Chapter 11: Shelter Data Analysis

【Congratulations! Received: 30kW Diesel Generator (Blue) ×1, Diesel (Blue) ×20L, Battery (Blue) ×2】

“Wait… a generator?!”

A spark of surprise flickered in Chen Zhuo’s eyes. He hadn’t expected to leap from the Stone Age straight into the Electric Age this fast.

Electricity meant he could build far more advanced facilities—raise his quality of life, maybe even carve out a tiny oasis of civilization in this wasteland.

Sure, right now there wasn’t a single piece of furniture that needed power—but those would come eventually, through looting monsters or trading with survivors.

Power was the future. And Chen Zhuo wasn’t about to believe that some stone shack could survive the next apocalypse. If it were that easy, everyone would just hole up in caves and call it a day. Why bother building shelters at all?

At minimum, extreme cold or scorching heat? Comfortable survival would require geothermal heating and air conditioning—devices powered by electricity. That’s why generators, as sources of energy, had always ranked among the top survival essentials in Chen Zhuo’s mind.

But all that was for later. Right now, the real priority was digging out the shelter.

With only three days left until the acid rain ended, he planned to make the most of every second—carving a mountain refuge far larger than the crude stone hut he’d started with.

“Honestly, I was worried about cave-ins before. Now? With the system upgraded, that’s no longer an issue.”

……

**December 9th**
**Temperature: 19°C**

Fifth day of the acid rain.

For five straight days, Chen Zhuo had been digging nonstop—mining, chiseling, sweating. And just as the rain began to taper off, he’d carved out a full three-room, one-living-room hideout.

He never thought he’d fulfill the deep-rooted Chinese obsession with housing so quickly—on Earth, it had remained a dream. But here, in the post-apocalyptic wilds, less than a week in, he’d already built himself a home.

“System,” he called out, pride swelling in his chest. “Come take a look at my place.”

*Beep.*
**[Detection: Man-made mine.]**

“What the hell is ‘man-made mine’? This is my *shelter*, not some abandoned quarry!”
“And I didn’t summon you to roast me—I need data analysis, not sarcasm.”

*Beep.*
**[Detection: Shelter.]**
**[Shelter Evaluation: 100 sqm, rudimentary mountain shelter. Interior lacks structural support—prone to collapse at any moment. Decorated in the aesthetic of a bombed-out Syrian apartment complex. Aesthetic: hauntingly beautiful… in a ‘dying in agony’ kind of way.]**

“You’re still at it?!”

Chen Zhuo’s face flushed red. He pointed at the screen, grinding out each word through clenched teeth.

Okay, sure—it was basic. Barely more than a hole in the rock. But it had taken him five days of backbreaking labor to get here. And despite how harsh the critique was, he couldn’t argue with the truth.

“So… what do I do?”

His tone carried resignation. His shelter wasn’t perfect—but it was the best he could manage right now.

*Beep.*
**[Analyzing shelter structure and environmental conditions.]**

The system’s voice returned—calmer, more precise this time.

**[Analysis Results: Structural instability detected. Recommend reinforcing walls and ceiling using steel-reinforced concrete.]**
**[Additionally, for comfort and practicality: install ventilation system, lighting, and basic living amenities.]**

Chen Zhuo frowned. All of this sounded great—but it required insane amounts of resources and time. Sure, the upgrades were necessary. But right now? He didn’t have the materials. Not even close.

Concrete? Maybe.
Steel rebar? Where the hell was he supposed to find that?

Just wait it out until the disaster ends?

Fine. He couldn’t afford it yet—but he could still learn.

“Alright,” he said, pressing forward. “So what exactly should I do?”

*Beep.*
**[Suggested Upgrade Plan:]**
- **Structural Reinforcement:** Use stone and concrete to reinforce walls and ceiling. Add steel rebar within walls to improve load-bearing capacity.
- **Ventilation System:** Install intake and exhaust vents at top and bottom of shelter to ensure airflow and prevent toxic gas buildup.
- **Lighting:** Install LED fixtures for consistent, low-power illumination.
- **Living Facilities:** Designate a basic kitchen area with cooking and food storage space. Include a small bathroom with composting toilet and简易 shower setup.

Chen Zhuo skimmed the list. Honestly? It wasn’t *that* impossible. Aside from steel and LEDs, most of the rest he could start on right now.

“System,” he asked, “if I implemented all of this using happiness points—how many would it cost?”

*Calculating...*
**[Total: 864 happiness points. Includes materials (stone, concrete, steel, LEDs), labor for tunneling ventilation shafts, and construction of composting toilet and simple shower.]**

“Wait… not *that* expensive?”

With only 100 happiness points in hand, Chen Zhuo felt a little giddy. An upgrade costing under a thousand points? Feels almost cheap.

But he hadn’t realized yet—this was just the *baseline* improvement plan. Designed to make life *more livable*, not survivable.

To truly withstand the next apocalypse—storms, radiation, firestorms—the requirements would be orders of magnitude harder.

Still, Chen Zhuo really wanted to dig out the kitchen and bathroom zones *now*.
But no way. Not until the walls were reinforced with steel-concrete. The system had already flagged danger. Digging further without support? That was suicide.

Right now, his biggest wish was for the acid rain to stop—so he could finally go hunting.

Most raw materials he couldn’t extract from the ground? They’d likely drop from monster corpses in loot crates.

With nothing urgent to do, Chen Zhuo decided to focus on organizing everything he’d gathered over the past few days.

- Sewing kit ×1
- Fever reducer ×2
- Cold medicine ×3
- Bandages ×1
- First aid kit ×1
- Copper ×4
- Cloth ×8
- Rubber ×6
- Cotton ×5
- Upholstered sofa blueprint
- Iron pot blueprint
- Simple stove blueprint ×1
- Wooden ladder blueprint ×1
- Hunting bow blueprint ×1
- Rainwater collector blueprint ×1
- Stainless steel water tank blueprint ×1
- Trap (animal) blueprint ×1

He stared at the pile—wildly varied, chaotic, but full of potential.

First things first: medical supplies. Then raw materials. Then blueprints.

- **Sewing kit**: For emergency wound stitching—essential for wilderness survival.
- **Fever reducer**: To combat high fevers.
- **Cold medicine**: Treats common cold symptoms—cough, congestion, etc.
- **Bandages**: Prevent infection by covering wounds.
- **First aid kit**: Contains disinfectant, gauze, and other essentials—perfect for minor injuries.

Chen Zhuo arranged the medical supplies neatly in one of the bedrooms. Safety first—he’d need them fast if something went wrong.

Then came the raw materials—copper, cloth, rubber, cotton—piled into the same room.

It wasn’t fit to live in yet. But for now, it served perfectly as his makeshift warehouse.