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

"Has the commander approved Zhang Xiao's plan to destroy him?" Su Ran asked.

Li Guodong shook his head.

I rubbed my face vigorously with both hands, trying to clear my head.

"After Zhang Xiao said those words with red eyes yesterday, the commander remained silent for a long time."

Li Guodong ran his fingers along the inside of the cup. "He did not explicitly agree, nor did he reprimand Zhang Xiao for his extreme behavior."

After all, everyone knew that Old Zhang was arguing for the lives of millions of soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty.

"He just looked at the red dots on the sand table and asked Zhang Xiao a question."

Su Ran narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?"

"The commander asked, if we don't use nuclear weapons, what is the estimated casualty ratio of conventional armored forces against those awakened ones who have already shed blood?"

Li Guodong answered.

Su Ran's eyes narrowed.

The fact that the commander asked about the casualty ratio means that he was already considering the possibility of conventional contact.

"The commander didn't actually issue a direct order for the cleanup."

Su Ran looked at Li Guodong, her tone full of disbelief.

It is undeniable that the current leaders are ruthless and iron-fisted in their methods.

"Xiao Su, based on the leader's few words at the time, I've made a somewhat uncertain deduction about a direction."

Li Guodong took a deep breath, his tone becoming extremely heavy.

"The commander... he might be thinking of incorporating him into his own forces."

"To incorporate?"

Su Ran's eyes widened slightly, and her fingers, which had been rhythmically tapping the table, hovered in mid-air.

These two words would be called "recruiting the emperor" in a peaceful era, but in a wasteland world, they are simply absurd.

Li Guodong clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on the table.

"Just a guess."

He added, "Since the commander asked about the casualty ratio of conventional engagements, it shows that the central command is indeed considering conventional engagements and the possibility of incorporating them into the Great Xia system."

The lounge fell into dead silence.

"An expanded meeting will be held at Kunlun Base in the next two days. High-ranking officials from the military, the State Administration of Government, and the Academy of Sciences will all be present."

Li Guodong leaned forward, his tone somewhat grave.

"The core issue is to finalize a concrete policy for dealing with external awakened forces. This is an important matter that is out in the open."

He paused for a moment, then looked intently at Su Ran, his gaze filled with undisguised anticipation.

"Xiao Su, do you want to postpone the operation and stay for another two days?"

Li Guodong tried to persuade him to stay.

"The old buddies and the leaders attending the meeting all want to hear what you, a person who has come back from the future, have to say."

Su Ran looked at the thick, top-secret file folder on the table.

There was no immediate response.

In the photo, the red dots on the North American plate are dense and glaring.

That represents tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of living people.

"Old Li."

Su Ran finally spoke, her voice so calm it was almost imperceptible, "I won't be attending this meeting."

Why?

Li Guodong was taken aback. "With such a major strategic direction being set, your opinion is crucial."

"Because I really don't have any thoughts on this matter."

Su Ran stood up and walked to the French windows.

Outside the window, the "Mysterious Maiden" high-mobility fighter jet is undergoing final pre-flight checks.

"I cannot be like General Zhang Xiao, who took the principle of 'compassionate military leadership' to its extreme."

Su Ran's tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable determination.

"In order to eliminate potential threats, strategic weapons were directly used to clean up the land, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of innocent people."

He raised his eyelids and looked directly at Li Guodong.

"My hands are stained with blood, a lot of blood. I can snap the neck of any enemy without hesitation."

Su Ran's voice was slightly deep, "But my ruthlessness is only based on the right direction and the premise that the other party bares its fangs."

Su Ran pointed to the satellite photos on the table.

"In those settlements, there are only a few awakened people, at most a few dozen. The remaining tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands are all ordinary people who have not awakened."

"They have no state apparatus for protection, no fortified underground cities."

To survive, they had no choice but to cling to those powerful wild awakened beings, eking out a living like rats. Were they wrong?

"Surviving by attaching oneself to the strong is an instinct for ordinary people."

Su Ran stared at Li Guodong.

"If we were to unleash the truth and send tens of thousands of innocent people to their deaths simply because the powerful figures they rely on might threaten the Great Xia in the future..."

He shook his head.

"I don't know what the absolutely correct answer is, and I can't bring myself to do it."

Li Guodong remained silent.

He could hear the heaviness in Su Ran's words.

This seemingly cold and ruthless young man always held onto a fundamental principle of being a human being.

"Therefore, I personally support the leader's idea on an emotional level."

Su Ran sat back in her chair, interlacing her fingers.

"But I can't explain from a strategic perspective why we should do this."

Perhaps I simply don't want innocent people to be dragged down with me.

"But Xiao Su, you must understand the real risks involved in the leader's proposal."

Li Guodong's brows furrowed deeply.

"The Great Xia's own Awakened team is too weak! It's just relying on a group of people like Bai Lu and Ye Xiao to hold it up."

"The situation in China, where awakened individuals are flourishing everywhere, is simply not the case. But abroad, it's very likely a jungle law scenario as you described!"

He slammed his fist on the table twice, his voice sharp and stern.

"At this time, if we introduce those wasteland awakened individuals from outside, the voice of the native awakened individuals of Great Xia will be severely diluted!"

As time goes on, it will most likely turn into raising a tiger that will eventually harm you!

"I know that."

Su Ran's eyes narrowed slightly.

"And are these wasteland awakeners really willing to be recruited and bound by the military law of the Great Xia?"

If, in the future, these recruited high-ranking Awakened individuals are determined to cause trouble within the settlement, conventional forces simply won't be able to stop them.

Su Ran tapped her fingers heavily on the table.

"It's easy to invite a god in, but hard to send him away! If we let a wolf into the house, there will be absolute chaos in the rear."

"Then why are you still..." Li Guodong was speechless for a moment.

Su Ran's voice fell completely silent.

"That's why I said I have no opinion; I can't answer this multiple-choice question."