The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Major Zhao asked Ling Chen and the others to "wait a moment”, and this wait lasted until nightfall.
Jiang Cancan, chewing on the nutrient solution that had been brought in, was restless and sprawled awkwardly on the armrest of his chair. His voice was listless, "Who exactly wants to see us? If we wait any longer, Can Ye here is going to fall asleep!"
Jian Lan also yawned three times in a row, "It's probably some big shot who wasn't in Zone Five and is rushing over here after learning we're here. Maybe it's even a bigwig from Zone One."
Uncertain if the room was under surveillance, Jian Lan and Jiang Cancan didn't say much more and just muttering a few words before falling silent again.
After half an hour, around ten o'clock at night, the door to the room opened.
Four armed guards entered first before lining up in pairs. Following them was a man nearing fifty, dressed in a dark formal suit. He was burly, with sharp eyes and a slight frown between his brows. The pronounced nasolabial folds made him look stern and unapproachable.
Ling Chen recognized the man and stood up, "Chief."
Jian Lan was surprised that her wild guess had been correct—it was indeed a bigwig from Zone One. She also exclaimed, "Uncle Xia."
Xia Yunfeng nodded before gesturing for the guards at the door to leave. Once the door was closed, he sat down in the chair behind the desk and resting his elbows on the table, "You all, sit down."
The four of them took their seats.
Xia Yunfeng didn't beat around the bush, "Sorry for the delay." He pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice hoarse, "We had an impromptu meeting earlier. A bunch of us old folks were banging on the table and arguing, but we still couldn't come to a conclusion."
Ling Chen followed up, "Was it with General Zhang and the others? General Zhang has a fiery temper that is quick to ignite."
Xia Yunfeng looked at them with a heavy gaze and sighed, "General Zhang has already sacrificed himself."
Ling Chen's expression changed slightly.
General Zhang was a close friend of Liang Ling, the former commander of the Second Division, and their styles and beliefs were very similar.
Liang Ling had once said that General Zhang was stubborn, and once he set his mind on something, he wouldn't easily change it. The likelihood of betrayal was almost zero.
But now he has sacrificed himself.
Jian Lan noticed Ling Chen's silence and tactfully asked, "Uncle Zhang... what happened to him?"
Having grown up under the watchful eyes of these older figures, she was quite comfortable calling them "uncle."
Xia Yunfeng didn't answer directly but instead asked, "How much do you know about the current situation within the military district?"
Ling Chen was blunt, "We know nothing." He tapped the armrest of his chair, "Oh, by the way, Major Zhao, who came to pick us up, told me that my parents have defected."
Surprised by Ling Chen's directness, Xia Yunfeng carefully replied, "That's what's being said outside, but it hasn't been officially confirmed yet."
If Ling Chen hadn't received the message left by his mother, Bai Hengyun, or hadn't accessed the S+ classified defector list from the internal network, he might have believed Xia Yunfeng's words.
Xia Yunfeng pondered, "I know you don't trust me right now, and I do owe you an explanation. There's a traitor in the Command Center. The intelligence about Holy Judgement provided to you was incorrect, and the Coordinate Point location and your mission progress were leaked, leading to your ambush by mercenaries."
Ling Chen looked up to meet Xia Yunfeng's gaze directly, "Who's behind it?"
Xia Yunfeng shook his head, "We don't know yet."
Ling Chen leaned back in his chair with his smile carrying its usual nonchalance. "Is it that you don't know, or that there are too many traitors to act? Or perhaps, this is the Command Center's intention?"
"Ling Chen!" Xia Yunfeng's voice carried a warning.
Ling Chen didn't back down an inch. "Am I wrong? Then let me go through it point by point. On May 25th, I led my team into D Zone. Shortly after, we received news that Holy Judgement had also entered D Zone. Then, the Command Center sent Soaring Dragon as reinforcements.
But the actual number of Holy Judgement members who entered was several times higher than the figure provided by the Command Center. Due to traitors within Soaring Dragon, an entire action team was wiped out in one go, rendering the reinforcements useless.
Even a blind man could see there's something wrong with the Command Center. If we hadn't been lucky, whether we'd be sitting here right now is anyone's guess."
Xia Yunfeng looked weary and his tone softened. "I know you're resentful—"
"It's not resentment," Ling Chen interrupted, his voice firm. "When we encountered two squads of mercenaries lying in wait for us at the seventh Coordinate Point, it was sheer terror. I don't know what's happening outside, but I do know the Command Center is finished."
The air was thick with silence.
Ling Chen remained composed with his posture relaxed as if he had no bones, yet his presence was no less imposing than Xia Yunfeng when their eyes met.
Jian Lan subtly glanced at Ling Chen, before playing the emotional card as she deliberately softened her voice. "Uncle Xia, before I went on this mission, I left a will saying that if I didn't make it back, the compensation should be burned directly, so my father and grandfather wouldn't have to see it and grieve. But the truth is, I'm still very afraid of death. My father and my grandfather, they're both old."
She rarely indulged in sentimentality, and if she continued, she'd start stammering, so she quickly stopped herself. "So, what exactly happened at the Command Center? Where are my father and grandfather?"
Xia Yunfeng spoke after a long pause. "Because of a disagreement on a certain issue, your grandfather and father have secluded themselves, refusing to see anyone. Two days later, when I went to visit them, I found they had already disappeared. No one knows where they went. I thought you might know."
Jian Lan shook her head. "They haven't contacted me."
Ling Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and asked directly, "What was the issue?"
Xia Yunfeng remained silent.
Ling Chen dropped a bombshell. "The issue of Gene Fusion?"
Xia Yunfeng's slightly clouded eyes suddenly sharpened, his voice low. "How much do you know?"
"Not too much, but not too little either." In contrast, Ling Chen's attitude was extremely casual. He rubbed his fingers together. "Since you're not saying anything, I'll have to guess. Holy Judgement possesses Gene Fusion Technology, which allows the fusion and grafting of human genes with those of plants or animals. The higher-ups, for some reason, want to obtain this technology."
Xia Yunfeng interlaced his fingers with his elbows resting on the table and his gaze solemn, even the furrow between his brows deepening.
"And the condition Holy Judgement offered in exchange is the Regional Core of D Zone, right? And because they don't fully trust their partners, they made a two-pronged move: on one hand, negotiating the deal with you, and on the other, sending people into D Zone to seize the Regional Core."
Xia Yunfeng didn't respond.
Ling Chen smirked. "Seems I guessed right." In the next second, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by sharp, tense lines. "How could you dare? Making deals with the devil—how could you do such a thing?"
Xia Yunfeng pursed his lips tightly, closed his eyes for a long moment, and finally said, "We have no other choice."
Jian Lan and Jiang Cancan couldn't help but show expressions of surprise. "But Uncle Xia, once Holy Judgement obtains the Regional Core and deciphers it, they can take control of the entire Noah System..."
Ling Chen smiled mockingly, "It seems the higher-ups are determined to snatch the Regional Core back before Holy Judgement can fully understand it, pulling off a classic 'empty-handed trick'." He added softly, "Or perhaps, how many among the higher-ups are not actually aligned with Holy Judgement?"
Xia Yunfeng stood up and slammed his hand heavily on the table, "Nonsense!"
Ling Chen's expression remained unchanged, "Whether I'm spouting nonsense or not, you should know better than I do."
With a loud "bang", the door closed as Xia Yunfeng stormed out.
Jiang Cancan, who had been listening the whole time, was still a bit confused. "Chen Ge, was everything you just said true? Or were you just trying to provoke him?"
Ling Chen asked him, "Do you also think I'm spouting nonsense?"
"No, no," Jiang Cancan quickly shook his head. "The intelligence from the Command Center does have issues. I personally handled Soaring Dragon's badge, Can Ye. I'm just surprised and can't quite figure it out."
Jiang Mu spoke up, "It's likely that something has happened that cannot be made public, forcing the higher-ups to cooperate with Holy Judgement to obtain the Gene Fusion Technology. And they are willing to tolerate Holy Judgement's infiltration into the military zone to eliminate dissenters."
And these "dissenters" included Jian Lan's elders, the engineering experts led by Ling Dingnan and Bai Hengyun, as well as the Second Division, Soaring Dragon, and even more people.
Ling Chen nodded, "Indeed, otherwise it's hard to explain why the higher-ups are in such a hurry to cooperate with Holy Judgement." He stared at the floor's pattern and said slowly, as if talking to himself, "So what exactly happened that made the higher-ups so desperate to obtain the Gene Fusion Technology?"
Jiang Cancan patted his own head, "But," he felt his brain wasn't quite up to the task, "but why didn't Chief Xia ask Chen Ge to immediately hand over the Regional Core?"
Jiang Mu explained to him, "The higher-ups want to cooperate with Holy Judgement but are also wary of them. So they will send people to intercept us along the border. Controlling us is one aspect, but protecting us is another, to prevent Holy Judgement from seizing the opportunity to snatch the Regional Core from us first."
"So, as soon as we came out of D Zone, they brought us back and locked us up?"
"Yes, that's right." Jiang Mu was very patient. "At the same time, although Holy Judgement is cooperating with the higher-ups, there is no complete trust between them. That's why, while negotiating with the higher-ups, they are also continuously eliminating dissenters, infiltrating and purging simultaneously. They also sent people into D Zone to come after us for the Regional Core. After we escaped, they also issued a bounty."
Ling Chen hummed in agreement, "So, both sides have something the other wants, hence the cooperation. But neither side trusts the other, maintaining a delicate balance."
"Thinking makes my head hurt." Jiang Cancan decided not to torment himself further. "So, Chen Ge, what do we do now?"
Ling Chen closed his eyes to rest, "Wait for the right moment, then make our move."
But this wait lasted another three days.
………
Ye Xiao had been doing odd jobs at Qiu Guanghan's research institute these past few days, helping with moving things and organizing specimens.
Since a new batch of specimens and extracts had been brought back, Qiu Guanghan and Yu Feile had practically moved into the lab.
During lunch, Dong Lingling winked at Ye Xiao and said, "Luckily, Assistant Yu is busy, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to have lunch with you."
Ye Xiao clumsily held his chopsticks, "Are you avoiding him?"
"It's not that I'm avoiding him." Dong Lingling lowered her voice, "Assistant Yu wants to pursue you."
"Ah?" Ye Xiao looked confused, "Pursue me?"
After spending a couple of days together, Dong Lingling had noticed that Ye Xiao lacked common sense in many areas, so she explained more clearly, "It means he wants to have a romantic relationship with you."
Ye Xiao understood. He put down his chopsticks and shook his head seriously, "No, I won't have a romantic relationship with him."
Seeing his serious expression, Dong Lingling laughed, "I know, I know, you and your Captain are a pair, right? You're in a relationship with him."
Ye Xiao: "Yes, the Captain is teaching me about relationships."
Dong Lingling was surprised, "Wow, you guys are so romantic?" She took a sip of soup, "Assistant Yu is good-looking, has a decent personality, and is highly intelligent. He's actually quite a catch, but he still tries to flirt with you even though he knows you're in a relationship. He's also stringing along a junior at our institute. He's such a player."
Ye Xiao picked up his chopsticks again, "I won't have a relationship with him. He can't beat me."
Dong Lingling burst out laughing and then asked curiously, "Can your Captain beat you?"
Ye Xiao shook his head, "Probably not, I'm not sure. But the Captain is different."
Dong Lingling understood, "Oh, so even if the Captain can't beat you, you'd still have a relationship with him. Others don't get that treatment, right?"
"Mm."
"Tsk tsk, that's such a double standard!" Dong Lingling propped her chin on her hand and sighed, "Why did I even ask that question? I'm already full from the dog food, I don't need to eat lunch!"
After lunch, they returned to the dorm for a nap.
As soon as Ye Xiao closed the door, he heard a mechanical electronic voice, "Ye Xiao, good afternoon."
Without pausing, he naturally replied, "Noah, good afternoon."
Three days ago, Noah had told him not to leave the institute. Now, it seemed Noah was going to tell him the reason.
"You need to kill someone."
Ye Xiao sat on the single bed with his fingers fiddling with the wooden rabbit hanging from his Long Blade, "Who?"
"Xia Yunfeng."
………
At night, Ye Xiao locked his door and then silently climbed out of the window.
The night was the best cover.
Twenty minutes later, Ye Xiao, like a ghost, easily avoided all the patrolling guards and lay on a branch of a large tree in the courtyard, quiet and unnoticed, and his breathing blending into the night breeze.
Three minutes later, he saw a burly middle-aged man walk under the tree and talking on the phone.
Noah: "Target has appeared."
Ye Xiao asked in his mind, "What is Xia Yunfeng saying?" He seemed to vaguely hear Ling Chen's name.
Noah: "He's talking to a man named Harrison, planning for Harrison to lead a team to break in tonight and take away Ling Chen and the other three. He will cooperate."
“Xia Yunfeng is a traitor? He wants to harm the Captain?” Ye Xiao still remembered Harrison, a member of Holy Judgement, whom he had encountered at the Red Lion Casino. Of course, what left the deepest impression on him were the two Slit-Eyed People Harrison had brought with him.
Noah: “Yes.”
Ye Xiao tightened his grip on the scabbard: “I understand.”
Xia Yunfeng hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had been in meetings for three consecutive days and endlessly debating whether to hand over the Regional Core to Holy Judgement. He couldn’t openly support handing over the Regional Core, so he had to play the mediator by trying to persuade some of the neutral parties.
But the meeting that had just ended made Xia Yunfeng realize that things might go south, so he decided to strike first.
He erased the call record and was about to head back when he heard a “thud” sound. Immediately after, a sharp pain spread across his chest. Looking down, he saw the cold tip of a blade protruding from his chest, stained with blood.
Xia Yunfeng turned around with difficulty and saw a young man dressed in black standing behind him with the hilt of the knife firmly in his hand.
His lips moved, but before he could utter a word, he vanished on the spot.
Ye Xiao swiftly sheathed his knife and hid behind a tree. “Noah, where are Ling Chen and the others being held?”
……
Jiang Cancan was sitting on the ground and playing blind Go with Jian Lan. As they played, he got confused and had to start over.
“Based on the frequency of nutrient solution deliveries—three times a day—it’s already the third night, right? I wonder if Can Ye here has been keeping track correctly.”
Jian Lan lay down on the ground next to Jiang Cancan, like two dried-up salted fish. “You didn’t count wrong.” she said, equally listless.
Jiang Cancan drooped his eyelids. “They still haven’t let us out. Are those old men still undecided about whether to hand us and the Regional Core over to Holy Judgement for slaughter? This efficiency is fucking slow!”
At that moment, Ling Chen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. “There’s movement.”
Jiang Cancan and Jian Lan sat up in a flash. “Holy shit, it’s not time for the nutrient solution delivery yet. Did someone finally remember us?”
Jian Lan touched her nose. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”
In the tense silence, the door lock rattled, but when it seemed it couldn’t be opened, the noise stopped.
Ling Chen’s eyelids twitched, and he quickly commanded, “Step back!” As he spoke, his heart began to race.
Could it be…?
A few seconds later, there was a loud “bang” as the door panel crashed to the floor. Ye Xiao, standing at the doorway, retracted his leg and immediately spotted Ling Chen.
He just stood there while staring intently and not moving. Ling Chen was the first to react as he opened his arms.
Ye Xiao’s body moved faster than his mind. He stepped over the door panel and, like a weary bird returning to its nest, threw himself into Ling Chen’s embrace.
Ling Chen lifted him up and let Ye Xiao’s legs wrap around his waist as he kissed Ye Xiao’s lips fiercely. “How did you get here?”
Ye Xiao wrapped his arms around Ling Chen’s neck and answered honestly, “I came to kill someone, and I thought I’d take you all out while I was at it.”
Ling Chen chuckled. “Thank you, Little Fuzzball, for taking us out as a side mission.” As he spoke, his hands roamed over Ye Xiao’s body and checking for injuries. Once he confirmed Ye Xiao was unharmed, he affectionately rubbed his nose against Ye Xiao’s and asked softly, “Who did you kill?”
“A man named Xia Yunfeng.”
Jiang Cancan wondered if she was hallucinating, "Xia... Xia Yunfeng?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "Yes, that's the name."
Ling Chen supported Ye Xiao's buttocks with his right hand before lifting him a bit higher, and kissed the tip of his chin, "Why kill him?"
"I don't know either." Ye Xiao genuinely didn't know why Noah wanted him to kill Xia Yunfeng, but there must be a reason. He then added, "But before killing him, I heard him contacting Harrison and telling Harrison to bring people in tonight to abduct you all, and he would cooperate."
This series of explosive revelations completely short-circuited Jiang Cancan's brain, "Holy shit, this development... So Xia Yunfeng is an inside man for Holy Judgement? Holy Judgement is attacking tonight? Their target is to capture us?"
Ye Xiao nodded, "Yes, and it's already night."
Ling Chen quickly processed the information and made a decision, "Let's go!"
As they left the room, Ling Chen saw a row of people lying unconscious in the hallway.
Ye Xiao explained again, "I knocked them all out. I didn't kill them."
Ling Chen kissed Ye Xiao once more, "This is a reward. Our Little Fuzzball did great."
But before they could run out of the hallway, a "Boom—" sound shook the ground. Following the explosion, a series of alarm sounds rang out, "Level one alert, level one alert, the defense system in the southwest corner has been destroyed, repeat..."
Outside, the sounds of gunfire and artillery echoed from near and far, along with chaotic human voices. Ling Chen asked Jiang Mu, "Do you know where the nearest armory is?"
The layout of the Command Center buildings is very standardized, with only a few blueprints being reused over and over.
Jiang Mu nodded, "I know, follow me."
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