Chapter 14: Is This Really My Limit?
Night Lan and Zero Meow bumped into Bai Tou and others on their way back.
“Night Lan, what are you doing here?” Bai asked, walking up to her with a puzzled look.
Night Lan pointed at the drenched Zero Meow next to her without any concealment. “It was Senior Meow who brought me out.”
Hence, all three of their gazes settled on the silent Zero Meow.
Cai Xun scratched his chin and squinted his eyes.
“Let me guess, little lass. Did you drag Night Lan into a mission site without permission?”
“Meow~”
Zero Meow was sweating profusely.
Bu Jie joined in the fun too.
“Tsk tsk, you silly loli, couldn’t keep your own mess and now you’re trying to pull a comrade down? That’s got to get you locked up for a month or two! This isn’t some game.”
“Woof~”
Zero Meow was sweating bullets!
Next, she looked pitifully at Bai Tou in an attempt to use charm to get away with it.
Bai shook her head. “Indeed, it’s too early for you two to take on missions. Facing danger without any means to solve it is dangerous, and dragging an innocent newbie like Night Lan into it is just irresponsible.”
“Gyah~”
Zero Meow was pouring buckets of sweat!
This was it, she was definitely going to be grounded for a long time.
Zero Meow now looked like a dejected cat, and if she had cat ears and a tail, they would surely droop down. She felt extremely wronged.
Night Lan quietly watched the drama, getting a feel of Zero Meow’s personality. This loli was quite mischievous but still knew how to own up to mistakes. Even though there was always the “I’ll do it again” spirit, she was rather cute indeed. Of course, if only she didn’t cause so much trouble.
Night Lan decided to step in.
“Hold up, actually, I asked Senior Meow to bring me along. I’ve been curious about the Star Eclipses, so I wanted to see it for myself. It wasn’t as if I was forced.”
Night Lan winked adorably in the direction of Zero Meow. Zero Meow understood instantly and nodded fervently. An overwhelming wave of emotion suddenly welled up in her heart.
【What an adorable little angel!】
Zero Meow decided she had to stick to Night Lan like glue!
The trio naturally saw their exchange but didn’t say anything.
“This time, we’ll let it slide. Just don’t let this happen again or else you’ll both be in the doghouse.”
“Understood, kitty!”
Zero Meow promised first, but who knew if anyone really believed it.
In the following conversation, Night Lan learned that the trio was actually the ones who recommended Zero Meow to join the Night Watchers — exactly like her own story.
No wonder she listened to them so obediently.
Then, suddenly Bai remembered something and spoke up. “Since you two are acquainted now, from now on, let Zero Meow take care of you. You two are peers, so you should get along better that way. Although Zero Meow can be a handful, she knows what she’s doing; ask her if you’re unsure about anything in your Night Watcher duties.”
“Okay!”
Zero Meow hopped around happily like a little kid with a new toy.
Night Lan agreed, as long as she could procrastinate.
The best money was made during break times.
She really didn’t want to deal with Star Eclipses anyway.
Bu Jie ruffled Zero Meow’s hair, chuckled, and said, “Just make sure you don’t corrupt young lad Night Lan. As her senior, it’s your responsibility to look after her.”
“Even without you saying it, I know,” Zero Meow dodged Bu Jie’s hand, revealing her sharp teeth, “And stop touching my head, or I’ll bite you and rat you out for bullying a child.”
“Alright, alright… such an unpleasant lass.”
Bai and friends then left.
The Tragic Shadow Theater wouldn’t easily leave a city unless their show was a success. But since the Night Watchers stopped them this time, they’d likely find a way to come back.
In this situation, locating the anomalies hidden in the city was the top priority for the Night Watchers.
But that was easier said than done.
Once the Star Holders turned into Star Eclipses, they were no longer considered humans. Instead, they transformed into something bizarre, requiring only the human mind to fulfill their obsessions.
It was like transitioning from carbon-based life to something else entirely.
Even the Night Watchers inside struggled to comprehend these creatures, knowing they combined together could unleash an event like a supernova, creating the phenomenon known as Star Eclipses.
Their hiding tactics were also a headache, being exceptionally hard to find—something other cities’ Night Watchers experienced firsthand and shared.
A special task force called the ‘Tragic Shadow Theater Tackling Squad’ even formed to deal with this threat. The hatred this group invoked was evident in this.
Dealing with these pesky foes was truly annoying.
Once Bai and the others left, Zero Meow and Night Lan returned to the Night Watcher Base via the same route.
…
Inside the Night Watcher quarters.
A black-haired loli and a white-haired loli sat in chairs, holding sketchbooks as they sketched on them.
That would be Night Lan and Zero Meow.
Here’s how it went:
After returning to the base, Zero Meow pulled Night Lan into her room right away in what seemed like suspicious behavior. If Zero Meow weren’t a girl, someone might have intercepted them halfway.
Night Lan questioned the reason, but Zero Meow only said, “Come over and see for yourself, kitty.”
There was a weird sense of déjà vu.
Back in the room, Zero Meow revealed her passion for drawing and inquired if Night Lan could draw too. Considering Night Lan had been around the block, she wasn’t unfamiliar with sketches and cartoons.
So, she replied, “Yeah, a bit.”
Then, Zero Meow handed her a sketchbook, and they began drawing.
Well, this was rather random.
About ten minutes later, Night Lan glanced at her sketchbook with sorrow.
“Is this really… my limit?”
At this moment, Zero Meow leaned over.
“Eh, kitties, did you finish, Night Lan?”
“About…”
“Let me see!”
Night Lan handed over her sketchbook. Zero Meow scrutinized it and burst out laughing at the first glance.
“Ha-ha, kitties, what is this, a stick figure? And you claimed you could draw?”
“Woof, I overestimated myself.”
Night Lan covered her face, already feeling embarrassed.
Zero Meow didn’t continue mocking her, choosing instead to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, everyone has things they’re not good at. You must have something you excel at!”
Was it running away? Well, she excelled at that.
But why did it feel even sadder somehow?
