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

The conference room was deathly silent.

All eyes were focused on the several menacing 3D models that were suspended in mid-air.

The "flock" boasts extremely high mobility, a very low radar cross-section, and defensive capabilities comparable to an armored vehicle.

Reclaim the skies?

It's easier said than done!

"Let me say a few words first."

A general with a gold star on his shoulder and graying temples was the first to break the silence.

He is Zhang Qinian, the chief engineer of the missile force.

"Regarding the 'flock of birds,' I recommend immediately initiating the upgrade program for the 'Red Falcon-3' missile."

Zhang Qinian stood up, walked to the model, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

"Expand the frequency range of existing radar detection systems to cover a wider range of bands to counter their metallic plumes. At the same time, improve the propellant to increase the missile's terminal attack speed by another Mach 0.5."

"As long as we can lock onto it and catch up, I refuse to believe it's some kind of indestructible bird that can withstand a high-explosive bomb!"

General Zhang's words resonated powerfully, carrying the unique confidence and unwavering resolve of a soldier.

Many people nodded slightly, agreeing that this was indeed the safest and most direct approach at present.

"Old Zhang, I disagree."

The middle-aged man opposite him shook his head. He was Wang Tao, an expert in charge of cost accounting for military projects.

Have you calculated the manufacturing cost of a single "Red Falcon-3" missile? How many processes are involved, and how many skilled technicians are required?

"Stop all other projects and transfer all the senior technicians to produce missiles? The 'Red Falcon-3' isn't one of those bulky, heavy artillery shells where you just fill it with gunpowder."

Wang Tao pushed up his glasses: "More importantly, Academician Wei has already said that the radar cross-section of that thing is extremely small. Even if you upgrade the radar, how high can the success rate of locking on be?"

Thirty percent? Or fifty percent? This means that for every two missiles we launch, one hits nothing! In the apocalypse, resources are life. We can't afford to waste time!

A basin of cold water was poured over his head.

Yes, cost, efficiency, and hit rate.

In the apocalypse, every resource must be carefully considered.

"So what do you suggest we do? Wait until they fly overhead and then shoot them down with anti-aircraft guns?"

Zhang Qinian glared and puffed out his beard, clearly dissatisfied with this "petty" behavior.

"I……"

Wang Tao was speechless for a moment.

He was only responsible for identifying problems, but solving them was beyond his capabilities.

The meeting room erupted into another argument.

"What about the Phalanx close-in weapon system? Let's bring the same system from aircraft carriers to the high points of the city!" one academician suggested.

"Theoretically, it's possible, but that's the last line of defense."

Beside him, a general in charge of the air defense system shook his head, saying, "Once they penetrate the airspace above ground buildings, even if we shoot them down, those high-speed diving metallic debris are no different from heavy bombs, and if they fall into residential areas, it will be another disaster."

"Ultimately, it's because our radar system is inadequate; otherwise, we could have just shot it down from tens of kilometers away."

Radar expert Wu Jiayong, looking frustrated and indignant, said, "We've spent decades researching how to deal with aircraft made of steel. Who could have imagined that one day our enemy would be these monsters with wingspans of several meters and the ability to fly at supersonic speeds?!"

A sense of pessimism quickly spread through the conference room.

Those present were the most brilliant minds in the Great Xia Dynasty, and within a few minutes, they devised several possible solutions.

Infrared guidance, electromagnetic interference, thermobaric weapon coverage...

Then they were all rejected one by one.

These solutions are either technically immature or would result in heavy losses on both sides.

Air Force Commander-in-Chief Chen Changfeng, who had been silent all along, frowned. Just as he was about to say something to boost morale, a calm voice rang out.

"Fellow chief engineers, esteemed generals."

Everyone looked at Su Ran in the corner.

"Perhaps we can change our approach."

Su Ran stood up and walked to the holographic projection.

"Given the potential threat of flocks of birds to future cities, since the accuracy of using radar to receive pulse reflections is too poor, why not just use other methods?"

"Without radar?"

Zhang Qinian was taken aback, then asked in return, "Then what should we use? Optical tracking? Or infrared sensing? At supersonic speeds, these methods will be severely interfered with, making it impossible to provide accurate fire control data."

"It is a 'crystal core radar' that does not operate on the principle of receiving pulse reflections."

Su Ran looked at everyone and put forward a completely new concept.

Crystal nucleus... radar?

The combination of these four words left the scientists looking at each other in bewilderment.

I recognize each character individually, but I can't understand them when they're put together.

Even Academician Wei Jianguo, who has done extensive research on crystal nuclei, was baffled; he had never heard of crystal nucleus radar before.

"I had a discussion with Engineer Lu Yuan, who was in charge of the aerospace carrier 'Luan Niao,' in 'Room 0' at the Kunlun base. He discovered that the crystal core has a unique energy information frequency."

"I'm thinking that this might be a breakthrough point, using the 'frequency' of flying mutant creatures to achieve tracking and location."

The official shelter in the previous life had a "crystal core radar" that could lock onto incoming mutated creatures.

Although Su Ran did not understand how it worked.

But after talking with Lu Yuan, he felt that the core of the crystal core radar might be the "energy information frequency" that Lu Yuan mentioned.

Those present were all among the most intelligent people in the Great Xia Dynasty. With just a little guidance, they would surely be able to understand the underlying principles.

These words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly cleaving through the fog in Wei Jianguo's mind.

"Frequency... Energy spectrum analysis..."

Wei Jianguo suddenly stood up, speaking at an astonishing speed.

"The leap in life level is essentially a reconstruction at the genetic and energy levels! This inevitably leads to changes in energy frequency! Just like how each isotope has a specific decay frequency!"

He took off his glasses, wiped them vigorously with the corner of his shirt, and muttered to himself.

"How could I not have thought of that! If that's the case, then it's unaffected by radar cross-section, and even unaffected by terrain. As long as it's still a mutated creature, it's a massive signal source!"

"Theoretically feasible!"

Wei Jianguo solemnly stated, "However, this is based on the premise that Comrade Lu Yuan's assumption about the 'crystal core frequency' is true. If that's the case, it will indeed be countless times more accurate than traditional radar searches!"

Wu Jiayong, the radar expert standing nearby, also realized what was happening, and his mind was already frantically building that brand-new architecture.

"If it's just about capturing 'frequency,' then no major hardware modifications are needed. Just add a crystal core sensing module to the existing radar and rewrite the underlying algorithm..."

Wu Jiayong's breathing became heavy. He held up two fingers. "If things go quickly, two weeks! I can get the prototype out within two weeks!"

boom!

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly went from the freezing point of despair to the boiling point of excitement.

The game has been turned around!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Chen Changfeng was so excited that he said "good" three times in a row, and slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup tremble.

"If we can solve the problem of tracking and locating mutated creatures, then building the subsequent defense system will be much simpler."

The construction of our city's air defense system doesn't need to be implemented immediately, but we must do the preliminary preparations in advance.

"If you're heading in the right direction, all that's left is to give it your all!"

Chen Changfeng suddenly stood up, and a chilling aura of killing intent swept across the entire scene.

"Next, Project Sky Shield officially establishes its core direction: 'Crystal Core Radar'!"

Chen Changfeng stared intently at Wei Jianguo and Wu Jiayong, "Academician Wei, Chief Engineer Wu, no matter what method you use, I want you to build this 'Crystal Core Radar' for me!"

All required supplies will be allocated directly without approval! We aim to complete setup and testing within two weeks.

"We guarantee the mission will be completed."

Academician Wei and Chief Engineer Wu straightened their backs and shouted loudly.

……

Stepping out of the conference room, the cold white lights in the corridor were somewhat dazzling.

Behind me, I could still hear the heated discussion coming from the conference room.

Su Ran let out a long breath and rubbed her slightly swollen temples.

"The threat in the sky has finally been dealt with."

He recalled his efforts during that time.

As the steel torrent advances on the ground, the prototype of the "Sky Shield" project has been established, the core technology has been activated ahead of schedule, the headquarters of the Great Xia Awakeners has been established, and the industrial machine machines behind it are operating at full capacity.

On the ground, in the sky, with technology, awakened beings, and supportive healers, they're pulling out all the stops!

"It truly is a scene of everything flourishing and brimming with life right before my eyes!" Su Ran thought to himself.

Just as Commander Chen Changfeng said, once the direction is right, all that's left is to fight with all our might!

Although there is still a long way to go before humanity returns to the ground and regains its former glory, every step has been taken with exceptional steadiness.

Suddenly, he stopped abruptly.

"I almost forgot about Lu Yuan's important business."

Su Ran raised her wrist and typed a command into the communicator:

[To the Material Reserves Department: The second-tier crystal core sent back by Commissioner Ye Xiao should be immediately escorted by designated personnel and transferred to Server Room 0 of the Kunlun Base. Recipient: Lu Yuan.]

Having done all this, Su Ran put his hands in his pockets and strode towards the bustling command center.

Inside the hall, various commands and keyboard clicks mingled together.

Day 7 of the "Big Cleaning" plan, noon.

The numbers on the big screen flickered.

[Time remaining until the first round of points settlement: 11 hours and 59 minutes]

Su Ran walked to his command terminal and pulled up the real-time points leaderboard of the Awakeners headquarters.

On the huge holographic screen, a row of rankings and numbers scrolled and refreshed.

The name at the very top seemed to have its own halo, leaving everyone else far behind.

First place: Bai Lu. Points: 9920.

"It really is terrifying."

Su Ran muttered, "Bai Lu's killing speed alone is equivalent to that of an entire raid group."

The spiritual master is indeed unreasonable.

As early as when Bai Lu's points broke through 9000, the public chat interface of the Awakener channel was already in an uproar.

Lan Sheng: "I declare that Bai Lu is the first Awakened One in our Great Xia! Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

Chen Kewang: "Ha! I have General Ye Xiao, capable of fighting Bailu! @Ye Xiao, Old Ye, say something!"

Jiang Zunyong: "Who is Ye Xiao? He's just someone on the roadside."

Ye Xiao: "@Jiang Zunyong, do you want to practice with me? [Knife][Knife]"

Lan Sheng: "Almost ten thousand minutes! Is she living in a zombie horde? Or are zombies lining up to run into her knife?"

……

Second place: Mo Yun. Points: 6590.

Third place: Ye Xiao. Points: 6020.

Fourth place: Chen Kewang. Points: 5180.

Fifth place: Jiang Zunyong. Points: 4780.

……

Ye Xiao and Mo Yun, the two S-rank candidates he personally selected, did not disappoint him. They remained firmly in the top three, forming the first tier.

Su Ran's gaze lingered for a moment on "Chen Kewang," who was in fourth place; he vaguely remembered the name.

The awakened one at the Taihang Mountain base did not exist in his previous life.

His awakened ability is wind element control, allowing him to conjure tornadoes and slaughter hordes of zombies.

"They are actually closely following Bai Lu and his three potential S-level experts."

Su Ran murmured, "It seems that in the river of fate, there are always some reefs that cannot be washed away."

A technician in charge of data analysis walked over quickly and saluted.

"Reporting to Advisor Su, based on the abnormal fluctuations in physiological data reported by various war zones, we have confirmed four more newly awakened individuals in the past 24 hours."

The technician projected a list onto the secondary screen in front of Su Ran.

"The four individuals possess the abilities of 'muscle enhancement,' 'body enlargement,' 'temporary control,' and 'rapid healing.'"

Looking at the staff officer's report, Su Ran's brows furrowed deeply.

"Only these four people?"

"yes!"

The staff officer answered cautiously, "To be precise, there are quite a few soldiers with the potential to react, but only these four have actually completed the manifestation of their superpowers."

Su Ran tossed the tablet back onto the table, her knuckles tapping unconsciously on the surface.

Of the "cradle of gods" seeds he personally selected, none of them, except for Bai Lu and the other two, have awakened!

A shadow fell over Su Ran's heart.

"Old Li."

Su Ran turned around and looked at Li Guodong, who was approving the documents.

"explain."

"Did you give those special talents in 'Cradle of God' any extra training?"

Su Ran asked, "For example, sending people to protect us secretly, or providing advance fire support if danger arises?"

Li Guodong paused for a moment, then replied firmly, "No, absolutely not! Once on the battlefield, who would recognize anyone except for their number?"

Aside from the basic equipment they received upon departure, all subsequent supplies were earned through battle merits. What's wrong? Is there a problem?

"It's nothing, I just wanted to confirm."

Su Ran sighed silently, "Perhaps it's just not the right time yet."

He looked at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The total number of people is 512.

According to the rules, the bottom 5% will be eliminated. That means 25 people will be kicked out.

Of the current roster, four have been confirmed dead and 16 are seriously injured and unable to return to the team.

These 20 people make up the majority of the elimination slots.

But not enough.

The remaining five spots must be filled by removing current combat personnel.

"Advisor Su, should all 16 seriously injured soldiers be included in the elimination list?"

After hesitating for a long time, the technical staff officer finally spoke in a low voice, "They were all wounded for the country."

"Calculate."

Su Ran answered without hesitation, "The compensation will be paid at the highest standard, and they will be given the title of hero. But the 'Awakener Headquarters' will not allow any disabled personnel."

Rules are rules.

If this sword isn't hung over everyone's heads, any hesitation or reluctance will cause the entire plan to collapse.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became somewhat oppressive.

Just then, the secure phone on Li Guodong's desk started ringing urgently!

"I am Li Guodong..."

He quickly answered the phone, and after listening for a couple of sentences, his expression turned serious.

"Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, he immediately looked at Su Ran.

"Comrade Xiao Su, the 'hypothesis' topic you asked me to submit last time has been the subject of a top-secret deduction by several logicians in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Sciences."

Li Guodong took a deep breath and spoke very quickly, "We have reached a preliminary conclusion."