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

Chapter 98 The Prerequisites for Time Travel

Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui walked side by side on the way to the Potential Activation Hall, followed by three little tails.

Maiduo was the most lively, clutching tightly the fluffy little bird doll that Yang Chen had repaired.

The little one's short legs tried hard to keep up with the adults' pace, while the big eyes looked around curiously at everything.

As for Ulan Haisang...

He was about to rest after giving the gift to Maido, but was suddenly dragged out of bed by Ulan Aodeng to continue training.

I don't know what I did to offend him.
Kolova, on the other hand, was much quieter. She wore a clean and well-fitting cotton dress, with two black braids hanging down in front of her chest.

Po Kong was beside her. The boy's gaze would occasionally dart quickly to Kolova beside him, then look away as if he had been electrocuted, his ears turning slightly red.

He was still wandering around the village, but when he saw Kolova, he took the initiative to follow her, saying that he wanted to see what the curator of potential activation looked like.

When Kolova looked up at him as if she had sensed something, he immediately straightened up.

He stared straight ahead at Yang Chen's back, pretending to be walking seriously.

Bai Yuekui's gaze occasionally swept over the three children behind him, lingering slightly on Po Kong's barely concealed actions and on Kolova, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips.

Yang Chen walked beside Bai Yuekui and naturally noticed the children's condition.

He slowed his pace to make it easier for the three children to keep up.

His gaze finally settled on Kolova.

The little girl felt the gaze and looked up at Yang Chen.

"Kolova," Yang Chen said gently.

Kolova immediately stopped, tilted her little face up, and listened attentively.

Why would your dad suddenly want you to actively unleash your potential?

Kolova responded crisply, "Actually, it wasn't my dad who sent me; I wanted to unleash my potential myself."

“Tasia and the others already have potential and can contribute to the village’s potential research, but I haven’t been able to successfully unleash my potential yet.”

She glanced at Maido beside her and said, "Even Maido, who is younger than me, has potential."

Hearing Kolova say this, Yang Chen understood.

You're still young.

He crouched down so that his line of sight was level with hers.

"There's no need to rush to unleash your potential."

He paused, looking into Kolova's eyes: "Active stimulation may cause some damage to the body, although I have the ability to repair this damage immediately and restore the body to its original state."

“However,” Yang Chen’s tone became serious.

"Although the damage can be repaired, there is a chance of causing harm when it is actively triggered, which will cause you a lot of pain. That kind of pain is a torment even for adults, let alone at your age."

He reached out and gently patted Kolova's thin shoulder.

"So my suggestion is that if you can't stimulate yourself after you become an adult, it's not too late to use phenomenological devices to stimulate it then."

"Besides, the study of potential cannot be understood in a short time; we should take it slowly."

Kolova listened to Yang Chen's clear and reasonable analysis and his concern, and nodded gently.

"Okay. I'll do as the boss says."

Yang Chen smiled and ruffled her hair: "Good girl."

Po Kong, standing beside him, paid no attention to Yang Chen's words; his eyes were only on Kolova.

As if possessed, he followed Yang Chen's example and reached out to pat Kolova on the head.

Kolova turned her head in confusion to look at Po Kong.

Po Kong gave an awkward laugh and stiffly withdrew his hand.

"Well... I've also unleashed my potential, I can teach you."

Kolova rolled her eyes: "Idiot."

Yang Chen stood up, smiled gently at Kolova, and then looked at the heavy metal door of the Potential Activation Hall.

"Come on, I'll take you inside to have a look."

The group entered the Potential Activation Center.

At this moment, the people whose potential will be unleashed in this session are already waiting.

Yang Chen greeted them and then confirmed with the operator that it was ready to begin.

Summer and Antarctic Star were still playing mahjong with Old Sun in the village, so today's activation task was handed over to someone else.

Bai Yuekui stood a little distance away with his arms crossed, observing calmly.

Maido and Kolova looked curiously at the person standing in the phenomenological device.

The activation process has begun.

Most people have a calm expression and a slightly relaxed body, which is an ideal state.

However, when it was the last person's turn to activate it, something was not right.

The intense pain seemed to blur his consciousness, and he let out a silent roar.

"Ah!" Kolova gasped softly.

The equipment slowly stopped, and Yang Chen stepped forward to heal the awakened practitioner.

Kolova witnessed this breathtaking yet quickly subsided scene, especially the flesh and blood that had been gradually exposed on the man's body.

She fully understood Yang Chen's concerns; the pain was too terrible, and her small body instinctively felt fear.

The eagerness I felt earlier has now been replaced by a sense of lingering fear.

Yang Chen walked back to the children, his gaze falling on Kolova. Seeing her pale face and lingering fear in her eyes, he spoke gently.

"See? This is a potential risk. You're still young, there's no need to rush."

Kolova nodded vigorously.

"Okay! Boss, I'll listen to you. I'm not in a hurry anymore! I'll wait until I grow up!" She completely gave up the idea of ​​stimulating her growth prematurely.

Yang Chen smiled with satisfaction, then turned to Bai Yuekui: "This phase of potential activation is over. We should go find that thing now."

Bai Yuekui nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

"Brother Yang!" Mai Duo immediately rushed over, tugging at Yang Chen's clothes with her little hands, her big eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

Where are you going? Can you take me with you? You promised to take me out to see the world!

The little girl has a very good memory.

Yang Chen was taken aback, then remembered that he had indeed promised Mai Duo.

He glanced at Bai Yuekui, whose gaze swept over Mai Duo's expectant little face. Bai Yuekui nodded, tacitly approving.

“Okay,” Yang Chen bent down and picked up Mai Duo, letting her sit in his arms.

"I'll keep my promise to you, of course I'll take you with me."

"Yay! That's great!" Mai Duo happily hugged Yang Chen's neck.

Yang Chen held Mai Duo in his arms and turned his gaze to Kolova and Po Kong beside him.

“Kolova,” he said naturally.

"Yue Kui and I took Mai Duo out for a while. Po Kong just arrived in the village and is not familiar with it yet."

“You are more familiar with the area than he is, so you can take him around the village to get to know the place and the people. You are the same age, so you should be able to get along well.”

"Huh? Me?" Kolova was a little confused.

Should she take this silly, erratic vehicle? Her first instinct was to refuse.

But Po Kong's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had received some sacred mission. He immediately straightened his back and loudly promised before Kolova could speak.

"Okay, Mr. Yang! Don't worry! I... I'll definitely follow Kolova and familiarize myself with the village!"

Kolova looked at Pokong's silly yet earnest expression and swallowed back the refusal that was on the tip of her tongue.

She pouted and muttered under her breath, "...Okay."

Although he sounded reluctant, he eventually agreed.

"Okay, that's settled then, let's go." Yang Chen, carrying Mai Duo, walked side by side with Bai Yue Kui towards the exit of the building.

The heavy doors of the Potential Activation Center slowly closed behind them, leaving the two teenagers inside looking at each other in bewilderment.

Po Kong looked at Kolova, trying to force a friendly smile, but his expression became a little stiff because he was too nervous.

"Um... Kolova, where shall we go for a stroll?"

Kolova rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Stay with me, or you'll get lost!"

After saying that, she turned and walked in one direction, taking small steps but not deliberately shaking him off.

Yang Chen, carrying Mai Duo, walked out of the heavy metal door of the Potential Activation Hall side by side with Bai Yuekui.

"Om-"

A deep engine roared as it approached from afar, and a sleek silver figure streaked across the sky, hovering precisely above the open space outside the Potential Hall.

A slight gust of air was stirred up, ruffling Maido's hair.

It was the Swift that arrived.

Through the hatch, Bai Yuetian's somewhat cynical face appeared.

He glanced at the three people below, his gaze lingering on the little Maiduo in Yang Chen's arms, his eyebrows habitually twitching slightly.

"Hey, you've been dawdling, we've been waiting for you!" Bai Yuetian's voice came through the Swift's external speaker clearly.

"Let's go find the particle collider," he announced succinctly.

Then, his gaze fell back on Maido, and his voice, clearly disapproving, came through the loudspeaker.

"Hey Orange, Yue Kui, are you going on a mission or taking the kid on a picnic? Why did you bring this little one along?" He pointed at Mai Duo.

"This isn't the vegetable garden at the village entrance. You might run into something or get hurt."

When Maiduo was called out, she instinctively hugged Yang Chen's neck tightly, her big eyes sparkling as she looked at the beautiful spaceship in the sky.

Yang Chen patted Mai Duo on the back reassuringly and looked up at Bai Yuetian.

"It's okay, I'm here."

Bai Yuetian looked at him, then glanced at Bai Yuekui beside her, who was calm and obviously didn't care about this matter at all, and pursed her lips.

He had personally witnessed Yang Chen's abilities more than once.

When this guy says he's going to protect someone, then it's absolutely foolproof.

"Alright, alright." Bai Yuetian waved his hand, no longer dwelling on it.

"You decide. Anyway, if the sky falls, you two tall guys will hold it up. Come on up!"

Yang Chen and Bai Yuekui exchanged a glance, needing no further words.

Its body floated up gently and landed steadily at the open hatch of the Swift.

"Wow! What a big ship!" It was the first time Maido had ever been inside the Swift, and she turned her little head around.

Looking at everything before him, he exclaimed in amazement.

The hatch slowly closed, isolating the outside world.

After the three of them sat down, the Swift gracefully rose in altitude, its engine power steadily increasing, transforming into a streak of silver light as it sped towards the ruins of the Hela Empire. "ASH," Bai Yuekui's voice rang out from inside the cabin.

"Report the latest positioning of the particle collider laboratory."

“Yes, Moon Queen.” ASH’s calm, emotionless electronic voice responded immediately.

The holographic projector in the center of the control panel lit up, and a huge, highly accurate 3D map instantly unfolded.

Their current location and flight path are clearly marked on the map, with the target area highlighted.

A region with an exceptionally complex topography located deep within a vast wasteland.

"Based on the comprehensive data returned by the previous survey team, combined with the analysis of historical satellite fragment information," ASH's voice accompanied the adjustment of map details.

"The coordinates of the main structure of the 'Particle Collision Laboratory' belonging to the Hela Empire of the Old World have been preliminarily located in this area."

The holographic map began to zoom in, focusing on the highlighted area.

The image became three-dimensional and detailed, but the scene it presented made one's heart sink.

What should have been a plain or hilly area was now occupied by countless Devouring Beasts.

"There are already so many." Yang Chen frowned slightly as he looked at the image.

"This was due to the displacement of the continental plates and the explosive growth and expansion of the creeping vines," ASH continued.

"The main structure of the laboratory has been completely buried deep underground, and the surface cover is estimated to be more than 300 meters thick, and it is completely wrapped and infiltrated by the network of vine roots. Its entrance and main passages are no longer visible."

In the projection, the point representing the location of the laboratory shimmered faintly deep underground, above which lay a thick layer of soil and a daunting, intricate network of vines.

"Three hundred meters of vines." Bai Yuetian, in the driver's seat, stroked his chin, looked at the creepy projection, and clicked his tongue.

"This is a bit troublesome, Orange. This job doesn't seem to be going to be easy for us."

Maiduo, perched on Yang Chen's shoulder, looked at the terrifying number of Devouring Beasts in the holographic projection, her earlier excitement gone.

Instead, she shrank back in fear and asked in a low voice, "Brother Yang, are we really okay with so many Devouring Beasts?"

Yang Chen stared intently at the projection, his gaze deep and unwavering, showing no fear on his face.

He gently patted Maiduo: "Don't be afraid, Brother Yang is here."

The Swift shuttles through the wasteland.

Below, the land, ravaged by ecological erosion, rushes past at breakneck speed.

And the hordes of Devouring Beasts roam the wilderness, a sight to behold everywhere.

Time passed with the hum of the engine.

Finally, ASH's voice broke the silence inside the cabin: "Arrived over the target area, initiating hovering."

The Swift decelerated smoothly and hovered steadily hundreds of meters in the air.

Below, in the projection, was the raised area occupied by countless Devouring Beasts and entangled by huge earth vines.

ASH began, "The laboratory is roughly located at the foot of that hill."

"Tsk tsk, what a godforsaken place," Bai Yuetian clicked his tongue as he looked down at the densely packed swarm of Devouring Beasts moving like ants, and the main vine of the Earth Vines that resembled a giant black tube.

He opened the communicator and said to Bai Yuekui, "Yuekui, just in case, I've brought the Lin Yuanzhe with me. They're in the cargo hold. Do you want to put them on?"

Bai Yuekui opened his eyes, glanced at the chaotic scene below, and shook his head slightly.

"No need, we probably won't need it." Her gaze fell on Yang Chen.

Yang Chen stood up and patted Mai Duo's head: "I'll go down and clear the way."

The hatch slid open silently, and a strong gust of wind from high altitude rushed into the cabin, making Yang Chen's hair fly wildly.

The next moment, Yang Chen's figure floated out of the open hatch as if weightless, falling towards the bottom of the awe-inspiring "hill" below.

Yang Chen's figure suddenly disappeared, completely concealed by the snake talisman.

Bai Yuetian glanced at Yang Chen, who had suddenly disappeared, and curled his lip.

He recalled the embarrassing incident he had made in the village before.

The Devouring Beasts perched on the hill below seemed to sense something amiss, raising their heads and letting out low growls.

They scanned the sky warily, but their senses were completely unable to detect Yang Chen, who was in a state of concealment.

Yang Chen landed steadily.

Beneath their feet were incredibly tough and gnarled thick vines, while around them wandered aimlessly the Devouring Beasts.

His gaze was calm as he looked at the barrier formed by the forced compression and stacking of plants and rocks.

The next moment, he placed both hands directly on the rock.

A powerful force gathered, and the magic of the Ox Talisman was fully revealed.

Rumble——! ! !
The entire "hill" shook violently.

The enormous vines covering the surface made a teeth-grinding tearing sound, and the incredibly tough vines snapped like fragile straw ropes in the face of the power given by the bull talisman!

The mountain is being pushed open continuously.

A huge crack was exposed, and looking down, one could vaguely see the outline of a cold, massive metal structure, which was the buried laboratory dome.

Inside the Swift hovering in the air.

Bai Yuetian stared blankly down below, muttering to himself.

“That’s just superhuman.”

Even if I had seen it before, I still couldn't help but be amazed when I saw it again.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Bai Yuekui's eyes before he regained his composure.

"landing."

The Swift adjusted its engine angle and hovered smoothly beside the huge crack, the powerful airflow dispersing the swirling dust.

The hatch opened again.

Bai Yuekui picked up the ASH mobile device, then carried Maiduo and stepped down first, lightly landing on the ground.

Bai Yuetian followed closely behind, moving nimbly. This time, he even wore a police exoskeleton that he hadn't used in decades.

But it seems unnecessary now.

Yang Chen stood beside them, removing the invisibility effect of the snake talisman and revealing his figure.

Maido stretched her head out to look down at the incredibly huge steel dome, and then at the small hill that had been pushed away not far in front of her.

His mouth opened wide into an "O" shape, and his eyes were filled with unprecedented shock and admiration as he looked at Yang Chen.

"Alright." Yang Chen's gaze swept down and finally landed on a huge, circular, airtight gate that was half-covered by mud.

"The entrance should be nearby."

Yang Chen led the way, followed closely by Bai Yuekui carrying Mai Duo, while Bai Yuetian, dressed in a slightly nostalgic police exoskeleton, brought up the rear.

The four of them slowly flew down and stepped onto the dome of the laboratory that had been buried underground for decades.

The dome is cast from an exceptionally strong alloy, and has maintained a relatively intact structure even after a long period of time and geological changes.

The mobile device of ASH projects a faint light, scanning the surrounding environment.

The cold, electronic sound echoed in the empty metal space, reporting information such as air composition and structural stability.

They quickly located the main entry point marked with ASH.

A huge, circular, airtight gate, half-covered by mud and vine remnants.

The observation window on the door was already shattered, and the inside was pitch black.

Yang Chen stepped forward and placed his hands on the heavy alloy door, causing the power of the Ox Talisman to surge once more.

There was no complicated unlocking process, only pure brute force.

With a sickening metallic clang, the door, sealed for years, was forcibly pried open, creating a gap large enough for a person to pass through.

Inside the door is a wide main passageway.

The emergency lights here are still working, which suggests that Hela's controlled nuclear fusion technology was applied when this laboratory was built.

The laboratory doors on both sides of the passageway are mostly twisted and deformed or wide open, revealing overturned equipment, scattered documents, and some remains that have long since turned to dust.

"Wow...this place is so scary." Mai Duo huddled next to Bai Yue Kui's legs, her big eyes looking around at the stark white skeletons with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

Her little hand held Bai Yuekui's hand tightly, almost as if she wanted to hide behind her.

With ASH's precise navigation, they avoided the most structurally unstable areas and headed straight for the core of the laboratory.

After navigating through a maze of passages and several security gates that Yang Chen had also forced open, they finally arrived at their destination.

The control room was enormous, with a thick layer of dust covering the main console and many screens shattered, but the core array of large computers remained relatively intact.

Yang Chen took the ASH mobile terminal and connected it to a reserved physical interface. Blue data streams began to scroll rapidly on its surface.

"Core database access granted. Downloading the complete particle collider operation manual, maintenance logs, and key experimental data packages..."

"Data transmission in progress... Estimated time remaining: 6 minutes and 6 seconds."

While waiting, Maiduo looked up at Bai Yuekui's profile and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Why did we run all the way here looking for this big thing? It looks like it's been broken for ages."

Bai Yuekui looked down at Maiduo's big, puzzled eyes.

"In order to... go back to the past."

"Go back to the past?" Mydo tilted her little head, intrigued by the concept.

"Hmm." Bai Yuekui nodded gently: "This machine can produce what we need."

She paused for a moment: "As long as the plan succeeds."

"Maybe... Maido, you can go to the school I went to when I was a child."

"A school?" Maiduo asked doubtfully, "Is it the same as Principal Qiushi's school?"

"Hmm, more or less." Bai Yuekui responded softly again, "But those people aren't as clever as Xiao Shi."

As a child, Bai Yuekui didn't like school; she knew more than her teachers did.

At that moment, the ASH data stream stopped scrolling.

"Data download complete. All data related to the particle collider has been fully backed up to the local storage unit." ASH's voice broke the brief silence.

Yang Chen stepped forward and looked down at the enormous machine.

He raised his hand, and blue magic completely enveloped the machine below.

The massive particle collider instantly transformed into a small dog, which slowly floated over under Yang Chen's control.

Since it was originally an inanimate object, it remained inactive even after being transformed into a puppy.

At least it's easy to carry.

"This trip went pretty smoothly." Bai Yuetian clicked his tongue in amazement. "Your abilities are just too comprehensive."

He prepared so much, it seems it was all a waste of time.

"Let's go, Maiduo, do you want to see somewhere else?" Yang Chen patted Bai Yuetian's shoulder, then looked at Maiduo, who was huddled behind Bai Yuekui.

Maido shook her head: "I don't want to watch anymore."

The outside world is vast, but it's nothing compared to the village.

(End of this chapter)