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

Chapter 169 Long Time No See

On the way to Village No. 2, a suffocating silence filled the carriage.

Hongkou sat in the passenger seat, her gaze fixed on the winding road ahead, her lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing.

She was no longer the comrade-in-arms who had been filled with joy and nostalgia upon their reunion; a suffocating atmosphere enveloped her.

Po Xiao drove intently, but his mind was far from at peace.

He glanced several times through the rearview mirror at the ashen-faced hunters in the back seat, then at Hongkou beside him. His lips moved slightly, but in the end, it turned into a silent sigh.

He couldn't find any words to break the deadlock.

In the back seat, Xuefeng and Haji seemed to have their souls ripped out, staring blankly at the scene outside the window that was just as vibrant as Village No. 1, but they had no heart to feel anything at this moment.

Kun Jie, Jeff, Gavin, and Goggle were restless, their eyes shifting between Red Hair, Dawn, and Elon in the front row with complicated expressions.

The vehicle finally entered the area of ​​Village No. 2.

The architectural layout here is slightly different from that of Village No. 1.

At dawn, he parked the car in an open space in the village and turned off the engine.

"We've arrived," he said softly, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet carriage.

Everyone got off the bus in silence.

Just as they stood still, before Hongkou could even give them directions, several people who had just finished cleaning up the ecological waste and returned to the village heard the noise and curiously turned around to look.

After recognizing Hongkou, he nodded in greeting.

But when their gazes met those of Elon, Xuefeng, Haji, and others, time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The expressions on the faces of those men froze instantly, and the tool in one of their hands fell to the ground with a clatter.

Elon stared at those faces as well.

Although we can't recognize them by their faces, we can tell from their reactions.

They must be the city defense troops who followed Honglu back then and were dealt with by them in that bloody "cleanup".

Hongkou took it all in.

She looked at the hatred blazing in the eyes of the villagers, at the near-collapse of Elon and his companions, and at the silent scene.

A truth she didn't want to believe was finally laid bare before her.

She slowly turned her head to look at Elon, her voice trembling.

"Instructor Elon..."

"What happened to my sister back then... and them..."

"What exactly did you, Xuefeng, Haji... do?"

Elon opened his mouth: "I'm sorry, Red Hair...we..."

Just then, a calm voice came from not far away, interrupting his unfinished words.

"Long time no see, Elon."

The sound made Elon, Xuefeng, and Haji jump, and they stiffly looked in the direction of the sound.

The flamingo stood a few steps away, its posture upright, just as it had been at the lighthouse years ago.

Her gaze calmly swept over the three pale-faced men, Elon and his companions, before finally settling on Red Hair, whose eyes were already red-rimmed.

“Sister…!” Hongkou choked up as she looked at her sister, then suddenly pointed at Elon and the others.

"They...they...Sister, what is going on..."

Red Heron strode over, but instead of immediately answering Red Cocoon's question, she walked straight up to Elon.

At such close range, Elon could clearly see the unfathomable silence in the Red Heron's eyes; there was no raging fury as he had anticipated, only calm.

Red Heron's gaze lingered for a moment on Elon's graying temples and the bruises on Xuefeng's face that had not yet completely faded, her tone as indifferent as if she were greeting an ordinary old acquaintance.

"You're getting old, Elon."

Elon lowered his head and remained silent.

“Red…Commander-in-Chief Red Heron…we…”

"There is no commander-in-chief here anymore," Honglu said calmly, interrupting Xuefeng and Haji beside her.

"Just as the lighthouse's red buds and dawn have long since departed, past positions and identities have no meaning here."

As soon as she said that, Xuefeng suddenly raised his head and blurted out, "Back then... back then it was Lord Morgan who gave the order! We were just... just following orders!"

Haji hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, yes! We didn't expect... we didn't expect you could..."

"I never thought I'd still be standing here?" Red Heron's voice remained calm.

Xuefeng and Haji fell silent instantly, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

She slowly looked around at the villagers of Village No. 2 who were gradually gathering around her, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Those former subordinates who were once led by her and who also suffered purging because of her.

“Order…” Red Heron repeated the word.

Elon could no longer bear the weight of that gaze and bowed his head deeply: "...I'm sorry, Red Heron. Whatever the reason...we are...unforgivable."

Hongkou stood behind her sister, listening to the conversation, her body trembling slightly.

She finally understood why Elon and the others reacted that way when her sister was mentioned, and she understood where the hatred in the eyes of those city guards came from.

The instructor she had always respected and the comrade she trusted turned out to be the one who caused her sister's death!
Po Xiao silently stepped forward and reached out to support Hong Kou.

Honglu looked at her younger sister, who could barely stand, her eyes filled with heartache.

She sighed softly, "Dawn, take Red Bloom to my place first."

Po Xiao nodded immediately, put his arm around Hong Kou's shoulder, and gently advised, "Hong Kou, let's go over first and let...let them talk."

He carefully guided Hongkou, who was devastated by the truth, and turned to walk towards Honglu's residence.

Hongkou's steps were unsteady. She tried to turn back several times, but Po Xiao steadily supported her, and she could only let him lead her away from this suffocating place of right and wrong.

After watching her sister leave, Honglu turned her gaze back to Elon and his two companions, as well as the bewildered Kunjie and the others beside her.

"Let's go," she said calmly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "Come with me."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked straight towards a relatively secluded direction in the village.

Elon followed with heavy steps.

Xuefeng and Haji exchanged a glance, both seeing despair and fear in each other's eyes, but they could only grit their teeth and follow Elon.

Kun Jie, Jeff, and the other three quietly followed.

The villagers gathered around watched the group's retreating figures with complicated expressions, but no one spoke up to stop them.

At dawn, Po Xiao helped the dazed Hong Kou into Hong Lu's residence.

To their surprise, Drake was sitting inside, seemingly having been waiting for them.

Upon seeing the two enter, especially noticing Hongkou's reddened eyes and distraught appearance, Drake immediately stood up.

“Hongkou…” He stepped forward.

Hongkou raised her head and focused her gaze on Drake's face.

She broke free from Dawn's support and stepped forward to tightly grasp Drake's arm.

"Brother Drake! My sister has been keeping it from me... Instructor Elon and the others... what have they done? I need to know the whole truth!"

Looking at her, a complex emotion flashed in Drake's eyes.

He sighed heavily and gently patted Hongkou's tense arm.

“When the Lighthouse came to this continent and I met you at Red Heron, I knew this day would come. I just didn’t expect that Elon would be the first to arrive.”

He gestured for Hongkou and Poxiao to sit down first, while he strolled to the window and gazed at the peaceful scene of Village No. 2 outside.

“Back then… if Morgan had supported Red Heron’s proposal, Lighthouse might not be what it is today.” Drake recounted that long-forgotten story.

“Red Heron could have avoided death that night, but Seng led your sister into headquarters, and Elon…”

Drake turned his head and looked at Red Hair.

“Red Bloom, the one who killed Red Heron was Elon.”

Hongkou's last glimmer of hope was shattered, and Poxiao frowned, silently gripping Hongkou's cold hand.

"No...it can't be..." she murmured to herself, "How could it be Instructor Elon...how could it be..."

It was Instructor Elon who taught her how to perform missions on the ground. It was after she killed her first Devourer that he patted her on the shoulder and said, "Well done, Red."

It was Xuefeng and Haji who took care of her when she first joined the Hunters...

Those warm memories, which she regarded as a beacon of light and a rare source of reliance under the cold rules of the past, are now all twisted, deformed, and stained with a nauseating bloodstain.

She had been living in an elaborate deception all along.

Her revered instructor, her trusted comrade-in-arms, played the role of taking care of her and Mark, while his hands were stained with the blood of her own sister!

They watched her grieve deeply for her sister's "sacrifice," watched her see the hunters as her new home, and watched her grow up step by step...

How could they play the roles of good teachers and helpful friends while bearing such heavy sins, and still talk and laugh in front of her?
"what--!!!"

A suppressed, mournful cry escaped from deep within Hongkou's throat.

She suddenly squatted down, clutching her head tightly with both hands, her nails almost digging into her scalp, her body curled up in a ball, trembling violently.

"Why...why him...why them..." she sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam.

"I've always... I've always trusted them so much..."

Red Heron did not take Elon and his men to the interrogation room, nor to any secluded corner.

She walked straight to a building on the edge of the village.

This place is far from the residential area, and Guiyuan warriors quietly guard the entrance.

This is the "Soul Storage Place," a place where the essence of life is stored.

Upon seeing Red Heron, the guard immediately bowed and then opened the gate for her.

Honglu went in first, followed by Elon, Xuefeng, Haji, and others.

The interior space is much more spacious and deep than it appears from the outside.

The light was dim, with only a few lights embedded in the walls providing illumination, and the air was unusually cold.

Their footsteps echoed clearly in the open space.

At the heart of the entire space is a massive, bottomless pool that occupies most of the area.

In the center of the pool, a sophisticated piece of equipment is slowly rising from the water.

At the center of the device was a huge crystal jar.

The jar is crystal clear, filled with a rich blue halo, and contains life essence that has been carefully preserved.

Red Heron stopped by the pool, her gaze fixed on the slowly rising crystal jar. Her profile appeared calm and profound in the soft blue light.

"This is the place where souls are stored." Her voice rang out in the vast space, without any ripples.

"It is a place for recycling and preserving the life essence."

Red Heron turned around and faced the group of hunters, her gaze finally settling on Elon.

"The life essence in the pool mainly comes from several sources," she stated calmly. "Those who naturally age and voluntarily contribute their life essence to do their last bit of research for the village."

Her gaze swept over the snow-capped peaks and Haji's pale face.

“The life essence of those who invade the village and die in the conflict will be recycled.”

Finally, her gaze settled back on Elon's face.

"as well as……"

"Back then at the lighthouse, there were the city defense troops who were cleared out... as well as some innocent civilians who were affected."

“Red Heron.” Elon’s voice was hoarse. He was about to say something when Red Heron raised his hand to interrupt him.

Honglu ignored what Elon wanted to say, turned her back again, and slowly walked towards the control panel next to her.

“I had been hoping to see Hongkou again, but I was terrified when I learned that she was in the main village. I thought she had been eliminated like me.” Honglu breathed a sigh of relief. “Fortunately, the lighthouse came to this continent, came here.”

Red Heron pressed the program on the control panel, and the source material projector by the pool slowly rose up.

“Eron, I remember you said that day that you would take good care of Red Bloom and Mark for me.”

"But why?"

"Why is Hongkou on the ground? Why did she join the Hunters!?"

Elon lowered his head, speechless.

“If what I know is that Hongkou is living a peaceful and safe life in the city defense force, or in any other department of the Lighthouse…” she said slowly, her fingertips lightly sliding across the control panel, “then perhaps we wouldn’t have had to… come to this point.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the door to the Soul Storage Room slid open silently again, and four fully armed Guiyuan Warriors walked in with guns.

They dispersed in silence. Although the cold muzzles of their guns were not directly raised and aimed at Elon and the others, the tense atmosphere had already put everyone on edge.

Xuefeng and Haji instinctively took a half step back, back to back, watching the suddenly appearing soldiers warily, their backs instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Kunjie, Jeff, and the others also tensed up, their muscles taut, and they didn't dare to breathe.

Only Elon remained with his head down, seemingly oblivious to the changes around him.

Red Heron finally turned around. She didn't look at the Returning Warriors; her gaze remained fixed on Elon. A crack finally appeared in her calm demeanor.

"Elon!" Her voice suddenly rose, echoing in the empty space, "You promised! You promised me in person! You promised to take care of Red Hair and Mark for me!"

She walked step by step toward Elon.

"But what was the result?!"

"Hongkou has become a Hunter of the Wasteland! She fights the Devouring Beasts every day! She has faced death countless times on the ground! Is this the care you promised?!"

"After I died, is this how you took care of my sister?! Letting her walk down the most dangerous path?! Is this your only explanation to me, to Honglu?!"

Elon suddenly raised his head, his lips trembling, wanting to explain, but found that any words were pale and powerless at this moment.

What could he say? That it was Hongkou's own choice? That in the Lighthouse, being a hunter was dangerous, but it was also an important path to advancement for the upper class?

These reasons all seemed ridiculous under Honglu's furious gaze.

He broke his promise; that is an indisputable fact.

He not only killed the sister of the person who entrusted him with the task, but he also failed to protect the child entrusted to him.

"I..." Elon's throat tightened as if something was choking him, "I...I'm powerless..."

"Powerless?" Red Heron sneered. "You have the ability to carry out Morgan's orders. You have the ability to pull the trigger on your former comrades. But when it comes to fulfilling a promise to a dead man, you're powerless?"

“Eron, tell me, when you see Red Call me sister, when you see her living a more human life in the surface world that you can’t understand than in the Lighthouse…”

Have you ever had even a single regret?

"Do you regret not choosing a different path?"

Elon swayed under her barrage of questions, and finally could not hold on any longer, collapsing to his knees with a thud.

Red Heron looked down at Elon, who was kneeling on the ground, and the turbulent emotions in his eyes slowly subsided, returning to that unfathomable silence.

Beside the pool, the Source Projector had already begun operating.

"Elon."

"It's better for me to recycle the life essence than for it to die at the hands of the Devouring Beast."

(End of this chapter)