TIC 73

 Chapter 73

Yet Xiao Yan’s guard remained unlowered; his intuition told him that this man was fundamentally different from anyone else he had ever met. But in what way, exactly?

The man smiled and tilted his head, as if to get a clearer look at Xiao Yan. His fingers brushed against the young man’s short black hair, the tips of the strands grazing his knuckles; in that moment, it felt as though a multitude of fluttering wings had swept right across Xiao Yan’s heart.

“You are a pure-blooded Asian—a human with a lineage as unmixed as yours accounts for less than one in ten thousand. After all, having lived and procreated within such confined spaces for over two hundred years, humanity is no longer quite so fixated on the purity of bloodlines.”

Although Xiao Yan did not physically retreat, he felt a distinct sense of psychological pressure bearing down on him.

“I truly wish I had a child with a bloodline as pure as yours.”

At that moment, Xiao Yan finally realized the man’s true identity.

“You are Jan Wallis’s father!”

“Yes. And I am not merely his father, but his creator as well. For a long time now, these children have kept me company, helping me endure through dark and solitary years. They call me ‘Father’—and after so much time has passed, I’ve nearly forgotten my own name. Let me think... Ah, yes. My name is Valentin Hien.”

Xiao Yan recalled that the *Tide* Organization had long been utilizing the “Comet” virus in their research into so-called immortality.

“You... How long have you been alive?”

“Two hundred and seventy-two years.”

It was a staggering figure.

“...” Xiao Yan stared into the man’s eyes, verifying that what he said was, in all likelihood, the truth.

“The Comet virus enables the zombie body to undergo constant regeneration, absorbing thermal energy to synthesize the nutrients it requires. Consider this: even today, more than two centuries later, the zombies have yet to die out. Is that not a sign—a clue—left for humanity by the Creator Himself? The X-virus was synthesized based upon the Comet virus; I utilized it to continuously regenerate my own damaged organs, thereby achieving the goal of longevity. However, there is one vital organ in the human body that I can never repair.”

“The brain.”

It was common knowledge that zombies possessed no capacity for thought—only instinct—because their brains had atrophied.

“You truly are intelligent. And that is precisely why I need you—with your rare and exceptional cognitive abilities—to help me solve this problem.”

The man tapped a finger against Xiao Yan’s temple, then let out a soft, amused chuckle. “Don’t be so tense; I’ll give you time to think this through carefully. Do you intend to return to Shire and live underground forever, or would you prefer to live freely, just like Jane? I hear that Hein Burton is still alive; thanks to the X-2 virus you developed, he has become the first among Shire’s Special Forces to break free from the ten-year lifespan shackles—creating a legend once again. To my mind, however, that legend belongs to *you*, not to him.”

It was the highest form of praise.

Xiao Yan pursed his lips, remaining silent.

“You are one of a kind, my boy.”

Valentin’s palm rested against Xiao Yan’s cheek, his fingers slowly threading through the strands of his hair. It was a gesture of excessive tenderness, yet Xiao Yan knew that the “one of a kind” quality being referred to was not his own self, but rather his brain.

“No matter how much of your genetic material I harvest, there is no guarantee that he would fully possess your mind.”

The man rose and left the room. Out in the deep, shadowy corridor, Casey leaned against the wall, his expression—particularly his eyes—masking a profound unease.

“Father.”

“Attempt to extract the information from his brain, but do not harm him.”

“Understood, Father.”

“Do you know when the safest moment to do so is?” Valentin looked at Casey with a gentle gaze.

“When he is asleep, Father.”

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the world outside the window turned pitch black; nothing could be seen—it was like a black hole, threatening to swallow Xiao Yan whole at any moment.

Xiao Yan drew the curtains shut. Although the room was spacious, it felt stiflingly oppressive.

The aroma of food wafted through the air as Jane entered the room carrying a dinner tray. Finding no sign of Xiao Yan at first, he sighed softly; glancing around the room, he finally spotted Xiao Yan leaning against the far corner.

“I know there’s no sunshine or sandy beaches here—that you feel trapped.”

Jane crouched down in front of Xiao Yan. “You don’t care about my feelings at all; don’t pretend to understand.”

Jan flicked his fingers against the center of Xiao Yan’s brow. “I promise you: freedom will come soon—for both you and me.”

He placed the food tray on his lap, sitting face-to-face with Xiao Yan. Scooping up a spoonful of food, he brought it to Xiao Yan’s lips. “Taste this. It’s porridge I cooked myself; it tastes completely different from anything you had back in Xiali. You need to try new things, see different sights, and then use that brilliant mind of yours to think.”

Xiao Yan offered no reaction.

Jan sighed helplessly. “I wouldn’t mind taking it into my own mouth first before feeding it to you.”

Xiao Yan finally parted his lips ever so slightly. Rather than risk going mad by submitting to the man’s kiss, he would sooner swallow his pride and simply eat the food offered to him.

Yet, in that moment, Xiao Yan’s tongue could discern no flavor whatsoever; after barely a few bites, he began to feel nauseous.

Jan did not force him; instead, he rose with the tray in hand. Xiao Yan remained seated exactly where he was—motionless for a long, drawn-out time—like a statue fused into the very fabric of the wall.

Time trickled by, minute by minute, until Jerry—who had been monitoring the room via surveillance feed—could hold back no longer.

“This guy shows absolutely no sign of wanting to sleep! I’m going to knock him out!”

Just as Jerry was about to input the necessary command codes, Cathy—standing nearby—stopped him.

“The guy can’t even keep food down right now—and you want to dose him again? Forget about the Boss—he’d have your head—but *I’d* have yours, too!”

Jerry grumbled in frustration, then tore into his stash of snacks and began munching away furiously.

“Who’s going into his mind to extract the data?”

“I am,” Cathy replied, smacking her lips.

Finally, after Jerry had devoured his entire stockpile of snacks, Xiao Yan slowly tilted his head to the side and drifted off to sleep.

Jerry rubbed his distended stomach and pressed a button; a faint, sweet scent began to waft through Xiao Yan’s room.

“What did you just release?”

A cold, oppressive voice rang out right next to Jerry’s ear—startling him so badly that he began to hiccup uncontrollably. “No... it’s not... an anesthetic... it’s a stabilizer... to keep his brain calm... otherwise, he’ll wake up before you even get him hooked up to the terminal!”

Jane’s expression relaxed slightly.

“If his appetite hasn’t returned by tomorrow, I’ll make sure you lose your appetite just like him.”

Jerry watched Jane’s retreating figure, cold sweat streaming down his face.

Casey sighed helplessly. “Whether for us or for Jane, Xiao Yan is incredibly important.”

Jerry let out a breath. “Yeah, I get it!”

Pushing the door open once more, Jane carefully lifted Xiao Yan from the floor and laid him back down on the bed.

“I’ll be right here watching over you. If there are any anomalies, I will immediately sever the connection between you two.”

Jane’s demeanor was more serious and cautious than ever before.

“Understood! I wouldn’t allow myself to hurt him, either!”

With the neural calibration complete, Casey entered Xiao Yan’s subconscious.

Passing through the surface layers of his mind, Casey effortlessly delved deeper; within this unguarded mental troposphere, all thoughts, information, and memories lay utterly still.

Regarding the research on X-2, Casey absorbed every detail without the slightest effort.

“Casey, what’s the situation?”

“He synthesized X-2 based on Hein Burton’s blood samples and the research on the Comet Virus—but I can’t find any records of that research in here!”

The only relevant fragments Casey could uncover were memories of Hein accompanying Xiao Yan during training. Perhaps it was the way memory tends to romanticize reality, but Casey felt that the Hein depicted in these fragments had shed his cold, hard shell. From the gentle brush of his fingers against a cheek to every single moment spent teaching Xiao Yan hand-to-hand combat, this Hein was vastly different from the stern, unshakeable figure—indifferent even to the fate of the world—that Casey had come to know. As Casey analyzed yet another fragment, he had to admit his mind was blown; his jaw dropped wide open, his expression screaming, “Oh, my God!” “Casey, what happened?”

Casey twitched the corners of his mouth. “Jan… you’d really be better off not knowing…”

“In that case, I’ll sever the connection.”

“Wait! Don’t… It’s just that Hein Burton once got very… well… you know…”

“What do you mean, ‘well… you know’?”

Even just by the sound of his voice, Casey could sense the chilling smile playing on Jan’s lips.

“I think I’ll just sever the connection for you two myself.”

“No! Don’t! It’s just that Hein once kissed Xiao Yan—really hard, too. The scene was pretty steamy… quite a vivid memory… Heh heh…”

“If you cannot locate the target information within the Mental Troposphere, I recommend you proceed into his subconscious.”

“Acknowledged.”

Although Casey claimed he wanted to linger a moment longer—just in case any more “steamy” scenes popped up—he knew that the calmer Jan sounded, the more terrifying he actually was.

Leaving the Mental Troposphere behind to approach the subconscious, Casey’s body submerged into a vast, tranquil blue ocean.

He descended slowly, parting the currents with his hands, and was astonished to discover an even more expansive space opening up before him.

Drifting gently down from above, his toes finally touched the soft, fine sand beneath him; Casey patted his chest in relief.

“What do you see, Casey?”

“His subconscious is incredibly calm—there isn’t a shred of aggression in it.”

Casey walked across the sand; looking up, he saw nothing but an expanse of azure water—within Xiao Yan’s mind, the world possessed no distinct boundaries. While most people’s subconscious minds were dark and shadowy places, this space was bright to an almost unbelievable degree. Casey knelt down and scooped up a handful of sand, attempting to analyze it, only to realize that the grains were actually scattered, fragmentary memories: a scene of Xiao Yan’s mother adjusting her husband’s collar just before he left home; or his father standing before a holographic display, explaining the myriad strange and wondrous marine creatures to him.

As he continued to move forward, he finally spotted a figure sitting on the sand, gazing up at the sky.

“I think I’ve found the core of his consciousness…”

“Excellent.”

A deep, resonant voice rang out. Before Casey had even realized it, Valentin had appeared right behind him; he placed a hand on Casey’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring pat. Casey looked up, offering a gentle smile to Jan—who stood poised and on high alert—and mouthed the words: *Don’t worry.* Reassured by his father’s affirmation, Casey continued to advance toward the figure. He had to proceed with extreme caution, ensuring he did nothing to trigger any defensive or resistant instincts in the other man.

Yet, the closer he got, the more Casey sensed that something was amiss.

That crisp, golden-brown short hair; that resolute profile; that powerful, poised physique... by every conceivable metric, this figure bore absolutely no resemblance to the Asian-looking Xiao Yan.

Casey gasped—a sharp intake of breath—and instinctively recoiled.

"No... impossible... this is impossible!"

The man, who had been sitting in stillness, slowly rose to his feet; his stern, cold countenance radiated an innate, overwhelming sense of oppression.

As the figure drew ever closer...

Unable to withstand the crushing pressure, Casey collapsed abruptly into a sitting position.

The figure reached out a hand and placed it upon the crown of Casey’s head; in that instant, the shadow of death loomed over Casey.

Instantly, Casey’s vital signs on the holographic display began to fluctuate wildly; his heart rate spiked to its critical limit, and his cognitive functions descended into utter chaos.

"Damn it! Establish a terminal link—now!"

Jerry, the technician monitoring Casey’s vitals, was just about to sever the connection when Valentine stopped him.

"Wait a moment."

Jane frowned, scrutinizing both Xiao Yan’s facial expressions and the accompanying data readouts.

Xiao Yan’s heartbeat remained steady and calm; his breathing was deep and even; his pulse and body temperature were entirely within normal parameters.

There were absolutely no physiological signs of resistance—so why did Casey appear to be in such a state of utter disarray?

Casey’s mouth hung open, his breathing spiraling beyond his control. His shoulders trembled violently, and his thoughts became hopelessly fragmented; in that terrifying moment, he realized he had become trapped—imprisoned within the depths of Xiao Yan’s subconscious mind.

"Jerry! Get me out of here! Jerry—!"

The very next instant, the figure—utterly without mercy—snapped Casey’s neck.

Casey’s neural signal data plummeted instantly to zero.

Jerry turned to Valentine. "Father... Casey has been annihilated within Xiao Yan’s mind..."

Valentine smiled with an air of detached indifference. "For a man capable of engineering the X-2 virus, it stands to reason that his mind would be—complex in the extreme."

Upon being disconnected from the terminal, Casey lay there with his eyes squeezed shut, his brow twitching violently. His expression was one of sheer, unadulterated terror; even his breathing seemed to catch and choke within his chest, unable to find release. Valentin stepped up to Casey. "Child, listen to me. No one can stifle your breath; your body will always remain under the absolute control of your mind."

His tone was incredibly gentle, and Casey felt as though he instantly sank into the depths of the man's gray-blue world.

As the breath trapped within his chest finally escaped in a long exhale, his heartbeat and body temperature at last began to return to normal.

"Tell me: what did you retrieve from Xiao Yan's mind?"

With the tenderness of a doting father, Valentin cradled Casey's hands in his own, gently working to relax the tension in the young man's arms.

"I obtained some research data regarding X-2... That guy really does have some brilliant ideas... but I couldn't find any information regarding the blood sample analysis for Hein Burton. So, I ventured into his subconscious..."

Casey paused, swallowing hard; his green eyes looked like fragile glass spheres on the verge of shattering.

"Did you find the information you were looking for within his subconscious?"

Valentin’s fingers rested soothingly against Casey’s forehead, calming his agitation and encouraging him to continue.

"...I saw him... Hein Burton! That bastard was right there inside Xiao Yan's mind! He must have hacked into the terminal! He’s found us! He snapped my neck! Charles might have already pinpointed our location! They’ll dispatch a Special Operations Unit! We have to get out of here!"

Casey was spiraling into hysteria.

"Shh—shh—you are alive. Hein Burton could not possibly have hacked into this terminal, because he hasn't found us at all."

"No! I saw Hein Burton! It definitely was Hein! I know his fighting style all too well!"

Tears of terror spilled from the corners of Casey's eyes.

Valentin turned his gaze toward the slumbering Xiao Yan; the profound tranquility of the latter stood in stark, absolute contrast to Casey's frantic panic. "What exactly is going on here?"

Jan removed the neural interface connector from Xiao Yan’s head, narrowing his eyes. "Casey said that he didn't encounter Hein Burton until *after* he had already entered Xiao Yan’s subconscious. If it really *were* Hein hacking into the terminal, he would have intercepted Casey right at the outer perimeter of Xiao Yan’s mind. The subconscious is an incredibly complex place; yet Casey mentioned that Xiao Yan’s subconscious was so placid it possessed absolutely no defensive capabilities."

Valentin stroked his chin, wearing a look of sudden realization. "But no one’s subconscious is ever entirely defenseless, simply allowing other minds to wander in. Xiao Yan’s self-defense mechanism *is* the Hein Burton within his mind. It is merely a thought-construct."

"Impossible! I looked that guy right in the eye! His gaze! His movements! His entire aura! They were absolutely identical to the real Hein Burton!"

Casey grew agitated, distressed by the skepticism his father and Jan were directing toward his account.

"We aren't doubting anything you saw. Rather, it’s about Xiao Yan... He places an extraordinary amount of trust in Hein Burton. He has retained every single detail regarding Hein with such perfect clarity that the thought-construct he created has become startlingly close to reality." Jan’s gaze grew somber as his fingers threaded through Xiao Yan’s hair, a helpless, wry smile touching his lips. "He regards Hein Burton as his guardian; therefore, his mind has chosen to defend itself *in the manner* of Hein Burton."

Casey finally grasped what Jan was implying. He let out a long breath, looking utterly exhausted.

"Regardless... I never want to go back into this guy’s subconscious again... Next time, Jan, you take a turn. If anyone stands a chance of going toe-to-toe with Hein Burton, it’s you."

Jan’s finger tapped lightly against the tip of Xiao Yan’s nose.

"I would much prefer that, next time you venture into his subconscious, the person you see there is *me*—not Hein Burton."

The following day, when Xiao Yan awoke, he found himself lying in bed. He gazed absently up at the luxurious canopy draped overhead, feeling the warmth of another body beside him.

A gentle kiss landed softly upon his cheek. “Good morning.”

“...What have you done to me this time?”

Just a moment ago, he had been sitting in the corner; yet now, he found himself waking from a deep sleep.

Xiao Yan’s sense of alarm surged to an unprecedented level.

But Jian gently pried open Xiao Yan’s tightly clenched fists, then proceeded to kiss each one of his fingers.

.

“Xiao Yan, let’s run away together.”

“Have your brain circuits short-circuited?”

Jan turned Xiao Yan’s body around, lying on his side so they were face-to-face.

“I said: you and I—let’s leave this place. Forget about Valentine, forget about Charles; let’s go live our own lives.”

“...Is this... a new round of negotiation tactics?”

Jan’s lips brushed against Xiao Yan’s—not a deep kiss, but a fleeting touch, light as a dragonfly skimming the water, yet one that sent countless ripples through him.

Xiao Yan abruptly shoved Jan away, regarding him with intense wariness.

“You actually liked that kiss, didn’t you? You really are quite innocent.”

“You’re so boring.”

Meanwhile, Jerry, who was monitoring them, looked over at Valentine in bewilderment.

“Jan... what exactly is he thinking?”

Valentine smiled enigmatically. “Isn’t it obvious? My dear Jan has fallen for this clever young Asian man and is doing everything in his power to seduce him.”

“Aren’t you worried... what if Jan actually does take Xiao Yan and leave?”

“Then let them leave. No matter where they go, Jan will eventually return to my side. Because... he is my child.”

That day, Xiao Yan still didn't eat a thing.

With no terminal and absolutely no entertainment to pass the time, Xiao Yan was so bored he felt like smashing his own head against the wall.

Jan walked in. “Want me to show you around? Stop looking so listless.”

*Listless?*

*You try being locked up in a place like this! A dark, oppressive base deep beneath the sea! Surrounded by a bunch of guys just waiting to crack your skull open!*

Nevertheless, Xiao Yan followed Jan out. The more he learned about this underwater base, the more leverage he would have to escape—even if the very idea seemed like a complete fantasy.

“You know that your every move is being monitored, don’t you? Is that why you’re acting so cold toward me?”

Xiao Yan remained silent, his attention focused entirely on observing his surroundings. They were deep beneath the ocean; if he were to escape, he wouldn't need a spacecraft—he would need a submarine. *Where exactly are the submarines docked? And how am I supposed to get to them?* The presence of a submarine implied, naturally, that a corresponding fire control system was also in place. If he were to attempt to pilot the vessel away, he feared a single torpedo would be all it took to turn him into nothing more than a relic on the ocean floor.

At this thought, he silently mourned his own future.

"I need your help."

Jan kept his voice low as Jerry, accompanied by two subordinates, approached them.

"Hey, Boss..."

Jerry’s gaze was somewhat complex, seeming to ask: *So, out for a walk with the pet today?*

Jan merely winked his left eye—though Xiao Yan couldn't tell if the guy was in the habit of batting his eyelashes at just about everyone.

Jerry gave a light cough, a look of mild embarrassment crossing his face. "Boss, we’ve discussed this plenty of times: please stop looking at me with that intense, pressure-inducing stare. It gives me stomach cramps."

"As long as it’s not your *brain* cramping up, we’re fine," Jan said with a smile, patting Jerry on the shoulder.

It appeared Jan maintained a certain wariness toward Jerry—or perhaps toward the men accompanying him.

It was only after they had departed that Xiao Yan slowly spoke.

"I don't believe there is anything I can do to help you."

"Did Hein Burton never teach you not to jump to conclusions too soon?"

At some point—Xiao Yan hadn't noticed exactly when—Jan had circled around to stand directly in front of him. His fingers hooked beneath Xiao Yan’s chin; beneath those languid, half-lidded eyes lay a gaze that was razor-sharp and piercing.

Xiao Yan’s spirits sank; he knew that the "help" Jan required would be anything but easy to provide.

"You should ask Casey for help instead. Anything I’m capable of doing, Casey can do just as well."

Not to mention that Casey was also a carrier of the X-virus; at this very moment, his physical strength was several times greater than Xiao Yan’s—he could crush Xiao Yan’s skull with effortless ease.

"Everyone here refers to Valentin Xi'en as 'Father.' Do you know why?"

"Because he created you."

"And so, he is our God."

"And then?"

"For humans, a god need only exist within the realm of the spirit. Besides, he isn't a *real* god anyway."

As his lips curled into a mocking line, every last trace of reverence for Valentin Xi'en vanished from Jan’s eyes. In truth, he was the one most adept at concealment; no matter how unnerving Hein Burton might be to look at, his mind was far less inscrutable than Jan’s.

“Is this yet another trap you’ve laid to gain my trust?”

“Rather, you should say it is a trap I’ve laid for *him*. Do you know why so many of these so-called ‘children’ address me as ‘Boss’?”