I pierced the heart of that specimen who called me a friend. He was one of those who could have changed humanity's nature. But due to the circumstances of my mission...killing the people I needed to kill, would've triggered his instincts of revenge at some point in life. Like I said, their destiny is sealed due to their ways.

After fruitlessly questioning the First in Command, who remained tight-lipped, I decided to seek answers from Lead Scientist Wakame. Putting my helmet back on, I proceeded to leave the room, on my way out, I encountered Lieutenant Anya Marlow .

Marlow: "Tatsuki?" She exclaimed in surprise. "When did you arrive? I thought you didn't want to be a part of this."

Hot: "Do you know where Wakame could be?"

Marlow: "What?" She responded with a confused expression. "No. Maybe Commander Mori would know. Anyways, have you seen the Squad? Are you with Simmons?"

Hot: "Simmons is not here. The team is in there."

As I mentioned that, her expression changed, shifting from confusion to worry.

Marlow: "You seem to be more talkative, Tatsuki."

I stood there in silence. She started approaching the door, leaving me behind.

The first sight that met her eyes when she entered the room was the captain's lifeless body by the door. Shock and sorrow etched across her face as tears streamed down. Kneeling beside the fallen captain, she embraced his lifeless form.

Raising her tear-streaked face, Anya discovered Sergeant Kuznetsov and First in Command Shio's lifeless bodies lying on the ground. Her mouth opened, but words couldn't come out. She was traumatized at this point, her gaze fixed on the lifeless figures, her spirit shattered.

Witnessing her anguish, I moved with swiftness, piercing her back in an instant. Slipping from my hand, she crumpled beside the captain's lifeless body. The air echoed with her cries of pain and sorrow as she crawled toward Thorn's motionless body. I must've missed her heart. The scene painted a tragic picture of despair and loss. Turning away, I left the heart-wrenching scene behind, the echoes of her sorrow lingering in the air.

***

In an instant, I teleported back to the barracks. Simmons' lifeless body lay on the floor, occupying the same space I had been seated just thirty minutes ago. Now, with Senator Thorn and First Commander Shio dead, my focus shifted to my last potential source of information about the core—Wakame Hana. To locate her, I needed to find Commander Mori so I proceeded to leave.

Exiting the barracks, the chaotic scene unfolded around me. Soldiers and first responders hurried through the base, numerous vehicles departing, likely in response to the recent incident. Undeterred, I walked toward the headquarters office, where sirens wailed and alarms blared, evoking memories of similar chaos on Earth.

Upon entering the facility, I found the humans inside in a state of chaos. It became apparent that without the Military Base and the Political House, the structure and order of Mars' society were beginning to crumble. The absence of these key elements had thrown their once-organized world into disarray.

In the midst of the chaos, I spotted Commander Mori in the crowd and I came up with an idea. Deciding to approach her, I asked about the location of the planet's core carelessly.

Hot: "Do you know where the planet's core is?"

Miro: "Tatsuki?! Where's your squad? Have you heard about the incident?"

Hot: "Yes, the Captain sent me to protect the core; the sun particles are looking for it."

Miro: "What?! But why isn't Captain Thorn responding to his radio transmitter?"

Hot: "Umm. I don't know. Maybe he encountered the particles?" I said, shrugging.

For a moment, the Commander was silent amid the chaos. I stood there quietly until she responded.

Miro: "The core is on the very bottom floor of the basement. Not everyone is allowed in there, but it has very low security due to the poor knowledge of its existence." She paused, handing me an access card, "Here, just go down that corridor, right next to the maintenance storage room. You'll see two soldiers on guard; show them the card, and they'll let you into a hidden elevator. Be quick; I don't know what could happen to us if they reach the core."

With that, the Commander hurriedly left, leaving me with the access card. Surprisingly, the idea worked easily. While knowing about a secret passage, I could have destroyed my way in, but these people were unaware of my true intentions. I decided to save that energy after I secured the core.

Following the corridor Commander Mori mentioned, I found the guards next to the maintenance room. True to her words, there was no visible elevator. Presenting the access card to the guards, they pressed an analog button. Within five seconds, a section of the wall opened, revealing the elevator Mori had spoken about. One guard entered the elevator with his gun at the ready, while the other remained outside on guard. I stepped into the elevator, and the guard pressed a button, causing the doors to close, and the elevator began its descent.

Contemplating humanity's advancements, I reflected on the Earth incident and witnessed their relentless pursuit, defying logical standards with scientific endeavors ranging from terraforming simplicity to the audacious feat of moving a planet's core. The question lingered: when would their insatiable greed cease?

Over the past month and a half since my arrival, I've witnessed the changes they made to the planets, delaying my core acquisition. Today, I hoped to find the elusive core, recognizing that my next destination, even after acquiring Mars, remained distant, possibly taking months. The nagging uncertainty of whether Heat and Floga could reach our ancestor gnawed at me.

During the descent, my body's heat intensified, unnerving the soldier in the elevator. His terrified expression betrayed the knowledge that his demise was imminent. The elevator began to melt, prompting the frightened soldier to distance himself from me, cowering against the elevator wall. As his screams pierced the air, the molten metal enveloped him, taking nearly five seconds for the soldier to succumb. Suddenly, a loud noise emanated from the top of the elevator—the cable snapped. The elevator plummeted rapidly, causing me to levitate as it fell. Upon reaching the ground, the soldier's melted remains shattered, and flesh hung from the molten metal. Breaking the door open with my hands, I stepped out into a long white corridor, hoping that the core awaited at its end.

Proceeding down the luminous white corridor, my increasing temperature kept melting of everything in my vicinity with each step I took. The once-pristine surroundings were now a testament to the irreversible transformation. Glancing back, the evidence was unmistakable – there was no escape for any human. The corridor had twisted and melted to a degree that made escape impossible; it was a sealed fate. Encountering scientists along the way seemed inevitable, but their presence posed no threat to me.

All my suit burned to a point where it disappeared. My cosmic body, bright like several stars...suns, made the corridor even more brilliant, potentially blinding anyone who dared to gaze upon it.

Upon reaching the doors, they began to melt. Voices echoed behind the door as I placed my hand between them, effortlessly turning them to ashes. The enormous scientific room was exposed, triggering chaos among the scientists. Some ran, some were frozen in shock, while at the far end, Wakame emerged, a mix of surprise and fear on her face. She retreated back into the room as I continued toward that room, leaving a trail of melting surroundings.

Upon entering the room, more scientists fled, some attempting to escape through the entrance, only to retreat from the intense heat emanating from my cosmic form. In the middle of the room stood Wakame, holding the shrunken planet's core attached to a network of cables. How had they managed to shrink a planet's core so drastically?

Wakame: "Stay away or I destroy it!" she threatened, gripping the core tightly.

I stood by the door in silence.

Wakame: "Earth was a failure. How are you even alive?!” She paused, searching for answers in her mind, "You are code H.O.T, right? We were in full control for centuries. What changed?"

Hot: "So, you were the scientist in charge of the research on Earth? How did you get here quicker than me?"

Wakame: "Don't underestimate humanity. Look at what we have created throughout the years. We've reached so many planets, and some even believe we've reached galaxies."

Hot: "That's cute."

Wakame's anger grew. She started unplugging the core from the cables one by one, each disconnection causing the world to shake.

Hot: "There's no need for that."

Wakame: "Shut up. Are you scared?"

Hot: "Actually, I'm trying to help you avoid embarrassment."

Wakame: "What?!" She unplugged three cables this time, barely stopping.

The world shook with a terrible earthquake for a couple of seconds. I remained in place.

Hot: "How did you achieve everything you've done?"

Wakame: "What do you mean? We are intelligent creatures; you wouldn't understand."

Hot: "So... You are saying humanity did it all themselves? No help needed?"

Wakame stood there confused, trying to understand my question.

Wakame: "Well, yes."

Hot: "Really?"

My body heat intensified, and Wakame took multiple steps back, staying away from the heat. Is this what they call outrage?

Hot: "Don't underestimate humans? Don't underestimate a fleshed bag of bones and blood?"

Wakame: "I think you are forgetting who is in charge here." She said calmly, pulling another plugged cable from the core.

Hot: "Oh really?"

I lowered my heat to zero and started walking toward the scientist. She abruptly unplugged the core, causing the world to experience the largest earthquake yet. She fell to the floor, and all the scientists with her. But after no more than ten seconds, the earthquake stopped.

Hot: "Look how big of a scientist you are. You thought the world would blow from this? You just created a giant space dead rock. Another achievement done without anyone's help, right?" I kneeled down and stared face to face, "I am the one who blows the planets."

I took the core from her hand, and it doubled in size upon contact. My grotesque mouth emerged from the front of my head, as large as the core itself. In an instant, I swallowed the core, unleashing a shockwave that abruptly burned everyone in the room. Wakame was on the floor, screaming. I reached her, calmed her down, and whispered in her ears:

Hot: "You want to see the world explode?"