Su Wu switched the console screen back to the convoy in Jianghe City and continued directing the road-clearing operation.
More than two hours later, feeling a bit drowsy, he finally paused the tedious work and decided to get some rest.
At this point, the official records showed that Su Wu's shelter had accumulated 3,500 contribution points, placing it in the top 10 of all participating shelters.
The next morning, Su Wu woke up to a clear and ethereal singing voice.
He didn't rush to get up. Instead, he closed his eyes and quietly listened to the soothing melody that seemed to cleanse his soul. After a long while, he reluctantly got out of bed, washed up, and made his way through the corridor to the control center.
Standing in the vast silver-toned hall, Su Wu, still immersed in the lingering tranquility of the song, suddenly felt a sense of detachment.
"It seems I've been inside the shelter for too long… I'm starting to develop psychological issues."
"Maybe I should consider building an artificial garden to clear my mind."
After all, his daily activities were confined to the living area and the control center—less than 300 square meters in total.
Even with central air conditioning and enhanced air purifiers maintaining optimal temperature and air quality, isolation could still take a toll on his mental state.
If these emotions had no outlet, they wouldn't simply disappear. Instead, they would accumulate over time, becoming a serious hidden danger.
Su Wu stood there in a daze for a moment before shaking his head and pushing aside the inexplicable thought.
He sat down at the control console and checked the shelter's log.
Nothing unusual had occurred overnight. However, with the special transport vehicle operating continuously, the sand and gravel stockpile above the shelter had grown into a small mountain. There was no longer any risk of a shortage for the foreseeable future.
In Jianghe City, without Su Wu's direct oversight, the cleanup team's efficiency had dropped significantly.
They had managed to clear a nearly 100-meter-long passage through debris piled four to five meters high. While the workload seemed substantial, the actual contribution points earned were pitifully low.
As a result, Su Wu's shelter, which had been in the top ten before he went to sleep, had now fallen out of the top 20.
"Do they not rest at all?"
Checking the surveillance feeds, Su Wu saw that excavators and bulldozers from other shelters were still working tirelessly.
A little thought was enough to understand why.
Unlike Su Wu, most shelters—whether official or private—were overcrowded. With an excess of manpower, they could rotate workers for maximum efficiency. Even casualties were considered beneficial, as they reduced the shelter's resource burden.
After some consideration, Su Wu suspended the second special transport vehicle's sand and gravel collection task and reassigned it to the urban cleanup effort.
They already had more than enough material, with no space left for additional stockpiles. If another storm hit, any excess resources would be wasted. It was better to put the vehicle to work in the city instead.
Ten minutes later, the newly built special transport vehicle arrived at the cleanup site.
Under the precise control of artificial intelligence, the two professional construction vehicles worked tirelessly to clear debris with remarkable efficiency.
Before long, Su Wu's shelter's contribution points began rising rapidly, pushing it toward the top three.
By the afternoon, as Su Wu finished lunch and sat before the console once again, the shelter's total contribution points had surpassed 10,000—second only to the leading medium-sized shelter.
"Owen Shelter…"
Su Wu glanced at the name of the shelter ranked first. It seemed familiar. After some thought, he recalled hearing about it in the local channel.
The Owen Shelter was originally a generic drug manufacturing plant notorious for exploiting its workers. It was also rumored to have connections to organized crime, employing a number of thugs.
"They never made any trouble during peacetime…"
"But now—"
Su Wu frowned, unwilling to imagine what life was like for the ordinary people trapped inside the Owen Shelter.
Modern-day slavery?
Shaking his head, he sighed and pushed the disturbing thoughts aside.
In the apocalypse, there were too many people suffering. He couldn't afford to sympathize with everyone—surviving on his own was already difficult enough.
"That said, since Owen Shelter has ties to organized crime, they're probably used to throwing their weight around."
"They definitely won't tolerate anyone threatening their dominance."
"I'll have to be careful around them."
Adjusting his mindset, Su Wu began analyzing the relationship between his shelter and Owen Shelter.
It wasn't paranoia—he had to assume the worst-case scenario.
Given the current efficiency of his two special transport vehicles, it wouldn't be long before his contribution points surpassed Owen Shelter's.
The difference between first and second place was a full 10,000 contribution points—a reward too substantial to ignore.
If he wasn't careful, the Owen Shelter might take extreme measures to maintain their lead.
Feeling a growing sense of unease, Su Wu immediately pulled up the shelter's weapons inventory.
He still remembered the last time his large truck had been ambushed.
At present, his arsenal contained:
Two K2-series agricultural drones equipped with rocket launch slots Ten folding gun platforms Two automatic rifles 4,000 rounds of ammunition
If deployed strategically, this firepower was enough to fight off a small group of bandits.
"Not enough."
"I need more."
These weapons had been prepared to deal with minor threats—small gangs of thugs, not a well-organized, medium-sized shelter with thousands of inhabitants.
It wasn't enough to feel secure.
In a worst-case scenario, even if he used up all his ammunition, he might still be overwhelmed.
Of course, if a conflict did break out, he could request help from the authorities.
But there was always a chance of delays—or worse, complete indifference.
If that happened, he would have no choice but to rely on himself.