Chapter 27: Then Who Am I?
Chapter 27: Then Who Am I?
Qin Ran had remained obediently on the shore throughout the entire process, seemingly aware that he couldn’t assist and harboring a desire to avoid danger. During the examination of the lake bottom, Lu Xin’s response to the sudden anomaly, and the three Investigation Team members’ excavation of the Source of Contamination, he found cover and occasionally peeked out to check on their progress.
Now, seeing the people in the lake suddenly stop moving and simultaneously turn their heads toward the shore, he slowly stood up. He also seemed concerned about the result and waved his hand vigorously, shouting, “Did you find anything?”
Then he saw Lu Xin and the three Investigation Team members slowly approaching the lakeshore.
The Investigation Team members tightly clutched their guns in their arms, their eyes beneath the glass visors appearing exceedingly tense.
“What’s wrong?”
Watching Lu Xin and the three Investigation Team members approach, Qin Ran also noticed their positioning subtly encircling him. Being from the Wilderness, he was acutely sensitive to such actions and immediately became wary, asking them cautiously.
“Who are you?”
Lu Xin looked at Qin Ran and asked slowly.
Qin Ran looked completely baffled. “What do you mean by that?”
He genuinely appeared confused, utterly unable to comprehend the question.
Corporal Han Bing’s voice sounded in the comms channel: “Recommend directly confronting him and then observe his reaction!”
“Agreed!”
Chen Jing’s cold voice spoke: “Investigation team, be on alert!”
“If you are Qin Ran…”
Lu Xin began slowly, turning his body to look toward the lake bottom: “…then who is the corpse we dug up?”
“What… what corpse?”
Qin Ran’s expression became unsettled as he asked slowly.
“We found the Source of Contamination. It’s a corpse!”
Lu Xin seemed very patient, carefully explaining to him: “That corpse… is you.”
Qin Ran’s face seemed to go slack, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
Meanwhile, Lu Xin continued, asking slowly, “So, if you had already died long ago… then who are you now?”
As he asked this question, Lu Xin’s mind was racing. He recalled every move Qin Ran made when he first saw him. He saw this man sitting in his office, constantly eating as if forever unsatisfied. He saw him instantly reaching for his gun to threaten people without a word of warning. He also remembered the underground bunker imprisoning four people, where the number of body parts seemed fewer than expected.
“N-no… that’s impossible…”
Qin Ran only managed to say after a long moment, muttering, “If… you dug up me… then I… who am I?”
Lu Xin just looked at him quietly.
The three Investigation Team members only gripped their guns more tightly at that moment.
In the distance, under rows of floodlights, the City Patrol Army soldiers maintaining strict containment made not a sound, the silence overwhelming.
Only the Crimson Moon hung in the sky, its radiant light like dangling red threads.
“I…”
Qin Ran seemed even more panicked. He looked at Lu Xin as if seeking help: “Little Brother, tell me… who am I?”
“He’s like those fruits…”
Lu Xin felt his palm cool – Little Sister was holding his hand.
Hearing this, Lu Xin immediately understood.
Earlier, while grappling with the shadowy figures on that “freakish tree,” he had already noticed that those shadows seemed very familiar. But he hadn’t paid it any mind, unable to make the connection.
Only now did he suddenly realize— those shadows all greatly resembled Qin Ran. Though they appeared tall or short, fat or thin, each gave Lu Xin a distinct sense of familiarity. The reason was that their vague features or mannerisms were all reminiscent of Qin Ran— Qin Rans of various heights, weights, and builds! Yet, precisely because of this, he found himself unable to tell Qin Ran who he actually was.
…
“I am… I am…”
Under the watchful eyes of countless gazes, Qin Ran suddenly seemed on the verge of losing his mind. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he shouted twice, but his voice choked off. Abruptly, he charged towards the lake like a madman. Instantly, all the surrounding guns swung towards him with a clatter. But the command to fire didn’t come through the comms channel from Chen Jing. Thus, every gun only aimed at him, without firing.
All eyes watched as Qin Ran reached the lake bottom, beside the corpse.
They watched him stare fiercely at the corpse’s face. He suddenly let out a howl, looking like he’d gone completely insane.
“Lies! They’re all lies!” He screamed suddenly. “You all are trying to frame me!”
“I knew it! Coming inside the Highwall City was a bad idea!”
“You want to harm me…”
“…”
Shouting like this, he suddenly kicked the corpse viciously, then dashed towards the opposite side of the lake.
Not far on the other side of the lake stood the towering High Wall.
He was charging directly at the High Wall, seemingly intent on scaling it to escape.
What was particularly bizarre was his manner. His running posture looked strange, and his speed was growing increasingly faster.
“Capture him alive!”
Chen Jing’s urgent command crackled in the comms channel.
The three Investigation Team members immediately raised their guns and aimed at Qin Ran’s legs.
But precisely at that moment, gunshots also rang out from atop the High Wall.
The soldiers stationed everywhere on the perimeter, stationed also on the High Wall itself, watched as Qin Ran charged towards the towering barrier. Seeing his terrifyingly superhuman speed, they showed no hesitation and fired upon the crazed Qin Ran.
Thud.
Qin Ran’s sprinting form crashed face-first onto the muddy ground.
He struggled twice more, then moved no more.
Seeing this, Lu Xin and the Investigation Team members immediately waved their arms and hurried towards the High Wall. When they reached Qin Ran’s body beside the wall, they saw two bullet holes in his chest. Blood was gushing out vigorously; he was clearly beyond saving. Ironically, cleaning up this “Source of Contamination” seemed unexpectedly simple. Yet, boundless questions filled everyone’s mind: Just what in the world was happening? What was going on?
In the end, Lu Xin had honestly hoped to see Qin Ran transform into some abomination. That, at least, would have explained some things. But Qin Ran hadn’t. His behavior at the end had only been slightly frantic, his running speed somewhat inhumanly fast… On reflection, Lu Xin wasn’t even sure if that exaggerated burst of speed had been real or perhaps some kind of hallucination.
What deepened his confusion now was: If the Source of Contamination was Qin Ran… then what about those people who had come seeking revenge against Qin Ran earlier?
While Lu Xin’s mind swam with chaotic thoughts, he felt his hand being tugged. Looking down, he saw Little Sister curiously peering at Qin Ran’s corpse. Following her gaze unconsciously, Lu Xin felt a jolt of shock run through him.
Qin Ran’s body, pierced by bullets, was still bleeding, the red pool darkening the surrounding mud. Strangely, the blood seemed to flow endlessly. As it bled, the body itself began to shrivel.
Its frame became stooped, its features withered; within moments, it had transformed into an entirely different person.
“Who is this?”
Lu Xin blurted out in surprise, alerting the Investigation Team.
They, too, saw this change. They hurriedly took photographs and transmitted them through the Electronic Devices on their arms.
The comms channel soon filled with the sound of frantic paper shuffling or file-scrolling, a sign of urgent information retrieval.
Within moments, Han Bing’s voice came through, unable to mask her astonishment: “This is… this is… Cui Wang!”