"Boom," in the desolate wilderness, many white mists suddenly appeared. From within these mists, huge missiles were launched. The missiles, trailing flames, quickly disappeared from sight. To ensure the accuracy of the final impact, North American navigation satellites were also deployed.
With navigation satellites providing guidance, hitting the target became very simple. Missiles could have their orbits corrected at any time during flight, ensuring they would strike precisely. Only five or six countries in the world possessed this technology.
Although missiles could be seen from the ground during flight, their actual speed was three to four times the speed of sound, having already broken the sound barrier. Intercepting such missiles was extremely difficult.
The enemies of North America at this time were merely low-level insects. The reason these insects posed a threat to humanity was primarily due to their robust reproductive capabilities. Humans needed at least fourteen years to successfully train and field a fighter, while insects could become a threat within months of growth.
Although human reproductive capacity could not compare to these insects, humanity had become the absolute ruler of Earth, and not by chance. Humanity was now truly showing its fangs.
Human military power was already formidable. Even before evolving advanced brains, humans had invented spears and, armed with nothing more than a spear, had emerged from the African continent. At that time, humans were already the absolute masters of the Earth. Let alone small insects; even if dinosaurs reappeared, humans could still achieve victory with spears and cooperation.
However, when facing mutated insects, humanity's military advantage seemed insufficient because the insects' evolutionary direction differed from that of humans.
Human reproduction was a very physically demanding act. Strictly speaking, all humans were premature infants, without exception, because after birth, humans required a significant amount of time to fully mature. Under these circumstances, it was incredibly difficult for humans to cultivate a warrior. But insects were different. In environments with sufficient oxygen, their reproduction rate far surpassed that of ordinary animals. After establishing nests, they could fully mature in just a few months.
Thus, the insects gained an advantage in numbers. If the insects and humans could coexist peacefully, there would be no problem. However, the most critical issue with insects was that they consumed human food and even attacked humans. In such a situation, humanity could not ignore the existence of insects.
Humanity, having reached its limit, finally deployed its most advanced weaponry. Both gasoline bombs and thermobaric bombs could inflict immense damage on the insects.
Unfortunately, the sheer number of insects was too great, and their coverage area was vast. As long as a small portion of the insects escaped the bombing range, they could restore their population numbers within a few months. Therefore, to deal with these troublesome insects, only weapons of greater power and destructive force would suffice, and the weapon humanity ultimately chose was the nuclear bomb.
At this moment, on a peak in the Rocky Mountains, many insects were digging into the soil to build nests. These insects had thick carapaces, and upon closer inspection, one could see many spots on these carapaces. It turned out that these were mutated ladybugs, with the spots on their backs serving as proof.
These ladybugs had consumed a large amount of food, and their species had evolved corresponding intelligence. The insects had learned to store food, burying all the provisions they obtained within excavated burrows. If these insects were allowed to continue their purification, they might become even stronger, and their evolutionary speed could potentially surpass that of humans.
But just then, a comet suddenly appeared in the distant sky, trailing a long fiery tail as it flew from afar.
Some insects, upon seeing the object in the sky, couldn't help but look up. However, their intelligence was still too low. After all, ordinary insects had lifespans of only a few months and very short survival times. They were incapable of possessing intelligence; only the queen insect typically had intelligence.
These insects were unaware that a cataclysm was unfolding. They had already occupied many surrounding peaks, and these mountains were covered with numerous large and small holes. All the softer soil had been excavated, and the insects reproduced within these holes.
But at this moment, the comet drew closer and closer, eventually reaching the mountain peaks. Before it even descended, it exploded. Instantly, scorching light enveloped the area, and intense heat radiated from the sky, as if a sun had appeared overhead.
"Sizzle..." In an instant, the insects on the peaks were vaporized before they could even think. That's right, they were literally vaporized from insects into dust.
If a nuclear bomb detonated after hitting the ground, its destructive power would be limited because the ground would block a significant amount of light and heat. However, under normal circumstances, once a nuclear bomb was launched, it would detonate above the city, causing destruction. The surrounding areas enveloped by light and heat would instantly turn into scorched earth.
At a military base in the desert, everyone saw this scene through satellite imagery and erupted in cheers. They knew the nuclear bomb had been successfully launched, reached its designated target, and detonated, meaning these damned insects would disappear.
"Who told these insects to eat our food and harm our people? Now let these insects know the might of humanity, so they never dare to invade our territory again," someone said through gritted teeth.
The insects' evolutionary speed was incredibly fast, and during their evolution, they required a vast amount of energy, which ultimately came from food. Thus, countless insects simultaneously targeted the crops planted by humans. Once they reached the fields, they would immediately devour the crops. What's more, many insects would also harm humans, leading many people in North America to harbor animosity towards insects.
"Now the Pandora's Box has been opened. I estimate there will be nuclear craters everywhere from now on!" While everyone was cheering, the commander shook his head in resignation.
The commander clearly had a longer-term perspective. He knew what the launch of a nuclear bomb represented. Once nuclear weapons began to be used, they would inevitably continue. And after discovering the destructive power of nuclear bombs against insects, humanity would certainly continue to use nuclear weapons. However, the scars left by nuclear weapons would ultimately be borne by humanity.
"Quickly collect data to see the destructive power of the nuclear bomb and the impact it had on the insects," the commander then said, instructing everyone at the military base to start collecting data on the nuclear bomb. If necessary, they would need to take helicopters to the nuclear explosion site for firsthand reconnaissance.
The personnel at the military base immediately began their operations, using various advanced equipment to investigate the damage caused by the nuclear explosion and collect data to prepare for future bombardments of insects. This time was merely an appetizer. Once they understood the destructive power of nuclear bombs, it would be the insects' doomsday.
The nuclear explosion was visible tens of kilometers away. However, these people were clearly living in the mountains. After the apocalypse began, they had immediately fled to their mountain dwellings, preparing to leave only after the end of the world. They never expected to witness a nuclear explosion firsthand.
"There seems to be an extra sun in the sky. What's going on?" someone shouted in terror, still unable to comprehend seeing a sun in the distant sky, emitting such scorching light and flames, which was truly heart-stopping.
However, before anyone could reply to his question, his eyes instantly went blind. This was because the intense light generated by the nuclear explosion was too brilliant. Even from tens of kilometers away, the scorching light could destroy his retinas in an instant.
The people hiding in the mountains clearly did not expect to face a nuclear strike. At this point, it was too late to escape even if someone realized the situation, because the blast radius of a nuclear bomb was no longer what it was a hundred years ago; it was terrifying. Within a radius of seventy kilometers from the explosion, it was essentially a living hell.
After the nuclear explosion, it generated a massive amount of light and heat. Many trees on the ground were instantly scorched, countless rocks cracked and crumbled, and many streams in the mountains were vaporized and disappeared on the spot. Countless dust particles were churned up and flew towards the sky, vaguely forming a mushroom cloud. The top of this mushroom cloud continued to rise, eventually piercing the atmosphere.
Ultimately, under the immense power of the nuclear bomb, the entire sky was torn apart. Countless clouds were ripped away into the void, and the mushroom cloud caused by the nuclear bomb soared into the heavens.
Even people hundreds of kilometers away could feel the violent tremors of the ground. Anyone looking in the direction of the nuclear explosion would see a massive mushroom cloud in the sky, with a large amount of light and heat continuously being released from the base of the mushroom cloud, as if the sun had fallen to the ground.
These mutated ladybugs were accustomed to living underground. However, facing such intense light and heat from the sky and lethal nuclear radiation, these underground ladybugs were instantly killed. Countless dust particles were kicked up, and large craters appeared on the ground. In the center of the craters, only dust remained, with no trace of any insects.
However, for these ladybugs, they were clearly very fortunate. This was because the center of the nuclear explosion was directly above their nest. Therefore, in just a few seconds, the area where they were located was instantly destroyed, leaving only a crater caused by the nuclear bomb on the ground. They didn't even have time to feel pain before they vanished.
Many people in the distance saw the mushroom cloud in the sky and immediately drove away to escape. However, during their escape, countless heatwaves swept over them, killing them.
The damage caused by nuclear bombs was diverse. In the central area of a nuclear explosion, it was almost certain death, killing any living being regardless of its nature. In the outer rings, there were large shockwaves that would propagate, arriving instantly and toppling countless houses, turning them into ruins. Even trees would fall. Ordinary people or animals caught in these shockwaves would be killed instantly.
As for areas further away, there would be a large amount of radioactive dust that would spread. After the mushroom cloud rose into the sky, these radioactive elements would also travel into the atmosphere with the mushroom cloud. Then, with rainfall, they would descend to nearby areas. Once they landed, the people and animals in these areas would also be attacked by radiation. Those with good luck might survive for decades, but those with bad luck would die tragically within hours, their bodies rotting.
It took three days for helicopters to dare to go to the explosion site to collect firsthand data. However, the helicopters stopped in the outer areas. The soldiers on the helicopters were all wearing thick protective suits, attempting to protect themselves. In deeper areas, even with protective suits, it was impossible to protect themselves. At this point, drones would need to be used for reconnaissance.
Drones flew into the center of the nuclear explosion, but soon lost contact because these drones were also damaged by radiation and eventually fell. Only some of the footage captured before losing contact remained.
"This explosion was perfect. No insects could have survived such an explosion!" Upon seeing the images sent back by the drones, the soldiers were all relieved. This was because the center of the nuclear explosion had been reduced to scorched earth, with nothing left but dust. No trees or insect corpses could be found; only barren ground remained.