The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
The next four days passed uneventfully. Perhaps it was because the sixth Data Probe had been successfully installed, and the Chaotic Data Stream in D Zone was under control, but the frequency of encountering small monsters had significantly decreased.
In the past three days, only a wave of white ants had appeared just before dawn.
Given their abundant resources and ample supplies, Ling Chen didn't hesitate to throw a bunch of Incendiary Grenades at them, and the battle was over in less than twenty minutes.
Ling Chen and Jiang Mu were driving the vehicles, while Jian Lan and Jiang Cancan each occupied the roof of a car and were lying flat like pancakes basking in the sun.
The two vehicles moved forward side by side. Jiang Cancan sniffed the air and negotiated with Jian Lan, "Bro, can I have a piece of Spicy Beef Jerky?"
Jian Lan generously tossed one over.
Jiang Cancan bit into it while squinting with pleasure, "You know, it's been almost a month since we entered the D Zone. Feels like we got free tickets to a Mutant Zoo. Damn exciting."
Before Jian Lan could respond, Jiang Cancan closed his eyes, "Sleeping now, it's dark."
Jian Lan looked up at the sun in the sky, utterly confused, "Where is it dark?"
Jiang Cancan grumbled, "When Can Ye closes his eyes, it's dark."
Jian Lan: "..."
In the driver's seat, Jiang Mu held the steering wheel with one hand while tapping on the Communicator with the other. The interface displayed a private chat with Ling Chen.
"Jiang Mu: Cancan told me that last night, Fang Wenzhe mentioned Ye Xiao again, hinting that we should be wary of him. But he didn't finish his sentence, as if he had some reservations and just left it hanging."
"Ling Chen: Cancan use idioms now? Impressive."
The second message followed immediately, "How long do you think it'll take before he comes to you or me?"
"Jiang Mu: Today. He can't wait any longer."
When it was time to eat, the two vehicles stopped on a stone bridge.
Jiang Cancan jumped down from the roof and leaned over the bridge's railing to look down, "The river is getting narrower. We must be getting close to the upstream, right?"
The seventh coordinate point was located upstream of the river. They had been driving along the riverbank since yesterday afternoon.
Fang Wenzhe's injuries had improved significantly, and his complexion had become rosier. He got out of the car and stood next to Jiang Cancan while smiling warmly, "Indeed, we should be close." As he spoke, he casually glanced around, "Where are Ling Zihui and Ye Xiao?"
Jiang Cancan gave Fang Wenzhe a slightly suspicious look, feeling that he was particularly interested in Ye Xiao. He casually replied, "Probably sneaking off to take care of some personal business."
Although Jiang Cancan was talkative and friendly with everyone, he was also highly cautious. When Jiang Mu had asked him about his conversations with Fang Wenzhe, he realized that Jiang Mu and Ling Chen were suspicious of Fang Wenzhe.
He didn't ask further, but he had previously chatted with Fang Wenzhe about the Second Division's cafeteria. Now, he only told him cold jokes.
After speaking, Jiang Cancan raised his hand and slung it over Fang Wenzhe's shoulder in a brotherly manner while smiling, "Can Ye will tell you another joke? One from the bottom of the barrel!"
Fang Wenzhe shuddered at the mention of this and quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need! I... I need to go back to the car to get something!"
Jiang Cancan leaned against the railing and waved at Fang Wenzhe as he hurried back to the Armored Vehicle. He looked up at the sky and sighed, "Ah, life is as lonely as snow!"
In the nearby woods, Ling Chen followed Ye Xiao, stepping on the dry branches and fallen leaves as they ventured deeper.
After walking a bit further, Ye Xiao stopped and turned around, "...Captain, could you wait here for me?"
Ling Chen was fiddling with a bullet in his hand to exercise his finger dexterity. Seeing Ye Xiao nervously looking back at him, he also stopped and deliberately said, "But the woods are dangerous, and the Captain is worried about you."
Ye Xiao tightened his grip on the black scabbard in his hand and looked around. He noticed a large tree with a thick trunk a few steps away. He asked Ling Chen somewhat sheepishly, "Then could the Captain wait here for me? I need to go behind the tree... to relieve myself, is that okay?"
Ling Chen felt like he was about to make the boy cry and finally had a pang of conscience. He leaned against the tree trunk and nodded, "Alright, I'll wait here for you."
He watched as Ye Xiao hurriedly walked behind the tree as a smile formed in his eyes—tch, he must have been really holding it in.
Soon, the sound of a belt buckle being undone came from behind the tree. Ling Chen pocketed the bullet and casually plucked a few leaves from nearby. As he started weaving something, he couldn't help but listen to Ye Xiao's movements.
Ye Xiao's jeans were being washed, so he was now wearing Ling Chen's camouflage pants, which were too big for him. He had to use a belt to keep them up.
Now that the belt buckle was undone, Ye Xiao's waist was so slender that the camouflage pants must have been hanging loosely on his hips. The pants were pulled down—
"Damn," Ling Chen cursed under his breath, feeling like his brain was malfunctioning again. He started mentally reciting the seven disciplines when Ye Xiao peeked his head out from behind the tree, "Captain, you being there... I can't go."
Pitiful.
Ling Chen took a soft breath with his gaze flickering to the undone belt for a moment, and then he took a few steps back, "Is this better?"
Ye Xiao nodded twice and then ducked back behind the tree.
Soon, Ye Xiao emerged with his belt neatly fastened. The oversized camouflage pants made his waist look even slimmer, and the wooden rabbit hanging from his scabbard swayed gently. Ling Chen handed him the little golden fish he had woven, "Here, for you."
Ye Xiao took it while hooking it with his middle finger and his smile dazzling. Ling Chen ruffled his hair, feeling inexplicably irritable, "Let's go, time to head back."
Ye Xiao dangled the woven golden fish from his finger, his eyes curving into a smile, "Okay!"
Along the way, Ling Chen found a few clusters of mushrooms. After returning, he skewered them with sharpened wooden sticks and made a few skewers of roasted mushrooms to share.
After the meal, Ye Xiao followed Jiang Cancan to the river to wash their helmets. Ling Chen sat on the stone bridge's railing with his hand resting on the knee of his bent leg while watching Ye Xiao and Jiang Cancan from a distance.
It was then that Fang Wenzhe approached.
He stopped about two steps away from Ling Chen with his palms slightly sweaty.
He had once seen Ling Chen, the commander of the Second Division, from afar in the military district.
At that time, Ling Chen was dressed very formally, wearing a deep gray double-breasted uniform with a stand-up collar and long military boots that hugged his calves. However, his collar was undone, and his hands were in his pockets, with his posture so casual that he didn't look like a regular soldier.
He seemed to be listening to a subordinate's report as he kept nodding occasionally but his gaze remained fixed ahead while exuding an extremely sharp aura.
The person who had taken him to the military district meeting was the captain of the Soaring Dragon. When he saw Ling Chen and his group approaching, he immediately stood at attention and saluted, "Commander Ling!"
Ling Chen stopped, first reaching up to fasten the undone collar of his uniform, then returning a standard military salute. He nodded towards the captain of Soaring Dragon and continued walking with his team.
In the military district, Ling Chen was more like a legend, always standing on a pedestal.
At this moment, Fang Wenzhe felt a subtle surge of excitement. Controlling his facial expression, he spoke up, "Ling Zihui, I have something important to report."
Ling Chen's gaze remained fixed on Ye Xiao by the riverside, watching as he and Jiang Cancan, who were supposed to be washing their helmets, ended up splashing water at each other, seemingly having a great time.
Feeling inexplicably irritated, Ling Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at Fang Wenzhe, "Go on."
Fang Wenzhe swallowed hard and did his best to meet Ling Chen's eyes without flinching, his voice slightly hoarse, "I was taken away by the Holy Judgement and locked in the back of an armored vehicle. Once, while they were talking, I heard them mention Ye Xiao's name."
Ling Chen's brows instantly furrowed, "Details."
"Yes!" Fang Wenzhe recalled, "At that time, they tortured me and thought I had passed out from the pain, so they didn't avoid speaking in front of me. One of them asked, 'Has Ye Xiao come in yet?' Another replied, 'We've already made contact with the target.'"
He hesitated, "But it's possible that the name was a homophone, or I misheard."
The D Zone was vast, but the number of people who entered was extremely small, making the probability of a name coincidence almost zero.
Ling Chen's eyes darkened and his voice became cold, "Specific time."
Fang Wenzhe: "On the night of the 31st, it was raining heavily. Our team was... ambushed. I was locked in the back of the vehicle, so I'm not sure of the exact time, but I remained conscious, so I estimate it was around the morning of June 1st."
Ling Chen nodded, "The timing matches. We did meet Ye Xiao on the 31st." He then asked, "So these past few days, you've been asking Jian Lan and Can Can about Ye Xiao?"
Fang Wenzhe admitted, "Yes, because you... seem to trust him, and I was worried I might have misunderstood."
"Mm." Ling Chen stepped down from the railing with his thick-soled military boots making a dull sound as they hit the ground. He stuffed his hands into his pockets while squinting that made it hard to discern his emotions, "I understand. The information is important, and I'll handle it."
"Yes!"
Only after Ling Chen had walked away did Fang Wenzhe unclench his tightly balled fist, revealing the four fingernail marks that had turned his palm a bluish-purple.
Ye Xiao and Jiang Cancan returned with their freshly washed helmets, dried them off, and placed them in the back of the armored vehicle. The water fight had been intense, and both of their hair was dripping, though their waterproof clothes were mostly dry.
Jiang Mu shook his head while estimating the time, and called out, "Chen Ge, shall we continue? Can Can and I will drive this afternoon!"
Ling Chen leaned against the front of the armored vehicle with a bronze bullet flipping between his fingers but did not respond.
Jiang Cancan sensed something was wrong and his smile faded, "Chen Ge, what's the matter?"
Closing his fingers around the bullet, Ling Chen looked up while ignoring Jiang Cancan, and stared directly at Ye Xiao with his eyes as if covered with frost.
Jiang Cancan frowned, "Chen Ge, the little friend, finished all the food in his bowl at lunch and even helped wash the dishes. He's been very good, so don't be harsh—" Before he could finish, a glance from Ling Chen made Jiang Cancan instinctively shut his mouth.
Ye Xiao met Ling Chen's gaze with his lips tightly pressed together and his hand resting on the hilt of his blade.
Jiang Cancan noticed Ye Xiao's subtle movement and was stunned, muttering to himself, "Holy shit, what the hell is going on?"
Ling Chen straightened up with his hand resting on his holster, his voice cold and sharp, "You saved my life once. Today, I won't kill you. We're even. You can leave now."
Ye Xiao's eyes turned red.
Ling Chen averted his gaze with his tone mocking, "What, do I need to repeat myself?"
Jiang Cancan finally realized what was happening—Chen Ge was actually trying to drive the little friend away?
He was completely baffled and instinctively looked at Jiang Mu, only to find him focused on poking at the screen of some device, while Jian Lan was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to Ling Chen before opening his mouth, "Chen Ge, the little friend—"
"Get in the car." Ling Chen turned around to open the door of the Armored Vehicle, and glanced back at Jiang Cancan, his voice tense, "That's an order."
Jiang Cancan tilted his head while looking at Ye Xiao, who was staring longingly at Ling Chen, noticing that the hand gripping the blade was trembling.
"Damn it!" Gritting his teeth, Jiang Cancan quickly rushed into the Armored Vehicle. In less than a minute, he came back with a pile of nutrient solutions before shoving them all into Ye Xiao's arms.
He whispered to Ye Xiao, "Be good, listen to Can Can. Little friend, take care of yourself and don't get hurt. Chen Ge is just a jerk, so don't worry about him. I'll find a chance to beat him up for you later! If you can get out of D Zone, do it quickly. Make sure you don't get hurt, and take good care of yourself."
As he spoke, his voice grew nasal.
Ling Chen didn't stop him and was just simply sitting in the driver's seat with a cold expression.
Once Jiang Cancan finally got into the car, Ling Chen indifferently said, "Let's go."
The engines roared to life, and the two Armored Vehicles drove off one after the other that were heading upstream along the river.
In the rearview mirror, Ye Xiao stood alone while wearing ill-fitting clothes with his hair still dripping wet, holding a black Long Blade in one hand and clutching the nutrient solutions in the other. A small grass-woven goldfish dangled from his middle finger. He remained motionless while staring in the direction the Armored Vehicles had gone, as if he were crying.
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