TIC Chapter 17

 Chapter 17: Is My Hair Still Okay?

Survival Against All Odds [Apocalypse] 

Without looking back, Xiao Yan dashed past the two assassins. He could feel something striking at the back of his neck, but amidst a few crisp metallic clangs, he knew that Maya had successfully intercepted the assassins' attacks.

As he sprinted toward the control room, he passed a junction in the corridor where a zombie—which had been aimlessly wandering the platform—spotted Xiao Yan and immediately gave chase.

"Damn it!"

What rotten luck!

Xiao Yan ran for his life. He knew he couldn't count on Maya to save him this time; his only hope was to pray that the control room door wasn't shut. Otherwise, without the proper access codes to open it, he would truly end up as zombie fodder!

Sensing the zombie closing in fast, Xiao Yan ran faster than he ever had in his entire life!

His breathing and heartbeat ceased to matter; all that mattered now was the stark divide between life and death!

Ahead, the open sliding doors of the control room offered a glimmer of hope—he had to go even faster!

He lunged through the sliding doors of the control room, raising his hand to slam the activation button on the doorframe. The zombie attempted to squeeze through the narrowing gap, but the closing doors clamped down, pinning it fast. Its hands pressed against the doors as it struggled desperately to force its way in. Xiao Yan’s heart pounded like a drum; summoning courage from some unknown reserve, he threw open the control room’s emergency armory. Most of the weapons inside had already been taken, leaving behind only a single sidearm and a sharp-bladed weapon. Gripping the blade with both hands, Xiao Yan charged at the zombie.

"Aaaah!"

He couldn't see the look of savage ferocity contorting his own face—he knew only that he *had* to succeed!

With his first strike, he severed the arm the zombie was flailing at him; putrid fluids splattered across his body. His mind went utterly blank as he immediately raised his weapon again and brought it down with brutal force upon the zombie's neck.

He couldn't recall the sensation of the impact itself—he only knew that the zombie's head had tumbled to the floor. His hands trembled and went numb, no longer able to maintain their grip, and the blade clattered to the ground. Xiao Yan raised his foot and delivered a powerful kick, sending the zombie's severed torso flying back out through the doorway. With a resounding thud, the sliding doors slammed shut behind it. With no time to spare for reflection, Xiao Yan took his seat at the main control console and donned the terminal connector—it was his first time linking into a military terminal.

*Stay calm! Xiao Yan! You’ve studied all of this! You know exactly what to do!*

Issuing the "Connect" command, Xiao Yan’s consciousness instantly interfaced with a myriad of data channels. The entire platform, previously inert and powerless, suddenly sprang to life, and Xiao Yan successfully established contact with Base No. 2.

"This is Platform 47! I am Cadet Xiao Yan from the Central Academy of Sciences—ID 1665! My squad, led by Colonel Hein Burton, was ambushed by three enemy aircraft while executing a rescue mission for Major General Manson! Our aircraft has crashed! Requesting immediate air support!"

"Cadet Xiao Yan, please report your current status!"

Hearing the voice of the communications officer, Xiao Yan was nearly overcome with relief. He steadied his breathing and proceeded to report the situation in a calm, methodical manner.

"Please remain calm; Central Command is dispatching a Special Operations Unit to provide support! Estimated time of arrival: within one hour!"

Xiao Yan closed his eyes and let out a long, steady breath. The communication link terminated. He then used the terminal to pull up the surveillance feeds from the corridors—and the scene that greeted his eyes left him utterly horrified.

Maya parried an attack from one assassin, but just then, the blade of a second assassin descended—swift, brutal, and vicious—slicing deep into Maya’s left shoulder. Ignoring the searing pain, Maya leaned forward, sliding his body along the length of his attacker's blade to drive his own weapon deep into the man's abdomen. Yet, this strike failed to inflict a fatal wound. Maya kicked the attacker away, only for the assassin behind him to suddenly hack down once more at his still-healing left shoulder.

Maya spun around as if utterly devoid of pain; in the very instant his left arm was severed by the attacker's blade, he swung his right arm and lopped off the man's head.

Xiao Yan froze completely. Through the surveillance feed, he stared at Maya’s profusely bleeding left shoulder, and then down at the lifeless left arm lying discarded on the floor below... The entire world seemed to turn blood-red before his eyes. “Damn it!”

Xiao Yan calmly shut down every node in the corridors, completely isolating all the passages where zombies were already on the move. He yanked out his terminal connector, snatched up the sidearm from the armory, activated the power-assist in its stock, engaged the auto-lock function, and burst out of the control room.

When he sprinted to where Maya was, he saw only the flash of her blade—moving like lightning—slashing toward her opponent’s neck. To Xiao Yan, the move looked utterly unavoidable; however, with only her right arm remaining, Maya’s balance was no longer what it used to be. In that split second, her opponent raised his left arm. Although he managed to block Maya’s attack, she seized the momentum, pressed down hard on the hilt, and brutally severed his wrist!

The instant the opponent stumbled, he violently swung his remaining right arm, slicing through Maya’s ankle! Maya crashed to the ground, a pool of crimson spreading beneath her.

“Maya!” Xiao Yan roared as he charged forward.

The killer staggered back to his feet, raised his right hand, and prepared to bring his blade down on Maya’s neck.

Xiao Yan raised his wrist; his sidearm activated, firing a round that locked onto the killer. The opponent whipped his blade through the air, slicing the bullet in two.

“Didn’t I tell you *not* to come out?!” Maya roared furiously at Xiao Yan.

Acting almost without thought, Xiao Yan fired three rapid shots at the opponent. Even with only one arm left, the killer—with uncanny precision—sliced ​​through all three of the tracking rounds.

*Stay calm, Xiao Yan.*

For his next shot, Xiao Yan aimed directly at the killer’s right wrist! Since the angle of the bullet’s trajectory was completely different from before, the killer struggled to dodge—attempting to buy himself a split-second advantage to deal with the incoming round—and in that precise moment, Xiao Yan took aim at his head and fired his final bullet.

With a loud *bang*, the killer’s head exploded. His remaining torso plummeted straight down, hitting the floor with a wet, heavy *thud*.

Xiao Yan’s shoulders trembled, yet he remained frozen in his firing stance.

“...Have you had combat training?” Maya asked slowly, leaning against the wall.

Only then did Xiao Yan snap back to reality and rush to Maya’s side. The guy had lost his left arm and right leg, yet he managed to curl the corners of his mouth into a smile at him.

"This kind of sidearm is incredibly rare and valuable; only commanders are issued one. Where on earth did you find it?"

"Only commanders get issued one? Then the gun Liv gave me..."

"That belongs to the Boss. I never expected he’d actually let you use his personal sidearm. Hey—stop standing there gawking like an idiot and give me a hand, will you?" Maya braced his right hand against the blade embedded in the floor, attempting to push himself up; Xiao Yan rushed over to assist him.

When the full weight of Maya’s body bore down on him, Xiao Yan nearly buckled under the strain.

"How come I didn't see any zombies...? You really are one lucky bastard."

"I shut down the passage nodes, effectively isolating the corridors where the zombies were roaming. *You're* the lucky one, not me—the specific corridor leading from the control room to this spot happened to be completely clear of zombies." Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan continued to guide Maya forward.

"I distinctly remember telling you to stay inside the control center—under no circumstances were you to open the door until rescue arrived."

"Yes, you did."

"I hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, while you are merely a reservist. You have disobeyed a direct order issued by a superior officer." Maya’s voice was heavy and grave.

"So? How do you intend to punish me?" Xiao Yan pushed Maya through the doorway into the control center, then shut the door behind them.

"How about you screw me?"

"In that case... just go die." Xiao Yan was in no mood for jokes.

Maya lay sprawled lazily on the floor; with just a slight turn of his head, he could see the severed head of a zombie lying nearby.

"Don't tell me... that's *your* handiwork?"

"It is." Xiao Yan lifted Maya’s upper body, looped his arms around the man’s shoulders, and—dragging him from behind—hauled him over to the sofa in the control room before beginning to examine his injuries.

The severed stumps of his arm and lower leg had already begun to heal, and the bleeding had completely ceased.

Xiao Yan knelt there, remaining silent for a long, long time.

Whenever he recalled that horrific moment—the instant Maya’s arm was hacked off—he felt as though his own world were shattering into pieces.

Then, he averted his gaze. Even now—standing right here in front of Maya—Xiao Yan remained a powerless, defenseless weakling; he had no right to offer the man his pity. Nor would he wear a look of pity and ask if it hurt—for he knew it must hurt like hell, a pain that would remain seared in one’s memory for a lifetime.

“I wonder how the neural connections on those prosthetic limbs work. Hey, Techie—you’d know, wouldn’t you? That’s a research project run by your Central Academy.” Maya nudged Xiao Yan’s backside with his left leg.

“I’m not a Techie; I’m a reservist. I don’t know the details of the research project, because I’m still just a trainee—not a full-fledged researcher yet.”

“How long until backup arrives?”

“Within the hour.”

“Heh. Let’s just hope the Swarm doesn’t decide to send in a bombing run during that hour.” Maya let out a light chuckle; to this man, life and death no longer held much significance. “In any case, I’ve got less than three years left on the clock... Maybe I can use this ‘glorious injury’ as an excuse to get pulled off the front lines?”

Xiao Yan’s fingers instinctively clenched tight. He could guess that Maya’s peerless combat prowess wasn’t merely the result of standard training; it was the product of years upon years of grueling work. And the more experience he accumulated, the less time he had left to live. Xiao Yan remained silent, uttering not a single word.

“Hey—does my hair still look okay?” Maya suddenly looked as if he’d just remembered something vitally important, and began fussing with his hair.

“Your hair is beautiful.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. The very first time I saw you in the base mess hall, it was your hair that caught my eye.” Xiao Yan spoke in a tone of absolute sincerity.

“Really?” Maya’s voice held a note of delight. Whenever the subject of his hair came up, this guy would instantly transform from a top-tier special forces operative into a complete goofball.

“Really.” Xiao Yan’s fingers reached out gently, threading through the strands of Maya’s hair. The sensation was incredibly soft and pleasant; yet, for some inexplicable reason, Xiao Yan felt a sudden, stinging ache in his nose.

Just then, the communicator on Maya’s wrist buzzed to life. A calm, measured voice issued a command: “Open the door.”

“That’s the Boss. Xiao Yan—open it up.” Maya lifted his chin, glancing toward the doorway.

Xiao Yan quickly pressed the button. The door slid open to reveal Hein, carrying the container that held Manson’s severed head—still as cold and stern as ever, radiating an aura of pure, lethal intent. The instant he laid eyes on Maya, Xiao Yan expected to see a different expression cross his face; yet, the man’s features remained utterly unperturbed.

“Hey, Boss. I’m still alive!” Maya waved a hand, a hint of bravado in the gesture.

“Mm. They’re dead.” Hein’s eyelids slowly lowered; in that fleeting moment, Xiao Yan sensed a certain tender melancholy.

“Though, one of them was taken down by Xiao Yan. If it weren’t for this guy, I’d be dead already.”

Maya’s expression was earnest, as if ensuring Hein knew that Xiao Yan had saved his life was a matter of utmost importance.

“No... actually, it was Maya who was protecting *me*...”

At that very moment, Hein stepped right in front of him, reached out to cup the back of Xiao Yan’s head, and pulled him close—pressing him firmly into his embrace.