Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Now, with the engineering robots demonstrating their immense utility in both rescue and repair operations—and with Su Wu's territory expanding—it was time to increase their numbers, even if the cost made him wince a little.

"Qingning Shelter seems to be recovering well," Su Wu thought as he turned his attention to his newly acquired territory.

A three-dimensional map of Qingning Shelter unfolded on the main console screen. Over 2,000 blue dots flickered across the map like ants in an anthill. Each dot represented a registered human member of the shelter, tracked and managed by the AI.

To the AI, these humans were merely tools for task completion—tools with higher maintenance requirements, less reliability, and inefficiencies like laziness and errors. They were far from matching the consistent productivity of machines.

After Su Wu recalled the rescue convoy, the AI continued directing these human members to survey the shelter's layout and inventory. Using the resources and tools they unearthed, the humans began repairing and reinforcing damaged areas, expanding the shelter's livable zones.

Su Wu wasn't particularly interested in these granular details. He focused on a few key metrics: food sufficiency, a safe environment, stable life-support systems, and reliable power supply. Once these basics were confirmed, he shifted his attention to newly discovered inventory items.

Among the materials found was a large stockpile of various chips and circuit boards. While there were no top-tier A3-grade intelligent chips, the collection included thousands of automotive chips and high-, mid-, and low-end computer processors—worth an estimated half a billion yuan before the apocalypse.

"Such a massive stockpile of chips couldn't have come at a better time," Su Wu mused, satisfied with the unexpected haul.

In a world where high-end chip manufacturing was no longer feasible, these industrial components were as valuable as gold. Moreover, they could be immediately used in ongoing manufacturing projects, addressing a critical supply gap.

Having reviewed the inventory, Su Wu concluded that Qingning Shelter, despite its promising resources, remained a damaged facility recovering from a major earthquake. Its short-term potential was limited—it was fortunate enough to be self-sustaining for now without creating additional burdens.

After Qingning Shelter, Su Wu turned his focus to the Watchtower Base. This former small private shelter now stood dormant, its doors tightly sealed. The only signs of activity were a handful of surveillance cameras and two foldable gun platforms installed during the rescue convoy's brief stop.

With limited time spent on setup, the convoy had merely marked the location, cleaned up the area, and locked the doors. Developing the site into a functional base would require considerable effort.

That night, at midnight, the system refreshed.

[Daily Survival Point Summary]

Fixed daily income: +4 survival points

Survived the continental rift disaster: +25 survival points

Secured a subsidiary medium-sized shelter: +5 survival points

Current survival points: 51

Su Wu, who had stayed awake to review the update, felt a mix of emotions upon reading the report.

Given the unprecedented challenges of the day—including surviving a catastrophic earthquake that had claimed tens of thousands of lives in Jianghe City—he had expected a much larger reward.

Instead, surviving the quake had yielded only 25 points, and taking control of a medium-sized shelter with over 2,000 survivors and massive fuel reserves had added a mere 5 points—the equivalent of a low-level daily task reward.

"Still, I've crossed the 50-point threshold," Su Wu consoled himself.

"The shelter's fuel and chip stockpiles alone are worth far more than what I earned trading geothermal generators with the government back then," he reminded himself.

While survival points were crucial, material resources, when abundant, held significant value. Early in the apocalypse, Su Wu had traded two survival-point-reinforced geothermal generators to the government in exchange for essential development resources.

However, as his production capabilities expanded, survival points would only grow in importance, while material resources would hold steady or decline in relative value.

July 20

Surface temperatures averaged 68°C—a marked decrease from the previous peaks of 76°C, offering some respite. Radiation levels had also dropped, extending the time humans could safely remain outside by nearly half.

The day was eerily calm, as if the previous disaster had truly passed.

The rescue convoy returned from Jianghe City early in the morning. Part of the team rejoined the engineering units, focusing on expanding the shelter's fifth underground level. The rest, including an engineering robot, headed to the Watchtower Base to continue its preliminary development.

In Jianghe City, large-scale rescue operations persisted but were now focused on areas with remaining power supplies and functioning cooling systems.

Shelter ruins without electricity were deemed beyond saving. After hours of exposure to extreme heat and radiation, any survivors trapped in such conditions would no longer be alive.

Back at the main shelter, Su Wu reviewed his plans.

The Qingning Shelter provided valuable resources, while the Watchtower Base offered strategic potential. Together with his primary base, Su Wu's growing network hinted at the possibility of a future stronghold—one capable of weathering the harshest apocalyptic storms.

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