Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 10 Disguise
Zhuang Fan was strapped to the operating table, his entire body tightly bound, unable to move.

"Young friend, it will be over soon."

"I'm going to make things difficult for you."

"hehe."

Xu Renyi was in a good mood.

The blond doctor complimented, "Mr. Xu, everything is ready on my end, and we can begin at any time."

Upon hearing this, Max immediately ordered all unrelated personnel to evacuate the scene.

Xu Renyi remained silent.

He slowly extended his withered fingers, examined them carefully, felt the dull, bellows-like heartbeat in his shriveled chest, and finally exhaled a long breath.

The scene was silent; everyone was waiting for instructions.

He nodded solemnly: "Let's begin."

The blond doctor bowed again and then closed the heavy alloy door of the operating room.

He and six doctors on site officially began the surgery.

Max led a large number of soldiers to guard the gate, prohibiting anyone from approaching, not even Xu Lanshan could enter.

The intense light from the operating lamp shone on Zhuang Fan's face, making it extremely dazzling.

The memory transfer device was placed in the center of the operating room. It was a huge black cube with numerous auxiliary facilities and thick black cables connected to both ends.

Medical staff placed numerous patches on Zhuang Fan's temples and forehead, and slowly inserted a sharp needle into his skull.

He frowned slightly, a barely tolerable stabbing pain shooting through his head.

On the other side, Xu Renyi's body was under general anesthesia, and the blond doctor personally performed a craniotomy on him.

Subsequently, medical staff carefully removed the brain that contained four hundred years of memories and placed it into the black cube.

The cube slowly closed, sealing the vaporous liquid nitrogen inside.

The next step is the transfer of the soul.

But before the machine starts, the blonde doctor has one last thing to do.

He pushed Xu Renyi's brainless body into the nearby corpse-dissolving furnace.

This was Xu Renyi's order—regardless of whether the surgery went smoothly or not, his original skull and body had to be completely destroyed to prevent them from being used by others.

The doctor pressed a button, and a highly concentrated acidic liquid gushed out along the tube.

"laugh--"

Xu Renyi's body was submerged in the cadaver furnace, and it was charred and blackened at a visible speed until soon there was no trace of his remains.

It can be said that the original Xu Renyi has physically died, and a new "Xu Renyi" is still in the process of being born.

After disposing of the body, the blond doctor stepped aside and kept a close eye on the instruments.

The black cube emitted a low-frequency hum, and the indoor lights dimmed accordingly, instantly creating a terrifying atmosphere.

Zhuang Fan's heart began to pound uncontrollably, as if he were about to be sent to the execution ground, and a strong sense of powerlessness welled up within him.

He felt he should struggle one more time, even if it was a last-ditch effort, to prevent that old bastard from succeeding in possessing his body.

Xu Renyi once said that the eerie fog can interfere with the transfer of consciousness.

Thinking of this, he mobilized the little bit of light mist he had painstakingly collected within his body, compressed it into dark mist, and then slowly transferred it into his head, allowing it to spread evenly.

Zhuang Fan wasn't sure if this would work, but he had to try and see if he could lure the old beast into his trap.

Suddenly, a sharp pain, like a steel needle, shot straight into his mind.

Holy crap, what the hell?

The pain, which seemed to emanate from his very soul, made him tremble uncontrollably. He was in so much pain that he couldn't speak and felt as if he were suffocating.

You're in serious trouble!
His fingers gripped the edge of the bed tightly, his muscles spasming, his fingernails turning white from congestion.

"Hahaha, I'm going to live!"

The old man's exaggerated and unrestrained laughter was deafening in his mind, but the blond doctor and the others could not hear it.

Has Xu Laomo really gotten into his brain?
As Zhuang Fan was lost in thought, he felt his eyelids become as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he could no longer hold on, so he completely fainted.

At this moment, the machine was still heating up rapidly, and the humming sound became increasingly sharp.

The blond doctor watched everything with tension. He was only responsible for the craniotomy and brain removal surgery, and he couldn't get involved in the subsequent consciousness transfer process, so he didn't know what was happening.

The surgery was successful; he was a major contributor.

The surgery failed, and Max tore him apart on the spot.

As for Xu Renyi's self-awareness, it embarked on a wondrous journey of wandering.

At first, he was trapped in a pitch-black space where there was no light or sound.

Then, he felt his consciousness being torn apart bit by bit, falling uncontrollably into a darker abyss.

"What's happening here……"

The speed of the fall increased rapidly, so fast that his consciousness was almost torn into a straight line, at risk of being pulled apart.

But he could strongly feel that he had successfully entered Zhuang Fan's mind along the pipeline, and he couldn't help but burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Young friend, I'm so sorry, I will take good care of your body."

He didn't know how much time had passed when he crashed heavily into a vast, boundless black ocean. The immense impact nearly shattered his mental world.

Before Xu Renyi could recover, he found countless black hands tearing at his body, and all he could hear were wails, pain and screams.

Something's not right, have we arrived in hell?

Just then, the sky darkened, the earth trembled, and a pair of black eyes covered the entire sky, coldly watching him.

"You... young friend?"

Xu Renyi was so terrified by the stare that he could barely straighten his knees.

Before he could even think, he was torn to shreds and became part of the black ocean.

In the final moments before his consciousness faded, only one thought remained:
I... I really regret it.

……

An hour later, the surgery was successfully completed.

Zhuang Fan remained unconscious, his face pale.

Max stared at the blond doctor and said in a low voice, "Now, what's the situation?"

The blond doctor was a little unsure: "His physical condition is good, there is no rejection reaction, but... the electrical signals in the brain area are abnormally active."

Max continued, "When will you wake up?"

"Commander, let's wait patiently a little longer. Normally, it should be soon... well, normally."

……

Zhuang Fan opened his eyes, looking quite dazed. A strong sense of dizziness made him feel like the world was spinning, and it took him a while to gradually adjust.

Who am I? Where am I?
After regaining his senses, Zhuang Fan confirmed that his identity had not changed in any way.

Cognition is normal, logical reasoning is normal, it's an original product.

What happened to that old bastard? Did the surgery fail?

Wait, something's odd.

Zhuang Fan could clearly feel that a small, unfamiliar, and hazy thing had been forcibly inserted into his world of consciousness.

This thing looks like a white silkworm cocoon, and it is being continuously peeled away, causing it to shrink in size.

Finally, it stopped rotating and remained suspended in mid-air.

He closed his eyes and tried to read it, only to find that it was a jumble of fragmented memories, not in pieces, and full of cracks.

Forcing him to read it would cause a strong sense of rejection and headaches, so he had to give up for the time being.

But Zhuang Fan was certain that this was Xu Renyi's pure memory; as for where the old man's consciousness had gone, he didn't know.

Old fool, I still won in the end.

Max noticed the person on the hospital bed move and immediately went over, tentatively asking in a low voice, "Mr. Xu?"

Zhuang Fan slowly opened his eyes and saw Max and Xu Lanshan standing by the bed, their faces full of anxiety.

He didn't speak first, still pondering how to feign it.

The moment his eyes met Max's, it was as if some mechanism had been triggered, and fragments of memories about this man surged forth, piecing together a complete file:
Name: Max Hardy
Origin: German

Frozen date: 2380

Thawing date: 2680

Real age: 58 years old

Current position: Commander of the First Nuclear Legion and its Guard Regiment
Service entry: 20

Faction: Xu Renyi's camp
All of Xu Renyi's memories of his time with Max flashed by like a slideshow.

He saw a young German soldier struggling to survive in the ruins of the 24th century, saw the bewildered man awakened from his cryogenic chamber, and saw the man's loyal reports over the past 20 years.

This man was taciturn, impartial in his official duties, and strict with himself, which made Zhuang Fan understand that his true nature was a sharp sword called "loyalty".

Seeing that he remained silent, Xu Lanshan couldn't help but glance at Max and ask softly, "Mr. Xu, is it really you?"

Zhuang Fan then looked at Xu Lanshan.

Similarly, all her memories are presented one by one:

Name: Xu Lanshan
Identity: Xu Renyi's youngest granddaughter
Real age: 230 years old

Current position: CFO and Director of Nuclear Group

Term of office: 82 years

Faction: Xu Renyi's camp
Having the experience of reading Max's memories, this time it was done almost instantly, and all the past moments of grandfather and grandson's interactions were clearly displayed before his eyes.

Having witnessed centuries of trials and tribulations, Xu Lanshan could not hide his unease at this moment: "Master Xu, do you still remember me?"

Zhuang Fan completely put himself in the role of the old man and said in Xu Renyi's tone, "Shan, it's me. I'm not dead."

Xu Lanshan's eyes were slightly red: "Master Xu, the surgery was really a success."

Max, on the other hand, was more cautious. He stared at Zhuang Fan and asked, word by word, "Mr. Xu, please give us the code."

This reminder immediately activated Xu Renyi's memory of the "code".

Before the surgery, Xu Renyi had secretly instructed that as long as the new "self" could correctly give the code, Max and Xu Lanshan must be absolutely loyal and obey the new master's orders.

Xu Lanshan also approved of this plan.

“Mr. Xu, I need a code,” Max emphasized again.

Zhuang Fan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Xiaomai, only you and Shan know this code. There is no third party."

Max's eyes were firm: "I know, I've memorized every syllable, and I'll never forget it."

Zhuang Fan was a little shy. After clearing his throat, he read aloud in standard Mandarin:

"An old man, with youthful exuberance, tosses his hair."

Completely correct!

Max completely lowered his guard and knelt on one knee: "Mr. Xu, please forgive my intrusion."

“Master Xu…” Xu Lanshan excitedly grasped his wrist.

"You're right to be cautious. Alright, didn't I tell you before not to kneel anymore? Xiaomai, you need to get rid of this bad habit."

"Yes!"

While criticizing, Zhuang Fan silently withdrew his hand.

Wait...

He suddenly realized that he was not wearing a simultaneous interpretation device, yet he could understand the "Esperanto" spoken by the two people without any problems and communicate fluently.

He recalled the white silkworm cocoon; it seemed that what was "digested" first were Xu Renyi's basic life instincts, such as language, before his death.

In any case, the old scoundrel did him a great favor, so he could die without regrets and deserved a reward.

"Mr. Xu, how are you feeling now?"

This is a good question.

After thinking for a while, Zhuang Fan decided to tell the truth: "I don't feel very good."

Xu Lanshan and Max both looked over.

"Your body is very energetic, full of vitality, and your mind is active. I am very satisfied. However, the aftereffects have also arrived."

Zhuang Fan stretched out his palm to examine it carefully, and said slowly:

"Because my friend's memories completely overlap with mine, and because he has a deep-seated obsession that refuses to fade, my personality and habits have deviated significantly from what they were before, and I have forgotten many things that I can only remember slowly."

Max seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhuang Fan smiled and said, "For example, I used to hate hamburgers, but now I love them."

Xu Lanshan shook her head: "Master Xu, these are just minor matters, it's alright."

Max also said softly, "Mr. Xu, limb transplants can cause rejection, and consciousness transfer also requires an adaptation process, which is normal."

"You didn't understand it properly."

Zhuang Fan's words immediately revealed the underlying meaning to Xu Lanshan: "Mr. Xu, are you worried... that the group's shareholders and board of directors will not accept your new body?"

Zhuang Fan looked relieved: "That's right, that's exactly what I was worried about."

Max checked the information: "Master Xu, the board members from headquarters have rushed over overnight, and Xu Tiansheng even brought Illusion Eye here personally."

"Very good, it's time for them to get to know me again."

(End of this chapter)