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

Time: The seventh day after the red rain arrives, 20:00.

Kunlun No. 1 Base, 800 meters underground.

The enormous central holographic screen was now divided into twelve sub-screens, each connected to the outermost tower monitoring the base.

No sound.

But the silent scene was more suffocating than any horror movie.

"hiss……"

A young staff officer who had just been assigned to deliver documents looked up at the screen and dropped the folder in his hand with a "thud".

His face was deathly pale, and he was making a hissing sound as if someone was being choked.

On the screen is the sea.

A sea of ​​corpses.

Under the eerie green filter of the night vision goggles, the original earthy color of the Gobi Desert could no longer be seen outside the two massive alloy gates of the Kunlun base, each weighing five hundred tons.

Instead, there was a dense mass of heads, surging like maggots.

What should have been a deathly still mass of corpses now exuded a chilling "vitality".

Instead of wandering aimlessly like in the movie, they seemed to be attracted by some kind of magnetic field, frantically pressing against the high-voltage power grid surrounding the base.

The zombies at the front were shoved and pushed by the horde of zombies behind them, crashing into the electrified protective netting, instantly exploding into a blinding burst of sparks, their bodies charred black as they fell to the ground.

But in just half a second, the charred corpse was trampled into a bloody pulp by countless feet, and the zombies behind it continued to tirelessly crash into the electric grid that emitted a deathly blue light, stepping on the corpses of their own kind.

One floor, two floors, three floors.

The bodies were piling up at a rate that was utterly despairing.

"What we have observed so far is only the situation within five kilometers of the main gate of the Kunlun base."

Colonel Wang from the intelligence section held a laser pointer in his hand, pointing at the nauseating green spot on the screen, his voice revealing a deep weariness.

"According to AI data statistics, the number of zombies gathered at our doorstep has now exceeded 100,000."

"and……"

Colonel Wang paused for a moment, then switched to a high-definition close-up image.

In the photo, a zombie is roaring at a security camera with its mouth wide open.

Even through the screen, the generals present could clearly see that the zombie's teeth were no longer human teeth.

It had serrated, shark-like teeth, and its nails had grown to three inches long, gleaming with a metallic black sheen.

"They evolved very rapidly."

Colonel Wang's voice trembled slightly, "The activity of the Omega-9 element is even higher than we expected. In just seven days, 10% of the mutants have developed keratinized skin, significantly enhancing their defense."

The conference room was deathly silent.

Only the faint sound of airflow from the central air conditioning vents, like the breathing of a giant beast.

"What about the other bases?"

The old man sitting at the head of the table asked in a deep voice.

"The situation is largely the same."

Li Guodong pulled up several other sets of data, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"The No. 3 base in the Yangtze River Delta even encountered a probing attack from a marine mutated creature; traces of a huge mutated bear were discovered outside the base in the Greater Khingan Mountains in Northeast China."

"We hid underground for seven days."

The leader sat in the main seat, his hands crossed and resting on his chin, and said in a deep voice, "But in these seven days, the outside world has changed. Gentlemen, we have fallen behind."

These words were like a thorn, piercing everyone's heart.

"We have to play tomorrow."

A lieutenant general with two gold stars on his shoulders slammed his hand on the table. He was General Zhang Guomeng, who was in charge of the base's defense.

"After seven days of holding back, the soldiers' gun barrels are practically rusting! Whether they've evolved or mutated, I refuse to believe they can withstand a heavy artillery barrage!"

"Then let's discuss the specific battle plan."

The commander spoke up: "Operations Department, have you come up with a plan yet?"

"Reporting to the commander! The plan has been finalized!"

A commander bearing the Major General's gold star on his shoulder stood up abruptly, his movements as swift as a drawn steel blade. He was Zhang Xiao, the commander-in-chief of the garrison.

"Proposal code: Ground cleaning."

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xiao caused the holographic sand table to change instantly, with countless red attack coordinates lighting up and covering the entire valley.

"Our strategic reserves are extremely abundant, and there is no need to engage in a bloody battle with these walking corpses."

Zhang Xiao's voice exuded a unique arrogance and confidence characteristic of a major power's army.

"In the first phase, 10 minutes before the main gate of the base opens at 12 noon tomorrow, we will deploy fortress-class automatic artillery positions, in conjunction with two rounds of PHL-191 long-range rocket artillery coverage."

He made a sharp slash in the air with his finger.

"Ten minutes. Just ten minutes. I'll turn every inch of land within a five-kilometer radius of this door upside down. Whether it's a zombie or a mutated beast, it'll all be reduced to ashes under saturation firepower!"

A low murmur of admiration filled the conference room.

This is the source of the confidence of industrial civilization.

The so-called zombie crisis is actually ridiculously fragile in the face of organized heavy firepower.

"Phase Two,"

Zhang Xiao continued, a cold glint in his eyes, "The armored regiment advances. Type 99A main battle tanks lead the way, with Type 04 infantry fighting vehicles providing cover. Push the earth outwards in a diamond formation. This phase is mainly responsible for clearing out the surviving high-level zombies and mutated beasts."

"In the third phase, the infantry regiments relied on armored bunkers to conduct grid-like clearing, establish temporary outposts, erect barbed wire, and establish a safe zone."

This plan is conventional and as stable as a mountain.

It is absolute safety, nurtured by countless rounds of ammunition.

"I agree."

Li Guodong nodded and looked at his commander. "This is the tactic with the lowest casualty rate. We have plenty of ammunition, but every soldier is precious."

The leader nodded slightly, clearly also favoring this prudent approach.

"I have something to add."

An untimely voice rang out.

Everyone turned to look.

"Speak," the leader nodded.

"In the second phase of the infantry clearing sequence."

Su Ran raised her head, her gaze intense. "I want to cut in line."

Li Guodong's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding arose within him: "Comrade Xiao Su, you wouldn't be thinking of...?"

"That's right."

Su Ran grinned, a smile tinged with a sinister edge. "Those fifteen special forces geniuses recruited by the bases, along with Bai Lu and Ye Xiao, will all be assigned to the first-tier cleaning squad tomorrow."

"No! Comrade Su Ran, this is wartime, not firing range practice!"

General Zhang Xiao was the first to jump out in opposition, his brows furrowed deeply.

"After the artillery barrage, all that's left will definitely be tough-skinned mutants, and there might even be so-called Tier 1 high-level zombies! Those child soldiers have only been training for a few days? Three days! Sending them to the battlefield with the regular army? That's sending them to their deaths, and they'll only be a burden to our soldiers!"

Su Ran stood up, placed her hands on the table, leaned forward, and exuded a strong sense of pressure.

"General Zhang, if they can't even handle a bunch of bloodied zombies that's been blasted to pieces by artillery fire, then what's the point of the country keeping them around? As mascots?"

"But……"

"No buts."

Su Ran interrupted him abruptly, her voice rising abruptly, "Tomorrow's 'Dawn' isn't just about cleaning up the trash at the entrance; it's more importantly about training the troops!"

Su Ran pointed to the top of her head, which was the direction of the ground.

"Modern weapons will eventually become obsolete; in the later stages, it's the awakened beings' supernatural abilities that matter!"

"These fifteen people are seeds we selected with enormous resources. But seeds that don't shed blood will never grow into great trees."

Su Ran's gaze swept over every general present, his tone softening slightly, yet remaining as firm as iron.

"In the apocalypse, only those who survive rolling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood deserve to be called 'Awakened Ones.' The dead are nothing more than fertilizer."

Silence fell over the meeting room once again.

General Zhang Xiao opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but seeing the evolved claws on the screen, he ultimately slumped back down.

He knew Su Ran was right.

But he was a soldier, and he couldn't bear to watch a bunch of rookies go to their deaths.

"What if there are casualties?"

Li Guodong asked in a low voice, "A few of these are promising brain mutation candidates that the Chinese Academy of Sciences is focusing on."

"As long as they don't all die out, it's a profit."

Su Ran's answer was cold and almost ruthless: "Snipers can be deployed around for long-range support, and I'll have Bai Lu follow along. With this S-class combatant in charge, as long as those geniuses don't collapse from exhaustion, they won't have an easy time dying."

The leader listened in silence until this moment, when he slowly picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea that had long since gone cold.

"Granted."

The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it was decisive: "Zhang Xiao, do as Su Ran said. Incorporate those fifteen men into the 'Special Forces Training Team,' and they'll depart with the first echelon tomorrow."

Tell them, this is an exam. The consequence of failing is death.

"yes!"

Zhang Xiao saluted, his eyes now holding a complex expression towards Su Ran.

This young man is ruthless.