The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
The group walked towards the exit of the corridor when Ling Chen, who was at the front, suddenly stopped—a small squad with guns in their hands was approaching from the opposite direction.
The person at the front of the squad seemed puzzled upon seeing Ling Chen, as if surprised that they had already managed to escape, and was momentarily stunned.
However, in that split second, Ling Chen, wearing his military boots, stepped firmly on the floor, took two or three quick strides, and with his arm extended, firmly hooked onto the doorframe. Then, with his long leg straightened, he kicked out and hit the person at the front in the chest, sending them stumbling back more than ten steps!
Immediately after, Ling Chen used both legs like scissors to clamp around the neck of one of the squad members, locking them in a chokehold and pressing them down. As he subdued the person, he landed on the ground before stepping on their back with one foot, and pulled two guns from their holster and casually tossed one to Jian Lan.
This series of swift and precise actions took no more than two breaths!
Ling Chen moved too quickly, and Jiang Cancan, standing behind him, stammered, "Holy... holy crap, Chen Ge is definitely showing off in front of the little friend! Absolutely!"
Jian Lan shot one of the squad members and chuckled, "Oh, Jiang Cancan, are you trying to win without lifting a finger?"
Only then did Jiang Cancan realize that while he was busy watching Ling Chen show off, Jiang Mu had already grabbed a gun, and Ye Xiao had gone full-on brutal, stepping on faces and fighting.
Jiang Cancan: Are you all demons or something?!
At that moment, a bullet came flying diagonally towards Jiang Cancan. His instinct for danger kicked in, and he dodged to the side, the bullet grazing his arm.
Jiang Mu, who had been calmly shooting from the back, suddenly sharpened his gaze and stepped in front of Jiang Cancan, shielding him.
Jian Lan, multitasking, continued to mock with a smile, "Damn, that's embarrassing! Hiding behind your little brother, Jiang Cancan, your face just hit the floor!"
Jiang Cancan: "..." So infuriating!
Ling Chen tossed a gun over, "Stop yapping and let's go!"
Despite being outnumbered five to thirty, they were completely dominating.
After running out of bullets, Ling Chen decisively threw away his gun, flexed his fingers, and the muscles beneath his thin shirt became strikingly defined, exuding a fierce aura. From then on, every punch he threw seemed to carry the force of a thousand pounds, and for a while, no one could get close to him.
The group seemed to be on a roll, and the fight ended quickly. After confiscating a few magazines, they didn't linger and continued running towards the armory.
Jiang Cancan, with his slightly delayed reflexes, couldn't help but mutter softly as he ran, venting his feelings, "It's hard to imagine that the longest distance I've walked in the past three days was from the couch to the bathroom!"
If it weren't for the inappropriate timing, he would have howled like a wolf to celebrate his regained freedom.
Jian Lan suddenly realized that among them, Jiang Cancan had the best mindset. Even if he were dropped into the Sahara Desert, he could happily tell himself bad jokes to cool down—truly a talent.
The sharp alarm continued to blare, and the distant sound of gunfire could be heard, not just from the southwest corner but from several directions, indicating that the outsiders had already breached the defenses.
Jian Lan glanced towards the southwest corner, "Looks like someone from the inside opened the door for the Holy Judgement people. Tsk, heavy losses. You can guard day and night, but it's hard to guard against traitors within."
Jiang Cancan gave a fair assessment, "Good use of idioms."
Jian Lan: "...What the hell kind of key point did you pick?"
By this time, the group had reached the armory.
Jiang Mu stepped up to the identity scanner with his slender fingers moving swiftly and deftly. Half a minute later, with a "clang", the heavy iron door slid open to one side.
Seeing the contents of the armory, Jiang Cancan let out a loud whoop and darted inside with his eyes gleaming with excitement. "This is heaven!"
Ling Chen grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "Pick your gear and let's go. No unnecessary chatter, no unnecessary excitement."
Jiang Cancan nodded vigorously.
While Jiang Mu and the others were selecting their weapons, Ling Chen pulled Ye Xiao aside and wrapped his arms around him before lowering his head to press his lips against Ye Xiao's neck.
Ye Xiao shivered at the ticklish sensation, his voice soft. "Captain..."
"Mm, I'm here," Ling Chen murmured with his voice low and husky, sending a shiver down Ye Xiao's spine. "Let me smell your scent. I missed you."
He chuckled softly, his voice dropping even lower. "You were in my dreams."
Ye Xiao stayed still and letting Ling Chen breathe him in, curious. "What did you dream about me, Captain?"
"Want to know?"
"Yes, I do."
"I dreamed of kissing you, your lips, your Adam's apple and licking your collarbone," he paused as a soft laugh escaped him. "Do you want to hear more, Little Fuzzball?"
Ye Xiao's face flushed, and he stammered, "N-no... that's enough."
Ling Chen patted his slim waist. "Alright, I won't say more. We'll put it into practice next time."
Keeping one arm around Ye Xiao's waist, Ling Chen casually picked out a few guns that felt right in his hand and grabbed plenty of ammunition. "Done? Let's go."
Jian Lan came bounding over while carrying a heavy sniper rifle with a camouflage coating and her face alight with excitement. "The good stuff in Zone Five is amazing! Too bad I don't have three heads and six arms, or I could carry six heavy sniper rifles at once!"
Ling Chen scoffed. "Have I been mistreating you? Never seen good gear before?"
Jian Lan grinned and rubbed her nose. "It's just been three days since I last held a gun. I'm excited!"
Jiang Cancan, teetering on the edge of danger, chimed in cheekily, "Just like how the Captain gets excited after three days without holding the little friend. Same thing."
Ling Chen kicked at him, his voice dangerous. "Looking for trouble?"
Jiang Mu happened to walk over at that moment. "Chen Ge, the equipment is ready."
As everyone turned to look, he opened the communication channel. Soon, a hoarse voice crackled through, accompanied by static. "...This is the Command Center! We need backup! This is the Command Center!..."
Jiang Cancan frowned, his tone serious. "That voice sounds desperate. It seems the Command Center can't hold out much longer. If the Command Center falls, the entire defense system will collapse. It's not just about the southwest corner being breached."
Jian Lan added, "Once the defense is down, the entire Command Center will be a free-for-all. Anyone can just walk in and trample over it."
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow. "I get what you're saying. Let's go, to the Command Center."
Though they had been forced to flee midway due to the situation, they were, after all, soldiers.
Night and chaos had always been the best cover.
The group made their way to the small building housing the Command Center while hiding in the shadows to survey the scene.
"Harrison and his team came in, probably first assigned a squad to guard us, then led his own men in from the southwest corner, all the way to the control room." Jian Lan whispered. "This place is full of Holy Judgement people. Really, I feel like this Command Center is as flimsy as paper! But, Holy Judgement wasn't this powerful before, right? Expanding so fast, did they take steroids?"
Jiang Mu chimed in, "When they have a trump card like the Slit-Eyed People, for other mercenary organizations, it's either be swallowed or be destroyed."
Everyone thought of the explosion at the Red Lion Casino.
Ling Chen spoke up, "I don't know if Harrison is inside, but if—" His words suddenly stopped.
Within his line of sight, Harrison appeared in front of the small building, and standing beside him was a burly man with fluorescent yellow slit eyes, exuding a cold-blooded animalistic aura that was extremely striking.
Ye Xiao, who had been quiet all along, spoke up, "Captain, you take care of Harrison, I'll handle the Slit-Eyed Man."
Ling Chen wanted to say no.
He had fought Harrison before; this man was formidable in close combat, favoring a strong offensive style. Ye Xiao, on the other hand, was extremely agile, his moves often unpredictable, and with superior combat awareness, which greatly countered Harrison. So, Ye Xiao had a high chance of winning against Harrison.
On the contrary, none of them knew the true capabilities of the Slit-Eyed Man. He would rather test the waters himself than let Ye Xiao take such a risk.
He couldn't bear it.
Ye Xiao seemed to know what he was thinking and said earnestly, "Captain, I'm confident."
Ling Chen still didn't speak.
Ye Xiao was puzzled, "Captain?"
"Damn it, I can't bear it." Ling Chen suddenly felt a heavy weight in his heart.
He didn't care about going through gunfire and rain, nor did he care about having more scars or injuries on his body. But looking at Ye Xiao, he just wanted to hold him in his arms and shield him from all the storms, ensuring not a single hair on his head would be touched by the wind.
Ye Xiao sensed his restlessness, so he leaned over, and kissed Ling Chen's lips, "Trust me."
Trust that I'm not a delicate flower that needs your protection, but a companion who can fight alongside you, and a strong warrior who can match you in battle.
Ling Chen's voice was hoarse, but the suffocating feeling in his heart dissipated like smoke, "Alright, I trust you."
On the side, Jiang Cancan's thread of reason snapped— ‘Damn it, I'm going to report them for battlefield animal abuse!’
……
Vulture stood alone at the entrance of the second-floor corridor, guarding it.
His combat power surpassed everyone else, and he preferred to act alone, believing that more people would only slow him down. And his strength indeed justified this arrogance.
Leaning against the wall, he was playing with a blood-grooved dagger, the blade swiftly moving between his fingers as he flipped it, leaving only layers of afterimages. The bulging dark blue veins on his muscular arms were fully exposed, as if graffiti had been painted on his skin. The robust muscles also hinted at the hidden strength and explosive power within.
The corridor's fluorescent light was somewhat glaring.
He vigilantly observed his surroundings—nothing unusual, so he leaned back against the wall again before continuing to train the flexibility of his fingers.
Ye Xiao stood at the corner of the third-floor staircase, completely silent and hidden in the darkness.
He wasn't in a hurry to attack because he had promised Ling Chen not to get injured easily. If he got hurt, Ling Chen would be heartbroken.
——This benchmark named "Ling Chen" proved to be highly effective.
Ye Xiao gently pinched the wooden rabbit figurine between his fingers, like a nocturnal hunter lying in wait, displaying immense patience.
Before long, Vulture prepared to shift his stance. In that very instant, Ye Xiao leaped up until his toes landed on the railing. With one hand gripping the Long Blade and the other clutching its sheath, he soared and descended like an eagle. Upon landing, he made not a single sound.
Without needing any buffer time, his figure darted like lightning and charged straight toward Vulture's back!
Daily unwavering practice had made his blade strikes and thrusts incredibly swift. The icy blade tip sliced through the fabric of Vulture's back, cutting a large gash, yet Vulture still managed to evade.
Vulture lowered his center of gravity and turned around as he thrusted his blood-grooved dagger fiercely toward the back of Ye Xiao's hand.
Ye Xiao dodged with remarkable speed with his Long Blade slicing diagonally in a feint. Simultaneously, while Vulture's attention was on the blade, Ye Xiao seized the opportunity to use the sheath in his left hand, striking Vulture's wrist with pinpoint accuracy. With a loud "clang", the dagger in Vulture's hand fell to the ground.
Ye Xiao raised his eyes, their arcs gleaming with a cold, sharp light and filled with a chilling intent to kill.
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