Chapter 61: Asteroid Annihilation

The Klein fleet’s small warships measure around 120 to 130 meters long, while their medium ships are closer to 250 meters.

As for large and super warships, those generally span 500 meters and 1,500 meters respectively.

Right now, the fleet trapped in the Passage includes 2 large warships, 15 medium ones, and 66 small ships. That adds up to 83 warships in total.

If you go by size alone, a 700-meter-diameter asteroid doesn’t seem all that intimidating.

Plus, it’s not even that fast—just 178 kilometers per second. Nowhere near the speed of a railgun round.

But size alone doesn’t determine kinetic energy. What makes the real difference is speed and mass.

Don’t be fooled by that relatively small 700-meter diameter. The asteroid is solid through and through.

Klein warships might have hulls forged from celestial bodies, but their insides are completely hollow.

And this asteroid isn’t just some random rock. Jiang Kai and his team picked out the most massive one they could find nearby.

Honestly, luck was on their side.

A quick scan revealed that over 70% of the asteroid’s mass is made up of osmium—a metal with a density of 22.59 grams per cubic centimeter.

For comparison, iron clocks in at only 7.87 grams per cubic centimeter.

That means, by volume, osmium is three times heavier than iron.

The remaining 30% is made up of other high-density metals like platinum, tungsten, and tantalum.

Altogether, the asteroid weighs an incredible 4.1 billion tons.

A 4.1-billion-ton asteroid slamming in at 178 kilometers per second? Even Klein’s super warships wouldn’t survive, let alone these others.

Compared to that, their warships just aren’t in the same league.

——

On the bridge, Tak was practically tearing his hair out.

The more he thought, the angrier he got.

“Ta…Tak… Lord Tak…”

“Did you forget how to speak? Out with it—what happened?”

“The humans dragged in an asteroid from outside and tossed it in here. It’s over 700 meters wide…”

“What!!!”

Tak’s eyes went comically wide.

His brain froze up for a moment.

Did he really just hear that?

Humans dragged in an asteroid over 700 meters across?

And then they actually launched it at them?

Humans, you have no sense of honor!

“Quick, set the engines to full power! No, overload them! Move, now!”

“But Lord Tak… There’s a human minefield up ahead.”

“Who cares about a minefield? Open fire and clear them while we charge through! It’s the only shot we’ve got—sit here and we’re dead for sure!”

“Yes, sir!”

The startled crewman sprang to action at once.

He pushed the engines into overload, squeezing out every bit of thrust and acceleration.

But before they could even fire at the first mine, thousands of explosive mines up ahead detonated all at once.

A blanket of explosions swallowed the entire path ahead.

All around the route, asteroids began to shift, with many sliding right into their way.

Trying to charge through now? You’d have better luck crawling along at a snail’s pace, inch by inch…

Otherwise, you might as well be on a suicide mission.

But could they really crawl past?

No way. There was a monster asteroid barreling right down on them from behind.

Didn’t they hear the desperate screams flooding the comms from ships already smashed or about to be?

Forget this—full speed ahead! Charge forward!

Even a 1% chance of survival is better than waiting here for certain death.

Besides, they weren’t in the lead. There were 10 ships ahead that broke the path.

So maybe, just maybe, they’d make it out alive.

If anyone had to die, it’d be the lead ships.

But, as fate would have it…

The very first warship had its entire crew paralyzed with fear.

It sat frozen in place, not moving an inch.

The second ship managed a bit better, but panic had set in there too.

The moment they saw the first ship hadn’t budged, they just stomped on the gas, trying to shove past.

But of course, that didn’t work.

Both warships collided. Both were wrecked and totally blocked off the route.

Behind them, Tak was completely dumbfounded…

And then…

Well, that was it.

Because the asteroid barreled right through, shattering his huge warship to pieces in seconds.

Every single one of the 83 Klein warships in the Passage…

Wiped out!

Count the earlier losses, and that’s 87 warships gone.

That number, for the Klein these days, won’t decide the fate of the entire war, but it’s still a heavy blow.

——

“Lady Shivana, something’s happened to Tak’s group!”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure yet. I was just communicating with them a moment ago for an update, but suddenly the comms cut off. I haven’t been able to reconnect since.”

“Communications were suddenly lost and you couldn’t reach them again?”

“Yes. But before the link died, I think I heard someone shouting about an asteroid. They sounded completely terrified!”

Hmm?

Shivana blinked in surprise.

Asteroid?

And they sounded terrified?

Could it be…

Suddenly, Shivana’s mind jumped to a completely outrageous possibility. Her eyes flew wide.

“Lady Shivana, are you…?”

“If—just if—someone dragged a several-hundred-meter-wide asteroid here, accelerated it, and rammed it into Tak’s fleet in the Passage…”

Hiss!!!

Everyone on the bridge close enough to hear her words gasped all at once.

Especially the crewman who’d reported. Thinking back to that earlier terrified voice over comms…

Holy crap!!

If this really happened, an asteroid that size would be enough to wipe out every ship in the Passage.

“Lady Shivana, should we contact the outpost and ask them to send a warship over to check it out?”

“Tak’s sudden disappearance… There’s no way the outpost even knows what happened yet…”

He hesitated, but then asked carefully.

“No. If all 87 warships could be wiped out that easily, there can’t be more than a dozen or twenty ships left at the outpost, after accounting for those out on patrol and other tasks.”

“Given the humans’ fleet and their commander’s ruthlessness, do you really think the outpost ships would find out anything? They’d just be throwing their lives away.”

“Tell them not to act on their own. Wait until I arrive before doing anything.”

Shivana shook her head, shutting the idea down right away.

Those weaklings at the outpost—if they went to check, it’d just be handing the enemy more achievements.

If they died, so what? Shivana definitely wouldn’t feel sorry.

But still…

Tak’s group just lost 87 ships, and the outpost’s leftovers are all she has left to command.

If she lost those too…

Then…

Other than these 36 ships that came with her, there’d be nothing left.

So she had to stop them, one way or another.

Whether they’d listen was up to fate.

Shivana let out a long, heavy sigh.