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

They are the strong, and the strong have their dignity.

This feeling of being treated as a "bad asset" instinctively makes them angry.

Su Ran shook her head.

"No one is gossiping, and the leader continues to provide unconditional support to the Awakened Headquarters."

Looking at their indignant expressions, he sighed softly, "This is a test I'm giving you, and also a crisis lesson for the entire Awakened community."

"..."

"The awakened ones now enjoy the best resources in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. They live in single apartments, eat specially provided nutritional meals, and have academicians from the Academy of Sciences serve as their researchers to analyze their data."

Su Ran counted them one by one on her fingers.

"Looking across the entire Great Xia, who else besides those few national treasure-level academicians receives such treatment?"

His voice was eerily calm.

"If it turns out that the resources invested in you were less worthwhile than opening another exoskeleton production line or optimizing the mecha design blueprints..."

What do you think will happen?

Su Ran didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood.

He leaned forward, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"At that time, there will be no need for others to gossip. The operating logic of the state apparatus is an extremely cold and rational 'survival of the fittest' and the maximization of resource utilization."

Resources belonging to the Awakened Headquarters will be gradually diverted and allocated to more mass-producible and cost-effective mech units.

"Do those criticisms need to be said by others? The data will speak for them."

Why would the nation spend astronomical sums of resources to support fewer than one hundred awakened individuals?

Everyone fell silent.

indeed.

During their time at the Kunlun base, they lived too comfortably, so comfortably that they took it for granted that they were special and irreplaceable.

Even the most unconventional Ye Xiao stopped arguing at this moment.

They were not afraid of bloodshed or sacrifice.

But they fear being abandoned by the times, fear becoming the "wrong answer" crossed out in this final, apocalyptic test.

In the apocalypse, resources are life.

If awakened individuals cannot prove that they possess "irreplaceable" value and strategic significance that transcends the industrial assembly line.

So being marginalized, or even eliminated, is only a matter of time.

"This is more than just a game."

Mo Yun spoke slowly, his voice low, "This is a battle for the right to survive."

Su Ran gave Mo Yun an approving look.

It's so much easier to talk to smart people.

"The 'Sharp Sword' unit was fully assembled by 6 PM today."

Su Ran stopped applying pressure and instead began announcing the rules.

"Equipment will be distributed at 8:00 AM tomorrow. After that, they will undergo three days of training to familiarize themselves with the equipment before being officially deployed to the battlefield."

"The next round of the points competition will last for seven days, officially starting at midnight the day after tomorrow."

He held up his finger and made a "five".

"In other words, the 'Sharp Sword' unit only has five days to actually accumulate points."

"You have two more days than them."

"Two days?"

Ye Xiao's eyes lit up. "Then there's still a chance to fight!"

Don't get too excited yet.

Su Ran poured a bucket of cold water on him.

"This time it's a total score comparison. It's not about how many you kill individually, but how many all the Awakened Ones kill in total."

A glint flashed in the eyes of Bai Lu, Ye Xiao, and the others, but it quickly dimmed again.

The advantage of two days seems insignificant when faced with a difference of more than twice the number of people.

Moreover, they have Zhu Jingye, who has almost no direct offensive capabilities, as well as some awakened individuals whose abilities lean towards reconnaissance and stealth.

If we're really comparing the efficiency of large-scale operations, the gap will only be greater.

"This is a battle for the entire Awakened Headquarters. I will provide an unlimited supply of crystal cores to help you complete your upgrades."

Seeing their changing expressions, Su Ran added,

"The Awakened Ones at our Kunlun Base are among the strongest and have the highest potential of any of the main bases."

Bai Lu, Ye Xiao, Mo Yun, and Jing Ye, you all need to take on the role of guides leading the development of future Awakened Ones.

"You are responsible for contacting, mobilizing, and formulating tactics for the awakened individuals in the other eleven bases. I will not interfere in any process; I will only look at the final result."

"Boss Su, but many of our Awakened Ones have abilities that are more support-oriented and they are not good at combat."

Zhu Jingye muttered to himself, "Special forces are all elites, while we're here with our families."

"The battlefield is never fair."

Su Ran replied coldly.

"Furthermore, during this period, in cooperation with the Academy of Sciences, we have archived and developed your capabilities."

Two seemingly useless abilities, when combined, might produce extraordinary results.

The pressure, like a landslide and a tsunami, instantly weighed on the shoulders of these core members of the Kunlun base.

Mo Yun, who had been silent all along, suddenly pushed up his glasses and asked,

"Brother Su, can we get some help?"

This question put everyone's spirits up.

"For example, could we invite military tactical planners to assist us? To help us plan routes, allocate troops, and coordinate logistics?"

Ye Xiao and Bai Lu's eyes lit up at the same time.

Yup!

Those special forces soldiers must have a command system supporting them.

If we rely solely on our few brains to force our way in, we'll definitely suffer losses.

Specialization is key; let professionals do what they're good at!

Su Ran looked at Mo Yun, and a smile finally appeared on her lips.

This guy's mind works really fast.

"Can."

Su Ran answered without any hesitation.

"You can use all available resources. As long as you don't use the army's heavy firepower to directly sweep the area, all the remaining resources are at your disposal."

This includes, but is not limited to, tactical guidance, intelligence support, logistical support, and even requesting the deployment of small units to assist you in dividing the area.

"Anything you can think of and apply for is your ability."

"You are not fighting alone; you represent the entire Awakened Headquarters!"

My mind suddenly clicked.

The crowd's breathing gradually became heavy; this was no longer a simple competition.

This is a war.

A battle to vindicate the future status and glory of the awakened!

"good!"

Bai Lu stepped forward, her voice clear and firm.

"Advisor Su, we accept! We will definitely win this battle!"

The girl's eyes no longer held any frivolity or casualness; instead, they were filled with absolute confidence and pride befitting a genius.

"Brother Su, you'd better get the celebration bar ready."

Ye Xiao grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "We're going to win this battle."

"OK!"

Su Ran clapped her hands and said casually, "I look forward to hosting another celebration banquet for you all."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Yun called to the people around him and turned to walk out.

It seems we need to discuss tactics.

Looking at the empty test site, Su Ran whispered softly.

"I hope you can win."

The Awakened Headquarters has not yet faced criticism, but he must break through this barrier.

The victory demonstrates the potential of the awakened and proves the correctness of investing in them.

If you lose, it's like handing over a handle in advance, giving those who are envious an opening to criticize you.

Although no one dares to openly call for budget cuts yet, it's always better to be prepared than to try to fix things after they've gone wrong.

Jinlong stood to the side, having already removed his exoskeleton. He watched the departing figures of the group and couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Consultant Su, isn't your move... a bit too ruthless?"

"Is it harsh?"

Su Ran turned around and looked at the silent exoskeleton.

"If you don't push them to the edge of a cliff, they'll never know how high they can fly, or how much it will hurt when they fall."

"What if the result isn't satisfactory, what if...?"

"A loss is a loss; there's no such thing as an 'unsatisfactory result' ending."

Su Ran put her hands in her pockets and walked towards the exit. "This was an unfair competition to begin with."

"As for who wins and who loses... let's wait and see."