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

The elevator entrance was deathly silent.

The gun in Ye Xiao's hand was still emitting wisps of smoke. The pungent smell of gunpowder, mixed with the distinctive smell of engine oil from the third underground level, fermented in the air, creating a nauseating odor.

No one moved an inch.

Even Luo Susu, whose makeup was ruined from crying, seemed frozen in place, staring stiffly at the yellow line that separated life and death.

Area D. Waste treatment plant.

That was another option Su Ran offered.

Although they are under closed management in Area A every day, they are not completely unaware of other areas.

Sector D is the lowest level of the base. There is no constant temperature air conditioning there, only roaring incinerators and endless garbage to process. All the people working there are serious criminals.

Compared to waiting to die in that dark, stinking place, the hellish training in front of me doesn't seem so unbearable.

"I...I'm not going to Zone D..."

Luo Susu, who was the first to raise her hand to leave, was also the first to lower her hand.

His knees buckled and he fell heavily to the ground, his fingertips gripping the heavy weight-bearing module tightly, trembling as he fastened it back onto his legs.

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

A few minutes later, the nine people who had originally wanted to escape returned to the training ground in silence, like soulless zombies.

"very good."

Su Ran threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it out with her toe.

"Since none of you want to be trash, then prove it to me."

……

Four hours later.

hum!

Ye Xiao paced back and forth, the high-voltage stun baton in his hand flashing with blue arcs of electricity.

"Mo Yun, you still have the energy to space out?"

Ye Xiao kicked Mo Yun in the butt. "Get up! Add another set of weighted sprints! Stop pretending to be dead!"

Mo Yun gritted his teeth, let out a low growl like a wild beast, and stood up unsteadily, supporting himself with the heavy exoskeleton.

On the observation platform at a high point.

The white deer lay on the railing, a lollipop dangling from its mouth, its feet dangling in the air.

"Su Ran".

Bai Lu looked at the cold-faced man beside her and asked, "Don't you think... we were too harsh on them?"

She pointed to the short-haired young man below who was vomiting: "That Wang Meng, the information says he's a national first-class athlete. But he looks like he's about to die. If he doesn't get some time to recover, his body will really break down."

When Bai Lu recalled her awakening, she had never suffered such torment.

In comparison, their current training is practically pushing them to the brink of death.

Su Ran paused, looked up, and glanced at Bai Lu with a strange expression.

The former "Queen" would never have cared about the life or death of ants.

It seems that my intervention in this life has brought about a major change in her personality.

"How can we unleash their potential if we don't push them to the brink?"

Su Ran asked, "Bai Lu, do you think the world now is the same as the past life I mentioned to you?"

Bai Lu recalled the past life scenes that Su Ran had mentioned yesterday, and after a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, "It's different now. At least we have food and drink now, and a safe place to sleep."

"They are indeed different."

Su Ran spoke, her tone full of bitterness, "In the previous life, there was no 'Peach Blossom Spring' project, no nationally coordinated resources, and no twelve indestructible underground cities. In the first week of the Red Rain, seventy percent of humanity perished."

"The remaining people, like a primitive tribe, were scattered in ruins, wilderness, and sewers."

Su Ran pointed to Mo Yun and the others below, her voice suddenly rising: "Back then, there were no laws, no morals, only the naked law of the jungle. On the contrary, because the environment was so harsh, the survivors were forced to evolve."

Images from her past life flashed through Su Ran's mind.

That was a time of true chaos and debauchery.

Every survivor is a demon who crawled out of a pile of corpses.

"Although humanity is in a terrible state, its top-tier combat power is extremely formidable. It is precisely because of the protection of these exceptionally strong individuals that the flame of civilization of Great Xia has not been completely extinguished."

Su Ran turned around, leaned against the railing, and took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, only to find that it was empty.

"But in this life, I used the reborn prophet to push the nation to build underground cities, which in turn blocked their opportunity to evolve."

"What if in this life, monsters are evolving rapidly while humanity remains stagnant?"

A hint of anxiety flashed in Su Ran's eyes. "Then the future will only be more difficult."

Su Ran paused, looked at Bai Lu, and said in a stiff tone, "I absolutely cannot accept that there are already Tier 3 Corpse Kings outside with heat-resistant armor shells, while the fortress we are supposed to protect is full of giant babies who only know how to wait for the country to send relief food and can't even hold a gun properly."

"At that time, these twelve underground cities will be twelve giant cans of human flesh."

Bai Lu shuddered, a chill running down her spine. Her voice tightened as she asked, "Are you worried that because you changed the beginning, the ending might be worse?"

"That's right. And it may have already happened."

Su Ran picked up the tablet, pulled up a satellite cloud image that she had just captured, and handed it to Bai Lu.

On the screen, countless red dots marked the mutated beasts affected by the red rain, far exceeding expectations.

"Logically speaking, the mutated beast tide should have appeared in the second week after the red rain."

Su Ran's finger swiped across the screen. "But according to current data monitoring, it seems that the events outside have started earlier than expected."

"My arrival may have saved many people, but it must have also triggered unforeseen chain reactions, bringing the danger forward."

"So, we don't have time."

Su Ran looked down at Mo Yun, who was still stubbornly holding on, her eyes filled with anxious disappointment.

"Since the circumstances don't force them, I'll be the bad guy."

"I will artificially create dire situations to squeeze out their full potential. Even if it means ruining a few, I must create a batch of gods who can withstand the pressure before the real 'big guys' arrive!"