Chapter 2: The Strange Orb

The evening sun bathed Tang Mu's lonely silhouette in its warm light as he walked along the familiar road, heading toward his hostel. His ears picked up the sonorous sounds made by passing automobiles, and his gaze occasionally swept past the tightly packed sun-lit skyscrapers piercing the blue sky.

With the dawn of the intergalactic era, human metropolises had developed in a strange way. Most buildings were like sturdy fortresses constructed with durable materials that could resist sudden attacks from the Vegroid remnants to a certain extent. Additionally, contained within them were large underground bunkers for people to hide in case of war emergencies.

The ground streets meandering between the buildings were less congested. They were mainly utilized by large electric vehicles, like transportation trucks and public buses.

The smaller ground vehicles, like the private SUVs from the 21st century, had all been phased out, with the able people continuously opting for the more efficient flying aeromobils over the years. As such, the city traffic consisted of two levels.

The first level was the ground traffic, such as the public buses, heavy trucks, bikers, and pedestrians. Meanwhile, the second level was the airborne or above-ground traffic, including the hoverboards and lavish smaller aeromobils owned by the privileged.

Tang Mu took in all the familiar sights of the metropolis as he squeezed his way past the other pedestrians and continued moving along. After navigating several corners and passing a few busy streets, he reached the junction branching off toward his hostel.

As usual, he waited for the traffic lights to turn green before crossing the road. He reached the other side without issues and joined the narrower lane leading to his hostel.

Just then, his ears picked up a strange sound that seemed to be originating from above. Casting his eyes toward the blue sky, he caught sight of a black speck that was quickly growing bigger in size.

What the fuck?

Tang Mu stood there rooted in place for a stunned instant. He watched the speck enlarging until he realized it was a free-falling black object that could potentially impact the ground only about a dozen meters from where he stood.

The sheer reality of what was happening overwhelmed him, causing his heart to pound like never before. A single thought finally smashed the noise in his mind, pushing his survival instincts to emerge from the depths of his soul.

RUN!

The threat of being smashed by a falling object brought out Tang Mu's full potential. He took off like the wind, running past several stunned pedestrians who had yet to register what was happening.

He didn't mind the red light and crossed the road, zig-zagging left and right to dodge the ground traffic. He reached the middle of the street in just a few seconds, and that was when an explosive sound came from behind him.

The falling object seemed to have finally hit the ground. The explosive impact it generated nuked the air as if it was intent on shattering the universe by ripping apart every atom.

Tang Mu was still not far enough from the impact point. His ears rang as a fierce momentum whipped his body, hurling him across the road until he landed on the sidewalk in a sorry state. He felt light-headed as he struggled to regain his wits.

That was close. Fortunately, I managed to run away in time.

Tang Mu finally stabilized his condition after a few dozen seconds. He picked himself up from the ground and looked around him. The next moment, a wave of terror surged and threatened to overpower him.

Chaos had descended all around him. A double-decker bus had collided with a heavy truck, while a few other ground automobiles had crashed into buildings and people. Tang Mu even spotted a few formerly-flashy aeromobils that had crash-landed a few meters away. At the moment, they were already deformed beyond measure, with the status of their occupants unknown.

But that was not all. The impact also shattered the glass from the surrounding skyscrapers, which, in turn, burst into sharp pieces that hit people. The unfortunate ones had already become bloody corpses, while most survivors could only wail in agony while nursing injuries of various magnitudes. It was a gruesome sight to see.

I'm lucky to survive.

Tang Mu rubbed his eyes and realized that his hand was bleeding. But he didn't mind the blood as the injury was minor. He inhaled deeply and finally looked toward the other side of the road.

His eyes widened as he spotted a bizarre-looking pyramid-shaped flying vehicle lying motionlessly in a ditch in the middle of the street. But surprisingly, the falling impact had not managed to destroy its outer structure entirely. Most likely, its outer armor was pretty remarkable.

Could this be a Vegroid scout ship?

In high school, Tang Mu had studied some basic knowledge about alien flying ships. He knew that the Vegroids were the only alien race closest to the Milky Way that owned sharp-edged pyramid spaceships like the one before him. But still, Tang Mu couldn't be a hundred percent sure, especially since there were rumors of the human race recently trying to copy the same design for military infiltration pursuits against the Vegroids.

I should take a look before the men in uniform arrive.

Tang Mu didn't know why, but an intense sense of curiosity quickly got the better of him. He ignored everything else, including all the injured people around him, and dashed across the road with all the haste he could muster.

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The injured victims, corpses, and crashed cars increased in numbers as he continued moving toward the crash site. But the weird thing was that he seemed not to notice them. His expression and eyes projected a detached feeling as he deftly circumvented all obstacles and finally arrived close to the fallen spaceship.

Up close, the pitch-black pyramid-shaped spaceship with intricate golden designs appeared more majestic. It was about 20 meters in height and 9 meters across. Its sharp triangular edges gleamed under the fire of the setting sun, giving it an imposing aura. It was definitely a machine for war.

Fortunately, it didn't crash into any building.

Tang Mu thanked the heavens as some level of sentiment returned to his eyes.

More people would have died if such a durable ship had crashed into a skyscraper. But luckily, it touched down in the middle of a junction and only caused limited damage.

As Tang Mu was still observing the ship, hammering sounds came from a side close to its base. His heart skipped a beat, and his eyes narrowed as he registered that someone must still be alive on the ship.

The hammering continued, and after a few seconds, a small hatch opened close to the ship's base. Before Tang Mu could react to what was happening, a small humanoid creature, about four feet tall, appeared from the opening.

A Vegroid!

Tang Mu exclaimed after noticing its prominent blue skin and the three eyes on its human-like face.

The Vegroid didn't seem to notice Tang Mu, though. It seemed like its attention was entirely on its attempt to step down from the small ship. But then again, it appeared to have suffered severe injuries, and its efforts soon became futile. It dropped down from the hatch like a sack of potatoes and fell face-first on the ground beside the ship. Shortly, no movements were coming from its body.

"Phew..."

Tang Mu exhaled a heavy breath he didn't know he was holding in. He had heard many stories about how Vegroids were so merciless to humans while growing up, and the sight of the Vegroid had almost scared him to death. But luckily, the creature seemed to be severely injured, with no power whatsoever to do anything to him.

I should leave before the police arrive.

With his curiosity satiated, Tang Mu decided to leave right away. He didn't wish to undergo questioning simply because he had been near a fallen Vegroid spaceship.

But just then, right as he was about to retrace his steps, he caught sight of something shining under the rays of the setting sun. Narrowing his eyes, he realized it was a small crystal orb, the size of a fist, and it seemed to have been dropped by the fallen Vegroid.

What is this?

A strange feeling surged within Tang Mu, causing him to become more intrigued. It was as if he had been charmed, and he subconsciously stepped forward before quickly descending into the ditch made by the fallen ship.

The air around was still a bit hot. But Tang Mu ignored the heat by sheer will and picked up the crystal orb with his bloodied hand.

Taking a closer look, he caught sight of an image blinking in and out of existence within the orb. What was portrayed by the contained image was a fleeting impression of a fantastical arched gate in the middle of two high walls.

Tang Mu was especially captivated by the stone walkway which led to the gate. Moss-like plants and flowers of various colors enclosed the stone walkway on both sides, adding a unique vibrancy to the entire contained image. It was as if the fleeting structure in the orb was a physical place, a true-blue component of reality, instead of an image.

This is a work from a master. But how can one insert such a detailed but fleeting image within a crystal orb?

Tang Mu was baffled. He observed the orb more closely, and that was when he noticed something strange.

The crystal orb was glowing and quickly absorbing the blood from his injured hand. Moreover, that wasn't all. His blood seemed to have triggered something bizarre within the strange orb, and the fleeting image of the gate began growing more solid.

Could this be some type of weapon made by the Vegroids? Why is it so strange?

The whole situation caused Tang Mu to shudder from within. He swallowed hard and subconsciously tossed the crystal orb away.

But then again, something even more mysterious happened. The crystal orb didn't drop to the ground as expected. Instead, it hovered there in the air without any support. Its silver radiance continued intensifying as it absorbed the blood Tang Mu had left on its surface.

Seconds passed, and just when Tang Mu was about to run away from the place, the orb seemed to reach a critical point. It shuddered slightly and let out a soft hum that froze his body on the spot.

Tang Mu tried to move his body but failed miserably. His heart hammered hard in his chest, and he cursed the curiosity that had brought him to the accursed place.

Just then, when he was almost peeing in his pants, the orb exploded into colorful specks that floated in the air for a few seconds. Before he could come to terms with the swift progression of events, the 'specks' flashed forward and quickly disappeared into his body. Soon, enough it was as if they had never appeared.

This is too messed up for my small brain!

Tang Mu cursed as he tried to discern whether any change had occurred within his body. He subconsciously moved his hand, and a realization hit him.

I can finally move again.

He exclaimed and finally let out a sigh of relief. He wanted to check out if the orb had done any damage to his body. But just then, his ears picked up the sound of sirens growing louder. It seemed like the police and other emergency service providers were about to make their entrance.

I better leave before it's too late.

There was most likely a very troubling enigma behind the fall of the Vegroid ship. Who had shot it down? Why had it crashed on Mother Earth in the middle of a street full of civilians? What was the strange crystal orb that seemed to have disappeared within his body?

Tang Mu didn't know why, but he was already uneasy. He thought about running from the area and directly heading to his hostel to avoid the police. But after a moment of contemplation, he decided against the notion.

He knew that even if he ran, the police could still place him near the crash site by relying on the location history of his holographic smartwatch tagged to his DNA. In fact, the very act might draw more suspicion toward him and eventually land him in unnecessary trouble.

Considering all that, Tang Mu readily retraced his steps and stealthily returned to the other side of the street, hoping to blend into the other survivors. He moved around obstacles and eventually stood beside a crashed aeromobil at the other end of the junction.

On the street, the people who had gotten off with just minor injuries were already helping those critically injured. Tang Mu spotted a big man with bulging muscles trying to move a fallen aeromobil off a woman. Looking closely, he discovered that one side of the flying vehicle had crushed one of the woman's legs. She was definitely in a lot of pain.

"Shit!"

A sense of realization hit Tang Mu right then, forcing the paramedic instincts from his past life to surge forth. He cursed himself for being inhuman and reacting the way he did.

What was he thinking? How could he leave all those injured people unattended just because he wanted to take a curious look at the fallen Vegroid spaceship?

Tang Mu couldn't understand why he had behaved in such a way. It was as if a strange power had bewitched him, driving him to react differently from how he was supposed to.

Could it be the orb?

Tang Mu shuddered at the actuality. But considering the situation around him, he forced all his concerns, including the Vegroid spaceship and the strange crystal orb, to the back of his mind. Then, without wasting any more time, he rushed forth to help the injured survivors.