Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 197 A Change of Environment, A Full-Scale Counterattack

Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere was solemn yet tinged with obvious excitement.

The oval table was already full of people.

Li Zhenguo sat in the main seat. Although a few strands of gray hair had appeared at his temples, his eyes were even more profound.

Unlike Nie Chang, who lacked talent in source energy, Li Zhenguo possessed both the magnanimity of a politician and a restrained source energy fluctuation.

Amidst his busy affairs of state, he did not forget to hone his control over source energy. Now, he has not only fully digested the benefits brought by the evolution fluid, but has even taken a step further and stepped into the threshold of the second stage of the Stardust level.

This makes him stand out among the top executives.

Chief of the General Staff Zhou Donglai sat to Li Zhenguo's left, his brows furrowed slightly as if he were pondering a tactical problem.

He unconsciously twirled a specially made energy pen between his fingers, and the aura emanating from his body had clearly reached the Stardust level.

Dean Dong of the research institute sat a little further away, wearing a pair of special glasses, with an electronic notebook open in front of him. He seemed to still be immersed in the shock brought by the live broadcast of the breakthrough and battle not long ago.

At the same time, he also showed a strong source energy reaction, which clearly meant that scientific research had not hindered his personal improvement.

Wang Shuo, the head of the publicity department, sat upright with a gentle smile on his face.

But upon closer inspection, one can discern a complex mix of weariness and exhilaration hidden deep within his eyes.

Wang Shuo also entered the Stardust level, but his aura was not very stable because he had accumulated three years of experience and recently used his merit points to exchange for evolution fluid to improve his level.

Zhao Bin, the head of the logistics and equipment department, seemed somewhat absent-minded. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, silently considering how to deal with the large amount of information Liu Qiying had handed over that morning, especially the Watcher Integrated Defense System.

As soon as Lin Yi entered the conference room, everyone in the room, including Li Zhenguo, turned their attention to him and stood up in unison.

Li Zhenguo smiled broadly, walked around the table and quickly came over, extending his hand: "Comrade Lin Yi, you've worked hard! Come, sit here."

"Principal Lin!"

Congratulations, Principal Lin!

Everyone offered their congratulations.

Lin Yi shook hands with Li Zhenguo, then smiled and nodded to everyone.

His attitude was calm, showing no arrogance whatsoever despite his recent feat.

After Lin Yi sat down in the seat to Li Zhenguo's right, Li Zhenguo returned to the main seat, cleared his throat, and the conference room immediately quieted down.

"Comrades."

Li Zhenguo spoke first, his voice loud and clear.

"First of all, let us give a warm round of applause to our Comrade Lin Yi for successfully breaking through to the unprecedented Star Core level today. And with overwhelming force, he killed the main nest leader-level Abyss Beast codenamed 'Thunder Dragon' that had been entrenched on Mount Everest and had caused great losses to our country."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, his tone enthusiastic.

"This signifies that Comrade Lin Yi has become absolutely invincible on our Blue Star."

"Wow!"

Thunderous applause erupted instantly, filling the entire conference room.

Upon hearing the words "invincible under heaven," Lin Yi maintained a polite smile, but couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

Invincible?

Perhaps, but only within the planet itself.

The real test, the gaze from the stars and the potential threats, are still "in the sky."

Lin Yi stood up to express his gratitude, then raised his hand to press down lightly, and the applause gradually subsided, leaving a lingering sense of satisfaction.

Then, Li Zhenguo's expression turned serious, and his tone became solemn: "This emergency meeting was proposed by Comrade Lin Yi. Now, let's ask Comrade Lin Yi to explain the main topics of this meeting."

Instantly, all eyes were once again focused on Lin Yi.

Even Li Zhenguo himself had a clear question in his eyes.

This is indeed Lin Yi's consistent style: decisive and efficient. Once he has discerned the key or made a decision, he will immediately convene the core team and never engage in lengthy preliminary preparations.

Only he possessed this privilege of directly requesting the highest meeting without prior consultation.

If it were anyone else, they would never have been able to hastily convene such a meeting based on just one sentence if the main points of the agenda had not been clearly explained beforehand.

Under the intense gazes of everyone, Lin Yi did not immediately get to the point this time.

He leaned back slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping over the familiar faces present—his comrades and colleagues who had supported him through the past four years.

A gentle, slightly nostalgic smile appeared on his face as he uttered a seemingly casual opening remark:

"Most of you comrades here have been working in this Longyuan underground command center for almost four years now, right? How do you feel about it?"

This seemingly casual question caused a subtle pause in the atmosphere of the meeting room.

Zhao Bin from the Logistics and Equipment Department felt a sudden jolt of alarm, instinctively assuming that Lin Yi had a problem with the hardware facilities or environment of the command center.

After all, this building was designed and built more than 30 years ago. Although it is incredibly sturdy, it cannot compare with the modern buildings at Dongfeng Military Academy that utilize new technologies in terms of comfort and smart technology.

He hurriedly explained to the biggest "patron" supporting the high-level item inventory of the merit system, "Principal Lin, do you feel there's anything that needs improvement? The facilities here are indeed a bit outdated. Our logistics and equipment department can immediately organize the most professional technical team to conduct a comprehensive assessment and upgrade, ensuring..." Lin Yi smiled and shook his head, interrupting his slightly nervous words.

"No, you misunderstand. The Dragon Abyss Center is excellent. It is indestructible and fully functional. During the most difficult period of the past four years, it made indelible contributions to the survival of our civilization. I have no complaints about it."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone again, his tone carrying a strange undertone: "What I really want to ask you is...whether you want to change your work environment?"

How about a change of work environment?
A brief silence fell over the conference room; you could hear a pin drop.

Leave Longyuan?

where to go?
Should we build a more advanced command center?
Or perhaps Principal Lin has acquired something new and can develop some kind of new mobile command platform based on energy technology?
Zhou Donglai pondered for a moment, then habitually approached the issue from a military and security perspective, asking in a deep voice, "Does Principal Lin mean that we need to establish more backup or decentralized command nodes to deal with possible extreme situations? Or is Longyuan's current security facing a new threat that we haven't yet detected?"

As the head of the General Staff, he had to take all potential risks into account.

Dean Dong pushed up his glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses lit up with the curiosity and excitement typical of a technical expert: "A new working environment?"

"Does it involve large-scale space expansion technology? Or a virtual immersive command system based on the energy source matrix? Or a new type of ecological building complex built on a large recaptured nest?"

His thinking has already jumped to the application scenarios of future technologies.

The propaganda department, however, was concerned about the symbolic significance and public opinion impact of this move.

He carefully considered his words before speaking:

"If we really have to consider relocating the command center, the location will be crucial. It's not just an office space, but also a symbol, affecting public morale and public opinion, so we need to conduct thorough public opinion guidance and image shaping in advance."

Seeing the various speculations and reactions that his seemingly casual remark had triggered, Lin Yi's smile faded slightly.

He coughed lightly to draw everyone's attention before speaking.

"neither."

Lin Yi's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced all the discussions and speculations.

All eyes were fixed on him, waiting for him to continue.

Lin Yi slowly stood up. He didn't look at the holographic map, but his gaze seemed to penetrate the thick rock layers and see the outside world.

His voice reached everyone's ears clearly:

My suggestion is...

Lin Yi paused, making sure every word was etched into everyone's minds, "Start preparations to launch a full-scale counterattack against the Abyss Beast lairs within our territory."

Full-scale counterattack!

These four words, like a thunderbolt carrying immense power, exploded in the conference room.
Despite the improving situation and the gradual recovery of lost territory in recent years, the concept of a "full-scale counter-offensive" still weighs heavily on the minds of those high-ranking officials who are well aware of the terrifying nature of giant nests and main hives.

It even carries a hint of remoteness.

That means it's no longer about small-scale clearing and defense, but about actively smashing those giant lairs that occupy a territory, have terrifying leaders and countless armies of abyssal beasts, and even the main lair that symbolizes despair and death.

"And the first goal."

Lin Yi didn't give everyone much time to digest this huge amount of information. He raised his hand and pointed to the huge holographic map in the center of the conference room.

“Let’s choose it and recapture our capital.”

The conference room fell silent.

Li Zhenguo took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.

He looked at Lin Yi, his gaze serious.

"Comrade Lin Yi, this decision is extremely important. How confident are you? What price are we prepared to pay?"

This was not hesitation or retreat, but rather a responsibility bearing the expectations of hundreds of millions of people that compelled him to ask this question.

Meeting Li Zhenguo's gaze, Lin Yi slowly said, "Confidence is based on strength."

"Now, I have reached the Star Core level, possessing the ability to directly kill the leader of the main nest, and the nest in the capital is just a giant nest. In addition, the domestic Origin Martial Army system is mature and complete, and the Training Corps is the sharpest of the sharp. Even among civilian Origin Martial artists, there are geniuses who have touched the threshold of the rules."

"I think that with me dealing with the Star Core-level Source Beasts, the others are already capable of handling the remaining Abyss Beast army."

He listed out the increasingly substantial assets of his side, each representing the arduous efforts and accumulation of the past four years.

"On the other hand, the expansion of the Abyss Beasts has been successfully curbed by us, and their leader-level units are being eliminated one by one. With the decline of one side, the other side's threat is relatively weakening."

"Eliminating the giant abyss nest entrenched in the capital not only has irreplaceable symbolic significance and strategic value, but also declares to all survivors that we have the ability and determination to take back everything we have lost."

Lin Yi's gaze swept over everyone present. "There will inevitably be a price to pay. War is never gentle, and sacrifices are unavoidable. But we still haven't figured out the patterns of change in the lair. If we continue to delay and become complacent out of fear of the consequences, we will be in an even more passive predicament if unexpected changes occur."

"The correct approach is to take the initiative when you have the capability and seize the strategic initiative."

"Everyone."

Lin Yi paused for a moment before slowly speaking.

"We have been holding out here deep underground for nearly four years for the survival of civilization. It's time to leave Dragon Abyss, return to the surface, return to the sunlight, and reclaim the clear skies that belong to us."

(End of this chapter)