Major Strategic Adjustment

Li Zhenguo remained silent for a moment, his gaze once again fixed on the patches of glaring red and the dwindling green dots on the Large Screen.

His fingers tapped unconsciously against the smooth surface of the console, producing a dull "tap, tap" sound.

The focus of the entire Command Center seemed to condense briefly onto this subtle noise.

"Patch the video through."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried a decisive power.

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

Soon, on the secondary screen beside the main display in the underground Command Center, the video from Hongfu Tower in Helu City began to play.

When that faint Azure Blue glow ignited at the tip of Lin Yi's finger, a wave of irrepressible murmurs finally erupted throughout the command hall.

Before long, the video ended, freezing on the weary yet still bright eyes of the young Lin Yi.

The screen went dark.

The underground Command Center fell into a near-frozen silence, leaving only the low hum of the computer clusters and the occasional, heavily suppressed static and muffled shouts leaking from the communication channels.

Every face behind the consoles was cast in flickering light by the screen's glow, and many people subconsciously held their breath.

The elderly official in charge of propaganda, who had previously insisted it was a rumor, leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers hard against his brow, as if trying to squeeze away the unreal illusion before him.

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

He let out a long, heavy breath, breaking the silence.

"Truly... a hero emerges from the youth!"

His voice carried a complex sense of emotion; though not loud, it landed like heavy rolling thunder in the hearts of everyone present.

"We have gathered the nation's top intellects, yet our progress is barely 10%, while an eighteen-year-old boy has carved out a possible path with his own life."

No one answered.

Silence was the greatest form of agreement.

"Staff Department."

Li Zhenguo stopped looking at the screen and swept his gaze to the side.

"Present!"

A Lieutenant General Staff Officer stood up immediately.

"At once! Transmit this video to the team of academicians at the Academy of Sciences!"

"Tell them this is not a reference; it is a ready-made answer! Have them concentrate all resources, cross-reference this video—especially the instructional portion—and accelerate the compilation of the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique."

"They don't need to master it all at once; have them translate whatever they understand into the most accessible teaching materials possible!"

"Yes!"

The order was quickly recorded and relayed.

Li Zhenguo's instructions were not yet finished.

His gaze swept over the green dots on the circular screen that were constantly flickering or blinking out.

"At the same time, in the name of the General Headquarters, distribute this video."

"Send it to every War Zone, every Group Army, the Garrison Brigade, and all local Garrison Forces!"

"Note: Based on preliminary assessment, the video content possesses extremely high practical value. Units may decide for themselves based on the combat situation; they are permitted to distribute captured Guidance Technique Crystals to frontline combat personnel for... trial practice based on the video content. Just file a report; there is no need to wait for unified approval."

This order bypassed all conventional procedures. Many in the command hall had their expressions shift slightly.

A brief, dead silence followed.

An official with graying hair and gold-rimmed glasses took a deep breath and started to speak: "Commander, this procedure..."

Li Zhenguo raised a hand—not roughly, but with unquestionable decisiveness—cutting the other man off: "Right now, the only important procedure is the survival procedure."

"Commander!"

A middle-aged official with glasses and a scholarly air exchanged glances with those beside him, and seeing they remained silent, he finally couldn't help but stand up to speak.

"This Source Energy Guidance Technique is, after all, of unknown origin. Its principles, potential risks, and long-term effects have not undergone any scientific verification or clinical trials. To roll it out on such a large scale so hastily... if there are unknown hidden dangers, the consequences would be unimaginable! Shouldn't we let Professor Jiang's team complete the verification first, or at least confirm its safety before conducting small-scale trials?"

He wasn't actually trying to object, but as his duty required, he had to provide the necessary warning.

"Verification? Trials?"

Li Zhenguo spun around abruptly, his gaze like lightning as he stared directly at the official.

"Director Liu, look outside, then look at this Large Screen! Do we have any time left for verification and trials?!"

He pointed at the chaotic situation map. "Will the monsters give us that time! You speak of hidden dangers? The greatest hidden danger is that we are currently retreating step by step, forced to fill the gaps with human lives!"

Li Zhenguo slammed his hand onto the console with a dull "bang," causing the water in several cups to ripple.

"In extraordinary times, we take extraordinary measures! The responsibility for this rests on me alone. Execute!"

He scanned the room, and everyone his gaze touched instinctively lowered their heads or looked away.

There was no time for debate.

At this moment, the iron law of war overrode all conventional norms.

Orders were executed silently and efficiently.

Yet, it was easy to imagine what kind of waves this directive would stir among the armies locked in bitter fighting and the various resistance forces.

The hall fell silent once more, but the atmosphere grew even heavier.

Li Zhenguo walked back to the main console, bracing his hands against the cold surface, his gaze deep as he stared at the shifting tactical map, as if trying to etch it into his mind.

A moment later, he spoke slowly.

"Since... someone has already proven through practice that the path of Source Energy cultivation within these crystals is indeed viable, and can even form Combat Power in an extremely short time, then the overall strategy we have been debating endlessly and leaving unresolved must be adjusted immediately... Staff Officer Wang, tell us, what is the current situation?"

A Lieutenant General responsible for overall situational analysis immediately stepped forward, his tone extremely grave.

"Commander, synthesizing intelligence from all sides, the situation is extremely grim."

"All seven major satellite launch centers and three deep-space tracking stations in the country have lost contact or have been confirmed occupied by Abyss Beast Nests of high levels. The outer defenses of major nuclear power plants have basically been breached, and more than sixty percent of critical military production bases and research institutions have lost contact..."

He paused, his voice dropping lower.

"As the scope of power outages continues to expand, backup energy sources will soon be exhausted... After base stations are destroyed one after another, satellite signals are beginning to be lost on a massive scale. Our military's command efficiency, long-range strike capabilities, and intelligence-gathering abilities are plummeting off a cliff..."

"Ammunition consumption across all units is staggering, stockpiles are dwindling rapidly, and we have already begun to deploy sealed, obsolete weapons. Light Weapons and Equipment can barely be maintained... but for high-power consumable weapons like missiles, replenishment... there is almost no hope in sight."

"Our projected combat capability is no more than one week. A war of attrition... we cannot afford it."

Every sentence felt like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart.

Li Zhenguo listened in silence, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the console.

It was not until the staff officer finished his report that he looked up, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"Everyone, the reason we spared no cost previously to hold or even retake those key strategic nodes was because our established combat system relied entirely on them! Without satellites, without missiles, without an air force, and without logistical support, we would be like people without weapons, completely unable to fight back."

Li Zhenguo turned abruptly toward the staff officer responsible for intelligence aggregation. "Staff Officer Wang, in the report you submitted earlier, you mentioned that these Abyss Beast Nests, regardless of size, have relatively fixed territorial ranges?"

"Yes, Commander!"

Staff Officer Wang responded immediately.

"Based on engagement data from various locations since this afternoon and reports from observation posts, this can basically be confirmed. There are significant differences in the activity range of Abyss Beasts radiated by nests of different levels. Once they exceed this range, the Abyss Beasts usually do not pursue over long distances unless the target remains in their line of sight or actively initiates a provocative attack."

"Good!"

Li Zhenguo slammed his hand heavily onto the console.

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