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

Chapter 157 Mark: "I'm going to find Red Hair!"

Elon walked steadily through the cold metal corridor of the lighthouse toward the armory.

He frowned slightly, still pondering the mystery of the abnormally sharp decline in the number of Devouring Beasts.

But the opportunity was fleeting, and he had to make the most of this rare window of opportunity.

What if the Devouring Beast reappears tomorrow?
The ordnance preparation area was brightly lit, with various weapons and equipment neatly displayed, and the air was filled with the distinctive smell of machine oil and metal.

Several maintenance workers were inspecting the equipment when they saw Elon enter, and they all stopped what they were doing to greet him.

"Pass the word down." Elon's voice echoed through the spacious maintenance area.

"Hunter Commander Elon has ordered all resting Hunter squads to assemble at the elevator platform in one hour to conduct a ground supply collection mission."

"Understood!" the construction workers responded immediately and began transmitting orders through the communication system.

Elon looked around and then walked toward the planning station, preparing to retrieve recent ground reconnaissance data to further plan the collection route.

He was completely absorbed and did not notice that, in the shadow of the crates piled up at the entrance to the maintenance area, a pair of small eyes were watching everything intently.

……

Mark covered his mouth tightly, held his breath, and huddled behind the crate.

Mark only slowly released his grip and let out a long sigh of relief after Instructor Elon's footsteps faded into the depths of the maintenance area.

"mark."

Hearing the sudden sound behind him, Mark was startled and quickly turned around.

"who!?"

When Mark saw who was behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief, then lowered his voice and said with dissatisfaction, "Ran Bing, you almost scared me to death?"

Ran Bing patted her chest, still shaken: "You're the one who suddenly turned around, trying to scare me to death?"

She frowned as she watched Mark sneaking around.

What are you doing squatting here?

Mark whispered, "I just heard it. Instructor Elon and the others are going to the surface later."

"You wouldn't be thinking of..." Ran Bing had a guess in her mind.

Mark didn't answer directly; he crouched down and cautiously peeked out.

After confirming that no one was paying attention to this corner, he grabbed Ran Bing's wrist and said, "Let's go!"

Two small figures, like startled mice, darted swiftly along the shadows in the corner into the armory.

"Mark! What are you trying to do?" Ran Bing asked breathlessly, shaking off Mark's hand.

Mark stopped and turned around, his face more serious than ever before.

He held up a finger and pressed it tightly to his lips, making a "shh" sound.

"Ran Bing, keep your voice down! Don't let anyone hear!"

Ran Bing's heart skipped a beat when she saw his expression, and her bold guess became even more certain.

She lowered her voice incredulously, "You...you really want to sneak off to the surface? Are you crazy, Mark! That's against the Lighthouse Law! And don't you know how dangerous the surface is? We'll get eaten by the Devouring Beasts!"

Mark's eyes flickered for a moment, but then became even more determined.

"I'll just take a look, just one look! I promise I'll stay far away, I won't let them find me, and I won't go near any dangerous places!"

"But why?" Ran Bing asked, puzzled and anxious.

"Last time you sneaked onto the delivery truck in the garage, you were locked up for three days. Wasn't that enough?"

Mark lowered his head, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said in an almost inaudible voice, "...I want to go and look for it."

"Looking for what?" Ran Bing pressed, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she understood.

She remembered Mark occasionally staring blankly into the distance while holding a photograph.

Ran Bing hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "You...you still want to go find Hong Kou?"

Mark suddenly raised his head, his lips pressed tightly together, neither admitting nor denying.

But this silence itself is an answer.

Ran Bing felt both scared and sad as she looked at Mark's stubborn expression.

She knew what Hongkou meant to Mark; she was like an older sister to him.

Ran Bing witnessed firsthand how much Mark was affected by her departure.

“Mark, Hongkou…she might already be…” Ran Bing couldn’t bear to say the word, “Even if she’s still alive, the land is so vast, how would you find her? It’s too dangerous!”

"I know it's dangerous!" Mark suddenly raised his voice, then immediately realized something was wrong and quickly lowered it.

“But I have to try! What if… what if she’s still alive? What if she needs help? Instructor Elon and the others said the ground is safe recently, and there are very few Devouring Beasts. This is the best chance!”

He grabbed Ran Bing's shoulders, his eyes burning: "Ran Bing, just pretend you didn't see me, okay? I'll go by myself. You go back and don't follow me!"

After saying that, Mark let go of her hand and turned to run towards the passage leading to the garage.

"Wait!" Ran Bing hurriedly called out to him, her little face full of struggle.

She watched Mark's resolute back as he walked away, knowing she couldn't stop him.

But to send Mark to face the unknown alone? She couldn't do it.

Ran Bing stamped her foot and chased after her: "No, I can't let you go alone!"

Mark, annoyed, tried to shake her off: "Ran Bing, don't follow me, you'll get dragged into this!"

"Then I'll definitely follow you." Ran Bing stubbornly held on tight.

"I...I can cover for you."

Mark watched Ran Bing's expression, and as time ticked by, he knew that arguing any further would only waste time.

He knew Ran Bing's temperament; once she made up her mind, nothing could sway her from the Sky Farm.

“…Do as you please.” Mark finally conceded, but his tone remained firm.

"But it's a deal, you'll do whatever I say. No running around, no making a sound! If we're caught, we're finished!"

"Yes!" Ran Bing nodded vigorously.

"I listen to you!"

The two children looked at each other and then fell silent.

Using the passage as cover, like two tiny ghosts, they stealthily made their way towards the garage where the Hunters convoy was about to depart.

The two children's hearts pounded like drums. Using the vehicles and piles of weapons as cover, they cautiously approached the hunter transport vehicle, whose doors were not yet fully locked.

One of the staff members had just finished inspecting the vehicle and turned to walk towards another car, temporarily turning his back to them.

“Now!” Mark lowered his voice and crouched down as he quickly rushed to the back of the car.

Using both hands and feet, he nimbly climbed onto the bulge at the rear of the vehicle and silently slipped into the carriage.

Ran Bing followed closely behind and, with Mark's help, climbed inside.

The interior of the truck was dimly lit. Mark remembered that Hongkou had brought him here before and knew that this type of transport truck had a small compartment at the front of the truck, near the driver's cab.

The space wasn't large, but it was enough to hide the two children.

“Over there!” Mark pointed to an inconspicuous square outline at the very back of the carriage, almost blending into the interior wall.

The two tiptoed to the small door.

Mark tried pushing the door, but it wouldn't budge.

He then felt around the edge of the door crack with his hand, looking for any hidden switches or handles, but to no avail, and sweat beaded on his forehead in frustration.

"It won't open... what should I do?" Mark said in a low voice, somewhat frustrated.

Ran Bing was calmer than Mark; she carefully examined the area around the small door.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she pointed to a small, inconspicuous panel on the upper right side of the inner wall of the small door: "Look there, that panel, it seems like you can only open it by going through that."

Mark looked in the direction she pointed; the panel was too high for him to reach, even if he jumped.

"Too high..." he said in frustration.

Ran Bing glanced at the panel, then at Mark, blinked, and suddenly had an idea.

She tugged at Lamarck's sleeve, gesturing for him to squat down.

"What?" Mark asked, puzzled.

"You squat down, and I'll step on you to climb up," Ran Bing whispered.

Mark instantly understood what she meant. He did as she said, crouching down and placing his hands on his knees to steady himself. "Be careful."

Ran Bing took a deep breath, carefully placed one foot on Mark's thigh and the other on his shoulder, and supported herself with her hands against the cold inner wall as she slowly stood up.

Mark gritted his teeth, bearing Ran Bing's weight, his body swaying slightly.

"A little higher... just a little bit higher..." Ran Bing stood on tiptoe, and her fingers finally managed to reach the panel.

She tried pressing a few possible generic buttons on the panel.

With a soft "beep", the indicator light on the panel changed from red to green.

Then, the small door opened, revealing the space inside.

"It worked!" Ran Bing exclaimed in surprise, and quickly got off Mark.

Mark stood up and rubbed his slightly sore shoulders.

Looking at the open cubicle door and then at Ran Bing's "praise me" expression, he couldn't help but pout. Ran Bing proudly raised her chin and gently nudged Mark with her elbow.

"See? Can you manage without me?"

Mark rolled his eyes at her, but didn't argue back; now was not the time to bicker.

"Hurry up and go in." Mark pushed Ran Bing inside first, then he followed her in sideways, gently closing the door from the inside.

The cubicle was plunged into darkness. The two children huddled together, their tense and rapid heartbeats and breathing clearly audible.

Outside, the sounds of staff conducting final checks and footsteps could be heard, followed by the thud of the rear door of the carriage slamming shut and the sound of the latch turning.

In the darkness and silence, Mark and Ran Bing glanced at each other, though their expressions were barely visible.

The vehicle vibrated slightly and began to move, heading towards the elevator platform leading to the ground.

The transport truck drove on the bumpy ground, the roar of the engine and the sound of the wheels rolling over gravel filling the truck bed.

In the cramped cubicle, Mark and Ran Bing stood close together, not daring to make a sound.

Then, a male voice rang out, lowering its volume, but it was still clearly audible in the relatively quiet carriage.

"Cough... Communication is off."

It was Xuefeng's voice; Mark and Ran Bing both recognized it.

"Yeah, it's off," another voice echoed; it was Haji.

"They're all shut down." A third voice briefly confirmed; it was Jeff.

After a brief silence, Xuefeng's voice rang out again: "Brothers, I'm saying... how about we find an opportunity today and take care of that kid Rock?"

Upon hearing this, Mark and Ran Bing in the cubicle held their breath.

"Did you do it?" Haji's voice was hesitant.

"Xuefeng, are you crazy? He's a member of the city defense army, and moreover..."

"It's precisely because he's nothing right now that it's easy to take advantage of him!" Xuefeng interrupted him, his tone becoming agitated.

"Didn't you guys notice? Why did the instructor suddenly come back to be the commander? I've heard rumors that the age limit for long-distance travel... might be lowered again!"

"What?!" Haji's voice was filled with shock.

"Go down any further? Aren't supplies plentiful right now? We've collected far more food and fuel in the last two days than before. There's no need to lower the age for long-distance travel at all."

Jeff and the others remained silent.

Xuefeng snorted coldly: "Abundant? That's temporary. Who knows when the Devouring Beasts in this godforsaken place will increase again? Once the instructor... once he brings Rock out and has enough experience, do you think he might become the captain?"

His voice lowered even further: "Don't forget, the instructor's age... Putting him back as commander now might just be letting him make one last contribution. Once he brings that guy out, he might be..."

Xuefeng didn't say what came next, but everyone else in the carriage understood the unspoken meaning.

"Besides, after Red Hair and Dawn left, we were practically isolated. Some people in the team have already figured out that he might become the commander, and they're trying to curry favor with him."

Haji remained silent for a long while before speaking.

"But... the risk is too great. If it were when there were more Devouring Beasts, we could have taken the opportunity to strike, but now..."

“Besides, the others aren’t on our side.” Haji looked at Xuefeng. “You know, the Hunters also tipped off Hongkou about her.”

They pretended not to see it, but there were always one or two people in the group with ulterior motives.

Jeff frowned, and just as he opened his mouth to say something, the vehicle suddenly lurched violently, as if the right wheel had rolled over a deep pothole, and the entire carriage shook violently.

Xuefeng and his companions were also shaken so badly that they almost fell to the ground.

"Damn it!" Xuefeng steadied himself and slammed the communicator on, yelling.

"Drive steadily! What's going on?!"

The driver's somewhat aggrieved voice came through the communicator: "I'm sorry, Brother Xuefeng! This road was fine before, who knew there would be such a big pothole today! There might be a collapse nearby..."

"Alright, alright, watch yourself!" Xuefeng interrupted him impatiently, hanging up the communication while muttering curses under his breath.

The carriage temporarily returned to its bumpy, forward-moving state, but the violent shaking from before made the people inside even more agitated.

But Jeff suddenly raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.

He tilted his head, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on the inconspicuous compartment at the front of the carriage.

"Shh...don't make a sound!" Jeff whispered.

"I think I just heard something."

Xuefeng and Haji immediately fell silent, leaving only the noise of the engine and wheels in the carriage.

"What's that noise?" Xuefeng squinted and looked towards the cubicle.

Jeff said uncertainly, "It sounds a bit like...Mark's voice?"

“Mark?” Haji chuckled, thinking Jeff was being too nervous.

"Shouldn't our little boss be at the training ground or in the dorm right now? How could he be in the car? Jeff, are you sure you didn't mishear? Things are making noise when the car is bumping around, you must have misheard?"

Kun Jie, on the other hand, was not so easily appeased.

“Mark…he does have a criminal record,” Kun Jie said slowly, recalling the time Mark had tried to sneak onto the surface and was put in solitary confinement.

"And lately... he's not acting right; he keeps staring at the ground."

Haji stood up abruptly: "What's with all this guessing and babbling? Just open it and see!"

After saying that, he went directly to the door of the cubicle and tapped on the panel.

The small door opened, and dim light entered the cramped space.

The two small figures huddled together inside, covering their heads and grimacing, could only be Mark and Ran Bing.

Judging from their appearance, they had obviously been caught off guard and bumped into the metal wall of the compartment when the vehicle was violently jolted.

"Holy shit!" Haji's eyes widened instantly when he saw what was inside, and he blurted out a curse.

"It really is Mark?! And Ran Bing too?!"

His exclamation immediately drew Xuefeng and Jeff's group to him.

Several pairs of eyes were fixed on the two children in the cubicle.

"Heh heh," Mark said with an embarrassed smile, looking at them. "I didn't hear anything just now."

"Is that the point?"

Kun Jie's face turned ashen as he yanked Mark out of the cramped cubicle.

Kun Jie practically roared, "When did you get in here?! Do you even know where we are? This is the surface! We could encounter Devouring Beasts at any moment, it's very dangerous!"

Mark shrank back when yelled at, but still muttered something under his breath.

"……I know."

"You knew?! You knew and you still dared to come?! And you even brought Ran Bing along!?" Xuefeng's anger intensified.

"You two brats are really out of control!"

His roar echoed in the carriage, and the other hunters looked at each other in bewilderment.

Just then, Elon's puzzled voice came through Xuefeng's communicator: "Xuefeng, what's going on in your carriage? I heard you shouting, what happened? Report the situation."

Xuefeng froze, glared helplessly at Mark, quickly pressed the communicator, and took a deep breath.

"Reporting, Captain, Mark and Ran Bing are in our car."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communicator, then Elon's voice roared: "What?!"

The convoy slowly came to a stop on the relatively flat wasteland. Although the hunters in the other vehicles were not sure what was going on, they quickly dispersed as ordered and took up advantageous positions to keep watch.

Elon entered the carriage alone, and upon seeing Mark and Ran Bing inside, he felt a sudden darkness engulf his vision.

“Mark… Ran Bing…” Elon pointed at the two of them, his fingers trembling.

"You...you guys are really bold!"

He almost squeezed out these words from between his teeth.

As a seasoned veteran, he was all too aware of the dangers ahead; even the recent unusual decrease in Devouring Beast activity did not mean he was safe.

These two children are practically playing with their lives.

Mark trembled at Elon's unprecedented rage and instinctively lowered his head, while Ran Bing shrank behind Mark.

Xuefeng and the others stood aside, not daring to breathe.

Elon took several deep breaths before he could barely suppress the urge to immediately pick up those two arrogant little brats and give them a good beating.

He glanced around at the hunters in the carriage, his gaze lingering for a moment on the faces of his old subordinates, his expression incredibly complex.

He doesn't have time to delve into how the two children hid here; his immediate priority is dealing with this thorny situation.

Should we take them on the mission? The risks are unpredictable.

Should we send someone back to the lighthouse immediately? That would require manpower, and the elevator would take time to travel back and forth, which would seriously affect the mission's progress.

Besides, we're already very close to the supply depot.

Elon's brow furrowed into a tight knot as he looked at Mark's stubborn yet fearful profile, and for a moment, he seemed to see the same stubborn Red Hair from years ago...

Finally, he sighed heavily: "You two... from now on, stay obediently in the back of the carriage and don't leave Xuefeng and the others' sight! If you dare to move even a little, it won't be as simple as just being locked up when we get back! Do you understand?!"

"I want to go out," Mark said, tilting his little face up.

"I'm going to find Hongkou!"

(End of this chapter)