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

Bashu Base, Terrace.

As the night breeze blew by, Su Ran projected the message from his tactical terminal into the air.

[Select one Awakened Individual to participate in the practical combat verification of the "Shadow Bearer" tactical mech.]

These words caught the attention of several people.

Bai Lu, Ye Xiao, Mo Yun, and Zhu Jingye looked at each other in bewilderment.

We were just discussing how to become "humanoid nuclear weapons" in the future, and then suddenly we were presented with a real test.

"Heh... Brother Su, are they getting restless up there?"

Mo Yun pushed up his reflective glasses and broke the silence first:

"We were just overtaken by the Sharp Sword Squad in the points competition, and the higher-ups are already complaining about the Awakened Headquarters, planning to use this mech to give us a hard time?"

Ye Xiao scoffed coldly, his hands clenching tightly, his knuckles cracking crisply.

"Trying to pound us with a bunch of metal lumps? Do they really think that just because they spawned a few more Tier 1 zombies in the rankings, they can ride roughshod over Awakened Ones?"

"Since the higher-ups want to see it, then we'll show them clearly."

A cold glint flashed in Bai Lu's beautiful eyes.

She stood up, her fair fingers gently hooking in mid-air.

"Snap!"

Five meters away, a heavy alloy trash can suddenly emitted a teeth-grinding, twisting sound.

An invisible, immense force pressed in from all directions, causing the five-millimeter-thick alloy plate to collapse inwards like paper.

Clang.

A discus, compressed to the extreme and only the size of a football, crashed to the ground.

"Since they want to use a metal shell to prove that technology is invincible, then we'll take the metal shell apart."

An undisguised ferocity surfaced on Bai Lu's exquisite face.

"Su Ran, I'm going back to Kunlun tomorrow. I'll dismantle that 'Cheng Ying' mecha in front of all those researchers."

I want them to open their eyes and see clearly that in the face of absolute power, scrap metal will always remain scrap metal.

The dignity of the awakened cannot be challenged.

Since the higher-ups want to test us, let's show them a complete and utter crushing defeat.

Su Ran looked at the iron disc on the ground and shook her head.

"No. You're not suitable."

Why?

Bai Lu frowned slightly, a hint of confusion and resentment flashing in her eyes.

Su Ran tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, making a tapping sound.

"Your mental power is currently at the 'conceptual level' of attack. Modern physics simply cannot explain how mental power works."

His gaze swept over the white deer, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"No matter how thick the armor of the mech is, your telekinesis can completely ignore the external defenses, directly destroy the precision components inside the mech, and even directly distort the gravity field in the cockpit, crushing the pilot."

"If you go up there, even without using your full strength, that mech will be paralyzed instantly."

Su Ran picked up her water glass, took a sip, and continued:

"That was the hope for war created by the Great Xia Dynasty by pouring countless resources and gathering the most advanced technology."

The commander wants to test the mechs' physical limits in real combat, not to see you unilaterally slaughtering them.

This was also his guess.

The commander personally selected it; he definitely doesn't want to see a meaningless battle.

After listening, Bai Lu's lips curled up into a barely perceptible smile.

She sat back down on the sofa, crossed her arms, and snorted softly, "Then they're lucky."

Su Ran turned her gaze to Mo Yun.

"the same as you."

His tone was calm.

"Your toxic fog is extremely corrosive and penetrating. No matter how well the mech is sealed, it cannot prevent chemical damage at the microscopic level."

Mo Yun nodded without refuting.

"Those old men at the Academy of Sciences have been working day and night for the past two weeks to develop this mecha. Lu Yuan almost risked his life in the process."

Su Ran sighed and rubbed her temples.

"If you went up there and snapped your fingers, you could instantly destroy the culmination of humanity's most advanced technology. Those old academicians like Wei Jianguo would have their Dao hearts shattered on the spot."

This is not in the strategic interests of Great Xia at this stage.

The Great Xia needs mechs to fill the gap in low- to mid-level combat power.

Ordinary soldiers need these steel behemoths to rebuild their confidence in fighting the apocalypse.

The awakened can win, but they must win on the spot, not by using a devastating attack to destroy the researchers' faith.

Su Ran's gaze passed over the two men and landed on two other figures.

Zhu Jingye shuddered as he was swept by that gaze.

He jerked his neck back and flailed his arms wildly:

"Boss Su, don't look at me! My ability is 'damage transfer.' I can take a beating, but I'm no good at fighting!"

His cowardly demeanor caused the others to shake their heads.

Su Ran ignored him and finally fixed her gaze on Ye Xiao.

Ye Xiao met Su Ran's gaze, a fanatical smile spreading across his lips.

He stood up abruptly, his eyes burning with a palpable fighting spirit.

"Brother Su, the most suitable person for me is none other than me."

He drew the Tang sword from his back with a backhand motion.

The blade gleamed with a chilling light under the indoor incandescent bulb.

"I also want to see just how powerful this war machine, built with the resources of the entire nation, really is!"

Ye Xiao's fingers gently traced the blade, his voice low yet powerful.

"Let's see if its steel plate is harder, or if my knife is sharper!"

Su Ran looked at Ye Xiao, whose fighting spirit was soaring, and nodded in satisfaction.

"A head-on clash is the best way to test a melee mech."

He stood up, walked up to Ye Xiao, and patted him heavily on the shoulder.

"Okay. You'll be up tomorrow at 3 PM."

"Don't worry, Brother Su!"

……

The next morning.

Bashu Base, Helipad No. 3.

A heavy transport helicopter stood by on the tarmac, its rotors emitting a deep roar.

The Awakened Squad has completed its boarding preparations.

The final results of the competition between the same crystal core special forces have been announced, and there was no suspense.

The Awakened team trailed by 120,000 points in total, suffering a crushing defeat in clearing efficiency compared to the Industrial system.

Before boarding, Mo Yun looked at the final rankings on the tactical terminal and whispered to Su Ran:

"Brother Su, the brothers Chen Kewang and Jiang Zunyong, who have done a lot of work at the Awakener headquarters, are all a bit down."

"I already made encrypted calls to each of them last night."

Su Ran tightened the collar of her windbreaker, her eyes deep and calm.

"The future high-level zombie kings will be the stage for them to demonstrate their value. Temporary victories and defeats mean nothing; those who survive to the end and stand at the peak are the winners."

Mo Yun breathed a sigh of relief and pushed up his glasses: "Brother Su, with your words, the morale of the troops at headquarters won't be thrown into chaos."

Su Ran nodded and turned to walk towards the edge of the airport.

Zhao Zhigang, the supreme commander of the Bashu base, was striding towards them.

Zhao Zhigang was dressed in a crisp military uniform, his eyes were bloodshot, but he was in a state of extreme excitement.

Behind him followed a fully armed special forces soldier carrying a heavy silver military-grade briefcase.

"Advisor Su!"

Zhao Zhigang stood at attention, saluted, and his voice remained loud despite the roar of the helicopter.

"The engineering corps worked through the night, and the clearing work under the alienated forest has been completed. The underground safety hazards have been completely eliminated!"

Su Ran nodded and got straight to the point.

"General Zhao, where is what I asked for?"