Chapter 15: Unlocking New Facilities  

  The only slight downside was not finding a suitable generator. Although the electric grid could be set up, the power supply for the shelter was clearly insufficient.

  "Dad, do you know where we can get a generator?"

  Lin's father, who was anxiously opening a pack of cigarettes, placed one in his mouth. The long-lost scent of tobacco instantly eased his tense mood.

  "A generator, huh? Our workplace might still have a few. Why do you need a generator?"

  Lin Cheng pointed to the electric grid on the ground. "Dad, don't you remember a while ago when two people almost found our shelter?"

  "Now that the shelter has a ground-level structure, if we don't take some protective measures at the entrance, I'm worried that some people might target our shelter."

  Hearing this, Lin's father took the matter seriously as well. "You're right. This problem does need to be addressed."

  "But our workplace is quite far from here, and it's in the city. With those monsters roaming outside, it might not be safe to go now, right?"

  Lin Cheng laughed and said, "When I was out looking for supplies today, I found that those monsters had disappeared."

  "And I met an expert who told me that these monsters won't appear in large numbers again anytime soon."

  "Even if we run into one or two, with our shooting skills, we should be able to handle them, right?"

  In reality, there was no expert.

  Lin Cheng had made it up to rationalize his future knowledge.

  Lin's father laughed heartily, wearing a confident smile. "Your old man's shooting skills are as sharp as ever!"

  Lin's mother couldn't help but interject, "Yeah, yeah, your sharp shooting. You shot my target instead of yours!"

  "Sure, you hit the bullseye, but it wasn't even your target!"

  Hearing this, Lin's father blushed. "It doesn't matter whose target it was, hitting the bullseye means the shot was accurate!"

  "Nonsense! With your tendency to shoot in the wrong direction, I wouldn't trust you to handle a gun in the field."

  Watching his parents bicker, Lin Cheng didn't feel annoyed. Instead, he found it comforting and heartwarming.

  He wished for scenes like this to last a lifetime.

  "Cheng, when do you plan to head to the workplace to find the generator?"

  Lin Cheng thought for a moment and looked at the gradually darkening sky. "Tomorrow. We'll set out early in the morning."

  "It's getting late now, and visibility at night isn't great. If we run into those monsters, it'll be hard to deal with them."

  Lin's father nodded in agreement. Heading out at night wasn't a good idea; it was better to stay in the shelter.

  Even though the electric grid wasn't powered yet, they still needed to set it up. Lin's mother stood nearby, keeping watch for any danger while the father and son busied themselves.

  After a long while, they finally finished. Looking at the newly installed electric grid, Lin Cheng felt the shelter seemed much safer.

  After moving all the cigarettes, liquor, drinks, and snacks into the shelter, a system notification sound was triggered again.

  "Ding! Survival resources in the shelter have increased: Jiang Dabai Liquor * 2 boxes, 20 experience points awarded!"

  "Ding! Survival resources in the shelter have increased: Huazi Cigarettes * 3 boxes, 30 experience points awarded!"

  "Ding! Survival resources in the shelter have increased: Cola * 3 boxes, 30 experience points awarded!"

  "Ding! Survival resources in the shelter have increased: Unknown Snacks * 2, 20 experience points awarded!"

  The total experience points from all the newly added supplies reached exactly 100, upgrading the shelter to Level 4!

  "Ding! Shelter level up! Current shelter level: 4!"

  "Ding! Medium-sized Weapon Research Base has unlocked five new weapons!"

  "Ding! Two new buildable facilities have been unlocked for the shelter!"

  [Current shelter level: 4]

  [Shelter area: 1600 square meters]

  [Shelter facilities: 4 cm thick nuclear-grade walls, Small Mineral Extraction Research Institute, Medium Weapon Research Base]

  [Experience required for next level: 0/2000]

  "Ding! The horizontal expansion of the shelter has reached 800 square meters. Would you like to continue expanding the shelter horizontally?"

  Lin Cheng decisively chose no. The current horizontal size of the shelter was large enough.

  If it expanded further without enough resources to fill it, it would feel empty and hollow.

  It would be better to dig downward for now. Expanding both horizontally and vertically would ensure the shelter's structural stability.

  The two newly unlocked facilities were a Life Detection Device and a Vehicle Factory.

  Unfortunately, he didn't have enough experience points to unlock them yet.

  As for the five new weapons unlocked in the Medium Weapon Research Base, Lin Cheng was quite interested.

  The drone had two new branches: a Combat Drone and a Suicide Drone.

  As the name suggests, the Combat Drone possessed combat capabilities and could fire bullets via remote control.

  The Suicide Drone was similar to the Micro Suicide Truck, both relying on self-detonation to deal damage.

  The advantage of the Suicide Drone was that it could bomb targets from any angle, making it much more flexible than the Micro Suicide Truck.

  In addition, three new pieces of equipment were introduced: the Gatling Gun, Sticky Remote-Controlled C4, and an Infrared Detection Helmet.

  Each piece of equipment would greatly enhance the shelter at this stage!

  Lin Cheng lay contentedly on his bed. His once aimless thoughts had now crystallized into a clear plan for his next tasks.

  And all these tasks boiled down to one goal.

  Gaining experience points!

  ...

  ...

  When Lin Cheng re-entered the city this time, he noticed that survivors had started appearing on the streets.

  These survivors moved in small groups of three to five, their faces clearly showing signs of exhaustion, as if they hadn't rested properly in a long time.

  Lin Cheng pressed down harder on the gas pedal, increasing the car's speed.

  Lin's father initially looked surprised, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

  Traffic rules no longer applied, and no one cared about the city's speed limits anymore.

  If they didn't move quickly, the generators at his father's workplace might get snatched by someone else.

  After all, they weren't the only ones left alive in this apocalypse. The people roaming the streets were also out searching for supplies.

  These survivors, while sharing the same fate, were also competitors. Until a final reckoning occurred, the total amount of food was fixed.

  One person's gain was another's loss.