When Zhuang Ban heard the name "Xu Tiansheng," related memories were similarly triggered in his mind:
Name: Xu Tiansheng
Identity: Eldest grandson of Xu Renyi
Real Age: 275 years old
Current Position: Affairs Officer and Chairman of the Nucleon Group
Term of Office: 120 years
Faction: Xu Renyi Camp
However, more detailed memories regarding Xu Tiansheng did not surface further. After pondering for a moment, Zhuang Ban roughly grasped the pattern.
If he directly encountered the person involved, the triggered memories would be quite complete;
If a person's name or an item was mentioned, there was a chance of triggering memories, but they would be incomplete.
Zhuang Ban felt he had lain down long enough and decided to get out of bed.
He refused the two people's support and quipped, "What, did you forget I've already got a new body?"
After speaking, he strode out of the medical ward.
The blond doctor who had been waiting outside hurriedly bowed upon seeing him. "Mr. Xu."
"Hmm, thank you for your hard work."
Zhuang Ban had no fondness for the man who had frantically electrocuted him, so he waved his hand to dismiss him.
The guards nearby stood in solemn respect, while the medical staff were filled with curiosity and reverence.
Next, Zhuang Ban underwent a series of physical examinations, reconstructed his biological characteristics, had blood samples and DNA extracted, gradually replacing all of Xu Renyi's information.
He would be able to leave after just three more days of recuperation.
Xu Renyi's original residence had been attacked and was now a chaotic mess with broken walls; repairs would take time.
Thus, Xu Shanshan had arranged a more comfortable residence for him, with security forces strengthened several times over.
Max and Xu Shanshan escorted Zhuang Ban into the residence. Before leaving, the former did not forget to remind him:
"Mr. Xu, we just received news that the convoy from headquarters will arrive in one hour."
Having received a massive amount of memory implants, Zhuang Ban could now read the subtle changes in expression of this iron-blooded general, Max.
"Max, if you have something to say, say it directly. No need to be restrained."
"Yes."
Max deliberated repeatedly and cautiously spoke, "Mr. Xu, we need to be on guard against the people coming from headquarters."
Zhuang Ban had not yet fully figured out who was coming from headquarters or who was on the board of directors, so naturally, he could not respond directly.
He equivocated, "Let me hear your suggestion."
Max and Xu Shanshan exchanged a glance, then truthfully reported, "Mr. Xu, if headquarters causes trouble, we need to advance the [Honghuang Plan]."
Honghuang Plan
Zhuang Ban quickly learned the complete contents of the plan. It was a special operation personally designed by Xu Renyi.
Xu Renyi had known very early on that once he underwent the consciousness transfer surgery, the company's opposing forces would definitely make their move.
The opposition could only topple the great banner of Xu Renyi so that the resources freed up could feed the other jackals and hyenas.
Based on this, Xu Renyi began to plan ahead:
1. Xu Shanshan was responsible for compiling evidence of corruption and crimes of the target individuals, ready to step in and handle matters from the corporate level at any time;
2. Max would seize military power, winning over the Second and Third Legions, directly hollowing out headquarters' military forces;
3. Xu Tiansheng would use the escort of the "Phantom Eye" as a pretext to gather all the opposition figures in one place, then capture them all in one net.
Xu Renyi was an old fox through and through; he likely had many more backup plans. But Zhuang Ban only knew the steps of the [Honghuang Plan]; the other memories had not yet been unlocked.
Zhuang Ban thought for a moment, felt there were no major issues, and agreed to execute it.
"By the way, where is David?"
Max was startled and truthfully said, "He made a mistake. I've already put him in confinement, Mr. Xu. What do you think?"
"A minor matter. Release him for now. This is a time when we need manpower."
Max looked at Zhuang Ban in surprise and quickly nodded.
Previously, Xu Renyi had zero tolerance for subordinates who made mistakes. Take this jailbreak incident, for example—David was the direct person in charge. At best, he would be demoted to slavery; at worst, he would become a member of the Iron Guards.
Max had never dared to bring this up because he hadn't figured out how to protect David and could only delay matters.
Now, Zhuang Ban had brushed it aside with a light remark, leaving Max filled with astonishment and confusion.
Upon careful reconsideration, he became even more certain that Mr. Xu's thoughts had indeed been influenced by the original host.
Then again, that didn't seem to be a bad thing?
After dismissing the two, Zhuang Ban returned to his residence, refused the servants' attendance, and stayed alone in the study.
There was a communication terminal in the study. When he tried to obtain the highest authority, he realized he was still a blank slate without any qualifications.
But this didn't stop him from searching the corporation's internal network database.
He first entered his parents' names, Zhuang Yuanhang and Xu Nianxin, but found no results. Then he entered his sister's name, Zhuang Li, and it was similarly blank.
He switched to Chinese and searched again, but still found nothing.
Zhuang Ban refused to give up, repeatedly muttering his family members' names inwardly, trying to trigger Xu Renyi's memories.
Unfortunately, no matter how he tried, that cluster of memory remained completely unresponsive.
He sighed lightly. As expected.
He had long known Xu Renyi's true identity as the founder of the Nucleon Group.
And what did the Nucleon Group behind him signify?
It meant a universal corporate titan, it meant a top-tier power bloc, representing the status of one of the Wasteland's ten great financial oligarchies.
The number of shelters constructed by the Nucleon Group alone exceeded one thousand, with the population under its management surpassing ten million.
This was only the tip of the iceberg that Zhuang Ban understood. More inside information concerning the corporation was currently a blank slate.
How could such a powerful and high-standing old man have had any intersection with a commoner like him?
He had once thought that since he had inexplicably traversed to 700 years in the future, perhaps his father, who had made achievements in the field of cryogenic medicine, could have as well?
Now, it seemed that was merely wishful thinking.
The guests from headquarters arrived half an hour early, their show of force and scale far greater than Zhuang Ban had anticipated.
Over a dozen major shareholders had arrived, the entire board of directors was present, and behind them followed thirty to forty senior presidents.
The various legion commanders and chiefs of staff had also all arrived, but their troops did not enter. Instead, they surrounded the entire shelter, sealing off all exits.
The entire mountain ridge was packed tight with combat legions. Any blind walking corpses that tried to approach were instantly blasted to pieces by long-range artillery.
Max had been unable to reach Xu Tiansheng the entire time and suddenly felt something was wrong. "Mr. Xu, this is very suspicious."
Xu Shanshan also saw the problem. The trajectory of the script was inconsistent with what they had anticipated; a key core figure had gone wrong.
Zhuang Ban gestured for them to calm down and said softly, "Have all emergency exits of the shelter been sealed by heavy troops?"
Max nodded gravely.
Zhuang Ban smiled. "The visitors come with ill intent. They're trying to catch a turtle in a jar."
David, who had been silent the entire time nearby, had been observing Zhuang Ban for a long while and was still somewhat dazed.
One moment, he had been an imprisoned little brother; the next, he was the big boss calling the shots. He was still trying to adapt.
When he heard everyone discussing escape routes, he finally spoke in a small voice, "Uh, actually... there's still an exit."
Max glared at David. "Spit it out."
"In the energy center, there's an underground river there."
"The energy center, the hydroelectric generator unit?"
Max frowned. "What kind of exit is that? Throw you into the underground river and you won't get out in your next life."
"No, it won't. When the hydropower station was being built, I happened to be on site. Then I threw in a bundle of signal markers. Guess what happened?"
Max frowned. "Continue."
David hurriedly said, "Later, I took advantage of an outing and wandered around for several days. Finally, at a hidden stream at the foot of a mountain five kilometers away, I found one of the signal markers."
Only then did Zhuang Ban realize that when David spoke of serious matters, he didn't use any catchphrases or dialect at all.
He was a bit curious. "Why did you do that?"
David gave an embarrassed smile and didn't dare to speak.
Max snorted coldly and pierced through him with one sentence: "He wanted to be a deserter but didn't succeed."
The three carefully analyzed it and found that it was genuinely feasible.
"Get a miniature waterproof pod, then stock it with emergency medicine and weapons. It would be enough to accommodate one person's escape."
Xu Shanshan listened for quite a while and couldn't help but say, "Are we really this pessimistic? If things deteriorate to the point where Master Xu needs to escape via the underground river, then—"
That would mean the complete collapse of the Xu Renyi faction, everyone collectively thrown into prison, with no hope of turning the tables again.
Everyone knew this in their hearts, but no one said it aloud.
Zhuang Ban said mildly, "Before considering victory, first consider defeat. David, I'll leave the task of removing the machine cover to you. Do it well."
David puffed out his chest. "I shall not fail this mission."
Zhuang Ban thought carefully. He decided to make more foolproof arrangements and have Max carry them out.
"Max, there are a few matters you need to urgently attend to."
In the central hall, the upper echelons of the Nucleon Group gathered together via holographic projection.
The scene was mainly divided into three factions:
On the right was the Xu Renyi faction with Zhuang Ban at its core, including Max and Xu Shanshan, as well as several board members and senior executives; they accounted for very few in number;
On the left was the rebel faction with Xu Tiansheng at its core, including the vast majority of shareholders, board members, and senior executives; they held an absolute advantage in numbers.
In the center were the swing factions who remained neutral and would listen to whoever won.
Max stared fixedly at Xu Tiansheng. No matter how he calculated, he had never imagined that the one who betrayed him would actually be this eldest grandson of the Xu family who had borne such high hopes.
As for Xu Tiansheng's son, Xu Wendao, he had once been Max's deputy, yet now he stood together with the other legion commanders.
Max could no longer reach his old subordinates in the First Legion at all; he had been completely hollowed out.
Xu Wendao shouted, "Max, I'll ask you one more time. Where is Mr. Xu Renyi!"
Max did not yield an inch. "You dog traitor! 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 Max, you are truly muddled. Calling a deer a horse—using such a tired old power-grabbing trick."
Xu Tiansheng completely ignored Zhuang Ban's existence and turned to look at Xu Shanshan, his tone severe. "Shanshan, don't continue down the wrong path with him. Turn back while you can."
Xu Shanshan stared at him, her eyes filled with anger.
Immediately after, an investigator projected a piece of evidence: residual bones and tissue fluid extracted from the corpse-dissolving furnace.
The blond doctor who was brought up confessed with tears and snot running down his face: "It was Commander Max who made me do it. Old Mr. Xu is already dead..."
The crowd burst into an uproar. The witness testimony and physical evidence were both present.
"Enough. This farce should end now."
An elderly patriarch of the Xu family stepped forward. His expression was solemn as he solemnly announced before everyone:
"Mr. Xu Renyi, founder of the Nucleon Group, passed away due to a medical accident at 21:30 on January 16, 2710, at Shelter No. 133 of Han Ridge, at the age of 400.
To respect Mr. Xu Renyi's last will, following a vote at the general shareholders' meeting, Mr. Xu Tiansheng succeeds as the second-generation leader of the group, with formal authorization granted for the 'Phantom Eye' to be kept in his personal custody."
The elderly patriarch continued to read:
"Following investigation and evidence collection by the Nucleon Group's Crimes Division, Max Hardie, commander of the First Legion, is suspected of murdering Mr. Xu Renyi and usurping power. All his military posts are hereby revoked, and he is to be escorted back to headquarters to await trial.
"Chief Financial Officer Xu Shanshan participated in the usurpation of power, and during her tenure, forged multiple false documents, constituting a serious crime. All her posts are hereby revoked, and she is to be escorted back to headquarters to await trial."
After listing a long string of disciplinary actions, the elderly patriarch finally came to Zhuang Ban:
"Zhang Dafan, frozen man, vagrant status, suspected of participating in the murder of Mr. Xu Renyi and stealing important confidential company documents. He is to be escorted back to headquarters to await trial."