Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 31 Major Strategic Adjustments
Li Zhenguo remained silent for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the glaring red patches and the decreasing green dots on the big screen.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the smooth surface of the control panel, producing a dull "tap, tap" sound.

The focus of the entire command center seemed to be briefly concentrated on this subtle sound.

"Take the video."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a decisive power.

"Put it on the secondary screen immediately, right now!"

Soon, in the underground command center, the video from Hongfulou Restaurant in Helu City began playing on the secondary screen next to the main screen.

When that point of azure light lit up at Lin Yi's fingertip, a suppressed murmur of discussion finally broke out in the command hall.

Not long after, the video finished playing, finally focusing on the tired but still bright eyes of young Lin Yi.

The screen goes dark.

The underground command center fell into an almost frozen silence, with only the low hum of the computer clusters and the occasional suppressed static and muffled shouts leaking from the communication channels.

The faces behind each control panel were illuminated by the dim light of the screen, causing many to instinctively hold their breath.

The elderly man in charge of propaganda, who had previously dismissed it as a rumor, leaned back in his chair, raised his hand and pinched his brow hard, as if trying to dispel the unreal illusion before him.

General Li Zhenguo stood in front of the main control console, staring silently at the now-black secondary screen for a full ten seconds before slowly turning around.

He let out a long breath, breaking the silence.

"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!"

His voice carried a complex emotion; though not loud, it was like a heavy rumble of thunder, pressing down on the hearts of every attendee.

"We have gathered the best wisdom in the country, but we have only made 10% progress. Meanwhile, an 18-year-old boy risked his life to pave a possible path."

No one answered.

Silence is the greatest form of recognition.

"The General Staff."

Li Zhenguo stopped looking at the screen and glanced to the side.

"To!"

A lieutenant general staff officer immediately stood up.

"Immediately! Send this video to the team of academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences!"

“Tell them that this is not a reference, but a ready-made answer! Let them concentrate all their resources on this video, especially the teaching part, and speed up the compilation of the basic source energy guidance technique.”

"Don't expect them to learn it all at once. Let them understand as much as they can, and then transform that understanding into the most accessible and easy-to-understand teaching materials!"

"Yes!"

The orders were quickly recorded and communicated.

Li Zhenguo's instructions were not yet finished.

His gaze swept across the green dots on the circular screen that were constantly flashing and even going out.

"At the same time, this video was distributed in the name of the general command."

"Distribute this to all war zones, army groups, garrison corps, and all local garrison forces!"

"Note: Preliminary assessment indicates that the video content has extremely high practical value. Each unit may, based on the battle situation, decide to distribute the captured Guiding Crystals to frontline combat personnel for trial study using the video content. Filing a record is sufficient; no unified approval is required."

This order bypassed all standard procedures. Many people in the command center showed slight changes in expression.

A brief moment of dead silence.

An official with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses took a deep breath, about to speak: "Sir, what about the procedure?"

Li Zhenguo raised his hand, not roughly, but with an undeniable decisiveness, directly cutting off the other person's words: "Now, the only important procedure is the survival procedure."

"Sir!" A middle-aged official with glasses and a refined demeanor exchanged glances with the people next to him. Seeing that they remained silent, he finally couldn't help but stand up and speak.

"This energy guidance technique has an unknown origin. Its principles, potential risks, and long-term effects have not been scientifically proven or clinically tested. If it is rolled out so hastily on a large scale, the consequences would be unimaginable if there were any unknown hidden dangers! Shouldn't Professor Jiang's team complete the verification first, at least to confirm its safety, before conducting a small-scale pilot test?"

He wasn't actually opposing it; it was just his duty to remind people when necessary.

"Empirical demonstration? Pilot project?"

Li Zhenguo turned around abruptly, his gaze sharp as lightning, staring directly at the official.

"Director Liu, look outside, and then look at this big screen! What time do we have left to do feasibility studies and pilot projects?!"

He pointed to the chaotic situation map, "Will the monsters give us that much time! You talk about hidden dangers? The biggest hidden danger is that we are retreating step by step, and we can only pay with lives!"

Li Zhenguo slammed his hand on the control panel, making a muffled "bang" that sent ripples through the water in several cups.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures! The responsibility for this rests solely with me. Execute this order!"

He looked around, and everyone whose gaze fell upon him unconsciously lowered their heads or looked away.

There is no time for argument.

At this moment, the iron law of war overrides all conventions.

The command was executed silently and efficiently.

But one can imagine the uproar this order would cause among the fighting troops and resistance forces.

The hall fell silent again, but the atmosphere became even more somber.

Li Zhenguo walked back to the control panel, placed his hands on the cold surface, and stared intently at the ever-changing battle map, as if trying to etch it into his mind.

After a moment, he spoke slowly.

"Since someone has already proven through practice that the path of cultivating source energy in this crystal is indeed feasible, and can even form combat power in a very short time, then our previously debated and unresolved overall strategy must be adjusted immediately. Staff Officer Li, tell us, what is the current situation?"

A lieutenant general in charge of overall situation analysis immediately stepped forward, his tone extremely solemn.

"Sir, based on intelligence from all sides, the situation is extremely pessimistic."

"All seven major satellite launch centers and three deep space tracking and control stations across the country have lost contact or have been confirmed to have been occupied by abyssal beasts in high-level lairs. The outer defenses of major nuclear power plants have been largely breached, and more than 60% of important military industrial production bases and research institutions have lost contact."

He paused, his voice becoming even lower.

"As the power outage continues to expand and backup power is quickly exhausted, and base stations are being destroyed one after another, satellite signals are being lost over a large area. Our military's command efficiency, long-range strike capabilities, and intelligence gathering capabilities are experiencing a precipitous decline."

"Ammunition consumption by various units is alarming, and stockpiles have dwindled sharply. They have already begun to reactivate old, mothballed weapons, and light weapons and equipment can barely be maintained. However, for high-powered, consumable weapons such as missiles, replenishment is virtually hopeless."

"Our expected combat capability is only for no more than a week. We cannot afford a protracted war."

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking everyone's hearts.

Li Zhenguo listened in silence, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

He didn't raise his head until the staff officer finished reporting, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Gentlemen, the reason we spared no expense to defend or even recapture those key strategic nodes was because our existing combat system relied entirely on them! Without satellites, missiles, air force, and logistical support, we would be like an unarmed man, completely powerless to fight back."

Li Zhenguo suddenly turned to the staff officer in charge of intelligence gathering, "Staff Officer Wang, in your previous report you mentioned that these abyssal beast lairs, regardless of size, all have relatively fixed territorial boundaries?"

"Yes, Chief!"

Staff Officer Wang responded immediately.

"Based on the combat data and observation reports from various locations since this afternoon, it can be basically confirmed that the range of activity of the abyssal beasts emanating from different levels of nests varies significantly. Once outside this range, the abyssal beasts usually will not pursue for long distances unless the target remains within their line of sight or actively initiates an attack to provoke them."

"it is good!"

Li Zhenguo slammed his hand heavily on the control panel.

"I have decided to abandon the original strategic plan of 'concentrating defenses and seizing key points'."

(End of this chapter)