Chapter 24: The Final Curtain Call of a Coastal Scrapper

He first signaled his safety to his late wife’s parents, and then to his own.

Only then did he call his daughter.

After the white noise of the dialing tone faded, the call connected.

"Xiao Han, I’ve made you worry."

"I was indeed very worried. Father, you once said that the progress of science must inevitably be accompanied by sacrifice."

There was a hint of stubbornness in the young girl’s voice. "But I also hope you can consider yourself and your loved ones a little more."

She was truly afraid. But in a moment like this, this icy, composed girl chose not to reproach him.

The conversation between father and daughter was brief.

Elsewhere.

While inspecting Shelter 43, the crew discovered the staircase Su Wen had left behind leading to the central control room.

"Academician Qi, Professor Jiang, I think you need to come and see this," reported Kevin, who was responsible for maintaining the power lines of the *Voyager*.

Upon hearing this, the two men set aside their work and headed to the control room.

One side of the control room was filled with complex data, while the other featured a massive observation window made of translucent material.

[Hurricane center point deviation detected]
[Deviation from projected coordinates is less than 1.2]
[Response system self-check and correction in progress]

Jiang Xiuyuan gazed out at the deep, heavy blackness outside the window, which was swirling with hurricane winds and torrential rain. Due to the amplification of the psionic field, flashes of white lightning darted through the dark clouds like silver snakes, appearing and vanishing in an instant—a phenomenon of intense atmospheric discharge.

The terrifying apocalyptic scene served as a grim reminder: when facing nature, humanity must remain in awe.

"A response system?"

Academician Qi Ming’s hands remained steady despite his graying hair. He knew that the core of this system was the life-preservation module developed by Isaiah Technology. Operating it felt instinctive.

Then, he saw a remark that left him stunned:

[Response system: Hurricane 'Ewiniar' dissipation preset module, currently operating normally.]

"Xiuyuan, are there any successful historical cases of human civilization using scientific means to neutralize a super-hurricane?"

Hearing his question, Jiang Xiuyuan’s expression grew grave.

"Nobel laureate Irving Langmuir proposed using aircraft to disperse large quantities of catalysts, such as silver iodide, into specific parts of a typhoon to redistribute its internal energy and weaken its wind speed. Based on this 'Wind Energy Reconstruction Theory,' the U.S. Air Force and Navy collaborated in 1947 on the first artificial hurricane modification experiment—'Project Cirrus.' However, the result was that, due to human interference, the hurricane—which had been moving away from the U.S. mainland—shifted its energy center and made landfall in Georgia and South Carolina, causing a massive disaster."

Meanwhile, having received permission, the embedded journalist broadcast the real-time footage of this new discovery.

The news instantly caused a massive stir online.

[Ewiniar: What will be the outcome of humanity's first direct confrontation with a super-hurricane?]
[Lighthouse 43: Can the dawn of hope create another miracle?]
[Scientific Analysis: Is the hurricane's energy equivalent to a ten-thousand-ton nuclear bomb?!]
[Who built the Shelter 43 Lighthouse?]
[We are about to witness the birth of a miracle.]
[A miracle? Or a legend!]

The more specialized scientific forums remained skeptical, while many entertainment websites began hyping it up—a classic case of celebrating before the game was won.

A tropical cyclone (which only qualifies as a hurricane when wind speeds exceed 119 km/h) is a massive, constantly churning storm. The heat it releases is equivalent to the explosion of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb every twenty minutes—an energy output far exceeding humanity’s annual consumption.

It was, in every sense, a natural disaster.

Sitting in front of his television, Su Wen felt a touch of nervousness, but more than that, he felt a surge of excitement. There are some things that, even if they might fail, will have a zero percent success rate if one doesn't try.

To confront 'Ewiniar' head-on, he had considered countless disaster-prevention models. Ultimately, this chief player and physicist chose a method that only he could execute.

[Storm approach detected]
[Hurricane emergency system activated]
[Preset mechanical modules disengaged from sleep mode]

At that moment, Su Wen, the host on the live broadcast, and countless viewers waiting for the outcome, all said in unison:

"It's here."

In the distance, the black, swirling clouds that connected heaven and earth took on a bizarre, twisted appearance under the glare of the Lighthouse 43’s searchlights. It looked like a dark canopy woven from the spirits of countless shrieking ghosts.

Amidst the lashing rain, silver electricity crackled across the sky. Under the deafening roar of the disaster, the metallic clanking of mechanical components was masked.

The final plan Su Wen had settled on had finally reached the moment of truth.

That was right. While playing *Coast Dismantler*, he had chosen the most dangerous path: first setting the [Logic Presets], and then using the time-limited ability [Modular Combination] for [Real-time Control].

Sometimes, a theoretical scientist must also experience the pressure faced by an engineer.

[Hurricane eye calibrated]
[Zero deviation]
[Mechanical linkage process initiated]

In the very center of the dense, black hurricane clouds, a massive mechanical assembly containing rapidly condensing liquids took shape.

Then, [Sympathetic Detonation Logic Activated]!

BOOM!

A massive roar echoed. This time, the sheer number of mechanical constructs triggered a chain reaction of sympathetic explosions, loud enough to pierce through the howling background noise of the storm.

Watching the screen, Su Wen whispered to himself:

"A hurricane is driven by the heat provided by tropical oceans. The eyewall is the area with the strongest winds and heaviest precipitation, and the center it surrounds is the 'eye.' The eye is a core area maintaining a dynamic equilibrium. If that balance is broken, the hurricane’s movement should enter a state of collapse. According to theoretical analysis, a hurricane's circulation field can potentially be disrupted by a sufficiently powerful explosion..."

If ten times or a hundred times weren't enough, then ten thousand times it would be.

[Self-detonate]!
[Sympathetic detonation]!
[Chain sympathetic detonation]!

...

As each successive detonation reached the core of the hurricane's circulation, affecting its internal energy-cycle model, he received a notification confirming his theoretical model:

[Energy field of super-hurricane 'Ewiniar' is showing volatile imbalance.]