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

Su Ran quickly moved her fingers, re-cutting the area on the sand table.

"I fully agree with the General Staff's classification plan, but I have one condition."

Using industrial value, population value, energy value, and defense costs as the sole coordinates, we can achieve precise segmentation!

"The areas that are key industrial nodes and hubs of high-tech equipment in Europe, which can generate revenue and preserve the complete urban structure, will be designated as reserved areas."

Heavily guarded, fortified, and serving as our strategic buffer zone.

Su Ran looked at Liu Zhen and said,

"The engineering department can use every single building material and manpower you saved from the wasteland to weld these points shut!"

Liu Zhen's spirits lifted, and he immediately straightened his back.

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Su Ran's gaze then turned to Zhang Xiao and Wang Jianjun, these two military bigwigs.

"Regarding the construction of overseas security zones, all areas will be evacuated from worthless wastelands and relocated to key hubs or urban nodes."

The subsequent security zone's responsibility is to rely on the fortress and utilize the core radar and satellite network to keep a close watch on any movement within a radius of thousands of kilometers.

"Once a high-level mutated creature is detected to have emerged, or there are signs of a beast tide gathering..."

Su Ran's eyes instantly turned murderous.

"Immediately deploy our elite mechanized force, in conjunction with the Awakened Headquarters' top combat capabilities, to conduct a targeted decapitation strike and overwhelming firepower!"

"Fight and leave immediately, never linger in battle, and never waste lives by dividing forces to hold garrisons!"

"certainly!"

At this point, Su Ran deliberately paused for a few seconds.

"The armored units advancing towards the front should not retreat; continue pushing forward."

The construction of safety zones along the route should be put on hold for now, and an assessment should be made to determine whether further construction is necessary.

Zhang Xiao pondered for a moment, then his expression turned serious.

I have no objection.

The troops currently at the forefront absolutely cannot be withdrawn. As for the construction of safe zones?

Let's build less if we want.

Repairing the security zone on the critical hub is more important than anything else!

"Then, what about those areas that are extremely costly to defend and have complex terrain that makes them impossible to hold?"

Sun Desheng stared intently at Su Ran and asked the most crucial question.

Su Ran slowly turned her head and jabbed her index finger hard at the locations of the South Asian subcontinent and the Latin American rainforest.

"Those areas can be designated as absolute nuclear clearance zones."

Su Ran's tone was icy, stripping away the moral shackles that belong to humanity.

"As long as Great Xia maintains absolute air superiority over these areas, not a single conventional troop will need to enter."

All troops retreated to the core node's safe zone.

"Since their deep underground lair is impenetrable by conventional munitions, let's just open up Great Xia's strategic nuclear arsenal!"

Su Ran's gaze swept over everyone present.

"Use heavy bunker-buster nuclear weapons to conduct routine coverage strikes."

"As soon as any signal of the resurgence of higher-level mutated creatures is detected, no reporting, no deliberation, just launch a nuclear attack to wipe them out!"

"As for nuclear radiation residue and ecological damage, those are nothing compared to the extinction of humanity!"

The entire conference room fell silent instantly.

A group of generals and powerful bureau chiefs carrying gold stars involuntarily paused for a moment.

They used the Ivory Coast to repeatedly clean up millions or even tens of millions of square kilometers of land!

This is a reiteration of the "normalization of nuclear strikes"!

"I agree."

Li Guodong was the first to break the silence. He sat next to the head of the table, his gaze equally cold and hard.

"Those high-risk areas are long gone."

Keeping them is like keeping a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

Using nuclear weapons to cleanse the land can not only instantly vaporize low- to mid-level mutated beasts, but the extreme nuclear radiation can also fundamentally destroy their reproductive genetic chains.

Qian Liye gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffed out, and he also spoke up.

The Supply Department seconded this!

The Great Xia has plenty of nuclear weapons in stock; throwing them all out will save us the trouble of spending a lot of money maintaining them in underground bunkers!

The cost of using nuclear bombs to clean up the land is far, far cheaper than sending 100,000 troops there to die!

Zhang Xiao and Wang Jianjun exchanged a glance, then stood at attention in unison, their military boots clicking crisply.

"The military is determined to carry out frontline advance and nuclear clearance missions!"

Sun Desheng opened his mouth, but didn't say anything more.

Su Ran's plan can be considered as the ultimate trump card in terms of logistical resources, and it also completely unleashed the military's desire to attack.

By building fewer safe zones in the wilderness, we can save resources and carry out our work more effectively.

Inside the meeting room, everyone's eyes once again focused on the chief.

The old man adjusted the lid of the teapot and skimmed off the foam.

His deep gaze shifted from Su Ran and swept over Zhang Xiao, Sun Desheng, and Qian Liye in turn.

"Everyone has heard Su Ran's plan."

The garrison commander spoke slowly, his voice steady.

"Before I make the final decision, I want you all to be completely clear-headed. Zhang Xiao, Sun Desheng, Qian Liye, you all speak in turn."

"Continue to expand blindly, or follow Su Ran's suggestion of 'core occupation and targeted elimination'."

What is the worst possible outcome for either of these playing styles?

Put them all on the table today!

Zhang Xiao's burly body suddenly stood up, his voice booming like a bell.

"If we continue to deploy our forces and push forward relentlessly, the worst-case scenario is that our rear will be exposed!"

"If a high-level mutated beast launches a surprise attack, our leaky defense network risks being completely breached!"

Zhang Xiao spoke very quickly, his eyes revealing a fierce glint.

"We simply don't have enough reserves to fill the gaps left by those newly built safe zones!"

He took a deep breath and continued stiffly:

"If we follow Advisor Su's suggestion to shrink the land, we will give up most of the worthless wasteland."

The worst outcome would be that those areas would become breeding grounds for monsters.

But as long as we build up the safe zones at the core nodes, and once the mutated beasts have amassed a significant force, we can then concentrate our troops and use heavy firepower to wipe them out in one fell swoop. There shouldn't be any major chaos!

Sun Desheng stood up immediately afterward, his voice filled with exhaustion.

"If we don't tighten our defenses, the worst-case scenario for the civil affairs department is quite obvious."

His thin, bony fingers pounded heavily on the table.

"In order to support the front line, young and middle-aged laborers from the civilian population continued to be mobilized."

Domestic industry has come to a standstill, and food rations have been completely disrupted!

The city is paralyzed; heating and electricity are completely shut down!

"If the common people can't even get enough to eat, before the front lines even collapse, our internal structure will be completely rotten to the core!"

Sun Desheng took a deep breath and looked at the military leader opposite him.

"If it's about shrinking the defensive line, then withdrawing from non-core areas."

The worst-case scenario is that the transportation channels for some overseas resources are cut off.

The Great Xia Dynasty relied on the core nodes it retained to make a living, which slowed down the speed of material transportation.

That's all!

Qian Liye shoved the nearly crumpled document bag in his hand to the center of the table.

"I agree with Director Sun."

Qian Liye stared directly at the head of the guard.

"The Great Xia Dynasty only has so much wealth; you don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household!"

To consider "reclaiming the world" as a short-term goal is simply wishful thinking!

We cannot use the last reserves of our 1.4 billion people to fill that bottomless pit on the front lines!

Qian Liye's gaze swept across the entire room, and his tone suddenly rose:

"All of humanity's existing industrial mother machines, working-age population, high-level awakened beings, staple food quotas, and cutting-edge technology!"

These five things are the lifeblood of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the foundation for the survival of all human civilization!

"We must keep them all firmly under control within a manageable defensive perimeter!"

"A strategy of sweeping across the entire front and expanding the territory in a piecemeal fashion will ultimately lead to nothing but wasted effort!"

Those remote areas, far from transportation hubs, with inadequate logistics, and exorbitant defense costs, must be eliminated!

Qian Liye pulled up a series of glaring red data charts.

"The Supply Agency has done the math!"

To establish and maintain an overseas security zone with a garrison of 1,000 people, we need to invest 200 tons of standard supplies, 30,000 crystal core projectiles, and a continuous supply of 5,000 tons of special cement every month!

If the safe zones at the edges are cut off, the resources saved are enough to raise the defense strength of a core fortress to another level!

Most importantly, we are confident that we can complete the construction of the defense systems for these key nodes within three months!

Li Guodong sat in the main seat, listened to the statement, and then silently looked at the garrison commander.

"Yes."

The garrison commander gently placed the teacup on the rosewood table, making a muffled sound.

The huge conference room fell silent instantly; everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the person in the main seat.

"General Staff, military, logistics, civil affairs. I understand your bottom line."

The garrison commander placed his hands on the table with his arms crossed, his posture as still as a deep pool and as imposing as a mountain.

"The general direction of Great Xia's expansion into the world remains unchanged. But from today onwards, we will abandon the strategy of evenly distributing our forces."

The garrison commander's voice was not loud, but every word was as firm as iron, echoing throughout the hall.

"The General Staff has changed the map. The global theater of operations has been reclassified into three categories."

First, what must be defended; second, what can be fought for; third, what can be destroyed!

"Weld the core area shut! Secure the buffer zone to full strength!"

A chilling, ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the garrison commander.

"Uncontrollable area, execute strategic clearing! Meeting adjourned."

Swish!

Everyone stood up in unison, their military boots tucked together, and gave the most standard military salute to the person in the main seat.

Su Ran straightened her back and stood up.

He knew that with this order, the Great Xia's war machine, worth tens of millions, had reached a complete strategic turning point.

The garrison commander didn't say anything more and walked out of the meeting room, with Li Guodong following closely behind.

Zhang Xiao strode up to Su Ran and patted him heavily on the shoulder.

"Xiao Su, your plan today has helped to reconcile the conflict between our military and the Logistics Department."

Zhang Xiao grinned, his face showing exhaustion, but his fighting spirit remained undiminished.

Su Ran looked at him, her gaze calm.

"General Zhang, once the safe zone on the outskirts is withdrawn, that area will become a no-man's-land."

The subsequent cleanup will fall entirely on the shoulders of the mechanized elites and the awakened ones.

The planning of key hubs cannot tolerate the slightest carelessness.

"I understand, I'll go back and deploy it right away!"

Zhang Xiao strode out of the venue.

Qian Liye, holding the materials in his hand, walked over and let out a long sigh.

"Advisor Su, this has greatly relieved the logistical pressure on our Logistics Department."

Su Ran nodded, fully aware of the head housekeeper's difficulties.

"Old Qian, the safe zones that were cut off later are being evacuated with a large number of personnel and supplies. We also need to guard against monster attacks along the way."

The pressure on your logistics and dispatch sides is just as immense.

"That's still better than being a funnel, constantly giving things away for nothing!"

After finishing his sentence, Qian Liye hurried off to make the arrangements, clutching the file folder.

The highest operational orders, transmitted via encrypted dedicated lines, acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly injecting into the nerve centers of all major war zones in the Great Xia Dynasty.

All departments are operating at full speed.

All safe zones far from transportation hubs and with difficult logistical support received unified orders to disband their units almost simultaneously.

……