Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 133 Layout
Xu Lanshan left only one lonely new message in the encrypted channel of the secret sandbox.

"Master Xu, I will come to Linhai City again under the guise of an external patrol."

Following that was an unofficial contact number and specific coordinates outside the city.

The message concluded by emphasizing:
Don't contact me now; the entire desolate valley is investigating spies and undercover agents.

Unable to reply on the internal network, Zhuang Fan silently memorized the number and coordinates before exiting the sandbox access.

He leaned back in his chair, pondering Xu Lanshan's intentions.

Xu Tiansheng's betrayal is like an unhealed scar, constantly reminding him that he cannot trust anyone in the old guard, especially when it comes to the power shifts within the conglomerates.

Xu Lanshan's "fake surrender" was at Zhuang Fan's behest. What if she actually surrendered under the high pressure and coercion of the nuclear power?
So this contact information was a trap tailor-made for him. After all, Xu Tiansheng and his son were eager to expose this imposter.

Subsequently, Zhuang Fan switched permissions and accessed the action briefing of the South City Nuclear Division.

The operations manager just updated the status.

The report's title is very official: "Summary of the Operation to Crack Down on the 'Blue Knife Gang'".

The report claims that the Blue Knife Gang has been completely wiped out.

They eventually deployed a swarm of drones to conduct a thorough thermal imaging search of the mountainous area, "but found no trace of life."

The briefing was accompanied by a blurry distant photograph:

They found the third brother's unrecognizable corpse in a crevice between charred river stones.

As for the leader, Lan Ge, the report states that "no body was found," suggesting he was either swept away by the river or completely vaporized during the bombing.
"Swept away by the river..."

Looking at the report, Zhuang Fan felt that it wasn't as simple as it seemed.

He used his access privileges to delve into the internal network and retrieve detailed background information about Brother Lan.

The file shows that this person is impulsive and stupid, but his rating in "wilderness survival ability" is frighteningly high, and his vitality is comparable to that of a cockroach.

Zhuang Fan's gaze swept across the map. On the other side of that scorched hill was the wilderness leading to the "Demon Capital".

Yes, it seems that Brother Zhang also went to Guangzhou.

In designing this series of interconnected schemes, the most crucial element was the "closing-off work" of the Nuclear Group.

To this day, neither Brother Lan nor the third brother know that Crow had already thoroughly investigated their robbery of the nuclear transport team.

However, the crow did not make a move at that time.

Because the Blue Blade Gang quickly aligned themselves with the Speaker's camp, becoming one of the Speaker's underhanded dealings.

Coincidentally, at that critical moment, Crow was doing everything he could to search for "Zhang Dafan" throughout the city. He urgently needed the Speaker of the Council to step in and help stabilize the emotions of the citizens who were agitated by panic.

Therefore, the arrest plan has been shelved until now.

When Zhuang Fan was selecting evidence of crimes against the senior executives of Nuclear Power, he had only randomly selected a dozen or so cases.

But he didn't expect that this casual action would uncover some clues.

The newly appointed administrative officer of the nuclear group seems to have some disagreements with Minister Edward.

Very subtle details.

In the minutes of the board meeting, the administrative officer, facing the Blue Knife Gang as the source of "leaks," clearly emphasized that they must be "completely eradicated to prevent future troubles."

But Edward relayed the order to the South City commander: "If they surrender, they do not need to be killed."

One side wanted to exterminate them all, while the other wanted to spare their lives.

Furthermore, Edward did not accept the conclusion that Blue was "dead." He was convinced that the man was still alive and that they had to dig him out.

interesting.

Following this interesting blind spot, Zhuang Fan retrieved the unpublished evidence of senior executives' crimes from the sandbox, as well as the complex personnel relationship diagram surrounding the new civil servant.

Gradually, he sorted out some of his thoughts.

"Ha, what a lucky accident."

Zhuang Fan has essentially uncovered a massive criminal network centered around civil servants, involving crimes such as embezzlement of public funds, suppression of political enemies, and even the murder of senior executives.

But he wasn't in a hurry to bring down the administrative officer.

This person is merely a puppet pushed up by Xu Tiansheng and his son behind the scenes. Even if he is overthrown, he will not be able to shake Xu Tiansheng's position.

Since there was a rift between the civil servant and Edward, Zhuang Fan decided to continue making a fuss about it.

His real intention was to bring down Minister Edward.

Xu Renyi admired Edward, and Zhuang Fan also admired the minister's integrity, impartiality, and moral character.

Unfortunately, if he were on the opposing side, Edward would be extremely difficult to deal with. Of the entire nuclear group, only Edward posed a significant threat to him.

He's a cunning old fox.

When playing against this kind of person, if you make even the slightest mistake, they will seize upon your fatal weakness.

He must be more cautious than ever before.

If Edward had been sensible and chosen to protect himself or back down during the subsequent turmoil, there might have been a better outcome.

If someone is ungrateful and insists on protecting certain individuals or the company's interests, their fate will be dire.

This is the choice that Zhuang Fan left for Edward.

Just as he was deep in thought, Chu Ningyan sent a communication request: "I have the latest intelligence."

"Well, you said."

“I investigated several ruins around the south of the city and discovered five secret strongholds of the Apocalypse Cult, with a total size of at least tens of thousands of people.”

"but……"

She added, "Their weapons are generally rudimentary, and their main force consists of fearless fanatics."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Fan frowned slightly: "It seems that my previous assessment was somewhat wrong."

"How so?" Chu Ningyan asked in return.

"The group of Apocalypse Cult members near the Torch Base may not be specifically targeting us, or their main objective may be Linhai City itself."

"Yes."

Chu Ningyan continued, "But with tens of thousands of lunatics gathered nearby, the Xin Huo team still needs to be cautious. Several major forces have already been drawn into this vortex."

"Yes, the entire staff of the Torch Base is now in powered armor. Unless they send out a force of several thousand people at once, they will kill as many as they come."

Then, Zhuang Fan revealed some inside information: "The real threat to the Apocalypse Church does not lie with those patriarchs."

He paused, his tone becoming serious: "The most crucial one is that guy from the Iron Tower."

"The Iron Tower..." Chu Ningyan had also heard of it.

"He is a demon general and one of the twelve apostles of the Apocalypse Cult. The manpower and resources that this identity can mobilize are far beyond our imagination."

“Now my relationship with it is irreconcilable. Its only fear is my methods, but I can’t stay in the Torch Base forever. I still need to find the Iron Tower and destroy it completely.”

Chu Ningyan was silent for a few seconds, then said, "If you need assistance, I can provide dozens of absolutely trustworthy members."

"Okay, is your team stable now?"

"There are still some troublemakers, but the team's overall discipline has improved a lot."

"Okay, I'll talk to you again when I have time."

Zhuang Fan put down the communication panel, got up and left the command room, heading towards the basement.

As soon as you get close, the sounds of electric drills and cracking rocks come from deep within the tunnel.

The group of Blue Blade Gang prisoners were shirtless, covered in sweat and mud, but they were working very hard.

There were four members of the Torchbearer team guarding the place, along with some android soldiers. No prisoner wanted to do anything foolish.

"Boss, you're here." Gage was wearing a safety helmet and gesturing at something on the blueprints.

"How's the progress?"

"It is estimated that it will take another month and a half to dig through."

Gage took off his goggles and wiped his face. "The main problem is that we don't have enough manpower. Even with three shifts, we can't keep up. Besides, these prisoners are new to us, so their efficiency is too low."

"I'll hire more people when I have time."

Zhuang Fan looked at the narrow tunnel, "But it's enough for now. The recycling station can't accommodate too many people."

Gage agreed wholeheartedly and sighed, "Yes, the recycling bin is too small."

He pointed to the blueprints: "Even if we do manage to open up the underground station over there, the ratmen are still a large group, and they also need living space."

"That's right, this place is ultimately just a temporary base for the Torch Base."

Zhuang Fan knew very well that this recycling station had been coveted by many forces.

"Therefore, finding a truly suitable and sufficiently large shelter is of paramount importance."

Gage paused for a moment, looked at the prisoners still digging desperately, and asked in a low voice:
"Then...wouldn't it be a waste of time to have them dig tunnels now?"

"how could be."

Zhuang Fan shook his head, gesturing for Gage to look at the prisoners who were sweating profusely and working hard.

"Once the tunnel is dug through, there will be at least one emergency escape point. In addition... it can also temper the prisoners' character."

Gage seemed thoughtful and continued to listen.

"Under heavy pressure and fatigue, it will take time to see who is truly stubborn and restless, who is indecisive, and who is a promising candidate who can be reformed and promoted."

"Boss, what if some guys are just stubborn and unruly? We can't keep supporting them forever."

"When we move to a new house, there will be even more and heavier work, and they can keep doing it."

Zhuang Fan turned around, dusted himself off, and said with a smile, "Keep working until they lose their temper."

……

After leaving the basement, Zhuang Fan began daily physical training, and at a very high intensity.

In just one hour, my vest was soaked with sweat.

He stopped, feeling his body's limits, but always felt that something was still not strong enough.

"We still need real combat, hand-to-hand fighting."

He wiped his sweat, walked around the base, and found that none of the places were suitable, so he finally decided to go find Xiong Da.

When Zhuang Fan arrived at the warehouse, Hua Sheng was leading several logistics personnel to take inventory of the ammunition boxes.

Xiong Da lay listlessly on a pile of canvas in the corner, yawning.

"Big Bear, get up and stretch your legs."

"Huh? Boss?" Xiong Da sat up groggily. He had eaten too much barbecue at noon, and his eyes were a little dull.

"Practice with me."

Zhuang Fan took off his vest, revealing his muscular upper body, and said, "Use all your strength to fight me."

"Boss, what is fighting?" Xiong Da looked a bit simple-minded.

Watson, standing nearby, explained with a smile, "It's about beating people up; you just have to beat them to death."

Xiong Da glanced at Zhuang Fan and shook his head repeatedly; "No, I want to eat meat, I can't hit the boss."

"It's okay. Just imagine me as a tiger fighting you for a piece of meat, and you need to protect that piece of meat."

Xiong Da shook his head again: "No, you can't."

Zhuang Fan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately gave the order: "If you refuse again, the amount of meat you eat at each meal will be reduced by thirty catties."

"No, you can't!"

Xiong Da suddenly perked up, stood up abruptly, and his massive shadow loomed over Zhuang Fan like a small mountain.

Zhuang Fan was stunned. He noticed that Xiong Da's physique seemed to have grown larger than before. Could this guy still be growing?
"Boss, be careful!"

"bring it on!"

Zhuang Fan had just gotten into position when Xiong Da gave a simple, honest smile and slapped him with his large, fan-like hand, accompanied by the sound of wind.

“Bang!!”

There was a loud bang.

While Watson and the others were taking inventory, they suddenly saw a blur before their eyes, and an object flew backward like a cannonball, crashing into a pile of wooden crates in the corner and embedding itself deeply. "..."

Everyone was speechless, and even Xiong Da was stunned.

Watson nearly dropped the data panel in his hand. He swallowed hard, thankful that he had retreated far enough.

Zhuang Fan felt a sudden dizziness, but his body was unharmed. Moreover, the impact activated all the muscle cells in his body.

Big Bear realized he'd caused trouble: "Boss, I'll share some meat with you tonight..."

"call……"

Zhuang Fan stood up from the pile of broken wooden crates and shook his numb shoulders.

Far from being angry, his eyes lit up and he revealed an extremely satisfied smile.

"It's so exciting!"

He stretched his shoulders, regained his balance, and nodded to the terrified Xiong Da, "Again."

Watson opened his mouth, sensing that his boss might have been knocked senseless.

"Oh? Oh... Oh!"

Xiong Da roared and pounded his chest before charging forward again, slapping Zhuang Fan away with another blow.

This time, however, Zhuang Fan clearly absorbed some of the impact and took the opportunity to begin a prolonged battle.

One was as large as a behemoth, the other as agile as a cheetah; they began a primal struggle in the warehouse.

Watson and the others huddled in a corner, silently taking stock of the supplies, pretending not to see their leader being beaten up unilaterally.

Linhai City, Security Bureau.

"boom!"

The deputy director slammed his fist on the desk, causing the water glass to tip over.

"Ran?"

His face was filled with shock and anger as he glared at his trembling deputy. "Those bastards from the Blue Blade Gang ran away overnight? And they even took my goods and the stolen money with them!"

The deputy reported nervously, "Yes... our people went to the scene to investigate the traces, and it was very messy there."

"The Blue Blade Gang must have fought a battle with the Apocalypse Cult last night, and it looks like they lost, which is why they fled overnight."

"The Apocalypse Cult?"

The deputy director was slightly taken aback, his face full of disbelief: "You lost the fight... why are you running away?"

"I'm not sure either. Judging from the tire tracks, the Blue Blade Gang is likely heading towards the south of the city."

"Where are the people who started the religion that day?" he pressed.

"...They also retreated."

Just as the deputy director was about to erupt, another clerk rushed in, holding an urgent intelligence report.

"Sir! We have important intelligence regarding the South City Nuclear Site!"

The deputy director snatched the document away.

That wasn't inside information; it was a publicly released announcement.

The Nuclear Group announced that the "Blue Knife Gang" has been "eliminated on the spot" by the Nancheng Nuclear Rapid Reaction Force for its malicious attack on a nuclear supplies convoy.

The announcement concluded with a reward offered:
Anyone with information about escaped members of the Blue Knife Gang is urged to contact the Nuclear Safety Department immediately. A substantial reward will be offered.

The bounty for Blue Brother's personal information was a staggering one million gold coins.

The deputy director looked astonished, his hands and feet went cold, and the notice in his hand fluttered to the ground.

The Blue Blade Gang, a pawn he planted outside the city, was foolish enough to go and mess with the Nuclear Corporation!

He realized the situation was completely out of control and he couldn't handle it at all. "Get the car ready! To the administrative district! I need to see the Speaker of the council!"

Linhai City Administrative District, Parliament Center.

The building is designed in the style of a temple, supported by a dozen thick golden marble columns, making it look magnificent in the gloomy city.

Inside the circular council chamber, fifty members of parliament, dressed in suits, sat upright.

The Speaker of Parliament presided over the monthly routine meeting; his voice was calm and authoritative.
"Now, let's begin voting on the proposal submitted by Representative Fein to 'deepen and widen the moat of the coastal city'."

A moment later, the voting results were displayed on the light screen.

"Fifteen votes."

The Speaker glanced at it and said, "The required number of votes (26) has not been reached. The preliminary ruling is rejected."

"Fan is obsessed with money..."

One legislator muttered to someone nearby, "Will the trench be widened and deepened? Wouldn't that require at least tens of thousands of people and tens of millions in funding?"

"Well, where would we get the money to do this? Finn just wants to set up a personal treasury."

After several more proposals were voted on, the Speaker glanced at the time and, seeing that there were no other important agenda items, stood up.

"Meeting adjourned."

The councilors gradually dispersed.

The deputy director had been waiting at the side door for a long time. Only when the speaker's secretary nodded to him did he quickly follow and walk towards the more private office.

"Your Excellency Speaker of the Council..."

The deputy director cautiously began, "Regarding the Blue Blade Gang, there was a slight mishap just now, they..."

"stop."

The council speaker was pruning a delicate bonsai without looking up, interrupting the deputy director.

"I don't care about that bullshit Blue Knife Gang or Black Knife Gang, and I don't care whether they're dead or alive."

The Speaker of Parliament spoke calmly, “My only concern is ensuring that the mined crystals can be sold smoothly.”

He stared at the deputy director: "Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand!"

The deputy director nodded quickly: "I will continue to find people to dig and open up the secret passage as soon as possible."

The Speaker of Parliament put down the small scissors and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

"You should know that the vast majority of the crystal mines in Linhai City are controlled by conglomerates and the government."

He spoke earnestly, with a hint of warning in his sentences: "I finally managed to clear this mine vein, don't you dare mess it up."

"Yes!"

The deputy director quickly stepped forward and reported in a low voice:

"The South City needs a large amount of Brilliant Crystals. Scarface and Maoshanwang's caravans are already smoothing out the trade chain, and it is estimated that they will bring in at least five million in net profit every month."

"five million?"

The council speaker was very dissatisfied, "You stupid idiot! Radiant Crystals are hard currency, they're the lifeblood of the wasteland! Isn't there any other way to sell them? Why do you have to go all the way to the South City!"

The deputy director cursed inwardly.

The Speaker of the Council had repeatedly instructed us to take things slowly and carefully, to never let anyone find out, and to be willing to earn less money...

Now they're complaining it's not enough.

He dared not show the slightest expression on his face, and said even more respectfully:
"If you want to resell with all your might, there will naturally be a market. The demand from those scattered forces outside the city alone is enormous."

But there were some things the deputy director didn't say.

If the market were to be opened up for sale, not to mention those scattered forces, even the madmen of the Apocalypse Cult alone would probably be able to absorb most of their mining output.

Who cares, it doesn't matter who I sell to.

"Go ahead and sell it. I'll talk to Finn. He needs my help right now."

The Speaker turned around, staring intently at the Deputy Director with an unquestionable gaze, and held up one finger:
"I want to see ten million within a month."

"Please rest assured..."

The deputy director was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the council speaker shook his head again, emphasizing his words:

"No, at least 20 million in profit."

"Twenty million?!"

The deputy director was shocked. He thought he had misheard. How could they be so blatant?
"Speaker of the council, what if we're being watched..."

"What do you know."

The speaker of parliament walked back to the floor-to-ceiling window, his voice ethereal yet carrying a hint of urgency.

"While Linhai City is still relatively stable, let's make as much money as we can, each according to our own abilities."

He paused, his voice low, "If it's too late, there's nothing left."

The deputy director felt a chill run down his spine, vaguely sensing something was amiss, but dared not ask any further questions.

"If you do this job well, I'll give you the top position in the Security Bureau. Do a good job."

"Understood, I will try my best."

After the deputy director respectfully withdrew, the composure on the council speaker's face vanished, replaced by a suppressed anger.

He connected to the encrypted communication of the nuclear black-boned chicken.

"Good afternoon, Your Excellency Speaker of Parliament."

"Manager Wu, is your nuclear division deliberately provoking me? Why are you dealing with the Blue Blade Gang at this critical juncture? Are you looking for trouble?"

"..."

Wuji, who was busy with a mission, looked completely bewildered: "What are you talking about? What Blue Blade Gang?"

I don't care if you're clear or not!

The council speaker warned menacingly, "Now my men are gone! My goods are gone too! If you don't give me an explanation, you can forget about ever entering Linhai City again."

"Snapped!"

The Speaker of Parliament unilaterally hung up the communication.

Wuji stared blankly at the black screen for a long time before finally cursing in frustration, "...mad dog."

He dared not delay and immediately investigated the whole story.

A few minutes later, an action report from the South City branch was placed in front of him.

"South City, bandit suppression, Edward?"

Wu Ji's face turned ugly. He sighed, but still gritted his teeth and connected with Minister Edward.

Edward sat in his office, patiently listening to the chicken's account, and gradually understood.

The fact that the council speaker dared to mention the Blue Knife Gang so openly proves that the Blue Knife Gang was not the mastermind, temporarily clearing him of suspicion as the source of the leak.

There were other people behind them.

"understood."

Edward simply replied with a curt statement.

"what?"

Wu Ji didn't expect his reaction to be so calm. "Minister, what about the Speaker of the Council..."

"Go to their door with gifts and apologize, continue to maintain a good relationship with the Speaker of Parliament, and don't worry about anything else."

Seeing that he was unwilling to talk more, the black chicken had no choice but to bring up another matter:

"By the way, Minister, the data we obtained from the Security Bureau shows that the Blue Blade Gang fought a battle with the Apocalypse Cult before fleeing to the South City."

"The Apocalypse Cult..."

Edward knew about the feud between the Blue Blade Gang and the Apocalypse Cult in the north of the city, but he never expected that the two sides would fight again last night.

This news, however, puzzled Edward.

Could the source of this news be the Apocalypse Cult?

(End of this chapter)