"Attention everyone, this is Lin Xuan."
Lin Xuan sat upright in the command chair. Before him was not a tactical hologram, but a massive screen spanning dimensions. Behind him, the high-ranking generals of Black Watch stood in neat formation.
"The bells of 2026 have already rung. Although in our world, time is merely a measure of evolution, in the world of the readers, it represents new hope and beginnings."
Lin Xuan stood up and straightened his crisp Commander uniform, a rare touch of gentleness in his tone.
"Thank you all for witnessing our rise from the apocalypse over the past year."
"I wish every reader who supports us a vitality as unrivaled as the blacklight virus in 2026—to devour all difficulties and evolve into your most perfect self. Happy New Year!"
As Lin Xuan's voice faded, the Black Watch formation behind him erupted into a thunderous roar:
"Happy New Year to our readers! May everything go your way!"
In the sky, the circling Attack Helicopter fleet stopped dropping Thermite Bombs and instead fired a volley of multicolored signal flares. As these flares burst in the night sky, two Super Soldiers in white combat suits leaped from the heights, carving elegant arcs through the air to form the giant words '2026 Instant Success.'
The night was as dark as ink. At the top of Manhattan's once-soaring Empire State Building, the wind howled shrilly. Upon these ruins that belonged neither to the Gan Country nor even to the current dimension, a man in an iconic dark gray hoodie and a black leather jacket with a bright red double dragon crest on the back stood quietly on the edge of the lightning rod.
He lowered his head, his hood obscuring most of his face, with only those eyes glinting with a cold red light visible in the darkness. He was Alex Mercer, the physical embodiment of the blacklight virus—the Prototype.
He slowly raised his head and looked toward a certain direction in the void, as if piercing through the dimensional barrier to gaze directly at those reading this record.
Mercer's voice was deep and magnetic, with a texture like grinding metal. He extended his right hand, and in an instant, his fingers twisted and reshaped. Black Biomass churned violently like boiling asphalt, finally coalescing into a massive, shimmering Claw.
He swung the Claw gently, leaving a blood-red afterimage in the air; the edge of the reinforced concrete was sliced open like tofu.
He stopped his movements, his tone becoming unprecedentedly serious—a coldness that stood above all living beings:
"Listen. In 2026, I wish for you to have the courage to devour all despair, just like the Blacklight. When life tries to tear you apart, remember to reassemble in rebirth like I do, becoming stronger, harder, and more unstoppable."
He revealed his pale, cold face, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint, indiscernible smile.
"Happy New Year to you. I hope that by the next dimensional intersection, you will have evolved into the person you want to be. If not... then pray you don't encounter me in a dark alley."
Mercer turned and leaped, falling from a height of a thousand meters into the endless darkness. The moment before hitting the ground, his body suddenly burst apart, transforming into countless black birds that soared toward the first light of the New Year.
"Happy New Year, readers."
(Happy New Year everyone, updates may resume soon.)