338: Chapter 338

The people of the World never imagined that a nation would suffer from Space-Based Weapons for the first time in history so quickly. Even more dramatically, this nation that suffered from the Space-Based Weapons strike was the very same one that had suffered the first nuclear strike in history.

In the 1940s, the U.S. successively dropped two atomic bombs, accelerating the end of World War II with their crushing power, and allowing humanity to witness the terror of nuclear weapons for the first time, ushering in an era where nuclear deterrence shrouded the globe.

Up until modern times, human civilization has lived in the shadow of the nuclear threat, fearing that it might suddenly erupt one day. Yet, they did not expect that the era of another ultimate weapon would arrive so unexpectedly.

The radiance of the Space-Based Weapons tore through the sky, possessing a destructive power thousands or even tens of thousands of times greater than the largest nuclear explosion today, capable of completely erasing a city, and even more than that...

— —

Japan, above Tokyo,

Even though it was night, the sky was currently a vast expanse of white. After that destructive speck of light descended, a World-shattering explosion rang out, and the entire space was in turmoil.

Cities vanished, rivers melted, the tectonic plate on which the entire Honshu Island rested trembled twice, and cracks spread continuously with Tokyo as the center.

The largest crack originated from the former site of Tokyo Bay, heading north along the boundary between the Kanto Plain and the central mountains, with unstoppable brute force, piercing straight into the narrowest part of Honshu Island's waist, continuing north without pause.

Honshu Island was almost forcibly split into two!

This was not a metaphor. From above, one could clearly see a brand-new strait with an average width of over ten kilometers and reaching nearly fifty kilometers at its widest point, appearing abruptly in the middle of Honshu Island.

Seawater was rushing in with unprecedented violence, emitting a roar like the horn of the apocalypse.

In a shrine in the eastern part of Honshu Island, the old priest Saitō was kneeling in the inner sanctum with his attendants, praying for the fate of this nation. The wisps of sandalwood smoke isolated them from all the clamor of the outside World.

"Great God, save your people. A demon has descended; please help us dispel this boundless darkness..."

The dozen or so people in the inner sanctum had devout expressions, repeating their prayers.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled violently, just like a magnitude-8 earthquake. The shrine began to shake intensely, and the beams and pillars began to creak and groan, as if they would fall apart in the next second.

"It's an earthquake,"

"It's an earthquake, run!"

Many attendants became panicked. Someone pulled the old priest to leave, but Saitō remained unmoved, still stubbornly kneeling and praying, "God... God will protect me."

A roaring sound came from outside, gradually growing louder. This sound of destruction, so close at hand, felt as if thousands of galloping horses were thundering from the horizon, or as if the entire ocean had poured onto the land. That deafening noise, enough to tear eardrums, could make anyone tremble with fear.

This attendant could no longer care about the old priest and scrambled away. However, just as he made his move, the shrine collapsed with a boom, and only a few lucky survivors stared blankly at everything.

At this moment, in Maebashi City, 100 kilometers away from Tokyo, the city was like a lone boat in a stormy sea. People throughout the city were caught in a desperate flight for their lives. High-rise buildings collapsed, bridges broke, car accidents were everywhere on the roads, and the entire city had lost all order.

A mother, holding her child in her arms, ran to an open area, her chest heaving violently. The well-protected infant thought his mother was playing a game with him, happily clapping his little hands and laughing naively.

He did not notice his mother looking at the scorching white light in the distant sky, her eyes filled with terror. This was the prelude to disaster...

People all over Honshu Island were alarmed. A catastrophe and chaos like never before had arrived. It was as if the World had turned upside down, and everything from the past had been crushed to pieces,

In a short amount of time, the disaster brought about by the Space-Based Weapons strike had spread to the entire Honshu Island. The resulting population and economic damage had already reached a significant scale in the history of civilization and was continuing to worsen at an alarming speed.

"It's over, it's over, everything is over."

On the edge of Honshu Island, Kurokawa Saki scrambled up from the ground in a sorry state, staring at everything in absolute horror. At the same time, he felt the fragility of his country for the first time. The efforts of the past hundred years would all be washed away after today.

As if to confirm his thoughts, in the Mount Fuji range 80 kilometers from Tokyo, the earth's crust shook violently. A crimson column of fire tore through the peak, and the thick snow instantly turned into scalding steam under the high temperature, rushing straight into the sky while carrying black volcanic ash.

Mount Fuji, which had not erupted for over three hundred years, finally could not withstand the pressure and erupted!

— —

The disaster that occurred in Japan kept the World awake all night, with the entire globe watching.

The next morning, there were countless reports about this incident. The exaggeration and sensationalism of the headlines were unprecedented. The disaster that occurred in Japan could no longer be described as a terrorist attack; even the word "war" was too pale.

"Japan's Doomsday! Signs of Displacement in the Honshu Island Tectonic Plate!"

"Noir Organization Defined by the United Nations as the World's Number One Anti-Human Organization; No One Has Come Forward to Claim Responsibility for This Incident Yet!"

"Experts Warn: The Honshu Island Disaster Marks the Bloody Beginning of the Era of Orbital Violence; Existing International Order Is Incapable of Responding; Humanity Has Once Again Arrived at the Edge of Turmoil!"

"Central Continent, U.S., Europe... Governments of various countries have expressed deep concern over the severe disaster suffered by Japan, expressed deep condolences to the victims, and have dispatched rescue teams."

"The India government stated that the disaster that occurred in Japan is a tragedy for all of humanity and announced the provision of emergency humanitarian aid."

"Japan's Prime Minister Seeks Aid from the Outside World..."

In the morning, Kurokawa Saki appeared in the eyes of the World again, his hair disheveled, his eye sockets sunken, and his complexion a sickly, sallow yellow. It was as if he had aged 20 years overnight.

The deceased Morinaka Yūichi had become a hero, while he had become the sinner of Japan.

Kurokawa Saki no longer dared to condemn anything; he only imploringly sent out signals for aid to countries around the World, indicating a willingness to accept any form of help.

This image of the Prime Minister in tears instantly spread across the World's internet, arousing the pity of many people, who donated money online to express their sympathy. They also furiously blasted Third-Party Technology as the executioner of humanity for committing such an inhumane act, and criticized the cowardice of various governments.

Discerning people knew that this company had done it, and that the Noir Organization was just a facade they had put out. Yet, not a single country of any weight stood up to condemn them.

At this moment, there was finally activity on Third-Party Technology's official website. This message stated that the company was doing its utmost to recover the Sun Disc space station and was unable to respond to the outside situation. Everything currently happening was the work of hackers and was not caused by Third-Party Technology, and it expressed deep regret for Japan's plight.

Once this news was released, the whole World was in an uproar.