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

After Ye Xiao and Zhu Jingye left, the vast lobby of the Awakened Headquarters fell silent once again.

Mo Yun casually tossed the tactical tablet in his hand onto the table.

He pulled over a swivel chair, sat back down, and still couldn't suppress his curiosity.

"Brother Su, you just said the situation at the front is not optimistic. What exactly makes it so?"

Su Ran looked up at him, but didn't rush to speak.

"The news of the attack on Mine Area 04 has been updated on the mission leaderboard."

Mo Yun frowned slightly, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

"For a force of tens of millions, this is just a localized skirmish. Your 'not optimistic' assessment is definitely not just due to a few special mutated beasts, is it?"

Although he and Bai Lu had extremely high authority in the base, they were not present when it came to high-level power struggles involving the core strategies of the Great Xia Dynasty.

"Indeed, there are more."

Su Ran casually turned off the terminal screen in front of her and rested her hands on her chin with her fingers interlaced.

"The Great Xia war machine has been throttled too hard; it's about to explode. The global expansion strategy may need a major overhaul."

"How do I adjust it?"

The white deer, who had been resting with its eyes closed, immediately opened its eyes and came closer.

Su Ran tapped her fingertips lightly on the table.

"The strategy has shifted from a full-scale, sweeping push to a 'defense war' of core nodes, accompanied by the 'targeted elimination' of high-level mutated creatures."

Mo Yun was stunned.

He was a smart man; his mind raced, and he instantly grasped the bloody undercurrents behind those words.

"Is this... a strategic retreat?"

Mo Yun lowered his voice, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

Su Ran nodded heavily.

Mo Yun suddenly stood up, took a few steps to the holographic sand table in the center, and supported himself on the edge of the sand table with both hands.

Looking at the blue supply lines that stretched deep into the red-risk areas around the world like a spider web, he took a deep breath.

"Something has definitely been wrong lately."

Mo Yun pointed to the ridiculously long battle line.

"In the past two weeks, even within the recaptured safe zones, the frequency of mutation incidents has skyrocketed. The rear is unstable."

Su Ran didn't hide anything and told the two of them about the "powder keg" situation that had just occurred at the highest meeting.

This includes Sun Desheng's tearful outburst at the draining of China's resources, and Qian Liye's nearly empty account book.

After hearing this, Mo Yun shook his head, somewhat alarmed.

"Ten million young men? General Zhang Xiao really dares to make such a bold claim."

"Although no final conclusion has been reached, the situation has already shifted."

Su Ran's gaze was cold and clear, carrying an undeniable air of composure.

"It is highly likely that some non-core overseas security zones will have to be abandoned."

They concentrated their limited manpower and resources on the mining areas and hubs with the highest output ratios.

We will no longer occupy the entire territory. Wherever there is a beast horde, we will concentrate heavy firepower to clear it out.

This means that the border areas that the soldiers risked their lives to build must be abandoned.

Once the troops withdraw, the area will once again become a paradise for mutated beasts.

Mo Yun rubbed his face, a heavy feeling settling in his heart.

The overseas business is a much tougher nut to crack than imagined.

In other words, the problem is just beginning to emerge and has not yet spread from the front lines to the rear.

"What's there to worry about?"

Bai Lu suddenly let out a snort, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

She walked to the water dispenser, filled a glass with ice water, and took a gulp.

"Let them scale back then. The regular troops will guard the gates, and we'll handle the tough nuts to crack."

She put down her water glass, a hint of arrogant confidence in her eyes.

"Isn't the Awakened Headquarters all about pulling out nails?"

Mo Yun was amused by her straightforward remarks and chuckled softly.

"However, if we really move into the targeted eradication phase, the burden on our shoulders will be much heavier."

He pulled out the swivel chair and sat down again, his gaze unconsciously falling on his palms.

The supernatural power flowed, yet it could never break through some invisible boundary.

"I also need to improve my strength as soon as possible."

Mo Yun couldn't help but feel anxious about improving his strength.

In Su Ran's mind, the terrifying scene of the "poison master" in her previous life slaughtering a horde of 100,000 zombies with a wave of his hand involuntarily appeared.

"The strategic value of poison mages increases as the game progresses."

Su Ran looked at him and gave her analysis.

"If you just stand in the training room and keep shooting at dead targets, you'll never find the opportunity to break through the bottleneck."

"Brother Su, you mean...?"

"Go to the front lines and gain more experience."

Su Ran tapped the table and offered her advice.

"The greatest terror between life and death is the best catalyst for breaking through to a higher level."

"Okay, I'll go prepare right away."

Mo Yun readily agreed and turned to walk towards the equipment room.

Seeing this, the white deer, who had been leaning against the side, straightened its back.

She clapped her hands decisively, turned around, and walked towards the door.

"I'm not going to waste time chatting with you guys anymore; I need to improve my strength as soon as possible!"

Bai Lu pushed open the door and left, the heavy metal door slamming shut behind her.

Su Ran didn't leave. Leaning back in her chair, she continued to flip through the latest battlefield briefings.

Shortly after, the black encrypted communicator on the table lit up with a red light, accompanied by a slight vibration.

Su Ran pressed the answer button.

"Brother Su, it's all done."

The wind and sand howled loudly over the communication channel. Ye Xiao's breathing was heavy, mixed with the crisp metallic clang of a blade returning to its sheath.

"Are you wounded? What are your battle losses?"

Su Ran sat up straight.

"Old Zhu and I got a few bruises, but the reconnaissance soldiers stationed there were no casualties."

Ye Xiao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"This beast is incredibly wicked; it can perform perfect optical invisibility and also unleash mental shockwaves."

If it weren't for Old Zhu being such a tough tank, absorbing 80% of the damage for me, I would have suffered a huge loss here today.

Su Ran's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Is Old Zhu badly injured?"

"He has several broken bones and is currently coughing up blood."

The faint sound of Zhu Jingye cursing could be heard from the other end of the communicator.

Ye Xiao continued,

"I've already had the logistics team pack up the mutated beast corpses and airlift them back to the Academy of Sciences overnight."

"well done."

"Brother Su, there's one more thing..."

Ye Xiao's tone became unusually serious as he added,

"Its combat power is definitely approaching the fourth tier, far surpassing the peak third-tier mutated beasts I killed before."

Su Ran clasped her hands together, her mind racing.

Mental interference, optical stealth, radar shielding, plus near-fourth-tier strength.

"A near-fourth-tier mutated beast...?"

Su Ran silently recited it in her mind, then composed herself and continued.

"Understood. Take Lao Zhu back to the base to rest first, and leave the rest to me."

Disconnect communication.

Su Ran braced her hands on the table, her gaze fixed on the ever-expanding red high-risk zones on the holographic sand table.

The monsters' evolution is accelerating at breakneck speed, while the Great Xia war machine is beginning to slow down because its battle lines are stretched too thin.

……