Chapter 233: Kua Fu Intercontinental Missile — Infinite Trajectory Changes

Kua Fu-3 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, first full-function test, thirty-minute countdown!

On the big screen, the missile was already standing on the launch pad.

Length twenty-two meters, diameter one point eight meters, uniformly silver-gray, with a line of red small text on the missile body.

This time Wang Hao behaved, writing the proper designation 'DF-ZF-003', not daring to add any playful words.

"Feng Yan, you really won't come to the site to take a look?" Wang Hao said into the headset.

Feng Yan's voice came from the Dragon Chant Main Control Room: "I'm watching the livestream, focus, don't stir up trouble again."

"Don't worry! This time it's absolutely stable!" Wang Hao patted his chest.

"I personally monitored it for three days and three nights, even checked the screws!"

Chen Guang's voice cut in: "You drew that smiley face on the missile fairing yesterday; I've had someone wipe it off."

"I did that to keep the missile in a good mood!" Wang Hao protested, "Science proves that emotion affects performance!"

"Missiles don't have emotions."

"Then you're wrong! Quantum mechanics tells us about the observer effect..."

"Shut up, prepare to launch." Chen Guang cut the channel directly.

Wang Hao pursed his lips, turned to the technicians at the console and grinned: "See? Guangzi is just jealous of my creativity."

A low chuckle went around.

Wang Hao liked this atmosphere—tense but not oppressive.

Dragon Chant's style has always been like this: get the job done nicely, and keep the atmosphere lively.

At the fifteen-minute mark of the countdown, Li Yang's holographic projection appeared in the control room.

"How is the propulsion system status?"

"Xuanwu Fusion Military Battery, energy at 100%, output stable." Wang Hao pulled up the data.

"This time we're using a new cooling scheme; it won't overheat even after thirty-seven consecutive trajectory changes."

"Navigation system?"

"Torch Dragon-3 personally handled it." Chen Guang's voice appeared again.

"Three hundred backup trajectories have been pre-loaded, with real-time dynamic optimization."

"Even if satellites change orbit or space debris appears mid-flight, the system can replot the course within 0.01 seconds."

Zhao Kaiyuan also joined the channel: "I looked at the warhead section—the twelve sub-warheads are independently guided, each powered by a micro fusion battery, and their maneuvering capability is no worse than the main body."

"Good." Li Yang nodded, "Then let's begin."

The countdown reached zero.

Launch.

The sound of the fusion propulsion was like a low hum, or not an exaggeration to say it was the breathing of a giant beast.

The missile rose smoothly, its tail spewing a pale blue plasma plume, drawing a straight line of light across the night sky.

"First stage separation... second stage ignition... entering suborbit." The controller reported the procedure.

Wang Hao stared at the screen, his palms slightly sweaty.

Although we've tested many times before, this time is different.

This is the complete Kua Fu-3, meant to demonstrate a true 'global no-blind-spot strike capability.'

One minute later, the missile had already flown out of the atmosphere.

"Begin Earth-circling cruise." Wang Hao ordered.

On the screen, the missile's trajectory began to change.

It did not fly straight to the target, but instead began to orbit along Earth's trajectory.

One lap.

Two laps.

Three laps.

"Current speed: first cosmic velocity plus 20%." Chen Guang reported the numbers.

"Circling Earth three times took fifty-one minutes, energy consumption... equivalent to boiling a pot of porridge."

"Boiling porridge?" Wang Hao raised an eyebrow, "Guangzi, can't you make that metaphor more grand?"

"Then it's equivalent to powering a city of 100,000 people for one day." Chen Guang rephrased.

"But the missile's actual energy consumption is only one-thousandth of that figure."

The barrage of comments was already dumbfounded:

"Is this missile just going for a joyride?"

"Orbiting Earth three times?! Is the fuel enough?"

"Haven't you heard upstairs? Fusion power, nearly infinite"

"So this thing can keep flying in the sky?"

Seeing that comment, Wang Hao gave a hehe smile: "Kua Fu-3 can endure three months, but we're not playing that long today; after the demonstration we'll clock out."

The Earth-circling phase ended, and the missile began to descend in altitude.

At the same time, trajectory changes began.

"First trajectory change, evading a simulated interceptor missile." Wang Hao explained.

On the screen, the missile's trajectory suddenly made a sharp angle, perfectly avoiding a virtual intercept point.

Then came the second, third...

Each trajectory change came without warning, the angles so tricky they didn't look like a missile, more like aerial ballet.

"Thirty-seventh trajectory change completed." Chen Guang's voice carried a hint of admiration.

All preset interception points were successfully avoided; the current hit rate prediction……100%.

In the spectator stands, the officers from various countries had already risen.

An Eagle Country military attaché whispered to his companion: "This kind of orbital change frequency and angle, our missile defense system can't keep up……"

"Don't even mention missile defense," his companion replied with a wry smile.

"We can't even predict it; its trajectory is completely irregular."

The final stage.

When the missile was still eight hundred kilometers from the SouthSea target zone, the warhead suddenly split.

The twelve sub-warheads scattered like heavenly maidens scattering flowers, each trailing a tiny tail of flame as they flew off in different directions.

Wang Hao exclaimed excitedly: "The decoy warheads have been activated; each has independent maneuvering capability, with heat-signature simulation and radar-reflection simulation all turned on."

"Now the enemy's screen will show twelve targets, making it impossible to tell which one is real!"

But in fact, all twelve are real.

The design concept of the Kuafu-3 is simply: every warhead carries destructive power—whichever you intercept, you'll be out of luck.

The twelve warheads traced complex trajectories in the air—some climbing, some diving, some performing spiral maneuvers.

Finally, when they were still ten kilometers from the target ship, three of the warheads suddenly changed course, swooping toward the target from three different angles.

The remaining nine continued flying, simulating attacks on other virtual targets.

"Impact countdown: three, two, one——"

The three warheads struck the target ship simultaneously.

A tremendous roar rang out; even from dozens of kilometers away, the control center could feel a slight vibration.

Satellite imagery showed that the target ship—a retired frigate converted for use—had been blown into three sections and was rapidly sinking.

"Miss distance," Chen Guang paused, then announced a number that silenced the entire venue: "0.3 meters."

After a long silence fell over the crowd.

Then thunderous applause erupted.

Wang Hao jumped up and slammed his fist down: "Awesome!!!"

He turned to face the camera, his face flushed red: "See? This is art—the art of destruction!"

The barrage of comments exploded:

"0.3 meters?! That's more accurate than a sniper rifle!"

"Has this missile become a spirit?!"

"Holy shit! Now we can really achieve global coverage strike!"

"From now on, in war, can we just point and strike wherever we want?"

"Those upstairs, it's already done now."

At the post-test data review meeting, Chen Guang pulled up a report he had just received.

"This is the assessment just released by the Eagle Country Strategy and International Research Center," he read.

"The global strike capability demonstrated by Longguo's Kuafu-3 missile marks the total failure of traditional geographic defense concepts."

"From now on, any target on the globe lies within Longguo's thirty-minute strike radius."

Wang Hao grinned: "Thirty minutes? They're being too conservative. Our fastest record is twenty-two minutes—enough to strike from the northwest to the SouthSea."

"The point is," Li Yang said, pointing to the latter half of the report.

"They actually admitted the technological gap, and even advised the military to halt all upgrades to current missile-defense systems, since in the foreseeable future they cannot effectively intercept."

"So they've just conceded defeat?" Wang Hao scratched his head.

"Boring—I haven't finished showing off yet."

Feng Yan's voice came over the speaker: "They haven't conceded defeat at all; they're merely adjusting their strategy."

"Next they might turn to asymmetric means, or…… accelerate their own fusion-weapon development."

Zhao Kaiyuan laughed: "Let them speed up then—we're already ahead by at least twenty years."

"As the saying goes, we release one generation, equip the next, and the third is already in development—they can't catch up."

Halfway through the meeting, Chen Guang suddenly received an urgent alert for Torch Dragon-3.

He quickly manipulated the tablet, and his expression gradually changed.

"What's wrong, Guangzi?" Wang Hao leaned over.

"There's a new breakthrough in signal decoding." Chen Guang projected the screen onto the wall.

"Those fragments previously thought to be random noise…… Torch Dragon-3 has pieced them together."

On the screen, a fragmentary star chart gradually took shape.

It was presented using some kind of three-dimensional projection technology, allowing one to see stars, planets, and even interstellar dust bands.

But the most striking feature was the markings on the star chart.

Several red arrows emanated from a point, pointing in different directions.

The tip of one of those arrows…… happened to land exactly on the position of the Solar System.

"This is……" Li Yang frowned.

"It's a projection of the Harvesters' advance route." Chen Guang zoomed in on that area.

"The signal sender is using the data they possess to simulate the Harvesters' expansion path. And according to this model……"

He called up a simulation animation.

The red arrows spread like ink dropped into clear water—slow but inexorable.

Star system after star system "blinked out"—not exploding, but vanishing from the chart as if erased by an eraser.

Finally, the arrow reached the edge of the Solar System.

The animation stopped here.

But everyone knows what will happen next.

"It wasn't a coincidence that we received the signal; they were warning us." Chen Guang stared at the star map, his face pale.

The control room fell into dead silence.

The joy from the successful missile test just moments ago was instantly scattered by this icy star map.

Wang Hao opened his mouth, wanting to say a joke to ease the atmosphere, but the words died on his lips.

He stared at the red arrow pointing toward the solar system, feeling it for the first time.

This is not a game, not a test, not a drill that can be redone.

This is a matter of civilization's survival.

"How reliable is the model?" Feng Yan asked.

"Torch Dragon-3 assessment, based on current data, matches at 87%." Chen Guang said.

"But the signal itself was sent three months ago; if the Harvesters' speed has changed, or their route adjusted..."

"Then it's just a matter of time—maybe ten years, maybe twenty—but the direction won't be wrong." Li Yang interjected.

Zhao Gong knocked his pipe, his voice already hoarse: "So those aliens, risking everything to throw out their technology, aren't hoping we'll save them."

He paused: "They're hoping we... don't die too fast."

That was blunt, but it's correct.

The signal senders are already struggling to survive; broadcasting their technology is less a cry for help and more like scattering seeds.

What if a civilization could survive?

What if?

Feng Yan fell silent for a long time, then said: "Send the star map to Minister Lei and Unit One. At the same time, accelerate the deployment of Kuafu-3; I want to see the first batch deployed in combat next month."

"Understood." Wang Hao wasn't joking this time.

"Also," Feng Yan looked at Chen Guang, "try using the communication protocol they gave us to send a message."

"What should we send?"

"Just send: 'We've received the star map. We're preparing.'"

Chen Guang nodded and began operating.

A few minutes later, a message encoded with the newly learned quantum modulation technology was sent from the directional antenna of the Deep Sea Dragon Palace space station, flying toward the signal's source.

No one knows if they can receive it.

No one knows what, even if they did receive it, a civilization struggling to survive could still do.

But this is one of the few things humanity can do.

Tell the strangers in deep space:

We have seen the danger.

We are preparing to meet it.

Late at night, Wang Hao sat alone on the observation platform of the test field, watching the crew clean up the wreckage of the target ship.

On the sea surface there were still oil stains and debris, glimmering in the moonlight.

Chen Guang walked over and handed him a can of coffee.

"Can't sleep?" Chen Guang asked.

"Neither can you." Wang Hao took the coffee.

"Guangzi, you say... do the things we've worked hard to build actually work?"

Chen Guang, unusually, didn't retort him but answered seriously: "I don't know. But if we don't build them, they'll definitely be useless."

"That's true." Wang Hao took a sip of coffee, bitter enough to make his teeth ache.

"By the way, about that quantum entanglement bomb we mentioned earlier, I have a new idea..."

"Let's talk about it tomorrow in the lab." Chen Guang interrupted him.

"Now go back to sleep first. Tomorrow we still have to test the Yinglong mecha."

"Old Li's big lump of iron? I heard it can take on an armored division single-handedly?" Wang Hao perked up.

Chen Guang turned: "As long as you don't draw a smiley face on it, there's no problem."

"That actually increases affinity!"

Their voices faded into the distance.

Above their heads, the starry sky remained tranquil.

Only some star or patch of it might be being swallowed by darkness.

And what humanity can do is seize the time, make our weapons a bit sharper.

A bit sharper.