Brian Carter slammed his fist onto the metal table, leaving a small dent on its surface. He spoke through gritted teeth, "We still have hope! If these coordinates and the English instructions are real! Then I still have hope! A spaceship, a ship that can take us away from Earth, our only hope to find a chance of survival!"

Chapter Three: Target!

The location of the coordinates had already been confirmed—it was somewhere in Tennessee, USA...

"The location of the coordinates is beyond doubt now, both the place and the time... We don't have much time left."

Brian Carter's words still echoed in the minds of all the Blackstar Special Forces members.

"I won't say much about the location. Tennessee is exactly where the US disclosed they found an alien spaceship, and there's supposed to be some secret base there. I completely believe that... As for the time, don't think we still have eight months left—it's nowhere near as long as you imagine!"

"First, we have to find the spaceship. Then, we have to learn how to start and pilot it—that's just the basics. There’s more... We need to find a large amount of easily stored compressed food and a huge supply of clean, storable water. We’ll even need air purification and water purification systems. Don’t assume the spaceship has all of these—this is outer space! Beyond the hatch is nothing but deathly silence! Without air and water, you’ll know how painful death can be!"

"Then there are all kinds of parts and weapons, but let’s set those aside for now—they’ll need to be taken too. And then, the most important thing: people!"

"Depending on the size of the spaceship, we’ll decide how many people we can save. Don’t look at me like that—this is something we have no choice about. We can’t save everyone... I don’t know how many people those high-ranking officials and elites will take, but as long as I’m able, I’ll help as many as I can, so that humanity can continue. But we can’t just bring people blindly. Here are a few key points: first, those with knowledge are best—scientists, anyone not already taken by the elites, we’ll bring along whoever we can find..."

"Then there are technical workers, or educated teachers, and also people with no criminal record. Finally, people like us—soldiers who, even in such a desperate world, have not harmed others. These are all necessary..."

"Just preparing all this, I don’t know if eight months will be enough. And if what’s flying toward the solar system from deep space really is a neutron star fragment, and if its mass is several times that of Earth, then its gravity will be enormous. I don’t know what principle the US’s jump technology is based on, but I do know one thing: if the gravity is too great, a lot of technology will fail, and even physical laws might change. It could make it impossible for us to leave, so we might only have six months, or even just four months left to escape..."

"This is what I’ve analyzed over the past month. Now, we need to get to Tennessee, USA—ideally within five or six days. Then, within half a month, we need to find the spaceship. Within a month, we must try to learn how to operate it. Only then will we have a chance to escape. Remember, this isn’t just about our own lives and deaths—it could be about the continuation of humanity itself. No matter what, we must succeed! As Blackstar!"

"Victory or death, no regrets!" all the others shouted loudly, standing at attention!

Yes, victory or death, no regrets! As long as we win, even death will hold no regrets!

That night passed without incident. The exhausted Blackstar Special Forces members all rested quietly in the basement, truly letting down their guard for the first time and sleeping soundly. Early the next morning, everyone woke up naturally. After eating and drinking, they began to follow Brian Carter's instructions.

"So, as I said last night, we need fast and convenient transportation. Nothing beats airplanes for that, but as things stand, there are definitely no intact military planes left. Even if there are, they’re probably in some base far from us, and there could be rogue troops blocking the way. Bullets don’t have eyes. No matter how elite we are, if it’s not necessary, don’t get into pointless fights. Any loss among us could cause the whole operation to fail, so I hope you all pay attention. You did well last night, sneaking in quietly. Today must be the same. Only after we find the spaceship can we go all out."

Brian Carter looked at all the team members standing at attention and said seriously, "There are three civilian airports in S City—one on the edge of downtown, two in the suburbs. I’ve already ruled out the one on the city’s edge; there was a violent explosion there during the five days of riots, and my surveillance system was destroyed. The chances of finding a plane there are too low. As for the two in the suburbs, I personally think we have a good chance of finding planes there. So, we’ll split into teams: I’ll lead half the men to check the southern civilian airport of S City, and Captain Miller will lead the other half to check the northern civilian airport. No matter whether we find planes or not, we must all regroup here by nine o’clock tonight!"