This release conference was live-streamed, with screens inside and outside broadcasting the event.

It was also available on the forum.

After all, the Artisan Department couldn’t accommodate all the warriors from the base, and the top-ranked battle teams, who had earned their positions through life-threatening battles, naturally had the right to be invited to attend in person.

The final speaker was the new leader of H City, who spoke about the headquarters’ pledge not to abandon any human being. This was not just a slogan; everyone was striving to follow this principle.

However, in the apocalypse, after so much time had passed, it was impossible to have zero casualties with every mission. Some people had to sacrifice their lives for the greater good.

And it wasn’t just frontline warriors.

For example, how many people in the Artisan Department had collapsed while developing new weapons and tools? The number of sudden deaths was not small.

Some had died in accidents while testing machinery, worrying about unfinished work before they passed away.

The medical staff at the base’s hospitals had also been working tirelessly, and even regular medical workers had been staying up late. How long had it been since they had a full night’s rest?

Specialized hospitals were also dangerous, as they treated patients infected with mutated viruses. A slip-up could lead to occupational exposure.

Note: Occupational exposure refers to the risk of harm or health threats due to one’s profession, which may endanger life or health.

The metamorphs were also working diligently, cautiously contributing to the base’s efforts.

Even ordinary people were contributing their share, whether in factories or other professions.

But these efforts often went unnoticed.

The leaders of the H City base said, “Aside from the heroes who sacrificed their lives, we must thank every one of you here for getting us to where we are today.”

It was through everyone’s efforts that they had made it this far, so they should applaud themselves.

The applause erupted throughout the room.

At this moment, many people in front of the screens were in tears, visibly moved.

Xu Duoduo’s eyes were red as she clutched Qin Luo’s clothes, glancing around at the people beside them. It was a relief that everyone was here, and Qin Luo was also looking at his teammates.

Wang Weihuo, Bai Shu, and Chen Xiaofei were all there too, and the four of them were a little closer together.

The leader clarified that the speech wasn’t meant to make everyone cry but was a reminder with New Year’s Eve approaching. While celebrating the Spring Festival, they should also be thankful for those who sacrificed for the collective.

The base’s cemetery had been constructed, and if anyone wanted to, they could go there to pay their respects.

The release conference ended.

As they walked out, everyone was both sentimental and moved, with heavy hearts.

Before they knew it, New Year’s Eve was upon them.

Time had flown by so quickly.

Chen Xiaofei and the others were a bit silent since their families were no longer around.

Qin Luo was in the same situation.

“Heh, maybe we should go visit tomorrow. I heard most people have tombstones now. It’s a public cemetery, so we should be able to find their names. My parents’ graves are in B City,” Qin Luo said.

Qin Luo’s parents were both soldiers and had died early in the apocalypse.

Other relatives were distant, and most had perished, except for Du Chunjiang, a distant cousin who had only been met in H City after the apocalypse.

In truth, most people’s families were either dead or scattered. The few who had their families intact were the lucky ones.

Speaking of Zhao Gang, Liu Chunhui, and their daughter, this family of three had been quite lucky. They were the ones saved at the service area before.

It was truly a blessing for a family to stay together.

But sentimentality was not a trait of 3A. A good attitude was what mattered most. They quickly recovered from their feelings.

“No problem that can’t be solved with a hot pot! If there is, just have another round, and if that doesn’t work, we can have some dessert!”

After returning to Qin Luo’s home, Xu Duoduo quickly took out a variety of foods, and the group began preparing the hot pot ingredients. Once they started eating, their mood lifted by 80-90%.

Laughter and cheer ensued.

Chen Xiaofei had drunk quite a bit of red wine. “Ugh, this expensive red wine from before the apocalypse is just mediocre. It doesn’t taste good at all!” He added, “I’d prefer my AD calcium milk.”

Bai Shu, a bit tipsy, asked, “How much did they pay you for the AD calcium commercial? I’ll give you ten times that!” Burp

Wang Weihuo was already holding the bottle, laughing foolishly, looking rather silly.

Qin Luo buried his head in Xu Duoduo’s arms, humming, “I’m a little dog! Whose little dog am I? Am I yours, Xu Duoduo?”

Big dog Qin Luo was definitely drunk.

Xu Duoduo looked at Qin Luo, who was being silly, and then at Chen Xiaofei and the others. She found it amusing and felt it would be their embarrassing moment in the future. So, she pulled out her tablet, took a video, and then focused on Qin Luo. “Are you Xu Duoduo’s big dog?”

Qin Luo giggled foolishly, “Yeah, I am. Am I not?”

Xu Duoduo filmed him, the drunk big dog was cute, and she leaned over to kiss him on the lips, “Yes, you are, unique and one of a kind.”

Then the video stopped recording.

The next morning.

Qin Luo woke up to find himself naked. When he saw that Xu Duoduo was also naked, he immediately panicked, “Crap, I didn’t do anything stupid last night, did I?”

He was about to be scared to death.

Usually, Xu Duoduo was the one to get drunk, but he didn’t drink too much, right? He probably had a bit too much last night due to his emotions. Did he do anything bad?

Qin Luo was doubting life.

Xu Duoduo calmly rolled over to continue sleeping. She had stripped the dog’s clothes off last night because of the smell of alcohol. A freshly drunk dog smelled so nice.

But alcohol smells bad after a while, so when she pulled Qin Luo to bed, she took off his clothes.

She did the same for herself.

It was more comfortable to sleep clean.

Qin Luo nervously checked on Xu Duoduo, relieved to find he hadn’t hurt her. He gently bumped his head against the blanket-wrapped Xu Duoduo.

Eventually, he found that his soft, fragrant wife was adorable.

He kissed her for a long time.

Chen Xiaofei and the others were sleeping in the living room, just one door away, under thick blankets.

When Qin Luo left for a shower, they were still fast asleep.

It wasn’t until 10 AM that everyone woke up.

After a quick wash and breakfast, they all went to pay respects to the fallen warriors, some of whom Qin Luo recognized. But they didn’t speak much. After quietly walking around, they left.

Then, they spent a lively New Year with the base, with lanterns and decorations all over the streets.

Red everywhere.

It looked festive.

Mu Enya’s team arrived back just in time for New Year’s Eve, and they were overjoyed. When they saw Xu Duoduo, they gave her a hug, saying how happy they were to see her again.

Their team had encountered the Full Black Day on their mission and had almost given up hope of returning.

But Xu Duoduo couldn’t spend time with Mu Enya because a new mission had arrived.

This time, it was an overseas mission.

Bai Shu urgently called everyone to discuss, “The new mission is overseas, and it’s quite difficult.”

It would also involve cooperation with other countries in an international operation.

Qin Luo complained, “I hate going on missions with people from other countries. They’re so annoying with all their chatter.”

Xu Duoduo found this situation quite interesting. Hadn’t they gone on missions with teams from other countries before? She was holding a colorful fruit given to her by Mu Enya, which supposedly tasted like rainbow candy, sweet and delicious.