Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 11 Seizing Power
Upon hearing the name "Xu Tiansheng," Zhuang Fan's mind was also triggered with related memories:
Name: Xu Tiansheng
Identity: Xu Renyi's eldest grandson
Real age: 275 years old

Current position: Nuclear Group Affairs Officer, Chairman
Term of office: 120 years

Faction: Xu Renyi's camp
However, no further detailed memories of Xu Tiansheng were revealed. After pondering for a while, Zhuang Fan roughly figured out the pattern.

If you directly encounter the person in question, the triggered memories will be very complete;
Mentioning a person's name or an object may trigger a memory, but it will not be complete.

Zhuang Fan felt he had been lying in bed long enough and decided to get up.

He refused their help and joked, "What, have you forgotten that I've changed into a new body?"

After saying that, he walked out of the medical room.

The blond doctor, who had been waiting outside, bowed deeply upon seeing him and said, "Mr. Xu."

"Well, hard work."

Zhuang Fan had no liking for the person who was frantically electrocuting him, so he waved him away.

The guards standing nearby were filled with respect, while the medical staff were filled with curiosity and awe towards him.

Next, Zhuang Fan underwent a series of physical examinations, reconstructed biometrics, extracted blood samples and DNA, and gradually replaced all of Xu Renyi's information.

With just three more days of rest, Zhuang Fan will be able to leave this place.

Xu Renyi's original residence was attacked and is now in a mess, with broken walls, and it will take time to repair.

So Xu Lanshan moved him to a more comfortable place to live, and the security was increased several times over.

Max and Xu Lanshan escorted Zhuang Fan to his residence. Before leaving, he reminded him:
"Mr. Xu, we just received news that the headquarters convoy will arrive in an hour."

After being fed a large amount of memories, Zhuang Fan was able to read the subtle changes in Max's expression.

"Xiaomai, speak your mind directly, don't be shy."

"Yes."

After careful consideration, Max cautiously said, "Mr. Xu, we need to be wary of people coming from headquarters."

Zhuang Fan hadn't fully figured out who was coming from headquarters or who was on the board of directors, so he naturally couldn't respond.

He gave a vague answer: "Let me hear your suggestion."

Max and Xu Lanshan exchanged a glance, then reported truthfully: "Mr. Xu, if headquarters causes trouble, we need to move forward with the [Primordial Project]."

Honghuang Project
Zhuang Fan quickly learned the full details of the plan, a special operation personally orchestrated by Xu Renyi.

Xu Renyi knew long ago that once he underwent the consciousness transfer surgery, the company's opposition forces would inevitably take action.

Only by overthrowing Xu Renyi can the opposition free up resources to feed the other wolves and hyenas.

Based on this, Xu Renyi began to plan ahead:

1. Xu Lanshan is responsible for compiling evidence of the target's embezzlement crimes and is ready to handle the matter from the company level at any time;

2. Max consolidated military power, won over the Second and Third Corps, and directly undermined the military strength of headquarters;

3. Under the guise of escorting "Illusion Eye," Xu Tiansheng gathered all the opposition members together and then wiped them out in one fell swoop.

Xu Renyi is a cunning old fox, and he probably has many more tricks up his sleeve, but Zhuang Fan only knows the steps of the "Primordial Project" and has not yet unlocked the other memories.

Zhuang Fan thought about it for a while and felt there was no major problem, so he agreed to carry it out.

"By the way, where is David?"

Max hesitated for a moment, then said truthfully, "He made a mistake and I've already put him in solitary confinement, Mr. Xu, what do you think?"

"It's a minor matter, let's put it aside for now. We need manpower right now."

Max glanced at Zhuang Fan in surprise, then nodded quickly.

Previously, Xu Renyi had zero tolerance for subordinates who made mistakes. For example, in the prison break incident, David was the person directly in charge. At best, he would be demoted and made a slave; at worst, he would become a member of the Iron Guard.

Max hadn't dared to bring it up because he hadn't figured out how to protect David, so he could only put it off for now.

Now, Zhuang Fan has dismissed the matter with a single, casual remark, leaving Max filled with surprise and bewilderment.

Upon further reflection, he became even more certain that Mr. Xu's thinking had indeed been influenced by the original host.

Well, that doesn't seem like a bad thing?
After dismissing the two men, Zhuang Fan returned to his residence, refused the servants' service, and stayed alone in his study.

There was a communication terminal in the study. When he tried to obtain the highest level of access, he realized that he was still a nobody and had no qualifications whatsoever.

But that didn't stop him from searching the group's intranet database.

He first entered his parents' names, Zhuang Yuanhang and Xu Nianxin, but got no results. He then entered his sister's name, Zhuang Li, but got the same blank result.

He switched to Chinese and searched again, but still got no results.

Zhuang Fan refused to give up and repeatedly murmured the names of his family members, trying to trigger Xu Renyi's memories.

Unfortunately, no matter how he tried, the memory remained unresponsive.

He sighed softly, thinking so too.

He already knew Xu Renyi's true identity; he was the founder of the Nuclear Group.

What does the nuclear group behind that mean?
It signifies a global behemoth, a top-tier ruling power, and represents the status of one of the ten largest conglomerates in the wasteland world.

The number of shelters built by the Nuclear Corporation alone exceeds one thousand, and the number of people it operates and manages exceeds ten million.

This is just the tip of the iceberg that Zhuang Fan knows; there is currently no information available about the company's internal affairs.

How could such a high-ranking and powerful old man possibly have any interaction with an ordinary person like him?

He once thought that since he had inexplicably traveled to 700 years in the future, could his father, who had made achievements in the field of cryomedicine, also be able to travel to the future?

In retrospect, it was just wishful thinking.

The guests from headquarters arrived half an hour early, and their presence and scale far exceeded Zhuang Fan's expectations.

More than a dozen major shareholders were present, along with the entire board of directors, followed by thirty or forty senior executives. The commanders and chiefs of staff of each legion were also present, but their troops did not enter. Instead, they surrounded the entire shelter and locked all exits.

The entire mountain range was completely surrounded by the combat legion. Any foolish zombies that tried to get close were instantly blasted to pieces by long-range artillery fire.

Max, unable to contact Xu Tiansheng, sensed something was wrong: "Mr. Xu, something is very wrong."

Xu Lanshan also noticed the problem: the script's direction was not as expected, and the key character had run into trouble.

Zhuang Fan gestured for them to calm down and said softly, "All the emergency exits of the shelter have been heavily guarded?"

Max nodded solemnly.

Zhuang Fan smiled and said, "They're up to no good; they're trying to trap us like turtles in a jar."

David, who had been silent the whole time, observed Zhuang Fan for a long time, still looking somewhat dazed.

One second he was a prisoner, the next he was a big boss giving orders, and he's still trying to adapt.

When he heard everyone discussing the escape routes, he whispered, "Um, actually... there's another exit."

Max glared at David: "Spit it out."

"In the energy center, there is an underground river."

"Energy center, hydroelectric power plant?"

Max frowned: "What kind of exit is that? If you were thrown into the dark river, you'd never come out again."

"No way. I happened to be on site when they were building the hydroelectric power station, and I threw a bunch of signal flares in. Guess what happened?"

Max frowned: "Continue."

David quickly said, "Later, while on duty, I wandered around for several days and finally found one of the signal beacons in a secluded stream at the foot of the mountain, five kilometers away."

Zhuang Fancai then realized that when David talked about serious matters, he didn't use any filler words or dialect.

He was a little curious: "Why did you do that?"

David gave an awkward smile and didn't dare to say anything.

Max scoffed and summed him up with one sentence: "He wanted to desert, but he didn't succeed."

After careful analysis, the three of them concluded that it was indeed feasible.

"Make a miniature waterproof cabin, and then stock it with emergency medicines and weapons, enough to allow one person to escape."

Xu Lanshan listened for a while, then couldn't help but ask, "Are we really that pessimistic? What if things worsen to the point where Master Xu needs to escape to the underground river?"

That meant the complete collapse of Xu Renyi's faction, with everyone imprisoned and no hope of a comeback.

Everyone knew the truth, but no one said it aloud.

Zhuang Fan said gently, "Don't worry about winning, worry about losing first. Xiao Wei, I'm entrusting the task of removing the hood to you. Do a good job."

David straightened his back: "I have fulfilled my mission."

After careful consideration, Zhuang Fan decided to take more comprehensive measures and have Max carry them out.

"Xiaomai, there are a few things you need to get done as soon as possible."

In the central hall, senior executives of the nuclear group gathered together via holographic projection.

The scene was mainly divided into three factions:

On the right is the Xu Renyi faction, centered around Zhuang Fan, including Max and Xu Lanshan, as well as several board members and senior executives, who make up a very small percentage of the total population.

On the left is the anti-chaos faction centered around Xu Tiansheng, which includes the vast majority of shareholders, board members, and senior executives, and has an absolute majority in number.

The middle ground represents the swing party that remains neutral and listens to whoever wins.

Max stared intently at Xu Tiansheng. He had never imagined that the one who would betray him was Xu Tiansheng, the eldest grandson on whom so much hope was placed.

As for Xu Tiansheng's son, Xu Wendao, he used to be Max's deputy, but now he stands with other legion commanders.

Max has completely lost contact with his former First Army troops and has been completely sidelined.

Xu Wendao shouted, "Max, I'll ask you one more time, where is Mr. Xu Renyi!"

Max stood his ground: "You traitorous dogs, I've said it many times, Xu Renyi is right in front of you, how long are you going to keep up this act!"

“Old Mike, you’re really confused. You’re calling a deer a horse and using such an outdated trick to seize power.”

Xu Tiansheng completely ignored Zhuang Fan's presence and turned to Xu Lanshan, saying in a serious tone, "Lanshan, don't follow him down the wrong path again. Turn back from your misguided ways."

Xu Lanshan stared at him, her eyes filled with anger.

Immediately afterwards, an investigator projected evidence: residual bones and tissue fluid extracted from the cadaver furnace.

The blond doctor, brought in with snot and tears streaming down his face, confessed: "It was Commander Max who made me do this. Old Mr. Xu is already dead."

The crowd was in uproar; there was both witness testimony and physical evidence.

"Alright, this farce should end now."

An elder of the Xu family stepped forward, his expression solemn, and solemnly announced in front of everyone:

"Mr. Xu Renyi, the founder of the Nuclear Group, passed away at 21:30 on January 16, 2710, at the Hanling No. 133 shelter due to a medical accident, at the age of 400."

In accordance with Mr. Xu Renyi's will, and following a vote at the shareholders' meeting, Mr. Xu Tiansheng was appointed as the second-generation leader of the group, and officially authorized 'Illusion Eye' to be kept by him personally.

The elder continued reading:
"According to the investigation and evidence collection by the Nuclear Group's Crime Department, Max Hardy, commander of the First Army Corps, is suspected of murdering Mr. Xu Renyi and usurping power. He has been stripped of all his military posts and taken back to headquarters to await trial."

"Chief Financial Officer Xu Lanshan participated in the power grab and forged multiple false documents during her tenure, constituting a serious crime. She is hereby removed from all positions and escorted back to headquarters to await trial."

After listing a long list of those to be dealt with, the old man finally came to Zhuang Fan's turn:
"Zhang Dafan, a cryogenically frozen person and a displaced person, is suspected of participating in the murder of Mr. Xu Renyi and stealing important confidential company documents. He is now being escorted back to headquarters to await interrogation."

(End of this chapter)