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

Su Ran stood on the other side of the sand table. Most of the map in front of her was already lit up with blue light.

The remaining scattered red dots are nothing more than remnants of defeated soldiers clinging to life, and it's only a matter of time before they are crushed by the armored onslaught.

"Taking it is easy, but holding it and maintaining it takes the most effort."

Su Ran spoke up, "Once this major cleanup is over, the allocation of resources, the resettlement of personnel, and the reconstruction of the defense line all need to be put on the agenda."

"Yes, there are so many things to do."

Li Guodong pulled up a chair and sat down, rubbing his aching temples.

"The Civil Affairs Department came to me yesterday to complain. After the Chief Executive ordered the first batch of 60 million people to return to the surface, the people are very enthusiastic, especially those in small and medium-sized security bases, who are all scrambling to sign up to go back to work on the surface."

Every day, countless people ask when the second phase of the program will begin.

He sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"I don't want to live in this underground city anymore. It's too dark and oppressive. I want to go back to the surface and live a normal life."

"Nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ran's brows furrowed tightly.

"What normal life is there in the apocalypse?"

Li Guodong was startled by Su Ran's sudden stern tone and subconsciously sat up straight:

"Xiao Su, you mean...?"

"The underground base must not be abandoned!"

Su Ran braced her hands on the edge of the sand table, her gaze fixed intently on Li Guodong.

"Not only should it not be abandoned, but it should be further expanded!"

The first phase of the surface restoration plan is solely for restoring the industrial machinery of Great Xia to the light of day, and for building more guns and cannons!

He tapped on his tablet, swiped his fingers across the screen, and projected an architectural blueprint onto the large screen.

Those are underground cross-sections of the twelve main bases.

"But mutated creatures are constantly evolving!"

We can suppress the current second-tier beast tide with artillery, but what about the third and fourth tiers that appear in the future, or even those that can ignore conventional firepower?

Or what if a mutant emerges that can burrow underground and release large amounts of biochemical toxic gas?

Su Ran's voice was icy and carried the bloody lessons of her past life.

"The earth's surface is always the meat grinder that faces the first wave of impact!"

If the ground counterattack fails, the underground base is not just a temporary shelter from the enemy's attacks, but the last strategic depth of our Great Xia civilization!

He stood up and said, "I will report this matter to the commander in detail! These twelve main bases must be built into a true 'underground Great Wall'!"

This is the lifeline for 1.4 billion people; this lifeline must not be cut off!

Li Guodong felt a chill run down his spine. The slight complacency that had arisen due to the overwhelming success of the battle was instantly replaced by a cold sweat.

He nodded emphatically.

"I understand. I will personally go to the Construction Department, and I will keep a close eye on the Underground Great Wall project, working day and night to expedite the completion!"

Seeing that Li Guodong had taken it to heart, Su Ran's expression softened slightly, and he pulled up a new surface data model.

Su Ran opened the tablet and brought up a data model.

"As for surface restoration, we can't just build haphazardly around the twelve main bases."

Su Ran swiped her finger across the screen, highlighting several key areas.

"Leave the coastal areas empty for now."

The number of mutated marine organisms is hundreds or thousands of times greater than that on land. Before the Sky Shield air defense system and coastal heavy artillery positions are fully established, the coastline will remain a bottomless meat grinder.

Li Guodong leaned over and glanced at it. "Is the majority of the population being crammed into the inland areas and the North China Plain?"

"That's right. The Yanshan, Taihang, and Kunlun Mountains, these three long-established main bases, form a strategic defensive network, and the surrounding military industrial chain is also recovering the fastest."

Su Ran magnified the North China Plain,

"In conjunction with the Sky Shield defense system currently under construction, a ring-shaped residential zone will be built, radiating outwards for fifty kilometers from these three points as the axis."

Gradually dismantling small security bases will allow the population to live less of hardship.

"Consultant Su's words are truly inspiring!"

With a hearty laugh, General Zhang Xiao strode into the command hall.

"Fighting a war is also a luxury; if you have the resources to fight a war, it's a grand affair."

We're fucking rich right now!

He ripped open his collar and shouted.

"Didn't you see those little bastards on the front lines? They're practically using 155mm howitzers as light machine guns!"

"Once the coordinates are reported, a whole load of shells will be dropped, blowing up the whole thing, pigs and hilltop!"

Several staff officers in the hall grinned when they heard this.

The fear of insufficient firepower is a disease ingrained in the bones of the soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty.

This disease has now been completely cured by the arsenal's non-stop assembly line.

Su Ran didn't laugh along; instead, she drew a circle on the border line of the sand table with her finger.

"Domestic monsters are easy to deal with, but foreign monsters are ignored."

The border stretches for tens of thousands of kilometers. The surrounding small countries have long since rotted away.

Once we've cleaned up the domestic situation, Great Xia will be the last piece of meat on this planet.

"They'll have to consider whether their teeth are broken before they can eat it!"

Li Guodong picked up the thread, "The frontline troops will not withdraw after they have wiped out the remaining enemy forces."

They were immediately transferred to border defense posts. Armored divisions and heavy artillery brigades were all at the forefront.

Even if it's forged from steel, we will build a Great Wall along our border!

On the holographic sand table, the blue light grew brighter and more complete.

The outline of that rooster, after experiencing devastation and the baptism of blood and fire, has become full and firm again.

Su Ran stared at the map for a long time, her gaze gradually shifting from a dazed look to a determined one.

In the previous life, the entire territory was occupied, and humanity eked out a living like rats in the sewers.

In this life, the Great Xia Dynasty forcibly carved out a path to survival using steel and human lives.

Many things have changed, but many things remain the same.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Guodong waved his hand in front of Su Ran.

Su Ran snapped out of her daze, let out a long breath, and put her hands in her pockets.

"Nothing. It just suddenly occurred to me."

He looked at Li Guodong, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"I just have this thought: on the day the entire territory is officially recovered, the whole country should take a holiday."

"Have a holiday?"

Li Guodong was taken aback, then chuckled. "You're even more audacious than I am. Under wartime regulations, there's no room for leave these days!"

"Humans are not machines."

Su Ran looked at the staff officers and communications soldiers in the hall, their eyes bloodshot and their nerves taut.

"Everyone's nerves have been stretched too tight this past month. Too much tension will break them."

With the spring cleaning over, it's time for the people to catch their breath and see the real sun outside.

Zhang Xiao deeply agreed and rubbed his face vigorously.

"Advisor Su is right. I've almost forgotten what braised pork tastes like."

After this battle, we absolutely have to have the cooks slaughter two pigs for a treat.

The atmosphere in the hall lightened considerably after those few casual remarks.

The gloom that had been building for nearly a month finally cracked open in the face of the impending total victory.