Swift as the wind—that pretty much describes Ye Lan right now.
“So fast!”
Once Ye Lan realized she really could run that fast, she got excited.
She was only testing things out and hadn’t even run at full speed yet. She had no idea what her limit was.
With that thought, Ye Lan began to speed up.
“I can go even faster!”
Whoosh!
As her speed increased, Ye Lan’s figure grew blurrier and blurrier, like a shadow on the verge of vanishing.
If you weren’t paying close attention, you wouldn’t even realize it was a person running.
By now, Ye Lan no longer cared about the looks people were giving her.
She was completely immersed in the strange, wonderful feeling of speed!
Meanwhile...
Cai Xun, standing on the pedestrian overpass, spotted something strange.
“Holy crap! What was that?”
Bai Tu and Bu Jie’s attention was drawn over as well. As Night Watchers, they noticed the anomaly too.
“Looks like a person. But she’s probably not one of us.” Bu Jie reached a conclusion quickly. “Why is she running so fast, though? Genetic modification? No, our current technology can’t do anything like that.”
A thoughtful look appeared in Bai Tu’s eyes.
“It’s probably the Stars. She’s awakened the Stars, just like us.”
The “Stars” is what the Night Watchers call their abilities collectively.
The Stars manifest as supernatural abilities that can’t be explained by science. Certain people serve as vessels for the Stars.
The Stars are classified into different ranks according to how they manifest.
They are “Nova,” “Crescent Moon,” and “Radiant Sun.”
The lowest rank, “Nova,” doesn’t mean the ability is weak. It’s just that the ability isn’t useful in many situations and tends to be highly specialized.
The next rank, “Crescent Moon,” covers abilities with broader applications, such as those suited for combat or support.
A larger proportion of Night Watchers carry Stars of this rank, since they’re useful in many situations.
Finally, “Radiant Sun” represents the Night Watchers’ heavy hitters.
The most typical example was the Doll City Incident. Five Radiant Sun Rank Night Watchers took part, and each played a crucial role.
Without them, the Night Watchers’ losses would’ve been even more devastating.
Of course, the classification of the “Stars” dwelling within a Night Watcher is only a professional assessment.
Sometimes they get it wrong or misjudge what they’re seeing.
For instance, some Night Watchers’ “Stars” haven’t fully awakened and only show part of their abilities, which can lead to a mistaken assessment.
And if an ability hasn’t fully developed, the chances of misjudgment are even higher.
A Star’s growth may be connected to a person’s soul, mind, or body, depending on its type.
So a “Nova” or “Crescent Moon” can still become a “Radiant Sun.”
Well, as long as it can fulfill its proper role.
Are there any even more powerful ones?
There are.
Supernova.
In theory, an Outlier ability like this still counts as a “Star.”
But it’s hard to make use of. It’s just an unstable bomb born inside some poor vessel.
So the classic “enemy and ally share the same source” thing is real.
The Stars aren’t exclusive to the Night Watchers.
Put another way, only people who’ve awakened the Stars are qualified to become Night Watchers.
That’s because only those who carry the Stars can detect anomalies caused by the Stars going out of control.
These anomalies all come from Stars that are prone to losing control. Most are small-scale and easy to contain and resolve. Something like a “Supernova” is the exception.
These abnormal phenomena are called Star Eclipses, and dealing with them is the Night Watchers’ main job.
Back to the present.
Bai Tu figured the person running at incredible speed had awakened the Stars.
If someone like that ran wild through the streets and accidentally crashed into someone, causing trouble, would that count as a Star Eclipse?
Just as Bai Tu fell into thought, Cai Xun and Bu Jie let out cries of surprise beside him.
“Noob! Look! She sped up!”
“Faceplant! I saw it!”
Bai Tu gave the two of them a brief, unimpressed glance, then turned his attention back to the figure moving faster and faster.
If she kept running at that speed, she’d disappear from their sight before long.
This counted as an anomaly too.
It was a special period, so they had to catch her and investigate.
That was the order from above.
......
Ye Lan had no idea that three people had noticed her strange behavior.
Right now, she was like a husky off its leash, paying no attention to what was going on around her and simply reveling in the fun.
【I can go even faster!】
Just as she was about to speed up again, a growing sense of weakness came over her.
The weakness made her stride falter slightly. The sudden change in speed threw her off balance in an instant.
Ye Lan’s face went pale.
“This is bad!”
Smack!
Bump, bump, bump—
Ye Lan then rolled a very, very long way, like a ball.
Watching from the overpass, Cai Xun and Bu Jie were left gaping.
“Whoa!”
“Oh my god!”
Bai Tu froze for a moment too, then hurried over.
Cai Xun and Bu Jie rushed after him.
By the time the three of them reached the scene, several people had already spotted Ye Lan lying peacefully on the ground.
They seemed about to take the little girl, who’d run so fast she’d knocked herself unconscious, to the hospital.
The three of them quickly stepped forward.
“We’re doctors. Leave the scene to us. She needs first aid right away, so please step back.”
Night Watchers can use any identity that helps them carry out a mission, without being held accountable for it.
The bystanders quickly moved away when they heard this.
The three crouched in front of the petite girl.
Cai Xun took a closer look and his eyes widened.
“Damn, this little girl’s barely a teenager and she’s already running that fast? Even a Night Watcher would’ve dropped dead on the spot after falling at that speed, right?”
Bai Tu checked Ye Lan’s body.
“She still has a heartbeat and she’s breathing. We can save her.”
Ye Lan had scrapes of varying severity all over the exposed parts of her body. There was even blood on her face. She must’ve hit her head.
Bu Jie was about to take off the hat on her head when Ye Lan suddenly opened her eyes.
“Holy crap! You scared me!”
Bu Jie quickly pulled his hand back, but Ye Lan grabbed him with one hand.
“Help me... go back and destroy my computer... Format my phone too...”
After saying that, Ye Lan passed out again, looking perfectly peaceful.
About how I’d just turned into a little girl and ended up in the ICU.jpg
Bu Jie’s brain short-circuited for a moment.
“Wait, miss! I don’t even know where you live. How am I supposed to help you?”
Bai Tu glared at him.
“Hurry up and call our organization’s medical department!”
“On it.”
And so, not long after leaving home, Ye Lan was bundled up and taken away.
Meanwhile, in a certain little room...
A silver-haired little girl clutched her head and let out an adorable cry from her bed.
“Waaah~ It hurts!”
