“What’s wrong? All excited to hijack a rocket?”

  Skull twirled his silenced rifle in his hand and teased.“What， gonna knock yourself out before the apocalypse even hits?”

  “...Plans changed.”

  Kane ignored the jab and replied flatly.“The target layout isn’t what I expected. I can’t find where I need to go.”

  “Aren’t there signs right there? Can’t you just follow them?”

  Skull nodded toward the open gate in the distance.“Honestly， I still don’t get your angle. You say the world’s ending， so you’re hijacking a rocket to escape.”

  “But space tourism is huge these days. You’ve got the money to hire us. Why not just charter a ship and fly up?”

  “A guy as rich as you can’t be short on the few million for a charter. That’s way cheaper than what you’re paying me.”

  “Dunno. Guess I lost my mind.”

  Kane stared at the crowds of people leaving work at the Aether Technologies gates， and the lax security. He couldn’t wrap his head around it… why would his future self hire a mercenary squad to hijack a rocket in this era?

  Was it because a tourist ship couldn’t get him where he needed to go?

  Or did the things he did in the real world only change the bracelet’s future world to a limited extent?

  Kane took a deep breath and spoke.“Forget it. Operation’s aborted. I need to go in and look around first.”

  “Fine by me.”

  Skull nodded.

  “But even if you call it off， we don’t give refunds.”

  “You hired me. You pay whether we move or not. Those are the rules， got it?”

  “What is this， a protection racket?”

  Kane rolled his eyes and pulled the car door open.

  “Relax. I’m not asking for the money back.”

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  He stepped toward the gate as he spoke， only halfway there realizing he still had his night-vision goggles and body armor on.

  The guards at the gate had already spotted him. It was too late to turn back.

  Kane steeled himself and kept walking， already scrambling for an excuse， when the guard spoke up.

  “Sorry， sir. Visiting hours ended a while ago.”

  “We’re closed for the day. We open again at 8 AM tomorrow.”

  “Visiting hours?”

  Kane blinked in surprise.

  “Yeah， ended at noon.”

  “You here for wargames or cosplay? You can fill out a form to book a slot and come back tomorrow?”

  Wow. An aerospace launch site had turned into a tourist attraction.

  It looked like Aether Technologies had fully committed to commercial space tourism， and it was working out well.

  At the very least， this accessible， welcoming vibe was definitely drawing in crowds.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  But… how was he supposed to get in?

  He thought for a moment and said，“I have clearance. I’ll do an iris scan over there.”

  “You’re an employee?”

  The guard scratched his head.

  “Then what’s with the getup?”

  “Personal hobby.”

  Kane said it with a straight face.

  “Got it， got it. Right this way for the scan， then.”

  The guard led him to the employee entrance. Kane leaned toward the biometric scanner， already mentally preparing… if the alarm went off， he’d signal the mercs and storm the place.

  These people were just“data” anyway. He wouldn’t lose much sleep over it.

  But his worry was for nothing.

  The scan passed instantly. No alarm went off.

  That meant he was still an“insider” at Aether Technologies.

  Right up until the moment he launched his operation， he hadn’t been added to any watchlist.

  That was why he’d been able to open the isolation doors with his clearance back in the main control room.

  But it still didn’t make sense.

  If he’d always been an insider， what made him predict the apocalypse? And what drove him to such an extreme way to survive?

  Kane’s head was full of questions.

  He pulled off his night-vision goggles and helmet， carrying them in his hand as he walked toward the building that looked most like the main office.

  People leaving work stared at him curiously as they passed. They seemed to recognize him， but none stepped forward to say hello.

  It wasn’t until he walked into the office building that he met his first“acquaintance.”

  A one-way acquaintance， that is.

  “Director Lin， back at the office this late?”

  Kane had no idea who the man in front of him was. He nodded and grunted.“Got some business to take care of.”

  “Tough work… hey， what’s with the costume?”

  “Cosplay.”

  Kane replied offhand. The man didn’t press further， just exchanged a few polite words and left.

  Kane was even more confused.

  Director Lin?

  He definitely held a high position in the company， but what exactly did he do?

  He kept walking deeper into the building， and was met with a massive exhibition hall.

  Holographic projectors filled nearly the entire space， displaying Aether Technologies’ latest achievements， and stunning cosmic footage captured by their ships in space.

  Spinning galaxies， massive starships， brilliant radiation， the rugged landscape of alien worlds…

  Stepping into the hall felt like stepping straight into outer space.

  Kane could see why this place was a tourist attraction now.

  Even in any era， the immersive， awe-inspiring experience here was more than enough to qualify as a landmark.

  He walked up to one of the holographic projectors labeled as an educational exhibit， and reached out to touch it. A welcome interface popped up instantly.

  “Welcome to Aether Technologies， sir.

  What would you like to learn about today?”

  What to learn about?

  Kane thought for a moment and replied.“Tell me about the StarVoyager 1 spacecraft.”

  “Understood. The StarVoyager 1 is Aether Technologies’ first civilian manned spacecraft， developed in 2025… and officially entered service in 2032.”

  “This vessel filled the gap in domestic civilian manned spaceflight.”

  “In March 2032， Chief Engineer Shen Li and astronaut Bai Mo completed the first commercial space travel mission in the country’s history aboard the StarVoyager 1.”

  “After two orbits around the Earth， the craft returned safely.”

  “With this mission， civilian manned spaceflight entered a new era…”

  Kane listened intently to the AI narrator， as holographic footage flashed across the projection in front of him.

  Likely because the technology was now more than a generation old， every technical detail of the craft was laid out without reservation. It even dedicated a section to the breakthroughs in intelligent flight control and next-generation aerospace engines that made the vessel possible.

  Wow. They just show this stuff to random tourists?

  Did Aether Technologies go open source?

  Kane couldn’t help but marvel at how much the world had changed in twenty years.

  The narration wrapped up.

  Kane was about to keep moving， to find his own office.

  But just then.

  A low hum rumbled through the hall. The lights suddenly cut out.

  Closing time?

  The thought barely had time to register before the next second.

  Another low hum.

  The lights blazed back on.

  Every holographic projector began to flicker wildly.

  Galaxies warped， planets tore apart.

  After a brief pause， every holographic screen went pitch black.

  Then， a face twisted in terror appeared on every single one.

  Stella.

  She screamed at the top of her lungs.

  “Run!”

  “Kane! Run!”

  “It’s too late! It’s coming! When you see this， you have 15 seconds left!”

  Kane froze in shock.

  He glanced down at his watch.

  Time until the apocalypse…

  15 seconds!

  It was too late.

  A moment later.

  White light flooded the room.

  The world inside the bracelet was destroyed once again.