The Secretary-General’s speech, broadcast live in over a hundred languages, struck directly at the consciousness of people across the globe. The four-word message alone confirmed the existence of another civilization beyond Earth – an enemy humanity would inevitably have to face together in the future.

  Major news outlets simultaneously placed Operation ELE-VII on their front pages. This was not a hastily conceived move by the United Nations to calm public anxiety, but a long-term operation that had been meticulously planned far in advance.

  Since the end of the Third World War, technological gaps between nations had steadily narrowed. Developing and underdeveloped countries received extensive support from more advanced nations through the sharing of technological secrets. The Ring encircling Earth stood as the clearest symbol of global cooperation against a common enemy.

  The Ring not only optimized the utilization of solar energy reaching Earth, but also helped regulate the climate in the planet’s most extreme regions. In addition, it functioned as a transfer hub between ground and orbit, making space travel easier and safer than ever before. Thanks to this achievement, human civilization had taken its first step on the Kardashev scale – a theoretical framework for measuring a civilization’s level of technological advancement.

  In essence, Operation ELE-VII focused on three key objectives.

  First, the construction of a space-based defense system with its primary base on the Moon, alongside the full upgrade of The Ring into a near-perfect shield protecting humanity from enemy fire.

  Second, the terraforming of Mars, transforming the Red Planet into humanity’s next home through the L.A.B environmental engineering facility, with the long-term goal of expanding to other planets within the Solar System.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Finally, the intensive research and construction of space-combat vessels, preparing for an impending and brutal interstellar war.

  Although the United Nations took the initiative to address the situation publicly in an attempt to prevent global panic, violent protests and riots still erupted in various parts of the world, growing increasingly severe. Underground bunkers once used during World War III were once again viewed by much of the population as humanity’s last refuge. Food and medicine became fiercely contested commodities. Many innocent civilians lost their lives after being caught in violent clashes between notorious criminal gangs.

  Meanwhile, cult organizations exploited the situation, turning fear and despair into tools for personal gain. After an initial period of mourning – believing themselves to be punished by higher powers – their followers gradually accepted their fate and actively recruited others into superstitious activities under the grandiose name “The Journey Back to God.”

  Escalating tensions, political instability, and a cascade of social crises overwhelmed the young minds of Valentina and Tuan. Neither of them could process any more information. Slowly, both of them stared blankly ahead, their minds pushed beyond their limits.

  Arnaldo chuckled at the looks on the two children’s faces. He had forgotten that the footage was about politics – a subject far beyond what either of them had enough knowledge to fully grasp. His old bad habit had surfaced again. Whenever he focused on something, Arnaldo tended to lose awareness of everything else around him. He had been so absorbed in the video that he failed to notice his two companions had already given up entirely.

  With a sigh, he reached out to pause the playback and turned to speak to them directly.

  “Just look at those blank stares,” he said with a grin. “Alright, I’ll finish the rest on my own later. For now, you two only need to remember this: to respond to the message sent by the alien civilization, humanity launched Operation ELE-VII, and L.A.B was one of its key facilities. Every resource and all available assets on Earth were poured into that massive campaign. The global economy hadn’t even recovered from the Third World War yet, and it was forced to brace itself for an entirely new crisis. That, inevitably, made everyday life extremely difficult for ordinary people.”