Alternative Lane (Under Review)

Prologue 1.5: Darkside of the Moon

The possibilities that lay beyond the stars were not only wondrous but truly endless, and they sparked the imagination of children and scholars alike. Even the most brilliant scientists were captivated by the question that lay at the heart of human existence - are we truly alone in this vast and expansive universe, this dark and cold yet beautiful ocean of stars?

Though the answer to the great mystery of the universe and the existence beyond remains unanswered to this day, the pursuit of knowledge and advancement continues to push the boundaries of what is possible. Only time will tell when the answers to these great unknowns will be unveiled to the eyes of mankind - until then, we will continue to explore the depths of the great unknown and uncover the secrets of the universe.

However…

10th November 1975...

In the darkest depths of the lunar surface, an ominous sound echoed through the silence, a sound that chilled the bones of those who witnessed it.

The hunger that lurked in the shadows had claimed yet another victim among many, and their final screams were lost in the void of space...

Apollo 18, the US 18 moon-exposing ship, and its crew never made it back to Earth. Their fate is uncertain, and the silence of their disappearance sent a chilling alarm of the unknown and otherworldly dangers that lie beyond our comprehension.

The US government promptly initiated a search and rescue mission, without involving the public and keeping the severity of the incident under wraps. Apollo 19 was dispatched to the moon, with its crew accompanied by specialist equipment to support the search for any potential survivors or evidence of what had transpired.

The eerie quiet of the lunar surface hung heavy in the air as the crew of Apollo 19 spent a week searching for any sign of the missing Apollo or its crew. This was no simple rock-collecting mission - this was a crucial assignment, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. The looming threat of a 3rd great conflict between the East and the West added further pressure to the mission, as any misinterpretation or accident could incite a global catastrophe and tip the world into a devastating war. In the face of these immense stakes, the crew carried out their mission with the utmost professionalism and determination, their eyes and ears open for any signs of the missing astronauts or evidence of any unknown dangers lurking on the lunar surface…

…

[25/11/1975, 06:30 AM. Operation - Black Moon. Day 15.]

…

On this silent, lack of air and cold white empty wasteland, an astronaut's boots hit the lunar surface with an echoing thud, each step calculated to avoid the low-gravity bounce that would send him flying into the abyss. The cold and lack of oxygen weighed down his movements, the empty and desolate landscape stretching endlessly on all sides, with the only sounds to keep him company in this silence is the occasional rustling of the space suit's fabric and the faint crackle of radio transmission.

As he walked on the barren lunar surface, the astronaut's arms were draped with a loaded rifle. This was the first time that an astronaut had been sent to the moon not to place a flag or to gather the famous lunar rocks, which his nation had spent vast resources on simply for the sake of bringing them back. The astronaut regarded the rifle as a necessary precaution, given the uncertainty of the lunar environment and the potential for unknown hazards. Despite the weapon's presence, the astronaut's focus remained on the task at hand, the goal of finding out what had happened to the missing Apollo and its crew members, and the potential dangers that could be lurking just out of sight.