Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

After clearing out resistance near the fourth-level stronghold, the machine dog units continued their downward advance, ultimately reaching the eighth level—the floor directly above the command center.

Here, they encountered unexpected obstacles.

Instead of concrete and rock, they faced several meters of alloyed metal, impervious to conventional explosives.

"Deploy thermite," Su Wu ordered, adjusting the approach.

Even then, the progress was too slow for his liking. He summoned a valuable engineering robot equipped with a high-frequency oscillation cutting blade to accelerate the breach.

The loud and methodical operations soon alerted those inside the command center below.

A large contingent of Jingyuan security forces swarmed toward the eighth-level construction site. This time, they brought substantial heavy weaponry and armored vehicles, raising the intensity of the firefight.

"Retreat and deploy high-yield explosives," Su Wu commanded decisively, abandoning direct confrontation.

The engineering robot and machine dog units withdrew in an orderly fashion, leaving behind a massive cache of delayed explosives.

Two minutes later, an explosion of staggering magnitude rocked the eighth level. The shockwave was so powerful that even the first level, over 100 meters above, visibly trembled.

Everything near the blast zone was obliterated. Heavily armored security personnel, tank crews, and their vehicles were all annihilated in the fiery onslaught.

"Resume excavation," Su Wu instructed after confirming the area was clear.

The return of the machine dog units and engineering robot to the site created tremors that resonated through the metal floor, sending waves of panic throughout the command center below.

"Damn it," Yang Chaopeng growled, slumping in his chair, gasping for breath.

The rhythmic cutting noise above felt like the footsteps of death creeping closer, an unrelenting reminder of their imminent demise.

"Does anyone have a plan to stall them?" he demanded, desperation creeping into his voice. "What's the word from the officials? Why haven't they stopped this yet?"

Yang's hopeful gaze swept across the command center, but all he saw were lowered heads.

Their last elite force had perished in the recent explosion.

As for the official refuge, while their responses had been encouraging, urging Jingyuan to "hold on just a bit longer," anyone with a shred of sense could see that help was unlikely to come.

"Fine," Yang Chaopeng sneered, a twisted grin briefly flashing across his face, revealing a man at his wits' end.

"If no one has a solution, then no one gets out alive."

His eyes locked onto a red button encased in glass on the control panel. Reaching out, he prepared to flip the safety cover and press the button.

A single gunshot rang out.

A bullet seemingly came out of nowhere and pierced Yang Chaopeng's forehead.

His body froze, then collapsed lifelessly onto the console.

The remaining command center personnel turned toward the source of the shot.

A young security officer stood trembling, his smoking automatic rifle pointed downward.

"I don't want to die," the young man stammered, his voice cracking with fear.

Minutes later, with Yang Chaopeng dead, resistance across Jingyuan Refuge began to crumble.

Unit after unit of security personnel laid down their arms and surrendered under the command center's final orders.

The massive underground kingdom of Jingyuan Refuge, home to over 300,000 people, finally capitulated to Su Wu's forces, three hours after the assault began.

---

At the surface, with logistical operations moved inside Jingyuan Refuge, Su Wu's vehicles had largely disappeared from sight.

Observers from various factions, emboldened by the apparent lull, began cautiously approaching the breach to assess the situation.

Meanwhile, a growing armed force was assembling nearby—a coalition of troops sent by the alliance Jingyuan Refuge had previously cobbled together.

However, faced with Su Wu's overwhelming firepower, these reinforcements dared not intervene. They bided their time, awaiting further support.

"Commander Yang, it's all up to you now," one alliance member said.

"Our forces are mostly militias. They're good for show, but when it comes to actual combat, we'll need your team to take the lead."

In the center of a large convoy, inside a massive eight-wheeled armored command vehicle, several men of imposing demeanor conversed in low tones.

Among them were senior leaders of large refuges, seasoned security chiefs, and a burly man in military uniform built like a bear.

"Relax," the man addressed as Commander Yang replied confidently.

"Our weapons and tactics are as professional as they come. Per our agreement with your superiors, the spoils of this battle are yours to divide. We only need enough supplies to continue north."

This muscular man led an armed group originating from the coastal regions. Along the way, they had looted several abandoned military bases, amassing an arsenal of advanced weapons.

Their team looked every bit like a regular military unit, with full combat gear for every member and over thirty operational military vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Compared to them, the civilian-led factions of Jianghe City's refuges seemed vastly inferior.

Yet despite his outward confidence, Commander Yang harbored deep anxieties.

After all, beneath the surface of their well-equipped appearance, his group was essentially a band of marauders.

Their proficiency with even slightly advanced equipment was rudi

mentary at best, let alone their ability to execute complex combat strategies.

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