Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 7 Prison Break
After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Xu Renyi, in an attempt to "make amends," gave Zhuang Fan more promises and guarantees:

1. Restore their right to paint freely, with unlimited supplies of paper, pens, and paints, and plenty of glue;
2. As long as no dangerous or outrageous actions are taken, security personnel will no longer arbitrarily enter to conduct searches.

In addition, they also thoughtfully included many beautifully printed magazines and a large box of toilet paper.

Zhuang Fan stared at the magazines and toilet paper on the table, knowing they had been tricked, so he decided to continue the performance.

Zhuang Fan, watching the surveillance footage, clenched his fists, feeling utterly humiliated, as if his most secret thoughts had been seen through and exposed to the public.

His cheeks flushed, and his voice betrayed his anger: "Are you mocking me? This is so unfair..."

He took a deep breath, moved a stool over, stood on it, and yelled at the camera: "Xu Renyi, you old bastard, do you really enjoy spying on other people's privacy?!"

He clenched his fist as if to smash it, but then he thought about it again and quickly calmed down.

He grabbed another stool and, with all his might, smashed the nearest security camera.

Not content with smashing one, he then smashed four more nearby, leaving only the ones furthest away.

It could be said that the smash was perfectly timed.

For managers, apart from the slightly longer monitoring distance, the impact is not significant, and they can still accurately monitor Zhuang Fan's every move.

"Ha, he really values ​​his life. He's afraid of bleeding, so he can't even bring himself to use his fist to hit him."

Xu Renyi found this young friend increasingly interesting.

The thought of being able to control such a young and vibrant body after the surgery filled him with immense joy.

"Mr. Xu, those security cameras..."

Xu Renyi waved his hand with a cheerful smile: "There are less than 24 hours left, so let's just go along with him. Young people always need some privacy. Are you afraid he'll exhaust himself?"

In the monitoring room, everyone couldn't help but chuckle.

……

After venting his anger, Zhuang Fan seemed to have no appetite. He sat on the ground in a daze for a while, then lay down and fell asleep.

Through detailed analysis, the superconducting computer lowered Zhuang Fan's risk level from 50% to 8%.

The system determined that all of the target's responses conformed to the standard mental model and did not exceed it.

The third day, less than 12 hours before the surgery.

After a quick breakfast, Zhuang Fan resumed his normal painting routine.

He tried oil painting, landscape painting and figure drawing in turn, and soon the table was piled with drawing paper and paper models.

With an unlimited supply of glue, he rebuilt a thicker and more concealed paper house, large enough to easily accommodate his entire body.

After setting it up, he even gave the middle finger to the camera in the distance.

The regulators became suspicious and immediately analyzed the meaning of the gesture.

It means to extend a warm greeting to the other person's family.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Xu Renyi teased the birds in the cage and said with a kind smile, "My great-grandfather used to like to give people the middle finger when he was cursing."

Everyone was stunned.

They then remembered that Zhuang Fan was a "fossil-level" figure who lived in the same era as Mr. Xu's great-grandfather, so it was perfectly normal for him to have some ancient quirks.

At this moment, everyone treated Zhuang Fan like a monkey making a ruckus in a room, creating all sorts of noise, but unable to cause any real trouble.

After working for most of the day, Zhuang Fan finally retreated to the paper house to rest.

The slightly exaggerated expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by extreme calmness. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

He took out a pencil that he had already sharpened, and with his teeth, began to tear and pick at his fingernails little by little, peeling off a thin layer.

This is a very demanding and delicate task. If the nail is too thick, it will affect light transmission; if it is too thin, it will break easily. The force must be precise.

It took him more than an hour to carve out four satisfactory thin shells, which he then trimmed to the size of an iris.

"It's too slow, we must speed things up."

Zhuang Fan took a deep breath and began cutting the Xuan paper again, tearing it layer by layer until he reached the thinnest layer. This took another hour.

After separating the layers, he carefully compared the thin shell of his fingernail with the Xuan paper to determine which material was more suitable.

Ultimately, he chose a thin-shelled nail, which was not only waterproof but also easier to carve patterns on and wouldn't bleed.

Zhuang Fan relaxed a little and closed his eyes.

Two complex circular patterns appeared in my mind, covered with spots, filaments and stripes—the iris structures of David and Xu Renyi.

He wouldn't have wanted to talk for so long if it weren't for trying to remember the old man's iris.

He opened his eyes, picked up the finest pen, and carefully traced patterns on the thin membrane of his nail, holding his breath and concentrating throughout, even reducing his breathing rate to a minimum.

Another hour passed, and Zhuang Fan walked out of the paper house, exhausted. He casually flipped through the magazines, showing no interest in the bionic beauties inside.

After resting for a while, he went back into the paper house and continued carving.

However, in the eyes of the monitoring personnel, Zhuang Fan's "fighting power" was indeed amazing. He could fight continuously, but his rest period was very short, and his energy was too abundant.

Seeing this, Xu Renyi simply smiled and shook his head.

After another two hours of work, all the carving processes were finally completed smoothly.

Zhuang Fan sat on the ground and rested for a while. He was indeed exhausted, but his life was already on a countdown, and he still had many things to do.

This time, he began to paint portraits.

But unlike before, the figures he drew looked unusually bloated, even inhuman, as if a three-dimensional human body structure had been fully unfolded on a two-dimensional plane.

For example, the skin on the front and back of the hands, and the inner and outer linings of the clothes, must all be fully laid out and carefully drawn.

To avoid being discovered during a surprise search, he would draw several normal group portraits after completing each of these "expansion diagrams" to confuse the audience.

Even if regulators were standing right next to him, they would probably find it difficult to discern his true intentions from the mountain of drawings.

By evening, Zhuang Fan, who had been working tirelessly for more than ten hours, finally remembered that he had to eat something, otherwise he would not have the strength to escape.

He requested a double cheeseburger from logistics, specifically requesting an authentic McDonald's flavor. A burger? McDonald's?

Seeing the confused looks on the logistics staff's faces, Zhuang Fan impatiently drew the shape of a hamburger and repeatedly instructed them:
"Remember, don't forget to add pickled cucumbers and diced onions. The beef patties must be fresh. If you don't know, go ask Xu Renyi."

For him, the more picky the better, as long as he can gain more time.

After hearing the report, Xu Renyi understood the thoughts of this "fellow villager": "Knowing that he was going to be executed, it is reasonable for him to make some requests. My great-grandfather likes to eat this kind of hamburger. Alright, do as you ask."

He added, "Oh, and add a cup of Krono Coke, remember to add ice and make sure it's fully carbonated."

An hour later, the hamburger and cola were delivered to Zhuang Fan, giving him some time to finish up.

When Zhuang Fan saw the familiar hamburger, he was suddenly filled with emotion. He picked it up reverently and took a big bite.

Yes, it tastes like something from the old days.

The cola wasn't quite authentic; after drinking it, he felt a slight numbness on the tip of his tongue and couldn't help but frown as he looked at the glass bottle.

There shouldn't be any radiation, right?
Regardless, we need to get down to business after this meal.

Half an hour later, he glanced at the props inside the paper house; the glue had almost solidified. He crawled into the paper house and took off all his clothes.

The deception has officially begun.

……

On the other side, the blonde doctor had also finished adjusting the experimental equipment and had people tie up the messy tubing to keep the site clean, since the upcoming experiment could not afford any mistakes.

If the surgery is successful, he will be promoted to director of the group's experimental department and will no longer have to spend his whole life in this remote shelter.

As for the consequences of failure... that terrible man named Max didn't say.

But he knew very well that Max was Xu Renyi's most trusted and ruthless general, and that a single word from him could cost him his head.

Max was on the scene supervising, his eyes cold as an eagle, noticing that the blond doctor's condition was not right.

"Dr. Jin, is something the matter?"

"fine."

The blond doctor immediately snapped out of his reverie and shook his head hastily, "I was just thinking about the details of the craniotomy."

Max grunted in response and then ignored him.

Outside the operating room, twenty-four armored soldiers were fully equipped and ready to go, forming an impenetrable line of fire, with all three floors above and below within the security perimeter.

"Dr. Jin, thank you for your help here."

"Don't worry, I'll do a good job."

"We must do our best."

"Yes, I will do my best."

The blond doctor watched Max leave before his tense upper limbs relaxed slightly; that man was too intimidating.

Max checked everything carefully again, and after confirming that everything was correct, he returned to Xu Renyi's private living area.

At this time, under the care of a special person, Xu Renyi had changed into pure white clothes. His face was withered and dark, but his spirits were still good.

He and a dignified middle-aged woman were left alone in the room.

"Shan, you're 230 years old this year, aren't you?"

Seeing Xu Lanshan nod, Xu Renyi slowly said, "Once I figure out this resurrection route, it will be your turn."

"Master Xu, there's no rush."

Xu Lanshan pointed out the key point: "The more important thing next is to get all the senior executives of the group, including external partners, to acknowledge your new body."

"You're right. There will definitely be some minor setbacks for the company in the short term, but they won't affect the overall situation."

Xu Renyi's confidence stems from his absolute control over the group.

Max is the sharpest sword; he oversees all affairs of the Legion, large and small, demonstrating his unwavering loyalty.
Xu Lanshan is his youngest granddaughter and currently manages the entire group's finances; she is very reliable.

Xu Tiansheng is his eldest grandson, who is also the head of the group's affairs, personally overseeing the headquarters and stabilizing the rear.

With the three driving forces advancing in unison, and him acting as a stabilizing force, no one dared to easily shake their position.

As for the shareholders' commotion and provocation, they probably won't cause much of a stir. Instead, Xu Renyi will deal with them one by one after they all come out.

At this moment, he saw his subordinates pushing in a wheelchair, and he refused outright:
"After sitting in a wheelchair for so many years, let me walk this time and feel the power of this body one last time."

"Master Xu, let me help you."

With Xu Lanshan's help, he slowly stood up, and after adjusting to gravity, he tried to take a step forward.

However, after only a few steps, he almost fell to the ground and was eventually helped back into his wheelchair.

"Yes, it's really time to say goodbye to this body."

He seemed to have some lingering feelings, but more than that, he was looking forward to the phoenix's rebirth.

After undergoing multiple checks, Max entered the room and stood at attention in front of Xu Renyi.

Xu Renyi smiled and asked, "Is everything arranged over there?"

"Mr. Xu, everything is ready."

Xu Renyi said with a look of satisfaction, "Then please come over, young friend."

Max nodded and turned to leave.

But just then, an emergency alarm sounded throughout the shelter, its sharp, piercing buzzing sound penetrating every wall.

Xu Renyi frowned: "What happened?"

Max's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly inquired about the details. When the news came from the monitoring center, his eyes were filled with coldness.

"Mr. Xu, Zhang Dafan has escaped from prison."

(End of this chapter)