Thrive in Catastrophe - Chap 90
In front of him is the indomitable Heine Burton. No matter the catastrophe, nothing in the world seems to shake the will of this man.
Xiao chuckled and turned his face toward the back of the sofa.
“You surpassed my expectations. This is the first time that someone has managed to trap Heine Burton.”
Xia’s praise did not elicit any pride in Xiao. He responded coldly. ” General I gave him a trap he could break free from at any point. Against an actual enemy, my method would be useless.”
“How long have you been training? Do you expect to reach the sky immediately?” Xia shook his head and smiled at him gently. “Xiao Yan, there a three things that are worthy of praise this time. First, you remembered what I said to you, that the point of the bait is to make it irresistible to your opponent. This tactic exploits their desire to believe it and cements them deeper into that reality. You gave Colonel Burton a dream. If I were not here to look after you, I suspect Colonel Burton would have never returned to the real world. The reason that he was willing to sink into that world is because of how special you are to him. Your strategy was sound and effective.”
“The second point?”
“The construction of your illusion is the most complicated and detailed that I have ever seen. You included people that you had never met before. That was an extremely risky choice that could dismantle the ruse at any time. But you went about it smartly and lifted the image of the president from Heine’s memory. You used it to construct the hall and guide Heine inside. That was quite clever.”
“And lastly?”
“That point may best be explained by Colonel Burton.” General Xia gestured toward Heine.
For a moment Heine did not speak and a cold air wrapped around Xiao’s nerves as though their thoughts were still connected by the terminal.
“…Your patience in the ambush. When you were overtaken by my thoughts, you were not overly eager to resist. You catered to my desires to lure me back into ‘reality’ and introduce me to your constructed world. You created a regular day…the research, the suits, the dinner… Details to make me think we were back in reality. Even at the dinner, you were not too anxious. You used Lily to compromise my reason and force me into your trap.”
“But truthfully…even before the dance you already knew it was all an illusion didn’t you?” Xiao Yan asked hesitantly.
“Yes.”
At Heine’s confirmation of his suspicion, Xiao closed his eyes and pressed a hand against his head in frustration.
“so where did I make a mistake? The setting? The people…or…”
“When I kissed your finger in the hall, I knew that I was still in your mind.”
Xiao Yan is completely stunned, “…wh–?”
“You told me that you believed no one could deceive you with my kiss. Similarly, you don’t know what I feel every time I touch you.”
Xiao Yan looked at Heine dazedly. After a long time he looked down and laughed.
“It turns out…the whole time…
This guy is too much. Why not come to him directly!
The General Xia coughs uncomfortably. “Well no matter…the lesson has served its purpose. Xiao Yan you know the skills and strategy for success and where the pitfalls are. I cannot continue to directly guide you. Killing another person in the mind will cause irreversible damage to the other’s neurons. But I believe that after today, if the enemy is trapped in your mind you will know how to defeat them. Remember, don’t sympathize with your enemy and don’t hesitate, timing is crucial. You will only have a moment.”.
“I am very grateful for all that you have taught me. Goodbye General.” Xiao expressed his gratitude and stood to salute Xia.
“I will see you again. I hope that next time you come for a simple cup of afternoon tea with me.”
“As you wish.”
Xiao Yan and Heine left Xia’s office.
The two walked silently down the hall, behind them trailed a whole special forces task squad.
“Tell me. Am I back in reality or did you trap me in your subconscious?” Xiao suddenly stopped and turned toward the cold faced man beside him.
Heine lowered his head toward Xiao and roughly pressed his mouth against him. He reached behind his neck and pushed his face closer, immobilizing him. Heine vigorously plundered Xiao’s mouth, his tongue sweeping through and entangling with Xiao’s. He ended the short but heavy kiss with no emotion stirring his gaze. “What do you think, major?”
Xiao grinned and continued walking, stretching his back and limbs as he moved. “I don’t even care. It you are a trap, it is a sweet illusion.”
The anniversary dinner is approaching. Not only the military, but everyone in the shire prepares for the celebration.
Xiao continued to torture Lauren with new tasks in his lab. He showed him every error he overlooked and forced him to double his efforts analyzing the data. Xiao found that he especially enjoyed watching Lauren’s forlorn expression after his pride took a hit when his mistakes were pointed out.
Once the day’s research was finished, Lauren stretched lazily but lingered in the lab.
“Aren’t you going back?”
“If I don’t correct my mistakes I won’t be able to sleep.” Lauren waved him away dismissively.
Xiao found his dedication adorable. Just as he was about to close down the terminal, a communication popped up.
“I apologize for interrupting your work, Major. The Academy of Sciences is holding an emergency meeting in conference room 201, please report immediately.”
Xiao sighed, he just wanted to have a nice dinner and then lay in bed and listen to music.
As he exited his lab, he saw a man standing next to the special forces waiting outside of his door. His arms were folded in front of him and it seemed that he had been waiting there for some time. His gaze suddenly shifted over to Xiao Yan, Xiao felt as if a strange force and reached in and electrified him.
His heart leapt wildly and his breath became heated and chaotic. His blood boiled and simmered, blurring through his mind.
Such an incredible dominance swept over him and his illusory memories of Heine overlapped the moment, his reaction to the sight surprised him. It seems even constructed memories were incredibly powerful.
