The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Ye Xiao's response seemed to ignite a secret fuse, causing Ling Chen's breathing to suddenly become rapid. The palm pressed against Ye Xiao's body was scorching hot, as if it could melt Ye Xiao's soul in his hand.
"Come, let the Captain kiss you again..."
Whispering, Ling Chen found Ye Xiao's lips and pressed his own against them.
Compared to before, the force was much gentler.
Their noses lightly brushed and breaths mingling, as if they were the closest people in the world.
Ye Xiao's breathing trembled as his clothes were pulled down to reveal his pale, slender collarbone and shoulders. Ling Chen kissed and sucked the hollow of his collarbone aa his hand, burning with heat, slipped under the hem of Ye Xiao's clothes.
Just then, Jiang Cancan's voice suddenly came from the control room. Ye Xiao felt Ling Chen kissing him while gently rubbing against him, and instinctively tried to divert his attention as he gasped lightly, "Captain... what is he reciting?"
Ling Chen's voice seemed to squeeze through his teeth, "The Heart Sutra."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Cancan's volume peaked, paused for two seconds, and then continued in a different style.
Ye Xiao's attention was completely diverted, and he asked curiously, "And now?"
"The Sutra of Purity and Tranquility."
"Damn it." Ling Chen leaned his head on Ye Xiao's shoulder, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth, his tone extremely dangerous, "Jiang Cancan, if you dare recite one more word, I swear—"
Jiang Cancan's recitation immediately stopped, followed by a loud wail, "Men are all pigs! They say they'll just rub, but then they say they won't go in! Chen Ge, you beast! Big pig trotter!"
A minute later, Ling Chen helped Ye Xiao straighten his clothes and took him back to the control room.
Jiang Mu was sitting in front of a row of instruments with his fingers flying. Jiang Cancan stood defiantly beside him and glaring at Ling Chen.
However, upon noticing that Ling Chen's sleeve was soaked with blood, his expression turned to concern, "Chen Ge, are you hurt?" He laughed awkwardly, "Haha, the weather is so nice today, the sun is scorching!"
Ye Xiao glanced out the window and kindly reminded, "It's dark outside."
Jiang Cancan: "..."
At that moment, the instruments emitted a long "beep—" sound, and Jiang Mu once again saved Jiang Cancan from the fire, "Chen Ge, we've cracked the control access."
With that, he pressed a key.
Soon, the large screen displayed a floor plan of the entire Command Center, dotted with numerous small points, "Green is our side, red is the intruders."
"Mm." Ling Chen nodded, "Transfer control of the Defensive Weapon Systems."
Jiang Mu quickly operated, and ten seconds later, an electronic voice inquired, "Initiate intruder clearance?"
Ling Chen ordered, "Yes."
After the command was issued, the Defensive Weapon Systems emerged from hidden positions on the roof, walls, and bushes before automatically identifying intruder targets then locking on, and firing. Soon, the red dots on the screen rapidly decreased.
From the Communicator, Jian Lan's voice came through, irritated, "I was just about to show off my skills when a small team sneaked up to the control room's building, but then the machine gun units popped out from the walls! That's just bullying!"
Ling Chen's voice carried a hint of laughter, "Alright, you can come back now."
The group gathered in the control room.
Ling Chen turned his back to Ye Xiao before picking out shards of glass embedded in the flesh of his palm, while waiting for Jiang Mu's search results.
A series of data quickly flashed by and finally stopped. Jiang Mu reported, "Confirmed, we haven't found Professor Bai and Professor Ling yet."
In the current situation, not being found was the safest.
Ling Chen nodded with a "Hmm."
After picking out the glass shards, he sprayed on some medical spray. He picked up the roll of bandage and intended to wrap it up casually, but then he saw Ye Xiao standing beside him and staring at the wound on his palm with his eyes red.
Pausing his hand, Ling Chen handed the bandage roll over and coaxed, "Little Fuzzball, help the Captain bandage it, okay?"
Ye Xiao took the bandage roll and carefully wrapped it around Ling Chen, his voice muffled, "Captain, don't get hurt."
Ling Chen's tone was as gentle as it could be, "Alright, the Captain will try not to get hurt in the future."
Jian Lan, hearing the tone of his voice, grimaced and covered her cheek as if she had a toothache.
At that moment, a call request came through the communication channel. Everyone looked at the screen, and Jiang Cancan sighed, "So, someone finally reacted?"
Ling Chen allowed the connection, and a hurried male voice quickly came through, "Who's in the control room?"
Hearing the tone, Ling Chen felt inexplicably annoyed and casually replied, "Your grandpa."
Jiang Cancan laughed so hard he leaned against the wall.
The other side didn't expect such an answer and paused for two seconds before saying seriously, "I don't care who you are, stop everything you're doing immediately and leave the control room!"
"And watch the Command Center get destroyed by Holy Judgement?" Ling Chen's lips still carried a smile, but his eyes had turned cold. He suddenly barked, "Report your identity!"
"F73613, Meng Yang, rank, Colonel." After saying this, there was silence in the communication channel, as if the other party himself didn't understand why he had so naturally reported his identity.
Ling Chen replied, "So, you're the highest rank now, and all the other superiors are gone?"
Meng Yang hesitated but still answered, "Yes, they've all gone to Zone One, and they took the elite forces with them."
Ling Chen had guessed as much; otherwise, Xia Yunfeng wouldn't have been able to cooperate with Holy Judgement so smoothly. He lifted Ye Xiao's chin and kissed his lips.
When he spoke again, his voice carried obvious amusement, "Well, that's a shame. Now, my rank is the highest, and you all have to listen to me."
Twenty minutes later, Meng Yang arrived at the control room with a few soldiers before forcefully opening the door. But when he met Ling Chen's gaze, he quickly softened his movements, his face turning red, and he stammered, "Ling... Ling Zihui?"
Ling Chen raised his eyelids, "You know me? Why are you surprised to see me here?"
Meng Yang was flustered for a few seconds, then pressed his hands to his pants' seams, straightened his body, clicked his heels together, and saluted, "Reporting to Ling Zihui, yes! Surprised! My biggest dream is to join the Second Division and follow you!"
Jiang Cancan was stunned—Chen Ge's fanbase was quite widespread and numerous!
After hearing this, Ling Chen felt reassured, "Earlier, when you deployed personnel to guard the D Zone border, what was that about?"
Meng Yang answered, "This task was directly ordered from above, and Major Zhao was in charge." Meaning it wasn't publicly disclosed, and he didn't know the details.
"Hmm." Ling Chen nodded, "You said all the superiors went to Zone One, what's that about?"
Meng Yang: "It seems they went to a meeting and the meeting has a high level of confidentiality. I tried to contact them earlier but couldn’t get through."
Ling Chen rubbed his fingers together, "Report the casualties."
Meng Yang’s neck turned red with frustration, "We... we haven’t had time to tally yet. Everything happened so suddenly. Everyone was asleep, and now... it’s a bit chaotic. But I suspect there might be a mole."
Ling Chen thought to himself, ‘This guy is honest but not stupid.’
He waved his hand, "By dawn, I want the casualty numbers and the investigation results."
Meng Yang saluted again, "Yes, sir!" With that, he strode out the door.
Jiang Cancan, who had been watching the entire scene, was utterly shocked. "Holy shit, Chen Ge just showed his face! Is this the legendary 'kingly aura'?" He looked dazedly at Jian Lan, "Shouldn’t they have asked why Chen Ge and we, are here? Or questioned the legitimacy of Chen Ge taking command?"
Jian Lan rubbed his nose while also marveling, "Chen Ge’s name and face are really something!"
Seeing Jiang Cancan’s disbelief, Jiang Mu explained, "Right now, everything outside is a mess. The higher-ups can’t be reached, and there’s no one to take charge. Coincidentally, Chen Ge is someone who can and is willing to take charge."
Ling Chen, this pillar of authority, was quick to delegate. "I see there’s a restroom next door. I’ll take Little Fuzzball there to rest. You all can arrange yourselves."
After taking a couple of steps with Ye Xiao, Ling Chen stopped and turned back, "Jiang Cancan."
"Here!"
"If you dare come to my door in the middle of the night chanting sutras, I’ll shoot you dead!"
Jiang Cancan: "...Yes, sir!" He glanced at Ye Xiao, tightly closed his eyes, and shouted as if he had nothing to lose, "As long as Chen Ge doesn’t cross the line between man and beast, Can Ye will absolutely not chant sutras!"
"Get lost!"
Opening the door to the restroom, they found a simply furnished single room. It was narrow but had a window, so it wasn’t stifling.
Ling Chen took out clean sheets and blankets from the cabinet. Ye Xiao wanted to help, but Ling Chen looked up, "You only need to do one thing."
"What?”
"Sit where I can see you, and watch me."
Ye Xiao obediently placed the only stool in the room by the bed, sat down, and watched Ling Chen, making sure Ling Chen could see him out of the corner of his eye.
Ling Chen was in a good mood.
The wounds on his palm and arm didn’t bother him at all. He quickly and skillfully spread out the sheets and blankets, "How about sleeping next to the Captain tonight?"
"Okay."
For some reason, Ye Xiao’s ears turned red.
Ling Chen ruffled his hair, "Go take a shower." Seeing Ye Xiao didn’t move, Ling Chen teased him, "Want the Captain to help you wash?"
Ye Xiao’s face turned bright red, and he immediately turned and ran into the bathroom.
Half an hour later, Ye Xiao sat on the single bed in a loose T-shirt and absentmindedly drying his hair. After some thought, he couldn’t sit still and walked to the bathroom door, "Captain."
The sound of water stopped, followed by Ling Chen’s voice, "Missed the Captain after just a few minutes?"
Ye Xiao tightened his grip on the towel, "Do you... want me to help you wash? Your hand is injured."
After a few seconds, Ling Chen’s voice came through, slightly hoarse, "Be good, sit on the bed and wait for me. Don’t come in, or something might happen.”
Ye Xiao sat back on the bed and when he felt that his hair was almost dry, he folded the towel and placed it beside him. Distractedly, he glanced at the closed bathroom door every few seconds. After what felt like an eternity, the tightly shut door finally opened.
Ling Chen emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist with his skin glistening with water that hadn’t been fully dried. His chiseled chest and abs exuded a raw masculinity that instantly overwhelmed the room with testosterone. Ye Xiao’s gaze fell on the bandage on Ling Chen’s arm, and he felt relieved to see that the gauze hadn’t gotten wet.
Ling Chen strode over to the bed with his muscular legs before reaching out to touch Ye Xiao’s hair. “Hmm, almost dry,” he said before bending down to pick up the towel Ye Xiao had folded. “I’ll use this.”
Ye Xiao watched helplessly as Ling Chen took the towel he had just used to dry himself. “...I’ve already used it.”
“That’s exactly why I want it. If it weren’t yours, I wouldn’t bother.”
Ye Xiao’s ears began to burn again.
After drying the upper half of his body, Ling Chen casually untied the towel around his waist. Ye Xiao instinctively closed his eyes, only to hear Ling Chen’s soft chuckle. “Won’t you open your eyes and take a look?”
Ye Xiao cautiously opened his eyes and realized Ling Chen was wearing black briefs that were tightly fitted, leaving little to the imagination. Embarrassed, he averted his gaze and did not dare to look any longer.
The single bed was narrow, forcing the two to stay close to avoid falling off. Ling Chen had Ye Xiao sleep against the wall while he lay down and pulled him tightly into his arms.
Ling Chen was only wearing his black briefs, and his body radiates warmth. It didn’t take long for Ye Xiao to feel heated as well. Ling Chen kissed the tip of Ye Xiao’s ear and whispered, “Is Little Fuzzball sleepy?”
“No.”
Only then did Ling Chen continue, “Did you miss your Captain these past few days?”
This was the first chance they’d had to talk properly since reuniting.
“I did.”
“How much?”
Ye Xiao tilted his head and kissed Ling Chen’s lips and as if one wasn’t enough, he kissed him again.
Ling Chen licked his lips and chuckled. “Hmm, I can feel it. Little Fuzzball really missed me.” With that, he pressed Ye Xiao down and kissed him deeply.
Ling Chen knew things could easily escalate in this situation. Despite the ache in his lower body, he forced himself to hold back. Propping himself up on one elbow, he used his other hand to caress Ye Xiao’s lips while occasionally leaning down to kiss him and slowly easing the craving in his heart.
Ye Xiao’s eyes were misty as he asked, “Did you miss me, Captain?”
“Of course I did. I wondered if my Little Fuzzball was hungry, if he got caught in the rain, if he slept well, or if he dreamed of me.”
When a usually strong and domineering man showed tenderness, it was utterly disarming. Ye Xiao’s heart raced, and his throat felt dry. “After you left, I waited in the woods. When it got light, I got into Qiu Guanghan’s car and went to the research institute. During the day, I ate with them, and at night, I slept in the dorm while wearing your jacket.”
Hearing the last part, Ling Chen sighed. “Be good and don’t tease me.”
Ye Xiao looked confused.
Ling Chen couldn’t help but rub against Ye Xiao a couple of times—unintentional sweet talk was the most alluring, and his obvious arousal was the best proof.
Ling Chen rolled over to get off Ye Xiao to stop tormenting himself, and asked, “Why did you come to kill Xia Yunfeng?”
Ye Xiao hesitated. “It was a mission.”
Ling Chen noticed his nervousness and felt a pang of heartache. He placed his hand on Ye Xiao's waist and patted it gently, "Be good, don't be nervous. I won't ask, I believe in our Little Fuzzball," he said softly. "I won't ask about the mission or who assigned it, but promise me, don't let yourself get hurt."
Ye Xiao agreed, "Alright."
Seeing Ye Xiao's clear, focused eyes looking at him, Ling Chen felt his heart wrapped in clouds, incredibly soft. Suddenly, he thought of something, "Wait."
He got out of bed before he rummaged through his clothes pocket, and pulled out a printed photo. He lay back down next to Ye Xiao, "Look, who is this pretty Little Fuzzball?"
Ye Xiao leaned over nervously to look, and upon seeing the person in the photo, he couldn't help but laugh, "It's me."
Ling Chen nodded, "Our Little Fuzzball is really beautiful, and with longer hair than now, you look like a little girl." After saying this, a fleeting image crossed his mind but he didn't manage to catch it.
Ye Xiao leaned into Ling Chen's embrace, his face suddenly feeling warm, and he whispered, "Captain, you... you're pressing against me."
Ling Chen's tone was calm, "It's a normal physiological reaction. Being in bed with you, it's impossible to stay soft.”
The atmosphere grew thick with ambiguity again, but Ling Chen didn't dare to kiss Ye Xiao now because he was afraid that it would lead to trouble.
He also didn't dare to rub against him, but he was feeling restless, so he just held Ye Xiao tighter with his hand slipping into Ye Xiao's shirt and caressing his waist a few times.
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
The completed novel is now available in my Ko-fi page.
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•