After Xu Ruoxi saw this message.
She froze for a moment.
Then a bitter smile appeared on her face.
Sure enough, the commander hadn't blamed her earlier; he had only been sparing her dignity!
He hadn't wanted her to lose face in front of the others!
Xu Ruoxi felt that standing at attention meant she was about to be punished.
This had been her mistake to begin with. She hadn't been vigilant enough, which had resulted in such devastating casualties!
Even if the commander chewed her out mercilessly.
She would deserve it!
With that thought in mind.
By the time Xu Ruoxi arrived at the Command Room, her expression was extremely grave.
It left Li Chen rather baffled.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Chen asked.
Xu Ruoxi shut her eyes and straightened her posture.
Then she gathered her courage and spoke.
"This operational failure was entirely my fault!"
"I am willing to accept punishment!"
Li Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Pointing at the chair beside her, he slowly said, "Sit down first, then we'll talk."
Xu Ruoxi hesitated for a moment.
Then she obeyed and sat down.
She had expected Li Chen to reprimand her.
But what Li Chen said next left Xu Ruoxi stunned.
"According to Artificial Intelligence analysis, the Tier 2 Zombies you encountered this time were very likely created by humans."
Li Chen's words were like a Hand Grenade thrown into Xu Ruoxi's mind.
If the analysis was true.
Then the safety of the Star-Level Shelter's residents could no longer be guaranteed.
Just a few Tier 2 Zombies had already put the Resident Combat Team in such a miserable state.
If one day Tier 2 Zombies became a zombie horde...
The thought alone made Xu Ruoxi shudder.
By then, it would truly become a living hell!
Seeing this, Li Chen said calmly.
"Don't worry too much. We've already investigated the area around the Star-Level Shelter. The place where those Tier 2 Zombies were cultivated is relatively far from us."
"Moreover, judging from the performance of these Tier 2 Zombies, those people still can't mass-produce them and form a zombie horde for the time being."
"Right now, the most important thing is to improve your strength. That way, when you lead teams out on missions, you'll have greater security."
There were currently twenty Tier 2 Zombies in Donghai City.
And they were relatively scattered.
As long as Xu Ruoxi's individual strength improved, a few isolated Tier 2 Zombies would be nothing more than easy prey.
Xu Ruoxi nodded vigorously.
Li Chen then placed his palm on Xu Ruoxi's shoulder.
Ding! The commander has come into contact with a bound person. Upgrade?
"Upgrade."
As Li Chen's words fell.
Xu Ruoxi felt warmth spread through her entire body.
It was as if she were lying on a grassy field beneath the afternoon sun.
A moment later.
Li Chen withdrew his hand.
Xu Ruoxi lowered her head in amazement and clenched her fist.
She felt a force surging wildly through every part of her body!
Right now, Xu Ruoxi only wanted to head to the Training Field and have a good fight!
"What happened to me...?"
Xu Ruoxi looked at Li Chen in confusion.
"You can understand it as me transferring energy to you."
Li Chen kept it brief.
In an instant, Xu Ruoxi's eyes widened.
What?
Transferring energy?
"Alright. Your strength now is no weaker than that of a Tier 2 Zombie."
"Go down for now."
Li Chen nodded slightly.
"Yes!"
After Xu Ruoxi left, Li Chen opened the panel for bound persons.
Star-Level Shelter System Bound Person 1: Xu Ruoxi Strength: 20 Agility: 20 Constitution: 20 Mental: 20 Intelligence: 20 Gene Evolution: 0
Li Chen had raised all of Xu Ruoxi's attributes to the maximum of 20 points.
However, Gene Evolution could not be selected.
The prompt stated that the bound person needed to comprehend it independently through actual combat!
Li Chen had no solution to that either.
Over the following days.
Noah successively discovered Xu Ruo's material warehouses.
Xu Ruoxi led the Resident Combat Team on mission after mission.
In just seven days.
They cleared out all the zombies within ten kilometers of the Star-Level Shelter.
This immediately caused a stir in Donghai City!
Especially the helicopters and Armored Cars the Star-Level Shelter deployed on every mission.
Just looking at them made people feel oppressed.
"What exactly is the Star-Level Shelter? Having so many supplies is one thing, but they even have Armored Cars and helicopters!"
"This isn't something money alone can buy. I dare say the Star-Level Shelter is definitely far more than it appears!"
"Last time, I even exchanged for a batch of Hand Grenades from the Star-Level Shelter. Do you think the Star-Level Shelter might be..."
Countless rumors began spreading through Donghai City.
Some believed that a mysterious force must stand behind the Star-Level Shelter.
Otherwise, how could someone as young as Li Chen obtain all this weaponry?
After seven days of fierce fighting.
The Resident Combat Team gained enormously.
First came the materials.
With several factories operating at once, there had originally been a severe shortage of raw materials.
Now, the materials collected by the Resident Combat Team were enough to keep every factory producing nonstop for at least half a year.
Second, after battle after battle.
The soldiers improved tremendously.
The Resident Combat Team, which had once seemed rather unimpressive, could now rival some of the fiercest elite forces from before the apocalypse!
If a soldier fell in battle.
The Star-Level Shelter would not only provide the soldier's family with substantial compensation.
It would also properly arrange for the elderly and children to enter the Care Center.
They would be cared for free of charge!
This made every soldier fearless in the face of death.
They charged at the very front!
What Li Chen cared about most were the Tier 2 Energy Cores Xu Ruoxi brought back.
There were twenty-nine in total.
Aside from the twenty Tier 2 Zombies that had originally existed in Donghai City and were eliminated by Xu Ruoxi.
The Resident Combat Team had also encountered a small Tier 2 Zombie horde during that time.
Fortunately, the Combat Team was no longer what it had once been.
They formed crossfire formations around Xu Ruoxi and fought continuously.
So they did not suffer many casualties.
Li Chen took the twenty-nine Tier 2 Energy Cores and exchanged them directly.
Ding! Congratulations, Commander! Exchange successful. You have obtained Primary Energy Cores!!
Together with what the Android Warriors had obtained from hunting zombies over the past few days.
As well as what the shelter residents had exchanged.
Li Chen already had Energy Cores on hand.
"Noah, upgrade the production lines."
"Yes."
Ding! Energy Cores used. Tier 2 Aircraft Production Line upgraded. Ding! Energy Cores used. Tier 3 Aircraft Production Line upgraded. Ding! Energy Cores used. Tier 3 Armored Car Production Line upgraded. Ding! Energy Cores used. Tier 1 Surveillance Equipment Production Line repaired. Ding! Energy Cores used. Tier 2 Surveillance Equipment Production Line upgraded.
With 180,000 Energy Cores, Li Chen spent extravagantly.
As Li Chen issued command after command.
He directly upgraded both the Armored Car Production Line and the Aircraft Production Line to Tier 3.
He also repaired the Surveillance Equipment Production Line and the Weapon Production Line!
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