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

Chapter 11 The Hunter

Inside the residence of Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui in Longgu Village.

Bai Yuekui skillfully connected the antique game console to the television and inserted the game cartridge. The pixelated interface lit up, carrying the rough feel unique to the old era. She picked up a controller and handed it to Yang Chen, then picked up another one for herself.

"Come on, let me see if your skills have improved." Bai Yuekui smiled slightly and selected a role.

"Is there a stake in winning or losing?" Yang Chen took the handle and flexed his fingers.

"What kind of stake do you want?" Bai Yuekui raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm..." Yang Chen pretended to think, his gaze falling on Bai Yuekui's smooth profile. "The loser cooks tonight?"

"Deal." Bai Yuekui said without hesitation, but his eyes sharpened and his fingers flew across the keys.

For a moment, only the game sound effects and the clatter of keys filled the room. On the screen, two pixelated characters clashed fiercely. Bai Yuekui's movements were precise, pressing forward relentlessly; Yang Chen, on the other hand, played steadily, defending and counterattacking. The two were evenly matched, unable to determine a winner.

KO!
On the pixelated screen, Yang Chen's character's health bar reached zero, and he collapsed to the ground. Bai Yuekui's character, on the other hand, struck a victory pose.

"One more round!" Yang Chen made a move to choose a different character.

Bai Yuekui had already put down the controller, stood up, stretched his slender body, and a sly smile of a victor appeared on his lips: "One game decides the outcome, no take-backs allowed. Go cook, Xiao Chengzi."

Yang Chen looked at the big "KO" on the screen, scratched his head helplessly, and said, "Fine, a bet's a bet. What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm..." Bai Yuekui walked to the window, looking at the lights of Dragonbone Village gradually lighting up outside, seemingly thinking about Tasia's potential. He casually said, "Whatever, anything you make is fine. But... that mushroom soup last time was good, even better than Rice Is Steel."

"Okay, then let's have mushroom soup, and some of your favorite cured meat." Yang Chen stood up, stretched his wrists, and headed towards the kitchen. He quickly tied on his apron and began preparing the ingredients.

Bai Yuekui didn't help; she simply leaned against the kitchen doorframe, quietly watching his busy figure. The soft light streaming in from the window and the rising steam from the kitchen created a peaceful and warm atmosphere.

Yang Chen poured the chopped mushrooms into the soup pot, and as the steam rose, a rich aroma began to fill the air.

Bai Yuekui's lips curled up slightly, and a hint of warmth appeared between her brows. She walked to Yang Chen's side, picked up a piece of sliced ​​cured meat, and popped it into her mouth when he wasn't looking.

"Hey! It's not cooked yet!" Yang Chen said, both amused and exasperated.

"I'm hungry." Bai Yuekui said matter-of-factly, and took another piece.

Tartarus, or as it now calls itself—"the lighthouse".

The massive aerial fortress moved slowly above the clouds, its steel shell reflecting a cold metallic luster.

In the armory, technicians were adjusting the gravity system. In the distance, poorly dressed civilians, under the supervision of heavily armed city guards, were laboriously carrying heavy weapon boxes and ammunition onto armored personnel carriers that were about to depart.

A red-haired woman with a neat high ponytail stood at the entrance of the maintenance depot. She stood tall and wore a desert-colored training uniform unlike that of other hunters. The morning light shone through the gaps in the thick clouds, illuminating her beautiful but slightly tired and confused profile, and giving her fiery red hair a faint golden glow.

Her name is Hong Kou, the commander of the Wilderness Hunters.

"Red Collar, are you still thinking about those who went on their journeys?" A deep male voice sounded beside her. The newcomer was tall and had a resolute face, with a deep scar over his right eye. He was also wearing the Hunter's uniform and was Red Collar's most trusted adjutant, Dawn.

"Red Knife, are you still thinking about those who went far away before?" Red Knife didn't turn around immediately, her gaze still fixed on the distant scenery: "Dawn?"

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Dawn beside her, her eyes filled with even deeper confusion: "The Lighthouse's supplies are limited. I know that Lord Morgan established this rule of long-distance travel to maximize the Lighthouse's survival time and conserve precious resources. But..."

She paused, as if the hunched backs of the elderly people being led off the lighthouse and the last glimmer of light dying from their eyes appeared before her.

Those who traveled far and wide made significant contributions to the lighthouse, but when it was no longer needed, they were abandoned. Isn't that too heartless?

“After all, this is the apocalypse, unlike the old world.” Dawn was also feeling bad, but he couldn’t think of any other words to comfort him.

"I know."

Looking at the distant sun, Hong Kou said softly, "Do you think there's really no one left on the ground?"

After saying this, both of them fell silent. They both knew that the lighthouse had not found any trace of human life on the ground for a long time.

"Captain Hong Kou!" A female voice, filled with excitement and respect, broke the silence. It was the young technician who had just been responsible for debugging Hong Kou's exclusive gravity system. She jogged over, her face beaming with the excitement of completing her mission and the admiration for her idol.

"Your gravity body is ready."

Hong Kou quickly concealed the confusion and heaviness on her face, replacing it with her usual gentle yet firm smile, and turned to look at the technician: "Thank you for your hard work, Lia."

"It's what I should do!" Leah straightened her chest, her voice loud and clear, her eyes shining: "Captain Red, you must also return safely from this mission!"

“Don’t worry,” Red patted Leah on the shoulder, her tone reassuring and steady, “It will definitely happen.”

Watching Red Kite instantly switch back to his resolute commander persona, Dawn sighed inwardly. After the technician named Leah left, he handed her a newly received mission intelligence report, lowering his voice slightly.

“Red Bandit, the danger of going to the surface this time may be great. We don’t know much about this continent. There may be more Devouring Beasts than in the places we’ve been before.”

Hong Kou took the intelligence report, his eyes quickly scanning the areas marked in red, his brows furrowing imperceptibly.

These locations are mostly urban areas, and these are also the places with the highest probability of having Devouring Beasts.

"There's nothing we can do. The lighthouse's fuel and food supplies can only last for another month at most." Red Knuckle's voice was calm as she handed the intelligence back to Dawn and walked towards the hunters.

"Mission objective: B-7 Former Industrial Storage Area." Red Cop looked at the hunters who were already prepared. "Based on the remaining records in the Lighthouse database and the last aerial reconnaissance of the surrounding area, this used to be a storage depot of the Old World. Our objective is to search for usable fuel, and... any food that may be available."

"Red Bandits!"

Just then, a little boy ran over, and no one around stopped him; it seems he's a regular here.

He ran up to Hong Kou and said, "I want to go too. Take me with you."

"Hey, our Captain Mark has given the order," Gavin from the hunter team couldn't help but tease.

These words drew laughter from everyone, filling the armory with a joyful atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)