Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

As the transport trucks busily transferred supplies, the invaluable engineering robot assigned to the construction team, along with the one from the manufacturing center, was also deployed to the surface by Su Wu.

Their task was to operate the drilling equipment, create holes, and secure steel reinforcements and cables to stabilize the concrete and steel materials scattered on the ground.

Although this approach couldn't fully guarantee the safety of the supplies, it could minimize potential losses—a practical solution under the circumstances.

Of course, this method came with its risks. The engineering robots were both costly and highly sophisticated. Any mishap during construction could render them unusable unless repaired using survival points. In a way, this was a gamble.

Within the dimly lit courtyard of the rural residence, the two engineering robots got to work. High-energy lasers sporadically cut through the darkness, emitting dazzling beams of light.

Large steel rods were driven deep into the ground, then welded together by the engineering robots to form sturdy, net-like steel cages. These cages secured heaps of cement and steel plates within their bounds.

In just over half an hour, the engineering robots exceeded expectations by completing the initial task ahead of schedule. Su Wu decided to have them utilize local materials to further enhance the steel cages with additional iron plates, improving their wind resistance. He also instructed the robots to begin reinforcing the two-story residential house.

The house, a natural shelter, would be invaluable in withstanding the storm. If possible, Su Wu wanted to ensure it didn't collapse.

By the second hour of the material transfer operation, the previously mild gale had intensified. The wind speeds rose from Level 8 to Level 10, inching toward Level 11.

The construction robots still operating on the surface began to falter, their movements visibly distorted by the escalating winds. Their work efficiency dropped significantly.

"It's time to pull back," Su Wu decided, not allowing greed to cloud his judgment. He promptly ordered the construction robots to secure the doors of the house and retrieve the van parked in the makeshift carport before retreating to the shelter with the construction team.

After two hours of hauling, the courtyard's abandoned appliances and miscellaneous items were mostly transferred to the fourth underground level of the shelter. The supplies within the house were largely relocated to the second underground level's living quarters and manufacturing center.

With the ground reinforcements in place, Su Wu felt that the upcoming storm was no longer a major concern.

However, as he reviewed the situation, he realized something was amiss. The large cargo truck he had ordered to return earlier had yet to show any signs of arrival.

An ominous feeling crept into his heart.

Su Wu immediately contacted the truck via the console, only to see a desolate expanse of debris illuminated by the truck's headlights appear on the screen.

"The road is completely blocked?" His heart sank as he grasped the urgency of the situation.

Judging by the scale of the rubble, clearing a path would take hours—time they didn't have.

On the screen, two construction robots accompanying the truck struggled against the wind to move debris.

Not wanting to waste another moment, Su Wu quickly opened a map of Jianghe City to plot an alternative route. Fortunately, the truck was still on the outskirts of the city, making it easy to identify another path.

"Take a detour immediately," he ordered, submitting the new route to the onboard AI without hesitation.

The two construction robots stopped their work and returned to the truck's cabin. Moments later, the truck's taillights flickered as it turned around and headed down a longer, unfamiliar road.

A few minutes later, the truck encountered another obstacle—a mass of billboards and debris swept onto the road by the howling wind, blocking its path yet again.

Faced with this unexpected hurdle, Su Wu paused in silence. Changing routes now was no longer an option.

Outside, the wind had escalated to Level 12. The roaring gusts slammed against the truck's body, causing the heavily loaded vehicle to shudder faintly.

Further detours might be more dangerous than finding shelter within the city itself.

Zooming in on the screen, Su Wu examined the debris blocking the road. Unlike the endless rubble from before, this obstruction covered only about twenty meters of the road. With swift action, it might still be possible to clear the path before the full brunt of the storm arrived.

But there was a problem—how to clear it.

The cargo truck, designed for transportation, lacked any specialized equipment. Sending out the construction robots in such severe weather was equally unwise. A single mistake could see the robots swept away, lost forever.

Clang!

A sudden crash startled Su Wu. Switching to the roof camera, he saw that a billboard had fallen from above, striking the truck's roof.

Thankfully, the truck's reinforced armor, made of high-strength alloy, had absorbed the impact without sustaining significant damage.

This incident, however, only reinforced Su Wu's decision not to send the construction robots outside. Losing them would mean a massive waste of precious survival points.

"If the truck can't solve this on its own, I'll have to send in reinforcements," he muttered.

Abandoning the idea of relying on the truck, Su Wu turned his attention to the special transport vehicle parked inside the shelter.

This tracked vehicle, capable of demolition, excavation, and transportation, was also highly efficient at clearing roadblocks. The only concern was whether the unpredictable storm would allow it enough time to complete the task.

"Let's hope we're not too late."

A glance at the clock showed it was 2:47 a.m., with little time remaining before the forecasted storm's peak.

Gritting his teeth, Su Wu decided to take one last gamble.

On the surface, the thick iron gate partially buried in sand and gravel opened once more.

A driverless tracked transport vehicle rolled out into the raging storm.

"Wind speed: 34 meters per second. Stability unaffected," the monitoring system reported.

Seated in the control center, Su Wu let out a small sigh of relief. Despite weighing less than the cargo truck, the tracked vehicle's design ensured excellent stability, even in high winds.

After a brief adaptation period, the transport vehicle accelerated onto the road, quickly reaching its maximum speed of 60 k

ilometers per hour as it raced toward the stranded cargo truck on the city's outskirts.