TIC Extra 1

 Chapter 99: Side Story — The Architect (Part I)

When the sleeping Xiao Yan suddenly awoke, he gasped heavily for breath; opening his eyes wide, he saw nothing but pristine, brightly lit walls.

Where was this? Valentine’s prison cell?

“Hein—Hein—” Xiao Yan abruptly sat upright. Someone grasped his hand and pressed down on his shoulder; the sheer force and tactile sensation of that instant made his anxious heart feel as though it were plummeting from an altitude of ten thousand meters.

“I’m here.”

A simple sentence—cold, yet firmly quelling every trace of unease.

Xiao Yan turned his face, his eyes locking onto Hein’s stern, chiseled features.

“What happened to me? I feel like I just had a dream... dreaming that we were tracking Valentine Sheen... and then we were on a destroyer...” Xiao Yan pressed his hands against his head. “Or maybe I’m still dreaming right now...”

Suddenly, his lips were captured by the other man’s. A firm, powerful tongue thrust inward with absolute directness, colliding not only with the tip of Xiao Yan’s tongue but also with his very thoughts—shattering every doubt he held regarding reality. Hein’s palm cupped the back of Xiao Yan’s head, pulling him closer with a force so intense it felt as if it might crush his skull—a kiss that was at once frenzied and restrained.

When Hein finally withdrew from Xiao Yan’s lips with agonizing slowness, he rested his forehead against the space between Xiao Yan’s brows, his warm breath brushing against Xiao Yan’s skin.

“This is not a dream.”

In that moment, his emotions soared wildly; Xiao Yan threw his arms around Hein, holding him tight. As his gaze drifted toward the room’s floor-to-ceiling glass wall, he saw that on the other side lay a space of even greater tension and frenetic activity. Countless researchers were engaged in complex calculations. Curious, Xiao Yan rose and approached the glass wall. The moment his fingers brushed against the surface, an automated sensor system activated, and the entire wall became overlaid with data. Although the information flashed by too rapidly for the human eye to follow, when Xiao Yan tapped to isolate a specific section of the content, his eyes widened in astonishment. He turned to look at Hein, his voice filled with disbelief: "Char... is planning to build a new city?"

"Yes. They are all waiting for you."

Xiao Yan instinctively slid open the door. As he stepped, one foot after another, into this veritable ocean of data, the researchers—who had been deeply immersed in their analyses—instinctively rose to their feet. They raised their hands and rendered a solemn, formal salute to Xiao Yan.

"Where... is this place?" Xiao Yan asked, looking up in surprise as he gazed around the room. The location before him was neither the Central Academy of Sciences nor the Special Task Force; and it certainly could not be the Presidential Palace, which had long since been destroyed in an explosion.

"This is not Char." A middle-aged man with a gentle smile slowly walked toward him, flanked by General Sharif and Major General Gordon, both clad in military uniforms.

Xiao Yan stood frozen in shock; it took him a long moment to regain his composure. "...Mr. President..."

The man before his eyes—a figure he had previously seen only in military video conferences and news broadcasts—was standing right there, in the flesh. The President halted his steps before Xiao Yan. "This is our first meeting, yet long before now, I have heard tales of you time and again. Back when you were merely an ordinary researcher—when you left Char alongside Hein’s troops to complete your very first mission—I sat by my office window, sipping whiskey and watching the people outside stroll beneath the dome, laughing in blissful contentment... And I asked myself: *Why do these people possess not a single shred of desire to leave this place?* Whether through virology or mechanical physics, our studies merely reflect facets of this world; yet our researchers remain terrified of that very world. But *you* stepped out into it—and in doing so, you brought about one miracle after another. Countless times, I yearned to meet you, to converse with you face-to-face; I was convinced that from you, I would glean insights of truly pioneering significance. However, certain individuals—those who claim to know you rather well—warned me that my incessant rambling would likely bore you to death."

Xiao Yan had never imagined that the President had been keeping a watchful eye on him for such a very long time.

The President casually perched himself upon a desk, resting his hands on its surface. His smile differed from the intellectual demeanor of Lieutenant General Averell; from the slight downward curve of his eyes to the captivating line of his lips, every feature exuded an air of profound wisdom.

"You succeeded, Xiao Yan. You dismantled the 'Surge' organization—a threat that has menaced humanity for nearly two centuries. Yet, this achievement does not belong to you alone." The President’s expression turned grave.

A sudden, inexplicable heaviness settled upon Xiao Yan’s heart.

He knew that over the course of those two centuries, countless individuals—many far more brilliant than himself—had paid a staggering price in their efforts to enable humanity’s exodus from Char.

"The true significance of your existence lies neither in the eradication of the Surge, nor in the prevention of Valentine Hein’s regeneration... but rather in the fact that you have inspired people to yearn for the world outside. You have given them a reason to no longer fear the future. We have lost one-third of Char; rather than squandering our manpower and resources to repair that damaged third of our underground city, why not build a *new* city? A city without walls—a city bathed in the light of the sun?"

In the President’s eyes, Xiao Yan glimpsed an ambition unlike any he had ever seen before. “I now formally invite you—not to board the last Noah’s Ark, but to step off it and embrace this world.”

Xiao Yan swallowed hard, instinctively turning his head to seek out Hein’s gaze. He found him standing just a short distance away, his eyes fixed upon Xiao Yan’s back.

“I accept.”

“Very good.” The President pressed a button; the wall behind him slid slowly to one side, and a rush of fresh air swept into the room. Outside, the azure sky was interwoven with drifting clouds, and flocks of birds soared overhead. Xiao Yan found himself striding forward uncontrollably. Spread before his eyes lay a landscape of urban ruins—zombies wandered listlessly along the crumbling roads, while a Special Task Force was currently engaged in a cleanup operation...

“How long... have I been asleep?” Xiao Yan turned back, staring in stunned bewilderment.

A familiar figure approached him; the sight of those emerald-green eyes sent Xiao Yan’s heart racing even more uncontrollably.

“Casey!” Xiao Yan rushed forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. “This is fantastic! You’re back at Military Headquarters!”

Casey shook his head, curling his lips into a scowl as he looked at Xiao Yan with an air of annoyance.

“Do you really think I’m *eager* to be back at Military Headquarters? Just these past few days alone, that guy City has been messing around inside my head non-stop—all just to prove that I’d avenge Valentine, or that I’d carry on Valentine’s legacy, or some nonsense like that!”

“But the fact that you were allowed in here proves that you passed Valentine’s interrogation!”

“Even so, I still won’t be joining the Military Headquarters. From now on, I’m merely a regular consultant for the Central Academy of Sciences—not some research director. I’ll offer opinions and suggestions, but I won’t be involved in any actual research planning. Besides, you and I are different.” Casey grinned smugly, tapping a finger against Xiao Yan’s chest. “I can sleep in whenever I want—I could sleep for a whole month straight if I felt like it, and the worst that would happen is I’d forfeit the measly paycheck the Char Federation gives me. You, on the other hand, have to shoulder the hopes of the people and complete one project after another.”

“I feel compelled to remind you,” the President interjected with a light cough, “that in addition to that ‘measly paycheck’ you mentioned, we have also reinstated your full citizenship.” As if he hadn't even noticed the President, Casey draped an arm over Xiao Yan’s shoulder and led him to the central holographic display. "Have they shown you your team yet?"

"Not yet... Wait... I *have* a team?"

"Yes—your planning team. Living in Shire and living *here* are two entirely different concepts. What a true city requires isn't merely a biological recycling system, but the ability to enjoy nature while simultaneously preserving it." Casey lifted his chin, and instantly, the screen lit up with the faces of numerous elites from the Central Academy of Sciences.

Among them were Ritz and Loch—and even Lauren. In the displayed profile, Lauren was clad in the uniform of a Second Lieutenant; his once-boyish face now bore a distinct air of military bearing.

"This is Shire’s most elite team. Are you certain you wish to entrust it to my hands?" Xiao Yan turned to look in the direction of the President.

The President nodded silently.

"In that case, before we proceed, I wish to see Valentine’s warship. Maya’s forces failed to sink it."

"It is merely the only mobile unit among Valentine’s many bases; there is nothing particularly special about it. I suspect that what you truly wish to see is not the warship itself." The President turned his gaze toward Gordon. "Take him to the Specimen Chamber."

Escorted by Hein, Xiao Yan departed the room.

As his transport vehicle emerged from the tunnel, he turned back to behold a structure so pristine it was startling—towering into the clouds, reaching toward the very heavens.

"How long was I unconscious...? Shire has actually built... a Tower of Babel..." Xiao Yan pressed his hands against the glass viewport, momentarily at a loss for words to describe this—the very first structure Shire had erected in the world beyond its walls.

"Not too long—only three days. Though 'Tower of Babel' isn't quite the right description."

Xiao Yan and Hein were the only two people inside the cabin—a rarity that had almost never occurred before.

"I know the story: humanity’s construction of the Tower of Babel angered God, prompting Him to confound mankind with a multitude of languages—the very origin of our divisions. But no matter what comes to pass—whether I build a palace beneath the sea or a castle in the sky—you will always be the one who understands me best. For it was you who made me who I am."

Xiao Yan gazed into Hein’s eyes with profound reverence. “I never ‘made’ anyone. You decided your own path.”

“Are you sure we won’t come under missile fire? That there won’t be any Tide Organization craft hot on our heels?” Xiao Yan asked suddenly, his tone turning serious.

“I’m certain there won’t be.”

“So, this safety harness is completely superfluous.”

Xiao Yan ruthlessly hoisted the safety harness out of the way, rose to his feet, and approached Hein. With a brazen confidence, he straddled Hein’s lap; bracing himself against the safety harness, he lowered his head and kissed him with unbridled abandon.

Hein reached out his arms, his fingers tangling deep within Xiao Yan’s hair.

It was as if Xiao Yan sought to strip away everything else in the world, locking himself and Hein away within the confines of this sealed space. The intensity of their kiss pressed the safety harness painfully against Xiao Yan’s chest, yet—like an addict—he continued to kiss Hein ceaselessly.

“It’s only when I’m kissing you that I feel any of this is real. That we’re both still alive... I’m so grateful to the President for entrusting me with the task of planning the first city...” Xiao Yan leaned his cheek gently against Hein’s, closed his eyes, and began to sketch out a world within his mind. “I want to walk with you beneath the sunlight, along pleasant streets, stopping at a roadside café for a drink... I can’t stand coffee, though—that’s Cité’s vice.”

“Then let’s stick to black tea.”

“And if it rains, we’ll just stay home.”

“And do it all day long.” Hein tilted his head back, turned his face, and captured Xiao Yan’s chin between his lips; as his tongue grazed against Xiao Yan’s skin, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and let out an involuntary, soft sigh.

“That actually sounds pretty good. I can design this city exactly as I’ve always envisioned it... and then, you’ll be right there beside me, living the life I’ve always wanted.”

“Do I have any other choice?”

“Choice denied.” Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled, kissing Hein again and again, as if he could never get enough.

He knew just how close he had come to losing this man—a feeling he would never be able to forget: the sensation that, no matter what he sacrificed, he could never quite manage to hold onto him.

Before they knew it, the aircraft had come to a halt by the seaside, where the grains of sand shimmered, reflecting the dazzling sunlight. As the cabin door swung open, Ling Xiao—standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and his head cocked to the side—looked at Xiao Yan and Hein. "I’m terribly sorry to interrupt your little world for two, but we’ve reached our destination."

Xiao Yan looked past Ling Xiao’s shoulder; there, resting solitarily upon the beach, lay a cold, desolate warship—immobile, battered, and weather-beaten.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan rose to his feet.

"Let's go, Hein."