Chapter 1: The Girl in the Ice

—Black Cloud Calendar, March 15, 3780. Weather: Black Cloud Density S—

When the sun rose over the horizon, the vibrant blue planet of memory was already history. Now, all that appeared before the eyes was an atmosphere as black as pearls—hard to imagine any life could survive in such a world.

This was the price humanity paid for pollution, for war, for slaughter, for greed. But those who paid the price were never the rich or the powerful... because they lived above the black clouds.

Thanks to technological progress and the tireless efforts of nearly 200 million laborers over fifty years, before humanity's self-destruction, a colossal orbital space station stretching 6,500 kilometers was built around Earth's near orbit.

This steel New Great Wall is supported by 108 orbital elevators anchored to the ground. It is called the "Ring of God," a true paradise standing high above the skies.

All major corporations and the United Government have established their own exclusive jurisdictions here. Among them, the most prominent is the [Overlord] Group, with 27 million employees, controlling 30% of Earth's energy industry and 50% of the interstellar expansion fleet—a national-level enterprise that even United Government officials must defer to.

The chairman of such a behemoth—Henry Clark—is even busier than the president of the United Government. Some lower-level managers start requesting an audience at age 20, and only get to meet him once when they retire at 60.

But today, he appeared in person at the Overlord Group's spaceport in Zone A of the Ring of God, dressed in a pale white spacesuit, standing in zero gravity with the help of a gravity adhesion system.

All around him, the busiest spaceport in the universe paused its tens of millions of operations for a second. Every corner was filled with warriors armed with ion beam rifles, standing at the ready—as if even if a meteor shower struck, they could blast it to dust, not letting a speck of dirt fall on Henry Clark's shoulder.

Facing the rising sun, Henry Clark sighed softly under his space helmet, glancing at the clock on the corner of his holographic screen. The countdown ticked steadily. "Six months of waiting, finally, it's back."

Since taking over the Overlord Group at age 15, Henry Clark had never been this excited. Like a child about to receive a long-awaited Christmas present, a trace of excitement appeared at the corner of his mouth.

And playing the role of Santa Claus was the Overlord Group's "Mars Pioneer" resource mining ship. Bathed in the brilliance of solar flares, its silver-white hull floating in space seemed gilded in gold, shining brightly.

"Chairman, Zone A port has been cleared. The group's special transport team of 240 members is on standby. The captain would like to ask about the cargo's classification and type to determine if the transport method is secure?" a guard asked respectfully.

"Classification? Type? How should I define it?" Henry Clark smiled. "It is the source of all power, the root of the apocalypse, but it is my dream—Henry Clark's dream—to conquer the universe."

Henry Clark had never spoken so much to a subordinate, nor did he expect them to understand.

At the same time, aboard the approaching Pioneer transport ship, the entire crew was immersed in a self-satisfied, joyful atmosphere. They all knew that by delivering the chairman's most anticipated cargo, they would receive generous rewards—promotions, raises, titles, and reaching the pinnacle of life was just minutes away.

In this relaxed mood, no one noticed a short-haired girl in a tight spacesuit, her 36D chest prominent, walking past a group of drunken crewmen and arriving at the door of the lowest-level cargo hold.

"Stop! This is an S-class restricted area! No unauthorized personnel allowed. Show your identification!"

The speaker was a quadrupedal laser tank, operated by a pilot, equipped with a 360-degree laser pulse cannon, four twelve-barrel heavy-firepower Thor rotary guns, and two magma-grade flamethrowers—a terrifying arsenal capable of destroying a small town in an instant.

"Identification? Sorry, it seems my employer didn't make me one of those."

The girl sucked on a galactic lollipop, smiling as she reached up and unzipped the front of her spacesuit. Inch by inch, her body was revealed, making the tank pilot drool. But just a few seconds later, primal animal instinct was replaced by fear.