The night in Muyun City, originally as calm as a mirror, was suddenly torn apart by a golden pillar of light that pierced the heavens. A brilliant, molten-gold pillar of light tore through the firmament, its momentum unstoppable as it shot from the ground straight into the clouds, dyeing the night sky a dazzling, gilded gold.
Wherever it passed, the clouds churned, and even the stars seemed to dim, as if heaven and earth trembled in its wake. People several kilometers away could hardly help but stop and gaze upward, their eyes fixed on the spectacle.
"Yare yare, it really did end up like this in the end. I guess that's just like little Yunli for you~"
"It's a shame the venue's a bit cramped, and Sparkle is a bit chubby, so it's not really suitable for watching on-site... such a pity, hehe! But things are getting more and more interesting like this~"
At the edge of a rooftop, Sparkle sat lightly, her chin resting in her hands, her legs dangling in the air, her little feet swaying gently in rhythm with the changing spectacle on the horizon. A joyful smile spread across her face, her eyes filled with curiosity and wonder as she stared at the marvel in the sky.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Who could have guessed that this magnificent spectacle tonight would become a legend in the future...
As time quietly slipped by, the morning sunlight fell gently like gossamer upon the hospital building. A few rays of light slipped through the gaps in the curtains, quietly shining into a hospital room and landing on the beautiful, unconscious figure lying on the bed. Sensing the glaring light, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, as if she were frowning in a dream.
"Mmm... oh!"
Just as Mo Xin was beginning to regain a bit of consciousness, her expression suddenly stiffened, as if she'd been drenched with cold water. She felt as if someone had inexplicably kicked her in the stomach. The pain shot through her body like an electric current, nearly sending her back into slumber. But that kick also jolted her awake considerably, a flicker of confusion and wariness flashing in her eyes.
Mo Xin's eyelashes trembled slightly before she slowly opened her eyes. What greeted her was a pristine white ceiling. This made her subconsciously quip:
"So this is the kind of scene the protagonists see when they wake up injured... Am I in a hospital, then?"
As her perspective shifted, she confirmed that she was indeed lying in a hospital bed. "It really is a hospital... So, going by the plot, should a worried relative come bursting through the door next?"
"Pfft-oh?!"
The familiar sensation returned. Mo Xin immediately remembered—that earlier feeling wasn't a dream! With a hint of confusion, Mo Xin gently lifted the blanket covering her.
Beneath the blanket, a sleeping blue-haired girl was revealed, curled up, her face flushed with a baby-like rosiness, appearing utterly harmless. It was none other than Yunli, still wearing her familiar "cos" outfit. A few strands of sunlight fell upon her adorable sleeping face, as if coating her in a golden halo.
Mo Xin stared at this scene, momentarily stunned.
Mo Xin (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄): 'What kind of doujinshi plot is this! Did I get the protagonist script, where benefits scenes randomly refresh on the bed?'
"Pfft-oh?!"
However, the feeling that had just arisen vanished immediately. Because Yunli had kicked her again, nearly knocking Mo Xin right off the bed. Yunli's curled-up body inched slightly closer to her, and she mumbled in her sleep:
"Don't... don't be noisy... Grandpa... let me sleep a bit more... just a little longer... I'll get up to practice my sword soon..."
Mo Xin: (๑òᆺó๑)
Watching the other girl nuzzle closer to her like a kitten, Mo Xin's lips unconsciously curved into a gentle smile, her eyes filled with affection. She gently reached out and carefully pulled the blanket back over the other girl.
At this moment, Mo Xin was fully awake. Which also meant she remembered what had happened before. To be honest, when she first woke up and saw Yunli, for a moment, she didn't know how to face the other girl going forward.
Now, she quietly watched Yunli. That familiar, somewhat childish appearance suddenly made her feel that Yunli was still the little girl she knew, unchanged. Especially Mo Xin, who knew that Yunli had lost her parents. Hearing Yunli utter the word "Grandpa," she could almost feel the deep, pure familial bond between them.
"Practicing the sword? Who would have thought this girl, already so strong, still needs to... Ouch! Could it be that this girl really is the female lead or something, and I'm the protagonist she encounters or something!"
"No, no! Mo Xin, you're straight! I really need to look at less 'proper' material next time!"
Mo Xin hurriedly slapped her cheeks hard, stopping her wild thoughts. Now calmer, Mo Xin noticed the small stool beside the bed and glanced at the little loli in her arms.
Mo Xin: T_T
No doubt about it, she had reason to guess that Yunli had been keeping watch until she got tired and then unconsciously climbed into bed. Then she remembered her own situation again!
"Right, it looks like dawn outside! My sister and the others are probably worried sick!"
Mo Xin wanted to try contacting her sister. But she was now wearing a hospital gown, and her phone was nowhere to be found. There was simply no way to contact them.
"Sigh, I'll just have to wait for a nurse or someone to come by and ask for help."
Shaking her head helplessly, Mo Xin lay back down with a clear conscience. One could say Mo Xin's current mindset was unprecedentedly good—commonly known as having a big heart.
But at that moment, a steady, resonant male voice came from the side.
"Don't worry, your family came to see you last night. Although they were worried, seeing you were fine put their minds at ease a lot."
Hearing this, Mo Xin was first stunned, then instinctively grew wary and looked toward the side. It turned out Mo Xin's hospital room was a four-person room, with beds arranged in the four corners. The voice just now had come from the bed next to hers.
"Hmm? It seems you're indeed not an ordinary person either. Good reflexes, but don't worry."
The person in the adjacent bed was none other than Chen Yuxuan. Only, he looked much more disheveled now, seemingly wrapped in quite a few bandages. Captain Chen had, of course, noticed the girl's immediate, wary reaction. If it were a normal person, their first reaction might have been confusion or being startled by the sudden voice.
'Something probably happened in the residential area, and she's a bit jumpy now.'
And the facts were indeed as he surmised, so he tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.
"Your name is Mo Xin, right? Although I don't know how much you understand, have you heard of the Ability Bureau?"
Hearing "Ability Bureau," Mo Xin's wary expression relaxed slightly. First, she had heard from Yunli that the Ability Bureau seemed to be a legitimate official organization. Second, the other person had probably been here for a long time and had ample opportunity to harm her earlier.
So Mo Xin tentatively asked, "Uncle, are you... an Ability User from the Ability Bureau?"
Seeing this, Chen Yuxuan also breathed a sigh of relief. "Hmm, it seems you know quite a bit, young lady."
After all, Yan Xi and the others had looked up Mo Xin's information late last night. Although it was done in a hurry, they learned that she had been just an ordinary person in the past. Yet she seemed to know about the Ability Bureau's existence.
'Probably the girl beside her told her.' Chen Yuxuan guessed, his gaze resting on Yunli.
Mo Xin noticed his gaze and subtly used the blanket to cover her.
Chen Yuxuan (●—●): "...Miss Mo Xin, let's be honest here."
"Just look, we're all in this state. Don't you think your worry is a bit unnecessary?"
"After all, what kind of villain would go to the trouble of getting injured just to harm someone?"
Then another voice came from the bed opposite Mo Xin. Mo Xin instinctively looked toward the sound. And lying on the opposite bed was, unsurprisingly, Lu Hao. Compared to his captain, with his "Iron Body," he only had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, overall in much better shape than his captain.
Mo Xin: (°ー°〃)
Looking at the state of the two men, Mo Xin suddenly felt her wariness might indeed have been a bit excessive.