Chapter 759: Ignition
"Biomass conversion progress: Approximately fifty percent of the global Swarm biomass has been decomposed. Gas production continues to climb. At the current rate, it is estimated to reach the gas saturation critical point in the forty-sixth hour," the Tech-Priest reported.
Ryo pulled up enlarged images of several key areas.
An area that was once a primary incubation cluster now only had half-melted chitinous skeletons remaining, surrounded by massive expanses of yellow-green sludge. The sludge was constantly bubbling, releasing more gas.
A plain previously covered by creep now looked like scorched earth after a chemical fire. The gray-white, cracked surface was scattered with the remains of Swarm units, most of which were half-liquefied and unidentifiable.
In a mountainous region, the Swarm had established underground hives. However, thermal imaging showed an abnormal increase in temperature inside the hives, indicating that the virus had likely penetrated deep underground and was decomposing the Swarm units and stored biomass hidden within.
"What is the virus's penetration capability into underground structures?" Ryo inquired.
"Limited, but present," the Tech-Priest analyzed. "Virus particles can enter ventilation systems via air currents or be brought in by infected units. The sealed environment of underground hives might paradoxically accelerate gas accumulation and increase internal pressure. However, deep, completely sealed areas might be temporarily safe. But this will not affect the overall situation; once the atmosphere is ignited, the underground structures will be destroyed or sealed off by the extreme heat and pressure."
By the twenty-fourth hour, the global Swarm biomass conversion rate reached seventy percent.
The Swarm's organized resistance had essentially vanished.
Sporadic bio-electric signals, likely emitted by Brood Lords that were not yet fully dead, were observed, but their intensity was weak and chaotic.
As an army, the Swarm had collapsed. All that remained were biomass remains undergoing rapid decomposition.
The concentration of combustible gas in the atmosphere continued to climb.
Global atmospheric pressure had risen by zero point three percent due to the increased gas.
Meteorological models showed that atmospheric circulation began to exhibit anomalies due to changes in temperature distribution, with strong convective cyclones forming in some regions.
During this period, Ryo concurrently received the combat data Valerie sent back from Agria.
The contrast was stark: the Swarm on Agria was still actively attacking, while the Swarm on Mar Sara was being dismantled from the inside out by an invisible force.
"Gas accumulation speed is slightly faster than anticipated," the Tech-Priest reported. "Following the current trend, it may reach the ignition threshold around the forty-second hour. However, it is recommended to wait until the forty-eighth hour to ensure the vast majority of the biomass has completed decomposition, in order to achieve maximum purification effects."
Ryo agreed with this suggestion.
The purpose of the test was to evaluate the weapon's efficacy, not to chase the fastest result. Allowing the virus ample time to complete its work was the only way to obtain comprehensive data.
By the thirty-sixth hour, the global biomass conversion rate reached ninety percent.
Almost no traces of purple could be seen on the planet's surface anymore. It was replaced by a massive portrait of death, alternating between gray-white and yellow-green.
The atmosphere had become turbid and visibility had dropped, a result of the increased gas and suspended particles.
The surface temperature had risen by an average of one point eight degrees Celsius due to the greenhouse gas effect.
Only the last sporadic blips of Swarm activity signals remained, and they were vanishing with every passing moment.
Observation satellites detected several minor earthquakes, likely the collapse of underground hive structures due to excessive internal gas pressure.
"The biomass decomposition process has entered its final stage," the Tech-Priest summarized. "The remaining undecomposed biomass is primarily located beneath the polar ice caps, in deep-sea regions, or in completely sealed underground spaces. Viral penetration in these areas is difficult, but they account for less than four percent of the total biomass and will not affect the overall outcome."
"Gas concentration?" Ryo asked.
"Methane concentration has reached seventy-five percent of the lower explosive limit. Based on a comprehensive calculation of the ethane, propane, and other heavy hydrocarbon gas mixtures, the overall flammability index is at eighty-eight percent of the critical threshold. It is estimated to reach the ignition threshold between the forty-fourth and forty-sixth hours."
"Prepare the ignition sequence," Ryo ordered.
The weapon control room of the Eternal Seeker entered a state of high alert once again.
This time, what needed to be used was not a biochemical weapon, but a more conventional yet immensely powerful energy weapon.
"Lance array charging. Target: Fifty kilometers above the equator of the planet Mar Sara, at sixty degrees west longitude. The atmosphere is thinner at this location and it is at the center of the global circulation, making it the most suitable point to trigger a chain reaction."
"Lance charging. Estimated to reach firing power in eighteen minutes."
Ryo's main body reviewed the observation data one last time.
The Virus Bomb test had been fundamentally successful: the Swarm was decomposed rapidly and effectively, the conversion process matched expectations, and no significant resistance or anomalous reactions appeared.
Now, only the final step remained: igniting the atmosphere, completing the purification, and observing the energy release data throughout the process.
The final ten minutes of the countdown.
The lance array was fully charged.
Tremendous energy converged in the focalizer at the ship's bow, emitting a dangerous blue-white glow.
Mar Sara rotated silently on the screen, its surface covered in the colors of death, its atmosphere brimming with fuel.
"Ignition sequence, final readiness achieved," the weapon Tech-Priest reported.
Ryo's optical lenses locked onto the target.
"Execute."
At the bow of the Eternal Seeker, the lance array's focalizer let out a low hum.
Guided by complex force fields, the energy coalesced into a single point, reaching the critical threshold.
A slender yet infinitely incandescent blue-white beam pierced the void, striking toward Mar Sara.
Its diameter was only a few meters, but the energy it contained was enough to melt through the armor of a battleship.
The beam accurately hit the preset coordinates: fifty kilometers above the equator, the thin atmosphere that was already saturated with highly flammable gases.
In the initial instant, only a small, bright fireball erupted at the beam's point of impact, roughly a few hundred meters in diameter, like a miniature sun ignited in the veil of night.
But this was merely the fuse.
The extreme heat within the fireball ignited the highly concentrated combustible gases surrounding it: a mixture of methane, ethane, propane, and other complex hydrocarbons.
The first explosion occurred, ten times larger than the fireball itself, as orange-red flames expanded outward.
The thermal radiation and shockwave released by this explosion subsequently ignited the gases further out.
The chain reaction had begun.
From the satellite's perspective, a point of light first illuminated in Mar Sara's equatorial region, which then rapidly expanded into a burning halo of light.
The halo spread toward the north and south poles at an astonishing speed, as if crowning the planet with an ever-expanding ring of fire.
The speed at which the flames spread far exceeded conventional combustion. The concentration of combustible gas in the atmosphere was so high that the flame front advanced at almost the speed of a detonation wave: several kilometers per second.
Wherever the flames passed, the atmosphere itself became fuel, generating extreme high temperatures that lasted for seconds.
Within twenty-five seconds, the entire equatorial belt was engulfed in flames.
Fifty seconds later, the flames had spread to the thirty-degree latitudes north and south.
The intense illumination produced by the atmospheric combustion turned Mar Sara into a roaring fireball against the dark backdrop of space, its brightness temporarily even surpassing the star of its system.
The sensors of the Eternal Seeker automatically adjusted their sensitivity to prevent overloads.
Multi-spectral scanners recorded the energy release data of every single second.
"Atmospheric combustion peak temperature: three thousand one hundred degrees Celsius," the Tech-Priest reported. "Combustion front velocity: four point three kilometers per second. Energy release rate: five point two times ten to the twentieth power Joules per second, equivalent to detonating one hundred and twenty megatons of TNT per second."
The data stream flowed smoothly through Ryo's consciousness.
He was calculating the total energy output, combustion efficiency, and the surface impact models.
The flames continued pushing toward the poles.
Due to the thinner atmosphere and slightly lower gas concentration at the poles, the combustion speed slowed down slightly, but it remained unstoppable.