Chapter 10: The First Sign of Doomsday

A sense of unease permeated both the real world and the internet.

Central East Continent, Jianghe City suburbs.

Su Wu, ensconced in his bedroom, browsed various online forums. The evacuation of tens of millions had clearly captured official attention, and information that had previously been tightly controlled was now circulating more freely. Su Wu even came across several internal federal disaster investigation reports. These reports confirmed that within the next month to six weeks, the global average temperature would soar above 60 degrees Celsius, potentially reaching a scorching 100 degrees. The Earth's surface would soon become uninhabitable for ordinary people.

"At least a month left," he thought. This wasn't exactly good news, but it wasn't terrible either. Having a clear deadline was better than facing the unknown. Su Wu estimated that the second and third underground levels of his shelter should be completed by then, making it ready for occupancy. A sense of relief washed over him.

With the shelter's construction progressing smoothly under the supervision of the engineering team and the AI, Su Wu found himself with some downtime. His primary tasks now were managing external trades and gathering information. He decided to check the Doomsday chat group.

The group was abuzz, like an anthill suddenly disturbed. Dozens of new messages poured in every second. Members chimed in, expressing their shock and opinions about the mass evacuation. Amidst the initial flurry of excitement, however, some useful posts emerged. Su Wu noticed several individuals, likely shelter owners themselves, trying to acquire scarce resources. As expected, with the impending doomsday scenario becoming increasingly apparent, bartering had largely replaced cash transactions.

"Plenty of excavators around Jianghe City, also electric picks and hammers," one post read. "Trading for steel, rubber, and food. DM for details."

This caught Su Wu's eye. He was in Jianghe City and had the means to produce excavators. Steel, crucial for shelter construction and manufacturing, was a strategic resource he could never have enough of. Intrigued, he sent a private message to the poster.

"Are you interested in micro excavators?" he asked, attaching images and specifications.

"Yes," came the swift reply. "Two tons of initially processed steel for one micro excavator. We need as many as you can provide." The other party's urgency was palpable.

Previously, one ton of initially processed steel was worth about 12,000 yuan. Twenty tons would be equivalent to eight micro excavators. Offering just one in exchange clearly represented a significant concession. But this was to be expected. Steel, while valuable, was raw material that required further processing. Excavators, on the other hand, were in high demand, essential for expanding shelter space. For those who had received the doomsday news late and were scrambling to build shelters, paying a premium for them was a worthwhile investment.

"Do you have any scrap iron?" Su Wu asked, not rushing into an agreement. For him, there was little difference between scrap iron and processed steel, but the price difference was significant. Every bit of savings counted.

"Yes, but not much," the other replied. "Two or three hundred tons in the warehouse. We'll trade it at a ratio of 100 tons of scrap iron to one of processed steel. But you'll have to arrange pickup from our factory."

Ordinary trucks could only carry about five tons at a time. Transporting over two hundred tons would require dozens of trips. In normal times, this wouldn't be a problem. But now, manpower and fuel were precious commodities. This was not a service to be given away lightly.

"Deal," Su Wu responded. "I'll trade three micro excavators for all your scrap iron. Any shortfall will be made up with processed steel at the same ratio." He decided to take all the scrap iron. The micro excavators his engineering team was producing were too valuable to trade. Nothing could disrupt the shelter's construction. For this transaction, a lower-spec, diesel-powered mini excavator, costing two survival points, would suffice.

They agreed on a deal and scheduled the pickup for the following day. Su Wu switched to his laptop console and instructed the engineering robot to temporarily halt its current task and prioritize the production of three mini excavators.

He then went downstairs to the simple garage. Even wealthy individuals with shelters were now struggling with transportation. Su Wu, already financially constrained, didn't want to hire drivers and trucks. If he needed to transport goods, he would have to find a way to get a vehicle himself.

The garage offered limited options: a used gasoline van and a used diesel tractor. Su Wu quickly dismissed the van. Its one-ton capacity and limited space made it unsuitable for hauling bulk cargo. The tractor, with its large trailer, was more practical and could carry a much larger load.

[Farm Two-Wheel Drive Tractor]

[Speed: 32 km/h]

[Fuel Consumption: 7 liters/hour]

[Loading Capacity: 3 tons]

[Upgradeable Directions: Integrated Truck (Diesel Version) (3 Survival Points), Integrated Truck (Electric Drive Version) (5 Survival Points)]

[Upgradeable Sub-Options: Armor, Off-Road, Speed, Battery Life, Temperature Insulation, Radiation Resistance, Purification, Electronic Information]

Perhaps because it was a larger piece of equipment, or perhaps because it was a complete, functioning vehicle, focusing on the tractor revealed a new feature: upgradeable sub-options. He could choose one or more of these options to add functionality to the upgraded tractor.

Su Wu considered the sub-options and selected "Armor." This cost him an additional three survival points and approximately two tons of steel.

For the main upgrade, he chose the electric drive version of the integrated truck. While he currently had enough electricity, diesel and gasoline were becoming scarce. Relying on them would be a trap; he'd be stranded after a few trips. Electricity, on the other hand, was plentiful, and using it would make transportation nearly cost-free.