n

n

nPadaski was Moon’s number one allied country. The whole world knew how close they were. Many Padaski people had protested earlier when their president supported Moon.

nNo one could deny that the two countries were very close.

nHow close? One might ask.

nPadaskian shop owners wouldn’t charge Moonians tourists when they found out where they came from. Even the Padaskian police didn’t dare meddle with gang shootouts. However, if a Moonian happened to pass by, the gangsters would cease fire. They would resume fighting after the Moonian was gone.

nThat was how close the two countries were.

nPadaski was almost like a subordinate to Moon, and Moon took care of its buddy in return. Whenever it was going to give away aids, Padaski would always be the first choice.

nPadaski had low living standards, so Moon would provide it with aid.

nPadaski had poor infrastructure, so Moon financed the country by building railways and roads.

nNo other two countries in the world had been this close.

nHowever, things were different this time. It seemed the whole world was against Moon and supported Neige. When all the other countries opposed the underground shelter, Moon insisted on building one. Padaski followed suit without asking any questions.

nThe president never considered if the underground shelter would be reliable enough. He knew Moon wouldn’t intentionally put his country in danger and had thought everything through for him.

nNonetheless, it made some people worry. After all, the Moonians were only human, and they could make mistakes.

nNo one could deny the friendship between the two countries. But maybe even the Moonians didn’t know they were making a mistake.

nThe Padaskian people feared that Moon might have made the wrong choice.

nThey were worried.

nThe people grew agitated after their president made the decision. They implored him to change his mind and asked the Moonians to think it through. However, no one could change their decisions.

nThe underground shelter was given the green light.

nThe people weren’t displeased. They were only concerned.

nThey were worried that the underground shelter wouldn’t be safe enough and that Moon would be destroyed because of it. But they still trusted Moon, even if it meant they might all get killed.

nSince Moon had made up its mind, they would follow its order till the end.

nLater, when Moon sent them the IVE Extractors, the Padaskians put them into use without hesitation.

nRight now, they kept hearing rumbling sounds overhead. The ground seemed to be shaking. Yet not a speck of dust fell off the walls of the underground shelter.

nThey could feel the ground tremble, but it didn’t affect them. The underground shelter remained intact no matter how violent the trembling was.

nHigh-power IVE Extractors were set 500m apart in the underground shelter. Fifty people sat around each extractor with their hands placed on it. When the machine was activated, nothing seemed to change.

nIt was like a miracle.

nAlthough no one could sense anything, the underground shelter was as impregnable as a castle.

nThe people were thrilled when they saw what was happening in the rest of the world. Needless to say, Moon was right again.

nMoon had saved Padaski.

nTens of millions of Padaskians were alive because of its decision.

n“Thank god we trusted Moon. Otherwise, we would be the ones dying in the arks now!”

n“Listen! Another piece has fallen upon us! That was a big one!”

n“Don’t worry! We’ll be fine! We must have faith in Moon!”

n“Long live our friendship!”

n“Thank you, Moon! Thank you, Mr. President! I’m so glad that I’m a Padaskian!”

n“The Padaskians feel so lucky to have the Moonians as our close friends!”

n“Neige had it coming! Those people all need to pay for their mistakes!”

n“That’s right! Moon had made it very clear, but no one would listen!”

n“We can’t blame them. We doubted Moon before, too. If our countries hadn’t been such good friends, we wouldn’t have trusted Moon either. If that had been the case, we would have ended up like them!”

n“At the end of the day, they are still human lives. Yes, they’ve made mistakes, but they don’t deserve to die like that! I really hope the catastrophe will be over soon!”

n“There’s no doubt that Moon is the greatest country in the world. Neige has made a terrible mistake, and it doesn’t deserve to be called the greatest country anymore! What they did and said was detrimental to their reputation. After this is over, Moon will rise to the top!”

n“Do you think Moon will rule the world?”

n“Moon isn’t like Neige. When did it ever wage wars against other countries? It has never invaded any other land! Whenever there was a war, it was always started by someone else!”

n“That’s right! I don’t care if Moon will rule the world. I’ll support them forever!”

n“Moon won’t do that! I’ve studied their culture, and I know the Moonians are peace-loving people. They’re all very wise!”

n…

nIn the online world.

n“I saw a Moonian flying around on an aircraft and saving people like Iron Man! Look! I took a picture of him. It’s a little blurry.”

n“Isn’t that Himmel Soan? He’s the man from the press conference!”

n“It really is him! Gosh! What kind of a person is he? I heard Moon had spotted the meteorite in advance because of him!”

n“He said he was two hundred years old! Is that true, too?”

n“What’s that thing he’s riding? Why is it moving so fast? How can he break the meteorite pieces with his bare hands?”

n“What’s the point in asking those questions now? Meteorite pieces are falling all over the world, and it’s pretty clear that the arks won’t work. We must find a way to survive this!”

n“What choice do we have? Let’s ask Moon for help!”

n“Don’t be an idiot! No one would come out now! How can they reach us?”

n