Did You Destroy the World Today?
Chapter 1: You Want to Steal a Rocket?

“So what you’re saying is, the entire human world only has one hour left?”  

“So that’s why you want to seize the aerospace launch base and escape by spaceship?”  

Standing before Lin Xu, the man wearing a skull mask shook his head, the night vision goggles on his head emitting a faint blue light.  

“Tch... At first, I thought you were just a fanatical anti-technology activist.”  

“But now it seems you’re simply a doomsday lunatic.”  

“Whatever. We get paid to do the job, no questions asked.”  

With a click, the man disengaged the rifle safety and then said:  

“Drone reconnaissance complete. Security positions confirmed. Prepare to enter.”  

“Follow me. I’ll escort you in.”  

Lin Xu nodded, pulled down his night vision goggles, and followed the Skull Head’s footsteps.  

The Skull Head raised his hand above his head to signal, and five other team members hidden in the darkness immediately dispersed. Their electric-induced camouflage activated, infrared signals all blocked, and in thermal night vision, their figures vanished instantly, leaving only the faint glow of the friend-or-foe identification system flickering.  

This was near-impenetrable camouflage; in the dead of night, no one could spot their trail.  

They advanced silently, approaching the sentry position.  

The Skull Head signaled a countdown again. After three seconds, four suppressed pistols loaded with subsonic bullets fired simultaneously, dropping the guards in front instantly.  

At the same time, the support team at the rear cut off the entire base’s power.  

“Backup power takes 45 seconds to activate, hurry!”  

The Skull Head vaulted over the gate railing and quickly pushed the gate open, Lin Xu following close behind.  

“Establish electromagnetic shielding.”  

The Skull Head ordered again. The next second, high-powered jamming devices inside the vehicle started up, blocking all wireless communications within the base.  

The confused guards rushed out from every corner, shining flashlights to search for suspicious targets.  

But just as they appeared, the mercenary squad, already in tactical formation, opened fire swiftly. Accompanied by a series of light clicks, bullets pierced through the guards’ skulls one after another. The mercenaries cleared the path with unparalleled speed.  

“Enter the target area!”  

“Prepare to breach!”  

At the command, the demolitions expert dashed forward.  

The others followed closely, flanking both sides of the gate in standard close-quarters battle formation, ready to storm in.  

“Three.”  

“Two.”  

“One.”  

“Breach!”  

“Boom!”  

A huge explosion blew open the steel gate.  

Through the thick smoke, a concussion grenade was thrown out. Two vanguards charged into the building, quickly shooting and killing the guards inside, securing control of the area.  

“Secure!”  

“Continue advancing!”  

The seven-man team pushed forward, and at this moment, thirty seconds had passed since the power cut.  

Fifteen seconds remained.  

Lin Xu anxiously stared at the second gate in the distance, quickly following behind the Skull Head, patting his shoulder as he said:  

“Window at ten o’clock!”  

Hearing this, the Skull Head swung his gun around. Just as the green dot in the holographic sight reached the window, a figure flashed past it.  

“Bang!”  

After a brief gunshot, the figure collapsed.  

“Five seconds!”  

The Skull Head shouted orders loudly. The other team members quickly deployed into the standard indoor wave formation, taking control of the entire factory area.  

Lin Xu rushed to the gate, and just then, the backup power had activated.  

The lights brightened, and the smart lock on the door powered on simultaneously.  

“This isn’t an ordinary isolation door. It can’t be blown open!”  

A trace of anxiety crept into the Skull Head’s tone. Lin Xu nodded:  

“I know.”  

“But I have the password!”  

He quickly typed a series of codes on the keypad. The screen displayed “Password Correct.” The Skull Head’s eyes flickered with surprise, but then the second-level verification started.  

“Biometric recognition required.”  

“You better tell me you cut off a staff member’s finger in advance, or else...”  

“I don’t have a finger, but I can use iris verification.”  

Lin Xu flipped up his night vision goggles. When his eyes aligned with the iris scanner, the screen again showed “Verification Passed.”  

Immediately, the hydraulic system activated, and the isolation door opened in response.  

“Go in!”  

Lin Xu stepped through the isolation door, followed by six mercenaries.  

He locked the isolation door from inside and rushed straight to the main control console.  

Without needing any additional orders, the Skull Head had already mobilized his men to establish defenses.  

Watching Lin Xu’s skilled movements, he furrowed his brow and asked:  

“Are you an insider?”  

“You come here like it’s your home! Every step is part of your plan!”  

“You could say that.”  

Lin Xu didn’t look up, focusing on entering one string of access codes after another on the console.  

Layer after layer of permissions opened for him. The Skull Head glanced down and saw a series of authorization notifications pop up on the screen.  

“You know all the passwords here?!”  

“Of course. Otherwise, why would I be here?”  

Lin Xu replied casually. The next second, a cold gun barrel pressed against his head.  

“This is a conspiracy.”  

The Skull Head’s voice darkened.  

“You already have the highest authority in this base. There’s no reason for you to enter like this.”  

“What exactly do you want?”  

“What I want?”  

Lin Xu rolled his eyes and retorted:  

“Didn’t you say you don’t ask why?”  

“I’ve set the spaceship to launch mode. Just one last step and you can leave.”  

“Next, take me into the spaceship!”  

“You can’t leave before you explain.”  

The Skull Head kept the gun pressed against him.  

“Attacking a civilian spaceship launch base is one thing. Assisting a large-scale terrorist attack is another!”  

“I’m not about to spend the rest of my life hiding like a rat.”  

“Tell me why!”  

“I already told you!”  

Lin Xu stared at the barrel pointed at him and said:  

“This world is about to be destroyed—I have 57 minutes and 12 seconds left.”  

“I have to get on that ship. I must leave this planet!”  

“Are you kidding me??”  

The Skull Head’s tone was full of disbelief.  

“You really plan to leave by spaceship? I thought that was just your excuse to steal secrets!”  

“How do you expect to launch a spaceship alone? You think it’s a bicycle you can just pedal and go??”  

As he finished, Lin Xu’s eyes widened.  

“Dude, have you lost your mind from war?”  

“Do you think it’s still 20 years ago? It’s 2045!”  

“Watch the news more. Spaceship launches have long been a one-stop service!”  

“I’m stealing the Celestial Journey. It’s a tourist sightseeing spaceship!”  

“As long as I get on it, it will launch!”  

“Enough talk. I don’t have time!”  

The Skull Head hesitated slightly and lowered his gun. He stared into Lin Xu’s eyes, silent for a long moment before finally speaking:  

“You are definitely crazy. I’ve robbed banks, casinos, even the White House, but never a spaceship.”  

“Alright! Where to next?”  

“That’s the spirit!”  

Lin Xu nodded with satisfaction and said:  

“The door opens in 30 seconds. We rush out.”  

“Watch the entrance. There’s a sniper with an anti-materiel rifle behind a pickup truck 180 meters outside the building. Take him out first when we go out!”  

“How do you know??”  

The Skull Head raised his hand and looked at the drone feed on the soldier computer screen. There was no sign of any enemy in the drone’s view.  

“There’s no one there!”  

He frowned.  

“You think only you have electric-induced camouflage? Just aim where I said.”  

“Door opens in 10 seconds!”  

Lin Xu stepped to the door. The Skull Head raised his gun and stood in front of him. The hydraulic system started again, and the isolation door slowly opened.  

A smoke grenade was tossed out through the gap, and the mercenaries rushed out.  

Through the now wide-open first gate, the Skull Head immediately aimed at the distant pickup truck.  

He pulled the trigger, and gunshots rang out.  

“Bang bang bang----”  

“Bang!”  

After a series of bursts, one large-caliber bullet that went wide smashed the concrete wall behind the sniper into flying debris.  

There really was a sniper!  

“How did you know?!”  

“I’m not coming here for the first time!”  

Lin Xu crouched behind the Skull Head and followed him onward.  

“Turn left after going out! The launch tower is 1,200 meters away. We have to drive!”  

“Where’s the car? We don’t have one!”  

“There’s an unlocked SUV in the parking lot to the left. You take one person to escort me, the rest cover us!”  

“Damn... your call!”  

The Skull Head turned in the direction Lin Xu pointed and found the SUV with its door still open. He leapt into the passenger seat, stunned to see Lin Xu sitting in the driver’s seat.  

“You’re driving?!”  

“Of course!”  

Lin Xu slammed on the gas pedal. The mercenary in the back seat hadn’t even settled when a large-caliber bullet shattered the glass and pierced his spine.  

Blood sprayed out, and the deflected bullet grazed the back of Lin Xu’s head.  

If Lin Xu had been in the back seat, he’d be dead now.  

“You can foresee the future??”  

The Skull Head was shocked.  

“I told you, it’s not foreseeing the future. I’ve been through this many times already.”  

Lin Xu sharply turned the steering wheel. The SUV flew high over a ramp, then crashed down hard.  

“Bang!”  

The pursuers behind were blocked by the mercenaries left behind. The Skull Head calmly asked:  

“How long until liftoff? I need to arrange my team’s retreat!”  

“They need to hold for six minutes. After six minutes, they can retreat.”  

Lin Xu also calmed down.  

Only one last step remained.  

At the console, he had already operated the spaceship to complete all self-checks and orbital calculations.  

Next, he just needed to enter the cockpit and press the ignition button, and he could leave.  

He had walked this short few minutes countless times.  

The countless failures of being forced to stay on the ground, being hit by that doomsday flash, dying in excruciating pain—he had lost count.  

But now, it was finally coming to an end.  

No matter what awaited next, at least it should be a new chapter, right??  

Lin Xu took a deep breath. The 1,200 meters flew by in a flash.  

He slammed on the brakes and rushed to the launch tower, climbing the elevator.  

The last 30 meters.  

He crossed the gangway in a few steps and entered the spaceship quietly docked at the tower.  

As he closed the door, the Skull Head suddenly squeezed in.  

“I’ve ordered my men to retreat.”  

“I suddenly want to try what it feels like to ride a spaceship.”  

“Then buckle up.”  

Lin Xu closed the hatch, fastened his seatbelt, and pressed the ignition button without hesitation.  

The linkage switch activated instantly. The launch tower’s fixed arms unfolded, the rocket ignited, flames roaring out, and thick white smoke billowed up.  

Then the spaceship slowly lifted off.  

More than ten Mach rings pushed the spaceship up rapidly. The intense acceleration slammed him hard into the seat.  

“This... damn... so uncomfortable...”  

The Skull Head gritted his teeth and pulled out a photo of a woman from his chest.  

“Will I still see my wife?”  

“Your wife’s disappearance is irrelevant. This is emergency launch mode; hang on!”  

Lin Xu tried to breathe deeply, then said:  

“I really didn’t expect you to come along. This is different from previous runs.”  

“What do you mean... previous runs?”  

The Skull Head asked in shock:  

“You really can foresee the future??”  

“I told you, not foreseeing the future. I’ve just lived through it many times.”  

“Finally moving to the next stage... deep breaths, dizziness is normal. It’ll be over soon!”  

As he spoke, the spaceship’s acceleration increased further.  

The ground grew farther away, the starry sky closer.  

This time, it should succeed, right?  

Lin Xu felt relieved.  

—But at that moment, a flash of light suddenly streaked in front of him.  

Again??  

No.  

The time wasn’t right yet.  

The flash drew closer, and Lin Xu suddenly realized something was wrong.  

Damn.  

Not the doomsday flash.  

It was a damn surface-to-air missile!  

The next second.  

“Boom!”  

Fire and smoke exploded.  

His consciousness blurred.  

Lin Xu gritted his teeth.  

Damn.  

Failed again!