TIC Chapter 52

 Chapter 52

“Listen up! My course is designed to teach you how to deal with zombies! When a fully capable zombie approaches you, the last thing you should do is turn your back and run—that would leave the back of your neck completely exposed! Nor should you stand there like a dumbfounded idiot, frozen in place—do that, and you’re dead meat! No matter how terrifying zombies may look, their speed is nowhere near that of us Special Forces operatives! What you must do is make the correct judgment in an instant—and strike the right target!”

Suddenly, Wen En bellowed, “Mark—get your ass in here!”

“Huh? What’s up?”

Mark, who had been standing guard outside the training room, rushed inside. Wen En raised a hand—and everything happened so fast that it was a blur. The next moment, Mark was on his knees, his arms pinned behind his back, while Wen En’s right leg pressed down firmly on his lower back. Although Mark was significantly larger and taller than Wen En, his face was currently twisted in agony.

“Hey! Wen En, you bastard! What kind of crazy stunt are you pulling now? Let me go!”

Wen En released him. Now free, Mark immediately spun around and threw a punch. Yet, as if he had anticipated it all along, Wen En leaned back, effortlessly dodging the blow.

“I was merely giving Xiao Yan a demonstration.”

“A demonstration of what?” Mark still looked thoroughly indignant.

“Overcoming strength with technique.” Wen En clasped his hands behind his back, resuming his rigid, military posture. “Xiao Yan, in terms of sheer strength and physique, I am no match for Mark. Yet, I was able to subdue him in an instant—and I didn’t rely on brute force to do it.”

“It was a dirty trick!” Mark scoffed. “If you hadn’t suddenly called me in and caught me off guard, there’s no way I would have...”

Wen En took a single step forward—and again, it happened too fast for Xiao Yan to even react. Mark let out a piteous howl and dropped to one knee; Wen En had twisted his left wrist nearly a full 360 degrees.

“It’s broken! It’s broken! Ease up! You sick freak, Wen En!” Mark’s face turned beet red as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Wen En shoved Mark away. “*That* is the reason I’m a Major, while you’re still just a Second Lieutenant.”

Xiao Yan wore an expression of astonishment, silently analyzing Wen En’s entire sequence of movements in his mind. He first delivered a kick to Mark’s knee, forcing him to drop in height and lose his balance. The instant Mark swung a fist at Wynn, Wynn sidestepped to evade it; in the same fluid motion, he seized Mark’s wrist and—harnessing the momentum of his body’s rotation—twisted it sharply. What appeared to be a seamless, effortless sequence of movements was, in reality, anything but simple.

“You’re a smart guy, Xiao Yan. I won’t waste your time with idle chatter; I’ll simply tell you this: before being infected by the Comet Virus, zombies were human. Their physical anatomy—including their joints and skeletal structure—is identical to ours! Therefore, the most vulnerable points on the human body are also the most vulnerable points on a zombie!”

Wynn explained the most fundamental techniques, using Mark as a live demonstration model—a role Mark played with a look of utter reluctance.

“This is a basic defensive technique for a head-on encounter with a zombie. They lack the capacity for rational thought; master this single move, and you’ll be able to handle any of them. Did you catch all that?”

“I… I caught it…”

Seeing it clearly was one thing; actually being able to execute it was another entirely.

“Real combat is the best teacher!”

As soon as he uttered those words, Mark cast a look of pity in Xiao Yan’s direction.

“Wh-what’s the matter…?” Xiao Yan pondered the look in Mark’s eyes, and a sense of foreboding began to rise within him.

With a stern, impassive face, Wynn threw open a door. A zombie immediately came barreling out—its features grotesquely distorted, its gaping maw dripping with viscous yellow pus. Starved for a long time, it looked as if it had gone completely berserk the moment it laid eyes on potential prey.

As it lunged at Wynn with jaws agape, Wynn merely lifted his foot ever so slightly. With a resounding *thud*, the zombie was sent flying backward by a powerful kick.

Emitting a repulsive, gurgling sound, it staggered back to its feet and charged toward Mark instead.

“Heh-heh! I’m certainly not on the menu!” Mark delivered another kick, sending the creature flying in Xiao Yan’s direction this time.

Xiao Yan instinctively turned to flee, but then Wynn’s voice rang out: “Are you a coward?! Do you lack even the courage for a one-on-one fight?”

He was right. He couldn’t run away every single time he encountered a zombie. No matter how terrified he might be, if he never found the courage to face his fears, he was doomed to fail forever. Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and delivered a fierce kick toward the zombie's knee joint. Unfortunately, his timing was completely off; not only did he miss entirely, but the zombie's fangs nearly grazed his neck. In that instant, Wynn grabbed the zombie by the throat, hurled it away, and shouted, "Again!"

Xiao Yan took a deep breath. The zombie charged forward once more, its eyes burning with bloodthirsty frenzy. Its lunge toward Xiao Yan was even faster than before; Xiao Yan couldn't react in time and tumbled to the ground. Wynn grabbed the zombie's arm and flung it aside.

"Xiao Yan! You have to watch for your opening—don't hesitate! Once you succeed just once, you'll succeed a second time, and even a third!"

Xiao Yan wiped the sweat from his temple. He simply couldn't seize the opportunity because everything was happening too fast.

When the zombie lunged at him again, Xiao Yan forced his body to react. Yet, even when he finally managed to land a kick on the zombie, he lost his own balance and pitched forward. The zombie's face loomed right before him—there was virtually no distance between them, and even the putrid stench of its breath was sickeningly distinct.

A hand shielded Xiao Yan's eyes, instantly pulling him out of the zombie's attack range.

When he finally regained his senses, he realized he was leaning against someone's chest.

Wynn and Mark were watching him from a short distance away... so whose arms was he in right now?

"Wynn—pause." The voice was unique and unmistakable, sharp and cold as an icicle plummeting from tens of thousands of feet.

Xiao Yan looked up and saw Hein’s chin.

"Boss!" Wynn grabbed the zombie—which was attempting to lunge forward again—and tossed it toward Mark.

"Hey!" Mark stomped the creature underfoot; it thrashed and struggled, but remained utterly unable to break free.

When had Hein entered the room? Why hadn't Xiao Yan noticed him at all?

"Colonel." An invisible pressure—mirroring the slow descent of Hein’s eyelids—settled heavily upon Xiao Yan’s shoulders. "You’re being too hasty, Wynn."

Mark nodded in agreement. "Exactly! You went straight into a confrontation with a zombie right off the bat; you didn't learn a thing—you just scared yourself into a cold sweat."

"Start with the absolute basics."

Having said this, Hein slowly leaned forward in front of Xiao Yan, lowering his center of gravity. "Don't be nervous; treat this as a training exercise. I will be in constant motion; your objective is to target my knee joints. Remember: your goal is to make me lose my balance—not merely to land a strike."

Xiao Yan stood dumbfounded, while Wynn wore an expression of utter shock, as if he’d just been struck by lightning.

Hein completely ignored their reactions; his body began to sway, and even his pattern of movement bore a striking resemblance to that of a zombie. "Come at me!"

It was as if Xiao Yan were being drawn in by an invisible force; he moved in sync with Hein’s swaying, constantly searching for an opening.

"Wrong angle! If you attack from that angle, the zombie would have bitten through your neck long before you could shatter its knee!"

Hein’s profile appeared right beside Xiao Yan’s neck; his icy gaze seemed to serve as a warning that this was no mere exercise—that at any moment, he might bare his fangs like a zombie and sink them deep into Xiao Yan’s flesh and bone. A shiver of pure terror ran down Xiao Yan’s spine as Hein suddenly pinned him to the ground; the sheer, overwhelming pressure felt as though it would crush him into dust. Hein leaned in close, the tip of his nose hovering mere inches from Xiao Yan’s face; within those calm eyes, a latent power simmered—a force that, to Xiao Yan, felt like an impending catastrophe.

"You aren't concentrating."

Hein’s breath brushed against Xiao Yan’s lips; in that instant, his heart pounded wildly, and every instinct he possessed seemed to vanish.

"Again!" Hein patted his own knee. "Watch the way I move—observe it closely! Use your common sense to determine exactly how to apply force in order to make me lose my balance!"

Xiao Yan steeled his mind, reminding himself that even when facing Hein Burton, he absolutely could not allow himself to lose his judgment! Wynn leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Hey, Mark—even when he was training *us*, the Boss never said this much at once..."

"Probably just because Xiao Yan is so damn useless..."

Wynn shot Mark a sidelong glance, then gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat. "The difference in our IQs is precisely why you’re stuck as a Second Lieutenant while I’m a Major."

A vein throbbed visibly in Mark’s temple.

"Do your legs have absolutely no power in them? Starting tomorrow, we’re doing weighted drills to build up your leg strength!"

Hein’s gaze felt like a razor blade, slicing into Xiao Yan’s limbs piece by piece.

"If you can’t keep up with me one more time, I’ll snap your legs in half!"

Xiao Yan swallowed hard; he never doubted a single word Hein said.

"Where’s your speed, Xiao Yan?! Zombies won’t wait for you to catch your breath! They only want to tear you apart!"

Hein could only be described as ruthless. He twisted Xiao Yan’s arm behind his back, sending him tumbling off-balance; just as Xiao Yan’s face was about to slam into the ground, Hein yanked him back up—pulling Xiao Yan’s entire body practically right into his own embrace.

"Again."

By the time the morning training session finally ended, Xiao Yan was too exhausted to utter a single word.

"That’s enough for today." When Hein spoke those words in his distinctive voice, Xiao Yan felt as though he had been granted a royal pardon.

He braced his hands against his knees, gasping for breath as beads of sweat dripped from his hair onto the ground. Then, he felt something land on his head—a towel. Through the fabric, he felt the other man’s fingers gently wiping the sweat from his scalp. He didn’t need to look up; simply by gazing at those long, lean, and powerful calves, he knew exactly who it was.

His heart—which had just begun to settle down—suddenly lost its rhythm all over again. As if under a spell, he reached out and clasped the fingers that were pressing the towel against his head; the sudden surge of emotion in that moment felt as though it might burst right out of his chest.

He was insane! He had lost his mind! Hein would be furious—he’d crush his fingers into dust! But things took a turn he had never anticipated; Hein’s hand flipped over, reversing the grip to clasp Xiao Yan’s fingers. He could almost feel Hein’s thumb gently stroking the back of his hand before those fingers—carrying with them a certain lingering attachment—slipped away from his own, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps.

It wasn't until every trace of Hein’s presence had completely vanished that Xiao Yan finally let out a breath.

“Major Wynn... am I really that weak?”

“Yeah, you are.”

Wynn crouched down in front of him.

“I didn't hit the target even once...”

“So, are you just planning to coast along like this?”

“...” Xiao Yan hung his head, offering no reply.

Wynn sighed. “I can’t say I don’t understand how you feel. When I first joined the Special Missions Unit... I couldn't even beat Mark!”

“What do you mean, ‘couldn't even beat Mark’?! Are you saying *I’m* weak?!” Mark looked absolutely furious, ready to lunge at Wynn and throttle him on the spot.

Xiao Yan stared down at his toes, the tactile memory of Hein Burton’s skin still lingering on his fingers. It was a distinct sensation—utterly different from the unique softness of a woman’s touch, like Lily’s—yet Xiao Yan knew, deep down, just how desperately he had wanted to hold onto Hein Burton’s hand.

He felt as though he were losing his mind.

“I’m hungry.” After a long silence, Xiao Yan finally looked up, wearing a smile that was as light and breezy as the passing clouds.

Xiao Yan slung an arm over Mark’s shoulder, his expression betraying absolutely none of the despondency he had felt moments before.

“Hey! I actually thought you’d go sulk in your room and bury your face in your pillow like a crybaby!”

“That’s something *women* do! No matter how much of a rookie Xiao Yan is, he’s still a man!” Wynn ruffled Xiao Yan’s hair; despite being younger than Xiao Yan, he always acted as if he were the one looking after him like a child.

“Even women don’t do that stuff anymore—you guys are totally behind the times!”

Seeing that Xiao Yan was no longer looking quite so dejected, Mark and Wynn breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Hey, Xiao Yan.” Wynn nudged him playfully with his shoulder. "Hmm?"

"That’s Hein Burton. Neither Mark nor I have ever managed to take him down."

"I know."

"Anyone standing before Hein would feel utterly helpless."

"Yeah."

"So don't lose heart."

"Didn't *you* say that this is only my first day of training?" Xiao Yan flashed a broad smile.

"And the Colonel was right—I was too hasty. I should have started by teaching you the most basic combat techniques." Wynn began to engage in some self-reflection, then made a firm decision: "Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin with the absolute fundamentals! The basics are paramount!"

"Yes, Major," Xiao Yan replied with a smile.

Upon leaving the training room, Xiao Yan didn't head straight back to his dorm or the mess hall; instead, he made his way to Maya's office. The guy was currently in charge of three security squads; Major General Gordon’s safety had been entrusted entirely to him, and he even had an office of his own now.

"Hey, Xiao Yan! What brings you here? I figured the moment training ended, you’d want to find a spot to crash and sleep for a week straight!" Maya stepped forward and gave Xiao Yan a big bear hug. "So? Do you need me to give you a massage?"

"...No... I just wanted to chat. We haven't really talked in ages, have we?"

Maya glanced at the two special forces soldiers trailing behind Xiao Yan and remarked with amusement, "Could you two wait outside my office? Or do you think I'm going to squeeze him to death?"

"Yes, Major." The two soldiers stepped back and withdrew. Maya pulled Xiao Yan down onto the sofa, then flopped sideways, wrapping his arms around Xiao Yan as they lay back together. His fingers brushed lightly against Xiao Yan’s cheek as he smiled and said, "Alright, baby, what’s got you so troubled? Was that guy Wynn being too harsh? I’ll have a word with him; his brain tends to short-circuit sometimes, so you shouldn't take anything he says to heart."

Xiao Yan rested his head comfortably on Maya’s arm, unhesitatingly draping one leg across his body. "It wasn't Major Wynn who trained me today; it was Colonel Burton."

"Huh?" Maya looked surprised, though he quickly regained his composure. "The Boss *is* strict, certainly, but he doesn't just train anyone. The fact that he’s training *you* means you’re very important to him."

The phrase "very important" struck a chord deep within Xiao Yan’s heart. He closed his eyes; in his mind’s eye appeared Hein’s handsome, impassive face—and the memory of that moment when Hein had turned his head to lean toward him, triggering a surge of wild, unbridled impulse within Xiao Yan.

"I find myself subconsciously watching him all the time... Now that I think about it, ever since the very first moment I laid eyes on him, I haven't been able to control myself. Maya... I’ve been trying so hard—doing everything in my power to prove my worth in front of Hein Burton. I want to catch up to him; I want him to stop—even if just for a split second—and spare me a glance... Maya, this isn't just about me fantasizing about him kissing me, or dreaming about... well, about *him*... He is Hein Burton. I’ll never be able to catch up to him..."

Maya’s fingers gently ruffled through Xiao Yan’s hair; speaking with the tenderness one might show a child, he said softly, "You silly boy. Every single one of us wants to catch up to him. Just when we think we’ve taken a step closer to entering that man’s world, we damn well discover that he’s already moved on to somewhere even further out of reach. You’ve always assumed the Boss is miles away from you—why not try getting closer? Maybe he’s actually willing to take everything he has and place it right into your hands?"

"What on earth are you talking about, Maya...?" Xiao Yan chuckled. “Tell me, what exactly is it that you’re rejecting, Xiao Yan? Don’t tell me you’re truly so naive and innocent as to simply *admire* Hein Burton—that you want to draw close to his world, that you want to be seen by him, solely because you crave his validation. Even knowing that a single embrace from him could crush your bones; even knowing that a single kiss could steal your very breath; even knowing that his possession is indistinguishable from death—are you certain... that you truly don’t want it?”

Maya’s words caused Xiao Yan’s shoulders to go rigid. For the first time, someone had so directly articulated the very question he had been evading in the deepest recesses of his mind.

“You are a researcher, a scholar—a man whose life’s pursuit is the truth of the natural world. Why, then—this one time—do you lack the courage to face the answer lying within your own heart?” Maya asked with amusement, yet the tone, though laced with laughter, was undeniably earnest.

“What am I supposed to do? Rush up to the Colonel and say, ‘Hey, I’m constantly rolling around in bed with you in my dreams’?”

“There is a simpler way—one that gives you a perfect excuse to get close to the Colonel.”

“What excuse?” Xiao Yan sat up, fixing his gaze upon Maya’s eyes.

“If someone the Colonel detests gets too close, they’ll be kicked to death on the spot. But for someone the Colonel *cares* about... no matter how audacious they might be, his tolerance will exceed anything you could possibly imagine.”

“...How do I...”

"Why are you being so cheeky?" Xiao Yan asked with amusement.

Maya stood up, leaned in close to Xiao Yan’s ear to whisper something, a decidedly mischievous smirk playing on his lips. Xiao Yan rolled his eyes heavenward, dismissing everything Maya had said as a mere joke.

Two days later, the entire Special Operations Force was abuzz with excitement, for it was Major General Gordon’s birthday.

The Major General nodded amiably in response to every subordinate who offered him birthday wishes; then, turning to look at Maya—who was standing behind him—he asked in a low voice: "Hey! Last year for my birthday, you guys threw some kind of costume party—one where you nearly made me kiss Mark’s ass! What on earth are you planning to pull this year?"

Maya shook his hands emphatically, his expression one of absolute sincerity. "Sir, you’re overthinking it! Last year, you only had to kiss Mark’s ass because you lost a party game—and it just so happened that Mark was dressed as a zebra that night..."

"I don’t want to hear your excuses! You just tell me straight: what kind of shenanigans are you planning to stir up this year?" A hint of menace crept into Major General Gordon’s voice.

"A striptease party?"

"What?!" Major General Gordon gritted his teeth.

"Don’t worry—you definitely won’t be the one doing the stripping!" Maya vowed earnestly.

Major General Gordon poked a finger against Maya’s chest and issued a stern warning: "If you cause me even the slightest bit of annoyance tonight, I will order your head shaved, Major."

"Haha... You really are overthinking things... I’m not the one who planned the party; it was your Chief Liaison Officer, Jessica..."

"Hmph!" Major General Gordon scoffed, making it abundantly clear that he didn't believe a single word Maya had said.

Xiao Yan’s training session that day was overseen by Wynn. However, it was obvious that the young Major wasn't entirely focused; he kept glancing down at the communicator on his wrist to check the time.

When the training session finally concluded, Wynn broke into a jubilant grin. He threw an arm around the sweat-drenched Xiao Yan and shouted across the training grounds to Mark—who was squatting on the sidelines, bored out of his mind and idly tracing circles in the dirt: "Mark! Let’s go! The party’s about to start!"

Mark stood up and looked at Wynn with a hint of nervousness. "Hey, Wynn... is it really going to be a striptease party?" ”

“Of course it is! Don’t be shy! I refuse to believe you don’t want to watch Jessica’s striptease!”

Xiao Yan froze, then instinctively asked, “What striptease party?”

“You don’t even know about that, Xiao Yan? It’s Major General Gordon’s birthday—the one rare day a year when our Special Missions Force goes absolutely wild! Every commando not currently on a mission will be down at the HQ mess hall for a night of total debauchery! *Ah*, I can barely contain my excitement imagining who else might take the stage to perform besides Jessica! Could it be... Liv?”

Wynn hadn’t even finished speaking when Mark gave him a fierce shove, his face turning beet-red as he bellowed, “Liv would *never* do a striptease!”

The moment the words left his mouth, Wynn burst into laughter, winking as he teased, “Mark! I *knew* you had a thing for Liv!”

“You... What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan felt completely adrift in outer space. Major General Gordon’s birthday... and they’d actually organized a striptease party? Please, don’t tell him *this* was the opportunity Maya had engineered for him to test Colonel Burton... That would be just too utterly shameless!

“Hey! Xiao Yan, I suggest you go change your clothes! I admit, you look pretty impressive in your combat uniform compared to those scrawny researchers, but next to *us*, you’re a total snooze-fest. The female officers won’t go for a guy like that!” Wynn offered the advice with good intentions.

“Huh?” Xiao Yan wore a look of utter bewilderment.

“I’m asking if you still have your cadet uniform! And remember to unbutton the collar!”