Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Running in stealth mode, Su Wu returned quietly to his shelter.

He brought the micro mech to the control center, connecting it to the shelter's wireless charging network for a slow recharge.

Exiting the cockpit, Su Wu took a seat at the control console. Back in this familiar environment, he felt a fleeting sense of displacement, akin to returning home after a long trip and seeing everything in its place again.

After regaining his composure, he began checking the shelter's status.

Thanks to the engineering machinery provided by several large shelters, many vehicles that were previously occupied with unloading tasks, such as specialized transport trucks and excavators used for compressing and packaging scrap metal, were freed up. These vehicles could now return to the scavenging fleet or engineering teams for their original duties.

However, with less than 24 hours remaining before the potential onset of the radiation storm, venturing outside carried unpredictable risks.

Additionally, given the vast resources Su Wu had acquired from selling radiation detectors, the meager income from scavenging in the city was no longer enticing. He decided to disband the scavenging fleet entirely, removing the temporary covers and weapons installed on the transport trucks and reallocating them to digging new underground spaces.

On the surface, the recent show of force had solidified his reputation. There was no need to maintain a large military presence. Two modified ore-transport armored vehicles would suffice for patrols, while a few armed construction robots could handle maintaining order and managing incoming supplies.

As for production, after completing the micro mech, Su Wu's next focus shifted to manufacturing specialized equipment for mixing anti-radiation coatings.

These experimental devices required intricate craftsmanship, a wide variety of materials, and significant expense. Just two days earlier, even with access to CNC machines and 3D printers, he wouldn't have been able to produce them. But now, after more than 20 hours of continuous material deliveries from other shelters, these hurdles were no longer an issue.

Currently—and likely for the next few days—his shelter's stockpiles would remain relatively abundant, allowing him to allocate resources freely.

"All related equipment will take about 12 hours to manufacture. Adding setup and calibration time, we should be ready to start mixing the anti-radiation coatings in roughly 14 hours. Everything's on track," Su Wu calculated. Despite the tight schedule, it seemed manageable as long as no unforeseen complications arose.

Speaking of the coatings, he recalled that one of the main ingredients, fluorescent powder, was still sitting in the official shelter's warehouse, waiting to be picked up. Fortunately, this was a minor task. Dispatching two construction robots to drive a large truck for retrieval would suffice. With the shelter's AI overseeing the process, it required no further attention from him.

After wrapping up all pending matters, Su Wu exhaled, massaging his weary temples. He decided to retreat to his bedroom for some rest. With time still on his side, he intended to sleep well while he could, preparing for what might be a sleepless night ahead.

On July 16th, as Su Wu woke up feeling refreshed from a full night's sleep, the executives of other shelters in Jianghe City were still busy at work.

With the potential disaster looming as early as that evening, the proportion of high-value items being used to purchase Su Wu's radiation detectors had significantly increased. The goal was to complete transactions using less transport capacity as quickly as possible.

Purchasing detectors was only the first step. They still needed time for distribution, worker training, and preparations for dispatching personnel to the surface—all while addressing the challenges that would inevitably arise during ground operations.

The threats on the surface weren't limited to the potential radiation. Extreme heat was another immediate challenge that couldn't be ignored. Without adequate cooling measures, workers stationed on the surface would quickly face dehydration and heatstroke.

Fortunately, Su Wu didn't have to worry about these issues. His labor force consisted entirely of robots and intelligent systems. Moreover, he had only taken on a small monitoring zone outside his shelter, minimizing the workload.

This wasn't due to any disregard for the contribution points offered by monitoring missions. The primary concern was that radiation events often came with significant signal interference. If ground equipment lost connection with the shelter, other shelters reliant on human labor could adapt. But for Su Wu, such a scenario would be a major setback, potentially leaving him unable to recover or repair equipment.

After finishing his late breakfast, Su Wu arrived at the control center.

His first observation was that the number of vehicles near the farmhouse ruins had halved compared to the previous day. Most of the engineering vehicles that had been assisting him had now departed to build temporary living stations in their respective shelters' monitoring zones.

Sitting at the console, Su Wu reviewed the latest delivery logs, understanding the situation. While there were fewer vehicles, the overall value of delivered materials had significantly increased. By 5 p.m., he expected not just today's but even the next few days' worth of materials for purchasing radiation detectors to be fully delivered.

This shift was a positive development for Su Wu. High-value items required far less storage space compared to scrap metal. His existing warehouses—both the manufacturing center and the attached storage areas on the fourth underground level—were more than sufficient to house these goods without needing additional excavation.

By 3 p.m., the manufacturing center had completed all equipment for the chemical laboratory.

With two engineering robots working together, the equipment was installed and calibrated in a factory space adjacent to the fourth underground level's recycling center, initially intended for repairing large vehicles and machinery.

As soon as the calibration was complete, several nearby construction robots began loading raw materials into the equipment for production.

Twenty minutes later, Su Wu held the first 10-liter bucket of anti-radiation coating in his hands.

"This small amount alone... Without factoring in the cost of building the chemical lab, just the raw materials for this batch are worth 200,000 contribution points."

Gazing at the pale green, paste-like substance, Su Wu mentally reviewed the raw material consumption list, arriving at a single conclusion: expensive.

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