Exchange, the blood-red numbers on the screen reflecting on his pale face.

"Do you know what this means?" The Secretary of State grabbed the President's wrist, "This will trigger—"

"That's the point!" Hixon suddenly roared, his eyes bulging, "They destroyed half of our usable navy! For the first time in nearly three hundred years since the founding of my Nova United States—"

"Mr. President!" The SIA Director burst through the door, "North Steel Strategic Forces have entered Level One combat readiness! The Eastern Federation's missile forces have begun mobile deployment!"

Almost simultaneously, in the underground command post of the Birch Palace in Five Ports City, Grand Duke Winter's launch control console was already disarmed.

"Birch-M missiles are ready." The Minister of Defense's voice was unusually calm, "Target locked on Titan Industrial City and the surrounding 120-kilometer radius."

Grand Duke Winter's finger paused for a second above the confirmation button, "The Nova United States people moved?"

"All of their missile early warning satellites have turned towards the East Ancient direction… My God, their submarines are surfacing!"

In Champs Elysees Federation, in the underground command center of the Iris Emblem Institute, President Macaron looked at the densely flashing red dots on the strategic map and suddenly laughed, "It seems today is truly a good day to witness the end of civilization."

Three minutes later, the wail of the global nuclear early warning system echoed through every military base.

At the New Village Ten Thousand Nations Roundtable Headquarters, the Secretary-General looked at the dozens of red lines representing missile trajectories on the large screen, his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, "My Lord…"

At this moment, Ains gently shook his head, "It really did come to this, the boss's prediction was practically a prophecy."

He pressed his wristband, "Global live broadcast, begin."

In space, seventy-two Dark Crow Shuttles simultaneously detached from their low-Earth orbit patrol formation. Their bellies opened, revealing arrays of blue-glowing plasma cannons inside.

All televisions, computers, and mobile phone screens still operating globally suddenly force-switched their displays. It was a view of Earth from space, with dozens of missiles trailing flames rising from various continents.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to represent my boss," Ains's voice calmly began, "to invite you all to witness the final act of the old order."

The screen suddenly zoomed in on an accelerating Nova United States Trident missile. Its multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles had just completed separation, ten re-entry vehicles hurtling towards the atmosphere at Mach 10.

Suddenly, a blue light flashed. A dark crow cut into the frame at incredible speed, making a 90-degree sharp turn in the vacuum, its plasma cannon precisely hitting the warhead. There was no explosion, no flash of light; the warhead melted like an ice cream in the sun, turning into a cloud of metallic vapor and dissipating into space.

"My God…" In the Starlight Command, an Air Force general slumped into his chair, "They can actually intercept outside the atmosphere…"

On the screen, four North Steel Birch missiles suddenly changed course, heading straight for the Eastern Federation's heartland.

In the Imperial Capital, the alarm blared continuously in the underground command center of the Zijin Pavilion.

"Four thermonuclear warheads!" The Air Defense Commander shouted, "Impact in 120 seconds! Shall we activate the interception sys—"

Before he could finish, the four missiles turned into four blue fireballs in mid-air.

"It's Titan's dark crow!" The Air Defense Commander exclaimed, "They… they protected us?"

An even more astonishing scene appeared. Three Birch missiles launched by North Steel suddenly performed evasive maneuvers, using the so-called "uninterceptable" spiral trajectory change technology.

But the Dark Crow Shuttle didn't need to adjust its trajectory at all. They directly accelerated to Mach 30, catching up to the missiles from the side with absolute speed advantage, and the plasma beam, like a surgical knife, split the warheads in half, then evaporated them.

The same scene unfolded across the globe. M51 missiles launched by Champs Elysees Federation were dissolved as soon as they left the atmosphere; Trident missiles launched from submarines by the Fog City Islands couldn't even break through the stratosphere; the Ganges Federation's Agni missiles were precisely pinpointed and shot in their launch silos…

Ten minutes later, global nuclear early warning systems gradually fell silent.

In Champs Elysees Federation, President Macaron watched the live footage of all Champs Elysees Federation nuclear missiles being intercepted, and suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, "What kind of great power are we? We don't even have the right to commit suicide!"

At 10 Downing Street in Fog City, the Prime Minister received a call from the Queen. After the call ended, he announced to the cabinet with a pale face, "Her Majesty the Queen suggests… immediately requesting peace talks with Titan."

In the Birch Palace in Five Ports City, the screen in front of Grand Duke Winter showed the last North Steel missile being intercepted. He slowly turned to the dumbfounded generals and said, "Gentlemen, remember today. The era of nuclear deterrence… ends now."

The underground command center of the Federal Center fell into a deathly silence. The voice of Strategic Command Commander Locklear sounded as if from a grave, "All intercepted… 176 nuclear warheads… none escaped…"

Hixon's lips trembled, "This is impossible… This is absolutely impossible…"