The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
This time, Jian Lan controlled the speed of the vehicle by driving slowly forward.
Jiang Cancan fiddled with the Desert Scorpion and held back for a while before finally unable to resist as he leaned over to talk to Ling Chen, "Chen Ge, who do you think those people we passed earlier were?"
Ling Chen glanced at Jiang Cancan, "Want to know?" He fed a walnut he had cracked into Ye Xiao's mouth but worried that it might be too dry, so he also gave him some water.
Jiang Cancan: "Of course I want to know! This journey has been so boring, Can Ye suddenly realize the benefits of D Zone, where mini-monsters pop up from time to time and making it not boring at all!"
Ling Chen couldn't be bothered with him, "You'll know who they are when we bump into them, Comrade Jiang Cancan, go back and sit properly."
At this moment, Jian Lan's voice came through, "The 3D Map shows an abandoned construction site ahead with only the foundation being dug before it was deserted."
Ling Chen put down the walnut in his hand, "Find a place to park and we'll walk over. If the people we passed earlier needed to take a break, they might have chosen this place to stop."
The group got out of the car and quietly moved towards the construction site.
Jiang Cancan was oddly excited, "Jian Lan, do you think they're here to catch us?"
It was always him catching others before, now it's the other way around, it's a fresh feeling for him.
Jian Lan casually plucked a blade of grass and chewed on it, nonchalantly, "Probably not, we're too fast."
Soon, the group reached the edge of the construction site.
The steel materials piled in the corner were already rusted by the rain and other various tools were scattered around. The group hid behind the piles of materials, not making a sound.
Ye Xiao had a candy in his mouth, which Ling Chen had given him when they got out of the car. He tugged at Ling Chen's sleeve, and when the latter turned his head, he signaled that he had something to say.
Ling Chen leaned his ear over, and heard Ye Xiao whisper, "Captain, at eleven o'clock, offset by 0.6, there are two people."
The warm breath on his ear with a sweet scent made Ling Chen's ear itch, he asked, "Any more?"
Ye Xiao tilted his head to listen, after a while he leaned closer to Ling Chen's ear and whispered, "At one o'clock there are three, at two o'clock there are five, a total of ten people."
After listening, Ling Chen gestured to Jiang Cancan and the others, then moved a few steps to the right with Ye Xiao before peeking through the gap in the direction Ye Xiao pointed and vaguely seeing a few figures. He extended the barrel of his gun through the gap in the cement slab with his finger on the trigger.
Scattered words were faintly carried over by the wind, Ling Chen inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had heard this voice somewhere before.
He gestured to Jiang Cancan again.
Receiving the signal, Jiang Cancan was very enthusiastic about stirring things up, the first shot was fired cheerfully, but as per Ling Chen's instruction, it wasn't aimed at anyone. The bullet hit the ground and splashing up dirt half a person's height.
The effect was good that the people who were resting stood up with the dark muzzles of their guns aimed at Jiang Cancan's hiding spot.
Ling Chen continued to look out through the gap, the more he looked the more familiar it felt, on the other side Jiang Cancan had already spoken up, "Holy shit, Soaring Dragon?"
The other side also recognized him, "Damn, Jiang Cancan? You actually fired at your comrades! Want to start a brawl?"
Jiang Cancan always kept in mind that he was on the run, so he didn’t jump out recklessly. Instead, he shouted back, "Can Ye didn’t know it was you guys! But what are you doing here?"
"What else? Carrying out a mission. You too?"
Hearing this retort, Jiang Cancan felt reassured.
He glanced at Ling Chen and, seeing that the other didn’t stop him, he stood up and carefully scrutinized the members of Soaring Dragon. He was shocked, "No way, did you guys climb a mountain of knives or dive into a sea of fire? Why do you all look so terrible?"
Nearly half of the ten people were seriously injured, and the rest were all wounded.
A minute later, the two groups merged.
The captain of Soaring Dragon, Wu Ziyan, was tall and burly, with muscles on his arms that were hard to miss. His skin was somewhat dark, and he had thick eyebrows and big eyes, giving him the appearance of a kind-hearted man. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and pulled Ling Chen aside to talk.
Ling Chen, with his hands in his pockets, asked, "How did you end up in such a state? Before I left, weren’t you all still on standby at the Command Center?"
Wu Ziyan forced a smile, "The Command Center sent a small team into D Zone to look for you, and then they gave the order for me to lead the rest of the team on a mission."
Ling Chen didn’t inquire about the specifics of the mission but asked, "Was the mission location in Zone Four?"
Wu Ziyan didn’t avoid the question, "Yes, in Zone Four. It was an A-level mission targeting a Biological Research Institute."
Hearing these words, Ling Chen’s eyelids twitched, "Was it to retrieve samples or to destroy it outright? But if it was just an A-level mission, why are all of you injured?"
"Destroy it outright and leave nothing behind." Wu Ziyan opened his mouth, but the words on the tip of his tongue didn’t answer the second question.
Ling Chen wasn’t a patient person. He tilted his chin toward Ye Xiao, who kept glancing in his direction, "See that? The little thing is clingy as hell. If I’m away for too long and he can’t see me, he’ll cry. If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don’t waste my time!"
Wu Ziyan followed his gaze, then quickly looked away, "This mission… something feels off. I brought fifteen people with me, and as you can see, only ten are left now."
The missions carried out by special operations teams were always highly dangerous, and the casualty rate was consistently high. However, before a mission, the Command Center would determine the number and scale of the deployment based on the difficulty of the task. This way, the combat power would generally be balanced, and it was rare to lose five people in one go, with most of the remaining members injured.
Wu Ziyan stared at the team members who were arm-wrestling with Jiang Cancan and Jian Lan, then continued, "Although I know I shouldn’t think this way, I still feel… that this is deliberately depleting Soaring Dragon’s combat power." His voice was heavy, "I only have fifty people under my command, and in just one month, I’ve lost a third of them."
Ling Chen didn’t respond immediately, "Wait."
He walked over to the group to took the Soaring Dragon dog tags that Jiang Cancan had brought back from D Zone, and casually ruffled Ye Xiao’s hair. He then returned to Wu Ziyan’s side and handed over the handful of dog tags.
"Sorry."
Wu Ziyan took the dog tags with both hands with his eyes slightly red and his voice hoarse, "What are you apologizing for?"
He looked at each name on the dog tags one by one, then took five more from his pocket and placed them all together.
Ling Chen knew this feeling and spoke after a while, "They're dead. And it's up to us, the living, to avenge them."
Wu Ziyan silently collected all the dog tags into his bag and looked up at Ling Chen, "Why are you guys here? A new mission?"
"No," Ling Chen raised an eyebrow, "Guess again?" He was now certain that the Command Center had kept their disappearance under wraps; otherwise, Wu Ziyan wouldn't be in the dark.
Wu Ziyan frowned, "You didn't return to the Command Center?"
"Nope." Ling Chen didn't hide it, "We ran away halfway."
Wu Ziyan studied his expression with his frown deepening, "Did something happen at the Command Center?"
Clearly, compared to the idea that Ling Chen would lead his team to defect, he was more inclined to believe that something had gone wrong at the Command Center.
Before Ling Chen could answer, he affirmed, "The Command Center has a problem. That's why they deliberately sent Fang Wenzhe to lead the team into D Zone, and not a single one came back alive. That's why they rated the difficulty of this mission as A-level and sent me with fifteen people, when in reality it exceeded S-level. If not for sheer luck, I would have been lost there too."
His nostrils flaring as Wu Ziyan kicks the nearby iron frame. The rusted frame couldn't withstand his kick and snapped with a loud "crack."
Ling Chen wasn't good at comforting others, so he just analyzed, "If you and the veterans in the team were all lost in the mission, don't you think the new captain sent by the Command Center would easily take control of the entire Soaring Dragon? With almost half dead, who they replace them with would still be up to the Command Center."
He looked at Wu Ziyan, "We've all been targeted, and the Cheetah team probably isn't an exception either."
Wu Ziyan calmed down and smiled bitterly, "It really fits the saying, 'Better not join Soaring Dragon in life, nor Cheetah in death; better not join the Second Division even if life is worse than death.'"
Ling Chen asked, "What are you planning to do next?"
Wu Ziyan couldn't even force a smile anymore, "Should I bring my men and follow Chen Ge?"
Ling Chen looked indifferent, "Half of your men are chatterboxes, no thanks."
After a dozen seconds, Wu Ziyan took a deep breath, "I still want to take my men back and see."
Knowing that Wu Ziyan still held a sliver of hope for the Command Center, Ling Chen didn't dissuade him, "If the situation turns bad, run fast. It doesn't matter if you die, but your soldiers have entrusted their lives to you."
"Right."
"And also, don't say you've seen us. If our whereabouts are leaked through you, I'll personally shoot you."
After Ling Chen finished talking with Wu Ziyan and returned, the large pot of beef that had been cooked was already completely raided, not even a drop of soup left.
Wu Ziyan had composed his expression and kicked Lao Wu on the back, "That's too much, not even leaving a bite for me!"
The group burst into laughter.
Ye Xiao tugged at Ling Chen's sleeve, "Captain."
Ling Chen looked down to see Ye Xiao holding a steel helmet that was covered with a large jacket and filled to the brim with beef, well-protected that not a single piece had been snatched away.
Ling Chen's eyes were full of smiles, "Saved for me?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "Yes!"
Ling Chen was satisfied as he took the steel helmet from Ye Xiao, and deliberately waved it in front of Wu Ziyan, "Any insights, Captain Wu?"
Wu Ziyan didn't want to deal with him.
After dinner, the group wanted to digest their meal and clamored for some activity, suggesting a one-on-one sparring match with Ling Chen as the referee. Ling Chen sat on a concrete slab with his legs crossed, and chuckled, "Not interested. Watching you guys fight is like watching little cubs clawing at each other. No thanks."
Everyone burst into laughter even though none were willing to admit they were the "little cubs" and no one dared to force Ling Chen to be the referee.
Ye Xiao, holding his black long blade, sat down next to Ling Chen and hesitantly asked, "Captain, can I join?"
"Of course you can."
Ye Xiao gripped the scabbard, a bit nervous. "I've only ever learned... how to kill."
The last two words were spoken softly.
For him, fighting had never been about "holding back" or "not hurting others." It was always life or death, with no third option.
Ling Chen understood and reached out to pinch Ye Xiao's cheek, softening his voice. "It's okay. I believe in you, Ye Xiao. You can control the blade in your hand."
The one sparring with Ye Xiao was a veteran from the Soaring Dragon team.
Wu Ziyan sat down on the concrete slab with his legs spread. "Lao Xiang is quick and experienced. How old is your little friend? He looks so young. Is he even an adult? He won't end up crying and running to you, will he?"
Ling Chen, holding Ye Xiao's long blade, casually smiled. "Stop talking nonsense. Who wins or loses is still up in the air."
Before Wu Ziyan could respond, he noticed Ye Xiao move. The attack was lightning-fast with his fists aimed straight at Lao Xiang's face. Lao Xiang reacted two seconds too late as he hastily dodged to the side, but the punch grazed his temple, leaving it red.
Wu Ziyan's back straightened instantly. "Damn, I misjudged him! That speed is insane! How long has he been training?"
On the field, Lao Xiang dropped all his previous underestimation by flexing his fingers and his expression turning serious.
They say you can tell a fighter's skill from their first move, and in just one exchange, Lao Xiang realized his opponent was no pushover.
Jiang Cancan was nearby and banging two steel pipes together, creating a loud "clanging" noise. "Go, little friend! Beat that guy with the surname Xiang!"
Once in the zone, Ye Xiao was completely unaffected by the outside world.
Lao Xiang was fast, but Ye Xiao was faster.
He lowered his center of gravity until his left leg snapping straight with a loud "crack", and slamming into Lao Xiang's shin. Lao Xiang stumbled but quickly regained his balance before countering with a punch aimed at Ye Xiao's chest.
Wu Ziyan watched the two fighters intently, growing more and more amazed. "Chen Ge, where the hell did you recruit this guy? Lao Xiang is fast, but he can't even touch him!"
Ling Chen loved hearing others praise Ye Xiao, even more than when they praised him.
"Did you see that last move? If he had used a bit more force, Lao Xiang's windpipe would've been crushed. That speed is inhuman! A real killing machine! I need to get closer to watch this!"
Listening to Wu Ziyan's exclamations, Ling Chen's smile slowly faded.
He looked at Ye Xiao, who was clearly holding back, and suddenly wondered if, in places he didn't know about, Little Fuzzball had been fighting for his life every day to become this strong—so strong that even a veteran from the special forces was no match for him.
"I lost."
Lao Xiang conceded, and the match came to an end.
Ye Xiao, with a stern expression, somewhat clumsily bumped fists with his opponent. Without delay, he quickly turned and ran over to Ling Chen with his face beaming with a radiant smile. "Captain, I won! I made sure to control my strength and didn’t hurt him."
Ling Chen nodded before pulling Ye Xiao to sit beside him. He zipped up Ye Xiao’s jacket and smoothed out the collar, then unexpectedly asked, "Was it very hard for you before?"
He had intended to praise Ye Xiao for his skill, but for some reason, the words that came out were unexpectedly sentimental.
Ye Xiao understood the question and answered earnestly, "It was a little hard. From a young age, I’ve always given my all just to survive." He smiled with his eyes clear and pure. "I’m glad I made it through, otherwise I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet you, Captain."
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