TIC Chapter 32

 Chapter 32

“Although Xiao Yan is merely a cadet, Char has issued me a direct order: I *must* ensure his transfer back to the Central Academy of Sciences! His neural processing speed has reached three hundred quadrillion—a feat that has already caught the attention of the High Command! Yet, you actually took him outside the base just like that! If anything were to happen to him...”

“If he’s truly that important, then why did no one think to escort him to the shelter tunnels when the base came under ballistic missile attack?” Hein rose to his feet; standing half a head taller than Shen Bing, his presence at that moment felt overwhelmingly imposing. “Furthermore—since I was the one who took him out there, I’m fully capable of bringing him back.”

Shen Bing’s gaze remained fixed—almost blankly—on Hein’s retreating figure. It wasn’t until Hein had vanished down the hangar corridor that Shen Bing finally let out a frustrated, venomous breath. “That bastard! He’s such a goddamn...”

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan had arrived at an underground research laboratory, where all the data he had extracted from that zombie was being uploaded into a terminal. Xiao Yan let out a soft breath; this was his first time utilizing a terminal within a military research facility. The instant his brain linked up with the database, it felt as though he had plunged into a boundless ocean. It certainly lived up to its professional-grade reputation; the terminal’s response time and processing speed were lightning-fast—a stark contrast to the teaching labs back at the Academy.

Since the database here contained data on only a single zombie, it was impossible to conduct any quantitative analysis. Consequently, after formulating a few hypotheses based on the limited information available, he submitted a rather perfunctory report—after all, he didn’t exactly expect anyone to take the time to read his work seriously anyway.

The following day, the transport aircraft dispatched by Char arrived safely at Base 14. Shen Bing submitted a request to repatriate all non-regular personnel back to Char, a request that was swiftly granted. Xiao Yan was included in this returning contingent; however, unlike the others, he was assigned to board a transport craft belonging to the Special Operations Forces.

Inside the cabin, the special forces operatives sat with their eyes closed, resting; only Xiao Yan remained awake, gazing out the window.

They were currently flying over a vast desert landscape. Beneath them, the sand dunes—sculpted by the wind—shifted and flowed like an endless expanse of rolling ocean waves, their contours and forms constantly transforming.

“You always look at the outside world as if you can’t get enough of it. Since leaving Char, you’ve nearly lost your life on several occasions; I half-expected you to be like the other cadets—wanting to just retreat back into the safety of the Academy!” Liv remarked. "Every aspiration comes at a price."

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes; as the shifting sands slid away, the zombies lurking beneath them became faintly visible. For over two hundred years, these zombies had not succumbed to natural decay because they constantly siphoned thermal energy from the environment, converting it into energy for their own bodies. Bathed in the direct glare of the sun, the desert served as the prime location for harvesting such heat. The desolate wasteland—once a place humans fled from in terror—had ironically become a paradise for the zombies.

Feeling a wave of drowsiness, Xiao Yan drifted off to sleep. When he awoke again, they had already arrived at Shire City. He followed Liv out of the aircraft, and the very first person he laid eyes on was the expressionless Casey.

His back was ramrod straight, and the stern intensity in his gaze bore a striking resemblance to that of Shen Bing; the insignia on his shoulder indicated that he had already attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but grit his teeth in sheer annoyance; this guy was clearly just a kid, yet he had already mastered the art of putting on airs.

Casey stepped forward to face Hein Burton and executed a crisp, forceful military salute. "Colonel Burton, I am Lieutenant Colonel Casey of the Central Academy of Sciences. I am here under orders to escort Cadet Xiao Yan back!"

Hein turned away with an air of cool indifference, sparing not even a single glance for Xiao Yan.

Liv patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder and whispered, "Welcome back to the cage."

Wearing an expression of resigned acceptance, Xiao Yan followed in Casey’s wake. This time, he entered an elevator reserved exclusively for Class A research personnel.

As the elevator descended, Xiao Yan felt an odd sensation—an illusion that they were about to plunge straight through the very core of the Earth.

"Where exactly are we going?" Xiao Yan asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

He had initially assumed that Casey’s aloof demeanor was merely a professional affectation—the result of being in "work mode"—but now, Xiao Yan sensed that there was something more to it than that.

"For a test."

"A test? You still haven't given up on that? This is just how my brain works! I’m not as smart as you are, Casey!"

"You certainly aren't very smart—always gambling with your own life!"

Casey’s voice was low and tightly controlled, his words laced with the sound of gritted teeth.

Xiao Yan immediately clamped his mouth shut; he knew that whenever Casey was angry, his best course of action was to simply keep quiet.

They arrived at a specialized laboratory. At the center of the room stood a sealed reaction vessel, while a platform situated on the upper level of the lab served as an observation deck for monitoring the reaction. “Sit down,” Casey said, lifting his chin.

“What... are you going to test?”

Xiao Yan knew there was someone watching them from the observation deck above, though he couldn't see them himself. This test was absolutely not just a mere assessment of whether Xiao Yan possessed the aptitude to become a Class A researcher.

Inside the reaction tank, a figure slowly rose to the surface. She pounded frantically against the glass in terror; the moment her eyes met Xiao Yan’s, tears instantly began to stream down her face. Reading the shape of her lips, Xiao Yan knew she was screaming, “Save me!”

“Lily! Lily, how did you end up here?! Open it up!”

“Cadet Xiao Yan, mind your tone. I am a Lieutenant Colonel; you are merely a cadet. You have no authority to issue orders to me.”

Casey circled the reaction tank with an air of cold detachment.

“We extracted a specific gene sequence from the Comet Virus, synthesized a new viral strain, and weaponized it into a bioweapon. Lily happens to be the perfect experimental subject for this very weapon.”

“What did you say? An experimental subject? Are you insane?!” Xiao Yan grabbed Casey by the collar, yet Casey’s expression remained utterly unchanged.

“You forced my hand. Listen closely: once the experiment begins, you will have exactly ten minutes to rescue Lily from that reaction tank. During the first five minutes, the toxic gas will attack Lily’s central nervous system, rendering her limbs completely immobile. Two minutes after that—at the seven-minute mark—her cells will lose the ability to synthesize oxygen. From that point on, she will begin a gradual descent toward death. And ten minutes from now, she will become... a zombie.”

Casey spoke each word with chilling composure, sounding exactly like a professor calmly explaining a research protocol to his students.

“Casey! What the hell kind of madness is this?!”

Xiao Yan’s fist was poised to smash into Casey’s face, yet the man didn't even blink.

“Once she fully transforms into a zombie, we will subject her to a series of studies—such as dissecting her body to analyze her regenerative capabilities and calculate healing rates, or determining whether she can serve as a biological incubator for cultivating new viral strains...”

“Enough! Stop talking! Let her out!”

Xiao Yan’s eyes were bloodshot, and the veins throbbing at his temples looked as if they were about to burst. “The one who can get her out isn’t me—it’s you.”

Casey held the terminal connector out toward Xiao Yan.

“You have ten minutes to decode this viral gene sequence, synthesize the enzyme required to break down the virus, and inject it into the reaction chamber.”

Xiao Yan made no move to take it. Casey raised an eyebrow. “The experimental countdown has begun. I don’t care if you continue to waste her time.”

There was absolutely no choice!

Xiao Yan had never imagined that Casey—who usually acted as capriciously as a child—would stop at nothing to achieve the goals of an experiment!

Snatching the connector, Xiao Yan was forced to embark on a grueling mental journey.

The mist laced with the virus had already been injected into the reaction chamber; inside, Lily pounded against the glass walls, helpless and terrified.

Xiao Yan’s brain immediately went into overdrive. The viral gene sequence was a tangled, crisscrossing web; he had to do more than just run calculations—he had to analyze the precise consequences of how each segment of the gene chain would interact with the human body. Information and data flashed through his mind at blinding speed; he was searching a vast, boundless ocean, trying to grasp that single, life-saving needle.

Inside the chamber, Lily had slumped helplessly to the floor, her arms falling limp at her sides.

The monitors showed that her brain activity was plummeting rapidly; two minutes later, her respiratory functions were nearing zero.

Faster! I have to go faster! How—how exactly do I break down this virus?!

Xiao Yan thought with desperate intensity; he swore that never in his entire life had his brain worked this hard.

Cold sweat trickled down his temples, and his back was soaked through. *Stay calm! I absolutely cannot panic! If I lose my train of thought now, I’ll never find a way out!*

Aside from breaking it down, is there any other method?

Perhaps... *metabolism*.

Finally—amidst that vast, boundless ocean—he grasped that single, life-saving piece of information.

The very next second, a specific gas surged into the reaction chamber, spreading out to envelop Lily.

Xiao Yan took a deep, steadying breath, his eyes fixed wide on the display screen.

Her brain activity began to fluctuate; the cells responsible for oxygen production—which had been completely suppressed—were slowly beginning to regain their vitality.

“You did it. Eight minutes and twenty-four seconds—that’s one minute and thirty-six seconds faster than the time I allotted you.”

Casey’s voice sounded like that of a cold, unfeeling machine. Xiao Yan slowly removed the connector, closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and let out a deep breath.

“Why did you lie to me?”

“What did I lie to you about?”

“The virus you asked me to analyze was real, but what you injected into the reaction chamber was just a standard anesthetic. You never had any intention of using Lily for a *real* experiment.”

“...How did you know that?”

“I attempted to hack into the reaction system and analyzed the composition of the aerosol.”

Casey was stunned. No one could have imagined that Xiao Yan had not only successfully synthesized the decomposition enzyme but had also managed to hack into the reaction system.

“Because you like her—don't you? I knew that only by using her could I force you to give this test your absolute all.”

Casey’s voice was low, sounding as if he were struggling desperately to maintain his composure; behind his feignedly cold eyes, a glimmer of emotion began to well up.

This guy had always been the type to wear his heart on his sleeve; now, after trying so hard to act cool and aloof in front of Xiao Yan, his facade was finally crumbling.

“Who told you I like Lily?”

“On the shuttle back to Shire, she went around telling everyone that you stayed behind just to protect her—that even though you could have left with Hein Burton, you chose to stay! That woman nearly got you killed by zombies! And you’re still claiming you don't like her?”

“She’s a woman! I’m a man! What kind of shameful thing would it be for a man to abandon a woman and run away? Besides... if it had been *you* left behind there at the time, I would have done the exact same thing!”

As he finished saying this, Xiao Yan felt that something about the situation seemed... off.

...Why did it feel like he was a guy who’d just been caught cheating by his girlfriend, and was now desperately trying to explain himself?

A smile spread across Casey’s face. That cocky bastard—he was clearly thrilled to death on the inside, yet he still wore that insufferably arrogant expression.

“So... what exactly was the purpose of this test?”