The Third Rebirth (REBIRTH)
Jiang Mu's fingers danced nimbly across the screen as he typed a reply, "Wait there."
The other party seemed surprised to actually receive a response and was momentarily stunned. After a while, they replied, "Benefactor! We'll wait for you!"
The camouflage-painted armored vehicle sped through the dawn.
Ling Chen held the steering wheel with his right hand and his left arm resting on the window frame as fingers idly played with a bronze-colored bullet. The window was partially lowered, and the wind whistled through the gap.
Jiang Mu was busy tinkering with the equipment and skillfully sneaking into the backend of the Military Intranet. After browsing a few entries, he suddenly chuckled, "Another double-S classified report."
"What's it about?"
"Grand Commander Ling Chen of the Second Division has defected."
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow, "Well, I never thought the news of my escape would be worthy of an SS classification."
"Also, the news about Professor Bai and General Jian's defection has been downgraded from top-secret to confidential. This means that anyone with a bit of rank can now see it." Jiang Mu couldn't help but look up and ask Ling Chen, "What exactly are the higher-ups trying to do?"
Ling Chen shook his head, "It's not about what the higher-ups want to do anymore, but what Holy Judgement wants to do. Ever since Xia Yunfeng told me that General Zhao was also dead, I've suspected that the 'dissidents' among the higher-ups have been mostly purged by Holy Judgement."
Jiang Mu understood.
He rubbed the edge of the display screen, pondering, "Daring to semi-publicly release news of defections suggests that Holy Judgement has fully infiltrated? Because they're absolutely certain that even if everyone knows the scientists from the Academy of Engineering have defected, and General Jian has left with them, it won't lead to an uncontrollable situation?"
"Pretty much. Those in power now definitely have Holy Judgement standing behind them. The neutral and wavering ones have probably been sidelined, otherwise Holy Judgement wouldn't be so brazen."
He sneered, "I have to admit, Holy Judgement is clever. They've played their cards well. After mastering Gene Fusion Technology, they've been overwhelming and continuously merging with other organizations and forces to strengthen themselves. They've also used Gene Fusion Technology as bait to lure ambitious individuals among the higher-ups into cooperating with them. Then, using drugs to treat Rejection Reactions, they've forced the military higher-ups to retreat step by step and constantly give up their bottom line while remaining silent as Holy Judgement ruthlessly eliminates dissidents."
"Finally, Holy Judgement, as the behind-the-scenes master, has completely taken control of the military. And those ambitious individuals are probably still lost in the dream of turning the tables and wiping out Holy Judgement in one fell swoop, unable to wake up."
Jiang Mu countered, "The middle and upper echelons have indeed fallen, but the lower-ranking officers are still not under Holy Judgement's control."
Ling Chen asked, "How so?"
"Because the news of your defection, Chen Ge, is still classified as top-secret. The defections of the Academy of Engineering and the higher-ups are too distant for the lower-ranking soldiers. They might just chalk it up to power struggles. But your reputation is extremely high. If even you defected, the lower-ranking soldiers would start to suspect that something major has happened."
After saying this, Jiang Mu gave an example, "Like when we just came out of D Zone and ran into Chen Yingbang. His first reaction upon hearing you were fleeing was that something big had happened in the military."
From the age of nineteen when he became the Grand Commander of the Second Division, to now, a full eight years later, Ling Chen had been on countless missions and worked with numerous teams, earning an extremely high reputation among the lower-ranking officers.
After listening to Jiang Mu's reasoning, Ling Chen chuckled softly, "I really like this compliment of yours. Please find an opportunity to repeat it in front of Ye Xiao."
He tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, "Are we almost there?"
"Yes, by using the received information for reverse positioning, the person calling for help should be nearby."
Just as Jiang Mu was about to turn on the vehicle scanner, gunshots were heard from afar. Ling Chen smirked, "No need for high-tech anymore, let's go." With that, he turned the steering wheel and drove straight towards the direction of the gunfire.
The distant gunshots also woke up Ye Xiao and the others. Jian Lan grabbed the heavy sniper rifle with her eyes barely open as she shouted, "Enemy attack? Are we going to fight?"
"Wipe the sleep from your eyes before you speak." Ling Chen replied leisurely, "We received a distress call from allies. They said if we help them, the whole team will offer themselves in return. I thought, since you're all single, I understand the principle of keeping the good stuff within the family."
Jiang Cancan sprawled out, "The organization is great, it even assigns partners."
Ling Chen glanced at Ye Xiao, who was still holding the long blade in a daze, his eyes softening, "Did our Little Fuzzball sleep well?"
Ye Xiao, embarrassed, gripped the long blade tightly, "I said I would stay up with you last night."
Ling Chen laughed joyfully, "As long as you're within my sight, I'm satisfied."
Jiang Cancan rubbed his sturdy arms while thinking that when Chen Ge starts flirting, he really has a way with words!
At that moment, the armored vehicle came to a sudden stop, and everyone inside quickly steadied themselves. Ling Chen stared at the weapons scattered in the grass, "We're approaching the combat zone, brothers."
Uncertain of the exact situation, Ling Chen asked democratically, "Should we drive the armored vehicle straight in, or get out and sneak in?"
Jiang Cancan raised his hand, "Quick and decisive! Drive in! The vehicle-mounted machine gun will sweep a large area!" Jian Lan nodded in agreement.
Ling Chen: "Feasible, let's go."
Relying on the excellent performance of the armored vehicle from the Academy of Engineering, Ling Chen managed to make the bulky vehicle drift like a race car.
He almost recklessly drove deep into the area, and upon seeing people in the distance, he casually turned on the vehicle's loudspeaker, "You promised to offer yourselves, so within ten seconds, hide yourselves properly as I'm about to open fire."
Not a second more nor not a second less, exactly ten seconds later, Ling Chen pressed the button, and the rising vehicle-mounted machine gun roared with a loud "bang bang bang", a dazzling waterfall of bullets sweeping across, a real indiscriminate attack, that instantly cause havoc to the surrounding plants.
After confirming that everything was cleared, Ling Chen ceased fire, grabbed a gun with his fingerless camouflage gloves, and pushed the door open to get out.
His military boots stepped on the ground with his camouflage pants loosely hanging on his well-defined waist. Ling Chen tapped the vehicle hood with the gun butt and shouted, "All of you, get out here now."
Rustling sounds were heard, and in the blink of an eye, Ling Chen's legs were tightly hugged from both sides.
"Commander!"
"We almost didn't make it to see you!"
"Commander, you're invincible!"
"Commander, you're handsome!"
Ling Chen was getting irritated and wanted to kick them away, but seeing the two wailing with injuries and looking pitiful, he restrained himself with the little conscience he had left. He frowned, "Stand up properly, don't make me say it twice."
As quickly as they had clung to someone's leg earlier, the two of them stood up straight in an instant. Jian Lan, who had just jumped out of the car, was shocked, "...Xiaoshu, Baozi, what kind of life-and-death escape have you been through?"
Xiaoshu was covered in dirt, with mud and grass clinging to him, and his left arm hung unnaturally with dried blood staining it. He grinned, but his eyes reddened as he avoided Jian Lan's gaze, "Got lucky and managed to survive in the end."
Baozi remained silent while pursing his lips and his eyes was also slightly red.
Ling Chen could guess what had likely happened and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Xiaoshu nodded vigorously, "Starving! Haven't eaten in two days!"
"Get in the car then drink two tubes of nutrient solution first to recover." Ling Chen said before turning to walk back to the car.
Xiaoshu quipped, "Commander, you promised to offer yourself in return!"
Ling Chen waved his hand, "Get lost, I'm already taken!"
Xiaoshu and Baozi exchanged a glance, then looked up at the sky simultaneously, "...Damn, is it snowing in July? Someone finally appreciates our commander's charm?"
As they set off again, Jiang Cancan drove while Ling Chen held Ye Xiao's hand in the back and leaning against the car wall, "Tell me in detail."
Both Xiaoshu and Baozi were members of the Second Division's reserve team.
Since its inception, the Second Division had always prioritize quality over quantity, requiring every member to be capable of commanding a large-scale battle on the spot. Such stringent demands had, at their worst, left the entire division with only two people.
When Ling Chen took over the Second Division from the previous Grand Commander, Liang Ling, there were only a dozen or so members left. Over the years, the numbers dwindled, and now, there were only four active members.
To avoid a lack of successors and to ensure they didn't look too shabby when needed, the Second Division's reserve team was quite large. The reserve members were not lacking in talent; in fact, many were qualified to join the Soaring Dragon or Cheetah Special Forces. But they were stubborn, determined to pass the assessments and move up from the reserve team.
After drinking two tubes of nutrient solution, Xiaoshu looked much better. He sat up straight and his voice firm, "Reporting, Commander. In this operation, the third group of the reserve team, totaling thirty-seven members, suffered thirty-five deaths, with two survivors. Report... complete!"
Although they had braced themselves, the severity of the situation left everyone in silence. For a moment, no one spoke in the car.
Ling Chen closed his eyes as his voice hoarse, "Report the specifics."
His face remained calm as usual, but his grip on Ye Xiao's hand tightened. Ye Xiao held his hand in return, silently comforting him.
Xiaoshu wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, "After you led the team into D Zone for the mission, the atmosphere at the Command Center became off. We were sidelined and not assigned any tasks, big or small. At the same time, our movements were restricted, and our communication with the outside world was controlled."
Ling Chen nodded, "They were probably afraid I'd contact you and learn about the situation at the Command Center."
Xiaoshu continued, "Although we were restricted, being at the Command Center, we could still sense something was wrong. There was a major reshuffle among the higher-ups, severe internal conflicts, and many new faces appeared. The numbers in Soaring Dragon and Cheetah plummeted; for every ten sent out, less than half returned.
The higher-ups might have been wary of you, Commander, and were afraid that if we were sent out on missions, we'd try to find you. So, we never received any tasks. Eventually, it was almost like we were under house arrest."
Ling Chen listened quietly.
Xiaoshu gathered his thoughts and began, "This time, it was on the evening of the 17th. General Zhao suddenly came to us in secret, saying that the military district had undergone a drastic change and the situation was dire. He asked us to bring a set of documents to you in District Five.
We indeed sensed something was wrong and decided to flee overnight. But we didn’t expect Holy Judgement to pursue us so closely. We knew these documents must be extremely important, and we dared not fail General Zhao’s trust." His Adam’s apple bobbed as he clenched his fists and choking back tears, "We fulfilled our mission!"
Though they had been hunted across thousands of miles, with most of their comrades lost, they had fulfilled their mission.
Jian Lan’s eyes also reddened.
Without needing to hear more, she could already imagine the brutality they had endured. When they arrived, Xiaoshu and Baozi had already run out of bullets. Both sides were in a standoff.
Once the enemy saw through their bluff and confirmed they were out of ammunition, they would surely attack.
It seemed that sending the distress signal had been a desperate gamble, a last-ditch effort to survive.
Baozi, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, "We kept one bullet. If we couldn’t survive, we would destroy the documents. They couldn’t fall into the hands of Holy Judgement."
"Right," Xiaoshu grinned, though his voice soon turned somber, "But we were lucky. We actually survived." His tone dropped, "I just don’t know how General Zhao is doing now."
Ling Chen’s voice was heavy, "He sacrificed himself."
Xiaoshu’s smile froze on his face. He pounded his thigh, "Even though I knew, but—" He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Ling Chen pieced together the sequence of events, "On the 17th, the high-ranking officials gathered in District One for a meeting. General Zhao confirmed that the military district had undergone a drastic change, and the situation was beyond his control. So he found you and asked you to deliver the documents.
After that, Holy Judgement pursued you to try to reclaim the documents. At the same time, General Zhao was killed. On the 19th, we waited in District Five for three days and met Xia Yunfeng, who informed us that General Zhao had died in the line of duty."
He turned to Xiaoshu, "Where are the documents?"
Xiaoshu pulled a metal chain from around his neck and handed it to Ling Chen.
Ling Chen took the still-warm metal piece, feeling its immense weight. He instructed Jiang Mu, "Take it for analysis."
Jiang Mu stepped into the driver’s compartment and used the vehicle’s analyzer to open the documents. His eyes scanned the text on the reader, and he confirmed, "It’s a list."
The list was long, detailing all the traitors, defectors, and neutral personnel within the organization, complete with their files. It also included some critical intelligence, and at the end, it marked the approximate locations of several Holy Judgement research institutes and bases.
The final line was a simple sentence, "We fear no death."
After reading the last line, Ling Chen silently put down the reader and turned to Jiang Cancan, "Stop the vehicle."
The armored vehicle came to a halt.
Ling Chen retrieved a small bottle of liquor and stepped out, holding it in one hand.
In the thin mist of dawn, Ling Chen poured the liquor into the soil, then stood up.
He solemnly straightened his uniform before buttoning every button with his back straight and upright like a pine tree. His heels clicked together, and he formed a fist with his right hand, striking it against his chest over his heart, "May our comrades be heroes in life and legends in death!"
Rest in peace.
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