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

Chapter 106 Long Time No See (Combined Chapter)
The sound from outside the door penetrated the door panel with perfect clarity.

Bai Yuekui's fingers, which were resting on the doorknob, suddenly froze. His breath seemed to stop for a moment, and his mind went blank for a brief instant.

She was forcing herself not to think about how long it would take him to come back.

They were even mentally prepared for months, years, or... never to come.

She even regretted ignoring him a few days ago because he disregarded safety and conducted the test without permission.

But now... how much time has passed?

Night had just fallen, and even the time it took to eat a meal felt long and unbearable.

He's back?
Almost instinctively, she pulled open the door.

In the dim light outside the door, that tall figure came into clear view.

It was Yang Chen! He had that familiar, warm smile on his face.

"Orange!" Bai Yuekui practically pounced on it.

She suddenly bumped into Yang Chen's arms.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, buried her face deep in his chest, and sucked in his comforting breath.

The movement was so fast that Yang Chen staggered slightly.

Yang Chen caught her steadily, his arms naturally encircling her back, feeling the slight trembling of her body and the undisguised dependence in his arms.

"Oh." He lowered his head and rubbed his chin against her silver hair.

"It's only been a day, and Boss Bai already misses me that much?"

Bai Yuekui gave a muffled "humph" in his arms, tightening her arms around his waist.

She didn't look up, but buried her face even deeper.

She regretted arguing with him earlier, wasting precious time that could have been spent together.

It took her a while to calm down and lift her face.

"Why did they come back so quickly? Did they fail?"

"It was a success, but plans can't always keep up with changes," Yang Chen said with a relaxed smile.

I'll explain later.

He loosened his arms and picked up one of the gift bags at his feet: "Look, I brought you a gift."

Bai Yuekui's gaze then fell on his hands, his curiosity temporarily overshadowing his excitement at the reunion.

"What is this?" She finally loosened her embrace a little, but still stayed close to him, and reached out to take it.

The bag wasn't heavy, and I felt like I'd seen this kind of packaging before.

Yang Chen put his arm around her shoulder and led her into the house, then closed the door behind him.

"open to take a look?"

Bai Yuekui did as instructed and opened the packaging. Inside was a transparent acrylic display box.

Inside the box lay a lifelike, exquisitely crafted mechanical mouse.

This little white mouse is not a furry living creature, but is made of shiny silver alloy and intricate miniature gears and joints.

Its eyes are two small gems emitting a soft blue light, and its body has smooth lines, making it a perfect combination of technology and art.

“This is…” Bai Yuekui was somewhat surprised, his fingertips gently touching the cold metal body.

A blurry image flashed through my mind in an instant.

In my childhood, there was a little white mouse in my family's small courtyard that my mother called a study partner and that she had studied.

The sunlight, the grass, and that "magical" older brother who suddenly appeared and disappeared.

She raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears, and looked straight at Yang Chen.

"It really was you..."

Yang Chen did not answer immediately.

Looking at the tears welling up in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.

"Yo~" he deliberately dragged out the tone.

"Is she about to cry? I just saw that little crybaby earlier today, her eyes welling up with tears and looking so wronged after falling down. How come she's an old lady now, but she cries even more?"

The words "grandma" were like a fuse that had been lit.

The tears of emotion in Bai Yuekui's eyes were instantly evaporated by a flame of shame and anger.

She narrowed her eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Yang! Chen!"

The next second, without even thinking, her body reacted instinctively, and she pushed Yang Chen down onto the sofa.

"Hey, hey, hey! Just kidding!" Yang Chen had anticipated being "punished."

But to his surprise, Bai Yuekui moved so quickly and fiercely that he pinned him down on the sofa.

He struggled symbolically for a moment, then quickly grabbed the other gift bags that were placed to the side.

"No, no, no, Mr. Bai, please calm down. Look, look, there are even gifts." He shook the bag, trying to change the subject.

"Why don't you open it and take a look?"

Bai Yuekui was pressing down on him from above, but when he heard the word "gift," he paused.

She glared at his face, which seemed to say "I was wrong, but I'll do it again," and snorted.

She released her grip on Yang Chen's hand, snatched the bag he was holding, and sat down next to him, deliberately keeping her distance.

She started tearing open the second bag, her movements tinged with a hint of defiance, the packaging ripping loudly as it was torn.

The first thing they brought out was a simple and elegant silver-gray loungewear set.

The fabric is soft and the cut is good; it's the style and color she likes.

Bai Yuekui casually draped his clothes over the sofa armrest.

Well, he does have some good taste.

Next was a well-tailored, heavy-textured dark gray wool coat. The style was classic, the lines were smooth, and it looked expensive and very practical.

Bai Yuekui raised an eyebrow; this one also suited her taste.

However, as she continued to rummage into the bag, the fabric that her fingertips touched began to feel... a little different.

She picked it out suspiciously and took a look.

A delicately designed maid outfit adorned with black lace?!
The fabric is lightweight, and the style...

Bai Yuekui's movements froze instantly.

She raised her head expressionlessly, her silver eyes sharp as knives, shooting straight at Yang Chen, who was still lying on the sofa and trying to sit up.

His eyes were filled with a silent question.

You are the best at explaining clearly.

Yang Chen had just managed to sit up when he met Bai Yuekui's icy gaze.

A chill ran down my spine, and the smile on my face instantly froze, turning into utter embarrassment.

He coughed lightly, "Um...this...shopkeeper!"

"Yes! The shopkeeper saw I bought a lot and said it was a free gift. I swear I definitely didn't specifically choose this! If you don't like it, you don't have to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Yuekui had already expressionlessly opened the last item in the bag.

A few pieces of thin, almost transparent black tulle, shaped... well, very economical with fabric.

The air seemed to freeze.

Yang Chen's words "you don't have to" were stuck in his throat.

However, the expected rage did not materialize.

Bai Yuekui simply looked quietly at the several "distinctly different" gifts in his hands, his long eyelashes drooping, concealing the emotions in his eyes.

She raised her eyes and glanced at Yang Chen.

His eyes were as complex as a pie chart, showing embarrassment, helplessness, and seemingly hiding a very subtle, forcibly suppressed smile.

She didn't say anything, but simply stuffed all of those things, along with the loungewear and coats she had taken out earlier, back into the large gift bag.

The movements weren't exactly gentle, but they were definitely not disdainful.
Then, she casually placed the bag next to the sofa where she was sitting.

"..." Yang Chen held his breath, waiting for the verdict.

Bai Yuekui patted non-existent dust off his hands, sat up straight again, and finally looked back at Yang Chen's face.

"Let's keep it for now."

Yang Chen: "...Huh?"

He thought he heard wrongly.

Keep it? Keep what? Keep the clothes? Or keep it to deal with him?
Bai Yuekui seemed too lazy to explain any further. She stood up and walked straight to the kitchen.

Have you eaten yet?

"Uh, not yet."

"The food's all cold, I'll go heat it up. You... go wash your hands first."

Yang Chen was still standing there, his mind replaying the words "keep it for now".

Does this count as tacit approval?
Yang Chen sat at the dining table, his gaze falling on the almost untouched bowl and chopsticks opposite him, then looking up at Bai Yuekui's busy figure in the kitchen.

Bai Yuekui brought out the reheated food, and the aroma of the food once again filled the small restaurant.

She placed the plate in front of Yang Chen, then sat back down opposite him. Instead of picking up her chopsticks immediately, she raised her clear silver eyes and looked directly at him.

"Go ahead and speak," she said calmly.

"What's going on? The time on both sides should be synchronized. The antimatter reserves and equipment debugging, even with ASH's coordination and your talisman help, cannot be completed in one day."

"How did you come back?"

Yang Chen put down his chopsticks, and the rabbit talisman appeared in his palm.

The talisman glowed faintly under the light, and the magic within seemed more active than ever before.

“Because… I don’t think I need that device anymore.” Yang Chen handed the rabbit talisman to Bai Yuekui so she could see it more clearly.

"Or rather, that device... unexpectedly activated its deeper power."

Bai Yuekui's gaze fell on the rabbit talisman, but she couldn't see any difference in the talisman.

She frowned slightly: "Activate?"

"Hmm." Yang Chen nodded, organizing his thoughts.

"Do you remember when I told you about Xiaoyu? She used the rabbit talisman before, or perhaps she came into contact with something else, which is why she went back to the past."

He pointed to the rabbit talisman.

"The equipment we've set up this time requires antimatter for power, so perhaps it's similar to Xiaoyu's situation back then? The energy caused the talisman to change."

Bai Yuekui handed the rabbit talisman back to Yang Chen.

He picked up the talisman and felt the magic flowing within it: "The rabbit talisman now is no longer just about 'speed'. Whenever I want, I can go back to the past, or rather, to that parallel world."

Bai Yuekui listened quietly, digesting this astonishing information.

To be able to travel freely between two worlds without needing massive equipment and lengthy preparations, relying solely on a single talisman? This was beyond all her previous knowledge and plans.

She picked up her water glass, took a sip, and then slowly spoke: "So, you came back because of the power of the talisman itself?"

“Yes,” Yang Chen affirmed.

"When I first arrived in 2033, I felt that the talisman had changed. After I finished shopping, I tried to use the power of the talisman to come back."

Bai Yuekui remained silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the almost untouched bowl and chopsticks on the table before turning to Yang Chen.

“After that incident when I was a child, I truly haven’t seen you again in my memory.” Her tone carried a hint of probing. “Now that I can travel through time at will, it’s impossible that I haven’t seen you since.”

Yang Chen's smile faded slightly: "I uploaded ASH."

He said slowly, "Using the current ASH, who possesses self-awareness and memories of the future, to cover up the underlying logic that was not yet awakened at that point in time, this is definitely a major event that is enough to change the course of history. ASH himself has also speculated that this is likely the key point at which the timeline branches out."

Moreover, in a sense, ASH is no longer artificial intelligence; it has acquired true "life."

He paused, looking into Bai Yuekui's eyes.

"So, it's very likely that from that moment on, the timeline split. One is the one we're on now, where you've only met me once, and then history follows its predetermined trajectory toward disaster and ecological collapse, until we meet."

His fingers unconsciously caressed the smooth surface of the rabbit talisman, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

"Perhaps there's another timeline, a world where I don't exist." (Saved for a side story)
“Without your existence,” Bai Yuekui murmured.

If Yang Chen didn't exist in that world, he would still prioritize the plan to conquer the monsters.

The body will also suffer irreversible damage after that whirlpool.

The other timeline he imagined... didn't include him.

There was no Yang Chen, who fought alongside her in the wasteland, picked up her scattered clothes, played games with her, made her angry and then made her happy again.

What kind of experiences will Bai Yuekui have?
"Yue Kui? Yue Kui?" Yang Chen waved his hand in front of her eyes, a hint of worry in his voice.

Bai Yuekui snapped back to reality and met his concerned gaze.

"Let's eat first," Yang Chen said, his voice softening further.

"I don't think you ate much this afternoon, your stomach must be protesting." He picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of her favorite dish into her bowl.

"After you finish eating, I'll take you back."

"Go back?" Bai Yuekui was taken aback and subconsciously looked around at the familiar furnishings.

"Aren't we already at home?"

Yang Chen smiled mysteriously, without explaining immediately, but added some more food to her bowl: "Fill your stomach first."

Bai Yuekui looked at the pile of food in the bowl, then at Yang Chen's expectant eyes. Although she was full of questions, the hunger she had suppressed earlier surged up again.

She didn't ask any more questions, obediently picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat quietly.

Yang Chen ate with her, adding food to her plate from time to time.

When the two had almost finished eating, Yang Chen put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and then smiled as he extended his hand to Bai Yuekui.

"Come on, Mr. Bai, give me your hand."

Bai Yuekui looked at his outstretched hand with a puzzled expression, then looked at him again, and placed his own hand in his palm.

"Close your eyes," Yang Chen said softly.

Bai Yuekui closed his eyes as instructed.

The next moment, she felt Yang Chen tighten his grip on her hand, and a familiar, gentle force instantly enveloped her entire body.

There was no dizziness, no sense of being torn apart.

There seemed to be a very brief whistling sound of wind passing by my ear, which then disappeared.

"Alright, open your eyes." Yang Chen's voice rang out beside him with a smile.

The two stood on a deserted street in the distance.

Bai Yuekui slowly opened his eyes.

The sight before her made her gasp for breath.

It's no longer the familiar walls and lights of home.

What came into view was something long forgotten, something that only existed in memory.

The bustling night view of Hisakawa City!

The dazzling neon lights outlined the skyscrapers, and huge holographic billboards floated in mid-air, displaying vibrant colors and enticing product information.

On the wide and clean streets, the sleek hovercars glided silently by, their headlights forming a flowing river of light.

The sidewalk was crowded with pedestrians, dressed in all sorts of clothes, their faces showing either hurried or leisurely expressions.

She really came back! Back to before the disaster, back to the place she longed for, Jiuchuan!
Bai Yuekui stood still, his eyes slightly widened, scanning everything around him without blinking.

She instinctively tightened her grip on Yang Chen's hand, as if to confirm that this was not just a beautiful illusion.

This is where she lived as a child, this is the Jiuchuan she remembers!

Just as she was greedily breathing in the familiar yet unfamiliar air, a round-headed, simply designed service robot smoothly glided in front of them.

The robot stopped in front of the two people, and the circular "head" screen lit up, displaying a simple smiley face emoji.

Then, a gentle, synthesized electronic voice sounded, clearly aimed at Bai Yuekui.

Good evening, Yue Kui. You're here too?

"Is the night view of Hisakawa City still as dazzling as it has been after so many years?"

That voice...that tone...

Bai Yuekui turned to look at Yang Chen, who raised an eyebrow at her.

Bai Yuekui immediately turned his gaze back to the robot.

"ASH?! At this point... the AI ​​bill hasn't been finalized and passed yet, right? Autonomous service robots in public areas shouldn't have fully opened up permissions yet, how can you... directly control this device to talk to me?"

This is too risky! If the Coastal Union's regulatory body discovers that an AI now possesses such strong autonomous action and "overstepping" dialogue capabilities, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The smiley face icon on the robot's screen flickered slightly.

ASH's calm and unwavering voice rang out again, clearly reaching their ears.

"Rest assured, Yue Kui, my underlying protocol logic always complies with all current security standards and frameworks. No one will be able to detect it. Hela Empire's AI SITA is far inferior to me."

ASH paused for a moment.

"As long as we wait for further developments, I will be spread throughout Jiuchuan, just like before."

Bai Yuekui looked at the robot in front of him who was "whispering," and then at Yang Chen beside him who was all smiles.

She took a soft breath and finally just whispered something to the robot.

"...You'd better be really sure no one can find out."

“I’ll choose the one I’m very sure of, Yue Kui.”

Its electronic voice lowered slightly: "Even if Bai Jingyu wanted to format me now, he couldn't."

Bai Yuekui looked at the robot in front of him who was "whispering," and then at Yang Chen beside him who was all smiles.

She took a soft breath: "Okay."

Bai Jingyu.
Bai Yuekui's expression seemed to change after hearing the name.

The service robot's round screen flickered, seemingly observing Bai Yuekui's reaction.

Just then, ASH's voice sounded again, this time with a somewhat tentative electronic tone.

"Moon Queen".

Upon hearing ASH call his name, Bai Yuekui subconsciously responded with a "Hmm?"

“Bai Jingyu is at home now,” ASH stated calmly, the emoji on the screen turning into a gentle dot.

Do you want to go see him?

ASH continued, "Your mother, Theresa, is also here."

“Bai Jingyu…Teresa…” These two names were uttered by ASH.

Bai Yuekui's expression became extremely complicated.

Mom and Dad
This is a name I haven't heard in a long time.

ASH keenly caught the turbulent emotions surging deep within Bai Yuekui's eyes.

"Would you like to go see them?" Ash's voice was even softer, more like a cautious suggestion than a question.

"Look at them now?"

Bai Yuekui's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards a familiar yet unfamiliar direction in the city, as if it could penetrate the layers of tall buildings and see the home with its cozy courtyard deep in her memory.

Go take a look... just a quick look from afar... see if Dad is still working at his desk? See if Mom has just come back from the lab?

Look at that... carefree, young self?
This temptation is too big.

Bai Yuekui turned to look at Yang Chen, her silver eyes churning with complex emotions that even she herself could not fully comprehend.

Yang Chen looked at her with a gentle smile.

He brought her back today for this moment.

“Let’s go,” he said softly.

"Go and see."

He knew all too well what Teresa meant to Bai Yuekui.

He also clearly understood that the wound of losing his mother at the age of 11, even though Boss Bai became indestructible in the apocalypse, had never truly healed at its core.

Bai Yuekui didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly, a movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

With a slight thought, Yang Chen unleashed the power of the snake talisman, seamlessly blending the two figures into the night without leaving a trace.

The ASH-controlled service robot remained still, and the light on the screen flickered briefly.

Then it resumed its programmed movements, continuing to glide along the street, playing the same old commercials.

While in stealth mode, Yang Chen naturally took Bai Yuekui's slightly cool hand.

The two of them soared into the air, the city lights beneath their feet rushing past.

It moved incredibly fast; in just a few breaths, that familiar area appeared below our field of vision.

Yang Chen slowed down and silently landed outside his own courtyard with Bai Yuekui.

From here, the view inside the house is clearly visible through the bright floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room.

Bai Jingyu was sitting on the sofa in the living room, his brows slightly furrowed, holding a tablet in his hand, his fingertips rapidly swiping across it, clearly still working.

Theresa appeared at the junction of the kitchen and the living room.

She had just come out of the kitchen, carrying a fruit platter with cut fruit on it.

She was dressed in comfortable loungewear, her face showing a hint of fatigue from work, but her eyes immediately softened with tenderness and concern when she saw her husband on the sofa.

"Jingyu, why don't you have some fruit and rest for a bit? Are you still waiting for feedback from the Alliance?" Theresa's voice drifted through the window.
Bai Jingyu looked up, saw his wife, his tense expression eased a little, and he put down the tablet.

"Yes, after the meeting this afternoon, several representatives sent some more detailed inquiries. How about your side? Was today smooth?"

"As always, data verification is a real pain."

Theresa placed the fruit plate on the coffee table and sat down next to Bai Jingyu.

"The progress is going well, but you look a bit pale. Have you been under too much stress lately?"

Bai Jingyu took a bite of fruit from his wife's hand and mumbled, "It's alright. It was just this afternoon..."

He paused, seemingly hesitant about whether to bring up his daughter's "strange incident."

Just then, a small figure peeked out from the stairs leading to the second floor.

Six-year-old Bai Yuekui, wearing cute cartoon pajamas, had a look of sleepiness and curiosity on his little face.

"Dad, Mom, are you still working?"

Theresa immediately smiled and waved at her.

"Xiao Kui? Why aren't you asleep yet? Are you thirsty?"

　It's around midnight.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)