Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Calculating the available time, Su Wu realized that with the speed of the large transport truck, it could make at most five more round trips by 7 a.m. the next morning. Compared to the 500-plus tons of supplies, this capacity was far from sufficient.

Upgrading the large transport truck to increase its load capacity temporarily wasn't feasible either. Even if he spent all his remaining survival points, the improvement would be marginal—a drop in the bucket.

"If I divert the two specialized transport vehicles from the cleanup team…"

Su Wu considered the idea but ultimately rejected it. The specialized transport vehicles, though capable of heavy loads, were limited by their small five-meter frames, making their actual transport capacity fall far short of their weight limits. Moreover, the road-clearing mission was nearly complete, with just a day left to secure the 20,000 contribution points for the top ranking. Diverting the vehicles now would jeopardize that reward.

"I'll just have to take some risks."

After weighing his options, Su Wu decided. Since there wasn't enough time to bring everything back to the shelter, he would focus on simply extracting the supplies from the official warehouse.

Twenty minutes later, the large transport truck arrived back at the shelter's surface.

A construction robot jumped down from the cab and opened the truck's rear compartment. The truck tilted, and the entire load of fertilizer was unceremoniously dumped out.

The rough unloading tore many of the fertilizer bags, spilling their contents across the ground like scattered sand. Su Wu knew it would be troublesome to gather everything back later, but it was a problem for another time.

Meanwhile, eight construction robots, already waiting on the surface, began boarding the truck one by one. Two of them carried automatic rifles with six loaded magazines each.

These robots were tasked with assisting in loading the supplies at the official shelter and then unloading them at a temporary drop-off point near the shelter.

In the scorching 70°C heat, with most of the buildings in ruins, nearly any location on the surface could be considered remote. While temporarily leaving supplies in such an area carried some risk, it was preferable to having them confiscated by the official shelter.

"Head back for another load."

The large transport truck began its return journey to the official shelter. Before it left, Su Wu decided to have it carry along a modified K2-series agricultural drone equipped with a rocket launcher. While the drone's destructive power was rarely needed, its presence provided additional security in case of emergencies.

The truck, now loaded with construction robots, made its way safely into the city.

Su Wu noticed that the number of vehicles operating in the city seemed to have increased. The rumble of diesel engines echoed frequently, and occasionally, a vehicle would pass along the very path Su Wu's team had cleared.

Frowning, he hesitated for a moment but decided to stick to his original plan.

At the official shelter, the sight of multiple construction robots entering the underground hall drew considerable attention.

Some people curiously observed the robots, while others whispered among themselves, speculating about the origin of these advanced machines.

The robots, however, ignored the onlookers and faithfully carried out Su Wu's orders. Under the coordination of their AI, they worked with the warehouse staff to load bags of fertilizer onto the truck.

"Where do you think these robots came from?"

"They're incredibly efficient," a forklift operator commented to a colleague during a break.

"No idea. I've never heard of any shelter having robots," the colleague, a weary middle-aged man, replied. His eyes reflected a mix of envy and concern as he watched the robots work.

"This can't be good news, though. There are already so many people struggling to find work, and now robots are taking jobs too."

In the official shelter, all residents were required to perform mandatory labor. However, mandatory labor and proper work were two different things. The former was a duty that offered minimal rations, while the latter, though more strenuous, provided additional rewards. While the income was still far below pre-apocalypse levels, it allowed people to slightly improve their lives.

"It's fine. I know the guys working with the robots. They're from Warehouse 7, the department that handles external trade."

"These robots probably belong to some wealthy private shelter outside. They're just here to pick up their supplies," a hooded young man interjected.

In the tightly-knit shelter community, it wasn't hard to gather information about different departments.

The hooded youth admired the workers in Warehouse 7, as their jobs were the lightest and best-paid in the shelter.

"Oh, I see. That's a relief."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man relaxed and withdrew his wary gaze from the robots. As long as his job wasn't threatened, he had no complaints. However, his curiosity grew.

Even in the pre-apocalypse world, humanoid robots were more myth than reality, usually associated with cutting-edge corporations.

What kind of shelter owned these robots? Were the lives of its residents better by several magnitudes compared to those in the official shelter?

With the additional help from the construction robots, it took less than 30 minutes to fill the truck with another load of fertilizer.

Two construction robots boarded the cab and drove the truck out of the official shelter. The remaining eight robots stayed behind, standing silently near the exit, awaiting further orders.

Minutes later, the truck reached the two specialized transport vehicles clearing roads nearby.

The truck unloaded its fertilizer onto a cleared patch of ground. One construction robot armed with an automatic rifle disembarked to guard the supplies, while the truck, along

with another robot, headed back to the official shelter for another load.

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