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

Chapter 178 Dominance
Victor glanced at Yang Chen, remained silent for a moment, and then walked towards the control panel in the corner of the city lord's seat.

The indicator light on the internal broadcast system lit up. Victor adjusted his position and spoke into the microphone in a deep voice.

"This is Victor, Commander-in-Chief of the City Defense Forces. Attention all residents of Lighthouse, the following information is of utmost importance. Please remain calm and listen carefully."

His voice was amplified through loudspeakers throughout the lighthouse, reaching every corner of the city.

Whether in the bustling arms maintenance area or in the crowded residential area of ​​the Dust People, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up in astonishment.

"According to the latest decision, the lighthouse will be relocated. We will be heading to the ground survivor settlement – ​​Dragonbone Village."

The broadcast's content was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, instantly creating a massive upheaval in every corner of the lighthouse.

The people looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

The common people, on the other hand, were mostly bewildered and somewhat stunned by the overwhelming amount of information.

Go to the surface? That surface filled with Devouring Beasts and death? A survivor's outpost? How is that possible?

“Repeat, the Lighthouse will proceed to the ground survivor outpost, Dragonbone Village. This decision has been confirmed by…” Victor paused, glancing at Morgan’s “corpse” on the platform and Yang Chen’s calm expression, then changed his words, “…by the current highest authority. The ground outpost possesses a complete survival system, providing safe shelter, ample food, and clean water. All personnel are requested to immediately assemble at the central platform to maintain order. All civilians must remain calm, stay in their respective areas, and await further instructions. Anyone who takes advantage of this situation to create chaos or spread panic will be temporarily punished according to the Lighthouse regulations.”

The broadcast ended, but the silence inside the lighthouse lasted less than a second before being drowned out by exclamations, questions, and chaotic discussions.

"Go to the ground? Are we crazy?"

"Is what General Victor said true? Is it really possible for people to live on this ground?"

"Where is Lord Morgan? Why is it General Victor who released this message?"

"I'm not going! The ground is teeming with monsters! Going there would be suicide!"

Panic began to spread like a plague.

Inside the city lord's hall, the heads of various departments were equally apprehensive, but Yang Chen's presence, along with the corpses of the city defense soldiers on the ground, acted like cold chains, binding their steps and voices.

Yang Chen looked at Victor and several department heads.

"General Victor, and everyone else, the task of calming the people and maintaining order will be temporarily entrusted to you."

His gaze swept over the seven hunters who had followed him back.

"You few, stay here for now. Tell the supervisors everything you saw on the ground, and... the current situation of Red Hair and Dawn, in detail, especially Dr. Carrie. Answer their questions first."

He specifically mentioned Dr. Carrie's name, and the thirst for knowledge in this mad scientist's eyes almost burned brightly.

"Understood, Boss Yang!" The hunters quickly replied, their feelings complicated.

Yang Chen nodded and said no more.

He raised his hand and gestured, and the several clumps of life essence that had been stripped away, including the one belonging to Lord Morgan, gathered around him.

Seeing this, a supervisor asked softly, "Are you going back to the ground? The lighthouse's altitude has already increased; we need to notify air traffic control first."

Yang Chen gently shook his head and said, "No need for such trouble. I just hope that when I get here, I won't see anything bad happen."

Then, under the horrified gazes of everyone, Yang Chen's figure vanished from the spot in the next instant.

Silence fell over the hall once more, with only the main door of the city lord's hall swaying gently.

The way Yang Chen left served as a stark reminder of just how unfathomable the power possessed by this human from the ground was.

A few seconds later, the silence was broken by Dr. Carrie's hurried footsteps.

She practically lunged at the hunters, her eyes shining, her previous shock seemingly overshadowed by her intense thirst for knowledge.

"Quick! Tell me! What did you see down there? What was that ecological base like? How did the soil purification technology work? And those Devouring Beast samples! Alive? How were they captured and safely stored? And what does that 'Return to Origin State' feel like?"

She fired off a barrage of questions at a dizzying pace, completely disregarding Victor, whose face remained pale, and the other supervisors beside her.

One of the hunters swallowed hard, organized his thoughts, and spoke first: "Dr. Carrie, and everyone else... the ground is really completely different from what we imagined."

He began to describe: "Dragonbone Village is inside a mountain, and when we first went in... it didn't look like our lighthouse at all."

Another young hunter added, “They eat…they eat so well! Not only meat, but also fresh vegetables, and the taste…I’ve never tasted anything like it in the Lighthouse! Captain Rednail said they grew and raised all of these themselves.”

"Growing and raising their own livestock?" a supervisor in charge of supplies exclaimed in surprise.
“It’s true!” another hunter eagerly confirmed.

"Captain Hongkou led us inside their ecological base. It was like another world! It was filled with all sorts of plants, so lush and green! There were also fenced-off areas where lots of livestock were kept! Alive!"

Dr. Carrie's eyes widened even more: "An ecological base! A fully controllable closed ecological cycle system... How was all of this achieved?"

The hunters looked at each other, some of the questions beyond their knowledge.

"The base is very complex, with many machines and pipes, and we don't understand how they work in detail."

"What about the Devouring Beasts?!" Dr. Carrie pressed, "You said you saw samples?"

Mentioning this, the hunters' faces showed fear.

"Yes, it is."

"In an observation area of ​​another ecological base, through a large glass window we saw... a lot of Devouring Beasts were soaking inside! There were snake dogs, earth howls, and even... even a molted form that had been dissected! They were all soaking separately in those transparent jars! We were all terrified at the time, but the person who took us in said that these were all captured for research, and they were kept very tightly locked up and couldn't get out."

“Live specimens…dissected specimens…” Dr. Carrie murmured to herself, rubbing her hands excitedly.

"They actually managed to capture and preserve the Devouring Beasts safely! And have you guys experienced the 'Shielding Tower' and 'Return to Origin'?"

The hunters shook their heads.

"As soon as we entered that area, the Devouring Beasts that were chasing us dared not go any further. This must be their shielding device. But the 'Return to Origin State'... Captain Hongkou said that it requires learning and practice. It's a method of controlling the fluctuations of one's own life essence. We just arrived and haven't come into contact with it yet."

Victor had been listening in silence until he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

"Red Hair and Dawn...are they really still alive?"

“Yes, General Victor,” the older hunter replied confidently. “Captain Red and Lieutenant Dawn both seem to be doing well. Captain Red even said that she has awakened that ‘source potential’.”

“Source potential…” Carrie chewed on this unfamiliar term, thinking of Yang Chen’s incredible power.

It seems that the direction of human development on the ground has far exceeded the scope of the lighthouse's understanding.

“And… Instructor Elon and the others…” Another hunter hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “We didn’t see Instructor Elon and Snow Peak… We only heard Captain Red Hair mention that… they had been ‘taken care of’ because of old grudges.”

"Old grudges?" Victor and several veteran supervisors simultaneously changed color. Right, that person just mentioned Red Heron?

What happened? The red egret had already died that day.

“Gallopianthus. Have you ever seen a gallopianthus?” Victor suddenly asked in a trembling voice.

The hunters looked at each other and shook their heads, indicating that they had never heard of the name or seen it before.

Dr. Carrie seemed uninterested in these old political grievances; her attention was entirely on the technology as she spoke to herself.

"The technology and survival methods they possess are feasible. We may really not need to be trapped in this increasingly resource-depleted aerial prison anymore! We can go back to the ground! And truly live!"

Carrie exclaimed excitedly, "Victor! We've been doing this wrong all along!"

Victor rubbed his temples wearily.

The power Yang Chen displayed and the testimonies of the hunters both pointed to one fact: a life on the ground that far exceeded their imagination truly existed.

Lord Morgan may have truly taken the wrong path.

Everything happened so suddenly today: Morgan's death, and the news about Red Heron.

Looking at the managers before him, whose eyes gleamed at the mention of "ample food" and "safe haven," he knew that the hearts of the people of the Lighthouse had inevitably turned to the ground.

Now, it seems all they can do is follow the young man's instructions, maintain order, and wait to be received.

"Alright," Victor said, forcing himself to stay alert, "What you've said is very important."

He turned to the department heads: “Gentlemen, you’ve all heard me. I expect you all to do your jobs well, reassure your subordinates and the public, and ensure a smooth transition. Everything… will be decided when that person returns.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with varying expressions, but they all understood in their hearts that the era of the lighthouse might really be coming to an end.

Just as everyone had left to carry out their orders, leaving only the few hunters and Victor staring at Morgan's corpse with complicated expressions, the heavy metal doors of the city lord's hall were pushed open.

A middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of a city defense army captain walked in; it was Sengge.

He had clearly heard the broadcast; his face was filled with disbelief, and he shouted as soon as he entered the room.

"General Victor! What was that broadcast just now? What? Heading to the ground base? Is this the lord's order? Where is Lord Morgan?"

His words abruptly stopped when he saw the scene inside the hall.

The seat atop the high platform, symbolizing supreme power, was empty.

On the cold ground in front of the seat, Lord Morgan lay motionless, his face ashen, clearly having lost all vital signs.

Seng's pupils suddenly contracted, and his gaze swept sharply towards Victor, who stood in the center of the hall with an unpleasant expression.

"Commander-in-Chief!?" Seng's voice suddenly rose.

"What's going on?! Lord City Lord... what happened to him?!"

Yang Chen's figure appeared in the Soul Storage Village No. 2.

As soon as he entered, he saw Honglu and Drake already standing quietly by the Soul Storage Pool, waiting.

Clearly, ASH had already delivered the message in advance.

“Boss Yang.” Honglu nodded slightly, her gaze immediately falling on the life essence bodies beside Yang Chen.

When her gaze fell upon the one she recognized most, her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

That's Morgan.

Drake saw it too, and his expression became extremely complicated.

Yang Chen didn't say much and walked straight to the soul storage jar that was slowly rising in the center of the soul storage pool.

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, the life essences, like streams returning to their nests, obediently drifted towards the jar, silently merging into the rich blue aura within, becoming part of the many preserved essences.

The deep blue light seemed to intensify, illuminating Yang Chen's calm face and the expressions of Hong Lu and the others.

Honglu remained silent. Her heart was not without turmoil, but more than that, it was a sense of calm after everything had settled.

“Over at the lighthouse,” Yang Chen said, turning around. “Victor and the heads of various departments there have temporarily stabilized the situation. But the public’s panic needs to be quelled, and the takeover work needs to be overseen by trustworthy and capable individuals.”

His gaze fell on Red Heron and Drake: "You two know the lighthouse's past best and are the ones who can represent the ground. Come with me upstairs; this handover requires your presence."

Red Heron glanced at Drake, who nodded slightly to her with a determined look in his eyes.

Honglu understood Yang Chen's meaning; this was not only for the handover, but also for completely eradicating the old problems of the lighthouse.

“Understood,” she replied, then turned to Drake. “I’ll go and gather the Returning Warriors.”

After speaking, Red Heron turned and strode away. Drake whispered a few words to a follower beside him, who also quickly left, obviously to mobilize more manpower.

Yang Chen watched their arrangements quietly without interfering.

Red Heron and Drake knew far more about the lighthouse than anyone else, making them the perfect candidates to lead the initial takeover and restoration of order.

Inside the soul storage chamber, light flickered slightly, and the figures of the group had vanished, leaving only the enormous soul storage jar still emitting a faint blue light, silently storing the weight of life.

Before long, a group of about two hundred people, along with supplies, gathered at the entrance of Village No. 2.

They stood there quietly, all dressed in the dark gray combat uniforms of Dragonbone Village.

These are the Guiyuan warriors trained by Honglu, and they are all former members of the city's defense army.

Honglu and Drake stood at the front of the group, looking at Yang Chen.

"Boss Yang, the manpower is all ready," Honglu reported.

Yang Chen glanced at the capable team and nodded.

“Alright.” Yang Chen didn’t hesitate. “Then let’s set off now.”

He said no more, and the power of the talisman enveloped Red Heron, Drake, and the more than two hundred Returning Origin Warriors.

The next moment, the team in the open space at the entrance of Village No. 2 vanished into thin air.

(End of this chapter)