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

(It got stuck in the review process again, so I've edited everything.)

This seemingly nonsensical statement left the generals in the rear looking at each other in bewilderment.

Su Ran's eyes narrowed slightly as she frantically tried to decipher the meaning of the sentence in her mind.

What did you figure out? And what did you do?

He inevitably recalled the message he had asked Li Guodong to deliver to him last time: "Never forget to move forward."

The two sentences stacked together intensified the sense of fate that lingered in his throat.

This old man, who controls the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty, seems to be secretly setting up an ultimate game that no one can see.

"He's becoming more and more like a riddle-maker," Su Ran thought to herself.

He did not press the matter further.

Once you reach the level of someone in charge of the central government, if they don't want to talk, no one can get a single word out of them.

Overthinking is pointless; it's better to focus on the game at hand.

Seeing Su Ran remain silent, the old man raised his hand and pointed to the elevator at the end of the passage.

"Let's go to the operations room together."

His voice echoed through the metal corridor.

"Go and see how much land my Great Xia warriors have recovered."

Ten minutes later.

Kunlun Core Operations Command Center.

The indoor lights were dimmed, and a huge holographic sand table was suspended in the center.

The crowd took their seats in turn, the atmosphere solemn and austere.

A senior colonel-ranking operations staff officer strode up to the sand table, stood ramrod straight, saluted, and reported.

"Sirs!"

His voice was loud and clear, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Now, let's report on the progress of the nationwide mopping-up and recapture operations!"

The sand table lit up, with countless red dots covering most of the map.

"The first item is personnel allocation and mobilization."

A series of glaring numbers popped up on the screen.

"As of today, the number of frontline combat personnel has exceeded 15 million!"

The inter-service joint operations system is fully adapted to the post-apocalyptic battlefield environment.

The colonel swiped his finger across the screen.

"In terms of logistical support, including the first batch of 60 million civilians returning to the surface, the total number of people currently involved in military production, material transportation, and emergency repair of fortifications exceeds 100 million!"

The breathing sounds in the meeting room became heavier.

One hundred million people. A nation of 1.4 billion people has completely entered a wartime regime.

The kinetic energy generated by this massive war machine is enough to crush any mutated creature that stands in its way.

Su Ran stared at the fluctuating numbers, her fingers lightly tapping the table.

In his previous life, he could only eke out a living in the gutter.

In this life, he sits here, watching this massive national machine wield its iron fist, crushing all mutated monsters.

"Secondly, the recovery status of the military industry."

The holographic view then shifts to the North China Plain.

Blast furnaces billowing thick smoke rose from the ground, and tracked transport vehicles lined up like fiery dragons on the muddy roads.

"The two major heavy industrial bases in North China and Northwest China have fully restored 40% of their production capacity. The arsenals have adopted a three-shift rotation system, so that the machines never stop even when people are resting."

The colonel spoke with great passion.

"Daily production of conventional bullets has exceeded 50 million rounds, and artillery shells of various calibers have reached 300,000 rounds!"

The ammunition replenishment rate of the main forces at the front has rebounded from 40% a week ago to 85%!

The colonel paused for a moment, then pulled up a set of special equipment data.

"In addition, the crystal energy weapon mass production plan submitted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been put into production line."

The first batch of portable crystal-energy rifles and rudimentary exoskeleton armor are expected to be deployed to the special operations unit in five days.

General Zhang Xiao slammed his hand on the table, grinning and cursing.

"Good! With ammunition, the soldiers on the front lines can fight freely! We no longer need to use manpower to feed those high-level mutated beasts!"

"The third item is the Sky Shield Project and the air defense network."

On the screen, three giant base models arranged in a triangular pattern appeared.

"The blueprints for the Sky Shield air defense system have been finalized and sealed."

The crystal core radar, spearheaded by Chief Engineer Wu, Academician Wei, and Comrade Lu Yuan, has been integrated into the system backbone.

The colonel retrieved the construction progress bar.

"The first batch of three adjacent main bases—Kunlun, Taihang, and Yanshan—were selected as pilot sites for surface restoration."

Currently, construction has begun on the ultra-large crystal nucleus fusion array bases surrounding the three bases, which are expected to be completed in fifteen days.

The high-energy air defense matrix has reached a 30% readiness rate.

"Once the Sky Shield is in place, and with the early warning from the Crystal Core Radar, those flocks of mutated birds in the sky will become sitting ducks."

Li Guodong took a deep breath and continued, "The surface cities above these three bases will once again be capable of large-scale human habitation."

The deep integration of technology and mutated crystal nuclei is gradually reclaiming humanity's living space.

The colonel paused for two seconds, then switched the holographic projection back to the map of the Great Xia Rooster.

On the map, red represents occupied areas, and blue represents recovered areas.

At this moment, that gentle blue has already submerged most of the territory.

Only the area near the border and a few remote forests remain, with glaring red spots still visible.

"Fourth, progress in territorial recovery."

The colonel stood up straight, his chest heaving violently.

"The entire army is divided into twelve main war zones, supplemented by thirty-six secondary war zones, advancing in parallel."

According to the latest statistics, my country has recovered 91% of its territory!

"boom!"

Even though the generals present already knew from the briefings of their respective war zones that the war was going well, the presentation of the exact national total still caused a quiet commotion in the meeting room.

Ninety-one percent.

It has been less than a month since the catastrophe began.

The Great Xia military used steel, fire, and blood to plow through this land of 9.6 million square kilometers.

"Currently, some of the Western Theater Command's mechanized advance units have completely wiped out the zombie hordes along the way and successfully reached the border!"

The colonel rested his hands on the control panel, zooming in on satellite reconnaissance images of the border area.

In the footage, countless construction machines are working day and night on the frozen soil and wasteland.

Trenches crisscrossed the battlefield, and bunkers stood in rows. Rows of heavy howitzers raised their barrels, pointing directly out of the country.

"The engineering corps is constructing the first line of defense along the border. Minefields have been laid, and the intersection of the high-voltage power grid and the fire control network has been set."

We will hold off the mutated creatures and massive zombie hordes from beyond our borders!

The colonel stepped back, stood at attention, and gave a perfectly standard military salute.

"According to the General Staff's calculations, the entire territory of Great Xia will be liberated within seven days at most!"

"We will completely achieve our previously set overall strategic goal of 'recapturing Great Xia in January'!"

Seven days.

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Li Guodong's lips were tightly pressed together, and Zhang Xiao's breathing was heavy.

All the generals stared intently at the holographic sand table of the phantom red flag planted on the border line.

Su Ran leaned back in her chair, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

These tough soldiers, carrying gold stars, could not hide the excitement in their hearts at this moment.

Great Xia has truly come to a stop.

Even Su Ran, who had lived two lives, felt her blood boiling in her chest at this moment.

Seven days.

The blood and unwavering will of millions of people painstakingly pieced this nearly broken nation back together.

The old man gazed quietly at the sand table, his withered fingers gently tapping the surface.

"Well done."

Everyone present could not hide their excitement upon hearing this affirmation.

Su Ran's gaze swept across the border of the map.

That area was a vast, dark region representing the unknown.

The domestic cleanup is nearing completion.

But the real storm, the high-level terrors born from endless flesh and blood, may have only just begun to open its eyes outside the country's borders.

He looked at the commander-in-chief who held the central command, and the suspense in his heart grew even stronger.

"What exactly did you do?"