The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
The coordinates for placing the second Data Probe were at the bottom of a lake.
Jiang Mu and Jiang Cancan took turns driving, and they didn’t arrive at the destination until the afternoon of the next day.
The air by the lake was humid, and it had just rained.
A gust of wind blew past, leaving a mist of water on everyone’s faces.
Ling Chen was dressed in a black combat uniform with silver trim, and his pants tucked into military boots.
He leaned lazily on his gun, his posture casual but his words were incredibly motivating. “Once we kill the Water Spider that spawns in the lake and install the probe, we can jump in and take a bath!”
Jiang Cancan howled with excitement before jumping onto a chair and crouching down while holding his submachine gun with fervor. “Let’s go! Let’s move! Can Ye want a bath!”
This time, perhaps because the reward was too tempting, even though the wind was still a bit off, Jiang Cancan managed to maintain an 80% hit rate and take out three of the Water Spider’s legs by himself.
The battle ended quickly.
Ye Xiao leaped high into the air before plunging his knife into the Water Spider’s abdomen then gripped the hilt with both hands and sliced downward.
Soon, the four-meter-long Water Spider turned into black powder and disappeared.
A minute later, the four of them were soaking in the lake with only their heads visible above the water.
Jiang Cancan, who had already swum a few laps in the lake, slapped the water with his hands. “Can Ye haven't bathed in four days! Four days! Every morning I wake up, I’m afraid I’ll die from my own stink!”
Ling Chen, in a rare good mood, didn’t stop him from rambling. His gaze fell on Ye Xiao, who was an arm’s length away. “Comfortable?”
“Very!” Ye Xiao nodded in response.
His hair was soaked and his face was covered in water.
Perhaps because of the water, his skin took on a cold, porcelain-like pallor. But his body was covered in scars and old wounds of varying sizes and ages.
Though they should have been jarring, Ling Chen didn’t find them the least bit unattractive.
Ye Xiao glanced at Jiang Cancan, who was splashing water at Jiang Mu then paddled over to Ling Chen’s side before calling softly, “Captain.”
Ever since Ling Chen had given him the Communicator and added him to the team’s channel, Ye Xiao had been calling him that.
Ling Chen reached out and brushed the wet strands of hair away from Ye Xiao’s forehead before looking down at him. “What’s up?”
Ye Xiao’s gaze shifted to the side and he mumbled, “I… don’t have any extra clothes.”
The backpack he had brought into D Zone had been lost, so naturally, he didn’t have any spare clothes to change into.
Ling Chen’s eyes darkened slightly and the corners of his mouth curled up as he leaned closer to Ye Xiao. “Then wear mine?”
Ye Xiao nodded but because he was worried that Ling Chen might not like others wearing his clothes, he quickly added, “Can Can Ge and Xiao Mu Ge’s clothes are fine too. I don’t mind.”
The smile on Ling Chen’s face faded, and his voice lowered. “Wear mine. There’s no second option.” After saying that, he turned and swam away.
Ye Xiao stayed where he was while kicking the water with his feet and not quite understanding why Ling Chen had suddenly become upset.
He stared at Ling Chen’s back and noticed a tattoo on the right side of his shoulder blade—a lion’s body with an eagle’s head, like the legendary Gryphon.
The group splashed around in the water for half an hour, and by the time they got out, their fingerprints were wrinkled from the soaking.
Ye Xiao went to the car first to change his clothes.
Ye Xiao put on Ling Chen's clothes with his ears slightly red.
He stood there hesitating for a moment then couldn't resist as he carefully lifted his arm to sniff—it was filled with Ling Chen's scent and giving him the illusion that he was enveloped by the other's presence.
After restraining himself, Ye Xiao rubbed his face with both hands to calm down then bent over to put on the camouflage pants.
The two of them had a height difference of nearly ten centimeters, so Ling Chen's clothes were a bit too big for him.
Ye Xiao rolled up the pant legs and tied a knot at the hem of the shirt, making it look somewhat neat and not hindering his movements.
When he jumped down from the back of the vehicle, Ye Xiao saw Ling Chen waiting at the door with a grass stem in his mouth. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said, "I'm done changing."
Ling Chen had already looked up.
His clothes and pants were a bit loose and long on Ye Xiao, but the main issue was the waistband of the pants, which was too big. Even with a belt, the pants hung loosely on Ye Xiao's hips, making his waist appear even slimmer.
Ling Chen estimated that he could encircle Ye Xiao's waist with both hands.
After carefully examining Ye Xiao from head to toe twice, Ling Chen was satisfied. "Looks good."
By the lake, Jiang Cancan dived into the water to catch two fish for soup and then pulled Ye Xiao, the only one who wouldn't mind his chatter, into a conversation.
Jiang Cancan: "Little buddy, you wouldn't believe it, but before I joined the Second Division, I thought Chen Ge didn't even need to eat regular food!"
Ye Xiao, curious, asked, "Then what did he eat?"
Jiang Cancan slapped his muscular thigh: "He absorbed immortal energy! One breath could last him five days! Chen Ge is a god standing on a pedestal!"
Ye Xiao loved hearing about Ling Chen, no matter the topic because he wanted to know more about him.
"And then?"
Ling Chen, who was flipping through a map of the nearby area with a device, chimed in, "When he first joined the Second Division and saw me devour twelve steamed buns in one go, he looked like he was about to die, as if he had been deeply traumatized."
Jiang Mu added, "It was probably something like, 'My idol actually needs to eat?'"
Jiang Cancan patted his chest while pretending not to hear and continued, "Our Chen Ge was sent to the Second Division at the age of fifteen and working under the Chief Commander. Back then, there were about thirty people in the Second Division, all elite soldiers and each was more formidable than the last. When they saw Chen Ge join, they decided to train the new recruit without holding back.
During that time, apart from sleeping and regular training, Chen Ge was constantly fighting—hand-to-hand combat, cold weapons, firearms and ambushes. It's said that even when he went to the bathroom, he would get ambushed. It was intense!"
Ye Xiao, resting his chin on his left hand, revealed the communicator on his wrist with a long knife drawn on it and Ling Chen's signature. He listened intently, "What happened next? Did the Captain win all of them?"
Jiang Cancan: "Yes, after about a year, everyone in the Second Division began to question their life choices because they had been defeated by a boy who wasn't even sixteen yet!"
Ye Xiao looked at Ling Chen in awe, "Captain, you're amazing!"
Ling Chen glanced at him then met the sparkling admiration in his eyes, and accepted it without any modesty, "Hmm, just a little amazing."
"Excessive modesty is just pure pride, Chen Ge!" Jiang Cancan patted Jiang Mu's thigh and continued to promote, "The most impressive thing is that after Chen Ge became the Chief Commander, he led missions with such unparalleled coolness! Do you know which hand Chen Ge usually uses to fight?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "I know, the right hand!"
"Exactly!" Jiang Cancan snapped his fingers, "But kid, Can Ye wants to tell you that while our Chen Ge's right hand is formidable, his left hand is even more so! It's no ordinary hand; it's known among our adversaries as the 'Hand of Death.' Moreover, it's said that the bounty for anyone who can disable Chen Ge's left hand ranks in the top three on the wanted list!"
Seeing Ye Xiao's eyes widen in astonishment, Ling Chen casually ruffled his hair, "I need to take a call." With that, he walked to the side.
Placing the tiny communication earpiece, which were smaller than a fingernail and into his ear canal, Ling Chen heard a serious female voice, "Commander Ling."
"It's me, go ahead."
"We've received intelligence that 'Holy Judgement' has sent three elite squads into D Zone this time, namely teams one, five, and seven, totaling twenty-four people and carrying a large amount of weaponry."
Ling Chen gazed at the mist-covered lake surface with his tone dangerous, "One, five, seven? Hmph, all familiar faces. Have you figured out their objective?"
"Their objective is the Regional Core."
Noah World is divided into twelve safe zones suitable for human habitation, plus one area known as the 'Death Domain' or D Zone, making a total of thirteen zones.
Each zone has its own Regional Core, which is the source of the Data Stream for that area and the foundation that maintains the existence and normal operation of the virtual world.
In other words, controlling the Regional Core is equivalent to controlling everything within that zone—air, water, magnetic fields, and even the people living there.
Hearing the keyword, Ling Chen's eyes suddenly turned sharp and his brows exuded an unrestrained killing intent. But the next second, he returned to his lazy tone, "Continue."
"Initial assessment suggests a leak in the mission information."
"A leak?" Ling Chen chuckled with his tone mocking, "Now that's interesting."
Ling Chen had told Ye Xiao that he led the team into D Zone to install Data Probes at nine coordinates designated by the command center, which was true, but he hadn't told the whole story.
The core mission Ling Chen received was to install the probes at specified locations and then enter the central circle of D Zone to find the Regional Core of D Zone and bring it back to the command center for research.
After he retrieved the Regional Core, the pre-installed probes could temporarily replace the Regional Core's function to maintain D Zone's stability and prevent it from collapsing.
But the details of the mission were known only to Ling Chen; even Jiang Cancan and Jiang Mu were unaware. Now, the military command center has leaked the information.
The serious female voice paused then continued, "The entire Soaring Dragon team was ambushed. After the leak, three other mercenary teams are preparing to enter D Zone. We have already dispatched additional—"
"Not necessary for now." Ling Chen interrupted her, "It's not worth coming in just to die. You'd better investigate thoroughly how the information was leaked. If there's a traitor in the military, hmph."
"Understood, we will give you an explanation as soon as possible."
"By the way," Ling Chen slipped his hand into his pocket with his gaze unfocused, "Help me look into someone."
...........
On the other side, feeling still hungry, Jiang Cancan rummaged through the car and pulled out a tube of nutrient solution to drink.
Seeing what Ye Xiao was holding, he blinked and instinctively patted his crew cut, "Kid, you're in big trouble!"
Ye Xiao didn't understand, "What big trouble?"
"Did you touch this gun?" Jiang Cancan pointed at the silver pistol in Ye Xiao's hand with his finger trembling.
Seeing Ye Xiao nod, Jiang Cancan was heartbroken, "Actually, you can even dismantle the other guns, let alone touch them! But our Chen Ge, he has a strong sense of territory and possessiveness. He guards his treasures very tightly, and he'll explode if someone touches them. For example, the small pistol in your hand, which Chen Ge casually placed on his coat, is his lifeline. Touch it, and you're done for! I suggest you run for your life, like making an overnight dash of eight hundred miles!"
Ye Xiao understood.
Just then, Ling Chen returned and only caught the last sentence, "What about dashing eight hundred miles?" As he spoke, he saw the gun in Ye Xiao's hand, "Interested in guns?"
Jiang Cancan broke out in a cold sweat.
Ye Xiao wanted to say sorry, but before he could speak, Ling Chen sat down beside him with his tone unchanged, "Didn't I say before the Giant Lizard fight that I'd teach you how to shoot when I got the chance? I happen to be free today, so let's do it now." After saying that, he pushed the gun into Ye Xiao's hand, "Try the feel of it first."
Jiang Cancan's eyes widened, feeling like he was hallucinating.
Back in the day, he had just touched this gun once, and Ling Chen had picked him out for sparring every day for a week, leaving him bruised and battered.
Looking at the scene of Ling Chen personally teaching Ye Xiao how to hold the gun and adjust his posture, Jiang Cancan leaned his big head on Jiang Mu's shoulder and murmured, "Xiao Mu, am I fucking dreaming?"
Jiang Mu, who had been watching the whole scene, remained calm, "If the wife wants to play with the lifeline, what's the problem?"
But he thought that this sentence didn't sound quite right.
After a few seconds, Jiang Cancan's face turned red, "Xiao Mu! I'm still a baby!"