Chapter 214: I Will Protect Earth!
Chapter 214 – I Will Protect Earth!
After welding all the steel bars in place, Chen Yu grabbed the laser transmitters the staff members tossed through the portal. He then installed them one after another on the grooves inside the “umbrella.”
Afterward, he inserted dozens of sensors and monitoring equipment all over the asteroid’s surface. He then flew a hundred meters into the air and quietly waited for more instructions from the government officials.
“Everything is ready.” Facing the camera, Chen Yu gestured to the government officials watching the livestream. “Please start your performance.”
Several dozen seconds later, the solar reflector started expanding even further. The numerous mirrors on the reflector then reflected the rays of the distant sun onto the black paint.
If one looked down at the asteroid from above, they would see sunlight being reflected evenly across the asteroid’s surface. The mirrors’ angle was also adjusted continuously so that the mirrors reflected sunlight to every painted location.
Simultaneously, the 130 laser transmitters also operated at full power to heat up the asteroid’s surface.
Very quickly, under the scorching rays of the sun and lasers, the temperature of the special paint promptly rose. The paint’s heat then caused the ice crystal structures on the asteroid’s surface to melt and evaporate into a gas.
“Will this really work?”
Chen Yu wondered as he folded his arms around his chest.
In his opinion, such a minor thrust would be akin to an elephant letting out a fart on the moon. Trying to move the moon with such a weak thrust was simply laughable.
However, as the painted area’s temperature continued heating up, more and more gas got ejected from the asteroid’s surface.
The gas rose into the air in streams of varying lengths and sizes, and they eventually fused together to form an infinitely extending white tail behind the asteroid.
From a bird’s eye view, the sight surprisingly turned out to be quite spectacular!
[Why do I suddenly feel shocked?]
[c.r.a.p! It actually looks cool!]
[How beautiful…]
[As the paint’s temperature continues increasing, even the metals on the asteroid’s surface will start to melt. At that time, even more gas will be released.]
[I still think it’s easier to just blow the asteroid up with a few thousand nuclear bombs…]
[Agreed. Just blow it up and dump the fragments into the black hole via the Interstellar Portal, lololol.]
[The meteorite that hit Russia didn’t even reach 15 meters in diameter, and it even exploded in the air, yet it ended up causing 1,200 deaths. Do you know how many of such meteorites will be created if you blow up an asteroid with a six-kilometer diameter? Do you want the host to transport every single piece?]
[Although the explosion would deviate the orbit of some of the debris, a considerable number of meteorites will still end up hitting Earth. And while such an outcome would always be better than having the asteroid hitting Earth with its full ma.s.s, the resulting damages will still be catastrophic.]
[Without UP’s warning, by the time the various countries discover the asteroid on their own, it would’ve already been too late to apply this method. At that time, we really would have no choice but to launch nuclear weapons at the asteroid to try and mitigate the damage as much as possible.]
[Being able to resolve the asteroid problem without any casualties would be the best outcome.]
[The host has indeed saved humanity…]
[This really was a close call! If the UP was one or two months late in discovering the black hole, even UP himself would be a goner.]
[Anyway, from now on, I’ll be calling the host my daddy! ( ͡°͜ʖ͡°)]
[Daddy +1 ( ͡°͜ʖ͡°)]
Pressurizing the engine, Chen Yu flew higher and higher until he got a full view of the asteroid.
Asteroid Bell was oval in shape, and it appeared to be “slowly” rotating. The asteroid’s surface was densely covered in grooves, making it look hideous from a human’s perspective.
However, when combined with the spiraling white tail trailing behind it, the asteroid’s appearance aesthetics instantly made a reversal. Currently, the asteroid looked very much like a cosmic battleship sailing through s.p.a.ce.
“Hmm… Interesting.” Chen Yu couldn’t help but give a thumbs up to the asteroid. “From what I can see, this crisis should be solved. I never thought that the combination of paint and sunlight could generate such a strong effect. However, trying to deviate the asteroid’s...o...b..t in just a few minutes or hours is still impossible.
“This is going to be a long and continuous process. Let’s hope everything proceeds smoothly.”
After circling around the asteroid once and finding nothing noteworthy, Chen Yu flew through the Interstellar Portal and returned to the Purple Mountain Observatory on Earth.
Whoosh—
Chen Yu landed on the observatory’s plaza and turned off his protective suit’s engine. The nearby staff members wearing disinfection suits immediately stepped forward with towels and water guns in hand. They then proceeded with cleaning and disinfecting Chen Yu’s protective suit.
After waiting for the cleaning process to end, Chen Yu approached the site supervisor and asked, “When will I get news of Bell’s...o...b..tal deviation? Give me an estimate. I’ll head over to check on the asteroid at that time.”
“We already have the calculated results.” The supervisor took out a tablet and showed a list of data to Chen Yu. “There are many monitoring devices on the asteroid. After observing the asteroid’s flight angle for a dozen minutes, the results we can obtain are already highly accurate. Look…
“The asteroid’s speed is increasing by 0.0035% every second. After importing this value into our model calculation, we estimate that the asteroid will pa.s.s by Earth with a distance of over 30,000 kilometers three months later.”
“Only 30,000 kilometers?” Che Yu couldn’t help but be stunned. “What’s the point of installing the device, then? How many kilometers does the exosphere take up already?”
“That’s not the case.” The supervisor hurriedly explained, “The reflection of sunlight will still continue. And as more gas is released, the asteroid’s speed will also continue increasing. By the time the asteroid pa.s.ses by Earth, the gap between the two will increase to at least 90,000 kilometers.”
“Ninety thousand kilometers… Will it get torn apart by Earth’s gravity? What if some fragments fall down to Earth?”
“This is unavoidable. We still have a series of follow-up plans. All I can say is that we’ll try to minimize the losses.”
“What if…” Chen Yu thoughtfully said, “What if we further heat up the asteroid? On a large scale, I mean.”
“Do you mean to use incendiary bombs? The temperature will be too high.”
“The temperature of ordinary flames…”
The supervisor: “???”
…
Fifteen minutes later, Chen Yu re-entered s.p.a.ce and stood on Asteroid Bell’s surface.
Meanwhile, held in his arms were several hundred candles.
“Dammit, it actually took three refreshes to get this thing again… What a loss…”
After mumbling a few complaints, Chen Yu faced the camera and loudly said, “Speaking of which, after the sixth official livestream, we haven’t reviewed any additional products. I’ll make up for it now. Everyone, do you see the candles in my arms?
“Its name is called the Inextinguishable Birthday Candles, and it is a product made by a whackjob company.”
Holding up a candle in front of the camera, Chen Yu quickly recited, “The candles are made out of a mixture of PP2 combustible powder, thermal insulation fiber, and mixed bio-oil. Enhanced oxidants, thickeners, phospholipids, and glycerin are also added to prevent the candles from being extinguished by means such as wind, water, dry powder, dry ice, carbon dioxide, liquid nitrogen, etc.
“Even in a vacuum environment, the candles can continue burning for at least 26 days. In addition, the high-temperature sparks created during the combustion process will effectively ignite all combustible materials within a 12-meter radius. It is a must-have item when celebrating a friend’s, cla.s.smate’s, colleague’s, dormmate’s, or teacher’s birthday!”
[Becoming your friend is a true blessing. :)]
[c.r.a.p! It’s even better than the Golden Finger!]
[Birthday celebration (×); Death celebration (√)!]
[That’s one way to liven up a birthday.]
[The fire brigade just sent you a red envelope.]
[Sure enough, the UP won’t be satisfied if he doesn’t add some drama to his livestreams.]
“That’s it for the introduction. Next… For the sake of civilization, mankind, and the trillions of living beings on Earth, I! Will stand fearless!”
After speaking the lines he prepared ahead of time, Chen Yu directed the camera down at the asteroid. He then pressurized the plasma engine and flew straight down toward the steaming asteroid!
“I will protect Earth!”
“Ahahaha…”
Shortly afterward, roaring flames started rising all over the asteroid’s surface…