Chapter 116: Little Turtle and Sky Lantern

Outside this space, in the dense villa forest area, several figures crossed through the rare trees.
A segmented line flashed from the leader’s chest and shot into the void.
As soon as Yang Zicang received the link, he saw that it was the young man responsible for liaising with him.
“Li Mi? What’s the matter this late?”
{Mr. Yang, since you rarely come back, I just took this chance to visit you and also bring some supplies for everyone.}
Yang Zicang indeed saw something like a bag in his hand and let him in.
The two people beside Li Mi stayed outside, and only he himself entered carrying two large bags.
“Let them in too. It’s not safe outside.”
Li Mi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s fine now.”
Mu Xiaoyu curiously looked at a small cage in Li Mi’s hand, like a birdcage, covered with a black cloth.
“What’s that in your hand? It seems to be moving,” Mu Xiaoyu pointed at it.
“Oh, this.”
Li Mi lifted his hand and removed the black cloth, revealing a small turtle inside that turned its head to look back.
Seeing them looking at it, the sturdy, dark green little turtle turned its head back and lay down.
“So cute, it’s a little turtle.”
Liang Xi looked confused: “Are you planning to make turtle soup for us?”
Mu Xiaoyu glared angrily at the kid.
Yang Zicang thought for a moment and realized what it might be for, though he was a bit hesitant.
“Are you guys… planning to intimidate Lu Bu with this little guy?”
Li Mi nodded solemnly.
“That’s right.”
“……”
Everyone fell silent.
Liang Xi thought for a long time before figuring out how a turtle could stop Lu Bu from attacking them.
“This… sounds incredible. Would Lu Bu actually be scared? Anyway, if it were me, I definitely wouldn’t believe it,” Liu Ming said, wiping cold sweat.
“He has no choice but to believe it.”
After saying this, Li didn’t continue on the topic but instead started introducing the contents of his bag to everyone.
These supplies were more meticulous than the daily necessities Yang Zicang and his group had, including band-aids, small knives, nail clippers, and even ear picks—it seemed every aspect had been considered. Moreover, each person was given a small turtle with the bloodline of a mutated beast.
Yang Zicang took the bag and said, “Let’s talk inside.”
“Hold on.”
Li Mi turned to Luo Bin and said, “Please step outside.”
“Me?” Luo Bin pointed at himself. “I’m the master of this place here, you know.”
Li Mi looked at him quietly without repeating himself a second time.
Luo Bin started to say something but stopped, eventually let out a dismissive sound, and walked outside.
As he passed by Li Mi, he casually snatched his little turtle, saying, “Good kid, you actually dare not trust your old man.”
Li Mi looked at Liang Xi: “Please establish a mental link with my teammates.”
He pointed at a figure whose leg shadow was visible outside the irregular space.
Liang Xi pointed a finger at Li Mi, but the next second the mental link was already directed toward him.
“Now let’s go upstairs to talk.” Li Mi said.
Liu Ming stuck out his tongue, wondering who the boss was here after all.
After returning to the room and completely sealing off the space, Yang Zicang asked, “What exactly is your business?”
A mental link shot toward him, initiated by the person in front of him.
“I’d like to borrow a bit of your time. The time-sequence deductions at the end of these months will be covered by me. It shouldn’t take too long, I expect,” Li Mi said.
“What do you want to do?”
“Make some things.”
Yang Zicang pondered the matter for a moment: “You want to deal with Lü Bu?”
“Exactly. To be precise, I’m talking about the one in the sky. So this must be kept confidential. As of now, I don’t trust anyone with a model to keep this secret. Of course, Mr. Yang, you are the exception.”
So Li Mi was targeting these three who had no model.
“Then I won’t ask any more questions.”
“It’s alright, Mr. Yang. What we want to build are hot air balloons—lots and lots of hot air balloons. I call this plan ‘The Sky Lanterns’.”
The Sky Lanterns plan was a follow-up proposal submitted by Li Mi after he successfully deterred Lu Bu.
Several top executives at headquarters weren’t too keen on this proposal, but they were interested in Li Mi’s suggestion to recruit a batch of trustworthy ordinary people without models.
At this point, certain board members had begun to realize the importance of confidentiality.
If the secretaries and attendants around them were people without models, confidentiality could be better ensured, even if they could still receive the model’s funding broadcast—at least it would be passive and traceable.
“Hot air balloons to strike satellites?”
Liu Ming found it unbelievable: “Can you hit satellites by riding a hot air balloon?”
He wanted to ask if there was some mistake but held back.
Yang Zicang, who had been hanging around Zuo Feixian for several days, cast a relieved look at Liu Ming.
“Indeed, it’s difficult. On Earth, AX-7 class hot air balloons can reach a maximum altitude of 15,000 meters, which barely scratches the lowest value of low-Earth orbit satellites, while that lowest value is over a hundred times higher, let alone medium- and high-orbit satellites.”
Li Mi looked at the others: “But what we’re up against isn’t really a satellite, after all—it’s a malignant nightmare born from one. Plus, based on current observation data, its distance from the ground isn’t that high among satellites.”
Zhang Yang turned to Yang Zicang: “Zicang, even with your acceleration ability, the balloon probably won’t be able to reach it.”
“Well, if we were in midair, and Ma Chao’s train rammed into it, I wonder if it would fall down.”
Yang Zicang was also pondering the feasibility, but so far it seemed nearly zero.
“So where do we need to go to make that thing you mentioned?”
“No special place is needed—I was thinking of turning this location into a secondary venue. However, we might need Liang Xi to step out temporarily and let us take over here. Is that alright?”
Li Mi asked Yang Zicang politely.
“That mainly depends on these three.”
The three thought it over and nodded in agreement.
“Then it’s settled.”
After that matter was agreed upon, Li Mi chatted with Yang Zicang for a while longer, once again inviting him to the headquarters to at least start with the resonance statue.
But Yang Zicang, thinking about the mail world and worried he might only be able to resonate with a single type of sculpture, politely declined Li Mi’s invitation.
As people from outside entered, the group started the fairly hearty meal together. When Luo Bin had poured a beer for everyone, suddenly a small ball of light landed on Yang Zicang’s shoulder.
The others stared in surprise or stunned silence at the tiny thing manifested from energy.
Yang Zicang turned his head to look at the cute little creature on his shoulder.
“How? You can reach even this far?”
“You’re a celebrity, you know. A journalist follows a celebrity to document them, so of course I can appear—yes, that’s right.”
“What’s this, Zicang? Your little pet?”
Mu Xiaoyu asked with sparkling eyes, her tone dripping with affection.
This was a real-life Barbie doll, with features as delicate as a fairy tale character’s, skin glowing and transforming into a tender, fair hue, far more adorable than any plastic version.
“Yah yah yah, nasty, huh! The smell here is awful, Li Li Ya is leaving!”
The tiny fairy in a fluffy skirt flipped over inside the light orb, stuck out her bottom, and climbed onto Yang Zicang’s shoulder, then whoosh—the light shot into the sky and disappeared.
Li Mi took a deep look at the sky above.
He had no knowledge of celebrities or reporters at all, realizing that Yang Zicang’s experiences in the frequency-disoriented world were far from ordinary.
The dinner was over. On the way back, Li Mi walked along the road carrying the little turtle, heading toward the simuglider car. A man beside him said admiringly:
“Brother Li, you’re amazing! In the past two days, the Xiongying Group really hasn’t been attacking us like mad dogs.”
“Mm.”
“Brother Li, what are you planning to do next?”
Li Mi turned his head to look at the man and asked, “Who referred you into the group?”
“Huh, me?”
The man who had casually asked the question instantly stammered, daring not to speak further.
Li Mi chuckled slightly and said, “It’s okay. It’s not like I’m a mental patient who suspects everything. I’m just getting to know your situation.”
“Oh, oh. Me, I was recommended by Director Li.”
Hearing this, Li Mi patted him on the shoulder and said, “Work hard. Director Li has been good to me.”
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Li Mi pondered over his draft proposal in mind.
The Sky Lantern Plan, huh.
The grayish-brown car stopped in front of a stone house, and Li Mi got out.
This was the small house assigned to him by headquarters a couple of days ago. Its stonework contained the power of magic crystals, effectively prolonging the time it took for items from Earth within it to turn into nightmares.
His hand touched the doorknob. Before turning it, he paused for a moment, as if in thought, and only pushed the door open a few seconds later.
—”Master, welcome home. I’ve prepared your favorite ‘Invitation to the Dance’ for you. Please enjoy.”
A slowly pulsing breathing light illuminated the darkness, and the music from the cylindrical speaker began to play softly.
Long, slender fingers reached out and pressed the switch on the wall, connected to the lightbulb by a single wire. Click—a 35-watt tungsten bulb flickered on, casting a slightly orange glow.
The living room wasn’t large. He moved the speaker plug carelessly placed on the small table to the side, setting down Xiao Gui and his coat. Then, with steady steps, he walked to the washbasin by another wall.
Turning the tap, clear tap water flowed out.
After washing his hands, he shook off the water droplets, casually grabbed a small basin to place under the faucet, dried his hands on a towel hanging from an iron hook on the wall, then turned and walked toward the bedroom door.
This was a small suite with one living room, one bedroom, and one bathroom. He crossed the living room in just a few steps. Li Mi’s fingers touched the electronic lock on the bedroom door, and the lock screen keys emitted a soft, glowing light.
After entering the password, the door lock made a whirring sound as the motor turned. Li Mi pushed the door open, casually pressed the light switch on the wall next to the door, and the darkness in the bedroom vanished.
The water in the basin was about to overflow from the sound of pouring, swoosh swish; as the bedroom door clicked shut, the flow from the faucet immediately reduced. A second later, it stopped completely, leaving just a drop or two suspended, mustering the lingering momentum to fall.
The tungsten-filament bulb flickered with a soft buzz and then went out.
The room was plunged into darkness. The unplugged speaker’s music ceased, and the living room sank into a dead silence.
Drip, a single drop of water fell into the basin, creating a faint ripple of sound.
On the other side of the door, Li Mi lowered his gaze toward the bedroom wall, which had no bed. He clenched his fists at his chest and spoke slowly:
“Mother…today I killed a person.”
A hazy female portrait hand-painted on the wall sat above a glass jar holding a blooming white flower, its edges already slightly withered.