Chapter 22 – An Unfamiliar Star Eclipse
Xiao Jin calmed himself and pondered for a bit.
With the Puppet Master around, they needed to proceed cautiously.
Though Mo Tu mentioned that the Puppet Master no longer posed the same threat as before, one couldn’t underestimate her.
Even if Ultra Nova Star Eclipses are weak, they’re still Ultra Nova Star Eclipses, and as the saying goes, a dead camel is bigger than a horse. If Xiao Jin were to recklessly rush in, he’s likely to drop right there.
And what did Mo Tu mean by his last sentence?
“‘Don’t hurt the puppet master or she won’t become hostile’?”
Who was ‘someone’ referring to?
d*mn it, that guy never makes things clear.
“The Puppet Master is part of the Tragic Shadow Theater?” Xiao Jin thought to himself. “The Night Watchers have considerable data on her internally, so we can temporarily overlook her. We just need to obtain the information about that white-haired girl.”
To get the information often requires interaction; after interaction, battle is usually inevitable.
At the end of the day, it’s time to kick some butts yet again.
Xiao Jin continued to remotely monitor the live feed from the scene through surveillance cameras.
The five Star Eclipses shown on the system’s display should be members of the Tragic Shadow Theater — not a single person missing.
Xiao Jin scanned once more and suddenly noticed a petite figure.
“Huh?”
He saw a masked, top-hatted, single-tailed loli among the four members of the Tragic Shadow Theater. She gave off an extremely uneasy vibe.
“Wait, who is she?”
Upon seeing this unexpected face among the Tragic Shadow members, Xiao Jin realized how complicated this Star Eclipse incident truly is.
That single-tailed loli’s mask looked similar to the Fraudster’s, except for a slightly different shade, and she wore a top hat typical of a gentleman. What an odd combination?
“Is she also a member of the Tragic Shadow Theater?!” Xiao Jin was shocked.
Why didn’t the system indicate she’s a Star Eclipse?
Could she be avoiding recognition by Celestial Tech?
If that’s true, it would be unprecedented!
A Star Eclipse who can evade Celestial Tech recognition means they could easily blend into human society and remain undiscovered by Night Watchers.
Undiscovered equals unable to resolve the situation promptly before significant damage occurs and gets media attention.
Just then, Xiao Jin heard the sound of cheers and applause from the screen.
The Theater Group leader’s performance got many fans, at least superficially.
Before Xiao Jin could ponder further, applause sounded around him too.
“Bravo! A brilliant act!”
“Woo-hoo!!”
“Amazing!!”
Most of the Night Watchers tasked with the mission stared blankly at their screens, as if forgetting their original intentions. Their eyes looked blank, faces excited, all focusing on the leading lady’s performance.
This extended to the staff responsible for documentation who spontaneously started cheering, halting whatever they were doing.
Experienced Xiao Jin quickly realized what was happening.
“The Theater Group leader’s Star Eclipse effects?”
Xiao Jin hadn’t experienced them before, hence wasn’t aware of what kind of effect such a leader could exert over others. But seeing their reactions, he hazarded some guesswork.
This Star Eclipse’s effect probably influenced people via audio-visual means, like a viral network menace.
Xiao Jin broke out in cold sweat.
This cheering behavior seemed to make people stop thinking, surrendering on the spot and only witnessing the performance.
If the Theater Group leader knew Xiao Jin’s thoughts, he’d likely clap spontaneously.
Indeed, that’s exactly “Audience Etiquette.”
Once activated, during their performance, all viewers or listeners would halt current activities and stand still, silently watching.
When the show ends, they will applaud and cheer.
Regardless of how amateurish the act, they can’t do anything else until the performance stops.
These Star Eclipses’ effects don’t fade with time or medium.
For instance, even if the Theatre Group leader stopped performing, someone could watch the recording and still be affected.
Real-time streaming holds exceptionally scary propagation rates.
Given the right conditions, the Theatre Group leader might broadcast their performance worldwide, making audience etiquette unescapable.
“That’s a dangerous Star Eclipse.”
By realizing the internet propagation risk of the Theatre Group leader’s Star Eclipse, Xiao Jin elevated its danger level to Ultra Nova Star Eclipse standards.
If he indeed plans to misuse the network, other than killing him, the only way to stop it would be a citywide blackout or cutting off the network signals.
Yet, doing so would result in massive losses, an astronomical figure.
Xiao Jin calmly switched the system into administrator mode, forcibly cutting off all Night Watcher equipment, which vanished from everyone’s screens.
Audience etiquette’s effect faded away as well.
All the Night Watchers snapped out of their stupor, looking dazed.
Cai Xun frowned slightly.
“What happened just now? My memory is a bit fuzzy.”
Bu Jie rubbed his temples, looking slightly pained.
“d*mn it, maybe we got hit by it.”
Bai Tu took a deep breath, fear apparent in his eyes.
“It’s the effect of a Star Eclipse.”
Soon after, all Night Watchers turned to Xiao Jin standing at the forefront for orders.
He casually waved them off.
“For now, hold back, but intervene if necessary. Wait for another Sunlight Night Watch to arrive before making any moves.”
Waiting for the dedicated combat Night Watchers to assemble.
This would increase chances.
…
On stage.
Night Star sat along the edge of the stage, watching the theatre group leader’s magic show. Even without the Star Eclipse effects, she maintained the right audience etiquette.
Knowing they were drawn here by the Theatre Group leader’s power rather than genuine interest made Night Star feel a bit pitiful.
They can’t attract real viewers, thus she’d become the most loyal audience.
But how should she handle this?
Night Watchers must have arrived already, hiding somewhere, observing secretly until the right moment to act.
Upon that moment, chaos will ensue.
Sigh, trapped in an awkward situation.
Thinking aloud, Night Star glanced at Lianhua next to her, noticing she was also engrossed in the performance.
“Lianhua, when do you think today’s show will end?”
“Mmm… I’m not sure. It’s up to the Theater Group leader,” Lianhua replied absentmindedly.
Before Night Star could finish, the Gentleman grinned gently and said,
“Performing audience, whispering during the show ruins others’ experience, it is not polite, you know?”
“Mmm, my apologies, we’ll mind our manners.”
Night Star gave a cute, apologetic look and recalled Gentleman’s personality.
It seems he values ‘courtesy’ greatly, possibly linked to his obsession with being a Star Eclipse.
Increasingly intrigued by the tales of the other group members.
