Qiming Chapter 86

Chapter 86

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"That bullet hit your abdomen, passed through the skin and muscle, and got lodged directly in the rib?" Ying Xizi lifted his hospital gown and glanced at the stitched-up wound, exclaiming, "You're like a walking good luck charm."

"Good luck, my foot... I got shot by some uncle, and he fled with the gun, my gun." Gu Yunfeng waved his hand, "Stop lifting my clothes..."

She ignored his complaint, holding up the CT scan and examining the wound more closely.

"This wound, Xu Chengyue made it with a fruit knife?..." Her complex gaze flickered to Gu Yunfeng, and after receiving his reluctant nod of confirmation, she couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder and burst into laughter.

"Is it funny? I almost went to meet the King of Hell."

"Sorry, sorry, I can't stop thinking about the fruit knife..." Ying Xizi clutched her stomach, laughing, "It feels like you were sliced like a watermelon."

"From the looks of it, once the bone heals, you'll be fine. It'll probably take about a month..."

"Alright, got it, okay."

Gu Yunfeng really didn’t want to talk about his injury anymore, this work-related injury made him feel embarrassingly undignified. There was no way he could stay in the hospital for too long, he'd probably be back home by next week. He adjusted the drip's flow rate and shifted his position on the edge of the hospital bed.

"What's the situation at Ruihe Hospital now?"

"What do you think, they're being investigated." She sighed. "My dad is cooperating with the investigation too, what do you think..."

"Get him a better lawyer."

"Huh?" Ying Xizi stood there in confusion, staring blankly for a long time before pulling out her phone. "You mean the thing you texted me about...?"

"Yes." He nodded. "We can now confirm that during Xu Chengyue's hospital stay at Ruihe Hospital, an AI chip was implanted to replace his brain function."

"All those surgeries were performed by your father. It seems he connected the chip to some kind of artificial neural network, and Xu Chengyue is the only successful case." He paused, brushing back a few strands of hair that had grown long and were starting to cover his eyes. "I don't understand the technical principle, but it's definitely related to Dr. Ying. The cases that didn't succeed, would they count as medical malpractice or murders?"

"If he was just fulfilling his duty as a doctor... you'd better find a good lawyer for him as soon as possible, and fight for him." After bluntly stating this, Gu Yunfeng gazed into her eyes, watching as her expression shifted from confusion to tension, then from fear to doubt.

Her hands trembled, every tiny facial movement magnified. Her throat moved as she swallowed frequently, her eyes slowly widened, and her brows furrowed slightly. Eventually, she calmed down, turning her gaze towards the dark sky outside the window.

After the heavy rain, the sky remained gloomy. Dense clouds loomed, and a few birds flew low, their wings spread, but they looked anything but free.

From the moment she asked Gu Yunfeng to privately investigate Xu Chengyue's accident, she should have anticipated this day.

In fact, she had imagined such a scene. She imagined that one day her father might be shackled in handcuffs. She imagined that one day her childhood hero would become a condemned criminal, scorned by the world, perhaps even disappearing into the darkness with hidden secrets.

When this day came, would she regret her initial choice? Would she regret seeking justice for this man, with whom only friendship remained and no love?

She slowly stood up and walked to the window, opening it. The air after the rain was finally no longer so thick, as if it had washed away all the filth, stretching over the distant skyscrapers, rivers, mountains, and the horizon.

"This must be very hard for you," he continued. "But I have one more request."

"What?"

The IV bag had finally emptied, but instead of calling the nurse, he pulled out the needle himself, pressed down on the tape, and walked over to Ying Xizi in his slippers.

"No matter where or when, no matter what kind of interrogation or investigation, I beg you and your father, don’t say anything about Xu Chengyue."

"If others find out that his brain is being controlled by a chip, it would be too dangerous. Besides, the police need evidence to convict."

He pleaded, "The moment I found out what had happened, the first thing that crossed my mind was that the chip is key evidence in this case."

"What do you mean...?"

Although only the tip of the iceberg had surfaced, and who was involved or who could escape unscathed remained uncertain, he could clearly foresee what would happen in the future and what Xu Chengyue could face.

"Without this evidence, many people will get away with it."

Gu Yunfeng lowered his voice. "But to take the chip out and use it as evidence... How could that be possible?"

He repeated firmly, "It's just not possible."

Ying Xizi stared at him in shock, her lips slightly parted. "You want... to let this matter go?"

Gu Yunfeng instinctively glanced at the door of the hospital room, his gaze seeming to pierce through the wooden door to the world outside. His expression grew tense, and he gave a slight nod, his clenched fists slowly loosening.

All of this seemed to go against his original intentions, personally suppressing the justice he once wanted to uphold, burying it in the ground, sinking it into the water, until it finally dissolved into dust, known to no one.

Then, he opened the door of the hospital room. Xu Chengyue, who was sitting on a bench playing a game, looked up. His eyes gleamed, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he met Gu Yunfeng’s gaze.

– This must be worth it.

Gu Yunfeng lightly tapped his foot, and the dark corridor lit up.

—————

While sitting on the bench in the corridor, Xu Chengyue had been playing a game. The game simulated a person's entire life, from birth to death. Each level offered at least four or five different choices, and if the wrong one was made, the player would either accomplish nothing, destroy their family, or, in the worst case, face a premature game over.

Many players left low ratings, complaining that there was a flaw in the game's design. No matter what choices they made, they always ended up with a game over. The best outcome was dying surrounded by grandchildren, while the more common result was a lonely old age, perhaps spent in a care home with a bit of money to get by. They clamoured for the game to add an immortality ending, endless life, endless stories. In their eyes, the ultimate winner, the absolute victor, would be someone who transcended everything, who could see through all the comings and goings of life.

Xu Chengyue, however, wasn't so fixated on such things. He repeatedly ended the game early, simply to find the outcome that aligned most with his own desires. In the past, he could have easily cracked every setting of the game, mapped out all the main and side quests, and predicted the result of every choice.

But now, he no longer felt inclined to do so. If everything was predictable, where was the fun in playing the game? He was content to play it ordinarily, live when he should, die when he should, attend school when he should, work when he should, go to the hospital when sick, and head to a restaurant when he forgot to cook.

He had chosen to play as a little boy who had been deemed average from a young age. Fortunately, his family was harmonious, and his parents were loving. His life progressed smoothly, without any major upheavals.

By all logic, this mundane life should have been boring, but somehow, he found it intriguing. He tirelessly explored different choices, what major to choose for his college entrance exam, what job to pursue after graduation, and who to marry.

No matter what he chose, everything remained ordinary, peaceful, and warm, yet a little dull.

Just as he was enjoying himself, a phone number appeared on the screen, interrupting the game.

Lu Yong had unexpectedly called. That voice, once so familiar but now inducing fear and dread, spoke gently and elegantly, "Chengyue, I heard you're planning to leave the criminal investigation team?"

He hadn’t been to the lab for a long time. When he did go back to school, it was mostly to teach. He hadn’t written a single paper and had a backlog of work to submit. He even doubted if he could keep his academic title, with so many people eyeing it greedily.

But it didn’t really matter to him. He genuinely didn’t care about such things, he had no ambition for his career, nor did he have the burden of settling down and starting a family.

Yes, he truly had no such worries. No nagging from parents, no financial pressures. He'd heard from colleagues that raising children was expensive, but he didn't need to raise any. After all, he and Captain Gu would never have children...

What if Gu Yunfeng wanted a child? Then they could just adopt one. Xu Chengyue thought back to the part of the game where you raise a child and found it quite interesting, perhaps it was worth trying.

But... what if Gu Yunfeng wanted his own biological child? What if his father couldn’t accept them being together?

With a dark expression, Xu Chengyue walked across the campus, his feet crunching through the fallen red maple leaves. He brushed off a leaf that had landed on his hair, thinking that he must be losing his mind.

And it was serious.

The lab’s machine room ran day and night. The equipment was a bit outdated, but there were plenty of machines, so it was still functional. He pushed open the door to find Lu Yong sitting at a computer, dozing with his head propped on his hand. His hair had turned noticeably whiter, though his hairline was still intact, not too badly receded. He was wearing a university T-shirt with a trench coat over it. Startled awake by the door opening, Lu Yong relaxed when he saw it was Xu Chengyue.

"When did you leave?"

"I submitted my resignation a few days ago, but the team hasn’t approved it yet." Xu Chengyue tidied up his usual spot, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. He wiped it down two or three times with tissues, but it was still black. He pulled out the books from the drawer and neatly arranged them on the shelf. He rarely read them, they were mostly there for show.

"Why didn’t you tell me in advance..."

"A few days ago, I experienced something I couldn’t handle." He made up a story. "My superior was injured and almost died. Since that day, I’ve been traumatised and can’t handle the responsibility anymore."

"So, you’re not going back, even though they haven’t approved your resignation?"

He nodded. "I suddenly can’t bear the sight of corpses, blood, or bones anymore. Someone’s skull was blasted open right in front of me, and his lifeless eyes still haunt me every night."

Looking at Lu Yong, who sat hunched over, Xu Chengyue realised how much Professor Lu had aged.

How long had they known each other? Ten years, from a decade ago until now. Back then, Lu Yong had been a young lecturer in his thirties, teaching their major courses. He liked to play biographies of famous people in class. One time, he had shown them the movie about Alan Turing, leaving Xu Chengyue feeling awkward for a long time.

But just a year ago, this same man had stood on the roof of this very building and pushed his own student off.

He then stole his life, manipulated his memories, and tried to control his soul.

If it weren’t for the agreement he had made with Lin Xiangrong, Xu Chengyue would never have wanted to see Lu Yong again. He would avoid him whenever possible, and if there was no need, he would never meet with him.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: September 14, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 5, 2024 by Angel