Alarms blared throughout the underground facility as the ground began to vibrate.
Deep beneath the surface, the launch system came to life. Massive sections of earth split apart, revealing a gaping opening that led straight to the surface.
Within seconds, the missile began to rise.
At the same time, the disastrous command that Faust had prepared was activated across the globe.
Inside a distant military base, a technician was carrying out routine maintenance when his computer screen suddenly flickered.
"Huh?"
He stopped typing and stared at the monitor. The screen glitched several times before everything disappeared, replaced by two lines of blood-red text.
[THE TIME OF RETRIBUTION HAS COME! PAY YOUR SINS!]
[LET THE WORLD BURN!!!]
The same words continued flashing across the screen.
"What the hell?"
He tried closing the program, but nothing happened. Even after pressing several keys, the computer refused to respond.
"Hey, come look at this. Something's wrong with my computer!"
A nearby technician turned toward him.
"What is it?"
"Look at the screen. I can't control anything!"
Before his colleague could approach, his own monitor began flickering.
Then another, and another.
Within seconds, every computer screen in the facility displayed the same message.
[THE TIME OF RETRIBUTION HAS COME! PAY YOUR SINS!]
[LET THE WORLD BURN!!!]
"What the hell is happening?"
"Sir! We've lost control of the network!"
"Disconnect everything! Now!"
Several technicians rushed toward the main control panels. Others tried contacting the command center, but before anyone could figure out what was happening, a loud warning echoed through the facility.
"Warning! A missile launch command has been activated. Please proceed to the designated areas for safety."
For a moment, everyone froze.
Then the entire room erupted into chaos.
"What?!"
"A missile launch?! Who authorized it?!"
"Cancel the command! Immediately!"
"Sir, we can't! The system isn't responding!"
The commanding officer rushed toward the main terminal. On the screen, a countdown had already begun.
[00:00:30]
[00:00:29]
[00:00:28]
"Use the emergency override!"
"We already tried, sir!"
"Then shut down the whole system!"
"It's not working!"
The officer stared at the numbers decreasing before his eyes.
[00:00:10]
[00:00:09]
"Contact headquarters! Tell them we've lost control!"
[00:00:05]
[00:00:04]
[00:00:03]
"Sir!"
[00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
A tremendous vibration shook the entire facility.
Deep underground, enormous machinery began moving as the missile silos opened one after another.
Then, accompanied by a deafening roar, the first missile shot into the sky.
BOOOOM!
"Missile launched!"
"Another launch detected!"
"Sir! All our missiles are launching!"
The commanding officer could only stare at the monitor as one missile after another disappeared from their silos.
What terrified him even more was the information appearing on the communication network.
The same thing was happening at military bases across the world.
The news quickly reached the highest levels of government.
Inside a luxurious office, a middle-aged man sat behind a large desk, listening to an urgent report from his military advisers.
"Mr. President, we've received reports of unauthorized nuclear launches from multiple military installations."
The President frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Someone has taken control of the launch systems, sir. We're attempting to regain access, but..."
"But what?"
The officer hesitated.
"We've received similar reports from other countries. Their launch systems have also been compromised."
The President's expression changed.
"How many?"
"We don't know the exact number yet. Communications are failing across several regions."
"Then contact them! Find out who's responsible!"
"We're trying, sir. But the missiles have already been launched."
The President slowly stood from his chair.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
He walked toward the large window overlooking the city. Far below, cars continued moving through the streets, and the lights of countless buildings illuminated the night.
The people outside had no idea what was coming.
His trembling hand touched the glass.
"How could this happen...?"
If Faust had been standing in that office, he would have recognized the man immediately.
After all, this was the very person responsible for the tragedy that had destroyed his family.
BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, hurried knocks came from the door.
Before the President could respond, several men in dark suits entered.
"Mr. President! We must evacuate immediately!"
The President turned toward them.
"What about the missiles?"
"We're still attempting to stop them, sir. But we cannot guarantee your safety here."
For a moment, he looked back at the city.
Then he nodded.
"Take me to the bunker."
His security detail immediately surrounded him and escorted him out of the office.
Meanwhile, outside the building, the first emergency broadcasts began interrupting television programs and radio stations.
People stopped what they were doing as warnings appeared on their screens.
But by then, it was already too late.
Across the globe, the nuclear missile installations had begun their countdowns.
One after another, enormous silo doors opened.
BOOOOM!
FWOOOOSH!
FWOOOOSH!
Hundreds of missiles rose into the sky, followed by thousands more.
From military bases hidden deep within mountains to submarines beneath the oceans, nuclear weapons were launched toward their designated targets.
Military installations, Major cities, National capitals.
No country was spared.
Inside one military command center, a young soldier stared at the radar display before him.
His face had gone completely pale.
"Sir..."
The officer standing beside him turned.
"What is it?"
The soldier pointed toward the screen.
"We have incoming missiles."
"How many?"
The soldier swallowed.
"I... I don't know, sir."
"What do you mean you don't know? Give me a number!"
The soldier looked at the display again.
Thousands of moving marks covered the screen, and more continued appearing as the tracking system updated.
"More than ten thousand launches have been detected worldwide, sir."
The officer fell silent.
There were simply too many.
Every major military power had launched its nuclear arsenal. The tracking systems could barely keep up with the number of incoming warheads.
"Is there any way to stop them?" the soldier asked.
The officer did not answer.
Instead, he continued staring at the approaching marks.
A warning suddenly flashed across the monitor.
[INCOMING MISSILE DETECTED]
[ESTIMATED IMPACT IMMINENT]
The soldier's hands began to tremble.
"This is it..."
He looked toward the other men in the command center.
Some were desperately trying to contact their families. Others continued working, hoping that the remaining defense systems might intercept at least a few incoming missiles.
The soldier slowly lowered his head.
"The end."
A blinding flash suddenly filled the room.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The missile struck the base.
A tremendous explosion tore through the facility, destroying everything within its immediate reach.
A colossal mushroom cloud rose into the atmosphere.
And it was only the beginning.
BOOOOOOM!
KABOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOOOM!
One after another, nuclear warheads struck their targets.
In one city, people were looking toward the sky when a sudden flash turned the night into day.
A moment later, the shock wave arrived.
Buildings collapsed.
Windows shattered.
Cars were thrown across the streets as the blast swept through entire neighborhoods.
Thousands of people disappeared within seconds.
In another city, a mother was desperately pulling her child through a crowded street when an enormous explosion erupted in the distance.
"Mom! What's happening?!"
"Don't look! Just keep running!"
But before they could reach safety, the ground shook beneath their feet.
The surrounding buildings began to collapse.
Screams filled the streets as people ran in every direction.
Elsewhere, entire military installations vanished beneath enormous mushroom clouds. Fires spread across industrial districts, and the power grids of countless cities failed.
The explosions continued across the world.
There was no longer any place untouched by the disaster.
Even those far from the nuclear strikes were not safe.
Beneath the Earth's surface, massive movements began disturbing the tectonic plates.
Earthquakes struck cities already struggling with the aftermath of the attacks.
Roads split apart.
Bridges collapsed into rivers.
Entire buildings sank as the ground beneath their foundations gave way.
Along the coastlines, enormous waves rose from the oceans.
"TSUNAMI!"
"RUN!"
People fled from the beaches and waterfronts as walls of water advanced toward the shore.
Ships were carried inland.
Coastal towns disappeared beneath the waves.
Storms and typhoons swept across other regions, tearing apart buildings and flooding entire communities.
With communication networks collapsing, no one could understand the full scale of what was happening.
The world had fallen into chaos.
As the disasters struck, panic spread through the surviving cities.
People flooded the streets, abandoning their homes and possessions in desperate attempts to escape.
Cars filled every road.
Horns blared continuously as drivers tried forcing their way through the traffic.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
"There's nowhere to go!"
"Then get your damn car out of the road!"
Some drivers abandoned their vehicles and continued on foot. Others drove onto sidewalks, hitting anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their path.
The streets became even more dangerous as thousands of terrified people pushed through the crowds.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
A woman fell while trying to escape.
She reached toward the people running past her, but nobody stopped.
Someone stepped on her arm.
Another person stumbled over her body.
Within moments, she disappeared beneath the crowd.
Similar scenes unfolded everywhere.
People pushed aside children, knocked down the elderly, and fought over whatever they believed might help them survive.
Amid the chaos, others saw an opportunity.
CRASH!
The glass window of a store shattered as several men forced their way inside.
"Take everything you can!"
"Grab the expensive stuff!"
They rushed through the shelves, stuffing electronics, jewelry, and clothing into bags.
The store owner tried stopping them.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Put those down!"
One of the men struck him with a metal pipe.
The owner collapsed.
"Shut up, old man! The world's ending anyway!"
The looters stepped over him and continued taking whatever they wanted.
Across the city, similar crimes were taking place.
Burglars broke into abandoned homes, searching for money, valuables, and supplies.
Carjackers approached vehicles trapped in traffic, dragging drivers from their seats before stealing their cars.
Some victims fought back.
Others were beaten or killed before they could even react.
Meanwhile, gangs that had previously hidden from the police began roaming openly through the streets.
With the authorities overwhelmed by the disaster, they no longer feared being arrested.
They attacked people in broad daylight, stole their belongings, and fought rival groups for control of the remaining supplies.
In dark alleyways and abandoned buildings, even worse crimes took place.
Some men took the collapse of law and order as their last opportunity to act on their desires. Women were dragged away and raped, sometimes by men they had known before the disaster.
Others used the chaos to settle personal grudges, murdering people they hated or torturing those who could no longer defend themselves.
People were robbed, assaulted, and killed.
Homes that had once been considered safe were broken into by strangers. Families barricaded their doors, hoping that the people outside would leave them alone.
Cries for help echoed through the streets.
But with explosions still shaking the horizon, few dared to answer.
The collapse of civilization had brought out the worst in many people.
Those with strength or weapons began taking what they wanted, while the weak struggled to protect even the little they had left.
However, not everyone abandoned their humanity.
Amid the chaos, some people continued helping others.