TIC Chapter 68

 Chapter 68

Meanwhile, Hein gripped his lower back and abruptly lifted him into his arms; Xiao Yan experienced a fleeting illusion—as if he had been born to belong to this man.

Then, in a sudden shift, Xiao Yan’s wrists were seized; he tumbled back onto the mattress, his hands pinned firmly above his head. Even as he continued to reach desperately for the man before him, the other slowly began to pull away.

His gaze was hazy, his mind yearning to scale the man towering above him—a figure as imposing as a sheer cliff—if only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the sky that belonged to him alone.

The heat of their fervent breathing gradually cooled, and Xiao Yan’s thoughts finally tumbled back down, returning to the confines of his own body.

Hein Burton was pressed down upon him, his posture one of absolute possession.

The weight of his chest, the pressure of his arms—an overwhelming force that offered no resistance—until the man spoke once more.

“Do you know who is kissing you?”

“...” Xiao Yan struggled to part his lips, finally managing to voice the words: “Hein Burton.”

Hein’s index finger grazed across Xiao Yan’s lips—a touch of warmth that stood in stark contrast to the cold timbre of his voice.

“Then remember this, always: this kiss is from *me* to you. It has nothing to do with the X-Virus.”

A cascade of kisses followed, while the man’s hand reached down with forceful intent; with every touch came a surge of raw power. Xiao Yan lay stunned, lips parted, unsure how to even draw breath as his bewildered gaze became lost within the depths of the other’s icy-blue world.

Xiao Yan wanted to scream, yet the sheer intensity of the man’s touch stole his voice.

Hein’s lips descended once more, brushing against Xiao Yan’s lower lip. Just as Xiao Yan attempted to return the kiss, the man tilted his head back; Xiao Yan’s lips met only the smooth skin of his throat.

It felt as though Hein were squeezing the very blood from his veins—a sensation of pleasure so dangerous, yet one against which Xiao Yan was utterly powerless to resist. His legs rubbed ceaselessly against Hein’s body, eliciting a response of even more forceful kisses and a rhythm of caresses that grew increasingly frenzied.

The moment of climax arrived, and Xiao Yan’s vision went utterly blank. He gasped for breath, struggling to find his way back to the reality he once knew. The man who had been pinning him down slowly withdrew, returning to the sofa. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back as he let out a heavy sigh—as if, after enduring a grueling struggle, he had finally managed to quell the most turbulent of surges.

After a long while, Xiao Yan’s breathing steadied, and his scattered thoughts began to coalesce.

The man’s profile was ethereal and exquisite—so perfect, in fact, that one could scarcely associate it with descriptors such as "lust" or "impulse."

But what, then, was he to make of everything that had just transpired?

Xiao Yan pressed his hands firmly against his face; the space between his legs was already damp.

Only then did he realize that he was actually back in his room.

How on earth had he gotten back here?

The moment he left the bed, his legs gave way again, and he tumbled to the floor in a heap. Scrambling awkwardly to prop himself up, he glanced toward Hein; the other man’s figure remained utterly motionless.

Leaning against the wall for support, Xiao Yan stumbled into the bathroom. He didn't even bother to remove his shirt as the water cascaded down over his head.

He knew he was struggling—struggling because he was falling, and falling fast, with no hope of pulling himself back.

That night, sleep was utterly impossible.

Every thought—indeed, every single cell in his body—remained steeped in the memory of Hein’s kiss. In the darkness, his mind’s eye traced the contours of Hein’s form; Xiao Yan fought desperately to ignore it, yet he could only feel the other man’s presence all the more vividly.

*It seems I’m truly done for...* Xiao Yan told himself.

He spent the entire night wide awake.

The following morning, Major General Gordon sat with his eyes closed, listening to music. The fragrance of black tea wafted through the air, rising and falling in rhythm with the melody; it was, perhaps, the most tranquil moment in all of Shire.

Suddenly, the Headquarters building shuddered violently.

The instant Major General Gordon’s brows furrowed in alarm, the sirens began to wail. “Alert—Alert—Military Control Zones A3–A6 under aerial attack!”

“Alert—Alert—Civilian Residential Zones D20–D22 under aerial attack!”

“Alert—Alert—Civilian Residential Zones E6–E9 under aerial attack!”

Major General Gordon sprang from his seat just as a liaison officer burst through the door. “Reporting, Major General! The entirety of Shire has now entered a state of emergency combat readiness!”

“Maya! Maya—what the hell is going on?”

Maya, who had followed the liaison officer into the office, looked visibly tense. “Reporting, Major General! Six aircraft entered Shire and subsequently went completely rogue! They are indiscriminately firing missiles and launching attacks throughout the city!”

A holographic projection unfolded before Major General Gordon; the once-tranquil city of Shire had descended into utter chaos in a matter of mere minutes.

Citizens, long accustomed to a life of peace, were fleeing in panic. The rogue aircraft relentlessly assaulted various structures; the roar of collapsing buildings was deafening, and the air was filled with the sounds of explosions. Armed forces had already been deployed to evacuate the civilians.

This marked the first armed attack to occur within the city of Shire in two hundred years!

The Air Force had scrambled its own aircraft to engage the intruders.

Shire had plunged into total pandemonium.

“Sir, these six military aircraft were hijacked by the ‘Surge’ organization! Upon entering Shire, they failed to proceed to their designated landing corridors...”

“How could they possibly have entered the designated corridors? Are the people in the Command Tower completely brain-dead? Can’t they even tell the difference between our own personnel and the enemy?”

“They all transmitted the correct landing codes; the Command Tower personnel simply never suspected...” Seeing the grim expression on Major General Gordon’s face, the liaison officer cut himself short.

“Is obtaining landing codes really that difficult? All they have to do is capture one of our pilots and invade their mind—it’s that simple!” Maya sneered. This security loophole had become increasingly glaring as the Surge organization’s “Blocker” technology grew more sophisticated; yet, neither the Armed Forces nor the Central Academy of Sciences had been able to devise a solution. Lieutenant General Averell had once predicted that if the Surge organization were to launch an aerial assault on Shire, there was a near-certain probability—over ninety percent—that they would employ precisely this method. That prediction had been voiced during a military council meeting just six months ago—and now, six months later, it had come true. Just then, a video feed from the Presidential Palace cut in; Defense Minister Caspin’s expression was urgent and grave.

“Major General Gordon! Deploy the Special Task Forces to the Presidential Palace immediately! You must ensure the President’s safety at all costs!”

At that very moment, the hatch of a downed aircraft burst open, and countless zombies swarmed out. The instant they spotted living humans, they went into a frenzy.

Screams of agony rang out; the regular armed forces were no match for the zombies—to say nothing of the fact that they possessed almost no experience fighting them. In less than a minute, over a dozen soldiers had already fallen in the line of duty.

Major General Gordon gave a bitter smile. “And what about *these* zombies? Are we simply supposed to abandon the civilians?”

Just then, the hatch of another aircraft opened while still at a low altitude, releasing nearly a hundred more zombies.

Terrified screams of the victims could be heard, and the gruesome sight of bodies being torn apart was displayed with horrifying clarity; bright red blood splattered everywhere, while the zombies’ ravenous faces filled the screen.

“The safety of the public is, of course, equally important!”

With those words, the Minister’s transmission cut out.

Major General Gordon gave a cold snort. “That old fox is certainly clever—dumping every single difficult problem right into my lap!”

“Sir, please issue your orders,” Maya said in a cold, steady voice.

Major General Gordon established a link with the various Special Task Forces. “Teams 3, 4, and 5: Emergency deployment to the Presidential Palace! Lieutenant Colonel Jane Wallis will serve as Commander! Teams 1 and 2: Deploy immediately—Major Wynn will serve as Commander for the zombie eradication operation in Sector A of Shire City! Teams 6 and 7: Deploy immediately—Major Ling Xiao will serve as Commander for the cleanup operation in Sectors D and E!”

Sitting inside his laboratory, Xiao Yan was completely immersed in his research, oblivious to the turmoil unfolding outside. At this moment, his only recourse was to use his research to channel his restless energy.

If he allowed himself to dwell on any thoughts related to Hein Burton for even a moment longer, he would inevitably find himself imagining the sensation of the other man’s lips against his own. His immediate priority, however, was to verify a specific research result. Although he was already more than ninety percent confident in his findings, the Central Academy of Sciences demanded not mere probabilities, but answers that were one hundred percent certain. Moreover, he knew that Hein was standing guard right at the periphery of his thoughts—and perhaps had already silently infiltrated his subconscious, though he, an inexperienced fool, simply hadn't sensed it. If that were the case, wouldn't his own uncontrollable feelings toward Hein be effortlessly laid bare to the other man?

From the corridor outside the door came the sounds of various Special Task Force units being mobilized in haste.

Wynn’s unit marched past his door; Mark and Liv, standing guard at the entrance, flashed him a "good luck" gesture.

Seated squarely across from Xiao Yan, Hein’s expression remained utterly unperturbed; he merely raised his wrist to issue an order to Mark and Liv: "Monitor Headquarters status closely."

"Understood."

Mark and Liv exchanged glances; with such a massive-scale deployment underway, Headquarters had effectively been emptied out.

In less than a minute, the entire Special Task Force Headquarters transitioned from a state of tension to one of terrifying silence.

From time to time, the sounds of distant bombardments drifted in from outside. A missile scored a direct hit on the western wing of Headquarters; the resulting explosion sent a violent shockwave through the building, causing all the holographic data displays within the research lab to flicker erratically.

No matter how deeply immersed Xiao Yan had been, he was jolted back to reality by the commotion. He terminated his terminal session, removed his neural interface, and looked across at Hein.

The other man’s gaze was deep and composed, his hands clasped calmly upon his knees—yet Xiao Yan could sense an intense, coiled energy within him, poised to strike at any moment.

"What’s happening...?"

Although the broadcast alarm had ceased, the flashing red lights signaling a Level 1 alert continued to pulse relentlessly.

"The Tide Organization has hijacked six aircraft."

Xiao Yan’s fingers trembled.

He recalled a casual conversation he’d once had with Jane, in which she had remarked that if an airstrike were to occur within the confines of Char City, it would be akin to stuffing a bomb inside a soda can—the resulting devastation would be catastrophic.

For a long time, Char City had prided itself on the military’s rigorous control over all inbound and outbound traffic.

But clearly, those controls had failed.

When your enemy ceaselessly probes for your weaknesses while you yourself stagnate, you are bound to pay a price.

Yet, the price demanded this time was one that Xiao Yan could never have anticipated.

No one knew how it had begun, and no one could foresee how it would end. Another explosion rang out. Xiao Yan looked up; he knew the buildings here were constructed in a unique manner—even if the middle floors were destroyed, the upper structures would still maintain their balance. However, an invasion on such a massive scale was something Xiao Yan had never anticipated. His system operated completely independently, leaving him unable to view the situation outside.

Just as his fingers reached for his communicator, Hein grasped his wrist.

“Don’t look, and don’t get involved.”

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and nodded. Looking would only serve to unnerve him and serve no practical purpose; Hein, he knew, would undoubtedly make the most accurate assessment of the situation.

Major General Gordon frowned as he observed the battle unfolding in the holographic display. Five hijacked aircraft were continuously releasing zombies as they flew along, overwhelming the Special Task Force’s cleanup operations. The Air Force had finally proven its worth, successfully shooting down three of the aircraft in a single strike.

Zombies crawled out from the fallen wreckage, and special forces operatives moved in swiftly and efficiently to dispatch them. Putrid yellow slime splattered in all directions; civilians undergoing evacuation—many seeing dismembered zombies for the first time—screamed incessantly, while several children covered their mouths and retched.

“Lieutenant Colonel Wallis, report your current position!”

“My dear Major General, I am already by the President’s side. He appears safe and sound; we are currently arranging for his evacuation to the underground shelter.”

“Good,” Major General Gordon nodded.

“It’s not good at all! I haven’t had a chance to stretch my legs in ages, and there’s absolutely no opportunity for action here.”

Major General Gordon sighed helplessly.

“That is the President we’re talking about. The less opportunity you have for action, the safer the President is—that’s the proof.”

“By the way, is my dear Lieutenant Xiao Yan doing alright? Protecting the President is a job that should be left to Colonel Burton; I would much rather be by Lieutenant Xiao Yan’s side at every moment!”

“Cut ​​the flippant attitude. Don’t embarrass the Special Task Force in front of the President.”

At that very moment, the alarm sounded once again.

“Alert—Alert! Two aircraft are approaching Headquarters!”

Major General Gordon’s eyelid twitched. “Damn it! Shouldn’t their target be the Presidential Palace?”

The Headquarters’ automated defense systems activated, opening fire relentlessly upon the approaching aircraft. Just then, Hein, who had been sitting in meditation, suddenly sprang to his feet.

“Grab whatever you deem most important! Destroy all the data! We’re evacuating—immediately!”

Xiao Yan paused for a moment. Hein swiftly gathered all the research reagents and tossed them to Xiao Yan; he then rapidly entered a specific code into the system, causing a red alert to flash across every holographic screen: “Data Destruction: Execute?”

In that instant, Xiao Yan realized that the situation had reached a critical point.

“This is your research; it is up to you to decide whether to leave any trace of it behind.”

Without hesitation, Xiao Yan selected “Confirm.” He then inserted a micro-disk into a syringe, his gaze steady as he looked at Hein. “I... I’ve stored all my research concepts and data on this micro-disk. If I... if something happens to me... I hope someone will continue my work.”

Hein took the syringe without a second thought and plunged it into his own shoulder, implanting the micro-disk deep within his muscle tissue.

“I’m accepting this now so that, once this crisis has passed, you won’t have to waste time reorganizing your experimental data.”

Having said this, Hein seized Xiao Yan by the wrist and dragged him out of the research lab.

Xiao Yan clenched his left hand tightly; nestled in his palm was a small vial of clear, pinkish solution.

The aircraft had already smashed into the headquarters; the deafening roar of the massive structural collapse and the screech of high-density titanium tearing apart assaulted their eardrums. Instinctively, Xiao Yan crouched down and clamped his hands over his ears.

The aircraft’s mangled hatch was kicked open, and over a dozen armed operatives clad in combat gear stormed out.

“Major General! We are short-handed at Headquarters! You must evacuate immediately!” Maya shouted; she had witnessed this scene just moments before the enemy’s blades sliced ​​through the surveillance cameras, cutting off the feed.

Major General Gordon rose to his feet, then suddenly paused as a thought struck him. “Where is Lieutenant Xiao Yan?”

“Colonel Burton has already escorted Lieutenant Xiao Yan into the evacuation tunnel!”

Only then did Major General Gordon stride rapidly out of his office, with Maya and six special forces guards stationed outside the door moving to escort him to safety.

Xiao Yan’s eardrums were throbbing with pain, and his head felt as if it were splitting apart. Hein abruptly hoisted him onto his shoulder and charged forward. The rhythmic impact of Hein’s shoulder slamming against Xiao Yan’s stomach churned his insides, yet even that overwhelming physical nausea paled in comparison to the deafening, high-pitched ringing deep within his skull. Suddenly, a figure arrived with lightning speed. The attacker kicked off the side wall, their body tracing a dramatic arc through the air, and swung their blade with decisive, ruthless force.

Hein sidestepped and dropped to one knee, drawing his own blade to parry the blow with a backhanded block; immediately thereafter, he spun around, his blade slicing through the air in a bright, arcing flash.

The attacker dodged the counterattack and came to a halt a short distance away.

Hein set Xiao Yan down, allowing Xiao Yan to finally get a clear look at their opponent: a young woman with golden hair tied back behind her head. Her combat uniform accentuated her taut, athletic physique, while her vivid red lips and slightly upturned eyes gave her a striking appearance.

Clutching her blade, the woman cast a sidelong glance at Hein and offered a playful smile. "So, this is the renowned Colonel Burton. I forgot to introduce myself—my name is Claire."

Claire?

Xiao Yan gasped. Claire was one of the elite assassins within the Tide organization—nicknamed "The Witch." The souls claimed by her blade were countless, including that of the former commander of the Special Task Force, Major General Smith.

"What business do you have entering the Special Task Force headquarters?"

Liv and Mark stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Xiao Yan and Hein, their guard raised high.

"Oh, it’s really nothing major. Our boss has taken quite a liking to that little 'pet' of yours. I was just wondering—would you mind letting me take him off your hands?" Claire twirled a strand of her hair, wearing an air of utter nonchalance; yet, no one present was foolish enough to let their guard down around her.

Xiao Yan’s heart skipped a beat; to think that their objective in infiltrating the Special Task Force headquarters was actually *him*.

Hein remained silent, while Liv let out a cold sneer. "You went to such extraordinary lengths—first hijacking an aircraft, then sowing chaos in Shire, and even staging a fake bombing of the Presidential Palace—all for the sole purpose of drawing every last special forces operative away from headquarters, leaving it vulnerable for you to sneak in! If we were to hand Xiao Yan over to you, we’d essentially be helping you complete your mission. Do we look that stupid to you?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Claire shook her head.

He shook his head. "If you guys really weren't idiots, this so-called headquarters wouldn't be quite so... *empty*."

Xiao Yan gripped his syringe; at a moment like this, he couldn't afford to be a burden to Hein and the others.

But Hein pressed down on his hand, whispering, "It’s not time yet."

With that, he scooped Xiao Yan up in one swift motion and charged forward.

Claire hadn't anticipated Hein charging straight at her so brazenly. She swiftly swung her blade to intercept him, but Hein was simply too fast—not to mention that Liv and Mark attacked her in unison, effectively cutting off her advance.

Hein reached the corner of the corridor and slammed the lockdown button. The passage sealed shut, leaving Claire and Mark isolated on the other side.

Hein set Xiao Yan back down, then grabbed his hand and kept running.

"Don't worry; Liv is every bit as formidable an expert as Claire."

Not to mention she had Mark fighting right alongside her.

Just as they were passing a laboratory door that stood slightly ajar, Hein suddenly yanked Xiao Yan tight against his chest. A blade thrust violently through the gap in the door, its razor-sharp tip stopping mere millimeters from Xiao Yan’s spine.

"Oh my, oh my—almost skewered the Boss's little pet there."

The sliding door was forced open by the blade, and two youths—seventeen or eighteen years old—stepped out. They looked absolutely identical; they were a pair of twins.

"Aha! Look who it is! Hein Burton! Rumor has it this guy is invincible!"

"That only applies to one-on-one fights, though. Brother—there are two of us."

A chill ran through Xiao Yan’s heart. Just how many members of the *Tide Surge* organization had actually infiltrated this headquarters?

And to think they had orchestrated such a massive upheaval—all with *him* as their ultimate target?

Having delivered their taunt, the two youths swung their blades in a slashing attack—moving with a speed so terrifying it made the blood run cold.

Although Xiao Yan was their intended target, they slashed at him with utter disregard for his safety, forcing Hein to parry their attacks with his own blade.

The twins had initially assumed they would hold the advantage, but Hein’s counterattacks were utterly unpredictable. In terms of both speed and precision, he left the two youths completely in the dust; had they not been constantly covering each other’s backs, they would have long since fallen as casualties beneath Hein’s blade. Meanwhile, the two brothers attacked Xiao Yan with even greater abandon; their blades grazed past his neck countless times. Their apparent objective was to sever Xiao Yan’s head, but in reality, they were using their attacks on him to pin down Hein.

Suddenly, Hein—having just parried the younger brother’s blade—thrust his own sword deep into the older brother’s chest. Immediately following with a kick, he sent the older brother reeling. As the younger brother lunged with his next strike, Hein parried the attack without mercy; spinning around, he delivered a powerful kick to the younger brother’s neck. A sharp *snap* rang out—his neck had broken.

No matter how formidable one’s regenerative abilities might be after exposure to the X-virus, once the neck is broken and the neural connections are severed, it is the end of everything.

"Damn you—" The older brother’s eyes were bloodshot and crimson with rage. He grasped the blade embedded in his chest and slowly, inch by inch, began to pull it out. Hein gave him no chance to regenerate; raising his wrist, he brought his blade slashing down like the Grim Reaper himself. Blood splattered everywhere; with a swift, clean motion, Hein flicked the blood from his blade, then turned to haul Xiao Yan to his feet. "Let's go!"

The two of them sprinted onward. As they rushed past one particular room, Xiao Yan suddenly skidded to a halt.

"Wait—"

It was Casey’s room. Everyone else was evacuating—but where was Casey?

The sliding door was only half-closed. The moment Xiao Yan shoved it fully open, his lungs felt as if they were being torn apart; he could not breathe.

Casey was slumped against the bed, his eyes tightly shut, his lips trembling in agony. When he sensed someone enter the room, he struggled to lift his eyelids; the instant his gaze met Xiao Yan’s, his eyes were filled with the sheer terror of facing death. A blade was buried completely within his abdomen, and vivid crimson blood was spreading across the pristine white sheets—a shade of red so intense it seemed capable of piercing through the very fabric of the world.

"Casey—" Xiao Yan rushed to his side, his fingers pressing against Casey’s abdomen.

"My... my brain... is it still there... or gone...?"

"It’s still there! It’s still there!" Xiao Yan cupped the back of Casey’s head with his palm; there was a visible indentation from a violent impact—his skull had likely fractured. “That’s good...” Casey slowly lowered his head; it seemed that Xiao Yan’s arrival had brought him a sense of relief—and, in doing so, had drained away the last of his strength to hold on.

“Don’t fall asleep! Casey! Look at me!”

This wasn’t just anyone—this was Casey! The boy who, for all his capriciousness, had always looked out for him; the friend who, ever since Xiao Yan first left Shire, had worried about him every single moment!

He couldn’t die! He was still so young, with so many possibilities ahead of him!

Xiao Yan looked toward Hein. “You can save him! Just like you saved me before—right?”

Hein strode quickly to Casey’s side; yet, the moment his fingers brushed against the boy’s cheek, his brow suddenly furrowed.

He abruptly yanked Xiao Yan back, retreating so hastily that he even slammed into the half-open sliding door behind them.

“Hein?”

Frantic and utterly bewildered by Hein’s actions, Xiao Yan struggled ceaselessly, trying to reach out and touch Casey; but Hein simply pulled him back with even greater force.