The next day, the sun rose as usual.
Sunlight shone upon the land of Dawn City as it always had, but the once magnificent and prosperous city no longer retained its former glory.
Countless buildings had been reduced to ruins. Dawn Avenue, once bustling with traffic, now had only half a stone archway standing crookedly, its gilded lintel blackened by smoke.
Bodies that had not been cleared away lay exposed in the open streets in all manner of twisted, mutilated poses—humans and Mutated Beasts alike.
The pungent stench of blood lingered heavily in the air, drawing a flock of mutated vultures to circle above Dawn City.
The survivors emerged one after another from the cellars where they had hidden, facing the sun. Some crouched beside the ruins to gather their remaining belongings, while others used wooden planks to build temporary shelters.
There was grief on their faces, but no despair, because they had won this battle.
Though Dawn City was battered and broken, it had not fallen. Like the sun rising as usual, it still carried the hope of rebirth despite enduring catastrophe, illuminating this scarred yet unyielding land.
Bai Ye woke up. He had not slept well; he had kept feeling as though something were crawling over him, and in his daze, he had dreamed of those nine black holes again.
He slowly opened his eyes and suddenly felt a soft pressure against his chest. The fragrance of Snow in Spring Letter filled his nose.
He looked down and froze.
The girl was curled up in the crook of his arm, sleeping soundly with her face buried against his clothes, revealing only half of her fair profile.
Morning light filtered through the gap in the curtains and fell gently over her, making her seem as though she were glowing.