Rebirth of a Mercenary: The Ace Mercenary Forced to Be the Beloved of the Group

When Bai Ye was dropped off in the car at the border, it was just dawn.

A dilapidated pickup truck dropped him off at the end of a dirt road. The driver didn't say anything, just gestured with his chin forward, then stepped on the gas, reversed, and turned around, kicking up dust that covered Bai Ye's face.

Bai Ye stood by the roadside, and after the dust settled, he looked up at the road ahead.

The dirt road wound its way forward, flanked by lush tropical vegetation, the broad-leaved trees forming a dense green canopy overhead. The air was humid and sticky, carrying the scent of earth and decaying leaves—a world completely different from the dry, cold winds of the Gobi Desert.

He looked disheveled. It seemed like he had traveled a long way and suffered a lot.

Bai Ye took a deep breath of the warm, humid air, expelling all the coldness from his lungs. Then he started walking.

He walked slowly, his steps slightly unsteady, occasionally grabbing the tree trunk by the roadside for support, as if his strength was almost exhausted. His gaze was lowered, occasionally glancing up ahead, his eyes carrying the lingering fear and unease that Wen Yan had drawn for him.

After walking about two kilometers, the vegetation ahead became sparse, and several low concrete buildings came into view.

The building's exterior was painted a grayish-white, with some areas peeling off to reveal the red bricks and steel reinforcement underneath. A three-meter-high barbed wire fence surrounded the building, with several rusty surveillance cameras hanging from the top. Behind the fence stood several men in camouflage uniforms, some smoking, some chatting, but all with bulging weapons tucked into their belts.

Bai Ye didn't stop to observe. His steps remained unsteady, like someone who had finally seen hope and was using the last bit of strength to run in that direction.

The two guards at the barbed wire gate were the first to notice him.

A tall, thin man threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, squinted at Bai Ye, and then turned to his companion and said something. The companion took a gun from his shoulder; although the muzzle wasn't directly pointed at Bai Ye, his finger was on the trigger guard, indicating he was in a state of alert.

When Bai Ye ran to the barbed wire gate, his body swayed, and his knees buckled, almost causing him to kneel on the ground.

He managed to brace himself against the doorpost beside him, regaining his balance, and looked up at the two guards in front of him. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, his forehead covered in sweat, and his lips were dry and cracked.

"Please... let me in..." His voice was hoarse, dry and tired, as if he hadn't had water for a long time. "Someone is chasing me... they want to kill me... please let me in..."

The tall, thin guard frowned, sized him up, and impatiently shooed him away: "Get out of here. This isn't a place for you. If you don't leave, I'll shoot."

Bai Ye didn't leave. He staggered forward, reaching out to grab the mesh of the barbed wire, as if grasping at a last straw.

His fingers were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his voice went from hoarse to trembling with despair: "I really have nowhere to go... I've been sold... I ran away... but they're still chasing me... Please, let me go inside and hide for a bit... just a bit... I'll leave as soon as I recover..."

The tall, thin guard stepped forward, his hand already on his holster, ready to yell at him again and send him away.

Just then, a deep voice came from inside the barbed wire gate: "What are you doing?"

The guard stopped moving. He turned around, stepped aside to let the doorway open, and lowered his head slightly: "Brother Cat. A kid ran up to the door and is causing trouble, saying someone is chasing him and he insists on coming in."

Bai Ye looked in the direction of the sound.

A man walked out from inside.

He looked to be about forty years old, wearing a dark gray sleeveless vest that revealed arms covered in old scars—knife scars, shrapnel marks, and several contracture scars that looked like they were from burns. His face was also scarred, with an old knife scar on his left cheek that ran from his cheekbone to his jaw, giving him a perpetually sinister, ambiguous smile.

He walked to the door, looked down at Bai Ye who was still clinging to the barbed wire, and lingered on Bai Ye for a moment.

"What's your name?" he asked, his voice not loud, but carrying a sense of oppressive force that demanded no dismissal.

Bai Ye looked up at him, her lips trembling slightly, as if intimidated by his imposing presence: "Lin... Lin Mo."

How big?

"sixteen."

"Where are you from?"

"Wa State." Bai Ye's voice was soft, carrying a timidity that came from not daring to refuse an answer after being asked a question. "My parents are gone... My relatives sold me... I ran away... But they keep chasing me... I can't run anymore... I heard that the big brother here is very powerful, and no one dares to mess with him... So I came to beg the big brother to take me in..."

Cat Brother didn't answer immediately. He tilted his head and looked at Bai Ye for a few more seconds, as if assessing something. Bai Ye's appearance was currently above average. Not ugly, but definitely not stunning.

Cat Brother shifted his gaze from Bai Ye's face and tilted his head behind him: "Come in."

Bai Ye paused, as if he hadn't quite grasped what he'd just said. He opened his mouth, his voice hesitant and tentative: "Big brother... you'd be willing to take me in?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Come in."

Bai Ye loosened the barbed wire and staggered through the door. His steps were unsteady, and when he reached Cat Brother, his knees buckled, and he almost fell. Cat Brother grabbed his arm to steady him.

Cat Brother released his arm, turned and walked inside, saying without turning his head, "Follow me."

Cat walked ahead without turning around or responding. But he slowed his pace slightly, just enough for the staggering boy behind him to keep up.

Bai Ye followed behind him with her head down, not daring to look around, but her peripheral vision had already scanned the surrounding environment into her mind. The height of the wall, the layout of the buildings, the location of the sentry posts, the frequency of patrols—this information quickly arranged itself into a preliminary map in her mind.

Cat Brother stopped in front of a two-story building and glanced back at him. Bai Ye quickly stopped, lowered his head, clutched the hem of his clothes with both hands, and hunched his shoulders slightly, like a pitiful boy awaiting the judgment of fate.

"Go upstairs and wait. Someone will come and ask you questions later. Answer whatever they ask. If you say even one wrong word—" Cat Brother didn't finish, but his gaze slid from Bai Ye's head to his neck, lingering for a moment. That brief pause carried more weight than any threat.

"Yes...yes, big brother." Bai Ye's voice trembled. "I'll tell you everything. Thank you, big brother...thank you for giving me food..."