Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 9 Surgery
Max found it quite troublesome.

Zhuang Fan disguised himself as Xu Renyi, which prevented the AI ​​system from killing him. Instead, like a snowball, more and more armored soldiers joined his team.

Sending security personnel to surround Zhuang Fan would be like trying to stop a tank with their own bodies—a one-way trip.

David couldn't help but exclaim, "This kid's got something! He's using your own weapon against you."

"Shut up."

Seeing Max's cold face, David didn't dare to say a word.

After a while, Max issued new instructions:
"All teams, immediately withdraw the armored troops and iron guards from their respective areas, remove the batteries, and all area managers, shut down the watchtower machine guns, mechanical dogs and drone swarms, and seal off all armories."

But soon, he received a warning from the system:
"Xu Renyi" disappeared again and shut down most of the shelter's communication modules and access control.

Max frowned. After waiting for a while, he tried to contact him: "Mr. Xu, please resume the command."

A tired voice came from the other end of the communication: "Master Xu is too tired. He just fell asleep. Let him rest for a while."

"Sorry, I didn't think well."

Max then contacted the control center, but they were also helpless: "The system security module is restarting and performing a self-check, which is expected to take thirty minutes."

His face was ashen, and he was in a terrible mood.

This means that Zhuang Fan can leave the shelter without any hindrance.

Gunfire still echoed in the distance. Max used his emergency privileges to deactivate the firing permissions of six armored soldiers.

The other guards then swarmed forward and removed the battery packs from their backs.

Max pondered for a while and then issued new instructions:
"Withdraw all of them. There's no need to stop them. Let the soldiers on the elevator platform withdraw as well. He wants to run away, right? I'll grant his wish."

David couldn't help but ask, "Old Mike, are you upset? That kid really ran away!"

Max shook his head: "He'll only get himself into trouble."

On the other side, Zhuang Fan was already exhausted.

His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his face was covered with melted paper paste. The disguise of "Xu Renyi" was almost gone, and he was left with only eight loyal armored soldiers.

After a few hundred rounds of back and forth with that old guy, the old man finally "kicked out" and logged off.

Zhuang Fan issued a final instruction: to have the system restart and perform a self-check, with a time limit of 30 minutes, which was irreversible.

He also harbored some ulterior motives, feeling that this 30-minute power vacuum might encourage certain people to make their move.

Now, he can no longer pretend, all his advantages have vanished, and he is ready to fight to the death.

But in the latter half of the journey, he was surprised to find that there were no enemies to stop him, and he arrived at the elevator platform without any obstacles.

The armored soldiers' rotating machine guns roared and smashed the gate to the control center.

There was no one inside.

Zhuang Fan increasingly felt that something was amiss, but the die was cast and there was no other choice.

Through his analysis, he located the most crucial mechanical start button, allowing the elevator to start smoothly.

Then, he and eight armored soldiers stepped onto the elevator, with him positioned in the center.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Zhuang Fan felt his heart clench with anxiety, knowing that his chance of escape was within reach.

However, accidents always happen as expected.

Just then, the elevator emitted a sharp metallic scraping sound, sparks flew from the cable brake, and the entire elevator jolted violently, coming to a stop in mid-air.

Zhuang Fan checked the elevator and found that it had no accessible ports, was purely mechanical, and had no backup power.

The nearest escape ladder is 30 meters high, and the well walls are so smooth that it's impossible to climb up.

He paused for a moment, then said self-deprecatingly, "This time I've really pulled off a miracle."

……

On the other side, Max smiled with a triumphant grin after learning that Zhuang Fan was trapped: "Now, his armored soldiers are useless."

Suddenly, an urgent message came through the communicator, accompanied by a frantic shout:

"Commander! Commander! Mr. Xu has been attacked! Twenty thugs have broken down the door! Heavy firepower available, return immediately!"

Max was stunned. He had just tricked Zhuang Fan, but he didn't expect Zhuang Fan to turn the tables on him.

He glared angrily: "Hold on, all of you!"

Max was truly enraged. He had planned everything meticulously, but he never expected the enemy to take advantage of his vulnerability and raid his home.

He immediately assembled a combat squad, and with heavy firepower support, they managed to break through several enemy-blocked defensive lines.

He quickly realized something was wrong.

These thugs were all bionic soldiers, without any markings, but their appearance resembled that of domestic service models.

Lacking internet connectivity and computing power, they have poor combat skills, but are fearless in the face of death.

Max finally saw through their purpose—a self-destructive attack to completely eliminate Xu Renyi.

"Boom--!"

One after another, the androids self-destructed, blasting countless holes in the steel walls, filling the scene with dust and flames.

Max was both shocked and furious. Ignoring his injuries, he grabbed a shotgun and charged ahead, blasting the heads of the remaining androids at close range.

It took about ten minutes to completely annihilate the invading enemy.

He rushed into the innermost room, and fortunately the walls there were exceptionally thick, so he wasn't subjected to too much impact.

Xu Renyi had only four guards left. Xu Lanshan had an injured left arm, and blood stained her sleeve, but she was otherwise unharmed.

After confirming that the medical team was alright, Max let them in to treat Xu Lanshan and the others' wounds.

Xu Renyi was exhausted and had fallen asleep after receiving a sedative injection.

At that moment, as if sensing the movement outside, he struggled for a long time before slowly opening his eyes.

"Mr. Xu, are you alright?"

"problem occurs?"

Xu Renyi regained his senses: "Help me up first."

With the help of Xu Lanshan and Max, he sat back in his wheelchair and asked in a slightly tired, deep voice:
"What just happened?"

Max wiped away a cold sweat and reported the truth.

"Ha, some people are always hoping for my death. It's not even a chance yet, and they can't wait to see me die."

Max's expression turned serious: "I will investigate this thoroughly."

Xu Renyi was more concerned about Zhuang Fan: "Young friend, have you caught him yet?"

"He's trapped in the elevator; he can't escape."

"Okay, then bring him back."

Xu Renyi's eyes turned cold. "To avoid any unforeseen complications, let's begin the surgery shortly." "Mr. Xu, won't you rest for a bit?"

"No."

Xu Renyi thought for a moment and cautiously said, "How about this, let's take the young friend for a check-up first, and thoroughly examine his memory to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Zhuang Fan's cryo-chamber was missing too much data, and his ability to perform on the spot was astonishing, so he couldn't help but be suspicious.

The blonde doctor accepted the order and left the room.

Max decided to stay by Xu Renyi's side, so he asked David to deal with the armored soldiers and bring Zhuang Fan back.

David pointed to himself: "Me?"

"You can also go to jail."

"I promise I'll bring him back!"

David prepared multiple layers of protection for himself, then climbed up the iron fence passage, carefully approaching the elevator platform.

Zhuang Fan sat cross-legged in the center, surrounded by eight armored soldiers, looking imposing.

David was very wary; without using concussion grenades and plasma rifles, it would be difficult to take them down quickly in a short time.

However, when he saw Zhuang Fan regain his original appearance, he immediately understood what had happened.

This kid definitely doesn't have the authority, so he can't get the armored troops to attack. He's basically given up.

In fact, once Zhuang Fan realized he couldn't escape, he stopped struggling and just sat there in a daze.

For someone who spends so much time researching in the lab, daydreaming is an extremely luxurious and wasteful activity, but at this moment he just wants to clear his mind and get rid of the bizarre and absurd thoughts lingering in his head.

It was as if one second he was discussing brain-computer interface anti-interference systems with the professor, and the next second he was frozen in a future world 700 years in the future, all alone and trapped in a den of thieves, which seemed very unreal.

"Hey, you're not running away anymore, are you?"

Zhuang Fan smiled when he saw an acquaintance: "It's possible for both sides to suffer heavy losses, but there's no need for that."

He guessed Max's idea: having David come and persuade him to surrender would be even more effective.

"Yes, yes, as the ancients said, harmony is the most precious thing."

David was genuinely scared. As he spoke, he had someone bring in signal hacking equipment to restore the armored troops' network.

After Xu Renyi's order came and the armored soldiers' defensive mode was deactivated, David breathed a sigh of relief and smoothly arrived at Zhuang Fan's side.

"Let's go, brother, come back with me."

Zhuang Fan nodded and silently stood up.

"No need to tie him up anymore. If this kid really wants to run away, none of you can stop him."

"You think so highly of me."

After Zhuang Fan finished speaking, he stopped and looked at the armored soldiers standing by and the rotary machine gun in his hand.

David asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

He remained silent, gazing at the scene for a long time.

Zhuang Fan felt a tightness in his chest, a sense of unease and frustration, and he could hardly contain himself.

He suddenly raised his leg.

"boom--"

He kicked the heavy gun barrel hard, bending it with a crisp "click".

He continued kicking, as if he were going mad.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

After being kicked seven or eight times in succession, the gun barrel was completely broken off, and the parts were scattered all over the ground, making a piercing clanging sound.

David waved to stop the guards from raising their guns, and simply watched quietly, letting Zhuang Fan vent his anger.

After venting his anger, Zhuang Fan remained silent, following quietly behind David, a stark contrast to his earlier madness.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Brother, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

David simply sighed and shook his head after hearing this.

Instead of taking Zhuang Fan back to his cell, the group sent him to the laboratory.

Under the blonde doctor's orders, Zhuang Fan's hands and feet were tightly bound, and four or five alloy steel cables were added to his body.

The doctor looked at him with a hint of regret: "Why struggle? In the end, the result will be the same, and you'll only suffer more."

"Enough with the nonsense, hurry up."

"Still stubborn."

A huge black disc covered Zhuang Fan's head, the machine emitted a continuous roar, and a strong electric current rushed into his brain and spread throughout his body.

"Zi-"

Zhuang Fan's body convulsed instantly. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and sweat poured down his forehead, yet he still had the mind to mock: "Is that all the torture methods you have?"

The blond doctor smiled and said, "I have many methods at my disposal. But your body is too precious for me to use too much force."

Zhuang Fan stared at the huge black disc, gritting his teeth as he said, "So, you're going to read my...memories again?"

"Guessed it right."

Zhuang Fan looked indignant and helpless, feeling like he'd been electrocuted for no reason: "Could you have told me earlier next time? I would have definitely cooperated!"

He also hoped that this group would investigate carefully to see if they could uncover some of his past secrets.

For example, his strong physical fitness, extraordinary reaction ability, enhanced memory... all of these are like a fog, and he doesn't know who has tampered with him.

As for the memory of controlling the mysterious fog, he was certain they couldn't dig it out and would resolutely resist it in their subconscious.

Ultimately, the retrieved memories were the trajectory of a person's life before being frozen, composed of many fragmented pieces.

The memories experienced after thawing are also fragmented, and the process of manipulating the eerie mist is perfectly hidden.

"Top-tier STEM talent, hyperthymesia, astronomy enthusiast, brain cancer patient, cryogenically frozen person..."

The researchers analyzed the situation for a while but found nothing unusual, so they had to classify Zhuang Fan as a "physically excellent person of the Common Era".

Max, who had been holding back for a long time, finally interjected: "Since we can't find anything, let's hurry up and perform the surgery. Don't delay any longer."

The blond doctor bowed slightly: "Commander, you may now invite Mr. Xu over."

Soon, Xu Renyi was wheeled in on a hospital bed. His eyes were slightly closed, and his breathing was steady; he seemed to have fallen asleep again.

Xu Lanshan whispered in his ear, "Master Xu, we're about to begin the surgery."

Xu Renyi seemed to sense something, and slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were still cloudy, and he looked slightly tired.

"Is it finally coming...?"

(End of this chapter)