TIC Chapter 60

 Chapter 60

Xiao Yan knew that no matter how beautiful the scenery before him appeared, the moment he stepped out of the aircraft cabin, he would be confronted by the brutal environment of the polar regions. The average wind speed here could reach 18 meters per second, and temperatures could plummet to as low as minus 88 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, traversing the icy surface required extreme caution regarding fissures; every step taken could potentially be one's last.

Having crossed the glacial zone, they arrived at a boundless ice plain—atop which stood the Antarctic base established by Shire. However, the base had clearly come under attack; parts of the structure were severely damaged, and the turret on the southern flank had been rendered completely inoperable.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but let out a breath; it seemed the Surge Organization was indeed determined to seize this base at all costs.

The landing bay had been destroyed, forcing the aircraft to hover directly above the base. Hein issued the command to disembark; Mark was the first to disengage his safety harness and move toward the cabin door. The instant the door slid open, a blast of frigid wind rushed in with a roaring howl; the gale nearly contorted Xiao Yan’s face, and the icy air filling his lungs felt as though it would freeze his very breath.

Liv drew a vial from a holster on her thigh and sprayed its contents vigorously across Xiao Yan’s face. Instantly, the sensation of his skin freezing began to subside.

It was a thermostatic agent developed specifically for the armed forces, designed to temporarily shield the skin from the damaging effects of both extreme cold and heat.

Liv flashed a sly smile. "If your face gets frostbitten, someone is bound to be heartbroken."

"What?" By this time, Xiao Yan had reached the cabin door; having secured his rappelling line, he was poised to jump.

Liv simply shook her head.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and, adhering to his training, leaped into the void. The wind howled furiously in his ears, and the sheer speed of his descent was enough to make one's heart stop. Upon reaching a specific altitude, he decisively adjusted the friction clamp on his line to decelerate his fall, executing a steady, controlled landing.

Hein stood a short distance away, watching him.

"Colonel." Xiao Yan admitted to himself that he felt a twinge of nervousness; in every previous operation, it had always been Hein who led him out of the aircraft.

"Mm." Hein gave a brief nod, then turned and entered the access tunnel.

The above-ground section of the base was no longer functional; Hein’s unit was heading into the base’s subterranean levels. Awaiting them was Commander Colonel Luther, a man older than Shen Bing, with short flaxen hair and a complexion of almost pathological pallor.

He saluted Hein, his gaze sweeping over every member of the special forces unit. "Colonel Burton, all personnel at my base are prepared for evacuation. All research data has been encrypted and extracted, and the final sampling of the 'Comet' virus has been completed. May I ask where the research team dispatched by Lieutenant General Averell is? I intend to lead them personally to conduct the final on-site analysis."

"Second Lieutenant Xiao Yan." Hein gestured toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan stepped forward and saluted Colonel Luther. "Colonel, I am Second Lieutenant Xiao Yan of the Central Academy of Sciences; I am here to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Comet virus!"

Colonel Luther froze. He stared at the young officer standing before him, then erupted in anger. "Colonel Burton! What on earth is the meaning of this? This is our opportunity to conduct the final on-site analysis of the Comet virus! The command center was supposed to dispatch an entire research team! Even if not a full team, it should at least have consisted of elite officers of field rank or higher! How could they send a mere Second Lieutenant?"

Faced with Colonel Luther’s fury, Xiao Yan was momentarily at a loss for how to react. Had he just lost his chance to work with the "Comet" virus?

"I only bring people here who are useful."

Hein’s expression was cold and stern; his voice held not a single inflection, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of authority that commanded attention.

Luther was stunned into silence. He clenched his jaw, his gaze—now fixed on Xiao Yan—filled with intense scrutiny. "Come with me, Second Lieutenant. The countdown to evacuation stands at just three hours. I hope you won't squander this final opportunity."

Xiao Yan offered no words in reply; at this point, any explanation would be entirely superfluous.

This base was starkly different from Bases No. 2 and No. 14—facilities Xiao Yan had visited previously. It possessed almost no living amenities; every inch of its limited space had been converted into research laboratories—cold, austere, and utterly devoid of life. Even with his immense passion for virology, Xiao Yan lacked the confidence to imagine himself—like Colonel Luther and his team—enduring a long-term deployment in such a place. Xiao Yan was not the type of fanatic who lived solely for scientific research; his life also included chatting with his peers at bars, working out at the gym, and obsessively following various sports matches. In this moment, gazing at Colonel Luther’s retreating figure, Xiao Yan felt a surge of admiration for this man of singular focus.

Luther led Xiao Yan and Hein into the deepest level of the base. The Antarctic base was structured vertically; while its surface area was modest, its depth surpassed that of any other base. Through a glass partition, Xiao Yan caught sight of the primordial Comet Virus. Or rather—he didn't truly *see* it; what lay before him appeared to be nothing more than ice.

Luther authorized the activation of a single terminal. Standing nearby, Hein spoke up once more: "Activate *all* terminals."

Luther turned to Hein, puzzled, but received no further explanation. Time was running short, and Luther had no desire to waste precious moments debating trivialities with Hein; he simply authorized the activation of every terminal.

Xiao Yan took his seat and interfaced with the main control terminal; he took a deep, steady breath.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—as unique and singular as birth or death itself. To let it slip away would be a source of eternal regret.

He could not afford a single oversight.

His consciousness flooded into the system, and in an instant, every terminal simultaneously sprang to life.

Luther stared at the processing speeds displayed on the holographic screen, his expression one of utter astonishment. The base’s research system was operating at critical velocity, performing high-speed analysis and processing. In a mere three seconds, the young researcher had assimilated every scrap of previous research data; building upon that foundation, he was now analyzing the entire glacial environment, ice flow patterns, and even tracing the viral data back ten thousand years.

"This... this is simply..." Luther pressed a hand to his forehead, letting out a gasp of awe. "Is this truly a human brain?"

Hein remained silent, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed intently upon Xiao Yan’s back.

Xiao Yan’s concentration was absolute. Throughout his research into the X-2 virus, he had accumulated a multitude of unanswered questions—questions to which only the Comet Virus itself could provide the answers.

Luther tilted his head back and let out a long, deep exhale. "I wish I could interface with the terminal myself—to trace the contours of his thought process, to analyze the data right alongside him... If *he* had been the one assigned to this base from the start, perhaps we would have achieved a breakthrough long ago..."

At that very moment, the entire base was rocked by a violent tremor. Colonel Luther stumbled, steadying himself against the wall, while Hein rushed to take up a position behind Xiao Yan. Yet Xiao Yan, immersed in a state of total focus, remained completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding around him. “It’s an ablation bomb! I never imagined the Surge could manufacture such a massive payload of ablation bombs in such a short time! Colonel Burton, we must evacuate immediately! Otherwise... if this place melts, we’ll drown!”

Hein raised his hand to check the time on his communicator. The space they occupied was shaking—though not violently—but given their extreme depth, it would take some time to make their exit.

“Mark, Liv—lead everyone out,” Hein issued the order. He then turned to Luther. “Colonel Luther, you go first.”

“Me? Leave? But you two are still here...”

“I will protect Lieutenant Xiao Yan and hold out until the very last moment.”

“I know that, given the speed of his mind, every single second is precious, but...”

“No ‘buts,’ Colonel. I cannot protect you while simultaneously protecting Xiao Yan.”

Luther understood instantly; he turned and left without hesitation.

Hein tilted his head back, sensing the tremors overhead. A little over ten minutes later, water began to drip down—*drip, drip, drip*—landing within the holographic projections and emitting a faint, sizzling sound. He strode quickly to Xiao Yan’s side and placed his fingers against the terminal connector linked to his head.

“Major, I’m going to count to three. You must store all the data directly within your mind.”

Xiao Yan’s brow furrowed slightly; he had heard Hein’s words.

“One... two... three!”

Hein detached the terminal connector. Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open, and he gasped deeply for air, as if waking abruptly from a profound dream.

“Let’s go, Lieutenant!”

The surging water pressed against the walls, ceaselessly seeping in through every crack and fissure. The main control system blared an alarm: the ice sheet was melting.

Hein grabbed Xiao Yan and hauled him into the vertical shaft. The base’s primary power grid had already failed; only the backup power supply for this specific shaft remained operational.

Xiao Yan felt a surge of unease. As they ascended, he could feel the elevator car shuddering—a direct result of the ablation bomb attack. He wondered how much longer the car could hold out.

Hein gently pressed Xiao Yan’s head against his own shoulder. Xiao Yan felt the warmth of Hein’s palm and the firm strength of his fingertips.

“Don’t worry.”

In that moment, all his anxiety melted away. An incomparable sense of security surged within Xiao Yan; he would leave this base—he would make it out alive!

Gradually, icy water began to seep in, pooling at their feet and gathering into a stream. Their rate of ascent slowed further; Xiao Yan knew the cabin was on the verge of collapse.

The very instant the water rushed in, Hein fastened a safety clip to Xiao Yan’s waist. They had not yet reached the base’s surface level; had the ice sheet above truly melted—judging by their ascent rate and elapsed time—they should have already been nearing the water’s surface. More and more water poured in, though their combat suits effectively insulated them from the freezing temperatures.

Another dozen seconds passed; their upward momentum grew increasingly sluggish until, finally, they came to a complete halt.

"Are you ready?" Hein lowered his gaze.

The cabin structure emitted a low, humming groan—a sound akin to a dying wail.

Xiao Yan donned his goggles and oxygen-rebreather, then nodded to Hein. "I'm ready, Colonel."

With a resounding *boom*, a massive torrent of water surged in from above. Within seconds, it rose above their heads, plunging everything into sudden, absolute darkness.

Hein retrieved a light source; its pale yellow glow illuminated his features, bringing them into relief against the surrounding gloom. His hair drifted and swayed with his movements as his lithe body sliced ​​through the water, propelling him upward. Xiao Yan gazed up at him until the man lowered his eyes and gave a sharp tilt of his chin toward him; only then did the young Second Lieutenant snap back to reality and follow Hein out of the cabin. They were still situated within the base’s vertical access shaft, with the exit still a good dozen meters above them. They had to escape before the entire base sank beneath the depths—otherwise, they would be trapped within it forever.

Hein swam with remarkable speed, the tether connecting the two of them constantly tugging at Xiao Yan. As Hein reached the lip of the shaft's exit, he used the edge as a leverage point to launch himself upward. At that very moment, several figures clad in diving suits began to close in on them.

They had initially assumed it was Hein’s own unit arriving to rescue them, but the physiques of these approaching figures were utterly unfamiliar. A dangerous premonition surged through Xiao Yan’s mind; then, as Hein drew his combat blade, the faint glint of steel reflecting in the seawater seemed to strike directly at Xiao Yan’s heart.

They were assassins from the Tide Organization! As expected, these bastards weren't going to let them get away so easily! Combat in the ocean depths is a world apart from fighting on land.

Hein swiftly tightened his line, attempting to close the distance between himself and Xiao Yan; however, one of the assassins moved with lightning speed to sever the tether connecting them. With his Condensing Gun rendered useless underwater, Xiao Yan had no choice but to draw his sidearm. He fired decisively; while evasive maneuvers were far less agile in the water than on land, the bullets' tracking and homing capabilities remained largely unaffected by the currents. One assassin took a direct hit to the head, and a crimson cloud of blood instantly billowed through the surrounding seawater.

Yet, what Xiao Yan had utterly failed to anticipate was that another assassin had already circled around to his flank. A blade grazed his waist; in these frigid depths, a breach in his combat suit—signaling the loss of its vital thermal regulation—would mean total immobilization for Xiao Yan, and potentially death from hypothermia within a mere sixty seconds. In a split-second act of desperation, Xiao Yan managed to dodge the assassin's lethal thrust. Meanwhile, Hein found himself in an equally perilous predicament. Hein parried one assassin's blade, but the attacker immediately seized the opportunity to pin his arms in a chokehold. As a second assassin lunged at Hein with a slashing strike, Hein executed a contorted, acrobatic twist of his body to deliver a powerful kick that sent the attacker reeling.

Xiao Yan reached for the medical injector strapped to his thigh. However, before the device could even touch his skin, an enemy blow knocked it from his grasp, sending the precious vial drifting away. Panic surged through Xiao Yan; he spun around to chase after the drifting injector, but his attacker seized him, yanking him backward. A hand clamped around his jaw from behind—a single, forceful twist was all it would take to snap his neck.

Xiao Yan’s heart pounded against his ribs as if it were about to burst; he knew, with absolute certainty, that this was the end—he was going to die!

Before he could even process the thought, the arm constricting his neck suddenly went limp. Xiao Yan kicked out with all his might, thrusting his attacker away. As he regained his bearings, he realized that Hein had intervened, severing the assassin's head with a single strike. Yet, in that very instant, a sharp object pierced through Hein’s chest. Crimson fluid began to bloom rapidly in the water, and Xiao Yan’s pupils dilated in horror until they seemed on the verge of bursting. There was not a trace of pain on Hein’s face; without a moment’s hesitation, he gripped the blade that had pierced his body. As his assailant decisively swung a second blade, Hein instantly shifted his grip—reversing the blade’s orientation—and executed a parry that severed the killer’s right hand. He kicked the killer backward, and the blade impaling him was yanked free as the man recoiled. Hein spun around and hurled the blade in his hand with explosive force; it sliced ​​through the water, shooting with blinding speed to pierce the killer’s skull.

Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but then he realized that Hein’s combat suit had been breached. Low temperatures not only render the Comet Virus inactive but also neutralize the X-Virus—a variant sharing the same genetic lineage. Hein needed to be extracted from this freezing environment as soon as possible.

Yet, Hein turned and began swimming deeper into the water.

*What is he trying to do?*

Xiao Yan struggled to keep up behind Hein, but Hein pushed him away, signaling him not to follow.

Hein stretched out his fingers, straining to dive deeper, as if reaching for something.

Only then did Xiao Yan realize what it was: his medical kit.

*That fool! The serums inside—he could always synthesize more! But if anything were to happen to Hein...*

Hein suddenly snatched up the medical kit; on his way back, he also retrieved the injector gun. He swam up to Xiao Yan, and without a word of explanation, aimed the injector at his neck and administered the injection.

His weary, drained body was instantly flooded and dominated by a surge of power. Xiao Yan’s vision and hearing became incredibly acute; he could even clearly distinguish the steady, rhythmic beat of Hein’s heart. Hein reached out a hand to cup the back of Xiao Yan’s head; through the icy water, beneath the fading glow of their light emitters, Hein’s lips brushed ever so lightly against the tip of Xiao Yan’s nose. The gesture was so fleeting—so swift and soft—that Xiao Yan couldn't help but wonder if it had merely been a figment of his imagination.

Suddenly, a disturbance in the currents signaled that something was approaching.

Two more killers. *These bastards just won't give up!*

Xiao Yan cursed inwardly.

Hein signaled to Xiao Yan—a silent command: *One for each of us.* Xiao Yan instantly felt a surge of excitement; this signaled that Hein regarded him as a trustworthy comrade-in-arms. With perfect, wordless coordination, the two pressed their backs against each other, using one another as leverage to propel themselves toward the assassin.

The assassin had clearly underestimated Xiao Yan; his blade slashed out, aiming straight for Xiao Yan’s neck. But Xiao Yan, having anticipated this move, raised his hand to seize the sharp edge. The resistance of the water prevented his movements from being as crisp as they were during dry-land training, so he simply went with the momentum of the assassin's thrust, closing the distance between them before slamming his elbow violently into the man's sternum. The assassin recoiled, coughing violently. Xiao Yan pressed his advantage, twisting his body to wrench the blade aside and driving his knee upward toward the man's jaw. Although the force of the blow was dampened by the water, allowing the assassin to dodge, Xiao Yan gave him no respite; with decisive swiftness, he plunged his own blade into the man's abdomen, then clamped his arm around the assassin's throat. Gritting his teeth, he exerted a sudden, immense force; the assassin's cervical spine snapped. Xiao Yan released his grip, and the body drifted limply away, slowly sinking into the depths.

Xiao Yan immediately looked toward Hein, who had long since dispatched his own opponent and was now slicing through the water toward him. Suddenly, Xiao Yan recalled the moment in the temperature-controlled pool when Hein’s lips had brushed against his own; his heart began to pound wildly. The instant Hein came to a halt before him, Xiao Yan impulsively grasped his shoulders. Hein’s nose was mere inches from his eyes—and in that very moment, Hein slipped his hands beneath Xiao Yan’s armpits and began lifting him upward.

Hein tilted his head back, his gaze fixed upon the shimmering boundary where the water met the air.

As they burst through the surface, several aircraft could be seen hovering overhead.

Xiao Yan looked around, only then realizing that the vast ice field which had once stretched before them had vanished completely—the pristine, icy-white landscape...

The world of color dissolved into a sea of ​​azure, accompanied by the sound of glaciers ceaselessly calving into the ocean. Hein cupped Xiao Yan’s hand in one of his own while yanking down a descent line with the other, securing it to the knot at Xiao Yan’s waist. Instantly, Xiao Yan surged upward from the water; stripped of the water’s buoyancy, the sudden onset of gravity’s weight caused him to instinctively tighten his grip on the rope. Meanwhile, Hein, already hauling a separate line alongside him, moved in perfect sync with Xiao Yan as the two stepped simultaneously into the aircraft cabin.

“Boss!” Mark breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that both men were safe and sound.

“Withdraw,” Hein ordered coldly.

The fleet of aircraft sped away at full throttle, the thrust of their engines leaving distinct trails across the ocean’s surface.

The effects of X-2 were beginning to wane, and Xiao Yan could feel fatigue gradually creeping into his body.

Hein sat directly opposite Xiao Yan; his legs were so long that when the aircraft executed a banking turn—causing everyone to tilt to one side—Hein’s knee brushed directly against Xiao Yan’s leg. Xiao Yan glanced in Hein’s direction; his eyes were closed, his eyelids lowered. Even without the slightest expression on his face, he still held Xiao Yan’s gaze captive.

Xiao Yan found himself unable to determine whether the wound in Hein’s abdomen—where the assassin had pierced him—had fully healed.

“I’m fine,” Hein spoke up suddenly, breaking his silence.

Xiao Yan hadn’t expected Hein to guess exactly what he was thinking—or, perhaps more surprisingly, that Hein would actually care about his feelings.

Unable to resist, Xiao Yan reached out, placing his palm against Hein’s abdomen; through his hand, he felt the warmth of Hein’s body heat. Once he confirmed that the wound had indeed healed, Xiao Yan moved to withdraw his hand—but Hein reached out and captured his wrist.

“Even if you’ve undergone the same training as a Special Forces operative, your physical constitution is fundamentally different from theirs. You possess a battlefield that belongs solely to you—one into which no other Special Forces soldier can ever intrude.”

Hein’s words sent a powerful tremor through Xiao Yan’s heart.

Mark cast a sidelong glance at the pair. A fellow Special Forces soldier nudged him sharply in the ribs, prompting Mark to turn his head away—albeit with great reluctance. He was bursting with questions he wanted to ask, but the warning glares from everyone else in the cabin effectively told him to “shut his mouth.” Although the cabin was pleasantly warm, Xiao Yan’s sense of exhaustion felt heavier than ever. For one thing, analyzing the "Comet" virus had severely drained his mental energy, while the X-2 had completely depleted his physical stamina. Xiao Yan took out a pack of compressed biscuits; no matter how atrocious their texture might be—enough to make the gods weep—their nutritional content represented the very essence of concentrated sustenance. Head bowed, he forced down the first biscuit with difficulty, yet he still felt hungry.

Hein extended his arm and pressed his fingerprint against a specific panel within the cabin. A small overhead compartment slid open, and he retrieved an object resembling an energy bar. Xiao Yan knew it was chocolate-flavored; unlike the compressed biscuits, it boasted a high protein content. Hein unhurriedly peeled back the wrapper and held the bar out in front of Xiao Yan.

"Eat this, then go to sleep."

Xiao Yan said nothing more; he devoured the energy bar in just a few quick bites. With the lingering sweetness of chocolate still on his tongue, he tilted his head against his safety harness and drifted off to sleep.

He hoped that when he finally woke up, he would already be back in Shire.

Somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, Xiao Yan felt a sudden sensation of weightlessness.

"Xiao Yan! Wake up!" Hein’s cold, sharp voice rang out right beside his ear.

Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open. Every special forces soldier in the cabin was already at battle stations; the aircraft’s flight path had become erratic and chaotic. Xiao Yan realized instantly: they must have come under pursuit by the Surge Organization!

With the personnel from the Antarctic Base combined with Hein’s own unit, the convoy consisted of over ten aircraft. Such a massive target was something the Surge Organization would never give up on easily—to say nothing of the researchers' brains themselves, or the decades' worth of research data they carried.

"Xiao Yan, be ready! We might have to eject you from your safety pod at any moment!" Mark shouted to him.

But unexpectedly, Hein stepped forward, disengaged Xiao Yan’s safety harness, grabbed him by the wrist, and yanked him toward the cockpit.