The streak of red light that slipped down from the moon tore through the pitch-black night sky and plunged into the parking lot of a nearby shopping mall with a deafening boom, sending dust flying.
Beep, beep, beep!
The cars parked nearby erupted in shrill alarms.
"A meteorite?"
"Ha, what a day. First the Crimson Moon spectacle, now a shooting star?"
"What luck. Move over, let me take a picture for Twitter."
The people gathered shoulder to shoulder on the street to gaze at the moon still wanted more after the Crimson Moon vanished. The sudden "shooting star" took its place and immediately drew many eyes.
Although the smog had yet to clear, several people were already approaching with eager interest.
A crater two meters across and about half a meter deep had been smashed into the concrete parking lot. Amid the gravel and broken stones, something seemed to be flickering with a pearly white glow.
"Looks like something's glowing?"
"If it's a meteorite, we've hit the jackpot. They won't confiscate it, will they?"
A young man in casual clothes rolled up his sleeves, itching to try. He looked ready to climb into the crater and dig it out.
"Hey, watch out for space radiation!"
"I'm from Fukushima. You think I'm scared of that?"
The young man spoke dismissively and actually jumped into the crater, digging through the dirt with both hands.
"Look, what's this!"
The young man held up a fist-sized white lump, showing it off to his companions at the edge of the crater.
"That's a meteorite? Doesn't look much like a rock."
"It even glows. Kind of creepy."
The bold young man climbed out with the white lump, and the onlookers immediately crowded around, chattering as their phone flashes went off nonstop.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like