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

Chapter 160 A Major Discovery of the Lighthouse
Bai Yuekui's gaze swept between Yang Chen and Xiao Yuekui, finally settling on Xiao Yuekui's casual clothes, which were clearly designed for outdoor activities, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

When Xiao Yuekui saw "her grown-up self," her eyes lit up.

But then she lowered her head a little guiltily, her little hand unconsciously reaching out to tug at Yang Chen's clothes.

Yang Chen smiled and nodded: "Yes, I took Xiao Kui for a walk around the village. She's always wanted to go, and we happened to have nothing to do today."

Bai Yuekui walked to the sofa and sat down, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Yuekui: "How are you feeling?"

Little Yuekui looked up: "It's so different! I even went to visit the school, and Maiduo took me to play! She even called me Sister Little Yuekui!"

Xiao Yuekui's tone carried a hint of pride, as if she quite enjoyed being called "older sister."

“Maido?” Bai Yuekui looked at Yang Chen.

"Yes, the two kids are having a good time," Yang Chen explained, casually ruffling Xiao Yuekui's hair.

“You were a very well-behaved child. You just looked around the village and didn’t run around.”

Bai Yuekui hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions. She wasn't surprised that Yang Chen had taken Xiao Yuekui to Dragon Bone Village.

Looking at the "self" in front of him who was full of curiosity about Dragonbone Village, he felt a little complicated.

That village, which once struggled to survive, became a novel and interesting "tourist attraction" in the eyes of "myself" in another time and space.

Xiao Yuekui seemed to notice Bai Yuekui's silence and thought she was unhappy, so she whispered, "I... I didn't disturb everyone, I just took a look and came back quickly."

Bai Yuekui snapped out of her daze and looked at Xiao Yuekui's cautious manner: "It's alright to go and take a look. Besides the school, what else did you see?"

This question opened up a floodgate of conversation for Xiao Yuekui.

She began gesturing to describe the weapon racks, training grounds, and houses that were so different from those in Hisakawa City.

After Xiaoyue Kui finished speaking, Yang Chen said, "By the way, Yue Kui, I ran into Qiu Shi in the village today, and she mentioned the lighthouse. Hong Kou and the others encountered the lighthouse's convoy while on fieldwork. I was thinking, shouldn't we find some time to go up there?"

Bai Yuekui's attention was drawn back, and she nodded.

"You can handle it. Those who are willing to come down can be accepted according to the rules, and those who are not willing can not be forced."

"Yes, that's what I think too," Yang Chen replied.

At this moment, Xiao Yuekui seemed to have mustered up her courage, walked to Bai Yuekui's side, and gently tugged at her finger with her little hand.

Bai Yuekui looked down at her.

"Sister," Little Yuekui looked up at me, "Could you come to my room for a moment? I have something I want to tell you privately."

Bai Yuekui paused slightly, then said, "...Okay."

Xiao Yuekui immediately beamed with joy and eagerly pulled Bai Yuekui upstairs to her room.

Yang Chen asked in confusion, "What whispers? Can't I hear them?"

"I won't let you hear it," Xiaoyue Kui said without turning her head.

Bai Yuekui was being led by her, and as they passed Yang Chen, she gave him a slightly helpless look.

Yang Chen couldn't help but chuckle. They had just fulfilled his request to take him to Dragon Bone Village, but now they were turning their backs on him.

Not long after, Teresa and Bai Jingyu returned home one after the other.

Bai Jingyu looked slightly tired, clearly having just finished a lengthy meeting with the Coastal Alliance.

However, it's also a good thing. After obtaining this ASH data, the Hela Empire saw the enormous potential of ASH, which accelerated the development of the Internet of Things.

Furthermore, the Hela Empire also moved the servers originally intended for their AI SITA to Jiuchuan for ASH to use, allowing ASH to evolve more quickly.

"Where is Yue Kui?" Theresa put down her things and asked when she didn't see her two daughters.

"Yue Kui was pulled into Xiao Kui's room to whisper something," Yang Chen said with a smile, pointing upstairs.

"I'll wait downstairs, I won't let you hear."

A little while later, there was a noise at the door; Bai Yuetian had returned.

He collapsed onto the sofa as soon as he entered the room, letting out a sigh: "Oh my god... I'm exhausted."

"What's wrong? Did the parent-teacher meeting not go well?" Yang Chen poured him a glass of water.

Bai Yuetian sat up, looking at Xiao Yuetian with disbelief, and said, rubbing his forehead, "I didn't mean meetings were tiring! I meant... was I really that stupid when I was a kid?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyuetian immediately raised her head and glared at him, displeased: "Who are you calling stupid?"

"I'm talking to you!" Bai Yuetian pointed at his own nose. "Me! Bai Yuetian! When I was little!"

"When the teacher slammed your appalling test paper in front of me today, I almost wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear! How did you even get that score?"

Xiaoyuetian pouted: "I don't understand what the teacher is saying. What do all those winding symbols mean?"

"Besides, when you insult me, aren't you insulting yourself?"

Bai Yuetian was amused by his attitude: "Hey! You think you're right?"

"It's none of your business!" Xiaoyuetian turned her head away.

Bai Yuetian was speechless.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from upstairs, and Bai Yuekui and Xiao Yuekui came down one after the other.

"Have you finished whispering?" Theresa asked gently.

"Mmm!" Little Moon Queen nodded vigorously, ran to Theresa's side, and snuggled up to her.

Bai Yuekui sat down next to Yang Chen and asked in a low voice, "What was all that noise about just now?"

Yang Chen smiled and briefly explained the dispute between Bai Yuetian and Xiao Yuetian regarding their exam results.

After listening, Bai Yuekui glanced at Bai Yuetian and commented indifferently, "He is indeed quite stupid."

Bai Yuetian: "..."

Well, in front of this younger sister, he will always be at the bottom of the food chain.

Lighthouse, Lord's Hall.

Elon stood before Morgan, his expression serious, and gave Morgan a full account of the day's ground mission, including Mark and Ran Bing's unauthorized hiding and boarding of the vehicle, and Mark's claim of seeing Hong Kou.

"...Lord City Lord, I have punished the two children, confining them for three days, and have strictly ordered Xuefeng and the others to strengthen the pre-departure checks of vehicles to ensure that such incidents will never happen again," Elon concluded in a deep voice.

Morgan's face turned frosty after hearing this.

"Nonsense!" Morgan's voice was filled with anger.

“Eron, you’re a veteran commander! You should know better than anyone that every second on the ground is tantamount to death! Mark and Ran Bing are just children; they don’t understand. Don’t your hunters understand? Letting two kids infiltrate the convoy is a serious dereliction of duty!”

He stood up: "This time it was lucky; the Devouring Beasts are unusually quiet. Normally, those two would probably be fresh meat and dirt by now, or worse! The future of the Lighthouse cannot be ruined by such a foolish adventure! Nothing like this will ever happen again! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lord! There will never be a next time!" Fine beads of sweat appeared on Elon's forehead.

He knew that Morgan was truly angry.

Morgan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and slowly sat back down in his chair.

His anger subsided slightly, and he waved his hand, his tone weary: "Alright, let's leave it at that. Tell me your plans for now, regarding the Devouring Beast anomaly and Mark's... 'discovery'."

Morgan listened.

Red cardamom...the ground.
These words intertwined in his mind.

If, back then, they had been more decisive in dealing with Red Hair and Dawn, strictly adhering to the laws of the Lighthouse and ending their lives at the stake, instead of showing a sliver of pity and choosing what seemed like a more "humane" journey...

Would Mark's obsession have been avoided, and would he have had this vague "hope"?
Hongkou took the initiative to suggest it, and she let them go far away, intending to give them final dignity, but it may have sown the seeds of a greater hidden danger.

Once the authority of the law is broken, even just once, the cracks will breed unwarranted illusions.

“…Lord, I know this sounds absurd, and Mark might be hallucinating from excessive longing,” Elon said in a deep voice. “However, the unusually sharp decrease in Devouring Beast activity, both before and recently, is a fact. There must be a reason behind this. If… I mean if, there really is a survivor force on the ground that we don’t know about, and that has the ability to clear or drive away the Devouring Beasts to some extent, then that would be of great significance to the Lighthouse!”

Morgan sat upright in his chair, his expression unchanged.

“Elon, you should be aware of the risks of rashly contacting unknown forces,” Morgan said slowly.

"Especially forces that may possess powerful armed forces."

The lighthouse has attempted to make contact with the ground.

In earlier times, the lighthouse attempted to locate possible survivors on the ground.

But what was the result? Those attackers were like mad dogs, willing to shoot their own kind without hesitation in order to fight for a few meager supplies in the ruins of the old world.

Since then, the leaders of the Lighthouse have reached a consensus that the ground has long since become a savage hell where the strong prey on the weak, and any group of survivors is likely to be hostile and extremely dangerous.

The lighthouse has an aerial farm; although the food production capacity is limited, it can still guarantee basic survival.

And what else is on the ground besides the endless threat of death and the frenzied struggle?
If they can truly survive on the ground and effectively eliminate the Devouring Beasts... what are they relying on? Is it military force stronger than the Lighthouse?

How could that be? Morgan was the first to disbelieve it.

Even a lighthouse flying in the sky, far from the Devouring Beasts, struggles to survive. What can the ground rely on?
“I understand, Lord.” Elon straightened his back.

"Therefore, what I am requesting is not large-scale contact, but rather the dispatch of a small, elite team of hunters, which I will personally lead, to conduct a rapid reconnaissance in the direction Mark saw today, extending further into the distance. We do not need to get close; we only need to use remote observation equipment to confirm whether there are any signs of human activity."

He paused, his voice becoming even more resolute: "This might be an opportunity, Lord City Lord. An opportunity for the Lighthouse to escape its current predicament. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, it's worth testing."

Silence fell over the hall.

After a long while, Morgan raised his eyes and looked sharply at Elon.

“Elon, I grant your request.” Morgan finally made his decision.

"You select the personnel; they must be the most reliable and experienced hunters. Remember, the primary objective of this mission is reconnaissance; avoid any form of conflict as much as possible. If any uncontrollable risks are discovered, evacuate immediately."

"Yes, Lord City Lord!" Elon bowed.

Watching Elon turn and leave, Morgan leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply.

Ground survivors.
For some reason, Morgan thought of the white-haired woman from back then, but so many years have passed, and that woman should be dead by now.

The number of survivors on the ground should not be very large; if the number is small, the lighthouse can take them in.

If not, that's normal.

This will also make everyone fully understand that the lighthouse is the only hope, and extinguish any illusions of surviving on the ground as soon as possible.

"Xuefeng! Jeff! Haji! Kunjie!" Elon's booming voice rang out in the maintenance area, calling out his most experienced and trustworthy old subordinates.

"Check your equipment immediately, replenish ammunition, and assemble at the elevator platform in five minutes!"

The people who were named looked at each other, but without much hesitation, they immediately put down what they were doing and quickly got to work.

Five minutes later, a squad of veteran hunters, personally led by Elon, arrived fully armed and boarded the vehicle.

"Instructor, what mission is so urgent?" Xuefeng asked while checking the equipment.

They just finished a supply mission today, so why are they going to the ground again, with only a few of them?

Elon, sitting in the passenger seat, said succinctly: "Go verify a possibility. The target area is in the direction Mark pointed with the binoculars today. Be quick and get back to the lighthouse before dark."

The group were all experienced and immediately understood the task, asking no further questions.

The reconnaissance vehicle silently descended from the elevator platform to the ground and then sped off towards the area.

Along the way, they only encountered one or two pan-type Devouring Beasts, which did not pose any effective threat.

They drove very fast and arrived at the outskirts of the estimated target area.

This area is considered a densely populated ecological zone, yet we haven't seen a single Devouring Beast. On the contrary, we encountered Devouring Beasts on the outer road earlier.

"Slow down and stay alert," Elon ordered.

The vehicle slowly came to a stop, and everyone got out, spreading out in a fan shape. Using the terrain and ruins as cover, they carefully moved forward.

Elon took out his binoculars and carefully searched every inch of land in the distance.

Everyone else also performed their respective duties.

"Instructor, over here!" Jeff suddenly called out in a low voice, crouching under a half-collapsed wall and pointing to the ground.

Elon immediately led his men to approach.

On the soft soil, several faint footprints could be seen, with even strides, not like those left by a hurried run.

“These footprints…” Haji said after observing them carefully.

“It’s very new, probably left within the last day or two,” Kun Jie added.

Elon's heart skipped a beat.

He signaled to everyone to expand the search area.

Not long after, Xuefeng made another discovery a few dozen meters away. "Instructor! Look at this!"

The crowd gathered around and saw Xuefeng carefully dig out a palm-sized, cylindrical object that shimmered with a metallic luster from the ground.

Half of it was buried in the ground, its surface covered with mud, but it still looked very new, definitely not ordinary trash left over from the old world.

"What...is this?" Haji asked, puzzled.

Elon took the object, wiped off the dirt, and examined it closely.

Its material is special, and the interface is very neat, which makes it look a bit like... a monitoring device that was placed by someone?

“Beacon…” Elon murmured to himself.

He recalled what he had learned about the old world, where they used similar things for environmental monitoring or trail marking.

Immediately afterward, the sharp-eyed Kun Jie spotted more clues nearby: "Wheel tracks! They're wheel tracks, not the pattern of our wheels!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw several clear tire tracks leading into the distance on a patch of hard soil, matching the direction of the footprints they had previously discovered.

Footprints, beacons of unknown purpose, wheel tracks that don't belong to a lighthouse...

All these clues, pieced together, point to a possibility that Elon and several veterans have noticed.

Beneath this seemingly desolate ruin, or somewhere else, there truly exists a force of ground survivors unknown to them, possessing a certain level of technical capability and organization!
Mark, that kid, probably really wasn't mistaken.

Hongkou may actually still be alive.

Elon glanced at the setting sun and decisively ordered, "Gather all clues, especially this beacon. Keep it safe. We're retreating immediately!"

The afterglow of the setting sun had begun to paint the distant horizon orange-red, and shadows were slowly stretching out from every corner of the ruins.

For a lighthouse, there has never been a situation where it is still on the ground during the night.

"Understood!" Xuefeng and the others immediately took action.

Jeff quickly used his personal dashcam to take photos of the footprints and tire tracks from multiple angles.

Xuefeng knelt on the ground and carefully removed another beacon from the ground not far away.

"Instructor, it's ready!" Xuefeng carefully put the beacon away.

"Withdraw!" Elon waved his hand.

Everyone quickly boarded the vehicle and headed back towards the lighthouse.

(End of this chapter)