Chapter 982
Terrifying
On the observation deck of TPC headquarters, Sawai gazed at the pink and scarlet light that had not yet completely dissipated in the distant sky, his fingers unconsciously gripping the railing tightly, his tone full of emotion: "That's the D4 ray. What a terrifying power."
The moment that ray tore through the air, even the glass of the observation deck trembled slightly, and the energy fluctuations could be clearly felt several kilometers away—the image of Ligadron instantly disintegrating in the ray was etched into his mind like a brand. This destructive power, capable of directly disintegrating energy bodies and leaving not even remnants, far surpassed any weapon currently possessed by TPC, causing even Sawai, who was accustomed to monster attacks, to feel a chill: "This thing is really scary. If it gets out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Cui Ming stood beside him, his gaze calmly fixed on the direction where the ray's afterglow dissipated, and slowly spoke: "So only I can authorize the use of this ray, after all, it's really too dangerous." He paused, his tone becoming more somber, "But humanity has no choice but to use such dangerous things—the threats in the universe are getting stronger and stronger, and ordinary weapons simply cannot stop them. We have no other option."
Sawai nodded silently, deeply agreeing. He knew all too well humanity's predicament: from Golza's awakening to the Kirieloid invasion, and now to Ligardron and Sphia, the enemies Earth faced grew stronger with each passing day, and the pace of technological development often couldn't keep up with the frequency of these threats. While D4 rays were dangerous, they were a "defense line" that humanity had built in dire straits, even if that defense line itself carried the risk of being razor-sharp.
“Old Cui’s concerns are not without merit,” Sawai muttered to himself, recalling what Yoshioka had said in the command room earlier, and couldn’t help but smile wryly. “To be honest, after seeing the power of the D4 ray, even Yoshioka specifically said that this kind of power is not something humans can control, and it’s better to let Cui Ming handle it himself.”
Yoshioka, a hawk within TPC, has always advocated "force through force" and has always been proactive in the development of new weapons. However, even he showed a rare seriousness after witnessing the destructive power of the D4 ray, stating bluntly that "if this thing falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, it will be more terrifying than a monster," and even proactively suggested that "no one except Cui Ming should have access to the D4 ray's authorization system."
The danger of a power that could terrify even the hawkish Yoshioka is self-evident. Hearing this, Cui Ming's lips curled into a faint smile: "Yoshioka is more clear-headed than I imagined." He knew very well that the stability of the D4 ray was maintained by the combined wisdom of him, Hikari, and Tregear. Once it was removed from his authorization and the exclusive control of the Yukikaze, it could trigger an energy rampage at any moment, even tearing apart dimensional space—this risk could not be entrusted to anyone else's arbitrary control.
A brief silence fell over the observation deck, broken only by the sound of the wind whistling past their ears. Looking at Choi Myung's profile, Sawai suddenly felt that the man before her was more "reliable" than the D4 ray—he not only possessed the ability to control dangerous power, but also had a clear understanding and sense of responsibility, knowing when to use this power and when to temper its sharpness.
"With you here, perhaps we can preserve this peace," Sawai said softly, her tone filled with an unprecedented firmness.
Cui Ming didn't respond, but simply looked up at the sky again. The distant clouds gradually gathered, and sunlight streamed through the gaps, illuminating the city's outline. He knew that the use of D4 rays was only temporary; even greater threats would emerge in the future. What humanity needed wasn't to rely on a single dangerous weapon, but to truly grow stronger—but until then, he would continue to wield this "double-edged sword," shielding Earth from all the storms of space.
Cui Ming leaned against the railing of the command platform, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the distant helipad of the Yukikaze. The lingering heat of the D4 ray explosion seemed to still be in the air, reminding him of a distant memory—a cycle shrouded in endless war, where he had charged into battle against the light of a nuclear bomb, the scorching shockwave nearly tearing his body apart. Even now, recalling it, he could still feel that near-death heat.
“Powerful weapons are necessary, but how they are used is more important than having weapons,” he muttered to himself, bringing a cigarette to his lips and then putting it down. He had witnessed too many civilizations destroyed by the misuse of weapons: some races used planetary-level weapons to shatter their own homeworlds in the struggle for resources; some civilizations developed forbidden technologies that could distort spacetime to intimidate enemies, only to be devoured by the technology itself and disappear completely from the universe. These lessons instilled in him a constant sense of awe for “power.” Like that “face-to-face nuclear bomb” operation, the thought still sent shivers down his spine. At that time, the surface was overrun by enormous creatures that nested in the ruins of cities, polluting water sources and land. Humanity’s food reserves were dwindling daily; if things continued this way, humanity would face extinction from famine without the enemy’s intervention. Command ultimately decided to detonate the nuclear bomb, and his mission was to lure the core creatures to a designated area before the explosion, ensuring the blast would completely destroy the nest.
“No one wanted to die in that operation, but when things got to that point, necessary sacrifices were inevitable.” Cui Ming’s eyes deepened, as if he could see again the resolute expressions of his comrades back then. Some were responsible for modifying the detonation program of the nuclear bomb, some were piloting fighter jets to attract the attention of the creatures, and he chose to use the most direct method—using himself as bait, enduring the creatures’ attacks head-on until the light of the nuclear bomb illuminated the sky.
He still remembers the feeling of the nuclear explosion: the shockwave felt like countless steel knives piercing his body, his skin burning with intense pain from the high temperature, and his consciousness constantly teetering on the edge of darkness. Later, he learned that his past self in that cycle was actually "dead," but a twist of fate had caused him to awaken in another time and space. But even if he were given a second chance, he would still make the same choice—because compared to the extinction of all humanity, the sacrifice of an individual is insignificant.
“Weapons are not for showing off, but for protecting the bottom line of ‘no sacrifice’.” Cui Ming put the cigarette back in his pocket and turned to walk towards the operations room. He developed the D4 ray not to enjoy the thrill of destruction, but to prevent humanity from falling into the desperate situation of “having to use nuclear weapons to protect themselves”; he insisted that only he could authorize its use to prevent the weapon from falling into the hands of those with ulterior motives and repeating the mistakes of other civilizations.
Just like in the fight against Ligadron, if the D4 ray hadn't been able to completely destroy its energy core, humanity might have faced the choice of "whether to use weapons of mass destruction" again—whether to watch Ligadron fuse with more matter and become stronger, or to risk attacking it with traditional weapons, causing energy leaks and polluting the environment? The existence of the D4 ray directly skipped this dilemma, ending the threat with precise destructive power and minimizing subsequent risks.
In the operations room, Sawai was reviewing the energy loss report of the D4 ray. Seeing Cui Ming enter, he looked up and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Cui Ming walked to the screen and pointed to the energy curve: "I'm thinking about how to optimize it next time, so that it can maintain its power while reducing energy consumption." He paused and added, "Also, we need to encrypt the usage records again to ensure that no one can activate it without authorization."
Sawai nodded, looking at Choi Myung's serious profile, and suddenly understood why this person could control a dangerous weapon like the D4 ray—because he understood better than anyone else that the ultimate meaning of a weapon was never destruction, but rather making "sacrifice" no longer the only option.
Cui Ming's gaze returned to the screen, his fingers tapping on the keyboard as he began formulating the next weapons maintenance plan. He knew that as long as the threats in the universe remained, he needed to continuously strengthen his "arsenal," but he also knew that every time he pulled the trigger, he had to uphold his bottom line—true strength lay in protecting Earth at the lowest possible cost. (End of Chapter)