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

Su Ran's gaze followed the edge of the table and landed on the red document that Qian Liye had photographed.

Qian Liye didn't give him any time to examine it closely.

"Come on, everything's ready in basement number three. I'll take you there to check and hand over the items."

The old man tucked the document under his arm and grabbed Su Ran's arm with his other hand.

Su Ran felt that the old man's grip was unusually strong today. Had he taken the wrong medicine today?

"Director Qian."

As Qian Liye pulled Su Ran away, he spoke.

"For this kind of errand-running job, you can just ask any guard to lead the way."

"You, as the dignified director-general, are in charge of the basic needs of over a billion people. You don't need to personally take me there, do you?"

Qian Liye turned around, his tone laced with barbs.

"Advisor Su, what are you saying?"

He raised his hand and pushed his reading glasses back into place.

"Since the start of the global war, I've been so busy every day that I haven't even had time to go to your Awakeners headquarters for a cup of tea."

He sighed.

"You're a very busy person too, you're rarely seen."

It's a rare treat for you to visit our supply depot today, so of course I have to personally entertain you."

Su Ran looked at the old man with gray hair in front of her and began to have some doubts.

Old Qian's words were loaded with meaning; he was subtly addressing him.

The overseas resumption of work plan was originally intended to alleviate the pressure on domestic production lines and reduce the burden on the Material Supply Department.

As a result, the old man didn't say a single kind word when they met; his words were all about criticizing himself.

Su Ran didn't refute, and simply nodded in agreement.

"Alright, since Director Qian is being so polite, then I'll trouble you to lead the way."

The two walked out of the office one after the other.

After passing through the busy office area, I turned into a long connecting corridor.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

The corridor is lined with thick, explosion-proof glass on both sides. This is a high-level confidential area, and there are no unauthorized personnel here.

Only the two men's military boots made a dull thud as they stepped on the metal floor.

I walked for about several dozen meters.

Su Ran looked at the slightly hunched back of the person walking ahead.

Old Qian walked very slowly, his chin clenched, his eyes fixed straight ahead, completely unlike the impatient person he had been in the office earlier.

This is clearly waiting for me to speak.

"The former director."

Su Ran stopped in her tracks, her voice echoing in the empty corridor.

"There are no outsiders here. Is there something you'd like to say that's inappropriate in public?"

Why did they have to use the pretext of guiding me to drag me out?

"Just say what you mean, don't beat around the bush."

Qian Liye stopped in his tracks.

He didn't turn around immediately, but slowly took off his reading glasses from the bridge of his nose, took out a piece of cotton cloth from his pocket, and vigorously wiped the lenses.

"In the end, war is all about logistics."

Qian Liye's voice was low, revealing a deep weariness.

He turned around, his eyes, clouded from years of staying up late, staring straight at Su Ran.

"Every shot fired on the front line means tens of thousands of dollars of savings will be burned in the rear."

Every additional death means another family is destroyed.

In the past few months, our defenses have been pushed from the border to Central Asia, and now we've even taken over the ruins of North Africa and Latin America.

The good news was broadcast daily over the base's loudspeaker, boosting the morale of the civilians and energizing the military leaders.

Qian Liye raised his hand and pointed to the thick rock dome above his head.

"But the battle lines are getting longer and longer, and I can't see the end."

His chest heaved, and his breathing became heavy.

"Do you know how astronomical the amount of ammunition, food, and medicine is flowing out of me every day?"

The twelve main bases are already operating at overcapacity, and the industrial zones that have resumed work on the ground are also operating with machines running non-stop even when people are resting.

Even with all those overseas factories you've set up, it still won't fill this bottomless pit.

Su Ran didn't speak, she just listened quietly.

He could sense the other person's long-suppressed panic.

"I don't know if the commander has noticed anything or not."

A hint of despair crept into Qian Liye's voice as he continued speaking.

"The military is now completely dominated by the pro-war faction, who have absolute control over the discourse."

Everyone, from top to bottom, was in a state of frenzy.

They firmly believed that as long as they kept fighting and expanding, they would eventually wipe out the monsters and achieve final victory.

"Resources are being consumed faster and faster!"

But matter is conserved.

Steel doesn't appear out of thin air, and food needs time to grow.

No matter how wealthy the Great Xia Dynasty was, it couldn't withstand such endless extravagance.

I'm really worried that this is a war without borders...

Qian Liye took a deep breath, his chest heaving.

He looked at Su Ran's expressionless face, gritted his teeth, and added another sentence.

"Advisor Su, you know me."

From the day I put on this military uniform, I never thought of backing down.

I'm not afraid of death, nor do I want to desert.

He looked at Su Ran, his words as firm as iron, his tone heavy.

"I'm just afraid that we'll take the wrong path and destroy all the precious remnants of the Great Xia Dynasty that it has managed to preserve!"

A surge of intense emotions welled up in Su Ran's heart.

Old Qian was calculating resource costs.

How do we calculate the opportunity cost of survival?

Retreat?

In this apocalyptic world, taking a step back means utter ruin.

Su Ran forcibly suppressed the emotions in her heart.

He raised his head, his eyes still expressionless.

"Director Qian, you really do get more timid as you get older."

Su Ran scoffed and retaliated without hesitation.

Qian Liye's face stiffened, his lips moved, and he was about to retort.

Su Ran took a step forward, her aura instantly pressing down on them once again.

"When we proposed going abroad to fight at the highest meeting and pushing the defense line overseas, you strongly opposed it at the meeting table."

Now that the battle has yielded remarkable results, you're starting to panic about the depletion of supplies.

He raised his hand and pointed to the thick alloy ceiling above his head, as if trying to see through the steel plate to the ground.

"I'll ask you a very simple question."

You now know perfectly well that there is an ever-growing band of bandits outside.

They don't want money, they just want lives, and they are frantically accumulating strength and multiplying.

Are you planning to shut yourself in, count the few coins you have, and wait for them to grow up and then take you down with them?

Should we take advantage of their vulnerability before they become too powerful, and even if it costs us everything, launch a preemptive strike to wipe them out completely?

Qian Liye was speechless again; this wasn't the first time he'd been stumped by this question.

His mouth was open, his gray stubble trembled slightly, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

His originally straight back seemed to hunch over even more at that moment.

He turned around and continued walking down the corridor.

"yes."

Qian Liye gave a bitter laugh, his voice sounding particularly weary in the empty corridor.

"Compared to you young people, I am indeed old."

He didn't turn around, but just waved his hand with his back to Su Ran.

"No matter what the future holds, this world will ultimately belong to you young people."

"All we old folks can do is keep a close eye on your logistics accounts for a few more days, saving you every penny we can."

Seeing the old man's dejected appearance, Su Ran's anger dissipated.

He was well aware of Qian Liye's difficulties.

With production disrupted, it's a miracle that this logistics manager has managed to keep the food, clothing, and daily necessities of over a billion people afloat until now.

"We will win."

Su Ran smiled casually, raised her hand and patted Qian Liye on the shoulder.

"The Great Xia will fight until the moment of final victory."

Su Ran didn't want to dwell on this heavy topic any longer, so she urged him directly.

"Lead the way quickly."

I need to hurry up and send the batch of core conversion equipment that the overseas factory is missing.

As long as the overseas industrial parks can start construction smoothly, weapons and ammunition can be produced locally using local materials.

"Your days as the head of the supplies department will be a little easier from now on; you won't have to worry about supply needs every day."