The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Ye Xiao followed Ling Chen, who was holding a candy jar, out of the storage room. Jiang Cancan and the others had already gathered around the sofa, having brought down a lot of food from the armored vehicle and creating a very tea-party-like atmosphere.
Ling Chen led Ye Xiao to sit down to pick and choose, and selected a can of cherries, a can of yellow peaches, and a can of sweet milk for Ye Xiao. Seeing Ye Xiao's eyes curve with delight as he ate, Ling Chen then turned to Jiang Ganzhou, "Introduce yourself?"
Jiang Ganzhou, who was being stared at, looked somewhat flustered.
The fact that Jackal and his gang had been so easily dealt with made him realize that the people in front of him were only going to be more formidable.
Seeing Jiang Ganzhou so scared he was almost out of breath, Jiang Cancan chuckled and said, "Oh, don't be nervous, we're not bad people. Just answer whatever we ask, don't be afraid."
Jiang Ganzhou's skin was the kind of pale that comes from being cooped up in a lab year-round without seeing the sun. Now, frightened by Jiang Cancan, he looked even more bloodless.
Ling Chen swallowed the candied cherry Ye Xiao fed him and, in a mood better than usual, spoke with a slightly softer tone, "We were hired by Professor Bai, but we've lost contact and can't find our employer, so we came here to take a look."
"Professor... was really your employer?" Jiang Ganzhou's voice was tight and his eyes doubtful.
"Otherwise, why would we kill Jackal and his gang? Just for fun?" Ling Chen, posing as the leader of the mercenaries, was completely at ease, not even needing to act.
He lounged loosely against the back of the sofa with his shirt outlining sharp muscle lines, his facial features sharp, and even his smile carried a hint of mischief. No one would associate him with the regular army.
Jiang Ganzhou was somewhat convinced.
Seeing his expression soften, Ling Chen continued, "We hope to find Professor Bai as soon as possible. As you just saw, there are quite a few enemies. If we're late by a couple of days, our employer might be dead, and then who would we get the final payment from?"
Hearing that it was about money, Jiang Ganzhou's hesitation lessened a bit.
After all, he had been in the engineering institute for years, and mercenaries were far from his world. Moreover, Ling Chen not only knew about Professor Bai's private residence but had also saved him earlier, which made him instinctively trust Ling Chen a bit more.
"My name is Jiang Ganzhou, I'm a student under Professor Bai, but the professor has already left, and I don't know where she went."
Ling Chen asked, "When did she leave? Can you tell us about the situation at that time?"
For Jiang Ganzhou, today's events were far beyond what he could handle, and his mind was a mess. He could only try to say what he knew.
"At the end of May, the professor and several other professors were in a very bad mood, and several senior students were severely scolded.
On the night of the 28th, the professor gave all of us students who were interning at the engineering institute a holiday. We all guessed that there might be another secret experiment going on, and since our level wasn't high enough to participate, we all left, as this had happened often before."
Ling Chen mentally compared the timeline.
He had entered D Zone on May 25th, and on the 28th, the Holy Judgement people also entered D Zone.
"And then?"
"After that, nothing strange happened, except that the professor had a heated argument with a researcher, but as soon as the argument started, we students who were present were called out by Professor Ling.
On June 4th, the professor took a leave and left the engineering institute, and did not return until the evening."
Later, on the morning of the 16th, as soon as I arrived at the Engineering Institute, I heard that Professor Bai, Professor Ling, and about twenty other professors had been temporarily dispatched by the higher-ups. All their ongoing experiments were put on hold. But I overheard someone in the restroom saying it wasn’t a dispatch but… a defection.”
Ling Chen’s expression remained unchanged. “So how did you end up encountering those mercenaries and being brought here at gunpoint?”
Jiang Ganzhou’s face paled. “I got into an argument with another student from a different professor. I refused to believe that Professor Bai would defect, but I ended up being targeted. They pointed a gun at me, and I… I was scared of dying.”
So he revealed the location of the private residence and led them there.
“It’s normal to be afraid of death. Everyone is,” Ling Chen said before waving Jiang Cancan over. “Take him to the attic to rest and bring him two tubes of nutrient solution.” Then, turning to the ashen-faced Jiang Ganzhou, he added, “We won’t kill you, but for our safety, we can’t let you go for now.”
Jiang Ganzhou had no choice but to agree.
After he was taken upstairs, Ling Chen called out, “Ling Yi.”
The voice of the Smart Butler came from the television. “I’m here.”
Ling Chen instructed, “Keep an eye on that person. Lock all doors and windows, make sure he doesn’t escape, and block all signals. Let me know if there’s any issue.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
Jiang Cancan came clattering down the stairs and sat next to Jiang Mu. He asked Ling Chen, “Chen Ge, are we not leaving for now?”
“No, we’ll stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning.”
Having slept in an Armored Vehicle for a month, Jiang Cancan was so thrilled he felt like running laps outside.
Ling Chen turned to Jian Lan, who was curled up in a single-seater sofa. “Any news from your family?”
Jian Lan shook her head grimly. “No, I can’t reach anyone in my family, nor my father’s subordinates. As for others I can’t fully trust, I don’t dare contact them.” She speculated, “Chen Ge, do you think my father and the others might have left with Professor Bai and his group?”
Ling Chen nodded. “That’s a possibility. My mother and the others must have taken the core research data from the Engineering Institute. They wouldn’t have left without armed protection. But with so many people, they’d likely split up to avoid drawing attention.”
Jian Lan relaxed a little. “Given my father and grandfather’s habits, if they didn’t even give me a hint, it’s clear they want me to stick with you, Chen Ge.”
“Sticking with me is a loss for you?” Ling Chen raised an eyebrow at her. “Alright, you and Can Can go upstairs and pick a room. Sleep wherever you like. Xiao Mu, come with me to the study.”
Ye Xiao, holding an empty milk glass, asked, “What about me?”
Ling Chen casually wiped the milk mustache from his lips. “You’re coming with me.”
The study was at the end of the second-floor hallway.
When the door opened, the curtains were tightly drawn, letting in little light. The room had a stale smell from being unused for so long.
Ling Chen turned on the light. “Ling Yi, open the curtains.”
As soon as he spoke, the curtains automatically opened, and the air purifier started running.
Ling Chen walked toward the desk while talking to the Smart Butler as he went. “Did my mother come back and enter the study?”
“Of course she did.”
“Did she use the computer?”
“Of course she did.”
Ling Chen: “…” He took a deep breath. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“Damn it, I—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the Smart Butler quickly interrupted, "Young Master, swearing is not a good habit. You are a gentleman and should not be so rude. You must be humble, calm, and courteous..."
Ling Chen once again muted the Smart Butler's voice. "Turn on the computer and grant me access."
After the computer screen lit up, Ling Chen gestured for Jiang Mu to sit in front of the computer. "I want to know what my mother did on the computer when she came back."
The sound of keyboard typing filled the room. Ling Chen didn’t disturb Jiang Mu and instead pulled Ye Xiao to the window to talk.
He lowered his voice, "Have you been eating and sleeping well these past few days?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "I haven’t gone hungry, been caught in the rain, or gotten injured."
"Good boy." Ling Chen couldn’t help but pinch his cheek and then asked, "Did you encounter any danger in D Zone?"
Ye Xiao thought for a moment, "I ran into a big gorilla. It was very tall and incredibly strong."
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow, "But you still took it down with a few strikes, right?"
"Mm." Ye Xiao smiled shyly and added, "I didn’t charge at it right away. I observed its weaknesses from a tree before making my move. I didn’t get hurt."
He remembered every word Ling Chen had ever told him.
Ling Chen: "Good boy. So, how did you find your way here?"
Ye Xiao shook his head, "I can’t say. It’s a secret."
Ling Chen had always known that there were some things Ye Xiao couldn’t tell him, so he changed the question, "What about your mission? Is it done?"
"It’s not finished." Ye Xiao pursed his lips.
Anything related to Noah couldn’t be discussed.
"I still can’t talk about the mission details, but for the next three months, I can protect the Captain again."
Ling Chen keenly picked up on the keyword—three months. He analyzed in his mind that three months was likely a deadline, and it was probably the timeframe for Ye Xiao to complete his mission. Since Ye Xiao mentioned he could stay with him, did that mean Ye Xiao’s mission was related to him? Or perhaps related to what he was about to do next?
At that moment, Jiang Mu’s voice called out, "Captain, come take a look."
On the computer screen was a report. Ling Chen quickly skimmed through it and his expression kept darkening.
The report was signed by his mother’s name, and its content consisted of complex data analysis. The conclusion was clear—D Zone was continuously expanding.
Ling Chen ordered, "Ling Yi, pull up the map."
Soon, a map of the Noah System World appeared on the computer.
The entire Noah World was divided into twelve zones. Two years ago, when D Zone, a place filled with Chaotic Data Streams, was discovered, it only occupied a small area in the northeast corner of Zone Seven.
But according to Bai Hengyun’s report, D Zone had rapidly expanded over the past two years and was now stretching to the southeast corner of Zone Four until it came across the border between Zones Four and Seven.
If the predictions were correct, D Zone would soon spread into Zones Five and Eight, expanding at an alarming rate.
Jiang Mu also looked serious, "According to Professor Bai’s estimates, D Zone will invade Zones Five and Eight within the next six months. It will take less than two years to occupy most of Zones Four, Five, Seven, and Eight."
Ling Chen slammed his fist on the table.
For once, the Smart Butler didn’t remind him not to use violence.
Ling Chen calmed himself down. "So, at the beginning of the year, my mother and the others hurriedly submitted an application to the military high command requesting to install data probes in D Zone and bring back the Regional Core for research as soon as possible."
Jiang Mu replied, "Yes, but the higher-ups might not believe the assertion that D Zone is expanding."
Ling Chen sneered, "Cowards."
Since natural disasters swept across the globe and the habitable zones continued to shrink, the rhetoric of "racial extinction" had never disappeared. Especially when, within just five years, the global population had directly decreased by three billion that provided strong support for the "racial extinction" theory.
Although the Noah System had become a temporary refuge for humanity, if you stopped anyone on the street and asked, nine out of ten people believed that humanity had no future.
Building a system world was merely a last-ditch effort before death.
The authorities had always been promoting the idea that humanity would inevitably continue its race, but in reality, many among the higher-ups also believed in "racial extinction", thinking that the struggle wouldn't last many more years. Yet, at the same time, they treated the Noah System World as their last lifeline and refused to believe the fact that D Zone was continuously expanding.
In her report, Bai Hengyun had proposed that if the expansion of D Zone was not curbed, then when the chaotic Data Stream filled the Noah System World, the entire Noah System would collapse.
‘Humanity had nowhere left to retreat.’
Muttering these words in his heart, Ling Chen rubbed his fingers together and pondered before giving orders. "We need to find the people from the Engineering Academy as soon as possible and hand over the Regional Core to them. Call Can Can and Jian Lan, organize and pack the things from the armored vehicle, and move them to the Sabertooth Tiger. We'll set off early tomorrow morning."
Jiang Mu acknowledged and turned to leave the study.
The study fell silent.
Ling Chen sat in his office chair to quickly organize the information and the current situation in his mind.
His mother, Professor Bai, must have submitted the report to the higher-ups, but it was rejected by some of them. At the same time, Holy Judgement had successfully infiltrated.
But if Holy Judgement wanted to unite so many higher-ups, they must have had a sufficiently enticing bait.
Yes, bait.
Something flashed through Ling Chen's mind, but he couldn't grasp it immediately.
So, the logical deduction should be that the higher-ups were fully aware of the expansion of D Zone, and at this time, Holy Judgement released the bait and attracted most of the higher-ups to cooperate with them while also deciding to eliminate all dissenters.
Realizing that the higher-ups had already allied with Holy Judgement, were no longer trustworthy, and wanted to eliminate dissidents, Bai Hengyun and the others must have decided to "defect" with the data.
This also explained why he and his team were ambushed while on a mission in D Zone.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Ling Chen noticed that Ye Xiao had been sitting quietly beside him while holding his Long Blade and dozing off with his head nodding slightly.
His serious expression instantly relaxed. Ling Chen stood up and walked over but glanced out the window to realize that it was almost dark.
Just as he bent down to pick Ye Xiao up, the latter woke up. Ling Chen naturally withdrew his hand. "Are you hungry? Let's go, I'll cook dinner for you."
……
In the living room, Jiang Cancan and Jian Lan were fighting over a pack of beef jerky. When they saw Ling Chen come down, they both stopped and sat back on the couch, giving each other the silent treatment for three minutes.
Seeing Ling Chen head to the kitchen, Jiang Cancan asked in surprise, "Chen Ge, we're not having canned food for dinner tonight?"
"Mm, I'm cooking today."
Thus, Ling Chen found himself the center of intense scrutiny.
Watching Jiang Cancan and Jian Lan stubbornly clinging to the doorway, and Jiang Mu boldly standing in the kitchen, Ling Chen frowned in irritation, "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Jian Lan replied with a grin, "Yeah, Chen Ge, we really don't."
Ling Chen couldn't be bothered to respond.
Two hours later, the five of them were seated around the dining table with dishes like braised chicken with mushrooms, beer duck, stir-fried shrimp, and braised pork trotters, all served in large bowls and generously portioned.
Ling Chen washed his hands, "I haven't been back for over a month, and the fridge only had meat. Make do with what's here."
Jiang Cancan took a bite of chicken and dramatically hugged the back of his chair, "Damn, this saved Can Ye's taste buds! This is what real eating is like; before, I was just eating to survive!"
Jian Lan popped open a beer and downed half the bottle in one go, "Chen Ge, I can't believe you can cook! I almost burned the kitchen just frying some greens!"
Ling Chen placed the peeled shrimp into Ye Xiao's bowl, "My parents are at the engineering institute 360 days a year. If I didn't know how to cook, I would have starved to death by the age of seven."
Noticing that Ye Xiao was still a bit clumsy with his chopsticks, Ling Chen took it upon himself to help Ye Xiao grab some food.
Jiang Cancan let out another exaggerated cry, "Damn it, Chen Ge, don't take my pork trotter! That's the one Can Ye had his eye on!"
Ling Chen ignored him and directly placed it in Ye Xiao's bowl.
Jiang Cancan looked aggrieved, "Chen Ge, I see how it is. This is how you treat a comrade who's fought by your side for eighteen years. It's truly heartbreaking!"
Ye Xiao hesitated and then offered the pork trotter to Jiang Cancan, "You have it."
"Little friend, you eat it!" Jiang Cancan's tone softened significantly, and he smiled warmly, "You're so thin; you need to eat more and gain some weight and height!"
After dinner, they played cards in the living room.
Ye Xiao didn't know how to play, so Ling Chen taught him step by step. After a few rounds, Ye Xiao was already outperforming Jiang Cancan and was evenly matched with Jian Lan. They kept at it until eleven before finally calling it a night and heading to bed.
As they were about to go upstairs, Jiang Cancan asked with concern, "We're taking the guest rooms, so where will the little friend sleep?"
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow, "He'll stay with me."
Jiang Cancan's eyes widened, and just as he was about to protest, Jiang Mu covered his mouth and dragged him away.
Jian Lan lingered behind as she hesitated for a few seconds, and then said, "Chen Ge, remember, you're still human." Afraid of getting hit, she ran off after saying that.
Ling Chen took Ye Xiao to his room.
He first filled the bathtub with water, then pulled out some of his own clothes from the wardrobe, "Make do with these?"
Ye Xiao was already quite used to wearing Ling Chen's clothes. He took them and said, "Yes, Captain, I'll go take a bath."
"Feel free to use anything in there, and it's fine to soak for a while."
Ye Xiao responded hastily and entered the bathroom, where he found a large bathtub occupying a significant portion of the space and already filled with water.
He had never used a bathtub before, so he carefully undressed and lay down in it.
The warm water rose around him, relaxing his nerves considerably.
Ling Chen waited outside with his throat drying up as he heard the sound of water. He opened a can of cold beer and drank it all in one go, but it didn't seem to help much.
Holding the empty beer can, Ling Chen knocked on the bathroom door, "Little Fuzzball, make do with my towel, or should I find a clean one for you?"
After a moment, Ye Xiao's voice came from inside, "Using the Captain's is fine."
Ling Chen was satisfied. "Good, it's on the shelf. Help yourself."
After Ye Xiao finished his shower, his hair was already dry.
He was wearing Ling Chen's oversized white T-shirt, which hung loosely on his slender frame.
He noticed five beer cans neatly lined up on the windowsill, all of which Ling Chen must have consumed while he was in the shower.
Seeing Ye Xiao staring at the beer cans on the windowsill, Ling Chen explained somewhat awkwardly, "I was thirsty." Then, he quickly changed the subject by pointing to the bed, "Do you want to sleep on the left side or the right?"
Ye Xiao glanced at the two pillows placed side by side and the blanket that was barely enough for one person. His ears grew warm. "Captain, maybe... I should sleep in the guest room instead."
"There's no guest room." Ling Chen lied without batting an eye with his excuse half-hearted. "It's going to get cold tonight. Little Fuzzball, could you warm up the bed for your Captain? Besides, it’s really lonely sleeping alone."
Whenever he was around Ling Chen, Ye Xiao found it hard to hold his ground. He took off his slippers and climbed into bed before claiming the right side and curling up under the blanket.
Ling Chen felt restless both physically and mentally, so he went into the bathroom to take a cold shower.
When he came out, he saw Ye Xiao lying under the blanket with only his head peeking out. His clear eyes looked over with the corners of his eyes slightly curved. "Captain, the bed is warm now. You can come up and sleep."
Ling Chen didn’t dare to move forward.
Instead, he turned around and went back into the bathroom for another cold shower.
Translator:
Poor, Captain.
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