Revolution and Liberation in the Apocalypse? Could This Be the Work of Ordinary People?

"I'm looking forward to it too, haha!" Mike chuckled lightly, following Jiang Xiaoci out of the room as they began sorting through the donated supplies she had prepared.

First, the talent units: these 2,500 soldiers were all at least Grade D and were regular infantry, without any special troops like snipers, scouts, or engineers. All the special units had been kept by Jiang Xiaoci, and she prioritized reducing the number of ordinary soldiers.

Of course, the soldiers who had been "cut" didn't see it that way. In Jiang Xiaoci's explanation, they believed they had been specially selected for a "knife-edge" team, tasked with supporting the national military on the apocalyptic battlefields and carrying out special long-range combat missions.

"Warriors! I know you come from different eras and might not even be citizens of this country," Mike stood in front of the temporary training ground outside the compound, his gaze serious as he surveyed the soldiers. "But we still share a bond that transcends nations. Wherever we are, we are all descendants of Yan and Huang! We are all sons and daughters of the Chinese motherland!"

"When our people suffer, it is the soldiers who lead the way! My country is in pain, and our army is far away, resisting even more terrible wars!"

"They have no logistics, no reinforcements—then we are their logistics and reinforcements!"

"The path ahead is uncertain, but I will remember each of your names. Our nation will remember them too!"

Mike raised the list in his hand, making what almost felt like a vow. "If this world survives, the people who walk on this land in the future will remember your names!"

"Your names will be in children's textbooks, passed down in history, and in the benchmark of future armies!"

"Heroes are not judged by their origins. May you all march forward with honor!"

Mike took a deep breath and drank the farewell wine in his hand.

He wasn't particularly eloquent, but in front of these soldiers, words of great purpose seemed to flow from him naturally. Perhaps some would scoff at what he said, but Mike firmly believed in it.

He had faith in the resilience of his people and admiration for those who stepped forward in times of disaster. Heroic sacrifices should never be mocked but honored with boundless praise.

Indeed, donating talent was a win-win, but it was also a crucial support for the frontline troops, carrying significant meaning.

The soldiers drank the farewell wine, their gazes sharp and their posture tall, not looking away as they stared straight at Mike.

"I'm starting now."

Mike nodded toward Jiang Xiaoci, then began operating the shelter interface.

[You are about to perform a donation operation. Do you wish to donate the 2,500 talent units in front of you?]

"Confirm!"

Mike nodded deeply.

Soon, a golden light appeared at the soldiers' feet and slowly spread upward, enveloping them entirely. In just a few blinks of the eye, the soldiers disappeared before Mike's eyes.

Just like when they first appeared, they left in the same manner.

Mike watched them go with a tinge of melancholy, then suddenly spoke, "Xiaoci, do you think they'll all die in such dangerous places?"

"Sir..." Jiang Xiaoci didn't respond with an explanation. Instead, she silently took Mike's hand and gently comforted him.

"It's okay. I'm not that soft-hearted," Mike chuckled. "The world's in chaos, people will die. I just hope they die for a worthwhile cause."

Mike quickly regained his composure. Just then, a new prompt appeared before him.

Mike glanced at it and immediately grew shocked, then his face broke into a joyous grin.

[Congratulations! Because you donated 363 Grade D talent units, you receive 500 war points per unit! Due to their military status, your total points are multiplied by 1.2.]

[Congratulations! Because you donated 2,137 Grade C talent units, you receive 1,000 war points per unit! Due to their military status, your total points are multiplied by 1.2.]

[You currently have 2,782,423 war points! (Including previously donated points.)]

"Damn!" Mike's eyes widened as he grabbed Jiang Xiaoci's arm. "Xiaoci! I've got 2 million war points! I got 2 million war points!"

Mike had tested the donation system a few times before and knew that E-grade items could yield 100 points. He had even speculated that items in the apocalyptic game mechanics were more valuable than regular materials. But he hadn't expected D-grade talent to give 500 points! C-grade talent straight up gave 1,000 points!

"It's a bloodbath, really a bloodbath!" Mike's grin stretched wide, unable to hide his excitement. "Talent units might even have hidden bonuses, they're more precious than items!"

"Sir, your analysis makes perfect sense," Jiang Xiaoci smiled and nodded in agreement. "Humans are the most valuable resource, after all. It's only natural that people are more valuable than objects."

She was pleased but kept her emotions in check.

"Two hundred thousand points, we should be at the top of the national rankings now!"

Mike opened the leaderboard and took a look. To his surprise, he was only in third place!

War Points Leaderboard:

Apocalypse Liberation Shelter - 6.12 million war donation points.Revolution Liberation Shelter - 5.25 million war donation points.Unnamed Shelter - 2.78 million war donation points.

"Damn!" Mike cursed under his breath. He remembered when he checked yesterday, the top shelter had only around 800,000 points. And now, just a day later, the first and second places had over 5 million war points!

"Wait a minute, what is this? Are these guys selling their shelter just to rack up points?"

Mike's suspicion wasn't without merit. The names of these two shelters—"Revolution" and "Liberation"—sounded too political to be ordinary.

"Sir, what's wrong? Did something unexpected happen?" Jiang Xiaoci asked gently.

Mike quickly told her what he saw, and Jiang Xiaoci thought for a moment before smiling. "Sir, I think this is actually a good thing."

"The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be struck by lightning. The first and second places will definitely draw extra attention, and nationwide, that's not necessarily a good thing."

"But third place is perfect. You're not drawing too much attention, yet you still have influence and leverage."

Jiang Xiaoci's calm analysis quickly soothed Mike's anxiety.

That's right. Why should I fight for first place?

Third place isn't bad at all!

Mike smiled. "True, compared to them, my potential is greater. After all, I've only donated 2,500 people."

"Sir, never underestimate anyone," Jiang Xiaoci shook her head gently. "They may have been inconspicuous before, but they've clearly been planning and preparing all along."

"If they have plans, they won't exhaust their resources all at once. There's always more to them than meets the eye."

"These two shelters, whether in terms of potential or strength, shouldn't be underestimated."

Jiang Xiaoci helped Mike see things from different perspectives, which made him feel much better.

"It's fine, after all, they're not here, so there's no conflict of interest."

"But I really wonder what they donated to get such high points."

Mike muttered to himself, curiosity gnawing at him. He couldn't help but wonder if these two shelters had also donated a significant number of talent units.