Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 49 Evacuation Plan
Lin Yi finished the dumplings in a few bites and didn't rest for long because time was indeed very tight.

He stood up, and most of the attention in the hall was focused on him; all eyes turned to him.

“Uncle, Zhou Yuxuan,” Lin Yi said.

Upon hearing their names called, Zhou Jianjun and Zhou Yuxuan immediately became serious.

"Uncle, after I leave, you will be in charge of the defense here."

Lin Yi looked at Zhou Jianjun. Although his uncle was still clueless about energy sources, his tactical awareness and on-the-spot command ability were the most reliable at the moment.

Zhou Jianjun nodded emphatically, "Don't worry, as long as I'm still alive, I won't let those beasts rush up!"

“Zhou Yuxuan, you will assist my uncle.” Lin Yi turned to Zhou Yuxuan. “Especially after the ‘Vigilant’ small mechanical dog is activated, you need to get familiar with it as soon as possible and make full use of its early warning and patrol functions. You can discuss how to use it.”

"I will master the operation of the mechanical dog as soon as possible, understand its perception range and warning modes, and cooperate well with Uncle Jianjun." Zhou Yuxuan tightened his grip on the Lingyao Crystal given to him by Lin Yi.

Lin Yi nodded. "I need some time to recover my source energy, practice what I learned from the battle, and observe the movements of the nests outside. Once I've done all that, I'll head to the official gathering point in Crane Deer City."

"etc."

Ren Yinuo couldn't sit still any longer. "Major Lin, are you going to the Helu City rendezvous point alone?"

This was the first time she had heard of Lin Yi's plan, and she was full of surprise. "It's a full 5 kilometers away from the gathering point. It's too dangerous. Can we reconsider?"

Lin Yi shook his head. "It's too close to the nest here. I don't feel at ease."

That's the truth.

The reason he chose Hongfulou was largely because in his previous life it quickly became an official refuge with much stronger defenses than it is now. In Hongfulou, his family was safe and he could hunt without restraint.

But now the situation has changed drastically, and he is now essentially confined here, which is quite inconvenient.

Therefore, he wanted to send everyone here to the official settlements as soon as possible so that he could free up his hands to deal with other matters.

Seeing that Lin Yi's eyes were firm and he showed no sign of changing his mind, Ren Yinuo thought for a moment and then stepped forward.

“I offer to go with you. I have received full military training and can be of help.”

"Captain Ren, your duty is to maintain communication with the General Staff. Come with me; you can't possibly take a bunch of equipment with you."

Lin Yi shook his head and refused outright.

"Besides, I'm only going to scout ahead, report on the situation here, and plan the subsequent evacuation route. So we need to be quick. I expect to return within a day to bring you along, which would actually slow us down and increase the risk."

Ren Yinuo frowned. She wanted to argue, but looking into Lin Yi's unquestionable eyes and remembering that she was not a combatant, she could only remain silent.

Just then, Chen Yu's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Brother Yi, since Captain Ren can contact the General Staff directly, the General Staff must also be able to contact the gathering point in Helu City, right? Could you please ask Captain Ren to help us contact them directly and report our situation here? That way you won't have to go out and risk your life!"

These words immediately resonated with those around them.

"That makes sense!"

"Yes, why didn't we think of that?"

They all looked at Ren Yinuo, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Ren Yinuo's face immediately showed a troubled expression. She looked at the expectant eyes of everyone, then at Lin Yi, hesitated for a moment, and finally said:
"Theoretically, it is indeed possible to try contacting the Helu City assembly point through the General Staff, but..."

She took a deep breath, her voice lowering slightly, "The General Staff previously issued instructions that, apart from designated national treasure-level experts and strategic material sites, military rescue operations must be prioritized based on difficulty and efficiency."

"Hongfulou is quite a distance from the gathering point in Helu City, and the situation along the way is complicated. According to the current assessment standards, its priority is probably not very high."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Resources are limited and must be used wisely. Prioritize rescuing easier targets, and only tackle the toughest ones last. Otherwise, if the already heavily damaged army is exhausted from rescuing difficult targets, even the simpler ones will become challenging.

Hongfulou's location is awkward. Although there are quite a few survivors, it is a full 5 kilometers away. This distance would not have been a big deal before the apocalypse, but now it makes the rescue more difficult and costly than it should be at this stage.

The harsh reality left everyone feeling a sense of loss.

Chen Yu seemed somewhat unwilling, and he couldn't help but ask, "But, Captain Ren, since the higher-ups value Brother Yi so much, bestowing upon him a rank and sending him so many precious crystals, shouldn't our priority be raised? With Brother Yi's talent and contributions in source energy, isn't he comparable to those experts?"

Ren Yinuo's face showed a complicated expression. She glanced at Lin Yi, hesitated for a moment, and then explained, "You're right. Headquarters does indeed treat Major Lin with the same treatment as a 'national treasure expert'."

"However, there is a key difference here."

She paused, seemingly considering her words, "As you all know, when Captain Tianpeng came before, he asked Major Lin if he was willing to go to the General Staff. Actually, their primary task was not to deliver the appointment and supplies, but to escort Major Lin Yi back to the capital base."

These words startled everyone, even Zhou Jianjun looked at Lin in surprise.

They initially thought it was just a routine inquiry, but they didn't expect they actually planned to bring Lin Yi along.

"However, Major Lin refused, which was expected by the General Staff."

Ren Yinuo smiled apologetically at Lin Yi as she finished speaking, "The General Staff has conducted a preliminary personality profile analysis based on Major Lin's publicly available behavioral records."

“Analysis suggests that Major Lin is highly unlikely to leave this place for headquarters at this stage, which is why there is an alternative plan: to have me stay here with the communication equipment for an extended period.” She paused. “Of course, it is only because of Major Lin’s special circumstances that the Tianpeng Squad would have taken a more resolute ‘protective transfer’ measure.”

Her wording was tactful, but everyone present understood the subtext.

If it were any other expert on the highest protection list, they would likely have been "invited" away by the Tianpeng Squad.

However, when faced with Lin Yi, the General Staff judged that forcibly "inviting" him might not be successful, and might even have the opposite effect on such a young man. Therefore, they adopted this more flexible approach that respected his personal wishes.

"and"

Ren Yinuo thought for a moment and added a sentence.

"There's an even more important reason. The General Staff has also assessed Major Lin's current survivability. They believe that with those crystal equipment and techniques, even if Major Lin encounters an abyssal beast he can't fight head-on within this miniature nest, he should have more than enough to protect himself and escape. Therefore..."

Hearing this, Chen Yu finally gave up completely.

He wasn't stupid. Since the General Staff believed that Lin Yi's safety was not a problem, the precious rescue forces would definitely be used elsewhere according to regulations. The others at Hongfulou could only wait for the rescue, and they could forget about taking advantage of the situation.

Lin Yi was not surprised at all.

Unlike others, he had served as a high-ranking official on Blue Star for a long time. Several people he knew were probably still working in the General Staff at this time, and he quickly deduced the General Staff's current style of operation.

“I understand,” Lin Yi said calmly. “I never thought that because of me, the gathering point would send a large number of people to rescue Hongfulou ahead of schedule.”

"I'm wondering if this is possible."

"Please ask Captain Ren to help contact the gathering point in Helu City. Tell them that I will find a relatively safe route and clear out as many threats as possible along the way. Then, after I arrive, please ask them to send a small team of support personnel with the necessary heavy firepower to come with me and cover the transfer of the more than 400 people from Hongfulou."

The main problem is that there are too many people at Hongfulou. Even if he clears them out first, the sheer number of people along the way will attract at least a hundred Yuanlang. If he guards the area alone, he will easily lose sight of the others.

He looked at Ren Yinuo and said, "How about this? The main problem is that there are too many people at Hongfulou, and I'm afraid I can't manage them all by myself. They only need to send one team to assist them. This level of 'difficulty' and 'efficiency' should be enough to get them to come and provide support, right?"

Ren Yinuo listened carefully, her eyes gradually brightening.

Lin Yi's plan essentially took on the greatest risks and preliminary work himself, leaving the troops at the assembly point with the lowest risk and highest efficiency.

She nodded immediately, her tone becoming much more certain. "If that's the case, just making a single trip to provide assistance could save over four hundred survivors. There's no reason to refuse. I can communicate with the General Staff now and explain this plan."

"Okay, it's settled then." Lin Yi nodded. "Thank you for your help, Captain Ren."

(End of this chapter)