TIC Chapter 69

 Chapter 69

Just then, the mortally wounded Casey suddenly began to laugh. Wiping the blood from his head with his left hand, he slowly pulled the blade from his abdomen; in his right hand, he clutched a miniature injector gun.

Realizing what had happened, Xiao Yan turned to look at Hein, who was currently pressing down on his own leg.

His pupils constricted, and his heart plummeted.

“Casey… what have you done?”

Xiao Yan stared at him in utter disbelief.

Meanwhile, Casey’s face—usually so innocent and childlike—twisted into a demonic grin.

“Isn’t your IQ supposed to be off the charts? How could you possibly fail to see what I’ve done?”

The serum had already entered Hein’s bloodstream, yet Xiao Yan had no idea what its effects were.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk—everyone assumed I was conducting research on X-2. But in truth, when it comes to the speed of neural interfacing, I’m roughly on par with you. How could *you* have achieved a so-called ‘breakthrough’ while I—working on the very same project—remained completely stagnant?”

Casey tugged at his collar, appearing thoroughly displeased by the large bloodstains marring his clothes.

“…What exactly have you been researching?” Xiao Yan’s voice trembled involuntarily. Everything unfolding before him defied all logic and understanding—it felt like a nightmare.

Casey had originally been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on the strength of his groundbreaking theories regarding the X-2 virus; yet, in the time since, no further progress on his research had ever been reported. The very word he had used—*assumed*—implied that his true research subject was most certainly *not* X-2!

“An accelerator. It forces the X-virus dormant within every Special Forces soldier to consume their host’s physical energy and nutrients at a rate hundreds of times faster than normal. Rest assured, this serum has undergone hundreds—nay, thousands—of simulated trials. You really ought to thank the Military Department for keeping every researcher’s system completely isolated; otherwise, with all the potential interference from outsiders, it would have been nearly impossible for me to synthesize this accelerator so openly and brazenly. Just take a look at our ‘invincible’ Hein Burton—isn’t his breathing becoming increasingly labored?”

Hein’s expression remained outwardly calm, and the fingers gripping Xiao Yan’s wrist remained as firm as ever. Yet, within Xiao Yan’s heart, a chilling premonition of disaster began to rise. “Ha—just as expected of Colonel Burton. You’ve held out for longer than any of my experimental data predicted. However, Xiao Yan, I urge you to come with me right now. I will protect you; I won’t let anyone harm you, nor will I let anyone lay a hand on your brain.”

Casey curled the corners of his lips, his face bearing a hint of helplessness—an expression Xiao Yan had never once seen on him in all the years they had known each other.

He shed his blood-stained outer coat and, with a fluid motion, retrieved a fresh jacket from the wardrobe. His every movement was unhurried and deliberate, as if performed solely to give Xiao Yan time to think.

Xiao Yan noticed that, at this moment, Casey bore not a single wound on his body.

“You... injected yourself with the X-virus?”

“I didn’t inject myself; rather, I was injected with the X-virus while I was still an embryo.”

Casey offered a reassuring smile as he advanced toward Xiao Yan, step by deliberate step.

“Unlike these special forces soldiers who received the X-virus only after reaching adulthood, my compatibility with the virus is far superior to theirs. They have a life expectancy of only ten years, whereas I have another twenty to thirty years ahead of me after reaching maturity. While that may still not sound like a very long time, with you by my side, I believe we can solve this problem together.”

“...” Xiao Yan was left reeling by Casey’s revelation.

*While still an embryo...* Did that mean he had been infected with the X-virus while still inside his mother’s womb? In Char, such experiments were strictly forbidden by decree—not to mention the inherent instability of a fetus infected with the X-virus, where the survival rate was less than one in ten thousand. Casey... just what exactly was going on?

It was no illusion; Xiao Yan could feel Hein’s fingertips growing increasingly cold, and the grip on his arm was beginning to slacken. The very next second, Hein stumbled backward, leaning heavily against the wall, his breathing labored and heavy—as if it might cease at any moment.

Xiao Yan did not turn around; instead, he took a step back, positioning himself protectively in front of Hein. “Give me... give me the antidote for the accelerator!”

“If I gave you the antidote, you would cling to this man with every fiber of your being and refuse to come with me. I’ve grown accustomed to having you by my side; I expended such immense energy orchestrating this airstrike for one reason only—to take you away with me.”

“So all along, *you* were the Tide Organization spy lurking within the Central Academy?” Xiao Yan racked his brain for a way to escape. No matter how difficult it was for him to accept the fact that Casey belonged to the Tide Organization, he knew he had to remain calm! For this wasn't just about him alone; it was also about protecting Hein—the man who had protected *him*!

“Actually, we prefer not to be called an ‘organization.’ Compared to the hothouse-like existence of the Shire, we possess a creed—a faith—that we are bound to fulfill; you people, on the other hand, are merely penned-in lambs. You have two choices: become one of our comrades, or become one of our lambs.”

His emerald eyes held an infinite allure, as if he were offering Xiao Yan access to a far superior world. Casey rose onto his tiptoes, pressing his forehead against Xiao Yan’s.

“You truly mean a great deal to me, Xiao Yan. Come with me.”

“In the end, you would simply crack open my skull and extract my brain.” Xiao Yan’s voice grew increasingly cold as he remained on high alert, poised to make a break for it with Hein at any moment.

Casey sighed, shaking his head with a smile. “You fool. If you were my comrade, we could explore the frontiers of the unknown together. What we require is the entirety of your intellect—not merely a single, isolated brain.”

Suddenly, Xiao Yan drove his knee upward, slamming it into Casey’s lower abdomen.

“Gah—!” Casey was caught completely off guard. As his eyes widened in shock, Xiao Yan delivered a second blow—a powerful punch to his chest. The sound of splintering bone rang out with startling clarity as Casey crumpled backward, landing heavily upon the mattress.

Only then did Casey notice the miniature syringe clutched in Xiao Yan’s hand; he had injected himself with X-2.

Xiao Yan turned around, hoisted Hein onto his back, and sprinted out of the room. Casey gritted his teeth and clenched his fists; his sternum was in the process of healing. His raised voice echoed down the corridor: "Xiao Yan! Have you forgotten that *you* were the one who said you yearned for the outside world? Don't you want to reach even greater heights? Char can't give you freedom—not in a million years!"

"Put me down."

Heine’s chin rested against Xiao Yan’s shoulder. His face was ashen, and though his tone remained commanding, it lacked its usual force.

"I won't."

"Casey will catch up to you."

Xiao Yan sprinted through the corridor, slamming his hand against button after button, yet none of the passageways would lock down. Xiao Yan realized that Casey must have accessed the terminal and altered the master control settings. At this moment, Xiao Yan had absolutely no doubt: the guy who had invaded his mind to extract his research data was, without question, Casey!

It was a good thing Heine had previously restricted his ability to discuss his research projects with others; otherwise, Casey would have long since gained full control over all his work.

He had no time to ponder or question Casey’s motives—whether this offer to take him away stemmed from their so-called friendship over the past few years, or simply from a covetous desire for his mind.

He was running for his life.

"If he catches up, I'll take him down."

Xiao Yan’s gaze was cold and steely. There had been a fleeting moment when he felt bewildered by Casey’s sudden transformation; but the instant Casey injected Heine with that accelerant, Xiao Yan realized that—regardless of whether Casey’s offer to take him to the outside world was sincere—he could never, ever forgive him for the harm he had inflicted upon Heine.

Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time with Heine; even his own decisive resolve—the ability to ruthlessly sever emotional ties—had begun to mirror his companion's.

"The effects of your serum won't last much longer."

Xiao Yan curled the corners of his lips into a wry smile. "I forgot to tell you: it now lasts for one hour and twenty-five minutes."

"But *I* won't be able to hold out that long..."

Xiao Yan glanced sideways. Heine’s cheek was pressed against the crook of his neck, and beads of sweat glistened on his temples. With his metabolism now running in overdrive, Heine had already begun to drift into a semi-comatose state. Xiao Yan came to a halt and gently lowered Heine to the ground; the man slumped down against the wall, sliding slowly to the floor. Xiao Yan pressed his ear against Heine’s chest—his heartbeat had faded to a mere whisper, barely perceptible.

"Go... hurry..."

Heine managed to force the words out, clinging to consciousness by sheer force of will alone. Xiao Yan glanced sideways, guiding Hein into a research laboratory.

From deep within the corridor came the sound of Casey shouting with immense force; Xiao Yan could almost picture him gritting his teeth in fury: "Xiao Yan—where have you run off to? I forgot to tell you: my associates are waiting for you right at the entrance to the escape tunnel! The faster you run, the sooner you’ll run right into them! You have nowhere left to hide!"

Hein pushed against Xiao Yan’s shoulder. "Go. Even if it isn't today, I didn't have much time left to begin with."

Xiao Yan brushed aside the sweat-matted hair on Hein’s forehead and spoke calmly: "Trust me—you still have a very, very long time ahead of you."

He loaded the pink solution he had been carrying with him into an injector gun and plunged it forcefully into Hein’s leg.

"It might be a little uncomfortable before your body accepts it. You’ll run a fever... a high fever... your heart will race... it will be just like being reborn."

Xiao Yan smiled, pressing his forehead against Hein’s.

"Every other time, you were the one protecting me. This time... let me protect you."

Xiao Yan guided Hein into a reaction chamber. Summoning his last reserves of strength, Hein clamped his hand around Xiao Yan’s wrist. Casey’s shouts were drawing closer; Xiao Yan knew that before long—Casey aside—the rest of the intruders would find him, too.

"Don't worry. I have absolutely no desire to be your enemy, so I won't let them take my brain. You once told me that I was to be the butterfly that sparks a revolution. I don't actually want to change the world at all—I only want to change *your* fate."

Xiao Yan pressed his lips against Hein’s—a kiss brief in duration, yet profound in its depth, imbued with a desperate, infinite tenderness. He unholstered the sidearm from Hein’s waist; Hein gripped him even tighter. Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan gently pried Hein’s hand away, sealed the door to the reaction chamber, and pressed another button. The reaction pod descended, retracting deep into the laboratory’s hidden depths.

Xiao Yan left the lab, slid the door shut, and continued running deeper into the complex.

Just as he rounded a corner, an arm suddenly whipped out and locked around his neck. "Xiao Yan! I finally found you!"

It was Casey! He knew the layout of this place so intimately that he had actually managed to cut ahead and intercept Xiao Yan! Pinned in a death grip, Xiao Yan found his breathing growing increasingly labored. Deciding to go all out, he clamped his hands tightly onto Casey’s shoulders, executed a sudden over-the-shoulder throw, and crashed to the ground right alongside him.

Scrambling back to his feet in an instant, Xiao Yan rolled over to pin Casey beneath him, driving his elbow down with force toward the back of Casey’s neck. But Casey reacted just as swiftly, twisting his body to the side and driving a knee into Xiao Yan’s waist. Xiao Yan was knocked off balance and sent tumbling; yet, in that split second, he planted a single hand on the ground and launched a flying kick. Casey raised his arms to block the blow, but the impact sent his entire body flying backward, slamming into the wall.

He rose unsteadily to his feet, his expression shifting from stunned disbelief to a look of savage fury. "You bastard! You never used to have the heart to treat me like this! All for the sake of Hein Burton—you actually made me feel this kind of pain!"

Xiao Yan lunged forward instantly, curling his fingers as he drove the heel of his palm toward Casey’s chin. If the strike landed true, he could easily shatter his opponent’s cervical spine!

Casey dodged the blow, but as he did so, he seized Xiao Yan’s arm, attempting to dislocate his shoulder. To his surprise, however, Xiao Yan moved *with* the motion, using the momentum to drive a knee upward and strike Casey squarely in the flank.

"It hurts like hell—Xiao Yan! I never had any intention of hurting *you*! Come with me! If you stay here, you’ll only end up becoming a casualty of their bureaucratic red tape!"

Casey’s movements grew increasingly rapid, yet in Xiao Yan’s mind’s eye, those motions overlapped perfectly with the image of Hein. Every shift in Casey’s punches became a move Xiao Yan had already anticipated. In the very next second, he snapped Casey’s forearm; then, raising his knee, he used the joint to break Casey’s other arm as well. Rolling over, he clamped his hands around Casey’s throat—Xiao Yan knew he had to twist Casey’s head clean off before the broken limbs could regenerate.

"Xiao Yan... don't..."

Casey craned his neck to look up at him, his eyes shimmering with a glassy, ​​emerald sheen—filled with a look of profound pain and utter despair.

For a fleeting moment, Xiao Yan wavered; yet, almost instantly, his demeanor hardened once more.

This bastard wanted Hein’s life!

Xiao Yan’s gaze remained utterly cold. Just as he was about to apply the final, crushing force with his arms, they were suddenly—and violently—ripped away.

The instant he was free, Casey spun around and delivered a vicious kick straight into Xiao Yan’s abdomen. “Ugh—”

Xiao Yan winced in pain, yet he did not hesitate. With a swift roll, he completely disregarded the fact that his arms were still pinned in his opponent’s grip. With a loud *crack*—the sound of bone dislocating—Xiao Yan broke free from his captor’s hold. Slowly backing away, Xiao Yan needed to buy his arms some time to heal.

A dark-haired man approached Casey, wearing a playful smirk. “Hey, looks like you got pretty badly beaten up.”

Casey jutted out his chin and lowered his voice. “Take him down! I have to take him with me today!”

The dark-haired man chuckled and suddenly lunged at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan, however, stood motionless; only when his attacker was nearly upon him did he suddenly lash out with a kick—a strike of formidable speed. But the dark-haired man was a seasoned combatant; he instantly seized Xiao Yan’s lower leg. In a split-second maneuver, Xiao Yan twisted his knee sharply, using his opponent as a pivot point to swing his other leg toward the man’s neck!

It was a hair-raisingly close call, but the dark-haired man ducked just in time to evade the blow. Now free, Xiao Yan wasted no time lingering in the fight; he turned and sprinted deeper into the corridor.

“That kid is good,” the dark-haired man remarked, shaking out his wrist. “Much more efficient than you are.”

Casey gave the dark-haired man a kick. “Jerry, is this really the time to be complimenting him?”

“What’s the rush? Our guys are waiting for him just up ahead,” Jerry said, sauntering forward leisurely. “Who trained him? Good thing I have quick reflexes, or that kid would’ve snapped my neck with that kick.”

“Hein Burton.” The resentment in Casey’s eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

“No wonder.” Jerry ruffled Casey’s hair. “Tell me—are you just mad that you couldn’t even hold your own against a rookie researcher?”

Casey swatted Jerry’s hand away. “He’s not a rookie! Besides, you guys never taught me properly!”

“If we taught you *too* well, you’d blow your cover. Researchers at the Central Academy of Sciences aren’t supposed to have combat skills like that.”

Xiao Yan ran onward, plunging headlong into the darkness that lay ahead. Suddenly, something lunged at him. Xiao Yan instinctively dodged; a blade sliced ​​through the hem of his clothes, and from the darkness, two men clad in combat gear stepped out.

Behind Xiao Yan, Jerry and Cathy were slowly approaching.

“I know you’ve injected yourself with X-2. You might be able to handle four—or even forty—zombies on your own without breaking a sweat, but you absolutely stand no chance against the four of us.” Jerry smiled, rubbing his chin. “Lieutenant, we have no desire to hurt you at all; in fact, we need you desperately. Why not come with us? You must be aware of Lieutenant General Renodin—do you know why he chose to join the Tide organization?”

“Why?”

Xiao Yan retreated toward the wall.

“Because of immortality.” Cathy stood with his arms crossed, wearing an air of arrogant defiance; the way he looked at Xiao Yan suggested he viewed him as nothing more than some insignificant, lower-order creature. “Using the Comet Virus, we’ve developed a method for achieving immortality.”

Xiao Yan remained silent, his body tense—his thoughts utterly inscrutable.

“Join us. Become one of us.” Jerry put on a facade of benevolence and sympathy. “We truly need you. A terminal access speed of three hundred quadrillion means you can complete any research project in just one-third the time it would take an ordinary researcher. Don’t you feel that your research efficiency regarding X-2 is far superior to anyone else’s? Even faster than Cathy’s?”

“Hey! I’ve been working on accelerators all along—X-2 was just a smokescreen!” Cathy was thoroughly annoyed that they were comparing Xiao Yan to him; it only served to exacerbate the already simmering animosity between him and Xiao Yan.

Abruptly, Xiao Yan raised a gun, pressing the muzzle firmly against his own chin. Fired from that angle, the bullet would completely obliterate his brain.

In that instant, the expressions on everyone’s faces changed completely. “Hey—hey, Lieutenant! Think this through! Any damage to the brain is irreversible! You don't actually want to die, do you?”

“Xiao Yan! The sight of a brain bursting isn't exactly pretty!” Casey clenched his jaw even tighter. “Even if you blow your own brains out, I can still salvage parts of the information contained within! This is completely pointless! You should explore other possibilities for your destiny! I told you I would give you a wider scope of freedom! I wasn't lying to you!”

“You’ve already lied to me, Casey.” Xiao Yan’s gaze was glacial.

Jerry attempted to step forward, but Xiao Yan’s finger tightened on the trigger. “Stay back!”

Jerry raised both hands in a calming gesture. “Lieutenant, don't do anything rash!”

Casey raised his hands as well, attempting to inch closer to Xiao Yan. “I never intended to take your brain! I...”

"I just want you to think alongside me! Didn't you say you wanted to conduct research together? Aren't you looking forward to our collaboration? We’re going to change the world! Xiao Yan! Don't imprison yourself!"

Such words—a blend of logic and emotion—failed to sway Xiao Yan in the slightest. He would leave himself no room for retreat; he would not allow his brain to remain behind as a potential threat to Hein!

"Lieutenant, you’ve misunderstood. It’s only those lower-tier researchers who lack the capacity for true thought; we harvest their brains merely to boost our terminal processing speeds for basic-level research. But you are different. We need you to retain your full cognitive autonomy. We won't extract your brain; you’re free to think whatever you please—we wouldn't even interfere if you spent every day fantasizing about rolling around in bed with the Boss!"

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth. *Damn it!* Thanks to this guy’s insinuation, he figured that from now on, the mere mention of "rolling around in bed" would be enough to kill his erection!

Jerry wore the look of someone trying to coax a naive child. "That gun you’re holding isn't exactly stable; you really shouldn't keep it pressed against your head like that. If it were to go off accidentally, you wouldn't even have time to regret it..."

"Jerry, you look like a con artist; he’s not going to buy it. Besides, that’s obviously a standard-issue Special Forces sidearm—how could its stability possibly be poor?" Another killer chimed in uncooperatively, fanning the flames as if he couldn't wait for Xiao Yan to just blow his own brains out and bring it all to an end.

"Shut up!" Cathy shot him a cold glare.

"Then why don't *you* try talking him down?! If he actually blows his brains out, the Boss is going to kill *us*!" Jerry’s harmless expression instantly turned ferocious as he glared helplessly at Cathy.

Cathy tilted her head to the side. "I already tried persuading him, but unfortunately, he wouldn't listen. Xiao Yan, you’d be better off just facing reality! Pointing a gun at your own head to threaten us isn't going to work. You’re not getting away."

"I never intended to escape in the first place." Xiao Yan looked at Cathy, a faint smile playing on his lips. "The one research project I’ve wanted to complete my entire life—the one I take the most pride in—is already finished."

"You... What do you mean?" ”

Just as Casey took a step forward, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and, with grim determination, pulled the trigger.

*Bang!* Blood blossomed against the wall in a grotesque, blinding pattern, leaving everyone frozen in place.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes. There was no pain—save for a searing sensation in his ears, as if they had been scalded—and he felt as though his mind was still functioning.

“If you ever dare to point a gun at your own head again, I’ll show you the true meaning of pain!”

The cold, ruthless voice pierced deep into his flesh, slicing through his heart again and again, sending a phantom tremor through every cell of his body.

Those elegant features, those seductive eyes, and that mole at the corner of his eye that never failed to set one’s heart racing...

“Jane...” Xiao Yan whispered his name, his voice trembling.

When had Jane arrived?

Hadn't he been assigned to protect the President?

Jane’s hand was pressed firmly against the muzzle of the gun; the bullet had pierced straight through his palm, yet the wound was already healing.

But if it was Jane... perhaps he *could* take care of these guys!

With a sudden surge of force, Jane twisted his hand; a sharp pain shot through Xiao Yan’s wrist, forcing him to release the gun. Jane caught the weapon, his expression icy as his fingers slowly tightened their grip. The gun twisted and warped in his grasp, and when it hit the floor, its shattered components scattered in all directions.

In that moment, Xiao Yan was seized by terror. He wanted to back away, but instead found himself pressing even harder against the wall behind him.

Jane’s index finger—specifically the knuckle—brushed lightly against Xiao Yan’s face, his half-lidded eyes lending an even greater intensity to his gaze.

“You must remain safe. You must remain whole. Right here, by my side.”

Xiao Yan’s gaze flickered past Jane’s shoulder, and only then did he realize that the other four individuals had absolutely no intention of attacking them.

The moment he laid eyes on Casey, a sudden, chilling realization struck Xiao Yan: he couldn't trust *anyone*.

His panic intensified; with a sudden, violent thrust of his elbow, he shoved Jane aside in a desperate attempt to escape. But Jane’s hand deflected the blow, and in the very next instant, he yanked Xiao Yan into his arms, holding him in a vice-like embrace.

“Don’t panic! Calm down! No one is going to hurt you.” ”

Jan clamped one hand tightly around Xiao Yan’s waist while using the other to press Xiao Yan’s head against his own.

Xiao Yan, however, began to struggle violently.

“Boss, watch out! This guy is pretty tough—he nearly kicked our necks right off!”

That word—"Boss"—felt as if it were splitting Xiao Yan’s skull in two. He never could have imagined, in his wildest dreams, that Jan was actually one of *them*!

“Baby, I’m still pissed off about you pointing a gun at your own head back there. You know, twisting your limbs until they snap isn't the only way I can make you feel pain; there’s also…”

Jan suddenly swept Xiao Yan up into his arms, his palm brazenly kneading his buttocks as an aura of intimacy and raw eroticism permeated the air.

“...hitting the sheets.”

Jan tilted his head back, his expression calm and composed, a lazy smile playing upon his lips.

Jerry and the other two burst into laughter, while Casey let out a sigh of relief at Jan’s arrival.

Xiao Yan lashed out with his leg, stomping hard on Jan’s knee. Unexpectedly, Jan spun around and slammed him violently against the wall, his previously gentle gaze turning instantly ferocious.

“Listen up—if you keep trying to use the tricks Hein Burton taught you against me, I’m going to fuck you hard! I’ll fuck you until you beg for death!”

Author’s Note: Jan: “I’m not actually the final boss, you know.” Casey: “We’re just taking Xiao Yan along to witness the true ‘Surge’ firsthand, and then we’re going to team up to take down the monsters!”