Chapter 211: 211

Chapter 211: Challenging Asteroid

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Chapter 211 – Challenging Asteroid

“You stole my snacks again!”

Chen Erke’s declaration immediately stunned Chen Sanke .

“I ate them all!”

Seeing that her provocation was effective, Chen Erke immediately became more vigorous, “I ate all your yogurt and biscuits! I didn’t leave anything for you!”

“Tsk, tsk…”

Chen Yu smacked his lips at this sight, the sunflower seeds in his mouth suddenly becoming more fragrant .

“Gulp . ” Chen Sanke swallowed the biscuit in her mouth and jumped off the sofa . She then glared at Chen Erke with a “ferocious” look . “It really was you! You admitted it!”

“So what?” Placing her hands on her hips, Chen Erke admitted, “I stole them!”

“It was you!” Chen Erke panted angrily .

“It was me! It was me before, and it is me now, and it will still be me in the future!” Chen Erke said, sticking her tongue out . “I like eating your snacks! They’re the best! Bleh, bleh, bleh!”

“I’ll beat you!” Chen Sanke’s face flushed with anger . Immediately, she swung her little palm at her elder sister .

“Hah! You can’t hit me!” Chen Erke agilely dodged Chen Sanke’s attack . Afterward, she fastened her white belt, took two steps back, and bowed . “The spirit of taekwondo is etiquette and patience . You should only act after resolving yourself! Since you’ve attacked me, I won’t–ah!”

Before Chen Erke could finish her speech, Chen Sanke smacked her to the ground with another slap .

“Stop! Why aren’t you following the rul—ah! Ouch! It hurts! It hurts! Uwahhh…”

Chen Yike: “Stop fighting, you two!”

“Foul!” Placing down his sunflower seeds, Chen Yu hurriedly stepped forward to separate the two . “Third Eldest, you need to wait for her to bow before you start fighting…”

“She…She stole my food!” Chen Sanke cried aggrievedly .

“I stole them!” Chen Erke declared in defiance as she wiped away her tears . She then got up and tightened her white belt once more before saying, “Big Brother, don’t block her! Let me hit her!”

“Okay . ” Chen Yu nodded and loosened his grip on Chen Sanke . He then loudly said, “Second round! Start!”

“To think you would attack me when I’m not paying attention, you really are a villain! You don’t have any martial arts spirit— Wait! Let me finish! Ah!”

Chen Erke hurriedly escaped from her little sister’s fierce assault once more . The two sisters then started a game of cat and mouse around the living room’s sofa and coffee table . “Brother! Big Brother! H-Help me stop her! I haven’t finished speaking!”

“If you’re going to fight, just fight . What’s with all the nonsense?” Chen Yu said as he reached out and hugged Chen Sanke .

“Let go of me! I want to hit her!” Chen Sanke struggled like an enraged little tiger .

“Hu…”

Chen Erke took a deep breath and retreated by several steps . She then bowed and assumed a classic taekwondo posture . “Ha! Come on!”

Chen Yu immediately released his hold of Chen Sanke and said, “I choose you!”

“Eat this!”

Accompanied by a shout, Chen Erke executed a whip kick at her front .

Boom!

Chen Erke’s kick landed on her soft and squishy target . However, due to her excessive use of strength, she lost her balance and fell on the spot .

Thud .

Chen Erke’s face was filled with question marks when she fell on the ground . However, before she could climb back up, Chen Sanke had already saddled herself on top of her body .

“Ah! Ouch, ouch, ouch… Brother! Save me! Ouch! Big Brother… Ah, don’t—”

…

Contrasting the cheerful atmosphere in the Chen family’s abode, the International Astronomical Union’s conference hall was enveloped in a dreary atmosphere .

Among those present in the hall, there were 27 government representatives and over 450 experts and researchers involved in astronomy, physics, aviation, aerospace, and other fields .

Currently, the large screen at the front of the hall was displaying the information copied from the International Asteroid Warning Network .

The groups of data and preliminary inferences placed a heavy pressure on everyone’s chests .

[Bell: Almo-type (threat) asteroid . ]

[Diameter: 6 km]

[Mass: About 1 . 4 trillion tons]

[Velocity: 14 km/s]

[Orbital velocity: About 21 km/s]

[Orbit: Revolves around the sun once every 1 . 1 Earth years; [Approaches the Earth once every 12 years . ]

[Discoverer: University of Hawaii . ]

[Date of discovery: June 24, 1988 . ]

[Observation description, Since 1988, a total of 144 observations have been made . There is no threat warning . ]

[Recent observation: It is determined that the asteroid has been dragged by an unknown source of gravity, and its orbit has shifted by 9° . It is expected to reach Earth’s eastern hemisphere in February 2121 . (Note: 114 other asteroids have also been observed to have been affected by an unknown source of gravity and carry a potential threat to Earth . )]

[Observation description 2: The asteroid is currently visible to the naked eye . It is nearing New York, and it will have an apparent magnitude exceeding 5 . 0 at 20:46 (GMT+8) on December 24, 2120 . ]

[Threat description 1: A collision with Earth will release approximately 12,000 trillion kilojoules of energy, causing destruction over an area the size of Japan . When the asteroid enters the atmosphere and burns, its surface temperature will reach 20,000°C . Its impact will also cause a large amount of gas and dust to enter the atmosphere, forming clouds with temperatures of about 5,400°C . After 6 . 5 hours from the impact, the hot clouds will cover the whole world, and it will be difficult for them to dissipate naturally . ]

[Threat description 2: Asteroid Bell will also cause global earthquakes and tsunamis . Massive eruptions of volcanoes will also follow, further blocking the penetration of sunlight, which will cause the global temperature to drop sharply and the collapse of the existing ecosystem…]

There was still plenty more frightening analysis and data recorded in the form of paper documents, and all this information was placed atop every attendees’ desk . However, nobody present wanted to read the information .

“Everyone…”

After a long period of silence, a caucasian old man took off his glasses and whispered into the microphone before him, “The crisis is imminent . The various teams in attendance, please present your plans . ”

The government representatives sitting at the circular table in the middle of the hall remained silent . As for the many experts and researchers sitting outside the circular table,

“…”

“…”

“I’ll go first, then . ” The old man wiped his glasses and put them on once more . He then picked up a set of documents and flipped to the third page . “Firstly, I have a piece of news to announce . The UN’s treaty that prohibits the launch of nuclear weapons into space was altered yesterday at 10 AM New York time . I won’t repeat the details, since everyone should be aware of them .

“Next, I will explain some planning difficulties for everyone’s reference . ”

After saying so, the old man picked up another set of documents while also projecting a digital copy onto the main screen .

“One: The asteroid cannot be blown up . I won’t explain why, and I don’t think any team will come up with such a stupid plan .

“Two: Bell is an asteroid with a 6-kilometer-diameter and a mass of 1 . 4 trillion tons . Even with the Interstellar Portal’s help, there is no object heavy enough that we can send to deviate Bell’s orbit . Even if there is such an object, the efficiency will be low . We do not have the time .

“Three: We can consider pushing other asteroids to collide with Bell, but the resulting orbital changes are difficult to predict, so this method carries some risks . We will leave this as a backup option for the time being .

“Four: Detonating nuclear weapons in a controlled manner near the asteroid and using the electromagnetic waves produced to propel the asteroid . The explosions will also blow up a part of the asteroid’s mass, causing the destroyed mass to eject gas and change the asteroid’s orbit . This should be the plan most teams thought of immediately . Unfortunately…”

The old man paused momentarily and pushed his glasses .

“Its rotation speed is too fast! Its surface is also covered with a considerable amount of iron and nickel, and its internal composition and structure are not well understood . However, according to the mass calculation, the inside should be filled with loose silicon, water, oxide, and other rock structures . Its centrifugal force and gravitational balance are very delicate . Once the asteroid is subjected to an external force, it is likely to disintegrate instantly .

“If a six-kilometer-diameter asteroid disintegrates and enters Earth…

“This is the reason why Bell is a difficult problem to solve .

“Aside from the above four points, there is also the matter of Earth’s gravity to asteroids, which is also a tricky problem to resolve . That will be it from me . Please start presenting your plans . ”

The old man removed his glasses and gestured for his audience to speak up .

“…”

After the conference hall remained silent for a few more seconds, China’s representative stood up and opened the document folder she held . She then quietly turned on the microphone before her .

Immediately, everyone in the hall focused their gaze on her .