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

Since there's no other choice, let's just go all the way down this path, even if it leads to darkness.

When Su Ran came out of the conference room, it felt like she had entered a different world.

The thick fog of confusion that had been weighing on my mind was dispelled like the blazing sun by the leader's words, and even my steps felt lighter than when I arrived.

As a result, a person's overall energy and spirit also improved significantly.

Back in the central command hall, the clamorous noise hit me again.

"Comrade Xiao Su,"

Li Guodong's voice rang out beside him. He had just returned from the test site and his eyes were full of puzzlement.

"You seem like a completely different person."

He looked Su Ran up and down.

It was clearly the same face, but the person's spirit and energy were like steel that had been tempered, with a restrained sharpness, yet unbreakable.

Su Ran raised the corners of his lips, revealing a flamboyant youthful smile.

"I guess I've figured something out."

As he spoke, he clenched his fist half-jokingly, "I feel incredibly strong right now."

"Haha, it's better to be stronger."

Li Guodong was amused by Su Ran's rare youthful spirit, and his tense face relaxed.

He patted Su Ran on the shoulder, his tone sincere, "That's more like a pillar of support! If you collapse, we old bones won't feel at ease."

He didn't ask any more questions. Everyone has their own way of boosting their morale, and as long as it works, that's fine.

"I just came up from the testing ground below."

Li Guodong spoke very quickly, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement, "Mo Yun's test just ended."

"How is it?"

Su Ran put away her joking expression and asked questions as she walked.

"Two words: stunning."

Li Guodong clicked his tongue twice, as if savoring something rare, "He's definitely a top student from a prestigious university; his brain works really well. If this were still a time of peace, Comrade Xiao Mo could absolutely become an outstanding scientist."

The two walked side by side toward the command platform.

As Li Guodong walked, he said, "Old Wei only mentioned the possibility of storing and reusing the toxic fumes during the test? Guess what happened?"

Su Ran raised an eyebrow. "Mo Yun provided an application solution on the spot?"

"More than that."

Li Guodong lowered his voice, his eyes shining, "Mo Yun immediately offered three improvement plans, and even combined them with the previously proposed 'supernatural ability compression'."

"Comrade Xiao Mo went directly to Elder Wei's laboratory. Elder Wei wanted to study the lasting impact of Mo Yun's superpower on the ecological environment."

At this point, Li Guodong added in a low voice, "After all, this is not a peaceful era. In order to deal with the large-scale mutated beast hordes that may be encountered in the future, some forbidden weapon plans will inevitably have to be used."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but both of them understood perfectly.

Given Mo Yun's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to come up with any forbidden weapons.

"It really is the end of the world."

Su Ran paused slightly, unable to help but sigh.

"Don't overthink it. Professor Wei and the others are all senior scientists; they know what they're doing."

Li Guodong also remarked with emotion, "No wonder the Academy of Sciences values ​​Mo Yun more highly than Ye Xiao. Ye Xiao is a sharp blade for breaking through enemy lines, while Mo Yun is a national weapon capable of influencing the course of battle."

Su Ran listened and simply shook her head calmly.

"Every inch has its advantage, and every foot has its disadvantage."

He grabbed a bottle of water from the table next to him, unscrewed it, and took a swig. "When you're really surrounded by thousands of zombies and have nowhere to retreat, Academician Wei will feel safer with Ye Xiao's big blade."

That makes sense.

Li Guodong nodded in agreement, "Anyway, they are all our precious darlings of Great Xia. On the battlefield, we can't do without any of them."

Su Ran didn't continue the topic and turned her gaze to the huge holographic sand table in the center of the command hall.

"Old Li, let's talk about serious business."

Su Ran put down the water bottle and looked at the map. "How's the ground offensive going? I haven't been keeping a close eye on it these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Li Guodong's posture noticeably straightened.

"Come on! I'll show you!"

Without wasting any words, he directly pulled Su Ran to the sand table.

On the huge 3D map, the blue light representing the Great Xia safe zone is expanding at a visible speed.

The red color, representing the occupied territories, was constantly squeezed and eroded.

"Ever since the 'deduction report' on the early emergence of the second-tier mutated beast was released, Zhang Xiao and his group of pro-war factions have completely let loose."

The sand table perspective abruptly switched to the Northwest Theater, where countless blue arrows formed a massive pincer attack, fiercely carving into a deep red area.

The flashes of gunfire rose and fell on the sand table, and even though it was just a data simulation, it exuded a sense of devastation.

"The fighting on the front lines is extremely resolute. All corps have received orders to fight to the death, regardless of cost or ammunition consumption, to destroy all mutated creatures within sight as quickly as possible, seize safe zones, and recapture transportation hubs!"

Li Guodong pointed to the expanding blue area, his voice filled with pride.

"Based on yesterday's data, since the launch of the 'Great Cleanup' plan, we have recovered more than four million square kilometers of territory across the twelve war zones!"

This data is indeed quite encouraging.

This means that the Great Xia Dynasty has recovered nearly half of its territory!

"Four months,"

Su Ran's gaze was fixed on the sand table, his mind racing as he calculated, "Before the large-scale appearance of third-tier mutated creatures, we'll definitely have enough artillery fire to plow the land of Great Xia all over again!"

"How are the second-tier mutated beasts appearing at the front line being dealt with?" Su Ran asked the most crucial question.

This is the real threat.

Heavy weapons are necessary to achieve effective eradication.

Li Guodong tapped the screen repeatedly, bringing up another set of data.

"It's all here."

Nearly a hundred striking red dots lit up on the map instantly, standing out even amidst the dense cluster of zombie horde markers.

"As of half an hour ago, a total of 498 Tier 2 mutated creatures have been confirmed to have been killed across all war zones."

Su Ran stared at the red dots, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Li Guodong's tone became more serious. "Basically, second-tier mutated creatures have appeared on all fronts. Even in some cities that have already been cleared of safe zones, some still manage to escape from the sewers. Fortunately, the remaining troops handle them in time. It can only be said that the number of second-tier mutated creatures far exceeds our expectations."

"The good news is that after the reorganization of the troops, the newly reorganized brigade took the lead and did not suffer large-scale casualties when facing the second-tier mutated creatures."

Li Guodong pulled up a drone video that had just been transmitted back from the front lines.

The footage is somewhat shaky, with a backdrop of billowing smoke.

A huge, mutated wild boar, covered in sharp spikes, was running wildly down the street, braving a barrage of machine gun fire. A car was smashed into it like a toy.

Ordinary rifle bullets hitting it only produce a few sparks and cannot penetrate its defenses.

Just then.

Three Type 99A main battle tanks suddenly appeared from the edge of the screen, flanking the enemy in a triangular formation.

No nonsense, no probing.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three cannons fired simultaneously.

That arrogant second-tier mutated wild boar didn't even have time to let out a scream before it was turned into a pile of minced meat in the firelight.

"If it were an infantry company from the past, they might not have been able to take down such a tough opponent even if half a company went in."

Looking at the screen, Li Guodong's tone was ruthless, "Call in heavy firepower now. Armor-piercing shells, high-explosive shells, use them all to kill."

"The only problem is that this tactic is too logistical, especially with high-performance shells, which are being poured out like water."

Li Guodong grinned, revealing a hint of helplessness. "Those guys on the front lines are having a bit of a firepower shortage phobia now. They just bombard the ground with shells when they look like Tier 2."

Su Ran quietly looked at the sand table.

He could clearly feel that resolute will that permeated the entire state apparatus from top to bottom.

At all costs, for survival!

"Are there any second-tier mutated creatures captured alive?"

Su Ran stared at the red dots on the screen that represented high-energy reactions and suddenly asked a question.

"not yet."

Li Guodong was elated by the results he had achieved when he heard this, and then shook his head.

"The aggressiveness and destructive power of second-tier creatures far exceed those of first-tier creatures, and the risks and difficulties of capturing them alive are too great."

He paused, a hint of unease in his voice, "Moreover, at present we can only make a rough judgment based on the mutated creature's appearance and attack strength. The final determination of its rank will have to wait until after the battle, when the crystal core is extracted."

This thing is like Schrödinger's cat; nobody knows what level it is until you open the can. Without precise identification methods, it's not worth risking your life to capture it alive.

Su Ran was not surprised by this.

It's like playing a video game; you can't see the monster's health bar or level, so you just have to grit your teeth and go for it.

He needs a "combat capability detector".

"The 'Ω-9 virus brain evolution' research group needs second-order live samples."

Su Ran explained, "Professor Zhang Qian's research is directly related to our final treatment plan for the 'mother nest'. We must obtain the second-order samples."

"As for the corpses of the second-tier mutated beasts, I've instructed the frontline troops to keep an eye out. Any mutated beasts suspected of being second-tier should be killed and sealed off on the spot."

After thinking for a moment, Su Ran replied, "It would be best to use live samples. After all, given the conditions at the front lines, the quality of the samples recovered under on-site sealing conditions is questionable."

Li Guodong frowned deeply; this was indeed an intractable problem.

"Lu Yuan, my mechanical god, you'd better step up your game," Su Ran thought to herself.

Once Lu Yuan finishes making the machine, many problems will be solved.

However, there may be another way to solve this problem.

A thought flashed through Su Ran's mind.

The next second, he made a decision.

"Old Li, have the logistics department prepare several specially made large alloy cages."

Su Ran's tone left no room for argument, "Later, Bai Lu and I will personally go and catch a few."

"What?!"

Li Guodong's voice instantly rose eight octaves, but he immediately lowered it again, his sharp eyes fixed on Su Ran.

"You're going to go and catch it yourself? Nonsense!"

"There's no other way; the Academy of Sciences is waiting for the rice to cook. Professor Zhang's brain evolution research project is stuck; they need a second-order sample for a control experiment."

Su Ran shrugged. "Besides, we mainly rely on the White Deer and ground fire support. Since the machines can't tell the difference, we'll use 'human radar'."

"Human radar?"

Li Guodong was completely bewildered.

"We awakened beings have an extremely keen sense of energy."

Su Ran explained, "Whether it's me or Bai Lu, second-tier mutants can be easily identified in front of us."

That's the truth.

In my previous life, a high-level mentalist was a human early warning system on the battlefield.

They could even sense an impending attack.

Su Ran does not belong to the category of mental cultivators, but with her higher level of mental cultivation, she is more than capable of identifying first and second-tier mutated beasts.

Li Guodong frowned even more, his face full of disapproval.

"I still oppose it! Your safety is the highest priority!"

He took a step forward, his tone more serious than ever before, "Isn't Bai Lu still only at Tier 1? Can a Tier 1 Awakened really subdue a Tier 2 monster?"

"able."

In short, decisive.

Li Guodong was speechless.

"Bai Lu's strength cannot be defined by simple ranks."

Su Ran spoke up, "Moreover, when we set off again, she will be at the second level."

Bai Lu's current strength has reached the peak of the first tier.

It's just a matter of time before it reaches the second tier.

Within two days, Su Ran was confident that she could help Bai Lu overcome the final hurdle.

Just then.

"Buzz!"

Su Ran's wrist terminal vibrated slightly, and a message popped up.

He looked down and burst out laughing. "Did my words become law?"

Li Guodong was about to ask Bai Lu how she broke through, but when he saw the smile on Su Ran's face, his heart skipped a beat.

Whenever this kid makes that expression, it means something extraordinary is about to happen.

Without saying much, Su Ran turned the terminal screen directly towards Li Guodong.

Sender: [Lu Yuan]

Content: [Commander Su, the prototype of the "Bio-energy-level frequency identifier" has completed testing.]

Li Guodong's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the screen.

"A biological...energy level...identifier?"

He read it aloud, word by word, as if to confirm that he wasn't dreaming.

"This was the research topic I gave Lu Yuan last time."

Su Ran explained, "I asked him to design a machine that can distinguish the energy levels of mutated creatures, and I didn't expect it to be completed so quickly."

After a long pause, Li Guodong finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "That kid Lu Yuan really is a genius!"

First came the "Crystal Core Energy Converter," and then the "Bio-Energy Rank Frequency Identifier."

Each one is a national treasure.

Li Guodong's opinion of Lu Yuan rose to a new level.

He abandoned his previous composure and rushed towards the elevator with a burst of energy. "Let's go! Let's take a look!"

……

Five minutes later.

Room Zero remains a cyberpunk scene where steel and flames intertwine.

The two found the figure engrossed in the data screen in a relatively tidy corner.

"Commander Su! Director Li!"

Upon seeing the two, Lu Yuan quickly stood up and hastily wiped his oil-stained white coat.

"Comrade Lu Yuan, where is the item?"

Li Guodong got straight to the point, even more eager than Su Ran.

"This, this is it."

Lu Yuan picked up a strangely shaped piece of equipment from the worktable with some shyness.

The thing looked like a rangefinder with a complicated sight attached. It was all black, with sharp lines, and exuded the violent aesthetics of military products.

"Bio-energy level frequency identifier".

When Lu Yuan talked about his work, his speech became clearer.

"As requested by Commander Su, I captured and analyzed the frequency models of first-order and second-order crystal nuclei and established a database."

Simply aim it at the target, and it can identify the target's energy level within 0.1 seconds.

Li Guodong's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he picked it up and examined it over and over in his hands.

"Now! Immediately!"

He abruptly looked up at Lu Yuan, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. "Take us to the testing ground. I want to see its real-world performance with my own eyes!"