A.I. ~ Learning to Live Again

Chapter 1

It all happened in a flash, yet Zhao Yunlan saw it in slow motion.

There were several gunshots, but before any of them could hit him, he was shoved several feet and hit the hard ground. Bloody stains formed on Shen Wei's chest, and he flew back onto Zhao Yunlan with the force of the shots.

"Shen Wei! I got you! Stay with me!" Zhao Yunlan cradled Shen Wei's head with one arm while he dug his phone out with his other hand and frantically called for an ambulance. Just then several police cars pulled up and subdued the shooter.

But it was too late. Too late for Shen Wei. Zhao Yunlan knew through experience that the wounds this time were too great.

"Why, Shen Wei? Why did you do this? This was supposed to be your time to enjoy life!" Zhao Yunlan could not keep the tears back.

"Because you're worth it," Shen Wei smiled weakly. "I'm very tired and would like to sleep now, Yunlan," he said softly as he closed his eyes.

"No, Shen Wei, NO!" Zhao Yunlan helplessly watched the life force drain out of Shen Wei's body for the second time. And this time it would be permanent.

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(...one year ago...)

Zhao Yunlan looked down at the body of a young man, apparently stabbed to death. The body was already cold by the time he arrived at the university campus.

"Wang Ziqiang, PhD in physical education, sports medicine and therapy, and kung fu team coach," Da Qing, Zhao Yunlan's assistant recited. "He was a strict disciplinarian and was well respected in the university and amongst the students."

"How did they get to him, and with only a knife? The killer must have some skills himself," Zhao Yunlan thought out loud as he bent down next to the body.

The coroners had started their collecting of evidence and were snapping pictures of the crime scene. Zhao Yunlan pulled one of them aside and whispered to him.

"What do you think?"

"Sir, you know I am not allowed to make any assessments until we start the autopsy."

"Aw, come on, Xiao Wei. We're buddies, right? Just a little hint? You know your initial assessments are pretty much on the money," Zhao Yunlan did a slow shimmy with his shoulders like a young girl would when she was trying to flirt. It always made Shen Wei, the chief forensic scientist smile.

"Single stab between the 2nd and 3rd ribs. It pierced the lung and he was not able to scream. The killer was probably in the special forces...but you never heard this from me, not until the autopsy, that is, okay, Yunlan?" Shen Wei walked away.

Several hours later, the official autopsy report confirmed what Shen Wei had whispered to Zhao Yunlan at the crime scene. There were no other injuries or signs that showed the victim had struggled. It was a clean and very calculated deadly stab, and the killer was skilled enough to sneak up behind a kung fu instructor sometime after midnight. But why was the victim wandering around the campus at such an hour? In addition, there were slight residuals of a chemical in his blood, a drug athletes used to enhance their strength and energy. Doping? It was getting more and more difficult to detect such drugs as they flushed out quicker from the athlete's body, but that was what made them more dangerous, since a sudden drop in energy often followed. How was Wang Ziqiang involved?

"I gotta admit, you know your stuff," Zhao Yunlan smiled as he rose his glass to Shen Wei.

"A lucky guess," Shen Wei was always humble, and his cheeks flushed pink as they always did when Zhao Yunlan praised him.