Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

Su Wu briefly exchanged ideas with the official team and quickly finalized the construction plan.

Then, he typed a command into the control console, delegating the rest of the work to the AI.

With the geothermal generator already upgraded through survival points, the installation process was inherently simple. When Su Wu had done it manually before, it had gone smoothly enough. Now, with the AI in charge, the likelihood of mistakes was nearly zero.

Freed from the hands-on work, Su Wu watched the construction robots for a while before using the official bunker's intranet to access other surveillance feeds, exploring the surroundings virtually.

Su Wu had long been curious about official bunkers, designed by teams of professionals. This was his chance to gain a deeper understanding.

The Jianghe City No. 9 Bunker consisted of a complex network connecting four subway stations, two underground malls, two military shelters, and thousands of civilian underground parking lots and storage facilities. This labyrinthine city beneath the earth served as a refuge for 560,000 people, making it one of the largest bunkers in Jianghe City.

Its infrastructure included a large underground food production plant, two medium-sized wastewater treatment facilities, and a substantial inventory of electronic components, salvaged from industrial parks on the surface.

Yet, as Su Wu surveyed the scenes through the surveillance cameras, he reached a surprising conclusion.

"Is it just me, or does this official bunker... seem pretty poorly managed?"

Aside from its size, the No. 9 Bunker didn't appear significantly more advanced than Su Wu's own private refuge.

Despite its scale, the bunker hadn't achieved full self-sufficiency in food and water. Many of the elderly and disabled residents were visibly malnourished, their rations of insect- and worm-based protein falling far short of their needs. Signs of mild hunger were already apparent.

The living quarters were in disrepair. After just ten days of occupation, areas with high population density were experiencing broken pipes and sewage leaks, creating appalling living conditions.

What struck Su Wu even more was the oppressive labor required of the bunker's residents. Everyone, save for a select few in the upper echelon, was burdened with grueling tasks: construction, material transport, animal husbandry, and more.

Only in the residential zones reserved for senior officials' families did Su Wu find people living in relative ease, with an apparent abundance of resources.

"This is absurd," Su Wu muttered, growing increasingly silent as he observed.

It felt less like a freshly operational facility and more like a bunker that had been weathering apocalyptic conditions for years. The contrast between the abundant resources in the upper-tier residential areas and the struggles of the average resident was stark.

Elderly individuals visibly weakened by hunger, laborers injured in workplace accidents crying out in pain without adequate medical care—these were the scenes that lingered in Su Wu's mind.

This wasn't a disaster dictated by nature but one exacerbated by human greed and mismanagement.

"If food supplies were running low, it might be understandable. But the reserves are hardly touched, and officials' families are wasting food to the point of throwing it away," Su Wu thought.

The divide between the ruling elite and the common residents was glaring. This wasn't safety or security—it was exploitation.

"Good thing I'm not part of this," Su Wu murmured, shaking his head. Any admiration or envy he had previously harbored for official bunkers dissipated entirely, replaced by a renewed commitment to developing his own refuge.

While his private bunker might be smaller and less resource-rich, it was his, free from the tyranny of others.

Within his walls, he controlled the resources, the space, and the destiny of his refuge. It was a sanctuary he could grow and improve at his own pace.

---

While Su Wu was observing the living conditions within the No. 9 Bunker, news of the geothermal generator deal reached the desk of the bunker's director, Ming Runshan.

In his well-lit office, Ming Runshan opened the file with interest.

[Regarding the Procurement of Geothermal Generators from the Shikura Village Refuge]

The file referred to Su Wu's bunker by the name of its geographical location since Su Wu hadn't officially named his shelter.

As Ming Runshan scanned the document, his curiosity grew.

"Is this geothermal generator as reliable as they claim?" he asked his secretary. "Stable power output comparable to a small hydropower station, regardless of terrain or weather conditions?"

Stability was Ming Runshan's top priority. A reliable power source could significantly impact every aspect of bunker operations, second only in importance to food production.

The secretary hesitated briefly, then carefully responded.

"Based on the reported data, that seems to be the case. The seller has already delivered the generators to Zone 055, where installation and testing are underway. They're expected to go online by tomorrow afternoon."

Ming Runshan nodded, thoughtful.

"Shikura Village... That's not far from here. At least we won't need to worry about after-sales support," he remarked, penning his signature to approve the document, which authorized the sale of seven million credits' worth of supplies in exchange for the generators.

Standing silently nearby, the secretary bowed slightly, avoiding unnecessary disruption.

Having served under Ming Runshan for four or five years, the secretary had become well-versed in navigating the power dynamics. While they had previously shared a more casual working relationship, Ming Runshan's ascent to bunker director—and the subsequent influx of tens of thousands of residents—had elevated his authority to near-absolute levels.

Now, the secretary moved with caution, acutely aware that a single misstep could jeopardize not just his career but his family's survival.

At this moment, Ming Runshan wielded power akin to that of an ancient warl

ord, with the absolute ability to dictate the lives of everyone in his domain.