The Fundamentals of Great Powers

"It seems luck really is uncertain," Mike mused, analyzing the situation.

"Either the chances of recruiting elite talents are too low, or the Puzzle Door recruitment method isn't the best channel for acquiring top-tier individuals."

He carefully thought it through and realized that the exceptional talents he'd recruited were mostly through the rewards of innate abilities or ascension. The talent vouchers obtained from the Puzzle Door, on the other hand, seemed to yield more average-quality recruits, with rare elites appearing very seldom.

"Well, that's an advantage for me then," Mike smiled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Right now, most survivors are relying on the Puzzle Door for their talent recruitment. Not many have a channel like mine to recruit talents through innate abilities."

"While everyone else is stuck with ordinary-quality recruits, I have a stable source for high-quality individuals."

With this realization, Mike no longer felt disappointed.

"Alright, let's use these A-level recruitment vouchers while we're at it. It's good to have stock—if not, I'll just draw."

Mike opened his storage space and quickly selected all three A-level talent recruitment vouchers.

Three dazzling golden lights appeared before him, brighter than before, causing Mike's eyes to glimmer with anticipation.

"Are they elite talents?"

Congratulations! You have successfully recruited A-level talent: Li Chengguang!Congratulations! You have successfully recruited A-level talent: Qian Youduo!Congratulations! You have successfully recruited A-level talent: Zhang Kaifeng!

As the three announcements flashed on the screen, the golden light dissipated, revealing three men.

One was an elderly man with graying hair, wearing a white lab coat.Another was a middle-aged man, balding with a beer belly, dressed in a suit.The last was a young, muscular man in a white shirt, with short, thick hair.

"Boss," they greeted him, their expressions slightly confused at first, but quickly regained their composure, all of them bowing respectfully to Mike.

"Nice to meet you all," Mike nodded, opening their data quickly, his expectations high.

Li Chengguang - Scientific Research ExpertA 65-year-old doctor with low physical stats, but possessing six special traits and talents highly relevant to scientific research. Although not skilled in technological innovation, he excelled in the details of existing scientific systems, expanding the application of similar technologies.

Qian Youduo - Economic Strategy ExpertA national-level business consultant with excellent political insight and extraordinary economic prowess. However, he was more suited to macroeconomic planning and financial strategies than handling specific tasks.

Zhang Kaifeng - Ancient Martial Arts ProdigyAt just 25, Zhang Kaifeng had won numerous national championships in mixed martial arts and boxing. His ability to learn and adapt to any martial art or combat technique was extraordinary. His talent trait Family Legacy indicated he possessed a unique martial arts mindset, with a small amount of internal energy.

"Even internal energy..." Mike muttered. "First we have psychics, now we have ancient martial artists. Great. Looks like talents come in all forms."

"These three A-level talents are decent, though not quite elite. Their data and talents are solid but not exceptional. Still, they're all incredibly useful in their respective fields, national-level experts in their own right."

Mike rubbed his chin as he considered the three new recruits.

"I won't waste time with pleasantries. You should all have a basic understanding of the situation now. Let me give you a quick assignment, and we'll also have someone to guide you through things."

Mike signaled for a soldier to step forward. "Li Chengguang, step forward!"

The elderly doctor stood with respect, and Mike nodded at the soldiers. "Take him to the research facility and introduce him to Li Ya. Li Chengguang, you'll be handling the scientific research here at the shelter."

"Yes, boss!" Li Chengguang nodded, his eyes bright despite his age.

"Qian Youduo!" Mike turned to the economic expert, tilting his head slightly. "You'll go to the logistics department. It's currently being managed by Xiaoci. Go and follow her instructions. If you're good enough, you can help her with the logistics and resource allocation for the shelter."

"Yes, boss." Qian Youduo wiped his brow and smiled, "It's really hot in here..."

"Zhang Kaifeng!" Mike addressed the young man, "You'll accompany Qian Youduo. A soldier will escort you to Xiaoci. Once there, follow her instructions. If she doesn't have any specific tasks for you, join her newly-formed survivor military unit and train them in close combat defense techniques."

"Yes, boss!" Zhang Kaifeng replied, full of energy, his voice booming with confidence.

Mike observed the young martial artist carefully before adding, "If Xiaoci assigns you to the Little Bear Shelter, remember the name Chen Dafeng. Don't cross him."

"Boss, is he strong?" Zhang Kaifeng asked with a bright, confident grin. "I'm strong too!"

"Just do as I say," Mike said with a slight smile, not elaborating further to avoid inflating the young man's martial pride.

After assigning the three A-level talents, Mike shifted his attention to his remaining resource items in the shelter.

"I still have a bunch of talent upgrade coupons... How should I handle these?"

He pondered, looking through his storage space. B and A-level upgrade vouchers were easy to use—simply upgrade the best talents and be done with it. But what about the C and D-level vouchers?

"I don't even have any E-level talents... How can I use all these D-level upgrade vouchers?"

He thought for a moment, considering the talents in his shelter. "Aside from military talents, the only core talents at the shelter who are B-level are Li Ya, Chen Qiuren, and Lu Nianxin."

"Let's save three A-level upgrade vouchers for them and leave the rest for Xiaoci."

Mike took a deep breath and contacted Jiang Xiaoci to discuss his plans. He intended to reserve the remaining upgrade vouchers as special rewards for his talents, to encourage them to work harder. At the same time, he wanted to better evaluate and select the talents with the most potential.

"Upgrading talents should go to those with high potential," Mike thought. "I can't just make this judgment based on my own subjective opinion. We need a mature internal promotion system, with real upward mobility. That's the foundation of any great power."

Jiang Xiaoci agreed with Mike's reasoning, but then proposed a solution for handling the D-level upgrade vouchers. After hearing her plan, Mike was taken aback.

"Xiaoci, won't this be a double-edged sword?"