"Are you out of your mind?" Nora Scott shot him a sharp look immediately. The wind blew her bangs off her forehead, and Pedro Langley leisurely added, "Squatting here late at night watching fireworks, braving the cold, that’s not your kind of fun." Being exposed by him, Nora raised an eyebrow. She sighed, "Someone told me to stay here and watch the fireworks, no idea what they’re up to." Pedro squinted, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. After a pause, Nora pondered on how to introduce, couldn’t figure out how. In the end, she gave a perfunctory answer, "A friend." His eyes flickered slightly, Pedro resisted the urge to ask directly, averted his gaze, casually asking, "And that person?" "Don’t know, didn’t ask." Nora lazily responded, stretching out a long leg in front of her, then taking out her phone to glance at the time. Still more than ten minutes to go. She chatted idly with Pedro and in the time that followed, finished off the cooled sugar-roasted chestnuts in the paper bag. Pedro intended to stand up and throw away the trash, but the fabric of his sleeve was suddenly grabbed by Nora. When he turned back, the bag in his hand had already been snatched away. The next moment, he saw Nora raise a hand, tossing the bag upward. A smooth arc trailed into the trash can. Nora didn’t even look when the bag fell. She stood up the moment it dropped, tilted her head, and urged Pedro, "It’s time, let’s go." Pedro’s gaze lingered on the trash can for two seconds, then he meaningfully withdrew his gaze, got up, and followed her. One before the other. Just as they stepped out of the alley, the sound of distant commotion reached them. Both slightly raised their heads, seeing streaks of light rising into the night sky, then exploding loudly at the top. Colorful fireworks clustered together, bursting across the sky, brilliant and ephemeral. The wind blew, causing blurry eyes. Pedro slightly turned his head, seeing Nora’s profile in his line of sight, her fair, delicate skin enshrined in a layer of an ethereal, dreamy glow. The kaleidoscope of colors glowed intermittently, casting a luminescent bridge in her eyes. As if sensing something, her dark pupils moved slightly, and Nora suddenly turned her head. By sheer chance, their eyes met. Her eyes contained an ocean of stars, deep and unfathomable, black and bright, with a mesmerizing power. Pedro didn’t look away, his lips curling into a subtle smile, calmly saying, "Happy New Year." His voice, carried by the wind, had a tinge of hoarseness. Nora chuckled, carefree and natural. In the dazzling glow, she looked like a painting, the city’s night scene and the resplendent fireworks serving as her backdrop. As the words fell, her phone rang. When she flipped out the phone, Pedro glanced unobtrusively at the contact name— She feigned reluctance as she brought the phone to her ear and answered. "Happy New Year. Did you see it?" Boss Alex’s voice was just as cheerful as always. "Mm." Nora looked into the distance, her dark eyes reflecting the blooming fireworks, tasting bland, "Besides being flashy, what else——" The words abruptly stopped. Realizing something, Pedro looked toward the riverbank night sky. This display of fireworks was nearing its end, and suddenly, several fireworks rushed together into the night sky, with varying depths and heights of brightness. At the moment of bloom, they formed a discernible pattern. A mature dandelion, with half of its seeds remaining, the other half scattering, floating across the wide, endless night sky as if to drift afar. Biel Hall’s emblem: Dandelion. One person alone cannot withstand everything. So each member is a seed, taking root where it lands, sprouting, connecting in a sequence to form a network. They are ordinary and commonplace; They have done the minutest of tasks and also monumental deeds. Often, a complete piece of intelligence might take hundreds or thousands of people contributing their efforts. Accompanying the blooming and drifting dandelions, Boss Alex’s words came over the phone, "Hall Master, Happy New Year." Her eyes narrowed briefly, then opened, with a smile rippling, like the lake reflecting the sun, moon, and stars stirred into disturbance, even the light shattered into scattered fragments. "Quite a feat," Nora laughed, "we’re so broke we can’t make ends meet, yet we still splurge , ready to bust on one big extravagance?" "We’re out of money, but we’ve got the numbers," Boss Alex also laughed, "Relied on the power of the people, not a cent spent." Nora was slightly surprised. "The venue was secured through connections and face, no effort needed. Even the publicity was free." "How about the fireworks?" Boss Alex unhurriedly said, "There’s a retired old craftsman in Xiangel City who heard you are the new Hall Master and promptly wanted to give you a big gift, no questions asked. The fireworks were made by him and his apprentices for free. Didn’t you help him out in a big way before?" After thinking for a moment, Nora responded belatedly. In her view, the last bits of fireworks turned to ash, dissipating into the night sky, returning it to its cool, dark state. The dazzling scene just moments ago felt like an illusion from a dream. The phone returned to her pocket, her fingers so cold that her bones ached. Nora turned her body, meeting Pedro’s inquisitive gaze directly. She smiled, "Do you know who made these fireworks?" Nora said, "Remember the day we stayed up all night to catch a criminal, and cleared a suspect’s name?" They spent the night waiting and successfully caught the criminal, obtaining evidence. This cleared the suspicion from a fireworks craftsman. The unexpected answer slightly shocked Pedro. He asked, "This firework show, it’s for you?" Smiling at him, Nora lazily replied, "It’s for us, you have a share." An indescribable emotion surged in his heart, like something struck sharply, causing a wave to rise, hard to bring to calm. Sunshine broke through the clouds, peeling back a corner of the gloomy mist. After completing their statements at the police station, exhausted from a whole night, she bought two crispy pancakes by the cold, wind-swept roadside, throwing one to him. She said, "Thanks to you for the night, the credit goes to breakfast." She never hesitated to share her glory, naturally grouping you with her. "It’s wrapped up, heading back?" A voice drew Pedro back from his musings. Nora’s hands were tucked in her pockets, she tilted her head and looked up at him, smiling slightly. The next moment, without giving Pedro a chance to think, his feet instinctively followed in step with Nora. In a villa, second-floor bedroom. Sophie Scott sat on a chair, her feet on it, encircling one hand around her knees, holding a phone with the screen lit in the other. She stared unblinkingly at the electronic clock, heart skipping at the moment it ticked over to "00:00." With trembling fingers, she clicked "send," dispatching the pre-composed content to Henry Chapman. Yet, ten seconds, thirty seconds, a minute, three minutes, five minutes... The phone kept vibrating, with countless greeting messages coming in. Her emotions transitioned from nervous, excited, hesitant, regretful... until disappointment, Sophie finally exited the conversation window. At this point, in the conversation list, the name "CC Comics · Editor Molly" popped up. She clicked to open it. [CC Comics · Editor Molly]: UU you little cutie, Happy New Year. By the way, how about a new concept?\(^o^)/~ Her gaze lingered for a moment. Almost involuntarily, Sophie clicked to reply. [Sophie Scott]: Happy New Year. [Sophie Scott]: Molly, thinking of starting a post-apocalyptic theme, how do you feel about it?