Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 104 A false alarm

In the quiet courtyard of the Bai family, Xiao Yuekui was still sitting at the rattan table.

Holding the book "Basic Life Sciences and Anatomical Atlas" in his hands, his gaze wandered, occasionally glancing at the spot by the courtyard wall where Yang Chen had disappeared.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, clearly still processing the strange and abrupt encounter.

“Magic… Big brother…” She unconsciously ran her fingertips along her smooth knee.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a loud bang.

Bai Yuetian rushed in with her schoolbag on her back, beads of sweat still on her forehead.

"Xiao Kui! I'm back!" he shouted habitually.

Startled by his loud voice, Xiao Yuekui snapped out of her daze and glared at her brother with annoyance.

"Shut up! You idiot brother!"

Bai Yuetian didn't mind, and came over with a grin, habitually trying to rub his sister's head, but she nimbly dodged him.

His gaze swept across the rattan table and landed on the feeding box containing the white mice.

"Hey, still studying your study buddy? Did you take it apart and sew it back together today?"

"No way!" Xiao Yuekui retorted instinctively.

But then her big eyes lit up, as if she had remembered something more important, and she immediately grabbed Bai Yuetian's arm.

"Brother! A strange older brother came to our house today!"

"Huh?" Bai Yuetian was taken aback.

"Who? Dad's friend? Or Mom's colleague?"

"Neither!" Little Yuekui shook her head vigorously, her little face full of seriousness.

“I’ve never seen him before! He suddenly appeared in the yard, wearing such strange clothes, like…like an astronaut? But not quite…”

She tried hard to recall what Yang Chen's specially made combat uniform looked like.

"Appeared suddenly?" Bai Yuetian frowned, his vigilance instantly rising.

He glanced around the quiet courtyard, then looked at his sister. "How did he get in? The gate was locked tight."

"I don't know!" Xiao Yuekui said excitedly.

“It just appeared in a flash! And he… he can even do magic!” She pointed to her knee.

"I fell and my knee was bleeding and it hurt so much! He pointed at it and 'whoosh,' it was all healed! There wasn't a single scar! It was like I hadn't fallen at all!"

"Magic? The wound healed instantly?" Bai Yuetian found it increasingly absurd.

He crouched down and carefully examined his sister's knees, but couldn't find a single red mark.

"Xiao Kui, you're not lying to your brother? Or... maybe you didn't hurt yourself and it healed on its own?"

"It's true!" Little Yuekui exclaimed anxiously, her face turning red.

"I was in so much pain I almost cried, and he was the one who cured me!"

"He even knows my name, he calls me Yue Kui, and he also said... said not to leave my clothes lying around anymore..."

She repeated Yang Chen's last, nonsensical piece of advice, feeling utterly bewildered herself.

Do you know your sister's name?
Bai Yuetian's heart sank suddenly.

A stranger was able to enter the secure courtyard silently and find the younger sister precisely.

His mind flashed through news clips he had seen on TV, such as kidnappings, extortions, and corporate espionage threatening families.

A chill crept up my spine.

"What else did he say? What did he look like? Which way did he go?" Bai Yuetian asked urgently, grabbing his sister's shoulder.

"He...he said we'd meet again, and then he just disappeared again." Xiao Yuekui tried to describe him. "His appearance...was quite tall, with bright eyes, and when he smiled...well, it was a little strange, like he really wanted to pat my head but didn't dare..."

"Gone?!" Bai Yuetian's pupils shrank.

Vanished into thin air? That's even stranger!

He immediately stood up and took out his phone.

This was a number Bai Jingyu had assigned him for easy contact. He found his father's number and dialed it without hesitation.

In Bai Jingyu's office, the virtual meeting with the Coastal Alliance concluded.

He was leaning back in his chair, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples.

The intercom on the table suddenly rang, showing a home number and that it was my son's cell phone.

"Hello, Xiaotian?" Bai Jingyu answered immediately.

My son should be home from school around this time.

"Dad!" Bai Yuetian's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Xiao Kui has been kidnapped!"

"What?!" Bai Jingyu jumped up from his chair in a flash.

"Did you send anyone over today? Or have some colleague or friend you don't know come to the house looking for Xiao Kui?" Bai Jingyu's heart jumped instantly: "No! What happened? How did Xiao Kui get kidnapped?"

"Brother! I wasn't kidnapped!" Xiao Yuekui's voice came through the phone.

"Oh right, Xiao Kui is fine, he's right next to me." Bai Yuetian spoke quickly.

“But she just told me that a strange man came to our house! Right in the yard! He was wearing strange clothes, and he suddenly appeared and then disappeared! He also said he had magic powers and instantly healed Xiao Kui’s scraped knee. The man knew Xiao Kui’s name. Dad, this isn’t right.”

Hearing that Bai Yuekui was still at home, Bai Jingyu felt relieved.

It's not surprising that people know Bai Yuekui's name; a simple search will reveal it.

But what are these things that suddenly disappear or magic?
"Xiao Tian, ​​are you sure Xiao Kui didn't see wrong? How is she now?"

"I checked, it's nothing serious. Xiao Kui doesn't usually make up stories like this to scare people," Bai Yuetian said with concern.

"Protect your sister, stay inside, lock the door, I'll contact the police right away, don't be afraid!" Bai Jingyu suppressed his shock and anger and quickly gave the order.

“Okay!” Bai Yuetian replied immediately.

Bai Jingyu hung up the phone with his son and was about to call Jiuchuan Defense.

However, just a second before his finger was about to press the dial button.

Inside the office, ASH's virtual projection silently coalesced beside his desk, still bearing that faint smile.

“Bai Jingyu,” ASH’s voice rang out steadily.

"Do you need to retrieve the surveillance footage from 14:00 PM to 15:30 PM today regarding the 'visitor' incident mentioned by Yue Kui?"

"Yes! Immediately! Synchronize all the footage with me! Not a single frame can be missed!" Bai Jingyu almost roared.

"Retrieving... Please wait." ASH's voice was completely flat.

A few seconds later, the holographic projection screen in front of Bai Jingyu lit up, splitting into several monitoring screens, which were the real-time and playback views of the Bai family courtyard and main entrances.

The timeline was precisely located by ASH to the time period described by Xiaoyue Kui.

Bai Jingyu leaned closer to the screen, carefully examining every frame.

In the screen:
The gate was closed, and the system showed it was locked normally, with no record of opening or damage.

In the center of the courtyard, Xiao Yuekui sat alone at the rattan table, quietly reading a book.

After a while, she put down the book, opened the terrarium, and took out the white mouse, placing it on the grass.

The white mouse ran away, and Xiao Yuekui got up to chase after it...

She tripped and fell on the lawn...

She sat on the ground, looking down at her knees, a pained expression on her small face, as if she was holding back tears.

Then, she sat alone on the ground for about two and a half minutes, seemingly lost in thought or enduring the pain...

Then, she slowly got up, patted the grass clippings off her skirt, and looked down at her knees.

She walked back to the wicker table, picked up the book, and glanced at the white mouse by the flower bushes, a look of confusion and absent-mindedness on her face...

She was the only person in the courtyard the entire time! No one else appeared!

Bai Jingyu repeatedly had ASH drag the timeline to zoom in on key scenes, especially the time after Xiao Yuekui fell.

The surveillance footage was continuous and smooth, without any signs of editing or overwriting.

The system logs also show that everything is normal, with no external intrusion or tampering records.

"What...what's going on?" Bai Jingyu muttered to himself, his shock and anger from before fading away amidst his immense confusion.

The surveillance footage provided irrefutable evidence that only the daughter was in the yard.

Perhaps the knee injury was just a little sore from falling on the grass?

That so-called "magical older brother"

...Was my daughter too engrossed in reading? Or was it a comforting thought born out of fear after the fall?

ASH's voice rang out at the right moment: "The surveillance footage shows that only Yue Kui was active in the courtyard during that time period. After Yue Kui fell, she stayed alone for a moment."

"According to child psychology analysis, when children are frightened or in pain, some children may experience a brief 'imaginary friend' phenomenon as a psychological compensation mechanism."

Bai Jingyu stared at the small figure of his daughter sitting alone on the ground after she fell on the screen, and then looked at her slightly confused little face.

ASH's explanation is reasonable, and the surveillance footage is flawless.

Bai Jingyu took a deep breath and wearily rubbed his temples.

ASH spoke again, "Perhaps, it's also possible that Moon Queen wants you and Theresa to spend more time with her."

After hearing this, Bai Jingyu also thought it was highly likely.

He has been busy with the development of ASH and negotiations with the Coastal Alliance lately, and Theresa has not taken Moonbeam to the laboratory for a long time.

"I think I should head back early today," Bai Jingyu said, looking at ASH.

"We should strengthen monitoring and security, just in case. Also, please report to me immediately if anything happens at home in the future."

"I understand."

(End of this chapter)