Chapter 403: Chapter 184: Lu Dayou and the Mysterious Stone Forest_3 He turned quickly and kowtowed to Lu Dayou, sobbing: "Uncle Lu, please believe me, I really didn’t mean anything, it was just instinct." "I beg you, I know I was wrong, I really couldn’t control myself at that moment." "I’m a bastard, a beast, I’m not human, please be magnanimous and forgive me this time." He slapped himself a few times hard. He really seemed very regretful. Liang Yuan frowned, unsure if the young man was pretending or truly realized his mistake. Yang Shenmin spoke up: "Mr. Liang, this indeed is a matter of human instinct." "It’s like drowning. Once one falls into the water, the drowning person will desperately grab anything that can save their life." Liang Yuan, hearing this, looked at the young man. The young man kept nodding: "Yes, yes, instinct, it truly was instinct, it was really a subconscious act." Yang Shenmin suddenly spoke again: "But this isn’t water, it’s a swamp." "Water will quickly pull you under, not giving you time to think calmly." "But in a swamp, as long as you don’t move wildly, you still have time to think. I don’t believe you didn’t calm down after being in there for so long." Yang Shenmin’s words made the young man’s face turn pale. He rushed to explain: "I really didn’t think much, honestly, Dr. Yang, please believe me." Liang Yuan said coldly: "Alright, no matter what you were thinking, Uncle Lu helped you this time. The mutated fruit belongs to him now, do you have any objections?" "Ah? But...that fruit isn’t with me." The young man said in surprise. Liang Yuan said: "I know, if we find another mutated fruit later, you must give Uncle Lu one." "This..." The young man hesitated but saw Liang Yuan and the others staring at him. He had no choice but to nod in agreement. Liang Yuan patted Lu Dayou: "Uncle Lu, this island is unsafe, there are many mutated creatures. I advise you to go back." Lu Dayou sighed and shook his head: "Mr. Liang, I can’t go back. If I hadn’t seen the mutated fruit, I might be persuaded by you now." "But I just saw the mutated fruit, and I was so close to it, I really can’t convince myself to go back." "You know my situation, Yanran can’t speak nor hear anything. Without me, it’s difficult for her to survive." "In this apocalypse, I can’t guarantee when I might die myself." "Before I die, I want her to have a means of self-protection." "I really can’t give up on the mutated fruit now." His expression was firm, his eyes revealed everything. Liang Yuan sighed and patted his shoulder: "Alright, since you’ve decided, I won’t persuade you further." "Just be careful." Lu Dayou laughed: "Don’t worry, my life is cheap, I won’t die easily." Liang Yuan couldn’t laugh, and then asked: "Who are the ones who took your mutated fruit? What do they look like?" Upon mentioning this, Lu Dayou looked angry: "A young man and a security guard in a security uniform, probably from Henglong Building." Liang Yuan immediately knew who they were. Ding Yan said instantly: "They have come up already." Yang Shenmin looked worried and quickly asked Lu Dayou: "Brother Lu, have you seen a girl in her twenties named Tang Ying? About this tall." He made a gesture, and Lu Dayou immediately remembered. "Are you asking about the girl who was with Ms. Song Wen rescuing people on a raft earlier?" "She left with Cai Zhi, Old Ma, and the others." Yang Shenmin hurriedly asked: "Which direction?" Lu Dayou pointed towards the center of the island: "Over there." Song Wen immediately said: "It’s the area where they were digging stones." Ding Yan suggested: "Let’s go together and check it out, that Space Ability User must be heading there too." Liang Yuan nodded: "Let’s go, Uncle Lu, are you coming with us?" Lu Dayou hesitated and shook his head: "No, I won’t go. There are many people over there. Even if there’s a mutated fruit, it won’t be my turn. I’ll try another direction." Though honest, he wasn’t dumb. With Old Ma, Cai Zhi, and Tang Ying over there. Liang Yuan and the others would definitely prioritize them, so he might as well try his luck elsewhere. Liang Yuan didn’t stop him and the group parted ways. Liang Yuan’s group of four sped up; the island wasn’t large, and they quickly reached the area filled with protruding stones. All the stones here were clustered into cone shapes. They looked like clusters of black crystal stones. Or like little black pine trees standing isolated on the ground. Some messy grass grew on the ground. But it was apparent that the grass wasn’t as lush as the ones in the swampy areas earlier. There were a dozen people digging and searching among the stones. Among them were Cai Zhi, Old Ma, Tang Ying, and others. Liang Yuan scanned the area immediately and said to Ding Yan and the others: "Do you see the Space Ability User?" "No, it seems they’re not here." Ding Yan shook her head. Yang Shenmin said: "Be careful, they might be hiding." "I’ll go ask what everyone is digging for." Song Wen whispered. "Let’s go together." They walked over together. "Old Ma!" Liang Yuan patted Ma Guocai and whispered. Ma Guocai looked up at Liang Yuan in surprise. This glance shocked Liang Yuan. Old Ma looked excited, his eyes were red. "Xiaoliang? Why... why are you here? Are you here to dig for mutated fruit too?" Liang Yuan felt uneasy: "What mutated fruit? Where?" Old Ma pointed at the piles of black stones: "Don’t you see these large mutated fruits?" "Quick, don’t just stand there, come dig! If we dig them out, everyone can have a bite, and we’ll all awaken!" Old Ma eagerly pulled Liang Yuan, wanting him to dig too. Liang Yuan’s face changed slightly, he looked at Song Wen, Ding Yan, Yang Shenmin, and Shi Haizhu. Shi Haizhu couldn’t help but say: "They all seem to be digging these stone piles." "Brother Liang, something’s wrong, their mental state seems off." Song Wen whispered. Ding Yan, looking serious, couldn’t help but grab Old Ma’s arm: "Old Ma, what’s wrong with you? These are just stones."