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

Chapter 199 Who agrees? Who objects?
"Husband?!"

Bai Yuetian's entire spherical body suddenly tilted, and the loading icon on the screen slowly rotated in circles.

He looked at Bai Yuekui in disbelief, then at Yang Chen.

A few seconds later, he pointed at Yang Chen: "Husband?! Wait, does that mean I have two younger sisters now? Does that mean he has two?"

His words stopped abruptly, and he moved his whole body close to Yang Chen's face, squeezing his nose.

"Tell me, did you threaten my sister?"

Yang Chen looked speechless and pushed Bai Yuetian away from his face.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You agreed with the other one."

He has no inclination to be intimate with men, even if it's just a screen pressed against his face.

Bai Yuetian was pushed by Yang Chen and spun around in mid-air. He steadied his round body and immediately floated back in front of Yang Chen, his mechanical arm on his hip. Although he no longer had a waist, his expression changed to a black and white face.

"I'm lying?!" Bai Yuetian's voice rose. "My sister! My own sister! Just like that... just like that, you kidnapped her?!"

"What good is it if the other person agrees! I disagree! I oppose this marriage!"

Looking at the excited sphere in front of him, Yang Chen said helplessly, "Who tricked us? Our relationship was a natural progression."

"Water flows naturally into the channel, my foot!" Bai Yuetian circled Yang Chen quickly. "You may look respectable, but who knows what shady methods you might have used! Like... like using your healing abilities to gain trust! Or using some other means of coercion or bribery!"

"elder brother!"

The young Yue Kui finally couldn't take it anymore and interrupted, "That's enough!"

She felt her cheeks burning, especially when she heard the word "husband" come out so naturally from the mouth of another version of herself; the strange feeling in her heart was indescribable.

Bai Yuetian's expression turned aggrieved after being yelled at by the young man Yue Kui: "Yue Kui! Why are you taking the side of outsiders! I'm doing this to protect you... and the other you!"

Yang Chen sighed.

He reached out and put his arm around Bai Yuekui's shoulder, pulling her closer to him with a natural movement.

Bai Yuekui glanced at him.

"See that?" Yang Chen gestured with his chin at Bai Yuetian. "That's called having a good relationship; they can't be separated."

"Don't even mention decades, it'll be the same even if it's been decades longer. The other you has already come to terms with reality and accepted it well. Can't you learn from that?"

Bai Yuetian's screen froze for a moment: "What the hell am I supposed to learn?"

"You...you..." Bai Yuetian stammered for a long time without getting to the bottom of it.

Logically, he seems to have no reason to object.

But emotionally, it's really hard to accept that your own fresh and beautiful daughter has been taken away like this.

Yang Chen couldn't help but laugh when he saw Bai Yuetian's conflicted expression.

He reached out and patted Bai Yuetian's round, metallic head, which felt like a metal ball.

"Alright, alright, brother-in-law, stop thinking about it." Yang Chen's tone was somewhat teasing. "You can't change this no matter how much you think about it, so you might as well accept reality sooner rather than later."

"Who's your brother-in-law!" Bai Yuetian slapped Yang Chen's hand away. "No, wait! Who's your brother-in-law?! Get out of my way! Stay away from my sister!"

As he spoke, he tried to squeeze between Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui.

Unfortunately, his round body was not very intimidating. Instead, Yang Chen pinned his forehead with a single finger, and he couldn't move no matter how hard he tried to rush forward.

"Tsk, so unfriendly?" Yang Chen raised an eyebrow, and with a little force from his fingertips, pushed Bai Yuetian back another half meter.

"You're much easier to talk to than me in the other world. Not only did you agree, but you also often ask me to play."

"Bullshit! How could I possibly play with you!" Bai Yuetian was even more furious. "I must have been forced into this by your tyranny! I succumbed! I fell into depravity!"

"What a piece of trash, I despise him!"

Young Yue Kui watched as his brother was pushed around by Yang Chen like a bouncy ball, spouting harmless nonsense, and couldn't help but facepalm.

She looked at her silver-haired self and found that the other person had a slight smile on their face, as if they found the scene before them quite amusing.

"Brother," the young man Yue Kui said helplessly, "can you calm down?"

"I can't calm down!" Bai Yuetian's screen flashed, switching to a teary-eyed emoticon. "Yue Kui! You just watch him bully me!"

Yang Chen withdrew his hand and shrugged: "How did I bully you? I was just stating the facts."

He turned to look at Bai Yuekui: "Right, Yuekui?"

Bai Yuekui gave a faint "hmm" in response.

This "hmm" completely shattered Bai Yuetian's spirit, and the spherical machine swayed, suffering a huge blow.

“...Even the collector’s edition sister is on his side…” he muttered to himself.

As the young Yue Kui watched her brother's dramatic performance, she was about to say something when Bai Yue Kui spoke first.

She stopped looking at the goofy Bai Yuetian and turned to Ash, asking, "ASH, how is Jiu Chuan doing now?"

ASH opened his eyes: "The situation is not optimistic."

"Although the mantle vine has not yet broken out on a large scale, monitoring and sporadic reports indicate that the number of people mutated by manna spore infection is increasing rapidly, the spread is accelerating, and the chaos is intensifying."

Upon hearing this, the young Yue Kui's heart tightened, and he immediately asked, "Then what should we do? In your world... how did you resolve this back then?"

No, I overheard the gist of it; their area has already become a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

But then the young Yue Kui had a second thought, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes as he looked at Bai Yue Kui and Yang Chen: "Then ASH's computing power should be enough now, right? Can it... end this disaster?"

Bai Yuekui slowly shook his head: "It can't be stopped."

She looked at the young Yue Kui: "If it were at an earlier stage, before the Earth Mantle Vine appeared in large numbers, it could be controlled or even reversed. But now..."

An outbreak has already occurred here, and the number of infected people will continue to increase, while the Devouring Beasts from underground will also appear.

The weapons and countermeasures they research in their world need to be prepared in advance, and even if they were to accelerate the manufacturing transformation now, it would still take time.

She paused, then pointed to a screen that ASH had brought up, showing the edge of the city, where some strangely behaving figures with an unnatural reddish tinge to their skin were wandering around.

Young Yuekui's heart sank, and his face turned pale: "So... we can only watch it spread? Watch Jiuchuan... watch the world become like yours?"

"This is the only way for now," Bai Yuekui corrected.

She looked at the enormous Mana Primal in the laboratory.

Even if ASH has sufficient computing power, and the brain is connected to Mana's original body, the situation of consciousness being devoured will not recur. However, Mana's original body may still know everything through ASH, which would make the situation even more unbearable.

As the young Yue Kui listened to Bai Yue Kui's calm, almost cruel analysis, and to ASH's report, Bai Yue Kui's words, "This is the only way for now," shattered any remaining hope in her heart.

The brief moment of relief brought by Bai Yuetian's witty banter vanished instantly, and the heavy reality once again overwhelmed her.

My father died, and my brother's body was taken away, leaving only his brain.

And now, even the world is irrevocably sliding into the abyss before her eyes.

"Then... what should we do?" The young man Yue Kui's voice trembled, his eyes quickly reddened, and the tears he had been holding back finally slid down his cheeks.

She stubbornly refused to cry out: "What...what else can we do?"

She looked at Bai Yuekui, her eyes filled with confusion and pain.

When Bai Yuetian saw his sister crying, he panicked and forgot about arguing with Yang Chen. He quickly floated over and clumsily tried to wipe her tears with his cold mechanical arm.

"Yue Kui, Yue Kui, don't cry."

“Brother’s here! Brother… even though I’m a ball now, I can still protect you! We… we’ll always find a way! Right, Collector’s Edition sister?” He looked at Bai Yuekui for help.

Looking at the weeping young man Yue Kui, Yang Chen also stopped teasing him.

Bai Yuekui looked at his younger self, who was trying to hold back her tears, and silently walked forward.

She didn't say anything to comfort him, but simply reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of the young man Yue Kui's eyes with her sleeve.

"What I just said was that this is the only way for now," Bai Yuekui said calmly.

"Don't be afraid."

The young Yue Kui was taken aback by her sudden gentle gesture, and asked with teary eyes, "You...you have a way?"

Bai Yuekui did not answer directly, but instead turned his gaze to Yang Chen beside him.

Yang Chen caught her gaze and stepped forward to say, "Once my talisman is fully restored and can stably connect the two worlds, I'll go back and call for help."

"Call for reinforcements?" Young Yue Kui and Bai Yuetian asked simultaneously.

A huge question mark appeared on Bai Yuetian's screen.

"Yes." Yang Chen nodded and explained, "It means transferring manpower and resources from our world."

"The ecosystem of your world has just erupted, and the scale and strength of the Devouring Beasts are still in their early stages. For our seasoned warriors and researchers, this place... can serve as a large-scale practical training ground, allowing them to adapt to what will happen in the future and accumulate experience in resisting it."

This idea stunned both the young Yue Kui and Bai Yue Tian.

Using a collapsing world...as a training ground?

The young Yue Kui keenly caught the information in Yang Chen's words. She blinked her still watery eyes and asked in confusion, "Wait... your world, isn't it already... already a post-apocalyptic wasteland? How come you just said 'adapt to what will happen in the future'? Isn't your future... already in the past?"

Yang Chen was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then turned to look at Bai Yuekui: "Hmm? Yuekui, you haven't told them about... the second world yet?"

Bai Yuekui's expression remained unchanged: "I haven't had time to explain in detail yet."

She turned to the bewildered young Yue Kui and Bai Yue Tian, ​​adding succinctly, "We don't come from just one 'world.' Besides the world where the Mana ecosystem has fully erupted, we've also established connections with another, earlier world."

"In that world, the disaster has not yet occurred, and everything is still in a period of relative peace."

Yang Chen picked up the conversation, smiled at the astonished man and ball, and further explained, "That's right. We cooperate closely with that 'past' world, sharing technology and information, trying to fundamentally change the future."

"Many of the technologies and countermeasures we brought, combined with the painful lessons of our world, were developed and prepared in advance, whether it was weapons or defenses."

He pointed to himself and Bai Yuekui: "So, what I mean by 'calling for people' includes mobilizing manpower from that still peaceful world, as well as coming here to test weapons and accumulate experience."

“This place,” Yang Chen looked around the underground laboratory, “is the most real, cruel, but also the most precious ‘rehearsal’ for the warriors of that peaceful world, allowing them to adapt here.”

Although ASH has comprehensive information and has planned out messages and solutions, it will be easier for them to use it after they have actually experienced it.

The young Yue Kui was somewhat stunned, and subconsciously murmured, "It can... be like this?"

This was completely beyond her comprehension. To treat the ongoing disaster as a training ground and bring in reinforcements from another, still peaceful world... This line of thinking was too abrupt, but it also allowed her to see a clear and powerful path in her despair.

She immediately pressed, "Then...when can you...uh...call someone?"

Yang Chen checked the recovery of the talisman power within his body. The sluggish feeling was still there, but it was indeed slowly fading away.

He shook his head: "I can't say for sure what the exact time will be, but I feel... it won't be too late."

"The power of the talisman is adapting to this world. Once it stabilizes, I will be able to travel back and forth steadily."

"Oh...right, what's your name again?" Bai Yuetian wanted to ask something else.

Yang Chen glanced at him helplessly: "Yang Chen."

"Oh, Yang Chen." Bai Yuetian floated closer. "So what do we do now? Just wait for your talisman to regenerate? Things are getting more and more chaotic outside!"

Yang Chen pondered for a moment.

Going to the Hela Empire or Heluo to communicate with their top leaders now would be redundant, inefficient, and unlikely to gain their trust.

Once my talisman is restored, I can simply bring Helu and the others from their world over.

He turned to Bai Yuekui: "Yuekui, let's go to Nirvana before the talisman is restored."

Bai Yuekui immediately understood his intention and nodded: "Okay. My father just died. Although there may be some unrest within Nirvana, the core research team and most of the resources are still under our control. Let's get them ready first. Whether it's technology, materials, or manpower, they can be put to use for the time being."

Upon hearing that they were going to Nirvana, the young Moon Lord nodded, then looked worriedly at the enormous Mana Primordial Body: "What about here? The Primordial Body is still here. What if they find it..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ash Ping's voice rang out: "No need to worry. I have reconnected and reinforced all the shielding and camouflage here, and taken over the surveillance network in the surrounding area. Gray's search forces are still searching the outskirts of Ant Street, and given their efficiency and search patterns, they won't find this place."

Hearing ASH's analysis, the young Yue Kui finally felt a little relieved.

"Let's not delay, let's go." Bai Yuekui gave the order decisively.

The group quickly left the underground laboratory.

To save time, Yang Chen grabbed Bai Yuekui with one hand and gestured for the young Yuekui and Bai Yuetian to come closer with the other.

"It might be a bit fast," Yang Chen cautioned.

Just as the young Yue Kui grabbed Yang Chen's arm, Bai Yuetian used his mechanical claws to grip Yang Chen's shoulder tightly. In the next instant, the surrounding scenery suddenly blurred, and the wind howled in their ears, almost throwing their souls out.

"Waaaaah!" Bai Yuetian let out a series of screams.

Young Yue Kui's heart also stopped beating suddenly. The city outline in front of him receded rapidly, stretched, and deformed, making it impossible to see any details.

This feeling... is a hundred times more thrilling than riding a motorcycle at top speed!
In just a few breaths, the suffocating sense of speed vanished abruptly.

The young Yue Kui staggered for a moment before regaining his balance.

They have arrived near the Nirvana Institute.

"That...that speed was incredible..." The young man, Yue Kui, clutched his chest, still shaken. Bai Yuetian: "Exciting...exciting..."

Yang Chen smiled and didn't explain further, but simply gestured for them to look at the research institute building not far away, which represented Bai Jingyu's hard work.

The young Yue Kui followed his gaze, his expression complex.

However, her gaze was quickly drawn to the huge public information screen on the side of the building. Just moments before, her arrest warrant and photo had been clearly scrolling on it.

But now...

Her arrest warrant had disappeared from the screen, replaced by announcements about martial law and the need for people to evacuate.

"My wanted poster... has been cancelled?" The young man Yue Kui was somewhat taken aback, then realized that it must have been ASH who did it.

The disaster has already happened, and ASH doesn't care about any of that messy AI legislation.

She has already infiltrated the Hela Empire and deleted SITA, just in case the Hela Empire suddenly goes crazy and drops a neutron feather prematurely.

Bai Yuekui led the way towards the door of the Nirvana Research Institute, which required extremely high access privileges to open.

The scanning device on the door lit up red, but after capturing the biological information of Bai Yuekui and the young Yuekui and receiving the command sent instantly by ASH, the red light turned into a soft green, and the heavy door slid open silently to both sides.

The group entered the research institute.

Unlike the increasingly chaotic world outside, the research institute continues to operate efficiently.

Many researchers walked briskly, their faces solemn and worried, clearly aware of the dramatic changes in the outside world.

Bai Yuekui walked straight towards the central control area, and her appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.

When she stood still and looked around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces present, the noise in the entire area instantly subsided.

"You should have already received ASH's notification." Bai Yuekui's words echoed throughout the area.

"From now on, I am Nirvana's boss, and all actions are subject to my command."

Her declaration was simple and direct, without any unnecessary embellishment.

However, a suppressed commotion arose from the crowd below.

Many researchers looked at Bai Yuekui with obvious confusion on their faces; they recognized her as Bai Jingyu's daughter, Bai Yuekui.

Can……

Wasn't I in prison? How did I end up here?
"Miss Yue Kui?" An elderly professor couldn't help but push up his glasses and asked hesitantly.

"Weren't you in prison? And your hair... how come..."

His young assistant next to him muttered quietly, "Yeah, why is it dyed white? It's...it's actually pretty cool..."

Clearly, ASH's notification only explained the transfer of authority and the state of emergency, without providing much further explanation about Bai Yuekui.

To these people, the sight of the boss's daughter, who had gone to prison, suddenly returning with striking white hair and announcing that she was taking over everything was truly bizarre.

Young Yue Kui listened from behind, subconsciously touching his still jet-black ponytail.

The people next to them also noticed the young man Yue Kui behind them and asked.

"Two bosses' daughters? Are they twins? I've never heard of that."

While everyone in the research institute was whispering and filled with suspicion because of the appearance of the two "Bai Yue Kui" figures.

A discordant voice rang out from behind the crowd.

"Bai Jingyu is dead! Why should we listen to you? Just because you're his daughter? This isn't a child's play!"

The speaker was a man dressed in a senior researcher's uniform with an arrogant look in his eyes. He was clearly extremely dissatisfied with Bai Yuekui's sudden takeover and was trying to incite others.

"Besides, you are a heartless criminal."

However, his words had not yet completely fallen.

Yang Chen, standing behind Bai Yuekui, didn't even move his eyes; he simply raised a finger casually.

"boom!"

A cluster of blazing flames suddenly erupted at the middle-aged man's feet, instantly engulfing him.

Without a scream, or even a chance to react, the researcher was burned to ashes in just one or two seconds, leaving not a trace of remains, only a small patch of charred marks on the ground, all under the horrified gazes of the crowd.

The entire central control area fell silent instantly.

All the whispers and doubts ceased abruptly. They stared in horror at the pile of ashes, then at the expressionless Yang Chen, and finally at Bai Yuekui, who remained calm.

Yang Chen slowly withdrew his finger, glanced around at the researchers who were frozen in fear, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Now, Bai Yuekui is the boss."

"Who is in favor? Who is against?"

The young assistant was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost sat down on the ground, but the old professor next to him held him back tightly.

The old professor himself was pale and sweating profusely, but he forced himself to remain calm and bowed to Bai Yuekui first.

"No...no problem! We agree!"

"Boss! Boss Bai! The Nirvana Research Institute is at your command!"

With him taking the lead, the other researchers, still shaken, snapped out of their daze, lowered their heads, and echoed him in trembling voices.

"Follow the boss's orders!"

"I'll do whatever you say, Boss Bai!"

No one dared to question or investigate why there were two "Bai Yuekui".

All my little schemes were crushed in the face of that inexplicably appearing flame.

Bai Yuekui made no comment on Yang Chen's handling of the situation.

She nodded slightly to the crowd and spoke again, "Very good. Now, continue your work."

"ASH has sent you all the information about the medication for treating infected individuals."

This time, there were no further disturbances, and the research institute's operational efficiency reached an unprecedented level.

Everyone clearly recognized that Bai Jingyu's daughter, and the seemingly easy-going man beside her, were not people they could defy.

Young Yue Kui watched this scene from behind, his feelings complicated.

She felt a sense of relief at quickly taking control of the situation, but also a little uneasy about Yang Chen's methods.

Bai Yuetian floated to her side and whispered in a low voice that only she could hear.

"Wow... this brother-in-law is a bit fierce..."

"If I upset him, will he set me on fire too?"

Yang Chen turned around and patted Bai Yuetian's head: "How could I possibly harm my own family? Brother-in-law, you're overthinking it."

"Get lost, who's your brother-in-law?"

Yang Chen pursed his lips; he had clearly heard everything just now.

The institute's staff quickly got to work.

When they opened the data transmitted by ASH and saw the detailed formula and manufacturing process of the drug for treating manna spore infection, a gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"This...this medicine...can it really cure those infected with spores?" A female researcher wearing glasses adjusted her glasses and asked incredulously.

Their team had previously tried to research methods to combat the infection, but the strange properties of mana spores left them almost helpless.

Bai Yuekui's gaze swept over her, and he nodded calmly: "It is effective for early-stage infected individuals and can reverse the spores' erosion process on the human body. However, it is ineffective for individuals who have completely mutated and whose life forms have undergone fundamental changes."

“Incredible… Absolutely incredible…” another researcher murmured, his fingers rapidly swiping across the virtual screen, browsing the complex drug structure and reaction process.

"We couldn't even get stable spore samples before, how did this agent... get developed in such a short time? The theoretical basis and experimental data... it's like it appeared out of thin air!"

His question reflected the doubts of many others present.

The technological leap is too great.

At this moment, a relatively cautious researcher looked up at Bai Yuekui and asked a more practical question: "Boss Bai, has this drug... undergone sufficient in vivo testing? How is its safety? What about its stability in large-scale production...?"

Before he could finish his question, Bai Yuekui interrupted him.

"Don't ask those questions." Bai Yuekui's voice was flat. "Your task now is not to question, but to execute. The information has been given to you; the principles, formulas, and processes are all complete."

She looked around at everyone, her tone becoming more serious: "Use all of Nirvana's production lines, adjust priorities, concentrate all resources, and produce this medicine as quickly as possible, the more the better."

The researcher who asked the question was startled by her gaze and immediately lowered his head: "Yes, Boss Bai! We'll arrange it right away!"

No one raised any further questions.

The researchers' curiosity and caution were forcibly suppressed.

They sprang into action, adjusting production lines and assigning tasks. The entire Nirvana Institute was like a precision machine wound up, running at full speed to produce the mysterious "antidote."

The young Yue Kui watched from the side, understanding in his heart that this potion must be a mature technology from that peaceful world or their original world.

Bai Yuetian whispered to the young Yuekui, "The collector's edition of you has such a strong aura... It's even scarier than Dad when he's serious..."

Yang Chen walked over to Bai Yuekui's side, looked at the busy scene below, and whispered, "It seems that the first batch of finished products will be available soon."

Bai Yuekui hummed in agreement: "At least the Mana spores can save more people before a large-scale outbreak occurs in Jiuchuan City."

"Once the first batch of finished products is ready, we will allow some residents of Hisakawa City to receive the medication first."

After entrusting the production tasks of the Nirvana Research Institute to the researchers, and having ASH monitor and schedule them.

Bai Yuekui, Yang Chen, the young Yuekui, and the spherical Bai Yuetian left Nirvana and went to another research institute.

This is where the young Yuekui used to live alone.

The top floor here is more like a simple residence, with minimal furnishings.

Stepping into this familiar room, the young man Yue Kui's nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed a little. What followed was a sense of exhaustion, not only physical but also mental.

The series of events that occurred nearly crushed her.

Bai Yuekui keenly sensed the change in his younger self's state.

She walked up to the young Yue Kui, looked at his face which was exactly like her own, and spoke in a much gentler tone than usual.

"Are you tired?" she asked softly. "You should get some rest. Leave the rest to us."

This simple sentence, like a warm current, unexpectedly broke down the defenses in the young Yue Kui's heart.

Her nose tingled, and her eyes reddened again, but this time they were no longer tears of despair.

She nodded, her voice slightly choked: "...Yes."

Bai Yuetian, who had been floating nearby, also came over and gently nudged the young Yue Kui with his mechanical arm: "Go to sleep, Yue Kui. Look, your eyes are all red. Your brother... and the collector's edition sister are watching over you! Don't worry!"

Yang Chen also spoke up, "Rest assured, nothing will go wrong."

The young man in front of him, Bai Yuekui, was just an ordinary person, unlike Bai Yuekui.

"Okay, then... I'll go rest for a bit first," she said softly, turning and heading towards her room.

Young Yue Kui fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. The days of fleeing, fear, grief, and immense mental pressure had completely exhausted her still young and ordinary body.

Her breathing quickly became even, but even in her sleep, her brows were slightly furrowed.

Outside, Yang Chen stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city below, which was gradually being shrouded in night and chaos.

The occasional flashes of light from explosions in the distance and the faint sound of gunfire serve as reminders of the dramatic changes taking place in the world.

He sighed softly, turned around, and looked at Bai Yuekui, who was standing quietly to the side.

"I'm going out."

Bai Yuekui looked up at him, simply gave a faint "hmm," and didn't ask any further questions.

She understood what he was going to do when he went out.

Faced with such matters of principle and the loss of life, he possessed the power to not truly stand idly by.

We can save some, but only a portion.

This does not conflict with their grand plan to save the entire world.

The round, white moon floated over, its emoticon on the screen showing concern: "Hey, Yang Chen, things are really chaotic outside right now. Are you sure you'll be okay going out alone?"

Although he complained, after spending less than a day together, he had already categorized this "cheap brother-in-law" as one of his own who "needed to be cared for."

Yang Chen smiled at him and patted his cold metal shell: "Don't worry, those newly emerged Devouring Beasts and Chaos outside pose no threat to me."

"I'll be right back, you all stay here."

(End of this chapter)