Chapter 480: IF Route: Modern Era (08)
On New Year's Eve, heavy snow fell.
Every household is preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner, and colorful fireworks are being set off everywhere outside, with firecrackers going off non-stop.
Tang Ting's family prepared a large table of dishes and were having a lively New Year's Eve dinner.
"I won't be able to go back for Chinese New Year this year; I'll have to wait until next year."
"Third Brother, you don't want to come home after just going abroad!"
Tao Tao Le leaned closer to Tang Ting and spoke to the person in the video.
That's their third brother, Bai Zhou, who went to study in North Lotte this year.
"I had already bought the tickets, but something came up and I had to put them off. But I have already bought you gifts, and they should arrive in a couple of days."
After saying that, Bai Zhou glanced at the camera and said, "Where's Xiao Qi? I haven't seen her yet."
Lokin lifted Anunu, who was diligently eating, onto his lap and said to Anunu, "Anunu, this is your third brother."
Anunu called Bai Zhou "Third Brother".
Bai Zhou also spoke a few words to her in Nanska.
"Spring is here, I'll see if I can go back home when I have some free time."
Tang Ting said, "You don't need to come back just to see Xiao Qi. You should focus on your studies. We'll take Xiao Qi and the others out to play when we have time, and we'll also come to see you."
Bai Zhou responded briefly, then greeted his younger siblings before asking, "Where's my second sister? Hasn't she contacted the family?"
Luo Jin paused for a moment, then said, "Your second sister has a special mission to complete. She can only contact us after she finishes her mission."
After hanging up the video call, Luo Jin opened his call history with his second sister, Karina. The last time they talked was half a month ago when she went to the sea area where Dongwuzhou and Xiluozhou meet to carry out a mission. A month has passed and the mission is still not completed.
Her finger lingered on Karina's number for a moment, but she turned off the phone screen.
Karina's mission is special; she probably won't have a signal.
They have seven children in total, but only Tao Tao Le and Baroque are their biological children.
Hicks was the child of Lockin's eldest brother, and Ota was the child of his second brother. They both died in the mission, so she took both children with her and raised them.
Bai Zhou is the child of Tang Ting's sister. The sister divorced early and went abroad. At first, Tang Ting's parents raised him, and later he lived with them.
As for the second child, Karina, she is not human. They found her on an island fifteen years ago when they were on a mission in a sea area. She has dragon genes and is under the control of the Special Biological Administration.
Since they found Karina, they took care of her for a while. Karina, who possessed high intelligence like humans, recognized them as her parents, and the department handed over the management of Karina to them.
Because of Karina's precedent, they believed that Anunu's situation would be easier to handle.
However, their negotiations with the bureau have been hampered in the past few days because someone posted Anunu's photos online and denounced them as scum parents who were exploiting their child.
Although it was just a misunderstanding, it made the Administration see the problems with Anunu.
“Things are not like they were fifteen years ago, or even five years ago.” The director of the Administration Bureau told them, “Now that the internet is so developed, any small incident posted online can easily escalate into serious public opinion with just a few words. This child is indeed still young and can be kept under control, but she must be admitted to the Special Biological Administration Bureau.”
"You have to make her understand who she is."
Tangting and Logan remained silent for a long time, unsure whether Anunu would accept the fact that she was not human.
Moreover, all we know for now is that she is not human; we haven't found out exactly what she is. Apart from her unusual hair color, she looks no different from a human.
Unlike Karina, whose features were more distinct, Karina was unable to control her form until she was ten years old.
After dinner, the children wanted to go out and set off fireworks, so Hicks led them to the yard.
"Xiao Qi, get ready to release them, stay away!"
Tao Tao Le held an incense stick close to the fireworks. Anunu stood behind her, watching the object curiously. Seeing that Tao Tao Le's hands were trembling, she took the incense stick from her and lit it immediately. Hicks quickly stepped forward and carried her away.
"Bang!" The fireworks lit up, startling Tao Tao Le so much that she screamed and fell down on her bottom in the snow. Hicks then picked her up with one hand.
Anunu watched as the thing exploded with a "bang bang bang!" His curious expression instantly turned serious, and he shouted, "There's a bomb!" before breaking free from Hicks's grasp and jumping down.
Then, she grabbed a broom from the yard to knock down the fireworks, but Hicks quickly pulled her away and explained, "Anunu, these are fireworks, not bombs."
Hicks thought of Anunu's past life, a chaotic place filled with fighting and ammunition. Her first reaction to fireworks was to think of explosives. He cursed himself for not thinking things through.
She put Anunu down and patiently explained the difference between fireworks and bombs to her.
After hearing this, Anunu looked up at the magnificent fireworks overhead.
Tao Tao Le lit a few more handheld sparklers and handed them to Anunu. Anunu hesitated for a while before taking them. After confirming that there was no danger, she played with them in the yard.
Hicks leaned against the doorway, watching Anunu happily playing with fireworks and her siblings. She smiled along, and just as she took out a cigarette from her pocket, she saw several figures standing at the gate.
He put away his cigarette and walked to the door. When he saw who it was, the smile on his face disappeared.
"No, you don't celebrate the New Year?"
The leading man said, "I am from the Northern Lothians, and I don't celebrate the New Year."
Hicks scoffed, "Fairent, you've been in Dongwuzhou for so many years, don't you know how to adapt to local customs?"
He then looked at the group of people behind Ferrent, "You don't celebrate the New Year, but what about them? They don't celebrate either."
Ferrent didn't want to say much to him, and showed him his identification. "Let us complete the mission, and they can go home for the New Year."
Hicks took out a cigarette, lit it, took a drag, and exhaled. "Not today."
Ferrent looked at him coldly, "According to the Special Biological Management Law, you are illegally possessing non-human intelligent beings, which violates the law. We have the right to arrest you directly."
"Keeping it privately?" Hicks said, "We've already reported it directly to the higher-ups. What, you didn't get the news?"
Ferrent stepped forward. "Which one are you referring to above? Since when has the Special Administration Bureau been ruled by one person?"
The atmosphere between the two instantly froze. Fireworks continued to bloom overhead, and the joyful laughter of children filled the air. Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a voice rang out from behind the crowd: "Make way."
Upon hearing this voice, Hicks looked surprised, then delighted.
Ferrent and the others turned around, and there stood a tall girl in the snow, her face even colder than the snow itself.
Upon seeing her, his expression turned somewhat wary, and he asked in surprise, "Karina? Why are you back?"
Karina said expressionlessly, "Coming back for the New Year, is there a problem?"
Ferrent was taken aback by her words. "No problem, as long as you've completed your mission."
Karina stepped forward and said to him, "Get out of the way. Go home for the New Year. What are you doing here at my house?"
Ferrent immediately replied, "I'm here on a mission."
Karina gave him a strange look, then glanced at the several staff members behind him who looked embarrassed, and said to him, "You're crazy."
Ferrent: "???"
Karina: "Why aren't you resting during the Lunar New Year? What missions are you on? Everyone else is celebrating the New Year too!"
Before Ferrent could say anything more, Karina glared at him with eyes like knives: "Get lost."
Ferrent was not going to leave so easily. He had worked hard to secure this mission, and it was related to Hicks and the others. He wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.
However, the girl in front of him was not human and was not so easy to talk to. If they really started fighting, he would be the one who suffered.
He was unwilling to leave like this; he wanted to at least see that inhuman being again.
"According to the Special Administration Bureau's assessment, she is an S-class non-human creature. Even you cannot arbitrarily obstruct us from carrying out our mission."
Karina placed her hand on her waist, inside her trench coat. No one knew if it was a gun or a knife, but whatever it was, with her abilities, she could take down this whole group.
Ferrent swallowed nervously. "Karina, what do you mean? You're hindering our mission!"
Karina: "Since you can't understand human language, there's no need to say anything."
She took a step forward, and Ferrent and the men behind him immediately took a step back.
Seeing them like this, Hicks laughed, "What kind of mission has to come during the New Year? Ferrent, don't be so impatient. If I let you through this door today, I'll quit my job at the Special Administration Bureau, and you can forget about working here either."
Although he was smiling, his eyes were icy cold.
Ferrent: "Who are you threatening...?"
Karina was about to lift her trench coat when Locke emerged from inside.
"No wonder it was so lively outside, it turns out Karina is back."
Luo Jin smiled and hugged her. "I was just thinking about you, and now you're back. Your father and I are so happy that you're back for New Year's Eve."
As she spoke, she looked at Ferrent again, "Ferrant, do you have nowhere to spend the New Year?"
As Ferrent watched them all emphasize his New Year's plans, he took a deep breath, looked at the family, and was about to speak when Lokin interrupted him, "Don't worry, we'll personally take Anunu to the bureau after the New Year. You don't need to worry about it. If you have any objections, you can report to your superiors. Don't you know that the New Year is the most important festival in Dongwuzhou?"
Ferrent glanced at them, then gritted his teeth and left.
As soon as they left, Logan put his arm around Karina and headed home. "Why didn't you tell us you were back? Did the mission go well?"
Karina said, "It didn't go very smoothly, but it's finished now."
"It's good that you came back safely," said Luo Jin.
As soon as Karina entered the yard, she saw the child squatting over the snowman.
The moment Karina saw her, she knew she wasn't human. Perhaps it was her intuition as a fellow non-human, or perhaps it was her beautiful pink-gold hair.
As if sensing her gaze, Anunu turned her head to look at her.
Karina walked up to her and squatted down. Anunu blinked her eyes and looked at her curiously. She could feel that the beautiful older sister in front of her had a different aura than the people around her.
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