"It's over, it's over! If the Federation people can't land, our astronauts can't land either. In that case, we can't blow up the meteor or push it away, Blue Planet is doomed!"
"I'm freaking out right now, can someone tell me if a shelter fifty meters underground can withstand a meteor impact?!"
"We're doomed, the shelter near my house is already full. My sister, my best friend, and I didn't get spots, we have to wait for the next round!"
"Wasn't there someone in the group who built their own shelter? Can I rely on your shelter for help? I'll bring my sister and best friend over (picture) This is my sister and best friend, please consider it!"
Looking at the somewhat off-topic discussion in the group, Chen Xin couldn't resist clicking on the picture. He had no intention of inviting them over, he just wanted to check out their outfits.
Hmm, just looking at the clothes, nothing else on his mind.
After all, if a meteor really hits, you probably won't see girls wearing low-cut and backless outfits for a century or two, the climate won't allow it.
Nevertheless, amidst these distractions, Chen Xin kept following the progress of the rescue operation. He believed that neither the United Nations task force nor the astronauts from the Flame Country and the Federation would abandon the mission due to the debris flow on the meteor's surface.
In such situations, there are actually two solutions. One involves utilizing the Flame Country team's power to disrupt the gravity near the meteor with the spacecraft's weight, drawing some debris flow aside and creating an opening for the Federation team to land on the meteor's surface.
But doing so would prevent the Flame Country team from completing their mission.
After all, the fuel on board the spaceship is limited. If they proceed this way, it would consume the fuel intended for the mission, likely leading to mission failure.
Of course, they could also use another approach, dropping a nuclear bomb first to blow away the debris flow on the meteor's surface. After all, both space shuttles carry the Tsar Bomb sponsored by Lucia.
The energy from the Tsar Bomb, capable of shaking Europe, could certainly blow away the meteor's debris flow temporarily.
Once the Federation team successfully installs a nuclear bomb on the meteor's surface after landing, the explosion's force could not only crack open the meteor but also disperse the new debris flow, allowing the Flame Country team to land on the meteor's surface. Then, with the thrust from the heavy spacecraft, they could alter the meteor's trajectory, making it deviate from its collision path.
For the Federation, there aren't many options.
Using a nuclear bomb would mean betting everything on the chance that the nuclear bomb on the other space shuttle can successfully crack open the meteor. But there's still hope for the mission to succeed if they go for it; if not... well, they can choose to return, abandoning the option to change the meteor's course.
So after some consideration and consulting with the astronauts on both space shuttles about their specific situations, the Federation decided to use a nuclear bomb to blow away the debris flow on the meteor's surface, enabling both shuttles to land successfully.
Soon, on the TV live broadcast, one of the Federation's two space shuttles, Atlantis, opened its hatch and deployed the nuclear bomb it carried towards the meteor.
The Tsar Bomb deployed by Atlantis was quickly captured by the meteor's gravity, falling towards its surface, and the astronauts on the space shuttle took the opportunity to detonate the bomb.
This marked the second time in human history, besides nuclear tests, that a nuclear weapon was used officially and the second explosion of the Tsar Bomb since its development, the first time it was deployed in an actual mission.
However, this time, the most powerful destructive weapon ever invented by humanity was not used for killing and destruction, but to save humanity itself, which is undeniably a great irony.
It must be said though, the power of the Tsar Bomb truly lives up to its reputation as the most powerful nuclear weapon ever made by mankind. Although it didn't create a mushroom cloud in space, the massive explosion still swept the meteor's surface clean like a broom.
Seeing the debris flow pushed aside by the nuclear explosion's shockwave, the live broadcast audience couldn't help but cheer.
Even in Chen Xin's small group, everyone was expressing their feelings about it, believing there was hope again and that the crisis brought by this meteor could be resolved by humanity.
"Is this the legendary Tsar Bomb? I'm in love, if only there was an illustration of it!"
"Why are you thinking about your 2D wife at a time like this? If the meteor really falls, there will surely be widespread power outages and global internet failure, how can you even dream of using your phone to admire your wife?!"
"More than that, I'm more concerned about whether there's any space left in the big guy's shelter? I also have a best friend (picture, picture)"
Ignoring the off-topic chat in the small group, Chen Xin was now diligently watching the live broadcast on TV.
With the nuclear explosion, the meteor's surface debris flow had been blown open, creating a gap large enough for both space shuttles to land on the meteor's surface.
Watching the Federation team take advantage of this costly gap and plunge towards the meteor, disappearing on its surface, Chen Xin couldn't help but feel anxious and began pacing around the room.
He thought he had come to terms with life and death, but when the debris flow on the meteor's surface was blown open by the nuclear explosion, revealing the meteor underneath, and the two space shuttles charged in without hesitation, Chen Xin inevitably felt anxious and worried.
Will the Federation complete their mission successfully? Can the Tsar Bomb crack open this meteor, which is over ten kilometers in diameter? Will the explosion cause the meteor to break into a pile of fragments?
These questions swirled in Chen Xin's mind, making him restless and anxious.
At this moment, out of the six billion people on earth, most should share the same feelings as Chen Xin, all waiting for the Federation team to detonate another Tsar Bomb and blast open this meteor.
However, the waiting time is a bit long, and every minute, every second is a torment for the six billion people worldwide.
It's like a death row inmate waiting for their sentence, the next second might mean death, but it could also be the chance to escape and live.
But installing the Tsar Bomb takes time, even without mentioning that cracking open the meteor requires drilling a hole large enough to fit the Tsar Bomb.
Drilling is undoubtedly a time-consuming job, which is why everyone's waiting. However, what makes it nerve-wracking is that communications with the Federation team suffered severe disruptions from the nuclear explosion just now, making it impossible to maintain.
So, at this very moment, out of six billion people on the planet, except for the Federation team themselves, no one knows what's happening on that meteor.