TIC Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Xiao Yan’s gaze drifted over Jian’s shoulder, coming to rest upon Sharon.

Jian closed his eyes and exhaled slowly; no trace of grief could be discerned on his face, nor did he even turn around immediately to look in Sharon’s direction.

“How did she die?” There was no inflection in Jian’s voice.

“It was the X-virus accelerator... The virus replicated too rapidly, consuming her life force,” Liv replied.

“Oh,” Jian murmured softly, lowering his eyes as he idly toyed with a *Silver Wing* in his hand. “This is the destiny of every Special Forces soldier; Sharon’s just came a little sooner than most. Did she suffer?”

“Her passing was swift,” Liv could only answer. As for whether she had suffered—only Sharon herself would ever know.

Mark arrived with the remaining survivors. Upon seeing Sharon’s body and the look of utter despondency on Xiao Yan’s face, they—too—concealed their own sorrow and regret beneath a veneer of calm.

This mission had resulted in a casualty rate of a staggering thirty-six percent for the combined forces of Hein and Jian.

“Prepare for extraction,” Hein ordered.

Xiao Yan rose to his feet. He spoke not a word; instead, he interfaced with the facility’s central control system, meticulously sweeping the designated escape route to eliminate every potential hazard and sealing off all biological sample repositories. From start to finish, he did not spare Hein a single glance.

Even though Sharon had not technically belonged to Hein’s unit, in Xiao Yan’s mind, her death was a direct consequence of his own incompetence. Had he possessed formidable combat prowess—or even the most rudimentary capacity for self-defense—Sharon would never have needed to step in front of him, nor would she have met her end because of the accelerator. He sought to bury his own inadequacy deep within himself, yet Hein saw through the facade, missing absolutely nothing. Xiao Yan dreaded meeting Hein’s gaze, for he knew that the crushing weight of his guilt would leave him unable to lift his head in shame.

One of Jian’s subordinates gently lifted Sharon’s body, and the group successfully made their exit from the *Tide Surge* organization’s base.

As they emerged from the access tunnel, Jian tightened his grip on the climbing rope, then turned to look back at Xiao Yan with a faint smile. “Allow me to take you up.”

At that very instant, an arm swept past Xiao Yan; the figure took two quick steps back, then suddenly surged forward into the darkness above, ascending with breathtaking speed. Xiao Yan was all too familiar with the intensity of that touch; finally, he raised his head, only to see Hein looking down at him. The man’s expression remained utterly devoid of emotion; yet, Xiao Yan felt as though he were being enveloped by the other’s gaze. Consequently, his initial terror vanished, and Xiao Yan realized that there was nothing left in the world that could frighten him.

Following Hein’s line of sight upward, he could see Sharon—her eyes closed—moving alongside her comrades toward the light. At last, her hair was free to cascade uninhibitedly, spreading out softly to revel in the caress of the air; the light overhead grew ever brighter and clearer, casting a gentle, luminous glow upon her form.

They departed aboard a transport craft. Through the cabin’s viewport, Xiao Yan gazed back at the bottomless chasm below—a sight that seemed to mirror the boundless depths of human fear.

Or perhaps, it was closer to the boundless depths of human hope—a force guiding their species toward an unknown destiny.

They made their first landing at the nearest outpost: Base 13. The mission had been so grueling that even these elite special forces operatives required a period of rest and recuperation. Xiao Yan was assigned to a temporary living unit.

Once the quartermaster had departed, the entire space fell silent.

Xiao Yan felt utterly exhausted, yet he found himself unwilling to do anything at all—he didn't want to sleep, didn't want to shower, didn't want to eat, and—it seemed—didn't even want to breathe.

The communicator on his wrist, now linked to the base’s network, began to pulse with a blinking light. He knew that—aside from Cathy—there was likely no one else who would be concerned enough to reach out to him; yet, Xiao Yan simply lacked the strength to utter a single word.

All Xiao Yan wanted was for everything to simply stop.

Time ticked by, minute after minute, until midnight finally descended.

He remained seated in a state of numb inertia, until the soft *hiss* of a sliding door opening broke the silence. He couldn't even bring himself to look up to see who it was.

The visitor pulled up a chair and sat down directly across from Xiao Yan. Their long, slender legs—clad in a combat uniform—exuded a quiet intensity, even in their stillness.

Only then did Xiao Yan realize that this person could be neither the quartermaster nor the communications officer. His gaze traveled slowly upward along those long legs, finally coming to rest upon a face of exquisite refinement and profound depth. Hein Burton’s golden-brown hair accentuated his handsome features to perfection, while his ice-blue eyes cast an illusion over Xiao Yan—as if he were a tattered sail, drifting aimlessly across the vast ocean.

“Colonel Burton.” It took every ounce of Xiao Yan’s strength to utter the name.

“Mm.” Hein reached out a hand. Xiao Yan’s spine went rigid, remaining so until Hein’s fingers brushed against the tips of his hair, gently stroking them.

Xiao Yan’s breath caught in his throat. Hein was a notorious germaphobe, yet Xiao Yan hadn't had a chance to shower since their arrival; his hair was filthy.

“You didn’t eat dinner,” Hein remarked, his voice dispassionate—a distinct timbre that seemed to gently tap against Xiao Yan’s nerves.

“I’m not hungry.”

“But you have a question to ask me.”

Xiao Yan paused. He hadn't even fully realized the source of his own confusion, yet Hein had seen right through him with effortless ease. It felt as though, in the presence of this man, he could never hide anything.

“Am I holding you guys back?”

Xiao Yan tilted his head back, asking the question with utmost earnestness.

This was the first time he had sat face-to-face with Hein like this. He knew that if he had any questions at all, Hein Burton would provide the answers—answers that would serve as the bedrock of his world, stripping away every last shred of his weakness.

“No. To be precise, without you, this mission would have been impossible to complete.”

“Are you trying to comfort me, Colonel? That’s not like you.” Xiao Yan gave a wry twist to his lips; propping himself up on his hands against the bedding, he looked up at Hein. “If it had been Casey, he wouldn’t have been detected so easily by Dylan after infiltrating the main control room. You would have reached the heart of the ‘Surge’ organization’s base without a hitch. Casey’s expertise in the X-virus is unparalleled—currently, no one else in all of Shire can match him. He surely would have been able to synthesize the neutralizing agent right then and there, and Sharon wouldn’t have died.”

“Have you ever stopped to consider what the ‘Surge’ organization’s true objective was in establishing this base?”

Hein’s words caused Xiao Yan’s scattered thoughts to snap back into focus. Everything he had experienced flooded his mind; once the sequence of events and their ultimate outcomes were pieced together, the underlying cause was no longer so difficult to analyze. “It’s a trap. The objective of the Surge Organization is to lure the elites of the Special Task Force to this base, and then unleash these monsters... Even if they can’t kill you all, they can still deal a devastating blow to your combat capabilities!” Xiao Yan replied.

“Yes. That is why, from the moment we accepted this mission—regardless of whether the accompanying technical specialist was Lieutenant Colonel Casey or you—those monsters were destined to be released. Your report indicated that these creatures have a limited lifespan; yet, precisely when we arrived, they happened to be at the absolute peak of their combat potency. This suggests that the Surge operatives knew exactly when we would arrive—perhaps they still have spies embedded within the *Char*, or perhaps they tracked our aircraft. No matter what measures they took, and no matter the cost we had to pay, the outcome remained immutable: you secured all of the Surge Organization’s research data. Lieutenant Colonel Casey’s neural processing speed clocks in at 270 quadrillion operations per second; there is simply no way he could have been faster than you.”

Hein spoke in a calm, level, and utterly dispassionate tone; in his words, everything became a foregone conclusion, rendering all of Xiao Yan’s internal deliberations entirely superfluous.

“What’s truly haunting you—what you just can’t shake—is that remark Dylan made: ‘You cannot think faster than the X-Virus,’ isn’t it?”

Xiao Yan froze. He immediately realized this must be because the Interrogation Unit had extracted the data from Dylan’s brain.

“Yes... He was right. I *cannot* think faster than the X-Virus. What he said was the truth.” Xiao Yan’s fingers dug into the bedsheet, clenching tight; his hand curled into a fist that trembled from the sheer force of his grip.

“Wrong. Do you know what Sharon’s final thoughts—her dying message—were just before she died?”

Xiao Yan’s eyes widened in astonishment. What *were* Sharon’s final words? Xiao Yan could scarcely even begin to imagine. “She said, ‘Xiao Yan, you will change everything.’”

“What?” Xiao Yan froze for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, pressing his hand against his forehead. “I can’t change a single thing!”

“But that is what Sharon believed.”

“Colonel, please tell me—when you faced the reality of Maya losing her left arm and leg, when you watched your own subordinates being torn apart by those monsters—please tell me, how did you cope with it all?” Xiao Yan tilted his head back. He wanted to be steadfast; he wanted to be as unassailable as Hein. He desperately yearned to find the answer in Hein’s words.

“I remember them, and then I move forward.” Hein’s words sounded like the absolute truth.

“It’s that simple?”

“Yes, it’s that simple. Listen: one day, as you continue your research in the lab, you might receive news—news that a certain Special Forces soldier has fallen in the line of duty. That person might be Liv, or Mark... or it might even be me.”

Xiao Yan’s nerves instantly went taut. Could Hein die? Could this man—who had never known defeat—actually die?

Of course he could. It was just that everyone viewed him as a legend, yet they had forgotten the very reason he had become one.

The X-virus had created the legend, and it would just as surely destroy him.

“When that day comes, there is only one thing you need to do.”

Hein Burton rose to his feet, and Xiao Yan looked up, gazing at him. This man would always stand there—having barged into his life in a manner so vivid and profound that he left an indelible mark deep within Xiao Yan’s mind; a mark untouched by the erosion of wind and sand, growing only clearer with the passage of time.

“What?”

“Continue your research. Xiao Yan, do you know about the Butterfly Effect?”

“A single butterfly in the Amazon rainforest, by merely flapping its wings a few times, can trigger a tornado on the other side of the world two weeks later.”

“A tiny mechanism—guided correctly and pursued with diligence—can create a seismic shift. That is what we call ‘revolution.’” Hein’s knee rested lightly against the edge of the bed; under his intense gaze, Xiao Yan instinctively leaned back. “Be that butterfly, Xiao Yan.”

And so, what he could never truly overcome was not the X-virus itself, but Death—for that is the ultimate destination of all things, Sharon included. A surge of power rose ceaselessly from the very depths of his heart; in that moment of utter abandon, Hein turned his face—a profile of incomparable handsomeness. He could clearly discern the shadows cast by the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones, as well as the elegant sweep of his lowered lashes. This stern, unyielding man seemed to pierce through his very being, releasing countless warm currents that quietly permeated the space around them.

Hein’s lips closed over Xiao Yan’s.

It was an incredibly tentative, gentle kiss; the tip of Hein’s tongue grazed Xiao Yan’s upper lip but never once slipped between them.

*This is a hallucination,* Xiao Yan told himself.

Yet the sensation felt so real—even the grip of Hein’s fingers pinning his wrist against his ear felt utterly inescapable. Hein lay pressed against Xiao Yan, yet what Xiao Yan felt was not the weight of oppression, but rather the absolute relaxation of being sheltered within a safe haven.

He was being embraced—a sensation entirely distinct from his previous hallucinations. Hein’s eyes were closed, his lashes trembling slightly as he continued to kiss Xiao Yan from various angles. Imperceptibly, Xiao Yan’s wrist was released; Hein’s hand slid slowly down along Xiao Yan’s waist, kneading the firm curves of his buttocks through the fabric of his military trousers, pressing them ever closer against his own hips until their bodies were locked in a tight, seamless embrace. Xiao Yan surrendered to the kiss—an experience unlike any he had known before. There was no overwhelming lust, no frenzy that threatened to rob him of his senses; he simply knew that this cool, reserved man was kissing him.

Instinctively, Xiao Yan kissed him back. The tenderness radiating from Hein acted like a potent intoxicant, and Xiao Yan found himself unable to contain the surging emotions deep within his soul. He closed his lips over Hein’s—just as he had with past lovers—attempting to slip his tongue inside; yet, the seam of Hein’s lips remained an impenetrable barrier. Hein remained motionless, offering what felt like a silent refusal. Just as Xiao Yan felt a chill run down his spine at his own audacity, Hein’s kiss descended once more—only this time, he kissed his forehead, his eyes, and his cheeks. Hein’s hand brushed aside the stray strands of hair falling over Xiao Yan’s brow and pressed gently over his eyes. Xiao Yan could see nothing, yet he felt the man’s kisses with even greater clarity. He could feel just how aroused and burning hot that thing pressing against his lower abdomen was—as if it meant to brand him, to leave an indelible mark upon his flesh. It rubbed against him ceaselessly, as if straining to burst through every restraint, to crash into his body and shatter his very being; yet, paradoxically, its master held all that desire and passion in an iron grip of suppression.

He knew that if this went on any longer, all rationality would vanish into thin air. Yet the kiss was simply too seductive; deep within his heart, Xiao Yan felt a yearning bordering on madness. If death was truly inescapable, he would sooner be destroyed by this man than by anything else.

Just when he thought the kiss would never end, all the weight and pressure he had felt suddenly vanished.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes and sat up, only to find that Hein Burton was already standing at his doorway, poised to leave.

“Don’t forget to eat breakfast tomorrow.”

As the sliding door closed, leaving Xiao Yan alone in the room once more, he lay on the bed for a long time, eyes wide open as he replayed everything that had just happened.

What was that? What on earth *was* that?

The scent of Hein still lingered in his nostrils, and when he lifted his wrist, he could faintly discern the marks left by the other man’s grip.

Hein Burton did not kiss anyone; nor did he treat anyone with such tender, meticulous care.

Xiao Yan pressed his hands over his eyes. *No... no, that’s not right.* This wasn’t the first time they had shared such intimate physical contact; he was a researcher, after all—he would not deny the facts. He wanted to grab Hein, to demand an answer from him.

What was the meaning of all this?

Yet, even without speaking the words aloud, he already knew the answer: the man would simply cast a haughty, dismissive glance in his direction before turning his gaze elsewhere.

And yet... he had already become addicted to him. He needed to find his direction within Hein’s gaze, and shed his own weakness through Hein’s strength. Xiao Yan reached out his hand, his fingers moving idly; the light cast a shadow upon the ground—a shadow that seemed poised to break free from the earth's constraints and take flight.

*If you wish for me to become a butterfly, then I shall.*

*Even if I am merely an obscure, insignificant figure, I will eventually change everything that currently exists—no matter how trivial it may seem.*

The following day, Xiao Yan took a transport craft back to Shire. Life here remained unchanged: colossal holographic billboards, ordinary citizens chatting and laughing, and mag-lev vehicles constantly whizzing overhead. It was a place of bustling prosperity and clamor—so much so that everything Xiao Yan had recently endured felt like nothing more than a horror movie.

Heine and Jane walked down the corridor, heading toward Major General Gordon’s office to report back.

Xiao Yan followed close behind them.

As they approached the office, however, the liaison officer stopped Xiao Yan at the door. "Major General Gordon wishes to speak with you privately."

Heine stepped into the office without a backward glance, while Jane turned back to give Xiao Yan a playful wink.

Compared to the trepidation he had felt upon first meeting Major General Gordon, Xiao Yan was far calmer this time around.

Half an hour later, Heine and Jane emerged, and the liaison officer gestured for Xiao Yan to enter. As he brushed past Heine in the doorway, Xiao Yan felt the faint stir of the other man's hair lifting slightly with his stride; his heart gave a sudden, wild lurch.

Heine’s retreating figure grew ever more distant, showing no sign of glancing back or even looking aside. For the first time, Xiao Yan felt—quite amusingly—like a complete fool.

On Major General Gordon’s desk sat a teacup; the tea within had long since gone cold. The Major General stood with his back to Xiao Yan, leaning his lower back casually against the edge of the desk.

"To be honest, you’ve taken me completely by surprise, Xiao Yan."

"I’m surprised myself that I made it back to Shire alive."

Major General Gordon gave a low chuckle, then finally turned around to face him, fixing his gaze intently upon Xiao Yan’s eyes.

"You are different now than you were when you left Shire. It seems that sending you on this mission—risky as it was—turned out to be the right decision after all."

*Different? In what way am I different?*

Xiao Yan did not voice the question aloud; he simply regarded the Major General with a look of quiet inquiry. “You have become far more composed than before. You know who you are, you know what you must do, and you know your direction.”

“Yes. This mission gave me a stark realization of just how cruel the outside world truly is. Perhaps I will simply retreat into the Shire forever.”

Major General Gordon shook his head, then lowered his gaze and gently tapped his fingers against the edge of the blanket. “For a man like you—you are born to yearn for free...”

"...And deep down, you knew with absolute clarity that Char was by no means a warm haven for humanity. One day—at some specific moment—the false sky overhead would come crashing down. You surely think me cruel—knowing full well the Tide Organization’s conspiracy, yet still sending Colonel Burton, Lieutenant Colonel Wallis, and their troops to their deaths. But every path to freedom is paved with blood. When you harbor a dream, you must be prepared to pay the price."

Xiao Yan stared at Major General Gordon; after a long silence, he finally asked, "Is the intelligence I brought back from the Tide Organization’s base truly worth all that bloodshed?"

"Of course it is. It has propelled Char’s research into the Comet Virus into an entirely new phase."

"Then that is enough." Xiao Yan fought to suppress the stinging ache in his eyes.

"The marker virus you developed has also gained renown thanks to this mission. The Central Academy of Sciences has announced that they intend to name the virus after you."

"No. I want this virus to be named 'Sharon.' How many people would truly bother to look for Sharon’s name etched upon the monument in the Central Plaza? I want every single person who studies this marker virus to carry that name within their hearts," Xiao Yan replied with profound earnestness.

Major General Gordon nodded. "It is a virus you created; you are free to give it whatever name you wish. However, I must warn you: the exceptional speed of your neural interface processing has already caught the attention of the Tide Organization. It is highly probable that they will attempt to infiltrate Char..."

"To extract my brain?" A wave of icy dread washed over Xiao Yan.

"Yes. That possibility has increased significantly since you departed on your mission. You require specialized protection. The Central Academy of Sciences is no longer a secure location—or, to be more precise, all core researchers within the Academy are to be reassigned to the Special Operations Force, where they will remain under the round-the-clock protection of elite commandos."

Xiao Yan frowned; this was an inevitable outcome. Moreover, being stationed alongside the commandos would allow him to collect real-time samples of the X-Virus and analyze their biological functions—all in all, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Major General Gordon smiled. "I hope you enjoy your time with the Special Operations Force." ”

Xiao Yan walked out of Major General Gordon’s office. Outside in the corridor stood two special forces soldiers; they followed close behind Xiao Yan, and with every step he took, his heart felt incredibly heavy.

When he reached the junction of the corridor, he saw Jian leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He turned his face toward Xiao Yan and offered a faint smile.

“Hey—under guard again?”

Xiao Yan gave a wry smile. “Yeah.”

“I really wanted to stay in Shardo for a few more days, but I’ve been assigned another mission. That guy Gordon just wants to wring me dry before I kick the bucket, doesn't he?”

Although Jian hadn't mentioned anything about Sharon, his silence didn't mean it hadn't happened. Xiao Yan couldn't hold back any longer and finally spoke up: “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Jian feigned an air of total bewilderment.

“I’m sorry. You and Sharon had such great chemistry, but...”

“The guy serving as my second-in-command this time is even more capable than Sharon was. He’s Asian, just like you—his name is Ling Xiao, and he’s a Major, too!” Jian thrust his head right into Xiao Yan’s face, deliberately tilting his head as if he were about to lean in for a kiss. “If you really feel apologetic, why don't you just give me a kiss?”

At that very moment, a figure suddenly stepped in front of Xiao Yan, blocking his path.

“Ha! Lieutenant Colonel Wallis—still the same old guy. You really don't care about time or place when you’re out hunting for conquests, do you?”

Jian cast a glance at the man standing before him, then rubbed his nose with a distinct lack of interest.

“Major Maya, is it because I’ve never actually pursued *you* that you feel such a deep sense of inner imbalance?”

“Maya!”

Xiao Yan was about to step forward, but Maya held him back, keeping him shielded behind his own body. Xiao Yan could sense the palpable hostility Maya harbored toward Jian.

“This is the Special Missions Force Headquarters. I suggest you find somewhere else to go lure your prey.”

“Aren't *you* trying to get your hands on him, too? Major, you’re no match for me—you never were in the past, and you certainly aren't now.” Jian’s expression—which had been so flippant just moments before—instantly turned cold and grim.

And Maya—the man who usually joked around with Xiao Yan—now wore a dead-serious expression; he was in a state of full combat readiness.

“Go ahead. Give it a try.” Maya tilted his chin up slightly.

In that very instant, Jan lunged forward, seizing Maya by the throat and pinning him against the wall—while the dagger in Maya’s hand came to rest squarely against Jan’s windpipe.

“Hah! I must say, Major Maya, your combat skills have improved significantly. Tell you what—let’s make a little wager: will I snap your neck first, or will you use that dagger to slice off my head?”

Jan narrowed his eyes. Xiao Yan knew that sensation all too well: the madman wasn't joking.

He abruptly drew the pistol from his waist and leveled it at Jan.

“Let go of Maya.”