Stars, Players and Immortals

Chapter 47: When you see a mushroom cloud, remember to give it a thumbs up first.

One minute before the nuclear bomb exploded.

Zhang Qiming stood on the observation platform of the Argo Ninth Heat Exchange Tower. The night wind blew from above, and the Ares Auditorium in the distance was still brightly lit. The silver-white tower stood on the east side of the Olympus Hub, with its outer patrol lights circling in circles. Several Guardian SAs were still patrolling at low altitudes, maintaining order in the political center as usual.

Zhang Qiming raised his hand and put on a pair of black nuclear explosion observation glasses.

After the lens fell, the distant lights were compressed into cold, dark blocks, but the outline of the Ares Auditorium remained clear.

He looked down at the terminal; the countdown was in its final stages.

Zhang Qiming watched the countdown tick down little by little.

[Minotaur Countdown: 00:00:10]

Zhang Qiming raised his right hand, stretched out his arm, and gave a thumbs-up to the audit tower in the distance.

This action is a "hot knowledge" widely circulated in my hometown in my previous life - when you see a mushroom cloud, remember to give a thumbs up first.

If you can cover the mushroom cloud with your thumb, it means the mushroom cloud won't hit you, so you don't need to run; just stay put and watch the cloud. If you can't cover it, you also don't need to run; just stay put and wait to become an acquaintance.

Whether this hot topic is scientific or not is another matter, but Lao Zhang knows that this mushroom cloud will definitely not hit him.

He looked at the Auditorium through his black-rimmed glasses, a slight smile playing on his lips.

[Minotaur Countdown: 00:00:05]

"five."

"Four."

"three."

"two."

"youngest."

[Minotaur Countdown: 00:00:00]

"Hey old fogies, here's a little mushroom for you. Hope you like it."

The next instant, a burst of blazing white light erupted from the lower level of the Ares Auditorium.

The light burst outwards from the lower part of the tower, first tearing through the elevator shaft and heavy-duty track structure, and then swallowing the bottom load-bearing layer.

The silver-white tower was forced open by the immense internal force, its outer armor bulging in circles before crumbling in pieces, spewing out molten metal and high-temperature fragments from the breach.

boom--!!!

The shockwave from the low-yield tactical nuclear explosion surged upwards along the tower's structure. The middle section of the audit tower twisted and fractured within a second, the outer corridor was blown away, and several patrol aircraft near the tower were instantly turned into fireballs. The Guardian SA, which was on its way to the outer inspection site, was pushed sideways by the impact and its machine was destroyed on the spot.

Subsequently, the pressure from the second explosion spread along the underground utility tunnel, causing the base of the Ares Auditorium to collapse completely. Blazing white flames shot into the night sky from the breach in the tower, and black and red smoke columns, carrying metal fragments, dust, and high-temperature blasts, rose up, creating a huge mushroom cloud on the east side of the Olympus Hub.

Zhang Qiming stood on the observation platform, his right thumb still pointing upwards, completely blocking the rising fire clouds in the distance.

"The distance is just right."

As soon as he finished speaking, the clear list on the side quest branch showed that the task was completed!

[Target: Alberto Luciano | Vital signs lost.]

[Target: Herbert Klein | Vital signs lost.]

[Target: Zhangbei Town | Vital signs lost.]

[Target: Samuel Horn | Vital signs lost.]

[Target: Romulus Finn | Vital signs lost.]

[Target: Markus von Stein | Vital signs lost.]

[Removal from the list: Completed.]

"The delivery has arrived; next up is Hagia Sophia."

As Zhang Qiming spoke, he shifted his gaze from the fiery clouds surrounding the main body of the Audit Tower to the direction of the audit and verification office on the outer layer of the Audit Tower.

……

……

In the distance, the alarms at the Olympus Hub finally sounded in full force.

Red warning lights illuminated layer by layer along the entire high-security zone, multiple Guardian SAs were scrambled into the air, and the Trial Court's Special Military Police assembled in the blast area.

The church communication channels at the Olympus Hub were completely overwhelmed within seconds.

"The Auditorium of Ares has been attacked by a nuclear bomb!"

"Guardian SA to seal off the eastern high-level government control zone. All personnel to undergo identity verification on site. Any unauthorized moving units to be destroyed on sight!"

The remote conference center of the College of Cardinals was forcibly awakened almost simultaneously. Their remote projections lit up one after another in the Emergency Sanctuary, the edges of the projections flickering due to high-energy electromagnetic disturbances. The voices of several cardinals overlapped in the channel, forming a roar.

"Are you all just sitting around doing nothing? You didn't even notice a thief broke into your house!!"

"Where is Ares? Why would Ares allow something like this to enter the Auditorium?"

Before that roar could even finish on the emergency channel, a second burst of fire erupted from the direction of the outer audit center of the Ares Auditorium.

boom--!!!

"A secondary explosion occurred at the outer verification site!"

"Her Excellency Saint Sophia is still in the verification department; she just went there personally to handle the unusual communications!"

"Medical team! Medical team, proceed to Bridge Three immediately! Guards, clear the way and get her out!"

Right now, the entire Olympus Hub is in complete chaos.

The Guardian SAs that had been scrambled were originally approaching the main wreckage of the Auditorium when they heard the news that Saint Sophia was injured. Two of them immediately turned towards the outer verification area.

Upon reaching their destination, the smoke grenade compartments on their shoulders opened directly, and a white smoke curtain spread along the broken corridor bridge, forcefully sealing off the flames and debris still spewing outwards.

Military police officers from the court dragged their riot shields into the smoke, the shields crackling as shrapnel struck them. Several fighter jet crewmen followed closely behind, using their robotic arms to cut open the deformed gate in front of them despite the intense heat.

"We've found Her Excellency Saint Sophia!"

"Medical team, come up here! Quickly!"

Two military police officers worked together to lift a collapsed alloy partition, and Saint Sophia was lying behind it, with charred data cables and broken glass all around her.

Most of her clothes were burned off, her left shoulder and side were covered with small fragments, her right arm prosthetic interface was sparking with electricity, her chest armor was deformed by the shock wave, and her face was scratched by the heat wave.

She's still alive, and that's more important than anything else.

The medical operative immediately extended a restraint frame and lifted her out from the edge of the hatch. A chest scanner was placed over the opening in her armor, and several injection needles were simultaneously inserted into the veins in her neck and arm.

The medical process quickly generated a report.

[Target: Saint Sofia Paleologina]

[Status: Severely Injured]

[Injury Record: Multiple burns, broken ribs, damaged prosthetic interface...]

"Quickly, change targets!!!"

The director in charge of the rescue operation grabbed the communicator and his voice boomed across the channel.

"Forget about the Auditorium at a time like this. With an explosion of that magnitude, do you think anyone would survive? The most urgent thing now is to evacuate Her Excellency Hagia Sophia!!!"

Two Guardian SAs fell from the sky, kneeling on either side of the corridor bridge, their alloy blast shields embedded in the ground, bracing against the steel plates and burning debris falling from the wreckage.

The medical team quickly placed Hagia Sophia onto a suspended stretcher, the thrusters at the bottom of the stretcher illuminating in blue light, and it glided rapidly along the No. 3 corridor towards the outer medical point.

Saint Sophia briefly woke up halfway through.

She opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the chaotic lights above her and the mechanical arm of the medical machine. Her lips moved, but her voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

"Abnormal communication... archived..."

The medical officer beside him immediately bowed: "Your Excellency, you cannot speak yet."

Saint Sophia raised her still-movable left hand and grabbed the medical officer's sleeve; her fingers were covered in blood.

"I found... Romulus of the Skydrive...they..."

After saying those words, her fingers loosened, and she fainted again.

It must be said that Saint Sofia's acting was not only realistic, but also very professional. Even at this point, she did not forget to continue to smear the six dead members.