As if aware that he couldn't help and with the intention to avoid danger, Ryan Quinn stayed onshore during the entire detection process of the lake bottom. He kept out of the way during Lucas's handling of the sudden mutation and the investigation team's excavation of the pollution source. He found a cover, occasionally poking his head out to check on the progress. <br>Now, when he saw the people at the lake bottom suddenly stop and turn towards the shore, he slowly stood up. He seemed concerned about the result as he waved his hand forcefully, shouting, "Did you find anything?"<br>Then he saw Lucas and the three members of the investigation team walking towards the lake's edge. The three investigation team members held their guns tightly, their eyes under the glass cover appearing very tense. <br>"What's going on?"<br>Ryan Quinn looked at Lucas and the three members of the investigation team approaching. He noticed their positioning subtly surrounding him. Coming from the wilderness, he was highly sensitive to such movements and immediately felt a bit wary, asking them cautiously. <br>"Who are you?"<br>Lucas looked at Ryan Quinn and slowly asked. <br>Ryan Quinn's expression appeared perplexed as he replied, "What do you mean by that?"<br>It was evident that he was genuinely puzzled at this moment, seemingly unable to understand. <br>Corporal Bing Han's voice echoed in the channel: "I suggest revealing directly, then observe his reaction!"<br>"Agreed!" Jane Chen replied coldly, "Investigation team, on guard!"<br>"If you are indeed Ryan Quinn..." Lucas spoke slowly, turning back to look at the lake bottom, "then whose corpse did we dig out?"<br>"What corpse?" Ryan Quinn's expression turned slightly unnatural, asking sluggishly. <br>"We found the pollution source; it was a corpse!" Lucas explained patiently, "That corpse is you..."<br>Ryan Quinn's expression seemed somewhat dazed, his Adam's apple rolling. <br>And Lucas continued, slowly asking, "So, if you were already dead, then who are you now?"<br>As he asked this question, his mind raced with thoughts. He recalled Ryan Quinn's every move, saw him sitting in the office, constantly eating as if never sated, and remembered how he promptly drew a gun when he misheard a word. He also thought of the basement holding four people. The number of corpses inside seemed less than expected. <br>"No... impossible..." After a while, Ryan Quinn mumbled, "If you dug me out, then who... who am I?"<br>Lucas simply watched him silently. <br>The three members of the investigation team gripped their guns tightly at that moment. <br>In the distance, the patrol army, under rows of searchlights and strict vigilance, remained utterly silent, the quiet oppressive. <br>Only the red moon in the sky shone bright, like a dangling red thread. <br>"I..." Ryan Quinn appeared increasingly panicked. He looked at Lucas as if seeking help, pleading, "Little brother, tell me, who am I?"<br>"He resembles those fruits..." Next to him, Lucas felt a cold touch on his hand, his sister holding it. <br>Hearing this, Lucas immediately realized. <br>Earlier, when entangled with the shadow on the "Strange Tree," he had noticed the shadows seemed familiar. But at that time, he didn't pay attention and couldn't connect the dots. <br>Not until now did he suddenly remember — all those shadows resembled Ryan Quinn. <br>The shadows varied in height and size, yet they all gave Lucas a sense of familiarity. The reason was their vague facial features or movements, all resembling Ryan Quinn — just different versions of him in various shapes and sizes. <br>However, the more this seemed true, the more Lucas couldn't tell Ryan Quinn who he really was.<br>"I'm... I'm..." <br>Under the countless gazes surrounding him, Ryan Quinn suddenly went a bit mad. His Adam's apple rolled as he shouted twice, his voice hoarse. Suddenly, he ran frantically towards the lake. All nearby guns followed his movement with a clatter, but no command to shoot came from Jane Chen in the channel. Thus, each gun merely aimed at him without firing. <br>Every gaze watched as Ryan Quinn charged towards the lake bottom, beside the corpse. <br>Seeing him fixate on the corpse's face, he suddenly let out a loud howl, seemingly going insane. <br>He shouted, "Fake, all fake, you're all trying to harm me..."<br>"I knew entering High Wall City would bring no good..." <br>"You want to harm me..."<br>He shouted as he fiercely kicked the corpse, then ran towards the opposite side of the lake. <br>On the other side of the lake, not far away, was the high wall. <br>He actually ran straight towards the high wall, seemingly trying to climb over it and escape. <br>Moreover, at this moment, his form appeared odd, his running speed growing increasingly fast. <br>"Capture alive!" Jane Chen urgently ordered in the channel. <br>The three investigation team members immediately aimed their guns at Ryan Quinn's legs. <br>But simultaneously, gunfire also erupted from atop the high wall. <br>The area was surrounded by soldiers. Even atop the high wall, they watched as Ryan Quinn charged towards them. His speed seemed terrifyingly beyond normal human capabilities, so they fired without hesitation at the madly rushing Ryan Quinn. <br>With a "thud," Ryan Quinn's sprinting body fell to the ground. <br>He struggled twice, then ceased moving. <br>Lucas and the three investigation team members waved frantically, rushing to the high wall. When they reached Ryan Quinn's corpse, they saw he had been shot twice in the chest, with blood gushing out. He was clearly beyond saving. This "pollution source" was unexpectedly easy to clear, yet each person's heart was filled with endless questions: What was going on? <br>In truth, he would have preferred to see Ryan Quinn transform into a monster. At least that would explain some things. But Ryan Quinn didn't. In the end, he only appeared slightly crazed, his running speed slightly abnormal.<br>Even looking back carefully, his exaggerated speed might have been merely an illusion. <br>What confused him even more was... <br>If this pollution source was Ryan Quinn, then what was with those seeking vengeance before? <br>While Lucas was lost in thought, he felt his hand being shaken. He looked down to see his sister, curiously eyeing Ryan Quinn's corpse. Startled by what he saw, he noticed the bleeding from Ryan Quinn's gunshot wounds hadn't stopped. The blood continued to soak the mud, yet seemed never-ending. As it flowed, the corpse dried up, the form becoming hunched, the appearance turning gaunt, transforming into another figure within a short time. <br>"Who is he?" <br>Lucas was shocked, alerting the investigation team. <br>They also noticed the change, quickly taking pictures, sending them via the electronic devices on their arms. <br>Shortly after, the sound of flipping through files echoed in the channel. <br>Then Corporal Bing Han's voice, unable to conceal his shock, resonated: "This is... this is Charlie Wong!")
