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

Chapter 118 Follow the Heart
Teresa looked at the stable indicators on the test report, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The data is clear and everything is normal, with no indication of any recent injection of unknown gene-modifying agents.

Analysis of hormone levels, cell activity, and even minute metabolic products in her body all pointed to a six-year-old girl who couldn't be healthier than she could possibly be.

But... Xiao Kui never lies, especially about such specific details.

The feeling she described that night didn't seem like a figment of her imagination.

“This is really strange…” Theresa murmured to herself, her fingertips lightly tapping the report paper.

Could it be that being too engrossed in reading has caused mental fatigue and produced some kind of realistic physical hallucination?
This child has been intelligent and quick-witted since childhood, and sometimes he does get lost in his own world.

She shook her head slightly and locked the perplexing report in her desk drawer.

Perhaps we should observe for a while longer.

She turned around and looked at the corner of the laboratory.

Xiao Yuekui was still standing steadily on the raised chair, intently observing something through the microscope. Her small figure exuded focus and stubbornness.

A gentle smile appeared on Teresa's face as she walked over.

"Xiao Kui, that's enough, shall we go home? Dad might be back a little early today."

Xiao Yuekui did not respond immediately, but kept staring at the eyepiece. After a while, she raised her head and looked at her mother with her clear and bright eyes.

"Mom, why did they die so quickly after they saw it?"

She pointed to some cultured cells on a glass slide.

Theresa walked over to her and patiently explained.

"Because the life of cells is finite. They have a very short lifespan outside the body, as they are separated from the nutritional environment provided by the body. Moreover, many cells have a limit to the number of times they can divide. Once they reach that limit, they will age and die. This is a very natural process."

Xiao Yuekui nodded as if she understood, pondered for a moment, and then posed a more in-depth question.

"Then... are there cells that can keep dividing and never die?"

Theresa chuckled upon hearing this and gently stroked her daughter's hair.

"Silly child, how could there be cells that divide indefinitely? If cells could live forever, wouldn't the human beings that carry them also theoretically achieve immortality?"

In a relaxed tone, she explained to Xiaoyue Kui, "Although many countries and scientists around the world are now researching how to extend lifespan, and even pursuing so-called 'immortality'..."

"But this path is too difficult, and progress is extremely slow. The laws of life are not so easy to break."

She helped Xiao Yuekui down from the chair and straightened her collar: "Let's go home."

"These questions, you might find the answers yourself when you grow up and learn more."

Little Yuekui nodded obediently and began to tidy up her little experimental table herself.

Observe outside the wall.

Bai Yuetian watched as her mother gently led her younger sister, whom she had seen when she was little, away from the laboratory, as the lights gradually went out.

Only a few instruments had their faint indicator lights on, and my heart felt filled with something, a bittersweet feeling.

"Alright, we've seen it all, time to go." Yang Chen silently sent a message to Bai Yuetian.

“…Hmm.” Bai Yuetian responded softly, taking one last deep look at the now-dark laboratory.

On the way home, Bai Yuetian was unusually silent.

The neon lights of Hisakawa City flickered and the traffic flowed like a river, just as it had when he arrived, but Bai Yuetian's state of mind was completely different.

After a long silence, he spoke in a muffled voice.

"orange."

"Ok?"

"Did Yue Kui tell you in detail how your mother died?"

Yang Chen glanced at him sideways, then nodded: "Yes, she told me."

"It was caused by a 'brain transplant' surgery that wasn't legal at the time, and existed only in theory among top scientists, right?"

Bai Yuetian took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

"Yes. At that time, the concept was too advanced, and the risks and technological barriers were unimaginably high. The brain contains the vast majority of the human body's life essence, of course, we only learned that later."

"At that time, everyone, including scientists like my mother, believed that consciousness and memory existed only in the brain, ignoring the fact that the body itself also carried a small amount of life essence."

His voice carried a hint of bitterness. "It was this blind spot in understanding that led to the tragedy. My mother... she was too kind, and too obsessed with exploring the possibilities of life. She treated a patient whose body was theoretically dead but whose brain still had function, transplanting the brain into a dead police officer... and the result was unpredictable rejection and confusion."

"The patient who was treated... after he woke up, the life essence and instincts remaining in his body were still engraved with the original owner's combat memories and reactions to certain specific stimuli. He mistakenly took his father, who came to visit him, for a burglar..."

Yang Chen listened in silence.

Bai Yuekui mentioned this past experience, and he still remembers it vividly.

But to be fair, she truly lives up to her reputation as Bai Yuekui's mother, managing to complete a brain transplant surgery even without developing the Angel Drug.

Theresa was absolutely a genius.

"After that, things completely spiraled out of control." Bai Yuetian's voice lowered.

"That patient, perhaps out of fear, or perhaps because he had completely gone mad... he kidnapped his mother. He used explosives... to threaten his father, who was now the mayor, demanding that he hand over all the scientists who had participated in the related research..."

“Dad…” Bai Yuetian paused.

"He didn't agree."

Those scientists were all talents sent to Jiuchuan by various countries, and Bai Jingyu did not have the ability to hand them over.

The final outcome is self-evident.

A violent explosion. A towering flame.

And... people who can never come back.

From that day on, the home that was once filled with laughter was shattered.

The adoration and dependence that young Bai Yuetian felt for his father collapsed at that moment, along with his mother's departure and his incomprehension and resentment towards his father's "cold" choice.

He ran away from home with Yue Kui, and Bai Jingyu committed suicide that same day.

The two fell into a long silence, with only the faint sounds of the city's hustle and bustle drifting in.

Bai Yuetian raised his hand to wipe his face and took a deep breath.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Although it can't change our place, at least the Moon Queen of this world will have a happy family."

He seemed to be seeking affirmation, turning to look at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen met his gaze and affirmed, "Yes, it's different now."

The gloom on Bai Yuetian's face came and went quickly.

He slapped his thigh suddenly, as if he wasn't the one who had just been immersed in sad memories.

In an instant, he reverted to his usual carefree and irreverent self.

"Oh dear, let's not think about the past anymore, it's pointless anyway!" He waved his arms exaggeratedly and put his arm around Yang Chen's shoulder.

"Hurry, hurry, Orange! Speed ​​up! Let's go back and get our shopping spoils, then head home! I can't wait to get back and experience the thrill of the game."

Yang Chen was somewhat exasperated by his sudden change of expression: "Okay~"

"Oh, right!" Bai Yuetian seemed to suddenly remember something, and nudged Yang Chen with his elbow while winking.

"I saved a copy for you. You can sneak over to my place to play."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chen decisively shook his head.

"Thanks, I appreciate your kindness. You can keep that game for yourself, and 'study materials' are out of the question."

"Why?" Bai Yuetian stared wide-eyed, giving him a look that said, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"What's wrong with men having hobbies? Yue Kui isn't unreasonable..."

Yang Chen glanced at him sideways: "I don't know if Yue Kui is reasonable or not, but I know she will definitely hit me."

Bai Yuetian was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Coward!"

Yang Chen remained expressionless as he listened to his mockery: "Say what you will."

Arguing with this guy is just asking for trouble.

Soon, they retrieved the mountain of shopping bags.

The magic enveloped the two of them again, and the surrounding scenery instantly changed.

(End of this chapter)