The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Ye Xiao's body trembled slightly.
Ling Chen's hand on his waist immediately paused as he sensed something was wrong. He sat up and lifted Ye Xiao's shirt, revealing a large bruise on his abdomen.
Ye Xiao's fair skin made the injury even more glaring. Ling Chen's mind felt like it was exploding with molten lava and his eyes darkening. Worried that he might scare Ye Xiao, he tried to control his tone, "Did you get hurt during the fight?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "Yeah." He added, "It only hurts a little, it's fine."
Knowing that due to his past experiences, Ye Xiao would instinctively hide his injuries to prevent others from noticing, Ling Chen blamed himself for not being attentive enough to discover it earlier. He took a deep breath and smiled at Ye Xiao, "Where else are you hurt?"
"Nowhere else, just here." Ye Xiao thought for a moment and extended his right hand, "My tiger's mouth and arm are a bit sore. That Slit-Eyed Person was really strong." After saying this, he puffed out his cheeks as he rarely complained.
In martial arts like Tai Chi and Kung Fu, "tiger's mouth" refers to the space between the thumb and index finger of the hand. This area is considered a point of strength and can be used for gripping, striking, or acupressure. The area's flexibility allows for various hand positions and movement.
Ling Chen kissed the back of his hand, he then unwrapped a milk candy for him to eat before he got off the bed to fetch a medical spray. He carefully sprayed the medication on the injured area and gently massaged his arm and tiger's mouth.
The single room was quiet, with only the hissing sound of the spray. Ye Xiao leaned back against the pillow and watched the lowered head of Ling Chen, after a moment of daze, he suddenly said, "This is nice."
Ling Chen looked up and teased him, "This is what you call nice? Aren't you being a bit too content?"
Ye Xiao didn't respond and just smiled.
Seeing his curved eyebrows and smiling eyes, Ling Chen's mood soared, "Our Little Fuzzball is just so well-behaved."
At that moment, there was a sudden "bang bang" knock at the door, followed by Jiang Mu's voice, "Chen Ge, there's a situation."
Knowing that Jiang Mu wouldn't come to him unless it was urgent, Ling Chen sighed, "It's really hard to even get some sleep." He kissed the back of Ye Xiao's hand again, "Little Fuzzball, sleep by yourself for now, I need to handle something."
Ye Xiao got up as well, "I'll go with you."
Ling Chen pinched the tip of his nose and laughed, "Little clingy thing."
……
It was already past midnight.
In the control room, Jian Lan and Jiang Cancan stood in front of the display screen with their usual playfulness absent. Jian Lan made room as Ling Chen and Ye Xiao approached, "Chen Ge, something's not right."
Ling Chen looked at the screen and frowned, "What's approaching?"
"Don't know," Jiang Mu replied while pointing at the densely packed red dots on the screen, "It's unanalyzable, meaning it's something not in the database, and it's moving very fast with a clear target. It might also be carrying explosives; we've picked up a heat signature."
"Are they heading towards the Command Center?"
"No," Jiang Mu shook his head, "I calculated the route of the unknown objects and found their target is a research institute next to the Command Center."
Ye Xiao looked at the 3D map Jiang Mu had pulled up on the screen and confirmed, "It's definitely Qiu Guanghan's botanical research institute."
They all exchanged glances, feeling that something was off.
Jiang Cancan patted his crew cut, puzzled, "If they were attacking the Command Center, that would make sense because maybe it's Harrison's reinforcements. But attacking a botanical research institute? What kind of move is that?"
Ling Chen looked at the screen flashing with red lights and pondered, "Maybe it's not the same group."
Jiang Cancan was confused, "Not the same group?"
"Mm, Xia Yunfeng probably acted because the higher-ups were hesitating about whether to hand us over to Holy Judgement along with the Regional Core. He thought they couldn't delay any longer, so he colluded with Harrison to open the gates and let Harrison bring his people in, creating chaos while seizing the Regional Core." Ling Chen glanced at the time in the upper right corner of the screen. "If it were reinforcements, they wouldn't have taken this long to arrive. By then, it would've been too late."
Jiang Mu agreed, "So it's very likely that there were indeed two groups. Harrison attacked the Command Center for the Regional Core. And this incoming group might be after something in the plant research institute. Though it's unclear for now if these two attacks are connected."
Jian Lan added, "Looking at it this way, it's quite suspicious that the higher-ups were suddenly summoned to Zone One for a secret meeting."
"Mm, the timing is indeed suspicious." Ling Chen, holding Ye Xiao's wrist with his uninjured hand, pondered for a moment. "How long until the unknown entity arrives?"
Jiang Mu quickly calculated, "Twenty-five to thirty minutes."
Ling Chen nodded, "Connect me to Meng Yang.”
The communication request was sent, and in less than three seconds, Meng Yang's face appeared on the screen. "Ling Zihui!"
"Are there any civilian residential areas near the Command Center?"
Meng Yang didn't know why Ling Chen was asking this, but he answered in detail, "No, we're in the remote outskirts of City A, in a specially designated area."
"How many research institutes are nearby?"
"There are three around here: one for military equipment, one for armored vehicles, and another for plant research, studying how to enhance plants' ability to withstand disasters."
Ling Chen nodded and briefly explained the situation. "You take your team and hold the fort at the control room. I'll lead a team to the plant research institute."
Meng Yang was bewildered by the two consecutive attacks but knew there was no time to waste in an emergency. "Understood! We'll be there immediately!"
Meng Yang arrived quickly with a small team with sweat still dripping from his forehead. Ling Chen stood up, straightened his uniform, and formally saluted Meng Yang. "It's in your hands now."
Meng Yang touched his fingertip to his brow with his gaze resolute. "We won't fail the mission!"
After the handover, Ling Chen led his team out. Just as they reached the ground floor, they heard a loud "boom". Jiang Mu looked toward the side. "The protective net has been raised." At the same time, a sharp alarm sounded again. "Level one alert, level one alert..."
The five of them didn't pay further attention to the control room situation. They found a patrol vehicle and drove straight toward the plant research institute.
Jian Lan was driving.
She asked Ling Chen, "Chen Ge, are we going straight to find Qiu Guanghan, or should we sneak in?"
"Time is too tight. We'll ask directly."
Because of the sudden alarm in the middle of the night, no one was sleepy.
A small light was on in the institute's lobby. Qiu Guanghan, along with Yu Feile and a few students, waited in the rest area and waited for instructions.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Qiu Guanghan stood up but was surprised when he saw who had arrived. "What are you doing here?"
Dong Lingling was holding a cup of coffee, lost in thought. When she saw Ye Xiao standing next to Ling Chen, she sighed in relief. "Something just happened. I knocked on your door, but you weren't there. It scared me to death."
Ye Xiao didn't know how to explain, so he subtly tugged at Ling Chen's sleeve. Understanding his intention, Ling Chen took over, "He came to find me, and since it was late, we thought you might already be asleep, so we didn't inform you." As he spoke, he turned to Qiu Guanghan, "Second Division, Ling Chen, ID number E311. There are some things we'd like to ask you."
Dong Lingling exclaimed in surprise, "You... you're not mercenaries?"
Ling Chen replied, "Sorry, we were on a mission that required confidentiality, so we fabricated our identities."
Dong Lingling nodded understandingly, "No problem, no problem, it's all part of the mission!"
Qiu Guanghan stepped forward, and they all sat down in the reception area.
Ling Chen got straight to the point, "In about twenty minutes, we'll face an attack. The enemy's target is this research institute. Therefore, we'd like to know if there's anything special in the institute or if any special experiments are being conducted here."
Qiu Guanghan was still wearing his white lab coat, and the continuous late nights had left his eyes bloodshot. He raised his hand to wearily pinch the bridge of his nose, and after a moment of contemplation, he made a decision, "Follow me."
Before leaving, he instructed Yu Feile, "Assistant Yu, please take them to a safe place. Make sure they're safe."
Yu Feile nodded, "Don't worry."
They entered the elevator, and Qiu Guanghan verified his identity through iris recognition before pressing the button for the third basement level. With a "ding", the elevator doors opened, and a wave of cold air greeted them.
Qiu Guanghan explained, "Only I can come down here, and I'm the only one conducting the research." As he led them further in, he continued, "My students always thought I was amazing because I was able to secure funding for major projects on my own. But in reality, the surface-level projects, like improving plant resilience to disasters, were just a cover. What I'm really researching is the grafting of human and plant genes."
He stood in front of a door to input his fingerprint and iris, and sighed, "I think I know why someone would specifically target this institute—my experiment is nearing its conclusion."
Ling Chen frowned, "Grafting human and plant genes? How long has this experiment been going on?"
Qiu Guanghan replied, "Not long, just over a month ago after I was given a sample by the higher-ups. They wanted me to thoroughly study the sample and replicate the technology while emphasizing the need for quick results."
Ling Chen recalled encountering Soaring Dragon earlier; they had been ordered to a research institute to eliminate the test subjects and retrieve the experimental samples, only to be ambushed by Holy Judgement.
Could it be that some high-ranking officials wanted to exchange the Regional Core for Holy Judgement's Gene Fusion technology, study it thoroughly, and then use that technology to reclaim the Regional Core?
Entering the innermost laboratory, Qiu Guanghan pointed to a rectangular container made of frosted glass in the center, "If I'm not mistaken, this is their target."
Jiang Cancan looked at the nearly three-meter-tall rectangular container, "Is the experiment inside?"
Qiu Guanghan nodded, "Yes." As he walked towards the container.
At that moment, Ye Xiao, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "Don't move."
Jiang Cancan reacted quickly as he grabbed Qiu Guanghan's arm. Ye Xiao stared at the container and said with certainty, "Something inside is moving."
Jiang Cancan swallowed hard, "Can Ye got goosebumps all over!" He rubbed his arms, "Could it be something like the giant flower we encountered before?"
Jian Lan nearly jumped up to cover his mouth, "Stop blabbering! Every time you blabber, something bad happens!"
Jiang Cancan quickly covered his mouth.
Ye Xiao’s hand was already on the hilt of his blade with his eyes alert as he stared at the rectangular container. Ling Chen asked Qiu Guanghan, "What’s inside?"
"A specially cultivated vine-like plant. Its stems are tough, resistant to both waterlogging and drought."
At that moment, with a loud "bang", the glass container was shattered from the inside, causing shards to fly everywhere.
A deep red vine, as thick as an arm, extended out with its thorny tip slicing through the air like a whip. Several more "bangs" followed, and three or four more vines emerged.
Ye Xiao reacted swiftly as he gripped his Long Blade and dived forward. With a leap, he brought the blade down to sever the leading vine in the middle, which fell to the ground.
Jiang Cancan and the others each took on a vine, bullets tearing them apart in no time. Perhaps in pain, the vines retracted back into the container before falling silent for the moment.
Ling Chen raised his hand, "Jian Lan, give me the gun."
"Got it!" Jian Lan took the heavy sniper rifle off his back and handed it to Ling Chen.
Realizing what Ling Chen intended to do, Qiu Guanghan’s expression shifted slightly. His lips moved, but he didn’t speak. He had already noticed that the vines were trying to attack them. Though it was a pity, he understood the necessity.
With a deafening "bang", a small demolition bullet struck the base of the container, exploding it completely. The glass container shattered into pieces and scattered across the floor.
Ling Chen cautiously fired another shot to ensure the vines were completely destroyed and no longer a threat. Only then did he holster the gun and turn to Qiu Guanghan, "Teacher Qiu, grab the experimental data and come with us."
Qiu Guanghan took a deep breath, "Alright, just a moment!" He then turned and stood in front of the main computer.
Seizing the moment, Ling Chen, concerned that Ye Xiao might be uncomfortable, gently massaged his right wrist.
Ye Xiao suddenly spoke, "There are footsteps outside, two people, a man and a woman," he tilted his head, "...something’s off."
Soon, they all understood what Ye Xiao meant by "off."
It was Yu Feile and Dong Lingling, but Yu Feile had Dong Lingling firmly restrained with his gun pressed against her temple. Dong Lingling’s mouth was gagged, her eyes panicked and her face pale.
Qiu Guanghan looked shocked, "...Assistant Yu? What are you doing?"
Yu Feile had a gun holster on his waist, and his grip on the weapon was practiced, clearly an old hand. With his disguise gone, his features now carried a hint of malevolence.
Ling Chen’s voice was low, "Holy Judgement?"
Yu Feile didn’t respond directly as he instead laid out his terms, "I was very interested in Teacher Qiu’s experiment, but it seems it’s a failure now." He glanced at the shattered remains on the ground, sighing, "An uncontrollable experiment is useless. What a waste."
Then, his gaze locked onto Ye Xiao with his eyes burning with intensity, "But now, I’ve found something even more interesting."
Ling Chen stepped in front of Ye Xiao, shielding him.
Yu Feile tilted his chin up, "Give me a vial of Ye Xiao’s blood, and I’ll let Dong Lingling go. A vial of blood for a life—seems like a fair trade, doesn’t it?"
He continued to add, "Oh, by the way, see this little thing on my wrist? Just press it, and the entire research institute will explode—boom! Directly blown to bits!" His smile was eerie. "Including everyone here, we’ll all be blown to ashes. Isn’t that interesting? Exciting, right?"
Jiang Mu whispered, "It’s true. What he’s wearing on his wrist is the controller for KL’s new remote timed explosive. Blowing up a research institute would be effortless."
Ye Xiao’s voice was calm. "I’ll give it to you."
Yu Feile laughed. "I like straightforward people!"
Deep red blood filled the glass tube. Ye Xiao looked at Yu Feile and said, "Release Dong Lingling."
Yu Feile tapped his foot on the ground. "Roll it over here."
Ye Xiao complied.
When the dark red glass tube reached Yu Feile’s feet, he ordered Dong Lingling, "Pick it up for me."
Dong Lingling crouched down and picked up the glass tube, while Yu Feile’s gun remained steadily aimed at her head.
Only after tucking the glass tube into his pocket did Yu Feile grin and say, "Thanks." He then dragged Dong Lingling backward. "The deal is done and I’m a man of my word. Once I reach the door, I’ll let her go. I have to protect my own safety, don’t I?"
As he spoke, he continued to retreat. Perhaps because he had already obtained his target, Yu Feile’s expression relaxed considerably.
At that moment, Dong Lingling finally managed to spit out the cloth in her mouth. She quickly lowered her head and bit Yu Feile’s arm, causing blood to immediately spill out.
In a flash, no one saw how Ling Chen raised his gun and pulled the trigger.
Two consecutive gunshots rang out, the bullets grazing Dong Lingling’s head and hitting Yu Feile’s elbows on both sides causing the blood to splatter everywhere.
Ling Chen’s expression was icy as he sneered, "Who gave you the confidence to come here and cause trouble alone?"
At the same time Yu Feile was shot, Jian Lan pounced forward with remarkable agility and subdued him in two moves.
Ling Chen stepped forward to pull out the glass tube containing Ye Xiao’s blood, and pointed the gun at Yu Feile’s forehead. "Speak. Who are you?"
Beside them, Dong Lingling’s mouth was covered in blood. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and smiled at Ye Xiao as he approached. "Thank you, I’m fine… I’m fine."
Though she said this, she was just an ordinary student who had just narrowly escaped death, so her legs were trembling.
Ye Xiao rummaged in his pocket, found a piece of fruit candy, and handed it to Dong Lingling before mimicking Ling Chen’s tone. "You were brave. This is your reward."
Dong Lingling’s hands shook as she took the candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. "Thank you."
Ling Chen’s gun was still pressed against Yu Feile’s forehead. He crouched down and pressed the barrel harder. "Last chance. Talk."
Everything on Yu Feile’s person had been thoroughly searched, including the bomb controller on his wrist, which Jiang Mu had already removed and dismantled in a few quick moves.
Yu Feile smiled and asked, "If I talk, will you let me go?"
Ling Chen: "Not a chance. But I’ll make your death quick and painless."
Yu Feile stared at Ling Chen. "Aren’t you from the Second Division? I didn’t think you’d torture prisoners."
As if hearing a joke, Ling Chen smirked. "Didn’t you know? Every year, the Second Division gets the most warnings and disciplinary actions."
Jian Lan rolled her eyes—was it really necessary to say something like that with such pride and smugness?
Yu Feile confirmed that what Ling Chen said was true and finally spoke up.
He had forged his resume and successfully joined Qiu Guanghan's team to monitor the progress of their experimental research in real-time and look for opportunities to sabotage it. However, Qiu Guanghan was very cautious, and he never found the right moment. As the experiment was nearing success, he sent a message to his superiors, but he didn’t expect Ling Chen and his team to get involved.
Ling Chen’s expression remained unchanged as he asked, “What about Ye Xiao’s blood?”
At the mention of this, Yu Feile’s eyes lit up with fervor. “When he charged at the giant frog, his movements were absolutely stunning! Which lab did he escape from? He’s perfect! More perfect than any experimental subject I’ve ever seen! There’s not a single trace of gene fusion in him!”
Ling Chen frowned in disgust and promptly executed him. Then, he turned to Jiang Mu and ordered, “Connect with Meng Yang.”
Soon, Meng Yang’s face appeared on the screen. He was panting but looked exhilarated. “Ling Zihui, it was a flock of strange birds, all rigged with bombs. We launched demolition bullets at them and took them all out mid-air.” He flashed a wide grin. “If it weren’t for us having control of the central command room, we wouldn’t have noticed those birds in the middle of the night.”
Ling Chen nodded. “We’ll need your help again. Come and pick up a few people.”
Meng Yang responded enthusiastically, “On my way!”
As they stepped out of the research institute, the air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder, stinging their noses. Nearby, Dong Lingling’s juniors were comforting her. Ye Xiao glanced over a few times to reassured, but didn’t approach.
Ling Chen felt a pang of jealousy and asked, “Worried about her?”
Ye Xiao hummed in acknowledgment. “She never had any ill will toward me. At the institute, she would take me to eat every day and remind me to close the windows at night so I wouldn’t catch a cold.”
He remembered every bit of kindness shown to him.
The jealousy in Ling Chen’s heart was replaced by a wave of tenderness. He ruffled Ye Xiao’s hair and was about to say something when Jiang Mu suddenly stepped forward to hand the communicator to Ling Chen and whispered, “The Second Division’s encrypted channel has received another message.”
Ling Chen’s eyelids twitched as he looked at the screen, which displayed a series of numbers. “Coordinates?”
Jiang Mu nodded. “Yes, coordinates. And they’re not far.”
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