Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Outside the bunker, the sky was still shrouded in oppressive black clouds, visibility was minimal, and the ground was blanketed with a layer of pale ash. The desolate scenery exuded an air of deathly stillness, as if life itself had retreated from the world. Even the wind seemed to have vanished.

With a metallic scraping sound, a robust, skeletal robot emerged from the inclined exit tunnel, stepping into the sweltering, dark world. It stood still for a moment, its head rotating as its high-definition, night-vision cameras scanned the surroundings. In mere milliseconds, its intelligent core processed the data and plotted the most efficient route forward.

The robot moved ahead, bypassing a small mound of scrap metal, entered a makeshift vehicle shed, and climbed into the cab of a medium-sized electric truck.

Meanwhile, deep inside the bunker on the second underground level, the control center's display screens flickered to life. The artificial intelligence system, Luotianyi, dutifully updated the status of the ongoing tasks.

"Building Robot A04 is entering the lift..."

"Exiting the bunker..."

"Entering the truck's cab..."

"Environmental scan complete. No threats detected."

"Route planning underway. Destination: Heavy Knight's bunker."

When Su Wu finally dragged himself out of bed, completed a quick wash, and finished a hearty breakfast, he arrived at the control center to find the truck nearly at Heavy Knight's doorstep.

"Hey, I'm here. Are you ready to step out?" Su Wu sent a voice message to Heavy Knight through the chat software.

A few seconds later, the call connected.

"Give me thirty seconds. I'll head up to unlock the door," Heavy Knight replied, his words accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps as he sprinted to the entrance.

"I'll wait," Su Wu replied, appreciating Heavy Knight's straightforwardness. Through the truck's onboard cameras, he soon spotted a nondescript storefront's rolling door creak open, revealing a forklift carrying a well-packaged load.

"Over here," Su Wu signaled by honking the horn, simultaneously commanding the robot to dismount the truck.

"You're... Su Wu?"

The middle-aged man operating the forklift looked at the approaching robot with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. The skeletal robot clearly had no room for a human operator.

"This is a remotely operated robot. I'm still at my bunker," Su Wu explained briefly, maneuvering the robot to help transfer the cargo from the forklift to the truck bed.

At 65 degrees Celsius, every second spent outdoors posed a risk of heatstroke, leaving no room for unnecessary conversation.

"Damn, you've got a robot! That's incredible!"

Heavy Knight, drenched in sweat from even this brief time outside, didn't seem bothered by the oppressive heat. Instead, he marveled at the robot with childlike enthusiasm, his eyes filled with undisguised envy.

"Its mobility is amazing! I've never seen one like this up close."

"Are these all the batteries for charging?" Su Wu asked, noticing Heavy Knight didn't seem in a hurry to leave. He gestured with the robot's hand, inviting Heavy Knight to step into the truck's cab.

As a vehicle enhanced by survival points, the truck's cab was equipped with a high-performance air conditioner capable of functioning even in extreme heat. While it couldn't match the cool comfort of Su Wu's bunker due to inadequate insulation, it still offered significant relief compared to the oppressive outdoors.

"Thanks," Heavy Knight said, climbing into the truck's passenger seat. As the cool air washed over him, he let out a deep breath, his face reflecting sheer relief. The 60-plus-degree heat outside was practically torture.

"Yes, these are all the batteries," he confirmed. "I also included the payment: 20 kilograms of smokeless powder. High-quality stuff, military-grade."

The trade had been agreed upon the previous evening. Initially, Heavy Knight had proposed a replica military handgun and several boxes of ammunition as payment. However, Su Wu, knowing that firearms were simple enough for his engineering robot to produce, declined the offer and opted for the more versatile smokeless powder instead.

"How powerful is it?" Su Wu asked, curious. As someone who had grown up in peacetime, he found military-grade explosives both fascinating and mysterious.

"Handled properly, it could bring down a building," Heavy Knight replied with a slightly exaggerated expression. Then, adopting a more serious tone, he added, "But using it for bombs would be a waste. It's best for making bullets—reliable and stable."

Su Wu nodded in understanding. His primary reason for trading for smokeless powder was to produce his own ammunition.

"You seem pretty knowledgeable. Were you in the defense industry before this?"

"Not even close. You're giving me way too much credit," Heavy Knight said with a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm just a trust fund kid who lived off the rent from a few properties."

Pointing out the window at several six- or seven-story residential buildings nearby, he continued with a mix of nostalgia and melancholy, "These, those, and those over there—they're all mine."

"I used to complain about the hassle of knocking on every door to collect rent and dealing with so many people. Now, I'd give anything to go back to those lively days."

Having spent just over ten days in his underground shelter, Heavy Knight had already felt the crushing weight of solitude. During the days when the network had been down, he said it felt like he was trapped on an isolated island, abandoned by the world—a sensation so suffocating it was almost unbearable.

"Several buildings..."

Su Wu found himself at a loss for words. His own venture into building a bunker had been funded by selling a single 100-square-meter apartment.

Had the apocalypse not struck, he might never have reached Heavy Knight's level of wealth in his lifetime.

It was a stark reminder: t

hose who could afford to construct their own shelters were far from ordinary.