The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Ye Xiao was not one to indulge in his emotions, especially now when they were still in danger. Even though the last Mantis Human had been dealt with by Jiang Cancan and Jiang Mu, no one could be sure what might jump out of the darkness next.
After crying for a while and being fed a piece of candy, Ye Xiao sniffled and pulled away from Ling Chen's embrace with his nose and the corners of his eyes still red. He took a moment to calm down, only then realizing he felt a bit embarrassed.
Seeing that the little ancestor had finally stopped crying, Ling Chen didn’t dare provoke him in the slightest.
He used the clean side of his clothes to wipe the tear stains from Ye Xiao’s face, then asked, “Can Can, Xiao Mu, did anyone just cry?”
Jiang Mu didn’t even blink. “No.”
Jiang Cancan, who had just finished dealing with the Mantis Human, felt his hand holding the short blade go numb, but he still cooperated earnestly while trying to keep a serious expression. “No one cried. Where? Can Ye don't see anyone crying.”
Ling Chen gently pinched Ye Xiao’s soft cheek. “See? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Ye Xiao nodded and buried his face back into Ling Chen’s chest with his ears turning red. Ling Chen’s eyes filled with amusement. “Tsk, is this you acting spoiled?”
Ye Xiao didn’t answer, but his ears turned even redder.
Ling Chen patted Ye Xiao’s slim waist and while holding him loosely as he stood lazily in place. “Report the battle damage.”
Jiang Cancan, carrying his military backpack, shuffled over while massaging his wrist to relax it as he reported, “Can Ye’s short blade is already chipped and on the verge of being useless. Those Scythe Blades of the Mantis Human were terrifyingly hard! But so far, after dealing with the Chrysalis, the Moth, and the fight just now, I’ve used 121 bullets. The rest of my supplies are untouched, and my ammo is still plentiful.”
Jiang Mu chimed in, “Mine’s also plentiful. I’ve only used bullets; everything else is untouched.”
He wasn’t the team’s main firepower and mostly just assisting Jiang Cancan, so most of the dozens of kilograms of bullets in his backpack were carried for Jiang Cancan.
Ye Xiao stood up straight with his voice still a bit hoarse and his eyelashes damp as he reported seriously, “Captain, my Water Cutter is fine.”
“Hmm.” Ling Chen had a clear picture now.
He slipped his fingers into Ye Xiao’s hand for him to hold, then lowered his gaze and said, “First, this research institute is quite sinister. We can’t be sure what enemy might appear next, so everyone must remain highly alert. Second, the Mantis Humans have been targeting us since we descended to the first basement level, starting with one and now up to three—or there might be more. The key point is, the Mantis Humans seem to want to stop us at the first basement level and prevent us from going further down.”
Jiang Mu agreed with Ling Chen’s assessment. “The first Mantis Human was just monitoring us and made a probing attack on Ye Xiao, then hid. They only reappeared when we entered the stairwell.”
Jiang Cancan slapped his buzz cut a couple of times. “According to the usual rules of novels and movies, the next level probably has something they want to protect—either a big treasure or a big boss or something. Anyway—”
Noticing that Ling Chen, Ye Xiao, and Jiang Mu were all staring at him, Jiang Cancan shut his mouth and laughed awkwardly. “Hahaha, anyway, flags don’t always come true, right? If they did, I’d have become a fortune teller by now…”
Ling Chen, however, said, "I agree with Can Can's opinion. There might really be something on the second or third basement level." He composed himself as his gaze swept over the three people in front of him. "So, let's take a vote now. Should we retreat directly to the surface, or continue going down?"
Hearing this, Ye Xiao, who had been spacing out after his report, looked up at Ling Chen. "I'll follow you."
Ling Chen didn't say anything, just reached out and ruffled his hair.
Jiang Mu pondered, "I choose to continue going down. I have some conjectures that need to be verified."
Jiang Cancan was indifferent, "I'll go along with Xiao Mu."
Ling Chen nodded, "Alright, let's get our things together and get moving." He paused for two seconds, then a habitual nonchalant smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Please, make sure to survive, comrades."
The design of the second basement level's door was no different from the first.
Jiang Cancan quickly opened it. But as soon as the four of them stepped inside, they sensed something was wrong.
"Holy shit, what is this place used for?" Jiang Cancan held a flashlight while cautiously not shining the light too far and only inspecting a small area in front of them.
Under the light, they could see more than a dozen iron cages of varying sizes that were arranged in a way that gave off a stern atmosphere. The cages had tags with experimental numbers and species labels.
Ling Chen frowned while scanning the open locks on the cages and the dark bloodstains on the iron bars, but remained silent.
Jiang Mu looked down at the three-dimensional map in his hand and chose a direction. "This way."
The corridor was still long, and the four of them remained tense without a moment's relaxation. Strangely, they found that apart from themselves, the second basement level seemed completely empty.
Jiang Cancan muttered softly, "Why do I feel so creeped out?"
Ye Xiao touched the spot where his heart was beating and nodded, "My heart is racing. I also feel it's very dangerous."
They walked to the end of the corridor without anything happening. Ling Chen asked Jiang Mu, "Where are the stairs to the third basement level?"
Jiang Mu pointed to the tempered glass door in front of them. "Inside here."
Jiang Cancan swallowed hard, "I bet a piece of braised beef that the danger level in there is at least eighty percent!"
Ling Chen didn't respond and just quickly reloaded the magazine in his gun. "Can Can, open the door."
Jiang Cancan broke the electronic lock in a few moves and counted softly, "3—2—1—"
The moment the door opened, a swarm of juvenile mantises, each about ten centimeters long, rushed out.
Jiang Cancan, who still had no immunity to insects, fired his gun while breaking into a cold sweat and his face pale as if he was about to pass out.
Ling Chen threw three Type A Incendiary Bombs in quick succession.
Bright orange flames instantly erupted, with such intensity that they quickly burned most of the juvenile mantises. Ye Xiao gripped his long sword and cutting down any mantises that escaped the flames with precision.
The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and burning.
Jiang Cancan looked miserable, "Can Ye's two greatest fears in life are biological research institutes and insect museums. This place is like a combination of both, isn't it? Where did all these mantises come from? Don't they starve to death?"
Exchanging a glance with Ling Chen, Jiang Mu asked Jiang Cancan, "I have a rather frightening conjecture. Do you want to hear it?"
Jiang Cancan nodded timidly, "Y-you... go ahead."
Jiang Mu said, "The cages and labs on this floor are all empty. It's possible that everything inside has become food."
Jiang Cancan's face was stiff, and he seemed unwell as his voice kept trembling as he asked, "Whose... who's food?"
Jiang Mu replied, "Either it's here, or it's on the third basement level."
Ling Chen, worried that Ye Xiao might be scared, placed his arm around the other's shoulder before pulling him close and added, "So, whatever's left is the most ferocious. Comrade Jiang Cancan, please brace yourself."
The four of them stepped through the glass door into a spacious, square area.
The walls were plastered with cement, looking dilapidated, and the corners were damp with a small stream of water seeping in from outside. But the main point was that, contrary to their expectations, the place was completely empty.
Ye Xiao spoke in a low voice, "There's something here." His fingers gripping the scabbard twitched instinctively, and he enunciated each word clearly, "Above us, 9 o'clock position, 0.3 deviation; 3 o'clock position, 0.7 deviation."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Chen and Jiang Cancan almost simultaneously raised their guns toward the positions Ye Xiao had indicated.
With a muffled "bang," the bullets shot through the air. Ye Xiao listened to the subtle movements beneath the gunfire and confirmed, "The Captain hit his target. Brother Can Can's bullet was dodged."
A few seconds passed, and the enemy still hadn't been forced out. Being in the light while the enemy was in the dark wasn't ideal. Ling Chen took out a miniature tracer bullet and said, "Ye Xiao, report the position again."
Without hesitation, Ye Xiao confirmed, "6 o'clock position, no deviation, direct shot."
Before the word "shot" had fully left his lips, Ling Chen's miniature tracer bullet was already fired, trailing a bright light through the darkness with its arc resembling a star's path and illuminating the entire room.
Once they could see clearly, Ling Chen's pupils contracted slightly. "The targets are two Mantis Humans. Don't underestimate them. Don't be the one to get sliced by the Mantis Humans."
Jiang Mu added, "Fully developed and nearly two meters tall. Compared to before, the difficulty level is expected to double."
As it turned out, Jiang Mu's assessment of the doubled difficulty wasn't unfounded.
The Mantis Humans moved incredibly fast, and when their scythe blades came down, they left massive craters in the walls.
Ye Xiao blocked one strike with his Water Cutter, but the scythe blade was much harder than before and carried tremendous force that caused intense pain in his palm.
Up close, and when he stared into their green eyes, he felt a terrifying sensation of being devoured.
Despite the pain, Ye Xiao didn't let up. Using the strength from his core, he took advantage of the momentary hold on the scythe blade and kicked hard, hitting the Mantis Human's abdomen. Sensing a slight loosening in the blade's pressure, Ye Xiao gritted his teeth before he exerted more force, and twisted the blade then stabbing it into the Mantis Human's shoulder. Though not deep, bright green blood oozed out that kept dripping onto the ground.
The Mantis Human let out a piercing screech and quickly retreated while eyeing Ye Xiao warily. Ye Xiao panted with his gaze unwavering and staring back with an intense, unyielding presence.
To avoid splitting their focus, and while Ye Xiao dealt with the female Mantis Human, the other three were besieging the male.
Ling Chen, wielding a short blade, had already cleanly sliced off the male's forewings. He casually stabbed the bloodied dagger into the wall, pulled the K57 from Jiang Cancan's holster, and shouted, "Hold it! Just five seconds!"
Jiang Cancan responded, "Holy shit! Chen Ge, aim faster, the strength is fucking insane! And the most important thing is that it's even taller than Can Ye!"
Ye Xiao, who was several steps away, chimed in enthusiastically, "It's taller than me too."
Ling Chen: "..."
After a moment of silence, he barked, "Focus, all of you!"
The years of built-up tacit understanding were reliable.
Jiang Mu and Jiang Cancan desperately kept the male Mantis Human's forewings that were facing Ling Chen's direction—that was the weak spot.
And with Ling Chen's impeccable aim, the first bullet embedded itself into the wing root with a dull thud, followed by a spray of dark green blood.
Jiang Cancan shielded Jiang Mu, getting himself covered in the process with his face filled with despair.
Once they confirmed the male Mantis Human was dead beyond any doubt, the three rushed to support Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao hadn't engaged in direct combat and instead kited the Mantis Human like flying a kite. Aside from a palm-long tear in his combat uniform jacket from the Scythe Blades, he was unharmed. However, after blocking several attacks, his arms were slightly numb from the impact.
Perhaps the death of the male Mantis Human enraged the female one because when Jiang Cancan charged forward to slash a wound across the female Mantis Human's abdomen, he got thrown heavily against a concrete wall, causing a shower of dust to fall. He wiped his face and panting as he sat up, "Damn! The strength... it's fucking insane!"
Ling Chen, while holding his gun with steady hands, knelt on the concrete floor and watched the female Mantis Human, whose back was now exposed as it focused on Ye Xiao.
He then fired a shot with extreme precision.
The silencer muffled the sound, and the bullet hit the wing root again, but the female Mantis Human only paused for a moment and did not fall.
Jiang Cancan coughed and laughed, "Chen Ge, are you losing your touch?"
"Shut up, itching for a beating?" Ling Chen narrowed his eyes that were sharp as blades, and cursed under his breath, "Damn."
He noticed Ye Xiao's arms trembling, clearly struggling to withstand the relentless attacks. He steadied himself and raised his voice slightly, "Ye Xiao, again!"
Ye Xiao understood.
He abruptly stopped before he lowered his center of gravity, supported his long blade with his right hand, and knelt down, essentially abandoning self-defense.
The female Mantis Human took the opportunity to swing its Scythe Blades downward with its back arching with the motion and exposing the wing root where the bullet had lodged.
The indoor lighting was dim, and one of the four military flashlights had already been destroyed, but for Ling Chen, it was more than enough.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips, like a hunter lurking in the shadows.
His finger tightened, and the moment the recoil hit, the bullet had already pierced the previous bullet hole with pinpoint accuracy.
Hearing the bullet cut through the air, Ye Xiao's body moved with remarkable flexibility. He rolled halfway on the ground, got up again, and thrust his long blade into the bullet hole with such force that the tip even pierced the concrete floor.
Ling Chen holstered his gun when he confirmed that the female Mantis Human was dead.
He first took Ye Xiao's hand and began massaging it carefully while asking, "Were you scared just now?"
If Ling Chen's shot had missed, Ye Xiao, who was kneeling on the ground, could have been struck by the female Mantis Human's Scythe Blades. Even now, the thought made his palms sweat.
Ye Xiao: "No, I believed in you."
Ling Chen chuckled softly and asked again, "Does it hurt?"
Ye Xiao had always been able to endure pain since he was young. He shook his head, "It doesn't hurt."
Ling Chen looked up at him with his smile as casual as ever, but his voice softened considerably, "The Captain allows you to act spoiled."
Ye Xiao pursed his lips while feeling the rough pads of Ling Chen's fingers press against the skin of his arm. He murmured softly, "My arm... it hurts, and it's sore."
After hesitating for a moment, he finally unclenched his fist and extended his hand for Ling Chen to see. "The webbing between my thumbs on both hands is split, and it hurts a lot. The palms are scraped too from the knife handle, and it's really painful."
Ling Chen listened as Ye Xiao quietly described where it hurt while using simple words without much emotion and just repeating that it hurt. Yet, Ling Chen found it almost unbearable that he even had an urge to drag those two Mantis Humans back and kill them all over again.
Ye Xiao had never acted so coquettishly before. So, he awkwardly extended his hand further with his voice tinged with anticipation, "Captain, can you blow on it?"
Ling Chen stared at his calloused palms while his hands moved along Ye Xiao's arm until they grasped his wrists and lifted them gently. He lowered his head and carefully blew on the injured areas.
The underground was dim and damp, with unknown dangers lurking ahead. But in that moment, as Ling Chen held Ye Xiao's slender wrists, all he felt was a deep ache in his heart.