As the days passed, the Dark Star meteorite drew steadily closer to the planet. By now, it was no longer something visible only through professional observatories. Even many astronomy enthusiasts could make out the enormous object in the night sky. 

Three days after the Jade Dragon Kingdom announced its plan, the launch finally began. 

Seven nuclear warheads had been prepared for the operation. Experts had spent days calculating the meteorite's structure and trajectory, selecting the points where each warhead might have the greatest effect. Destroying the meteorite was considered impossible, so the objective was simpler: strike it hard enough to alter its course and make it miss the planet. 

The entire world held its breath. With the Jade Dragon Kingdom permitting live broadcasts, millions watched as seven nuclear warheads thundered into the sky. 

Lu Changsheng watched it play out on television like everyone else. The warheads soared beyond the atmosphere, igniting their final thrusters in space—a feat made possible through close technical integration with the Golden Eagle Empire.

The Golden Eagle Empire possessed...