Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Seconds later, another shell tore through the air and landed near the mercenary leader.

This time, luck abandoned him. The burning thermite blast melted through his heat-resistant suit, seared his flesh, and charred his bones. His body was left as an unrecognizable pile of remains.

High above, a silent reconnaissance drone hovered, recording every moment of the skirmish below.

The brief battle lasted only 40 seconds from the moment the AI launched its attack. Four 120mm thermite shells had been fired, resulting in the complete annihilation of all 12 intruders.

None of the attackers had managed to fire a single shot before their deaths.

Half an hour later, back in the control center, Su Wu reviewed the findings from the battlefield, delivered by the cleanup robots.

The attackers were identified as a newly formed group of mercenaries.

Their members were a mix of former security guards and criminals from before the apocalypse, with experience in street brawls but lacking any real military discipline.

"Using 120mm howitzers on them… was that overkill?"

Su Wu couldn't help but reflect on his actions.

Of course, if faced with the same situation again, he would make the same choice. Why risk his robots and small arms when heavy artillery could resolve the situation more effectively and send a clear message to potential threats?

"The only pity is that I couldn't find any leads on who hired them."

"Who could it be?"

Su Wu wasn't ready to let the matter rest.

There was no way someone could attack him without facing consequences. Whoever orchestrated this would need to be hunted down and dealt with decisively.

He decided to start with the person in the chat who had asked for his location. With a bounty incentive, it wouldn't take long to uncover the mastermind.

Selecting a few photos from the reconnaissance drone's footage, Su Wu uploaded them to the official chat channel.

He couldn't upload videos due to the satellite network's limitations, but even the images of the massive thermite explosions were enough to create a sensation.

"A group of armed intruders attacked my shelter. All of them have been eliminated. Evidence will be handed over to the official security agency once compiled."

After briefly explaining the photos, Su Wu ignored the frenzy of reactions in the chat and reached out to a representative of the authorities in the channel, the young and wealthy military officer Ye Luoshuang.

"How does the government handle incidents like this?"

Her response was immediate and startlingly direct:

"Just handle it yourself. No need to report it."

Su Wu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That relaxed? No investigation at all?"

"What's there to investigate? Most of these incidents are just private shelters using hired guns. This isn't the first time it's happened."

Ye Luoshuang's reply carried a tone of exasperation and resignation.

"The higher-ups are focused on preparing for worsening environmental conditions. Unless there's a large-scale firefight in the city or a massacre outside, they're shelving these cases for now."

"And by the way," she added, "you're the one who went overboard. A heavy artillery piece? Are you planning to fight the military next?"

Her tone wasn't accusatory, just incredulous at Su Wu's level of preparedness.

While most shelters resorted to handguns or homemade explosives, Su Wu had gone straight to deploying heavy artillery loaded with thermite rounds—overkill even against military vehicles, let alone amateur armed groups.

"Just self-defense. What do you expect me to do, face them head-on with a rifle?"

Seeing that Ye Luoshuang wasn't pressing the issue, Su Wu replied casually, testing the waters for future actions.

"So, if I retaliate against these shelters, it's fine as long as I keep it low-key?"

"Don't make too big a scene," she cautioned. "Like rolling that howitzer up to someone's doorstep. Anything else, as long as it's not publicized, shouldn't be an issue."

She added, "For shelters with over 100 people, make sure you gather evidence of their crimes if you plan to act against them. Otherwise, the military might label you as a troublemaker and crack down on you as an example."

"Oh, and watch what you say in the official channels. Don't put the higher-ups in a tough spot, or they'll have to deal with you harshly."

"I understand. I'll tread carefully," Su Wu replied, ending the conversation.

Switching back to the chat channel, he noticed the ongoing heated discussions sparked by his photos.

Many users, despite being wealthy elites or corporate leaders, still clung to pre-apocalypse mindsets and limited information.

They seemed blissfully unaware of the escalating chaos outside.

"Seventy-degree heat and a storm, and it's already this chaotic," Su Wu muttered, feeling a pang of nostalgia for the lost order.

After a moment of reflection, he turned his attention back to the scavenging team in the city.

Given the unpredictable risks, Su Wu decided to bolster their defenses.

"Let's equip each of the two specialized transport vehicles with a folding turret."

"Add another construction robot armed for combat to the large transport truck, along with a K2 agricultural drone equipped with rockets."

"And why not? Let's weld a 30mm rapid-fire cannon to the top of the truck bed."

With the CNC machine and 3D printer at his disposal, such additions were now trivial to produce. Su Wu smirked as he began preparin

g the upgrades.

"This should make them think twice before messing with my scavenging teams."

-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!