The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
The beam of the flashlight swept across and revealed a bulletproof glass door standing in front of them that was reinforced with a sturdy iron gate.
Jiang Cancan couldn’t help but mutter, “Seriously, adding a bulletproof glass door and an iron gate outside a lab? This gives Can Ye a really bad feeling! Is there something… inside?”
After saying this, he expected Jiang Mu to tell him to shut up and stop jinxing things, but after waiting for two seconds, there was no response. Turning his head, Jiang Cancan saw Jiang Mu seriously tapping on his communicator and seemingly engrossed in something.
Meanwhile, Ling Chen was having a private one-on-one chat with Jiang Mu.
Jiang Mu: "What you just said to Ye Xiao doesn’t sound like you.”
Ling Chen’s lips twitched as he replied, “?”
Jiang Mu: "When Can Can was talking to Ye Xiao, I saw you glance at your communicator.”
Ling Chen’s hand paused, and after two seconds, he replied, “We’ll talk about it later.”
But clearly, Jiang Mu didn’t want to wait.
A message popped up again a few seconds later, “I’ve found out Ye Xiao’s identity.”
He stated it as a fact, and not a question.
Ling Chen glanced at the message as his eyes darkened.
He didn’t reply immediately and instead looked up before addressing Jiang Cancan in his usual relaxed tone, “Can Can, the important task of opening the door is once again in your hands.”
“No problem!” Jiang Cancan stepped up to the door while sniffing the air. “Damn, why do I keep smelling something weird?” He then clasped his hands together toward Ye Xiao, “Little buddy, Cancan’s back is in your hands! If a mantis or something jumps out later, please make sure to cut it down with one strike!”
Ye Xiao’s right hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he nodded, all while looking completely reliable, “I’ll definitely protect your back.”
At that moment, Ye Xiao seemed to shine brilliantly in Jiang Cancan’s eyes!
Listening to their conversation, Ling Chen’s fingers moved lightly as he replied to Jiang Mu’s message.
Ling Chen: "Hmm.”
Jiang Mu, using the flashlight’s beam, glanced at Ling Chen’s expressionless profile before shifting his gaze to Ye Xiao, who was standing attentively behind Jiang Cancan and ready for any sudden situations.
He replied again.
Jiang Mu: "Are you shaken? Is there something wrong with Ye Xiao’s identity?” After sending the message, he added, “You know how much he values you.”
Ling Chen: "What if it’s all fake?”
Jiang Mu: "Don’t tell me you can’t tell the difference between real and fake.”
Ling Chen stared at the message, then suddenly smirked—yeah, how could he not tell?
The trust in Ye Xiao’s eyes, the occasional admiration, his dependence and the determined look when he said he’d protect him…
If all of that was fake and if it was all an act, then he’d accept it.
But Jiang Mu was right.
When Ling Chen received the information about Ye Xiao from the command center, he quickly read through it, and his usually steady mindset was genuinely shaken.
It felt like a string in his heart had been plucked.
After some thought, he replied to Jiang Mu.
Ling Chen: "Seriously, do you think if I, as Can Can said, sold my looks, I could get Ye Xiao to betray his original organization and join the Second Division?”
This was his genuine thought.
When Ye Xiao had stayed behind, Ling Chen personally put the communicator on him. While he had said Ye Xiao was just a temporary worker, deep down, he really wanted to bring him into the Second Division, to keep him close and protect him like a little cub.
And suddenly finding out that someone else had gotten there first made him feel like he was about to explode.
Jiang Mu felt that the feasibility of this plan was quite high, so he succinctly replied with two words, "Good luck."
Ling Chen turned off the Communicator and didn't respond further.
Noticing Ye Xiao's sensitive glance back at him, Ling Chen resumed his usual casual smile, "Focus."
Ye Xiao nodded and turned his attention back to the door.
Jiang Cancan spent two minutes dismantling the electronic control lock before the rusty iron gate creaked open.
He patted the dust off his camouflage combat uniform jacket and squatted in front of the bulletproof glass door before continuing to pick the lock while muttering, "When Can Ye decides to leave the Second Division, I'll become a legendary thief. After all, my lock-picking skills are top-notch, and I can't let this talent go to waste!"
Ye Xiao maintained a posture ready to draw his sword at any moment and chatted earnestly, "I can't pick locks, but I can keep watch for you. Can I join you?"
Jiang Cancan was pleasantly surprised that someone wanted to team up with him, "Sure, sure! We can form a legendary thief gang, or maybe a magical thief gang!"
However, before he could continue fantasizing about the future, Ling Chen ruthlessly interrupted, "Don't corrupt the kid."
Hearing this, Ye Xiao whispered to Ling Chen, "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm already eighteen years and three months old."
Ling Chen peeled a milk candy and directly fed it into Ye Xiao's mouth.
As Ye Xiao tasted the sweetness on his tongue, his eyes curved into a happy and satisfied expression, and he obediently stopped talking.
Ling Chen rubbed his fingers—it seemed he didn't even need to use his charm; milk candy alone could keep the person in the Second Division.
Thinking about this, a hint of regret actually surfaced in his heart.
At that moment, a "click" sound came through, and Jiang Cancan exhaled before standing up, "It's open. Get ready because who knows what kind of monsters might come out. I'm really opening the door now."
Three seconds later, the bulletproof glass door slowly slid open to both sides, and a wave of cold air rushed towards them while accompanied by a foul stench.
Jiang Cancan almost choked on the smell and quickly took two steps back.
He glanced to the side and saw that Ye Xiao's nose and mouth were covered by his Chen Ge from behind.
He instantly felt a wave of sorrow—show off! Always showing off!
Ling Chen, as if he didn't smell the foul odor, tilted his chin, "Let's go in."
After stepping through the door, they entered a long corridor.
Ling Chen shone his flashlight on the wall that revealed dark bloodstains and claw marks, as if a beast had raked its sharp claws across it. Thick cables hung loosely on the walls, and a layer of dust covered everything.
Jiang Cancan rubbed his itchy nose and looked towards the end of the corridor, "Chen Ge, there's not a single sound. Why does that make me even more creeped out?"
Jiang Mu squatted down to examine the bloodstains, "Human blood and over ten years old."
The group exchanged glances and each readied their weapons.
The first basement level seemed to have been isolated from the world for a long time, with stagnant air that was very stuffy.
Jiang Cancan led the way at the front while Ling Chen was at the rear, and everyone remained silent.
At this moment, Ye Xiao keenly sensed a gaze and instinctively stopped to look to the side.
Ling Chen followed his gaze—it was a laboratory with frosted glass that made it impossible to see inside.
The flashlight beam wavered, and Ling Chen read out, "Embryo Cultivation Laboratory" followed by a numerical code. He asked Ye Xiao, "What's wrong?"
Ye Xiao scrutinized the frosted glass door, "Someone—no, something is watching us."
Ling Chen nodded to Jiang Cancan, who, despite his burly frame, moved without a sound.
He stood by the door while holding a gun in one hand and pulling the glass door open with the other.
After the door opened, they didn't enter but stood by the entrance.
Under the flashlight's beam, they could see a row of glass petri dishes containing fist-sized lumps of flesh, though the details were unclear.
Jiang Cancan's expression turned grim, "This is exactly why I hate coming to these biological research institutes! What kind of people work here?"
After confirming there was nothing inside, the group moved forward.
Ye Xiao tightened his grip on the hilt of his longsword because his intuition told him that the gaze he had felt earlier wasn't an illusion, and that whatever it was, it was still watching him.
Ling Chen noticed his hand still on the hilt and whispered, "Still there?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "Still there."
A few steps ahead, they encountered another iron gate.
This one was adorned with a faded "No Entry" sign. Its warning is still clear despite the wear.
Jiang Cancan stopped, "No lock. Guess it's up to Can Ye to do some demolition." With that, he kicked the gate, which weighed several hundred pounds, and it fell with a loud crash, stirring up a cloud of dust.
At the same time, the sound of a sword being drawn echoed in the darkness. Thanks to Ye Xiao's daily practice of drawing and sheathing his sword, Jiang Cancan was all too familiar with the sound. So, he immediately shielded Jiang Mu behind him.
In the next moment, they heard the clash of the sword hitting something and followed by a wet "splat."
Ling Chen quickly directed the flashlight beam toward Ye Xiao, but there was nothing in front of him—only blood dripping from the tip of his sword.
Jiang Cancan stammered, "What... what did you just hit?"
Ye Xiao's voice was calm as he gazed down the corridor they had come from, "I hit whatever has been watching us since we entered."
He described it, "It's shorter than me. My strike likely landed on its shoulder. Its muscles are thin, almost entirely bone, and very hard. It's agile and emits a foul odor. Its weapon resembles a bone blade and is extremely hard."
Jiang Mu added, "The thermal sensors didn't pick up anything at that moment."
However, since entering D Zone, the group had grown accustomed to not relying on high-tech equipment. After a brief discussion, they continued down the corridor.
Jiang Cancan was about to say something to lighten the chilling atmosphere when his peripheral vision caught something on the glass wall.
Instantly, he closed his eyes and opened fire!
The suppressor on his gun muffled the shots and left only flashes of light in the darkness.
Jiang Mu identified, "They're all cocoons."
Jiang Cancan opened one eye, then quickly shut it again before yelling, "Damn these research institutes! Who the hell fills a room with cocoons? And uses glass doors! If Can Ye gets scared out of his wits, who's gonna compensate my brother for losing his big brother!"
Ling Chen, with his excellent night vision, frowned and warned, "Can Can, fire a few more shots. Some of those cocoons have live things inside."
"Shit, shit!" Jiang Cancan closed his eyes and fired another volley, stopping only when Ling Chen told him to. He then turned his back and refused to look at the lab.
Ye Xiao stepped forward to inspect the scene and then returned, "These cocoons are likely the result of gene fusion, possibly a hybrid between humans and Lepidoptera."
"Lepidoptera? Moths?" Jiang Cancan leaned on Jiang Mu's shoulder as he felt a bit nauseous and retching several times.
After Ye Xiao finished speaking, he stood still, causing the surrounding darkness to remain eerily quiet. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that countless eyes were watching him, causing his muscles to tense unconsciously.
He lightened his breathing with his gaze sweeping over the corners of the ceiling, when he suddenly shouted sharply, "Three o'clock on the ceiling!"
In the next second, Ling Chen fired a shot at the position Ye Xiao had indicated.
At the same time, Jiang Mu's flashlight illuminated the area and revealed a ventilation duct.
Countless Mutant Moths had silently gathered around the duct and covered the ceiling. As the gunshot hit, they viciously lunged toward the group.
Ling Chen fired at the moths on the ceiling, while Ye Xiao gripped his longsword and focused solely on cutting down the moths attacking the four of them.
Their long-range and close-quarters cooperation went smoothly.
Soon, half-meter-long moths littered the ground.
Jiang Cancan, pale and on the verge of collapse, retched while firing at the ventilation duct.
After clearing a wave of Mutant Moths, Ling Chen's sharp eyes calculated his remaining bullets. He handed the gun to Ye Xiao, asking, "Can you shoot?"
Ye Xiao didn't hesitate. "Yes!"
Ling Chen ruffled his hair. "Shoot anywhere, just don't hit me." Then he instructed Jiang Cancan, "I'm throwing an incendiary grenade in there. Be ready to shoot anything that escapes from the duct."
With that, Ling Chen clenched a Type 27 incendiary grenade between his teeth and sprinted toward the vertical wall. In a few leaps, he scaled the ceiling, bit off the pin, and tossed the grenade into the ventilation pipe.
A faint sound of airflow reached his ears.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ling Chen saw a massive moth charging at him with its wings casting shadows on the wall.
But in the next moment, a longsword shot through the air and pinning the Mutant Moth to the wall.
The blade embedded itself into the wall with the hilt vibrating with a metallic hum.
Ling Chen laughed before landing steadily and casually pulling Ye Xiao's sword from the wall.
Soon, crackling sounds of burning and several "thuds" echoed from the ventilation pipe.
Ling Chen held his gun to take out a few more Mutant Moths that had escaped.
After waiting a moment and confirming no more were coming, he lowered the gun and asked in a deep voice, "Anyone hurt?"
Jiang Cancan raised his hand. "No injuries, but my clothes got slashed by a moth's proboscis. That thing was as hard as a needle! Scared the hell out of Can Ye!"
Ling Chen nodded, then pondered for a moment before taking off his combat uniform jacket and draping it over Ye Xiao. "Wear this."
Ye Xiao looked up at him. "What about you?"
"The long-sleeve underneath is the same." Ling Chen quickly explained. "Your clothes are too fragile and have no protection. Don't argue and just wear it."
Ye Xiao didn't say more as he slipped his arms into the sleeves and zipped it up in a few swift motions.
Jiang Mu glanced at the two of them before looking away.
The four continued inward, and strangely, they encountered no further attacks until they reached the end of the corridor.
Pulling open the fire door and stepping into the pitch-black corridor, Ye Xiao had only taken two steps when he stopped again.
Without time to speak, he turned and drew his blade to block it with a loud "clang."
The force of the impact reverberated through his hand and numbed his entire forearm within seconds.
But his grip on the blade didn’t loosen in the slightest and firmly shielding Ling Chen.
Ling Chen reacted quickly as he raised his gun the moment he noticed Ye Xiao drawing his blade.
However, the enemy’s reaction speed was inhuman because it actually dodged the bullet!
Jiang Cancan’s voice came from around the corner of the staircase, “There are two of them! We’re under attack too, but no one’s hurt!”
After a few more exchanges, Ye Xiao finally caught a glimpse of his opponent under the flashlight’s beam—a face shaped like an inverted triangle, with distorted features and arms transformed into a pair of Scythe Blades and lined with hard serrated edges.
It was a Mantis Human.
Ye Xiao realized that the earlier clash with his long blade must have been against these Scythe Blades.
Ling Chen’s voice sounded not far behind him, “Not two, but three Mantis Humans.” This was followed by Jiang Cancan’s loud exclamation, “I knew we shouldn’t have jinxed it! Damn, we’re really getting our asses handed to us!”
Ye Xiao stood in a standoff with the Mantis Human in front of him with his long blade held as if it were an extension of his body.
His mind raced through the previous moments of combat and searching for the enemy’s weakness.
After a brief pause by the wall, the Mantis Human charged at him again at an incredible speed. Ye Xiao twisted his wrist and dashed forward with his blade!
In combat, Ye Xiao was always single-minded with his focus solely on his opponent, who moved so fast they were almost a blur.
The enemy’s speed was overwhelming, and Ye Xiao knew his arm wouldn’t hold out much longer.
So he deliberately left a small opening and waited for the attack.
As the Mantis Human lunged, Ye Xiao’s blade slashed and severed both forewings, which fell to the ground.
The Mantis Human seemed to be in excruciating pain as its attacks became erratic.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Xiao pressed the assault and drove the creature into a corner. Then, gripping the blade with both hands, he thrust it deep into the base of the Mantis Human’s wings and pierced through its chest.
Pulling out the blade, Ye Xiao casually wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and was about to go help when he heard Jiang Cancan’s shout, “Chen Ge, you’re hurt? Damn, that’s a lot of blood!”
Ling Chen’s chest had been slashed by the Mantis Human’s Scythe Blades, leaving a tear in his clothes with blood flowing from a wound about two fingers long.
Accustomed to both major and minor injuries, Ling Chen ignored the wound as he wielded a short blade in one hand and a gun in the other, and his attacks still as fierce as ever.
And it was Jiang Mu who first noticed something was off with Ye Xiao.
He stood rooted to the spot while staring intently at the blood still seeping from Ling Chen’s chest wound. His face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, and his cold, piercing eyes sent an involuntary shiver down Jiang Mu’s spine.
“Ye—”
Jiang Mu had barely uttered a syllable when Ye Xiao shot forward at an incredible speed before positioning himself between the Mantis Human and Ling Chen, leaving only a blur on Jiang Mu’s retina.
What followed was a masterclass in what it meant to “cut through like a hot knife through butter.”
Ye Xiao’s strikes were precise and deadly, and his expression cold and ruthless.
In less than ten moves, he severed both of the Mantis Human’s Scythe Blades. Then, as the creature spread its wings to escape, Ye Xiao leaped into the air with his face icy, and drove his blade straight into its vital spot.
After landing, he was like a fish out of water as he clutched his clothes and gasped for air with his gaze fixed on some unknown spot. Even his hand that was holding the knife was trembling uncontrollably.
Ling Chen had already noticed something was wrong and immediately stepped forward before pulling him into his arms. "Shh—shh—it's okay, don't be angry. I'm fine, it's just a small cut, see? The bleeding has already stopped, so it's nothing. Our Ye Xiao, don't be angry, alright…"
Feeling the person in his arms stop trembling, he sighed in relief and was about to step back when he realized that Ye Xiao had tightly bitten onto the fabric of his shoulder. Then, soft sobs reached his ears.
!!
Ling Chen's hands froze in mid-air and unsure of what to do. He had never been one to cry since he was a child, and after joining the Second Division, he was surrounded by people who would rather bleed than shed tears. Even the only girl among them, Jian Lan, was fiercer than anyone with a gun in her hands and completely unfamiliar with the concept of "crying."
So Ling Chen was genuinely at a loss—how the hell was he supposed to comfort someone crying like this?
He carefully placed his hand on Ye Xiao's back before hesitantly patting it lightly with his brows furrowed. "How about we make a deal… you stop crying, okay? Whatever you want, just say it, and as long as you stop crying, I'll go find it for you."
Ye Xiao was crying so hard he started hiccuping.
He had heard Jiang Cancan say that Ling Chen was injured, and when he turned to look, he saw Ling Chen's chest covered in blood.
The scene overlapped with memories in his mind that made it hard for him to distinguish—was this all a dream, or just his imagination?
Hearing Ling Chen's voice, Ye Xiao slowly released his teeth with his eyes red from crying. He looked up with a pale face and kept speaking between sobs, "You… you can't die…"
Ling Chen's heart trembled, and he quickly reassured him, "Okay, okay, it's alright, I won't die. Chen Ge isn't so easy to kill, and besides, don't you have me to protect you?"
Ye Xiao nodded heavily, "Yes, I'll protect you."
A wave of confusion rose in Ling Chen's heart—why was Ye Xiao so afraid of him dying?
But for now, he didn't dwell on it.
Ling Chen reached into his bag and pulled out another piece of milk candy before unwrapping it and feeding it to Ye Xiao.
Seeing that he had finally stopped crying and was focused on eating the candy, Ling Chen felt a mix of emotions.
A thought popped into his mind—no matter who Ye Xiao had taken orders from before, or why he had approached them, now that he had eaten his candy, he was officially a member of the Second Division!