The Third Earth

Aside from their planet having reached its current position at a speed far beyond light, almost like teleportation, the crucial thing was that none of the living beings on Earth felt anything unusual—not even the slightest jolt or discomfort.

Yet that was not the full extent of their shock. After Earth returned to its solar orbit and resumed traveling at its former speed, the Moon, which they had lost for nearly a century, appeared once more.

It had not been replaced by some other meteorite, nor had a new Moon been condensed and created. That Moon simply appeared abruptly beyond Earth. If not for the traces left behind by the disasters on Earth, looking at the Moon in the sky, they would have wondered whether they had ever truly left the Earth-Sun orbit at all, whether everything before had merely been a dream.

However confused they were, one thing was certain: they were safe. After wandering through the universe, they had a home once again.

This good news spread through every underground city at once. There were still some conspiracy theorists claiming that they had never left the Earth-Sun orbit at all, that everything was merely a lie fabricated by the higher-ups to rule humanity, and so on.

But no matter how those people stirred things up, hardly anyone was willing to pay attention to them at that moment. The residents of every underground city watched the live broadcast on television and cheered wildly with those around them. The joy of rebirth left them unable to contain themselves.

Yet unlike the ordinary residents celebrating in jubilation, the higher-ups of the United Earth Government who knew the real situation could not truly rejoice. Though they smiled and cheered along with everyone else, a trace of worry remained in their hearts. What