Inside the venue before the spaceship crash.
The sight of staff running around had already given the crowd a bad premonition.
Some huddled together whispering, while the more hot-tempered ones grabbed staff members by their collars to demand answers.
[Please remain calm. We're experiencing minor technical difficulties with the venue equipment and are addressing them.]
Continuous announcements echoed through the exhibition hall.
Some people relaxed upon hearing this, while others hurriedly left.
At the entrance lounge area, Zhou Hanxiang's train of thought was interrupted by the announcement, her brow furrowing.
After scanning the panicked crowd, she focused inward but sensed no danger to Zhou Tianming. Relieved, she picked up her phone from the table to make a call.
Meanwhile, Williams and Olivia immediately noticed the shift in atmosphere.
After exchanging glances, they decisively rushed toward the exit while dialing Natarle's number.
Before either call could connect, the ground beneath them began shaking.
Within moments, the tremors intensified dramatically.
People were thrown into the air, landing in chaotic heaps as screams and cries of pain filled the air.
Zhou Hanxiang fell hard, her phone skittering away. Gritting through the pain, she rolled beneath an overturned table.
Williams and Olivia reacted with trained reflexes - adjusting mid-air to land in controlled rolls before staying low.
The quake ended as abruptly as it began, sending the dazed crowd scrambling toward the exits.
Zhou Hanxiang reached for her phone, but the stampede reduced it to shattered fragments within seconds.
The exit became a bottleneck of shouting, shoving bodies, while darker masses of people approached from deeper in the venue. She retreated hastily to a corner.
Williams and Olivia fought through the crowd before breaking away to the same corner, where they noticed the woman already there. A silent nod passed between them.
Olivia nudged Williams: "I dropped my phone. You make the call."
As he nodded and retrieved his device, Zhou Hanxiang approached cautiously. "Could I borrow your phone later? I need to contact my child."
Olivia clasped Zhou Hanxiang's hands firmly. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Amid the chaos, the call connected. Williams shouted: "Natarle! Are you still on the spaceship?"
...
Copernicus City Government Office.
The mayor of Copernicus, a middle-aged man in his forties, slammed the phone down with an angry expression and pounded the table. "Damn it!"
Taking a deep breath, he picked up the landline again. "Get me the Space Force of the neighboring Council of Nations."
With that, he slammed the receiver down hard.
About a minute later, the phone rang, and he answered.
"This won't be easy," came a middle-aged man's voice on the line, laced with amusement. "Sam is a real madman—he wouldn't hesitate to drop a spaceship into the city. What exactly do you want me to do?"
The mayor gritted his teeth, fists clenched tightly. "A billion. Have your people hack into the spaceship's control system and take it back."
"Two billion."
"Deal!"
"Straight to the point! Wait for my update. It's just a bunch of illiterates who somehow got their hands on a computer virus."
The call ended, and the mayor exhaled heavily.
Just then, the door suddenly swung open.
Frowning, he looked up and snapped, "Who told you to—"
His words cut off abruptly as he quickly stood and approached the elderly man who had entered. "Teacher, what brings you here?"
"I've heard about the situation. If necessary, I'll give the orders myself."
"I've already arranged it. The Atlantic Space Force will be here soon."
Instead of relief, the old man sighed. "The Atlantic, huh… Pity it's not East Asia."
"The Atlantic isn't weaker than East Asia."
"It's not about strength. It's about their approach. If you can bribe their people to act, so can the other side." The old man's face darkened with worry. "Sam has over 200 ships. Do you really think you can outbid him?"
The mayor fell silent, his expression now mirroring the same concern.
...
Lunar Base Ptolemy.
A circular airlock opened, and a sleek Nelson-class Battleship emerged.
Flanking it were four smaller Drake-class Frigates, their X-shaped tails and four missile launchers clearly visible.
On the bridge of the Nelson-class Battleship—
The captain, dressed in a white uniform and military cap, lounged casually in his seat before turning to ask, "How's it going? Still no breakthrough on the system?"
A technician frowned. "It'll take more time. The opponent's a pro—they've set up multiple layers of decoys. I need to crack through those first to reach the core code."
"Good." The captain nodded. "If you succeed, I'll put in a commendation for you. Military merits aren't easy to come by these days."
The technician brightened at this, his fingers flying faster over the controls.
...
On Sam's spaceship bridge—
Ding Yu smirked, his eyes filled with disdain. "Amateur hour."
"What's up?" Sam turned his head. "They're making their move?"
Nodding, Ding Yu tapped the keyboard with one hand. "Decent skills, but textbook-standard. My guess? Space Force."
"Fast response." Sam stroked his chin. "The closest is Ptolemy—probably the Atlantic Space Force."
A relaxed smile spread across his face. "As long as it's not East Asia, we're fine. I'd rather not end up rich but dead."
A flicker of fear passed through his eyes, and his heartbeat quickened involuntarily.
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly before waving a hand decisively. "Ding Yu, pick two ships to secure our exit."
"Got it."
Sam turned to another crew member and asked, "How's the collection going?"
"Uh..." The crew member's eyes darted away nervously.
A cold glint flashed across Sam's face. "Someone doesn't want to pay? Seems losing one ship wasn't enough."
"Since we don't have our people aboard, they're being stubborn."
Ding Yu grinned cruelly. "Should we drop another one? Pick a bigger ship this time—aim for the city. More deaths will make them compliant."
"Oh, we'll drop one alright," Sam narrowed his eyes. "But not now. They're still clinging to hope of rescue. We'll crush that delusion first."
"Ding Yu, once the Atlantic fleet arrives, pick an annoying ship and 'drop' it toward Copernicus. But go slow—don't actually hit. Too many deaths would push them over the edge."
Ding Yu looked puzzled. "What's the point? Nobody fears empty threats."
Sam chuckled. "Which do you think they value more—a city or a ship?"
"Copernicus, obviously." Realization dawned on Ding Yu. "Leave it to me."
...
Thousands of kilometers beyond the Moon, in the debris field, a spherical mass of garbage and asteroids drifted silently.
Inside the Black Tortoise, Natarle quietly opened her eyes—only to find Zhou Tianming smiling at her from nearby.
Blushing with embarrassment, she kicked off the floor and lunged at him.
Zhou Tianming tapped his toes lightly, floating out of reach.
Undaunted, Natarle rebounded off a chair below, launching herself upward. She pressed a hand against the ceiling and shoved sideways, sending Zhou Tianming spiraling away.
"Sorry!" he laughed as she charged toward him.
"No dodging!"
Their chase turned the Bridge into an arena—Zhou Tianming darting like a swallow, Natarle plowing forward like an iron cannonball.
"If I stop, no hitting."
Natarle smiled 'sweetly'. "I won't hit your face."
Zhou Tianming pouted dramatically. "I'm just a child!"
A ringtone interrupted them.
Natarle halted to check her phone. Zhou Tianming descended slowly—only for her to suddenly seize his ear in a lightning grab.
He flailed as she answered the call, glaring a silent warning.
Trapped, Zhou Tianming hung limp in midair like a slaughtered pig, his ear still twisted. The sight curved Natarle's eyebrows into amused crescents.
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