He had not slept all night.
While the residents of Star City were enjoying a happy family reunion, Feng Qi sat on the balcony all night.
During that time, he received New Year's greetings from the Mist Lord, Lin Ran, and Wei Wei.
As he watched the Red Sun gradually rise over the horizon, he stood and brushed the snow from his body.
With the arrival of the new year, he would also begin a new journey toward his ideals.
After entering the house and sweeping his gaze over the belongings in the old home one last time, he stepped out of the room.
He tucked the key back into a crack in the wall and went downstairs without looking back.
From then on, the past would drift away with the wind, and he would follow the Mist Lord into darkness completely.
Outside the residential complex, heavy snow was still falling.
There were few pedestrians on the streets outside the complex. Only snow-clearing robots were working overtime, pushing the snow blanketing the roads to either side.
He exhaled a cloud of white mist and walked straight along the sidewalk toward the bus stop three kilometers away.
The holidays granted to Tiger Soul Research Institute staff and researchers were not uniform.
Researchers working on certain important projects had to return to work the day after the New Year's Eve dinner.
Scientific researchers on less important projects, meanwhile, could rest for a few more days.
He was clearly among the less important personnel.
But he knew he had to return as soon as possible.
The Mist Lord's New Year's greeting last night had already signaled that Tiger Soul Research Institute had been completely taken over.
When he learned the news, he had not been surprised.
Based on his understanding of the Mist