After dinner, the three of them went upstairs to the karaoke hall to sing together.
At this time, karaoke halls were still in their heyday and had yet to be replaced by places like nightclubs and bars.
However, places like bars had already begun to exert an increasingly greater influence. Quite a few curious young people and stressed middle-aged people liked to unwind in places like that.
But there were only so many kinds of stress to begin with, and in places like that, it was easy for other kinds to arise from them, so things were inevitably a little chaotic.
Han Fei had never considered going to such places.
The fun soon came to an end.
Everyone went home and went looking for their mothers.
It was now the end of December 2012, and the New Year was about to arrive.
Chapter 33: A Great Chrysanthemum Suddenly Appeared in the Sky!
Today was a special day. Humanity would, for the first time, come to understand the profound terror that came from the boundless universe.
December 31, 2012.
For the past two days, Han Fei had gone wild with Zhao Xin, singing and eating out.
It had relieved a great deal of Han Fei's stress.
Fortunately, although the two of them had undergone transformations, they were still losers in certain respects. They might have had the nerve, but not the guts, to visit certain places, so they had not egged each other on and dragged Han Fei along.
And so, they kept fooling around until the afternoon.
Han Fei told Zhao Xin and Liu Chuang to hurry home.
Zhao Xin hesitated a little, while Liu Chuang simply said, "No rush. There's nothing worth going back for. It's too lonely by myself. I might as well stay here and celebrate the New Year with Boss."
Zhao Xin looked as though he wholeheartedly agreed.
Han Fei laughed and cursed, "Get lost! This year is different for me. I don't need you two around. Go home yourselves. Too lonely by yourself? Want me to call your moms and see what they have to say about you two?"
Seeing him put it that way, the two of them visibly relaxed. Zhao Xin grinned and slung an arm around him.
"Come on, aren't we just worried about you being alone..."
"Get off me. Don't put your arm around my shoulder. I'm telling you, Zhao Xin, don't think I've forgotten that nickname of yours, Chrysanthemum Xin..."
The three of them gradually went their separate ways amid playful scuffling.
A while later, Qi Lin sent him a message. She said her parents wanted to thank him for all the help he had given them and wanted to invite him over for dinner.
He politely declined.
"What a kind-hearted girl."
Han Fei knew that when they hung out, they had more or less talked about such matters, so she naturally knew about his situation.
Inviting him over at a time like this was naturally an act of kindness.
Still, Han Fei refused.
Aside from certain reasons.
Going over at a time like this would make him feel somewhat awkward.
Besides, he was not that fragile.
Why was everyone acting like this?
Han Fei shook his head helplessly.
Then he headed home.
Eight o'clock that night.
Han Fei stayed home and watched the various gala programs on television.
Aunt Li had finished preparing the food and had already gone home.
Other than the bodyguards, there seemed to be no one else in the entire compound.
At first glance, Han Fei looked all alone, somewhat lonely.
But in truth, he was not spending New Year's alone.
"Hahaha."
A clear, bell-like laugh rang out beside him.
Hexi sat nearby, watching the gala performances and laughing.
She laughed so hard that she rocked back and forth.
Showing off her lovely curves.
She barely even touched the dishes she usually loved most on the table.
"Big hammer, eighty! Small hammer, forty!"
"My name is Hao Jian!"
"I'm selling crutches here! Come on, stomp your feet twice!"
It was obvious that she was very happy.
Han Fei watched the skits with her, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
Ever since learning that this was the world of Super God, he had been under immense pressure for years.
Every day, he planned this and planned that, traded with others, worried about being persecuted by powerful nations, guarded against all kinds of assassinations, and fretted over the future. By now, he had finally built up some foundations and gained some ability to protect himself.
But when he thought about the wars to come, he could not help feeling worried.
After all, war was a matter of vital importance to a nation—the ground of death and life, the way of survival and destruction. It could not be ignored!
What was more, this was a war unlike anything Earth had ever seen.
What came next might be the first step into the universe, forged amid blood and fire.
Or it might be the prelude to stepping into an abyss of eternal damnation.
All of that always made Han Fei think too much.
And perhaps do too little.
The gap between civilizations could not be bridged overnight.
He had a cheat ability, or perhaps talent, but such things depended too heavily on luck and time. Over the years, everything he had fished out had been scattered and unsystematic. If he had not coincidentally fished out Hexi, a controlled avatar of sorts, filling in the basics and effectively giving him cosmic-level intelligence in scientific research—
He probably would still be nothing more than a self-taught amateur.
He would never have reached a level close to an interstellar civilization, with some of his technology even attaining interstellar-grade standards.
That was the importance of a cosmic-level scientist.
They could transform a civilization in a short period of time.
Do not be fooled by the fact that Earth had reached the pre-nuclear era in only around five thousand years. Earth was actually rather special. For other normal civilizations, heh.
After five thousand years, they might still be stuck in the feudal era, or only just entering the steam age.
Nuclear weapons?
What were those?
That was how exaggerated it was.
Thinking of this, Han Fei felt a trace of guilt for no apparent reason, but he quickly returned to normal. For the sake of survival, such methods were acceptable.
He secretly glanced at the silver-haired beauty, who was still smiling as she watched the skits.
Then he relaxed slightly.
He had already done it.
Feeling guilty now was nothing but pointless hindsight.
Guilt was normal. It meant he had a conscience. But not doing anything irrational or overly emotional because of it meant he knew how to distinguish right from wrong.
After years of tempering, Han Fei clearly knew the difference.
In the blink of an eye, he returned to normal. As he watched the skits, he occasionally teased Hexi, livening up the atmosphere.
"Hexi, don't call me Chairman anymore. It's too distant. Just call me Han Fei."
"Huh? Sure."
Hexi did not react much as she watched television and casually answered him.
She did not seem to care much.
That instead made Han Fei relax, and he forcefully brushed aside the little awkwardness in his heart before turning his attention back to the gala.
It really was not bad.
At least the galas at this time were quite entertaining.
At the very least, they were not filled exclusively with positive-energy propaganda.
However, beside him, the smile on Hexi's face changed ever so slightly.
Because of the angle, Han Fei had not been able to see that change in her expression.
Naturally, he did not see her purse her lips in that instant.
"...Let us celebrate the arrival of the new year..."
The gala soon came to an end.
And it was nearly midnight.
The new year was about to arrive.
"Wow! Han Fei, look, look!"
Like a little girl, Hexi tugged at his sleeve and looked up at the sky.
Han Fei frowned slightly, but he did not refuse.
High in the sky.
Magnificent blossoms suddenly bloomed one after another.
No riot of colors could adequately describe them.
In the night sky, fireworks became the most beautiful sight of that moment.
Countless people stepped into the new year beneath those fireworks.
Everything was about to have a new beginning.
Including... civilization.
"W-What is that?!"
Before you continue