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

Assuming a conclusion has been reached?

Su Ran felt her heart skip a beat.

The "hypothesis" that had been bothering him so much has finally come to a conclusion!

"Where?"

Su Ran's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"The private conference room is ready; several experts have already arrived."

Li Guodong picked up the hat from the table and strode out, saying, "Let's talk on the way."

The two walked side by side through the bustling command hall and headed toward the core, classified area of ​​the base.

"This research group is of a very high caliber."

Li Guodong kept walking and spoke very quickly, "The person in charge is Luo Zhen, the chief logician of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. There are two others: Qian Huawai, a mathematician in charge of the 'Tianhe' supercomputing project, and Sun Lan, a top sociologist. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beidou monitoring unit provided assistance and support throughout the process."

Su Ran nodded silently. Such a grand display of force demonstrated the high level of importance that the higher-ups attached to this matter.

The alloy door slid open silently, revealing a simple conference room.

There were already three people sitting in the room.

The man in the lead was probably in his early fifties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and with sharp eyes. Sitting next to him was a serious-looking middle-aged man and an intellectual-looking middle-aged woman.

"Advisor Su, Director Li."

The man at the head of the group stood up and extended his hand. "I am Luo Zhen, who is in charge of logic. This is Qian Huawai, the mathematical modeling expert. This is Sun Lan, the sociology expert."

There was no small talk.

After Li Guodong and Su Ran took their seats, Luo Zhen got straight to the point.

"Advisor Su, Minister Li. Regarding the top-secret strategic simulation you proposed, we have conducted continuous modeling and analysis in conjunction with multiple departments."

Luo Zhen's gaze passed over his glasses and landed precisely on Su Ran's face.

"Our initial conclusions may be somewhat unexpected."

He paused for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts.

"The fundamental reason why the current speed of disaster evolution is ahead of what we remember is not any supernatural force, nor the so-called 'world correction force'."

"The root cause is very likely ourselves."

"What do you mean?"

Li Guodong frowned.

Su Ran didn't speak, but her hands, which were resting on her knees, clenched unconsciously.

Luo Zhen held up two fingers and tapped them on the table: "To make it easier to understand, we can imagine the Ω-9 virus brought by Hongyu as a 'contamination pool' with a fixed total amount."

In a pristine timeline free from external interference, this contaminated pool would relatively evenly cover the entire Earth's surface, including the 14 billion people of Great Xia and countless plants and animals.

"In other words, we humans are a huge part of the total amount of the Omega-9 virus. The vast majority of humans are too weak to handle this burden, so they break down and turn into zombies."

But regardless of whether they exist in the form of living people, dead people, or zombies, they are all a huge "consumption group" and "storage container" for the Omega-9 virus.

Luo Zhen looked at Su Ran with a complicated expression.

"But now, we have built a 'Shangri-La.' We have used steel and concrete to free nearly 1.2 billion people from this 'distribution system.'"

Su Ran's breath hitched suddenly as an incredibly reasonable conjecture struck his mind like lightning.

"Then what portion of the Omega-9 virus they should have received..."

Su Ran asked in a hoarse voice, "Given it all to the remaining creatures on the surface?"

"That's right."

Luo Zhen's tone became extremely solemn, "This portion of the Omega-9 virus was left in the pool and was absorbed twice as much by the other organisms that were not retrieved."

"We saved 1.2 billion people, but in a way, we also caused the monsters outside to enjoy an extra '1.2 billion dose' of evolutionary catalyst."

boom!

Su Ran's mind went blank, as if she had been hit hard by a heavy hammer.

"It's not some butterfly effect; it's just a simple arithmetic problem."

Su Ran muttered to herself, "The denominator has become smaller, while the numerator remains the same, so the result naturally becomes larger."

Is there supporting data?

Although Li Guodong understood, he still asked a question out of habit.

People with an intelligence background only believe in evidence.

"have."

Qian Huawai, who had been silent all along, spoke up at this moment.

He projected a document onto the holographic screen.

"Advisor Su, Director Li, please take a look."

Qian Huawai pointed to the screen, "This is a map of the activity of suspected high-level mutated creatures, drawn by the Beidou system based on feedback from all frontline combat units. The darkest red areas represent the areas with the highest frequency of second-tier creatures."

Su Ran narrowed her eyes.

He was all too familiar with those dark red to black patches on the map.

Jiangcheng, Shangjing, Hucheng, Yangcheng...

"Without exception, all the red zones were megacities with a population of over ten million before the apocalypse."

Qian Huawai continued, "Including the mutated grizzly bear killed by Comrade Ye Xiao, and the mother nest that is entrenched in Jiangcheng, they all originated in what used to be densely populated areas."

Sociologist Sun Lan had remained silent until this moment, when she finally spoke slowly.

"From a sociological perspective, this is the paradox of civilization. The more we try to use order to combat chaos, the more chaos we create. The more people we protect, the stronger the enemies we make for ourselves."

"However, there is still some good news."

Luo Zhen's tone also became excited as he spoke, "This effect has diminishing marginal returns."

Su Ran looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"The Omega-9 virus is very aggressive, but there is a limit to how much an organism can tolerate it."

Luo Zhen explained, "It's like eating. If you feed a mouse 100 pounds of rice, it will only die from overeating; it will never grow into an elephant."

"The current accelerated evolution is due to an overabundance of viruses in the early stages. However, as the individual's evolutionary level increases, the energy required for advancement increases exponentially."

Qian Huawai drew a function graph on the side.

The curve is frighteningly steep at first, almost vertically upward, but after a certain point, it begins to flatten out rapidly, becoming a parabola.

"We have jointly conducted a study with Academician Chen Changhe of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. No matter how fast it goes in the early stages, once it reaches the second or third stage, the benefits brought by the population gap will be exhausted."

"At that time, the monster's evolution rate will return to a relatively normal curve."

Luo Zhen tapped the table and said, "That is, the so-called mean reversion."

A logical closed loop has been formed.

This is why mutated creatures evolve so quickly.

This is why second-tier creatures appeared earlier than expected.

This is why something like a "mother nest" is born in the first week.

There were no divine pranks, no cruel twists of fate.

Simply because they saved so many people.

That's truly a hellish joke.

call!

Su Ran leaned back in her chair, feeling as if the heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart was finally being lifted.

As long as it's not a bottomless pit.

If it really is that kind of endless vicious cycle of "the devil is one step ahead of the saint".

Humans might as well dig a hole and bury themselves as soon as possible.

If something can be explained by science, there is a solution.

Su Ran let out a long breath.

Who the enemy is is not scary.

What's terrifying is that you can't even see the enemy's face clearly.

Thank you, experts.

Su Ran sat up straight again, the confusion in her eyes gone. "Your conclusions are very enlightening for me."

"You're welcome. Consultant Su, to be honest, although I don't know what you've been through, it's a blessing for Great Xia to have you."

Luo Zhen grasped Su Ran's hand and sighed.

Su Ran shook her head. "It's all for survival."

Stepping out of the conference room, the incandescent lights in the corridor were somewhat dazzling.

Su Ran's shoulders, which had been tense the whole way, finally relaxed, and her steps became less heavy.

"Old Li, this matter needs to be reported as soon as possible, especially to the leaders."

Su Ran handed the documents in her hand to Li Guodong, saying as they walked, "At the previous operational meeting, the core concern of General Wang Jianjun and his team who advocated defense was the 'unknown.' They felt that my memories from my previous life had become invalid, and they were afraid that the future would be a bottomless pit. Now that the logical loop has been closed, this is reassuring."

Li Guodong took the document and dusted it off with his fingers.

"That's a good idea."

Li Guodong sighed, "With this simulation, the commanders on the front lines can finally relax. Before, everyone was uncertain, but now that they know the reason, even though the enemy has become stronger, they feel more at ease and can fight more freely."

"That's right, the unknown is the greatest fear."

The two reached a fork in the road.

Li Guodong pointed in the direction of the communications center. "I'm going to report to the commander. What about you?"

"I'm going to the cafeteria."

Su Ran raised her wrist and checked the time. "There are still 9 hours until the first round of points settlement. I need to arrange a celebration banquet."

Li Guodong was taken aback, then laughed.

"It's for Bai Lu, right? That girl Bai Lu is really fierce. She cleared things out faster by herself than our entire reinforced regiment could."

Old Li clicked his tongue twice and sighed, "And she even saved on ammunition supplies by using throwing knives. She deserves a good reward for her contribution."

"Alright,"

Su Ran waved her hand, "I'm leaving."

……

Kunlun Base, Awakened Rest Area.

There are less than six hours left until the first round of points settlement.

It was already completely dark outside, and the advance missions in all major war zones had basically come to a halt.

When Su Ran pushed the door open, Ye Xiao was sprawled on the leather sofa, his legs propped up on the coffee table without any regard for appearances.

The dark red longsword in his hand leaned casually against the sofa, its blade still stained with undried black blood.

The kid wasn't wearing a shirt; his body was wrapped in bandages, and he reeked of blood and medicine.

"Brother Su is here."

Hearing the noise, Ye Xiao didn't get up. He had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth and mumbled indistinctly.

"Why are you back now?"

"I'm numb from killing, I need to come back and relax."

Ye Xiao said, feeling wronged, "Brother Su, why don't you at least greet the working class first?"

Su Ran laughed, "Just came to ask if you're dead yet."

He walked over and kicked his foot. "Put your leg down, that's public property."

"I won't die, but I'm definitely losing money. Brother Su, there's something wrong with your system's assessment!"

Ye Xiao pointed at the leaderboard on the big screen, looking indignant. "My bear is a level two Grizzly! And you only gave me 10 points?!"

Su Ran sat opposite him and calmly said, "At that time, the base had not yet updated the data template for second-tier creatures, so we could only use the default values."

"I don't care! Compensation is required!"

Ye Xiao slapped his thigh in anger, "That second-tier crystal core should be worth at least 1000 points. If I add that, I can surpass Mo Glasses."

"It can't be fixed."

Su Ran refused decisively, "Rules are rules."

"Mo Glasses' poison mist ability is cheating; wherever he goes, a whole bunch of people die."

Ye Xiao's lips twitched. "Mine were all cut to the bone, how can it be the same?"

Su Ran smiled but didn't respond.

Mo Yun's poison-type ability is indeed a great tool for clearing maps in the early stages. As long as his mental strength can hold up, his scoring efficiency is second only to that of a mentalist.

In contrast, Ye Xiao, a melee berserker, although strong in single-target burst damage, is indeed at a disadvantage in large-scale mowing-down situations.

Su Ran glanced at the big screen.

[Leadership Ranking (First Round Countdown: 05:58:12)]

First place: Bai Lu. Points: 10110.

Second place: Mo Yun. Points: 6910.

Third place: Ye Xiao. Points: 6420.

……

"Alright, stop howling."

Su Ran took out a tactical tablet and quickly typed on it, "The rules have changed next week."

Su Ran tapped her finger on the tablet, and an announcement was instantly sent to the terminals of every Awakened and Potential Seed.

"Ding!"

The crisp notification sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Everyone instinctively reached for the terminal at hand.

The first round of points settlement is about to end.

[Announcement: Starting tomorrow, the "Great Xia Awakened Ones Phase One Special Training Program" will commence.]

[1. Next week is a rest week. All awakened personnel must cooperate with the Academy of Sciences for supernatural ability data collection, skill development, and tactical refinement. Large-scale external extermination missions are suspended.]

[2. The Points Redemption Shop is now officially open. Tier 1 Crystal Cores, Tier 2 Crystal Cores, Special Alloy Weapons, Tactical Mechs, and more will be added to the shop soon.]

[3. New rule: Starting next week, the points for killing a Tier 2 mutated creature will be increased to 100.]

[4. The list of those eliminated at the bottom will be announced tomorrow at 08:00. The bottom 5% in the points ranking will be removed from the combat sequence and removed from the Awakener Headquarters.]

[5. For unawakened "potential seeds": They can choose to apply to continue the clearance mission with the army, or choose to remain at the base for physical and combat training. The points leaderboard will continue to accumulate.]

The moment the announcement was released, the Awakened Ones were the first to erupt in uproar.

Mo Yun: Received.

Chen Kewang: Received.

Jiang Zunyong: Received.

Longjiang: Received.

Ye Xiao: Received. Brothers, I've already returned to base.

Mo Yun: Are you lying down?

Ye Xiao: [Knife][Knife]

……

In contrast to the enthusiastic responses from the awakened ones, the potential seeds remained completely silent.

Two hundred kilometers away from the Kunlun base, in the foothills of the Taihang Mountains.

Kunlun Base is a potential seed-planting site.

Zhao Tian sat on an ammunition box, looking at the announcement projected on his wristwatch.

He was now covered in black ash and dried blood, with a hideous scab running across his exposed skin.

"Instructor Su is trying to push us to the limit!"

Zhao Tian said with a grim expression, "Not even a single day off."

Beside him, Luo Susu was huddled together, clutching a tactical rifle.

Her voice was slightly hoarse, "Brother Zhao, are we not taking a single day off?"