Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

As for the later stages, it would be akin to mining—a long-term excavation activity requiring a significant labor investment.

At that point, there would be no need for such urgency.

After all, only a handful of shelters in Jianghe City could muster the manpower for mining-scale operations.

Moreover, without the ability to utilize construction waste, their yields would naturally lag behind Su Wu's. Their willingness to excavate would be much lower and would not pose significant competition.

"With the large cargo truck as a communication relay, the special transport vehicles can operate up to 40 kilometers away from the shelter, covering most of Jianghe City's main urban area."

"If everything goes well, the first phase alone should yield substantial returns."

Unlike the large cargo truck, which had reinforced long-range communication modules, the special transport vehicles only had a 10-kilometer communication range. Beyond that, they would rely solely on their onboard chips for autonomous decisions, significantly increasing the risk of accidents.

While deploying a chain of scouting drones could theoretically extend the communication range to over 60 kilometers, the small size and weak wind resistance of the drones made such operations highly risky—useful only in emergencies.

Fortunately, the current situation did not warrant such extreme measures.

Watching via monitor as the two special transport vehicles and the large cargo truck disappeared into the darkness outside the shelter, Su Wu drained the cola on his desk and left the control center.

It was time to rest; he needed to conserve energy for the busier day ahead.

At midnight, the apocalyptic survival system refreshed its routine calculations.

[Current Territory: Habitable Personal Shelter (99%), Daily Survival Points: +3.]

[Completion of Basic Network Infrastructure: +50 Survival Points.]

[Initial Establishment of the "Community of Shared Future for Mankind": +150 Survival Points.]

[Remaining Survival Points: 209.]

With the fourth underground level nearing completion, the shelter's level progression bar had reached an impressive 99%. Just one step away from a breakthrough into a new phase.

Su Wu's gaze briefly passed over the experience bar, but the subsequent two rewards caught his attention.

The 50 survival points for building the network were among the largest single rewards he had ever received. Though unexpected, it was understandable given the significance of the internet.

However, the 150-point reward for the "Community of Shared Future for Mankind" was beyond surprising—it was downright baffling.

"What is this 'Community of Shared Future for Mankind'?"

Su Wu pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out what he had done to trigger such a massive reward. The best he could deduce from the name was that it might be related to establishing the network and sharing it with surrounding shelters.

But regardless of the cause, the concept seemed overwhelmingly grandiose and heavy, far beyond what his modest private shelter could hope to influence.

"Let's just treat it as a hidden game mechanic. It's enough to reap the benefits—no need to overthink it."

Unable to find an explanation, Su Wu pragmatically set the matter aside and focused on the windfall of survival points.

With over 200 points now at his disposal, the manufacturing center upgrade plan—originally slated for a later date—could be implemented immediately, saving at least one to two months of waiting.

Sitting up in bed, Su Wu grabbed the tablet on his bedside table and opened the manufacturing center's monitor feed.

The brightly lit center was busy, with the shelter's two engineering robots continuously fabricating mechanical parts.

Around them were piles of weapons and ammunition, including two slender 240mm rockets.

"Estimated time to completion: 1 hour and 15 minutes."

Su Wu glanced at the progress report provided by the AI.

Due to repeated reassignment of the engineering robots to other tasks over the past two days, this batch of weapons—which should have been finished long ago—had been delayed until now. Fortunately, it was nearly done.

Deciding not to interfere, Su Wu simply assigned two construction robots to transport completed weapons and ammunition out of the manufacturing center and bring in the materials needed for the CNC machine and 3D printer.

Building these industrial machines would take over 15 hours, so there was no rush—everything could proceed in an orderly queue.

After setting things in motion, Su Wu turned off the lights in his room and lay down to sleep.

That day's unexpected rewards far exceeded his expectations, promising a restful night of dreams.

The next morning, the first update Su Wu received was a report from the team scavenging in Jianghe City.

Overnight, the team had collected about 15 tons of metal, primarily damaged vehicle remnants, along with some air conditioner units, refrigerators, and washing machines.

The haul was satisfactory overall but unlikely to last.

The number of scavengers in the urban area far exceeded Su Wu's initial estimates. Even during pitch-dark nights, over 20 different shelter teams—including some from official shelters—were combing through the city ruins.

Within a single night, the amount of easily accessible metal debris had visibly decreased.

Su Wu opened a video sent back by one of the special transport vehicles.

In the footage, two workers in heat-resistant suits jumped out of a truck, quickly cut the copper pipes off an air conditioner unit with large pliers, and then lifted the deformed unit into the open truck bed.

They moved on to the next collection site without pause.

The entire process took less than five minutes—an efficiency that was almost terrifying.

"That speed..."

Su Wu felt a sense of urgency but ultimately restrained the impulse to fully mobilize his resources.

Instead, he dispatched two construction robots with cutting tools to stand by on the surface. When the next cargo truck returned, they would ride along to provide additional support, compensating for the team's lack of micro-level operations.

While scavenging urban metals was tempting, it remained a side hustle.

Su Wu's primary focu

s was still the development of his shelter.

He couldn't afford to lose sight of his priorities.

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