Chapter 478: Interception Successful

Inside the 404 Base command center, the alarms of various monitoring equipment sounded one after another. The numbers on the data screens jumped frantically, showing the target missile's status deteriorating rapidly.

"Interceptor No. 7 successfully approached the target and detonated!"

"Target missile shell integrity severely damaged!"

"Flight trajectory deviated by more than 35 degrees!"

"Propulsion system partially failed, unidentified flames appearing at the tail!"

Li Mingyuan stood before the main console, his eyes fixed on the screen, his expression remaining calm. But in those eyes, the light of victory was already flickering. His steady, powerful voice resonated throughout the command center and spread across the global live broadcast:

"Target has suffered effective damage, trajectory severely deviated! Confirmation of successful interception!"

He paused for a moment, then added, "Although the target missile has not completely disintegrated, it has already lost its effective flight and attack capabilities. In actual combat, such damage is sufficient to cause an enemy missile to deviate from its target by hundreds of kilometers, or disintegrate upon atmospheric reentry."

However, Li Mingyuan was clearly not satisfied with "effective damage." He quickly turned to the console: "Execute the second wave of interception as planned; the target is to completely destroy the already damaged target missile."

"Second wave, launch preparation!"

"Target coordinates updated!"

"Interceptor missiles preheated!"

Inside the command center, the atmosphere had shifted from extreme tension to an irrepressible excitement. Although everyone still maintained a professional attitude, their voices were already tinged with obvious agitation.

"Second wave, countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, launch!"

The live broadcast footage switched back to the launch site in the desert. This time, another 8 interceptor missiles soared into the sky from different directions, pointing straight at the already teetering target missile.

Unlike the first wave, these interceptor missiles no longer required complex predictions and probability calculations—the target missile had already severely decelerated, and its flight trajectory had become relatively stable, making it an "easy" target.

"Second wave of interceptor missiles approaching target, contact expected in 10 seconds!"

Global audiences held their breath once again, waiting for the final blow. The commentators from the Star-Spangled Country, Beijixiong Guo, and White Elephant Country were completely speechless, leaving only a dead-silent background sound.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, contact!"

A series of explosions erupted in the sky again; almost all the interceptor missiles hit the already damaged target missile, tearing it to pieces.

A huge fireball bloomed in the high altitude, and the wreckage of the target missile scattered like a meteor shower, shimmering with the cold light of metal under the sun, slowly falling toward the distant earth.

The entire world seemed to stand still at this moment.

Inside the 404 Base command center, a thunderous cheer erupted instantly.

Technicians stood up from their workstations one after another, hugging and high-fiving each other; some even had tears in their eyes.

"Success! It really succeeded!"

"We did it! The impossible mission!"

"'Sky Net' system, the first successful missile defense system in human history!"

Amidst the cheers, only Li Mingyuan maintained that incredible calmness.

He stood there, his gaze sweeping over his colleagues celebrating in the command center, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

At the Northwest Base Observation Station of Long Country, the invited international reporters and observers were all stunned.

A few seconds ago, they were still whispering, mocking this "doomed to fail" farce. Now, they could only stare blankly at the huge fireball and scattered wreckage in the sky.

A Star-Spangled Country reporter's camera slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a crisp sound, but he was completely unaware.

"This... this is impossible..." a White Elephant Country reporter who prided himself on being a military expert muttered to himself, his voice full of disbelief, "They actually... actually did it..."

"My God," the Beijixiong Guo reporter's voice trembled, "they weren't joking... they really intercepted an intercontinental missile..."

An old reporter standing in the front row suddenly collapsed to the ground, his face pale as paper: "If Long Country can intercept 'Changfeng-Yi', then the Star-Spangled Country's 'Falcon', the Beijixiong Guo's 'Blizzard'..."

He did not finish, but everyone present understood the terrifying implication of those words.

In the live broadcast studios of major television stations in the Star-Spangled Country, there was dead silence.

Suddenly, the director's voice rang out urgently in the earpiece: "Cut back to the studio! Quick! Cut back to the studio!"

The camera switched hurriedly, returning to the studio in the Star-Spangled Country. The host stood there stunned, his lips moving but unable to make a sound, clearly unprepared to deal with this situation.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, he finally found his voice, though he was incoherent: "Ladies and gentlemen... we... we have just witnessed... a... Long Country has... their 'Sky Net' system... successfully intercepted..."

Sitting to the side, the special guest Doctor Green—the missile expert who had once mocked the "Sky Net" system as a "fairy tale" on the program—looked ashen, his eyes staring blankly at the screen.

He muttered to himself, his voice so low it was almost inaudible:

"They... they did it... Saturated Interception... Probability Airspace... this is... this is a brand-new line of thinking... a genius... or a madman... perhaps both..."

The host tried to guide the topic: "Doctor Green, could you explain to us whether what we just saw... was truly a successful missile interception?"

Doctor Green seemed not to hear the question, continuing to talk to himself: "Our missiles... completely defenseless... we always believed interception was impossible... but they changed the rules of the game... they didn't pursue single-point precision strikes... but used quantity... used probability..."

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with a near-maniacal light: "Do you understand what this means? The entire nuclear deterrence theory... the entire strategic balance... everything... will be completely changed!"

Inside the Pentagon's emergency conference room, Secretary Maxwell slammed his fist into the display screen, glass shards splattered everywhere, and blood seeped from his knuckles, but he ignored it entirely.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" he roared, his voice filled with frustration and panic, "How could they... those inferior Orientals... that Li Mingyuan... where did he get this kind of technology?"

The surrounding Military high-ranking officials and scientists remained silent, each of their faces filled with shock and fear.

"Sir," a major general spoke cautiously, "we must immediately re-evaluate the strategic situation. If Long Country has truly mastered missile defense technology..."