The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Jiang Cancan leaned on the K57 like a crutch and slouching next to Jiang Mu, pretending to be weak while eagerly watching the scene unfold. He even provided live commentary for his younger brother.
"Damn, Chen Ge is so stingy! The kid asked for two candies, and he really only took out two milk candies. I handed over five last night!"
"The kid reached out... took the candy! Put it in his pocket... and smiled at Chen Ge!" Jiang Cancan tapped the ground twice with the K57 while sighing dramatically. "Ah, that smile is so sweet. Chen Ge's old man's heart must have melted."
Jiang Mu glanced at him, "I have eyes, I can see for myself. No need for your commentary." As he spoke, he rubbed his temples with dark circles evident under his eyes.
Last night, Jiang Cancan had squeezed into his space, and right up until the moment he fell asleep, Jiang Cancan's incessant chatter hadn't stopped. Jiang Mu deeply realized that his reserved personality was largely shaped by his older brother's constant nagging.
"Oh, I see, haha." Jiang Cancan patted his buzz cut when he sensed the deep disdain from his dear brother, and decided to change targets, so he headed over to chat with Ling Chen.
Seeing him approach, Ling Chen raised an eyebrow. His facial features were sharp and cold, and when he looked down at someone, he appeared somewhat menacing. When expressionless, even his hair seemed to scream, "This is a vicious dog, don't provoke."
At this moment, he looked at Jiang Cancan with a clear message: "If you dare to babble, I’ll kick you to the horizon."
Jiang Cancan, being a wise man, immediately backed off while covering his mouth with his hand. He then noticed that Ling Chen's attention wasn't on him at all and curiously followed his gaze.
Beside Jiang Mu's tent, Ye Xiao was using the water collected from last night's rain to wash up.
He cupped a handful of water and splashed it on his face before scrubbing carefully.
A few strands of his hair were wet, making them appear even blacker and his pale face even more striking.
Jiang Cancan's smile faded slightly, and he lowered his voice, "Chen Ge, even though this kid was brought back by you using your charm, what do you think of him?" He hesitated, "Our mission in D Zone this time has a secrecy level of S and above."
Earlier, he had introduced their team as "Sharp Blade" to Ye Xiao, just like how he introduced himself as Thomas Moschkovski, both made up to intimidate.
He, Jiang Mu, and Ling Chen all belonged to the Second Division, officially known as the "Security Department Second Operations Command."
Hidden from official view, they reported directly to the Military Commission, with an independent structure. Only the best of the best could join. And Ling Chen had taken over as the commander of the Second Division at just nineteen.
Ling Chen, looking rather listless, asked Jiang Cancan, "What are you worried about?"
Caught, Jiang Cancan grinned, "This kid appeared too... suddenly." He gripped the gun handle with his foot tapping the ground. "And D Zone is just too eerie. Every little movement makes my old heart tremble."
If the Noah System World were considered a holographic game, then the seven billion humans were players accessing this game through brain waves and living in this virtual world.
And D Zone was the bug zone of this game, filled with danger and uncertainty. Like the ferocious beasts and birds that appeared daily, or the chaotic and unpredictable magnetic fields and wind directions.
"Can Ye, I'm not afraid. After all, our Second Division is like a brick and always sent to the most dangerous places." he said before pausing for a few seconds to organize his words. "It's just that... this mission doesn't feel like it will go smoothly." It might even end up being impossible to complete.
Ling Chen reached out and patted his sturdy shoulder and his voice carrying a reassuring strength. "With Chen Ge here, don't worry. As for Ye Xiao, I'll keep an eye on him personally."
After washing his face, Ye Xiao first glanced in Ling Chen's direction but felt a bit disappointed to see that Ling Chen seemed to be discussing something serious with Jiang Cancan. And it didn't feel appropriate for him to join in.
He then spent a full two minutes slowly washing his hands, only to find that the two were still talking. So, Ye Xiao had no choice but to find a spot for himself before firmly planting his feet in a horse stance.
He casually brushed his damp bangs aside, then grasped the scabbard with his left hand and the hilt with his right.
With a "swish," a cold gleam flashed, and the crisp sound of the blade being drawn instantly pierced the morning's tranquility.
His pale little face was tightly drawn and exuding a chilling intensity.
His right hand maintained the same rhythm—drawing the blade, sheathing it, then drawing it again... all while completely focused and only occasionally drifting off for a couple of seconds to recall the moment when Ling Chen had come to find him the previous night.
So happy!
But after repeating the draw and sheath 817 times, he noticed that Jiang Cancan was watching him.
Jiang Cancan stood beside him.
Ye Xiao, afraid of accidentally hurting him, shifted slightly to the side, but Jiang Cancan followed suit as he also moved along with him.
Jiang Cancan smiled warmly with his tone as if coaxing a child. "Let's have a pleasant chat! How long have you been practicing drawing your blade, little brother?"
Ye Xiao didn't stop his movements as he answered briefly, "Twelve years."
Jiang Cancan: "Twelve years? That's quite a while. I've been practicing shooting for almost ten years. I'm twenty-six, a year younger than Chen Ge. How old are you, little brother?"
Ye Xiao: "Eighteen years and three months."
Jiang Cancan: "Very precise! You're just an adult, and your skills are already this impressive. Any secrets?"
Ye Xiao: "Practice."
After answering, Ye Xiao couldn't help but glance in Ling Chen's direction with his eyes filled with a clear plea for help—hoping Ling Chen would come and take this person who was interrupting his practice away.
However, Ling Chen didn't pick up on the distress signal Ye Xiao was sending.
Ye Xiao quietly took a deep breath before he tried to make his expression even more serious, striving to project an air of "keep your distance" coldness while hoping to scare Jiang Cancan off.
But Jiang Cancan's face was as thick as a city wall.
Pretending not to notice Ye Xiao's little movements and expressions, he continued with a smile, "Practicing drawing your blade every day must be tiring, right? Back when I was practicing shooting like crazy, it was to beat Xiao Mu. You're working so hard—do you have a goal in mind?"
Ye Xiao fell silent for two seconds. "To survive."
For a brief moment, Jiang Cancan's expression grew complex, but he quickly smiled again and changed the subject. "Besides your blade, is there anything else you like? Hobbies, or maybe something other than milk candy that you enjoy eating? In the future, Can Ye will secretly save some for you!"
Then he saw the little brother in front of him, who was focused on practicing drawing and sheathing his blade, sneak a glance in Chen Ge's direction—a furtive one.
??
Holy crap, Can Ye just wanted to ask about your hobbies. Why are you looking at Chen Ge? Or did I accidentally stumble upon some truth?
When Jiang Cancan asked questions, Ling Chen remained silent because he knew that despite his rough exterior, he was thoughtful and wouldn't act recklessly. However, when he caught Ye Xiao glancing at him for the second time, he beckoned him over.
Ye Xiao quickly sheathed his sword then grip the scabbard as he hurried over before tilting his small face up to ask, "You called for me?"
"Yeah," Ling Chen glanced at the bandage on Ye Xiao's right wrist, "Do you want to take a break?"
"Okay." It was clear that Ye Xiao would follow whatever Ling Chen said.
He stood still while holding his sword with one hand and fully embodying the idea of "taking a break."
Ling Chen felt around his bag but realized he was out of candy, and casually slipped his hand into his pocket without pulling it out. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"I slept very well." Ye Xiao's expression was relaxed with a slight smile on his lips. He hesitated for a moment but couldn't help showing concern, "What about you? Did you sleep well last night?"
He was still worried about Ling Chen's injury.
"Yeah." Ling Chen nodded, then suddenly asked, "Why did you come to D Zone?"
D Zone wasn't a place just anyone dared to enter.
The Noah System World, known as "humanity's last refuge," was built on a stable data stream framework and divided into twelve survival zones. Both the ecological environment and magnetic fields replicated the real world, making it almost indistinguishable from reality.
But D Zone was an exception.
Two years ago, chaotic data streams appeared in the Noah System World, and the affected area was labeled "D Zone," meaning "Death Zone."
Very little was known about this region, and aside from people like Ling Chen and his team, who entered the D Zone for critical missions, the area was completely devoid of other human presence.
Ye Xiao answered Ling Chen's question honestly, "Because I have a mission to complete." He seemed to remember something because he looked a bit frustrated, and added softly, "But I can't tell you the details of my mission."
His fingers fidgeted around the scabbard, and he emphasized, "But protecting you is the most important thing. I'll wait until you're healed before I leave."
Ling Chen looked into Ye Xiao's clear, black-and-white eyes and asked, "We've been asking you all the questions. Don't you have anything you want to ask us?"
Ye Xiao shook his head, "No. I'm following you, so I should answer these questions. Isn't that... laying all my cards on the table?"
He heard Ling Chen chuckle, and his ears turned slightly red. He lowered his gaze, "But next time, could you be the one to ask me questions? I'll answer them properly."
"Alright, from now on, I'll be the one to ask you questions." Ling Chen's voice softened as he looked at Ye Xiao's red ears and lowered lashes, "Ye Xiao, do you know my name?"
Not sure why Ling Chen was asking this, Ye Xiao replied, "Yes, your name is Ling Chen."
As if confirming something, Ling Chen asked naturally, "Have you had breakfast yet?"
Ye Xiao shook his head, "No, I haven't."
Ling Chen handed him a thumb-sized tube of nutrient solution, "Make do with this for now."
Ye Xiao took the transparent nutrient solution and muttered softly, "It's not sweet." But he still drank it in small sips.
Ling Chen chuckled lightly, "Over the next couple of days, we'll mainly focus on gathering supplies. Once we have them, we won't have to rely on these tasteless nutrient solutions anymore. I'll get you some sweet canned apricots and milk."
Ye Xiao nodded eagerly while still holding the nutrient solution in his mouth, and added with bright eyes, "With sugar."
"Alright, with sugar. Sweet milk."
Although it was said to be collecting supplies, Ling Chen and the others had a clear idea of the locations and a definite direction to move in.
Ye Xiao didn’t ask too many questions and just held his long sword as he walked behind Ling Chen while carefully guarding against any potential dangers around them.
When they set up the tent at night, Jiang Mu and Jiang Cancan had a falling out.
Jiang Mu complained that Jiang Cancan talked too much, even rambling to the air for an hour, and would rather lie in the grass than squeeze in with him. Jiang Cancan squealed and protested before accusing his younger brother of not loving him anymore because where was he talking too much?
Ling Chen had a bit of a headache as he looked at Ye Xiao, "Can you share a tent with me?"
Ye Xiao nodded but was somewhat reserved, "Sure."
However, just before bedtime, Ye Xiao didn’t enter the tent.
Instead, he climbed up a tree with his ever-present long sword in hand.
Ling Chen, draped in his black combat uniform with silver trim, stood helplessly under the tree while looking up at Ye Xiao, "I don’t talk too much, do I?"
Ye Xiao nodded with his slightly long hair swaying with the motion.
"Then why are you so reluctant to share a tent with me and prefer to sleep in a tree instead?"
Ye Xiao quickly shook his head before correcting him, "No, that’s not it. I don’t dislike you."
"Then come down," Ling Chen said while looking at Ye Xiao. "Be good. If you want to keep watch for me, you can do it from inside the tent too."
Ye Xiao bit his lip, and before he could resolve his inner conflict, he obediently jumped down and followed Ling Chen into the tent.
He had stayed in the tent the night before, but tonight was different because the air was filled with Ling Chen’s scent.
Ling Chen took off his combat uniform jacket and casually placed it in the corner, "I’ll sleep on the outside, and you can sleep on the inside. Is that okay?"
As the commander of the Second Division, Ling Chen was usually decisive and unyielding.
It was rare for him to seek someone else’s opinion—especially about something as trivial as where and how to sleep.
"Sure," Ye Xiao replied while carefully placing his jacket next to Ling Chen’s and lying down on the inside before hugging his long sword contentedly.
He had thought he would be too excited to sleep, but before long, Ye Xiao drifted off and even started dreaming.
In his dream, there was a tightly sealed metal door and not a single ray of light penetrating through.
Suddenly, the door, which had been tightly shut, was opened.
A man walked in while wearing a dark gray double-breasted uniform with a stand-up collar, long military boots, and holding a pair of white gloves in his hand. The golden epaulettes on his shoulders reflected the sunlight from outside that brightened the entire scene.
It was Ling Chen.
Ye Xiao’s eyes snapped open, and his hand instinctively pressed against his chest. He didn’t know why he had suddenly dreamed of the past, and it took him several seconds to recover.
He turned his head slightly to make sure that Ling Chen was still asleep and hadn’t been disturbed by him before he carefully sat up.
Because the toxins in his body hadn’t been completely cleared, the dull pain in his bones and joints hadn’t subsided, so Ling Chen hadn’t been sleeping deeply. Combined with the alertness he had developed from long periods of danger, he woke up in the middle of the night.
Ye Xiao, who should have been lying to his left, was no longer there.
Instead, there was a figure in the pile of jackets and miscellaneous items.
Ye Xiao was crouched there while quietly rummaging through something
Ling Chen had excellent night vision.
After a glance, he closed his eyes again and maintained a steady breathing. He didn’t get up or make a sound, but his hand had already silently moved to his gun holster.
Ye Xiao was completely unaware that Ling Chen had already woken up.
He crouched on the floor before carefully unwrapping the candy and popping the milk candy into his mouth then quickly crunching it.
The sweet, milky flavor rapidly spread through his mouth, and he squinted contentedly as the palpitations from his dream gradually subsided.
Meanwhile, lying in the darkness, Ling Chen remained highly alert. First, he heard the rustling of candy being unwrapped, followed by the sound of Ye Xiao crunching the candy.
Sneaking up in the middle of the night... to eat milk candy?
His hand, which had been resting on the gun holster, moved away.
Feeling inexplicably relieved, Ling Chen suddenly worried—wouldn’t he get cavities?
Translator:
Cutie Ye Xiao ෆ╹ .̮ ╹