Chapter 750
Chapter 750 - 736: Aftermath
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The insane explosions continued, and the dark mushroom cloud had already reached the sky.
Shockwaves in continuous rings washed over the world in front of them.
Lu Ping’an seemed like a dandelion in a tornado, being wildly swept away.
When he finally managed to regain his balance, at least half a minute had passed.
Looking at the massive mushroom cloud in the distance, Lu Ping’an shook his head, adjusting his parachute as he continued to fall.
He had originally thought he would be intercepted by the Sky Knights, at least by some sniper rifles and heavy artillery bombardment.
In the end, when he landed, he found the ground in ruins, and no one was paying any attention to him.
Even though the epicenter of the explosion was far away, the shockwaves and gales still managed to throw the entire battlefield into disarray.
The metal knight crashed into the ground, leaving a crater, even though Lu Ping’an tried to control his balance in advance, the impact still raised a cloud of debris and shattered stones.
The mecha disassembled, revealing Lu Ping’an’s true face.
He surveyed his surroundings and found that the original defensive lines had also been partly broken in this round of shockwaves, although the explosion was quite far from here.
Fortunately, as long as they were still in the trenches, their lives could be protected.
"Lu Ping’an..."
"Is he the real Lu Ping’an?"
One by one, familiar and unfamiliar faces looked over.
If before there was only respect and trust, now there was also awe and submission.
No one was a fool; they knew that if it hadn’t been for Lu Ping’an, they would have been reduced to dust.
But Lu Ping’an himself didn’t give them a friendly look, not even bothering to engage in conversation.
That’s because those who remained here, able to return to the surface so quickly, basically hadn’t followed his "seek refuge" orders properly.
Lu Ping’an understood that under such circumstances, his command was bound to be discounted, and so few "disobedient" people were surprising.
He could understand their unease and mistrust, even he himself wouldn’t obediently hand his fate over to others if he was in their shoes.
But that wasn’t a reason for him to treat them kindly.
The war was not over; he was still their leader, the one with authority over the command system.
If he showed any goodwill to those who "disobeyed orders" at this time, it would make the entire "game rules" less respected.
Thus, he just walked past silently.
Even so, as he passed by, he still received a chest-touching salute, a smile, and pairs of grateful and respectful eyes.
That was the respect and benefits reserved for the warriors by professionals.
"He kept his promise..."
"Lu Ping’an, truly safe and sound."
Looking at Lu Ping’an’s calm face, the surface witnesses couldn’t help but recall that equally calm and low "promise" from the previous communication, a promise that seemed too exaggerated in the eyes of the old stager.
[....I will take you home.]
At this moment, even the most nitpicking, old-school professional, who usually looked down upon young people, bowed their head, expressing their respect and apologizing for their past lack of trust.
Regardless of what others thought or said, Lu Ping’an simply walked forward calmly.
In the eyes filled with various emotions, he continued to walk, perhaps, he really was the one who could take them all home. From this moment on, no one would obey him merely because of his "status."
"Lu Ping’an."
His name was truly remembered by one professional after another, perhaps not only limited to those present.
Before him, all was peaceful, and as he passed, the area gradually became noisy once more.
As new intelligence was coming in, and as the people who had escaped the catastrophe finally realized what had happened, exclamations and cheers became the main theme.
As he entered the mining area below, Lu Ping’an finally saw familiar faces and let out a sigh, sitting down right on the spot.
Blood dripped down, his body aching everywhere, but it was much better than expected... at least, he didn’t fall in public.
"It seems that I need a little help, too, and...."
The young man finally smiled.
"...I fulfilled my promise."
"...I have returned."
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𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
This time, Lu Ping’an did not lie down for three days straight.
He was given deferred payment, and the healers tried various treatments on him. To their amazement of "how it’s completely ineffective," there were still some indirect therapies that worked.
For example, his parasitic tree trait, which helped him heal faster when exposed to sunlight, was very beneficial at this time.
Lu Ping’an had no intention of resting... The injuries were much lighter than last time, and he had more work to do.
"... Is it confirmed that the Aus’s headquarters was completely destroyed?"
"Not only their headquarters, but even the surrounding mountains are gone. There’s a huge hole that is so deep one can’t see the bottom."
Lu Ping’an nodded; this was expected.
The Divine Bones and the Vortex Stones are essentially "thermal energy to kinetic energy" converters... but their conversion rates are so outrageous that they are clearly a bug in the eyes of mortals.
As a price, at least the transformation of the Vortex Stone is to consume the Vortex Stone as a catalyst.
So, the power limit of the Vortex Stone weapons still depends on the intensity of the "fire source"... it may have a limit, but in most cases, it’s probably not likely to reach it.
The reason why Lu Ping’an’s theoretical calculations for the device are so terrifying is because the Divine Bones are the laws of the world, unverifiable and irrefutable "truths" within the world. As long as they are given enough heat, they will provide you with infinite kinetic energy.
Lu Ping’an estimated that the Aus people might not have been able to calculate the precision themselves, as they likely lacked an understanding of "space technology." They did not know how terrifying the kinetic and thermal energy could become when an object falls from outside the atmosphere. These energies would accelerate into an appalling amount of kinetic energy under the catalysis of Divine Bones and Vortex Stones.
If the Vortex Stone was completely consumed, then the Divine Bones would begin to burn and be fully consumed... Lu Ping’an suspected that this could directly tear apart planets.
Fortunately, the weapon flew lower than Lu Ping’an had anticipated, so its power did not reach the level of a "Planet Breaker"... well, it was now an Earth Piercer, a real tactical nuclear bomb.
Perhaps slightly more powerful than a real nuclear bomb, but with limited radiation and a more comfortable death for those affected.
"What about the Aus people?"
"They temporarily retreated."
As expected, there was not much to say.
The Aus people’s "winning move" almost took both sides of the battle with it, and now it’s easy to imagine the chaos within their ranks.
"Will they use this again...?" Someone asked this question as anticipated.
Many expectant gazes turned towards Lu Ping’an. No matter the world, nuclear deterrence always causes unease and helplessness among people.
Lu Ping’an shook his head, not thinking the Aus people would have a second spacecraft like the "Space Elevator" so readily available.
From the feedback on both sides, this device was actually an expensive experiment, and it would be impossible to produce another one in the short term.
If it weren’t for the special local materials and rules, reaching such a level of high-speed ascent would be impossible in the first place.
Even if they did have one in storage, and brought it out...
"If necessary, I’ll fly again." Lu Ping’an’s previous "safe landing" was enough to deter the enemy from using such a weapon again.
Lu Ping’an’s composure reassured the others, but their primary concern now was...
"Open the public channel, announce to all Eastern Country people... and to the Aus people too, that their headquarters have been destroyed by us, that their defeat is imminent, and also..." Lu Ping’an calmly stated his request.
To strike while the iron is hot, and to strike terror into their hearts.
"...Announce to our people who are still resisting that we will bring everyone home."
— End of Chapter 750 —