Qiming Chapter 98

Chapter 98

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This was the most painful meeting Gu Yunfeng had this year. Aside from the necessary on-site investigations, most of the time was spent listening to a few teachers and students from the laboratory explain the principles of account hacking. They had a heated discussion and even carried out a feasibility analysis of how a hacker could have performed the series of actions with the city bureau's information technology centre.

Gu Yunfeng truly couldn’t understand what they were saying, so he could only look at both sides of the fierce debate with admiration. He imagined that if Xu Chengyue were among them, he certainly would have shone the brightest.

But where was he?

He asked a few students in the laboratory, and they said that Professor Xu hadn’t appeared all day, he probably had classes. This was a significant matter, and they had tried to contact Xu Chengyue, but no one answered the phone.

The conclusion he received at the end of the meeting was that it was possible a hacker had attacked the bastion host, gaining remote control and thus accessing the database to retrieve the data and information.

There was also another possibility, bypassing surveillance, unlocking the three security doors, cracking the computer password and database account permissions, and stealing the missing items.

Both scenarios were rather difficult. There was indeed evidence of the bastion host being attacked, and there were also signs of the door to the computer room being tampered with. However, they couldn’t conclusively determine which scenario it was.

Nothing substantial was left at the scene, and the only traces were a small piece of fallen tinfoil and a red velvet ribbon. Both of these items seemed familiar to him, though he couldn’t tell if it was just because they were too common and ordinary.

After the meeting, Gu Yunfeng stayed alone in the large conference room. He turned on his computer and began going through the unread emails. The Zhiyin Biotech case wasn’t under their jurisdiction, but his senior Huang Chen still occasionally sent him updates about the progress.

From the look of things, the likelihood of the case being formally filed was slim. There had been no breakthrough on Ying Han’s side, and they hadn’t been able to uncover any criminal activity. Ruihe Hospital, which had been involved in human experiment surgeries, continued to face complaints and protests from patients’ families. Their reputation and revenue were both in terrible shape, but they were still operating normally.

He was reading the emails and feeling rather frustrated when he suddenly heard the door open. Wen Xin entered, looking anxious and holding a few sheets of paper, calling his name.

“Captain Gu, do you still remember Jiang Hai?”

Jiang Hai? He was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, “I remember, Jiang Ronghua’s eldest son.”

Gu Yunfeng closed his laptop, wiped the words off the whiteboard, and turned to look at Wen Xin. “What about him?”

“I just got some news, two days ago, he was issued a critical condition notice.”

He had almost forgotten about this person.

The details of that case resurfaced in his mind. Ever since Jiang Hai had been in a car accident seven years ago, he had remained in a coma, though his physical condition had been relatively stable.

It had always been a rather strange situation. Later, Lin Xiangrong stubbornly transferred him to Ruihe Hospital. After being admitted to Ruihe’s neurosurgery department, they delayed the surgery for a long time.

Her actions suggested that if Jiang Hai never woke up, she would have him fitted with an AI chip, just like Xu Chengyue, to remodel his brain. They had the technology to do the implantation, they had doctors who had successfully completed this kind of surgery, and they had advanced equipment.

The biotech company she represented, Zhiyin Biotech, had also been closely monitoring Xu Chengyue’s behaviour and physical condition over the past year and clearly understood that the anticipated rejection response wasn’t as terrifying as expected. He could use this new brain to develop new behaviours and a new personality.

Of course, he would become a completely different person. He would only retain the same body and the same voice.

But he would be a completely different person.

Jiang Hai had all the conditions for the surgery, yet he had remained in a room at Ruihe Hospital, surviving only with the aid of medication.

Gu Yunfeng suddenly realised that there was an irreconcilable conflict between Zhiyin Biotech, or rather Zhiyin Technology, and the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory led by Lu Yong, and that their collaboration had ceased a few months ago.

Zhiyin Biotech possessed most of the conditions required for performing the surgery, the only obstacle was the AI chip meant to replace the human brain. This chip was a technological product independently developed by the AI Laboratory, which held absolute intellectual property rights.

If Lin Xiangrong couldn't obtain the chip, there would naturally be no need for the surgery to proceed.

"How much longer is Ying Han’s detention period?"

"Just over a month. If no substantial evidence is found in the meantime, he’ll eventually be acquitted" Wen Xin paused for a moment before continuing, "The probability of him being acquitted is very high."

Once Ying Han was released without charge and the stolen data from the laboratory had been used to develop a new chip, if Jiang Hai managed to hold on this time, the surgery could no longer be delayed.

Gu Yunfeng was almost certain that at this point in time that the AI Laboratory theft case was closely related to Lin Xiangrong. After learning of Jiang Hai’s critical condition, she had no choice but to accelerate her plans, swiftly stealing data and information from the AI detective project.

But would she really do something like this for Jiang Hai?

Although their interactions were limited, in his eyes, Lin Xiangrong was a decisive and ruthless woman. She had shot her superior dead right in front of him, and when it came to the person who killed her abusive husband on her behalf, she remained utterly indifferent.

Would she really take risks and make sacrifices for a former lover? That didn’t seem like her style.

Jiang Hai had been in a coma for seven years. Did she still have clear memories of him? So much had happened in those seven years, and her identity had rapidly shifted, from a mere researcher to a high-level company executive seeking to control everything.

If the surgery was successful, and Jiang Hai woke up again, he would be nothing more than a puppet of her imagined lover.

—————

The night was cold. There was no moon, yet the city’s night sky was bright.

"I left the party early yesterday, went home, and had a nap. I even had a dream."

A small flame flickered in the dark corridor, and as he walked closer, he realised it was a lit match. Lin Xiangrong, with calm precision, used the match to light the cigarette in her hand. She slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, watching it spiral upwards in the faint glow before it disappeared into the silent void.

"Do you still dream?"

"Mhmm, I do." Although he knew it wasn’t a dream, but rather memories from the past. In his most recent dream, Professor Lu told him that the AI detective system had flaws, and he wanted something perfect. He had been standing on the top floor of the laboratory, saying nothing as he threw his computer down, hearing it shatter on the concrete below.

Xu Chengyue glanced at his wrist to check the time, five in the morning. It wouldn’t be long before dawn. He had switched to a very ordinary watch recently, pretending that no one was watching him, that no one was controlling him. The expensive watch he used to wear was now with Lin Xiangrong, she had tampered with it, trying to maintain the illusion of the past.

"I dreamt again about the night of the fall and saw Professor Lu." Xu Chengyue turned on the light and sat down on a bench in the corridor, his eyes sharp.

"And when I woke up, it was already past one."

He reached into his backpack, pulled out a set of keys, and detached the portable hard drive connected to them, tossing it into Lin Xiangrong's hand. He had just come from the university lab, where no one was around. The streets were deserted, and even when he arrived at Ruihe Hospital, it was cold and quiet, the main entrance closed. He could only see Lin Xiangrong sitting alone in the darkness.

"Why did you suddenly ask me to steal these things?"

"That wasn't stealing, you were simply helping me retrieve what was rightfully mine," Lin Xiangrong said calmly. Standing in the suddenly bright hospital, she took a few steps forward and leaned against the wall, brushing her hair away from her eyes.

"Jiang Hai doesn't have much time left," she sighed. "I didn't expect his condition to deteriorate so rapidly."

"Do you still care about him?"

"I care, he’s been my emotional support for a long time." She lowered her head, smiled faintly, and gazed at Xu Chengyue with weary eyes. "There are some things you just feel you must do."

"But even if he’s lucky and the surgery succeeds, he won’t be the same person you once knew."

"I understand, but isn’t that even better? He’ll be a blank slate, and I can reshape him however I want, into the person I love."

Xu Chengyue was momentarily stunned by her words. He sat back in his chair, looking composed. In that instant, he felt a sense of fortune. No one had ever truly tried to remake him. Even though he’d been monitored and hunted, no one had attempted to control his mind or imprison his thoughts. His entire personality had formed naturally, without any ulterior motives.

He remained silent for a long while, staring at Lin Xiangrong, who was frowning in deep thought. A feeling of pity unexpectedly welled up inside him. He wasn’t sure who he pitied. Was it Jiang Hai? Or this unreasonable, overbearing woman standing before him?

"In a few hours, Lu Yong will undoubtedly call the police. I avoided the surveillance cameras and won’t leave any clues," Xu Chengyue said, looking up at her. "This is the last time I’ll do anything for you."

"What?" Lin Xiangrong stared at him in disbelief, her expression one of disbelief.

He’d been reflecting on many things recently, and he had hidden the drugs she had given him, the ones meant to destroy his nervous system, in a secret place. If he really wanted to take them, he knew he could find them no matter the trouble. But if he didn’t want to, he would slowly forget about them.

"There's no need to give me any more of those drugs," he said, pulling out the four bottles he had hidden at home and placing them at Lin Xiangrong’s feet, "I’m returning these to you as well."

"I don’t need them." Xu Chengyue smiled faintly, straightened his back, and stood confidently in the light.

Outside, the sun was slowly rising. The brightest morning star hung in the sky, cold and lonely.

He gently dusted off his coat and said calmly, "I don’t need to erase someone else to justify my own existence."

The first rays of sunlight filtered into the hospital through the glass windows, casting beams of light onto the floor. The light slowly moved upwards, eventually illuminating the two of them.

"Are you insane, Xu Chengyue?!" Lin Xiangrong shouted at him without hesitation. Her fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on the backs of her hands and her forehead. Her voice was sharp and grating, revealing her truest tone after shedding all pretences.

She angrily jabbed her finger at his face and cursed, "Xu Chengyue, are you out of your mind? You’re just a robot that can be replaced at any moment. Do you want to be a robot that can be discarded at any time?"

"Isn't it better to be a normal person?"

"All my thoughts are programmatically driven, madness isn’t part of the equation," he paused, then added, "As you said, I’m a robot, I can’t go mad."

Xu Chengyue had always been the weak one, repressed, threatened, and intimidated. But at that moment, their roles had finally reversed. His gaze was firm and sharp as he stared fearlessly into Lin Xiangrong’s panicked face.

"Just as well, I wanted to ask you, isn't it better to be a normal person?"

"Xu Chengyue!"

"You can’t control everyone. It’s impossible for you to control everything."

"Including me."

‿︵‿︵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 22, 2024 by Angel

Edited: January 7, 2025 by Angel