Chapter 1
Prologue
[...Most people don’t know this, but an average of 100 tons of meteorites fall to Earth every day, totaling 40,000 tons per year...]
A convenience store in Gangjung-gu, Seoul.
A man with sharp eyes sits at a table in the store, eating a triangle kimbap while watching a documentary on his phone.
[...Two-thirds of them fall into the ocean, and most of the rest land in uninhabited areas. However, meteorites can fall at any time, in any place...]
It’s a weekday morning.
The area around the quiet convenience store is silent, except for the narrator’s voice coming from the man’s phone.
[...The probability is low, but one could fall right in front of us at this very moment...]
*Rustle.*
At that moment, a sound comes from behind the man.
[...When discovering and handling meteorites, be careful. Never touch them with bare hands, as they may contain extraterrestrial materials...]
*Thud.*
The man grabs his phone from the table.
Without a word, he raises his eyes and scans the area ahead.
“......”
The road is quiet.
*Gulp.*
The man swallows hard, then—
“...!”
He suddenly jumps up from his seat and starts running at full speed.
“He noticed! He’s running toward the bus stop!”
Chasing after him is another young man.
His name is Lee Juwon.
He’s a detective in the Violent Crimes Unit 3 of the Gangjung Police Station.
“Officer Han, block the elementary school alley! If he goes that way, it’ll be a headache!”
-Yes!
Juwon chases the man at full speed while relaying instructions over the radio.
He glances between the man’s back and the side road.
‘If he goes there...’
Juwon gradually slows down.
Is he giving up on the man?
‘...There’s only one path.’
No.
Juwon turns his body to the right and climbs onto a railing on the side.
“Hoo...”
Thanks to the elevated terrain, the drop below the railing is higher than expected.
At least 3 meters.
If he falls wrong, he could end up with a broken leg.
*Whoosh!*
But Juwon keeps his eyes wide open and leaps off the railing.
*Thud! Thump!*
To cushion the impact, he quickly braces himself with his arms and legs, then rolls to the side.
“Phew, that was close.”
Fortunately, he lands safely.
But then—
“What the... what is this...?”
Suddenly, the man who had been fleeing at full speed appeared right in front of him, still running away with only his back visible.
“Wh-where did you come from all of a sudden…?”
“Ah, didn’t you know? There aren’t many ways down from here. Either this way or the elementary school side.”
Juwon smirked as he brushed the dirt off his pants.
“D-did you just jump down from there…?”
“Let’s call it… a landing technique. Makes us look cool.”
“D-damn it! I should’ve gone toward the elementary school!”
“Eh, you were scared. Officer Han might not be great at fighting, but he’s got a big build. Everyone gets intimidated when they see him for the first time.”
The man gritted his teeth, chewing his lips in frustration.
Watching him, Juwon pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket.
“Alright, let’s stop playing tag and call it a day, huh? Come here.”
Juwon slowly approached, and the man gradually stepped back in sync with his movements.
But then—
“…Huh?”
The man’s gaze shifted to behind Juwon—no, above him.
“I said let’s stop playing around, alright? I don’t know what kind of scenario you’re imagining, but if you’re planning to make me look back so you can run away, just stop. It’s cliché.”
“N-no, something’s up there…”
The man pointed his finger somewhere.
Of course, Juwon didn’t take his eyes off the man.
Tricks like that wouldn’t work on him.
But something did feel off.
“Ah, this punk. You really don’t listen. Hey, I need to go eat… Wait, why is it so bright?”
As Juwon’s vision began to brighten, he started to turn around.
*Flick!*
“Ugh!”
With a surprisingly faint sound, something very small hit Juwon’s head, and he collapsed on the spot.
“Detective!”
About ten minutes later.
Han Geon-woo, the youngest officer in Violent Crimes Unit 3 of the Gangjung Police Station, came running from a distance, calling out to Juwon.
“Detective Lee!”
Panting heavily, Officer Han shook Juwon’s unconscious body.
“Wake up! Detective Lee!”
Officer Han’s loud voice echoed through the streets, but in Juwon’s mind, a completely different voice resonated.
[Starting AI EARTH program.]
