TIC Chapter 18

 Chapter 18: Hey, Brother

Survival Against All Odds [Apocalypse] — "You did a great job. Thank you."

That steady voice soothed Xiao Yan’s already frayed nerves; instantly, all his unease was quelled, and an indescribable sense of security swelled within his heart.

Pressing his forehead against Hein’s chest, and listening to the man’s steady heartbeat, Xiao Yan suddenly realized that Maya was, in fact, deeply important to Hein Burton. Otherwise, a man who rarely allowed anyone to get close would not have chosen such a manner to express his deepest gratitude.

Yet, that feeling lasted less than a second before Hein gently pushed him away.

The control room fell so silent that one could hear nothing but the sound of one’s own heartbeat. Maya stared listlessly at the ceiling, while Hein sat at the commander’s console, meticulously wiping down his blade.

Ten minutes later, Liv and Mark arrived.

The moment they laid eyes on Maya, Xiao Yan caught a fleeting look of shock on their faces—a look that instantly gave way to a calm acceptance of the situation.

"Holy hell! You actually survived being ganged up on by those two bastards? I’ve gotta hand it to you!" Mark gave a hearty slap to Maya’s left shoulder—the one now missing an arm—then added with a wry grin, "Don't tell me you're planning to use this injury as an excuse to retire from the front lines and live out the rest of your days in pampered luxury?"

"Hey! That’s *exactly* what I’m planning!" Maya replied triumphantly.

"Oh, come on! Think of how much our squad’s combat effectiveness would drop without you!" Liv rolled her eyes at him.

"Wow, I had no idea I was *that* important!"

Unfortunately, an hour later, aside from two special forces operatives who had successfully reached Platform 47, the rest of the reinforcements ultimately failed to arrive.

Base 2 had dispatched three aerial craft. A female special forces operative rappelled down from high above; the moment she spotted Maya—who was being supported by Mark—she let out a low whistle. "Good grief! Maya, who on earth whittled you down to *this* state?"

"The same two bastards who killed Instructor Medwin," Maya replied, the corners of his lips twitching.

The playful expression on the woman’s face vanished instantly, replaced by one of grim seriousness. “What about those two guys?”

“Dead.”

“You took them out?”

Maya grabbed Xiao Yan with her free hand and gave his cheek a playful pinch. “He and I did it together!”

Xiao Yan wasn’t wearing a combat suit—he didn’t even have shoulder insignia.

The other woman looked slightly surprised, then broke into an appreciative smile. “Not bad at all, Tech Specialist.”

“Come here, Xiao Yan. Allow me to make a grand introduction: this is Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Mitchell—one of the ‘Three Goddesses’ of our Special Missions Force.”

Xiao Yan blinked in astonishment. The woman standing before him had deep brown hair swept back into an elegant bun; with her graceful eyes and full, luscious lips, she was—without a doubt—a stunningly gorgeous beauty.

What’s more, she held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel—even higher than Liv’s.

When she turned to face Hein Burton, she executed a crisp, sharp military salute. “Colonel.”

“Mm.” Hein merely nodded in acknowledgment. She signaled the hovering aircraft above to lower its boarding cable, then took two steps back to reach Xiao Yan’s side, where—without a word of explanation—she unceremoniously hauled him into her arms.

Before he even had a moment to process what was happening, Xiao Yan found himself tucked under her arm as they ascended at breakneck speed.

In an instant, Hein hoisted herself up and vaulted into the cabin, tossing Xiao Yan neatly into a seat just as she landed.

As Hein reached over to secure the safety harness over his head, Xiao Yan finally snapped back to reality.

He recalled the last time—when, thanks to an accidental kiss, Hein had left him behind at the nuclear power plant. This time, however, she had personally brought him aboard. Did this count as finally earning just a *tiny* bit of recognition from Colonel Burton?

Moments later, Mark and Liv returned to the cabin, bringing Maya with them.

The aircraft then set course toward Base No. 2.

“Hey! What are you spacing out about?” Maya asked, giving Xiao Yan a light flick on the forehead with her right hand. “...We won’t get attacked again, will we?”

“Huh?” Maya shook her head. “Aboard these three aircraft aren’t just the elites led by Colonel Burton; Jane Wallace’s main squad is here as well. Sharon is one of Jane Wallace’s subordinates.”

“Huh? Jane Wallace?” The name sounded familiar to Xiao Yan; it took him a long moment to realize it was a name he seemed to hear frequently in the news.

“You don’t know Jane Wallace?” Maya looked surprised, then tilted her chin toward Hein. “In that case, you haven’t heard of Colonel Burton either?”

“Hey! How could I possibly *not* have heard of Hein Burton?” Xiao Yan retorted immediately, glancing out of the corner of his eye to gauge Hein’s reaction. The man simply sat there with his eyes closed, appearing to be resting.

In truth, however, Hein didn’t care in the slightest whether Xiao Yan had heard of him or not. That man cared nothing for anyone else’s opinion of him.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath. “Liv, is our mission finally over?”

“Mm.” Liv nodded.

“Ah... Finally, I can get some proper sleep. I’m absolutely dead tired right now.”

“Then go ahead and sleep.” Liv gently ruffled Xiao Yan’s hair.

Closing his eyes, Xiao Yan drifted off into his dreams. It had been a long, utterly exhausting mission.

He didn’t want to think about anything at all; he simply wanted it all to stop.

As the aircraft approached the base, Liv raised her hand to wake Xiao Yan—but then, Hein’s cool, crisp voice rang out, freezing her hand mid-air.

“Let him sleep.”

Inside the command center at Base 2, a communications officer reported to Lieutenant Colonel Raven with a look of utter bewilderment.

“Lieutenant Colonel, the aircraft carrying Colonel Burton has been hovering ten miles out from the base for over an hour now.”

“What? The other two aircraft have already returned to base—what on earth is he trying to do?” Lieutenant Colonel Raven grew visibly anxious. “Have you managed to establish contact with Colonel Burton?”

“We have. Colonel Burton reports that everything is ‘normal.’”

Lieutenant Colonel Raven rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Does *that* really count as normal?”

The aircraft finally docked in the hangar bay, and Xiao Yan was abruptly jolted awake by a shove from Mark. “Hey! Rookie! You’re drooling—that’s disgusting!”

“Huh? What?” Xiao Yan snapped back to reality, instinctively touching the corners of his mouth; they were perfectly dry.

Mark chuckled to himself, only to be immediately met with a sharp punch from Liv.

“Idiot!”

As Hein stepped out of the aircraft, Lieutenant Colonel Raven approached with a stern expression. “What the hell have you guys been up to? I thought the Surge Organization had hijacked your craft!”

Once everyone had disembarked, Lieutenant Colonel Raven scanned the group but failed to spot Manson; a look of bewilderment crossed his face. “Where is Major General Manson?”

“Did you rush over just to salute the Major General?” Maya asked, wearing a mocking smirk.

“What do you mean? Where *is* the Major General?” Upon seeing Maya, Lieutenant Colonel Raven was momentarily struck speechless. He opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan instead.

Xiao Yan remained silent, though his eyes were fixed on the container Hein was carrying.

Hein walked past Lieutenant Colonel Raven, thrust the container into his arms, and strode away without a backward glance.

“Hey! Hey! What is this?!”

“Major General Manson,” Liv said, giving Lieutenant Colonel Raven a playful wink before heading inside.

Only Xiao Yan and Lieutenant Colonel Raven remained, glaring silently at one another.

That very day, news of Major General Manson’s betrayal—defecting from Char to join the Surge Organization—reached Char itself. His brain was subsequently transferred to the Interrogation Unit.

The mess hall at Base 2 hosted a farewell ceremony for Maya. Maya sat sprawled out at the dining table in a completely uninhibited manner, happily letting Liv and Mark feed him bite after bite of food.

Maya’s medical report had already been dispatched to Char’s Special Operations Headquarters; tomorrow, he would board a transport craft to return to Char, where the military would custom-fabricate prosthetic limbs specifically for him. The flexibility of this prosthetic limb rivals that of the human body; it is capable of interfacing with severed nerve endings, transmitting every tactile sensation back to the user's brain. In a sense, the prosthetic is indistinguishable from a real limb. Its sole drawback is that, unlike a special forces soldier's own body, it lacks the capacity for automatic regeneration. For instance, if an enemy blade were to pierce a soldier's arm—provided the limb remained attached to the torso—it would naturally heal itself. However, if a prosthetic is pierced, the neural transmission is severed, rendering the limb useless—a potentially fatal vulnerability on the battlefield. Maya had been promoted to the rank of Major and transferred to the Strategic Planning Division of the Special Operations Force, where he served as a security detail member for the unit's commander, Major General Gordon.

"So, you got yourself a promotion, did you? Now you can go right back to living that decadent, high-rolling lifestyle of yours in Shire!" Mark exclaimed, forcefully shoving a piece of steak into Maya’s mouth and deliberately smearing his face in the process.

"Hey! Hey! Watch out—don't get that on my hair!" Maya struggled frantically with his right hand to fend Mark off.

Seizing the opportunity, Liv poured an entire glass of red wine down Maya’s throat. "Come on, tell us! What’s the very first thing you’re going to do once your prosthetic is fully installed?"

"Why, get a proper hair treatment, of course!"

No sooner had Maya uttered these words than everyone burst into laughter. Maya turned his head; spotting Xiao Yan, he waved him over.

Xiao Yan walked over and took a seat beside him.

"Hey, brother—everyone else is practically fighting over the chance to look after me. Don't you think you ought to do something for me, too?"

"Want me to feed you steak? Or maybe some red wine?" Xiao Yan asked with an amused smile.

"Mark and Liv are more than enough for trivial matters like that. Naturally, I’ve reserved the most important task for you."

"And what would that be?"

"Comb my hair for me. That zombie pus has left my hair all tangled and matted." Maya pulled a comb from the pocket of his casual jacket with an air of utmost seriousness.

Xiao Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright—I’ll comb your hair for you."

Maya shot a knowing look at the others, and one by one, they picked up their beers and quietly took their leave. Xiao Yan carefully loosened Maya’s hair and began to comb it for him with earnest concentration.

“It feels a bit strange hearing you call me ‘brother’ for the very first time—I’m really not used to it.”

“What’s the matter? Do you miss the days when you called me ‘darling’ instead? Sorry, but sleeping with you is completely off the table now.” Maya wore an expression of mock seriousness.

“Why?”

“I have my own strict principles when it comes to who I sleep with. Rule number one: I don’t sleep with my comrades-in-arms. Rule number two: I don’t sleep with my friends.”

“So, which am I—a comrade or a friend?” Xiao Yan asked softly as he gathered Maya’s hair into a tie.

“Talk about bad luck—right now, you happen to be both!” Maya shoved a large mug of beer into Xiao Yan’s hands. “Hey, brother! Let’s drink until we drop!”

Xiao Yan paused for a moment, his heart suddenly swelling with emotion.

“Haha! That’s exactly what we’ll do—drink until we drop! Once you get to Shire, I can introduce you to Casey!”

“Casey? *Which* Casey?”

“Major Casey from the Central Academy of Sciences! You two would definitely hit it off. Before I met you guys, he was my only friend. The guy has a terrible personality, but deep down, he’s actually pretty adorable. If you’ve got the chops, why don’t you try seducing him into bed?”

“Whoa—a Major from the Central Academy? On second thought, I’ll pass. Guys like that usually have their noses stuck way up in the air! Not everyone is as adorable as you are.”

This was the first time Xiao Yan had ever drunk beer with such unbridled abandon. He draped his arm unhesitatingly over the shoulder of a Major in the Special Task Force, and the two of them swapped stories about their past embarrassments. Xiao Yan even spilled the beans about his fantasies involving Lily—telling him absolutely everything—which sent Maya into fits of hysterical laughter.

“Hey, don’t get me wrong—but usually, a beauty like that wouldn’t give a guy like you the time of day!”

“So, what kind of men *do* they go for? Guys like Colonel Burton?”