dognovel Chapter 307 The Shattered Star, the Descending Calamity
Chapter 307 The Shattered Star, the Descending Calamity
Time, in the unprecedented attention and torment of seven billion people around the world, is passing by second by second.
There are only 48 hours left until the deadly asteroid "Leviathan" hits Earth.
Earth, this blue planet, has now become a gigantic war machine.
All nations put aside their prejudices and disputes, and with unprecedented efficiency, integrated all available resources to prepare for war.
China, the capital city.
Command Center One has become, in effect, the "Earth Alliance Headquarters".
Military representatives, scientists, and strategic analysts from all over the world packed the place to capacity.
Li Zhenguo, as the commander-in-chief, has not left his seat for more than seventy-two hours.
In front of him were dozens of telephones of different colors, each connected to important strategic nodes around the world.
"Report! The U.S. Army's 'Pioneer' 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Special Operations Brigades have all completed their re-equipment! They exchanged 150,000 national merits for 100 'wartime supply packs' and the complete mantras for three martial arts techniques!"
"Report! The Russian Alpha Special Forces have arrived at their designated operational area in Siberia! They have exchanged 100,000 tons of rare strategic metals for 80,000 national merit points and purchased 80 supply packages!"
"Report! The European joint forces' 'Knights Templar' are urgently dispatching their elite trainees to the Kunlun Liaison Office in Beijing! They hope that their soldiers can master those three restraining techniques within the final forty hours!"
"Report! The Sky Dome Martial Alliance, including 'Blood Axe,' 'Sand Scorpion,' 'Snow Wolf,' and seventeen other A-level mercenary groups, has officially accepted our employment agreement! Their advance force is expected to arrive in the capital in six hours!"
One after another, intelligence reports on war preparations from all over the world were continuously being compiled and sent to Li Zhenguo.
His mind, like a supercomputer, was processing this massive amount of information at lightning speed and issuing precise instructions.
"Order! Our army's three special operations brigades, 'Dragon Fang,' 'Qilin,' and 'Phoenix Feather,' immediately set off for the three designated war zones in Northeast, North, and Northwest China!"
"Order! Distribute half of our 'wartime supply packs' inventory to these three units first! Make sure they are familiar with how to use the supplies before the battle begins!"
"Order! Immediately contact Master Xuan Chen of Kunlun Dao Academy! Request him to dispatch Kunlun disciples to form a 'Battlefield Instructor Corps' to accompany the army! Make sure our soldiers master those three martial arts techniques in the shortest possible time!"
The entire command center was operating at a high speed, under extreme tension, yet in an orderly manner.
However, everyone knows that everything they are doing now is just preparing for a war that is completely unknown to them.
What exactly are their real enemies?
How strong are they?
What are their weaknesses?
Nobody knows.
All hope rests on the "Calamity Beast" encyclopedia that the "Sky Dome Martial Alliance" will soon release.
Just then, a slight commotion arose in the command center.
"It's here! It's here! The Sky Dome Martial Alliance's announcement is here!"
All eyes instantly focused on the central screen.
A flash of light appeared on the screen.
A biological encyclopedia interface with a strong science fiction style popped up.
At the very top of the interface, there is a line of large, eye-catching text:
"The Cataclysm Threat Level and Countermeasures Guide (Beginner Version)"
Below are, one by one, the monster avatars that have been lit up.
The first image is of an arthropod that looks very much like a giant cockroach.
Name: Corruptor
[Threat Level]: Level F (Standard individual firepower, effective in causing casualties)
[Biological Characteristics]: A social organism, found in large numbers. Capable of spraying highly acidic, corrosive liquids, which have an extremely strong destructive effect on conventional metal armor.
[Weakness Analysis]: Head nerve center, abdominal energy sac. Fear of fire and bright light.
[Merit Reward]: Killing one will reward you with 1 personal merit points and 0.001 national merit points.
The second avatar is a four-legged beast, similar in size to a rhinoceros, covered in a bony exoskeleton.
Name: Charger
[Threat Level]: Level E (Requires a heavy machine gun or anti-tank weapon to penetrate its outer shell)
[Biological Characteristics]: Extremely fast charging speed, impact force comparable to a heavy truck. Temperament: volatile and fearless.
[Weakness Analysis]: Eyes, joint connections. Furthermore, during a charge, it is unable to turn quickly.
[Merit Reward]: Killing one will reward you with 10 personal merit points and 0.01 national merit points.
The third avatar is a pterosaur-like creature capable of gliding at low altitudes.
[Name]: Shrieker
[Threat Level]: Level D (Requires anti-aircraft missiles or large-caliber anti-aircraft guns for effective interception)
[Biological characteristics]: It can emit high-frequency sound waves, interfere with electronic devices, and cause psychological impact on humans.
[Weakness Analysis]: Vocal sac in the throat. It has a clear restraining effect on attacks containing spiritual energy (such as "Soul Roar").
[Merit Reward]: Killing one will reward you with 100 personal merit points and 0.1 national merit points.
……
The encyclopedia has published detailed information on a total of ten "Disaster Beasts," ranging from Rank F to Rank D.
Each one comes with a clear 3D model and a dynamic attack demonstration.
Looking at these hideous and terrifying monsters, a collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the command center.
"My God...this...this is the enemy we're facing?"
"A single D-rank 'Screamer' requires anti-aircraft missiles to deal with? Then how terrifying must C-rank, B-rank, or even A-rank monsters be?"
"This is just the initial version of the monster encyclopedia... which means there are even more powerful monsters that haven't been revealed yet?"
A heavy shadow fell over everyone's heart.
Only Li Zhenguo, after carefully reading the entire illustrated guide, had a strange glint in his eyes.
"Something's not right..." he muttered to himself.
"What's wrong, Minister?" the operations staff officer beside him asked, puzzled.
"Look," Li Zhenguo said, pointing to the screen at the monsters' weakness analysis, "The Corruptor fears fire; the Rammer has fragile joints; the Screamer is countered by the Soul-Suppressing Roar... and that, what's this 'Lurker,' its weakness is vibration and high heat..."
"This is such a coincidence."
"These weaknesses are practically tailor-made for our existing weapons and equipment, and the three martial arts techniques we just acquired!"
"This...this isn't a monster encyclopedia, is it?"
"This is clearly a walkthrough guide!"
Li Zhenguo understood instantly.
This, once again, is the gentleman's handiwork!
He is using this method to lower the initial difficulty of the game for all players of "Earth Online"!
This is the true meaning of the so-called "newbie benefits"!
"Immediately! Translate this guide into twenty languages! Share it with all our allies!"
"Furthermore, notify our weapons development department! Have them work through the night to develop special ammunition and targeted weapons that exploit the weaknesses of these monsters!"
"We must be fully prepared before the battle begins!"
Just as the whole world was overjoyed and preparing for the battle with this "walkthrough" that had fallen from the sky.
The National Space Center has once again delivered news that plunges everyone's hearts into despair.
"Report to Commander-in-Chief! 'Leviathan' entered the Roche limit of the solar system five minutes ago!"
"It...it...it's starting to disintegrate!"
On the main screen in the command center, the image instantly switched.
All I could see was the deep, cosmic backdrop.
Under the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth, the surface of that enormous, dying planet began to crack.
Followed by.
"boom--!!!"
In a sudden, silent, violent explosion.
The entire asteroid shattered with a deafening roar!
It turned into thousands upon thousands of burning fragments of varying sizes!
Like a swarm of disturbed locusts, they swarmed across the sky, forming a "death barrage" that covered an area of millions of kilometers, engulfing the Earth!
"Oh no!"
Academician Chen Qiming from the Aerospace Center let out a desperate cry.
"Its way of disintegrating was completely different from what we expected! It didn't break into dozens or hundreds of pieces! Instead, it broke into tens of thousands! Even hundreds of thousands of pieces!"
"We simply cannot predict their exact landing point!"
"The entire Northern Hemisphere will become an impact zone!"
"Earth Alliance Headquarters... This is the North American Aerospace Defense Command!"
The anxious voice of the four-star general also came through the emergency channel.
"We have detected at least three thousand pieces of debris, each over one kilometer in diameter, heading towards the North American continent!"
"Requesting strategic support! Repeat! Requesting strategic support!"
"Report! Over two thousand large debris particles have been detected in Europe!"
"Report! Siberia, detected..."
In an instant, the entire command center was in complete chaos.
The apocalypse arrived in a way that was far more brutal than anyone could have imagined.