Thrive in Catastrophe Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Xiao Yan the 'Self-Troublemaker'

Xiao Yan gulped subconsciously. If Heine were to be a masterpiece, he's not even worthy enough to be his foil.

"Do you plan to stay in there forever."

Xiao Yan shook his head. He wanted to leave but Heine is in his way.

It seems that he has no choice but to go around him.

Xiao Yan held his breath, for fear his head would be pressed onto the door frame by the man before him, and crushed into pieces like the skull of the zombie……

Due to the narrow compartment, he had no choice but to shrug his shoulders and lower his head in order to get past Heine. All his senses sharpen as he pa.s.ses through the man, as though he could feel the warmth and movement of every inch of his muscles distinctly.

Xiao Yan breath out a long sigh the moment he left the shower room.

Phew…… I'm alive!

"AH—— What are you doing!!"

A girl shrieked suddenly. It was Lily's friend.

Xiao Yan shuddered at the high-pitched scream. Only then he realised he had walked out from the shower room stark naked!

Seeing that Lily was about to turn around to have a look, he ran like a wind and back into the shower room.

He can now only pray that the woman would not recognise him after he put on his clothes!

Perhaps… It's best to wait for them to leave……

Xiao Yan cradled his head in his arms in. He has never felt so embarra.s.sed in his whole life!

What happened to my idle life…?

Ever since he had survived the crash, his life seems to went off the track.

Xiao Yan raised his eyes when he felt someone walked pa.s.sed him. He caught a glimpse of Heine's pointed chin and the usual nonchalant look until the man left his sight.

Lily and her friend were still chitter-chattering gaily when Heine stepped out from the room.

"Lily, you knew the rookie that Colonel Burton dragged up from the water?"

"Ya, I know him. He's Xiao Yan, one of my cla.s.smates! Why do you ask?"

"That fellow has a thing for you! I've caught him constantly staring at your legs! He even ran out of the shower room all naked just now! I bet he wanted to flaunt his dashing figure to you……"

The girl choked back her words suddenly when she felt a cold gaze laid on her as Heine pa.s.sed by.

Not until Heine left their sight, she still had a hard time finding back her breath.

"Bella! What's wrong with you!" Lily had a fright seeing the state her friend was in and tried to calm her down by patting her back continuously.

"I…I thought he was going to kill me……" Bella finally lets out a breath.

"Who?"

"Heine Burton……"

"It's alright now, he's gone! C'mon, let's get out, it's probably the water pressure that's causing you the discomfort."

Pulling along Bella, Lily got off the pool, with Bella still feeling weak on her knees after she left the water.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was keeping an eye on the movement by the pool.

After ensuring the everyone has left, he exited the shower room in relief.

This pool… I'm never coming back here… I guess I can only find somewhere else to spend my leisure time…

The base is not as bustling as Charles. No copious amenities nor equipment, the only place for people to mellow out, aside from the unsophisticated gym, would be the mini-bar that's not more than 30 meters wide.

After having a good sleep, Xiao Yan visited the bar, the only and the most bustling place within the base.

He sat by the counter and ordered a special, the soothing music in the background helped to remove the tension from his mind.

Suddenly, a person placed a gla.s.s of Margarita before Xiao Yan, before sitting on the stool beside him elegantly, catching his attention with a slight turn.

"Shar- Officer Mich.e.l.le!"

"Ah, I'm now off-duty, you can call me Sharon," Sharon gave a light shrug, charming and captivating.

After all the warnings from Casey, Xiao Yan became especially cautious in front of Special Force soldiers like Sharon.

"Good evening, Sharon," Xiao Yan smiled, averting his eyes from the plumpest part of her body.

"Don't be so nervous. Although you're more accustomed to Colonel Burton's unit, you may be going off on a mission with me someday. The military has issued an order that states bringing along a tech soldier is compulsory for every Special Task Forces mission, haven't they? In hope to increase the practicality of the tech soldiers' research, and enhance the coordination between the armed forces and the research department, but most importantly, to have you people to monitor us."

"It's true that the researchers should have a look at the outside world with their own eyes, but the price for that seems to be a little too much," Xiao Yan recalled the apprentices he went off with for their first mission, and he's now the only one left.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe," Sharon gave a wink.

The last thing Xiao Yan wants now is to receive these suggestive signals from Special Force soldiers. However, Sharon caught his reaction the moment he averted his gaze.

"You're avoiding me. Why? Worrying that I'll invite you to join me for a blissful night together?"

Sharon's voice was low and gentle, without a hint of oppressing sensation, but only the tenderness of a woman.

Meanwhile, the conversation between the two military researchers sitting beside was getting louder and louder. The two seemed young but by the look of their epaulets, they are already a captain.

"Hey, have you heard? Another aircraft crashed yesterday. The Special Task Forces made it there on time, and yet, none of the B rank apprentices survived!"

"They're just B rank students. We all know the Central Science Academy and the Special Task Forces don't get along well, those louts can't get their hands on A rank students so they turned around venting their anger in this way! Anyhow, there are tons of B rank students out there, the higher levels aren't gonna carry out an investigation on Heine Burton because of them, let alone penalise!"

Xiao Yan stroked his nose. The evaluation of his rank was B-, it seems that he's one of those that are bound to be vented……

Sharon placed a finger to her lips and shook her head with a smile.

"That's not the point! The cause of the crash is what matters! I've heard that they have encountered the infiltration by the Tides 'Interrupter'!"

"Are you kidding?! What's happening these days? The Tides seems to be a.s.saulting the research department's aircrafts quite frequently!"

Xiao Yan felt a jolt down his spine when he heard the word "The Tides".

Years ago, the Tides was the main culprit behind the spreading of "Comet" virus around the Earth. They had conducted a series of bomb a.s.saults on the virology center, thus releasing the virus from its sealed vail, leading to the zombie apocalypse. The Tides remained active and continue to grow even after the uninfected humans migrated to the underground city Charles, becoming the public enemy of all mankind.

"The Interrupter", on the other hand, was formed from one of the biggest human inventions for the past 200 hundred years — the Human-Machine Interactions. It is a high-end system of artificial intelligence (AI), whereby the terminal can be connected to the brain neurons, fusing the mortility of the brain together with the high-speed data processing function of the computer. The ultimate creation of data and brain science. Nevertheless, connecting the human brain with the computer terminal also signifies that the brain can be infiltrated by hackers as well.

And these hackers are called "Interrupter".

Once a person's mind is disrupted by the "Interrupter", for minor, the person will suffer from a temporary brain disorder, for worst, he or she will be trapped within the labyrinth of a virtual world created by the "Interrupter", sinking into endless nightmares that are onerous to escape.

Xiao Yan broke into cold sweats after listening to their conversation.

How lucky he is to be alive.

"Alright, enough with this off-putting topic. I heard that you're dating a Special Force soldier, how was it? I bet she's incredibly seductive in bed eh?"

"Seductive? She got all excited with just a few kisses and nearly wring my neck off!"

"Woah~ You're doing it real hard eh? I bet you felt so good!"

"She even collapsed the bed when she came!"

"Hahahaha! You've got to be considerate! A mere woman joining into the Special Task Forces packed with men, I bet she's too thirsty for men, it seems that you're not enough for her! So, are you still seeing her now?"

"Seeing her? No way, I've spurned her! I'll file a complaint at the military department if she dares to pester me any longer!"

"Oh yeah, what's her name?"

"Reeve."

Xiao Yan stunned. "Reeve? That's impossible! This guy is talking nonsenses! Reeve is one of the three G.o.ddesses in the Special Task Forces, how on earth would she have her eyes on this fellow?" he thought, filling with silent anger.

"Oh c'mon, don't do that, I wanna have a try as well! Why don't you try asking her out?"

"Hehe, why not, I'll ask her out for you and you can then satisfy he-"

Not knowing when, a figure loomed behind them quietly, as the jabbering fellow let out a shriek.

"AH——"

A crisp and clear 'crack' can be heard. The man's arms were dislocated and he stumbled off the stool onto the ground, sweeping off the gla.s.ses with him as he falls, soaking himself in alcohol. It was a mess.

Xiao Yan eyes widen. The figure was no other than Heine Burton. He placed a hand on his own shoulder and cringed, as though he could feel the pain as well, despite that his injuries have healed a long time ago.

The icy gaze filled with disdain, as though the research department elite before him was nothing else but a piece of rubbish.

"You're too noisy."

Heine voice is really unique, like the sound of quartzs clashing with each other, bringing a light shudder in the air.

"You…… Who the h.e.l.l do you think you are!"

His companion hurled a beer gla.s.s at Heine.

Heine let out a scornful 'hmph' and raised his leg with a swift movement. By the time Xiao Yan could react, the guy that hurled the gla.s.s was sent flying off with a kick, knocking off a few tables a few meters away before landing. He sat they like a deflated balloon, wincing and moaning in pain, no longer the energy to get up.

By the look of the speed and force exerted on that one kick, this fellow surely got some broken ribs or even internal bleeding……

Heine already shifted his gaze onto Xiao Yan by then.

The latter had a sudden feeling that the temperature around him dropped drastically when Heine saw Sharon sitting beside him, with her hands crossed and a grin on her face.

"I……"

Xiao Yan met Heine's gaze. He tried to avert his gaze from icy blue but failed, as though he was controlled by the man before him. A murderous aura pervades the air, Xiao Yan felt his knee uncontrollably weakens under the strong oppressive sensation.

He could see his equanimity in life within his eyes. This man has long accustomed to killings.

"Oh no…… I'm gonna die… I'm gonna die…" Xiao Yan thought in dismal, he could not even budge. Most importantly, he hasn't got the slightest idea when and what did he do had offended Heine!

Is it wrong for me to drink in a bar?

Written by Jiao Tang Dong Gua Translated by Winly 風夜林 ~~~ Chapter 22 To Live or To Die in Bed ~~~

Note: Hi lovelies! First I would like to all of you for the kind wishes and helpful suggestions. I’m truly touched by you guys, especially those who suggested following what is right for me, and that it’s OK to stop translating in order to prevent me from getting into trouble. So, so kind and considerate of you all!! I’m glad to have readers like you folks, truly grateful. Anyway, hope you like the chapter and just like the t.i.tle has stated, this chap is about Xiao Yan finding troubles for himself, the 'self-troublemaker'. First at the pool, then in the bar. Have you figured out what triggered Heine to snap? There are three triggers!

(Hint 1: The conversation at the pool, Hint 2: The scene in the bar, Hint 3:…… Someone's at his limit. *suggestive look*)

Well then, have a guess!

Now, for the progress of resolving the copyright issue, I've emailed wuxiaworld for advice but sadly, no reply. I've discussed with the author regarding this, and the good thing is, she is really willing to have her work translated to English and to spread her work around English readers, I mean, why wouldn't she right? Especially with her great interest in writing story background based in western countries (yup, most of her works are based in America). Anyway, that's a good sign, but the tough one would be the online publisher, also the primary copyright holder of the novels. As violetkunoichi has suggested for me to self-publish to save all the lengthy process in looking for publishers, and processing doc.u.ments. I personally, agree with that, but like I've mentioned previously, I can't apply for the copyright unless I represent a company. And yes, I can go ahead and register Elpis as an enterprise, and then apply and pay the copyright fees of the novel and then self-publish the translated novel! Yeah…. It's easy to be said than done, really. In between these will involve lots of procedures and doc.u.ments and money roll. Like tsume said, I can always open up a donation goal for everyone to provide a token of support, and a little from my pocket money to get the copyright. Money is yet to be my main concern, my main concern is whether the publisher would allow me to buy the copyright after I've registered Elpis as a company because they have yet to reply my inquiry on that for the past two weeks. Nasty… I'll be messaging them real soon… Again. >)

Anyhow! Even if self-publishing does not work, I'll go with the detailed summarising as you guys have suggested. Not sure how well and how detailed I can get, but I believe it's gonna be much easier than actual translation ^_^.

By the way, just a quick survey, would you guys want to buy TIC translated ebook if I were to self-publish it? (Gotta have a brief idea if it sells right? Not everyone is capable or willing to buy a book, I can understand that. =)  )

A little support? ^.^