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

Li Guodong spoke faster and faster, slamming his hand on the table with considerable force.

"What Great Xia needs is absolute obedience, like an extension of its own arm! An iron-blooded defense line that can stand at the forefront of all humanity! Not a bunch of makeshift diplomatic charades from the wasteland!"

After listening to this analysis, Su Ran gained a complete understanding of the situation.

Civil servants do indeed consider issues in a much more complex way than those fighting on the front lines.

Balancing legal and political alliances with absolute control is inherently a difficult lever to master.

"So, we're stuck here now?"

Su Ran stood up and asked directly.

"Professor Chen is in a hurry to get those top-notch scientific research equipment. This trip to North America is a must for me."

"It's still in process."

Li Guodong glanced at the clock on the wall.

"This matter involves too many people. You're fighting on the front lines; you don't need to worry about these kinds of trivial matters."

He turned around and assured Su Ran.

"You just need to take Xiaoye and Bailu to rest and prepare for battle."

Let me give you a heads-up: no matter what the final agreement is, we must go to North America, and we must bring back the equipment that Academician Chen requested.

I assure you that before you lead the team to board the plane, the central command will produce a unified and actionable set of guidelines.

"Okay, that's enough."

Su Ran nodded in agreement.

He stood up and pulled the zipper of his tactical windbreaker up a bit.

"Leave the strategic matters to you professionals. I'll just focus on solving problems and, incidentally, pack up and take away the equipment Mr. Chen wanted."

He patted the satellite terminal in his tactical pocket.

"Let me know if there's any news. I've been flying all over the world these past few days, I really need to catch up on my sleep."

After saying that, Su Ran turned around, waved to Li Guodong, and walked towards the office door.

"Oh, right."

Just before leaving, Su Ran paused, turned her head, and left a message.

"Tell the think tank that no matter what the final outcome is, don't set any rigid rules for me."

The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and when faced with something reckless, I still prefer to resolve the problem physically.

Without waiting for Li Guodong's reply, he pushed open the door and strode out.

In the corridor, the exhaust fan of the base hummed softly and steadily.

Su Ran was planning her trip to the Great Lakes region.

Li Guodong looked at the iron gate that had closed again and let out a long breath of stale air that had been pressing on his chest.

He sat back down at the metal desk, his gaze falling on the document stamped with a top-secret seal.

He picked up the red secure phone and dialed a long number.

"This is Li Guodong. Instructions for the Central Think Tank, First Conference Room."

"Tell Lao Zhao and Lao Chen to discuss how to finish things up quickly. The execution team has sharpened their knives; all that's left is to use them."

……

The next morning.

On the open-air helipad at the Kunlun base, the dry autumn wind dispersed the morning mist.

The Xuan Nu fighter jet lay quietly at the end of the special runway, while ground crew pushed the high platform, conducting the final quality inspection before takeoff.

The two ion engines were idling, emitting a low, even hum.

Ye Xiao sat on an empty ammunition box, holding a piece of deerskin cloth, and slowly wiped the two battle knives.

"Brother Su, I spent half the night in my dorm pondering this."

He hung the Tang sword on the buckle on his back, his face full of incomprehension.

"You said yesterday that those wastelanders in North America 'founded a nation'? You're not kidding me, are you?"

"Why would I make fun of you about something like this?"

Su Ran didn't even look up, her fingers rapidly tapping on the terminal screen:

"They broadcast across the entire frequency band, officially announcing it to the world."

"Seriously, are these guys out of their minds?"

Ye Xiao felt like he was about to grow a brain again, but he didn't know how to evaluate it.

"At this stage, global communication has only been restored to a rudimentary state, and we can't even get a full meal. There are mutated beasts and high-level zombies everywhere outside."

"With that kind of energy, why not build a couple more sections of defensive wall instead of using a tattered rag as a national flag? Are you kidding me?"

"What the wasteland lacks is never ambitious people."

Su Ran finished the terminal calibration and pulled up her collar.

"In the past, there was a massive state apparatus pressing down on them. Now that the old order has collapsed, which warlord with a bit of armed force wouldn't want to take this opportunity to indulge in the fantasy of being a local tyrant?"

"North America has a long tradition of gun ownership, so it's normal for tens of thousands of people to come together and choose a national name to embolden themselves."

"They're incredibly brave, but they're just asking for trouble."

Ye Xiao smacked his lips and looked around.

"What time are we leaving? Where's Bailu? We're almost ready to go, but we haven't seen a single person!"

Su Ran waved her hand, rejecting Ye Xiao's suggestion.

"No need to call her anymore, she's not coming today."

"Why?" Ye Xiao was taken aback.

Su Ran glanced at the elevator leading to the underground core laboratory, her tone tinged with amusement.

"Professor Zhang Qian somehow got the news that we were back. Before Bai Lu could rest for more than half an hour, she was taken to the experimental area."

Zhang Qian's recent state is completely deviant.

Since the phenomenon of secondary growth in the brain region was confirmed in second-order alienated creatures, the entire Academy of Biological Sciences has been completely ignited with fervor.

For these old men who are engaged in scientific research, the fact that alienated creatures have brains means that mental connection and consciousness enslavement have a material basis.

As the only awakened individual in the base currently certified by Su Ran as having the ability to interfere with mental processes, Bai Lu naturally became a highly sought-after asset in the research team's eyes.

She had planned to rest for a few days, but Zhang Qian, that old man, stubbornly kept bothering her and forced her to return to the laboratory on the second basement floor.

Su Ran couldn't help but laugh when this was mentioned.

"This trip to North America was originally to move those high-tech pieces of equipment."

"Professor Zhang's progress is stuck at a critical point. If we go and remove the lead tester now, I'm afraid Professor Zhang will just call him out. It'll just be the two of us going."

"Let's just give her a break. This time, it'll just be the two of us."

Su Ran looked up at the checkpoint passage in the distance. "It doesn't matter how many people there are. Besides, the people who came to see us off are here soon."

The sound of tires rubbing against the ground could be heard in the distance.

A black SUV sped onto the helipad and came to a steady stop in front of Su Ran.

The car door opened, and Li Guodong stepped out, carrying a brown paper bag.

He had two dark circles under his eyes, looking like he had stayed up all night again.

"Old Li, did you stay up all night in the conference room?"

Su Ran took two steps forward to meet her.

"I can't sleep at all."

Li Guodong slapped the brown paper bag directly into Su Ran's arms.

"With your departure imminent, the central command cannot give you an ambiguous answer."

Su Ran took the bag, her fingertips tracing the red steel stamp representing the highest will of the Great Xia Dynasty at the seal.

"This is……"

He hesitated for a moment, then turned and glanced at Li Guodong.

"The credentials for establishing diplomatic relations sent to those 'beacons of freedom'?"