### Chapter 25: A Wild Goose Chase?
“Speaking of which, why are there only the two of you? Where’s Mo Tu?”
The leader finally noticed the anomaly.
As a Night Watcher of Yun Chang City, he should have been reporting together with Wang Chao and Xiao Jin at this juncture.
Xiao Jin calmly responded, “He disappeared a while ago.”
“Why did he vanish? Can we contact him?”
“We can’t reach him for now. He’s in some unknown state of being out of contact. I think he must have stumbled into some sort of abnormal event.”
“Don’t worry about him for now. His star can protect him; he probably won’t get himself into danger. He’ll likely return on his own after some time.”
There was no concern in the leader’s voice, clearly showing familiarity with the young man.
Xiao Jin and Wang Chao stopped pressing the issue.
The leader added one last point.
“Remember to keep Ye Lan safe. Her identity needs to remain confidential. Don’t let anyone know she has that extraordinary star.”
“Understood.”
The connection from HQ was promptly severed.
“Huh…”
Wang Chao breathed out, his usual aura of lethargy returning.
“The leader is still as intimidating as ever, even through the screen. I can sense the pressure just like before.”
“Whatever. The leader has approved the Tragic Shadow Theater to act freely, starting with removing them from the Night Watcher website’s wanted list. From now on, they’re not considered as targets to be eliminated, but be more vigilant if you spot them. No need to intervene directly; monitor from afar. If they harm innocent civilians, report to base and reauthorize them as targets once their violations are confirmed.”
Wang Chao raised an eyebrow.
“What? Come on, give me something to do?”
“You need a distraction. Otherwise, you’ll just be twiddling your thumbs all day.”
“Okay, okay.”
With that, Wang Chao turned and left, then contacted relevant parties to relay Xiao Jin’s message.
“Make sure everyone is notified. Spread this word to every Night Watcher.”
Wang Chao cut off the call, leisurely making his way out of the meeting room.
Such trivial matters didn’t require the help of the Sunlight Night Watchers. It felt so much better to take it easy.
…
Inside Ling Miaow’s room.
Ye Lan’s phone suddenly rang, apparently about an important notice for the Night Watchers. Not just hers, but those of Ling Miaow and others chimed as well.
A bunch of lolis checked their phones.
Any message from the Night Watcher organization couldn’t be ignored, basic knowledge known by even those who often goof off, such as Star Yoon.
“Tragic Shadow Theater restrictions lifted, designated as unassailable… What is this?”
Star Yoon had never seen anything like this and felt dumbfounded.
Neko Shinna felt similarly bewildered by the information.
Ling Miaow and her companions understood; the two average girls were too far removed from this scenario.
But upon seeing this, Ye Lan felt incredibly excited. If there hadn’t been a few little lolis around, she would have jumped up and down in excitement!
Yay!
If the official site released this announcement, then the Rising Sun Theater Group wouldn’t have to worry about Night Watchers interrupting their performances anymore.
Seeing Bai Yu looking slightly flushed, she knew she was excited and whispered to her ear, “Congratulations!”
“Mmm!”
At the same time, Ling Miaow stared at her phone in shock, a confused look on her face.
“What’s going on here? Since coming down from the front lines, what’s happened!?”
Ever since Ling Miaow began taking care of many little lolis, she had given up sneaking to the Star Eclipses scenes and instead stayed back at base, training new recruits.
She hadn’t paid much attention to the situation on the website. So when she saw the info mentioning that the Tragic Shadow Theater was unassailable, shock struck.
“Miaow~ Let me look into this…”
Ling Miaow started investigating the reasons behind this decision.
It seemed the Tragic Shadow Theater was under the control of a trustworthy human, capable of curbing Star Eclipses contamination and keeping them stable. No further chaos was expected.
Their main obsession was organizing stage shows, simple activities that don’t disrupt societal order. After discussion among the higher-ups, Xiao Jin’s proposal was approved to remove them from the list of Star Eclipses targets to be eliminated.
“Miaow? This is new!”
Ling Miaow was instantly captivated and dove into it meticulously.
Star Yoon and Neko Shinna showed zero interest and simply put their phones away.
In the room, only Ye Lan and Bai Yu had a clear understanding of this.
…
Meanwhile.
Xia Xia looked at the notification on her phone with a calm expression.
“Really got approved, huh? And on such a big ticket.”
Uni put away her phone and asked, “Shall we head to the next destination?”
“Probably. Maybe soon, outside Night Watchers will return to their cities, and we’ll be moving around again.”
“A wild goose chase.”
“Yeah, indeed.”
Xia Xia sighed, sitting on the steps.
“No idea how long it will take; seems like eternities.”
Hearing this, Uni slightly opened her mouth, her heart stirred by the words.
“Actually… XIA, you don’t have to worry about my stuff. Go do whatever makes you happy; stop wasting your time on me.”
“That’s unfair. What I want is to help you recover. Even with immense pressure, and regardless of the danger, I’ll try.”
Uni pursed her lips, lowering her gaze, emotionally dejected.
“I don’t know how to repay you… You’ve crossed beyond friendship, truly.”
Xia Xia gently pulled Uni closer to sit beside her.
“Don’t think so much. Let’s listen to music.”
Xia Xia handed her an earphone.
“When listening to music, you feel more relaxed; external factors won’t affect you. Then, you can think seriously about things.”
Uni listened, and her mood gradually calmed down.
“Music only keeps out the noise temporarily. Compared to the noise, music is indeed preferable.”
“Yeah. But different from me, I’m usually with headphones, yet my awareness remains sharp externally. Missing something important would be tragic.”
“I see. That’s admirable.”
“Yeah.”
Xia Xia smiled and patted Uni’s head.
Though only three years apart, she still treated sixteen-year-old Uni like a child because of her small and adorable appearance.
At that moment, a thought came to her:
Success might mean claiming a massive bounty.
But saying it aloud would invite opposition. So, she would keep it hidden and act according to her judgment.
This time, “bounty hunter” actions were solely driven by profit.
