468: Chapter 461 Nuclear Explosion 468: Chapter 461 Nuclear Explosion “Boom…”
At six o’clock sharp, above the uninhabited desert, a mushroom cloud rose.
Endless light and heat radiated from the area where Chen Hai was seated in meditation as the center, sweeping around him.
This moment, that horrifying scene, was simply unbearable for the average person to witness.
That dazzling white light might blind someone just by looking directly at it for a moment.
Dozens of kilometers away, inside an underground base.
The screens, with live footage sent back by drones, had all turned into a blinding white expanse.
Nuclear bombs, when detonated in a low-altitude explosion, can unleash their full potential.
The nuclear bomb before them merely had a yield of ten thousand tons and had been set off by a timer on the ground, which definitely didn’t compare to a low-altitude explosion.
Even so, the scene before them was still incredibly frightening.
It was fortunate that this place was a desert, empty all around.
Otherwise, everything within its blast radius would have been leveled.
If it had been one of those large nuclear bombs with a yield in the millions of tonnes, it could have wiped out an entire city.
“Can Chen Hai really withstand a nuclear explosion with his mere human flesh and blood?” someone wondered.
“When he mentioned this test to me, I was scared too,” another replied.
“By the look in his eyes, he doesn’t seem to be seeking death.
Perhaps, he truly believes he has a fair chance of surviving.”
“The power of ghosts and gods has indeed been a subject of research in our country for some years.”
“We have established that the more ignorant a person is, the more likely they are to be favored by ghosts and gods!”
“Belief begets power, disbelief leads to none.
The more educated, the more knowledgeable one is, the more issues they will have with their recognition, and they have virtually no chance of obtaining even a sliver of power from ghosts and gods.”
“It’s just a pity that although many have been favored by ghosts and gods and have obtained some power, none have achieved any significant success.”
“On the contrary, our Yanhuang civilization has been set back at least fifty years because of this.”
“In the years following the correction of such chaos, we have guided public thought, staunchly denying the existence of ghosts and gods to avoid a recurrence of similar events.”
“If Chen Hai truly survives the nuclear bomb with his physical body unharmed, I wonder if that would be a blessing or a curse for Yanhuang Country?”
…
The moment the nuclear bomb exploded, Ye Rongzhong, Elder Yun, and several other unnamed elders had all averted their eyes from the screens.
Even watching through screens, the blinding brightness of a nuclear explosion can still adversely affect the eyesight of ordinary people.
That Ye Rongzhong and Elder Yun averted their eyes so quickly indicated that experts had warned them beforehand.
They spoke softly among themselves, some with concern, others with anticipation, and a few with shining eyes, though what they were thinking at that time was anyone’s guess.
“Gentlemen, Chen Hai informed us of his intention to undergo this test, which shows that he has always meant well towards our nation.”
“If the test is successful, and his body can indeed withstand a nuclear explosion, then there would be no weapon on this earth capable of harming him.”
“But even so, he still sees himself as a citizen of Yanhuang Country and does not perceive himself as superior, looking down upon ordinary people as if they are mere ants.”
“Perhaps we cannot sway his thoughts or command him to do anything, but as long as he remains in Yanhuang, he is our trump card, the greatest deterrent to other nations.”
“In my opinion, his existence is beneficial to our nation and people.
What do you think?”
…
The speaker was undoubtedly Ye Rongzhong.
Although Chen Hai was now history as far as his daughter Ye Qingqing’s fiance was concerned,
in this era filled with cameras, anyone could find out if they wished that he often slipped into Yongning Temple late at night.
After all, there was still some connection between Chen Hai and the Ye Family.
In front of everyone, Ye Rongzhong naturally did not hesitate to speak highly of him.
“Old Ye makes some sense!” someone responded.
“Such a formidable existence, capable of annihilating a nation single-handedly, is Yanhuang’s fortune to have him as one of our own.”
“Since we cannot control him and lest we achieve the opposite effect, surely it is better to let nature take its course!”
Elder Yun, who had always been on good terms with Ye Rongzhong, chuckled and immediately followed up with agreement.
Most of the other elders, after a moment of hesitation, largely agreed with Ye Rongzhong’s view.
Only Elder Qin and Elder Chen from Shanghai still appeared troubled, sighing continuously.
“The fear is that with the example of Chen Hai, who can withstand a nuclear bomb with his physical body, others will follow suit and attempt to turn back the clock of history, abandoning technology in favor of developing a cultivation civilization!”
After expressing his concern at length, Elder Qin spoke up.
His worries were not without reason.
A physical body capable of withstanding a nuclear bomb—such supreme military force personified in Chen Hai—was enviable to all.
Furthermore, the immense temptation of eternal life and perpetual youth was also at play.
Even Elder Qin himself, had he been decades younger, might have been willing to abandon everything to pursue this supreme path of cultivation.
“Taking the path of cultivation civilization?
Ordinary cultivators, even if they successfully obtain a trace of the power of ghosts and gods, are still vulnerable.”
“Chen Hai’s strength is unique in the world.”
“Not to mention now, in the history of Yanhuang Country that spans thousands of years, could it be that the strength of those divine beings who truly left behind a name is hard to compare with his?”
“Anyone who dares to reverse the course of history, no matter their identity, their background, must not be tolerated…”
Another elder, his words teeming with killing intent, was the first to speak up and take a stand.
His statement met with unanimous approval from everyone.
It wasn’t just Ye Rongzhong and Elder Yun who agreed, even Elder Chen from Shanghai and Elder Qin, who always wore a look of concern, concurred with his opinion.
After all, the good life that Yanhuang Country enjoys today was hard-earned.
Nobody wants to return to that unique era decades ago.
On the large screens mounted on the walls of the base, the white expanse was slowly starting to dissipate.
The sand that filled the sky, blocking out the sunlight was also beginning to fall back down bit by bit.
The drone, which had intentionally flown a distance away during the nuclear explosion, was already beginning to return to the central region of the blast site.
Unfortunately, due to the obstruction of the sandstorm, the clear images transmitted back by the drone’s high-definition camera were still blurry and indistinct.
“Wait until the nuclear blast area stabilizes,” someone said, “then send the search and rescue teams into the radiation zone as soon as possible to look for Chen Hai.”
“Let’s hope he’s safe and can withstand this nuclear explosion!”
After the elders had a quiet discussion and nodded to each other, their gaze returned once more to the large screens surrounding them.
…
In the central area of the nuclear explosion, a hand slowly reached out from beneath a dune.
Propping against the sand, a bald head emerged little by little from the dust.
His whole body was as red as a cooked shrimp.
“Damn, I might have overestimated myself this time; nuclear explosions are really not that easy to withstand…” Chen Hai cursed as he spat out a mouthful of sand.
He had thought that since he could control fire, even the high temperature at the center of a nuclear explosion wouldn’t be able to touch him.
Unfortunately, this was just his wishful thinking.
In the instant of the nuclear explosion, that endless light and heat, combined with the shockwaves diffusing in all directions, compressed his Flame Domain of five hundred meters to less than five.
Within this five-meter range, he was able to isolate all flames, but it was impossible for him to completely divert such terrifying temperatures that could vaporize a person.
Immediately, he buried himself in the sand and used the Hongming Blade to create a blood barrier that enveloped his body.
Just as those who sell roasted seeds and nuts fry them in hot sandy salt, Chen Hai burrowed into the sand felt like he was being tossed around in a pan.
Luckily, his Semi-Saint Body was extremely defensive.
Even though he couldn’t regenerate from drops of blood, his healing abilities were still at a monstrous level.
After spitting out a few mouthfuls of sand, Chen Hai coughed up several mouthfuls of fresh blood.
The outer layer of his body was roasted by high temperatures just like a red-hot shrimp, while his internal organs, constantly shaken by the terrible shockwaves, were also severely injured.
It had been many years since he had experienced this feeling of being hurt and spitting blood; this kind of injury…
Chen Hai felt that without ten or eight days of recuperation, it would be difficult to recover fully.
And this was just the explosion of a nuclear bomb with a yield of ten kilotons; if it were Russia’s fifty-megaton Tsar Bomba…
Just thinking about it, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Because he felt that if he were to withstand such a level of nuclear explosion, there was a real possibility that it could kill him!
Of course, this time was a test of strength, and that’s why he had sat and waited quietly for the explosion.
If someone else tried to bomb him with a nuke and he couldn’t withstand it, he could run.
As long as he escaped the central area of the nuclear blast, being merely affected by the blast would hardly hurt him!
With such thoughts, he felt much calmer.
Touching his bald head, Chen Hai inadvertently glimpsed his dangling “little brother” and slapped his forehead: “Fuck…”
His powerful body had been roasted to such a state; naturally, his traditional Chinese jacket and cloth shoes had turned to ashes and vanished.
Fortunately, his Storage Pouch was still on him.
There wasn’t much in the limited space inside, and he hadn’t stored any clothes.
However, when he returned from Northern Myanmar and went to Capital City to see Ye Qingqing, the big boxer shorts and flip-flops he changed out of were casually thrown into the Storage Pouch.
“The drones flying nearby probably have their high-definition cameras pointed this way right now!”
“The swirling sand hasn’t completely scattered yet; hopefully, the cameras can’t capture my current state!”
“Otherwise, it would be a huge embarrassment; I’d ruin my reputation for life!”
Quickly putting on the flip-flops and boxer shorts to cover his private parts, he glanced around and Chen Hai breathed a sigh of relief.
To appear even more composed, he fished out a pack of cigarettes from his Storage Pouch and lit one for himself.
Then, he leisurely walked away from the nuclear explosion zone.