Chapter 40: A Week
The Next Day.
The night watcher, all set and ready, continued their operation.
Mo Tu, as usual, took the lead in command, grumbling but still issuing orders with gusto.
“Ah… let’s start by talking about today’s mission. We’ve found a rough direction for now, so you guys should head north from here. When you spot something off, report it immediately.”
After all, this was the “Celestial Map” directive, so the direction had to be correct, right?
“Also, the closer you get to your target, the more intense the pollution from Star Eclipses might become. If any of you have low resistance against Star Eclipses, don’t go too deep. If you sense anything weird, just return to base.”
Though he said that, plenty of people will likely ignore it.
That’s just how bizarre Star Eclipses are.
“Besides, keep an eye on your own. Who knows when your comrade could turn into a puppet? Just stay alert. That’s pretty much it. Let’s get moving.”
Mo Tu then fell silent, absorbed in thought, perhaps seeking new clues.
Beside him were four others, the only remaining Sunlight-grade night watchers of Shanghe City.
Yao Can watched him indifferently before asking, “Have you found where she is?”
“For now, I know the general direction, but nothing precise. That’s up to your abilities,” Mo Tu replied quietly.
Wang Chao slouched in his seat and asked lazily, “What are we supposed to do? Hang out in the base or go out exploring?”
“Go explore! Just spread out like a fan. One of you is bound to find her.”
It was at this moment that the importance of Star Eclipse resistance was evident.
Sunlight-grade night watchers had high Star Eclipse resistance. They had the highest chance of interacting with Star Eclipses and could go further into the heart of the action. And everyone was strong in combat, mostly combat types.
Of course, Mo Tu, who specialized in strategizing, was rare.
He was only useful for large-scale events.
For smaller Star Eclipses, he could only slack off as a Crescent Night Watcher.
“Good luck. Remember not to get tricked. If you turn into an enemy, we’re all done for.”
Yao Can simply replied, “Just focus on your duties and do your best.”
Then, the other Sunlight-grade night watchers left the base and headed north.
Mo Tu stared at the holographic map, carefully monitoring every movement. Not a single detail escaped him.
At that moment, two little shadows silently approached Mo Tu.
“Mm, already starting the operation?”
“Think we can find her today?”
Night Lan and Night Star also woke up.
They had spent a night resting at Lan Feng Su Yu’s place.
That pink-haired girl, having no longer needed to watch over Night Lan, went on a mission.
Thinking about it, Night Lan and Night Star remembered the look on Lan Feng Su Yu’s face when she left—seemingly resentful.
Watching over Night Lan seemed like such an easy and pleasurable task. But then Mo Tu, the sneaky one, ruined it.
No matter how you looked at it, it felt like bad luck.
Mo Tu suddenly spoke while looking at the map, “Do you remember when the Star Eclipse event in ‘Doll City’ ended after how long?”
Night Lan nodded in recollection.
“It was around a month, wasn’t it?”
“Is that so…” Mo Tu grinned confidently. “Well, let’s aim to resolve this within a week.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Seeing Mo Tu’s confident smile, Night Lan felt an inexplicable boost of confidence.
It seemed they really could solve this in a week, just like how Lianhua would be won eventually.
Mo Tu would search, and Night Lan and Night Star would handle the rest.
Perfect!
Night Lan mused happily and said, “By the way, should I join the search? It might help if I suddenly find her, and then I can just reach out to her.”
“Do you want to go?” Mo Tu glanced at them.
“Yeah, waiting here doesn’t feel too good.”
After some consideration, Mo Tu smiled, “Sure, as long as you don’t get caught.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine! I’m super fast—I bet even those guys can’t catch me.”
“But what about Star Eclipse resistance? Did you feel uneasy outside?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Night Lan recalled and indeed didn’t feel any discomfort. The Star Eclipse pollution seemed to have no effect on her. Could it be because she has the same level of Star as herself?
Nodding, Mo Tu approved.
“Alright, go check it out. You might actually be lucky enough to find her quickly.”
However, after a brief pause:
“But… only one of you should go. Two would be too risky.”
“Mm.”
Two little lolis nodded, having decided who would head out.
It would be Night Star.
Since Night Star was the one befriending Lianhua and had an outside ghost girl acquaintance,
if Night Lan went, Lianhua might not recognize her.
Therefore, Night Star would be better going out.
Mo Tu waved his hand cheerfully.
“Just do what you think you should. If there’s trouble, I’ll back you up no questions asked.”
“So, what’s the cost? Helping me so much…”
Mo Tu reflected, “Hmm… How about a wish?”
Night Lan was puzzled, “You’re helping me because of this wish?”
“It’s not the main reason. The wish is more of an extra. Getting close to you is just my hobby. You’d never understand anyway.”
Not lying was clear in his tone. Although Night Lan couldn’t comprehend the interest thing, it definitely wasn’t romantic.
“If your wish is…?”
“For now, not sure. Maybe later.”
“Mm, okay.”
Night Star thought for a bit and agreed.
As long as the wish wasn’t too strange, it seemed fine. How she’d achieve it would depend on her star powers.
A side note:
Lousy stars!
Making wishes and forcing the owner to do hard labor was lame!
“I’m heading off now.”
“Go.”
Though both Night Lan and Night Star stepped out, leaving Mo Tu alone with the holographic map.
“Ah…”
Mo Tu sighed, gazing upwards.
“Future self, even though I messed up your plans, I got you a wish. Guess it evens out, huh?”
With the future self in mind, Mo Tu felt somewhat down.
Neighborhood life would be fun.
But his actions just wrecked that.
Still, thinking carefully:
Night Star isn’t exactly dumb. She is sensitive to emotions and even notices small details. She just lacks courage sometimes.
Eventually, it will be uncovered.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
Yeah, nothing to worry about.
After figuring that out, Mo Tu leaned back leisurely in his chair, tossing all his thoughts about the future aside.
Tomorrow is tomorrow, today is today.
As long as he feels entertained now, the rest would be for the future self to ponder.
Who else would be this kind of person?
