Chapter 56: Tactical Nuclear Bomb, Launch!

"Slaughter, prepare the tactical nuclear bomb!"

"Remember, be sure to cancel the trigger detonation and use timed detonation instead. Set the detonation time to one minute!"

"Recycling Station and Storm, provide cover, everyone else follow me and take out all the bugs behind us!"

At this point, Buck shouted the order.

"Understood!"

Zhou Yuan responded and quickly took the explosive box from his back.

He had been fighting fiercely earlier, using up most of the flame bombs and mixed explosives, leaving only the tactical nuclear bomb in the explosive box.

There are three ways to detonate a tactical nuclear bomb. 

The first is remote control detonation, the second is head-triggered detonation, and the third is timed detonation.

Remote control detonation was supposed to be the best option, but the intelligent flight system equipped with the tactical nuclear bomb allows it to fly to the deepest part of the bug nest.

If the distance is too far and the surface is too thick, the nuclear warhead may not receive the signal, becoming a dud.

Therefore, remote control detonation is rarely used and is only kept as a backup option.

Head-triggered detonation is more dangerous, as the warhead will explode as soon as it hits a hard object.

If the bug hole is not deep enough or if there is a collapse during the operation, the tactical nuclear bomb will explode as soon as it is launched, and they won't be able to run away.

So, timed detonation is the safest option. 

The power of a tactical nuclear bomb is not as strong as that of a strategic nuclear bomb, and the radiation level is within the curable safety line, so finding a shelter away from the blast zone can offer protection.

If there is a bug nest right under their feet, the connection signal at a close distance is not too weak, and Buck has the authority to extinguish the nuclear bomb through the combat device.

"Click!"

Zhou Yuan opened the explosive box and took out a tactical nuclear bomb and launcher.

From the outside, this equipment looks no different from a regular RPG, even smaller than an RPG. It's hard to imagine how nuclear bombs can be so small.

Unfortunately, only one can be launched.

Buck applied for ten tactical nuclear bombs for this mission, and he carried four on him alone.

Looking back now, Buck's purpose of applying for so many tactical nuclear bombs was definitely not just for bombing bug nests, but also for preventing bug tides, which could be considered his ultimate trump card.

"Beep beep beep!"

After setting the detonation time, Zhou Yuan loaded the tactical nuclear bomb into the launcher and shouted to Storm and Recycling Station, "Go!"

"OK!"

Storm and Recycling Station didn't waste any time and helped Zhou Yuan lift the explosive box before immediately turning around and running.

"Swish!"

At the next moment, Zhou Yuan activated the timer, aimed at the gap in the bug hole, and launched the tactical nuclear bomb.

The first thing he did after launching the tactical nuclear bomb was to start retreating, without even looking at its flight path.

This thing has an intelligent flight system, and it can navigate better than him.

The wormhole is on the right slope of the explosion pit.

So when evacuating, they need to run to the left.

By the time Zhou Yuan started evacuating, Bak and the others who evacuated first had already reached the edge of the explosion pit.

They stopped at the edge of the pit and began providing covering fire for the three behind them.

After a few minutes of fighting, more bugs had gathered nearby.

It could be because of the sound of battle, or maybe the bugs from the nest had come out through another wormhole. Even the radio waves used to contact the transport ship could have attracted them.

But it wasn't a big problem.

They were faster than the bugs gathering.

By the time the bugs formed a substantial force, they were already on the transport ship, leaving the area.

Besides, they still had nine tactical nuclear bombs as a last resort, so they weren't worried at all.

"Guys, my grandma can run faster than you!"

Zhou Yuan was fast, even though he had released water. He caught up to Recycling Station and Storm within ten seconds.

"Damn it!"

Recycling Station and Storm cursed with a smile, and their speed seemed to increase slightly.

They weren't running slow at all. They had used up all their strength, but it was just that Zhou Yuan was too fast.

When the tactical nuclear bomb was about to detonate, the three of them had safely reached the edge of the explosion pit.

"We can stop here."

"The tactical nuclear bomb is four kilometers away on the right flank underground. This place is already a safe zone."

Bak looked at the combat device and signaled Zhou Yuan and the others to stop.

"Boom!"

Just as Bak finished speaking, a deafening explosion sounded in the distance.

Zhou Yuan put on his tactical goggles and looked to the right.

The surface of the ground there was collapsing, and a spherical light burst through the surface, rapidly expanding and then shrinking in an instant before finally completely exploding.

In that instant, his breath seemed to stop, time itself seemed to freeze, and there was no sound in his ears, only the light he could see.

"So this is a nuclear bomb!"

Zhou Yuan's heart trembled, and he felt a strong sense of fear.

He had launched this tactical nuclear bomb, targeting the bug nest.

But when the bomb exploded, he instinctively took two steps back, feeling shocked and afraid as if the bomb had been targeting him.

He had seen many videos of nuclear explosions, but seeing it with his own eyes was a completely different experience.

It felt like his soul had been struck, leaving his mind blank.

And this was just a tactical nuclear bomb, much less powerful than many medium to large missiles made with conventional explosives.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As the fission reaction began, energy started to release.

Since the tactical nuclear bomb was detonated underground in the distance, Zhou Yuan couldn't see the full impact of the nuclear explosion, only the movement on the surface.

The ground seemed to come alive, shaking up and down, rhythmically like the heartbeat of the earth.

The vibrations changed rapidly, becoming increasingly intense in the blink of an eye.

Starting from the center of the nuclear explosion, the ground collapsed in a circle after circle, as if an enormous worm had opened its mouth underground, creating a visually stunning impact.

"How does it feel?"

Seeing Zhou Yuan staring intently at the explosion area, Bak walked up, patting his ears.

"It's extraordinary."

"In that instant, I even felt like I was going to die."

Zhou Yuan closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to recover from the shock.

Since the explosion occurred underground several kilometers away, he wasn't affected in any way, except for the loud noise.

The sound of a nuclear bomb exploding is unique, sounding like muffled thunder but louder and lasting longer.

"The first time I saw a nuclear bomb explode, I was so scared that I collapsed to the ground."

"So I've always wondered why the humans from two hundred years ago initiated a nuclear war. Didn't they know how terrifying nuclear bombs are?"

"Keep in mind that they were using real nuclear bombs back then, strategic nuclear bombs that could disrupt the atmosphere around the Earth for several rounds."

Bak spoke with lingering fear, as if he had witnessed a high-yield nuclear bomb firsthand.