Chapter 7, the rescue operation begins

In this situation, we can only hope that the Russians can use all the nuclear weapons in the world to shatter the meteorite

As he watched the three spacecraft, which had departed from the space station and were becoming smaller in the footage captured by the space station's camera, Chen Xin could not help but silently pray for the heroes aboard these three spacecraft

At present, the hopes of all humanity rest upon them; if their actions fail, humanity will face a global extinction event akin to that which the dinosaurs encountered 65 million years ago due to the asteroid that struck the Gulf of Mexico

They will first orbit Blue Star, utilizing its gravitational pull to complete a phase of acceleration towards the Moon. Then, in lunar orbit, they will leverage the Moon's gravity for a second phase of acceleration, enabling the spacecraft to accelerate to a speed close to that of the incoming meteorite, thus allowing for an accurate landing on the meteorite

If the operation goes smoothly, they will leave the shelter after successfully intercepting the meteorite; however, if the interception fails, everyone will have to spend the remainder of their lives in the shelter.

For instance, before landing on the asteroid, there is a debris flow around the asteroid, which prevents the spacecraft from landing or destroys the spacecraft. Once on the asteroid, it is impossible to drill due to the excessively hard texture of the asteroid

Chen Xin did not reside in the urban area due to personal reasons. Although government officials had previously come to persuade him to go to a shelter, Chen Xin chose to stay at home since he had already dug a shelter himself, and thus did not go to the national shelter that had been constructed.

Moreover, although the country has made every effort to renovate the shelters and is doing its utmost to allow everyone access to them, due to the fact that some shelters have not been completed on schedule and the limited capacity of the shelters, in reality, not everyone is able to enter the shelters

As for marine life, there is no need for concern. Although the marine ecological system in shallow waters may suffer devastating impacts, the marine organisms living in the deep sea will not face extinction as a result. In fact, some shallow-water marine species may even survive the onslaught if they are fortunate.

However, those living in countries where social order has already collapsed are not so fortunate. If they can stay away from the impact zone of the meteorite and manage to find a sturdy basement during the following period, while also having stored enough food, they still have a certain chance of survival

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Certainly, if their luck were to be just a little worse and they happened to be located near the site of the meteorite impact, they might not even survive a single day, dying without any pain

Some may argue that it is not yet certain that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an asteroid impact, but Chen Xin can assert with confidence that if the asteroid currently heading towards the blue planet were to strike, over 90% of the existing species on the blue planet would be completely extinguished, resulting in a catastrophic extinction event in both terrestrial and marine environments.

As for the other individuals in the city where Chen Xin is located, they have been gradually evacuated during this period and have entered the shelters, most of which have already been largely renovated, in batches.

Birds, as descendants of dinosaurs, may have escaped the last catastrophe, but this time they may not be so fortunate. The high temperatures and toxic gases brought about by the global firestorms, along with the ensuing extreme cold nights, will lead to the extinction of all flying birds, large terrestrial creatures, the vast majority of plants, and all fish in shallow marine areas.

After completing fuel refueling, the spacecraft of Yan Nation and the Federation departed from the Tiangong space station and set off again towards the International Space Station

Although the meteorite is getting closer to the Blue Planet and various countries have issued disaster warnings, the meteorite is still approaching the lunar orbit, and the Blue Planet has not experienced any substantial impact. Therefore, Chen Xin has not taken refuge in the shelter he dug himself.

Otherwise, they are very likely to suffer a painful death in the ensuing disaster within just a few days after the meteorite impact

Although this concerns the survival of six billion people worldwide, Chen Xin is very hopeful for the success of this operation, yet he does not have a favorable view of the plan.

However, in this case, the best outcome would still be that the entire world would face a massive meteor shower, causing significant damage to human society

A meteorite is not a uniformly textured sphere; its irregular shape and uneven texture may withstand a nuclear explosion without being blown apart, or it may be shattered into several pieces.

If it did not explode, then the meteorite's composition may be much harder than estimated, and its mass could also be significantly greater. In such a scenario, the heavy spacecraft prepared by the Yan nation may very well be unable to move the meteorite, or the thrust may be insufficient to completely alter the meteorite's trajectory

As for humanity, it all depends on luck

Moreover, although the shelter is safe, it lacks internet and television due to being deeply buried underground. Chen Xin wants to understand the situation regarding the rescue operation, so he still needs to stay at home to watch television

If it were to explode and shatter into several pieces, that would be the worst-case scenario

At this moment, Chen Xin was also sitting in front of the television, paying attention to this operation, as it concerned the life and death of all humanity. At this very moment, all media on Blue Planet were reporting on this matter continuously for 24 hours.

As for this vicinity, it is a circle with a radius of at least one to two thousand kilometers or more

However, for the entire country, achieving the goal of having over 80% of the population enter shelters is considered a remarkable accomplishment by Chen Xin

The countries of Yan and the Federation plan to use nuclear bombs to detonate the asteroid, and then use thrusters to push the asteroid away from its collision trajectory. This proposal indeed sounds promising, and its feasibility is relatively high. With humanity's current technology, it is indeed achievable through cost-agnostic efforts, and this is currently underway. However, there are also quite a few uncertainties involved.

Only those resilient creatures adept at burrowing, such as mice and cockroaches, may survive this calamity, yet whether they can endure the extreme cold of the long, food-scarce nights remains an uncertainty

Because the heavy spacecraft prepared by the Yan Kingdom is only one, it can only push a single asteroid

According to Chen Xin's expectations, the city where he resides is relatively fortunate, as the population is not very large, allowing the vast majority of people to access the shelters

People living in countries where social order has not collapsed at least have a government that can organize shelters. After surviving the initial disasters caused by a meteorite impact, there is still a high probability of survival, allowing them to pass on the torch of human civilization.

As the spacecraft takes a considerable amount of time to reach lunar orbit, Chen Xin did not continuously watch the television, despite the station's live broadcast, but instead was making the final preparations before entering the shelter