In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

Time: Day 3 of the apocalypse countdown.

The dry, scorching feeling in the air had reached its peak.

The last 72 hours.

Su Ran continued his final frenzied sweep along the southeastern coast of the country.

On the coast of the East China Sea, lies Yangshan Deep-Water Port.

The sea breeze howled, whipping up turbid waves three meters high.

This place was once the world's busiest container handling center, but now it is as empty as a ghost town.

All the gantry cranes had stopped operating, and the huge container yard was completely bare; you couldn't even find a mouse.

"Advisor Su, this is the last batch."

The port authority chief, who was in charge of assisting, had two huge dark circles under his eyes and a hoarse voice.

Behind him were three super-giant cargo ships, each capable of carrying 20,000 TEUs, which were originally moored.

As Su Ran raised and lowered his hand, the ship, along with part of the seawater below, abruptly disappeared below the horizon.

The visual impact is so strong that it's breathtaking even after watching it a thousand times.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Su Ran withdrew her hand, her face ashen, and casually popped a vial of high-concentration glucose into her mouth.

From top-tier timber reserves in the Greater Khingan Mountains to chip lithography machine clusters in the Yangtze River Delta, and then to heavy machinery plants in the heart of the Central Plains.

He turned himself into a gluttonous beast, devouring the last vestiges of this nation's industrial civilization, skin and all.

Then they traveled back and forth between various underground bases to set up industrial production lines.

"This time, not even a single screw was left for the zombies."

Su Ran twisted her neck and took one last look at the empty sea.

"Return to Kunlun."

……

Kunlun Mountain, Peach Blossom Spring Base No. 1.

Eight hundred meters underground, the core command post.

The air here is consistently warm and humid, and even carries a faint scent of negative ion air freshener.

On the huge holographic sand table, all the indicators for the twelve underground cities were in red, a sign that they were operating at full capacity.

"You're back?"

Inside the command center, the elderly man in the main seat held a cup of strong tea, looking at the images on the monitor screen with a look of relief mixed with deep worry.

"Commander."

Su Ran pushed open the door and entered, looking travel-worn and carrying the chill unique to the North.

"sit."

The old man pointed to the chair opposite him, "Xiao Su, have you finished moving everything?"

"Everything's moved."

Su Ran smiled, picked up the water bottle on the table and took a big gulp. "All ships over 1,000 tons, all port machinery, and core equipment of shipyards along the southeast coast have been put into storage. I also took two oil refineries as a side deal."

"well done."

The old man nodded, put down his teacup, and said, "Xiao Su, how do you think our preparations are going?"

"The hardware facilities are ten thousand times better than in my previous life."

Without hesitation, Su Ran's eyes shone brightly, "In our past life, we were caught off guard and had to fight hastily. In this life, we start with max-level gear. As long as we survive the first wave of the Red Rain's zombie horde, relying on the dungeon, we can even push back to the surface within a year."

Su Ran was very confident.

This is the situation he risked his life to save.

"Yeah, max-level gear. We have enough supplies and everyone's here. But I still feel like we're missing something?"

The old man spoke slowly, his tone unhurried, "According to your description, in the later stages of the apocalypse, those mutated beasts and zombie kings evolved at an extremely rapid pace. Ordinary rifles, even artillery, would become exponentially less effective against them, right?"

Su Ran paused for a moment, then nodded: "That's right. In the first phase, firearms are enough to sweep everything away. But in the second phase, biological evolution will break the rules of physics. Level 3 zombies' carapaces can withstand armor-piercing rounds, and mutated beasts can break the sound barrier. At that time, the cost-effectiveness of conventional firepower will become extremely low."

"That's right."

The old man turned around, his gaze sharp as he looked at Su Ran. "Whether it's fighting a war or governing a country, in the end it all comes down to people. Especially those awakened ones you mentioned... who can lead the charge in the later stages of the war."

"But sir, awakening is a talent, and such talents are all random."

"random?"

The old man smiled and shook his head. "I don't believe in absolute randomness. Since you say that some people in your past life could become 'Gods of War' or 'Gods of Magic,' that means that their physique and willpower were one in a million."

"Gold shines wherever it is, provided that..."

The old man paused for a moment, then suddenly posed a pointed question.

"Xiao Su, have you ever thought about something?"

"What?"

Mencius said: "One is born in hardship and dies in comfort."

Su Ran paused, put down her water glass, and asked, "Sir, what do you mean?"

"The Peach Blossom Spring is too perfect."

The leader stood up and walked to the holographic map, his back looking somewhat desolate. "It's so perfect... it's like a giant greenhouse. They have no worries about food or clothing, and they're safe and sound. We even laid out a local area network in the underground city so they can watch videos and play games."

"In this kind of environment, can those... war gods who can tear the heavens apart, as you describe, truly be born?"

"In our past lives, humanity emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Those who survived naturally awakened their fighting instincts, forced out by monsters. But in this life..."

The old man turned around, his gaze fixed on Su Ran, his words eloquent and profound:

"We've crammed everyone into this steel fortress. If one day the walls fall, what will these people, who have never even seen blood, use to fight?"

"Especially those 'awakeners' you mentioned."

The old man hit the nail on the head: "If the environment is too comfortable, will they still awaken? If our protection causes humanity to lose its chance for evolution, will this 'Shangri-La' become the graveyard of human civilization?"

boom!

Su Ran's pupils suddenly contracted.

A word to wake up the dreamer!

The Butterfly Effect!

"Damn it! I've been so focused on stockpiling food and building walls for the past two weeks that I've neglected the most crucial variable: people."

Why were there so many powerful figures in my past life?

Because that's hell!

That was a hell where people ate each other, and an entire family would be killed for half a piece of moldy bread!

Under such extreme survival pressure, the human genetic lock was forcibly pried open.

Anger, despair, and fear—these extreme emotions are the best catalysts for the awakening of superpowers.

Many of those "god-level" powerhouses who were once renowned in their past lives were indeed forged in desperate situations.

For example, Pei Miaomiao, the "Flame Queen," is said to have awakened in extreme anger after her entire family was devoured by zombies;

"Thunder Emperor" Xu Yang awakened when he was exhausted and on the verge of death while protecting the survivors' camp.

Now that everyone has food, drink, and heating, who would still risk their life?

Pei Miaomiao is probably still using the local area network and playing on her phone in the shelter.

Xu Yang may spend his whole life as a coding engineer!

In this environment, what makes them think they can awaken?

Even if the red rain falls, without the stimulation of being on the verge of life and death, an S-level ability might degenerate into an A-level ability, or even be unable to awaken a second time, becoming just another ordinary person!

"I...I ruined them."

Su Ran muttered to herself, cold sweat instantly soaking her back.

Without that group of top-notch combatants, could this Great Wall of Steel withstand the later stages of the mutated tide if the early counterattacks didn't go smoothly?

When a level six zombie king leads a horde of millions of zombies to attack the city, and when a deep-sea behemoth crashes into the continental shelf, ordinary guns and cannons are just a tickle!

Great Xia needs "nuclear weapons".

A humanoid nuclear weapon.

"It's not exactly useless."

The old man turned around, his gaze deep. "But we need to give these unsheathed swords a special... whetstone."

"Sir, I understand."

Su Ran took a deep breath, her eyes gradually hardening. "It was my oversight. No matter how good the weapons are, they need someone to use them. Firearms will become obsolete, but there is no limit to human evolution."

"Since the environment isn't cruel enough, then we'll create cruelty for them."