### Chapter 22: Crisis Arrives 2/5
Night Lan and the gang had no plans to don their swimsuits and dive into the sea just yet.
After all, it was getting late.
The sun was about to set.
It was better to wait until tomorrow to find a decent time to hit the beach in swimsuits.
However, since they had all the way to the seaside, they weren’t planning to just wander around aimlessly and head back.
There were plenty of fun activities at the beach.
Like taking a boat out to the far-off ocean, for instance.
Night Lan had never been on a cruise ship, so it seemed like a great opportunity to satisfy her curiosity.
White Paint then led Night Lan and the others to the docking area of the cruise ship, chatting up the staff there.
Although there was a small fee, it wasn’t a big deal.
White Paint wasn’t exactly the type to flinch at spending money; she was more than happy to fork over a few coins for the smiles on Night Lan and the gang’s faces.
“Alright, let’s hop on the cruise ship and see the ocean!”
“Yay~”
Night Lan led the charge onto the cruise ship, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
This cruise ship looked super fancy, not at all shabby.
The local tourism industry must be spending a fortune to put stuff like this out for their visitors.
Even if it did cost a pretty penny to enjoy the ride.
A little while later, the cruise ship started moving, officially leaving the shore behind.
Night Lan strolled to the railing, gazing out at the sea, feeling a thrill at the novelty.
Star Yoon looked at the undulating surface of the ocean and mused aloud.
“There are tons of fish in the sea, right? I suddenly want to catch one to pet.”
Star Yoon’s thoughts on fish were a bit out there, developing into a full-blown case of “physically petting fish.”
Was this what they called “fishing on the flip side,” or something?
Night Lan pondered curiously.
“There are definitely fish! There are all kinds out there. Once we’re back on shore, we can hit up a seafood shop.”
At those words, Neko Shinna perked up, as if she could smell delicious food wafting through the air.
“Is it one of those places that sells seafood dishes? I want to check it out! Maybe I can learn something new.”
“Ah~ we can talk about that later!”
Night Lan and White Fish exchanged casual banter while leaning against the railing, taking in the sights.
Besides their little group, there were other tourists on the cruise ship—total strangers.
But the number of them was just right, so it didn’t feel overcrowded. It was relatively peaceful.
Right now, Night Lan just wanted to find a cozy spot to settle down.
The initial excitement of being out at sea quickly fizzled out.
Staring at the calm ocean for too long could get boring.
Night Lan didn’t want to keep fixating on the tranquil and enigmatic sea.
If she zoned out staring at the water, she might start imagining terrifying things in her mind.
Like lurking monsters deep in the ocean.
You know, giant squids, massive whales, or even unknown colossal sea creatures. Yikes!
That thought gave her goosebumps.
But it was probably all just her imagination.
Even though humanity’s technology hadn’t fully explored the entire ocean yet, a lot of unknowns had been cleared up.
Not everything in the deep sea was a secret.
Monsters lurking about should be non-existent—might even be less likely than those Star Eclipses.
Speaking of Star Eclipses.
Earlier, on the sea train, a Night Watcher named Mu Ling had mentioned that Star Eclipses had polluted the ocean creatures in this area.
After being affected by the Star Eclipses, those creatures had become extremely dangerous, with terrifying destructive power—just like the monsters on TV!
If an ordinary ship encountered those creatures, it would be curtains for them.
But thankfully, this underwater region was protected by strong Star technology.
It was said to be a machine product called “Dusk Jellyfish.”
There were many of these Star technologies patrolling the deep sea, and they shouldn’t let those mutated ocean creatures escape.
Unless some monster was stronger than the Dusk Jellyfish, this area was probably safe.
Just as Night Lan was thinking this, an ominous feeling crept into her heart.
“Huh?”
Night Lan tilted her head in confusion, turning back to watch the choppy water and not spotting anything unusual.
Where was this ominous feeling even coming from?
“Hmm…”
Night Lan fell into deep thought, puzzling over the matter.
Sometimes she had a knack for intuition; she rarely ignored such feelings.
Because every time she got a bad vibe, it usually meant something unpleasant was about to happen.
But she tapped into Kong Yu Bai’s powers for sensing, and nothing strange was detected nearby.
Could it be an illusion?
Night Lan tilted her head in doubt.
Noticing her unusual expression, White Paint couldn’t help but ask with concern.
“Is something wrong? Feeling seasick or something?”
“Uh… I should be fine.”
Night Lan shook her head and refocused on the tranquil sea.
Regardless of what happened, she would protect her friends.
Even if her current inability to use the Wish Machine temporarily arose from fulfilling the Dream Narrator’s wishes.
Night Lan would use other powers to ensure her friends’ safety.
Worst case, she could summon members of the theater group who were also in Pinghaishi.
Sure, that might expose her secret, but if push came to shove, she wouldn’t care about those details.
“Staring…”
Night Lan continued to gaze at the ocean surface, as if trying to see through to the secrets hidden beneath the waves.
Meanwhile, beneath the deep sea.
Various mechanical entities swam around, around three or so.
They resembled jellyfish, and it was apparent from a glance how advanced their technological design was.
No doubt about it.
These were the specialty of the Pinghaishi Night Watcher Base—Dusk Jellyfish.
Tasked with guarding this ocean area, they prevented dangerous ocean creatures from harming humans, forming a solid protective web.
While they may not be able to handle true high-grade Star Eclipses, they were more than capable of taking on those mutated ocean creatures.
Most of them were as easy as pie.
Of course, that was just for the majority.
A small fraction, like the gigantic mutated blue whale they first encountered, posed a challenge for the Dusk Jellyfish.
In such cases, it was basically a delivery service waiting to happen.
However, the Night Watchers in Pinghaishi had previously used Star technology to scout this sea area and hadn’t found any mutated creatures stronger than that slain blue whale.
At least, that was the surface assessment.
Back to reality.
The Dusk Jellyfish continued patrolling the waters, responding to their programming or the Night Watchers’ commands to scan the area.
And just then, the tentacles of a Dusk Jellyfish illuminated, as if sensing something.
The next second, nearby Dusk Jellyfish quickly swam over, all of their parts glowing brightly as if painted with vibrant hues.
They had detected the presence of Star Eclipse energy.
Down in the deep sea.
At the same time.
In the control room of the Night Watcher Base on the oceanic city.
The voice of the staff soon echoed through, operating the Dusk Jellyfish.
“One of the Dusk Jellyfish in the nearby waters has sensed Star Eclipse energy; it’s highly likely to be a mutated ocean creature affected by Star Eclipse.”
“Activate the Dusk Jellyfish to resolve this quickly; don’t let it enter areas frequented by humans.”
Under the guidance of the staff, one of the Dusk Jellyfish rapidly dove down, seemingly trying to locate the mutated ocean creature’s position.
But not long after—
Boom!
The diving Dusk Jellyfish exploded in an instant, destroyed by a huge, menacing tentacle.
Crisis has arrived!
