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

Chapter 148 Is it because I won't be by your side in the future?
"We were supposed to go back to the village today, but why did Mom suppress Dad?"

"Hey, Yue Kui, what do you think Mom will think of us?"

"What if they don't want to acknowledge us? After all, there are still the two of us here."

"Why did Orange run off with Mydo, leaving us here?"

"Hey, do you think I can hug Mom later? But wouldn't that be too abrupt?"

"Hey, Yue Kui, why aren't you saying anything?"

Bai Yuekui then looked up at Bai Yuetian, who was pacing back and forth, and frowned, saying, "Can you stop pacing like that?"

"I'm just nervous," Bai Yuetian pouted as she sat down next to Bai Yuekui.

So many years have passed.

Bai Yuetian glanced at the silent Bai Yuekui and noticed that Bai Yuekui had his arms crossed and legs crossed, his toes tapping the ground repeatedly.

"And you're talking about me. Aren't you the same?"

Unlike Bai Jingyu, Tereza left too early, and Bai Yuekui's impression of Tereza was only fragmented images, and secondly, the explosion in his childhood.

Just as the two were waiting anxiously, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Bai Yuekui's leg-shaking motion froze, and she and Bai Yuetian simultaneously straightened their backs and turned to look.

Bai Jingyu appeared in the porch.

"Moon Queen, Moon Sky"

He glanced at the brother and sister, then stepped aside.

Teresa's figure came into full view of them.

Her long red hair was pulled back, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks, and her eyes held a complex expression like a surging undercurrent.

She looked at them, her gaze first falling on Bai Yuetian's face, carefully and inch by inch tracing his temperament and features that were extremely similar to Bai Jingyu's yet completely different.

Then, it slowly moved towards Bai Yuekui.

Time seemed to stretch out; Theresa's lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

She took another small step forward, her steps slightly hesitant.

“…Xiao Kui?” Teresa’s voice was soft, her gaze fixed on Bai Yuekui’s face.

"Xiao Tian?"

Bai Yuetian's Adam's apple bobbed. The usually eloquent man was now like a mute, opening his mouth but only uttering a dry syllable.

"……mom."

Bai Yuekui had already stood up, his body taut and his arms crossed as if in a subconscious defensive posture.

She looked at Theresa: "Mom."

Theresa took two steps forward and gently stroked Bai Yuekui's cheek with her right hand.

“…It was you I saw on the beach that day, wasn’t it?” Theresa’s voice was very soft.

"Why...why didn't you tell me?"

Bai Yuekui's arms, which were clasped together, unconsciously fell to his sides, his fingertips curling slightly.

She opened her mouth, but something seemed to be blocking her throat.

"I……"

“It’s alright, it’s alright now,” Teresa immediately interrupted her, smiling gently.

She lowered her hand and gently took Bai Yuekui's hand in hers: "Jingyu told me everything... Blame your father for keeping it from me for so long... that fool..."

The next moment, Theresa opened her arms and gently embraced Bai Yuekui.

The hug was initially tentative and cautious, but all hesitation vanished when her cheek touched her daughter's cool white hair and she felt the body stiffen instantly.

She tightened her arms, embracing Bai Yuekui tightly, and gently patted her back.

Bai Yuekui froze completely the moment he was pulled into someone's arms.

Her arms slowly rose, carefully encircling Teresa's waist, then tightening little by little, and then tightening even more.
She buried her face deeply in Tereza's shoulder, where she could smell her mother's scent.

Suppressed sobs escaped from Theresa's shoulder.

Bai Yuekui's body began to tremble slightly, and the emotions that had been suppressed for too long finally found an outlet.

She didn't burst into tears; her shoulders trembled slightly as hot tears soaked into Tereza's clothes.

Theresa felt her daughter trembling uncontrollably in her arms, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, a mix of sourness and pain.

She didn't say anything, but simply hugged Bai Yuekui even tighter.

Bai Jingyu stood at the door, watching the mother and daughter embrace, and seeing the daughter's previously unseen vulnerable side, he silently turned his face away.

Bai Yuetian, who was standing to the side, felt a lump in her throat as she watched this scene, and pouted as she called out.

"mom"

Theresa freed one hand and beckoned to Bai Yuetian, who was standing beside her like an abandoned large dog.

Bai Yuetian rushed over almost immediately, squeezing into the warm embrace that made him want to cry, and wrapped his arms around his mother and sister.

He said in a muffled voice, "Mom... I miss you so much..."

Theresa felt her two children, who were already adults and even older than her, nestling against her like infants, seeking warmth and comfort that had been decades overdue.

After a long while, the tight embrace slowly loosened.

Theresa took a small step back, her gaze lingering on her daughter and son's faces.

She reached out her hands, gently wiping away the undried tear stains on Bai Yuekui's cheeks with her thumbs, and then wiping away the watery light from the corners of Bai Yuetian's eyes.

Her movements were as gentle as if she were handling two priceless treasures, as if afraid of breaking them.

Looking at the children's red eyes and their barely concealed sadness, a suspicion that had been swirling in her mind surfaced.

"Why are you all crying..." She looked at them with pity.

"Does it mean I won't be by your side in the future?"

Bai Yuetian's lips trembled, and the tears she had just stopped were starting to well up again.

He nodded: "Mom...you left too soon..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuetian's words, Bai Yuekui glared at him, but looking at his mother's youthful and vibrant face, he finally nodded gently.

This nod confirmed Theresa's guess.

Bai Jingyu didn't mention himself at all when he was telling her his story. She glanced back at Bai Jingyu, but he lowered his gaze and didn't dare to look at her.

Theresa hugged her two children tightly again: "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... It's all my fault... I missed so much... and you had to suffer so much alone..."

Her tears also fell.

“It’s not your fault, Mom,” Bai Yuekui said in a low, hoarse voice.

She gently hugged her mother back: "It was never your fault."

Bai Yuetian nodded vigorously, wiping her tears on Teresa's shoulder: "Yes! Mom, you're the best!"

As Teresa listened to the children's words, her heart ached, and she gently patted their backs.

"Okay, stop crying, stop crying..."

She wiped away their tears, and then wiped away her own, forcing a gentle smile, though her eyes were still moist. "Now Mom knows, Mom is here." She looked at Bai Yuekui and Bai Yuetian, her gaze unwavering.

"This time, Mom will stay with you all the time, no matter what happens in the future."

Her gaze swept over her husband at the door. Bai Jingyu, his eyes red-rimmed, nodded heavily to her.

Theresa looked at her children from the future again: "Give Mom a chance, let's...get to know each other again, okay?"

She held Bai Yuetian's hand, then looked at Bai Yuekui with eyes so tender they could melt your heart.

"Tell your mother... how you've managed all these years?"

Outside of Dragon Bone Village.

The once empty space was now magically filled with small mountains of supplies.

Brand new metal boxes, tightly sealed crates, bundles of books wrapped in waterproof cloth... the dazzling array of items is almost overwhelming.

Yang Chen stood in front of the pile of supplies, directing the work methodically.

He pointed to several different areas.

"This area, marked with Village No. 2, will be transported there. That area is from the main village; handle it carefully, as it contains precision instruments. And that pile over there, yes, sealed with green labels, will be transported directly to Ecological Base No. 3."

Looking at the various supplies that almost filled the open space, Nanjixing couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "Wow! Boss Yang, did you... did you buy all the supplies from the Old World? So many good things!"

He circled around the several brand-new water purifiers, his eyes shining.

Drake, standing some distance away, adjusted his glasses and carefully examined the boxes of special alloy materials and precision instrument parts. The production markings and specifications on them indicated that they were complete sets.

He simply couldn't imagine how Yang Chen had managed to acquire such a large quantity of highly targeted supplies from the Old World.

The two bosses must have had wealthy relatives in the old world to have lived this long.
He didn't ask any more questions, and in the end, he just suppressed all his doubts. Then he took out his communicator and began to contact and allocate manpower to ensure that Yang Chen's orders could be carried out quickly.

"One team is coming to move supplies from Village Two. Hurry up!"

"Second team, you're in charge of the main village. Keep an eye on those boxes marked 'Fragile'!"

"Has the transport vehicle for the ecological base arrived yet?"

The scene quickly became busy. Under the direction of the volunteers and villagers, they began to load the supplies onto the vehicles or move them to the designated locations in an orderly manner, with joy and enthusiasm on everyone's faces.

After giving the general instructions, Yang Chen looked down at Mai Duo, who had been following closely beside him with an excited expression on her face.

He smiled and ruffled her hair: "Maiduo."

“Yes! Brother Yang!” Mai Duo immediately looked up at him with bright eyes.

Yang Chen pointed to the most conspicuous and colorful mountain of books, which included children's picture books, popular science books, literary classics, and more, covering almost every aspect.

"See those books? When Qiushi comes over later, you and she can work together to organize these books and then distribute them to the children in the school and other people who want to read, okay?"

Yang Chen's voice was gentle: "You just came back from there, can you tell everyone what the world over there is like?"

Upon hearing this, Maiduo immediately puffed out her little chest, feeling as if she had shouldered an incredibly glorious and important task, and nodded vigorously: "Okay! I guarantee I'll complete the task!"

Her little face beamed with a bright smile, already looking forward to seeing her friends' expressions when they saw the new books and heard about her experiences.

Just then, Qiu Shi arrived with her entourage. When she saw the mountain of books piled up on the open ground, her eyes lit up with immense surprise and excitement.

For her, who was in charge of education and culture, these books were undoubtedly a treasure more precious than any weapon or equipment.

"Boss Yang! This...this is really too..." Qiu Shi was so excited that he was almost incoherent.

Yang Chen nodded to her: "Qiushi, thank you for your hard work. You'll be in charge of how to allocate and use the resources, and Maiduo will be your little assistant."

"No problem! Leave it to me!" Qiu Shi quickly agreed, walked briskly to the pile of books, and stroked the cover of a hardcover book with great affection.

She looked at Maido running towards her and gently took her hand: "Maido, come on, let's sort them roughly first..."

Then she waved to the people behind her and said, "Tie Xiao, come over here quickly."

Yang Chen walked over to Ulan Aodeng, who had been standing quietly to the side.

Ulan Aodeng's gaze swept over the orderly moving site.

"Has anything gone wrong in the village these past two days?" Yang Chen asked.

Ulan Ao turned his head upon hearing the voice: "No, everything is as usual. The shielding tower is functioning normally, the patrol team has not found any unusually large gatherings of Devouring Beasts, and the village is safe and sound."

Yang Chen nodded.

After a brief silence, Ulan Aodeng's gaze returned to Yang Chen's face.

"Boss, how's everything going on your end?"

Yang Chen understood what he meant, and turned his gaze to Mai Duo, who was happily helping Qiu Shi move books in the distance, and said slowly, "It's almost done."

But he then subtly changed the subject: "However, Oden, it's impossible to finally unite everyone in the old world... that's impossible."

Upon hearing this, Ulan Aodeng showed no surprise on his face, but simply nodded knowingly.

He understood all too well what this meant.

He recalled the people who had fled from various survivor strongholds and were taken in when the two villages were established.

It was only a small group of people who caused a lot of trouble and even fought each other because of differences in the distribution of resources, rules and ideas. They had to use absolute force to suppress them before the current order was finally formed.

And the old world...

It is a complex whole with billions of people, countless ideas and interests.

Beneath the surface of peace, undercurrents surge, and there are already numerous contradictions between countries and between different social classes.

Do you expect them to set aside all prejudices and selfish desires and unite as one simply because of a future, yet-to-be-doomsday warning?
This is nothing short of a fantasy.

He could even imagine the chaos that might ensue when the truth was partially revealed.

Panic, doubt, power struggles, attempts to exploit the crisis for personal gain, and even potential acts of extreme sabotage...

They witnessed far too much of the complexity and darkness of human nature in the apocalypse.

Back when Bai Yuekui and Yang Chen were consolidating the ground forces, they encountered a situation far more chilling than that of the Devouring Beasts.

The tragedy of cannibalism is not just a rumor, and they have no choice but to directly "recycle the source matter" of those who have completely lost their humanity.

Those who rely on their abilities to resist control, attempt to establish their own fiefdoms, or even plunder the weak often need to be suppressed by force. Only by crushing all dissent with absolute strength can the stable order that Dragonbone Village has today be established.

Such order cannot be achieved through words and goodwill alone.

Thinking of these things, Ulan Aodeng's eyes became even more resolute.

He looked at Yang Chen and said in a deep voice, "I understand. Just tell me what to do when the time comes, boss."

"We'll see when the time comes. It's impossible for all of you to come, otherwise I'd be a terrible boss." Yang Chen patted his strong arm and let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, you guys take charge here. If you need to use the robots, just tell ASH."

“Yes, I know.” Ulan Aodeng nodded in agreement.

After saying that, Yang Chen disappeared from the spot.

Plans can't keep up with changes, and Bai Jingyu was caught by Teresa during the handover of supplies.

He was already nervous about meeting his father-in-law, and now he has to meet his mother-in-law as well.

I wonder if Theresa even likes me.

　I'm not satisfied with how I wrote this chapter; I've been having writer's block for a whole day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)