[TN:Last Chapter of the week, see you guys in two weeks.]
In the instant several pursuing MaxTac teams caught up, they lost all sense of direction:
EMP is generally divided into two types. The first is when a sudden change in current appears across a large number of circuits; the violent electromagnetic fluctuation interferes with all nearby electrical devices.
This kind of electromagnetic pulse is relatively singular in form, and not entirely impossible to defend against. At the very least, with military technology having developed to the present day, there are in fact plenty of methods to minimize the effects of this kind of EMP on electronic equipment. On a battlefield, large-scale EMPs are more often used to briefly disrupt wireless communications and restrict certain special tactics.
But the second kind is far more violent.
That is the nuclear electromagnetic pulse.
A nuclear explosion releases immense quantities of high-energy gamma rays. These high-energy rays collide with electrons in the atmosphere, directly producing huge numbers of high-energy electrons.
Next, those high-energy electrons are accelerated through the Compton effect, generating a powerful electric field. The accelerated electrons then interact with the geomagnetic field again, producing an instantaneous electromagnetic pulse.
Unlike those relatively minor non-nuclear EMPs, the nuclear electromagnetic pulse generated by an airburst can affect an area spanning hundreds of kilometers, and its intensity is several times greater than the latter.
Muramasa had used bombs to destroy the power plant in Santo Domingo, triggering line explosions and an EMP that stretched for several kilometers, and had also covertly induced a super-scale electronic attack of comparable range with micro-transmitters. Both could be called the pinnacle of non-nuclear EMP effects.
But neither compared to the violence of this nuclear detonation.
With the flash, centered on ground zero, every light still shining, every electronic device still operating, every piece of cyberware, all fell into paralysis.
The high-intensity nuclear electromagnetic pulse even caused those electrical devices—especially grid equipment—to spit sparks and burst into flames on the spot!
It was like willow fluff catching fire at the arrival of spring. Centered on ground zero, those bursts of flame vaguely formed a ring that expanded outward, sweeping across Night City.
This time, it was true total darkness—
And this kind of nuclear EMP also had a third phase: the geomagnetic field, thrown into chaos, would continue releasing pulses for a period of time, causing prolonged interference to power-grid equipment.
The electromagnetic pulse came fast—faster than the expanding shockwave and fireball—but it was quickly the MaxTac officers' turn to feel the blast itself.
The Manticores' hover engines had no way to maintain balance amid such a violent explosion. Turbulence and shockwaves sent those massive craft tumbling through the air like leaves.
The little muscle they still had left in their bodies tugged against cybernetic organs that had already shut down. The fireball did not scorch them, but the high-temperature air forced its way through nose and mouth into their lungs and stomachs—
The NCPD officers by the shore stared in horror as the missile triggered the nuclear blast, not even noticing the static that radiation and high-energy rays were producing in their optical implants. The static quickly linked into black dots, and the black dots became black blotches...
But before they went blind, they still saw the Manticores falling toward the water like leaves under the force of the nuclear blast.
It was finally over—
But terror kept making them ask themselves, over and over:
Was it really over?
Yet they could no longer see anything. All they could do was pray that it truly was.
[Warning: Incoming nuclear strike detected]
[Emergency Alert: Radioactive element analysis complete. Confirmed that the wanted criminals were carrying weapons-grade enriched uranium.]
[Disaster Alert: Nuclear explosion has occurred in the southern bay of Night City's Glen district.]
[Automatic nuclear threat monitoring report time: 2076.10.30]
[Blast core data:]
[Core blast radius: approximately 300 meters]
[Estimated yield: 2,700–3,300 tons TNT]
[Peak instantaneous temperature: approximately 5,000 degrees Celsius]
[Fireball diameter: 150 meters]
[Instantaneous radiation intensity in ground-zero area: 5,000 sieverts (Sv)]
[Initial radiation dose rate: >1,000 sieverts/hour within 1 kilometer of ground zero]
[Neutron radiation flux: approximately 10^18 neutrons/cm2]
[Radioactive fallout diffusion speed: approximately 20 meters/second]
[Shockwave data:]
[Primary shockwave coverage radius: approximately 2 kilometers]
[Maximum overpressure: approximately 30 kilopascals (kPa) within 1 kilometer of ground zero]
[Secondary shockwave impact range: approximately 5 kilometers]
[Remarks:]
[Detector automatically recorded blast data. Data accuracy: plus or minus 3%]
[Full protective gear is recommended before entering the blast zone. Avoid direct exposure to radiation]
[Follow-up monitoring and data analysis will continue, with updates issued as new information arrives]
[Folder path: /Corporate Internal/Safety and Emergency Response/Nuclear Explosion Emergency Report/]
[Event Name: 2076.10.30_Midnight Nuclear Detonation Incident]
[Related Files: Burger King Sells Dumbass Important People (Character/Organization File) (Full Name); Night City Extreme Metal Unlimited Racing (Incident File); Biotechnica Tower Assault Incident; Lizardman Incident; NetWatch Intercepts Soulkiller;]
Inside multiple corporations, everything had descended into complete chaos.
As early as the moment Leo entered the Afterlife club, they had assumed things on that front were already over, and had shifted their full attention to the Kujira-class carrier that Arasaka Group had sailed up to the edge of Night City.
This was not quite like the Marvel world—between corporations here, war could begin without logic or warning.
An aircraft carrier in the Marvel world might serve more as deterrence, but here, any weapon could open fire at any moment, and carriers were no exception.
But no one had expected it.
No one had expected that the nuclear blast would cripple vast amounts of detection equipment and plunge the city into darkness—
Honestly, they could hardly be blamed. Whether it was the NCPD, corporate armed forces, or MaxTac—even fifty years ago, the mercs who detonated a nuke in Arasaka Tower had not driven around in a vehicle like this!
And on top of that, they had to watch both an Arasaka carrier and a flying nuclear pickup capable of hitting 400 mph—who could possibly defend against all that?!
Once the explosion happened, all they could do was sigh, feel relieved, and lament:
These three... wanted criminals were actually so gentle. They hadn't detonated the bomb in the urban core the way people had fifty years ago.
For the people near the blast site, the shock of surviving the disaster was even stronger, even more violent—
Quite a few collapsed on the spot, clutching their heavily damaged optics, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces. Some even cried themselves unconscious...
Too gentle, Burger King.
With the nuclear detonation, Night City's corporations fell into a semi-paralyzed state—or rather, every organization in Night City fell into a semi-paralyzed state. No one had the spare capacity to keep pursuing that nuclear-powered pickup, and no one had the energy to immediately confirm whether its occupants were dead or alive.
Even more troublesome, surveillance of the Arasaka carrier had also stalled.
But the good news was that the nuclear EMP's radius was extremely broad. Even the Kujira-class carrier offshore had been affected.
Though it had not taken the brunt of the pulse, it had absolutely disrupted communications across the carrier group—
Most aircraft carriers were timid things, and the Kujira was no exception.
On the carrier island, Saburo Arasaka watched as the brightly lit Night City abruptly fell into total darkness, and even he could not help showing a look of surprise.
This was not what he had expected.
This was something entirely beyond prediction.
He could not imagine where the nuke had come from. There was no reason for it!
For the first time, Saburo felt a slight sense that the whole affair was slipping out of control, and it made him instantly wary—
It had been fifty years. Aside from the collapse of the Old Net and the Arasaka Tower nuclear incident, it had been a very long time since he had felt anything like this.
Nothing had gone according to his expectations...
except that he could now come ashore at any moment.
And why was it that every time things slipped out of control, nukes were somehow involved?
Fortunately, he still had a backup plan.
Still, the plan would need to be updated.
The old man gazed silently at that small mushroom cloud: Night City was getting closer and closer.
Unlike what the other corporations imagined, the Kujira had never paused from the very beginning. It had been carrying out its docking procedure the whole time.
He was coming ashore.
(End of Chapter)