Chapter 466: What If They Also Have Missiles?

On the ground, everyone looked up at the sky. Although it was difficult for the naked eye to see a target at such a height, suddenly, a blinding light streaked across the horizon, followed immediately by a deafening sonic boom. The earth shook, and window glass shattered one after another.

"It... it's flying at supersonic speed!"

What was even more terrifying was the scene that followed, one that people would never forget for the rest of their lives—"Changfeng-Yi" suddenly split apart, shedding several small objects from its main body. They traced graceful arcs in the air, and then...

"Parts are falling off! It dropped something!"

Panic spread instantly. People screamed and fled in all directions, thinking a nuclear bomb was about to fall.

But a few seconds later, colorful lights bloomed in the sky. Those "falling parts" were actually... fireworks!

The brilliant fireworks blossomed in the sky over the northern part of White Elephant Country, forming a huge, incredibly clear dragon pattern. Under the reflection of the morning sun, the golden giant dragon looked lifelike, as if roaring at the land below.

Inside the White Elephant Country air defense command center, there was dead silence.

All the display screens and Radar had clearly captured this scene—Long Country's "Changfeng-Yi" Missile had not only perfectly controlled its own flight trajectory, but had even released pre-designed fireworks over their country, drawing a giant dragon.

This was not just a missile test; it was a meticulously planned humiliation.

Di Gan slumped in his chair, his face deathly pale. "They... they are toying with us..."

The expression of the air defense commander was even more unsightly. "This kind of precision control... this has already exceeded our imagination. If they wanted to, this missile could have precisely hit any one of our targets."

"Parts falling off..." an intelligence analyst muttered to himself. "So it was fireworks... they were playing us from the very beginning..."

Everyone in the command center fell into deep despair and humiliation. This move by Long Country not only demonstrated their technical prowess but also completely destroyed White Elephant Country's military confidence and national dignity.

At this moment, "Changfeng-Yi" had already flown across the entire territory of White Elephant Country and continued to fly toward the pre-designated target area deep in the ocean. Throughout the entire flight, every one of its movements was as precise as a textbook, executing exactly according to the preset trajectory and timing.

Inside the Long Country control center, a burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted.

"Hit! A precise hit on the bullseye!"

The large screen showed that "Changfeng-Yi" had accurately struck the preset target deep in the ocean 6,500 kilometers away from the launch point, with an error of less than 50 meters. This level of precision was simply inconceivable in the missile technology of that time.

Deputy Commander Liu slapped the table excitedly. "That's fucking beautiful! Chief Engineer Li, you are too amazing! This time, not only did we slap White Elephant Country in the face, but we also let Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo witness our strength!"

Technical personnel congratulated Li Mingyuan one after another, and everyone's face was filled with proud smiles.

"The firework move was truly brilliant," Minister Zhang said with a smile, shaking his head. "I bet those guys in White Elephant Country are stomping their feet in anger right now."

Li Mingyuan smiled calmly. "It's not just White Elephant Country; the intelligence agencies of Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo are probably in a state of chaos right now. They originally thought the 'parts falling off' was some kind of advanced weapon test, but it turned out to be a fireworks show. This psychological gap is more effective than technical deterrence."

"Indeed," Deputy Commander Liu laughed loudly. "Imagine the expressions on those Star-Spangled Country experts' faces, having spent days and nights analyzing our 'secret weapon,' only to find out it was fireworks, hahaha!"

The conference room was filled with jubilation, and everyone was immersed in the joy of victory.

However, in this ocean of joy, a low and majestic voice suddenly sounded, "Enough."

Everyone was stunned and turned to look at the door. The Leader stood there, his expression grave and his eyes sharp.

"Leader!" Everyone stood up immediately and saluted.

The Leader walked slowly into the conference room, looked around, and finally fixed his gaze on Li Mingyuan. "Technical success is worth celebrating. But at this moment, we should reflect more deeply on the strategic significance behind it."

The conference room fell silent instantly, and everyone put away their smiles and listened seriously.

The Leader walked to the large screen, looked at the trajectory line that had completed its full flight, and spoke slowly: "The sharpness of 'Changfeng' has shaken the world today, but this blade can be held in my hand, and one day it could also be hung over my head! Would Star-Spangled and Beijixiong sit by and watch? If they imitate it, or even surpass us, wouldn't our vast land be left wide open?"

These words were like a basin of cold water, extinguishing all the celebratory atmosphere in the conference room. Everyone's expression became grave.

Indeed, technology is a double-edged sword. Today, the precision control capability demonstrated by "Changfeng-Yi" made White Elephant Country tremble, but if one day, the missiles of Star-Spangled Country or Beijixiong Guo could do the same, or even better, what kind of threat would Long Country face?

The atmosphere in the conference room became unusually heavy, and everyone fell into deep thought. The joy of celebrating victory was replaced by a huge sense of crisis, and an oppressive silence enveloped the entire space.

All eyes focused on Li Mingyuan. Could this young man, who had created one technical miracle after another, lead Long Country to break through the predicament again and deal with this strategic challenge he had brought about himself?

Deputy Commander Liu was the first to react, putting away his smile and nodding seriously: "The Leader is absolutely right. Today it is our 'Changfeng-Yi', tomorrow it might be Star-Spangled Country's 'Falcon', and the day after perhaps Beijixiong Guo's 'Blizzard'... We pioneered this path, and others will catch up sooner or later."

Minister Zhang also added with a grave expression: "That is indeed the case. The scientific research strength of Star-Spangled Country cannot be underestimated. Once their military-industrial complex goes all-in, they could very likely develop a similar missile system within five years."

Chen Gong, an old expert from the Seventh Institute, took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with a bitter smile: "Technical diffusion is inevitable. We have cracked the control technology for supersonic missiles, and Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo will definitely go all out to catch up. Once they master the same technology... the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Yes," another Military Representative said in a deep voice, "It's just like the atomic bomb back in the day. When Star-Spangled Country was the only one, they could do whatever they wanted. Now that Beijixiong Guo has it too, with the two powers confronting each other, neither dares to act rashly. But the problem is, we are currently in a position of technical leadership; once we are caught up to or even surpassed..."

He did not finish, but everyone understood what he meant. Technical advantage is temporary; once it disappears, Long Country will face an even greater threat.

The Leader looked around, his gaze finally landing on Li Mingyuan: "Chief Engineer Li, what is your take on this?"

Everyone's eyes also turned to this young man who had created a series of miracles. If there was anyone in this room who could provide an answer, it had to be him.

Li Mingyuan did not answer immediately. He stood up quietly, his eyes, which seemed to see through the long river of time, sweeping over every worried face in the conference room. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing that familiar, somewhat mysterious smile.

"What you all worry about, I had already considered when 'Changfeng' was first completed." His voice was calm and firm, as if he had already foreseen everything. "Where the spear points, there must be a shield to protect. Star-Spangled Country wants to imitate 'Changfeng'? Even if they succeed, I have a way to make their sharp blade break and sink into the sand!"

These words were like a bomb, causing an uproar in the conference room. Everyone widened their eyes, looking at Li Mingyuan in disbelief.

"What?" Deputy Commander Liu almost jumped out of his chair, his voice raised an octave due to shock. "Chief Engineer Li, you... are you saying... defense? Intercepting an intercontinental missile like 'Changfeng'?!"

"That's right," Li Mingyuan nodded calmly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

A burst of astonished discussion erupted in the conference room.

"How is this possible?"

"Intercepting an intercontinental missile? What kind of joke is this!"

"This is a fantasy!"

Chen Gong, the old expert from the Seventh Institute, stood up abruptly, his face flushed, and he almost roared: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The terminal speed of a missile is several times the speed of sound, as fast as a Meteor falling to earth. Even capturing it with current Radar is difficult, let alone intercepting it? This is pure delusion!"

He waved his hands excitedly: "I have studied ballistics for forty years, and I can tell you responsibly that with the current level of technology, intercepting a high-speed ballistic missile is an almost impossible task!"

"Chen Gong is right," another technical expert echoed, "Even if our Radar could barely capture the missile, from detection to reaction, and then to launching an interceptor weapon, the time difference in between... the missile would have already landed!"

"Not to mention the precision guidance problem," a general from the Military frowned, "Our existing guidance technology can barely hit a medium-sized Bomber accurately, let alone a small, high-speed moving target?"

The questioning in the conference room grew louder and louder, and almost everyone thought that Li Mingyuan had proposed an impractical idea this time. Even Deputy Commander Liu, who had always supported him, showed a look of doubt.

Only the Leader remained silent, his gaze locked on Li Mingyuan, as if waiting for something.

Facing the room full of doubts, Li Mingyuan was exceptionally calm. He looked around, and only after the noise subsided slightly did he speak slowly: "I fully understand everyone's concerns. Indeed, with conventional thinking, intercepting a high-speed ballistic missile is an almost impossible task."

He paused, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: "But who said we have to follow the conventional path?"

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Li Mingyuan had already turned to his assistant: "Take out the blueprints for 'Sky Net'."

The assistant acted immediately, taking a giant blueprint marked "Top Secret · Sky Net" from a specially made security case, and carefully unfolded it on the conference table.

Everyone stood up involuntarily and gathered around, wanting to get to the bottom of it. The moment the blueprint was fully unfurled, the conference room once again fell into a deathly Silence, but this time it was because of shock and disbelief.

The drawing was not a weapon system in the traditional sense, but a vast and complex network structure composed of dozens of Radar Stations, computing centers, and launch sites, covering the vast regions of northern and western Long Country. In the upper right corner of the drawing, the words "Sky Net Defense System" were clearly marked, and in the lower left corner, a "Top Secret" stamp was affixed.

"This... what is this?" Deputy Commander Liu's voice trembled, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the drawing.