Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

After a brief inspection, Su Wu carefully installed the three upgraded mechanical arms onto a robot leaning against the wall.

The robot had no head, only a torso and legs crudely assembled from metal frames and steel plates. Calling it a "robot" was generous—it was little more than a poorly made model. With the addition of the three heavy mechanical arms, the robot wobbled slightly, as though a gentle nudge could topple it.

"Good enough for now."

Seeing that the robot hadn't collapsed, Su Wu was already satisfied. After all, to save money—and because similar products were no longer available on the market—he had spent the past few days painstakingly crafting this model by hand. Expecting high quality was out of the question.

[Counterfeit Engineering Robot]

Compatibility: 40%

Evaluation: This is a stationary replica that cannot perform engineering tasks despite having functional mechanical arms.

Upgrade Path: Universal Lightweight Engineering Robot (15 Survival Points)

With a compatibility of 40%, it was still far from being functional. However, everything is relative. Before the mechanical arms were installed, its compatibility had been a mere 1%—a 40-fold improvement. The required survival points for an upgrade, once an unattainable triple-digit figure, had now dropped to a more manageable 15. This confirmed that Su Wu's decision to prioritize upgrading the arms to boost compatibility was the right move.

Still, 15 survival points were not a trivial cost for Su Wu. Concentrating his attention on the compatibility rating, more detailed information appeared on the system panel:

[Missing 100 kilograms of materials]

This was a minor issue. Having spent the past half month salvaging scrap with a budget of millions, Su Wu's greatest asset was an abundance of raw materials.

He went out into the yard, picking through the piles of junk, and returned with a cartload of discarded steel bars, wires, and a few circuit boards. Dumping them next to the robot, he checked again: compatibility rose to 55%, and the required survival points dropped by 3.

Knowing this was the limit of what he could achieve, Su Wu didn't hesitate and initiated the upgrade.

A flash of light engulfed the materials and the model, both of which vanished. In their place stood a sleek, two-meter-tall engineering robot. Its body, clad in silver-white metal, gleamed with a futuristic aesthetic. Three precise mechanical arms extended from its frame, exuding a sense of advanced technology.

"Fabricate an M3 screw on-site," Su Wu commanded.

The engineering robot responded with a soft beep. Using the high-frequency oscillation cutter on one arm, it sliced off a small piece of scrap iron from a nearby metal bar. Another arm, equipped with a versatile manipulator, picked up the scrap and suspended it mid-air using magnetic force. The third arm, featuring a high-energy smelting laser emitter, emitted a deep red beam, meticulously shaping the material.

Within seconds, a standard screw took form.

Watching the robot's seamless operation, Su Wu nodded in satisfaction.

Efficiency and material quality aside, this engineering robot could fabricate most industrial parts and perform welding and assembly tasks. It effectively combined the capabilities of a lathe and an assembly line.

"Finally, I'm free. No more hands-on labor for me."

Recalling the ordeal of handcrafting the robot model, Su Wu's fingers still ached at the memory. For someone unskilled in manual labor, even assembling a simple robot model had been a monumental challenge. It was an experience he had no intention of repeating.

After confirming the robot's functionality, Su Wu eagerly opened his laptop and pulled up the schematics for a drilling rig and a geothermal generator. These were the next pieces of equipment he needed to construct.

The first step in building the shelter was ensuring a stable and sufficient power supply.

Relying on external electricity wasn't feasible. Half a month ago, the federal government had imposed strict limits on civilian and commercial electricity use. Civilian electricity was rationed to the point that a single household couldn't even run an air conditioner continuously for a month. While commercial electricity wasn't rationed, its price had increased tenfold, and qualifying for access required meeting stringent criteria. For someone in Su Wu's position, obtaining approval was practically impossible.

Generating electricity independently seemed like the only viable option. Diesel generators were the cheapest solution, but diesel and gasoline were also under strict regulation. Private purchases were prohibited, and even refueling vehicles required advance registration. Without such approval, a single vehicle could refuel no more than twice a month, barely enough for regular travel, let alone power generation.

Other options, such as wind, hydro, and solar power, were either too costly to implement or too unreliable in an apocalyptic environment.

After weighing all possibilities, Su Wu concluded that a geothermal generator was the best choice.

But, of course, material restrictions were still an issue. High-end equipment like geothermal generators was impossible to purchase under current regulations. Drilling rigs were technically available, but their prices had skyrocketed by hundreds of times. Even if Su Wu pooled all his remaining funds, he couldn't afford one.

The only viable solution was to build it himself.

This was why Su Wu had spent so much time and effort assembling the engineering robot—it was the cornerstone for all his future plans.

Uploading the schematics to the robot, Su Wu sent it to the yard to begin work. Settling into a comfortable position in his chair, he watched the progress bar on his laptop screen as the robot transmitted updates on its material cutting and fabrication process. A sense of relief and satisfaction washed over him.

Ever since the survival system revealed the imminent apocalypse half a month ago, Su Wu had lived in a state of constant tension. Searching for a suitable shelter location, gathering materials, and navigating bureaucracy had consumed every waking moment. Each second felt like an eternity, with the fear of making a fatal mistake looming over him.

Now, with the first fully automated engineering robot at his disposal, that relentless pressure finally dissipated. The robot's professional capabilities and tireless work ethic far exceeded what any human could achieve. Even during the dead of night, it would

continue working without pause, free from the risk of error.