Uncle Raymond couldn't let it go. He had Derek start a livestream right outside the warehouse doors, cursing us out as scammers, claiming we'd lured the whole village here to be slaughtered.
The chat exploded with hate.
[There's still an hour until his deadline. Why is nothing happening? A planet approaching Earth would be huge news—why hasn't any station covered it?]
[If what he said turns out to be real, I'll livestream myself eating shit]
[Who does this guy think he is, some kind of savior? Give him a global platform and he'd claim he's saving the whole world!]
[I'm genuinely impressed. How has this mental patient not been arrested yet? How have you villagers even survived this long—sprinkle some salt on your brains and they'd turn into tofu pudding? Playing along with a lunatic like this?]
Ten minutes on the countdown. Outside, everything was calm and peaceful.
The green-glowing ceremonial firework trucks stood in strict formation, like war chariots awaiting the bugle.
Five minutes. The chatter gradually died down. Even breathing seemed to stop.
My hand on the control handle started trembling. The village road that was usually so noisy had gone deathly silent. The whole world seemed to have fallen asleep.
Ten seconds.
In the air, aside from faint wisps of wind, there was nothing. The livestream chat had frozen too.
Inside the warehouse, the villagers started complaining.
"What the hell is this? I'm suffocating in here—mutated monsters? This is bullshit!"
"It was bullshit from the start. Open the damn door. I've got work waiting at home. Nobody's got time for this!"
"What do you mean you won't open it? Don't tell me Raymond was right—you're harvesting our kidneys?"
Outside, Uncle Raymond smirked and jerked his chin at me. "Alex, let everyone out. Now. Divide up all that stuff, sign the factory over to me, and your whole family can get the hell out of this village. Otherwise, I'll have these people tear you apart!"
I ignored him. My eyes stayed locked on the surveillance feed.
One second.
The image shook. At the same time, a news alert popped up on almost every phone in the warehouse.
"Emergency notice: A suspected unknown planet is releasing unidentified elements toward Earth. Please evacuate crowds immediately!"
