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Translator: CinderTL
The Tiger Soul Research Institute's branch base wasn't located in a desolate wilderness. After an hour's walk, he began to see other people.
Watching the smiling faces of passersby, immersed in the festive New Year atmosphere, a deep sense of loneliness washed over him.
After waiting a long time at the bus stop, a driverless maglev car slowly pulled up.
He boarded, and the sensor door automatically closed behind him.
Taking a window seat, he watched as the car accelerated forward.
Gazing at the endless rows of red, auspicious decorations outside, the loneliness inexplicably surged again.
Yet, his inner resolve grew even stronger amidst the emotional turmoil.
The maglev car traveled at high speed, reaching the eastern district station of Star City in two hours.
When he disembarked, the station was deserted.
Following the route etched in his memory, he walked step by step toward the home he hadn't returned to in years.
After walking down the street for a while, he entered the residential complex where his old home was located. The scene before him felt utterly foreign.
He remembered an ancient locust tree once stood ahead, but now it had been replaced by a lush green garden. Even the staircases within the complex had been renovated and rebuilt.
As he climbed the stairs, the laughter of neighbors and the cheerful shouts of children filled the air.
Everything here felt both strange and familiar.
Finally, he stood before the door of his home, which hadn't been opened in years.
Following his memory, he reached into the gap beside the door and retrieved a key.
As he unlocked the door, a musty, decaying wood smell rushed out.
He stepped inside, closed the door, and pressed the light switch on the wall.
The flickering light illuminated the room.
After years of neglect, the interior was now covered in dust and cobwebs.
Yet the sight still evoked memories of his childhood.
On the left wall, scratches marked his growth over the years. In the right corner stood the stuffed animal that had been his favorite toy. A cartoon chart on the wall displayed the pronunciation guide he had used when first learning to speak.
Now, the chart was yellowed, and the handwriting had faded.
Turning to the left, he saw a stack of children's storybooks piled up.
He still remembered many of the stories from those books. The arrival of each monthly magazine was his most exciting moment, promising new tales to devour.
His gaze drifted to a photo frame displayed on the cabinet.
Approaching the cabinet, he reached out and picked up the frame, wiping away the dust.
The photo showed a family portrait.
It had been taken before his parents left for the front lines, when he was only six years old.
In the picture, he stood between his parents, holding their hands and grinning innocently at the camera. His parents, flanking him on either side, wore expressions of tender affection.
As he gazed at the photo, memories flooded his mind.
The once-blurred images of his parents sharpened into vivid clarity.
He had once struggled to understand why they would abandon him to fight on the front lines.
But as he grew older, he gradually grasped the deeper meaning behind their sacrifice.
Before leaving, his father had ruffled his hair and said, "If we don't fight now, an even heavier burden will fall on your generation. Don't think Mom and Dad are being cruel..."
Sacrificing the small family for the greater good wasn't just about lofty ideals; it was about securing a future for their own family.
"Without a nation, there is no home." This saying still holds true in this era.
Without Human Civilization, there is no future for the individual.
The sacrifices of the older generation were made so that the new generation could grow up in a better world.
If not for their relentless struggle, humanity might not have even been able to defend its five major cities, and everyone would have been reduced to scavenging wanderers.
At that moment, he deeply understood the feelings his parents must have had back then.
It was both for the greater good and for the sake of their own small family.
After wiping the photo frame clean, he placed it back on the cabinet.
Looking around, he decided to tidy up the place.
An hour later, Feng Qi gazed at the thoroughly cleaned room, a faint smile appearing on his face.
He hadn't returned to this home in many years.
Seeing these familiar objects stirred up memories, making him feel both nostalgic and heartbroken.
But now, he had finally let go of the past.
He understood his parents' choices and had neither disappointed them nor himself.
He carried a chair to the balcony and sat down, looking up at the fireworks blooming endlessly in the sky.
Hearing the innocent laughter of children next door, a long-lost smile returned to his face.
Tiger Soul Research Institute.
The brutal battle raged on.
Members of the Nightshadow Clan's three factions fought with bloodshot eyes.
The carnage chilled the hearts of the clan's elders.
They feared that such relentless slaughter would cripple the Nightshadow Clan, and the situation had spiraled far beyond their expectations.
Their original plan had been to overthrow the clan leader's faction, dismantle the old system, and establish a new, equitable distribution system.
They had never intended to exterminate the current clan leader's faction.
Instead, they had planned to offer the faction members a chance at survival, allowing them to contribute to the Nightshadow Clan's future.
After all, they were all members of the same clan.
In the domain world teeming with myriad races, the Nightshadow Clan, like other racial powers, viewed their clan as a nation.
And they were all citizens of the Nightshadow Kingdom.
Even though the current conflict required armed resolution, they believed there would ultimately be room for reconciliation.
They differed from the new generation members.
Having endured periods of resource scarcity, the elders understood that preserving their gains required enhancing the clan's overall strength.
But the new generation held vastly different views.
Their radical actions had transformed the envisioned struggle into a brutal bloodbath.
By now, the situation had become irreversible.
Members of all three factions had lost loved ones in the battle, making it impossible to stop now.
Hatred intensified the conflict.
The older generation of the Nightshadow Clan was utterly helpless.
Their only remaining choice was to continue down the path of error.
Now that the situation had reached this point, the only way to secure the Nightshadow Clan's future was to completely exterminate the clan leader's lineage.
Watching the figures fall around him one by one, the Lord of the Mist felt no emotion.
He had become Death incarnate, roaming the battlefield.
His body was covered in wounds, but he paid them no heed.
This new body was merely a tool he had used to destroy the Nightshadow Clan; its purpose was nearly fulfilled.
After this battle, it could be discarded without regret.
He would soon possess a brand-new body—the true cornerstone of his ascent to power.
With that body's influence, he could finally unleash the long-dormant plan he had harbored in his heart.
Finally, after three hours, as he surveyed the ravaged Tiger Soul Core District, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Amidst the terrified gazes around him, gray mist erupted from his body, instantly forming a vast Sea of Gray Mist.
The mist face materialized, its gaze sweeping over the exhausted Nightshadow clansmen like a deity observing ants.
A new round of slaughter had begun.
It was 11:55 PM.
Dragging his battered and weary body, the Lord of the Mist ascended the stairs to the rooftop, step by step.
Reaching the edge of the rooftop, he climbed onto the low perimeter wall.
Standing atop the wall, he gazed down at the nightscape of Star City, a sense of exhilaration filling his heart.
From this Tiger Soul Research Institute beneath his feet, he would begin his ascent, step by step, until he reached the very pinnacle.
At that moment, the midnight bells chimed across Star City.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, he leaped down from the wall, leaned against its edge to catch his breath, and pulled out his phone.
Opening his contacts, he dialed a number.
After a brief wait, the call connected.
A smile spread across the Lord of the Mist's blood-stained face.
"Feng Qi, Happy New Year. I've succeeded."
(End of the Chapter)
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