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

Chapter 74 Plan
Honglu, Hongkou, and Poxiao practically jogged towards the vehicles at the village entrance.

Once in the car, Honglu was still driving, but this time she didn't floor the accelerator like she had when she was with Xutong.

The vehicle was traveling at a constant speed on the way to Village No. 2.

Honglu glanced at Hongkou sitting in the passenger seat every now and then.

"Red Hair, how was Mark before you left the lighthouse? Was he alright?"

Mark was still young when Red Heron died; he had only just begun to remember things.

He's probably forgotten about her by now.

“Mark, I asked Teacher Elon to take care of him before I left. Also, I used to be the commander of the Hunters, so they will help take care of him too.” Red Hair was still immersed in the joy of seeing her sister.

Completely unaware that Honglu's expression had turned somewhat gloomy.

"Elon the Wilderness Hunter."

Hongkou heard Honglu seemingly whispering something and asked curiously, "Sister, what's wrong?"

Honglu suppressed her thoughts and said with a smile, "It's nothing."

"What will they do to you after I die?"

"It's great. Teacher Elon takes good care of me. He saved me many times when we were on the ground. But now he's in charge of training the hunters."

Red egret nodded: "Is that so?"

Bai Yuetian watched their hurried disappearance, clicked his tongue, and seemed to feel that the commotion was not enough.

His eyes darted around, his gaze precisely locking onto Yang Chen beside him. A friendly smile immediately spread across his face, and he casually put his arm around Yang Chen's shoulder.

"Let's go, let's go, Orange!" Bai Yuetian's voice sounded very excited.

"What are you looking at? It's over! Come with me for something to eat and a drink!"

Yang Chen was jolted by his grip, glanced disdainfully at the hand that was in the way on his shoulder, and then looked Bai Yuetian up and down at his brand-new silicon-based body.

"Eat something? Drink something?" Yang Chen raised an eyebrow, his tone filled with undisguised doubt and disdain.

"Your body was printed by ASH using bioactive silicon-based materials, right? It's still essentially a silicon matrix, so it needs to eat?"

He looked at Bai Yuetian: "Are you sure you're not wasting food?"

Bai Yuetian, whose new body's functionality was questioned, raised his eyebrows, puffed out his chest, and retorted triumphantly.

"Hey! Orange, who are you looking down on? Ash is so considerate!" He patted his firm belly, making a soft "thump" sound, with a smug look on his face.

"To ensure I had a complete experience and that the feeling was 100% restored, she thoughtfully installed a full set of bionic digestive system in me, so I can not only eat and drink..."

He paused, a smile on his face, and leaned closer to Yang Chen, lowering his voice.

"...And I can even do it, it's all authentic, the whole process! How about that, is it realistic enough? Is it human enough? Surprised? Unexpected?"

"Pfft..."

Maiduo, who was listening intently, couldn't help but cover her mouth, her big eyes full of disgust, and quickly ran off to find her father, Wulan Aodeng.

Yang Chen was disgusted by Bai Yuetian's unabashed description.

He frowned and glanced at Bai Yuetian with undisguised disdain.

He suddenly jerked his shoulder, breaking free from Bai Yuetian's arm, as if Bai Yuetian had been tainted with something unclean.

"roll!"

Yang Chen muttered irritably, "Disgusting! Installing this function on you by ASH is the biggest mistake. You've barely become a decent human being and you can't wait to show off your perverse tastes? Stay away from me!"

Seeing Yang Chen's eagerness to avoid him, Bai Yuetian was not annoyed at all; instead, he put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter.

His face was full of smugness.

"Haha, Orange, you can't handle this? You can't even take it?"

"As a man with a perfect new body, what's wrong with explaining basic physiological functions? This is science! It's a miracle of life!"

He laughed as he brazenly moved closer again, this time not putting his arm around Yang Chen's shoulder, but instead pushing Yang Chen's back forward.

"Come on, come on, stop being so dramatic. I just saw Yue Kui come back. If you take me in, she definitely won't say anything."

"By the way... hehe, let's have a good chat. I just got some information from someone named Red Heron. You'd never guess what that old bastard Gray did with my body."

Yang Chen stumbled from the push and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Knowing that this guy has just come back to life and is full of excitement, he won't calm down unless I let him have some fun.

He resignedly let himself be pushed forward, muttering with disdain, "I have no interest in knowing what Gray did with your body."

"Also, if Yue Kui doesn't let you in later, I won't speak up for you."

The two figures, one smug and full of energy, the other with a look of disgust and dragging his feet, bickered as they walked home.

The cold alloy walls reflected the pale light from the overhead lamp.

Lord Morgan sat in the main seat, his already somewhat wrinkled face appearing even more profound in the light and shadow.

He crossed his arms and slowly swept his gaze over the three people below.

Elon, the hunter instructor; Dr. Carrie, the research director; and Victor, the city defense commander.

“A new batch of hunters,” Morgan’s deep, slow voice broke the silence.

"Elon, how's the training going? Lighthouse resources are dwindling, and we need fresh blood to get into the action as soon as possible."

Elon stood ramrod straight, his rugged face bearing the marks of battle.

Upon hearing this, he replied in a deep voice, "Reporting to the city lord, the third batch of prospective hunters have completed their basic training and simulation cabin training, and have passed the psychological assessment."

"Although they lack experience, with a veteran leading the team, they can develop combat effectiveness after a few runs." Morgan nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the efficiency.

His gaze shifted to Elon: "That kid... Mark, he's training too, right? How's he doing?"

Mentioning Mark, Elon's stern expression softened for a moment, and his eyes revealed the approval of an elder: "Mark... he learns very quickly, he's a natural-born ground operator, with excellent physical attributes, quick reflexes, and a tactical understanding far exceeding that of his peers, and..."

He blurted out almost subconsciously, "That tenacity and intelligence are just like Hongkou's back in the day..."

"cough!"

A soft cough suddenly broke the silence, interrupting Elon's words.

It was Victor standing beside him.

He maintained his upright posture, his gaze fixed straight ahead, as if the cough had nothing to do with him, but his slightly furrowed brows betrayed his intentions.

Elon's voice stopped abruptly, the second half of his sentence stuck in his throat.

He felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering up and realizing that he had misspoke.

Red Hair... this name was highly regarded among the higher-ups at Lighthouse, especially by Lord Morgan.
He glanced quickly at Morgan, only to see that the city lord's expression remained unchanged.

She still maintained that calm and composed demeanor, but a complex and indescribable emotion seemed to flash across her deep-set eyes.

Morgan didn't look at Elon, nor did he press for the unfinished question, as if it were just an insignificant interlude.

He spoke calmly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Yes, it's good that he has potential. Nurture him well; he is the future hope of Lighthouse."

"Yes, City Lord."

Elon lowered his head and replied in a muffled voice, his heart churning with complex emotions.

Morgan spoke again: "The process of bringing back supplies from the ground these past few days has gone smoothly. It seems that our choice to come to this continent was correct."

“Yes, but…” Elon seemed to hesitate.

"What's wrong?" Morgan sensed that Elon wanted to say something more.

"Although it went smoothly, when they arrived at the marked supply points, they found that some of the supply points were completely empty, with nothing usable inside."

"Moreover, based on the observations made by the hunters on the ground these past few times, the number of Devouring Beasts seems to be gradually increasing. Perhaps after a while, it will become more difficult to bring back supplies smoothly."

Lord Morgan remained seated in the main seat, and after Elon's report, the command center fell into a brief, suffocating silence.

Only a faint hum from the ventilation system could be heard.

Dr. Carrie stopped sliding her fingers across the data panel, her eyes gleaming with thoughtful consideration.

"Logically speaking, there shouldn't be a situation where there are no supplies at the marked points."

The continent where the lighthouse was located was able to find supplies only by relying on the coordinates provided by the Kroto system.

Although the supplies were found, bringing them back successfully proved extremely difficult.

The Devouring Beasts there are as numerous as ants, and every time they go to the surface, they suffer heavy casualties.

The silence that lasted a few seconds felt like minutes.

Finally, Morgan slowly spoke, breaking the silence: "I understand."

Three simple words, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

He paused, his gaze shifting from Elon to Victor and Carrie before finally settling back on Elon's face, his tone remaining calm.

"Instructor Elon, you go back first and continue training the new recruits to ensure they become combat-ready as soon as possible."

“The ground situation is complex, and there are anomalies at the supply points… I will have Dr. Carrie follow up and analyze them. As for the increasing number of Devouring Beasts…” He paused slightly.

"...Let's leave it at that for now."

"Yes, Lord!" Elon straightened his back and answered in a deep voice.

After Elon left, Morgan looked at the two who were still there.

"Dr. Carrie, what is the current status of the Krotor system?"

Before Morgan could finish speaking, Carrie replied, "Ever since Krotor gave us the coordinates and markers for this continent, it has fallen into a deep sleep and is now completely inoperable."

Morgan fell silent again.

Why are there sometimes no supplies at the marked locations?

Although the continent is safer than before, the lighthouse still cannot function without supplies.

After a long pause, Morgan spoke up: "If the lack of supplies at the next checkpoint becomes a frequent occurrence, then we'll lower the age for long journeys."

"Fall back?!" Carrie frowned. "Morgan! Do you know what you're saying?"

Lord Morgan was unmoved by Carrie's outburst.

He slowly stood up, looking calmly at Carrie: "If the number of Devouring Beasts continues to increase, the age for becoming a Hunter will also need to be lowered."

“Dr. Carrie,” his voice remained steady.

“I know the current state of the Lighthouse better than anyone else. The Kroto system is dormant and unable to provide new guidance. There is a shortage of marker resources, and the number of Devouring Beasts is increasing.”

"What does this mean? It means that our access to resources, on which we depend for survival, is being cut off."

He took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over Carrie and then over the silent Victor beside him.

"This is just a contingency plan, a worst-case scenario to prepare for any eventuality."

Morgan said in a deep voice, "If subsequent operations by the Wilderness Hunters prove that supplies are sufficient and the number of Devouring Beasts is acceptable, then there is naturally no need to carry it out."

"But as the city lord, I must be responsible for the survival of the lighthouse and for the lives of all the upper and lower classes. I cannot wait until the supplies are completely exhausted before I start thinking of a solution!"

(End of this chapter)