novelraw Chapter 1188: One Step Away from Supreme Detachment
Chapter 1188: One Step Away from Supreme Detachment
Another gunshot rang out sharply. The security guard, who had been wearing the bulletproof vest, was no longer in the room—he had slipped out at some point.
Overwhelmed by fear, he had taken advantage of the chaos to flee, not even realizing what he was doing. When the gunfire sounded, he immediately ducked to the ground.
What was happening inside that room now?
He didn’t know. But he saw shadows—police officers rushing frantically down the hallway. At that moment, he knew he was saved.
---
Gunfire at such close range could easily damage a person’s eardrums—hence why shooting range members always wore soundproof earmuffs.
The deafening blast made Zhou Yusheng’s hearing fade once more.
He felt as if fate was mocking him—he had finally woken up, shaken himself from his slumber, only for the man who woke him to fall asleep instead.
Crimson blood spread slowly from Luo Qi’s chest. If only he hadn’t taken off that vest…
Zhou Yusheng’s strength was completely drained.But the thug still had plenty of fight left—his rage even more savage now. The man shoved Zhou Yusheng aside with brutal force, then threw off Luo Qi as well.
He was grinning—because luck had favored him. In this life-or-death struggle, he had survived by chance, and that chance made him wild with confidence.
Luo Qi lay flat on the ground, pupils unfocused, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Zhou Yusheng knew that look—there was too much behind those eyes.
When the gunman picked up his fallen weapon and aimed it straight at him, Zhou Yusheng’s mind went completely blank once again.
—You’re not afraid, so why should I be?
It had only been… what, ten minutes ago?
“Ah—!!!”
He shouted through blood, tears, and fury—through pain, pride, despair, and redemption.
When the bullet from the thug’s gun struck his shoulder, Zhou Yusheng no longer looked like a man—he was a beast, a maddened bull.
He lunged forward, locking his arms around the man’s waist, shoving him toward the unguarded window.
The gunman thought Zhou Yusheng was just desperate to take him down. But when his lower body hit the window frame, he suddenly understood—Zhou Yusheng intended to take him with him.
“Ah—!! Ahhh—!!! Ah—!!!”
Zhou Yusheng roared again and again, face flushed red, veins bulging in his eyes. He had given up everything.
The two of them tumbled through the window—and fell.
---
Bang—!
Like thunder tearing through darkness, splitting the earth apart.
Zhou Yusheng’s eyes flew open. Everything felt heavy. He thought he heard voices.
“Doctor! Doctor, the patient’s awake!”
But the light that had cut through the dark suddenly dimmed again, as though a cage had closed around him. He tried to call out but couldn’t make a sound.
Time blurred. After what felt like forever, he heard something again—someone calling him. He opened his eyes once more.
A faint breeze carried the scent of flowers. A nurse was bending over him, checking the blood pressure gauge.
“You’re finally awake! Thank goodness!” she said with a smile.
Zhou Yusheng felt dazed. Instinctively, he tried to sit up, but the moment he pushed with his hands, a tearing pain spread through his body, forcing him back down.
“Don’t move!” the nurse said quickly, steadying him. “You were shot in the shoulder. The wound hasn’t healed yet—if you move too much, it’ll tear open.”
He nodded weakly. His head throbbed, his forehead tightly bound with bandages.
The nurse explained that he had fallen from a great height—hit his head, broken multiple bones, and had miraculously survived.
Later, Gao Wen arrived—he had rushed over as soon as he got the call.
Only then did Zhou Yusheng learn that he had been in a coma for two full weeks.
Gao Wen sat by the window, slowly peeling an apple. He watched Zhou Yusheng silently, saying nothing for a long time.
Feeling the gaze, Zhou Yusheng frowned. “Captain Gao, is… there something on my face?”
“You… really don’t remember?” Gao Wen asked quietly.
Zhou Yusheng shook his head, pressing a hand to his temple. “I honestly forgot what happened. I only remember…”
He tried hard to recall, eyes distant. “I remember Captain Luo took off his vest, then I charged out… then he did too. After that—it’s blank. What happened? Captain Luo—he’s okay, right?”
“Luo Qi was buried a few days ago,” Gao Wen said softly.
Zhou Yusheng fell silent.
Gao Wen didn’t speak either. After a long pause, his phone rang—it was a call from the station. He stood, patted Zhou Yusheng’s shoulder, and said, “The doctor said your head injury might’ve affected your memory, but it should recover soon. For now, just rest and heal. Oh—and the hostage you rescued brought a banner of gratitude. I accepted it for you—it’s on your desk.”
Zhou Yusheng said nothing. He just felt an inexplicable heaviness inside him.
Gao Wen added, “You did well this time. Even though your service pistol was lost, it must’ve happened during the fall. We’ve recovered it already. There’s no issue with your record. Rest well. We’ll be waiting for you to return.”
Zhou Yusheng nodded.
But after that, he couldn’t sleep. For days, for years even—he hadn’t truly rested.
He was afraid that if he slept again, he’d never wake up.
---
In the living room, a dark aura slowly seeped from Luo Qiu’s body.
He sat upright on the sofa, hands resting on his knees—completely still. He remained that way the entire night, until the faint light of dawn appeared.
The black mist thickened, dense as ink. But as the sky brightened, it slowly drew back—gathering in his palm. Finally, it condensed into a small black bead.
A moment later, the bead shattered into dust and vanished. Luo Qiu exhaled softly.
He looked at the sleeping Zhou Yusheng for a long, silent moment. When the first rays of dawn tinged the horizon red, Luo Qiu stood, picked up the blanket from the sofa, and gently draped it over Zhou Yusheng.
“You’ve already died once. Dying again would serve no purpose.”
He reached into Zhou Yusheng’s pocket, retrieved a small vial—and disappeared.
---
Gao Wen couldn’t explain it. A strange impulse had come over him—a sudden pull, as if something unseen was calling him. It drew him once again to the cemetery.
He had just been there the day before.
When he arrived, he saw a young man carefully cleaning the gravestone. Gao Wen’s pupils contracted sharply. For a moment, he thought he was seeing the same haunting vision that had disturbed him for days.
He said nothing, just watched as the young man finished cleaning an already spotless grave.
Afterward, the young man lit incense and placed it before the tombstone. Then, turning, he handed a few sticks to Gao Wen.
Startled, Gao Wen took them without a word, lit them, and placed them in the burner.
Silence hung between them—the deepest form of respect for the dead.
For a long time, Luo Qiu and Gao Wen stood quietly before the grave.
“Thank you,” Luo Qiu finally said. “For visiting my father’s grave so often when I didn’t know.”
It was his first sentence.
Gao Wen couldn’t tell what was real anymore. This young man—someone who had once sat in his classroom, debating theory—felt both familiar and impossible.
There wasn’t a trace of Captain Luo Qi’s shadow in him.
“Are you… really him?” Gao Wen asked hesitantly.
“Do you want me to be fake?” Luo Qiu replied calmly.
Gao Wen shook his head, frowning deeply. If this were real, it defied reason. But if it wasn’t… how could the young man know so much?
“Then… who are you?”
Luo Qiu took a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to Gao Wen, who instinctively accepted it.
“Risperidone…” Luo Qiu said softly. “Don’t give this medicine to Zhou Yusheng anymore.”
“You… you know everything?” Gao Wen’s expression suddenly changed.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Luo Qiu replied, shaking his head.
Gao Wen took a deep breath. His once-gentle demeanor instantly turned ferocious as he stepped forward, grabbing Luo Qiu by the collar, eyes wide. “It doesn’t matter? Do you even know how your father died? He was shot dead by Zhou Yusheng! And you say it doesn’t matter!!”
Luo Qiu said calmly, “So you forged the examination report afterward, didn’t you?”
“I had no choice!!” Gao Wen roared. “Luo Qi was perfect—absolutely perfect!! I couldn’t allow him to die that way! Even if he had to die in the line of duty, it should’ve been a heroic death, not such a ridiculous one!!”
Luo Qiu didn’t try to pull away. He just looked quietly into Gao Wen’s wild eyes. “And what then? Turning Zhou Yusheng into what he is now—was that also to preserve Luo Qi’s perfection?”
“It’s a continuation!!!” Gao Wen howled. “Luo Qi’s continuation!!! Zhou Yusheng’s life belongs to Luo Qi! I’ll make sure he’s tormented day and night!! He took away my only friend! Unforgivable—absolutely unforgivable!!
“I worked so hard, but no one ever truly looked at me! No matter how much I did, I was always just the son-in-law of a high-ranking official! Everyone said I got promoted through connections! I knew what they whispered behind my back!! Only Luo Qi—only your father—truly understood me. He never looked down on me. Only he could reach my heart, understand me, encourage me, support me!! He was my only friend… He was perfect. There must never be a stain—never!!
“Zhou Yusheng is garbage!! A beast!! Always jealous that I took his position! Lazy, incompetent, worthless!! So what if he made achievements before? That was in the past!! A man who’s lost his will to fight, who only knows how to resent others for taking his place—what right does he have to stay? What right to live?! Amnesia? Don’t make me laugh! He just doesn’t want to remember! If I hadn’t accidentally seen old Ouyang’s report, this truth would’ve stayed buried forever!! It had to be Zhou Yusheng’s doing!! It had to be him!!
“He thought I didn’t know? Impossible!!” Gao Wen shouted furiously. “He even had the nerve to come to me for counseling? Ridiculous!! He was jealous of me, wasn’t he? Wanted forgiveness, didn’t he? Fine! I gave it to him! I made him the captain again! During every counseling session, I hypnotized him! He wanted to remember? No way! I made sure he’d never remember—but he’d feel everything!! That’s the best punishment! His sins must be repaid with a lifetime of suffering!! I’ll keep watching—always watching!!!”
Luo Qiu looked at the agitated middle-aged man, then gently placed his hand over Gao Wen’s wrist and pried it away from his collar.
“My father,” Luo Qiu said quietly, “was never perfect. He was only perfect when he was being my father. He made mistakes at work, got angry in life. Maybe he could be everyone’s friend—but that doesn’t mean everyone could be his friend. His friends never carried malice in their hearts.”
Gao Wen’s body trembled. His hands fell limply to his sides, his face hollow.
“You… you forgive me?” he asked weakly.
“My father would forgive you,” Luo Qiu said softly. “If I didn’t, he’d probably jump up right now and give me a good beating.”
Gao Wen said nothing, only turned his gaze toward Luo Qi’s tombstone.
“Can I… still come here?” he asked quietly.
“My father liked his friends very much. If you want to be his friend, you’re always welcome to visit… And thank you, for preserving his reputation.”
Luo Qiu walked away.
Gao Wen let out a long sigh, then suddenly hurled the bottle in his hand as far as he could and left in defeat.
…
…
In the underground altar, Luo Qiu—who had been there many times before—sat quietly beside it.
This time, the altar felt colder than ever before, like a lifeless machine.
He stared at the floating words before his eyes.
——Revive Luo Qi?
——The price: all of Luo Qiu’s memories of Luo Qi, the erasure of everyone’s memories of Luo Qiu, and the complete removal of all emotions from the Substitute.
——To inherit the vessel, one must bear its weight. The Substitute needs no unnecessary emotions.
Luo Qiu lowered his head, murmuring bitterly, “How could I not want to… I’ve wanted to since the very first day…”
(End of Chapter)
(TL note: ahhh I feel like stopping to update again from this part hahahahah)