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

Chapter 87 Space Station

Two days passed peacefully.

Inside Ecological Base No. 3, Bai Yuekui and Yang Chen stood in front of a huge holographic projection, with ASH's virtual projection floating beside her.

On the projection, a trajectory line extends clearly, tracing backward from the point of impact of the doorless escape pod, and finally pointing to a highlighted area in Earth's near-Earth orbit.

“Based on the initial trajectory parameters of the escape pod and the attitude correction records during the descent,” ASH’s voice was calm and clear.

"The original departure coordinates, calculated backwards, are locked at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers in low Earth orbit. The latitude and longitude coordinates have been entered into the Swift navigation system."

Bai Yuekui's gaze was fixed on that coordinate point, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the control panel: "The escape pod without a door, that's where it came from?"

“Highly likely, Moon Queen,” ASH confirmed.

"If that space station was actually stationed there before the disaster, then the probability of survivors inside... is not zero."

"Prepare the Swift, we're departing now."

Ever since that day when Wumen landed in the escape pod, Yang Chen wanted to go to space to see if there were any other survivors.

The Swift climbed gracefully vertically, instantly breaking through the clouds and rapidly shrinking the lush Longgu Village and the vast ecological base into patches of color on the earth.

A blue streak of light tore through the sky, hurtling towards the depths of the universe.

Inside the cabin, Bai Yuekui gazed at the Earth receding into the distance below.

As the altitude increases, this planet that nurtured civilization gradually reveals its breathtaking full view.

On land, the glaring scarlet color spread like a plague, covering large areas.

That's a sign of the highly concentrated mana ecosystem.

"Approaching target," Ash's voice came through.

At this moment, Bai Yuekui also saw the huge space station in front of him.

“Like a giant piece of space junk,” Bai Yuekui said softly, his brows furrowing slightly.

"I need to go in and take a look," Yang Chen's voice came through the communicator.

Bai Yuekui nodded, his fingers moving rapidly across the control panel.

"ASH, establish a stable escort mode, maintain relative position, release the external probe array, and fully scan the external structure of the space station to find possible entry or docking points."

"Yes, Moon Queen."

Several small, disc-shaped probes were ejected from the belly of the Swift and flew silently toward the massive space station.

Bai Yuekui dismounted from the pilot's chair and went to the cabin inside the Swift to put on his outdoor combat suit.

"I'll go out and take a look first. You stay here." Yang Chen stood up.

His movements appeared exceptionally light in the weightless environment.

Bai Yuekui looked at him with some worry in his eyes: "Be careful, Chengzi. If anything seems amiss, return immediately."

"rest assured."

Yang Chen walked to the airlock in the rear cabin and skillfully operated the opening procedure.

He checked the communication helmet's connection one last time and confirmed it was working correctly.

The inner door slid open, and dust drifted into the cramped airlock.

The inner door closes, and the air pump starts working, quickly drawing the air away.

A few seconds later, the outer hatch slid open silently to the side.

He was instantly enveloped by a cold, absolute vacuum.

Yang Chen slowly floated out of the Swift and entered the boundless universe.

The feeling of weightlessness had no effect on him; the chicken talisman could control his levitation.

He also did not need an extravehicular combat suit, and was only wearing ordinary clothes.

After all, things like vacuum and low temperature are ultimately external forces.

"Orange, how are you feeling?" Bai Yuekui's voice came clearly into the helmet headset.

"I'm out of the cell and feeling great," Yang Chen joked.

"The external detectors did not find any obvious access route, and the hatch here is damaged."

ASH's voice reached both of them simultaneously again: "However, we have discovered an emergency maintenance entrance located on the side wing of the research module. It is small enough for one person to pass through."

"But the hatch status is unknown and may require external force to open." "Location coordinates have been marked and sent to your helmet display, Orange." Bai Yuekui's voice followed closely behind.

A flashing green marker appeared at the edge of Yang Chen's field of vision inside his helmet, pointing to a location slightly below the center of the space station.

"Received," Yang Chen replied, turning slightly and drifting towards the marker.

He quickly found the emergency exit.

It was a round hatch with a heavy metal cover.

There is a manual turntable next to the hatch.

"This is it. Let me try to open it manually."

Yang Chen approached and firmly grasped the cold wheel with both hands. He exerted a little force, but the wheel did not budge.

"The rotor is locked and not moving at all," Yang Chen's voice came back to the Swift through the communication channel.

Bai Yuekui stared intently at the real-time footage transmitted from outside: "ASH, analyze the hatch structure. Are there any other ways to open it?"

“The structure is severely deformed, and the internal locking mechanism may have failed due to impact or long-term depressurization. The possibility of opening it by conventional means is less than 5%,” ASH calmly analyzed.

Yang Chen looked at the motionless rotating wheel and gradually increased the force in his hand.

The wheel began to deform and twist under his terrifying power.

Suddenly, the already overburdened wheel connection broke completely.

Yang Chen held the twisted metal wreckage in his hand, while the hatch remained tightly shut.

Yang Chen looked at the broken wheel in his hand and helplessly tossed it into the deep space.

The fragments spun silently into the distance.

"Looks like we'll have to resort to some unconventional methods."

Yang Chen's voice was devoid of emotion as he placed his palm firmly on the cold center of the hatch.

Bai Yuekui immediately understood his intention: "Don't let the entire space station melt down."

"know."

The next instant, the part of Yang Chen's palm that was in contact with the light suddenly lit up with a dazzling red light.

The extreme high temperature erupted instantly, and the thick alloy hatch melted at a visible speed, like butter meeting a hot knife.

The dazzling molten metal droplets rapidly cooled and solidified into tiny metal spheres in the vacuum, scattering in all directions.

A few seconds later, the red light went out, and a small hole appeared.

Yang Chen reached into the hole and then pulled hard.

He ripped the deformed hatch, along with a section of the twisted frame around it, off and tossed it behind him.

Without hesitation, Yang Chen floated inside.

The airlock was small and in disarray, with various loose parts and broken pipes floating around.

He nimbly passed through and pushed open the inner hatch that connected to the interior space.

The beam of light from the helmet pierced the darkness and swept slowly across.

The scene before him made Yang Chen stop what he was doing.

In zero gravity, several corpses wearing old, tattered spacesuits floated silently in the passageway like eerie sculptures frozen in time.

Their postures were stiff and contorted; some were huddled in corners, some leaned against the cold bulkheads, and two were entangled together.

The visors of spacesuits are mostly shattered or covered with spiderweb-like cracks, revealing the shriveled, grayish faces underneath, severely dehydrated and deformed due to the vacuum and low temperature, and covered with frost.

Empty eye sockets stare into nothingness, mouth gaping open in terror, as if screaming silently.

Most striking were the assault rifles they gripped tightly, some still pointing them at their comrades.

The muzzle of one of the corpses was even pointed directly at the gruesome bullet hole in the helmet of another corpse.

"It looks like it was caused by scarlet. This space station was probably built after the disaster, when the Hela Empire brought its ecological products here for experiments."

　The previous chapter had a lot of content cut because it couldn't be published due to review. And now I'm experiencing writer's block; I don't know what to write anymore.

　　I'm thinking of writing about the protagonist's initial time travel or going back to Hisakawa before the disaster.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)