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

The emergence of the "Bio-energy level frequency identifier" is of paramount importance.

It not only enables frontline troops to accurately identify targets and greatly reduce casualties, but more importantly, it saves logistics departments a huge amount of artillery shells.

The previous "potentially Tier 2, artillery barrage" strategy, which relied on wealthy players, was ultimately not a sustainable solution.

Now, precise sniping is possible.

"Comrade Xiao Su,"

Li Guodong said, "I'm rushing back to the central hall. The battle on the front lines can't stop for a moment."

"good!"

Su Ran watched Li Guodong walk away quickly.

His gaze shifted from the prototype to the hesitant figure in the corner.

Lu Yuan was holding a tablet computer, his eyes darting around, wanting to come closer but not daring to.

"Lu Yuan,"

Su Ran spoke first, her voice soft, yet it made Lu Yuan tremble violently, "What stage is the 'Luan Bird' at now? When will it be able to fly?"

This is the question that Su Ran cares about most.

Reclaiming the skies is the true clarion call for humanity's counterattack.

Upon hearing the words "Luan bird," Lu Yuan's aura, which had just been boosted by the technological breakthrough, vanished instantly, and he reverted to being that timid, socially awkward young man.

He stammered, "Commander Su, about the 'Luan Bird,' I, I want to..."

He stammered for a long time, sweating profusely from his anxiety.

Su Ran raised an eyebrow, and seeing Lu Yuan's constipated appearance, she could roughly guess what was going on.

"Would you like to apply for some more supplies?" He spoke for Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon, nodding frantically like a chicken pecking at rice.

Su Ran was in a good mood and waved her hand generously, "Just say what you need, no need to beat around the bush."

Encouraged, Lu Yuan took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

"Crystal, crystal nucleus."

"How much more do you want?" Su Ran asked, frowning.

Lu Yuan seemed ready to face trial; he simply spread his palms out and made a "ten" sign.

"One hundred thousand."

"One hundred thousand?"

Su Ran's smile froze instantly. "Didn't we just allocate 100,000 crystal cores to you from the Awakened Headquarters a while ago?!"

A terrifying sense of oppression instantly enveloped Lu Yuan's entire body.

Lu Yuan trembled with fright at Su Ran's sudden outburst of anger.

"No, no, no!"

He waved his hands repeatedly, afraid that Su Ran would misunderstand, and spoke quickly, "Commander Su, please let me explain! Those 100,000 coins last time weren't used on the 'Luan Bird'!"

Su Ran's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Then where was it used?!"

"They used it all, all of it, to make the energy core for the 'Crystal Energy Converter'!"

Lu Yuan was so anxious he was almost in tears. "The production line is waiting for the crystal cores to start. I have no choice but to prioritize the 'Luan Bird's' share for now."

Su Ran was taken aback, and her brows furrowed even more.

"etc."

He astutely grasped the crux of the problem: "Isn't the mass production of the crystal energy converter supposed to be handled by the Strategic Reserves Department? What does it have to do with your 'Luan Bird' project team? Why are we using your rations?"

Lu Yuan shrank his neck, his voice full of grievance.

"The people in the Strategic Reserves Department said that since I am the chief designer and person in charge of the converter, I have to figure out how to solve the energy core required for mass production. There are thousands of workers waiting to start on the production line. I... I have no other choice but to make up for the 'Luan Bird's' share first."

"Isn't Academician Chen Changhe the chief person in charge? You're just providing core technical support," Su Ranqi asked, puzzled.

"Academician Chen said he was just a figurehead, and that I provided the core technology behind the scenes."

Mentioning this, Lu Yuan felt even more aggrieved, "He can't take credit from me, a junior, and says that I am the person in charge of this project, so he wants me to take on the responsibility."

Good guy.

Su Ran understood.

This is clearly Chen Changhe, that old fox, teaming up with those stingy people in the Strategic Reserves Department to bully Lu Yuan, this socially awkward and honest guy!

Isn't this just bullying honest people?

The strategy department didn't want to produce crystal cores, and Chen Changhe didn't want to deal with miscellaneous matters.

Finally, they set their sights on the "rolling in money" headquarters of the Awakened!

They're finding all sorts of ways to fleece you!

"A bunch of old bastards."

Su Ran cursed through gritted teeth.

Su Ran rubbed her temples, plopped down on the control panel next to her, and looked utterly helpless.

Actually, he understood.

The country's foundation is too weak right now.

Millions of crystal cores may sound like a lot, but when scattered across hundreds of money-devouring research projects nationwide, they wouldn't even make a ripple.

The people in the Strategic Reserves Department were so focused on getting every single crystal core down to its last inch that they practically had to break it into eight petals. They were practically working themselves to the bone.

In contrast, consider the headquarters of the Awakened.

There are fewer than fifty people in total.

However, due to Su Ran's original "20% profit" distribution plan, there were hundreds of thousands of first-order crystal cores lying in the account.

The current headquarters of the Awakened is like a nouveau riche sitting on a mountain of gold.

The country, the patriarch, is so poor that it has to pawn its pants.

"I have this feeling of being an incompetent husband."

Su Ran shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, "We couldn't even protect the assets of the Awakened Headquarters. We could only watch helplessly as other project teams took them away."

Lu Yuan didn't understand the intricacies of the conversation, but he did understand the helplessness in Su Ran's tone.

"Alright."

Su Ran took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, but didn't light it. He just twirled it between his fingers. "I've approved these 100,000 cigarettes."

Lu Yuan suddenly looked up, his dusty face instantly lighting up with surprise.

"Really?!"

"Would I lie to you?"

Su Ran snorted coldly, "But this batch of crystal cores is for special purposes and can only be used on the 'Luan Bird' project. If anyone dares to ask you to misappropriate them again, tell them to come directly to me!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Commander Su!"

Lu Yuan was so excited that he wanted to bow again.

"Don't thank me yet."

Su Ran raised her hand to interrupt him, her eyes sharpening.

Since we've taken this fall, we have to squeeze every last drop of value out of them.

"Lu Yuan, now that they've given you the title of 'person in charge,' you have to make good use of that power."

Su Ran patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, quite hard, "Don't always look like a pushover. You're the core of the technology team, and I need you to do something."

Lu Yuan immediately stood at attention: "Commander Su, please give your instructions!"

"From now on, the Crystal Core Converter project will be solely managed by the Awakener Headquarters. Going forward, all projects you handle, whether it's the iterative upgrades of the exoskeleton armor or the future development of the 'Shadowbringer' tactical mech..."

Su Ran's eyes gleamed. "We, the people at the Awakened Headquarters, must have absolute priority in obtaining it. We must use the best materials, the highest precision, and the most advanced equipment."

You can take the resources from the Awakeners headquarters.

However, the core position of the Awakened Headquarters must not be lost!

"yes!"

Lu Yuan straightened his back, his voice still a little hoarse, but full of determination.

"I promise! The best things will be reserved for our own people first!"

Su Ran nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, I'm going to go do other things now."

After saying that, he turned and walked out, pondering to himself as he went.

"It seems that the policy for allocating crystal cores needs to be changed."

The previous allocation scheme was too crude.

Following a simple proportional calculation, a large number of first-order crystal cores accumulated in the Awakener Headquarters' account.

Most of these crystal cores are idle and cannot be used.

In the apocalypse, leaving resources idle is the greatest crime.