Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

"If this continues, my contribution points might end up ranking among the top in all the small and medium shelters participating in this cleanup operation."

This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

The official shelter in Jianghe City had announced a reward system for the shelters contributing the most during the cleanup operation. Depending on their performance, these shelters could earn between 2,000 and 20,000 contribution points as additional rewards.

Though this amount might not seem substantial, its purchasing power was significant. Just 2,000 contribution points could buy seven or eight hundred kilograms of rice—an amount that no shelter could afford to overlook.

However, while the rewards for shelters were generous, the workers actually participating in the cleanup faced much harsher conditions to earn their share of contribution points.

Take Su Wu's convoy as an example. Since entering the city and starting to earn contribution points, nearly four hours of work had only accumulated around 2,000 points.

Based on this data, workers from other shelters, risking their lives in the scorching heat, might earn a maximum of seventy contribution points per hour per person.

Adding to this, the equipment and vehicles used were typically provided by their respective shelters, and the rental costs for these were deducted from the workers' earnings. In the end, their actual income might only equate to one or two days' worth of food rations—essentially trading their lives for survival.

Shaking off these distracted thoughts, Su Wu refocused and continued directing the specialized transport vehicle to clear the roads.

Realizing that reaching the official shelter's entrance was unlikely in the short term, he decided to make the most of the situation. He instructed the transport vehicle to collect high-quality construction debris while clearing the roads and load it onto the large trucks following behind.

Once a truck was fully loaded, it was sent back to the shelter to deliver the materials.

Idle time was wasted time, after all. It was better to gather as many resources as possible.

As the busy cleanup operations in Jianghe City progressed, midnight crept closer, marking the arrival of a new day.

Su Wu's system log quietly updated with a new message alongside the usual daily rewards:

[Successfully survived a catastrophic disaster. Survival Points +30.]

"Rewards for surviving disasters?"

Su Wu's gaze lingered on the unexpected message, his eyebrows slightly raised.

A flurry of ambitious ideas sprang to mind, but now wasn't the time to explore them.

He shifted his attention to the bottom of the system panel, where the previously depleted survival points counter had been replenished to 33.

"Just in time. I was worrying about not having enough survival points."

Switching the control screen to the manufacturing center, Su Wu reviewed the inventory. A new specialized transport vehicle body had been assembled, accompanied by models of a micro-excavator and a rubble crusher. These were the results of engineering robots making use of idle time after the recent surplus of materials.

Originally, Su Wu had planned to wait until the next day to save up more survival points before upgrading these vehicles. However, with the unexpected windfall, the plan could now be advanced.

After a few minutes of patience, Su Wu walked briskly to the manufacturing center as the engineering robots completed their final adjustments on the transport vehicle.

Spending 20 survival points, the three vehicles, which were initially little more than models, were engulfed in a bright light, upgrading to their full functional states by receiving their critical components.

Once the upgrades were complete, Su Wu wasted no time. Using his handheld tablet, he assigned tasks to the vehicles.

The specialized transport vehicle was sent to the riverbed to replace the micro-excavator and micro-transport vehicle for sand and gravel collection.

The rubble crusher and micro-excavator were dispatched to the fourth underground level to join the construction team.

Due to its larger size and sturdier design, the specialized transport vehicle was far safer in wilderness and riverbed environments than the toy-like micro vehicles. The chance of an accident caused by terrain was nearly zero. Its immense cargo capacity, rivaling that of a large truck, made it several times more efficient than the combined output of the micro-excavator and micro-transport vehicle.

Higher efficiency translated into shorter work durations in the field, significantly reducing overall risk. In other words, the addition of the specialized transport vehicle dramatically lowered the cost of material collection.

The rubble crusher, on the other hand, was a specialized engineering vehicle designed to break through hard underground rock layers.

Previously, the construction team had only one rubble crusher, which was the core of their operations. Often, the efficiency of this single machine dictated the progress of the entire team.

With the addition of another rubble crusher, combined with the already abundant construction robots and the soon-to-return micro vehicles from the riverbed, the team's construction capacity would effectively double.

If everything proceeded smoothly, this enhanced lineup could complete the excavation and construction of the fourth underground level within two days.

As for the micro-excavator, its small size meant it was no longer a mainstay in the expanding construction team. The new addition was more of a backup, reserved for temporary tasks or emergency dispatches. Even if it encountered dangers or accidents, it wouldn't significantly impact the shelter's operations.

"Once the fourth level is complete, there will be enough space to install larger industrial equipment."

"Then I can explore the possibility of mass-producing construction robots."

"At the very least, producing simpler machines like robotic dogs or oversized utility vehicles could be feasible."

If the first three levels of Su Wu's shelter represented a self-sufficient estate, the fourth level would mark its transformation into the beginnings of an industrial town.

According to Su Wu's plans, this level would house a compact industrial zone, integrating disassembly, metal smelting, and component production lines.

The recovered scrap materials would be systematically disassembled and melted down into basic resources, then mass-produced into standardized parts for building various machines and devices.

This would signify the shelter's transition from a manual workshop to a standardized industrial production facil

ity.

At that point, the shelter would truly be on the fast track to development.

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