Chapter 121 120: Massive Fleet
Inside the Earth-class Warship, with a total of 688 Clones at the helm and the assistance of the Earth Type-A Tactical Version of Wukong, Li Qingsong's will was perfectly executed.
The 16 small nuclear fission reactors and 16 internal combustion engines within the ship activated simultaneously. Massive quantities of chemical fuel flooded the combustion chambers, igniting to generate high-temperature, high-pressure gas. This gas was then magnetically confined and funneled into the fission reactors for a second stage of pressurization. Finally, the superheated, highly-pressurized gas violently erupted from the 16 thrusters mounted at the warship's stern.
Simultaneously, a seventeenth secondary pressurization system kicked in, activating the 32 maneuvering thrusters positioned across the hull and causing the warship to slowly begin to turn.
The Earth-class Warship's speed increased at a deliberate but inexorable pace. It finally broke free from Ganymede's gravity and soared into the vastness of space.
Against the backdrop of the immense Jupiter and bathed in brilliant sunlight, the Earth-class Warship soared freely through space.
After a period of testing its maneuverability and engine performance, a fleet of Mercury-class Warships arrived several thousand kilometers away and unleashed a furious barrage of fire upon it.
In an instant, an irresistible torrent of tens, even hundreds of thousands of high-speed Electromagnetic Cannon Projectiles came rushing in.
But the next moment, the high-speed radar network activated.
Fueled by the immense power surging from the fission reactors, 1,024 Deep Space scanning modules continuously scanned the surrounding area, pinpointing the trajectories of the countless tiny Electromagnetic Cannon Projectiles.
This ocean of data was instantly transmitted to the central supercomputer. With the parallel processing of more than 2,000 high-performance 2-nanometer chips, counter-fire solutions were calculated in a flash. The data was then rapidly relayed to every high-speed turret mount, which swiveled the Electromagnetic Cannons and Laser Cannons into position in a fraction of a second.
Countless minuscule Electromagnetic Cannon Projectiles and fine laser beams were fired.
To ensure a high success rate, each incoming Electromagnetic Cannon Projectile was met with an intercepting volley of tens, even hundreds, of defensive rounds!
Throughout this process, the high-speed radar network scanned relentlessly. It constantly updated its assessment of the surrounding battlespace, feeding an uninterrupted stream of data to the supercomputer. The supercomputer, in turn, performed non-stop calculations, relaying targeting data to the high-speed turret mounts and defensive weaponry without pause.
Simultaneously, the ship's offensive weapons activated upon detecting the assault.
Over 100 large Electromagnetic Cannons and Laser Cannons immediately launched a counterattack.
Though fewer in number, their rate of fire was faster than that of the Mercury- and Venus-class Warships. Their projectiles also had greater mass, resulting in far greater destructive power!
A similar cataclysmic barrage of Electromagnetic Cannon Projectiles and laser beams erupted outwards.
Simultaneously, the four giant Electromagnetic Cannons and Laser Cannons also joined the fray.
A single high-energy laser beam lanced out. In just one second, the hull of a Mercury-class Warship over three thousand kilometers away began to boil like water where the beam struck, spraying fine metallic particles into the void.
The Mercury-class Warship tried to flee in panic, but in the next instant, a 10-gram projectile traveling at twenty kilometers per second shot straight toward it.
The projectile was too fast! The Mercury-class Warship's attempts to intercept it seemed feeble and ineffective.
In the chaos, only a handful of micro-projectiles from its own electromagnetic cannons managed to strike the incoming round, failing to alter its trajectory significantly.
The next moment, the projectile slammed violently into its armor.
The entire warship shuddered violently. The armor wasn't breached, but the impact left a massive crater and destroyed various nearby systems.
A single projectile had inflicted catastrophic damage!
The intense battle raged for over three hours. It ended with the complete annihilation of the hundred-plus Mercury-class Warships that had taken part in the siege.
As for the Earth-class Warship, it had also been hit by a few Electromagnetic Cannon Projectiles—after all, no defensive screen is perfect. But thanks to its thick, resilient armor, it suffered only a few dents and minor equipment damage. The wounds were superficial at best.
The test results were to Li Qingsong's satisfaction. However, the Earth-class Warship didn't return to port; instead, it proceeded to the Jupiter Ring.
Amidst the myriad chunks of rock and ice, one massive asteroid, two hundred meters at its longest point, drifted slowly in Jupiter's gravitational pull.
Though similar in size to the Earth-class Warship, it was solid rock. This meant its total mass was at least two million tons—over one hundred times that of the warship!
Facing this behemoth, the Earth-class Warship launched a brazen assault.
An unending barrage of Electromagnetic Cannon Projectiles slammed into it. Instantly, the massive asteroid erupted in a boundless cloud of dust.
The intense bombardment lasted a mere five minutes before ceasing. When the dust settled, there was no trace of the massive asteroid left within the Jupiter Ring.
The Earth-class Warship had effortlessly shattered it into fragments, which blended completely into the Jupiter Ring, becoming utterly indistinguishable.
Feeling the immense power of the Earth-class Warship, Li Qingsong's heart swelled with delight.
"You are the first Earth-class Warship in my possession. You must have a magnificent name."
"Hmm... the seven stars of the Big Dipper revolve around the North Star. In that case, I will name you after the North Star's name in Eastern mythology: Ziwei!"
Thus, the name of the first Earth-class Warship was the Ziwei!
Now that he had fully verified the performance and combat capabilities of the Earth-class Warship, Li Qingsong immediately began construction on an even grander scale.
'Now that I have the Ziwei, of course I'll need Earth-class Warships named after the seven stars of the Big Dipper as well.'
'Dubhe, Merak, Phekda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, Alkaid... there will be an Earth-class Warship for each of these names!'
'Beyond those, even more stars will have an Earth-class Warship to their name.'
In Li Qingsong's plan, his fleet would eventually total over seventy thousand vessels.
Of this total of roughly seventy thousand warships, about 68,000 would be the new model of Mercury-class Warships, and 3,000 would be Venus-class Warships.
And of the largest type, the Earth-class Warship, there would be fifty!
In addition to these warships, Li Qingsong also planned to build many other types of support vessels: Supercomputer Ships running the strategic version of Wukong to provide data support for the entire battlefield, communications relays to support battlefield comms, scout ships for reconnaissance, as well as supply ships, repair ships, and so on.
The final size of the fleet would exceed seventy-five thousand vessels!