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

front.

Temporary base camp in the G-37 area.

"Clang!"

The tactical helmet was casually tossed onto the folding table, where it rolled twice.

Zhao Tian plopped down on the cot, grabbed the half-empty bottle of mineral water from the table, and gulped it down.

"Ah! That feels great!"

He pulled open his collar, revealing a vest soaked in sweat.

"I've never fought such a costly battle in my life! When we're poor, we'll use tactical infiltration; when we're rich, we'll bomb you to death!"

Zhao Tian wiped the water from his mouth, his eyes still brimming with excitement.

"I followed the tanks the whole way, inching forward as the artillery fire went on. Once the shelling stopped, I'd just go in and collect the bodies. My gun barrel was practically cold today. Those guys in the artillery regiment, they're so damn meticulous!"

"you do not say!"

On the other side of the tent, Lin Zihao grinned upon hearing this.

"At this rate, I can keep looting corpses until I reach the top of the leaderboard."

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly became lively, and a rare look of relaxation appeared on the tired faces of the group.

In the past few days, the winds have shifted at the front lines.

The most direct feeling is that "shells are free".

After the heavy artillery bombarded and the tanks pushed, it was the special forces' turn to clean up the battlefield.

"Today, the shell consumption in our direction alone is at least three times that of before."

Pei Miaomiao's tone carried a hint of worry, "Can the logistics handle this?"

"What are you afraid of?"

Lin Zihao waved his hand dismissively, "That's a headache for the logistics department and command. As long as I don't have to risk my life, I wouldn't mind if they dropped a nuclear bomb."

"Actually, let me tell you something..."

Zhao Tian sat up straight. As the temporary team leader, he had access to a wider range of information.

"This is another case of insufficient firepower phobia."

"Fear of insufficient firepower?" Everyone was taken aback.

"Yes, it's the fear of insufficient firepower."

Zhao Tian lowered his voice and pointed to the top of the tent, "There are second-tier mutated beasts on every front now. They're tough, fast, and our light infantry is doomed if they encounter them."

"The principle behind the early troop reorganization was this: the command would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. If anything seemed slightly off, they would immediately unleash a barrage of fire."

The so-called "fear of insufficient firepower"

To put it bluntly, it's the fear of the unknown.

Since we can't tell the difference, we might as well just scatter them all.

Simple, direct, and effective.

"Sigh, if only Lao Xu could have held on for a couple more days."

Lin Zihao suddenly sighed, his tone tinged with regret, "Life is so good now, we don't even have to work hard. It's a pity, he'll miss out on this wave of benefits."

The relaxed atmosphere in the tent instantly fell silent at the mention of Xu Yang.

"Do you think Lao Xu doesn't want to? He really can't take it anymore."

Zhao Tian played with the fresh crystal core in his hand, his voice lowering slightly, "When the military doctor carried him down, he said that if he hadn't been taken down, he would have spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair."

Pei Miaomiao stopped wiping the gun barrel, and her expression darkened.

"It's better to carry him away. Unlike Wang Meng..."

She choked up as she said, "Of all of us, he was the most like a soldier. He always said that on the battlefield, the less afraid you are of death, the less likely you are to die. But..."

As a result, the most fearless and fierce person became the first in the team to be seriously injured and leave the field.

It is said that when two people meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail.

But reality isn't a shonen manga; those who are least afraid of death often suffer the most serious injuries.

"Wang Meng was already in shock when he was carried away on a stretcher. This time it was Lao Xu, who was also carried away on a stretcher."

Lin Zihao's earlier playful smile vanished. "Sigh, I wonder who among us will be the one carried away on a stretcher next time."

The shadow of death and injury has never truly left these so-called "seed" players.

They were only temporarily overshadowed by the intense artillery fire.

"Pah! Stop talking such discouraging things!"

Zhao Tian kicked Lin Zihao's military boot and cursed.

He forcefully steered the conversation back on track, forcing a mysterious yet slightly excited smile onto his face.

"Stop looking so gloomy, I have something interesting to tell you. Guess what I heard while cleaning up the battlefield today?"

He deliberately kept everyone in suspense, successfully capturing everyone's attention.

"Our company commander and staff officer, along with a group of soldiers, were frantically rummaging through the pile of minced meat like headless flies."

I went over to ask and found out that in the C4 area we were responsible for clearing today, there was a second-tier mutated beast that was almost certainly destroyed by artillery fire, but its core wasn't found!

Zhao Tian's gaze swept across everyone's face like a searchlight.

"That area is our team's responsibility. Tell me honestly, who was so lucky to snag it?"

"A second-order crystal nucleus?"

Everyone looked at each other.

One second-order crystal core is worth one hundred points!

This is enough to make anyone hovering at the bottom of the list rise in the rankings by a significant margin!

"Holy crap! Really?"

"Who is it? Who has such incredible luck?"

The group looked at each other, their eyes filled with a mixture of jealousy and curiosity.

"Did you take it and then put on an act for us?"

Someone directly asked Zhao Tian a question.

"If I had taken it, would I still be sitting here bragging to you guys?"

Zhao Tian waved his hand, pointing to the sky, "Tell me, who did it? Confess and you'll get lenient treatment; the whole team will buy Cokes!"

Cola is a hard currency on the battlefield of the apocalypse.

You can redeem a bottle with just a few points; it's not expensive, but it's still a luxurious treat.

In the corner of the tent.

Luo Susu huddled beside the sleeping bag, remaining silent the entire time.

Feeling the crowd's gazes sweeping over her, she hesitated for a moment before slowly raising her right hand.

"Yes, right here."

Luo Susu's cheeks flushed red as she slowly opened her palms under everyone's gaze.

Its entire body is a strange deep purple color.

Its luster and size were on a completely different scale from the first-order crystal nuclei they had captured.

"When I was cleaning up a charred body, it just rolled right out of there."

Luo Susu murmured, like a primary school student caught doing something wrong, "I'll put it away for now..."

A group of people swarmed around the tent, marveling at its beauty.

"This is second-order?"

"Susu, you're amazing! You've struck it rich this time!"

"Good luck!"

……

"Okay, Susu, you're good."

Pei Miaomiao was the first to react. She pulled Lin Zihao's big head aside and pretended to glare angrily at Luo Susu.

"Given our relationship, you came back without saying a word? Were you on guard against thieves?"

Luo Susu hurriedly waved her hand to explain, "No, I was just afraid that it would be confiscated directly and wouldn't count towards my points. I really didn't mean to hide it from you."

"I don't care."

Pei Miaomiao crossed her arms and snorted, "My heart has been hurt, so I have to make it up to you. You have to buy me two bottles of Coke."

"ah?

"Huh? What?"

Pei Miaomiao's eyes widened.

"Okay, sure! No problem!"

Luo Susu nodded repeatedly, feeling as if she had been granted a pardon.

"Hey hey hey! Susu!"

Lin Zihao squeezed in, his face contorted with betrayal and heartbreak. "I've always treated you like a brother, and you even kept it from me?"

"roll!"

For once, Luo Susu stood her ground, rolling her eyes at him. "You have the nerve to say that? Last time when I was crying because I was upset, who was it that said 'What's the use of crying?'?"

"Hey! Why are you still holding a grudge?"

Lin Zihao protested, "I was using reverse psychology! It was to make you stronger!"

"I don't believe you for a second."

After confronting Lin Zihao, Luo Susu felt much of the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipate.

"Alright, everyone who sees it gets a share."

Luo Susu waved her hand generously, "Two bottles for everyone! Three for Miaomiao! As for Lin Zihao..."

She paused deliberately, then turned her head haughtily and said, "One bottle!"

"Why should I?!"

"Because you have a sharp tongue!"

Laughter erupted from inside the tent, dispelling the previous gloom.

Just as everyone was discussing when to go to the logistics department to exchange their items, the tent flap was suddenly lifted.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

A soldier in a communications uniform stood at the door, expressionless, his gaze sweeping over the people inside the tent.

"First Task Force, who is Zhao Tian?"