TIC Chapter 58

 Chapter 58

“Very well. However, this is not something that can be mastered overnight.”

Hein’s answer sparked a sense of anticipation in Xiao Yan—would this man grant him *any* request he made of him?

“Nothing of consequence can be achieved overnight. Please, trust in my sincerity.”

Hein stepped up to Xiao Yan, took his hand, and drew him close; in that instant, Xiao Yan’s heart began to pound uncontrollably.

“It is a matter of assessing probabilities. Imagine your fist flying toward my face; in my mind, I filter out every conceivable action that is impossible. The closer your fist draws, the more information I discard, and the more precise my reaction becomes. For me, this is the culmination of accumulated experience. What you lack is precisely that experience. Making a judgment is easy; making a definitive choice is hard.”

Xiao Yan grasped Hein’s meaning: the more possibilities one envisions, the more difficult it becomes to make a decisive choice.

“I am going to attack you. Now, try to stop me.”

Before Xiao Yan was even ready, Hein had already seized his shoulders and pinned him to the ground. “Focus.”

Indeed—it was a rare privilege to be personally tutored by Hein Burton, the living legend of the Special Task Force who had never known defeat; every single second demanded absolute concentration.

Hein deliberately slowed his movements, as if dissecting every fleeting moment so that Xiao Yan could observe it with perfect clarity. Just when Xiao Yan thought his opponent’s attack was locked in and immutable, Hein would invariably execute a maneuver that defied all of Xiao Yan’s expectations.

Perhaps an hour passed, or perhaps two, before Hein finally called a halt.

Xiao Yan stood with his head bowed, gasping for breath as beads of sweat dripped steadily from his forehead. The entire experience felt like an infant attempting to spar with a grandmaster; had this happened in the past, Xiao Yan’s self-confidence would have shattered long ago.

Yet he knew this: the more insignificant he appeared in Hein’s presence, the more it signified that Hein was holding nothing back—laying bare his entire repertoire of skills and knowledge for Xiao Yan to witness.

“That is all for today.”

Hein turned away and activated the door to the training room, where the two special forces soldiers assigned to keep watch over Xiao Yan had been waiting for some time.

“Escort him back.”

“Yes, Colonel.”

Xiao Yan and Hein walked away in opposite directions down the corridor. Three minutes and twelve seconds—compared to the results of the first experiment, this was nothing short of a monumental leap forward. Yet, it was still far from enough.

He was determined to extend the duration of the X-2 virus’s effects even further.

Upon returning to his room, and despite his physical exhaustion, Xiao Yan’s mind was surging with a tidal wave of thoughts. The terminal in his room lacked the processing power for complex data analysis, but it was perfectly capable of establishing a communication link. He searched for—and found—Casey, who was still online.

“Hey, Casey. I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

“I practically collapsed onto my bed right after training ended and haven't moved since. Unlike you—that muscle-bound simpleton who’s all brawn and no brains—I’m finally free from having to put up with those Special Forces grunts. Now I can do whatever the hell I want!”

Xiao Yan lowered his head and smiled; he knew that whenever Casey applied himself seriously, there was nothing he couldn't handle—it was just that the guy had a deep-seated aversion to physical training, combat drills, and anything of that nature.

“Are you laughing at me?! Get this straight: I can see every single expression on your face, crystal clear!”

“I’m not laughing at you; I just genuinely think you’re a genius. Remember the advice you gave me a couple of weeks ago? I tweaked the virus based on that, and its active duration within the test subject jumped from thirty-six seconds to three minutes and twelve seconds. But now, I’m completely stumped on how to extend that duration any further.”

Casey curled the corners of his lips and tilted his chin upward—a look of intellectual pride he reserved exclusively for discussions within his professional domain. “My dear boy, what you’re after isn’t just a longer duration; what you want is *permanence*.”

Xiao Yan froze for a moment. “So... how do I make it permanent?”

“By ensuring the virus doesn't merely exist *within* the host, but fundamentally *rewrites* the host’s genetic code.”

“...” Xiao Yan furrowed his brows. “Fundamentally rewrite it... Is that even possible?”

Casey shrugged. “If you think it’s impossible, then keep refining the virus. Think of the virus’s journey through the human body as navigating a maze; don’t let it take too many detours. Visualize it: what other pathways could it take to reach your designated target destination even more directly?”

“More directly, huh...”

Xiao Yan sank deep into thought. Casey, however, let out a yawn. "Honey, I'm heading to bed... Tomorrow is going to be another depressing day."

A notification chimed from the system: "Your friend has gone offline."

Xiao Yan, however, remained completely unresponsive. How could he possibly be any more direct?

Before he knew it, the lights overhead grew increasingly bright, and Xiao Yan realized—to his surprise—that he was actually lying inside that training room.

And there was Hein, hovering right over him; his arms were braced on either side of Xiao Yan’s head. In such close proximity, as Hein’s hair fell forward, it looked as if countless stars were tumbling down from the black expanse of the night sky.

Xiao Yan curled the corners of his lips. *Good grief... here we go again...*

"Is it because you once entered my subconscious that I find myself unable to stop fantasizing about your presence?"

"Do you really hope this is just a fantasy?" Hein’s face looked incredibly real.

The other man’s elegant lashes fluttered downward, while his handsome, aloof nose bridge seemed to take on a surprising softness.

It truly *was* a fantasy—for the real Hein Burton would never ask a single question; in his mind, there was never any room for doubt.

Xiao Yan flashed a smile that held a hint of cockiness. "If this is a fantasy, then I can do whatever I please..."

Every single time, it was *this guy* who would kiss him with such overwhelming dominance; no matter what, Xiao Yan felt an urge to win the upper hand for once.

Pushing his upper body up slightly, Xiao Yan suddenly pressed his lips against Hein’s.

He half-expected the other man to stop him—after all, if this was just a fantasy, he didn't have to worry about pain or death... even though every sensation felt startlingly vivid within his mind.

He remembered how Hein had once parted his lips to kiss him with unbridled abandon; this time, Xiao Yan mimicked Hein’s style exactly, boldly invading his mouth before rolling over to straddle him.

In an instant, everything seemed to burst into flames. Hein suddenly cupped Xiao Yan’s face in his hands and began kissing him with a frenzied intensity; overwhelmed by the sheer force of the embrace, Xiao Yan lost his balance and ended up bracing his hands awkwardly against Hein’s shoulders. Hein sat up with effortless ease, his fingers lifting the hem of Xiao Yan’s shirt. With a deeply possessive air, he stroked down Xiao Yan’s body until he reached his buttocks; there, he kneaded the flesh with even greater audacity before slipping his fingers beneath the waistband of his trousers. The force with which his fingers pried open the cleft seemed intent on tearing away every last barrier standing between them. A searing, rigid shaft forced its way past the constriction and plunged deep into the very core of Xiao Yan’s body. The pain—so visceral it felt as though his heart had stopped beating—sent Xiao Yan struggling against him, yet his partner merely pressed him back down with even greater force.

“This is precisely why I always penetrate the depths of your mind: you will feel the pain, and you will be acutely aware of being possessed by me; yet, when you eventually detach yourself from this world, you will remain physically whole.”

Xiao Yan’s eyes widened, catching sight of the frenzied lust raging across his partner’s face. A palpable force seemed to emanate from those icy-blue eyes—a power that pinned Xiao Yan down with absolute authority.

With powerful thrusts and heavy, rhythmic impacts, Xiao Yan felt as though he were being torn limb from limb. He clutched at Hein’s shoulders, attempting to rise, but this was a path from which there was no return; his partner clamped a tight grip around his waist, granting him no opportunity to pull back.

Xiao Yan’s body rose and fell in rhythm with his partner’s assault. With every thrust that drove him to the absolute peak of sensation, pain and a strange, intoxicating pleasure intertwined and surged through him. The man’s formidable member—almost too large for his body to accommodate—thrust in and out with savage intensity. Xiao Yan found himself utterly unable to escape the overwhelming impact of the assault; he could only force a strangled sound from his throat.

“...Colonel... stop, Colonel...”

Xiao Yan gazed up at Hein with dazed, unfocused eyes. He held this man in awe, yet found himself drawn to him with an irresistible compulsion. And in the turbulent storm swirling within this man’s eyes, Xiao Yan knew exactly what he was seeing.

Hein reached out, pressing down firmly on the back of Xiao Yan’s head. After a moment of frenzied kissing, he rolled his body fully atop Xiao Yan, lifting his legs high into the air and then pressing them back against his shoulders. The fierce invasion did not cease; it went on and on, for what felt like an eternity.

For Xiao Yan, however, this was no nightmare. He felt pain from the other man’s intensity, and he succumbed to his persistence; bound by an inescapable trust, he found himself unable to hate him—even as his own strength was being consumed in the process.

“I want to hold you in reality.”

What spilled from those downcast eyes was not merely desire. Gazing at the other man, Xiao Yan asked—almost foolishly—“Why?”

“…Because I want to possess you.”

Hein’s lips brushed against the tip of Xiao Yan’s nose, his teeth giving a gentle nip; the tips of his hair grazed Xiao Yan’s cheek—an unexpectedly intimate gesture.

Suddenly, a sensation of weightlessness seized his body. Xiao Yan opened his eyes; the blinding glare of light shifted into the soft glow of lamplight, and, gasping for breath, he realized he had returned to reality.

“Hah…”

He abruptly tore off the terminal connector. Xiao Yan hung his head, his heart still pounding wildly; instinctively, he hugged his own arms, the lingering pressure of that kiss seemingly still upon his lips.

Just now—had Hein invaded his mind?

Xiao Yan stared at the terminal connector. He remembered that Hein had once been a prodigy at the Central Academy of Sciences; and those hallucinations he’d experienced in the past… he vaguely recalled that, on several occasions, they had occurred precisely when he was connected to a terminal.

Was this the answer Hein was giving him?

“I want to possess you…” Xiao Yan couldn’t help but whisper the phrase aloud, and his heart instantly began to race once more.

For the Hein of his hallucinations was truly unique—no longer so distant as to be unattainable, no longer so cold as to be unapproachable.

His strength, his warmth—they had all felt so vivid and immediate.

Yet, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but recall that other time—when he had been trapped within his own subconscious, and it was Hein who had entered to awaken him. Once a person enters another’s subconscious, they inevitably exert an influence upon that person’s thoughts; this influence might be minuscule, or it might be profound enough to alter everything that follows.

“I’ve fallen in love with Hein Burton.” Xiao Yan frowned, giving his head a hard thump with his fist.

Precisely because of this, he was forced to entertain a troubling suspicion: what if the Hein in his mind wasn’t merely a hallucination—but rather a manifestation of his own deep-seated desire to be possessed by him?

Xiao Yan let out a long breath. How he wished he could become stronger…

It seemed he was, after all, inevitably drawn to this man—a man as formidable and perilous as a sheer cliff face. I remember my father once saying that when people walk beneath a cliff, they instinctively look upward along its face—for the direction in which the cliff extends is toward the sky.

“Very well, Colonel Burton.” Xiao Yan clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes. “Since you insist on testing the limits of my tolerance within the confines of my own mind, then in reality—let me see just how far I have to push you before you finally give me that answer!”

This was a resolve that belonged to him, and him alone!

Xiao Yan continued to extend the duration of the virus’s effects; a month later, its active period had reached six minutes.

He had lost count of how many times he had been subdued by Hein. One of Xiao Yan’s arms was pinned behind his back, while Hein’s other hand clamped down on the back of his neck; had this been actual combat, Xiao Yan’s cervical vertebrae would have already been shattered.

Sweat dripped from the tips of his hair. The moment Hein released him, Xiao Yan nearly collapsed to the ground from sheer exhaustion; yet, Hein’s palm instantly steadied him, lifting him up as Xiao Yan’s back came to rest against Hein’s chest.

“Thank you...”

Xiao Yan deliberately tilted his head back, meeting Hein’s gaze. Sure enough, the man was looking down at him; though he concealed it well, Xiao Yan could still discern a flicker of cautious solicitude in his eyes. Xiao Yan knew he was being wicked; he could have simply tilted his chin upward, letting his lips brush against the side of Hein’s face. Almost in that very instant, Hein averted his head, gripped Xiao Yan’s shoulders, and steadied his stance.

“Mm.” Though merely a monosyllable, it carried a low, husky resonance.

A faint smile flickered in Xiao Yan’s heart. He flexed his fingers, sensing that the virus had not yet been fully metabolized. He spun around abruptly, throwing a punch at Hein’s abdomen, while his other hand lashed out toward Hein’s face. In a split second, he clamped his hand over Hein’s cheek, retracted his punch, and drove his fist—now charged with even greater force—straight toward Hein’s heart. The entire sequence of attacks flowed seamlessly, yet Hein still managed to seize Xiao Yan’s wrist, lifting a leg to deliver a kick that sent Xiao Yan sprawling to the ground.

The moment his chin was about to strike the hard earth, a hand reached out to cushion his fall, catching him by the shoulder. Xiao Yan raised his eyes, only to find Hein kneeling on one knee before him, leaning in close.

"Are you hurt?"

"N-no... I'm fine..."

How had Hein managed that? He was the one who had delivered the kick, yet somehow—in the very next instant—he had still managed to catch him.

It was as if this entire hair-raising crisis had unfolded solely to ensure Xiao Yan remained unharmed.

Xiao Yan stared at Hein, subconsciously recalling the image of that wild, unhinged Hein that had flashed through his mind that day; perhaps *that* was the real him. The Hein of reality, however, was far too anxious and insecure—always terrified that he himself might get hurt. Xiao Yan slowly leaned toward him; suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him—or at the very least, to let him know that he understood the man's almost excessive protectiveness toward him.

But Hein merely frowned and stood up.

Xiao Yan’s ears burned crimson at his own momentary impulse. *What the hell?* So all this time, Colonel Burton hadn't meant it that way at all!

Bracing his hands against the ground, Xiao Yan pushed himself back to his feet, feeling the effects of the virus finally wearing off.

"Can someone please explain to me what exactly is going on here?"

A voice seething with rage rang out.

Xiao Yan turned around to see a figure slowly approaching, a pair of eyes—cold as ice—glaring directly at Hein.

A face as fair as the moon, features both exquisite and elegant—yet gone were the languor and the air of detached indifference he had once possessed; instead, a bloodthirsty killing intent now hung heavy in the air.

"Hein Burton—you actually used the X-Virus on him!"

Every word ground out through clenched teeth was laced with a vicious, chilling malice.

He hadn't seen this man in six months; the clean, captivating aura he once exuded had vanished completely, replaced by a palpable sense of danger that assaulted Xiao Yan’s senses.

"Jane... you're back..."

Jane Wallis yanked Xiao Yan behind him, then lifted his chin and glared defiantly at Hein. “Answer my question! Did you inject him with the X-virus?!”

“This is my training room; you do not have authorization to enter.”

“If I hadn’t come in, no one would have known what you did to him! I was wondering why you personally requested that Xiao Yan be transferred to your custody before we left Shire! So *this* is the reason!”

Before Xiao Yan could offer an explanation, Jian threw a punch straight at Heine’s face.

In terms of both speed and force, it surpassed any strike Xiao Yan had ever witnessed from a special forces soldier.

Yet, Heine simply extended his hand, intercepting the attack with absolute finality.

The air pressure plummeted abruptly, giving Xiao Yan the illusion that he couldn't breathe.

Their combat was blindingly fast; one moment Jian was leaping into the air, delivering an elbow strike at a flawless angle, and the very next, Xiao Yan saw Heine pinning Jian to the ground with a chokehold.

“You’re still too green, Lieutenant Colonel Wallis.”

“And you are far too naive, Colonel Burton—”

Jian delivered a sharp side-thrust with his knee, immediately followed by his fingers digging viciously into Heine’s shoulder, forcing him to release his grip.

This was hand-to-hand combat at the highest level—the kind seen only within elite special operations units—yet Xiao Yan was in no mood to observe it.

“Stop it! Lieutenant Colonel Wallis—listen to me—”

Heine’s palm clamped over Xiao Yan’s mouth as he pulled him close, his voice—cold as ice—drifting into his ear: “Don’t explain a thing.”

Meanwhile, the leg Jian had kicked out froze abruptly in mid-air just as it was about to strike Xiao Yan.

Frowning, he slowly lowered his leg, then lunged forward and violently yanked Xiao Yan out of Heine’s arms.

“Lieutenant Colonel Wallis!”

Heine’s gaze descended like a tidal wave crashing down from the heavens, instantly overwhelming Xiao Yan and rendering him utterly speechless.

“I will report all of this to Major General Gordon. You lunatic!”

Stumbling, Xiao Yan was dragged out of the room by Jian. No sooner had he stepped through the door than Jian slammed Xiao Yan violently against the wall. "Speak! What exactly drove you to make this decision?"

This was the first time Jian had ever unleashed his fury upon Xiao Yan. Most of the time, the man standing before him wore an air of utter indifference to the world, smiling with carefree abandon—a stark contrast to this very moment, when he looked as if he were about to sink his teeth into Xiao Yan and grind him to dust.

“...I haven’t been injected with the X-virus.”

Xiao Yan looked at the other man with utter seriousness.

“You haven’t been injected with the X-virus? Do you take me for a fool? I was right there when Hein Burton was coaching you in combat techniques; that training room is restricted to special forces personnel of Captain rank or higher—clearly, he didn't want too many people knowing about you! Just now, your speed and strength were obviously far beyond that of a normal person! Do you have any idea what kind of consequences the X-virus brings? Couldn't you just have stayed a good, honest technical specialist?”

“You know perfectly well what consequences the X-virus entails, yet you still chose to join the Special Operations Unit.”

“Don't give me that! You’re not like me!” The hand Jian had pressed against Xiao Yan’s ear tightened its grip, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fist.

“What makes us different?”

Xiao Yan asked with a hint of amusement; he was suddenly very curious to know how he appeared in Jian’s eyes.

Jian’s hand slowly moved to cup Xiao Yan’s cheek. He wanted to apply pressure, yet he held back, afraid he might shatter something fragile.

“This part of you... it’s different from me—and from Hein.”

Xiao Yan shook his head. “We’re all the same.”

“Hah...” Jian rested his forehead against Xiao Yan’s shoulder in helpless resignation. “I never should have gone on that damn mission... I should have stayed right here watching over you!”

Xiao Yan tilted his head back, feeling the tremor running through Jian’s body. This guy really did care about him—otherwise, he wouldn't have unhesitatingly risked shattering every bone in his own body just to protect him back then.

“I really haven’t been injected with the X-virus. Believe me.”

Jian’s tightly clenched fist remained unyielding.

Xiao Yan patted him on the back. “Right now, I don’t even have the strength to crush a glass cup.”

“Then how do you explain your sparring match with Hein Burton? Don't tell me a mere six months of training gave you combat capabilities on par with the special forces!”

Just as Xiao Yan opened his mouth to reply, Hein walked toward them.

As he passed by, his gaze flickered over Xiao Yan; beneath that customary air of indifference, Xiao Yan sensed a distinct warning.

He had promised Hein that he would never reveal the details of his research to anyone else.

It wasn't until Hein had walked well out of earshot that Xiao Yan finally let out a breath. “Are you really that afraid of him?” Jian cupped Xiao Yan’s face in his hands, his brow furrowed.

Such a serious expression didn’t suit him.

“I’m not afraid of him; I simply respect him. He’s saved my life countless times—without him, I wouldn’t have even had the chance to meet you.” Xiao Yan patted the back of Jian’s hand, signaling for him to let go.

“So you’re completely subservient to him? The X-Virus isn’t the kind of thing you imagine it to be...”

“Jian!”

This time, it was Xiao Yan who cupped Jian’s face in his hands, locking eyes with those captivating depths.

“I know the X-Virus isn’t as all-powerful or invincible as people imagine... On the contrary, it’s the very target I’ve always aspired to conquer!”

“You keep telling me, over and over, that you haven’t taken the X-Virus—yet you remain completely silent about the way you just behaved.”

Jian gave a light chuckle and shrugged. “Fine... If you say it wasn’t the X-Virus, then I’ll take your word for it.”

With that, Jian turned and walked away without looking back.

Xiao Yan pressed his hand against his forehead, let out a long, heavy sigh, then took a few quick strides to catch up with him.

“Lieutenant Colonel Wallace!”

Just as Xiao Yan reached out to grab his arm, Jian spun around and said impatiently, “I’ve told you before: I hate it when you address me by my full name and rank!”

“Alright... alright...” Xiao Yan raised his hands in surrender. “I just wanted to buy you a drink. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

Jian crossed his arms and gave a light scoff. “Give me a break. You’re a researcher under the supervision of the Special Task Force; you’re not even allowed to leave the Headquarters building. Where exactly do you plan on taking me for that drink?”

“...The cafeteria? Mark and Liv have bought me beers in the cafeteria before...” Xiao Yan looked at Jian, sounding less than certain.

He was well aware of Jian’s refined tastes.

Sure enough, the mere mention of beer made the man’s brow furrow in distaste.

“...Sometimes, what matters isn’t *what* you’re drinking, but *who* you’re drinking with... right?”

Xiao Yan gave a dry, awkward laugh as he looked at Jian—who promptly grabbed him by the collar, practically dragging him down the hallway. “Fine! Since it’s you—a penniless researcher—treating me to a drink, I suppose I’ll grudgingly accept the beer.”

Xiao Yan let out a breath. He knew that Jian was still angry because he hadn’t been entirely honest with him, yet Jian had chosen this way to signal his compromise.