TIC Chapter 66

 Chapter 66

He had to escape!

His waist felt as if it were on the verge of snapping; with the other man’s palm pressing against his back, he could only tremble helplessly, moving in sync with the rhythm of the man’s thrusts.

“Here’s a hint: you must shatter this physical shell if you wish for your consciousness to escape.”

Xiao Yan closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Even if this shell had been constructed by Hein himself, he would tear it apart!

A cracking sound began to spread outward from his forehead. Xiao Yan’s consciousness flowed out through the fissures of the crumbling shell; in an instant, everything shattered. He would no longer flee in panicked disarray as he had in the past. The reason Hein had been able to cling to him like a shadow was that he had embedded fragments of his own consciousness deep within Xiao Yan’s mind. With immense patience, Xiao Yan systematically purged these fragments and finally broke free.

“Hey! Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan, are you alright?”

Mark’s voice rang out in his ears. Xiao Yan abruptly severed the connection and tore off his neural interface headset.

He was drenched in sweat from head to toe, and his vision swam with dizziness.

Across from him, Hein slowly opened his eyes. His expression remained utterly serene, as if the harrowing events of the past few moments had never occurred.

“Xiao Yan, you look absolutely wretched! Did the trap the Boss set for you really put you through the wringer? I suppose that’s to be expected, though! Few people possess the grit to go toe-to-toe with him...”

At that moment, Xiao Yan’s legs felt like jelly; he wasn't even sure he had the strength to stand up.

Mark turned to look at Hein. “Boss, you really scared the living daylights out of Xiao Yan!”

Hein Burton rose slowly and began walking, step by step, toward Xiao Yan. Instinctively, Xiao Yan leaned back against his chair; as the other man drew closer, his head tilted upward of its own accord.

“...Wh-Why... why did you do that?”

Hein’s knuckles brushed lightly against Xiao Yan’s temple, wiping away the beads of cold sweat. Despite the icy detachment in his expression, his gesture was one of surprising tenderness. “When you feel completely safe and secure, you lack the desperate resolve required to fight for your life.”

Xiao Yan’s very bones were trembling. Even though it had all been an illusion—a deception conjured by Hein to confuse him—the sensation of being possessed and confined felt just as vivid and real as if it were happening in the physical world.

“Um... what’s going on here?” Mark asked, looking utterly bewildered. “Tell me: what have you learned here?”

“Everything one perceives is untrustworthy.”

For instance, the physical shell that imprisons one’s own mind—*that* is the true “labyrinth” Hein created.

“First lesson: you’ve graduated.”

There was not the slightest flicker of emotion in Hein’s eyes; just as he had done every time before, he turned and briskly walked out of Xiao Yan’s line of sight.

“Hey! Xiao Yan! Your face has gone completely white—you look terrified! What exactly did you see inside the Boss’s mind?” Mark was bursting with curiosity.

“Nothing.”

Xiao Yan’s heart was pounding wildly, his blood surging uncontrollably through his veins.

Hein Burton had a thousand different ways to teach him the meaning of fear—so why... why did he choose *this* one?

“Sigh... honestly, the fact that the Boss actually let you enter his mind is truly unexpected,” Mark sighed.

“Because of his power? Or because of his inaccessibility?”

Xiao Yan gave a wry smile.

Mark fell silent for a moment before finally deciding to speak: “Do you know about Lieutenant General Renodin—the former head of the Central Academy of Sciences?”

“Of course I do! I heard he was assassinated by the Tide Organization! He was posthumously promoted to the rank of General!”

Mark gave a light chuckle. “Assassinated by the Tide Organization? That’s just a story fed to green rookies like you. Lieutenant General Renodin defected—he joined the Tide Organization.”

“What?!”

This revelation felt as though everything Xiao Yan had ever looked up to had suddenly come crashing down around him. Lieutenant General Renodin was a pioneer in the scientific community; he had championed the development of education in Char, transforming the Central Academy of Sciences into a hub teeming with talent. During his lifetime, Xiao Yan’s father had held Lieutenant General Renodin in the highest regard. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? He transmitted a vast amount of classified research data from the Central Academy of Sciences to the Surging Tide organization. It was tantamount to dedicating the entire resources of Shire to conducting research for the Surging Tide!”

“Why would he do that? I recall that Lieutenant General Renodin was born in Shire! He’d never once left Shire in his entire life! How on earth could he get mixed up with the Surging Tide organization?”

“That’s why the Military Department dispatched two elites—both trained as ‘Blockers’—to infiltrate the mind of Lieutenant General Renodin, who had been placed under deep hypnosis. Those two individuals were Shen Bing and our Boss.”

“How is that possible? Judging by the timeline of Lieutenant General Renodin’s assassination attempt, Colonel Shen Bing couldn’t have graduated from the Central Academy of Sciences all that long ago! And as for Hein... Colonel Burton—wasn’t he just a cadet at the time?”

“The human mind is a terrifying place; the depths of the subconscious are even more so. Those who appear kind and upright are often precisely the ones who have ruthlessly suppressed their cruelest aspects deep within their subconscious—which is the only way they can appear harmless and command respect in the real world. It’s all an illusion. No one ever reveals their true self, because they don’t even know what their true self is like.”

“What happened to Shen Bing and Hein?”

“I don’t know... That falls under the category of ‘classified information within classified information.’ All we know is the outcome: Colonel Shen Bing suffered neural damage and is no longer capable of undertaking missions involving subconscious infiltration. As for our Boss, he renounced his status as a cadet and applied to join the Special Operations Force. It caused quite a stir at the time; everyone believed that his potential achievements in the field of research would be monumental—whereas the active career of a Special Forces operative lasts barely ten years, a span that simply cannot compare to the decades of groundbreaking work, or even the legacy-defining achievements, he could have attained in research... Yet, our Boss remained resolute; he unhesitatingly accepted the injection of the X-Virus. Everyone in our unit assumed... that he would never again infiltrate anyone’s subconscious, nor would he ever allow anyone to infiltrate his own mind. You... you shattered all of that.”

Only then did Xiao Yan recall that when he had been trapped within his own subconscious, it was Hein who had pulled him out. The subconscious represents the deepest stratum of consciousness; consequently, no matter what transpired down there, it was incredibly difficult for Xiao Yan to retain any memory of it.

In that case... what about his *own* subconscious? Was it just like with Lieutenant General Renodin—rife with hypocritical and terrifying ideologies? And what, exactly, had Hein Burton truly seen?

“Hey, it’s lunchtime! Let’s go grab a bite!” Mark grinned broadly and unreservedly.

The atmosphere in the Special Task Force’s mess hall was starkly different from that of the Research Institute. Everyone ate in an identical manner—as if they had all been cloned—reflecting a system of total military-style management.

It was here that Xiao Yan finally spotted Casey; standing right beside him was Liv.

“Xiao Yan! It’s so good to see you here!”

Casey reached out and clamped his hand around Xiao Yan’s wrist. For a split second, Xiao Yan felt as though his wrist bones were about to snap.

“Casey! Easy! Go easy on me!”

Xiao Yan grimaced in pain, but Casey simply pulled him into a tight, crushing embrace.

“I’ve missed you so much! I’ve thought about you every single day! The oversight on researchers has gotten even stricter now! Although they finally scrapped that damn combat training, all research projects have been put on hold!”

Casey already possessed a naturally endearing face, and now—with his eyes welling up as he spoke of how much he missed Xiao Yan—quite a few people turned their heads to stare.

After what felt like an eternity, Casey finally let go of Xiao Yan.

“By the way, Xiao Yan—is your research still ongoing?”

“Ongoing? I can’t even focus my mind right now…”

Casey sighed knowingly and offered a word of comfort: “Everything will be fine. The Military Department has mandated that all researchers must pass an ‘anti-intrusion’ test before undertaking any critical research. Even if you pass the test, everyone is still required to conduct their research independently.”

“Why? Wouldn’t that make the research process far less efficient? A single project ought to have different people responsible for different components!”

“Lower efficiency is still preferable to having people steal each other’s experimental data.” Casey’s usually boyish expression instantly turned cold and grave. “Besides, everyone’s mind works differently; independent thinking actually fosters greater divergence and creativity in one’s approach. For instance, you and I might be working on the exact same subject right now, yet our paths could diverge in completely different directions. Without me—your supervisor—constraining you, you’re actually free to think even more uninhibitedly.”

“…” Xiao Yan gave a wry smile. “I know you’re scared. To be honest... I’m a little scared, too. But, Xiao Yan, no success worth having ever comes without a price.”

Casey stood up and leaned forward slowly; a smile flickered in her green eyes as her lips brushed against Xiao Yan’s forehead—only to pull back the very instant he blinked.

“I’m off for my afternoon nap!”

Xiao Yan’s face instantly flushed crimson. Clapping a hand over his mouth, he glanced over at Liv, Casey’s overseer; Liv merely offered a faint smile before following Casey out of the room.

“Whoa—you sly dog... That Casey is notorious for her bad temper! Yet every time she sees you, she suddenly turns into a Barbie doll?” Mark wore an expression as if his jaw were about to hit the floor.

“Heh... heh...” Xiao Yan chuckled sheepishly, his gaze shifting uncomfortably as it locked with Hein’s, who was approaching from the opposite direction. His fingers trembled involuntarily.

Hein’s eyes were cold; Xiao Yan was certain that he had seen the scene of Casey kissing him with perfect clarity.

Leaving the cafeteria, Xiao Yan walked the path back to the research lab with Hein trailing right behind him—his footsteps falling with such even precision that it was as if the tumultuous events occurring within his own mind didn't exist at all.

Xiao Yan was plagued by a myriad of questions, yet he could find no answers.

Throughout the entire afternoon, Xiao Yan did nothing but tinker with data. Hein sat poised in his chair, his long, slender left leg crossed over his right, his fingers lightly tracing the rim of his teacup—an image of elegance, yet utterly aloof. A sense of sullen frustration began to brew within Xiao Yan.

Just as the day was drawing to a close, Hein’s voice rang out: “Connect your terminal. Begin your research.”

It was a command—one that left absolutely no room for negotiation.

However, at this moment, the source of Xiao Yan’s hesitation was no longer the “Blockers” of the Tidal Surge organization, but rather Hein Burton himself. For once he connected his terminal—per Major General Gordon’s orders—Hein would gain access to the outer fringes of his mind. Xiao Yan knew he would never be able to forget what had transpired that day he had infiltrated Hein’s consciousness.

“My mind is not a place easily breached.”

Delivered in a flat, uninflected monotone, those words inexplicably weighed down upon Xiao Yan’s spirit.

Hein had already entered the system.

With extreme reluctance, Xiao Yan put on his terminal connector. “If you have any questions, you’d best ask me now.”

Xiao Yan drew a sharp breath; he always felt as though he were completely transparent before Hein—seen through entirely, with absolutely nowhere to hide.

Since Hein had offered him this opportunity, he resolved to ask every question weighing on his mind. He knew that if he never sought the answers, he would never be able to move forward.

“You once entered my subconscious.”

“Yes.”

“What was my subconscious like... Was it as terrifying as the rumors claim?”

“No.”

Hein’s reply was concise; Xiao Yan knew that this man would never utter a single insincere word merely to make someone else feel better. Yet, a simple “yes” or “no” was not the answer he was truly seeking.

What exactly was the reason—what compelled him to act the way he did—when he delved into Hein’s mind? Was it because some dark facet of his own subconscious had displeased Hein?

“Then what did you see?”

Hein fell silent.

Mark found the atmosphere utterly bizarre; he took two steps back. “Heh-heh... You guys go on talking... don't let me interrupt... I’m going over to check on Liv to see if she needs any help...”

With that, Mark squeezed his way out the door.

“A blue ocean, moon-white sands, or perhaps a boundless wilderness—even an entire canopy of stars.”

Xiao Yan furrowed his brow. “The way you describe it... it sounds as though you’ve entered my mind more than once?”

“Yes.”

Hein’s answer left Xiao Yan completely dumbfounded.

“Th-this... How is that possible? How did you get in?” Xiao Yan could no longer sit still.

“You frequently fall asleep while still connected to the system. All I had to do was locate you—and enter you.”

The phrase “enter you” sent Xiao Yan’s heart racing. He suddenly recalled the dreams he’d had—even those hallucinations—every single moment of wild abandon he had experienced with Hein Burton... He had always assumed *he* was the one losing his grip on reality, but it turned out those were all fabrications conjured by Hein after infiltrating his mind!

Xiao Yan suddenly realized that whether they were dreams or hallucinations, they had *all* occurred while he was connected to a terminal! Hein Burton had invaded his mind! And not just once! “Why did you do that? Mark said you wouldn’t enter anyone else’s subconscious ever again!”

For the first time, Xiao Yan felt that the man sitting before him—who appeared utterly indifferent to everything—was a world apart from the person he had imagined.

“Because your subconscious is the most reassuring place I have ever visited.”

“What...?”

*Why would I make you feel reassured?*

*In the past, I was killed by zombies countless times; now, facing a surging tide of assassins, I’m woefully inexperienced—without X-2, I’d be dead for sure! Compared to your immense power, I feel utterly inadequate! Yet you say I bring you peace?*

The man maintained his usual air of absolute self-assurance, yet within the depths of his mind, a dark intensity had ignited. The impenetrable, airtight ice fields of his psyche groaned and teetered on the brink of shattering; a rising heat—the product of that internal combustion—brushed against Xiao Yan’s face, and something within his bloodstream stirred restlessly, poised to burst forth in a frenzy of emotion.

Xiao Yan’s mouth hung open, yet he could find no words. He knew that Heine was deeply sensitive about his own addiction to the X-virus; but if those hallucinations—and those unspeakable dreams he’d been having—were all caused by Heine... did that mean this seemingly aloof man had harbored extraordinary feelings for him for a very long time?

“In the realm of the mind, I can indulge in making you ache for me to my heart’s content; you will know, with absolute certainty, that the one holding you is me.”

Xiao Yan saw his own reflection in Heine’s eyes—a reflection so vivid it was almost frightening.

Heine rose slowly and walked, step by step, until he stood directly before Xiao Yan. His fingers traced a path from the center of Xiao Yan’s brow to its outer edge; his knuckles brushed against the bridge of his nose before coming to rest gently on the tip—every movement impossibly tender.

“The things I wish to do for you... I cannot sustain for the entirety of your life.”

Xiao Yan tilted his head back, listening as the other man spoke words that bordered on a solemn vow, delivered in a voice utterly devoid of inflection.

“Therefore, you must become strong.”

Xiao Yan kept his eyes wide open, gazing back at the man for a long, silent moment.

Throughout that entire afternoon, he remained frozen in that dazed, stupefied posture.

When Mark finally escorted him back to his room, Xiao Yan still hadn't snapped out of his trance.

“Hey! Xiao Yan, what on earth did the Boss say to you?” Mark gave Xiao Yan a shove, but Xiao Yan’s mind was still drifting somewhere far away. “Sigh...” Mark scratched his head, looking utterly distressed.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan grabbed Mark. “Tell me! Has Colonel Burton undergone a blood test recently? How active is the X-virus inside him?”

“Huh...” Mark hadn't expected Xiao Yan to ask such a question out of the blue and didn't know how to react for a moment. “Well... maybe Maya knows.”

Without a word, Xiao Yan left the research lab. At that moment, Maya was sitting at his desk, browsing through some files; when Xiao Yan took a seat across from him, Maya couldn't help but look taken aback.

“Whoa—what’s the matter with you?”

Xiao Yan’s expression was dead serious, and his gaze—fixed upon Maya—was charged with an intense, oppressive weight.

Maya froze for a moment, then immediately shut down the holographic display floating before him. Pressing his palm against his forehead, he remained silent for a long time. From his expression, Xiao Yan knew that whatever he was about to say was not something he would want to hear.

“It was Lieutenant General Averell who conducted the blood analysis for the Chief. We don't know exactly what the results were, but the report has been encrypted; aside from Lieutenant General Averell and Major General Gordon, no one else has read it.”

Xiao Yan’s fingertips trembled. It was a well-known fact within the Special Task Force that Hein had, at most, two years left to live. If his blood test results had been encrypted, there could be only one explanation: the X-virus was replicating too rapidly, and Hein had very little time left.

With what kind of feelings, then, had Hein said to him: “The things I wish to accomplish won't last as long as your lifetime”?

He had thought that even if he wasn't as powerful as Hein, they could at least fight side by side. So why hadn't Hein breathed a single word about these blood tests?

Ha... You really are a fool, Xiao Yan.

Hein Burton has always been a solitary...

He bore the weight of everything alone—even death itself.

“Many people aspire to take his place; they believe that by occupying his position, they can become a legend. But there is only one legend: Hein Burton.”

Xiao Yan lowered his head.

“We will all die—sooner or later.”

It was not that Hein was indifferent to death; rather, he had long since accepted it.

That was why, within the confines of his mind, he had kissed him with such intensity—because, perhaps, every single time could have been the last.

That night, Xiao Yan did not sleep. He sat propped against the pillows on his bed; leaving the lights off, he allowed himself to sink into the darkness.

Hein remained seated quietly on the sofa. For the first time, Xiao Yan focused all his senses on perceiving another person’s breathing.

He realized it had been a long time since he had thought about anything with such intensity.

What exactly was it that Hein was striving to uphold? And what, precisely, did he mean by his “addiction”?

None of that could absolve him of the things he had done to Xiao Yan! Even if those acts had never actually occurred in reality! He had been *taken* by that guy more than once! Although those events never existed in the physical world, subjectively speaking, they were absolutely real!

Xiao Yan clutched his head in his hands. In the past—whether gaming or listening to music—he would often drift off to sleep without ever bothering to disconnect his neural interface terminal. That oversight had given Hein free rein to do whatever he pleased.

It wasn’t a mere fantasy! Each time, he had been subjected to the other man’s frenzied possession—powerless to resist, with no chance of escape. Such absolute mastery over the human mind... Hein Burton was truly terrifying.

Pressing his hands tightly against his temples, Xiao Yan felt an overwhelming urge to bang his head against the wall.

“I’m addicted to you”—what kind of nonsense was that?! It was far more plausible that Hein Burton was addicted to the X-Virus itself; yet, he had claimed to be addicted to *him*—a mere researcher! Back then, Xiao Yan had an unremarkable appearance, virtually zero combat prowess, and a reputation for being a shiftless slacker who never took his work seriously. Why on earth would Hein Burton utter such a cryptic remark—one that invited endless speculation, yet offered no definitive answer?

Involuntarily, Xiao Yan’s fingers drifted up to touch his lips.

He had never been able to forget that kiss. Xiao Yan closed his eyes; the man was domineering to the point of ruthlessness, yet the searing heat of his lips had felt as if it would vaporize the very blood in his veins. Perhaps it was because his father—a man brimming with passion for research—had spent a lifetime in contemplation yet yielded absolutely no results; after all, for an oceanographer to go his entire life without ever having seen the ocean was a truly laughable absurdity. From the very day his father passed away, Xiao Yan ceased to find any meaning in the act of thinking.

But are you truly content with that, Xiao Yan?

Before he knew it, an entire night had slipped away.

When his digital alarm clock rang, Xiao Yan felt as though he were being jolted awake from a long, drawn-out dream.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stepped onto the floor, and headed into the bathroom to wash up.

Hein, as always, had risen even earlier than he had.

His expression remained largely unchanged—so much so that it almost seemed as if everything he had said to Xiao Yan the previous day had been nothing more than a figment of Xiao Yan’s own imagination.

"Colonel Burton, may I ask: was what you said yesterday—that you would protect my brain—the truth?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation; his reply was as absolute and decisive as the swing of his blade.

"Then please... protect me."

Xiao Yan tossed the terminal connector across the room, and Hein caught it with steady, effortless precision.

From this day forward, he would pour every ounce of his being into the act of thinking—striving harder than he ever had at any moment in the past.

For time waits for no man.

What do you mean you can't hold out for the duration of my entire life? That’s utterly preposterous! My life can no longer tolerate you making an exit halfway through!

Closing his eyes, Xiao Yan’s consciousness surged violently into the terminal interface; streams of constantly shifting data flashed through his mind as the entire laboratory sprang to life.

Mark looked on in astonishment as countless holographic screens flickered into existence; in an instant, the laboratory was transformed into a boundless ocean of data—a dynamic, ever-changing landscape.

Meanwhile, Major General Gordon—who had been engrossed in a game of chess within the terminal system—was suddenly interrupted by his adjutant.

"Report!"

"What is it?" Major General Gordon asked, his expression betraying a hint of impatience.

"The terminal in the Sixth Research Division has been breached via high-speed access! It is currently operating at critical overload!"

"What? Is it the 'Blockers' from the Surge? Have they actually managed to infiltrate our systems?" Major General Gordon shot to his feet, sending the chess pieces scattered across the board tumbling to the floor. “It’s not...”

“It’s not?”

“Following verification, the intervening ID number is 1665—Second Lieutenant Xiao Yan.”

Major General Gordon blinked. “He is conducting research, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Hein will be monitoring his brain activity; I don’t believe anyone else could possibly infiltrate the system. So why did you come in here to bother me with such nonsense?”

“But regarding the research lab’s power supply...”

Major General Gordon gave a light chuckle. “In that case, simply ask the Academy of Sciences to provide another energy reactor core.”