My Mosquito Clones Are on a Killing Spree

"Hahaha! What a blast!"

Luo Qian stood with his hands on his hips, laughing triumphantly as if he himself were responsible for the spectacular display.

Lin Yi also tilted his head back, watching the grand fireworks that lit up the night sky.

The frigid air seemed to warm in that fleeting, incandescent glow.

The brilliant light lingered in his pupils for a moment before rapidly fading, leaving a searing afterimage.

Light...

Something stirred in his heart. A faint sliver of insight quietly rippled through his mind.

’That momentary, supreme brightness... that speed, faster than sound...’

’Is that, perhaps, some ultimate expression of "fast"?’

It was fleeting, impossible to grasp.

Yet, it left a faint mark on his mind, on his pursuit of the Fast Gun Intent.

"Hurry, hurry! And this ’Peacock’s Fan’!"

Zhou Meng’s cheerful shout broke him from his reverie.

Like a conductor, she lit another firework.

"WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!"

This time, several streams of colored light shot into the sky at once.

They exploded one after another in the air.

They formed shimmering, overlapping, fan-shaped curtains of light. Blue, green, purple, and silver light intertwined, truly resembling a giant, magnificent peacock unfolding its dreamlike tail in the night sky, bringing the festive celebration to a climax.

Inside the tenement building, many neighbors were drawn in by the spectacular fireworks. They opened their windows to look out, their gasps of awe and bursts of laughter filling the air.

The excited shrieks of children rose one after another.

In that moment, the old tenement building seemed infused with new vitality, brimming with the festive spirit of the New Year and the bustling warmth of everyday life.

Lin Yi watched the brilliant scene before him, listened to the joyful laughter of his friends, and savored a pure happiness and warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The exhaustion from months of Cultivation and the heavy pressure from his concerns about the Illuminati seemed to be temporarily scattered by the dazzling fireworks.

The corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a wider smile. He copied Zhou Meng, craning his neck to watch as the fireworks painted their last bright trajectories against the dark.

This brief moment of relaxation was a respite between battles, a chance to build up his mental reserves.

He knew that once the New Year was over, more severe challenges and even more frenzied Cultivation awaited him.

But for now, he allowed himself to sink into the warmth and clamor of New Year’s Eve, into the festive noise tinged with the scent of gunpowder.

As midnight approached, the sound of firecrackers grew denser, rising from every corner of the city and merging into an ocean of noise bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new.

Luo Qian took out the last and largest firework, a shell called "Myriad Hues." The three of them exchanged a smile and began counting down in unison:

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Luo Qian quickly lit the fuse.

"WHOOSH! BOOM!!!"

A massive ball of light shot up and exploded, transforming into a sky full of star-like points of color, raising the curtain on the new year like a grand, celestial stage.

The light illuminated the three young faces below.

It also illuminated the rekindled and even more determined light in Lin Yi’s eyes.

Fireworks fade quickly.

But the fire in a warrior’s heart never goes out.

"Happy New Year! Haha!"

Luo Qian spun around, his face overflowing with undisguised excitement, and roared with laughter at Lin Yi and Zhou Meng.

Zhou Meng’s smile was like a blooming flower, her clear eyes curving into crescents. She said to Lin Yi in a bright voice, "Master, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, Happy New Year!"

Lin Yi replied with a smile of his own.

His gaze swept over his two friends, filled with a subtle, deep emotion.

’Yes, Happy New Year!’

The old year was gone; all things were made new.

The year 300 of the Red Moon Calendar.

Amid the clamor and the lights of a thousand homes, a new century had quietly begun.

The three of them stood in an open area in their complex, watching the fireworks rising all across the sky over Yang City and savoring this rare joy, a feeling that belonged to a time of peace.

In the distance, brilliant fireworks continued to soar, bursting into multicolored globes of light that made the night sky look like a dream.

However, the new year’s peace and jubilation lasted for less than a moment.

WHOOOOOO! VMMMMMM!!!

A piercing, sharp sound suddenly rang out.

With no warning, a city-wide air-raid siren erupted like a tsunami!

Its dreadful, drawn-out wail instantly overwhelmed the festive roar of the fireworks.

"What’s that sound?!"

The smile on Luo Qian’s face froze instantly.

Zhou Meng’s face went deathly pale with fright. She let out a small cry and instinctively pressed closer to Lin Yi, her body trembling.

Lin Yi’s pupils contracted. His face instantly became incredibly grim as a chill rose from deep within him.

"An air-raid siren?! Is the Red Moon about to appear?!"

He practically roared the words.

He instinctively looked up—

The stars glittered, the moonlight was cold and clear. There wasn’t the slightest trace of the blood-colored Red Moon that brought such despair.

"No, that’s wrong!"

Lin Yi forced himself to calm down. His voice was low but held a note of unquestionable certainty.

"It’s only been a month and a half since the last Red Moon! Even if the interval is shortening, there’s no way it could be this soon!"

"If it’s not the Red Moon... then why is this a city-wide, highest-level air-raid siren?!"

Luo Qian’s voice was laced with clear panic.

He glanced around. The people who had been reveling in the holiday spirit just moments before now had faces etched with confusion and terror. They began to scatter in a panic, searching for shelter.

This highest-level alert had only ever sounded for the apocalyptic arrival of the Red Moon!

Even during a terrifying Demon Beast attack, the fighting would be contained beyond the towering city walls; it would never necessitate a city-wide evacuation!

A deeply ominous premonition wrapped itself around the hearts of all three.

They all knew that Yang City’s High Command would never activate an alert of this level without just cause.