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

Chapter 68 Expectation
The flamingo watched the children's lively figures disappear around the corner of the passageway leading to the poultry incubator, the gentle smile on its lips not yet completely fading.

ASH continued, "Red Heron, please collect your supplies from the ecological base in three days. The list has been filed."

Village No. 2 relies almost entirely on this ecological base for supplies, and needs to replenish its goods when food is running low.

"Okay, ASH."

Honglu nodded, but her gaze still unconsciously drifted in the direction where the children had disappeared, a subtle, complex emotion flashing deep in her eyes.

Those carefree smiling faces reminded her of a similarly small figure on the lighthouse many years ago...

Just then, a steady footstep approached from behind.

A man wearing the off-white uniform commonly seen on researchers at the base, and with thin-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, stopped next to Honglu.

He looked to be around forty years old and had a refined and scholarly demeanor.

He is Drake, the administrator of Dragonbone Village No. 2.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

Drake looked in the direction Red Heron had been looking and saw only an empty passageway and a working robotic arm.

Red Heron snapped out of her daze and tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear.

She pointed in the direction the children had left: "The children from Longgu Village School, Mr. Yang personally led the group to visit. They were just over in the livestock area, and the little ones were very excited."

"Mr. Yang?"

Drake's eyes behind his glasses lit up for a moment, then revealed a look of realization and genuine respect.

"So it was him leading the team. No wonder there was a special visitor marker in the access log at the base entrance."

He pushed up his glasses, his gaze falling on the soft light source on the base's dome that simulated blue sky and white clouds, and his tone became wistful.

"Speaking of which... if it weren't for Boss Yang's chance passing by back then, discovering us corpses that the lighthouse had thrown down like trash and that were already lifeless, we wouldn't be standing here, seeing this scene before us."

many years ago.

Yang Chen sped across the desolate land.

His gaze swept across the city ruins, searching for any supplies that might be useful to Dragonbone Village.

Suddenly, a towering silhouette on the distant horizon caught his eye.

lighthouse?

Yang Chen frowned slightly. He didn't like the lighthouse. Bai Yuekui had been up there before and had a very unpleasant experience with the people there.

Just as Yang Chen was about to go elsewhere to check...

Then, one, two, ten... dozens of black dots, like dumped garbage, were mercilessly tossed down from the sky.

"What?" Yang Chen was taken aback.

Although they were far apart, the small outline looked like a human figure.

Yang Chen rushed over immediately, and the moment he saw it clearly, his brows furrowed.

It's a person! A lifeless human body dressed in Lighthouse uniform!

They fell heavily from the sky onto the already ruined land below, like trash.

The body disposal continued for some time until no more bodies were left to fall.

Hundreds of bodies lay on the ground in various contorted positions, most of them unrecognizable, with severed limbs mixed with blood and dirt.

Yang Chen landed silently on the ground.

The first thing you see is the body of a red-haired woman, with a large hole in her head.

There is no doubt that it was caused by a gun.

Leaving the corpses here will only allow the Devouring Beasts to steal their life essence; it would be better to bring them back to the village and revive them.

Village No. 2 is still under construction and is short of manpower.

As the corpses floated into the air, Yang Chen took one last look at the lighthouse, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Then, without hesitation, he changed direction and flew towards Dragonbone Village.

When these corpses 'opened their eyes' again, they were already in Dragonbone Village.

And there was a crowd of people watching them. "Two choices: if you want to live, they will print out your bodies, and then I will re-inject your life essence into them."

"If you want to die like this, then we'll reclaim your life essence and bury you in a good place."

Some people choose to die rather than live in such an apocalyptic world.

But most people still choose to continue living.

Honglu nodded silently, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold edge of the data panel.

Drake's words brought back memories of what happened that day.

“Yes…” Red Heron’s voice was very soft, like a sigh.

"To be alive, to breathe the air of the earth, to see the sunlight..." She paused, not saying the name, "...maybe I can wait until then."

"Wait for Red Hair, wait for Mark?" Drake said for Red Heron.

"Leaving aside the possibility that they might go back on their word and execute Red Hair and Mark along with us after we die, the Lighthouse is on another continent, even if..."

Before Drake could finish speaking, Red Heron reached out to stop him from continuing.

She frowned at Drake: "Are you really going to crush all my hopes?"

"Just doing an analysis."

Drake stopped talking and began to change the subject.

He then asked, "Are we going to wait here for the supplies to be packed?"

Honglu shook her head: "No, I'll go back now. ASH told me to come back in three days to pick it up."

She paused, then added, "I also have to lead a team to clean up the ecological debris around the base these next couple of days. What about you?"

“I have to stay here for two more days,” Drake replied.

"Okay, I'll be going now." Honglu said, turning to leave.

"Okay, hard work."

Drake nodded slightly, his gaze following the departing figure of the red egret.

He stood there, glancing once more in the direction the children had left, his gaze behind his glasses deep and unfathomable.

Drake sighed softly and turned to his work.

Although the road leading from the ecological base to Village No. 2 is not as well-maintained as the road inside the base, it is still relatively flat.

She couldn't help but recall Drake's words about the lighthouse, and she shook her head, trying to shake off those heavy thoughts.

As I approached the main gate, the identity recognition light bar silently scanned me, accompanied by a soft electronic voice.

"Identity confirmed, Red Heron, welcome back." The heavy alloy gate slowly slid open to both sides.

As soon as Honglu entered, a voice came from inside.

"Captain Red Heron!"

She paused involuntarily and looked in the direction of the sound.

Honglu recognized him; he was Ajie, who had followed her since she was the commander of the city's defense forces.

“I was just about to come find you.” A-Jie stopped in front of Honglu, his breath slightly short.

"looking for me?"

"People from the main village have arrived." After a while, A-Jie's breathing had returned to normal.

“A practitioner named Xu Tong came from there, saying he brought us antidote pills.”

"Antidote pills?"

Honglu had heard of this before; there was a practitioner named Xutong in the main village who could cure poison.

Once the efficacy of the medicine is confirmed, they will send someone over to give it to Village No. 2.

"Come on, let's go and take a look."

　Chapter 10 has been revised.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)