Chapter 46: Firepower Unleashed: The Super Ion Cannon Awakens

“Isn’t that armor a bit much?”

“Five full salvos from our main guns and we’ve only managed to cripple a single warship—and that’s not even destroying it!”

In just two and a half minutes Zhulong fired five volleys from its main guns, totaling twenty shots.

Granted, each barrage wasn’t focused on a single target but spread out among several ships.

Still…

It took five rounds just to disable one of them.

As for the other three, they might look battered, but their hulls remain mostly intact and they’re still moving at full speed.

No wonder the enemy dares to charge straight ahead, unfazed by our railgun batteries, keeping maximum velocity the whole way.

You have to admit…

Those ships are tough.

Standing at the captain’s right, George couldn’t help but click his tongue in disbelief.

These mainline warships from the Klein clan were on a whole different level from those second-rate slave fleets—far harder to deal with.

“It’s fine! Our job isn’t to destroy, just to punch a hole in their line and clear the way for the ambush from Europa.”

“Getting a clean shot should be doable, but what worries me is what that colossal ion cannon on Europa can actually pull off!”

George’s face clouded with worry.

As mentioned before, the thing restricting humanity’s energy weapons has always been energy itself.

A few centuries ago, when controlled fusion first appeared, it gave laser weapon tech a huge leap back in Earth’s era. But compared to the ion cannons on today’s battleships, those old lasers were mere toys.

And even now, with the biggest energy weapons on modern warships, there’s still strict power restrictions—so only a handful can be mounted.

Short range, limited firepower, and painfully slow recharge all make energy weapons impractical for mass deployment.

But there is one big exception.

And that’s…

Europa—one of Jupiter’s moons.

At first glance you might think it’s just another ice-covered world. But the truth is…

Centuries ago, some even argued Europa was the best candidate for terraforming in the Solar System.

Its real draw: water resources.

Over 90% of its surface is ocean, and those oceans plunge hundreds of kilometers deep.

Let that sink in for a second.

Earth’s oceans only average four kilometers deep. Even the deepest point is just eleven.

So imagine Europa—research says its water totals more than double what Earth holds.

But unfortunately…

Centuries on, humanity managed to terraform Mars, but for all sorts of reasons, Europa remains beyond our reach.

That said, while we can’t fully remake the place, setting up sealed facilities and landing there is still possible.

So Europa got turned into a military fortress for humankind.

If it can’t be a new bastion of life, might as well make it a stronghold.

In fact, the entire Jupiter defense line exists because of Europa. The whole system was built around it from the start.

So why Europa?

Why not Io, Ganymede, Callisto, or any other moon?

Turns out, it’s just not the same!

Here’s why: Over 90% of Europa is ocean—and…

Its seawater isn’t quite like Earth’s.

On Earth, for every 6,700 ordinary hydrogen atoms in the ocean, there’s one deuterium atom. That means about 33 milligrams of deuterium per liter of seawater.

But on Europa…

That figure triples—you get 0.1 grams of deuterium in every liter.

A quick calculation gives you this:

Europa holds a whopping 2.7 quadrillion tons of deuterium—enough to power humanity for ten or even twenty billion years.

Sure, Earth’s oceans already have enough deuterium for a few hundred million years, so we don’t really need to tap into Europa.

But with that much sitting there unused, isn’t it wasteful to just leave it?

So, why not use what’s right at hand?

Which is why the latest generation of massive controlled fusion reactors were built right on Europa.

Nowadays, in Federation Year 201, there are 2,700 of them operating there.

Yep, you heard right—twenty-seven hundred giant controlled fusion reactors.

And the reason for such a number is simple…

As the heart of the Jupiter defense line, Europa’s orbit and surface are studded with every kind of weapon you can imagine.

Pretty much every weapon or facility, whether it’s in orbit or on the ground, draws its power straight from these reactors on Europa.

Especially that colossal ion cannon on the surface—it’s the ultimate energy hog.

Over three hundred reactors exist just to power that one gun.

You can imagine how much juice it needs for every single shot.

After all…

The cannon’s barrel alone is thirty times the diameter of Zhulong’s main gun.

And its firing range? Nearly two million kilometers.

——

Waves of railgun shells rained down on the enemy fleet.

Zhulong’s main guns kept up their deadly rhythm, striking precisely every seven seconds.

After seventeen full barrages…

The final nuisance of an enemy warship was obliterated, leaving Europa with a clear line of sight.

Normally, any opening in the formation would be patched right up by other ships.

But this time, the Klein are charging at top speed, so it’s impossible for anyone else to fill the gap.

Unless…

They slowed down and shifted ships over to cover the space.

But obviously the Klein aren’t doing that.

Because—there’s no need.

“All enemy ships on the path to Europa have been neutralized. Please confirm.”

“Confirmed. Well done, Zhulong!”

As soon as the job was done, they radioed Europa.

The reply came back almost instantly.

Suddenly, somewhere on that distant moon, a slab of ice cracked wide open to reveal a colossal dome, long buried beneath the surface. It slowly split apart, peeling back on either side.

And from deep within, something enormous began to rise.

Once the dome was fully open, the super ion cannon unfolded from below. The thing was over three hundred meters long.

As for the barrel…

You could probably fit an entire aircraft carrier inside it.

“Locking onto primary target… Target lock confirmed.”

“Firing path is clear. No obstacles. Distance: 1.72 million kilometers.”

“Major General Allen, the super ion cannon is locked and ready. Awaiting your order to fire!”

Inside a command center embedded in the ice…

Status reports echoed through the chamber as all eyes fastened on the commanding officer.

This superweapon, built nearly a century ago but never fired once…

Now, it had finally awakened.

A heartbeat later, Major General Allen stood up, raised his right hand, and brought it down in a sharp wave.

“Fire!”