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

Chapter 162 Closing the Gate, Releasing Two of Bamboo
On top of the ruins.

Xuefeng looked at the brand-new beacon in Elon's hand, then at the clear tire tracks on the ground, and couldn't help but ask, "Instructor, does someone come here to bury this thing every day? Aren't they afraid of the Devouring Beasts?"

Elon frowned, slowly stood up, and scanned the desolate ruins around him.

He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I don't know. As for the Devouring Beast..."

He paused, recalling the unusual calm that had prevailed along the way.

"Perhaps they only came out when the number of Devouring Beasts was scarce."

"Keep the beacon safe." Elon handed the beacon to Xuefeng and decisively ordered, "We'll follow this tire track. Maintain maximum vigilance, stay concealed, and absolutely no contact or firing is permitted without my orders."

"understand!"

Xuefeng and the others responded in unison, quickly returned to the vehicle, and carefully moved forward along the fresh tire tracks on the ground.

Jiuchuan City.

The morning light was blocked by the curtains, and the room was still somewhat dark.

Yang Chen slowly awoke from his deep sleep. Before he was fully conscious, he could vaguely hear a broadcast.

He turned his head and found that Bai Yuekui had already woken up and was leaning against the pillow, his short silver hair glistening in the morning light.

She held her phone in her hand, the screen's light reflecting on her calm face, suggesting the voice was coming from there.

Yang Chen shifted his body and asked vaguely, "What are you looking at?"

As she spoke, she leaned her head against Bai Yuekui, her cheek pressed against her soft chest.

Bai Yuekui glanced down at him, then moved the phone screen down so Yang Chen could see it clearly as well.

She replied briefly, "A press conference about the Internet of Things."

Yang Chen squinted at his phone screen.

In the video, Bai Jingyu, the father-in-law, is standing in front of the main stage at the press conference, dressed in a suit and tie, calmly facing the numerous reporters and flashing lights below the stage.

The sound from the news came through clearly:
"Mr. Bai, some people are worried that if the artificial intelligence ASH can fully monitor Jiuchuan City, how can the privacy and information security of the citizens be guaranteed? Wouldn't all the citizens' information be exposed in your hands?" A reporter raised a pointed question.

Bai Jingyu smiled and replied, "Please rest assured, the core concept of the Internet of Everything is to make Jiuchuan City smarter, more convenient, and safer, not to steal personal privacy. All data operations of ASH will follow the strictest privacy protection protocols. Data processing is a basic premise. What we are committed to building is trust, not surveillance."

At this point, another reporter followed up with a question: "So, Mr. Bai, what are the core advantages of your ASH artificial intelligence compared to the SITA system dominated by the Hela Empire? After all, SITA has been in use for many years."

Bai Jingyu seemed well-prepared, responding calmly: "ASH's advantage lies in its deep learning and adaptive capabilities. It's more like a constantly evolving 'partner' that understands needs, rather than just a system that executes commands. Especially in complex environment prediction and crisis collaborative handling, ASH possesses unique algorithmic advantages. More importantly..."

In the video, Bai Jingyu speaks eloquently and handles situations with ease.

Yang Chen looked at the news, nuzzled his head against Bai Yuekui's chest, and muttered, "Father-in-law handled it well. It seems the cooperation with the Hela Empire is going smoothly. Now that we have the servers, ASH can be spread throughout Jiuchuan at a faster pace."

Bai Yuekui hummed in agreement, swiped his finger across the screen, and switched pages.

"It's not enough for Jiuchuan alone; Mana ecology will spread all over the world."

She paused, then looked down at Yang Chen, who was clinging to her: "What are your plans for today?"

Yang Chen closed his eyes, feeling the softness under his head: "Your brother said he's taking Xiao Kui and Xiao Tian to the amusement park, and he wants me to come along so he can handle the two little ones by himself."

"What about you? Are you still going to the research institute with your mother-in-law and Professor Horn?"

Bai Yuekui shook his head: "No, we don't need to go today."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chen opened his eyes a crack and looked up at her: "Then why don't you come and play with us? You're free today anyway."

Bai Yuekui remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly considering the suggestion.

She finally nodded gently: "Okay."

"Really?" Yang Chen didn't expect her to agree so readily, and couldn't help but snuggle into her arms again.

"Hmm." Bai Yuekui responded, then reached out and gently nudged his shoulder.

"Get up, it's getting late. What time did you agree to meet?"

Yang Chen hugged her tighter, buried his face deeper into her chest, and said in a muffled voice, "It's still early, lie down a little longer."

Bai Yuekui felt the weight on his chest and sighed helplessly, but he didn't push him away anymore, letting him stay for a few more minutes.

After a long while, Yang Chen reluctantly raised his head and yawned.

After washing up, Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui changed into casual clothes.

Bai Yuekui was still dressed in plain colors, looking neat and refreshing, while Yang Chen appeared much more casual.

As the two came downstairs, they saw Bai Yuetian leading Xiao Yuetian, who was jumping around excitedly, while Xiao Yuekui followed quietly beside them.

Seeing Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui come down, Bai Yuetian said, "Why are you two up so late? I've already gone over to pick them up."

Yang Chen replied, "Yue Kui takes too long to wash up."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Yuekui shot him a murderous glare.

Xiao Yuekui looked at Bai Yuekui, her eyes brightening slightly, and whispered, "Sister."

Bai Yuekui ignored Yang Chen, grunted to Xiao Yuekui, walked up to her, squatted down, and gently straightened Xiao Yuekui's collar.

Yang Chen smiled and took the car keys from Bai Yuetian, and the group went out in a lively atmosphere.

Inside the car, Xiao Yuetian chattered on about the amusement park rides, which annoyed Bai Yuetian so much that he covered his ears. Xiao Yuekui, on the other hand, quietly looked out the window, occasionally stealing a glance at Bai Yuekui sitting in the passenger seat.

Elon's armored vehicle accelerated wildly on the bumpy road, its body shaking violently, with rubble and metal debris constantly being crushed by its wheels.

Dust billowed behind the vehicle as a dozen or so supernatural Devouring Beasts relentlessly pursued it.

"Damn it! How come so many of them suddenly appeared!" Xuefeng's voice came through the car's intercom.

He leaned half his body out from under the roof of the car, the strong airflow almost knocking him over.

He gripped the fixed object tightly, raised his standard-issue rifle, aimed at the nearest snake-dog, and pulled the trigger.

boom! boom! boom!
boom! boom! boom!
Bullets struck the snake-dogs, splattering blood, but they didn't stop moving.

"It's no use! These things are impossible to kill!" Xuefeng roared, retreating back into the vehicle and slamming the hatch shut. "Instructor! They keep chasing us! We can't shake them off!"

In the co-pilot's seat, Haji, who was in charge of observation, looked a little nervous. This time, they were the only ones who got to the ground; there were no gravity bodies or other heavy weapons.

They were carrying weapons designed to target people, such as flashbangs.

However, the flashbangs had no effect on the Devouring Beasts; their eyes were practically useless.

He gripped the handrail tightly and shouted back, "Instructor! Something's wrong with this area! How come there are more Devouring Beasts than in the densely populated ecological areas! Should we... or should we turn back to the lighthouse now? Who knows what kind of monsters we'll run into if we go any further!"

Elon gripped the steering wheel tightly, veins bulging on his arms, his eyes fixed on the ever-extending tire tracks ahead.

"No! Keep driving forward!" Elon's voice was firm and resolute.

"Turning around is a dead end; in open terrain, we'll be easily caught and surrounded! The only option is to keep moving forward!"

He paused, then said, "Follow this road! Maybe, just maybe, we'll actually find people on the ground! This is our only chance of survival now!"

Rather than being worn down during the retreat, it's better to take a gamble.

They gambled that the tire tracks might lead them to a glimmer of hope. Under his control, the vehicle roared even louder, skimming almost the ground as it narrowly avoided a deep ditch ahead.

In the rearview mirror, the ferocious figure of the Devouring Beast drew ever closer.

After driving for an unknown amount of time, Xuefeng emptied magazine after magazine, his shoulders numb from the recoil.

Just when this desperate pursuit seemed to have no end, a striking green suddenly appeared on the gray horizon ahead.

"Instructor! Up ahead!" Haji was the first to spot it.

Elon saw it too; it was no longer the somber hues of ruins, but a vibrant green, like a giant emerald inlaid on the earth.

Even more surprisingly, the moment they saw that green area, the Devouring Beasts that had been frantically chasing and roaring in the rearview mirror all stopped abruptly.

Their eyes remained fixed on the vehicle, but they did not take another step forward.

"They... stopped?" Xuefeng looked out from the firing port in disbelief.

Once he confirmed that the terrifying figures had indeed stopped behind him, he breathed a long sigh of relief, slumped back into the car, and hastily wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve.

"Damn it. They've finally stopped chasing us. What the hell is going on?"

The relief of surviving the ordeal enveloped everyone in the carriage, but a deeper sense of bewilderment followed.

Haji nervously observed the excessively quiet green area in the distance, his voice hoarse: "Instructor, this place is too eerie. The Devouring Beasts seem afraid to come in. Is there something even more terrifying inside?"

Elon slowly reduced the vehicle's speed, the armored vehicle covered in wounds and dust.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, suppressing the shock in his heart, and drove along the road that was gradually becoming clearer.

Although the road surface under the wheels was old, it had clearly been repaired, which was completely different from the bumpy and uneven pile of rocks in the ruins outside.

The roadsides are no longer lined with dilapidated rubble and twisted steel bars, but with lush, verdant meadows.

You can even see some carefully cultivated low shrubs.

This vibrant scene was as impactful to the hunters, who lived in the lighthouse year-round and whose eyes were only filled with the gloom of metal and the desolation of the land, as seeing a pack of Devouring Beasts.

“The grass is green meadow,” Jeff muttered incredulously, leaning against the car window.

"How come this place hasn't been polluted?"

At the lighthouse, only in the limited, strictly protected area of ​​the aerial farm can one see such vibrant greenery.

As they went deeper, an even more shocking sight appeared.

On an open area beside the road, a large, neatly arranged solar panels stood out, their surfaces reflecting the sunlight in the dim light, all at the same angle, clearly indicating that they were being carefully maintained.

“Solar panels.” Haji’s voice trembled.

"There are indeed humans who have survived on this ground, and their numbers are probably quite large."

It would take hundreds of people to build such a large area of ​​photovoltaic panels.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats, a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

Elon's sharp gaze swept across his surroundings. Apart from the rustling of the wind through the grass and the engine of the car, there was no other sound; the silence was unsettling.

The road stretched straight ahead, its end clearly pointing to a mountain in the distance that was not particularly tall, but looked quite solid.

As the vehicle drew closer, some details of the mountain became apparent.

There appear to be some traces of artificial excavation on it, and you can even see structures resembling ventilation openings or observation posts.

"Instructor, look over there!" Xuefeng pointed to the foot of the mountain, where there seemed to be a reinforced cave entrance, and on both sides of the entrance, one could vaguely see structures resembling defensive fortifications.

"Could that be the entrance?"

Elon slowly parked the car on the side of the road, some distance from the mountain, and turned off the engine.

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice to everyone in the car:

“We may have found it, but everything here is unusual. Stay alert, and do not make any moves without my orders. Xuefeng, Jeff, Gavin, Gaoge, you get out of the car with me and get closer to investigate.”

"Haji, Kunjie, stay in the vehicle, keep communication open, and be ready to provide support or evacuate at any time."

He had a strong premonition that the answer they were searching for was in that mountain.

Whether those living here are friend or foe, hope or greater danger, remains to be seen.

Elon, along with Snow Peak, Jeff, Gavin, and Gog, formed a guard formation and carefully stepped into the passageway at the entrance to the mountain.

The interior of the passageway was surprisingly spacious and bright, with soft white light strips embedded in the ceiling illuminating the area clearly.

The air inside was well-ventilated, and there was no musty or dusty smell as I had expected. Instead, it had a clean feeling, similar to that after disinfection.

Everything here shows that this place is extremely well maintained.

They gripped their guns tightly, the muzzles pressed slightly downwards, and took each step with extreme caution, their boots barely making a sound as they landed.

Only the suppressed breathing and heartbeats sounded exceptionally clear in the silent passageway.

Everyone's nerves were on edge, their eyes constantly scanning every possible corner and high point ahead.

They were so focused on the threats in front of them and to their sides that they didn't notice a dark, hemispherical camera silently rotating its focus above them, capturing the every move of the five uninvited guests.

After going in for about several dozen meters, the passage continued to extend forward, with no end in sight, and no forks or doors appeared on either side.

This excessive quiet and emptiness made people even more uneasy.

"Instructor," Xuefeng couldn't help but lower his voice, breaking the suffocating silence.

"This place is too quiet, there's not a soul in sight. Maybe I should call out a few times? What if someone comes? It's better than just groping around like this."

Elon frowned, weighing his options for a moment.

Actively revealing one's location carries risks, but continuing to search in the open like this is just as dangerous, like being a target.

He finally nodded and said in a deep voice, "Okay, but stay vigilant and be prepared for any eventuality."

Xuefeng, having received permission, took a deep breath and called out towards the front of the passage, "Hey! Is anyone there?"

"We are the hunters of the Lighthouse! No ill will! We are looking for survivors on this continent! Can anyone come out and talk to us?"

His voice echoed in the empty corridor, carrying far and wide.

However, instead of a human voice, he was met with a strange change.

Almost the instant Xuefeng finished speaking.

"Crack!"

All the lights at the top of the passageway went out at the same time.

The terrifying darkness instantly engulfed everything, with only the blue identity tags they wore, belonging to the upper class, still emitting a faint light.

"what happened?!"

"Enemy attack?!"

(End of this chapter)