The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Next, the installation of the final Data Probe went surprisingly smoothly—so smoothly that Jiang Cancan couldn't believe it. "What's going on? Can Ye here even have my gun loaded! According to Second Division's usual routine, a wave of vicious mini-monsters should have appeared by now!"
Jian Lan mercilessly slapped his still-growing buzz cut. "Stop blabbering. I’ve noticed your talent for jinxing things is almost unmatched—you’re practically the best in the entire army!"
Jiang Cancan rubbed his head and grinned. "Thanks for the compliment, comrade! I’ll gladly accept it!" Then he muttered under his breath, "Can Ye actually survived this mission. Looks like I’ll have to take some time off and visit the temple to fulfill a vow after we get back!"
At that moment, Ling Chen, who was leaning lazily against Ye Xiao as if his bones couldn’t straighten, interrupted Jiang Cancan’s musings. "Who told you the mission was over?"
Jiang Cancan took a step back. "Holy crap, there’s a hidden task?"
"Yep." Ling Chen nodded. "There is. The higher-ups want us to bring back the Regional Core from D Zone and hand it over to the Engineering Institute for research."
Jian Lan was stunned. "Holy crap, that’s insane! If we take the Regional Core like we’re plucking a bird’s egg, won’t D Zone collapse?"
She wasn’t usually one to think deeply, but her mind worked quickly. "Chen Ge, so… those probes we worked so hard to install earlier—that’s what they’re for?"
Jiang Cancan looked utterly confused and hadn’t caught on yet. He sidled up to Jiang Mu and tugged at his sleeve. "Xiao Mu, Xiao Mu, I don’t get it."
Knowing that Jiang Cancan wouldn’t understand without a detailed explanation, Jiang Mu spoke more than usual. "The probes installed at the nine Coordinate Points are likely Black Technology from the Engineering Institute. They can temporarily replace the Regional Core and keep D Zone running. So, taking the Regional Core for now won’t have a major impact on D Zone. We just need to return it after the research is done."
Jiang Cancan finally understood. "Xiao Mu, you’re so smart!"
Jiang Mu glanced at him. "You’re just too dumb."
Jiang Cancan: "..." So mad!
Ling Chen straightened up with some effort. "Alright, since everyone’s clear, let’s get in the car." With that, he led Ye Xiao back to the rear compartment.
Once everyone was in the vehicle, Ling Chen handed the Communicator from his wrist to Jiang Mu. "The Engineering Institute embedded a chip in it. After all nine probes are installed, it’ll show the location of the Regional Core. You’re familiar with the map, so you take it."
Jiang Mu took it before he checked, and said, "It’s close. It’ll only take three hours by car."
Jiang Cancan, waving his K57 around, got overly excited. "For Can Ye’s barbecue, let’s go, let’s go!"
Jian Lan and Jiang Mu took turns driving, while Jiang Cancan, dragging his injured leg, climbed onto the roof. The rear compartment was left with only Ling Chen and Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao, with a milk candy in his mouth, spoke hesitantly. "Captain."
"Hmm?" Ling Chen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and looked over. His hand instinctively reached out to massage the back of Ye Xiao’s neck. "What’s up, Little Fuzzball? Want some Sweet Milk?"
Ye Xiao shook his head. "No." He seemed hesitant.
Ling Chen smiled. "You can tell me anything to Captain."
Ye Xiao hesitated, "Did you hear... what Shan Ya said?"
No matter where he was, Ye Xiao habitually remained vigilant of his surroundings, but when it came to Ling Chen, he couldn't muster any sense of caution. As a result, he was both the most sensitive and the least sensitive to Ling Chen's presence. During his fight with Shan Ya, he had no idea when Ling Chen had stepped in.
Seeing Ye Xiao with his eyes downcast and not daring to look up, Ling Chen felt a pang in his heart but his tone remained unchanged, even softening a bit, "Hear what? That Shan Ya wanted to capture you and take you back?"
He keenly noticed Ye Xiao's right hand gripping the scabbard tighten, and his breath paused for a moment.
With a soft sigh, Ling Chen soothingly rubbed Ye Xiao's neck, "I already knew. Earlier, when Fang Wenzhe was working from the inside and Konins fell into my hands, he also said he wanted to capture me first, then take you back for the bounty."
Ye Xiao instinctively responded, "They can't capture you!"
Seeing him bristle, Ling Chen laughed, "Oh, our Little Fuzzball is so obedient!"
Ye Xiao's ears turned red, and he stammered, "You... aren't you going to ask me?"
"No, those aren't pleasant memories. If you can forget them, then forget them." Ling Chen's casual attitude finally made Ye Xiao's stiff back relax a little. Then he heard Ling Chen ask, "But, my life is valued at eight figures within Holy Judgement, and so is yours. You're tied with Captain in terms of bounty. Do you have anything to say about that, Ye Xiao?"
"Ah?" Ye Xiao was momentarily stunned, then after careful thought, he replied, "They're wrong. Captain is worth more than eight figures."
"I think they're wrong too." Habitually ruffling Ye Xiao's hair, Ling Chen leaned in closer to look into his eyes seriously, "Our Little Fuzzball is priceless."
Ye Xiao's neck turned red along with his ears, and he mumbled, "The Captain... the Captain is also priceless!"
…..
Jiang Mu's estimation was spot on.
Three hours later, the car stopped at the location of the Regional Core.
Jiang Cancan, dragging his injured leg, was about to jump out of the car when Jiang Mu's sharp glance made him freeze, too scared to move. For some reason, he felt a bit embarrassed, "Xiao Mu, are you going to carry me down like a princess?"
Jian Lan stood nearby and scrutinized Jiang Cancan from head to toe before mercilessly started mocking him, "Hahaha Jiang Cancan, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about yourself?"
Jiang Cancan glared at her, "Can Ye swears, our plastic brotherhood ends today!" After saying that, he supported himself on Jiang Mu's hand and landed on one foot before looking around, "It's so desolate here. Is the Regional Core really here? Did we take a wrong turn?"
Ling Chen retrieved the communicator and stood on the marked spot according to the display.
The group gathered around Ling Chen.
Jian Lan leaning on her heavy sniper rifle, couldn't help but whisper to Jiang Cancan again, "At this point, no one should ambush us, right? The Holy Judgement is gone, and apart from Ephemera, the mercenaries are all gone too."
Jiang Cancan had originally decided to sever his brotherhood with Jian Lan, but he couldn't resist the urge to talk as he instantly overturned his vow, and whispered, "Probably not, otherwise our luck would be too bad!"
This time, the Second Division's luck finally took a turn for the better.
Ling Chen entered nine sets of commands on the suddenly appearing touchpad and successfully verified his identity. Soon after, a silver-gray orb about two centimeters in diameter appeared and was stored by Ling Chen in the container that previously held the Data Probe.
After securing the item, Ling Chen said, "Let's go. We need to leave the central area first."
The armored vehicle headed northwest. Once they left the central area, the equipment gradually resumed functioning. Jiang Mu fiddled with the information transmitter and asked Ling Chen, "Chen Ge, we have a signal now. Should we report the mission progress to the command center?"
"Not yet." Ling Chen replied while rubbing his fingers. "We'll report once we reach the border with Zone One."
Jiang Mu had no objections. "Understood."
After dinner, Ye Xiao followed Jiang Cancan to the river to wash their helmets clean. When they returned, they saw Ling Chen leaning against the front of the armored vehicle, lost in thought and clearly in a bad mood.
"Ye Xiao."
Hearing Ling Chen call him, Ye Xiao handed the two helmets to Jiang Cancan and jogged over to stand in front of Ling Chen. "Captain?"
"Yeah." Ling Chen looked him over and noticed that half of his clothes were wet. The words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, so he simply took Ye Xiao back to the vehicle and found a clean set of clothes for him to change into.
After changing, Ye Xiao sat down beside Ling Chen. "Captain, are you unhappy?"
Ling Chen hummed in acknowledgment.
Ye Xiao frowned as he felt troubled. "What can I do to make you happy?"
Ling Chen thought to himself, ‘If you don’t leave, I’ll be happy.’
But he couldn’t be that selfish, so he changed his words. "Accompany me to watch the sunrise."
"Okay."
After nightfall, when Ling Chen was about to take Ye Xiao outside to sleep again, both Jiang Cancan and Jian Lan frowned deeply.
They wanted to rescue the little puppy from the wolf's claws, but they felt intimidated by Ling Chen's presence, so they didn’t dare to act and just left feeling utterly frustrated.
Ling Chen ignored them.
He picked up a black combat uniform jacket, grabbed a field illumination lamp, and, with his arm around Ye Xiao's shoulder, headed out.
The two climbed up to sit on a thick tree branch.
Ling Chen hung the field illumination lamp on the tree trunk, draped the jacket over Ye Xiao before he zipped it up and pulled him into his arms. He rested his chin on Ye Xiao's head and said softly, "Alright, sleep now. I’ll wake you when it’s dawn."
Ye Xiao obediently nestled in Ling Chen's arms and closed his eyes.
The surrounding warmth made him feel safe, and he soon fell asleep.
Ling Chen gazed at the person in his arms under the dim light woth a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips. He whispered, "You little heartless thing, you really just fell asleep."
Ling Chen stayed awake the entire night and just held Ye Xiao in his arms. When dawn broke, he gently woke him up. "Little Fuzzball, time to get up."
Ye Xiao instinctively knew he was safe, so he allowed himself to remain groggy for a while as he kept rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
Seeing how adorably disoriented Ye Xiao looked, Ling Chen helped straighten his jacket with his voice as soft as the morning breeze. "Alright, the sun is about to rise."
Ye Xiao nodded while still sleepy-eyed, and together they looked toward the east. Soon, the clouds on the horizon were dyed with the colors of the rising sun, and the light grew brighter.
Ye Xiao heard Ling Chen ask, "Are you leaving?"
Ye Xiao nodded. "Yes, I’m leaving." As he spoke those words, a wave of sadness washed over him, as if a part of his heart had collapsed, leaving an empty void.
Ling Chen remained silent for a while.
He leaned against the tree trunk before glancing sideways at Ye Xiao, who sat quietly beside him.
After a night had passed, all the emotions had been firmly suppressed deep within his heart. His words came slowly, calm and steady, "Little Fuzzball, the mission is done. If you want, you can come find me. No matter when, I’ll protect you."
Ye Xiao nodded.
Ling Chen had originally prepared a lot of things to say, but at this moment, he couldn’t utter a single word. He lowered his gaze to the small wooden rabbit hanging on Ye Xiao’s black scabbard as his voice softened that it was almost tender.
"Be good and take care of yourself. Don’t get caught in the rain, don’t go hungry and don’t get hurt."
"Okay."
"Remember to think of me."
"Okay."
Seeing Ye Xiao nod obediently with his eyes clear and bright, just like the first time they met, Ling Chen chuckled lightly. "You say 'okay' to everything I say?"
Ye Xiao nodded. "Mm."
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow. "Then, let the Captain give you a kiss?"
Ye Xiao paused for a second. "...Okay."
Ling Chen’s left hand gently held Ye Xiao’s chin.
At this moment, his heart was extraordinarily calm.
Outside D Zone, layers of danger awaited him. But in this instant, the light of the rising sun spread across the sky, dispersing for thousands of miles, and finally fell into Ye Xiao’s clear eyes, even his eyelashes seemed to be bathed in sunlight.
Ling Chen leaned in while slowly tilting his head slightly, and pressed his lips against Ye Xiao’s.
A fleeting kiss.
‘Hoping to see you again, my Little Fuzzball.’
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