Reborn as the Darling of the Delta.

"Damn, you guys just sat here and finished off two cases? Where's Terry? Didn't you call Terry over too?"

Zoya pulled out a bottle of beer from the side, opened it, and sat down on the ground to drink it. After looking around and not seeing Terry, she asked curiously.

"Sigh, how could we not invite him? He said he has to get up early tomorrow morning to exercise, so he won't be able to spend New Year's Eve with us."

Everyone could only admire Terry's self-discipline.

"Hey, come on, let's play another round of Monopoly. Xiao Hao and the others are here too, how about we team up in pairs?"

Seeing that there were more people now, Wei Long once again took out his Ludo game as if it were a treasure, and then sent a team invitation to Zhang Hao and Mai Xiaowen.

"Come on, how about we, the few who don't play, start a betting pool and see which side can win?"

Uluru, emboldened by the alcohol, declared that the loser would have to down three bottles of beer, and the others laughed and bet on Zhang Hao without hesitation.

"Hey, can you guys even consider my feelings? Roy and I are a pretty strong duo, okay? By the way, Roy, what's with that expression? Are you still thinking about that thing from before?"

Wei Long looked at Roy, who looked uneasy beside him, and stared at him intently. However, Roy's next words broke through one of his strong defenses.

"How could it be because of that? I just thought about being on the same team as you, and... sigh, you know what I mean."

New Year's Day Special (2)

Meanwhile, on Asara's side, Said, who was being influenced by Zhang Hao and began to learn about Chinese culture, was also planning to have a New Year's Eve celebration with his four-person team.

"Tsk, what are you trying to do by dragging me here so late at night instead of sleeping? Keep me up all night? Are you trying to stay up until midnight? Aren't you from Assara? When did you start experiencing Chinese customs?"

Wuming had thought that since today was the last day of the year, he wouldn't stay up all night and was planning to go to bed early when Abel and Said carried him out of his room.

After being carried up the mountain, Wuming saw Sofia roasting sweet potatoes by the campfire, which led to the scene described earlier.

"Hey, think about it, have you ever celebrated the New Year in all these years and you're just complaining here. Isn't this a time for everyone to wait together and welcome the new year? Come on, the sweet potatoes will be ready soon, it'll be midnight in a little while."

Seeing Wuming starting to act up again, Said chuckled and said, "Xiao Hao probably hasn't gone to sleep yet at this hour. I'll video call him when it's almost time."

"Think back to this time last year, we couldn't even get enough to eat here at the dam. So many things have happened this past year."

Sitting on the mountain, looking down at Dam Zero, the streetlights still lit up at night, and the Asara soldiers standing guard at various gates, Sayyid couldn't help but sigh at how much had changed in the past year.

"Yes, it seems like it started after we met Xiao Hao. The dam has been making steady progress. First, everyone was able to afford to eat their fill, and now everyone can live in warm rooms. Xiao Hao and Sophia, you two are truly the main contributors!"

Abel couldn't help but sigh, who would have thought that the mysterious boy who appeared at the cement factory would bring about such a big change for them.

"Hey Abel, what do you mean by this? I can understand not including Nameless, but how can you leave me out of the list? I also put in a lot of effort!"

However, when he didn't hear his name called, Said complained, "How could that wretched Abel forget about me, the leader of the dam? I must take him with me when I go down to the ground tomorrow, and let him experience my 'magnanimity'!"

"Hmph, so what if I don't add you? Ask yourself how many documents you've processed. I handle so many things every day here. Every time Xiao Hao comes to play, he gets dragged to work overtime with me. Your biggest contribution was sneaking off to farm when I asked you to do your homework."

Sofia couldn't help but complain that although Said had spent some time in the office working with her on documents, he only managed to process two or three documents in a whole day.

Sofia was speechless at how fast he processed documents. In the end, she had no choice but to grant his wish and let him grow vegetables while he was at work. At that time, Said even gave her a demonstration of what a brainstem deficiency smile looks like.

“I… well, everyone has their own expertise. Look, after I started clearing land and farming, our dam no longer has to worry about food. And if we continue to develop it, we can probably even export to people like Reis.”

Sofia quickly stopped him after hearing Said's "ambitious plans":

"Stop, stop, stop. I know what you're thinking, but I can only say that it's simply unrealistic. We have the most water resources in all of Asara, but now the population is growing rapidly, and there isn't enough water for you to farm. You should just forget about it."

"Alright, alright, let's stop talking about work during the New Year's Eve, it's ruining the atmosphere! Come on, the sweet potatoes are all roasted, one for each of us!"

Abel also spoke up at the right time to interrupt Sophia, who was about to enter "work mode." If he got her excited, he might actually drag them into the office to work overtime. He didn't want to spend New Year's Eve in the office.

Abel: Those kinds of days are simply inhuman. If it really turns out like that, I can only apologize to Boss Said. Anyway, in the end, Sofia will still be the one who catches you, hehe.

The nameless creature remained silent, simply turning its back to nibble on a sweet potato...

"Oh dear, it's almost time. Let's video call Xiao Hao and the others. I guarantee they're not asleep yet. Believe it or not, not to mention others, Wei Long and Roy, those two extremely energetic guys, are probably still up and about."

As Sayed spoke with conviction, he took out his phone from his pocket and made a video call to Zhang Hao. After waiting for 2 seconds, Roy's big face appeared on the phone screen.

"Hey, Saeed, you're still up? What's going on, are you guys celebrating the New Year?"

Looking at Roy's comical face, Said couldn't help but laugh:

"What's wrong with us celebrating New Year's Eve? Aren't you also preparing for New Year's Eve with Xiaohao and the others? Isn't it almost time? What are you doing over there? By the way, why did you answer the phone?"

Seeing this, Roy flipped his phone camera over, revealing two more figures in the room. Deep Blue and Terry were arm wrestling on the table that Dragon had brought over, while Zhang Hao was acting as the host and referee.

"Look, Lao Sai, you have no idea how surprised we were when we saw Shen Lan appear at our room door, and he was even with Terry by his side, just to experience the New Year's Eve feeling with Xiao Hao. I can only say that Shen Lan spoils Xiao Hao too much!"

As Zhang Hao announced "Start!", everyone cheered him on.

"Go, Uncle Deep Blue! Uncle Terry, you have to do your best too! The atmosphere right now is really inspiring!"

"Keep it up, Terry! Show Deep Blue the results of your training!"

"Old Deng, don't embarrass yourself in front of Xiao Hao!"

As the two exerted force on each other, the trembling table was the first to give way, snapping in two with a crack.

Table: I've cracked.

At that moment, Zhang Hao's phone also went off with a countdown alarm. Seeing this, everyone gathered together and watched the time tick by.

As the final countdown began, both Sayed at the dam and Zhang Hao and his team at the Special Operations Department started counting down.

When the new year arrived, everyone cheered:

Happy New Year!!!

Chapter 528 Fried Rice

"Then let's make fried rice with eggs for lunch. If we make a lot, everyone can have a full meal."

After thinking it over, Zhang Hao decided to make a large, filling egg fried rice as the main dish for lunch today. After all, there were now Demulan and his group, and if he made individual portions for each of them, it would probably be very late before they could eat.

"Sister Cammy, have you ever heard of fried rice with eggs?"

Zhang Hao looked at Kami and asked, "This fried rice should be considered a Chinese delicacy, right? After all, I've filled my stomach with this fragrant fried rice on countless nights before I could finally fall asleep peacefully."

Zhang Hao: Hehehe, the main thing is that every time I feel like I'm having a pig craving in the middle of the night, the thought of fried rice with eggs will unconsciously flash through my mind!

"Fried rice with eggs? I think I've only ever seen that on the internet. After all, I don't usually eat rice when I'm in the US."

Upon hearing that Kami hadn't eaten there, Zhang Hao immediately decided to set the lunch menu for today. He planned to add a couple more dishes for Uncle Romeshius after the fried rice was cooked.

"Sister Kami, could you help me beat the eggs and chop the ham first? I'll go see if I need to cook another bowl of rice; I remember there was some left over from yesterday."

After briefly dividing the tasks with Kami, Zhang Hao opened the refrigerator to look for the leftover rice from yesterday. After seeing a large bowl wrapped in plastic wrap, Zhang Hao calculated the amount and added fresh rice to the rice cooker.

Next, Zhang Hao took out pork chops from the bottom of the refrigerator to defrost. While waiting for them to defrost, Zhang Hao also started preparing the scallions, carrots, and corn kernels he would need for the fried rice later.

"Okay, Xiao Hao, I've cracked all the eggs. Do you think this is enough?"

At this moment, Kami also placed a large bowl of beaten egg liquid in front of Zhang Hao.

"Okay, that's enough, Cammy. Just watch from the side. I'm sure you can learn how to make this fried rice right away."

Kami nodded after hearing this, and then leaned against Zhang Hao, watching him prepare the side dishes.

To make the fried rice even more perfect, Zhang Hao first added a little seasoning to the eggs, and then took out a large bag of fresh shrimp from the refrigerator. He gave Kami a live demonstration on how to remove the shrimp shells.

Watching Zhang Hao move so easily beside her, Kami couldn't help but move closer to him. For some reason, she could smell a fragrance emanating from Xiao Hao, but it didn't smell like the perfumes they usually wore. Instead, it seemed to be... Xiao Hao's natural body scent.

Kami: From a biological perspective, this is genetic selection, right? (sniffs) It smells so good, I want to... kiss it...

Without realizing it, Kami had leaned her head against Zhang Hao's side, her eyes gradually becoming hazy. It wasn't until her warm breath hit the back of Zhang Hao's neck that he belatedly turned his head to look at Kami curiously.

Zhang Hao: Huh? What's going on? Why is Sister Cammy suddenly so close? This familiar, ominous feeling...

Upon seeing the heart-shaped glint in Camina's dazed eyes, Zhang Hao couldn't help but tense up and quickly whispered:

"Kami... Sister Kami, are you alright? You look like something's wrong with your body."

Upon hearing Zhang Hao's words and seeing the "concerned" look in his eyes, Kami immediately snapped out of it. She took two steps back, waved her hand, and said:

"No...it's nothing. I was just stunned by your skillful technique, Xiao Hao."

However, at this moment, Kami's inner thoughts were: "Oh dear Kami, how embarrassing! How did you become like a lovesick girl in front of Xiao Hao? Xiao Hao is actually so concerned about me. I really have no self-control."

If Demulan heard what Cammy was thinking right now, he probably would have burst out laughing. What kind of self-control is this? He should just devour Xiao Hao like a hungry wolf. That's how your dad won over your mom back then.

Demulan: Oh dear, I really don't understand. Who does Camille take after to have such a shy personality?

Daisy/Rometheus: (Looking at Demulan in unison) Hmm...yes, who does this look like? We really can't think of anyone right now.

After preparing everything, Zhang Hao immediately heated oil in a wok, poured in the egg mixture, and quickly stir-fried it until fragrant. After it had set slightly, he removed it from the wok and set it aside.

Next, use the oil from frying the eggs to stir-fry the previously prepared shrimp until cooked. Then, add the eggs and rice together and stir-fry the rice until each grain is separate. Finally, add simple seasonings such as soy sauce, MSG, and salt before serving.

"See? I wasn't wrong. This fried rice is actually very easy to make, isn't it?"

Zhang Hao looked at Kami, who was studying frantically, and said, "This fried rice smells so good! Compared to the sandwiches and pasta I made before, there's no harm in comparison."

Zhang Hao: Well, that just means you guys were eating white people's food in America, and life there was just... well... if they just gave you fried noodles for dinner, wouldn't you go completely crazy? And if they added a soft-boiled egg...

Zhang Hao couldn't help but think of how Wei Long and Luo Yi had risked being beaten to death by Shen Lan to sneak into his room in the middle of the night just to eat a bite of the fried noodles he had made. In return, they finished his homework and played the game for him, and then ate the huge portion of fried noodles he had made.

At that time, Roy and Weilong even tore each other apart and fought in the kitchen over the last bite of noodles. If Zhang Hao hadn't used Deep Blue to subdue them, Gao would have been taught a lesson by Deep Blue that night.

As for Wei Long and Roy? Zhang Hao said that if they really get caught, he will burn more paper money for them on that day next year.

Chapter 529 Fried Rice (2)

Meanwhile, Rometheus and the others outside also smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen. Demulan's eyes lit up when he smelled it.

Judging from the aroma alone, Xiao Hao's cooking skills seem to be no less than mine!

Rometheus: Heh, pshaw! You're putting on an act here. How good can your cooking be? At best, it's only a few times better than Ella's.

Ella/Demulan: Heh, when it comes to offending two people with just one sentence, to be honest, there's probably no one else besides Rometheus who can do it.

Zhang Hao: emm...................Well, how should I put it? I just happen to know one, and he also has the surname Luo.

Rometheus, unable to wait any longer, did the same thing as before, and immediately took Zero with him and sneaked towards the kitchen. It would be a real shame not to sneak a bite first!

Rometheus: This stolen bite is the most delicious, there's no arguing about that, especially since I got to eat it before Daisy and Desmulan today, it's quite satisfying!

Demulan initially didn't want to bother with the abstract father and son, but when he turned around and saw his own Cammy still frying pork chops with Zhang Hao, Demulan instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning and dashed towards Rometheus and [Zero].

Daisy: Tsk tsk tsk, this is what a worried mother looks like. Luckily, I don't have such troubles. But if I had a child who inherited her mother's good genes, I feel like teasing a virgin like that would be no problem at all.