Before the Space-Based Weapon descended, the streets of District 25 lay deserted beneath the ink-black sky, with only the occasional stray cat darting through them. Most residents were lost in dreams, enjoying a peaceful night, but when the alarm sounded in the early hours, that peace was instantly shattered.
"Why's the alarm going off? Are those Federation idiots attacking again?"
"Who the hell knows what those morons are thinking?"
The streetlights began to flicker rapidly, lending District 25 an eerie atmosphere. First, lights came on in the few homes in the Slums that could afford them, then more and more windows lit up, forming tiny points of light. Amid the darkness of the Slums, everyone was trying to figure out what had happened.
Against the neon lights, these faint glimmers emerging from the darkness barely registered.
"What's happening!"
Some elderly people trembled at the sound of the alarm, as though memories of past horrors still lingered in their minds. The young tried every means they could to find answers, checking their messages, going online, and even venturing onto their balconies to look outside.
The skyscrapers stood like giants, their walls adorned with all manner of lights, as though an artist had splashed colors across enormous canvases. Each building had its own distinct personality and style, telling its story through light and shadow. Between the towers, giant 3D advertising screens flashed with dazzling light, playing advertisements and entertainment programs that filled the city's night with boundless life and energy.
Self-driving vehicles streamed through the streets, their bodies decorated with colorful lights. They left trails of light through the darkness, like meteors streaking across the night sky, and sped up even more once the alarm sounded.
The Space-Based Weapon swept the clouds aside as it gathered energy.
Pedestrians stopped in their tracks