TIC Chapter 15

 Chapter 15: I Want to... Take a Leak...

Xiao Yan’s mind drifted into aimless fantasies until a faint tremor ran through his arm; only then did he realize that Hein was using an injection gun.

Perhaps it was some kind of electrolyte solution, or perhaps a peptide designed to boost his immune system—Xiao Yan no longer cared. He drifted into a deep, heavy sleep.

Sometime in the dead of night, Xiao Yan slowly began to stir. He turned onto his side and faintly sensed that someone was sitting beside him on the edge of the bed, resting their arms against the headboard. It was then that Xiao Yan noticed the crisp, fresh scent of the bedsheets seemed to blend seamlessly with the person beside him; even though he couldn't make out their facial features in the gloom, he knew without a doubt that it was Hein Burton.

This man had, in fact, been looking after him all along—he hadn't abandoned him, nor had he shown the slightest trace of impatience.

He wasn't nearly as terrifying as Xiao Yan had imagined.

As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, Xiao Yan could faintly discern the other man’s deep, enigmatic features. He felt the weight of Hein’s gaze upon him—a gaze now stripped of its usual aloofness and indifference, radiating a subtle warmth amidst the cool night air.

The man’s hand reached out and settled against Xiao Yan’s forehead; his palm felt wonderfully warm, and Xiao Yan instinctively closed his eyes. The quiet, intimate atmosphere of the night seemed to spread around them. Xiao Yan sensed the figure beside him leaning closer, and the moment those lips brushed against his own, every single cell in his body seemed to tremble with a thrill of anticipation. The tip of the other man’s tongue parted Xiao Yan’s lips, slowly enveloping them; that very tongue—the one that had once playfully teased the blades of grass—now entwined with Xiao Yan’s, engaging him in a gentle, tentative kiss.

Xiao Yan’s knees instinctively drew up toward his chest, and his fingers splayed open, unable to find a way to curl back into a fist. He offered no resistance—a lack of refusal that was, in itself, virtually indistinguishable from an invitation. With a swift roll, Hein pinned Xiao Yan beneath him. His hands clamped down on Xiao Yan’s wrists, and an overwhelming pressure enveloped him. The kiss they shared began to take a dark turn; the sucking grew more intense, and a fierce, cold possessiveness spread through their mouths. It became a reckless, frenzied assault of a kiss; Xiao Yan’s head was pressed so hard against the pillow that he could even feel the steel wires of the mattress digging into his back.

The sheer physical pain of being crushed left him without even the strength to cry out. His internal organs felt violently battered, and his bones stood no chance against the sheer force of Hein Burton. He heard the sound of them cracking and splintering under the weight of that conquest—he felt certain he was going to die...

At that very moment, he gasped sharply, and his feverish body went stone-cold in an instant. He lay there with nothing but the blanket covering him, while Hein Burton remained leaning against the side of his bed, arms still crossed.

Good God... what on earth had just happened to him? To think he’d conjured up such a preposterous hallucination!

There was absolutely no way Hein Burton would ever kiss him! And even less chance that he would do *that* sort of thing!

Xiao Yan pounded his chest... *Thank goodness... thank goodness...* If any of that had actually happened, he surely wouldn't have survived it! He still remembered that horrific incident from twenty-one years ago all too vividly.

"What's wrong?"

Clearly, his chest-pounding had caught the attention of Hein, who was right beside him.

"I... I need to take a leak..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Yan felt an overwhelming urge to just die on the spot. He had actually said "take a leak" right in front of Hein!—even though, truth be told, he really *did* need to take a leak right now...

Obviously, this storm shelter didn't have amenities like a restroom. And given Hein Burton’s extreme obsession with cleanliness, there was no way he’d allow Xiao Yan to just relieve himself wherever he pleased; he would surely open the door and make Xiao Yan go outside! But the wilderness in the dead of night was a terrifyingly dangerous place!

Just as Xiao Yan was trembling with anxiety, Hein unscrewed the cap of an empty water bottle and held it out to him. "If you spill a single drop, I’m cutting it off."

Xiao Yan took the bottle, his mind reeling in utter bewilderment. The guy actually expected him to use *this* bottle to take a leak! The opening of the water bottle wasn't particularly wide; if he wanted to ensure not a single drop spilled out, wouldn't he have to insert his "little brother" right inside?

Hein Burton had already returned to his original spot. Xiao Yan sighed; this was, after all, the best possible outcome.

He stepped away from the bed, turned his back to Hein, unfastened his trousers, and pulled out his pitiful little member, stuffing its tip into the bottle's mouth. The act of relieving himself was actually quite satisfying; however, as Xiao Yan attempted to withdraw his member, he felt the resistance of air pressure. A sudden panic seized him—was his "little brother" about to become a specimen trapped inside a bottle? Fortunately, he managed to calm himself down; with a gentle nudge, air rushed into the bottle, and his member slid out without further trouble.

Xiao Yan let out a breath of relief and screwed the cap back onto the bottle.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, sending a jolt of anxiety through Xiao Yan.

Hein, however, didn't even bother to ask who it was before unlocking the door.

"Oh—my God! We finally made it to the rendezvous point!" It was Maya. Behind him stretched a canvas of starlight, the vast, desolate wasteland appearing boundlessly lonely.

Maya locked the door behind him, and the moment his eyes landed on Xiao Yan, he rushed forward and swept him into a crushing embrace—so tight that Xiao Yan nearly suffocated.

"Oh—my dear Xiao Yan, it’s so good to see you’re still alive! I was so worried that 'Boss' might have just left you to suffocate inside that escape pod! I ran into quite a few zombies on the way here! Plus two assassins from the 'Surge' organization! Naturally, I took care of them all! Hey—aside from Boss, has no one else made it to the rendezvous point yet?"

Xiao Yan, still clutching the bottle, offered an awkward smile; after all, he had harbored the exact same fear—that Hein might actually leave him to suffocate.

"What's this? Water?" Maya reached out, took the bottle from Xiao Yan's hand, and twisted open the cap. "I'm absolutely parched!"

"Don't!"

Xiao Yan didn't have time to stop him; he could only watch in horror as Maya tipped the bottle, about to pour the liquid down his throat.

"Huh? What's going on? Why does this water have such a weird smell? And why is it warm?" Maya wore a look of utter bewilderment.

"That's... that's..."

"It's his piss," Hein’s voice cut in. Maya’s hand gave an involuntary tremor; he forced a smile, screwed the cap back onto the bottle, and casually set it down on the coffee table. “Darling, I know you missed me terribly, but your way of expressing your love is truly... unique!”

“Heh...” Xiao Yan gave a dry chuckle. “There’s no restroom in the ventilation chamber...”

“Sigh, the Boss is just so heartless. If it were me, I’d definitely go out with you to help you take care of business—and while we’re at it... with no one else around—save for the occasional zombie popping out to liven things up—we could totally lie right here beneath this starry sky and have some good, passionate sex...”

Xiao Yan felt a sudden chill run down his spine and instinctively took two steps back.

“No... no thanks...”

A moment later, Liv and Mark also arrived.

Upon seeing that Xiao Yan was safe and sound, Liv finally breathed a sigh of relief; she had been terribly worried that he wouldn't be able to hold out and would open the safety pod before they could find him.

The space—barely a dozen square meters in size—suddenly bustled with life thanks to the presence of six people. Things got particularly lively when Mark nearly downed a bottle of liquid sitting on the coffee table; Xiao Yan had to scramble to grab it and toss it out of the ventilation chamber.

Liv and the others gathered around the coffee table, munching on compressed rations while discussing their next course of action.

It was obvious that if they wanted to return to the base—or to Char—they would need an aircraft. And the nearest available aircraft was located at Platform 47.

According to the holographic map displayed on their communicators, Platform 47 was situated roughly a six-hour walk away. Of course, that six-hour estimate applied to the walking pace of a trained special forces soldier—not Xiao Yan’s.

The mere thought of having to trek for another six hours tomorrow gave Xiao Yan the distinct sensation that the end of the world was nigh.

“Go to sleep.”

Hein, who had been sitting on the sofa, looked up.

“Yeah, go get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be another grueling day on the move,” Maya chimed in, turning her head to give Xiao Yan a playful wink.

Speechless, Xiao Yan lay back down on the bed. It was true: as far as they were concerned, his presence here served absolutely no practical purpose. Xiao Yan pulled the blanket over himself and drifted back to sleep. There was no point in worrying about tomorrow; whatever was going to happen would happen.

While Xiao Yan drifted in that hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, a few more special forces soldiers arrived. Hein’s entire special operations squad was now fully assembled. Someone rubbed the back of Xiao Yan’s head. "Hey, wake up! We’re moving out!"

Xiao Yan turned around and saw Liv standing by his bedside.

"I forgot to say thank you earlier. The 'Silver Wings' worked perfectly—not only was every unit successfully retrieved after deployment, but their destructive power was also far greater than before."

However, the "walking" Xiao Yan had envisioned was clearly a completely different concept from the "walking" Hein and his team had in mind.

The moment Xiao Yan stepped out of the ventilation tunnel, he saw two special forces soldiers sprinting out at full speed.

"Mark." Hein simply gave a slight tilt of his chin, and Mark immediately hoisted Xiao Yan up onto his shoulder.

"Don't carry me like that! I'm going to die!" Seeing that he was about to endure another bumpy ride—head-down, no less—Xiao Yan hurriedly voiced his objection.

Reluctantly, Mark shifted Xiao Yan onto his back instead.

They pressed forward at full tilt; fortunately, this area was far removed from the city, so there were no massive hordes of zombies clogging their path.

Whenever a zombie approached Mark, the big guy would simply run full-steam ahead as if he hadn't even noticed them. Liv and Maya, running alongside him, would take care of them all. Liv’s combat prowess went without saying, while the silk threads in Maya’s hands traced intricate patterns through the air; with a mere flick of her wrist, a sturdy Level 1 zombie would instantly be sliced ​​into bloody chunks.

"Hey there, sweetie—want me to give you a piggyback ride instead?" Maya winked suggestively at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan had to admit that, in this moment—with her long brown hair tied back behind her head and radiating a palpable killing intent—Maya possessed a captivating allure. The incongruous blend of feminine grace and raw power she exuded was truly eye-catching. Yet, Xiao Yan wasn't about to let himself be seduced by her charms.

"No thanks!" Xiao Yan clung steadfastly to Mark’s back. Mark had broad shoulders, and his hands effortlessly supported Xiao Yan’s legs; whatever task Hein assigned him, he executed with absolute seriousness and dedication.

Even amidst such a high-speed sprint, Xiao Yan could feel that Mark’s heartbeat and breathing remained remarkably steady and even.

The rushing wind whistled past his ears, filling Xiao Yan with a sense of exhilarating freedom.

But that exhilaration didn't last very long.

A combat craft belonging to the "Surge" organization spotted them, and laser-guided missiles began exploding all around them. The instant Mark hit the ground, Xiao Yan tumbled from his shoulders; just as his head was about to plunge into the mud, he was scooped up by a strong hand.

It was Hein. He swiftly assembled his weapon and gave a nod to Maya.

Xiao Yan could sense the palpable rapport between the two men.

Maya ran with astonishing speed; as he sprinted, he rapidly assembled his firearm. When he spun around, there was virtually no lag time before his first shot struck the casing of the enemy craft's left engine, sending sparks flying. Sensing the threat posed by Maya, the aircraft locked onto him as its primary target. The standard-issue weapons of the Special Operations Force possessed extreme penetrating power—sufficient, in fact, to pierce high-density titanium plating. Of course, a feat as difficult as shooting down an aircraft with a handheld gun was something only a highly trained special forces operative could accomplish—and even then, only when the aircraft was flying at low altitude.