Chapter 11: Rapid Development

Lin Cheng could even smell the distinct scent of blood in the air!

Seizing this perfect opportunity, Lin Cheng quickly withdrew from the urban area. Based on his memory, he found the vehicle he had hidden earlier and rushed back to the shelter as fast as he could.

It wasn't until he entered the shelter that Lin Cheng finally felt some relief.

When his parents saw that Lin Cheng had returned safely, they were naturally very happy. They pulled him aside, asking questions and expressing their concern about the situation outside.

"Xiaocheng, how are things outside now?"

Seeing the expectant expressions on his parents' faces, Lin Cheng didn't hide the truth and responded honestly, "I took a look at the city. The only way to describe it now is 'desolate.'"

"That place has probably been overrun by monsters. There's no safe area left for us to go for now."

Although they had expected this, having their fears confirmed still made it hard to accept.

Lin Cheng's parents were somewhat disappointed. They had never experienced the Great Reckoning themselves, so they couldn't comprehend its cruelty. They still clung to a tiny thread of hope for the peaceful life they once knew.

Lin Cheng had brought back 5,000 kg of refined iron, and of course, he couldn't just let it sit in the system's inventory. He immediately entered the weapons research base.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for achieving the milestone 'Small Reserves': Refined iron reserves have reached 100 kg!"

"Reward: A surface building with the same area as the shelter, 1:1!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for achieving the milestone 'Abundant Reserves': Refined iron reserves have reached 1,000 kg!"

"Reward: A nuclear-blast-resistant durable security door!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for achieving the milestone 'Iron Baron': Refined iron reserves have reached 5,000 kg!"

"Reward: Upgrade all shelter walls to nuclear-blast-resistant durability!"

As the system notifications of completed achievements and rewards kept coming, Lin Cheng felt his sense of security multiply.

Previously, he had planned to construct buildings on the surface only after his development was mature enough.

Now, the achievements had directly rewarded him with a surface building that matched the size of the underground shelter! 

The nuclear-blast-resistant walls and security doors wouldn't be easily breached by regular mutant creatures. As long as they didn't encounter disaster-level mutants, the shelter's defenses were impenetrable!

Lin Cheng wasn't just reveling in joy; there were still important tasks to finish—namely, turning the refined iron he had collected into usable tools and equipment.

He used 5 kg of refined iron to manufacture reconnaissance drones.

He created 10 of them immediately, consuming 50 kg of refined iron!

Next, he used 0.5 kg of refined iron to produce sensor mines.

He made 100 of those, consuming another 50 kg!

With 10 kg of refined iron, he built self-destruct trucks.

He immediately made 50 of them, consuming 500 kg!

Using 5 kg of refined iron, he produced RPK machine guns.

Lin Cheng made three of them since only he and his parents could operate guns for now. Making more would be a waste.

There would be many more opportunities to use refined iron in the future. As the Great Reckoning progressed, the risks of going out would increase significantly. Lin Cheng had no intention of going out unless absolutely necessary.

Besides making three RPK machine guns, Lin Cheng also manufactured plenty of bullets, ensuring enough firepower to last for a while.

For handguns, Lin Cheng opted for the more powerful Desert Eagle this time, along with plenty of ammunition.

He made three Desert Eagles in total, one for each of them, to go along with the RPK machine guns.

The total consumption for all guns and ammo amounted to 100 kg of refined iron.

Out of the 5,000 kg of refined iron, only 700 kg had been used after this round of production.

The shelter still had 4,300 kg of refined iron in reserve!

Reaching these achievements not only provided various rewards but also significantly boosted the shelter's experience points.

The shelter's experience bar was now at [600/1000], just 400 points away from leveling up again!

Mastering firearm use wasn't something that happened overnight, so Lin Cheng spent 100 experience points to create a shooting training room.

In the training room, any targets destroyed could be recreated by consuming more refined iron.

As long as there was enough refined iron, the targets could theoretically be replenished indefinitely.

Lin Cheng took three machine guns and three Desert Eagles out of the weapons research base and handed two of the guns to his parents.

In the Great Reckoning, not knowing how to use firearms was equivalent to being defenseless. If something unexpected happened, it would be a death sentence.

"Xiaocheng... where did you get these guns?" 

Lin Cheng's parents had been honest, law-abiding people all their lives. They had never even seen a gun, let alone used one.

Lin Cheng couldn't exactly tell his parents that these guns were created through his system, so he made up a quick excuse.

"I found these guns while scavenging outside today. There might be monsters near the shelter, so these will help us defend ourselves."

"This..." Lin Cheng's parents stared at the large RPK machine gun on the ground, at a loss for what to do.

The heavy, iron contraption in their hands felt unwieldy, and they had no idea how to use it.

"The shelter has a shooting training room. You should also learn to use these handguns. They might come in handy later."

With Lin Cheng's urging, his parents hesitantly entered the shooting training room. The system-created room was even equipped with safety goggles and noise-canceling earplugs.

The earplugs were necessary to prevent hearing damage from prolonged exposure to gunfire during training.

At first, the training progress was slow, but as time passed, his parents gradually got the hang of handling the firearms. Even their aim improved rapidly, while Lin Cheng also took the opportunity to practice alongside them.

Although Lin Cheng had some knowledge of firearms, practicing more certainly wouldn't hurt.

After completing their training, the three of them sat down at the dinner table for a simple meal.

Lin Cheng casually mentioned the surface building above the shelter, causing his parents to exchange confused looks.

"A surface building? We didn't build anything like that!"

Lin Cheng decided to play dumb as well. "I noticed it when I was driving back today. It looks pretty sturdy too. After dinner, let's all go check it out together."