### Chapter 16: Outrageous Danger
Li Yan came back with a fish tank.
To Xing Sheng, that meant new friends.
As for the old friends, according to Li Yan, they were sent back to the sea to reunite with Fish Mommy.
Xing Sheng gazed at the swimming fish with wide, adoring eyes, as if their mere existence brought her immense comfort.
“Li Yan… can I go outside? There are so many friends in the sea, and I really like them.”
“Not for now.”
“Why not?”
“Someone might hurt you.”
Li Yan flatly refused.
Xing Sheng was the Star Eclipse Embodiment of Ecological Distortion.
The creatures she adored would undergo serious, biology-defying transformations, turning into entirely different species or bizarre mutations, losing their original sanity.
Naturally, the socially awkward Xing Sheng only liked little animals outside of humankind.
Here, close to the ocean, only a bunch of marine creatures could meet her standards for friendship.
But the more she cherished them—
Those marine creatures would be eroded by a bizarre power, forcing them to twist into another dangerous species.
A long time ago…
As the Star Eclipse, Xing Sheng appeared over the ocean, below her was a distorted blue whale, surrounded by a swarm of terrifying mutated marine creatures, severely damaging the local ecosystem.
Fortunately, these distorted marine creatures only swam near Xing Sheng and didn’t invade other waters.
Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This might also be why Xing Sheng didn’t want her “friends” to leave her side.
Later, Xing Sheng’s presence was discovered by the Night Watchers of Pinghaishi.
A very strong human struck, killing the distorted blue whale in one hit, and instantly, a large portion of the distorted marine creatures died.
Unable to resist, with Xing Sheng near d*ath, she sank to the ocean, eventually being brought to shore by a transformed marine creature.
Li Yan picked her up on the beach.
That was their encounter.
However, the marine creatures distorted by Xing Sheng hadn’t been completely eradicated; they still swam in the deep sea, and their numbers remained vast, threatening the development of Pinghaishi.
The Night Watchers were also searching for the instigator behind it all.
Once Xing Sheng walked outside, she might face certain doom.
“I’m not scared; my friends will protect me.”
“They can’t protect you.”
Xing Sheng’s eyes quickly dimmed, and her expression dropped at a visually alarming rate.
If it weren’t for Li Yan saving her and regularly bringing new friends, she might have blown a gasket by now.
Then, Li Yan changed the subject.
“But I will help you. I will help you fulfill your obsession, but you need to wait.”
“Okay.”
Li Yan turned and walked away.
Xing Sheng shifted her gaze back to the fish tank, where many new friends awaited emotional bonding.
…
Switching perspectives to the Night Watcher Base in the ocean city.
There was a research institute housing a special water tank.
Inside swam a strange marine creature, radiating an unsettling aura of danger.
Inside the research facility, many researchers moved about, sifting through documents and data.
“The medium Star Eclipse Ecological Distortion Embodiment is extremely dangerous; she must not be allowed to interact with the biosphere, or terrifying things will happen.”
“Creatures twisted by her power don’t turn into Star Eclipses; they remain flesh and bl**d, but their danger significantly increases, and even their original biological instincts change.”
“There are many corrupted creatures in the nearby waters; though we have Dusk Jellyfish as a safeguard, if that kind of twisted creature increases, even the Dusk Jellyfish may not be able to protect us.”
“Currently, we can’t determine the location of the Ecological Distortion Star Eclipse; the Night Watchers need to be particularly vigilant.”
No one anticipated the massive hazard caused by a medium Star Eclipse.
Her impact on the ocean was profound; if left unchecked, the ocean would likely undergo drastic changes shortly.
Failing to stop and eliminate this could escalate to a disaster of supernova proportions.
The Night Watchers had faced many complications caused by Star Eclipses, but encountering a medium Star Eclipse threatening an ecosystem was unprecedented.
At least research indicated these distorted creatures could not revert.
The erosion from Star Eclipse power led to mutations, all flesh and bl**d.
Some creatures would bloat, sprouting extra eyes, tentacles, and other bizarre appendages, all influenced by this strange power.
If humans were also eroded by this power, they would probably become unrecognizable monstrosities, right?
Not only was Ecological Distortion under scrutiny.
There was also Thoughts Drowning.
This, too, was a medium Star Eclipse.
Previously, someone managed to capture and upload the appearance of the Thoughts Drowning embodiment online, causing quite a stir.
This Star Eclipse, with her cute and delicate looks, easily won people over.
Many quickly developed a fondness for this seemingly endearing girl.
But there was a catch.
Not long after, the Night Watchers discovered that once someone felt affection for the Thoughts Drowning embodiment, they would inevitably be tainted by a bizarre power, softening their empathy until they lost all emotion.
There was simply no way to trace its origin, and it defied all reason.
The only solution was to erase those people’s memories and help them forget the appearance of the Thoughts Drowning embodiment.
In the end, the Night Watchers used their online authority to ban and delete that photo, leaving no source of pollution behind.
However, the embodiment of this medium Star Eclipse still hadn’t been found, as if it were hiding somewhere in Pinghaishi, deliberately protected.
The Night Watchers of Pinghaishi probably knew who was behind it all.
It seemed to be another Star Eclipse.
Also of medium rank.
The Night Watchers of Pinghaishi had clashed with this one, who demonstrated impressive abilities.
This Star Eclipse appeared to be different from the usual ones.
They could communicate normally with other Star Eclipses and aid them.
They would become furious if Night Watchers attacked Star Eclipses, saving many rampant ones from the Night Watchers.
Researchers speculated that he might be the leader of a Star Eclipse organization.
No one knew his intentions.
The only thing known was that his Star Eclipse name was Ji.
As for what that meant, only a few guesses existed, but nothing was certain.
As to why Know Star categorized them as medium rank, it was probably because they harbored some serious unknown defects.
…
Perspective shift.
Ye Lan and her friends arrived at the shopping district of the ocean city.
They had no idea what troubles lurked in the city.
Even if they did, they probably wouldn’t want to get involved.
Their trip was for vacation and fun, not on a business trip.
If they were to waste their rare downtime on missions from other cities, that would be just sad.
They believed the Night Watchers of Pinghaishi would handle all the troubles.
The figures of Ye Lan and her friends appeared in a swimwear store.
The original plan was to buy swimwear for the beach after reaching their destination, and now that moment had finally come.
Zero Meow excitedly walked in, mumbling her catchphrase “Meow meow” with joy.
Ye Lan and her friends followed suit, starting to browse for the perfect swimwear.
However, Ye Lan was destined to escape the fate of helping Bai Yu and the others choose swimsuits.
Though she was more than happy to do it, of course.
