Soon after, Qin Bei Wang was smoothly escorted into the Federal Advanced Technology Research Bureau's Base No. 3 by dedicated staff.
Passing through multiple heavy security doors and strict inspection checkpoints, he finally met Tang Wanci.
She wore a crisp white shirt paired with tailored suit pants that accentuated her slender legs, topped with a slightly loose white lab coat.
Her long hair was neatly tied back.
Gone was the ethereal softness from yesterday's grasslands, replaced instead by an aura of efficiency, composure, and professionalism befitting a researcher.
She seemed like a completely different person from their last meeting.
"You're early. Perfect timing—I'll take you to hear something loud to wake you up!"
Tang Wanci glanced up and spotted Qin Bei Wang, raising a hand in greeting.
Her tone carried the brisk efficiency typical of a researcher, yet held a hint of playfulness.
"I couldn't wait to see what this new toy you promised me is all about."
A faint, calm smile touched Qin Bei Wang's lips as he strode briskly toward her without breaking pace.
Shortly after, the two boarded a silver-gray maglev car.
The moment the doors closed, the vehicle shot forward like an arrow along the base's dedicated internal channels.
Steel structures flashed by on both sides, the speed and efficiency underscoring the base's intense atmosphere.
Twenty minutes later, the maglev car came to a smooth stop.
Qin Bei Wang and Tang Wanci arrived together at a sealed testing ground.
Entering the heavily fortified observation room, two massive ring-shaped screens stood prominently ahead, each clearly displaying a different scene.
One showed a menacing-looking ship cannon, its appearance strikingly similar to the Open Heaven-class main cannon mounted on the Pluto Fleet's flagship.
However, main cannons of the same attack type across the stars often shared broadly similar designs, so Qin Bei Wang hesitated to jump to conclusions.
As he studied it intently,
Tang Wanci pointed at the giant cannon on the screen and asked with a smile,
"Doesn't it look like the Genesis-class Heavy Particle Beam Cannon on your flagship?"
Qin Bei Wang nodded slowly.
A flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes as he immediately asked,
"Could this be an upgraded version?"
"Exactly, it is!"
A trace of pride flashed in Tang Wanci's eyes as she stated with certainty.
"We've carried out comprehensive upgrades and modifications based on the Genesis-class Heavy Particle Beam Cannon.
It was originally developed as a T5-class main cannon for our next-generation T5 Battleships, but now…"
She paused slightly, lightly tapping her chin with a fingertip as if in thoughtful consideration, then her smile widened.
"It should qualify as a T5.5-grade main cannon!"
Hearing this, Qin Bei Wang was overjoyed, the anticipation in his eyes instantly brightening.
He had assumed at best a few core components were optimized, never expecting a full-scale upgrade.
As the head of the R&D department,
for Tang Wanci to personally rate it as T5.5-grade,
this upgraded Open Heaven-class main cannon was undoubtedly far more powerful than the original.
"This main cannon is tentatively named 'Creation.'
Its theoretical maximum range reaches 2.8 million kilometers, while the optimal range for fully unleashing its power is 2.5 million kilometers!"
2.5 million kilometers!
Qin Bei Wang's pupils contracted sharply, a tempest of shock surging in his heart.
This exceeded the range of the Genesis-class Heavy Particle Beam Cannon on the Pluto Fleet's flagship by a full 500,000 kilometers!
The theoretical maximum range of the Genesis-class Heavy Particle Beam Cannon was 2.4 million kilometers, but its optimal range was only 2 million kilometers.
He understood all too well what the range of a starship cannon meant.
And he was well aware of the propagation laws of particle beams in a vacuum.
Although particle beams do not experience significant energy attenuation in a vacuum environment, they always face the challenge of beam dispersion.
Take the Aperture-Heavens-Class Main Cannon on their flagship, for example.
Its core principle was to accelerate heavy charged protons.
However, these protons, carrying the same type of charge, generated intense Coulomb repulsion.
They pushed against each other, ultimately causing the beam to gradually disperse.
It was like two magnets with the same poles facing each other. Even if you forcibly bound them together with a rubber band, they might hold temporarily for a short while.
But the repulsive force constantly surging within them would eventually snap and burst the rubber band.
And once the beam dispersed, the power of the main cannon would plummet drastically.
The particle stream, originally precisely condensed to the diameter of a nail, would instantly spread out into a balloon-like expanse.
Such a dispersed particle stream was destined to have far less penetration and lethality than the condensed, unstoppable nail-shaped particle stream.
The former was like scattered sand brushing against a surface, while the latter was like a steel nail piercing armor—the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.
Tang Wanci's tone was firm as she continued, elaborating on the core highlights.
"Besides the range, we have also comprehensively enhanced the power of the main cannon.
The previous Genesis-class Heavy Particle Beam Cannon's beam consisted primarily of accelerated protons.
For this Creation Particle Beam Cannon, we have incorporated heavier metal ions into the proton beam.
Such as uranium nuclei."
She paused, lightly tapping the table with her fingertip, breaking down the principle clearly.
"Simply put, the beam is no longer a single proton stream but has been upgraded to a composite beam of heavy metal ions and protons.
This design not only significantly increases the base power of the main cannon but also achieves a qualitative leap in shield-penetrating effectiveness!"
Hearing this, a gleam of insight flashed in Qin Bei Wang's eyes.
He immediately activated the system to quickly search for the principles of composite beams.
Within seconds, he had fully grasped the core logic, and his expression instantly filled with astonishment.
His tone was full of disbelief.
"You mean, this is a particle beam that simultaneously combines armor-piercing and incendiary effects?
The protons serve as the main body of the beam, responsible for continuous penetration.
While the heavy metal ions are condensed into a sharp penetrating core at the center of the beam.
It both pierces armor and sets fires—truly unstoppable!"
Upon hearing this, a look of pleasant surprise instantly lit up Tang Wanci's eyes.
She had expected Qin Bei Wang to understand, but she hadn't anticipated he would grasp the principle so quickly and even pinpoint the core design with such precision.
At this moment, she became even more convinced.
Qin Bei Wang's poor academic performance back in school was probably just an act.
Such comprehension and logical thinking were far from ordinary—they were terrifyingly sharp!
Tang Wanci's tone grew even more assured as she raised her hand, gesturing toward the parameters on the screen, and continued her explanation.
"If the previous Genesis-class Heavy Particle Beam Cannon's power was equivalent to the concentrated release of energy from a 500,000-ton tactical nuclear bomb..."
Then the power of this Creation Heavy Particle-Metal Ion Composite Beam Cannon is directly doubled.
Its destructive force can reach the concentrated explosion of a one-megaton tactical nuclear bomb!"
She paused, using the most intuitive battlefield scenario as an example to help Qin Bei Wang better grasp the difference.
"Previously, to deal with an Imperial Battleship of the same class, it might have taken three to four shots to shatter its shield and then destroy the hull.
But now, just two shots from the Creation Main Cannon can directly break through the shield.
And it can complete the destruction in the process, more than doubling the efficiency!"
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