Chapter 367: Shocking the World

The entire Mushroom cloud reached several thousand meters in height, with a base hundreds of meters wide, blotting out the sky and sun with a magnificent momentum.

A massive depression was blasted into the sea surface, followed by water rushing back in, kicking up giant waves dozens of meters high that spread in all directions.

The shockwave generated by the explosion swept across the sea surface, forming rings of water walls spreading outward; the observation ships in the distance were shaken violently, as if a Force 12 Hurricane were blowing at sea.

After the light came the deafening sound of the explosion.

Even tens of kilometers away, the sound was like ten thousand thunders roaring in unison, making one's chest feel stifled and eardrums sting.

On some of the closer observation ships, all the glass equipment on the decks shattered, crew members covered their ears one after another, and some even knelt down on the spot.

The Mushroom cloud continued to rise, forming a massive umbrella-shaped structure.

The top of the cloud layer gradually flattened out, while the cloud body displayed eerie, interwoven textures of orange-red and dark gray, as if it were a messenger from hell.

The Electromagnetic Pulse generated by the explosion swept across the sea, interfering with radio communications within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

Some electronic equipment failed instantly, and a screen of static appeared on the Radar screens.

Several minutes later, the Mushroom cloud reached its highest point and began to spread outward, forming a huge "Mushroom umbrella."

Subsequently, the cloud layer began to sink slowly, and dust and radioactive materials drifted away with the wind. The entire process was magnificent yet terrifying, beautiful yet deadly, as if it were Nature's mockery and warning toward human arrogance.

The entire sea area was shrouded in an unnatural Silence, with only that constantly shifting Mushroom cloud silently telling of the arrival of a new era.

Inside the Long Country military industrial base command center, the atmosphere went from tension to shock, and then to ecstasy, in just a few short seconds.

"Success! The Mushroom egg explosion was a success!" the communicator almost shouted, their voice cracking.

The data analyst stared at the readings on the screen in disbelief: "Preliminary estimate of the explosion yield is about 18,000 tons of TNT, nearly 20% higher than expected! The compression efficiency exceeded the design value!"

Dean He stood frozen in place, his lips trembling slightly, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the spectacular Mushroom cloud on the big screen. As a senior physicist, he clearly knew what this meant.

"It's done... it actually really worked!" Dean He muttered to himself, his voice full of disbelief, "We... have truly mastered the Modan Jishu."

The Military Department director slammed the table, his face flushed with excitement: "Good! Good! Good! From now on, Long Country enters the ranks of powerful nations!"

Lao Liu wiped his tears repeatedly in excitement: "Chief Engineer Li, you have created a miracle! Our Long Country people can finally hold their heads high!"

A young officer stood in the corner, tears streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably: "Long Country has a Mushroom egg! We won! From today on, no one will dare to look down on us again!"

The entire command center boiled over; people hugged each other, high-fived, and cheered.

Some jumped onto tables to shout slogans, some were so excited they held their heads and wept; the emotions suppressed for decades erupted at this moment, turning into uncontrollable ecstasy.

Li Mingyuan looked at the crazy scene before him, a sense of unprecedented achievement welling up in his heart. He dragged his exhausted body to a chair, sat down heavily, and let out a long breath.

"This moment belongs to us!" he said in a low voice, a glimmer flashing in his eyes.

A system prompt sounded in his mind: 【Mission Complete: Complete the Mushroom egg test explosion】

【Reward Issued: Rocket Propulsion Technology Upgrade, Insight Value +5000】

【Time is about to begin counting down...】

On the big screen, that huge Mushroom cloud was slowly deforming; everyone stared at this scene in silence, as if frozen by some invisible force.

The Intelligence Director stood there, his face pale, his hands trembling involuntarily.

As the highest person in charge of the intelligence agency, he knew deeply what this moment meant.

"The Mushroom egg's power... completely exceeds expectations," he spoke with difficulty, his voice low and hoarse, "Preliminary analysis shows the explosion yield may be as high as 18,000 tons of TNT, which already exceeds the power of our first Mushroom egg."

The technical analyst tapped the keyboard rapidly, their voice trembling: "The radiation characteristics completely match the Mushroom Liebian Fanyan, the Mushroom cloud shape is typical, the shockwave intensity matches the theoretical value... this is undoubtedly a successful Mushroom egg explosion."

"My God," a senior military officer wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "How did they do it? Didn't our intelligence department say that Long Country would need at least five years to develop a Mushroom egg?"

The intelligence analyst shook their head bitterly: "All signs indicate that this is related to that person named Li Mingyuan. Ever since he appeared, Long Country's technological development has exceeded its normal trajectory."

Inside the Leader's office, the Leader, who had just received the confirmation report of the explosion, slumped into his chair, his face ashen.

"How is it possible... they actually succeeded ahead of schedule?" the Leader muttered to himself, his voice full of disbelief, "This completely defies all our predictions!"

The Minister of Defense slammed the table and stood up: "This is a serious dereliction of duty by the intelligence department! How did Long Country master the Modan Jishu in such a short time? Did Beijixiong Guo give them technical support? Did spies steal our secrets? Or does that damn Li Mingyuan really have some extraordinary ability?"

A high-ranking military general, a highly respected General, slammed the table, making the cups jump:

"It's over, the strategic balance is completely broken! From today on, the nature of the battlefield has completely changed! We can no longer do as we please like before!"

"We must immediately re-evaluate the entire strategy," the Secretary of State interjected, "Long Country possessing a Mushroom egg means we must reconsider our military presence and political stance."

The Secretary of Defense had a gloomy expression: "The key is to find out how they made the breakthrough. That Li Mingyuan must have his investigation and intelligence gathering strengthened. If necessary, eliminate him at all costs!"

The Leader waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "The top priority now is to determine Long Country's Mushroom egg production capacity and reserves. How much fission material do they have? How many Mushroom eggs can they manufacture? To what extent has their delivery system developed? This information is crucial to us."

Inside the Kremlin of Beijixiong Guo, an emergency meeting was underway.

The First Secretary's expression was exceptionally grave; he looked at the latest intelligence on the table, his brows locked: "Confirmed without error? Did Long Country really successfully test-explode a Mushroom egg?"

"Absolutely without error," the Minister of Defense said firmly, "Our reconnaissance ships and aircraft recorded the entire process. The explosion characteristics completely match the Mushroom Liebian Fanyan, with a preliminary estimated yield of about 18,000 tons of TNT."

"Long Country even built a Mushroom egg? We must re-evaluate!" the Minister of Foreign Affairs exclaimed, "This completely changes the balance of power in the Yuandong region!"

The President of the Academy of Sciences pushed up his glasses, his expression complex: "What is most shocking is that Long Country went from theoretical research to successful test explosion in less than two years. This is almost impossible in the history of scientific development."

"It must be that Li Mingyuan," the Intelligence Department Director said in a low voice, "Ever since he appeared, Long Country's technological development has deviated from its normal trajectory. Who exactly is he?"

The First Secretary pondered for a moment: "Regardless, the facts are already before us. Long Country is now the third Mushroom power; we must adjust our policy toward Long Country. Strengthen economic and technical cooperation, while simultaneously keeping a close eye on their military development."

"There is one more problem," the Military Representative said hesitantly, "If Long Country continues to develop, they will soon develop a hydrogen bomb. At that time, the global strategic balance will be broken once again."

The First Secretary nodded: "This is exactly what we need to think about. In the long run, Long Country may become the third superpower after us and Di Guo. How should we respond to this possibility?"

The conference room fell into silence once again, with everyone thinking about this major issue. The world landscape is undergoing unprecedented changes, and Beijixiong Guo must be prepared for it.