The Suspect

ground.

More than a dozen transport ships slowly landed.

Within the experimental field, although there is no police force in the true sense, various top forces each have their own defensive capabilities.

at this time.

These transport ships unloaded their cargo from the Research Society's base and returned to the ground.

In an instant, they were surrounded by hundreds of people in black suits.

News of Doctor Jiao's attack has reached the ground. Since no other aircraft escaped from the air base, these transport ships must be thoroughly searched.

"YZ-016 transport ship, inspection complete, safe."

"YZ-017 transport ship, inspection complete, safe."

"Transport ship YZ-018, about to undergo inspection..."

At the front of a transport ship, a man in a black suit lightly touched a communicator to his ear, gripped a heavy beam weapon tightly in both hands, and aimed it straight at the huge hatch in front of him that was about to open.

Buzz...

Utter darkness erupted, engulfing everything, as if all the light in the world had vanished in an instant.

"Transport ship YZ-018 has encountered an abnormal situation!"

A roar from the man in the black suit echoed across the entire communication frequency.

At the same time, countless beams of light were fired from all directions. With a deafening roar, the YZ-018 transport ship was completely destroyed, turning into countless fragments.

But what no one noticed was...

In YZ-019, adjacent to the YZ-018 transport ship, a dilapidated small aircraft, taking advantage of the extreme darkness, successfully took off, escaped the battlefield, and disappeared into the distant sky.

Qin Yiguan closed his eyes, sensing the darkness, and thought to himself, "The maximum coverage area of Liquid Black Hole is about 10 kilometers... Familiarity with the tool is the first step in using it."

He gently pressed the piece of chewing gum that had popped out of his hand back into the Box.

The overwhelming darkness vanished instantly.

The ground crew's vision returned in an instant, but their attention was immediately focused on the ruins in front of them. No one noticed the Three-Legged Cat, which had been reduced to a tiny black dot.

Inside the Three-Legged Cat.

"Waaaaah."

"The image of that corpse is haunting my mind."

Chen Mudou sobbed softly, then suddenly turned around, tears still on his face, and said earnestly, "Everyone, please rest assured, I'll take care of reporting back to the gang and collecting my reward. I will complete it diligently and without any mistakes."

Jingye Meinan subconsciously grinned.

This Xiao Ya... is inexplicably creepy.

And the Qin Yiguan.

He quietly watched the two members, his gaze shifting back and forth.

Who smashed open the alloy door to the conference room?

Who was it that knocked the powerful Jiu Zhengxuan away?

really.

In this kind of world, you can't judge a book by its cover.

Beep beep beep.

It was that familiar alarm clock ringing again.

The boy opened his eyes, then got up, drew back the curtains, and let the sunlight stream in evenly.

The darkness inside the room was dispelled, revealing the entire bedroom.

He looked at his body; he wasn't even dressed, let alone have the 'clues' Jiao Shensan had left him in his pocket.

It seems all the mysteries will be revealed tomorrow night.

The core of the Metaverse, Core Earth, 053 High School.

Jiu Zhengxuan was still wearing that pristine white double-breasted suit, his side-parted hairstyle looking refined and handsome, but his eyes were bloodshot.

He sat in his seat at the very back of the classroom.

A figure was drawn on the empty panel in front of him.

At the Research Society's base, when he smashed the second-to-last security gate, for a fleeting moment, he caught a glimpse of the murderer.

However, the murderer's entire body was covered by a gray coating, so only his outline could be discerned.

He added another stroke, making the image even more closely resemble his fleeting glimpse.

The person in the painting should be... a very thin boy with a straight posture, wearing a jacket and slim-fit jeans.

"Thank you."

"You made me experience the first humiliation of my life."

I will definitely find you!

Jiu Zhengxuan's eyes flashed, and he clenched his fist.

now.

The classroom door was pushed open.

A boy dressed in all black, with a backpack slung across his shoulder, slowly walked in.

Jiu Zhengxuan seemed to have thought of something, and then turned the background of the virtual canvas to transparent, slowly raised it, and pointed it forward.

And Qin Yiguan happened to be able to see it from afar.

In that instant, the silhouette of the person in the painting and the boy standing at the door perfectly overlapped.

Jiu Zhengxuan's brows furrowed, then suddenly relaxed!

"Classmate Qin Yiguan."

"What's wrong, Jiu Zhengxuan?"

Two teenagers stood at the classroom door; to be precise, Jiu Zhengxuan jumped down from his seat and blocked Qin Yiguan's path.

"Qin Yiguan, did you log into the Experimental Zone last night?"

Jiu Zhengxuan said coldly.

The boy smiled and said, "Heaven is my witness, I was sleeping at home last night."

"Hehe."

Jiu Zhengxuan felt as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

He chuckled softly, then frowned and said, "Now I understand why you hid the fact that you already had Nutrient Pod from everyone! It's because you had another, shady identity within the Experimental Zone! Last night, you used the Nutrient Pod to enter the Experimental Zone, infiltrated the Research Society, and then..."

"Research Society?!"

Something happened?

"My God."

But then, Taotie Clam barged in.

He exclaimed in surprise, because he had come across a news article from the Experimental Zone.

The report was broadcast over Clam's handheld device.

"According to reliable sources, Jiao Shensan, the Research Society Chief Scientist, was assassinated last night in the Experimental Zone."

Rumor has it that Dr. Jiao Shensan suffered severe injuries and died in his original form.

At this moment, Jiu Zhengxuan was grinding his teeth, staring intently at Qin Yiguan, "This, you did it!"

Qin Yiguan chuckled, "You're usually so upright and honest, how come we were only classmates for two days, and you've already accused me of such a serious crime?"

Jiu Zhengxuan's expression suddenly became calm. "Within the Metaverse, individual memories can already be extracted. Coincidentally, I saw the murderer last night, and I am willing to donate my memories."

Qin Yiguan remained calm. "So, you saw what the murderer looked like?"

"No."

Jiu Zhengxuan raised his head slightly, "But times have changed. I don't necessarily need to see the murderer's face, nor do I need to have the murderer's fingerprints or anything like that in the old days."

"A normal person."

It has 639 muscles and 210 joints.

"This allows for countless combinations, countless shapes, and countless angles."

"And for an adult, years of exercise habits have made this combination very fixed."

"But what's amazing is that, in the same posture, if you compare the movement trajectory, joint angles, and the degree of muscle bulge on a microscopic scale... no two people are exactly the same!"

"In other words, all I need to do is use professional equipment to capture a single, unconscious movement of yours, and I can completely pinpoint your identity."

Jiu Zhengxuan stared at Qin Yiguan, "I have a fleeting image of the murderer's posture in my mind. He was looking down at me, just like you are now!"

Qin Yiguan's eyes flickered slightly.

"Of course I won't make a judgment."

Jiu Zhengxuan continued, "Therefore, I will contact the ' Verification Section ' now and ask for your cooperation in the investigation to help us enter your exercise data!"

Qin Yiguan's mind was in turmoil.

Under the simulated conditions of the Metaverse, human technological progress has been remarkable.

The memories in Jiu Zhengxuan's brain + secondary capture by the device.

Subtle contrast in movements...

This is indeed unsolvable!

Boom.

Boom.

But Jiu Zhengxuan clenched his fist, and on his fair palm, veins bulged and muscles rose, clearly indicating that he possessed immense power.

"Classmate Qin Yiguan."

"You are suspected of involvement in a major murder case."

"And you yourself may be in extreme danger."

"As an official... as an ordinary citizen, I have a duty to maintain the safety of society."

"To prevent you from escaping the investigation, I have no choice but to take you into custody beforehand."

I'm sorry.

Jiu Zhengxuan slowly approached.

The boy frowned.

This guy... not only possesses explosive power within the Metaverse Experimental Zone, but he's also a monster in the Core Earth, where rules and order are no different from reality!

According to the logic of the Gemini Superbrain, we should all be ordinary people right now!

But it was at this moment.

The announcement came through the Clam's handheld device again.

"Regarding this incident, the Research Society held a special press conference to explain the situation."

"Wait, the Research Society's official term is -- debunking rumors?"

immediately.

On the Clam's virtual screen, footage of the press conference appeared.

This was an open-air venue, where reporters of all kinds had gathered, creating a bustling scene.

"Debunking the rumors?"

Were there any errors in our reporting of the assassination details?

"That's why we need to refute the rumors?"

Suddenly, a chorus of surprised exclamations arose from the scene, followed by absolute silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Then, a figure with an upright posture slowly walked out, stepped onto the stage, and scanned the entire audience with a distinctive gaze before looking at the camera.

"That is..."

"How is that possible???"

Someone exclaimed.

But then the figure in the white coat gave everyone a relaxed smile.

"Gentlemen, I only found out this morning. I heard... I was killed?"

The press conference caused an uproar.

That's Dr. Jiao Shensan!

He is safe and sound!

This!

And here I am now.

"This fully proves that everything before was just a rumor."

"Not to mention things like my body being injured, or that I'm already dead."

"Hehe."

"This is all absurd."

"I'm just a scientist, how could I possibly be involved in any 'scandals'?"

But on the screen, Dr. Jiao Shensan and composed, his tone even carrying a hint of humor. In short, he was sending a message to the world. "Nothing to do today, let's call it a day."

Jiu Zhengxuan stood frozen in place, his raised arm hanging stiffly in mid-air.

The same applies to the Qin Yiguan.

But the next second...

The boy's Pupil contracted slightly as he stared intently at the Clam's screen.

Because of his [Shadow Syndrome] ability, he is very good at observing others. In the Research Society's conference room, Qin Yiguan once carefully observed Jiao Shensan.

And this person on the screen at this moment.

His temples had fewer gray hairs, perhaps 100, perhaps 200, but in any case, they were less.

The wrinkles around his nose and eyes... have also lessened.

Although the two look exactly alike.

But the person in front of me looks 1-3 years younger!

Most importantly.

The Jiao Shensan that Qin Yiguan once saw had eyes full of disappointment with the world. In the moment before his suicide, there was a sense of 'finally being free'!

And the person on the screen.

His eyes were calm and gentle, even with a hint of ease and humor.

These are two completely different states of mind.

Qin Yiguan's eyes slowly widened.

this.

It's definitely not Jiao Shensan!