Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

August 19th, afternoon.

The surface temperature continued to drop, reaching 32 degrees Celsius. This was now within a normal range.

Many shelters fully opened their gates, allowing residents to step outside and enjoy the long-lost freedom of the expansive outdoors. For the first time in years, some places in the city ruins even became crowded.

This influx of activity caused traffic jams in some areas. Transporting goods or simply heading out for leisure became a challenge as single-lane roads, hastily cleared by construction vehicles under extreme heat, could no longer meet the demand. Traffic congestion, a long-forgotten annoyance, made its unexpected return.

In the underground second-floor control center of the Farmhouse Shelter, Su Wu spent the entire day managing affairs related to Jingyuan Shelter.

A massive underground shelter with a population exceeding 300,000 brought complexities far beyond imagination. With the help of AI and the Chen sisters, Su Wu spent over ten hours stabilizing the situation.

He restructured the temporary security teams into an official guard force with 1,500 personnel. Using the shelter's original internal departments as a framework, Su Wu reinstated key personnel to resume daily operations.

However, he remained cautious about delegating authority. Neither the security teams nor the internal departments were allowed decision-making power. Their roles were strictly limited to recording, recommending, and executing instructions. All decisions were handed over to the AI.

While this approach resulted in rigidity and occasional mistakes, it largely ensured fairness and minimized corruption or misuse of power. Consequently, the shelter avoided significant internal conflicts or unrest.

Once a basic governance structure was established, Su Wu prioritized repairing and expanding surveillance systems. He ensured all public spaces were monitored, requiring residents to carry smartphones. For those without phones, he distributed monitoring wristbands.

This process mirrored the earlier integration of the Qingning Shelter. With AI able to directly issue commands to individuals through smartphones and wristbands, order improved noticeably, and productivity surged. Factories, farms, and other facilities resumed operation.

Yet, as Jingyuan Shelter regained stability, a new issue emerged—insufficient AI computing power.

From industrial production and resource transportation to military command and managing every aspect of the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, all operations relied heavily on the AI.

Under the enormous demand, the supercomputer-level laptop upgraded through survival points and the tactical computer from the micro-mech struggled to keep up.

"Time to upgrade computing power again," Su Wu muttered.

This was no simple task. Despite producing mid-tier chips and accumulating over 10,000 top-tier intelligent chips through conquest and trade, Su Wu's combined resources still fell short of the upgraded laptop's computing power.

To match the supercomputer-level laptop's power would require 50,000 top-tier intelligent chips. However, even more problematic was energy consumption—those chips would require 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour.

Including the Qingning Shelter's ten 600-kilowatt thermal generators, Su Wu's power generation couldn't meet such demands.

In contrast, the upgraded laptop only consumed 100 kilowatt-hours per hour, making it 100 times more efficient.

"45 survival points will add computing power equivalent to three supercomputers," Su Wu decided after some deliberation.

Upgrading AI computing power through survival points yielded consistent results—15 points per supercomputer-level equivalent—unchanged from his earliest upgrades.

This upgrade reduced Su Wu's survival points from a three-digit figure to just 95.

With increased computing power, Su Wu was finally able to step back from Jingyuan Shelter's immediate issues.

He turned his attention to assessing the spoils of the recent battle.

As a massive underground city, Jingyuan Shelter's resources left Su Wu awestruck. Coal reserves alone exceeded one million tons, momentarily making him doubt his own eyes.

Oil, steel, and cement reserves were also measured in tens of thousands of tons. In addition, Su Wu discovered half a ton of gold in Yang Zhaopeng's personal vault.

This gold alone could be converted into nuclear fuel for power generation, equivalent to millions of tons of coal.

"This is real wealth," Su Wu marveled.

The resources he painstakingly accumulated until now paled in comparison to this single victory.

These newfound riches offered opportunities for accelerated development. However, despite these advantages, Su Wu briefly considered relocating his main base to Jingyuan Shelter, with its vast and superior facilities.

Unfortunately, the survival system appeared permanently bound to the Farmhouse Shelter. No matter how Su Wu experimented, he coul

dn't find a way to transfer its functions.

--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!