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

Half an hour later.

P3-level mobile biological laboratory.

Various sophisticated instruments are operating at full capacity. Academician Chen Changhe, with two huge dark circles under his eyes, is recording the latest splitting data of Ω-9 element under a microscope.

The Omega-9 element brought by the red rain is too powerful; conventional methods simply cannot explain the principles of its energy operation.

"Old Chen!"

The door was pushed open, and Su Ran and Li Guodong strode in.

"Little Su?"

Chen Changhe took off his glasses, rubbed his bloodshot eyes, and said with a wry smile, "You've come at the right time. This Omega-9 element is a complete rogue; it completely disregards the law of conservation of energy. I'm going bald. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Old Chen, forget about that for now, take a look at this."

Without wasting any words, Su Ran dumped the large bag of collected crystal cores onto the lab table with a "whoosh".

Crystal nuclei of various colors rolled down, refracting a mesmerizing glow under the specially designed shadowless lamp.

"Are these the stones from the monsters' brains?"

Chen Changhe picked up a pill, his brows furrowed. "I've dissected several of the zombies that were brought in before, and I've seen it. It seems to be a high concentration of viral polymers, but I haven't had time to study it further yet."

"Don't test it like a virus, test it like a high-energy fuel."

Su Ran said, "Put it into the detection tank of the high-energy particle collider."

Chen Changhe was stunned for a moment, looking at Su Ran as if she were a madwoman: "Su, are you serious? This is a crystal structure, putting it in a collider? It'll explode!"

"I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Su Ran's eyes were resolute. "Old Chen, believe me. Just like you believe the end of the world will come."

Chen Changhe stared at Su Ran for three seconds, and finally sighed.

"Fine, whatever you say. The world's already gone mad, so one more time won't make a difference."

He put on heat-resistant gloves, used tweezers to pick up the smallest grayish-white crystal core, which was only the size of a soybean, and carefully placed it into the core compartment of the instrument.

The hatch closed.

"Inject energy flow, begin bombardment."

As Chen Changhe operated the machine, the lights in the laboratory suddenly dimmed.

A tremendous humming sound arose, and the particle collider began to operate.

Everyone held their breath.

The data stream on the screen began to jump slowly.

10%...20%...

"The energy reaction is unremarkable." Chen Changhe shook his head, looking at the flat curve. "I told you it was just an ordinary one..."

Before he could finish speaking...

"drop!!!"

A piercing alarm blared instantly, and red warning lights flashed wildly.

The green curve on the screen, instead of rising, turned into a red line perpendicular to the X-axis in that instant, breaking through the top of the screen!

"Out of control?! How is this possible?!"

The assistant beside her screamed in terror, "The detector's upper limit is at the nuclear reactor level!"

Chen Changhe froze on the spot.

He stared at the wildly fluctuating number, his lips trembling.

[Energy reading: 3.4 x 10^12 Joules]

"One...this little thing..."

Chen Changhe grabbed the calculator with trembling hands, his fingers flying across the keyboard, before collapsing into a chair as if his soul had been ripped away.

One ton of TNT.

Chen Changhe muttered to himself, his voice filled with an indescribable fear and ecstasy.

"This peanut-sized object contains the equivalent of a ton of TNT in pure energy. And... and it's extremely stable, with almost no power loss!"

The only sound in the laboratory was the whirring of the fans.

Although Li Guodong couldn't understand those complicated parameters, he understood "one ton of TNT".

That means if this thing explodes, none of them will be left with even ashes.

"Old Chen, this is the 'uranium mine' of the new era."

Su Ran walked to Chen Changhe's side and said calmly, "The Ω-9 element is not only transforming living organisms, but also reshaping the rules of matter. The violent energy that living organisms cannot fully absorb will gather in the brain to form this kind of crystal nucleus."

"I need to weaponize it, to turn it into an energy source."

Su Ran's voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and authoritative: "Old Chen, with this, can we finally bring out all those blueprints that have been gathering dust due to 'energy shortages'?"

Chen Changhe was stunned.

Chen Changhe suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with an alarming light.

Countless rejected projects flashed through his mind in an instant.

Miniaturization of electromagnetic railguns? The project was shelved due to the need for massive capacitor banks.

Now that we have crystal cores... all we need is a converter, and a single soldier can carry a cannon and run!

Power armor?

Because the battery life is too short, it cannot be used for extended periods of time.

Now... by stuffing in two crystal cores, we can wage a protracted war!

"Yes! Absolutely!"

Chen Changhe's face flushed with excitement as he paced back and forth in the hall. "This is practically a backdoor opened by God for humanity! Its importance for the energy application of crystal cores is no less than the development of awakening potions!"

"Mr. Chen, take a look at this."

As Su Ran spoke, she flipped her hand and slapped a slightly yellowed roll of drawings onto the table.

"Having oil alone is not enough; you also need an engine."

He drew this by hand during the days when the red rain fell, relying on his memories from his past life.

Although it's just a basic schematic diagram, and many details still need to be filled in and improved by scientists, the direction is correct.

If the general direction is right, given the scientific research capabilities of Great Xia, it's a game-changer.

"This is a design sketch of the 'Primary Crystal Energy Converter'."

Su Ran pushed the blueprints in front of Chen Changhe, "I don't know how to manufacture, but I know the principles."

"Professor Chen, although these blueprints are rudimentary, I believe that with the brilliant minds of our Academy of Sciences, it should only take a month at most to perfect them, right?"

In his previous life, he had the good fortune to meet a mechanical master while on the run.

The end times are unpredictable. Not long after, the mechanical master died tragically, and he could only lick the bag with tears in his eyes.

Chen Changhe took the blueprints with trembling hands.

This scientist, a figure of immense stature, was captivated at first glance.

"...So that's how energy is guided... Truly ingenious! This is an absolutely brilliant design! It's like putting a nuclear reactor inside a AA battery..."

Chen Changhe was completely absorbed, forgetting that there were two living people standing next to him.

Su Ran smiled faintly to the side, keeping his merits and fame hidden.

"These should all be handed over to the state."