What Su Wu referred to as a nuclear power plant could obviously not be a controllable nuclear fusion reactor; it was simply an ordinary nuclear power plant using a fission reactor. The former was a symbol of entering interstellar civilization, representing nearly limitless energy.
Although there had been rumors before the apocalypse that a laboratory in Federal America had completed a breakthrough and was about to usher in the era of interstellar exploration, an official announcement confirming this was never made, and its credibility was questionable.
As someone truly capable of initiating such research, Su Wu knew the immense difficulty involved. Without a spiritual investment in the five-digit range, along with astronomical amounts of conventional research resources, there was basically no chance of success. This was a research project far beyond what he could afford at the moment.
As a result, a more practical choice was to build an ordinary nuclear power plant.
With the golden balance obtained from completing a golden mission and the gold and silver collected from various shelters throughout Jianghe City, the raw materials required for the nuclear plant's construction were not a concern.
As for the construction details, there were reference materials available in the AI's database. The difficulty in restoring the design was not great.
---
"The biggest concern now," Su Wu murmured, "is the construction site."
Ordinary nuclear plants had significant pollution issues. A small mistake could lead to a disaster, such as an earthquake causing the reactor to explode. This kind of hazardous infrastructure couldn't be placed directly at the main base.
However, placing it too far away posed its own challenges, including security concerns and potential increases in energy transmission costs, which also carried considerable risks.
Scanning the map of Jianghe City, Su Wu carefully examined it for a moment.
Finally, he selected a small abandoned shelter 15 kilometers to the northwest of the Farm Shelter, located at the foot of a mountain that had been completely abandoned due to a virus infection. This would serve as the site for the nuclear plant.
Fifteen kilometers was neither too close nor too far. With the capability of the micro shield tunneling machine, they could begin excavating from both sides, and within five days, a supply transport tunnel could be established between the Farm Shelter and the nuclear plant.
The daily transport costs would not be significant, and in case of danger, maintenance teams or robot squads from the Farm Shelter would be able to arrive within 15 minutes to prevent the situation from worsening.
---
"We still have enough time," Su Wu mused. "Let's start both the infrastructure and research at the same time. The goal is to complete the nuclear power plant in half a month."
---
Above ground, near the exit of the Zhou Xiwu Shelter, compared to the Jingyuan Shelter, which had almost been completely submerged by floodwaters, much of the area remained above the water due to the higher terrain.
However, due to the relative ease of the environment, its waterproofing measures were not as perfect as those of the Jingyuan Shelter, so they had to send some robots and workers to the surface for repairs.
Shen Kai tightened his raincoat, holding a high-powered waterproof lamp as he walked along the newly constructed embankment in the heavy rain. His job was simple: to check for cracks in the embankment and monitor the water level.
However, the surrounding darkness and the occasional glimpses of ruins at the edge of his light added an eerie pressure to this otherwise straightforward task. It was a chilling feeling.
Despite the unease, Shen Kai reached the temporary rest point. The bright lights and loud voices there quickly dispelled his anxiety, and he sighed deeply, feeling like he had returned home.
"How was it out there? Did you feel more relaxed?" a worker who was replacing Shen Kai for the shift joked.
Shen Kai had volunteered to go out because the shelter was too crowded, and it had become a bit of a local gossip.
"I was more scared than relaxed," Shen Kai replied with a wry smile, not hiding his frustration. "I might as well have stayed in the shelter and played games."
"Come on, have some soup and rest for a bit. Think about it—working outside means more subsidies. Not too bad, right?"
The worker patted Shen Kai on the shoulder and turned to continue his patrol on the embankment.
Shen Kai took off his raincoat, grabbed a plastic bowl from a nearby basket, and poured some hot ginger soup from a large thermos. The seasoned soup tasted good, and after drinking it, the chill in his body was greatly alleviated.
This was one of the perks they got for working outside, much better than the tasteless food usually served in the shelter.
Just then, a faint rumbling sound cut through the rain and reached Shen Kai's ears. It didn't sound like ordinary thunder.
Shen Kai quickly checked his phone. Seeing no new alerts other than the work log, he relaxed. If there were a problem, the AI would have issued a warning right away.
Since there was no alert, it was nothing to worry about. He continued working peacefully.
---
Ten kilometers away, at the edge of the city in the flooded area, a massive fleet slowly approached the urban center of Jianghe City.
This fleet consisted of large cruise ships, inland transport ships, and fishing boats, all of them battered by various hard objects during the journey, their surfaces showing signs of wear and tear.
However, despite their ragged appearance, the armored vehicles displayed on the decks and the long, water-proofed cannon barrels exuded a cold, menacing aura, clearly indicating that they were no ordinary fleet.
On the largest cruise ship, in the captain's cabin, several officers in Federal military uniforms withdrew their gaze from the horizon and turned toward the highest-ranking person in the room, who wore the insignia of a senior colonel.
"Sir, are we really going to settle here?" asked a lieutenant colonel, voicing his concern.
"We can't go any further," the senior officer replied. "We just received some news indicating that there
's a very dangerous virus outbreak ahead. It's too risky for us to move forward."