Thrive in Catastrophe - Chap 10

Xiao spent three days finishing the repair work on the weapons, as he looked at the display rack of shiny weapons, he felt a burst of pride in his chest.

Now he can finally continue his vacation and afterwards he will depart the base with another group of students. What he craved most was something that could help him forget the ordeal of the past events. He recalled reading an old book in the library, titled the History of Ocean Evolution. As a child, it was his favorite book to read. Xiao Yan’s father was a nameless oceanographer. After the humans settled in the Shire, the oceans held no meaning to the people.

But Xiao remembered when he was a child his father would lie beside him and describe the strange creatures of the ocean, with a lilt of yearning in his voice. Xiao would listen with fascination and dream about the sea.

After his father’s death Xiao entered the Central Academy of Sciences where he found the book in the library’s terminal.

Since the base also has ongoing research projects, there should be a library database that he can access. Hopefully he can find the book in their archive. Xiao connected to his terminal device and luckily found the book.

He felt himself calm as the contents of the book poured into his mind. Another world unfolded, granting him comfort from reality and his fantasies ran wild.

Gradually he began to feel sleepy and his eyes grew heavy thinking of the undulating waves of the ocean.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed and encircled him in the sea water. Strong and powerful he could not break their hold. Xiao’s heart tightened and his back was pressed against a strong chest, as he turned his head all of his fears instantly disintegrated into awe at the intensity of the gaze focused on him. Then recognition and fear slammed into him instantaneously.

“Colonel Burton! Wh…Why are you here?”

The words had not even escaped his mouth when he felt the unbridled invasion of the other, a power without unparallel pushed into his mind. As Xiao’s subconscious struggled to reject the moment, the other stopped his struggles and folded him into his arms. There are no Zombies here, no Surge, no tedious research or rules, just the pure world belonging to Xiao Yan.

This was the embrace of Heine Burton, the world shrank and distilled to include only them, no distance existed between. Heine’s long and powerful fingers tangled into Xiao’s hair, firmly gripping with crushing strength.

Xiao’s wide eyes look straight into the eyes of Heine. His arm is pulled around the shoulders of Heine as though he were calming Xiao’s resistance, or to drive out all distraction other than his existence. Xiao can feel the muscles of Heine rippling and the pulse of his blood. The eyes he is staring at are icy blue and bottomless, overwhelming and devouring everything.

When Heine’s grip tightens on Xiao’s wrist, his subconscious revolts. He attempts to push his other hand off of his shoulder, but to no avail.

Heine finally looks up and pulls him even closer, Xiao can see, in his eyes, a glimmer of light shine through the abyss.

But Heine does not loosen his embrace. Xiao continues to stare deeply in Heine’s eyes, trying to find an answer in those unfathomable depths.

“For …

What …?

Heine’s hand moves to hold his face, a finger slowly and forcefully strokes the side of his cheek as if to confirm something. In that brief moment, Xiao thinks he sees Heine’s unshakable gaze ripple.

For the first time, Xiao felt he had the power to see what was beneath the surface of Heine Burton.

Suddenly Xiao Yan opened his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief, he noticed his back was coated in sweat, not only that , his whole body was soaked!