Still Earth.
This was Beijing. A high school student named Zhan Jun, skipping class again, had wandered into an abandoned factory.
"Zhan Jun, you skipped class again."
Startled, he turned around to find it was his classmate—the class monitor. "Oh, it's you, Zhang Yan. Weren't you skipping too? We're the same, don't act all high and mighty."
"I'm here to get you back. This afternoon's lesson is important—live-fire training. Skipping this is really irresponsible."
"Tch. Like piloting a KG6 is gonna beat Martians anyway."
"Of course not—if you keep cutting class like this." As class monitor, she had to set an example and convince her classmate to return.
Both of them wore dark red sports uniforms with black and white accents, the emblem of their school, Normal University Affiliated High School, on their chests. But the tracksuits didn't hide their good looks—the boy was sunny and handsome, and the girl was soft and charming.
Good-looking people made anything look good.
"Tch. If we really had a shot at beating the Martians, the military would've already wiped out those 37 Yanglu Cities in orbit. They're clearly hiding out on Earth because they know they can't win."
Zhan Jun was sharp, and Zhang Yan had no argument. "Even so, you still need to attend class. Whether it's useful or not, it's a required course."
"I don't wanna die. If war breaks out, there's no way I'm getting in one of those tin can mechas. I'd rather fight street battles with a rifle," Zhan Jun muttered weakly as he kept walking.
It was the year 2014. Fifteen years had passed since 1999, when Heaven Fell.
Back in 1972, Apollo 17 discovered an ancient alien relic on the moon that linked the Moon to Mars—a "Super Spatial Gate." An elite exploration team passed through the gate and reached Mars, where they discovered Aldnoah technology.
The team leader monopolized the tech, colonized Mars, and as reliance on Earth faded, his ego exploded. After gaining the ability to activate Martian tech, he declared himself emperor, believing he was special. He created a nobility and played feudal monarchy on Mars.
In 1999, because of thin air and limited water, Martian development hit a ceiling. The Martian Empire's second emperor, Vers II, stirred up internal conflict by promoting Martian racial superiority and instigated a war with Earth.
But Vers II paid the price. He pushed the spatial gate beyond its limits, and it exploded—taking half the Moon with it. The emperor died, the war ended, but the suffering didn't.
Chunks of the shattered Moon rained down on Earth, causing massive destruction and loss of life. That disaster went down in history as "Heaven Fall."
In 1985, the Martian Empire of "Vers" was founded. The following year, Earth's nations formed a United Government. The Soviet Union never even collapsed and became its backbone. In fact, the United Government's military headquarters was based in the Soviet Union.
The devastation from the Moon's debris lasted until 2007. Only then did Earth begin to recover. By 2014, the economy and science had bounced back. A new generation was growing up without worry.
But the United Government hadn't forgotten. To prepare for any future Martian invasion and ensure a steady supply of soldiers, they made piloting humanoid mechas part of the mandatory school curriculum, with military officers assigned as instructors.
Zhan Jun had been skipping this class on purpose. To him, it was completely useless.
Thud.
"What the hell!" Something smacked the back of Zhan Jun's head. He turned and glared at Zhang Yan, the class monitor. He thought she had thrown something at him in anger.
"What?" Zhang Yan blinked. "What are you talking about?"
??
Zhan Jun realized Zhang Yan didn't seem like the type to throw stuff in a fit. He looked down and found a fist-sized chunk of ice.
Hail? "But the weather's clear." Yet this thing in his hand was ice-cold—definitely ice. Where had it come from?
Thud!
"Ouch." Zhan Jun got hit again.
"Zhan Jun, what is it with you?"
This time, the object was a rubber ring—looked like a seal from a fuel pipe. He searched the area, but there was no one and nothing around. It was as if these things just appeared out of thin air and smacked him on the head.
"Who is it? Who the hell's messing with me?" Zhan Jun was determined to find the culprit hiding nearby.
"Zhan Jun, seriously, what's wrong with you?" Zhang Yan hadn't seen anything at all.
Thud.
Something else dropped. But this time, Zhan Jun caught sight of it and dodged quickly. What fell was a frozen fish, solid as a rock. It had appeared midair from some vibrating space and followed a curved arc to crash into the spot where he had just stood.
Zhang Yan saw it too. "What the heck is that?"
The two students looked up.
"If I'm not wrong, it's a space gate." As he spoke, a rabbit in a cage came flying out.
"How could that be?" Zhang Yan was completely freaked out. She immediately pulled out her phone. "We need to contact the instructor!"
"Wait!" Zhan Jun grabbed her phone and hung up. "Let's wait a little longer."
But after that, nothing else appeared.
"Let's go, Zhan Jun. We have to get back to class." Zhang Yan stayed with him for two hours. Nothing more came through. She figured it was probably just a freak event, unlikely to happen again.
But Zhan Jun wasn't convinced. He knew something was up. And so, one day… two days… he kept cutting class.
"Knew I'd find you here." Zhang Yan was nearly in tears now. The homeroom teacher had spoken with her, asked her to bring Zhan Jun back. "Why are you here again?"
"Nothing really. Just bored." But his eyes never left the sky.
Zhang Yan knew exactly what he was thinking. "I already talked to the instructor. He said it was just a spatial distortion—a random phenomenon. Back during Heaven Fall, stuff like this happened all over the world."
But this wasn't Heaven Fall. Zhan Jun was sure of it now. Deep down, he knew this wasn't just some fluke. His instincts told him it would happen again.
"If you keep this up, I'm telling your sisters."
"Good luck with that. My oldest sister's at the hospital. Second sister's at school. Third sister's in the military. They're all busy," Zhan Jun replied. "None of them are gonna care."
Zhang Yan was speechless—because he was right. His three sisters had spoiled him rotten. Their parents had died during Heaven Fall. His eldest sister had already been an adult then. The second was in middle school, and the third and Zhan Jun were still little. His oldest sister had basically become their mom. And since he was the only boy in the family, Zhan Jun had been pampered nonstop. Anything he wanted, he got. Still, he was no slouch—his grades were always great. Just not when it came to piloting class, where he was a disaster.
But his sisters never cared. To them, not knowing how to pilot a mecha was better—being on the battlefield was too dangerous anyway.
She'd had enough. No matter what, she was dragging him back today. "You're coming with me."
Zhang Yan looked soft, but she had a serious sense of duty. Today, she wasn't backing down. She grabbed his sleeve and started pulling him toward the main road. Since she was a girl, Zhan Jun didn't resist. He let her tug at him.
"There's no point waiting around. Space gates don't open twice. Let's just get to class." But before she could finish, she realized she couldn't pull him anymore. She turned and saw him staring at the sky.
She looked up too—and saw the air twisting like a funhouse mirror.
She froze. She never expected the gate to open again.