The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Perhaps it was because of what Ling Chen had said, Ye Xiao curled up and fell asleep, only to drift into a hazy dream.
The dream was far from pleasant because it was filled with blood—some his own, but mostly Ling Chen's.
He saw the Water Cutter and its scabbard carelessly tossed aside while he knelt on the ground with his hands desperately pressing against the bullet wound in Ling Chen's chest.
His fingers were cramping but blood continued to seep through his fingers and drained Ling Chen of all life.
Ling Chen reached up to touch his face, as if trying to say something, or perhaps to smile? Ye Xiao couldn't tell. In what felt like the blink of an eye, he had lost him.
Ye Xiao felt so cold.
He struggled to recall that this seemed to be the first time he had been reborn.
When he found Ling Chen, Can Can, Jiang Mu, and Jian Lan were already dead. Ling Chen was walking alone toward the central area of D Zone, with three metal dog tags tied to his wrist.
Back then, Ling Chen was always silent and rarely speaking, with his figure resembling a lone wolf in the desert.
Ye Xiao remembered clearly how he had stumbled after Ling Chen for three days before accidentally spraining his ankle. Ling Chen stopped to treat his injury, and then carried him on his back.
As he lay on Ling Chen's back, Ye Xiao couldn't help but quietly shed a few tears. Ling Chen asked him, "Following me is dangerous. I brought three people with me, and all three are gone. I took over the Second Division from the previous commander, and now, I'm the only one left. Even so, do you still want to follow me?"
Ye Xiao sniffled and replied, "Yes, I want to follow you."
At that time, Ling Chen seemed to smile and said, "Alright, from now on, Chen Ge will protect you."
In the end, he did protect him—with his life.
Ye Xiao woke from the dream with his eyes slightly sore.
Afraid of waking Ling Chen beside him, he carefully raised his hand to rub them.
Ling Chen, who hadn't been able to sleep because of the dog tags Jiang Cancan had discovered, noticed the movement and whispered, "Awake?"
Ye Xiao turned his head but it was too dark to see clearly and only the rough outline of Ling Chen. With a hint of a nasal tone, he whispered back, "Yeah, I had a dream. It was really cold in the dream."
Ling Chen reached out and grasped Ye Xiao's hand. "So cold?" His fingers brushed against something damp—what kind of dream had scared him to tears?
Ling Chen asked, "Really that cold?"
Ye Xiao nodded. "Yeah, cold."
There was a rustling of clothes as Ling Chen shifted closer to Ye Xiao's side then wrapped his arms around him, along with the long sword. His voice carried a hint of laughter. "Now you won't be cold, right?" He then added, "Why are you so thin? You're more bony than the long sword you're holding."
Ye Xiao was momentarily stunned before replying, "I'm not thin. I have muscles."
Wrapped in the familiar warmth, his eyes began to well up again.
With his ear pressed against Ling Chen's chest, his waist held firmly and the sound of Ling Chen's heartbeat clear in his ear. Ye Xiao's fingers twitched, and finally, he cautiously grasped Ling Chen's clothes.
Ling Chen raised his hand before shaking out the combat uniform jacket and draping it over both of them. Deliberately or not, his chin brushed against the top of Ye Xiao's head. "Alright, sleep now. With me holding you, you won't be cold and you won't have nightmares."
Ye Xiao buried his head in Ling Chen's chest and nodded.
At the crack of dawn, Ling Chen opened his eyes and was awakened by his long-ingrained biological clock—only to meet Jiang Cancan's bright, inquisitive gaze.
Mindful of the person he was holding, he didn’t move and asked in a hoarse voice, “What are you looking at?”
Jiang Cancan wore an expression that screamed, “What the hell do you think I’m looking at?”
He pointed at Ye Xiao, who was nestled in Ling Chen’s arms with his head covered by a black combat uniform jacket and only the top of his fluffy hair visible. Jiang Cancan exaggeratedly mouthed, “Is—there—something—going—on?”
Just as Ling Chen was about to tell Jiang Cancan to scram, he felt movement in his arms.
Ye Xiao, like a small animal, nuzzled slightly and poked his head out from under the oversized jacket. His eyes were half-open because he was still drowsy, and he smiled sleepily at Ling Chen before rubbing his eyes with loosely clenched fists, all while looking utterly dazed.
Jiang Cancan laughed even more gleefully before standing up and excitedly running out. Too eager to share this juicy gossip with his adorable little brother.
Ling Chen watched him leap out of the vehicle without a word, then turned his gaze to Ye Xiao, who was still wrapped in his jacket.
The jacket was pure black, large and loose, draped over Ye Xiao’s shoulders, making him look even smaller. Ye Xiao’s skin was naturally fair, but now it seemed even paler. Since he had slept on Ling Chen’s chest, there were clear imprints on the side of his face.
Ling Chen didn’t say anything and just leaned lazily against the wall of the vehicle while watching as Ye Xiao’s hand, which had been rubbing his eyes, suddenly froze. Then, Ye Xiao’s mouth opened slightly as his ears turned red, followed by his neck, and he sat rigidly in place, not daring to move or look up at Ling Chen.
A soft chuckle escaped Ling Chen’s throat as he teased, “Oh, are you embarrassed?”
Ye Xiao’s hand, which was gripping his longsword, trembled slightly but he didn’t respond.
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow. “On your body.” he deliberately paused and waited for Ye Xiao to instinctively look up at him before finishing, “you’re still wearing my jacket.”
Ye Xiao’s face turned crimson.
He fumbled to take the jacket off then quickly folded it neatly and handed it over with both hands, “…Your jacket.”
Ling Chen laughed but didn’t take it. Instead, he reached out and ruffled Ye Xiao’s messy hair. “Why are you so—” As if he couldn’t find the right word, he chuckled againthen stood up and walked out. “Get ready. Let’s go have breakfast.”
Ye Xiao hung his head and waited until Ling Chen had left the vehicle before reaching up to touch the spot where Ling Chen had ruffled his hair.
.........
After a hasty breakfast, the four of them stood at the spot where Jiang Cancan had found the metal tag earlier.
The ground was covered with wild grass up to their ankles and the roots were embedded in damp, fine sand.
“This is the place. It’s close to the stream, so when it rains, the water rises and washes over here that can erase any footprints or traces.” Jiang Cancan said. His usually cheerful face now expressionless and his jaw clenched tightly.
Ling Chen looked at the spot Jiang Cancan had pointed out. “Without a body, we can’t determine whether the three members of Soaring Dragon were killed by someone or if they encountered spawned monsters and lost the fight.”
It was their tenth day in D Zone but they had very little information about it.
They knew that due to the chaotic data streams in D Zone, many things like giant lizards and Skeletal Wolves would spawn. But whether these creatures only appeared and attacked them in their specific location or if anyone entering D Zone had a high chance of encountering them remained unclear.
Ye Xiao had been quietly standing beside Ling Chen while holding his sword. Suddenly, he stepped forward then crouched down and reached into the roots of a wild grass.
A few seconds later, Ye Xiao raised his hand, which is now covered in mud and showed Ling Chen what he had dug out. "There's a bullet casing here."
Ling Chen handed the casing to Jiang Mu, who examined it briefly and confirmed, "It's a standard-issue bullet from Soaring Dragon."
Jiang Cancan holstered his K57 and crouched down to start sifting through the mud. Soon, eight bullet casings and nine metal tags were handed over to Ling Chen.
Staring at the tags, the group fell silent.
Jiang Mu took the bullet casings and examined them carefully. "Including the previous one, two of these bullets are from Soaring Dragon, and six are from Holy Judgement—"
Hearing Jiang Mu mention "Holy Judgement" Jiang Cancan's eyes turned bloodshot, like an enraged leopard. "Damn those bastards! I knew it was Holy Judgement who did this! They followed us into the D Zone as soon as we entered!"
After Jiang Cancan finished his outburst, Jiang Mu continued, "Nine tags, six bullets."
Jiang Cancan also realized, "Seeing nine tags means nine people from Soaring Dragon died. But why are there only six bullets from Holy Judgement? I’m sure I’ve searched this area thoroughly." He then sparked a glimmer of hope, "Could it be... that three of them are still alive? Maybe they were captured or escaped, and their tags were left here."
"That’s a possibility." Ling Chen nodded.
But another speculation arose in his mind—it could also be that among the nine from Soaring Dragon, one of them turned their gun on two teammates and then left with Holy Judgement people.
Whether this person was a traitor or forced into it remained uncertain.
Jiang Mu had a similar thought but didn’t voice it. Instead, he put the bullet casings into his bag.
Ling Chen rubbed his fingers and instructed Jiang Mu, "Submit a request for approval to engage and eliminate Holy Judgement people on sight."
Jiang Mu nodded and began checking his communicator.
Ling Chen then turned his head toward Ye Xiao, "Come with me."
Watching Ye Xiao follow Ling Chen into the vehicle like a little tail, Jiang Cancan lazily rested his chin on Jiang Mu's shoulder while staring at the spot where the tags were found.
After a moment of silence, he vigorously rubbed his face and spoke in a dispirited tone, "Xiao Mu, what do you think Chen Ge wants to talk to the kid about?"
Jiang Mu pretended not to notice the heavy head on his shoulder and remained standing straight. But instead of answering Jiang Cancan's question, he asked, "What do you think of Ye Xiao?"
"Ye Xiao?" Jiang Cancan didn’t think much before answering, "Young, skilled, and not very socially adept. Probably spent his childhood training with a sword. The military wouldn’t recruit kids that young, so he was likely trained from a young age by a mercenary group."
Seeing Jiang Mu finally glance at him, Jiang Cancan protested indignantly, "Can Ye has a brain too, you know! How could I not figure that out?"
Jiang Mu offered no comment on Jiang Cancan's claim of having a brain.
Jiang Cancan leaned his head back again, "He looks like a cute little kid, but I have no idea why he came into D Zone. And I can't figure out why he's so attached to Chen Ge! Not that I'm dissing Chen Ge, but with the kind of aura he's developed from going through fire and sword, most kids would either cry or keep their distance at the sight of him. Yet Ye Xiao follows him around like a little tail."
Jiang Mu glanced at the armored vehicle parked not far away and remained silent before continuing to fiddle with the communicator in his hands.
.........
Inside the vehicle.
Ling Chen stepped into the vehicle with his long legs.
The sound of his military boots hitting the steel floor of the armored vehicle was somewhat muffled.
He casually took off his jacket and tossed it aside, so he was wearing only a black tank top. He pulled out a can of milk, added sugar then shook it well, and handed it to Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao sat across from him while holding the sweet milk, his fair face looking up at Ling Chen, "Are you going to whisper something to me?"
Ling Chen was amused as a smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth, "Yes, I am." He noticed that after just a couple of sips, Ye Xiao already had a ring of milk foam around his mouth. He beckoned, "Come sit here."
Once Ye Xiao moved next to him, Ling Chen cupped Ye Xiao's chin and carefully wiped away the milk foam.
After cleaning it, Ling Chen stared into Ye Xiao's clear, contrasting eyes and asked, "Can I trust you?"
Ye Xiao swallowed the sweet milk and answered earnestly, "Yes, I won't betray you."
Ling Chen looked at him for a while longer, neither confirming nor denying his trust, "You said before that if there were any questions, I should ask you directly."
Ye Xiao nodded.
Ling Chen: "Before I ask you anything, let me introduce myself."
Ye Xiao instinctively straightened up as Ling Chen began, "My name is Ling Chen, the commander of the Security Department Second Operations Command, currently active. I brought three people into D Zone—Can Can, Xiao Mu, and a subordinate named Jian Lan, though we got separated right after entering."
Although Ye Xiao already knew all this, he listened attentively.
"My team came in to gather as much information as possible about D Zone. The plan was to enter from the northeast corner and head towards the center of D Zone. Along the way, we would plant data probes at coordinates pre-marked by the command center to monitor changes in the data stream, analyze the causes of the disturbances, and ultimately control and rectify the chaotic data flow in D Zone."
Ye Xiao asked, "So, was there a coordinate point in that forest we were in earlier? Is that why you went in?"
Ling Chen: "Yes, there was indeed a coordinate point in that forest. But the trees were too dense for the vehicle to pass through, so we had to go on foot, which took a lot of time. There are eight more coordinate points left, and we plan to speed up, finish them, and then leave D Zone."
Ye Xiao nodded in understanding, "But why are you telling me all this?"
Ling Chen didn't answer directly, "The Second Division I'm part of has a feud with the Holy Judgement mercenary group. Whenever we meet, it's a fight to the death. The Soaring Dragon Special Operations Team was sent in by the command center to support us, but as you saw, all nine of them were ambushed and killed by Holy Judgement right after entering. This shows that Holy Judgement has sent in a lot of people this time, and they're all elites. If we encounter them, it will be a fierce battle."
Ye Xiao suddenly understood the purpose of Ling Chen's words, "You want me to leave?"
"Yes," Ling Chen nodded. "I just received the news that when the Holy Judgement people came in, I didn't plan to let you leave first. I thought it would be good to protect you for a couple more days. After dealing with the Holy Judgement, you could go and complete your own mission."
"Have you changed your mind now?"
"Yes."
"Because you realized that being with you is more dangerous than being alone?"
"Right."
Ye Xiao suddenly laughed with his eyes filled with joy. "You're worried about me."
Ling Chen felt a bit helpless. What the hell was the point he was focusing on? But he admitted, "Yes, I'm worried."
Whether it was during his reckless teenage years or after suddenly taking on the position of the Second Division's commander, Ling Chen had never had the luxury of spare time—there were too many things to think about and too many tasks waiting for him.
But these past two nights, as the night grew quiet and Ling Chen listened to Ye Xiao's steady breathing in sleep, he couldn't help but think about this little kid who loved candy, sweet milk, and even took medicine with sugar coating. To look cool, he would wrap bandages around his wrist, his eyes would sparkle when he talked to him, his ears would turn red, and he would snuggle into his arms when he was cold.
He didn't want him to die just like that.
Ling Chen's voice softened unusually, "So, Ye Xiao, finish your mission as soon as possible and then leave D Zone, understand?"
Translator:
How can he leave if his mission is you?