Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

In the underground Level 2 command center of the farmhouse shelter, the atmosphere was pristine and tranquil.

The hall maintained a constant 23°C, reminiscent of early summer, while the air circulated with the subtle essence of a lush forest. This created a stark contrast to the cold environment above ground, where continuous rainfall had driven temperatures below 10°C.

Su Wu sat calmly in front of the control console.

On the wide screen before him, a detailed map of Jianghe City was displayed, filled with countless colored icons and glowing dots.

The various markers represented all ongoing operations connected to Su Wu.

Red icons indicated critical shelters in imminent danger requiring immediate rescue.

Yellow icons marked shelters that had requested aid, willing to exchange all their resources for relocation to safer grounds, though their situation was not yet dire.

Green icons signified key safety zones, including the four main shelters under Su Wu's control and the mobile base. These were the ultimate havens for both humans and robots operating outside.

The smaller green and white dots symbolized the transportation vehicles and spider robots leading rescue efforts, alongside human teams carrying life vests and basic medical supplies.

"Over 3,700 people rescued so far," Su Wu murmured while reviewing the AI's real-time statistics.

While this number seemed modest compared to the scale of the city's disaster and the many shelters on the brink of collapse, the efficiency per rescue team was remarkable.

Considering the constraints:

Each of the 40 transport vehicles involved in the operation could only carry 30 to 50 people per trip due to space limitations.

A round trip, including opening shelters, organizing survivors, and travel, took about 30 minutes.

Rescuing nearly 4,000 people in under two hours demonstrated an efficiency nearing its peak.

Additionally, the effort was not limited to saving lives; the teams were also collecting significant resources.

While many shelters were marked for later recovery, untouched for now, the spider robots had already gathered nearly half a ton of gold and 12 tons of silver.

The majority of the silver was industrial-grade, stored in 50kg blocks, making it easy to transport. For the moment, these precious metals were safely stored on high ground, guarded by two robotic dogs.

"That gold and silver are worth the equivalent of 4 million tons of coal," Su Wu calculated. "Too valuable to leave exposed for long."

Coincidentally, the second batch of 100 inflatable rafts was nearing completion and needed to be delivered to Jingyuan Shelter. Su Wu decided to have the large transport truck, which was otherwise idle, deliver the rafts and retrieve the gold and silver on its return trip.

After assigning the task through the console, Su Wu shifted his attention to another part of the map, focusing on areas with white dots—locations where human rescue teams from his subsidiary shelters were operating.

One camera feed showed rescuers from Jingyuan Shelter, dressed in life vests, leading a group of 30 survivors across a highland ruin still above water. They were navigating a 1.2-kilometer detour to reach a safe zone where they could board rafts bound for the shelter.

Switching to another feed, Su Wu observed a raft entering a treacherous, fast-flowing area. Suddenly, the raft's bow lost control, crashing into a lone concrete pillar rising above the water. The five or six people on board were thrown into the flood. Within seconds, the current swept them into the darkness, their struggles futile.

Su Wu watched the live broadcast of their deaths with an unflinching gaze.

Moments like these had been inevitable since he initiated the large-scale rescue mission. It was all part of the anticipated cost.

Switching to more feeds, Su Wu saw that most operations were progressing well. Errors and mishaps occurred, but none were catastrophic, and the overall system continued to function. The established workflow—vehicles and robots leading frontline rescues, while human teams transferred survivors from temporary safety zones—was holding steady.

"Looks like the human rescue teams might soon be able to replace some of the robots in less hazardous areas," Su Wu thought.

With the second batch of rafts scheduled for delivery to Jingyuan Shelter, Su Wu planned to immediately scale up the rescue operations. Forty vehicles and 120 spider robots alone would never be enough to save everyone in time.

Having reviewed the status of his rescue teams, Su Wu turned his attention beyond the city center.

While others could ignore external threats, Su Wu couldn't afford to. He needed to stay alert to ensure he received early warnings about any approaching disasters that might endanger Jianghe City.

However, much of the area surrounding Jianghe City had been submerged by floods, rendering the original monitoring network ineffective. Still, Su Wu had a contingency plan.

He deployed a fleet of small, communication-equipped unmanned boats. These vessels, powered by modest motors, would patrol a few dozen kilometers around the

city, monitoring water levels and flood trends.

(End of Chapter)