Chapter 5 : The Dream
As night fell.
Ye Lan and Ye Xing prepared to sleep in the headquarters' rest area, already ready to leave tomorrow.
She had already told the Leader today that she would return to Yunzhang City tomorrow.
The Leader had no objections, allowing her to leave.
This was for the best.
Moreover, Ye Lan had also found an excuse to muddle through with Ye Yu, not arousing much suspicion.
It's just that when she spoke those parting words, Ye Yu's eyes seemed to dim considerably, perhaps due to reluctance to part.
After all, people who could tolerate her chuunibyou personality were rare, let alone friends who would play along with her "episodes."
Ye Lan could understand this point, but her home was in Yunzhang City, and it was impossible for her to stay here.
So she told Ye Yu that if she wanted to find her, she could go to Yunzhang City, which would solve the problem completely.
In summary, Ye Lan was quite satisfied with this trip to the capital.
Although she hadn't toured all the characteristic buildings or scenery here, she didn't regret it.
After all, Ye Lan wasn't someone who enjoyed sightseeing; she could go back once her business was done.
If there were other close friends in this city, perhaps she could try to look around.
But unfortunately, those who could be considered close were just the troupe members and a few little lolis in Yunzhang City.
The former probably wouldn't appear in the capital.
They were troupe members, people from a Star Eclipse organization. If they appeared in the crucial capital, they might be discovered by the super experts in the headquarters, which would be troublesome.
The latter weren't here; they were still waiting for Ye Lan to return.
Recently, Ye Lan had received remote calls from several little lolis, constantly asking when she would return, if she could come back sooner, and so on. Their coquettish tones were almost too much for even Ye Lan to handle.
It was proven that little lolis' coquettishness was truly terrifying.
"Mm, no more thinking. Sleep early, wake up early. Tomorrow I'll take a plane back to Yunzhang City. By then, whatever big event happens in the capital won't be my concern."
After muttering softly, Ye Lan hugged Ye Xing beside her, enjoying the soft sensation, and quickly fell into dreamland.
Meanwhile.
An invisible vortex swirled in the sky above the capital, unnoticed by anyone.
A mysterious figure stood at a high point, gradually disappearing in the quiet night.
The consciousness of those entering dreamland was swept into this invisible vortex, with no one noticing this anomaly.
Except for the [Star-Knower] at the Night Watchers Headquarters.
"Alert! Unknown Star Eclipse [Dream Narrator] has appeared. Attempting to lock onto location... Location lock failed! Appearance location unknown, danger level unknown, severe lack of information. Night Watchers, please respond with caution!"
In the Leader's office.
Ling Feng hadn't rested, even though it was very late now.
As the Leader, his work was inherently busy, and it was impossible for him to sleep early. He probably only slept two to three hours a day normally, and it was even normal for him to go several days without sleep.
Tonight, he was routinely sorting through documents when unexpectedly, a Star Eclipse incident occurred.
Although Star Eclipse appearances in the capital had become commonplace, tonight's Star Eclipse seemed a bit unusual.
"[Dream Narrator]? Unable to even lock onto its location? All information is unknown; this is abnormal."
The Leader quickly drew a conclusion.
The [Star-Knower] in the capital was different from those in other cities.
The [Star-Knower] in other cities were all copies based on the original, with some functions that simply couldn't be replicated, at most being inferior products.
But the [Star-Knower] in the capital was the original. It could quickly capture any Star Eclipse's aura and lock onto its position, even digging out specific levels, effects, and weaknesses. It was truly a "magnifying glass" against Star Eclipses, with even some Superior Star Eclipses unable to avoid it.
However, this time, the only information [Star-Knower] could capture was a name and an appearance fluctuation. This situation hadn't occurred for a long time.
The Leader recalled the information Mo Tu from Yunzhang City had told him earlier, vaguely confirming one thing.
"This is probably the Star Eclipse Mo Tu mentioned. Indeed, it's not ordinary."
The Leader's expression gradually became grave, and he walked out of the office.
He came to the command room.
Many staff members were dealing with the situation that had just arisen.
There were also many Radiant Sun Night Watchers here, waiting for further information.
The Leader asked, "How is it?"
"Report to the Leader, we haven't found any fluctuations from that Star Eclipse. It seems to have appeared only momentarily, leaving no trace that can be captured."
Hearing this, the Leader pondered for a moment and asked, "Have any anomalies been discovered in other areas?"
"No, the patrol range of the Night Watchers at headquarters has already covered the entire capital area, but no Star Eclipse fluctuations have been detected."
At this point, some people began to speculate.
"Could it be that this Star Eclipse just appeared randomly and then disappeared? Or does it have another method? What exactly does that Star Eclipse want to do?"
The heavyweight Night Watchers in the command room all fell into contemplation, their brains frantically turning.
The outside world was quiet, with only the Night Watchers Headquarters operating frantically.
This had already become the norm.
……
On the other side.
Ye Xing Lan slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry. After fully waking up, she realized that something was off about her surroundings.
"Eh eh eh?! Where is this?!"
Ye Lan and Ye Xing were in a state of panic, unable to quickly calm down in the unfamiliar environment.
She remembered that she should have been sleeping in the rest area of the headquarters. How did she suddenly appear in this place?
"Wait! Could it be... the Star activated again!?"
Ye Xing Lan suddenly thought of this point, feeling it was very likely.
Most times when she appeared in unfamiliar places, it was due to the Wish Machine.
But there was a problem.
She hadn't made a wish.
The prerequisite for the Wish Machine to activate should be a wish, but Ye Xing Lan remembered that she hadn't made any wishes recently, not even having any strong thoughts. There was no reason for the Wish Machine to activate.
"Mm... Could it be that I said something in my sleep while dreaming?"
Ye Xing Lan pondered, feeling it probably wasn't this factor.
If any random sleep talk could activate the Wish Machine, without even basic discrimination, then this exceptional Star would be too inferior.
So it probably wasn't the Wish Machine's fault.
Then what exactly was the situation now?
Ye Xing Lan thought for a moment, calmly analyzed, and suddenly realized something.
Ye Lan and Ye Xing each raised a hand and pinched the other's face, finding that they didn't feel any pain.
"Hm?"
"Oh ho?"
The two little lolis had expressions as if they had discovered something interesting.
"Could it be that I'm dreaming?"
This was all she could think of.
However, she had never encountered such a lucid dream before.
When she dreamed before, everything was blurry upon waking, and she couldn't remember certain details. The so-called dreamscape was also hazy.
But this lucid dream now made her feel particularly interesting.
Because perhaps she could do some things she wanted to do!