The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
However, it was still time to sleep.
Ling Chen had spent a full twenty minutes under the cold water, but the chill he brought out from the bathroom quickly dissipated once he was in bed.
Ye Xiao asked with concern, "Captain, are you cold?"
Ling Chen shook his head, "No, I'm not cold." He was actually feeling quite hot.
Outside, the rain began to patter softly, and the breeze coming through the window carried a coolness.
Sharing the same blanket inevitably led to their shoulders brushing and their feet touching. They both carried the same scent of shower gel, making the closeness even more intimate.
Gradually, Ling Chen calmed down.
He relaxed as his eyelids half-closed, experiencing a sense of comfort he had never felt before on this rainy night.
The constant tension he had felt during the past month in D Zone, the vigilance he had maintained since leaving, all seemed to fade—only the person sleeping beside him felt real.
He suddenly remembered that Liang Ling, the former Grand Commander of the Second Division, had once taught him that no one could keep their heartstrings taut all the time. If stretched too tight for too long, they would snap, so it was important to learn to relax.
Liang Ling's way of relaxing was to have a plate of peanuts and drink two glasses of vodka. Ling Chen thought that perhaps Ye Xiao was his peanuts and his vodka.
Seeing that Ye Xiao wasn't sleeping but was instead looking around with wide-eyed curiosity, Ling Chen nudged Ye Xiao's foot with his own, "Can't sleep?"
"Yeah," Ye Xiao nodded, "I'm a little excited."
"Excited about what?"
"I'm not sure." Ye Xiao said, pulling the corner of the blanket and tilting his head to look at Ling Chen with his eyes shining, "This is where the Captain grew up."
"How silly." Ling Chen's heart softened at the sight, "Want to hear a bedtime story?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "Yes."
Seeing his eager expression, Ling Chen shifted his position before propping his head up with his left hand as he lay on his side and his right hand resting casually on the blanket. He spoke slowly, "Last time, I told you about the story behind the tattoo on my back, right?"
"Yes."
"What else do you want to hear?"
Ye Xiao wanted to know more about Ling Chen, every aspect of him. But if he had to choose one, "I want to hear about the Captain's childhood."
His own childhood had been monotonous, filled with training and fighting just to survive.
Ling Chen casually adjusted the blanket for him, "My childhood? There's not much to tell. Before I started elementary school, I was taken care of by a nanny. Apparently, I was very quiet back then and just always played with a Rubik's cube, never getting bored."
Ye Xiao, who lacked much common knowledge, was puzzled, "Why was it a nanny taking care of you, not your parents?"
"Because there was no one at home. My parents were too busy, and my grandparents had passed away early, so it had to be the nanny." Seeing Ye Xiao's interest, Ling Chen added a few more details, "I never met my parents' parents. I heard they were all in business, with vast enterprises. Both my parents were only children and highly intelligent, but they were completely devoted to scientific research and had no intention of inheriting and expanding the family business."
Ling Chen recalled that he didn't remember much from his early childhood, but during his teenage years, he had felt a stifling anger that he couldn't release.
He was either fighting or on his way to fight, always alone. Later, when he joined the Second Division, the fights escalated, but in essence, it was still just fighting—nothing of real significance and nothing worth mentioning.
So he covered Ye Xiao's eyes with his hand, "Alright, the bedtime story is over. It's time for our Little Fuzzball to sleep."
Ye Xiao blinked under his palm, "Okay, goodnight, Captain."
…….
Early the next morning, everyone gathered in the living room.
Ling Chen sat on the sofa, exuding an irritable aura, as if the words "Keep Away" were written on his forehead.
Jiang Cancan had just returned from his morning workout and was about to ask Ling Chen what they were having for breakfast, but he stopped mid-sentence and forced a laugh, "Hahaha, good morning, Chen Ge!" After that, he immediately turned to find Jian Lan, acting timidly and not daring to speak loudly, "Damn, what's up with Chen Ge? Did he not sleep well last night? His aura is so damn scary, it’s making Can Ye here too scared to even talk!"
Jian Lan, who was starving, was rummaging through the fridge for food. Hearing Jiang Cancan's question, she replied, "Maybe he forced himself to act human last night."
It took Jiang Cancan a few seconds to process what she said, then he leaned in closer, "So, what’s the deal between Chen Ge and the little friend?"
Jian Lan: "What do you mean, what’s the deal?"
Jiang Cancan scratched his head, "Well, if you say they’re together and in a relationship, it doesn’t seem like they are. But if you say they’re not together, the vibe between them is so intense it’s blinding. Can Ye here is completely clueless about what they’re up to!"
Jian Lan, leaning against the fridge door, said, "Bro, coincidentally, I asked your brother the same question before. He said it’s probably a case of one being hesitant and not willing to speak the truth, while the other is still clueless and doesn’t quite understand. It’s likely going to take a while."
Jiang Cancan’s attention was immediately diverted, "Xiao Mu said that? Damn, do you think Xiao Mu has been secretly dating behind my back? Otherwise, how could he talk about it so confidently? Oh no, oh no, has my precious cabbage been quietly nibbled on by some pig? I need to go ask Xiao Mu and get to the bottom of this!"
Jian Lan: "..."
Ling Chen indeed hadn’t slept well the entire night.
Ye Xiao slept very peacefully, not causing any trouble or moving around much and barely changing his position. It was Ling Chen who couldn’t resist and, in the middle of the night, pulled Ye Xiao into his arms to sleep.
Once he had Ye Xiao in his arms, Ling Chen spent the entire night restless and agitated, unable to sleep. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to let go, so he endured it until dawn.
When Ye Xiao woke up, Ling Chen pretended to still be asleep, closing his eyes. He acted so convincingly that Ye Xiao thought he was still asleep and carefully snuggled in his arms, even holding his breath as he gently touched Ling Chen’s eyelids, chin, and Adam’s apple, seemingly very content.
After that, Ye Xiao got out of bed and went to the courtyard to practice his sword skills. Ling Chen waited until Ye Xiao left, then went into the bathroom and took a twenty-minute cold shower to suppress the reaction that had arisen.
Despite his bad mood, Ling Chen still went to the kitchen and cooked a large pot of noodles for everyone’s breakfast. The pot of noodles on the dining table was quite a sight.
Ye Xiao didn’t have a big appetite, not even half of Jian Lan’s portion. He held a small bowl and carefully picked at the noodles.
Ling Chen couldn’t stand watching this after a while, so he put down his chopsticks and, following the Smart Butler’s instructions, found two pieces of ham and the last five frozen dumplings.
He sliced the ham and placed it on a small plate, then boiled the dumplings and served them in a small bowl before placing everything in front of Ye Xiao.
Jiang Cancan bit his chopsticks, "Jealousy is making me lose my shape!" But he only dared to glance at the food a few more times to satisfy his craving and did not dare to reach out and take any—it would be suicidal.
Ye Xiao obediently finished the noodles, ham, and dumplings in his bowl. Ling Chen watched from the side and asked, "Are you full?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "I'm full. The dumplings were especially delicious."
Ling Chen: "Have you had them before?"
Ye Xiao shook his head, "No, I haven't."
Before meeting Ling Chen, he had only survived on nutrient solutions. It was only after meeting Ling Chen that he discovered there were so many delicious things in the world.
Hearing this expected answer, Ling Chen felt a pang of sadness. He quickly unwrapped a piece of candy and fed it to Ye Xiao, as if this could sweeten the bitterness of Ye Xiao's past hardships.
After finishing their meal, the five of them gathered around the dining table to review the route map Jiang Mu had prepared.
Ling Chen began with a summary, "The message my mom sent through the Second Division's Encrypted Channel, 'The flowers at home need watering', decoded to the number five. Their destination should be Zone Five."
Jiang Mu continued, "We're currently in the southern part of Zone One. There are two possible routes. The first is to continue south to Zone Four, then pass through D Zone to reach Zone Five. The second is to head west to Zone Two, then go south to enter Zone Five."
Making sure Jiang Cancan and the others understood, he went on, "The difference between the two routes is whether we enter D Zone or not. What are your thoughts?"
Jiang Cancan raised his hand, "The Command Center has probably found Pan Wei and his team by now. It's uncertain whether they'll have internal conflicts with Holy Judgement, but they'll definitely be hunting us for the Regional Core. With surveillance everywhere, it might be easier to go through D Zone."
Jian Lan agreed, "If we're on the run, we should act like it. We should head to the most remote places. Where could be more remote than D Zone? The Command Center would never guess we'd go back into D Zone."
Jiang Mu nodded, "Entering D Zone has its pros and cons. Relatively speaking, it is indeed safer. After installing the nine Data Probes, the frequency of mini-monsters spawning has decreased. However, the issue is that we won't be able to receive external information once inside."
Then, all three of them looked at Ling Chen, waiting for his decision.
Ling Chen rubbed his fingers together and finally made the call, "Then we'll head to Zone Four first, then pass through D Zone to enter Zone Five."
Once the route was decided, they packed up and prepared to leave.
Ling Chen asked Jiang Cancan to go upstairs and knock out Jiang Ganzhou, who was locked in the attic, and find a place to leave him. Ling Chen himself checked all the doors and windows in the house and spoke to the Smart Butler, "I'm leaving."
The Smart Butler replied, "I'll take good care of the house."
Ling Chen chuckled, "Yes, I'll bring my parents back safely."
After Jiang Cancan returned, the group boarded the modified Sabertooth Riot Control Vehicle and headed south.
Since humanity entered the Noah System World, a remarkable achievement of the technological explosion, various social and psychological issues have emerged.
Even though the Noah World is a complete replica of the real world that was designed to eliminate people's rejection and discomfort, many still choose to give up the chance to live.
To this day, the number of suicides remains alarmingly high. Coupled with the absence of new births, the population continues to hit new lows each year, and abandoned lands and empty cities are becoming increasingly common.
The Sabertooth Tiger Vehicle had been running through the wilderness for two days, and not a single soul had been spotted. Jiang Cancan, clutching the game console he had swiped from Ling Chen's house, was furiously pressing buttons. With a loud groan, he exclaimed, "So frustrating! I've cleared the last game!"
He flopped down onto Jiang Mu's lap while looking utterly despondent. "I'm so bored..." he muttered under his breath. "If only a few Holy Judgement bastards would suddenly appear—"
With a screech, the tires skidded across the ground as Jian Lan slammed on the brakes. She turned around and cursed at Jiang Cancan, "Damn it, Jiang Cancan! You should really set up a fortune-telling stall!"
Jiang Cancan sat bolt upright. "Holy crap, no way! Did Holy Judgement bastards really show up?"
Jian Lan's hand was still on the steering wheel. "Xiao Mu, take a look? There's a tire by the roadside. It must have been thrown here not long ago. I think it looks like it could be from an Assault Vehicle or an Armored Vehicle." She couldn't be more specific than that.
Jiang Mu moved to the passenger seat and glanced out the window. "It's a tire from a small Armored Vehicle, Q20 Model, a vehicle released three years ago and non-military. Probably had a flat and was discarded after being replaced."
Jiang Cancan also leaned in to take a look. "So, you're saying an Armored Vehicle passed by here not long ago?"
Jiang Mu nodded. "But it rained earlier, so the tracks on the road have been washed away. It's unclear which direction it was heading."
Ling Chen, who had been patiently helping Ye Xiao crack walnuts, didn't even look up as he listened to their speculation. "Just keep following the original route. If we really run into them, we'll just fight."
Jian Lan cheerfully acknowledged and restarted the engine, then glared back at Jiang Cancan. "You, shut up!"
Jiang Cancan: ??
Translator:
I also know someone for their jinx ability 😂
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