Chapter 25: Ji!
“Ah, they’re gone.”
Mo Qianmeng watched as the Rising Sun Theater Group effortlessly exited the painted world she had created, and she couldn’t help but want to complain.
After all, for the average person trapped in her painted world, escaping was no easy feat.
If one got lost in the painting, they might just end up merging with it, becoming part of the artwork.
Mo Qianmeng had trapped and dispatched quite a few Star Eclipses in her painted world before, which was as unbreakable as a solid prison.
Yet here was the Rising Sun Theater Group treating her painted world like a stage, performing and then waltzing out like it was no big deal. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somehow lacking.
She turned to Hei Yang, who was nearby, and asked, “Senior Hei Yang, what should we do next? Aren’t we supposed to handle the Rising Sun Theater Group?”
“Depends on the situation.”
Previously, thanks to the efforts of the Audience Performer, the Rising Sun Theater Group gained special permissions and wasn’t subject to Night Watcher hunts.
But having broken their promise, they should now be fair game again.
In this case, if any Night Watcher saw the Rising Sun Theater Group out performing, they were expected to intervene.
However, after witnessing this particular “performance,” Hei Yang felt it was best to take a wait-and-see approach and not expend too much energy.
The headquarters hadn’t issued any follow-up orders regarding the Rising Sun Theater Group yet.
Based on Hei Yang’s judgment and brief observation, it seemed the group was unlikely to cause any disasters.
That Audience Performer was quite an interesting girl.
Plus, the Rising Sun Theater Group had just helped them deal with the Star Holders of the Research Institute, which was deeply satisfying.
With the Research Institute losing so much combat power, it was unlikely they would stir up trouble in the near future.
This made things a bit easier for the Night Watchers.
Given that, it wouldn’t be so bad if the Night Watchers in Qi Yuan City had some friendly exchanges with the Rising Sun Theater Group.
In the past, that notion would have been utterly insane.
But now, if one of the Audience Performers was leading the group, that possibility seemed much more plausible.
Thinking of this, Hei Yang said to Mo Qianmeng, “Let’s go. Time to clean up the mess.”
“Okay.”
With a swift stroke of her brush, the ink of the painted world began to flow and gradually dissipate.
When the Night Watchers regained their senses, they realized they were back where they had started.
At that moment, Hei Yang looked up at the sky, where several flying vehicles hovered, equipped with advanced star technology capable of suppressing Star Eclipses.
These weren’t sent by the Night Watcher Base; they were support tech controlled by the Sunset Research Institute.
Originally meant to assist the Research Institute’s operational teams, they had arrived only to find everyone missing.
Without any targets in sight, they simply floated quietly in the air.
It wasn’t until they spotted the Night Watchers materializing out of nowhere that they activated their long-distance communication systems.
“Night Watchers, where are our people? Where did the Rising Sun Theater Group go? They’re not even here!”
Hei Yang shrugged, flashing a sunny smile.
“Oh, they’re right over there.”
He pointed to a group of folks lying in a clearing, the energy around them extremely weak.
Upon seeing this, the angered voice from the vehicle sounded out.
“How did it come to this? Did you do this?!”
Hei Yang remained cheerful.
“What does this have to do with us Night Watchers? Who told you to go provoke the Rising Sun Theater Group? And now you blame us after they wiped you out? We were just watching and didn’t lift a finger.”
“Then how did you disappear from this area?”
“Weren’t we just trying to prevent the aftermath of the battle from damaging the precious assets of the Calligraphy and Painting Entertainment District? So relocating the battlefield was totally fine; other than that, we didn’t do a thing. This is just the result of your own arrogance.”
The higher-ups of the Research Institute began to lose their cool in a fit of rage.
“You Night Watchers are derelict in your duties, indifferent to the harm Star Eclipses are causing humans! We’ll file a joint complaint to the highest authority!”
Hearing this, Hei Yang turned and shot them a glance.
“What’s that barking? If you make another noise, you’ll find yourself in a situation where I’ve got my team raiding your Research Institute! Don’t think I’m scared of you.”
“Hmph! Ignorant savages!”
With a single wave of his hand, a searing aura burst forth.
The next moment, the hovering flying vehicles exploded in a chain reaction, only to go quiet soon after.
After taking care of that little problem, Hei Yang ordered the other Night Watchers, “Take these Star Eclipse-contaminated folks back. Dispose of the deceased, cleanse the living of the contamination, and seal away their stars in the holding cells.”
Upon hearing the orders, the other Night Watchers began to execute them, quickly moving into action.
Hei Yang and his group returned to the Night Watcher Base.
“Fall back.”
Although a lot happened today, it was all fairly straightforward.
While the involvement of the Rising Sun Theater Group definitely complicated matters in the city, it also somewhat eased the relationship between the Night Watchers and the Research Institute.
Given that the Sunset Research Institute would likely shift its focus to the Rising Sun Theater Group next, the Night Watchers could reasonably participate in clean-up efforts.
If given the chance, Hei Yang wouldn’t mind inviting the Audience Performer of the Rising Sun Theater Group to the Night Watcher Base for a visit.
This way, they could understand their perspective better and perhaps even collaborate.
But that was probably impossible. It was said that the Audience Performer was the backbone of the group, and other members regarded her as a precious jewel, unlikely to let her venture alone into “dangerous” territory.
As for letting the entire Rising Sun Theater Group into the Night Watcher Base… that would be like inviting a wolf into the henhouse!
Yeah, Hei Yang wasn’t about to go that far.
At that moment, Ice Lixie suddenly said, “I’ve got to go somewhere. You all head back first.”
Hei Yang and Mo Qianmeng nodded silently and took their ride back to the Base.
Ice Lixie watched them leave, then turned to head in another direction.
Meanwhile…
At the Rising Sun Theater.
After the performance wrapped up, Night Star sneaked back into her own clothes and stepped out.
She planned to unwind at the library.
She initially thought this performance would drag on for ages, but it wrapped up quicker than expected.
What surprised her even more was that the audience for this show was actually all Night Watchers from Qi Yuan City.
Well, that was a twist she hadn’t seen coming.
Right now, Night Star just wanted to let out a few quips.
“Whatever, I’ll check out a comic book then continue to roam this city. Speaking of which, I still haven’t been to two entertainment districts: the Dining and Entertainment District and the Gaming District. Just the names sound amazing.”
Night Star mumbled to herself and headed into the library to greet the sisterly administrator.
However, when she looked at the front desk, she spotted someone unexpected.
It was a young girl with white hair and golden eyes.
Night Star remembered her name.
Ice Lixie, the Sunlight Night Watcher of Qi Yuan City!
And Ice Lixie was also staring at her, surprise flickering in her eyes.
Night Star froze slightly and prepared to turn on her heel and run.
But before she could take a step, a hand pressed firmly on her shoulder.
Then, a gentle voice whispered in her ear.
“Where are you off to, Audience Performer of the Rising Sun Theater Group?”
Ji!
