novelraw Chapter 1181: Xian Yao
Chapter 1181: Xian Yao
After receiving a call from Lin Feng, who was on a business trip, Sir Ma and Zhou Yusheng didn’t have time to take follow-up action—because almost immediately, another murder case disrupted their plans.
“The victim’s name is Chang Xiao. He worked publicly as the head of security for a finance company, but in truth, he was a debt collector.”
The officer who arrived earlier reported quickly, “According to the people who were with him, Chang Xiao was driving when his head suddenly slumped forward. The car lost control and crashed into a safety post. When they pulled him out, he wasn’t breathing anymore. There was a bloody hole on his forehead—suspected gunshot wound.”
At the mention of a gunshot, Ma Houde’s hand trembled slightly. New Nation had extremely strict firearm regulations—nothing like foreign countries where gun ownership was legal.
If a criminal had a gun and dared to kill someone in broad daylight in a busy city...
“What was the victim doing before the incident?” Zhou Yusheng asked gravely.
They were already at the scene. A crowd had gathered, but police tape kept everyone at a distance.
The officer replied, “They were drinking, just at a nearby bar. The bar owner confirmed it. We also found signs of a fight in the back alley, and the other two people in the car admitted they ran into someone who owed them money, beat him up, then left.”
Ma Houde frowned. “Where’s the man who got beaten up?”
“Oh, his name’s Qian Er. His identity’s been confirmed,” the officer answered promptly. “But when we found him, he was dead drunk—unconscious. He had bruises and bloodstains consistent with being beaten. Preliminary assessment suggests minor internal bleeding, matching the other two’s statements.”Ma Houde nodded, then followed the officer to see the so-called Qian Er. The man reeked of alcohol and couldn’t even be kicked awake. “Did you test his blood alcohol level?”
“Done—two hundred ninety-two milligrams per hundred milliliters,” the officer replied quickly.
Sir Ma widened his eyes and shook his head. “Doesn’t value his life at all… Drunk like this, he couldn’t even stand to pee, let alone kill someone. Take him to the hospital.”
Qian Er was already in the ambulance. As soon as Sir Ma gave the order, it drove off.
Zhou Yusheng walked over with a grim face. “Old Ma, Chang Xiao’s death… it might be similar to the one in the detention center.”
“What?” Ma Houde’s expression changed instantly.
Zhou said seriously, “Before the incident, Chang Xiao was driving—he would’ve been facing the windshield. But there are no signs of damage on the glass. Unless the other two are lying, this is… very strange.”
Ma scratched his head and looked around. “No surveillance cameras nearby either… Alright, take the two passengers back for questioning. Let’s wait for the autopsy report tomorrow before drawing conclusions.”
There was nothing else they could do. Zhou nodded in agreement.
Sir Ma then said, “Old Zhou, look, your house is nearby. Why don’t you go home, take a shower, rest up a bit? We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
“I’m not tired,” Zhou shook his head.
“But I am!” Ma slapped Zhou’s back. “I can’t relax unless I have someone to suffer with me!”
“You old fool.” Zhou couldn’t help but smile wryly. “You should go home. Your wife’s pregnant with your second child—spend more time with her. Someone still has to handle the paperwork and follow-up anyway. I’m fine, I’ll take care of it.”
“You said it yourself, I didn’t force you,” Ma grinned.
“Enough nonsense,” Zhou replied irritably.
Sir Ma took out a cigarette pack, handed Zhou one, lit another for himself, planning to smoke before heading home. Patting Zhou’s shoulder, he asked curiously, “Old Zhou, these past few years you’ve been like a different man. Working yourself to death—why?”
Zhou answered casually, “We’re the people’s police. If we don’t give it our all, who will?”
Ma blinked, leaning against the car door. “If you’d said that a few years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. But now… you’ve turned into a workaholic. Back then, when we worked joint cases—remember? Team Luo was still around, and Gao led the second unit. You were the slick one—always on time, left on time, dodged responsibility, cut corners. Everyone said you were just coasting through the job.”
Zhou lowered his head, lost in thought.
They were now of equal rank, and Ma awkwardly chuckled. “Old Zhou, I didn’t mean anything by it—just saying. Old Zhou?”
He saw Zhou pressing a hand to his forehead, face twisted in pain. Ma grew concerned.
“I’m fine…” Zhou shook his head, took out a small bottle from his pocket, poured two pills into his mouth, and washed them down with water.
“What are you taking?”
“Just painkillers. Nothing serious,” Zhou said after steadying his breathing.
“How could you not have headaches? You’re always staying up late. Wouldn’t surprise me if you suddenly dropped dead one day,” Ma scolded. “No way, I think you should go rest. I’ll handle things from here.”
“No need,” Zhou shook his head.
Ma’s tone hardened. “You going or not? If not, I’ll call Chief Liu and have him order you!”
“…Fine,” Zhou sighed, rubbing his temples. The pain was unbearable. “I’ll go home first.”
“See a doctor!” Ma called after him.
Zhou waved dismissively, clearly not listening. Worried, Ma had a colleague drive him home.
…
“Captain Zhou, are you feeling better? Let me get you some water.”
His colleague helped him to the sofa.
“No need, I can take care of myself,” Zhou said weakly, leaning back. “You go handle things at the station. I’ll rest a bit and return later. Sort out Chang Xiao’s case file as soon as possible.”
“But Captain Zhou, maybe you should rest longer? With Captain Ma there, it should be fine.”
“I said go! Too much talking!” Zhou snapped suddenly.
The colleague nodded reluctantly, poured him a cup of hot water, then left quickly—thinking Captain Zhou was probably in a bad mood. He’d been harsh and irritable these past few years, always scolding people despite his talent. Working under him was suffocating.
Maybe it was family issues… Everyone knew his home life wasn’t great. When the colleague brought him back, the house was empty and quiet.
Shaking his head, he gave Zhou one last glance before closing the door.
After he left, Zhou sat dazed. Sweat slowly formed on his forehead and neck. He felt parched, chest tight, and dizzy. He reached for the cup—but his trembling hand knocked it over. It shattered on the floor.
The sound of the breaking glass was like a trigger. Zhou suddenly went berserk, shouting wildly.
He swept everything off the table, even flipped the coffee table over. Facing the empty house, he screamed again and again.
The space around him seemed to split and twist. Zhou’s face contorted in agony. He clutched his head with both hands, dropped to his knees, and finally curled into a ball on the floor.
He seemed to hear countless overlapping, thunderous sounds.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Those were the sounds.
In the end, he collapsed to the floor, unsure whether he’d fallen asleep from exhaustion or fainted.
…
…
Zhao Le’s hands suddenly went weak, and the box he was holding almost slipped. He took a deep breath and immediately snapped the lid shut, glancing nervously around him.
The street was full of people hurrying to work or school. No one noticed his sudden panic.
Lowering his head, clutching the box tightly against his chest, Zhao Le abruptly changed direction—away from the bus stop—and hurried into a nearby public restroom. He entered a stall and locked the door.
His eyes flickered nervously as he adjusted his glasses. His hands hovered uncertainly over the box… then stopped.
He took a deep breath, then opened it.
Inside was a silver handgun—he could feel its weight pressing on his leg.
Zhao Le took another deep breath and lifted the weapon. It was cold and heavy—clearly metal, not a toy.
Beneath the gun lay a small card. Zhao Le quickly picked it up and unfolded it.
—Hold the gun, think of the person you wish to kill, and a bullet will appear.
—You can kill regardless of distance.
That was all—just those two sentences.
Zhao Le stared at the card for a while before putting it and the gun back into the box. He sat there, thinking deeply, then finally took out his phone.
On a social app, there was a blank profile picture. No message history. Zhao Le quickly typed a message:
—Was it you who sent the gun?
He sent it and stared at the screen, counting the seconds silently. About a minute later, a reply appeared.
—No.
Zhao Le immediately typed again:
—I received a gun today, but there are no bullets. Do you know who sent it?
He waited for a long time, but this time, there was no response. Gritting his teeth, he typed again:
—The police came to see me.
Still no reply.
Three minutes. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Nothing.
A flash of ferocity crossed Zhao Le’s eyes before his expression smoothed again. After a while, he cleared the chat history. The screen went blank once more.
He thought for a moment, then put the gun and the card into his backpack, left the box behind, and walked out with his head down.
…
…
Fortunately, his first class hadn’t started yet. Even though he had been delayed, Zhao Le wasn’t late. His family wasn’t well-off, but because of his good grades and excellent academic record, he’d qualified for a scholarship.
So he tried his best never to make mistakes at school.
It was a large lecture class.
The teacher that day was Lecturer Gao Wen, whose course was one of Zhao Le’s required subjects. He needed the credits. There were only three classes per week, not many.
However, Gao Wen’s classes were known for being strict—if you came late, you’d never get a front-row seat. Zhao Le wasn’t late, but he arrived just in time and had no choice but to sit near the back.
The moment he entered from the back door, a few unfriendly stares greeted him—those were the same students who had beaten him up yesterday on the upper floor.
The leader squinted and smiled when he saw Zhao Le walk in. Then he stood up.
Zhao Le immediately lowered his head and turned in another direction, scanning the room anxiously. Suddenly, spotting someone, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over to sit down.
His seatmate was… Chen Mingming.
When the bullies saw this, they made a hand gesture toward him, then sneered and sat down again—the class bell was about to ring, and with Gao Wen arriving soon, they didn’t dare start trouble.
Even though Gao Wen was just a lecturer, everyone knew his father-in-law was a high-ranking official, possibly moving up to the provincial level next year.
Those students might have wealthy families and some connections, but even their parents wouldn’t dare offend someone like that—let alone them.
“Mingming… I’ll leave right after class. I won’t get you involved,” Zhao Le whispered nervously beside her.
Chen Mingming glanced at him calmly. “Let’s focus on the class first.”
Lecturer Gao Wen entered the classroom from the front door. Because it was a different class, these students hadn’t witnessed his outburst the previous day.
Though rumors spread a bit on the school forum, the impact wasn’t significant.
Gao Wen looked around the class and, upon spotting Chen Mingming sitting in the back, gave a slight nod. “Alright, everyone, let’s begin.”
Before turning on the projector, Gao Wen quietly activated his phone’s camera and placed it on the lectern. Then he started his lecture as usual.
Even when, midway through, he once again saw Luo Qiu’s figure appear in an empty seat, Gao Wen showed no reaction.
As expected… it appeared again.
The lecture proceeded as smoothly as usual. When the bell rang, Luo Qiu’s figure vanished again, and none of the students noticed anything unusual.
As always, Gao Wen stayed behind after class to answer questions until it was almost time for the next lecture. Then he packed up and returned to his office.
Everything was routine.
He didn’t open his phone along the way. Only after returning to his office did he connect it to his computer and play the video recorded during class.
From the first second… to the very last, he watched without skipping.
Finally, he slumped in his chair and closed the computer.
There was nothing there.
(End of Chapter)