A week had passed since Ethan Gray’s return to Moonlake City. Luna Reed had settled into their new villa in the suburbs, its sprawling grounds now housing a 200-square-meter basement training hall and an open-air combat arena.


    Moonlake City, Gray-Reed Villa


    Ethan, barefoot and clad in a tank top and shorts, lunged at a three-meter-tall wooden post embedded in the courtyard. His palms slammed into the forty-centimeter-thick timber with explosive force.


    Thud!


    The post shuddered violently. Ethan stepped back, then surged forward again—shoulders, elbows, and spine colliding with the post in rapid succession.


    "Ethan!" Luna called from the doorway, her VR headset dangling around her neck. "Dinner at my parents’ tonight?"


    "Sure," Ethan paused, wiping sweat. "When are you moving in full-time?"


    "Miss me already?" Luna teased.


    "Place feels empty."


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    "Patience." Luna smirked. "I’ll ditch my parents soon enough."


    <hr>


    Next Day, Moonlake Central Hospital


    Ethan accompanied his grandfather Benjamin for a checkup. By evening, the family gathered in the villa’s living room, holographic screens tuned to a historic global broadcast.


    Beijing Time, 8:55 PM


    "Breaking news," a reporter’s voice crackled. "All 195 nations will simulcast an emergency address at 9 PM Beijing Time. Unprecedented since the formation of the Blue Star Alliance!"


    Speculation flooded social media:


    <ul>


    <li>@CombatFanatic: Alien contact?</li>


    <li>@CosmicConspiracy: Mars colony revolt!</li>


    <li>@GeoPoliticsNow: New energy breakthrough?</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Global Live Feed


    The screen split into grids showing world leaders. At center stage stood Angus Carter, Secretary-General of the Blue Star Alliance.


    "Today marks a pivotal moment in human history," Carter began, his words auto-translated across languages. "What I announce will redefine our species’ future."


    <hr>


    Key Locations


    <ul>


    <li>Vincent Hale’s Estate, Capital City: The retired legend leaned forward, sensing seismic shifts.</li>


    <li>Tiger Shark Group Headquarters: CEO Charles Liwei monitored feeds, calculating profit vectors.</li>


    <li>Gray-Reed Villa: Ethan’s family held their breath as Carter continued:</li>


    </ul>


    "Through unanimous resolution, the Blue Star Alliance announces—"