Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Regret was useless now.

The network above ground had long been destroyed by the series of disasters.

Pessimistically speaking, Wang Hao thought he might not encounter such a resource-rich network again in his lifetime.

At that moment, his eyes lit up as he noticed a new, unfamiliar network signal on his phone.

He blinked, initially assuming it was an illusion. But before he realized it, his finger had already tapped on the signal.

"Whoa, it actually connected."

Wang Hao's heart began to race as he realized he might have stumbled upon something extraordinary.

What happened to Wang Hao was not an isolated incident.

In numerous locations, in various shelters, people of different identities discovered the same strange network signal—one that maintained full strength even deep underground.

For most people, limited by their circumstances, they couldn't fully interact with the network or communicate with others. All they could do was passively watch the single video broadcasted by the network.

Yet, even that was enough to excite them beyond measure.

This was the first time since moving into their dark, isolated shelters that they had received information from the outside world.

They realized they were not alone.

That night, countless people stayed up watching the single video on repeat.

The golden wheat fields that stretched endlessly in the footage and the soft, tranquil song accompanying it seemed to soothe their long-suppressed emotions.

For the first time, they remembered the singer's name, one that would remain unforgettable.

Meanwhile, for the leaders of shelters or the wealthy owners of private shelters who already had access to the official satellite network, connecting to Su Wu's new network was a breeze.

To them, the sheer abundance of resources on this mysterious network was astonishing.

A variety of common software, a wealth of knowledge both practical and trivial—it was all there.

If it weren't for the limited number of users to interact with, they might have mistaken this network for a restored version of the pre-apocalyptic internet.

"Whoever built this, having it is better than having nothing."

After cautiously interacting with a few other online users, these shelter elites came to a unanimous consensus.

Two hours after the communication tower went live, as some shelters began granting internal permissions, Su Wu's budding network began to show signs of life.

More people started sharing snippets of their lives in their shelters on social platforms, discussing the song performed by Chen Xin, and celebrating this newfound connection to the outside world.

Others frantically downloaded every resource they could find, fearing that this mysterious network might disappear as suddenly as it had appeared.

Still, a few idle individuals tested the games available on the network. Even if they could only play against AI due to the low number of online players, the mere ability to play a game was enough to bring joy.

In his shelter beneath the ruins of the rural courtyard, Su Wu monitored the network activity. Watching people share their lives, praise Chen Xin's song, and celebrate the network, a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment filled his heart.

Everything he saw had been made possible by his own hands.

He had successfully planted a small tree of prosperity in the desert.

After a long while, Su Wu checked the time—it was late.

Reluctantly, he logged off the network and began his routine summary of the day's work.

In the last few hours of the evening, the shelter's robots and engineering team completed the construction of the shelter's entrance fortifications and returned underground.

The fourth underground level of the shelter was almost complete, with some of the engineering team's equipment already working on a vertical passage to the fifth level.

If everything went well, by the time Su Wu woke up the next morning, he would be able to finalize the solidification of the fourth level, marking its official completion.

"The special transport vehicles staying here aren't really serving much purpose for now."

"They can start earning some extra income."

Though 600 square meters wasn't a massive space, with the addition of an engineering team and two large special transport vehicles, it felt cramped.

Considering there wasn't much left to do, Su Wu decided to exclude the two transport vehicles from construction and send them to the city to collect scrap materials.

He had long been eyeing the various metal debris left behind by the storm and building collapses in the city.

Now that he had the chance, he wasn't going to miss out.

"Hmm, the large cargo truck can go too."

"Even if there's not much scrap metal to collect at first, it can haul some construction waste back. It'll be useful eventually."

Mulling it over, Su Wu began planning the collection team's route and priorities.

Items like air conditioner units and other household appliances were the most valuable per unit of volume. Next came cars, streetlights, billboards, and other objects with significant metal content.

Construction debris, though it contained rebar, was encased in large amounts of concrete and was therefore the least valuable. It would only be collected when there was nothing else to transport, just to prevent the cargo truck's capacity from going to waste.

"First, run along the cleared roads."

"Pick up the easily accessible metal debris."

"Then, do a second pass and dig out the more shallowly buried materials."

"After that, search for factories, shopping malls, residential complexes, and construction or appliance warehouses. Scan where necessary and clear pathways where needed."

"Lastly, target appliances deeply buried in construction rubble." 

Su Wu's phased goals were clear and precise.

While items like household appliances and cars might not be as useful to other shelters, they were incredibly valuable to Su Wu. However, in a post-apocalyptic world, resources were finite.

Even if others didn't find the same value in these items, there was no guarantee he wouldn't face competition from other shelters for the same materials.

With that in mind, his initial focus was a race against time—to secure the easiest resources first.

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