Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 35 Deception
Zhuang Fan was released from his status as a criminal and had his collar removed.

However, his freedom was still restricted, and he had to be escorted by guards.

Since he couldn't easily look at his pocket watch, he could only silently count the beats in his mind to estimate the time.

There are 2258 steps from the management office to the incineration plant.

At a normal walking pace, it takes 7 minutes and 30 seconds.

The guards escorting the goods today walked 10% faster.

Zhuang Fan adjusted his pace, trying to arrive at his destination at the predetermined time.

The walls on both sides of the passageway were in disrepair for many years, exposing steel bars and the pipes were also about to collapse.

He glanced at it briefly, then quickly looked away.

When he stepped through the side gate of the incinerator, the time stood still at 7:24.

A one-minute deviation is not a big problem.

Zhuang Fan shifted his gaze from the specialists, ignoring the medical pod, and instead focused on Watson.

The foreman had already walked towards him.

He frowned slightly. An unexpected blunder had occurred. If Watson had moved even half a step away, he could have died on the spot.

Several criminals stood around the conveyor belt, listlessly sorting through the trash.

Their eyes lit up when they saw Zhuang Fan return.

These people had threatened him before, and now they haven't left because they're genuinely waiting for the so-called "reward."

"Hey, where's the protein bar?" an old criminal asked, noticing that his hands were empty.

Another person quickly noticed something was wrong, pointing at Zhuang Fan's neck: "He's been redeemed? He's become a casual laborer?"

"It really is……"

The change in their status and position made the criminals dare not push their luck any further.

“Go back now, and I won’t pursue this matter.”

The old criminal frowned, and after weighing the options, he still couldn't resist the temptation of four protein bars.

Fearing that those around him might back down, he stood firm: "Hmph, what do you mean by not pursuing it? You're not the foreman, yet you're ordering us around. Let me tell you..."

"No need to tell me."

Zhuang Fan stood in the designated spot and said slowly, "Didn't you want protein bars? You can have as many as you want later."

The criminals were stunned for a moment, failing to grasp the deeper meaning in the words, and simply took it as a belated promise.

At the same moment, Watson crawled half his body into the starch reactor, pretending to be looking for parts inside.

The thin, silent old foreman quickly came to his side. "Come out, let's go back to the hideout for an inspection first."

"Okay, okay, I'll be right out."

Watson responded with a disheveled look on his face, his movements clumsy as he turned around with difficulty and slowly leaned out.

The old foreman stood behind with his hands behind his back, growing impatient: "Stop dawdling, hurry up and come out."

"Almost there, almost there..." Watson mumbled, glancing at a gap in the base.

That's it.

His body suddenly tilted to the side, and his right foot precisely wedged into the gap.

"Ouch, my foot's stuck! I can't get it out!" He fell to the ground, looking pained.

"waste."

The old foreman flashed a hint of impatience, stretched out his withered hand, and tried to pull him out.

Watson used all his strength to push his foot deeper into the hole, and began a countdown in his mind.

【19:24:55】

The old foreman lost his patience and increased the force.

【19:24:58】

Watson closed his eyes.

【19:25:00】

The first sound was not an explosion.

It was a cracking sound coming from deep within the steel framework of the incinerator, making a crisp "crackling" noise.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

Then came the second and the third.

Amidst a series of cracking sounds, the load-bearing columns supporting the massive dome began to twist and break from their bases.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the dome.

With the fixing rivets snapping, the giant dome lost its support, slowly tilted, and then collapsed with a crash.

"Boom——!"

The load-bearing structure of the conveyor belt broke instantly.

The mountain of garbage, now freed from its restraints, poured down like an avalanche, instantly engulfing the few criminals.

The foreman at the incinerator was also caught up in it, along with the cigarette he had just lit.

The massive impact kicked up a cloud of dust that blocked out all light.

The main fuel delivery pipeline broke simultaneously, and flames shot out instantly.

“Whoosh—boom!”

The dust ignited in the confined space, exploding into a huge fireball.

"Hiss-"

The fire sensors also malfunctioned, and the scalding steam generated by the water jets was quickly swallowed up by even thicker black smoke.

The entire incineration plant was transformed into a chaotic inferno within just a dozen seconds.

A large number of precast steel plates and concrete blocks crashed down, leaving the starch reactor riddled with holes, but it managed to withstand the first wave of impact.

"This……"

The old foreman slumped to the ground, his eyes filled with shock.

Watson was also stunned; the commotion Guangtu had caused seemed to have gone too far.

The explosion and collapse of the incinerator triggered a chain reaction.

"Zi la——!"

The aging power relays nearby burned out before their overload alarms could even sound.

The high-voltage power grid collapsed instantly, plunging a large area into darkness.

Several sections of the wall that had just been repaired after the earthquake have collapsed again on a small scale.

Huge boulders rolled down, blocking a major route for guards to patrol and pursue.

"Another earthquake?"

The surviving criminals cried out in agony and scattered, exacerbating the chaos.

The unrest in the direction of the mutant camp intensified due to the power grid failure.

Nissen raised his shark head, his eyes bloodshot.

He could never forget how he went from being a high-ranking administrator to this despicable figure that everyone loathed.

The collar's positioning restraint prevented him from escaping the mutant camp, but killing human guards in the dark was a piece of cake for him.

"Roar--!"

A guard had his neck bitten off, blood gushing out and instantly staining the shark's teeth red.

"What are we waiting for? Let's bite them to death!"

Nissen roared, igniting the fury of many sharkmen, and the entire camp descended into chaos.

Other mutant camps also began to stir, with countless enormous figures crashing into the isolation wall, producing dull "thump-thump" sounds.

Most of the guards' attention was drawn to the mutant camp, and a bloody crackdown began.

After many mutants rushed out of the camp, they triggered collar alarms, and their heads rolled to the ground in an instant, which calmed down the mutants charging behind them a little.

They then relied on the buildings inside the camp to engage in a stalemate with the guards outside.

In Shercohn's office, the communicator was filled with noise.

"Battalion Commander, we've confirmed it: the incinerator experienced a violent explosion, and the entire plant collapsed!"

Xie Ke's head buzzed, and his first thought wasn't about casualties, but about the medical pod.

"How's the medical pod? What about the specialists?" His voice was icy.

"Reporting to the battalion commander, the medical pod is buried underneath! The commissioner and soldiers were on the outermost edge, thankfully they are unharmed."

"waste!"

Shaco slammed his fist on the table: "What I want is for the medical pod to be safe! Have them dig it up! Now!"

After venting his anger, he suddenly remembered something.

"Where are Guangtu and Huasheng? Where are those two criminals who were in charge of gold panning?"

"Report, Watson has been rescued, but Guangtu... is buried inside."

Shaco clenched his fists, a surge of anger rising within him that was even stronger than before.

"Send more troops, all of them go dig!" The ruins of the incinerator were filled with choking smoke.

Watson and the old foreman struggled to climb out, their faces ashen and their ears still ringing.

"Brother Guangtu is still inside..."

Watson struggled to rush back into the sea of ​​fire.

The old foreman grabbed his arm with surprising force: "This is none of your business!"

He roared hoarsely, "Back to the hideout first! We'll be inspected by the nuclear team!"

“Brother Guangtu, he…”

"he died!"

The old foreman's voice was deep, "You can pay back the two thousand points you lent out slowly in the future."

He forcibly dragged Watson away, not wanting this young man, who still had some humanity, to die needlessly due to a moment of impulsiveness.

After Watson was taken back to the hideout, the people from the Nuclear Group were already waiting there.

The commotion outside the camp did not affect the inspection process for these people at all, because there were twenty armored soldiers standing next to them.

"Sir, there's another person buried in the incinerator, named Guangtu," the old foreman reported truthfully.

The nuclear officer frowned: "I need to see him alive or dead. Immediately dispatch professional search personnel."

"Yes!"

Watson was still in a daze, unsure whether Zhuang Fan had succeeded or failed.

He lay down in the medical pod, his whole body covered in a cold sensation, from his feet all the way to his head, making him shiver.

Twenty minutes later, he passed the inspection smoothly and was then sent back to the hideout by the old foreman.

On the other hand, under Shekorn's arrangement, all available large moving trucks were mobilized.

Finally, the concrete and steel plates that had been pressing down on the medical pod were cleared away before the flames spread.

The medical pod's outer shell was badly dented and even more dilapidated.

The specialist carefully inspected the core unit inside and said slowly, "Hmm... the core is still intact, there's nothing seriously wrong."

Shercohn was right next to him. He suppressed his dissatisfaction and said slowly, "Please make sure you fix it properly. I need to see a complete machine."

The commissioner thought to himself, "This looks like a piece of junk I picked up. This poor soldier is really putting on airs."

"Of course, of course, we are the official repair partner. We can repair all products under the Bionic Intelligence brand, and the price will be the same as before."

"No problem, I'll transfer your deposit first."

Soon, the medical module was transported to the isolation area and secured to the airship using a crane.

Security soldiers scanned the medical pod with infrared thermal imaging but found nothing unusual.

Just as the commissioners were about to board the ship, the nuclear personnel arrived in time and stopped them.

"Everyone, lie down in the nanopods, immediately."

The nuclear officer's tone was icy.

"Why should we? We are maintenance specialists for bionic intelligence, not subject to your nuclear control."

The commissioner's face showed arrogance, "Don't take advantage of your so-called nuclear status to act like a tyrant."

"I'm sorry, these are the rules. If you insist..."

As the nuclear officer's attitude turned serious, four armored soldiers behind him raised their rotary machine guns, the barrels slowly rotating.

"We will take action without exception and will not let any suspects go unpunished. Then we will send a letter to your company to explain the situation and discuss compensation."

These people are crazy, they're serious!
The commissioner immediately compromised, not wanting to cause any further trouble, and instructed the accompanying maintenance personnel to cooperate promptly.

At this moment, Zhuang Fan was curled up and motionless in a hidden maintenance port at the base of the medical pod.

He had previously removed irrelevant parts of equal weight, so that the overall weight of the equipment did not show any obvious abnormalities.

Now, he has transformed the remaining traces of eerie mist within his body into an invisible barrier, isolating him from thermal imaging and life signal scanning.

He heard arguing outside, and the nuclear officer even came over and banged hard on the outer shell of the medical pod.

"Boom, boom, boom."

The sound amplified in the confined space, causing Zhuang Fan to hold his breath.

The officer glanced inside and found nothing unusual, but he was cautious and personally opened the outer shell, not missing any place where someone could hide.

The bottom horizontal access hatch was also opened, and the officer took out a scanner to look inside, confirming that there were no signs of life.

Zhuang Fan was located at the very bottom of the horizontal inspection port, separated by a thin steel plate.

If they flip the bottom of the medical pod over, they'll see a small dent where he was hiding.

"Sir, everyone has been checked and there are no abnormalities."

"Okay, let them go."

The commissioner glared at the nuclear officer, then boarded the submarine and slammed the hatch shut.

Zhuang Fan knew that he was safe for the time being.

A new problem has arisen: how can he escape from this iron coffin?
As one of the top ten conglomerates, Bionic Intelligence holds a position comparable to that of the Nuclear Corporation.

Since these people are employees of bionic intelligence, they are not to be trifled with either, and he still needs to find a way to escape the maintenance base.

But not long after, the airship landed smoothly.

The moment the hatch opened, the sounds of heavy metal clanging and a commotion of people came from outside, making it seem nothing like the headquarters of a legitimate corporation.

Zhuang Fan was puzzled. Where did this guy come from?

The medical module was pushed off the boat, and the commissioner jumped out, greeting a fat man covered in oil with a big smile.

"Boss, the high-end goods have arrived. We got them from the border area. It took a lot of effort."

The fat man, known as the "local boss," is the controller of a garbage dump in the south of Linhai City, managing an area of ​​300 hectares.

But the local boss had no legs; below his waist was a wide tracked chassis that made a "creaking" noise when it turned.

He glanced at the airship and scoffed, "It's rented again. I thought you'd upgraded from a slingshot to a cannon."

"There will be some in the future," the specialist said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"What kind of equipment is this, a medical pod?"

The boss's cart came to a stop, and his obese upper body leaned forward slightly as he scanned the goods in front of him with his prosthetic eye.

"Hmm... This thing is of unknown origin, and it's covered in bionic AI markings. Which unlucky guy did you swindle it from?"

"Look at what you're saying. We call this resource reuse. That idiot Shekorn's eyes lit up as soon as he heard we were from the city. He thought he could curry favor with a big corporation."

Another accomplice chimed in, adding smugly, "He's probably still dreaming, never imagining this thing is already scrap metal, hahaha."

The commissioner glared at him: "Screw you, my foot! This is a 95% new product. It can sell for millions of points on the black market. If you have nothing better to say, then shut up."

The local businessman shook his head: "Stop bragging. If I take it, it'll be a hot potato. I'll have to hire someone to crack the chip. It'll be a lot of trouble."

The agent chuckled dryly: "You nouveau riche, I know what I'm doing. It's the industry standard price: 800,000 credits?"

"Eighty thousand, take it or leave it."

After the boss finished speaking, he took out a gold bar from his pocket, took out a pair of scissors and cut it in half, then placed it on a scale, which showed exactly 80 grams.

The commissioner's face went from red to green, and finally to death. He wanted to curse, but dared not do so on someone else's turf.

"Say something, okay?"

"...Okay, let's just consider it making friends."

The commissioner at least swindled Xie Ke'en out of a deposit, so this deal wasn't a bad one.

After the transaction was completed, the scammers boarded the airship and quickly left.

The local boss looked at the lump of iron in front of him and shouted to his men, "Drag it to the No. 3 underground warehouse first! Hurry up, don't let it get in the way!"

Several workers drove an old magnetic forklift, secured the medical pod, and, swaying precariously in mid-air, drove it deeper into the garbage heap.

The road was rough and uneven, with mountains of garbage and waste everywhere, and forklifts moved slowly through the narrow passages.

This is Zhuang Fan's last chance.

As the forklift rounded the corner, it jolted violently, and a figure tumbled down.

He rolled over and hid in the nearby pile of garbage, remaining motionless until the forklift was completely gone.

He slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar and chaotic steel jungle.

This is the back side of the city, a forgotten corner.

……

A day and a night passed, and the ruins of the incinerator were cleared away.

More than a dozen bodies were left at the scene, many of them burned to a high degree of char, making it difficult to identify them.

The nuclear inspector stood in the middle of the ruins, his brow furrowed.

"Sir, the number of bodies at the scene is one less than the number of missing persons registered."

"Who is missing?"

"Checking..."

The censor had a strong premonition and said sternly:

"After identifying all the bodies, the missing person is very likely our target."

(End of this chapter)