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Chapter 682 - Six Hundred Seventy-Nine: "Happy New Year.

Chapter 682: Chapter Six Hundred Seventy-Nine: "Happy New Year.

"The 49th year after the Catastrophe, January 1st, Fuyuan Festival. Heavy snow, level six humidity, residents are advised to take precautions against slipping and cold when going out, ensure safety, stay away from water sources, and please do not swim in winter."

"Civilians on the front line are about to return, family members please wait in the outer city. Casualty statistics are still being compiled; every sacrifice is a hero of the world."

"The control of the City of Gods has been seized. Under the leadership of Yasa Acto, humanity has entered a period of stable development. The scale of the agricultural area is expanding. The Deputy City Lord has led the frontier scholars to receive the technology of the Divine Faction’s Three Domains. Our future is bright..."

"Due to the cessation of war, the Tribunal will reduce its staff, and at the same time, the City Guard is recruiting and screening new members. Interested applicants, please note the selection requirements of the Tekar experts..."

Su Ming’an woke up to the sound of the broadcasts.

Television stations and various live screens were broadcasting the latest situations, the broadcasters’ voices laden with barely suppressed joy, and their words were generous with veneration for Yasa Acto. They said he had saved the world.

"We should know that on the last day of the 48th year after the Catastrophe, a city lord who could have enjoyed the warmth and Fuyuan Festival fought fearlessly against the agents of the Deity, thwarted a nuclear explosion that could have destroyed all of humanity, and allowed the front-line soldiers to successfully breach the last defenses of the Divine Faction..."

The broadcaster’s voice spread throughout the city-state:

"We owe him a sincere apology, no one can surpass his achievements, nor tarnish his reputation. History should remember this day, the day when the world changed dramatically, the day when everyone stepped into a New Epoch. On this day, there were no covetous gods in the sky, no agents left on earth to dictate the lives of the common people..."

From outside the window came the sound of people treading on snow and laughter, the ever-present smell of gunpowder had dispersed. No screams, no wails, no scent of burning bodies.

At this moment, Su Ming’an vaguely realized—the war seemed to be over.

The bloody dawn quietly bathed his face, and he could see a thin layer of red outside his eyelids, like the color of New Year’s.

He slowly opened his eyes, his vision gradually clearing, to see at least twenty people waiting at his bedside, most in military attire, covered in dust from the road.

"The City Lord is awake!"

"The Lord is awake!"

"Get the doctor to come and check again!"

"Young Marshal..."

At the moment he opened his eyes, a rumbling sound echoed like a group of people beating drums and gongs next to his ear. Some stood up to call for a doctor, while others greeted him.

For a moment, Su Ming’an couldn’t see any familiar faces; the faces of these people were somewhat unfamiliar, the younger generation from his legion with whom he had little contact.

The regular first to report on the battle situation, Xia Sheng, was not there, nor was Noah, with whom he discussed strategy. Luna, who cared about his health, Yamada Town One, Cheng Luohe, Sita Xi, Lu, Yuanyuan, Che, Sen... none were there.

He couldn’t see a single familiar person.

A young man helped him sit up, his voice high-pitched with excitement, "City Lord, the war is over! The war is over!!"

This group of normally composed elites were like they had lost their minds, incessantly repeating "the war is over," their expressions filled with joy.

They crowded into the room, their dazzling medals gleaming brightly, as if they were holding a badge exhibition, piercing Su Ming’an’s eyes with pain.

"Alright, who are you?" Su Ming’an pressed his temples, he glanced at the time, 6:40 AM. It must have been Ming’an who had brought him back to Doomsday City to rest after he had passed out in the City of Gods’ skyscraper overnight.

"I’m Molite Snow, a second-term lead researcher in bionic technology. It’s an honor to meet you, City Lord," the young man replied excitedly, as if he had met his idol, his voice still booming.

"Mm-hmm..." Su Ming’an gave an indifferent response, "Keep it down."

The young man went silent immediately, and those around him quieted down as well. Only the elites were in this room; those without status couldn’t possibly get close to him.

A doctor carrying a medical kit rushed over to check Su Ming’an’s recovery status. After a moment, the doctor’s brow furrowed.

"The City Lord’s main issue is a deficiency in energy that’s causing bodily functions to weaken, coupled with various gunshot wounds, internal injuries, and frostbite," the doctor said. "Luckily, the gunshot wounds missed the vital organs, but the burns are quite severe... and there’s also the injury on your neck. There might be lasting effects in the future, such as difficulty breathing, swallowing difficulties..."

Upon hearing the doctor’s words, the previously noisy people finally quieted down.

Even just the arm that Su Ming’an had exposed was covered in wounds. Frostbite and burns intermingled, making the skin’s surface look extremely fierce; it was hard to imagine what the rest of his body looked like.

"" Su Ming’an looked out the window while the doctor changed his dressing.

The cold wind drifted in through the window, bringing with it people’s laughter and the scent of smoked meat. Even in daylight, fireworks were being set off, seemingly a custom of the Fuyuan Festival.

He saw the bustling city-state; even through heavy snowfall, the red sun in the sky remained visible, and the gilded characters on high-rise signs shimmered brightly, with millions of beautiful ligatures flowing like banners in the wind. Within the city, vehicles bustled about, pedestrians flowed like rivers, and motorcycles sped by like eagles about to take flight.

On the distant screens, experts were explaining the progress of the cultivation zones, officials were outlining the future of humanity with exuberant speeches, and occasionally some frontline footage was transmitted, captivating the onlookers.

In the center of the city, a statue was being erected. It was said that a new statue would be crafted for Acto as a symbol of victory in the Dawn War.

Acto’s contributions in this battle were too significant, especially on the last night, akin to a decisive blow. Had any other leader made such a contribution, it certainly would have incited envy in others. But Acto was already the highest-ranking City Lord. No matter how grand his deeds, they wouldn’t infringe on the status of others. This allowed people to lavish him with support and praise without worry for their own positions.

Su Ming’an was in a central building within the Inner City, also known as the Council Mansion, where only key military and political personnel were allowed. In the short time he had been gazing out, countless vehicles had approached this place. The long line of cars below was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

The end of a war doesn’t signify the end of everything—there’s even more to deal with.

Post-war rewards, division of spoils, compensation for casualties, alliance receptions, treatment of prisoners of war... all these were issues to be addressed.

As soon as the war ended, all sorts of experts, scholars, generals, broadcasters, journalists, historians, literary figures, artists... they all wanted to get in touch with him. Then there were the various freedom factions’ allies, the surrendering deity agents, the Freedom Alliance, the Tribunal, the Holy Tribunal, the various mercenary corps, small and medium-sized settlements... they all needed to communicate with him.

Su Ming’an felt a headache coming on while the doctor changed his dressing.

There were too many people in this room, and more were continuously arriving—generals and scholars whom he had only met a few times. He recognized their gazes, it was the way people looked at a hero.

The crowd quieted for just a short while, then once again became noisy. Su Ming’an had only been unconscious for one night, yet various urgent matters were already piling up.

"City Lord, regarding the collection and distribution of technology from the City of Gods, Yaoguang Anita would like to discuss with you..."

"City Lord, regarding the compensation for the fallen soldiers and rewards for those who have shown valor..."

"Lord Lewis, the victory of the war coincides with the first day of the Fuyuan Festival. The Freedom Alliance hopes you will take this opportunity to start the New Epoch, marking the 49th year after the Catastrophe as the beginning of New Era Year 1."

"City Lord, Hope City and Antofa City wish to negotiate with you about the post-war profit distribution..."

"Doctor, regarding the ’Dawn System’ that the former Great Commander Tretiya mentioned, we have a preliminary plan about how to deal with it and need you to make the final decision..."

As these people went back and forth, Su Ming’an felt his head was about to explode. Due to the loss of a large number of elite forces in the war, every major department had lost their superiors or subordinates, management was in chaos, and there was no formal order for who should report first.

He just listened to the casualty report of the war, learned that the death toll was as high as ten million, and then decided to push all the problems to Lu.

"...Go ask the Deputy City Lord! He has full authority to deal with it on my behalf!" Su Ming’an said.

"The Deputy City Lord went to the City of Gods early in the morning, City Lord, about the commendation issue for the Beacon Army..." a general began.

"What about Sen? Where is he?" Su Ming’an frowned.

"The Leader has gone to manage the corps, most of the soldiers are still on the front line and haven’t returned, City Lord..."

The noisy voices irritated Su Ming’an to no end: "What about Noah?"

"The Great Commander is also with the corps..." another general said, preemptively blocking what Su Ming’an might say next: "Commander Carl Kyle Ment is also not in the city..."

"Su Rin!" Su Ming’an called out loudly: "Where is Su Rin!"

The crowd instantly fell silent.

They exchanged glances, and five seconds later, a voice came from outside the window: "I heard."

"Creak—" The window on the fourth floor opened on its own, and a figure floated into the room.

"General." Several generals from the military saluted and greeted her.

Su Rin uttered "Hmm": "You can leave now."

"But..." People instantly panicked; if they left, whom would they ask?

"Noah just got back. Go find him," Su Rin glanced at the people: "Don’t make me force people out."

Su Rin’s reputation for rough handling her own people was well-known in the military, the generals looked at each other and left one after another. Then, politicians and scholars without combat power turned around and left, fearing Su Rin might catch them for a beating.

Su Rin landed inside the room, only Jingjing remained standing in the corner.

"You’re not leaving?" Su Rin asked.

"I have to take care of Xiao Shuai; what if you are a traitor?" Jingjing said.

Su Rin shook her head, looking at Su Ming’an: "Why didn’t you call me when you ran out of energy?"

"I saw you from the rooftop, you were at the front line," Su Ming’an said: "I couldn’t call you in that situation."

"Oh." Su Rin stood beside him for a while, not speaking, like a wooden figure.

"Su Ming’an, let’s go out for a walk," Su Rin suddenly said: "It’s rest time now."

Su Ming’an glanced at his 24,500 faction contribution points, just enough to exchange for some props.

"Sure." Su Ming’an covered his scar-laden arm and swung out of bed.

They walked downstairs, went to the Inner City, and thanks to Su Rin’s deterrence, the excited people didn’t dare to approach Su Ming’an, just looking from a distance, greeting and taking photos.

"City Lord! Happy Fuyuan Festival!" A general’s little daughter leaned against the car window, waving at him with a smile on her young face. Her father, the general, grinned, showing his body with an arm missing.

Su Ming’an nodded to them as truck after truck passed by him, each returning soldier saluting him. Most were wrapped in stark white bandages, looking weary and dust-laden.

"City Lord, Happy Fuyuan Festival!"

"City Lord, wish you good health!"

Various blessings fluttered past his ears like the wind, and colorful streamers rustled. The entire city lay dormant under the heavy snow, reflecting the red sun that never set in the sky, blending into a red and white oil painting.

Without the relentless gunfire, without the spying drones in the sky, peace was more precious than anything else.

Su Ming’an walked slowly in the tightly secured streets of the Inner City, not venturing into the bustling Outer City, for the enthusiastic residents might swallow him whole.

He squinted his eyes, feeling extremely relaxed. The fatigue of the past fourteen days suddenly had an outcome; he was just a step away from success. He reached out, opening the system interface; his domain panel would display the war damage ratio and resource loss.

However, the moment he reached out, "snap", Su Rin’s hand firmly grasped his wrist.

"...What are you going to look at?" Su Rin stared at him intensely, a trace of urgency in her eyes.

"Checking the domain panel," Su Ming’an said.

"...Don’t," Su Rin said: "The war is won, billions have survived, you’ve done well. Whether it’s the military and civilians of the Ruined World, or Yamada Machiichi, Bi, Sen, and the others... they are all safe. You’ve rescued them from the fate of suffering, fulfilled the last wish of Xia Sheng and others, and ended the war. You’ve already done very well. Recognizing your own role is more important than fulfilling it. I hope you understand, you are a person, not an all-powerful god."

Su Ming’an stared at her.

"I want you to recognize your own importance, not just to this world, but also to your world. Billions of people, they all need you," Su Rin said: "And... me. I’m still waiting for you to take me back to Pulaya, you can’t give up, understand?"

"What do you mean?" Su Ming’an said.

He and Su Rin stood stiff on the street as one truck after another drove past them.

"Hum—" Suddenly, a truck stopped beside them, the door opened, and a heavily armed soldier jumped down and saluted Su Ming’an: "City Lord, finally found you."

"Hmm?" Su Ming’an looked up.

"R098 Guardian squad confirmed no survivors at 1:40 AM, their equipment, achievements, and accrued compensation to be distributed to the families." The soldier handed him a black card: "Please take possession of the belongings; it contains all the possessions of the deceased."

"What deceased? I’m not anyone’s family member," Su Ming’an said. All of Yasa Acto’s relatives are dead, where would there be any family?

"Huh? There’s no way I could be mistaken about your affairs..." The soldier opened a notebook, confirmed the name of the deceased: "No mistake, Luo Kylstia, her records state that you are one of her only two family members..."