(AN: A new Legend has arrived—Bradley Brown! Welcome aboard! Bonus Chapter!!!)
───「 Ludwig POV 」───
"Your Excellency, the Speaker and the live broadcast speech are ready."
"Hmm."
Just as in the conversation 20 days ago, Ludwig straightened his attire. He proceeded to the studio to deliver his speech as planned.
The past month had been far from pleasant.
Godzilla, who had devastated East Asia; King Ghidorah awakening on Venus; and extraterrestrials arriving from other star systems.
Everything had gone from bad to worse, and today, at this very moment, he had to deliver this dire news to everyone.
Step by step, Ludwig made his way to the studio where he took his seat in the center. Drone cameras surrounded him as staff adjusted the necessary parameters and channels for the global broadcast.
As Ludwig sat in the center, he began to contemplate things he had never considered before during this brief moment of respite.
Things like the mysterious star the aliens had mentioned, and the phenomenon of monsters.
In the past twenty days, Ludwig and the other lawmakers had focused on discussing Godzilla, King Ghidorah, the Wings of King Ghidorah, the intentions of the Bilusaludo alien race, and whether to engage in negotiations—all pressing matters at hand.
This was understandable; after all, when immediate issues remained unresolved, people tended not to think about the future. Living in the present—isn't that the way?
So, topics like the mysterious star and the monster phenomenon weren't openly discussed. However, Ludwig had heard people talking about these matters in private.
Although it was only casual post-dinner conversation, some of the conclusions intrigued him.
For instance, the theory that the mysterious star was an active white dwarf, and the bizarre Fermi Paradox solution.
He was genuinely interested, but unfortunately, he didn't have time to explore them in more detail.
He could only ponder them in these brief moments of respite.
"Your Excellency, we're about to begin."
"Oh, very well."
Perhaps he didn't even have time for brief moments of respite.
The global broadcast began.
"Citizens of the World United Government, I apologize for suddenly occupying your broadcast time."
The usual opening and an apology, because this was an "urgent" broadcast that commandeered all channels simultaneously.
So, Ludwig had to "apologize" to the entire world first.
As per protocol.
"I must announce unfortunate news."
Next was the standard procedure.
"At 23:17 London time yesterday, we observed an anomaly on the surface of Venus from our Space Station on Venus."
"Subsequently, while the Venus Space Station was deliberating whether to investigate, they detected an unidentified object approaching the station in low Venus orbit."
"And after capturing the following footage, the Venus Space Station lost contact."
As Ludwig spoke, a video clip played.
It was a first-person perspective from the Venus Space Station.
In the footage, one could clearly see a massive figure approaching in the distant orbit of the planet, accompanied by numerous golden points of light.
As the figure drew closer, the space station's cameras captured a clearer image.
People could now see what it was.
A colossal creature, measuring kilometers in size, was "flying" in Venus' orbit, grotesquely advancing toward the Venus Space Station.
The golden dots surrounding it were similar life forms, all approaching the station.
Then, the space station's screen went black, and the video clip came to an abrupt end.
"This is the last footage captured by the Venus Space Station before losing contact."
"After a night of observations by the European Space Agency, we regret to announce that the Venus Space Station has been destroyed. On Venus, unidentified monsters similar to Godzilla have appeared."
"They are the first extraterrestrial life forms we have discovered, and they share similarities with Godzilla."
"The space agency has also discovered that some of these individuals are heading toward Earth. Fortunately, the largest individual did not leave Venus."
"We have named the largest monster Ghidorah. The smaller ones, which are on their way to Earth, have been named Ghidorah's Wings."
Ludwig expressed regret over the destruction of the Venus Space Station during the live broadcast and shared size charts for Ghidorah and Ghidorah's Wings as predicted by scientists.
Finally, he concluded, "These are a new type of enemy, and they will arrive in our world in the near future."
"For our future, for the future of this world, we will prevail."
The broadcast ended.
Ludwig left the studio and headed to the meeting room under the protection of his bodyguards, preparing for another round of discussions.
Most of what he had just said was false. The Venus Space Station wasn't destroyed yesterday but had been destroyed 20 days ago. It wasn't Ghidorah that destroyed it, but merely one of Ghidorah's Wings.
And they weren't unidentified monsters; their origins were known. The video was fabricated, the records forged—all in the name of peace.
"It's truly outrageous."
The revelation of Ghidorah's existence triggered a new wave of chaos worldwide.
Online, people discussed the information released by the Space Agency about Ghidorah's Wings heading for Earth.
This uproar even overshadowed Godzilla's presence, as Ghidorah's Wings were undeniably extraterrestrial life.
Simultaneously, apocalyptic theories gained popularity on the internet. In the wake of monsters existing on other planets and the impending arrival of extraterrestrial creatures, people already frightened by Godzilla began to experience a crisis of confidence.
Many didn't believe humanity could defeat Godzilla and Ghidorah's Wings, and apocalyptic theories ran rampant. It wasn't until both official and grassroots education efforts were made, instilling confidence in modern weaponry, that panic began to subside.
While other weapons might not be effective, we still had nuclear bombs.
The World United Government had anticipated the spread of apocalyptic theories and prepared in advance. They emphasized that even though Godzilla was only driven away by 21 nuclear bombs, it demonstrated that humans could effectively confront such threats.
They argued that while Ghidorah's Wings might be as powerful as Godzilla, satellite orbit was now filled with nearly a hundred thousand nuclear warheads, making the outlook for dealing with Ghidorah's Wings much less pessimistic.
Furthermore, Ghidorah's Wings might not necessarily harbor the same hostility toward humans as Godzilla did. It was emphasized that it was Ghidorah, not Ghidorah's Wings, who destroyed the space station (at least according to the public narrative).
Additionally, in the official educational materials, the World United Government subtly hinted at some additional information.
They frequently included phrases like "What would the technological and cultural aspects of an extraterrestrial civilization be like if it existed?"
In surveys about handling Godzilla and Ghidorah's Wings, there were options concerning how to approach potential extraterrestrial life and coexist with them.
Furthermore, government officials in various news programs shifted from their previous gravity to adopt an extremely optimistic attitude toward Godzilla and Ghidorah's Wings.
This created a sense worldwide that perhaps when Ghidorah was discovered on Venus, they found something else as well. Perhaps something like extraterrestrial civilizations?
The official response provided no clear explanation, leaving people to speculate on their own.
As human society entered unprecedented turmoil, beneath the depths of the Pacific Ocean, a pair of eyes reopened.
Godzilla, reawakened.