Make a Wish on the Shooting Star

[Mission: Demonstrate military power, fire a star destroyer cannon at Earth. Reward: 1000 technology points.]

Zhao Yu was surprised when the system gave him a mission just as he was thinking about how to establish his authority and show off his strength.

Not this mention, the mission was to fire a star destroyer cannon at Earth.

"No way ! I don't want to destroy Earth!" Zhao Yu was alarmed. A star destroyer cannon was a colossal weapon capable of causing catastrophic damage.

He had envision just firing a laser or an electromagnetic cannon to blowing up a few uninhabited islands to demonstrate his power. But the system had something else in mind.

Although he did not want to destroy the Earth, the reward of 1000 technology points was too tempting for Zhao Yu to ignore. 

After thinking for a moment, he asked Uncle Da, "If we fire the star destroyer cannon at Earth, can we do it without harming anyone?"

Uncle Da was taken aback at first, but then he became ecstatic and replied, "Let me calculate it," He said.

After a moment, he identified a suitable location, "The Pacific Ocean?"

It was a good location, a vast expanse of water far away from any landmass, with very few signs of human activity. 

"This is the furthest location from human activity, and direct deployment won't harm anyone. There will be some minor after-effects..."

"What kind of effects?" Zhao Yu asked.

"It will probably shift the Eurasian plate to the west by 10 centimeters," Uncle Da explained.

"What?!" Zhao Yu was shocked. Shifting the plate by 10 centimeters?

"Uh, Uncle Da, tell me in detail about all the effects of firing the star destroyer cannon…" Zhao Yu said

"The blast will vaporize and eliminate all objects within 520,000 square kilometers surrounding the target, with the blast radius reaching up to 13,000 kilometers, which means that most of the planet will feel the shockwave."

"All living creatures that directly witness the explosion within a radius of 160,000 square kilometers will be blinded."

"Additionally, the electromagnetic pulse generated by the explosion will disrupt global radio signals, causing global communication and radar systems to fail."

"The explosion will also rupture the atmosphere above the target area, and it will take approximately one year to repair itself."

"During that time, this region will receive an increased amount of cosmic radiation, which can cause skin cancer in humans when exposed to direct sunlight." 

After listening to Uncle Da explanations, Zhao Yu was stunned and said, "Are you kidding me? This is considered minor?!"

"Well, compared to the potential devastation it could cause, this is relatively minor," Uncle Da replied matter-of-factly. "If you ask me, we should fire the star destroyer cannon towards the most densely populated area to teach them a lesson."

The most densely populated area?

Zhao Yu's mind immediately conjured up an image, but in the next second, he felt a surge of fear, as if something terrifying was about to happen to him.

The power that he beheld was immeasurable! 

But he didn't want to test it!

"I need to think this through," he said, rubbing his temples. This mission seemed harder than he had anticipated.

..

Great Xia Space Agency.

Chief Engineer Yang looked exhausted, with bloodshot eyes. He hadn't slept for an entire day.

"Where's asteroid KADP-45788?" he asked

"It's about 2.11 million kilometers away from Earth. It's expected to pass by Earth in about a day, but there's a 3% chance that it might collide with Earth."

"When will we know for sure if it's going to hit Earth?"

"It depends on how Earth's gravity will affect its trajectory..."

"Can't you just calculate it?"

"Unfortunately, there are too many variables in the cosmic environment that could interfere with the calculations. Our experts are working hard on it as we speak..."

Chief Engineer Yang took a deep breath. He didn't expect that just four days ago, the chance of an asteroid hitting Earth was only 0.01%. Now, it was at 3%.

This probability was already alarmingly high, and the worst part was that as the asteroid drew closer to Earth, the chance of impact would only increase.

"Chief Engineer Yang, Meine, Five Eye, and the North Bear Kingdom have called for an emergency meeting to discuss the potential impact of the asteroid on Earth"

..

On the internet, news about the KADP-45788 asteroid heading towards Earth was spreading like wildfire. 

Although the authorities had never disclosed any information, it didn't stop amateur astronomers from discovering it.

" I'm not from the media. I'm from the Extraterrestrial Civilization Exploration Association, and we discovered a new asteroid just four days ago..."

"This asteroid has a diameter of 50 kilometers and a speed of 80 Mach..."

"Most importantly, it's headed towards Earth..."

"According to calculations, there's a 3% chance that it will collide with Earth!"

At first, people didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just like before, where some media was exaggerating. But as more and more authoritative amateur astronomers came forward, stating that there was indeed a high chance of the asteroid hitting Earth, a lot of people started to panic!

"Is this the end of the world?!"

"Is Earth going to reset?!"

"Some speculate the asteroid might carry a zombie virus. Better prepare for the apocalypse..."

"Haha, I've already built a bunker. Ladies are welcome...No men!"

Most internet user still commented in a playful manner. However, some began looking into the asteroid's data.

"65 million years ago, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs had a diameter of only 10 kilometers, but the asteroid heading towards Earth now has a diameter of 50 kilometers..."

"For those hoping to fight zombies, it's time to give up. If this asteroid hits Earth, it will be far worse than the extinction of the dinosaurs. The most probable outcome is extinction, including but not limited to humans. Maybe all of Earth's organisms, whether they walk on land, fly in the sky, or swim in the water, will disappear completely..."

At first, people were optimistic, thinking that a 3% chance wasn't significant, and Earth's luck wouldn't be that bad. However, within half a day, the probability of the asteroid colliding with Earth suddenly skyrocketed.

"Latest news, the KADP-45788 asteroid is 1.05 million kilometers away from Earth, and its trajectory is beginning to change, seemingly captured by Earth's gravity..."

"Disclose the data. According to my friend who works at the Space Agency, the probability of the asteroid colliding with Earth has now increased to 15%..."

Panic began to spread. People started hoarding supplies, and some even brought their families to live in subway stations. As the commotion grew, everyone around the world more or less knew about the news and was affected. Finally, various countries issued statements:

"KADP-45788 is just passing by and won't collide with Earth. Please don't panic, and and unscrupulous media should not spread false news and cause more anxiety..."

"This is an expert program, and we have invited Wang De Fa, a renowned astronomer and global expert in space observation. He has discovered 13 asteroids, one of which was even named after him. This indicated his significant contribution to the field."

"Mr. Wang De Fa, what do you think about the news that the KADP-45788 asteroid might hit the Earth, which some self-proclaimed experts have reported on the internet?"

"Haha, I only have four words for the fake news spread by these amateurs!"

"And which four words are those?!"

"It's all just nonsense!""

Wang De Fa said confidently, "This asteroid will definitely not hit the Earth, it will only pass by. People in the Western Hemisphere will have the opportunity to witness shooting stars and make a wish upon them."