The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Not long after, Jiang Cancan and the others returned.
As soon as they entered the vehicle, Jiang Cancan, with his uneven and patchy buzz cut, leaned over and asked in a worried whisper, "Chen Ge, how's the little friend? When will he wake up? Is it serious? Earlier, as soon as he heard that mini-monsters had emerged from the water, he shoved your jacket into my arms and jumped into the river. I was about to follow him, but then those mercenaries suddenly appeared, and it really pissed Can Ye off!"
"It's not serious, he's already been medicated." Ling Chen replied. "What's the deal with those mercenaries?"
Jiang Mu answered, "They're 'Ephemera.'"
"Ephemera?" Ling Chen frowned. "The one established three years ago?"
Jiang Mu confirmed, "That's them. According to the data, their members are quite young, but their combat strength is formidable. They're very selective about the missions they take, and their fees are high. What makes them highly sought after is their near-perfect mission success rate. However, their methods are different from Holy Judgement, and they're on our internal whitelist."
Ling Chen hummed in acknowledgment, "Since they're on the whitelist, as long as they don't cross our path, we don't need to bother with them."
Jian Lan, sitting in the driver's seat, chimed in with a grin, "They're pretty gullible too. Can Can told them we were also mercenaries here to make money, called 'Sharp Blade,' and they didn't suspect a thing."
Jiang Mu pointed out the key issue: "Because we really don't look like regular military."
Jian Lan hit the brakes before she turned around, and first looked at Ling Chen, who had a fierce and arrogant expression that screamed "I'm dangerous." Then she glanced at Jiang Cancan, who was sporting a patchy haircut and grinning like a fool. Finally, her gaze landed on Jiang Mu, the only one who seemed serious but still didn't quite fit the image of a proper soldier amidst this group.
She sat back down and touched her nose—well, that seemed about right.
At that moment, she finally understood why the military district had never approached them to appear in internal promotional videos.
If they were to star in a promotional video, they'd probably... only be able to play the villains who disrupt peace and stability.
Ah, how tragic!
Ling Chen looked down at Ye Xiao, who seemed to be sleeping in his arms, and carefully adjusted the blanket. He then asked Jiang Mu, "Give me the route to the eighth coordinate point."
Jiang Mu replied, "We're currently at the southwestern end of D Zone. The eighth coordinate point is at the northeastern corner."
Jiang Cancan exclaimed, "Ah, so we have to go diagonally across?"
Jiang Mu: "Pretty much. It's a long journey, but fortunately, our supplies are well-stocked."
Jian Lan touched her nose again—the supplies were all looted, and indeed, no matter how you looked at it, they didn't resemble regular military. How had she never noticed the unique vibe of their Second Division before?
Ling Chen thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Mu and Jian Lan, take turns driving. Can Can, keep an eye on those mercenaries and see which direction they're heading."
Jiang Cancan acknowledged the order and quickly climbed onto the roof of the vehicle.
…….
Ye Xiao started running a fever about an hour later.
It was a sudden, intense fever, and the heat radiated through the blanket wrapped around him.
Ling Chen held a thermometer and stared at the reading of 39.6 degrees Celsius with his brow furrowed. "He's almost burning up like a little fireball..."
Noticing Ye Xiao's dry lips, Ling Chen was about to set him down to fetch a military canteen. But before he could even touch the seat, Ye Xiao began to whimper in discomfort. As soon as Ling Chen picked him back up, the whimpering stopped, and Ye Xiao nestled obediently in his arms, continuing to sleep.
Ling Chen sighed helplessly, "Is the little clingy one really this clingy?"
The patient, Ye Xiao, was still in a deep sleep and didn't respond to him.
However, Ling Chen couldn't bear to put him down again and simply carried him to fetch the water bottle.
Afraid that Ye Xiao might choke, he patiently fed him little by little. When water spilled from the corner of his mouth, Ling Chen casually wiped it dry with a blanket. Only after making sure Ye Xiao had drunk enough did Ling Chen screw the military water bottle shut and set it aside.
After drinking the water, Ye Xiao quieted down. Ling Chen held him in his arms and closed his eyes to rest—they were about to reach the eighth coordinate point, which meant they would soon approach the Regional Core. If Holy Judgement's objective was the same as theirs, they would likely run into Holy Judgement's team in the central circle of D Zone...
Feeling movement in his arms, Ling Chen snapped out of his thoughts and opened his eyes, only to see Ye Xiao squirming slightly. At first, he thought Ye Xiao was feeling unwell and was about to comfort him when he suddenly noticed that the Little Fuzzball in his arms had inexplicably teared up and his eyes turning red. Soon, tears streamed down from the corners of his tightly closed eyes and dampening his hair at the temples.
"Damn, I hate it when you cry..." Ling Chen had no idea how to comfort him and quickly called Jiang Mu over, "Is he feeling really unwell right now?"
Jiang Mu wasn't a doctor either, but after fiddling with the medical scanner for a while, he said, "The jellyfish toxin levels in his blood haven't dropped. He must be feeling pretty bad."
Meanwhile, Ye Xiao was wriggling restlessly in Ling Chen's arms. Ling Chen let him move around and even shielding him with his hand to prevent him from accidentally falling to the ground.
After a while, Ye Xiao suddenly quieted down again—his ear pressed against Ling Chen's chest, as if finding some comfort, and his tears stopped.
Jiang Mu put away the medical scanner and remarked meaningfully, "He's listening to your heartbeat." After saying that, he returned to the driver's seat.
Ling Chen stayed in the same position, not daring to move, and slowly exhaled.
He looked down at the tear streaks still wet on Ye Xiao's face and his damp eyelashes before asking softly, "Did you hear my heartbeat and realize I'm still alive, so you stopped crying, huh?"
Leaning against the wall of the vehicle, he gazed at the ceiling with his heart filled with indescribable emotions.
The suppressed doubts resurfaced—Ye Xiao was truly terrified of him dying.
Once, when they found the Soaring Dragon's nameplate, Ling Chen had been in a bad mood and casually asked if Ye Xiao would avenge him if he died. That night, Ye Xiao had a nightmare and cried in the middle of the night, probably dreaming that Ling Chen had actually died.
Another time, during a fight with the Mantis Humans at the biological research institute, Ling Chen had been slashed across the chest. The wound wasn't deep and didn't even leave a scar, but it had bled a little at the time. When Ye Xiao saw it, he charged forward recklessly with his blade and stomping on the enemy's face to fight. Afterward, he bit the fabric of Ling Chen's shoulder and cried, sobbing and begging him not to die.
Ling Chen rubbed his chin against Ye Xiao's fine hair, unsure if he was asking a question or simply talking to himself, "Ye Xiao, why are you so afraid of me dying?"
As it turned out, this question shouldn't have been asked.
Triggered by some word, the tears that had just been comforted returned as it silently streamed down, making his pale face look pitiful. His eyes tightly closed as he sobbed twice and struggling to catch his breath.
Ling Chen sighed—what could he do? He had caused the tears, so he had to be the one to comfort him.
He patted Ye Xiao's back somewhat clumsily, softening his voice, "Our Little Fuzzball, don't cry. It's okay, the Captain won't die..."
Ye Xiao's consciousness was hazy. He felt hot, his entire body was in pain, and his palms were burning, just like when he had desperately pressed against the bullet wound on Ling Chen's chest with the warm blood continuously seeping out and covering his hands.
He remembered clearly that before Ling Chen left, he had stuffed the remaining majority of the nutrient solution into Ye Xiao's hands, ruffled his hair twice, and told him to wait in the cave for his return.
Ye Xiao guarded the nutrient solution and waited in the cave for two days, but Ling Chen still hadn't returned. He was restless and unable to sleep well at night because he was always dreaming of Ling Chen lying in a pool of blood. In the end, he decided not to listen to Ling Chen's words and took Water Cutter to search for him.
He did find Ling Chen, but by then, Ling Chen was already severely injured, and the identification tags tied to his wrist, including Jian Lan's, were soaked in blood.
He shouldn't have been so obedient and shouldn't have waited in place.
When Jiang Cancan jumped down from the roof of the car, he saw Ling Chen patiently coaxing Ye Xiao with his head lowered. His eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he drifted like a ghost to the driver's seat, "Holy shit, someone pinch me! Am I hallucinating?"
Jian Lan, with the camaraderie of a comrade, fulfilled Jiang Cancan's request and gave him a hard pinch, "Does it hurt? If it hurts, then it's not a hallucination."
She pointed to the back of the car and whispered, "He's been coaxing for almost twenty minutes now because he was worried that the little friend's high fever and tears might cause dehydration, so he's been feeding him water while coaxing."
As she spoke, Jian Lan hugged her arms and shivered, "It's too much! If I go back and tell this story, the entire military district would probably think I'm joking."
Jiang Cancan spaced out for a while, then wandered back to the rear of the car, "I almost forgot, Chen Ge, I came to report. That group of mercenaries is still following us and keeping their distance, but Can Ye here spotted them!"
Ling Chen nodded, "Keep an eye on them. When we stop at night, see if they're still following."
Jiang Cancan pressed his fingers to his forehead to gave a somewhat sloppy military salute, and climbed back onto the roof of the car.
As the sky gradually darkened, Ling Chen and the others found a place to stop, lit a fire, and opened a can of chicken legs to skewer and roast.
Jiang Cancan slid down from the treetop before he patted the dry leaves stuck to his body, and sat by the fire, "Those mercenaries are still following us. They stop when we stop, but I don't know what they're up to."
Ling Chen said, "Take turns keeping watch tonight and don't sleep too soundly."
Feeling Ye Xiao nuzzle against him, Ling Chen looked down before he opened a pack of stamina recovery solution mixed with water, and fed it to him.
As Jiang Mu had guessed earlier, Ye Xiao's temperature had been fluctuating throughout the day, but the only constant was his clinginess. He wanted Ling Chen to hold him everywhere and whimpering if let go even a little, insisting on staying close.
Jiang Cancan was happily munching on a roasted chicken leg when he saw Ling Chen feeding Ye Xiao water. He made a couple of "tsk tsk" sounds and exclaimed, "Thank goodness our Chen Ge has strong arms and good stamina, otherwise he wouldn't be able to carry him."
Ling Chen glanced at him in a good mood, and didn't respond.
Jiang Mu was eating while flipping through some documents, "Ye Xiao's condition doesn't seem to be solely due to the effects of jellyfish toxin. It's more like a stress response—his subconscious activates a defense mechanism in certain situations. That's why even when he's not fully conscious, he only accepts your presence. Neither Cancan, Jian Lan, nor I can get close to him."
He voiced his speculation, "I suspect that Ye Xiao has been exposed to similar biological toxins before, not just once or twice, and it has had a significant impact on his body. That's why he has developed this defense mechanism subconsciously."
Ling Chen nodded as he hastily ate a bit of food, and then stood up while holding Ye Xiao, "I'll take him to freshen up."
After Ling Chen left with Ye Xiao, Jiang Cancan and Jian Lan huddled together before chattering away, "Damn, Chen Ge is really not the same Chen Ge anymore!"
Jian Lan nodded in agreement, "He definitely has the potential to be a devoted husband!"
Jiang Cancan pressed down on his buzz cut, which he didn't know how long it would take to grow out, "Hey, do you think Chen Ge noticed that Can Ye here wanted to snatch his position as the boss, and then he went and found a Daji or Baosi to bewitch himself, giving me a chance to make a comeback?"
They are often cited as examples of beautiful women whose actions led to the downfall of dynasties.
Jian Lan looked at Jiang Cancan with disdain, "Have you ever seen a Daji who wields a Long Blade and fights by stepping on faces, or a Baosi who takes on twenty opponents without a hint of fear?"
Jiang Cancan: "..."
Inside the vehicle, Ling Chen took a damp towel and carefully wiped away the sweat from Ye Xiao's body. After giving him some water, he placed Ye Xiao on his lap and held him securely.
He noticed that the bandage on Ye Xiao's right wrist was a bit dirty, so he bent down and pulled out the first aid kit from under the seat. He found a clean roll of bandage and meticulously wrapped it around Ye Xiao's wrist several times before finishing it with a neat bow.
After securing it, Ling Chen nuzzled Ye Xiao's hair with his chin and let out a soft chuckle, "Hmm, our Little Fuzzball is still as cool as ever."
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