Major Strategic Adjustment

Li Zhenguo fell silent for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the glaring patches of red and the ever-dwindling green dots on the main screen.

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

For a brief moment, the entire Command Center seemed to focus on that faint noise.

"Put the video through."

His voice was quiet, yet carried the force of a final decision.

"Put it on the secondary screen. Now!"

Soon, the video from Hongfu Restaurant in Helu City began playing on a secondary screen beside the main one in the underground Command Center.

When a faint azure glow lit Lin Yi's fingertip, a wave of barely restrained discussion finally broke out in the command hall.

The video ended before long, freezing on young Lin Yi's eyes, weary but still bright.

The screen went dark.

The underground Command Center fell into an almost frozen silence. Only the low hum of the computer clusters remained, along with the occasional burst of suppressed static and indistinct shouts leaking through the communication channels.

The ghostly light from the screens flickered across the faces behind every console. Many people held their breath without realizing it.

The elderly official in charge of publicity, who had earlier dismissed the report as a rumor, leaned back in his chair and squeezed the bridge of his nose, as though trying to dispel the unreal vision before him.

General Li Zhenguo stood before the main console. He stared 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.

"Well, heroes really do come from the young!"

His voice carried a complicated mix of emotions. It was not loud, yet it rolled like thunder, weighing on the hearts of everyone present.

"We've brought together the nation's finest minds, and made only ten percent progress. But an eighteen-year-old kid carved out a possible path with his life."

No one answered.

Silence was the greatest show of agreement.

"Staff Department."

Li Zhenguo looked away from the screen and glanced to one side.

"Here!"

A lieutenant general serving as a staff officer immediately stood up.

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

"Tell them this isn't a reference. It's an answer, ready-made! Have them pool every available resource, study this video, especially the instructional section, and speed up the translation of the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique."

"They don't need to master it all at once. Whatever they can understand, have them turn into the clearest, simplest teaching materials possible!"

"Yes!"

The order was quickly recorded and relayed.

Li Zhenguo wasn't finished.

His gaze swept over the green dots that kept flickering and even going dark across the circular screen.

"At the same time, issue this video in the name of Command Headquarters."

"Send it to every theater command, every group army, the armed police corps, and all local security forces!"

"Make this clear: Preliminary assessment indicates that the video has extremely high practical value. Depending on the battlefield situation, each unit may decide for itself whether to distribute any recovered Guidance Technique crystals to frontline combat personnel for experimental study in accordance with the video. Simply file a report; there's no need to wait for unified approval."

This order bypassed every normal procedure. Quite a few people in the command hall visibly reacted.

A brief silence fell.

An official with white hair and gold-rimmed glasses drew a deep breath and was about to speak. "General, the procedure—"

Li Zhenguo raised a hand. It wasn't a brusque gesture, but it carried an unquestionable resolve that cut the man off. "Right now, the only procedure that matters is the procedure for survival."

"General!"

A bespectacled, scholarly-looking middle-aged official exchanged glances with several people beside him. When they all remained silent, he finally rose and spoke.

"After all, the origins of this Source Energy Guidance Technique are unknown. Its principles, potential risks, and long-term effects haven't been subjected to any scientific review or clinical trials. Rolling it out on such a large scale in such a rush—if, if there are unknown hazards, the consequences could be unthinkable! Shouldn't we first have Professor Jiang's team verify it and at least confirm that it's safe before conducting a small-scale trial?"

He wasn't actually trying to oppose the order. He was simply doing his duty. He had to make sure he raised the concerns that needed raising.

"Review? A trial?"

Li Zhenguo spun around, his gaze like lightning as he fixed his eyes on the official.

"Director Liu, look outside, then look at that screen! How much time do we have left for reviews and trials?!"

He pointed at the chaotic battlefield map. "Will the monsters give us that time? You're worried about hazards? The greatest hazard is that we're being driven back at every turn and have no choice but to throw away human lives to hold the line!"

Li Zhenguo slammed his palm against the console with a muffled bang, sending ripples through the water in several cups.

"In extraordinary times, we need extraordinary measures! I alone will take responsibility for this. Carry it out!"

He swept his gaze around the room. Everyone he looked at lowered their head or turned their eyes away.

There was no time to argue.

The iron laws of war overruled every convention in that moment.

The order was carried out swiftly and without a word.

But it was easy to imagine the upheaval this directive would cause among the embattled troops and resistance forces.

The hall fell silent again, but the atmosphere had grown even heavier.

Li Zhenguo returned to the main console and braced both hands on its cold surface. His eyes remained fixed on the shifting battle map, as if he meant to etch it into his mind.

After a moment, he spoke slowly.

"Now that someone has proven through practice that the Source Energy cultivation path in these crystals really works, and can even produce combat-ready results in a very short time, we have to immediately revise the overall strategy we've been arguing over without resolution. Staff Officer Li, give us an update. How do things stand?"

A lieutenant general in charge of analyzing the overall situation immediately stepped forward, his expression grave.

"General, based on intelligence from all sides, the situation is extremely grim."

"All seven satellite launch centers and three deep-space tracking stations nationwide have lost contact or have been confirmed occupied by Abyss Beasts from high-level Nests. The outer defenses of the major nuclear power plants have been largely breached, and we've lost contact with more than sixty percent of our key military-industrial bases and research institutions."

He paused, his voice growing even lower.

"As the power outages continue to spread, our backup energy supplies will soon run out as well. Once the communications base stations are destroyed one after another, satellite signals will begin to fail across a wide area. Our command efficiency, long-range strike capability, and intelligence-gathering capacity are all in free fall."

"Our units are burning through ammunition at an alarming rate, and our stockpiles are dwindling fast. We've already started using old weapons that were in storage. We can barely maintain supplies of light weapons and equipment. But for high-powered expendable weapons like missiles, resupply... is almost out of the question."

"We have enough combat capability for no more than a week. We can't afford a protracted war."

Every sentence landed like a sledgehammer on the hearts of those present.

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

Only after the staff officer finished did he look up and let his gaze pass over everyone.

"Everyone, the reason we were willing to pay any price to hold, or even retake, those key strategic sites was that our entire conventional combat system depended on them! Without satellites, missiles, air power, or logistical support, we'd be unarmed and utterly helpless."

Li Zhenguo abruptly turned to the staff officer responsible for compiling intelligence. "Staff Officer Wang, your report mentioned that Abyss Beast Nests, regardless of size, have relatively fixed territories?"

"Yes, General!"

Staff Officer Wang responded immediately.

"Based on combat reports and observation-post reports from across the country since this afternoon, we can confirm that Nests of different levels have significantly different radii of Abyss Beast activity. Once outside those areas, the Abyss Beasts generally don't pursue targets over long distances, unless a target remains in their line of sight or actively attacks and provokes them."

"Good!"

Li Zhenguo slapped the console hard.

"I've decided to abandon the original strategy of 'concentrating our forces on defense and fighting for key points.'"