December was, after all, very cold. The south had already seen temperatures drop to below ten degrees Celsius, with some areas reaching as low as five or six. The north was even colder, with some places experiencing sub-zero temperatures.
In Modu City, white snowflakes were already falling gently from the sky, transforming the streets into a silver-clad landscape.
But none of this mattered. In a small villa, Hu Tao quietly watched the snowflakes, her hand tracing the figures in a ledger detailing the business turnover of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
In this world, Hu Tao had already opened branches. The fame of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had long held absolute dominance in the industry.
"Lu Ze... when will you come back? I've done as you said. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has long since become the best funeral service establishment, but why haven't you returned? You promised me, didn't you? That as long as I accomplished this, you would come back..."
She had lost the mood to manage the ledger. Tears fell, drop by drop, down her cheeks, landing on her hands, quickly growing cold, and then turning into frost.
She paid little attention to this, merely gazing into the distance, her mind lost in thought.
"Hu Tao... don't be sad! That scoundrel Lu Ze is probably living it up somewhere! He's always been like this. Don't be sad! I believe he'll definitely come back someday."
Wendy appeared behind her at some point, wrapping her arms around her tightly. The warm breath she exhaled as she spoke provided a touch of warmth to Hu Tao, who was sitting on the balcony.
"Thank you, Sister Wendy... thank you for comforting me. But... can you let go? Your... your chest is pressing on me."
Wendy, realizing what she had done, quickly released her, a blush creeping onto her face. She mumbled an apology and left.
Hu Tao compared herself, thinking that she was already an adult, so why was this part of her still showing no signs of development? She didn't want to be flat-chested!
But there was nothing she could do. It was a matter of birth and couldn't be forced. She couldn't possibly wear a fake one, could she? That would be too...
Meanwhile, in a rented apartment, Lu Ze sneezed. That's not right! His strength was still considerable; he shouldn't be chilled by such a slight cold. Could someone be cursing him?
Impossible, impossible. In this world, those people didn't exist, so how could anyone curse him?
He had saved everything, yet this world... had forgotten him? How ironic! The hero who raised the banner of defiance against the evil dragon eventually became the evil dragon, waiting for the next hero.
"It's New Year's Eve tonight. Should I stay up late? Anyway, the holiday has started. Though I don't know where to go for the holiday, perhaps I'll just stay in this rented apartment."
Time ticked by. The hour hand quickly reached twelve, and the second hand clicked its way to twelve.
The old year passed, and the new year began.
Across Modu City, countless fireworks suddenly erupted. Watching the fireworks bloom in the sky, Hu Tao's previously gloomy mood began to lift.
A smile gradually appeared on her face. She had changed into new clothes, feeling that it was better to dress festively for New Year's Eve.
She had modified her original attire, adding several plum blossoms to the waist and even a Chinese knot pattern. Whatever looked festive was fine.
"Hmm? What is that?"
Under the glow of the fireworks, four or five large wolf-like creatures tumbled through the air, then flew rapidly. Amidst the festive atmosphere, screams of terror suddenly echoed from various locations.
"Golden King Beast? What are these doing here? Isn't this a safe zone? What's going on?"
Hu Tao's small brain was filled with confusion. Suddenly, a gas erupted from the sky. The green gas quickly spread throughout the city. Those who inhaled it mostly collapsed, falling into a deep sleep and beautiful dreams.
"What's going on now?"
Lu Ze quickly got up and glanced outside. It was late at night; couldn't he get some sleep?
The green gas soon engulfed his rented apartment, but it seemed to have no effect on him, as if it were just air.
In the small villa, many children and a group of people had already fallen into a coma. Only a few individuals remained conscious.
They silently used the power within them to resist. Since that incident, their strength had been significantly weakened, not as potent as before, and certainly not at their peak.
Especially the Three Great Families. They had mobilized their ultimate power in that incident, reaching their final forms: the True Herrscher, the Origin Herrscher, the Final Herrscher.
(I have to say, I really don't know what the developers were thinking. The skins are not great, and the Origin Herrscher is frankly... disappointing. And the Final Herrscher, is that not just a fire Herrscher skin with a color change?)
The price for this was a considerable decline in their strength, which led to their inability to resist the encroachment of the smoke.
The few who remained conscious quietly guarded their positions, as they had to protect so many people lying unconscious.
"It's late at night, and you're the one causing trouble, right? Damn it, don't they know I have to deliver takeout tomorrow?!"
A greatsword appeared in his hand. With a forceful spin, he directly cleaved it into the head of a Golden King Beast. Flames then erupted from the greatsword, and with a single strike, it was finished.
"Dare to cause trouble! All of you die!"
He pressed his palm forcefully onto the ground, and countless ice spikes rose from behind him, shooting forward like missiles. The remaining few were impaled in the neck.
"You really don't make things easy. Explode!"
Within the ice, a symbol slowly appeared, and just like a missile, it exploded in the air. However, there was no thick smoke as one might expect.
Instead, it bloomed into a dazzling radiance in the sky, like fireworks.
If it weren't for the need to avoid attracting attention, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths.
Seeing all the Golden King Beasts turn to dust, Lu Ze nodded with satisfaction and quickly left the scene.
Unbeknownst to him, during the explosion, an ice-like object shot out rapidly. The impact of the explosion sent it flying a considerable distance, and it landed precisely on the balcony of the small villa.
It bounced a few times on the ground before hitting Hu Tao's forehead. The green smoke had dispersed, and she had had a very good dream.
In her dream, Lu Ze had taken her out to play happily. They had eaten delicious food, visited the largest amusement park, and even ridden the Ferris wheel at night. At its highest point, they could see the New Year's Eve fireworks.
But the dream, however good, was ultimately an illusion. He... hadn't returned yet.
Hu Tao's plum blossom-like eyes fluttered open. Her first sensation was a slight pain on her forehead. She then saw a crystal-like object on the ground.
It felt cool to the touch and didn't melt from the warmth of her palm, like a brilliant diamond, but it was rhomboid in shape.
"On it... there's a familiar aura? It feels like Lu Ze's aura? How could that be?! I must be imagining things. That guy... hasn't returned yet!"
Although she didn't fully believe it, she clutched the diamond-like object tightly. The people around her were also slowly waking up. A thought formed in her mind...
She could make this into a pendant. Perhaps... it might be useful.