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

"puff."

Zhao Tian turned his head and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

He didn't wipe his mouth, but held the hard, dry compressed biscuit in his hand, took a big bite, and puffed out his cheeks.

"I'm not planning on taking a break."

Zhao Tian swallowed the biscuit, grabbed his military water bottle, and took a big gulp of cold water. "Whoever wants to rest can rest, I'm not going to be the last one standing."

Inside the tent, a few emergency lights swayed in the wind, casting shadows on everyone's faces covered in grease and grime.

In the corner, Luo Susu huddled together.

Her combat uniform was torn in several places, revealing fine scratches on her exposed skin, and her hair was a messy tangled mess.

Just a week ago, they were carefully protected "special talents," the seeds selected by the country.

But this week, following behind the regular army, even if their only duties were to finish off stragglers and eliminate those who slipped through the net, the fear of facing life and death was enough to break anyone.

"We've been playing for a week straight..."

Luo Susu's voice trembled, on the verge of tears, "I want to take a hot bath, I want to lie in bed and sleep, I want to go home..."

"go home?"

Zhao Tian felt like he had heard the funniest joke of the century, but it wasn't funny at all.

"Susu, wake up. Where is our home now?"

He pointed to the dark forest outside the window, "Outside are man-eating monsters."

Luo Susu buried her head in her knees, her shoulders trembling, and her sobbing sounded particularly jarring in the oppressive room.

"What's the use of crying?"

A burly man nearby, who was wrapping bandages, cursed.

"Save your tears. Instructor Su is a living devil. He said that in the apocalypse, there will be no idlers, and he really means it."

The speaker was Lin Zihao, who used to be an apprentice at a car repair shop.

For him, only by becoming an awakened being could he completely turn his life around.

"Ye Xiao used to be a hoodlum, but now? He's become a hero of Great Xia."

Lin Zihao placed one foot on the wooden box and used his teeth to tighten the bandage knot.

"Want to be superior to others? Then risk your life for a chance to awaken." Zhao Tian continued to himself.

"Brother Zhao, didn't you say before... you didn't want to work hard?"

"The past is the past."

Zhao Tian leaned against the canvas, took out half a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, didn't light it, and directly peeled off the tobacco and chewed it dry.

"Before the apocalypse came, I stayed at home for a whole year. All I did every day was order takeout and play games. At that time, I felt that this was all I was going to do in my life. I had no skills or abilities, and I thought I might as well just give up."

He paused, his gaze becoming somewhat unfocused.

"Later, the National Security Bureau contacted me. Instructor Su specifically requested me. When that transfer order was slapped in my face, I was still stunned. Recruiting me into the special talent base? What makes me worthy? Just because I have fast hands when playing games?"

"Because you're an excellent pilot. Take off, take off!"

Lin Zihao laughed and gestured to indicate his name.

"Hahaha……"

The people inside the room joined in the laughter.

"Get lost!"

Zhao Tian raised his head, his eyes bloodshot yet frighteningly bright. "I didn't know I had potential before, I was just hopeless."

Now that I know I have talent, if I don't even bother to give it a shot, then I've truly wasted my life.

"We came in at the same time as Ye Xiao and Mo Yun."

Zhao Tian looked at the silent group around him and said in a low voice, "When we first entered the base, we all lived in the same dormitory and ate the same food. And now? Ye Xiao can already fight second-tier mutated grizzly bears in melee combat, and Mo Yun can take down a whole group by himself. We still have to rely on cover and pull the trigger on those weakest first-tier mutated beasts."

"Damn it! The difference between people is even greater than the difference between a person and a dog."

Zhao Tian spat the tobacco onto the ground. "As long as we awaken, we'll be no worse than them. Once we awaken, no one will care how we rest."

Luo Susu raised her head, her face streaked with tears, and her eyes, besides fear, finally held something else.

It could be a desire for survival, or a yearning for privilege.

"Can I really be like them?"

"able."

This time, it wasn't Zhao Tian who spoke, but Pei Miaomiao, who had been loading bullets into the magazine the whole time.

Luo Susu turned her head and looked at her with pleading eyes, "Miaomiao, aren't you taking tomorrow off too?"

Pei Miaomiao's fingers are long and slender; they used to be the hands of a pianist, but now they are covered in calluses and grime.

She skillfully loaded the gleaming yellow bullets into the magazine, making a crisp clicking sound.

"endlessly."

Pei Miaomiao answered decisively, without even lifting her eyelids.

"But……"

"No buts."

Pei Miaomiao slammed the full magazine into the slot, looked up, and her once delicate face was now cold and hard.

"Instructor Su said I am the future 'Flame Queen'."

Pei Miaomiao sheathed the dagger back into its scabbard by her side, her voice carrying a stubborn edge.

"Although there's no news yet, I believe in him. Since he gave me this title, I can't lose face here."

She turned to look at Luo Susu and handed her a bottle of water.

"Susu, rest first. Once you've rested well tonight, you'll definitely want to set off again tomorrow. Who doesn't want to live a glamorous life?"

In the corner, Xu Yang, who had been silent all along, stirred.

Half of his body was wrapped in gauze, and the blood seeping out stained the white gauze dark red.

The day before yesterday in the valley, a mutated corpse deer knocked him five meters away.

He has abrasions all over his body, multiple bone fractures, and even breathing heavily causes him excruciating pain.

Looking at his miserable state, Luo Susu bit her lip and said, "Brother Xu, you're injured like this, aren't you going to take a break tomorrow?"

"endlessly."

Xu Yang answered crisply and decisively, without even looking up, focusing solely on loading bullets into the magazine.

Click. Click.

The sound of a bullet entering the chamber was particularly clear in the quiet room.

"Just like Mo Yun said, in this world, if you don't fight for your life, it's not yours to live."

Xu Yang slammed the loaded magazine into the gun, looked up at Luo Susu, and his eyes were frighteningly calm.

"If I leave this injury alone, it won't be a big deal; but if I do treat it, it'll take at least ten days to two weeks. But after ten days to two weeks, the main force will have already pushed hundreds of kilometers away, and I won't even be able to see the taillights of the vehicles."

Xu Yang sneered, which aggravated his wound, causing his lips to twitch in pain.

"I came in with the title of 'special talent,' and I'd rather die on the front lines than live a cowardly life."

Silence fell in the room once again.

The leaderboard is truly brutal; the bottom 5% are eliminated, a Damocles' sword hanging over everyone's head.

Before they awakened, they were just a group of ordinary people with guns.

They were as fragile as paper in the face of those monsters.

"Alright."

Zhao Tian clapped his hands, breaking the silence. "Stop being so sentimental. Take a nap while you can, we'll change shifts in three hours."

He glanced at Luo Susu, who was still sobbing, and softened his tone.

"Susu, if you really can't take it anymore, help me load magazines in the back tomorrow, and I'll give you 20% of the points. We're in the same squad, so as long as I don't die, you'll have something to eat."

Luo Susu was stunned for a moment, then vigorously wiped her face, mixing her tears with the mud and grime to wipe it away.

"You don't need to divide it."

She grabbed the rifle beside her, forced a smile, and said, "I also want a single room; I don't want to unclog the sewers."

"That's right."

Zhao Tian grinned, his expression somewhat sinister in the dim light.

"In this world, being afraid of death is useless. The more afraid you are of death, the faster you will die."

"Go to sleep, you can have anything in your dreams."

Zhao Tian tugged at his collar, shrank back into the corner, and closed his eyes. "When I open my eyes tomorrow, it'll be another damn day."

Outside, the wind howled like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

But at least tonight, no one has chosen to quit.

……

Kunlun Base, Awakened Rest Area.

Ye Xiao looked at the announcement on the terminal, clicked his tongue, and put his legs off the coffee table.

"Brother Su, that's a ruthless move of yours. You call it a holiday, but it's really a death trap."

Ye Xiao smirked, "They really don't let them rest even for a day."

Su Ran slid her fingers across the tactical tablet, reviewing several logistics reports, a smile playing on her lips.

"I'm very democratic. I gave them two choices: to work hard or to rest. It's all up to them."

"Two choices for farts."

Ye Xiao scoffed, "The points leaderboard keeps accumulating, who dares to stop? Everyone's afraid someone will secretly get up and work hard, eliminating them from the leaderboard."

Su Ran smiled and said nothing more.

This was exactly the effect he wanted; the apocalypse doesn't tolerate idlers.

"Alright, stop worrying about others. Go back and clean yourself up first."

Su Ran put down the tablet. "Bai Lu's points have exceeded 10,000. I promised her that I would throw her a high-profile celebration banquet."

"A victory celebration banquet?"

Ye Xiao's eyes lit up instantly, his fatigue vanished, and he sat up straight on the sofa.

"Is it the same private banquet hall as last time? The kind with plenty of Australian tomahawk cruisers?"

"Um."

"Alright!"

Ye Xiao slapped his thigh and ran excitedly to his room.

Su Ran watched his hurried figure disappear into the distance and shook her head helplessly.

His gaze then returned to the tablet, his eyes becoming deep.

Construction of the Awakeners' headquarters is on track, but the headquarters is just a shell; the true soul is "human beings."

Ye Xiao, Bai Lu, Mo Yun...

These future top combat forces must be united by honor, interests, and emotions.

The only drawback is the number of awakened individuals; despite the large number, progress has been slow.

"Perhaps I'll need to adjust my work focus in the future."

Su Ran was also thinking to himself, "The ground forces, air defense system, and crystal core technology of Great Xia are all progressing according to plan."

The only thing that's been neglected is the development of the Awakened team. It seems my focus will have to shift to the Awakened Headquarters from now on.

He sensed the supernatural power within him and murmured, "I need to upgrade my supernatural power level as well."

Ye Xiao returned in less than thirty minutes.

This time, however, the style changed drastically.

He changed out of his blood-stained combat uniform and put on a sharp black suit, along with a pair of gleaming leather shoes.

However, his undeniable street thuggishness made him look like a gangster thug on his way to collect debts.

Su Ran's eyelids twitched, and she frowned, saying, "Are you kidding me? Wearing a suit?"

"Absolutely!"

Ye Xiao straightened his tie and spoke with righteous indignation, "Bai Lu is terrifyingly strong now, an absolute powerhouse! Of course, I have to show my respect with the highest level of commitment!"

Su Ran: "..."

Mo Yun also returned to the base.

Su Ran ignored him and sent him a message on the communication channel, asking him to come to the Awakened Ones' rest room.

Soon, the door to the lounge was pushed open.

Mo Yun looked travel-worn, with several black ash marks on his face, and his whole being exuded exhaustion.

"Advisor Su."

Mo Yun gave a brief greeting, but his gaze was immediately drawn to Ye Xiao, whose painting style was completely out of place, sitting in the corner.

A man in an expensive suit was sitting upright on the sofa, wiping a dark red longsword over and over again with a suede cloth.

This scene looks bizarre no matter how you look at it.

"What are you doing?"

Mo Yun couldn't help but ask, "Are you having a fit?"

Mo Yun pointed to Ye Xiao's suit.

"Get ready to attend the victory celebration banquet."

Ye Xiao raised his chin, looking completely matter-of-fact. "Bai Lu's total points have surpassed 10,000, and Brother Su is going to throw her a celebration banquet. You should hurry up and go back to pack your things, don't embarrass us S-class students."

Su Ran could hardly bear to look at it anymore.

He rubbed his temples and said to Mo Yun, "Mo Yun, you should also tidy up and change into some clean clothes."

"Okay!"

Mo Yun nodded and turned to leave.

Not long after, Mo Yun returned.

Then, Su Ran was completely speechless.

Because Mo Yun had also changed into a suit, and even put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses with great seriousness, and was looking down adjusting his cufflinks.

"Why are you wearing a suit too?"

Mo Yun adjusted his glasses and asked doubtfully, "Isn't this supposed to be uniform?"

Su Ran was speechless, while Ye Xiao next to her chuckled and patted Su Ran on the shoulder.

"Brother Su, why don't you go change into a different outfit too?"

Just then, Su Ran's watch terminal vibrated, and Bai Lu's avatar popped up.

It was a message from her, containing only six brief words.

[Bai Lu: Su Ran, I'm almost there.]

Su Ran stood up, ignoring Ye Xiao's suggestion, "Let's go, Bai Lu has arrived, it's time to welcome our points queen."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Ye Xiao looked up and asked with a serious expression, "You want me, the first Tier 2 Hunter of Great Xia, to pick him up at the airport?"

Su Ran glanced at him and added irritably, "If you can break through to 10,000 points in the first week, I'll personally come to pick you up."

A few minutes later, the three arrived at the designated helipad.

A black armed helicopter hovered in the air, its huge rotors creating violent gusts of air that made the hems of the three men's clothes flutter wildly.

The hatch slid open.

Without any hesitation, a black figure leaped down from a height of twenty meters.

Ye Xiao and Mo Yun were both on tenterhooks.

However, the expected loud thud of the heavy object hitting the ground did not occur.

With less than half a meter above the ground, the rapidly falling figure suddenly stopped.

The force of the fall vanished instantly.

She then made her entrance in a very standard superhero pose.

He knelt on one knee, his right hand gently touching the hard cement floor, creating a visible ripple of dust.

He then slowly stood up and patted his hands to remove non-existent dust.

On the tarmac, Su Ran, Ye Xiao, and Mo Yun stared in disbelief.

Ye Xiao: "Bai Lu, you're practically a superman."

Mo Yun: "Superpowers can be used like this?"

Su Ran: "Bai Lu, what are you doing? Going to be unconventional?"