TIC 87

 Chapter 87

A thought flashed through Xiao Yan’s mind—a thought that startled him deeply. Yet, Xiao Yan quickly regained his composure and began performing a massive, complex series of calculations. When he arrived at the result, a sudden tightness seized his throat, and he instinctively tightened his grip on Hein’s hand.

“Trust yourself. Stand by your decision.”

Xiao Yan closed his eyes; Hein’s voice rang in his ears—clear, resonant, and imbued with immense conviction. With everything finally settled, Xiao Yan sent an urgent request to Lieutenant General Averil: administer the accelerator to Wynn.

Lieutenant General Averil’s fists clenched instinctively. His initial skepticism toward Xiao Yan vanished the moment he reviewed the data the young man had transmitted; suddenly, everything made perfect sense.

The specially formulated “accelerator” was injected into Wynn’s bloodstream. Instantly, his vital signs—heart rate, blood pressure, and other physiological markers—began to fluctuate wildly. Everyone watched with bated breath.

After nearly six hours of agonizing waiting, Wynn’s vital signs finally stabilized and returned to normal. Seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone had nearly worried themselves to death over him, the young man slowly opened his eyes, rubbed the back of his head, and blinked in bewilderment.

Mark could wait no longer; he threw open the sterile chamber and swept Wynn into a bear hug.

“Good God! I actually thought you were a goner! This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!”

Wynn easily placed his hands on Mark’s shoulders and gently pushed the hulking man away. “What? You actually woke up before I did? Does that mean we successfully integrated with the X-2?”

Through the glass partition, Wynn saw Xiao Yan smile and nod.

The sensation he felt in that moment was utterly extraordinary. Wynn lowered his gaze and tentatively flexed his fingers; the overwhelming sense of power surging through him felt like a true rebirth. He could feel the rhythmic pulse of his own blood coursing through his veins, and a subtle warmth radiated from his fingertips—as if every single cell in his body were breathing freely and without restraint. He knew he was still the same person he had always been, yet something within him had changed completely.

Wynn pushed open the sliding door. He had applied only the slightest pressure, yet when the door slammed back into its housing, it struck with a resounding *thud*—and the deep indentation left in its wake left Wynn utterly dumbfounded. “I... I didn't use any force...”

“Wynn, it looks like we have to learn how to control our strength all over again.” Liv leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, speaking to Wynn in a relaxed, unhurried tone.

“...It’s not just strength—it’s time, too... I originally thought that I...” Wynn pressed his hand against his forehead in disbelief. “God, when I lay down in that sterile pod, I actually felt like I was being too impulsive... But so what if I was impulsive for once? We’ve faced death so many times... yet we pulled through again! We pulled through once more!”

Liv stepped forward and held out her fist. Wynn took a deep breath and, with utmost seriousness, bumped his own fist against hers.

“Yes—we pulled through again!”

Wynn turned his head and spotted Lauren a short distance down the corridor; the boy had his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his oversized white robe. The instant his eyes met Wynn’s, he whipped his head away.

“Hey, kid—are you worried about me?”

“You’re the kid!” Lauren spun around and glared fiercely at Wynn—though to Wynn, the bloodshot veins in the boy’s eyes were all too visible.

Walking right up to him, Wynn reached out his hand, intending to give Lauren a pat on the head—but the boy immediately recoiled.

“Hey! Don’t you go doing anything crazy! What if you accidentally crush my head? My head is worth way more than yours!”

Wynn’s hand paused mid-air. His fingertips gently hooked around a strand of Lauren’s hair, which he then held in his hand and squeezed with extreme care. A smirk played on his lips as he leaned down and whispered into the boy’s ear: “Don’t worry—I’ll make sure to protect that little head of yours!”

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan pressed his fingers firmly against the corners of his eyes, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. He slowly leaned his head back—and just then, Hein’s palm was there to catch him.

“You’re tired. You need to rest.”

Xiao Yan grasped Hein’s wrist, opened his eyes, and locked his gaze with Hein’s—staring back with intense, unyielding resolve. “I don’t need rest; what I need are the facts. Of the entire Special Task Force—aside from you and Jane Wallis—Wynn is the one whose X-virus levels are closest to reaching their critical peak. Had Casey not injected that viral accelerator into your system back then, the X-2 antidote I administered might never have managed to displace the X-virus before your body completely shut down. I’ve even begun to suspect that the dosage of the accelerator Casey injected into you was calculated with absolute precision! You people... you’re definitely hiding something from me!”

Hein’s eyelids slowly lowered. It wasn’t until Major General Gordon walked into the room that he finally spoke: “That is something Major General Gordon and Lieutenant General Averell should explain to you.”

Xiao Yan straightened his back. With two high-ranking military officials seated before him, his gaze was so intense and penetrating that Major General Gordon actually shifted uncomfortably, instinctively rubbing the back of his head.

“Allow me to be the one to explain the matter regarding Casey,” Lieutenant General Averell said, facing Xiao Yan directly. A flicker of sorrow surfaced in his eyes—eyes that were typically so gentle. “You are likely aware of the situation involving Lieutenant General Renodin. At least a decade before Hein and Shen Bing were ordered to explore Renodin’s brain, he had already joined the ‘Surge’ organization. The incident ten years ago—when a horde of research-subject zombies flooded into a residential district—was an attack orchestrated by Renodin specifically to facilitate the Surge organization’s infiltration. In the wake of that incident, I lost both my wife and my son. And then... when I first met Casey upon his arrival at the Central Academy of Sciences, I was struck by how remarkably similar he was to my son, Alex. Driven by curiosity, I conducted a DNA analysis on Casey, only to discover... that his DNA was an exact match for Alex’s!”

“Because... the Surge organization had obtained a genetic sample from Alex and cloned him!” Xiao Yan had never imagined the situation would take such an unexpected turn.

“And so, on one occasion when Casey was accessing his terminal, I breached his neural interface and uncovered the entire truth. Yet, I never could have anticipated that Casey would subsequently walk right up to me and ask, point-blank: ‘Are you my father?’”

“And what was your answer?”

“I simply asked him: ‘Is it too late for me to be your father now?’” Lieutenant General Averell’s lips curved into a smile—one tinged with a distinct note of bitterness. “So, Casey wasn’t merely an undercover agent for the Surge.”

“He wasn’t serving the Surge, nor was he driven by any noble sentiment to risk life and limb for the sake of Shire; everything he did was solely to gain his father’s approval.” Major General Gordon’s words confirmed Xiao Yan’s own suspicions.

“Then what about Jane Wallis?” Xiao Yan wanted to know exactly what the relationship was between Casey and Jane.

“That fellow, Jane Wallis, has always defied my expectations. I sought to rein him in, but in the end—it seems he was merely utilizing every available resource to achieve his own ends.” Major General Gordon let out a self-deprecating sigh. “You simply wouldn’t believe it: the moment that guy was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he strolled right into my office and informed me—bold as brass—that he had been sent by the Surge organization. My first instinct was that he had come to kill me; yet, to my surprise, he declared that he was willing to defect to Shire’s side—on one condition.”

Xiao Yan closed his eyes. Although he had never fully fathomed Jane, there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty: “What he wants is freedom. Once the Surge organization is dismantled—once Valentine Sheehan ceases to exist in this world—not even Shire will be able to truly control him.”

“Yes. He dangled a lure before me, and I took the bait. Valentine Sheehan is a remarkably cunning individual; he maintains numerous bases, constantly shifting their locations. Even Jane Wallis couldn’t pinpoint his exact whereabouts—let alone Jane Wallis and Casey...” "The X-virus within west’s body carries a highly dangerous genetic marker. The X-virus inside Jian is nearing its peak—the optimal moment for Valentine to transfer his own brain into Jian’s body. Thus, Jian Wallis serves as the perfect bait to lure Valentine out into the open. I required him to leave Shire in a manner so seamless as to arouse no suspicion, thereby enabling him to establish contact with Valentine. Yet, I never anticipated that his 'seamless' plan would involve orchestrating a zombie attack on the city center to divert the Special Task Force’s attention, before spiriting you away from Shire. It is, indeed, a pretext that would give Valentine absolutely no cause for suspicion."

"Ha..." Xiao Yan closed his eyes; everything he thought he knew—having already been upended once—was now being turned completely inside out again. "Hein... when did you find all of this out?"

"After your brain had temporarily ceased to function, I moved to kill Jian Wallis. To stop me, Major General Gordon revealed the truth."

"Major General... I will offer no judgment regarding what kind of person Casey is, but to collaborate with Jian Wallis... is tantamount to walking alongside the devil himself."

"Typically, it takes a devil to deal with a devil, wouldn't you agree?" Major General Gordon resumed his enigmatic smile.

That night, Xiao Yan returned to his room. He sat on the edge of his bed, hesitating for a long time before lying down. He knew he had been utterly exhausted these past few days—he *should* have fallen asleep, allowing his brain some much-needed rest—yet everything he had learned that day made sleep impossible. He found himself constantly replaying the events that had transpired since Jian had taken him away from Shire; when he viewed the entire affair from this new perspective, he realized that everything was hurtling toward an outcome far more unpredictable than he could have ever imagined.

Someone entered his room, silently taking a seat beside him, their backs resting against one another.

A warmth flowed along his spine, coursing into his neural network; slowly, the corners of Xiao Yan’s lips curved upward. “Hey, actually, I shouldn't be wasting my brainpower on such fruitless matters.”

“True.”

“I need to finalize the adaptation formula for the X-2 virus as soon as possible. Right now, I have data from you, Mark, Liv, and Wynn—but that’s still not enough. I should consider collecting a blood sample from Maya.”

“Mm.”

Xiao Yan slowly leaned back, collapsing onto the bed. Spreading his arms wide, he looked up at Hein with a relaxed, uninhibited air. “I just realized... I really love kissing you.”

“No need to realize it; it’s a fact.” Hein leaned down, resting his palms on the bed beside Xiao Yan’s ears.

“Then kiss me. Kiss me until I fall asleep.”

Hein brushed the dark hair away from Xiao Yan’s forehead. It was a slow, warm kiss—devoid of any uncontrollable urges. Xiao Yan’s arms wrapped around Hein’s shoulders, his fingers tangling in the other man’s hair as he tilted his chin up slightly to return the kiss. He continued kissing Hein until he eventually rolled over to straddle him, settling himself between Hein’s legs. He continued to press soft, lingering kisses against Hein’s lips—a seemingly endless cycle—until, overcome with drowsiness, he finally slumped against Hein’s chest and drifted off to sleep. With his head resting against Hein’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and breathing, Xiao Yan unconsciously tightened his grip on Hein’s arm as he settled into a deep, peaceful slumber. Hein’s hand moved gently and slowly, stroking the top of Xiao Yan’s head; his fingertips traced the curve of Xiao Yan’s ear, down to his neck, and then slipped beneath his collar. Xiao Yan let out a soft, sleepy murmur and nuzzled deeper into Hein’s chest. Hein paused for a moment, then pressed his lips tenderly against the crown of Xiao Yan’s head.

Xiao Yan slept for a full twenty-four hours.

When he finally woke up again, he found himself still sprawled across Hein’s body. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Xiao Yan propped himself up—only to realize that Hein was watching him. Feeling a sudden flush of embarrassment, he shifted over to lie beside Hein, then boldly draped himself over the other man’s arm.

“Hey, tell me something... you actually enjoy having me around, don’t you? Doesn’t it make you feel safe?” Xiao Yan asked, tilting his head to the side. He hadn't expected Hein to bite down so hard on the tip of his nose; the young Major immediately furrowed his brows. "Ouch! If you bite it off, it won't grow back!"

Only then did Hein release his teeth, giving the tip of Xiao Yan's nose a firm nudge with his tongue. The Major, unable to help himself, turned his head away in embarrassment.

"You certainly look smug right now."

"Of course I'm smug." Xiao Yan pursed his lips, deliberately fixing his bright, clear eyes on the other man. "Even though I’ve woken up from my coma, the things I remember most vividly are all the pain you inflicted on me—you cracked my shoulder, dislocated my arm, and even threatened to snap my fingers off one by one! Major General Hiti says this is called a 'stereotypical impression,' and changing such a deeply ingrained impression is incredibly difficult."

"That’s only because you refuse to learn your lesson. Back at the bar, if I hadn't taught you a little lesson myself, Sharon would have given you a 'bedtime experience' you’d never forget."

At the mention of Sharon, Xiao Yan couldn't help but close his eyes and let out a sigh.

"But as it turns out, the one who gave me an 'unforgettable experience'—right there in the Liaison Officer's office—was actually *you*."

"And who else would you have preferred?"

"Someone a little gentler... a little sexier..."

"Lily?"

Xiao Yan could hear the coldness in Hein's voice, yet he felt no fear; instead, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he straddled Hein's waist and looked down at him. "Colonel, you're already sexy enough—and occasionally quite gentle, too. I was merely offering you some suggestions for improvement."

Through the fabric of his military trousers, Hein’s hands kneaded Xiao Yan’s buttocks with intense force; his cold, steely eyes seemed to burn with a hidden fire.

"Would you like to put that to the test?"

Hein abruptly shoved Xiao Yan onto his back. It all happened so fast that the moment Xiao Yan’s head hit the pillow, his military trousers were being stripped away.

"Hey—Hein Burton!"

And *this* is what he calls gentle?! Xiao Yan really must have lost his mind!

Hein lowered his head and kissed Xiao Yan with fierce intensity—a moment of overwhelming pressure that left him gasping for breath. The other man slowly eased his way into his body; unlike the sudden, explosive expansion of the past, this time the drawn-out process was maddeningly agonizing. Instinctively, Xiao Yan clamped his legs together, gripping Hein with such force that the sound of straining bone could be heard. Hein, however, merely pried his jaws open with even greater pressure, arrogantly sweeping his tongue through his mouth; then, he forcibly pried Xiao Yan’s knees apart, compelling him to feel—in excruciating detail—every single moment of his entry.

It was a prolonged form of torture. With a hint of exasperation, Xiao Yan arched his hips, wishing only for his partner to enter him fully and be done with it; there was no actual pain involved—only the stifling frustration of an ordeal with no apparent end.

When Hein finally settled deep inside him, Xiao Yan felt a sudden sense of relief—even though, in reality, this was merely the beginning.

Hein withdrew his lips from Xiao Yan’s and asked softly, "Is this alright?"

Xiao Yan glared at him fiercely. "Do you take me for a woman?"

"True enough. Besides, even if I *weren't* gentle, you wouldn't get hurt anyway."

Suddenly, Hein began to thrust with explosive power; the sensation was akin to a violent storm. Xiao Yan’s body rocked wildly in rhythm with his partner’s rapid movements, his insides completely filled to capacity. Even as Hein’s pace grew so frenzied it seemed to betray a total loss of patience, the sheer, unadulterated ecstasy of the moment compelled Xiao Yan to cling tightly to him. Seizing the opportunity, Hein lifted Xiao Yan into his arms; the vertical angle intensified the experience, making it feel even more wild and all-consuming.

Whenever Xiao Yan, fearing he might be pierced right through, instinctively tried to arch his body away, Hein would ruthlessly—and without hesitation—force him back down.

The sound of splashing water near his ears pounded against Xiao Yan’s brain, and the frenzied sensation of being utterly possessed drained away his last vestiges of rationality. He surrendered himself completely to Hein Burton.

As Hein held his waist tight and drove him toward the precipice of release, Xiao Yan’s chin jutted upward sharply—as if he were a butterfly finally breaking free from its chrysalis.

They collapsed back down together, heavy and spent. Hein held him in a tight embrace, and amidst the sound of their labored breathing, Xiao Yan’s scattered senses slowly began to return. As he turned his head, Xiao Yan caught a glimpse of the time and date on the digital clock and couldn't help but let out a gasp. "Good heavens! So many days have passed! I have to rush back to the lab immediately; that kid Lauren must be throwing a fit by now!"

At that very moment, Hein clamped his hands around Xiao Yan's waist and pressed him back down. Feeling something flow out of his body, Xiao Yan grew slightly apprehensive that Hein might be about to go for a second round.

"Are you preparing to finalize the formulation for X-2?"

"Yes. Once I succeed, more people will be able to join the Special Task Force; we might even be able to complete the global zombie eradication and establish more cities... and then we can leave this place! We’ll be able to look up and see the real sky!"

Hein’s fingers slid slowly across Xiao Yan’s cheek as he gazed intently at the spirited Major. "Before that happens, however, you must learn to protect your brain. It isn't merely a tool for thought; it is a weapon—one even more powerful than X-2."

"...What?"

"You must realize that the true decisive battle against the Surge Organization won't be won through brute force, but through a final clash of minds. Major General Hiti has promised me that he will teach you everything he knows, holding nothing back."

Xiao Yan stared at Hein in astonishment; he knew that Hein...

He must have had a very peculiar conversation with Major General Hiti without my knowledge. The Interrogation Unit is the most enigmatic division within the Char military; while its members possess neural interface speeds rivaling those of the Central Academy’s top researchers, the work they undertake is the darkest and most ruthless in all of Char.

“Master everything Hiti teaches you—even if you find it beneath you.”

“Only by understanding where the shadows lie can one truly discern the source of the light.”

For a man like Hein to seek assistance from another—it made Xiao Yan realize, with profound clarity, just how indispensable he had become to this man.

With the day’s research concluded, Xiao Yan departed the Special Missions Force Headquarters and, under Hein’s personal escort, headed toward the Interrogation Unit. The attitude with which the Interrogation Unit personnel treated him this time was a stark contrast—a world apart—from their demeanor during his previous visit. Every soldier he passed snapped their wrist up to execute a crisp, forceful salute the instant their eyes met Xiao Yan’s. Xiao Yan was one hundred percent certain that these men were saluting *him*—not Hein, who stood beside him, outranking him by two full grades.

“Are they apologizing for knocking me unconscious during my last interrogation?” Xiao Yan asked in a low voice.

“It is because you developed X-2. You have validated the very existence and purpose of the entire Central Academy.”

Although he could not see Hein’s eyes, Xiao Yan could sense, in the tone of his voice, a palpable weight of trust and affirmation.

The sliding door to Major General Hiti’s office glided open slowly, and the liaison officer gestured for them to enter.

This time, Major General Hiti was not seated at his desk; instead, he sat on the reception sofa. Two cups of coffee sat before him, and the air was thick with the rich, invigorating aroma of freshly brewed beans.

“I don’t believe we have time for pleasantries. According to intelligence from Major General Gordon, the ‘Tide’ organization is poised to make its move very soon. The X-2 you developed—alongside the Sharon Virus—has rendered the very existence of the zombies obsolete. Consequently, you have become a prime target for the Tide’s attacks—a target encompassing both your physical body and your mind.”

“Which is precisely why I need you to transform my mind into a weapon as well.”

“Do you know the true definition of a ‘Blocker’?”

Hiti slid one of the coffee cups across the table toward Xiao Yan. His demeanor remained utterly composed—as if the rigorous training required to become a ‘Blocker’ were, to him, nothing more than a trivial, inconsequential matter. “Brain invaders?”

That was the most common explanation for Blockers, but Xiao Yan knew that when Hiti posed this question, the answer could certainly not be that simple.

“It involves the brain, but the word ‘invasion’ isn’t quite accurate.” Hiti’s fingers traced a circle around his coffee cup; Xiao Yan’s gaze instinctively followed the movement of those fair, elegant fingers. “A ‘brain invasion’ implies an external entity intruding upon a host’s mind; in reality, however, the host can just as easily lure the external entity into their *own* mind to analyze and neutralize it. You’ve done this before—within your own subconscious.”

“What?” Xiao Yan had absolutely no recollection of anything of the sort.

“You couldn’t possibly remember,” Hiti said, taking a sip of his coffee. “That incident occurred during the Surge. You were in a deep stupor at the time; the person who infiltrated your mind was Casey, yet you successfully sniped and eliminated his consciousness from within your own subconscious. I must admit, you possess a remarkable talent for this—though I won’t deny that Colonel Burton’s ‘Spartan-style’ mental training played a role as well. You don’t need to waste time learning how to pilfer others’ mental data like those lower-tier Blockers do. What you truly need to master is *mental interception*—for when the mind itself becomes a weapon, it is even more potent and terrifying than the X-Virus. Major, answer me this: do you think it is easier to infiltrate an enemy’s mind to neutralize their thoughts, or to kill them from within the confines of your own subconscious?”