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

Chapter 151 Step by step
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the apartment's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm golden glow.

When Yang Chen woke up, there was no one beside him.

He got up and walked out of the bedroom, and saw Bai Yuekui already dressed and standing by the window, looking down at the city that was gradually waking up.

She changed into a neat casual outfit instead of the dress she wore yesterday, seemingly returning to the calm and powerful Boss Bai from Dragon Bone Village.

"Awake?" She turned around when she heard the noise.

"Mm." Yang Chen walked to her side.

Why didn't you wake me up when you got up?

Bai Yuekui chuckled: "Let you sleep a little longer."

"Okay, so you're going over now?"

"Yes, I've arranged a time with Mom." Bai Yuekui nodded. "What about you? The shielding tower should start construction today too, you'll probably be busy for most of the day."

"I'll be leaving soon." Yang Chen checked the time.

The two had a quick breakfast and then parted ways at the apartment entrance.

Bai Yuekui took the elevator directly to the underground parking garage, where the vehicle arranged by Bai Jingyu was already waiting.

She opened the car door and got in, and the car drove off smoothly.

As Bai Yuekui watched the street scenes rushing past the window, knowing she was about to meet Horn Garcia, her emotions were far from as calm as they appeared.

Professor Horn was not only her mother Teresa's teacher, but also the one who guided her into the field of neuroscience, and the key figure in the development of the "Angel Drug".

In that future, the teacher eventually...

She closed her eyes, suppressing her surging emotions.

This time, everything is different.

At the same time, Yang Chen appeared in the open space behind the shielding tower.

On the open ground, the foundation for the new shielding tower is under construction, and Ulan Aodeng is directing the manpower and construction machinery to carry out the foundation construction.

Meanwhile, Nanjixing coordinated the materials that Yang Chen had just sent from the warehouse using talismans.

Upon seeing Yang Chen appear, Wulan Aodeng strode over and said, "Boss."

"How's the progress?" Yang Chen's gaze swept across the construction site.

"It's going very smoothly. The foundation will be completed today, and we'll start building the main tower tomorrow," Ulan Aodeng reported. "At this rate, and with your abilities, boss, the three backup towers will be completed in ten days at most."

Yang Chen nodded in satisfaction: "Thank you for your hard work. Do you have enough materials?"

"The first batch of special alloys and parts delivered is more than enough, even to the point of having a surplus," Ulan Aodeng continued, a smile on his face.
"That's good." Yang Chen patted Wulan Aodeng on the shoulder.

"I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to the Heluo Ruins now."

"Boss, where are you going?" Ulan Aodeng asked, somewhat puzzled.

Apart from the abundant manna ecosystem, the Heluo region has almost nothing else.

"I'm just taking some pictures," Yang Chen said without much explanation. "I'll be right back."

After saying that, he turned and headed toward the No. 3 ecological base.

Inside the base, the Swift rests quietly, its streamlined fuselage reflecting a cold luster.

Yang Chen got into the cockpit and started the engine.

The roof of the base slowly slid open, revealing a clear blue sky.

"Let's go, Ash."

The fighter jet took off vertically, then adjusted its direction, transforming into a silver streak as it sped towards the distant Heluo Ruins.

Inside the cabin, ASH had already planned the flight path, and Yang Chen looked out the window.

The land below gradually transformed from the lush greenery surrounding Dragonbone Village into barren wasteland, with scattered remnants of abandoned buildings from the old world.

The closer you get to the Heluo site, the more dilapidated the landscape becomes.

ASH's voice rang out in the cabin: "Yang Chen, we are about to reach the designated coordinates. According to my historical data records, the epicenter of the most recent earthquake in that world is in the basin ahead."

"There are many Mana flowers here. Being within the magnetic field range might cause me to lose control of the Swift. I don't recommend hovering at low altitudes," ASH warned.

"Understood." Yang Chen lowered the altitude and maneuvered the Swift to circle at a safe altitude.

Below lies an even more desolate and barren basin, crisscrossed by twisted vines and parched fissures, and the stench in the air is visibly thick.

"Right here." Yang Chen unbuckled his seatbelt and instructed ASH, "Notify me immediately of any unusual activity."

"Understood. The external environment is harsh, please be careful, Yang Chen." ASH's response came through the communicator.

Yang Chen got up and left the cockpit, going to the rear cabin.

He opened an equipment case, inside which was a modified high-precision camera system.

After he finished checking the equipment, the rear hatch slowly opened, and a strong gust of wind rushed in instantly.

Yang Chen carried the filming equipment to the cabin door and then slowly floated down.

In the center of the basin, creeping vines meander and coil on the ground, lifting and tearing up the rock layers, reaching straight into the sky.

Yang Chen raised the equipment in his hand, adjusted the focus, and began to shoot.

High-definition cameras captured the grotesque details of the earth vine, the changes it caused to the land, the ruins of old-world buildings completely destroyed by the earth vine, and the surrounding environment that was highly eroded by the ecosystem.

Just as he was focusing the camera back on the thickest main vine in the center, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, a gash appeared on the dark red vine's outer shell.

A huge eye suddenly opened from the crack!

His pupils locked onto Yang Chen, who was suspended in mid-air.

Yang Chen paused, somewhat surprised: "Oh?"

He quickly zoomed in, focusing intently on every detail of that eerie giant eye.

Then, the giant eye seemed to react violently.

Its pupils began to tremble and distort unnaturally, as if something inside was frantically multiplying and splitting.

The next second, a black slit suddenly split open in the center of the huge pupil, instantly dividing it into two smaller, but equally eerie eyes.

The division has not stopped.

Two became four, four became eight... The speed of splitting increased exponentially. In just two or three seconds, the originally single giant eye part burst open with fifty or sixty or even more small eyes.

These eyes varied in size, some as big as a fist, others only the size of a fingernail. They were huddled together, frantically turning and blinking, all their pupils fixed on Yang Chen.

This frenzied proliferation seems to have reached a certain critical point.

"puff."

It was as if a vesicle filled with liquid was bursting under internal pressure, and the densely packed eyeballs suddenly exploded outwards.

Dozens of eerie eyeballs scattered like bullets, most of them landing on the ground and quickly taking root and growing.

The crack became hollow, and like an eyelid, it slowly closed again.

Everything happened extremely fast, from the appearance of the giant eye to its explosion and disappearance, it only took a dozen seconds.

In mid-air, Yang Chen slowly lowered the filming equipment, a slight smile curving his lips.

"Tsk, really... still working so hard after all these years." He muttered to himself.

He confirmed that everything that had just happened had been recorded completely and clearly by the equipment before looking up at the sky.

After doing all this, he retreated back into the cabin and closed the hatch.

"ASH, data collection complete, returning to base."

"Received. Flight path calibrated. Welcome back, Yang Chen," ASH's voice came through.

"ASH, have you received the data?" Yang Chen asked.

"Data reception complete," ASH confirmed, and the Swift began to climb steadily, moving away from the area.

Yang Chen sat back in the driver's seat, looked at the basin behind him that was gradually shrinking, like a scar on the earth, and after a moment of silence, asked.

"ASH, are the locations where the earth vines grow and earthquakes occur in that world exactly the same as here...?"

This is a crucial issue.

If the creeping vines grow in the same locations in both worlds, then early warning and intervention will become extremely precise and effective.

After a brief silence, ASH replied, "As the core of the mana ecosystem, the preferred growth path of the ground vine is highly regular."

"But it also needs to be verified. If the Heluo of that world is still the same as the one I recorded in my historical data, then it can be confirmed."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chen breathed a sigh of relief: "Then let's wait and see."

...

Hisakawa City Research Institute.

Theresa's car slowly came to a stop in front of the research institute's gate.

Bai Yuekui got out of the car and looked up at the familiar white building.

This place holds so many memories for her: the time she spent studying here with her mother and teachers when she was young, and the days and nights she spent conducting research here alone as an adult...

“Moon Queen.” Theresa also got out of the car, walked to her side, and gently took her arm.

"Are you ready?" Bai Yuekui withdrew his gaze, looked at his mother, and nodded: "Yes."

The mother and daughter entered the research institute.

The researchers they encountered along the way nodded to Theresa, their gazes also falling curiously on the uniquely elegant young woman with white hair beside her.

Theresa simply smiled and responded without offering any further explanation, leading Bai Yuekui directly to Professor Horn Garcia's independent laboratory.

After walking through a clean and bright corridor, Teresa stopped in front of a heavy isolation door to verify her identity.

The door slid open, revealing the scene inside the laboratory.

Various sophisticated instruments are operating quietly, and complex data is flowing across the screens.

An elderly man with graying hair, wearing glasses, and a gentle demeanor was facing away from the doorway, intently watching the constantly rotating brain structure model in front of him.

“Teacher,” Teresa called softly.

Professor Horn remained with his back to them, his brows slightly furrowed, his fingers tracing lines in the air as he adjusted the angle of the holographic model, seemingly completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

He seemed oblivious to the fact that Theresa hadn't come alone, and continued muttering to himself, following the previous line of conversation:
"Teresa, you're here... Where's Xiao Kui? Didn't he come with you today?"

In the past, when Theresa brought Little Moon to the lab, the child would always sweetly call out "Uncle Horn" first.

Looking at the model in front of him, Horn said, "The current problem is that even with nanobots assisting in neural reconnection, the success rate of brain transplantation is still very low."

But he didn't get a reply from Theresa, nor did he hear the familiar child's voice. Instead, another young female voice took over the conversation.

"The challenges aren't limited to neural connections, teacher." Bai Yuekui's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet laboratory.

"Although the brain is the key hub of life essence, the human body itself also contains a weak but not negligible amount of life essence residue. Even if the brain is successfully transplanted, it will still be affected by the life essence residue remaining in the original body."

"The body itself also has life essence? Hmm. If that's the case, then that's indeed a difficult problem." Horn frowned and said, "Teresa, is this your new discovery? When?"

wrong.

That voice just now didn't sound like my student Theresa.

Professor Horn's fingers, which were adjusting the model, suddenly stopped in mid-air.

And what did that voice call him? Teacher?

Professor Horn turned around abruptly, adjusted his glasses, and looked toward the source of the sound.

His gaze first fell on Theresa, with obvious questioning and confusion.

He then quickly moved toward the tall, white-haired young woman standing next to Theresa.

I've never seen this person before. How did they end up here? Are they Theresa's friends?

He adjusted his glasses and took two steps forward: "And this gentleman is...?"

Theresa took a deep breath, stepped forward, and solemnly said, "Teacher, let me introduce you. She is Yue Kui, Bai Yue Kui... my daughter."

Professor Horn: "???"

Horn looked at Bai Yuekui: "Oh, you share the same name as Xiao Kui, right? That's quite a coincidence."

"No, teacher, she is Yue Kui, the future Yue Kui."

Horn was a bit confused. He could understand every word Theresa said, but it just sounded so strange when put together.

"The future?" Professor Horn repeated the word, his brow furrowed. As a meticulous scientist, he instinctively felt skepticism.

"Teresa, do you know what you're saying? This is too..."

“I know, teacher,” Teresa replied, understanding her teacher’s confusion.

“At first I couldn’t believe it either, but it’s true. Jingyu, ASH, and… there’s a lot of evidence to prove it. Yue Kui and her brother Yue Tian did indeed return from that post-apocalyptic world after the Mana outbreak.”

"Mana Ecosystem? A post-apocalyptic world?" Horn's confusion deepened. "Wait, Theresa, what are you talking about? And you too?"

He looked at Bai Yuekui: "Where did you get your conclusion about the theory of 'residual life essence in the body'? It's very... novel, but it needs solid evidence to support it."

Bai Yuekui did not flinch when facing Huo En's gaze.

She calmly looked back at Horn, her eyes, which had seen countless things, were so deep that they gave Professor Horn a strange flutter in his heart.

"Teacher," Bai Yuekui said.

"The neural connection problem you just mentioned has been overcome in future research, but what has been exposed is the rejection and fusion barrier caused by the residual body's life essence. This conclusion is based on several failed clinical practices."

She paused. "As for evidence... I myself, and the knowledge I possess, are the best evidence. I know all the initial bottlenecks in your ongoing project, and I also know your concept for the prototype of the 'Angel' drug—an active agent used to repair nerve damage, right?"

Professor Horn's pupils constricted slightly.

The concept of the 'Angel' potion currently exists only in his own theory and there is absolutely no possibility of it being leaked.

How could this unfamiliar young woman so accurately state its core objective and name?

Bai Yuekui didn't stop; she continued to throw out more details, including Horn's undisclosed preference for parameters in an experimental model, his unique insights into a particular neurotransmitter, and even his habitual complaints about a certain research problem in private...

Every detail struck at Professor Horn's preconceived notions.

His expression gradually turned to shock, and he subconsciously took half a step back, only managing to stand firm by holding onto the edge of the experimental table next to him.

“You…you exactly…” Professor Horn’s voice was a little hoarse as he looked at Theresa for confirmation.

Theresa nodded emphatically: "Teacher, it's all true. Only your true students, those who are extremely close to you and have studied and researched with you for a long time, would know these things. And that future student... is her."

The laboratory fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint hum of the instruments running.

Professor Horn slowly took off his glasses and rubbed his temples vigorously.

When he put his glasses back on and looked at Bai Yuekui again, his eyes had completely changed.

“Future…Apocalypse…Mana Ecosystem…” he murmured to himself, trying to connect these words with the white-haired woman in front of him.

"So, you came back for...?"

“Prompt us to issue a warning and seek help,” Bai Yuekui replied.

"An attempt to prevent, or at least slow down, that future. The outbreak of the Mana ecosystem is not accidental; it has been lurking for some time. And the 'Angel' potion, and the subsequent 'Miracle K,' are also related to the outbreak of the Mana ecosystem in the future."

Professor Horn looked at the constantly rotating brain model.

He dedicated his life to exploring the mysteries of the brain and pursuing the continuation and sublimation of life, but he never imagined that his research would be associated with words like "the end of the world".

The sheer volume of information overwhelmed him. If it weren't for the fact that everything "Bai Yuekui" said made sense and that the person standing next to her was his student, Theresa, he would have been overwhelmed.

Otherwise, he would definitely think this person is a fraud.

Horn slowly began, "Alright... let's assume, and I mean let's assume what you're saying is true. Then tell me, what exactly is this 'Mana Ecosystem'? And what exactly did the 'Angel' and that 'Miracle K' cause?"

Bai Yuekui and Theresa exchanged a glance.

Theresa gently took Bai Yuekui's hand, offering her support.

Bai Yuekui turned to Professor Horn and began to explain.

She began her story by recounting how, after their mother Teresa's death, Bai Jingyu entrusted her and her brother to Horn, how they studied under Horn, the announcement of the Angel Drug, and how she secretly performed a brain transplant on Horn.
Her voice was steady, without excessive emotional embellishment.

In the laboratory, only Bai Yuekui's voice and the heavy, rapid breathing of a professor whose worldview had been completely overturned remained.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over his glasses to look deeply at Bai Yuekui, his eyes devoid of any doubt.

“Child…” Horn began, “You…you have suffered too.”

This simple sentence opened the floodgates of emotions that Tereza had been holding back.

She could no longer hold back, and tears silently streamed down her cheeks.

When Bai Yuekui told her about it before, he also mentioned the hardships, but it was nowhere near as detailed or as coldly revealing of the despair and struggle behind each step as he did now when he told Professor Horn.

Bai Yuekui watched his mother's tears, his lips moved slightly, but in the end he said nothing, only gently holding Theresa's trembling hand.

Professor Horn observed the mother and daughter's reactions and sighed heavily.

"So, according to you, the 'Angel' drug, and even the subsequent brain transplant research, became catalysts that accelerated that disaster..." Professor Horn's voice was somewhat bitter: "Then we have to immediately stop all related research? Completely erase all data and samples?"

This is the most direct, but also the most cautious approach.

Since we know there might be a cliff ahead, we should rein in our horses immediately.

However, Bai Yuekui shook her head, her answer taking Professor Horn's expectations by surprise.

"No, teacher. We can't stop. On the contrary, the research must continue, and even be accelerated."

Professor Horn and Theresa both looked at her in surprise.

"Why?" Professor Horn asked, puzzled. "Since we know it could bring disaster..."

Bai Yuekui interrupted, "We already know it's dangerous, and we know the possible consequences it could lead to. Stopping the research won't eliminate the threat to the Mana ecosystem; it will still erupt at some point in the future."

She stepped forward, looking intently at Professor Horn: "What we need is not to stop the research."

"We cannot give up exploring because of fear."

Professor Horn fell into deep thought, his fingers tapping on the lab table. He understood what Bai Yuekui meant.

“You’re right…” Professor Horn nodded slowly, “but…”

He abruptly changed the subject, his expression becoming extremely serious: "If we accelerate the research, you know the composition of the Angel Potion. If we continue at this stage, wouldn't the Mana Ecosystem you mentioned erupt even faster?"

Bai Yuekui laughed and said, "We can study it in another world, anyway, it's already in a terrible state."

"Ah this."

(End of this chapter)