Did the world end today?

Chapter 188 We Need a Bigger Explosion
Geosynchronous orbit, nuclear bomb.

What a niche language.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Xu felt completely stunned.

He even thought that a world war had already broken out.

That star was the flash of a nuclear bomb.

But this
How can it be? !
What are they trying to do?

The power of a nuclear bomb with a yield of over one megaton is enough to destroy more than 80% of satellites in geosynchronous orbit and low Earth orbit!
Moreover, the burst of gamma rays will interact with the Earth's atmosphere over an unprecedentedly wide range, generating widespread and high-energy electromagnetic pulses.

Most electronic devices on the ground will be destroyed instantly, plunging human society into chaos in a flash.

War was almost inevitable, because the consequences of this event would be even more severe than a nuclear bomb exploding directly on the ground.

But wait.

How come I can still receive phone calls?
Lin Xu's eyes instantly shifted from fear to confusion.

When he looked at his phone again, he found that everything was normal.

The signal is at full strength.

Communication is normal.

There was not the slightest sign that it had been affected.

what's the situation?
As Lin Xu walked quickly outside, he asked:
"Explain in detail, what exactly is the situation with nuclear weapons?"

"do not know!"

On the phone, Chen Yixin's tone still carried a hint of anger.

But like Lin Xu, the subtle murderous intent that mingled with his anger had diminished somewhat.

“I called you as soon as I received the message, but now, the United States has sent us new intelligence through confidential communications.”

"The embassy and consulates have also started to contact us—they probably have no intention of war, they are just acting first and informing us later."

"It appears to be an experimental nuclear explosion."

"The yield was less than 100 kilotons—according to them, the explosion was a B61-3 tactical nuclear bomb with a yield of 60 kilotons."

6 tons?

Lin Xu had already reached the door of the operations command room. He pushed the door open and went inside. Chen Yixin put down his phone, turned to look at him, and then continued:

"They located a high-dimensional passage in low Earth orbit."

"This explosion was to test the physical properties of the higher-dimensional channel!"

???

Nuclear explosion? Test?
Is this an American?

Not Russian?
At this moment, Lin Xu was truly filled with questions.

If you want to test high-dimensional channels, don't you know how to find a location on the ground to test them?
Space testing is not only more difficult, but also much more dangerous than testing on Earth.

While the gamma rays from a 6-kiloton nuclear bomb are insufficient to have a substantial impact on most satellites, they can still be quite deadly for some civilian models, especially older, smaller satellites with weaker protection.

SpaceX will likely suffer the greatest loss from this explosion.

Can their Starlink really withstand this round of bombing?
-
But Americans can't possibly be unaware of this.

Since they made this choice, there must be a reason for it.

Lin Xu's expression changed.

Then, he asked:
Did they specify exactly what physical properties they were testing?

"no!"

Chen Yixin shook his head and said:

"They kept it a secret."

"But we noticed that they had deployed several small satellites in advance near the center of the nuclear explosion."

"Prior to this, they had been claiming that they were four test satellites used to monitor solar storms and conduct deep space exploration."

"But now it seems that it was a suicide satellite sensor array!"

Suicide satellite sensor array
The moment the word was uttered, Lin Xu immediately felt an unprecedented pressure.

what does this mean?
This means that the Americans had already started making preparations long ago.

They had been planning this experiment for a year or two, or even two or three years.

What they were conducting was clearly a high-energy physics experiment centered on a nuclear explosion in space.

However, such experiments are not so easy to conduct.

Nuclear bombs require special design and the addition of radioactive tracers to mark radioactive particles, distinguishing them from ordinary cosmic particles.

The detonation controller must be precise enough to ensure synchronous data acquisition.

The location must be carefully chosen, far away from spacecraft in orbit, to minimize strong interference from the Van Allen radiation belts.

Needless to say, the design of the detector almost embodies all of the United States' technological accumulation in the field of high-energy physics.

Their actions this time likely drained the last glimmer of light from this increasingly declining nation in the field of systems engineering.

Lin Xu found it hard to imagine how much resistance and pressure this project would have to overcome before it could finally be launched.

It is even quite possible that, apart from the core personnel involved in the plan, most of the participants and decision-makers probably have no idea what the plan is about.

That's right, only this reason can explain why they "acted first and reported later".

Because this was indeed a high-risk self-rescue operation.

It's like cutting yourself open, slicing open your chest, and then performing CPR by holding your heart with your bare hands.
But what exactly are they after?
ghost.

They already know about the ghost's existence?

All they did was try to catch that ghost?

"We need to establish a communication mechanism with them immediately."

"This is a problem for all mankind, and cooperation is essential."

Lin Xu began to speak:
"This nuclear explosion will certainly not achieve the desired effect. They may obtain some information, but they are still far from the final answer."

"Rather than calling this a pure 'scientific research project,' it's more accurate to say that they wanted to use so-called 'scientific research' to create a false reputation."

"They have already shown a clear intention to cooperate; they just want to gain more dominance in the cooperation process."

"so."

"I see."

Chen Yixin nodded, then said:
“We will take care of this part of the problem, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

"Furthermore, what's the latest development regarding Zhou Yue's 'trump card'?"

“Very close.”

Lin Xu replied:
“We’re very close.” “We don’t need to know exactly what it is; all we need to do is find evidence to prove its existence.”

"As long as it exists, we will catch it sooner or later."

"it is good."

Chen Yixin solemnly said:
"I believe you."

Lin Xu nodded silently.

Then he turned and left.

He was going to find Zhang Liming.

He needs to figure out whether he truly understands what this so-called "lock" means.
at the same time.

Inside NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Joanne Hewitt, one of the most important living high-energy physicists in the United States and a leading figure in the study of supersymmetry and extra dimensions, sat in front of Thomas Zuma, head of NASA's science division, holding a data report that had just been collected.

His brows furrowed, and a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

After a moment, he spoke:
"This experiment came at a great cost."

"The number of damaged satellites reached 60, but the result did not meet our expectations."

"The existing data cannot provide us with new ideas, whether in terms of supersymmetric particles, dark photons, or quark-gluon plasma theory."

"Most importantly, these data do not show the 'perfection' trend we might have expected."

"It neither fully conforms to the Standard Model nor provides credible clues for theories outside the Standard Model."

"The previously mentioned possible ghost of physics has not appeared."

"Perhaps it's due to a problem with the experimental design—of course, it could also be purely due to insufficient energy levels."

"The good news is that, at least in this experiment, we have made new breakthroughs in our research on high-dimensional channels."

"Although it is still only a phenomenal breakthrough, at least we can be sure that this thing cannot be destroyed by nuclear bombs."

His tone carried a clear hint of mockery, and Thomas across from him shook his head helplessly before saying:
"If Congress knew that we had spent so many resources and manpower just to send a tactical nuclear bomb into space to prove that the higher-dimensional portal is indestructible, they would probably storm into this office and arrest us both for treason, wouldn't they?"

"This is a necessary risk."

Joanne shrugged.

“We won’t get caught—we’re just following orders.”

"Moreover, this experiment has far more to do with scientific research significance."

"From a politician's perspective, we sent a rather strong signal."

As he spoke, he put away the documents in his hand.

"It's a very simple question—do you play Texas Hold'em?"

"Don't play."

Thomas shook his head.

"I only gamble on roulette."

“Then you are pathetic—Texas Hold’em is one of the most sophisticated games of strategy.”

"In short, what I mean is that this nuclear explosion is a 'bluff' in Texas Hold'em. By doing so, we can make our opponents believe that we have far more information and cards than they do."

"In subsequent negotiations, this information will become our key bargaining chip."

"It will ensure that we gain a more advantageous position—at least, we won't be led by the nose by them."

"clear."

Thomas nodded thoughtfully.

"So you believe that cooperation is an inevitable choice?"

"of course."

Joanne sighed.

"Whether we like it or not, no matter how much prejudice we have against them, cooperation is an inevitable choice."

"We must even contain the military and those foolish divisives in Congress in order to achieve a peaceful and deep cooperation outcome."

"Zhou Yue has been confirmed to have been arrested, and his last bit of value has been squeezed dry."

"So going forward, we must... drop everything and get involved in the alliance process."

"Because, according to him, the world we live in is the only world with hope."

"We have nowhere to run."

"clear."

Thomas clenched his fists instinctively.

But then he asked again:
"So, what do we need to do next?"

"What I mean is, how do we promote cooperation?"

"We need a big project."

Joanne replied:

"A major project that is decisive, equally important to everyone, and must be completed by everyone working together."

"This project is actually already confirmed."

"In this experiment, we didn't trigger the energy level high enough, so we couldn't catch that ghost."

"But what if we detonated a nuclear bomb with a yield of ten megatons?"

"Perhaps the outcome will be different."

"According to records, the next stable high-dimensional passage will appear on the far side of the moon."

"This is a rare opportunity."

"So why don't we just detonate a nuclear bomb right there?"

"On the far side of the moon?"

Thomas was dumbfounded.

"Detonate a nuclear bomb on the far side of the moon??"

"Yes."

Joanne nodded solemnly.

"Let's begin negotiations."

"Next, this is the only thing we need to do, and it's also the most important thing!"

(End of this chapter)