Chapter 286: First Interception, Now Precision Strikes

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Hopkins muttered to himself, "How could Long Country's rocket shells have this kind of precision?!"

But the facts would not allow him to question it.

The second and third waves of missiles arrived one after another; the sky was illuminated as if it were broad daylight, and the earth trembled and convulsed under the relentless bombardment.

When the enemy soldier Daniel crawled out from a bunker, the scene before his eyes made him doubt whether he was in hell.

The originally orderly position had turned into a scorched earth, with craters so dense they almost merged into one.

Burning vehicles and equipment were scattered everywhere, and thick smoke obscured the moonlight.

Even more terrifying was that the missiles were still falling continuously, each one hitting the remaining military targets with extreme precision.

"Is this... a nightmare?" Daniel looked at the rocket artillery position in the distance that had been blown to pieces, muttering to himself.

At the 86th Launch Position, soldiers covered in blood and filth half-crawled and half-walked, trying to avoid the continuously falling artillery fire.

"Help! Someone save us!" Hysterical cries for help came over the radio, but the command post was already unable to respond.

An officer tried to organize a retreat, but just as he climbed onto the command vehicle, he was hit by a precision-guided missile, turning both him and the vehicle into a fireball.

The enemy Frontline Commander-in-Chief's post had become ruins. Hopkins knelt on the ground, covered in blood, his eyes hollow.

"How could it be like this... we clearly had the weapons advantage... why is it like this..." He repeated this sentence over and over, refusing to accept the reality before him.

On the battlefield, Long Country's counterattack lasted for a full twenty minutes.

When the last "Dragon Fire-1" fell, the enemy frontline position was already a purgatory.

Flames devoured everything, and thick smoke blotted out the sky and sun.

The once-proud rocket artillery positions were all destroyed, charred corpses were scattered everywhere, and the surviving enemy soldiers had long since abandoned resistance and were fleeing in all directions.

At the Long Country command post, Li Mingyuan reviewed the military report.

"Precision strike complete, all enemy fire points destroyed, expected to be unable to organize an effective counterattack in the short term." He reported calmly to headquarters.

Lao Liu stood to the side and couldn't help but whisper: "Good heavens, I even feel afraid for the enemy... they must be unable to figure out why our rocket shells can be so accurate..."

Li Mingyuan turned around, a trace of a smile finally appearing on his face:

"This is the power of technology. Integrated Circuit not only allows us to intercept their missiles but also makes our counterattack more precise and lethal. This war will completely change the balance of power between the two sides."

He looked out the window; the first rays of dawn were piercing through the smoke, shining on his resolute face.

"The future belongs to the country that masters the Hexin technology."

At the Di Guo general command post, an emergency meeting was being held.

Inside the conference room, the once-uniform military attire was now disheveled, and the generals' faces were filled with exhaustion and shock.

The air was filled with tension and fear; no one spoke, and everyone was waiting for the latest report from the front line.

"Has the situation been confirmed?" General Maise finally broke the silence, his voice hoarse.

Intelligence Officer Wallis's hands trembled slightly as he opened the folder in front of him:

"Yes, General. All 86 rocket artillery positions on the front line have been destroyed. Casualties in the artillery regiment exceed 80%, and the surviving personnel are evacuating urgently. Major General Hopkins... is seriously injured and unconscious. The frontline command system has been paralyzed."

"This is impossible!" Army Chief of Staff Buleike slammed the table,

"How could Long Country's rocket shells have this kind of precision? This completely violates the basic common sense of ballistics!"

"The facts are just so," Wallis continued with difficulty, "What is even more unsettling is that the flight trajectories of the Long Country rocket shells we detected are very regular, with almost no randomness, as if... as if they were precisely guided by some kind of Advanced system."

"Guided? Rocket shells?" Air Force representative General Williams scoffed, "Don't joke, even we don't have this kind of technology!"

"But the facts prove that Long Country has indeed done it." Wallis swallowed with difficulty under the disbelieving gazes of the crowd, "Their rocket shell hit rate is close to 95%. Almost every single one precisely hit a strategic target."

There was dead silence in the conference room.

"First intercepting our rocket shells, and now precision strikes..." General Maise muttered to himself, "What kind of technology has Long Country mastered?"

"There is another even more unsettling piece of news," Wallis paused, "Among the rocket shell wreckage we collected at the scene, we discovered some kind of unknown electronic component. Preliminary analysis shows that this may be a brand-new Integrated Circuit device, far exceeding our current technological level."

"Damn it!" General Maise stood up abruptly, "Three months ago, didn't our agents report that Li Mingyuan was developing some kind of new electronic equipment? How did the intelligence department evaluate it at the time?"

Intelligence Department head Allen's face turned pale: "We... we judged that it was just some kind of improved radio device, not enough to change the battlefield situation..."

"Not enough to change the battlefield situation?" General Maise's voice rose sharply, "Now our entire front line has been destroyed! Doesn't this count as changing the battlefield situation?!"

Allen lowered his head, sweat soaking his shirt: "We... we underestimated Long Country's technological capabilities, especially this Li Mingyuan..."

General Maise turned his back, trying to control his emotions.

The atmosphere in the conference room was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

At this moment, an elderly Military Advisor slowly stood up.

He was Doctor Dulittle, who had served as the head of the electronic warfare department before retiring and was known as the "Father of Electronic Warfare."

"General Maise, I think we may have overlooked some important intelligence." Dulittle's voice carried the hoarseness peculiar to an old man, yet it was exceptionally clear.

Everyone's gaze turned to this highly respected old man.

"What intelligence?" General Maise asked eagerly.

Dulittle took off his glasses and wiped them gently: "Three months ago, I did receive a report regarding a breakthrough in Long Country's electronic technology. The report mentioned that Li Mingyuan's team was developing some kind of 'Integrated Circuit' technology, which might be used for weapon system control."

"Why didn't such important intelligence receive attention?" General Maise gritted his teeth.

"Because... at the time, no one understood what 'Integrated Circuit' meant." Dulittle sighed,

"Our scientists believed that this technology would take at least 10 years to become practical, so... the report was filed under the 'long-term observation' category."

A staff officer couldn't help but interject: "But, even if there were some new electronic equipment, how could it allow rocket shells to be both intercepted and precision-guided? This completely violates the laws of military technology as we know them!"

"It is precisely because it violates our understanding that it should be taken even more seriously!" Dulittle suddenly raised his voice.