### Chapter 10: Star Eclipses
Zero Meow was driving the hover car along a special passage.
With the assurance that nothing bad would happen to her, Night Lan felt much more relaxed.
She was also quite curious about Star Eclipses. She figured she’d just take a quick look and then go back to cuddle and play games with Night Star once these Night Watcher big shots sorted everything out!
“Got a question for you. What happens to the person acting as the Star after it goes out of control?”
Night Lan was also a Star Holder, so she naturally worried about her own Star spiraling out of control, but what would happen to her if that happened?
This was crucial information.
“Oh meow? Didn’t you pay proper attention to the common sense every Night Watcher needs to know?”
“I was looking, but I ran into you before I could finish.”
“Oh~ I get it. Let me tell you then.”
Even though she was a bit lazy, she still decided to give a proper answer.
“The Star and the person are one and the same. Once the person’s state affects the Star causing it to spiral out of control, it will affect the person themselves. You will start to lose your sense of self, forgetting who you are. Your obsessions will drive Star Eclipses to act on what they’ve always wanted, even turning good intentions into terrible deeds, affecting everyone around you. But hey, even if that happens…”
Zero Meow pondered for a moment.
“But in that case, technically, it wouldn’t be a person anymore — rather, it’s an entity driven by human thoughts and obsessions. Star Eclipses will take over your body and keep doing what it thinks is right.”
After hearing this, Night Lan got it.
“So is there any way to fix this?”
“We, the Night Watchers, will determine based on the severity. If it’s not too serious, we’ll try to awaken them; if it can’t be saved, the only choice is to destroy the carrier.”
Night Lan already had a hunch.
“Destroy means—”
“It means killing the core of the Star Eclipses, the person who caused it. Only us Night Watchers can do this.”
“Hmm…”
Killing someone?
Night Lan thought it seemed a world away from her.
But since she became a Night Watcher, it almost seemed too close for comfort, leaving her a bit spooked.
Zero Meow seemed to notice her hesitation and patted her head.
“Don’t worry, meow. Those whose job it is will do it— we only need to locate the core! Sometimes, it’s d*mn hard to find.”
“Okay.”
…
A while later.
The hover car pulled to a stop.
They were now at a massive square where many people were walking around.
“This is as far as I go. You stay here and wait. I’ll go ahead and stream it for you.”
“Okay.” Night Lan nodded obediently.
Feeling unsure, Zero Meow warned again, “Don’t move at all, or else it’s game over!”
“Yes, Senior Zero Meow!”
“You got it covered.”
Seeing Zero Meow’s satisfied exit, a feeling of confidence surged through her.
Zero Meow opened the floating unit device to record everything she saw.
Meanwhile, inside the car, Night Lan received the signal and started watching from a first-person view.
Being alone, Night Lan let out a sigh of relief and started complaining.
“These Night Watchers are so young yet they go on missions! And Zero Meow isn’t scared at all. That’s some courage! Is this child labor or something? Or do they just not care? It all feels pretty intense, like being tricked or something…”
With only herself in the car, she lay down comfortably, ready to watch the live stream in peace.
Now we’ll see how the Night Watchers handle their duties.
The one streaming, Zero Meow, began to talk.
“Just watch me, I’m going to make a significant contribution!”
With that, Zero Meow stepped into the crowd.
—
On the other side, having received word, White Paint, Cai Xun, and Bu Jie made a rapid move.
White Paint looked over Cai Xun and Bu Jie coldly, asking, “Where’s Night Lan? You left her alone at the base?”
Cai Xun chuckled awkwardly, trying to hide his discomfort.
“Hehe… don’t worry. That loli seems rather mature and knows a lot, so she should be fine.”
Bu Jie quickly agreed, “Yeah, yeah. Cai Xun is right. She knows plenty. If you ignore her petite build and looks, she could even pass as an experienced driver.”
White Paint glared at the two for a moment, then shifted her gaze away.
“Alright, let’s carry out our mission.”
“Will do!”
Soon, the three separated.
The Star Eclipses fluctuation appeared at Wan Yu Square.
This square was huge, boasting various entertainment facilities and a daily flow of large crowds.
Star Eclipses caused a strong mental contamination, subtly influencing ordinary people to do things they believe are normal under strange abilities.
The influence was strongest where there were many people, complicating the Night Watchers’ judgment, making it a troublesome situation.
Wan Yu Square had three levels, each getting smaller, creating obstacles by alternating large and small equipment between the tiers.
The crowd was a massive nuisance.
But they had no choice.
Forcing everyone to evacuate would only cause chaos among the unaware, thus intensifying the Star Eclipses’ effects, allowing the core to slip away unnoticed.
Finding the core amidst such confusion was no easy feat, but fortunately, a substantial number of Night Watchers were deployed.
As soon as someone came near, they could detect the disturbance. Then, by coordinating, they could form a tight circle, which made the task manageable.
Level Two:
“Found it!”
Cai Xun’s expression turned serious.
He got a familiar but utterly unsettling feeling, like goosebumps rising, hair standing on end.
Nearby, a masked figure stood on the stage providing virtual projection performances. The area was packed with young people, clearly drawn to the spectacle.
“Ladies and gentlemen, next we’ll show you an amazing performance. Stay tuned!”
The masked man seemed to notice Cai Xun staring and turned towards him with a slight smile.
At that moment, cold sweat started to trickle down Cai Xun’s temples.
He blinked and realized he had lost his sense of the Star Eclipses. When he looked at the masked performer, he realized he was merely a regular person.
No, that didn’t make sense.
A moment ago, he clearly felt he was the core!
As this thought flashed through his mind, the discomfort from the Star Eclipses returned.
Just a blink later, all the people around transformed into masked figures identical to the one on stage!
“Darn!”
In Cai Xun’s vision, everyone around had become the core, left and right, front and back.
Thump! Thump!
His heartbeat accelerated, sweat soaking his spine, the atmosphere unbearably oppressive.
These masked figures turned their heads, eyes seeming to gleam red with malicious smiles, mocking Cai Xun.
Diffusive mental contamination took its toll on him without him realizing.
Cai Xun finally understood— he had been affected.
