The year-end summary meeting of Starry Sky Group concluded, and the entire group was officially given a holiday, as the Eve of the Lunar New Year was just three days away.

Although Starry Sky Group had officially announced the holiday, the "Starry Sky City" municipal government preparatory team, where the King of Yue served as deputy leader, did not take a break. Over these few days, they transitioned into temporary management roles for "Starry Sky City," effectively filling the current administrative gaps and preventing chaos in the city's governance.

Starry Sky Group achieved brilliant results over the past year, leading to a significant increase in employee income, which brought satisfied smiles to their family members. It could be said that, barring a few exceptions, joy permeated the entirety of "Starry Sky City" as everyone welcomed the arrival of the New Year.

During the first few days of the break, Liu Hui would secretly arrive below Hu Xian'er’s residence every day. He would still linger under that large tree, watching the occasional silhouette of Hu Xian'er moving past the window. Although An Qi had made it clear to Liu Hui that she didn't require any formal status, only to be with him, Liu Hui knew deeply that as long as An Qi remained by his side, Hu Xian'er would never forgive him and would never return home with him. Thus, despite his intense desire to go up and find Hu Xian'er, he genuinely lacked the courage to face her, and every time, he ended up leaving dejectedly.

In previous years, Liu Hui’s relatives and friends would celebrate New Year's Eve at his home. Since his home now lacked a mistress, everyone decided not to bring up Liu Hui’s misfortune. After discussing it amongst themselves, they decided to gather at Mei Peng's house this year to celebrate.

Mei Peng and Liu Lin prepared everything in advance for the collective New Year celebration and then invited Liu Hui, deciding to take this opportunity to offer him guidance.

Although Liu Hui's parents were very worried about him, they also knew that when it came to matters of the heart, outside interference was useless; ultimately, the resolution depended solely on the individual concerned. Therefore, they also hoped that Liu Hui could adjust his mood during the New Year’s Eve gathering and resume his normal life.

However, Liu Hui had his own ideas: on this New Year’s Eve, he didn't want to go to anyone else's house; he wanted to stay in his own home. Even though Hu Xian'er was no longer there, he wouldn't leave, because that was his true home.

Still, Liu Hui didn't want to face that desolate house alone, so he deliberately wandered outside until the sky darkened and all the shops in "Starry Sky City" had closed their doors. With nowhere else to go, he had no choice but to return to his own residence.

Liu Hui returned to the base of his building listlessly. When he unintentionally glanced up at the window of his home, he suddenly noticed a soft light shining within.

Liu Hui was startled, immediately filled with joy, yet quickly followed by a wave of anxiety and apprehension. Uneasily, he returned to his front door, unlocked it with his key, and pushed the door open. Inside, he found Hu Xian'er busily working with cheerful energy. Upon seeing Liu Hui return, Hu Xian'er exclaimed, "Ox, you're back. You’ve worked hard!"

Liu Hui looked at Hu Xian'er speaking to him as usual, and a wave of excitement washed over him. He whispered, "Xian'er, is that you? Have you really come back?"

Hu Xian'er laughed, "Is there anyone else in this world who looks so much like your wife? Also, if you don't hurry up and help, our New Year's Eve dinner might not be ready until next year!"

Liu Hui walked forward emotionally, taking Hu Xian'er's hand. It wasn't until he felt the familiar warmth emanating from her palm that he realized his Hu Xian'er was truly home and not just a hallucination brought on by his longing.

Hu Xian'er allowed Liu Hui to hold her hand and said, "Ox, I won't go over the past, but you must promise me one condition. Otherwise, even if I am home tonight, I will leave tomorrow, and I will never return."

Liu Hui tightly gripped Hu Xian'er's hand and replied, "Tell me, Xian'er. Just say it. As long as I can do it, I will agree."

Hu Xian'er said, "I don't want to concern myself with the matter between you and that An Qi anymore. However, you must never let An Qi appear before my eyes again, and don't mention anything about An Qi to me. Also, if you and An Qi have a child in the future, you must let that child come over to play frequently."

Liu Hui was stunned, a sharp pain piercing his heart. He knew this was Hu Xian'er making a painful compromise, finally letting him off the hook. Although he didn't understand why she specifically mentioned the child, he understood her desire not to see An Qi. Both Hu Xian'er and An Qi were rare and wonderful women, but due to unfortunate twists of fate, they had both become entangled in emotional conflicts with him, causing them immense suffering. His responsibility from now on was to ensure they both found happiness and joy again.

With this thought, Liu Hui said to Hu Xian'er, "Xian'er, don't worry. I will definitely fulfill your condition."

Hu Xian'er withdrew her hand from Liu Hui’s grasp and smiled, "If that's the case, then hurry up and start wrapping the Tangyuan! Do you want us to have no sweet dumplings to eat? This is New Year's Eve!"

Liu Hui blinked, then immediately replied happily, "As you command, my wife!"

Hokkaido, Japan, within a secret military base.

"Professor Kyo, are we ready to depart?" Asakusa asked.

"Asakusa-kun, we have been ready for a long time; we can leave at any moment. It's just that I don't understand why you insist on taking action on New Year's Eve?" Professor Kyo inquired, puzzled.

Asakusa sighed, "Because based on our observations, the defenses of 'Starry Sky City' are extraordinarily tight on normal days; there is virtually no chance for us to infiltrate. Even with the strength of our mecha, we cannot slip in silently. In the hearts of the Huaxia people, New Year's Eve is a very special day. On this day, they take extensive leave and celebrate extravagantly, so only on this day will their vigilance be at its lowest, giving us an opportunity."

Professor Kyo stated, "So you deliberately choose to strike when they are at their weakest?"

"Precisely. Our objective this time is merely to acquire the core secrets of Starry Sky Group, and ideally, obtain a few more high-grade energy stones. Therefore, it's best if we can avoid engaging them directly, as doing so will raise their alertness, making future attempts much harder," Asakusa replied.

Professor Kyo said, "I believe I understand. Shall our 'Yamata no Orochi' depart now?"

Asakusa stood up, bowed to Professor Kyo, and said, "Yes. I apologize for troubling you, Professor."

New Year's Eve night—a joyous occasion for the Huaxia people, a day for which they labored all year. Consequently, by nightfall, all of "Starry Sky City" was engulfed in revelry, with firecrackers and fireworks exploding everywhere.

Five hundred kilometers east of "Starry Sky City," the sea was calm. An immense oil tanker was sailing westward.

On the steep hull of this colossal tanker, the characters "Norgu... Nevis" were inscribed. This was the world's largest oil tanker, which had held that distinction for many years, capable of carrying 500,000 tons of crude oil when fully loaded.

However, this former world-leading tanker was no longer transporting petroleum. It had undergone extensive modifications, housing a mysterious laboratory on its deck. Inside this lab, several individuals were awaiting orders.

Suddenly, the large computer screen inside the laboratory flickered, displaying a few lines of text.

"Jim, the Professor sent us the latest command; we must execute 'Operation Sea Ape' immediately," said a Caucasian man, looking at the screen.

"This day has finally arrived. As long as our Sea Ape makes its move, what can't it handle? Thinking about it is exciting!" Jim's face showed an expression of excitement.

"Alright, since the Professor has given the order, let's execute the plan right now!" said another Caucasian man.

"Yes, Boss..."

And so, the people in the laboratory pressed several control switches. The "Norgu... Nevis" tanker ceased its westward journey. Then, a large opening appeared at its stern, and a colossal object, after a brief struggle, slowly slid into the water.

The object moved slightly upon entering the water, quickly adapting. The instruments installed on it immediately activated, and guided by these sensors, it quickly locked onto the direction of its assault. It began to descend, reaching five hundred meters below the surface, and then swam rapidly toward the location of "Starry Sky City."

Every movement of this object was transmitted back to the laboratory on the "Norgu... Nevis" via its installed instruments. This signal passed through the laboratory as a relay station back to the Professor behind the lines. Then, the Professor sent new instructions back to the relay station, which then relayed the Professor's orders to the instruments on the object, ensuring it could perfectly complete the Professor's assigned mission.

The object traveled swiftly beneath the waves, reaching a terrifying speed of two hundred kilometers per hour. Moreover, it generated almost no sound while moving through the water, giving it extremely high stealth capabilities. Two hours later, the object reached waters less than one hundred kilometers from "Starry Sky City," and yet, nothing abnormal had been detected by the city up to that point.

It was the Spring Festival holiday. Although most administrative departments in "Starry Sky City" were on leave, the military forces commanded by Lin Yuan and the security company managed by Wu Yuanjia had not taken a break. Furthermore, those maintaining operations during this Spring Festival included the super-submarines beneath the sea, the aerial fortresses in the sky, and the orbital space station above.

Liu Hui understood the principle that safety and defense needed to be enhanced during major festivals like the Spring Festival. Coupled with the temporary lack of support from Little Black, he had placed special emphasis on security issues this year. Therefore, on this New Year's Eve when all Huaxia people were gathered with their families, "Starry Sky City" was outwardly relaxed but inwardly taut; instead of lowering its guard, its vigilance was actually higher than usual.

On the Aerial Fortress, a radar operator stared intently at the spiritual energy fluctuation radar screen before him. Suddenly, he spotted a bright spot on the screen. This spot appeared for less than two seconds before rapidly vanishing. He rubbed his eyes and looked back at the screen, but found nothing—it was as if the fleeting appearance had just been a speck of static. He paused, chuckled self-deprecatingly, thinking he must have experienced a hallucination from working overtime on New Year's Eve.

However, when the bright spot flashed again on the radar, lasting only briefly before disappearing again five minutes later, the radar operator was finally certain that the spiritual energy fluctuation radar had detected something and it wasn't a hallucination. Given his dedication to his job, he immediately reported the strange phenomenon.

"Command Center, our spiritual energy fluctuation radar has captured an unidentified signal source. According to our personnel analysis, this is likely an electromagnetic wave signal source," the commander of the Aerial Fortress began reporting to the Command Center.

The Command Center on "Starry Sky City" inquired, "Commander Zhong, can you determine what this signal source is, and what its destination might be?"

"We are still unsure what the object is. They are employing highly secure, timed electromagnetic communication. If our spiritual energy fluctuation radar couldn't counteract electromagnetic communication, we wouldn't have detected this extremely faint source that only appears for two seconds at a time. Based on the locations analyzed from its repeated electromagnetic transmissions, we find it is consistently situated five hundred meters beneath the sea surface, and its movement speed is very fast, exceeding one hundred kilometers per hour. It has been confirmed that its destination is our 'Starry Sky City,'" the Aerial Fortress commander stated.

"Understood. I will send this intelligence directly to the Boss immediately," the Command Center replied.

Liu Hui and Hu Xian'er had reconciled on New Year's Eve, their hearts filled with immense peace and joy. Just as they finished their dinner, shed their clothes, and prepared to enjoy an intimate moment in bed, Liu Hui's phone suddenly rang.

Liu Hui offered Hu Xian'er an apologetic smile and got up to answer. After hearing only a few sentences on the call, his face changed drastically. He spoke into the phone, "Immediately notify Wu Yuanjia, Desheng, and Lin Yuan to come to the Command Center. I'll be right there. Yes... also notify Zhou Tengyun to come over."

"Ox, what happened?" Hu Xian'er asked hastily when she saw Liu Hui's expression change.

"Xian'er, a small matter has occurred in 'Starry Sky City.' I have to rush over to handle it. I might be back very late. You should rest early! Don't worry about me," Liu Hui said, already starting to dress.

Hu Xian'er approached and gently helped Liu Hui put on his clothes, finally saying, "Ox, go take care of it! Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."

Liu Hui kissed Hu Xian'er and said, "Be good and stay home, don't go anywhere. I'll be back as soon as I've handled things."

When Liu Hui rushed to the Command Center, he found that not only Wu Yuanjia, Lin Yuan, and Desheng were present, but Zhou Tengyun had also arrived. As the personnel in the command room saw Liu Hui enter, they all stood up in unison and called out, "Boss!"

Liu Hui nodded slightly and said, "Please be seated. Who can brief me on the current situation?"

A staff member reported, "Boss, twenty minutes ago, a message came from the Aerial Fortress suspecting an object is rapidly approaching us underwater. After confirming its approach vector, we dispatched three super-submarines. These three subs are already en route to that trajectory and are about to make contact. We are currently awaiting specific feedback from the forward submarines."

Liu Hui glanced at the data on the computer screen and commanded, "Activate Level Three Alert immediately. Increase scanning coverage for the sea area within two hundred kilometers surrounding 'Starry Sky City.' We cannot give the enemy any opportunity."

Beneath the sea surface, "Super Submarine Number Three" was advancing rapidly. Its underwater speed exceeded 60 knots, which translates to approximately 111 kilometers per hour. Upon reaching the coordinates provided by the computer, the submarine's spiritual energy fluctuation radar went into full operation, instantly bringing every movement within a twenty-kilometer radius of the vessel under its surveillance.

"Report to the Captain, target detected nineteen kilometers ahead. The target is located one hundred meters above our vessel, proceeding at a speed of 144 kilometers per hour. Analysis of its movement path suggests its objective is our 'Starry Sky City,'" the radar operator reported.

"Lock onto the target immediately and report its specific data," the Captain commanded.

"Captain... this is strange. I think there might be an issue with our instruments," the radar operator said, looking doubtfully at the data displayed on the screen.

"What is it?" the Captain asked.

"Report, Captain. The shape of the target is now visible on our spiritual energy fluctuation radar. However, its form is that of a giant, gorilla-like creature. Its body length exceeds one hundred meters. Its entire movement is extraordinarily agile, just like a real gorilla swimming in the ocean, not merely a mechanical device resembling a gorilla," the radar operator stated.

The Captain was stunned. Seeing the object on the screen, he immediately realized this was an extremely serious problem. He commanded, "Transmit this monster's information back to the Command Center immediately, and inform them that we are prepared for combat and await their order to engage."