Lightning Eye-Strike; Wait, Isn't This My Cat?

A high school girl who had only just reached adulthood had no business encountering a starving bear on the street in the dead of night! Fang Xiaoxia was convinced she had to be dreaming. This was nothing like the teddy bear sitting by her pillow at home, the one that let anyone dress it up with a pink hair clip. The saliva dripping from the beast before her was cascading like a waterfall, and one look at its blood-red eyes made it obvious this was a natural-born fiend who would eat a living person without a shred of remorse. Just yesterday, Fang Xiaoxia had been crunching on potato chips while watching the news on TV, where the bear-hazard faction and the animal-protection activists were at each other's throats. The activists claimed Tinghai’s overdevelopment of the mountains was forcing bears downhill, insisting people should restore their natural habitat and let them return rather than harming them. —Splendidly put. Why not just relocate all ten million residents of Tinghai and let the cuddly bears move right in instead? She hadn't given the debate much thought before, but right now, Fang Xiaoxia wanted nothing more than to drag those activists over and have them repeat their speeches straight to the face of this starving, massive bear, which was rearing up on its hind legs in an aggressive combat stance. In all sorts of stories, bears seemed to play important roles. An adventurous magical girl would make friends with a big fluffy bear, while a brave hero setting out from his starter village would use a bear to christen his sword in his first battle. This variety of wild mob, which usually commanded no more narrative weight than a rooster at a village entrance, was never considered formidable in people’s imaginations. Yet meeting one in reality was a different matter entirely. A hulking beast weighing hundreds of kilograms, packed with fat-wrapped muscle, baring vicious fangs and razor claws, reeking with a rancid stench that made one want to retch—the sheer shock and terror of it could paralyze anyone’s ability to think. *Clatter, clatter, clatter—* Her teeth were waging a world war inside her mouth. The massive shadow loomed over her, making Fang Xiaoxia’s brain spin into a daze. Fang Xiaoxia had simply been carrying her schoolbag on her way home, walking down the street right outside her neighborhood that she had traversed countless times. When a bear wobbled out of the roadside bushes in the middle of the night, her first instinct had been to spin around and bolt. Yet she lacked the confidence to outrun a bear. If she remembered correctly, the wanted notices and safety bulletins posted all across the city had stated: *“In the unfortunate event of an encounter, citizens are urged to remain calm. Do not turn and run or scream loudly. Instead, face the bear, slowly back away, and await rescue.”* —And so, Student Fang stood there, staring wide-eyed at the bear while wearing a bizarre, strained smile. Wasn't there a saying? *Never strike a smiling face.* She could only hope Mr. Bear understood that concept too. Evidently, Mr. Bear harbored no such sentiments. Growling low in its throat, it edged forward, its gaze—chilled by the torment of hunger—locked onto the girl, causing her to vividly imagine her own gruesome demise. She had heard that being mauled by a bear was among the most horrific ways to die in the world. The beast would claw out your eyes first, bite off your face, and only then start devouring your body, watching humans perish in agonizing torment—the very creature humans tried to cuteify as "cuddly bears" was, in truth, an unadulterated abomination bordering on a demon. A girl who cared at least a little about her appearance truly didn't want to become a pile of mangled, unrecognizable mush—not even over her dead body! *“Don't, don't, don't—don't eat me!”* *“Where’s the rescue?! What happened to slowly backing away and waiting for rescue?!”* Fang Xiaoxia screamed inwardly. Slowly backing away, retreat and retreat again—if she retreated any further, she’d retreat her entire life away! *If I fall right here at an intersection only a few hundred meters from home, Mom and Dad will definitely regret arguing tonight.* Then, such a thought flickered from the depths of the girl's mind. Perhaps due to the economic downturn in Tinghai, her parents’ quarrels had grown increasingly frequent lately. From major issues like salary cuts to trivialities like a clogged drain, two people who loved each other ended up mutually sick of the sight of one another. Their escalating rows had driven Student Fang to sneak off to her secret hideout once again, waiting until she estimated the fight would be over before heading home. The hideout wasn't far from home, just a single street away. Fang Xiaoxia, accustomed to walking it since childhood, could navigate it with her eyes closed. The neighbors had watched her grow up, so she had never feared walking home late—until tonight. *“I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die—”* Shivering violently, Student Fang's teeth chattered. The pungent, wild musk washed over her, rendering her mind practically blank. At this moment, the girl prayed to all the gods, Buddhas, immortals, demons, devils, and spirits across the heavens; she prayed to Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Popeye, and Big Horned Bull—anyone at all, she’d take whatever great deity was willing to possess someone! *—Save this child!* Right then, the bear suddenly leaned its upper body forward. It was about to attack— The moment that thought flashed through Fang Xiaoxia’s mind, the bear had already closed half the distance between them, forcing her into a panicked backward stumble. Yet at that very instant, a rhythmic *patter-patter* of approaching footsteps broke the silence of the long street, accompanied by an odd, squeaky *creak-creak* of plastic. It was one thing for Fang Xiaoxia’s attention to be drawn, but for some reason, even the beast turned its head toward the newcomer. Its murky eyes showed a trace of confusion and wariness, like an animal in the forest encountering a tiger, leopard, or even an approaching elephant. *“Is it the rescue—”* A gaze brimming with pleasant surprise shot over. Student Fang felt like an ordinary citizen cornered by a monster, desperately wishing for a giant of light to descend from the heavens. Yet she was swiftly drenched in a bucket of ice water, completely dumbfounded. A hide vest, an orange safety helmet, slanted thick eyebrows, a goatee, a round belly, and a gun slung over the shoulder. "Who are you??" Fang Xiaoxia was utterly slack-jawed. "Light—" —Except this was no giant of light descending to earth in response to her prayers. "Mess with Logger Vick—get whacked with no trick!" A grating roar echoed in her ears, nearly petrifying Student Fang on the spot. She had thought rescue had arrived—what in the world was *“You filthy bears, I’m not done with you”*?! Who summoned Logger Vick?! It seemed her prayers had worked—but why on earth had she summoned Logger Vick? Was this still Tinghai? Who transported her to Bear Ridge?! No matter how Fang Xiaoxia looked at it, Logger Vick's voice line was practically a hard taunt to a bear—wasn't the bear going to go berserk?! The bright green Hatsune Miku backpack on her back rustled. The girl held her breath, her heart fluttering nervously. Then, without any apparent movement from the mascot suit, before Fang Xiaoxia could even react— The gun-toting figure had already stepped in front of her, wedged between her and the bear, cutting off the pungent, gamy stench. The wobbling, oversized head blocked Fang Xiaoxia's upturned face, naturally making one wonder what kind of person was hiding beneath the mask. Her bewildered eyes blinked twice, but Student Fang's expression soon tightened. "Quick, run!" The girl tugged at the costume's sleeve, seemingly trying to pull the person in front of her along to escape. She knew this wasn't an anime, and a starving wild bear was nothing like the bumbling Briar and Bramble on television. Wearing a Logger Vick costume wouldn't ward off evil, and a bear in real life wouldn't fool around with humans! Although turning your back on a bear to flee offered no chance of survival, she had heard that when facing a bear, you didn't need to run faster than the bear; you only needed to run faster than the person next to you. Facing a bear alone meant certain death, but two people facing a bear meant a fifty percent chance of survival. What she meant was— —If the person fled right now, there was still time! Staying together would only provide the bear a fuller meal. This was misfortune she had brought upon herself; why drag a kind-hearted passerby into it? Besides, she was an absolute dead weight when it came to running. If it were a video game, she could easily pull off a "↓+↓→+A" Forbidden Method 1211: Maiden Masher super combo on this damned bear! But when it came to real-world running, she was merely the tortoise from *The Tortoise and the Hare*—and one without perseverance at that. Yet, faced with Fang Xiaoxia tugging at the sleeve, the mysterious figure in the mascot suit remained unmoved. Whether it was an illusion or not, Student Fang thought she heard a faint, strangely familiar chuckle. Then, the costumed freak blocking her path wobbled his massive head, casually raised the muzzle of the gun, aimed it loosely toward the head of the distant bear, and gave it a slight feint. Afterward, this "Logger Vick" didn't make any further move. Yet Fang Xiaoxia suddenly felt her breathing constrict. Her shoulders grew heavy, and she felt as though her entire body were coated in thick mud, as if she had abruptly sunk into a viscous bog. A psychological effect? It felt vaguely as if something had occurred, yet also as if nothing had happened at all. At that moment, "Logger Vick" swayed his head, and the cheap, heavy mascot noggin pressed down on the mini-speaker switch once again. "Mess with—" The character's dialogue played again at the most inappropriate time, looping relentlessly. The once calm and composed "Logger Vick" grew visibly embarrassed, frantically fumbling around the neck area for the switch. The coarse, quacking roar bombarded the girl's eardrums, echoing in a loop along the empty street: "You filthy bears! I'm not done with you!" "You filthy bears! I'm not done with you!" "You filthy bears! I'm not done with you!" The roaring continued, waxing and waning in volume, just like the plastic toy guns she used to play with as a kid—press the trigger and it clattered, buzzing and shrieking like a miniature Star Wars battle. Fang Xiaoxia’s face froze. She felt like she was going crazy. Right now, she suddenly realized this Good Samaritan drawing his sword to help a stranger was, in all likelihood, a total lunatic— —What a tragic story. How could the final day of her life end in such absurd, nonsensical fashion? *"Roaaar—"* As if in response to the looping character line, the bear suddenly threw its head back toward the moon, letting out an endless series of roars. "Stop taunting it, it’s going berserk—big bro, hurry up and recall your divine powers!" An anxious Fang Xiaoxia pulled hard on Logger Vick’s arm. Her innate kindness winning out after all, she couldn't bring herself to abandon this lunatic, intending to drag the costumed weirdo away in a run. And then. Amidst the looping dialogue, under Fang Xiaoxia’s stunned gaze, the bear standing tall and seemingly unstoppable not far away gradually revealed an intensely human-like expression of pure terror across its snout, as though terrified of the audio playing from the costumed weirdo. Then—the bear turned tail and ran. *"Awooo!"* The bear howled, scrambling and tumbling in sheer panic, fleeing headlong into the roadside bushes. Fang Xiaoxia: "?" *Are my eyes playing tricks on me?* *What just happened out of nowhere—* "That’s... that’s it?!" Student Fang felt as if she had seen a ghost, her incredulous gaze locking onto the costumed freak standing before her. No, seriously—brother, did you actually get possessed by Logger Vick?! That was a bear! A ferocious, bloodthirsty wild bear! Not some guilty thief or a petty highway robber in the night! It got scared off just like that by a plastic toy gun and looped Logger Vick lines?! —Could Logger Vick truly possess an innate attribute advantage and conceptual suppression against bears?! Incomprehensible, yet mind-bogglingly miraculous! "Heavens—" At this moment, the way Fang Xiaoxia looked at the "Logger Vick" before her was like a child from a remote mountain village witnessing an alien descend from the sky. When she got back, she was going to bulk-order and stockpile Logger Vick figurines; from now on, she was a loyal devotee of the Church of Logger Vick! Bear infestations and all that nonsense be damned—now that Brother Vick was here, Tinghai would know peace! *Creak, squeak—* The plush mascot suit creaked as the mysterious figure slowly turned around. Upon the wobbling, massive head, the animated visage grinning with tobacco-stained yellow teeth greeted Fang Xiaoxia's eyes, locking into a silent stare-down with her. Then, the costumed freak bearing Logger Vick’s head—slowly raised a hand in front of his chest and gave the nervous, bewildered girl a thumbs-up. "What is this?" The gesture reminded Fang Xiaoxia of the Ultraman poses she often saw. A true ally of justice, a light—except standing before her was no giant of light, but another mysterious superhuman who carried "Light" in his moniker. The girl had prayed to all the gods in heaven, but the only one to answer her prayer was the god of Bear Ridge. —Praise be to the True Lord of Lumberjacking and Bear-Banishment! Having survived the ordeal, Student Fang let out a long breath of relief. Her hands gripped the straps of her green backpack tightly, as if grasping the twin tails of a certain leek-waving idol, while her shoulders hunched slightly as she cautiously scrutinized the costumed freak before her. Clearing her throat twice, the timid girl racked her brains, wondering what she ought to say right now: "Brother Vick—thank you, Brother Vick?" Hearing that, the costumed freak fell silent where he stood, seemingly pondering something. "Save the gratitude." He shook his head. His deliberately lowered voice sounded both familiar and foreign to Fang Xiaoxia. Yet, giving the girl no time to think, the reticent costumed freak turned straight around, taking a few steps accompanied by the bizarre creaks of his suit before stopping. "Aren't you leaving?" The costumed freak glanced back over his shoulder, his voice muffled behind the fabric: "Where I come from, children who aren't home by this hour get sent to the stake!" Fang Xiaoxia: "?" *Didn't you come from Bear Ridge—how come you sound more like you came from Lion Camel Ridge now?!* Be that as it may, escorted by the costumed freak, Student Fang obediently began walking toward home. "My residential compound is over there—just straight down the street." Student Fang pointed toward the faint silhouette of the residential compound at the end of the street, yet maintained basic vigilance, offering no further details about her home. On the way back, not only did she keep an appropriate distance from the mysterious costumed freak, but she also cast wary glances into the bushes on both sides of the road from time to time, terrified that the bear was lying in ambush to leap out. Still, most of her attention remained fixed on the costumed freak beside her. Even now, she couldn't comprehend what had just happened; it felt like a dream. Why had the bear fled? Had "Logger Vick" sprayed a special bear deterrent? Why hadn't she smelled anything? Could this be a new patrol robot rolled out by the Public Security Bureau specifically to scare off bears? Employing some principle incomprehensible to ordinary people, like special pheromones? —In truth, starting from a certain point in her life, Fang Xiaoxia had always considered herself the world's number-one bad-luck magnet. Vending machines were guaranteed to malfunction and swallow her money; drinks she bought were likely expired; flies inevitably dropped into her ramen; randomly tripping on flat ground was a daily occurrence; even when sleeping, she worried whether an excavator might one day accidentally dig through her bedroom roof. Her parents had even bought fortune-turning charms to place by her bedside— —Even when going to her secret hideout to clear her head, she could run into a pervert in a naked apron breaking and entering! Could someone like her truly be blessed by Lady Luck one day? In novels, an unlucky protagonist was accompanied by an overwhelmingly flourishing romantic fortune. But in reality, for a side character perpetually in Mercury retrograde, bad luck was just bad luck. At least Fang Xiaoxia, who had spent over a decade in solitude with practically no friends, would never believe she possessed anything like romantic luck— Even though that sounded bizarre, given how pretty she actually was—the girl attributed it to her own personality defects, or simply that no one ever noticed her presence. Until today— Encountering a bear blocking her path home, at the most wretched moment of her life, a costumed hero had descended from the sky to save her! Could this be the legendary hero saving the damsel in distress? A passing costumed rider rescuing a maiden in dire straits, sweeping her into a princess carry before they fell into love, drawing a divine sword from her chest to sweep through armies and vanquish monsters... Student Fang had consumed countless stories like that. Could what happened today truly be so similar to those tales? Could it be— Fang Xiaoxia’s heart thumped wildly, her large eyes darting about as she casually yet cautiously stole a glance at the taciturn man beside her. A stitched smile and two rows of painted, brilliant buckteeth met her eyes. The man was fiddling with the plastic toy gun in his hand, looking thoroughly intrigued and in high spirits. —All right, her heart stopped thumping. There was no princess carry, and someone in a mascot suit wasn't necessarily a rider. Hardly anyone could swoon over this big bald head. Yet if he demanded that she pledge herself to him to repay the debt of saving her life—with her thin skin, Student Fang probably wouldn't know how to refuse. What should she do? "..." Sensing something, Bai Zhou glanced at the girl beside him. *Why is she looking at me?* Seen through the costume, silhouettes were rather blurry. Bai Zhou only saw Fang Xiaoxia with her head down, behaving in a bashful, fidgety manner. It seemed the poor kid had been thoroughly terrified. Even though the bear had already fled, her face was still flushed red, practically steaming from the top of her head. *Tap—* Before long, the girl halted at the entrance of her residential compound. Inside the lit security booth, the elderly guard's snores shook the rafters, entirely oblivious to the near-tragedy that had almost unfolded just down the street. "I... I'm home." Fang Xiaoxia clutched her backpack straps tightly, keeping her head lowered, an inexplicable blush coloring her cheeks. *Hasn't she recovered yet?* Bai Zhou muttered inwardly. Then, nodding his wobbling, somewhat furry mascot head twice at the girl, he patted her shoulder. "Study hard!" The voice emerged muffled through the thick costume. The oversized mascot gave her shoulder two pats. Leaving behind this singular piece of advice, the costumed freak—who had no intention whatsoever of leaving his name behind after a good deed—turned and walked away. Whether it was Fang Xiaoxia's imagination or not, she vaguely felt that "Logger Vick's" retreating figure looked a bit limping and lopsided. After a moment, watching the massive mascot's silhouette on the verge of vanishing into the fog, Student Fang finally gathered her courage: "Um—Brother Vick!" The girl's shout rang out crisp and clear down the empty street. "—Your name?!" The snores beside her cut off abruptly. It appeared the sudden noise in the dead of night had frightened the old guard in the booth half to death. "What happened? What's going on?" The guard slurred, smacking his drool-slicked lips and mumbling a few incoherent grunts as he blindly fumbled for his reading glasses on the desk. Logger Vick's silhouette paused not far away. Seeming to deliberate for a moment, the costumed freak did not turn around. He simply waved a hand behind him, his voice filtering through the costume: "Just a passing bald guy." "—Remember to study hard, okay?" This costumed freak seemed to harbor an obsession with Fang Xiaoxia's academics, not forgetting to remind her even now. It left Fang Xiaoxia speechless, yet struck by a bizarre thought. *Could this guy actually be my homeroom teacher? Even my parents barely care about my grades anymore.* *Squeak, creak, squeak—* The friction of the mascot suit echoed in the quiet dead of night. The oversized mascot's figure swayed and wobbled, its heavy head nodding uncontrollably forward with every step—goofy, clumsy, and endearingly silly. "Wait—" Fang Xiaoxia seemed to have more questions. Yet the mascot picked up his pace instead, swaggering clumsily as if fleeing, vanishing into the fog at the end of the street. The originally ugly mascot suit now took on an ugly-cute charm in Fang Xiaoxia’s eyes through these antics. Yet his hurried arrival, mysterious departure, and complete absence of a name left behind also made Fang Xiaoxia feel he was exceptionally dashing—like a true chivalric hero! "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow—" A succession of muffled groans filtered out from beneath the suit. The moment he left Fang Xiaoxia's sight and turned a corner at the crossroads, the mascot's walking posture contorted instantly. His limping, stumbling gait was thoroughly comical, bearing a striking resemblance to the flailing, chubby bear from earlier. "Feeling the pain only now?" Under the bright moonlight, Crow spoke softly from the side, her tone laced with tease. "Weren't you quite the hero just a moment ago?" "..." "Right, Tinghai’s Brother Vick?" Crow blinked twice. "Sounds like someone who’d carry a watermelon knife and hack his way from the fish market to the fruit stalls—quite the spitting image of Old Qiao from South City back in the day." "What Brother Vick... who on earth plays the hero in a mascot suit like this?" A muffled voice groaned. Bai Zhou raised a hand and thumped his teetering, oversized headpiece twice. The furry headpiece thumped loudly. When facing the bear earlier, Bai Zhou had weighed what methods to employ. To be honest, seeing Mr. Bear rear up on its hind legs, Bai Zhou had felt the creature was foolishly exposing its own weakness. Its stance looked horribly unstable; how could anyone resist sweeping its legs? Yet considering his physical condition, Bai Zhou ultimately chose to test his "Eye-Strike" ability. Much like the "Mind's Eye" he had obtained previously, "Eye-Strike" was an extraordinary ability he had naturally acquired upon advancing to Tier 4 and achieving the unity of heaven and humanity. A single glance could induce a resonance between heaven and earth, manifesting a tangible pressure. It consumed neither spirituality nor much physical stamina; it was purely an instinct of an Extraordinary body, just like walking upright or breathing. Still, just to be safe, Bai Zhou had mobilized a wisp of spirituality from the air to encircle the bear as insurance. Eye-Strike was indeed effective, sending the bear fleeing in sheer terror; no one knew what the bear had "seen" in that moment. However, that "superfluous" act of mobilizing spirituality had worsened Bai Zhou's already battered body. After all, an internal-external resonance required mobilizing the residual spirituality within his body first, cracking open the "gate" inside to facilitate a single internal-external cycle— Having forced a tough front before others, Bai Zhou instantly reverted to his true state the moment no one was around, grimacing and groaning in agony. He didn't even dare find a place to sit down, terrified that the moment he relaxed, he would lose consciousness and pass out cold. "In my memory, you seem to have interacted with this girl quite a few times—a curious sort of fate." Crow mused with a touch of sentiment, yet also felt a slight curiosity. "Still, you seem to treat her differently from others, don't you?" Was there something between them she didn't know about? Bai Zhou shook his head. "Just fulfilling someone's entrustment—didn't you see me constantly encouraging her to study hard?" Bai Zhou hadn't forgotten Fang Xiaoyan’s dying wish. Then, Bai Zhou’s voice took on a tinge of gravity: "Besides, I’ve been wondering whether this girl is truly completely uninvolved in the matter of the School Demon." "The School Demon?" Crow’s attention was instantly hooked, her expression turning solemn. "After all, it was on the graduation photo in her home that I found traces of the demon—and I don't know if everyone else's graduation photos are the same." Bai Zhou said, "Even though the probability isn't very high, I still kept an extra eye on her." "Your suspicion makes sense." Crow pondered for a moment and nodded. "Nothing concerning demons is trivial. Even the slightest possibility warrants attention." "In the mystical world, one must pay extraordinary attention to any 'coincidence' and 'fate.' After all, the greatest tragedy surrounding an Extraordinary's entire life often comes down to the two words: 'Destiny.'" Pausing briefly, Crow said solemnly, "—This is also an important lesson I need to teach you!" "Don't worry." Bai Zhou nodded. "Last time, I left a subtle miniature ritual on her. If any spiritual fluctuations occur over there, I can receive the signal—though she's been completely normal up to now." "When I patted her shoulder just now, I encrypted, restructured, and strengthened that miniature alarm ritual. Without triggering it, even if an Extraordinary proficient in rituals observed her face-to-face, they wouldn't be able to spot anything." The alarm ritual was quite simple: it merely required twisting two strands of spirituality in a cat's cradle pattern and attaching them to a person's body. The encryption ritual was arranged similarly, enhancing the ritual's concealment. —Of course, this had further intensified Bai Zhou's pain. That tiny miniature ritual had cost him immense suffering. "A very mature way of doing things." Crow blinked. "I used to think you were a bit careless, but now it seems I should take that back." "Still, I'd rather the ritual never be touched and naturally fade with time." Bai Zhou hesitated, finally speaking from the bottom of his heart: "That girl doesn't look particularly sharp—it's best if she remains an ordinary person forever, touching none of this." There was nothing wrong with being an ordinary person; being an ordinary person in Tinghai was even better than being one in Wancheng. Only after truly becoming an Adventurer did one realize an adventurous life was far from smooth sailing. Not only did one never know whether they’d live to see tomorrow’s sun, but every night was spent worrying about where to sleep— Just like right now. Bai Zhou genuinely wished he had a house facing the sea where spring blossoms bloomed, so he could simply sleep without waking up, rather than wandering around like a stray dog searching for a place to crash. *"Burp—"* Just then, Bai Zhou let out a burp. The raging torrent of heat in his stomach reminded him of his hearty feast earlier, and his expression couldn't help but turn solemnly respectful: "As expected of 'Adventure Stew.' It's still packing a punch even now—" Adventure Stew! As the name implied, only brave adventurers dared to challenge it—at least, that was how Bai Zhou understood it. A genuine, dyed-in-the-wool Adventurer like Bai Zhou had naturally bought a portion without hesitation, and just as naturally chosen the highest difficulty: downing a small portion of "insanely spicy" Adventure Stew in one go. Yet the lingering kick of the chili peppers was still churning in his stomach, forcing him to part his lips and pant cold air from time to time, making him wonder if he had caught Student Fang's habit during their brief encounter and was turning into a panting little fire dragon— The volcanic eruption in his belly stood in stark contrast to his frail body braving the chilly night wind; the alternating sensations of heat and cold made him shiver repeatedly. "Who told you to pick 'insanely spicy'—and besides, it's not called Adventure Stew." Crow couldn't resist chiming in with a retort: "That stuff is called *maocai*!" "Feels the same to me." Shaking his massive headpiece, feeling as though two bricks were strapped to his head, Bai Zhou resisted the urge to take it off. He turned to Crow and said in a grave voice, "Still... I felt something strange earlier." "What is it?" "When I used Eye-Strike on the bear, I vaguely sensed that my Eye-Strike wasn't limited to just that. It was as though something was brewing in my eyes, ready to be unleashed at any moment." "But Fang Xiaoxia was present back then—I didn't dare test it recklessly." Hearing this, Crow’s expression turned solemn. She glanced left and right down the empty street. "In that case, you can try it now." Bai Zhou steadied his heart, standing in place and closing his eyes. He didn't rush to take off the headpiece. Yet when Bai Zhou opened his eyes once more, peering through the headpiece toward the ground not far ahead— *Crack-crackle!* A wisp of electrical current erupted onto the pavement ahead, leaving a scorch mark across the curb. "What's this?" Crow showed a look of astonishment, swiftly stepping closer. "Lightning? It’s possible for a Tier 4 Destined to possess an Eye-Strike instinct, much like your Mind's Eye earlier—but how can your Eye-Strike carry lightning?" Crow looked at Bai Zhou, her gaze sharpening. "No startup, impossible to guard against—if it's strengthened further in the future, it could easily count as a formidable secret technique!" "It's more than just that—" Bai Zhou muttered in an uncertain, hushed voice. "I can even clearly sense this power growing, as if a seed of lightning is sprouting inside my body—it's hard to describe, yet extraordinarily distinct!" "—Most critically, even an Eye-Strike like this consumes no spirituality, as if it can be used under any circumstances!" Bai Zhou himself was equally shocked. "What is going on? What happened to me?" "Could it be your Thunderous Heavenly Bow? Logically speaking, a Spirit-Name Secret Treasure shouldn't possess the trait to alter its host like this..." Crow asked Bai Zhou for the Thunderous Heavenly Bow and inspected it carefully, finding that the bow wasn't the source. "I don't have a clue either, but it doesn't appear to be a bad thing." "Still, perhaps—" Crow’s eyes flickered. "I have a hypothesis. Verifying it is simple: we just wait and see how things look at this time tomorrow." "If my guess is correct, by this time tomorrow, more peculiarities will manifest on your body." Crow gave Bai Zhou a deep, meaningful look. "If that's truly the case, you've hit the jackpot!" *Wait and see...* Bai Zhou muttered inwardly. Still, having Crow keeping watch beside him was far better than facing unexpected adverse changes alone. Right now, he could only pray he wasn't undergoing some sudden mutation, and that he wouldn't wake up tomorrow with eyes shooting lightning, wings sprouting from his back, and a hooked beak like a monster— Yet before tomorrow arrived, Bai Zhou faced a far more pressing problem. Namely, how was he going to endure the coming hours and welcome the dawn of tomorrow? In truth, Bai Zhou's walking wasn't aimless; he had been searching for a place to settle down all along. He had thoroughly considered the options. Open parks, underpasses, and riverbanks where vagrants usually stayed were absolute no-go zones; they were desolate at night and often served as prime patrol routes for law officers. Settling in such places while wearing a mascot suit would be far too conspicuous. On the contrary, areas near school libraries or certain restricted zones in sports stadiums had relatively lax nighttime security and more surveillance blind spots. Yet up to now, Bai Zhou hadn't found such an environment. His physical state didn't permit him to walk too far; he was desperate to find a place to rest and heal. At this moment, Bai Zhou longed for a warm, unfinished building to shelter from the wind and rain—unfortunately, not a single abandoned high-rise could be seen nearby. "If you really have nowhere to go, just find a spot nearby. Can't you turn into a cat?" Noticing Bai Zhou's distress, Crow spoke gently: "You truly are exhausted. It's time to rest." Bai Zhou hesitated. It wasn't that he hadn't considered it, but he had dismissed the idea beforehand. Yet Crow seemed to have accounted for that as well: "If anyone approaches, or if any stray cats or dogs come near, I’ll wake you." "Rest easy, you have me." Crow turned to Bai Zhou, her voice tranquil, carrying a weight that brought him peace of mind. "We'll sleep in shifts." —With that, Bai Zhou had no further reason to push his battered body along the road. Furthermore, he had another reason to remain in the vicinity—the graduation photo in Fang Xiaoxia’s home! —His identity made it inconvenient right now, but once his body recovered slightly, he would have to sneak into Fang Xiaoxia's bedroom and get his hands on that unusual photo. Or at least hold onto it for a while before returning it. On that graduation photo, Bai Zhou still had a piece of last words left unfulfilled— With the School Demon struck by arrows falling like a meteor, perhaps those last words could finally be completed? Staying nearby would make it convenient for Bai Zhou to head over the moment he awoke tomorrow. As for how much his body could recover in just a single night— Bai Zhou looked up at the moonlight spilling from the sky. The water-like moonlight on the street faintly converged toward his silhouette, and the tattooed totem pulsed with a tingling, numbing itch from time to time. Bai Zhou chose to trust the restorative power granted to him by the Tears of the Moon Goddess and his "Heresy"! *The alleyway I passed earlier seemed pretty deserted...* Bai Zhou’s eyes flickered as he deliberated inwardly. *Creak, squeak—* The wobbling "Logger Vick" trudged on under the gaze of the moon and stars, passing once more by the entrance of the residential compound from before. The old guard in the security booth had fallen back asleep, his rhythmic snores showcasing a sleep quality Bai Zhou intensely envied. However— The clumsy, ugly-cute silhouette of the walking mascot was being watched from afar by a pair of eyes behind a window. "Why did he come back?" In the unlit bedroom, having changed into loose Paul Frank pajamas, Fang Xiaoxia pressed against the glass, her eyes wide as she watched the solitary figure trudging beneath the streetlights. "He looks like..." Fang Xiaoxia leaned closer from the bedside, watching cautiously from afar: "Is he injured?" The stumbling figure was limping noticeably, as if after parting ways, the calm, mysterious costumed freak had taken a tumble somewhere. Only after returning home had Fang Xiaoxia suddenly realized an important detail she had overlooked earlier: although she had guided the way, hadn't the person in the Logger Vick suit seemed to know her address from the start? Why had he kept telling her to study hard—did that mean he knew her grades were terrible? She had been utterly terrified out there earlier, but now that she was back home with the air conditioning on, Fang Xiaoxia’s brilliant intellect booted up once more, swiftly uncovering blind spots she hadn't noticed before. Did this person... know her? It was rather chilling to think about: in the dead of night, a giant-headed plush mascot suddenly descended from the heavens, not only chasing off a bear, but also knowing where she lived and even telling her to study hard— It truly made one break into a cold sweat. Yet before fear and dread could take hold, curiosity and a desire to investigate flooded Fang Xiaoxia’s heart. At this moment, Fang Xiaoxia was not merely a girl peeking from behind a window; she thought of Tom Sawyer, Charlie IX and the Tiger Team, Harry Potter, and Sherlock Holmes. And then, Fang Xiaoxia made a bold decision. *Click—* The door opened. Wearing her signature goofy monkey pajamas, carrying the milky, fresh scent of a recent shower, the pretty girl swung her twin tails and crept out the door with her keys. The chilly pre-dawn wind made her wrap her arms around herself with a shiver, yet like a mole that had just popped out of its burrow, her clear, black-and-white eyes darted about, surveying her surroundings with immense alertness. — "Which way did he go again...?" Muttering under her breath, the girl clutched the pink puppy on her keychain, locking eyes with its slyly grinning face: "Dora, bless me!" *Patter, patter—* And so, a youthful girl clad in Paul Frank pajamas, wearing pink Hello Kitty oversized slippers, embarked on her expedition. She hadn't even gotten answers to her questions from earlier! Therefore, she wanted to follow and see. Except this time, just to be safe, she had specially brought bear spray, a bear bell, and a personal alarm, arming herself to the teeth. She had heard they were very effective—against both bears and humans. "Where did he go...?" Not daring to wander too far, she came to a halt before she had even walked half a street. Because that was as far as her gaze from upstairs had reached. Truth be told, she hadn't set her heart on finding him; she just wanted to follow and look around, like seeing lovely moonlight outside the window and going downstairs for a stroll, or like a curious child spotting a small hole in the ground and being unable to resist poking a finger inside. As for what lay within the hole? Or if there was nothing at all? Heaven only knew. "..." Just then, her gaze swept across a pitch-black alleyway to the side. At the mouth of the alley was a garbage station with flies buzzing about, lively even in the dead of night, with an intensely pungent odor. This had always kept people away from the pitch-black alley inside. Yet in the past, when Fang Xiaoxia walked home alone from school and didn't want to face her house, she would occasionally hide inside like an abandoned child, curling up to space out, staring up at the narrow sky flanked by towering walls for hours on end. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, Fang Xiaoxia took a few steps inside and peered into the gloom. *Step—* Fang Xiaoxia halted abruptly. The white hem of her pajamas fluttered in the breeze. Half her figure was illuminated by the yellow streetlight of the garbage station, while the other half stepped into the alley. Her eyes snapped wide, thoroughly stunned— For at the deepest, darkest end of the alley, moonlight happened to spill down. The water-like moonbeam cut through the deep veil of night, faintly outlining contours in the darkness. An orange safety helmet met her eyes. The bulky brown-and-white mascot suit lay heaped in a secluded corner by the wall, blending inconspicuously among various piles of junk. If Fang Xiaoxia hadn't just seen it and had it burned into her memory, she never would have noticed the costume's presence. "That guy... dumped the mascot suit here?" Fang Xiaoxia blinked, then immediately puffed out her cheeks, feeling inexplicably disheartened. "Such a cute... such a memorable costume, why throw it away!" Fang Xiaoxia seemed about to say "cute," but changed her wording at the last second. Clinging to the thought of "keeping it as a memento," a stubborn glint flashed in Fang Xiaoxia’s eyes. Tiptoeing in silence, she carefully navigated the piles of filthy clutter, heading toward the discarded costume at the end of the alley. *Clang—* Accidentally bumping into a metal rack, the girl winced from the pain in her toes and halted abruptly. Yet she had no time to mind the ache; instead, like a startled hamster, she parted her lips slightly, holding her breath as her heart pounded inexplicably. Because, following her gaze— Beneath the moonlight, the bloated, puffy "belly" of the suit—this costume seemingly tossed aside at random—bulged with an unnatural swell. A small, furry black head poked out from the collar of the suit. The moonlight gently caressed the black cat's sleek back, gleaming with an ethereal, silvery sheen. The cat's body was covered in injuries that pulled at one's heartstrings. It seemed to be using the "abandoned" mascot suit as a blanket, its chest rising and falling softly with its breath in a tranquil, peaceful rhythm. It was sleeping soundly. "Isn't this—" Her incredulous eyes widened to their limit. The gloom of seeing the familiar suit discarded vanished instantly, replaced by immense shock, bewilderment, and a faint, imperceptible joy. It was like an ill-timed reunion with an old friend beneath the moonlight of a garbage-strewn alley. Isn't this— The black cat she had lost?