The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Outside the window was a vast expanse of night, and behind the white searchlight, it seemed as if a monster was lurking.
Jian Lan, who usually lacked the subtle emotions of a woman, felt a rare touch of sentimentality upon hearing Ling Chen and Ye Xiao's voices.
She had met Ye Xiao when she rejoined the team midway, but after spending some time together, she knew how much Ye Xiao clung to Ling Chen—no, it should be said how much their Chen Ge clung to Ye Xiao.
These two, it was hard to tell who had whom completely wrapped around their fingers.
Partings in reality were always abrupt and leaving no time for emotional outpourings or further explanations.
Ling Chen smiled, "I believe our Little Fuzzball can protect himself, and Little Fuzzball also believes that the Captain can protect himself, right?"
He exhaled with his fingers gently touching Ye Xiao's lips and softening his voice, "Sorry, I have to leave you again."
Ye Xiao shook his head.
He knew Ling Chen wanted to protect him, just as he wanted to protect Ling Chen.
"I believe in you."
"Mm." Ling Chen resumed his usual playful smile, "A kiss?"
Ye Xiao leaned in and kissed Ling Chen's lips.
……..
As dawn broke, morning mist rose in the forest.
Dong Lingling was organizing the logs from the past few days, "Although it was unlucky to accidentally enter D Zone, we saw many plants we had never encountered before."
Noticing the car had suddenly stopped, she looked up and followed Yu Feile's gaze, "Huh, Little friend?"
Pushing the car door open and jumping out, Dong Lingling ran over and stood in front of Ye Xiao, "Why are you alone? Where are Jian Lan and the others?" Worried about getting lost, they had followed the tire tracks left by Ling Chen's group, but they never expected to run into Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao's hair was damp from the mist with his eyes clear and bright, like obsidian stones in water. He carried a backpack on his shoulders, giving off an inexplicably pitiful vibe.
Dong Lingling thought for a moment before guessing that something unfortunate must have happened, and said gently, "Why don't you get in our car first, and we'll leave this place?"
They had always speculated about what Jian Lan and the others did.
They had guns, were skilled, and had a strong presence. The most popular guess was that they were mercenaries, as everyone agreed they couldn't be regular soldiers—their aura was too different.
So she wondered if Jian Lan and the others had run into enemies as soon as they came out, and only Ye Xiao had managed to escape.
Ye Xiao got into the car with Dong Lingling.
The cargo truck was still shabby, but Jiang Cancan had kindly helped repair it and ensure it wouldn't fall apart on the road. The interior was very different from Ling Chen's vehicle. It was filled with special containers holding various plant specimens or extracts, and packed to the brim.
Qiu Guanghan had a good impression of Ling Chen's group. Seeing Dong Lingling bring Ye Xiao into the car, he smiled warmly, "Are you hungry? We still have some food."
Ye Xiao sat down and shook his head, "Thank you, I've had the nutrient solution, I'm not hungry."
He had promised Ling Chen he wouldn't let himself go hungry.
Qiu Guanghan, who had never married or had children, had always been very caring towards the younger generation, especially towards someone like Ye Xiao, who was young, well-behaved, and polite.
He found it particularly easy to soften his heart towards him. "We need to head back to the research institute now to process the specimens we've collected and archive various logs. The institute is located in City A and very close to the military district, so it's not far. If you don't have a place to stay for the time being, you can come with us."
Ye Xiao blinked his eyes, "Close to the military district?"
Yu Feile finally found an opportunity to speak and explained, "We are a research institute under the Academy of Engineering, specializing in plant research, which is why we're located near the military district."
Ye Xiao caught the key words.
He remembered that Ling Chen's mother, Bai Hengyun, was from the Academy of Engineering, and it was the Command Center of the military district that had taken Ling Chen and the others away.
Suddenly, he understood why Ling Chen had told him to find Qiu Guanghan.
"Can I really come with you? I don't have a place to stay right now," he paused while looking somewhat lost, "I can't find my Captain and the others for now."
Dong Lingling cautiously asked, "This might be a bit presumptuous, but could I ask what you all do?"
Ye Xiao recalled what Jiang Cancan had once said, "We are mercenaries, our group is called Sharp Blade, and there are five of us in total."
Dong Lingling looked at Ye Xiao, who still had the lean build of a teenager, and sighed, "So young and already a mercenary? Don't your parents care?"
Ye Xiao replied, "I'm an orphan. I lived in an orphanage when I was young; I don't have parents."
Dong Lingling, worried she had touched on a sensitive topic, quickly fell silent, but her gaze towards Ye Xiao now held more sympathy and concern.
In the end, Qiu Guanghan made the decision, "I had previously promised Captain Ling that I would help wherever I could. If you don't mind, you can come back with us for now."
Ye Xiao thanked him sincerely, "Thank you, Teacher Qiu."
…..
Meanwhile, the vehicle carrying Ling Chen and the others had smoothly entered City A.
From the fragments of conversation he overheard, it was as he had guessed—the Command Center of Zone Five had indeed stationed people all along the border. Even a bird flying out from Zone D would be stopped and checked for its species.
Fortunately, since they had been found, the people guarding the border would surely withdraw. By the time Ye Xiao came out at dawn, there should be no trouble.
Jian Lan, with her left hand cuffed and fixed to the wall of the vehicle, showed no sign of being restrained. She spoke cheerfully, "Quite the commotion. Never thought I'd experience this kind of encircling arrest one day—top-notch treatment."
As she spoke, she tapped the wall of the vehicle with her handcuffs, sending a coded message, "Should we run?"
Ling Chen replied briefly, "We'll see."
Hearing the "tap tap" sounds, the driver turned around and shouted, "Stop that!"
Ling Chen looked up.
His appearance and aura exuded a sharp aggressiveness. Even seated and with his left hand cuffed in metal, he gave off the impression that he could break free at any moment and pounce to kill.
The soldier who had spoken paled and quickly pulled up the partition to the driver's compartment.
Jiang Cancan laughed and stomped his feet, "Hahaha, our Chen Ge can stop children from crying at night!"
Ling Chen said no more and closed his eyes to rest.
Seeing that Ling Chen seemed to have changed his temperament and was acting very Zen-like, Jiang Cancan happily huddled with Jian Lan to chat in low voices, still cheerful—the people from the Second Division were all bold and reckless by nature. In such a situation, the cost of running away was too high, so it was better to follow along openly and look for an opportunity to counterattack later.
The convoy must have entered the Command Center—there were no windows in the compartment, so Ling Chen and the others could only guess.
And their guess turned out to be correct.
After a series of complex checks, the vehicle finally stopped. After what felt like one or two hours, the compartment door was pulled open, and someone came in to remove the handcuffs from Ling Chen and the others.
The group got off the vehicle while completely ignoring the surrounding black muzzles of guns. Ling Chen stood still while looking at the person approaching and greeted, "Major Zhao, long time no see. This grand gesture of yours is indeed quite something."
The man approaching was in his forties, with a protruding belly and a face that jiggled as he walked quickly. He smiled broadly, "Ling Zihui, it really has been a long time!"
Ling Chen showed no trace of a smile, "Explain, what’s the meaning of all this commotion? I thought I must have embezzled five billion and run away."
Major Zhao quickly responded, "How could that be!" His expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice as if about to exchange some secret intelligence, "But someone really did run away with five billion."
Ling Chen narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Give me some details? I’ve been away for so long, I’m completely in the dark. I just left D Zone and was brought back by your people. Who ran away and managed to embezzle so much money?"
Major Zhao’s voice grew even softer, and he observed Ling Chen’s expression as he spoke, "It’s Professor Bai Hengyun and Professor Ling Dingnan from the Earth Project division of the Engineering Academy. It’s said they defected and came to Zone Five. But we’ve practically turned Zone Five upside down and still haven’t found them." He gestured with his fingers, "It’s not just five billion, is it? More like five hundred billion."
Not catching them could mean they’ve already been secretly captured without public disclosure, or it could mean they truly haven’t been caught. Another possibility is that this is a ploy to test him, to see if he knows the whereabouts of his parents.
Ling Chen gave a forced smile, "What are you implying, Major Zhao?"
Major Zhao played dumb, "Ling Zihui?"
Ling Chen replied, "Ling Dingnan is my father, Bai Hengyun is my mother. They would never defect. Your sources are flawed."
Major Zhao pretended to be shocked and then smiled apologetically, "Oh my mistake, I didn’t realize Ling Zihui’s parents were experts at the Engineering Academy!"
Losing patience with his nonsense, Ling Chen changed the subject, "Let’s not talk about that for now. What’s going on with me? I was stopped as soon as I left D Zone."
Major Zhao gestured for Ling Chen to follow him as they walked and talked, "It’s a bit of a long story, and I’ve only just found out myself. On June 26th, Major Pan Wei from Zone One was supposed to pick you up, right? But he failed and lost you."
Ling Chen scoffed, "What kind of lousy word choice is that, 'lost'?"
"Anyway, they were careless and got ambushed. Holy Judgement took you away, and it’s said Pan Wei has already been stripped of his rank—pretty tragic. Since then, the higher-ups have been investigating, but there’s been no leads.
Not long ago, there was news that you had been spotted in the territory of the Red Lion. Everyone speculated that you had entered D Zone to avoid the Holy Judgement, and they were worried that you might be ambushed if you came out. So, they decided to send people to meet you. Not only are there people guarding the border of our fifth zone, but also the borders of the fourth, seventh, and eighth zones."
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow, "Such a big fuss? When did I become so important?"
"Of course!" Major Zhao sidestepped the main issue, "It's just that no one knows when or where you might come out. We've been guarding for almost a week now, and finally, we've caught you."
Ling Chen didn't believe a word of it.
After walking a few more steps, Major Zhao stopped and pointed to the door, "Ling Zihui, please wait here. Someone from above wants to see you."
……
Ye Xiao followed Qiu Guanghan and the others back to the research institute.
When unloading the car, Ye Xiao quietly stepped forward to help. He was strong and effortlessly carried the belongings of Dong Lingling and another girl named Qiao Qiao.
Dong Lingling led the way while chatting with Ye Xiao, "I've been out in the field with my teacher for research, and I've turned myself into a tough girl. Look, I even have muscles now!"
Ye Xiao's only experience interacting with girls came from Jian Lan. He realized that he should probably compliment her, but he didn't know how. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You're very strong."
Dong Lingling was taken aback before realizing that Ye Xiao was serious and not joking, she burst out laughing, "Oh, little Ye Xiao, it's fine to compliment me like that, but you can't say that to other girls. They'll get mad!"
Ye Xiao: "But Jian Lan likes it when people compliment her like that."
After saying this, he felt a bit dazed because he did not know where they were now—he missed Ling Chen.
Dong Lingling, walking ahead, didn't notice his expression, "Jian Lan is a girl with six-pack abs who can run twenty kilometers without breaking a sweat. She's not the same species as us." As she walked, she introduced, "This entire building is ours. Teacher Qiu is really amazing by handling a huge project all by himself without worrying about funding. It was a lot of effort for me to apply to join the team!"
After spending several hours putting away and cataloging all the items they brought back, Yu Feile came over to talk to Ye Xiao, "I'll take you to your accommodation, and also—"
"Wait!" Dong Lingling interjected as she stood next to Ye Xiao with a smile, "Assistant, aren't you supposed to work overtime with Teacher Qiu tonight? I can take little Ye Xiao to his place, right, Ye Xiao?"
Ye Xiao nodded.
Yu Feile was somewhat helpless, "Alright," he then looked at Ye Xiao and said gently, "If you have any trouble, come find me."
After taking Ye Xiao to dinner, Dong Lingling escorted him to his dormitory, "The dormitories here are all single rooms. I live right next door, so if you need anything, just knock on my door." Seeing that Ye Xiao seemed a bit down, she couldn't help but offer some encouragement, "Get some good rest, everything will be fine."
Ye Xiao nodded earnestly, "Thank you."
Dong Lingling waved her hand while laughing, "No need to thank me, I should be thanking you. I really thought I was going to die in that godforsaken place and never come back. The fear of not knowing when or how you're going to die is scarier than death itself."
She laughed heartily, "So, little Ye Xiao, you're my lifesaver!"
After Dong Lingling left, Ye Xiao locked the door.
The dormitory was indeed small, with only a single bed, a set of desk and chair, and a bathroom equipped with a shower.
Ye Xiao first habitually checked every corner of the room to ensure everything was in order before heading to the bathroom for a cold shower.
He wasn’t very good at taking care of himself, so he didn’t mind that his hair was still dripping as he sat down on the single bed.
After sitting in a daze for a while, Ye Xiao reached for his backpack to take out a piece of candy from the cloth bag, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
It wasn’t sweet.
After finishing the candy, Ye Xiao rummaged through his bag again and pulled out the black combat uniform jacket that Ling Chen had stuffed inside. He put it on and, enveloped by the familiar scent, curled up and fell asleep.
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