Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

If Su Wu wanted, he could mass-produce weapons at any time, with only drones being somewhat difficult to replicate.

Of course, without access to advanced gunpowder formulas, the quality of his ammunition would be limited. The firepower and stability couldn't match military-grade equipment, but it was more than sufficient for deterring or countering civilian armed groups.

In the chat channel, the uproar caused by the photos Su Wu had posted gradually died down without his active participation.

However, in the minds of many shelter leaders, Su Wu's identity shifted beyond being just a vegetable supplier. He was now also regarded as a heavily armed entity not to be provoked lightly.

This unspoken reputation would undoubtedly reduce the troubles Su Wu might face in future trades.

As dawn broke, a new day arrived, and the system's daily refresh brought an upgrade to Su Wu's shelter.

[Current Domain: Affluent Personal Shelter (0%), Daily Survival Points +4.]

[Significant Boost in Industrial Productivity, Survival Points +25.]

[Current Remaining Survival Points: 158.]

The shelter's level had risen from "Habitable Personal Shelter" to "Affluent Personal Shelter."

Unlike the previous level-up, which only granted a small one-time survival point bonus, this upgrade permanently increased the daily survival point income by one.

The 25-point reward for the increased industrial productivity brought by the new CNC machine and 3D printer was decent, if not exceptional.

Su Wu didn't feel disappointed. The real value of the industrial boost extended far beyond the survival points awarded. With proper utilization, the saved points and expanded capabilities could surpass the bonus by tens or even hundreds of times.

Over the next few days, Su Wu poured all suitable materials from his shelter into the CNC machine and 3D printer, which operated non-stop.

A steady stream of standard parts rolled off the production line, transported to the newly finished fourth underground floor for assembly and welding.

At its core, the high-temperature furnace formed the centerpiece of a budding industrial recycling facility, capable of dismantling and sorting waste materials.

Meanwhile, the heavy investment into this facility forced Su Wu to pause both the expansion of his engineering and scavenging teams and the excavation of the fifth underground level.

This trade-off left Su Wu with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the rapid progress on the recycling center was gratifying. On the other, he couldn't help but feel frustrated as scavengers from other shelters freely collected large quantities of valuable scrap metal while his efforts were constrained.

Nonetheless, he understood this was the optimal and most efficient path forward.

With the shelter's day-to-day operations managed by the AI, Su Wu found himself with unexpected free time.

Descending to the first underground level, Su Wu wandered through the lush greenery of his hydroponic farm.

Thanks to optimal conditions—ideal temperature, abundant nutrients, and the careful tending of farm robots—the crops grew even more robustly than they would have in the most fertile soil above ground. The vibrant green leaves, adorned with dewdrops, looked like works of art, a sight that brought great satisfaction.

Beyond the vegetable racks lay a section adorned with flowers of various colors.

Planted when they were near or at their blooming periods and meticulously cared for over the past month, these flowers were now in full bloom.

Pausing in his steps, Su Wu admired the artificial sea—or rather, wall—of flowers.

The sight of these vivid blossoms, combined with the faint floral fragrance in the air, brought a rare sense of peace to his heart.

After standing quietly for a long time, Su Wu pulled out his tablet and captured this precious and rare scene in the apocalypse.

Uploading the video to his private network, he mused,

"Hopefully, when the apocalypse ends, these flowers will bloom across the earth once again."

Several kilometers away from Su Wu's shelter, in a small corporate shelter, Wang Hao, a regular member, was browsing the network on his phone.

He came across the video of the flowers Su Wu had just posted.

At first, Wang Hao thought it was an old clip from before the apocalypse. But upon noticing the enclosed walls, growth lights, and the golden administrator badge on the uploader's account, he quickly realized this was a live video of a real location.

The knowledge changed everything.

Sitting upright, Wang Hao replayed the video, scrutinizing every frame.

These once-common flowers now seemed like the most luxurious sight in the world.

In truth, they were.

In a time when humanity struggled to survive in dark, cramped shelters, maintaining these fragile flowers required immense resources—resources that could save countless lives instead.

"Whose shelter is this?"

"Growing so many flowers… what extravagance."

Not far from Wang Hao, Li Linsong, the director of the same shelter, also watched the video.

Unlike Wang Hao, Li Linsong's first reaction was to calculate the cost of cultivating these flowers and how much food could be obtained for the same resources.

The numbers made his heart ache.

No matter what, he couldn't justify spending so much on things with no practical value. Of course, even if he wanted to, he likely couldn't afford to maintain such a garden.

The space, energy, nutrients, and manpower required were simply beyond the reach of any shelter that wasn't overflowing with resou

rces.

This garden of flowers was, without a doubt, a true luxury of the apocalypse.

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