Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Wang Jianguo sighed heavily. His steelworks bunker was neither too big nor too small, housing about 2,000 people, mostly factory workers and their families. In the past, it could have been considered the size of a small town.

"By the way, I remember you mentioning that your bunker uses geothermal generators. How's that working out for you?"

"Pretty well."

"Each generator provides a stable output of 300 kWh per hour, more than enough to keep the bunker running smoothly."

This wasn't a secret, so Su Wu answered candidly. His geothermal generator's design was based on blueprints he had found freely available online. Although enhanced with survival system upgrades incorporating advanced technology, the core principles were straightforward. Even if the upgraded versions were sold openly, the most anyone could say was that it was technologically advanced—nothing particularly unusual.

"Three hundred kilowatt-hours? That's almost as much as a small-scale hydroelectric plant!"

Su Wu's answer left Wang Jianguo amazed, and it quickly drew the attention of other group members.

Small hydroelectric plants might not sound impressive, but their electricity output was a considerable asset even in peacetime. In the post-apocalyptic world, this amount of power could sustain hundreds of mid-sized bunkers and tens of thousands of people. It was a quintessential symbol of wealth and status in this new era.

"Would you sell me some electricity? My bunker is barely functioning; we're running out of power for even basic lighting."

A group member named Heavy Knight, the owner of another private bunker, couldn't resist asking.

Like Su Wu's bunker, Heavy Knight's was a small private operation, but it was much smaller, housing only him and his family. The smaller the bunker, the less room there was for error.

When the only diesel generator in his bunker broke down the previous night, his family faced a power crisis. Fortunately, the toxic gases outside had mostly dissipated, or he might have been forced to seek refuge in an official bunker.

"I could, but I'm quite far from you. It's not like I can string an extension cord that far."

Su Wu was open to the idea. His geothermal generators rarely operated at full capacity; most of the surplus energy went to waste. If he could trade some of that for other resources, it would be a win-win. However, in a world like this, the biggest challenge wasn't having resources—it was the logistics of exchanging them.

"That's fine. I have plenty of battery packs. As long as you can charge them for me, it'll work."

Heavy Knight replied eagerly. Having a stockpile of charged batteries would keep his family afloat long enough to repair their generator. As for transporting the batteries to and from Su Wu's bunker, he had no choice but to take the risk himself, braving the sweltering heat and the looming threat of extreme heat storms.

"Alright, we'll discuss the details in private."

Su Wu sensed a bigger business opportunity in Heavy Knight's predicament.

For Heavy Knight, transporting batteries required a perilous trip that put his life at risk. For Su Wu, it was far easier. With an automated electric truck and a robot capable of loading and unloading, delivery costs for him were effectively zero within the Jianghe City area.

This difference in risk and cost was enough for Su Wu to charge a premium for his delivery service, potentially turning a tidy profit.

After settling the deal with Heavy Knight, Su Wu received no further inquiries about trades. While many group members envied Su Wu's abundant electricity, most didn't have Heavy Knight's stockpile of batteries, nor were their situations desperate enough to warrant such a dangerous exchange.

In the post-apocalypse, survival came first. Everything else was secondary.

After chatting in the group for over half an hour, gathering a mix of useful intel and idle gossip, Su Wu was about to log off and play some games when he received a private message from a somewhat unfamiliar group member, Ye Luo Shuanghua.

"Would you be willing to sell your geothermal generators?"

"You're interested?"

Su Wu's curiosity was piqued. A geothermal generator was no small investment—it was essentially on par with a small hydroelectric plant. Even though the survival system upgrades had made it more compact, its value was undeniable. Even a bunker as large as Wang Jianguo's steelworks one, with over 2,000 people, might struggle to afford it.

"I've gone through every database I could find, and none of the manufacturers or second-hand sellers have anything like your geothermal generator model. You must have access to its original blueprints. If possible, I'd like to purchase both a unit and its design."

Ye Luo Shuanghua's message was direct and earnest.

"You want the blueprints too?"

Su Wu was taken aback. The request was unusual. Asking for the blueprints meant the other party was confident in their ability to replicate the generator, which suggested they had not only the necessary engineering capabilities but also a team of skilled technicians—something ordinary bunkers couldn't maintain, even those owned by billionaires.

"I can sell you a generator, but the blueprints are another matter. Even if you had them, they wouldn't be much use. Many of the core components require manufacturing capabilities that only a few companies could provide before the apocalypse."

After some thought, Su Wu declined to sell the blueprints.

His geothermal generator designs were originally public domain. Without the survival system's enhancements, the blueprint alone wouldn't produce anything near the efficiency of his upgraded models. Selling the plans would only create unnecessary enemies.

"A finished unit is fine. I'll order two and will need installation services. If transportation is an issue, I can send a convoy to assist."

Ye Luo Shuanghua didn't press the issue and promptly placed an order.

For him, the blueprints weren't a priority. While the generator wasn't cutting-edge technology, having a functional unit in hand would make reverse-engineering it much easier. His primary concern was securing professional installation services.

Building the generator wasn't the hard part. The real challenge lay in drilling a pipeline ten kilometers into the Earth's crust to tap into geothermal energy—a task that required specialized skills and equipment.

"What's your price?"

Ye Luo Shuanghua's confident tone practically screamed, Money is no object.

Su Wu's interest was fu

lly piqued, sensing that this might be the opportunity he had been waiting for.