Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

"Now the construction crew can finally get to work."

Though the team only had a single excavator and a transport truck, their combination created a simple yet effective workflow capable of sustaining continuous excavation efforts.

However, this was far from perfect.

The location Su Wu had chosen for his underground shelter had relatively loose soil. While this made digging easier, it also significantly increased the risk of collapses during construction.

This meant that reinforcement of the underground space had to proceed hand in hand with the digging process—there was no room for oversight.

Su Wu glanced at the slope dug out by the mini-excavator. For now, the short distance didn't show any obvious issues. But he knew that if left unchecked, the continued digging could very well end up burying the excavator itself in its own excavation.

Su Wu powered up his laptop and quickly added two new manufacturing tasks for the engineering robot: a construction robot and a small cement mixer.

Both tasks were relatively straightforward to execute.

Several hours passed.

After spending 5 additional survival points to upgrade his equipment, Su Wu watched as a humanoid construction robot materialized before him.

Compared to the engineering robot, the construction robot was much cheaper to produce—only about one-third the cost. Its design was more humanoid, featuring two mechanical arms ending in biomimetic fingers capable of deftly handling various human construction tools.

It could also double as a transporter for materials or even a bodyguard if needed, making it a versatile, all-purpose worker.

With the construction robot in place, the final gap in Su Wu's construction crew was filled, and he was finally liberated from manual labor.

At the very least, tasks like creating an opening in the courtyard wall no longer required Su Wu's personal involvement. All he had to do was give the construction robot a command, and it would complete the task automatically.

"Reinforce the tunnel," Su Wu instructed the construction robot.

By now, nearly a full day of excavation had resulted in a decent-looking tunnel entrance in the courtyard, just in need of reinforcement.

For temporary reinforcements, wood would have been ideal—cheap and fast. But since Su Wu couldn't acquire the necessary materials on short notice, he had to use steel bars and angle irons as substitutes.

This approach wasn't optimal, but wastefulness wasn't the main concern. The real issue was that the engineering robot had to divert some of its time to cutting and welding suitable metal plates, which indirectly delayed its other manufacturing tasks.

"If only I could chop down some trees in the mountains," Su Wu lamented.

The suburban area where he lived wasn't lacking in wilderness. But since society hadn't fully collapsed yet, even though he knew those forests would likely not survive the apocalypse, indiscriminate logging was still not an option.

After a brief moment of regret, Su Wu brushed the thought aside.

There was no need to be greedy.

His current situation was already quite favorable: a highly efficient construction crew capable of working 24/7 and a private site for building his shelter.

He was miles ahead of most people.

Those still living in cities, unaware of the looming apocalypse, were the truly unfortunate ones. When the time came, they would have to rely on the government's official shelters and pray there was enough space. Even if they managed to get in, the quality of life they'd face was easy to imagine.

As night fell, the courtyard lit up brightly.

The two robots and two construction vehicles worked tirelessly, digging and reinforcing the underground tunnel. The scene was one of intense activity.

To avoid interfering with the construction, Su Wu retreated early to his second-floor bedroom. There, he monitored the progress remotely via control software on his laptop. To pass the time, he played games and browsed forums and news sites.

"Antarctic temperatures rise, breaking historical records. Millions of cubic kilometers of glaciers may melt, threatening over a hundred coastal cities."

"Strongest typhoon in recorded history set to hit East Continent's coastline."

"Dawn City announces full shutdown starting at 8 PM tonight in preparation for the incoming typhoon."

These disaster-related headlines flashed across his screen.

Similar news had appeared in past years, and most people, unless directly affected, viewed them as routine environmental warnings or weather updates. But a closer look revealed subtle differences this time: ominous words like "unprecedented" and "record-breaking" cropped up with unusual frequency.

"The signs of the apocalypse are becoming more apparent," Su Wu muttered to himself.

"Will the first wave of doomsday climate disasters be extreme heat?"

He clicked on the article about the Antarctic glaciers and watched footage of massive ice chunks collapsing into the ocean. A chill ran down his spine.

One of the primary reasons Su Wu had chosen to build his shelter in the central mainland was to avoid potential tsunamis and rising sea levels. Factors like geological stability and affordable land were secondary.

Now, it seemed his decision had been spot on. At least in his location, he wasn't likely to be at ground zero when the apocalypse hit, giving him more time to prepare.

"How many people in those coastal cities will survive, I wonder," Su Wu mused.

Another news article loaded, featuring a photo of waves crashing against a seawall while children played nearby. He could almost smell the death in the air, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Had it not been for the warnings from his survival system, Su Wu might have been just another ordinary coastal resident, oblivious to the impending doom.

After finishing the news, Su Wu opened a messaging app.

A few days ago, he had joined several online groups for survival enthusiasts to gather tips for planning his shelter. The discussions had been surprisingly helpful.

One group's conversation caught his attention.

A user named "Chen Xin" was clearly frightened by the news about the Antarctic melt and was considering transferring to an inland school. Most of the responses, however, were dismissive, mocking Chen Xin for overreacting.

Although many group members fancied themselves doomsday enthusiasts, few truly believed an apocalypse was imminent. For them, making drastic life changes over an uncertain future seemed absurd.

"Better check how many goods are already under government control in the market," Su Wu typed in response. "Leaving the coast early is actually a wise decision."

After sending his reply, Su Wu ignored the flood of opposing opinions that followed and closed the group chat, turning his attention back to his game.

It was only two sentences. If they could save a life, so be it. If the person was too foolish to act on the advice, Su Wu wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

In the apocalypse, the survival of human civ

ilization itself was uncertain. One ignorant individual more or less wouldn't make much difference.