TIC Chapter 30

 Chapter 30

“Only me?” Xiao Yan paused for a moment, then chuckled. “That must be because you don’t know Colonel Burton.”

“I certainly don’t know him. But there is one thing I am absolutely certain of: a man like Hein Burton never looks back.”

Just then, a quartermaster approached them, interrupting Xiao Yan’s train of thought.

“The base is currently assigning quarters for the night. It’s six cadets per room. However, there are eight of you in total—plus one female cadet: Lily Grant.”

“Sir.” Lily stood up and snapped a crisp military salute.

The quartermaster nodded. “You have been assigned to Rest Room No. 8; it is reserved exclusively for female liaisons.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Lily let out a relieved breath.

The quartermaster activated his communicator; a holographic display popped up, showing a roster of names. He read out six of them: “The cadets whose names I call out are assigned to Rest Room No. 9.”

Lily glanced at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan, however, felt no anxiety regarding where he would sleep tonight; he trusted that Colonel Shen Bing wouldn't possibly make him sleep in the control room.

“Cadet Xiao Yan.”

“Sir.”

“You are assigned to Rest Room No. 2.”

Having finished his announcements, the quartermaster turned and walked away.

Xiao Yan gave Lily’s nose a playful flick and grinned. “See? I *do* have a place to stay after all—and who knows? Maybe I’ll even get a room all to myself!”

“In your dreams!”

Their dinner that evening was quite simple: each person received nothing more than a single ration biscuit and a bottle of water. His previous experience of nearly choking on a ration biscuit had left Xiao Yan with a distinct aversion to the stuff; however, he knew that under their current circumstances, he had no choice but to eat in order to provide his body with the necessary nutrients. Unwrapping the biscuit, Xiao Yan chewed for what felt like an eternity before finally managing to swallow it. Glancing at the expressions on the other cadets' faces, he felt instantly—and considerably—more comforted.

Once dinner time had passed, all the cadets headed off to their respective quarters.

Xiao Yan made his way down the corridor, venturing deeper into the facility. As he proceeded, the number of officers passing by dwindled, and the entire space became eerily silent. Suddenly, someone grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him onto their shoulder. Startled, Xiao Yan nearly screamed aloud—only to find himself face-to-face with Mark, that hulking brute with his utterly punchable grin.

"Haha! Xiao Yan, I specifically spoke to the quartermaster to make sure you’d be bunking with us! It works out perfectly, too—Maya went back to Shire, so you can use his sleep pod!"

Only then did Xiao Yan realize why he had been separated from the other academy cadets.

"Put me down, Mark! Or else I’m going to puke my compressed biscuits all over you!"

"Haha! Go ahead, let's see you try!" Mark gave Xiao Yan’s backside a hearty slap with his massive hand.

"Mark, you’re being too loud."

Hein walked past Mark; in that instant, Xiao Yan instinctively hunched his shoulders. It wasn't until the sliding door opened and Hein stepped into the lounge that Xiao Yan finally relaxed.

Mark rubbed his nose and set Xiao Yan down, though he kept an arm draped over his shoulder. "Hey, is your head okay? You just woke up, and then you got caught in a ground-to-air missile attack—is it going to mess with your IQ?"

"Even if his IQ *were* affected, it’d still be higher than yours." Liv curled the corners of her lips into a smile as she entered the room directly across from Lounge No. 2; as a female special forces operative, she had been assigned to the lounge shared by the other female officers.

Xiao Yan stepped into the lounge and realized that the entire room contained only eight sleep pods; aside from those, it was completely bare.

The special forces operatives had neatly arranged their personal effects—such as the compressed biscuits and water bottles they had just been issued—along the wall; Xiao Yan followed suit.

"Hey, is that really all the compressed biscuit you ate?" Mark squatted down beside Xiao Yan, wearing an expression that seemed to say, *You eat like a total girl.*

"These biscuits really don't have much flavor," Xiao Yan replied with a smile.

"True enough. But any officer ranked Major or higher usually has some extra goodies stashed away." Mark gave a wink, then suddenly stood up and scratched his head, adopting a look of pure, innocent harmlessness. "Um... Boss... it looks like our tech specialist doesn't have much of an appetite tonight—he only ate one measly biscuit!"

Xiao Yan froze.

Mark! You idiot! You’re going to get me killed! Who would dare ask Colonel Burton for food?

Hein said nothing; he simply opened his sleep pod and climbed inside.

The others, too, began preparing to rest.

Mark looked at Xiao Yan with a sympathetic expression. "I actually thought the Boss treated you pretty well! He’s saved your life plenty of times! But looking at it now, it seems the Boss still doesn't treat you as well as he treats the rest of us!"

There was a distinct hint of smugness in his tone.

Xiao Yan sighed helplessly. "You’re his subordinate; I’m just a reservist. Why would he treat me well?"

Opening his own sleep pod, Xiao Yan lay down inside, ignoring Mark completely.

The sleep pod was narrow and cramped—designed purely to conserve space—making it impossible to roll over, let alone strike any sort of swaggering pose. Yet, its interior was ergonomically contoured to the human body; even lying flat on one's back, it felt soft and comfortable. The lights inside the pod dimmed as darkness descended, and Xiao Yan soon drifted off to sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he eventually woke up, driven by the gnawing hunger in his stomach. That single compressed biscuit he’d eaten earlier had been completely digested; his stomach was now utterly empty. He knew there was no chance of falling back asleep. Glancing at the communicator on his wrist, he saw that the time was 3:00 AM.

He opened his sleep pod; the lounge was still brightly lit, but all the other pods remained closed. Xiao Yan walked over to the wall where he had stashed his compressed biscuits and water, then sat down cross-legged. He knew Hein likely adhered to an extremely strict schedule; if he were caught eating right now... well, he decided not to worry about it. After all, the guy was still inside his sleep pod—he wouldn't know a thing.

Xiao Yan took out a compressed biscuit. Deep down, he truly admired those officers who could manage to swallow an entire biscuit whole. He broke off a small piece with his fingers, popped it into his mouth, and as the dry, chalky sensation spread across his tongue, he hurriedly gulped down some water.

If he ever had the chance to have his own research laboratory, the very first project Xiao Yan would undertake would be to improve the recipe for compressed biscuits. He knew they served as emergency rations for the armed forces, but to make them taste *like this*... it was simply an act of utter inhumanity! Just as Xiao Yan was wallowing in misery, a certain sleep pod slowly slid open. A figure sat up, long, slender legs swinging out; when the person finally stood to their full height, a sudden wave of tension seized Xiao Yan. The biscuit he was eating caught in his throat, and tears instantly welled up in his eyes.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Xiao Yan clutched his throat, his heart pounding wildly.

"What are you doing?"

The icy voice made Xiao Yan unable to lift his head. It was Hein Burton. Xiao Yan had assumed the man wouldn't wake up, but he had miscalculated.

It’s three in the morning! Why aren't you sleeping properly instead of getting up?!

"...I'm eating, Colonel," he was compelled to answer Hein Burton.

The man walked over to his side, his shadow looming oppressively over Xiao Yan.

Long, elegant fingers reached out toward him, plucking the half-eaten bag of compressed biscuits from his hand.

Hein’s fingers were so refined that it was impossible to imagine they belonged to a master of lethal combat. When he released his grip, the biscuits tumbled down; Xiao Yan caught them with trembling haste, terrified that if any crumbs fell, Hein would fly into a rage. Hein turned away, dropping to one knee before his personal ration pack. From inside, he retrieved a loaf of bread preserved in airtight packaging; as he tore open the wrapper, the faint, sweet scent of milk mingling with the aroma of wheat instantly wafted through the air.

His mouth watered uncontrollably; Xiao Yan swallowed hard, a surge of indignant resentment rising within him.

Why should Hein Burton be the only one entitled to such special treatment?

Immediately, however, he lowered his head again. Whether judged by ability or military rank, who else in this entire base could possibly be more entitled to special privileges than Hein?

Hein then pulled out a small container. When he opened it, the scent that escaped nearly drove Xiao Yan mad with desire.

It was butter! One whiff was enough to tell—it was the finest, most exquisitely smooth butter!

Xiao Yan stared unblinkingly at Hein’s every move. God only knew how long it had been since he’d last tasted butter—or rather, since arriving at this base, he hadn't eaten a single decent meal!

Hein’s expression remained utterly detached, as if Xiao Yan didn't even exist. He used a small knife to scoop a thin layer of butter from the container and spread it onto the bread. Xiao Yan’s gaze locked onto the bread, and a sense of desolation rose within him. Was Hein trying to flaunt it in his face? Or was he deliberately using this method to punish him?

Meeting Xiao Yan’s eyes, Hein slowly approached him with the bread in hand. "Eat this, then go to sleep."

"..." Xiao Yan froze. He reached out his hand in a daze, feeling the weight of the bread as Hein pressed it into his palm. The man standing before him seemed on the verge of frowning, yet ultimately, his expression remained perfectly calm. His fingertips glided along the bandages wrapped around Xiao Yan’s fingers, a touch that felt almost like a caress.

"You must learn to heal these wounds yourself." His voice was soft—a stark contrast to his usual coldness and detachment.

Even after Hein had turned to walk away, Xiao Yan still hadn't fully snapped out of his stupor.

Not only had Hein given him a piece of bread, but he had personally spread butter on it for him!

Could this be another one of his hallucinations?

Would it all vanish—the bread included—once the ten-second countdown was over?

Hein returned to his sleep pod, and silence descended once again.

To hell with whether it’s a hallucination or not!

Xiao Yan took a bite. The soft texture and faint, sweet aroma made him feel as though he were floating on clouds. *This* was what real food tasted like!

Having savored every last bite of the bread, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of pure contentment.

The satisfying fullness in his stomach assured Xiao Yan that none of this was, in fact, a hallucination. He knew it was utterly pointless to try and figure out why Hein had given him the bread; he wasn't Hein, so he couldn't possibly think like him. Perhaps Hein was simply in a good mood... so he had climbed out of his sleep pod, done nothing else, and simply handed him a slice of buttered bread?

Xiao Yan lowered his head and smiled. When he focused his mind, he could analyze and interpret vast quantities of data; yet, he remained utterly unable to read Hein Burton.

He had to learn not only to "heal" himself but also to grow.

Swallowing the last of the bread, he knew that he couldn't remain a reservist forever; he would become a true technical specialist.

Returning to his sleep pod, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and drifted peacefully into slumber. He had a dream—a dream in which he had returned to the Shire, sitting in a restaurant with a group of his fellow cadets, feasting on barbecue and guzzling beer.

While everyone else fretted over the cadet ranking test scheduled for the next day, Xiao Yan—for the first time ever—did not indulge in his usual carefree, all-night drinking binge. He wanted to pass the test; he wanted to become a Class A researcher, secure his own laboratory, and pursue the answers he sought.

"Hey! Rookie! Wake up! Rookie!"

Xiao Yan waved his hand dismissively, annoyed.

"Hey! Get up—Rookie!"

Suddenly, Xiao Yan was unceremoniously hauled out of his sleep pod.

"Ah—" His eyes snapped open, only to be met by Mark’s look of exasperated helplessness.

"Man, you sure were sleeping soundly!"

"Mark?" Xiao Yan rubbed his head, then noticed that all the special forces soldiers were fully geared up and ready to deploy.