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

Chapter 32 The curtain opens
These words were like a thunderclap, causing many people's expressions to change drastically.

"Commander! This..."

Immediately, someone wanted to refute this.

But Li Zhenguo waved his hand, not giving them a chance at all.

"From now on, the main task of each unit will change from recapturing key locations to covering the withdrawal! Utilize our remaining heavy firepower and organization to stop attacking those tough nuts that are full of advanced abyssal beasts, and instead launch staggered attacks to cover the surviving civilians and gradually withdraw from the core radiation zone of the advanced nests!"

"at the same time."

He emphasized, "We will work with local armed forces to rescue trapped civilians and establish stable survivor settlements based in areas with relatively low threat levels."

A lieutenant general in charge of equipment logistics couldn't help but speak up.

"Commander! I understand what you mean, but those strategic locations, especially military, energy and communication facilities, will be destroyed very quickly if they are completely abandoned. Even if we save our lives, without the support of a modern warfare system, once our ammunition runs out, our soldiers will have to return to the era of cold weapons and fight the beasts hand to hand."

"fight?"

Li Zhenguo suddenly looked at him and pointed to the secondary screen that had gone dark.

"Do you think that's just simple hand-to-hand combat? That's a completely new combat force! If we continue to use the old combat system, we'll only be slowly worn down."

His voice carried a resolute determination, as if he had nothing to lose.

"Back then, we changed our mindset too late, and it took us centuries to catch up with other countries. Now, energy is the new way of fighting."

"They don't need a massive logistics chain, nor do they need uninterrupted power. They kill monsters, gain power, become stronger, and then challenge even stronger monsters! This is our only path to the future: to sustain ourselves through war!"

Li Zhenguo's gaze swept across every face in the room, whether it was one of shock, contemplation, or anxiety.

"So, everyone, remember this! In the current situation, the most important thing is not to protect those factories and equipment, but to protect people. Protect everyone who could become a warrior, a source energy practitioner!"

"You must not forget one thing."

Li Zhenguo paused for a moment, waiting until everyone's attention was focused on him, before speaking in a deep voice:

"If you save people but lose land, you can save both people and land; if you save land but lose people, you can lose both people and land!"

These sixteen words, carrying unparalleled weight, struck the souls of everyone in the command center.

No one spoke; only heavy breathing and the tireless hum of the instruments filled the air.

A tragic yet resolute consensus quickly coalesced in silence.

Li Zhenguo's gaze swept across the entire room, he sighed, and softened his tone.

“I know your concerns. This sudden disaster may have been caused by higher-dimensional life or advanced civilizations. That’s why you have doubts about the source energy cultivation methods, source energy crystals, and even source energy technology items obtained from crystals.”

"But... do we have any other choice now? If those unknown beings dare to give us weapons, we dare to take them! Rather than sit and wait to die, we might as well fight to the death."

"No matter the outcome, they can take our lives and crush our bones, but they can't break our spine."

"Friends, don't forget the environment our ancestors came from. Those dens were not only enemies, but also resources! If we had no weapons or resources, we would seize them from the enemy!"

I said so much in one go.

Li Zhenguo picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and moistened his throat.

He then immediately demonstrated his decisive and efficient style.

"The General Staff."

"The strategic direction is no longer up for discussion. What specific suggestions does your staff have regarding the dispersed establishment of survivor settlements? Have you completed the nest distribution map we asked you to make before?"

A staff officer bearing the rank of major general immediately stepped forward. Behind him, a young officer quickly operated the control panel, and the huge national map on the main screen switched to a complex schematic diagram filled with densely packed red patches and winding blank areas. "Sir."

The major general's voice was steady and clear. He picked up the light pen and pointed it at the blank areas.

"Based on simulations conducted by supercomputers combined with the latest intelligence, this is the relatively safe nest gap area that we can currently confirm."

The light pen circled those irregularly shaped blank areas.

"As you can see, the gaps are mostly small and scattered, and their safety levels and areas vary greatly depending on the level and density of the surrounding nests. Our recommendation is to handle them in a graded and categorized manner."

"For small and medium-sized cities and rural areas."

He magnified a typical area where there were many tiny red spots and relatively fragmented gaps.

"We suggest relying on the existing local police and militia organizations to prioritize the establishment of initial gathering points in these relatively safe gap areas, with survival as the primary objective in the early stages."

"Once the gathering point is stable, we will gradually expand outwards according to our strength, selectively eliminating the surrounding micro-nests and expanding the safe zone."

Next, the scene shifts to a large urban area, where there are not only dense clusters of tiny red dots, but also several red blocks representing "small nests" that pose a higher threat.

"As for large cities and densely populated nesting areas..."

The major general's tone became even more serious.

"The remaining monsters are strong, and the gaps are smaller and more dangerous. We must rely on the main forces still in each war zone, concentrate armor and heavy firepower, and carry out a forced assault and clearing operation."

"Our suggestion is to spare no expense in taking over at least two or three adjacent 'small nest' territories in the core areas of these regions, and establish large, stable, militarized survivor bases! Use these as regional strongholds to radiate outwards, gather survivors, and become bridgeheads for future counterattacks!"

He finally pulled up a summary table.

"Based on a comprehensive assessment of existing intelligence, resources, troop strength, and nest distribution, computer simulations show that we have the potential to establish and maintain a total of 316 survivor settlements nationwide!"

So little

"This is far from enough."

A low murmur rippled through the hall.

The major general staff officer continued, "Among them, there are an estimated 298 small and medium-sized settlements that rely on gap zones for establishment and require gradual development."

"And there are 18 large bases that require the army to storm and capture small nest territories to establish."

He paused, then added, "These locations have all undergone preliminary screening and must meet certain conditions, such as being close to a stable water source, having existing fortifications or terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and having an estimated number of survivors in the early stages."

Li Zhenguo stared at the 316 marks on the screen, which resembled sparks, and let out a heavy breath.

"Okay! Let's refine this plan according to its framework!"

He gave the order decisively.

"Immediately identify the locations of these 316 pre-set gathering points, recommended migration routes, and threat levels of surrounding nests, mark them with the highest priority, and release them immediately while network and mobile communications are still not completely disrupted!"

"Tell all our compatriots that the country has not abandoned them! Tell them where it is relatively safe. At the same time, notify all units of the army to cover the transfer of civilians to these pre-established points and to do everything possible to clear out the monsters around the pre-established points to create conditions for establishing gathering points!"

After a brief silence, Li Zhenguo suddenly waved his hand.

"Gentlemen, execute this order! Immediately draft detailed instructions and issue them to all war zones! This strategic operation will be named 'Tinder'!"

Military orders are absolute, and the entire "Longyuan" underground command center, like the most sophisticated war machine, began to operate frantically as the highest decision was issued.

One after another, directives carrying new strategic ideas pierced through the earth and flew to troops across the country who were still fighting bloody battles.

(End of this chapter)