It was almost time for the new year.
A silver-haired boy wearing black Sakura Island attire sat near the highest point of the six-hundred-meter-tall world-class tower known as the "Sky Tree."
This was definitely not a place that ordinary tourists would be able to reach. At such a height, just the frigid winds alone were unbearable for ordinary people. Since he seemed to be leisurely sitting here, it was obvious that he was no ordinary person.
The boy looked down at the night view of the city below him as he hummed a relaxing song and swayed his head.
After he finished humming a song, he remained silent for several seconds before he spoke.
"Yan, give me another cup."
There was no response.
"I know that I've drunk too much, but just one more cup."
There was still no response.
"It's almost the new year. How can I not have alcohol on hand at such an important time?" He looked to the side and put his hands together.
"Please ~ Yan, give me another cup, just a small one ~" He lowered his head with a pleading expression.
A sigh resounded in the air.
Then, a green wine flask and a small cup appeared from the darkness. Fragrant alcohol slowly poured out of the flask and filled the cup.
"Thank you! I love you the most!! "
The boy passionately thanked her and took the cup. He immediately took a small sip and revealed a blissful expression.
"It's so nice to sit in this special seat and enjoy the scenery while tasting good alcohol," a voice suddenly spoke up.
The silver-haired boy looked in the direction of the voice and saw a beautiful black-haired girl standing nearby.
"Hey, Kirin."
"I told you not to call me that," the girl said coldly.
"Then how about Little Kirin?"
"Do you want me to kick you down?"
"Er … how about Grand Mistress?"
The girl didn't deny it.
"Grand Mistress, what business do you have with me?"
"To kill you."
"Eh!?"
"If you do anything strange, it will be like this."
"Hey, hey … don't scare me." The silver-haired boy acted like he was frightened.
"I'm just stating the truth." The black-haired girl looked at him.
"At such an important time, you're actually not staying where you're supposed to be … If I discover that you're doing something you shouldn't be doing, I'll have no choice but to kill you."
"So scary …" The boy was trembling.
The girl retracted her gaze and looked down at the city below her.
The scheduled moment was about to arrive.
Under the bustling lights, the people did not know what the upcoming New Year meant.
It was the beginning of a new era, but in a sense, it was also the return of the old era.
A long time ago, people were afraid of the dark. They relied on each other and relied on collective strength to fight against the unknown.
Now, people ignored the darkness, ignored each other, forgot the things their ancestors had faced, and the precious things they once had.
The connection between people became thin, and people filled their natural need for bonds with the vanity of online communication. Because of this, they thought that they could face everything independently and abandoned many things that they should have cherished.
They did not know that the darkness had always been there and had never left.
They also didn't know that something that seemed as solid as a rock was actually far easier to collapse than they imagined.
It was the same for the light of the night and the network that ran endlessly.
Once these two so-called cornerstones of modern life were gone, what would happen to people?
"So beautiful, isn't it?"
The silver-haired youth's voice rang out.
"Looking at it this way, it feels like the whole city is like a jewel chest, exuding a moving brilliance."
The black-haired girl looked at the youth.
She saw that his eyes were sparkling as he gazed at the city's nighttime scenery.
"Such a dazzling scene will soon be swallowed up by the darkness. Thinking about it like that, I can't help but feel that it's even more beautiful … this is wonderful." The youth took another small sip of his wine and exclaimed in admiration.
"All beautiful things in the world are at their most beautiful when they're about to be destroyed!
Especially the moment before they're destroyed. The beauty of that moment is something that no art in the world can express! Only human souls can experience it!! "
The girl harrumphed coldly when she heard his loud voice.
"How vulgar."
"… What does the Grand Mistress think about this?"
"There's no need to tell you."
"Don't be like that, just tell me ~ We're companions! There's nothing wrong with being here to witness this moment together and talk about what you think. "The silver-haired youth chuckled.
"I've never treated you as a companion. There's nothing to talk about with you," the black-haired girl said coldly.
"How cold! Still, this type of icy beauty isn't bad either. Or perhaps it's the tsundere type? "
* Boom! *
The silver-haired youth was sent flying with a single kick.
"Arghhhh!!!" He screamed as he fell from the sky.
Suddenly, a pitch-black claw appeared and accurately caught him.
"Thank you … Yan …"
The youth crawled up from the claw and looked at his wine glass with a sad expression.
"I spilled some wine … can I have another glass?"
Another helpless sigh resounded in the air.
The time was almost up.
The black-haired girl looked down at the city and silently waited.
She waited for the exact moment.
All the lights in the city suddenly went out. The street lamps, houses, facilities, skyscrapers, factories … all of them lost their light!
It was as if a candle had been blown out.
Everything sank into darkness.
"Happy New Year," the girl said lightly.
This wasn't a greeting for anyone. It was a greeting for the new generation.
…
Not only was there a power outage, cell phone reception was also gone, and the internet was also unreachable.
As he sat in a taxi heading to the hospital, Seiji held Ling Yang in his arms and looked out the window. Apart from the lights of the passing cars, there was nothing else but darkness.
The traffic lights were maintained with a backup power source, so the traffic was still normal.
"It can't be that the entire city became like this, right?" he muttered.
Just what was it that he felt just now? It was able to shut down both the electrical system and the communication network!
It seemed to have a large area of effect, but he didn't know exactly how large it was.
Was Peach-sensei affected by it? Did she have a fever like Ling Yang did?
He couldn't call her, contact her sensei, or confirm her condition. Seiji was quite worried.
Not long after, the taxi arrived at the hospital. The electricity generator was already activated and the lights were on.
After Seiji paid the driver, he and Little Shi got out of the taxi and carried Ling Yang into the hospital.
The female doctor on duty examined the little girl and told him that the cause of her fever was within her soul and couldn't be treated, but medication could be used to suppress it and reduce the fever.
The cause of her fever was within her soul … as expected, it was caused by the mysterious power! Seiji scowled.
Fortunately, medication could be used to reduce the fever.
The female doctor prescribed some medication for Ling Yang and arranged for her to receive an IV drip in a high-class hospital room.
Seiji sighed in relief as he saw the little girl's expression relax.
"Little Shi, you stay here and take care of Ling Yang. I'm going to look for Peach-sensei," he said.
Even though he didn't know if his sensei would be staying at her apartment after the New Year, he had to go see her.
After leaving the hospital room, Seiji glanced at his cell phone again. There was still no cell phone signal.
The pitch-black city and the lack of communication … it was as if time had been turned back to the old days when there were no electric lights or telephones.
He could faintly hear the sound of a bell. It was probably from a nearby temple.
It was said that the ringing of the bell during the New Year was to clear away all worries, but judging from the state of the city, this worry was probably impossible to clear away.
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