Kyle had seized control of the Defense Force in an instant.Eli stood there, staring blankly at the spot where he’d just been, lost in thought.“Phew…”It had been only a brief moment, but she realized she’d found herself in sync with the Defense Force members—agreeing with him completely.“He’s like an onion.”No matter how much you peeled away, there was always something new underneath.Every time, he managed to surprise her, and what she felt wasn’t simple admiration—it was closer to respect.No, perhaps even reverence.He’d done things that few people in the world could ever manage.‘Thanks to that, we’re even alive in a situation like this.’Her mind drifted back to when she’d first met him.What would have happened if she hadn’t followed him that day?She couldn’t say for sure, but one thing was certain—she wouldn’t have the luxury of sitting here, lost in idle thought.A part of her was genuinely grateful for that.“Haa…”But then—a faint unease began to creep up on her.Eli glanced up at the ceiling and murmured quietly:“If Kyle Han’s the Supreme Commander of Ark now… then what am I?”Benjamin Howard had been named Chief of Staff.The platoon leaders had kept their original posts as company commanders.“In a way, wasn’t I the very first one by his side?”It hadn’t been long since they’d met, true.And it wasn’t that she wanted a title or position—if anything, the thought made her uncomfortable.Still, she couldn’t shake off a strange sense of distance,a quiet loneliness that stung unexpectedly.‘Why am I getting discouraged? What I’ve done mattered too.’The restoration of the communications channel—no one else could’ve done that but her.And she’d even been the one working to reinstate the Defense Force’s dog tags into the regular army database.Yet somehow, it still felt… insufficient.Eli shook her head hard, trying to scatter that uneasy fog,but it only worsened her headache.“Ugh…”She let out a soft sigh, close to a groan, and tried to empty her thoughts.But suddenly, she remembered a past conversation.‘Could ordinary citizens also connect to the channel?’‘Technically… if someone among them can build a simple receiver, yes. Why do you ask?’“Hmm?”Kyle’s question came back to her unexpectedly.It might’ve been a coincidence—but within that memory, she found her next task.‘If civilians are to connect, we’ll need a lot of receivers first.’She dug through her memory.‘Building the receivers themselves isn’t hard…’Ideas began to spark.‘But all the usable batteries are burned out… what can I use instead?’Maybe a radio that could operate without a battery?Eli °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° let out a short laugh.“That’s impossible…”But then—a fragment of old knowledge flickered through her mind.Her red eyes wavered slightly.“It is possible.”She shot up from her seat and hurried to her workbench.With quick, deliberate motions, she began sketching a schematic—a design for something that could’ve easily been called an antique.‘During the World Wars, they used radios in the trenches that didn’t require an energy source.’It was an old story, but Eli happened to know it well.The so-called “foxhole radio.”A makeshift radio soldiers had built in the trenches to receive broadcasts when there was no power.Before she knew it, a confident smile spread across her lips.[Day 8 since the Mega Flare]The civilians were consuming ammunition faster than expected.Other than food and water, the most-traded items turned out—surprisingly—to be toilet paper,followed by soap and toothpaste.It seemed that the psychological safety of being protected by the Defense Forcehad allowed people to indulge in such mundane comforts.That, in itself, wasn’t a problem—but under current circumstances, it wasn’t exactly good either.And soon enough, the consequences arrived.Early in the morning, Benjamin came rushing in.He saluted sharply, but the worry on his face couldn’t be hidden.“Benjamin.”“Did you sleep well, Commander?”“…Yeah.”He still wasn’t used to being addressed that way.But he decided to get used to it gradually.He’d tried reverting to his old manner of speaking after the morning inspection,only to be met with immediate protest:‘We’re in wartime conditions now, sir. It’s more comfortable if you speak to us as before.’After a few such complaints, he’d given up.After all, no soldier expects their commander to speak to them like an equal.‘Hmm.’He pulled his drifting thoughts back to the issue at hand.It didn’t take long to recall what they’d been discussing.“So you’re saying… we’re running short on water?”“Yes, sir. The base’s reserves are being depleted rapidly.We’ve rationed the supply, but given our numbers, it won’t last.”Water shortage.That was the issue Benjamin had brought up.‘Water scarcity…’It was no trivial matter.A shortage like that could quickly turn deadly.Of course, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.With roughly 900 people using water daily,the consumption was enormous.‘Even if each person used only ten liters a day…’That was 9,000 liters—and that was with severe rationing.If they restricted use to drinking only,they could stretch it further,but that approach had its own risks.An unwashed population was a breeding ground for disease—and anxiety would only make things worse.Still—“It’s fine. We can solve this.”The solution was nearby.Otherwise, he would’ve acted long before it reached this point.“It’s time to begin.”He didn’t specify what,but Benjamin understood instantly.“You mean the Ant Cave?”Kyle nodded.Benjamin’s face lightened a little—then grew puzzled.“Ah, that’s right. You mentioned that groundwater seeps into the tunnels there.You plan to use it?”Kyle gave a slight smile, and Benjamin continued,“But… how exactly? Drawing water up from underground isn’t easy.”“The Ant Cave has multiple shelters.If we restore the groundwater pumps and the shelter systems,they can produce clean water autonomously.”“There’s… such a function?”It sounded easy enough when spoken aloud,but the prerequisites were anything but.‘Still, it has to be done.’Even if it was difficult, there was no choice.‘Searching for water elsewhere when there’s groundwater right below us would be a waste of time.’The Ant Cave collected tens of thousands of tons of groundwater each day—enough for 900 people, easily.‘Theoretically, it could sustain hundreds of thousands.’And given the depth of the tunnels,it was also safe from surface contamination.Granted, with the Central Control Center’s thousands of occupants already down there,there was a chance the groundwater was tainted.But even that wasn’t a major issue—the shelters had purification systems built in.By every measure, breaching the Ant Cave was the optimal plan.With the rough framework in mind,Kyle called a meeting with the company commanders and Eli to brief them.Those who already knew of the Ant Cave nodded in agreement.“So the so-called planned city even had underground purification systems… impressive.”“I didn’t realize this base was connected to it until today.”Only Eli showed little reaction, merely nodding quietly.But after a moment, she spoke up.“Mr. Han… are you thinking what I think you are?”Her cautious tone betrayed concern.“What do you mean?”“To restore the groundwater pumps, we’ll need a stable power source, and the only way to get that is…”As expected, she pinpointed the core issue immediately.“…a nuclear plant.”Restarting the reactor.“Then who’s handling the reactivation? What about the transmission lines?”“Exactly the two prerequisites—restoring the substation and transmission grid.”“That’s going to be difficult.”Those failures were the very reason the reactor had shut down in the first place.Without fixing them, restarting the plant was impossible.“Even so, it must be done.”It was hard—but he wasn’t worried.The supplies they’d recovered from the Northwest Logistics Warehouse would be enough.“This will be the first joint operation between Ark’s forces and the engineers.”He understood what Eli’s unease was really about.“I don’t plan to dump everything on you.If it comes to it, we’ll use the Arc Reactor for temporary power instead.”He had no intention of clinging blindly to the nuclear plant.There were alternatives.‘Still, I’d better prepare to disassemble the Arc Reactor—just in case.’Then Benjamin interjected at the perfect moment.“Miss Eli’s talented, but… isn’t that a bit much for her alone?”A stiff smile crossed Eli’s face.“Mr. Howard.”“Yes?”“It’s not that it’s hard—there’s just too much to do.”“Ah… I see.”‘So it is possible then?’Benjamin hadn’t meant it as a challenge, but she took the bait anyway.Even as she smiled, her eyes were cold.Still, there was no denying she was overworked.Kyle decided it was time to ease her burden.“I’ll assign some engineers to assist you.”She fell silent for a moment—then offered a condition.“…Then please, let me manage them myself.”“Of course.”That was already the plan.If she was to take responsibility, she needed full authority.“However,” he added,“appoint someone who can act in your place when you’re away.”“Sorry?”“Your place isn’t behind a desk or a machine.There are more important fronts for you to be on.”He wasn’t about to keep her cooped up.She hadn’t fought yet, but once she gained field experience,her combat ability would rival the platoon leaders’.Eli was a hex-type—a versatile operator capable of both combat and engineering.And in dangerous zones, capable technicians were invaluable.She needed to be with them, not behind them.“More important fronts…?”Her expression was puzzled,since he couldn’t exactly tell her he already knew her potential.He simply smiled faintly.“Eli, you’re the engineer I trust most.”“…!?”That alone was enough of an answer.Led by Logan, five military engineers,plus three civilians with technical backgrounds—Eli now had eight engineers under her command.She immediately began inspecting the supplies they’d retrieved from the Northwest Logistics Warehouse.True to its name, it held a staggering variety of goods—consumer items, food and drink,electronic components, wiring, appliances,clothing, medicine, stationery, construction materials, and tools.And that wasn’t even the full stock.More transport runs were likely happening as they spoke,focusing on fuel and vehicle parts.So why was she reviewing the supplies so carefully?Because she had a plan.Gathering the engineers, she gave her orders.“From now on, we’ll be making radio receivers.”“Receivers?”“Radios. For each one you build, you’ll be paid one bullet.”“One bullet per… radio? Wait—does that mean there’s still a broadcasting station?”“I’ve already made the transmitter. What we need now are receivers.I’ll show you how to make them, so watch closely.”Since the Central Control Center was online again,radio communication had become essential.To make use of it, she had chosen to mass-produce the devices herself.Her materials seemed humble enough—a razor blade, copper wire,a palm-sized piece of wood, and a pencil.Useless junk to most people—but not to her.She drilled small holes into the wood, wrapped the copper into coils,fixed the scorched carbon-steel razor blade on top,and clipped a piece of pencil graphite to complete the circuit.Within minutes, the prototype was done—a foxhole radio, reborn in the apocalypse.“C-can that really work?”“Yes. Once you understand the principle, it’s simple.Just attach the antenna and earpiece, and it’s done.”She held up the device and touched the pencil-lead clip lightly against the razor’s edge.“When you move it like this… you’ll start to pick up signals.”The engineers watched in awe.“Amazing…”“So as long as we make one of these, we get a bullet each? Really?”“As long as it’s not defective,” she replied with a faint smile.Her platinum hair gleamed faintly as she brushed it back,and someone audibly swallowed.“W-we’ll do our best!”“Yes, ma’am, Miss Eli!”Kyle, watching from nearby, had worried the engineers might not take her seriously—but she’d won them over effortlessly.Then she noticed his gaze, stepped closer, and whispered by his ear.“This was what you needed, right?”“How did you know?”“You asked before—about letting citizens connect to the network.”She’d remembered. She’d anticipated his goal.The thoughtfulness made him genuinely grateful.“Thank you.”“No need to thank me. You’re my commander, after all.”She grinned playfully.He couldn’t help but let out a quiet, helpless laugh.

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