Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

Lu Mingfei ate his noodles with gusto, taking a few bites and then a sip of soup. He wondered what Boss Bai had put in his breakfast today, as it tasted exceptionally good.

In fact, Bai Yuekui is a very good cook. Since the ecological explosion, this genius brain scientist has gone from never lifting a finger to building Dragon Bone Village from scratch in the apocalypse. She even personally took care of several children. She learned to cook very well, and the cooking skills of Manager Fan Shigang were all taught by her back then.

"Slow down, it's not like you're being sent to your death." Bai Yuekui ate her noodles in small bites, blowing on them lightly because they were too hot before putting them in his mouth.

While engrossed in eating his noodles, Lu Mingfei gave a thumbs-up with his other hand, slurped up the noodles in his mouth, and then said, "These noodles are so delicious today, Boss Bai. I'd believe you if you said you added poppy shells."

"Drug use is strictly prohibited everywhere," Bai Yuekui joked, pointing at Lu Mingfei with his chopsticks.

"Then Boss Bai is the most professional poison master in the apocalypse, using his superb culinary skills to bring out the most beautiful flavors of the food." As if that wasn't enough, Lu Mingfei lifted the bowl and took a big gulp of soup.

"Alright, stop being so cheeky. Go wash the dishes after you finish eating." Bai Yuekui raised an eyebrow and handed over the bowl and chopsticks.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lu Mingfei collected the two bowls and went into the kitchen to wash them. Since there were only two bowls to wash, he washed them quickly.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Lu Mingfei was completely satisfied and walked effortlessly to the game console in the living room.

Having been in Dragon Bone Village for so long, Lu Mingfei has been eating at Bai Yuekui's house almost every day. To Lu Mingfei, this place is not much different from his own home, since it's right next door. However, despite saying that, Lu Mingfei only dares to move around in the living room and kitchen.

"Still playing games? You should be leaving soon." Bai Yuekui leaned back on the sofa, opened a bottle of ice water, and felt quite comfortable in the sweltering summer heat.

"Hehe, it's not time yet." Lu Mingfei chuckled and continued with his newly discovered game, a shooting story game.

The games here are far more technologically advanced than the games he'd played in his original world. Look at the exquisite textures, the feel of the guns, the physical destruction effects—everything is assaulting Lu Mingfei's mind.

The thrilling and immersive battlefield made Lu Mingfei want to shout, but he held it in, since Boss Bai was still behind him, and it wouldn't be appropriate to yell.

But then, an untimely knock sounded at the door for Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei had no choice but to pause the game. He couldn't very well ask Boss Bai to open the door. Fortunately, the game could be paused, so Lu Mingfei wasn't in a hurry.

Upon opening the door, two figures, each only half a head shorter than Lu Mingfei, appeared in the doorway; they were Maiduo and Xiadou.

"No, so early? Isn't there still a while?" Lu Mingfei said dejectedly. Seeing that these two had come to find him, it was clear that they wanted him to carry out a mission.

"That's called going early and coming back early!" Xia Dou noticed the screen lit up in the living room, greeted Bai Yuekui, and then shook her head with disappointment, saying, "You, all you do is play games, you never do anything productive all day long."

If it were Maiduo or someone else who said this, Lu Mingfei wouldn't care. But you, Xia Dou, the number one internet addict in Dragon Bone Village, dare to criticize me, Lu Mingfei, the God of Games, for being idle? I, Lu Mingfei, am not like you, thinking about playing on my phone on the way to a mission.

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to argue with Xia Dou, Mai Duo stepped in and said, "Alright, alright, you two have been playing games for a while now. How about you play again when you get back?"

Lu Mingfei and Xia Dou stared at each other, then suddenly burst out laughing at the same time, saying in unison, "Back together?"

"You two, all you do is play video games! Boss Bai, we're leaving now!"

Mai Duo pulled the two internet-addicted teenagers away, greeted Bai Yuekui, and then hurriedly left, not wanting to see them embarrass themselves in front of Boss Bai.

"Maiduo, Mingming, you hit it too." Lu Mingfei's voice came from afar.

"That's right!" Xia Dou chimed in.

"I didn't play that much, and besides, it was you two who introduced me to the game." Mai Duo's face suddenly flushed, and she walked faster.

Bai Yuekui listened to the noise of the group playing around, smiled helplessly, and walked to the seat where Lu Mingfei had just been sitting. It was her turn to play!

……

"What is this thing, Xia Dou?" Lu Mingfei fiddled with a pair of oddly shaped glasses in his hand.

"Hey, don't move. This is the thing I use to control the Devouring Beast. It allows me and the Devouring Beast to share our vision." Xia Dou snatched the glasses and carefully wiped the lenses clean with a handkerchief.

"Tch, stingy."

"What do you mean by being stingy? These things are hard to make; if they break, they'll take a long time to repair!"

Lu Mingfei chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject: "What's the principle behind your control of the Devouring Beasts?"

"Well... to put it simply, my mental strength has been enhanced." Xia Dou carefully put away the special glasses, then took out another device and showed it to Lu Mingfei. "Then use this device to put on the Devouring Beast. Through those special glasses, I can establish a mental connection with the Devouring Beast, allowing me to control it and share my vision."

"That's amazing! Isn't it just like playing a video game?" Lu Mingfei exclaimed.

"That's about right." Xia Dou gently placed the device back.

"Actually, Mido is stronger. She can directly share vision with Chagai and even communicate with him."

Hearing people talking about her, Maido turned around and smiled gently.

"Holy crap, what animal friend?!" Lu Mingfei was surprised again. Being able to communicate with animals was like a superpower.

"What do you mean, 'your bean'? Get away." Xia Dou had never heard this before and thought Lu Mingfei was saying something like "my bean," so her face turned red instantly.

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, feeling utterly bewildered.

Everyone packed their things and waited for Shandong University to arrive.

This time, Shandong University led the team. When we went out with them, there was a little tail following them, which was Shanxi limestone.

"Hey boss, I'm here too!" Shan Huishi jumped out and chuckled.

"Why are you here?" Lu Mingfei asked. Shouldn't the child stay in the village?

"I just came out for some fresh air, boss. I'm so bored staying in the mountains all the time," said Shan Shihui.

Lu Mingfei looked around. This place is quite big, why is it stuffy?

"Him? He heard this mission is easy, so he insisted on coming. Kids, let him be." Shandong chuckled heartily, got into the driver's seat, and said, "Get in, kids."

Once in the car, Lu Mingfei glanced around and, noticing that Xu Tong and Sui Xing weren't there, asked, "Is it just the few of us this time?"

"How many people do we need to catch a Devouring Beast? Once we've stabilized the Return to Origin, we just need to catch one that's alone." Shan Da started the engine, and after verification, slowly drove out of the village.

……

The vehicle drove across the desolate land, kicking up clouds of yellow dust. Having left the core area of ​​the Dragon Bone Village shielding tower, that familiar feeling of being watched by an invisible threat once again lingered in Lu Mingfei's mind.

He unconsciously adjusted his breathing, trying to maintain a state of equilibrium and blend himself into his surroundings.

They were lucky; not long after, they discovered a small group of Devouring Beasts roaming outside.

Everyone immediately held their breath and, taking advantage of the vehicle's camouflage and its restored state, quietly observed.

"Found it!" Maido lowered her voice and pointed to a slightly larger Devouring Beast with a dark luster on its carapace at the edge of the herd. "That Earth Roar is alone."

Then, she quietly explained to Lu Mingfei that the Roar was also classified as a type II Pan-Genius Devouring Beast. Lu Mingfei nodded and did not disturb her.

"Good goal." Shan Da nodded, then looked at Xia Dou, "It's up to you, Douzi."

Xia Dou took a deep breath, her playful expression vanished, and she became focused.

She picked up a crossbow-like launcher and carefully inserted the control device with an antenna into the magazine.

Adjust the angle, hold your breath, and pull the trigger.

"call out--"

With a soft whooshing sound, the control device precisely attached itself to a gap in the shell on the back of the Earth Roar. The Earth Roar seemed to sense something, shaking its head irritably, but found nothing amiss.

Xia Dou immediately put on the special glasses and gripped a controller with a joystick and buttons in both hands.

The carriage was silent, everyone watching Xia Dou and the roaring beast in the distance with tension.

"OK, it's connected!" Xia Dou exclaimed in surprise.

The earth roar that had been pacing in place suddenly stiffened, and then, as if receiving some unseen command, it began to tiptoe away from the herd, slowly walking towards the direction where the transport vehicle was hidden.

"We did it!" Shan Huishi cheered softly, but Lu Mingfei quickly covered his mouth.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly. The controlled snake-dog walked to the back of the car as if sleepwalking, and Lu Mingfei and Shan Huishi stuck their heads out to watch curiously.

"How disgusting." Upon closer inspection, Lu Mingfei was immediately disgusted. Are all Devouring Beasts this strange? This Earth Roar is even stranger, with two hands at the front and four feet.

"They feel as strange and bizarre as the marine life in documentaries," Lu Mingfei continued.

"Have you ever seen the sea?" Maido suddenly looked at Lu Mingfei with sparkling eyes. "What's it like? Is it very blue and vast?"

"It depends on the place. In some places the sea is yellow and very murky, full of mud and sand, but in other places the sea is really blue, ranging from mint green to peacock blue and endless, with gentle tides and surging waves," Lu Mingfei described the sea in his mind.

"The sea stretches endlessly as far as the eye can see; it is a tranquil poem and a wild song." Lu Mingfei never expected that he could say such a cool thing. It seems that his three years in the literary club in high school were not wasted.

"I wish I could see it with my own eyes, but I don't know if I'll ever have the chance..." Maido murmured.

"There's definitely a chance," Lu Mingfei said, but he wasn't sure. With the global outbreak of mana, he had no idea when it would end, but he couldn't say anything discouraging.

Maido's eyes flickered when she heard this.

Shan Huishi listened from the side, his eyes filled with longing.

Shandong listened silently, and then quickly and precisely injected a potent sedative into its neck, which it had already prepared.

The snake-dog struggled a few times before collapsing to the ground and falling into a deep sleep.

Lu Mingfei watched this smooth and effortless operation and was secretly amazed.

The combination of technology and ability has enabled them to control these terrifying monsters so skillfully.

With everyone working together, the sleeping Devouring Beast was lifted onto the specially reinforced carriage, and the first phase of the mission was successfully completed.

"Alright, a great success!" Xia Dou laughed.

Shanda immediately drove back, trying to get back to the village before the sedative wore off.

When the vehicle drove back into the green ecological area protected by the shielding tower, it was already close to dusk.

The warm sunlight spills onto the forest and lake, gilding them with a golden edge, making them seem like two different worlds from the desolate desert outside.

Lu Mingfei leaned back against the car window, enjoying the peace and quiet.

However, as the vehicle continued along the familiar road, Lu Mingfei's gaze inadvertently swept across the edge of the woodland in the distance, and several blurry four-legged figures caught his attention.

"Hey? Maido, look over there," he patted Maido in the front row and pointed in that direction, "Are there any wild animals here? It looks like a deer or something."

Maido looked in the direction he was pointing, but it was too far away; she could only see a few small moving dots. "Impossible," she frowned, "How could there be large wild animals in the ecological zone? They've been gone for ages..."

Her words came to an abrupt halt, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

She gently raised her arm, and Chagai, who was perched on her arm, understood immediately, flapped its wings, and flew swiftly in that direction.

Maido closed her eyes, and through visual sharing with Chagai, the hawk's sharp gaze instantly closed the distance. The next second, she suddenly opened her eyes, her expression changing drastically.

"Not animals!" Her voice was urgent. "They're Devouring Beasts! Three snake-dogs!"

"What?!" Shandong's face darkened in the driver's seat. "Did you see clearly?"

"Absolutely right! Chagai saw it very clearly!" Madonna said with certainty and disbelief, "They're on the edge of the eco-zone! Still far from the village."

The atmosphere inside the carriage froze instantly. The ecological zone was heavily protected by shielding towers; theoretically, it was impossible for a Devouring Beast to appear there!

Shandong's expression turned extremely serious, and he immediately sped up the car: "Hold on tight! We must report this situation to Boss Bai immediately!"

The vehicle sped along.

By the time the transport truck finally entered Longgu Village and came to a stop at the village entrance, night had completely fallen. The village was brightly lit, a stark contrast to the pitch-black wilderness outside.

Shan Da told Xia Dou and Shan Shihui to wait in the car, saying someone would come to take the "spoils" to a designated location for handover. He then took Lu Mingfei and Mai Duo and hurriedly arrived at Bai Yuekui's house.

The sound of the door opening made Bai Yuekui think that Lu Mingfei had returned. But when he opened the door and saw Shan Da and Mai Duo, all of whom looked serious, he immediately sensed that something had happened and welcomed them into the living room.

"What's wrong? Did the mission not go smoothly, or did you run into something?" Bai Yuekui poured a few glasses of water and placed them on the table.

The group, who had rushed over, were parched. After drinking a glass of water, Shan Da said, "Boss Bai, the mission went smoothly, but on the way back, we saw several Devouring Beasts that had reached the edge of their ecosystem."

Bai Yuekui looked at Maiduo, who nodded and said, "Lu Mingfei saw it first, but it was very far away. After I connected with Chagai, I saw those Devouring Beasts appear at the edge of the ecosystem through Chagai. Is there something wrong with the shielding tower, Boss Bai?"

Bai Yuekui sat down in the chair and figured out what was going on. It was probably a problem with a shielding tower somewhere, which reduced the range of electromagnetic radiation.

She tapped the table and continued, "In which area did you see it?"

"It's Zone C," Shandong University said.

"Go to command post now and notify the patrol teams that tomorrow at dawn, patrol teams one and two will focus on checking all the shielding tower nodes in the natural ecological area of ​​Zone C. Report any abnormalities immediately," Bai Yuekui said to Shan Da. "Get some rest; your wife is waiting for you."

Shan Da chuckled and left with Mai Duo.

As Lu Mingfei watched their departing figures, the slight sense of relief he had felt from the successful completion of the mission was completely washed away by this sudden and unexpected turn of events. A faint gloom quietly settled over his heart.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. As long as the shielding tower isn't completely broken, they won't reach the village." Bai Yuekui saw through Lu Mingfei's thoughts at a glance, reassured him, and then went into the kitchen.

Lu Mingfei thought for a moment, and since things had come to this, he decided to eat first. Then he happily went into the kitchen to help Bai Yuekui.

then.

"The eggshell fell in!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Bai, I'll pick them out right away!"