Chapter 15: Emergency Transfer

That night, Su Wu received the routine system update notification.

[Living environment has undergone major changes.]

[Initiating parameter reset evaluation.]

[Update completed—]

[Current Territory: Standard Personal Sanctuary (27%), fixed daily survival points +3.]

[Construct a standard personal shelter, survival points +20.]

[Upgrade shelter air circulation system, survival points +5.]

[Upgrade shelter central air conditioner, survival points +3.]

[Current remaining survival points: 31]

"It's updated," Su Wu noted, his attention drawn to the "Current Territory" section. The most significant change was the introduction of a shelter hierarchy system. "Standard" and "Personal" were rank classifications, followed by a percentage representing progress. The shelter level system had also tripled his daily fixed income.

This was a substantial improvement. The additional two daily survival points were enough to build a miniature diesel excavator. A little accumulation could even double the size of his engineering team.

"The focus now should be improving the shelter's level," he mused. "I just need to figure out how the rules are calculated." He felt he was close to understanding some of the system's hidden mechanisms. Perhaps some experimentation could yield even more survival points.

The next day, Su Wu's good mood was shattered by an emergency news bulletin. The real end of the world was arriving ahead of schedule.

"Federal Government Order No. 1."

"All continents, provinces, cities, districts, and counties are to immediately cease all surface-level production and living activities and enter nearby shelters."

"Repeat, abandon all tasks immediately and seek refuge."

Within hours, this stark warning blared across all available channels – television, radio, internet, reaching every corner of the globe.

In Su Wu's Jianghe City, previously deserted except for official vehicles, the streets became a scene of frantic activity. People, disregarding the scorching 50+ degree temperatures, heeded the official warnings and the city's blaring alarms, desperately moving their families towards nearby shelters.

Even in Su Wu's isolated farmyard, cars packed with villagers sped past, rushing towards shelters in the city or the mountains.

"It's terrifying," a trembling voice said in the Jianghe City Doomsday Survival Preparation Group. The user, "Reinstalled Knight," shared satellite photos of cities near the African Rift Valley. The images were horrifying, clearly shaking the user.

Su Wu examined the photos. The cities were engulfed in flames, yet there was no sign of movement. They looked like empty, burning husks.

"I heard about it," chimed in "Rich Second Generation Mr. Zhuang," also visibly shaken. "They say it was a sudden heatwave. Temperatures exceeded 200 degrees. It's like hell." The reality of the impending disaster suddenly hit home.

"Based on my findings," added "Ye Luoshuanghua," a usually quiet member. "That heatwave hasn't dissipated and will likely appear on other continents within the next 24 hours. This is why the government issued the emergency notice. The end is truly here."

Su Wu fell silent, closing the group chat. He needed to observe the situation in Jianghe City.

His medium-sized truck, having completed its last transport mission the previous night, was now back in the farmyard. It could no longer provide external information. Driving it out now was unwise, both for safety reasons and because Su Wu didn't want to compete with fleeing citizens for limited road space.

He needed another way to see what was happening. After a moment's thought, Su Wu retrieved several boxes of consumer-grade drones from a bedroom cabinet. These were inexpensive models he had purchased in coastal cities.

Using three survival points, he made some modifications to create a long-range drone formation. Back in the control center, he activated the drones.

"Initiating match."

"Match successful."

"Activating automatic anti-collision protection."

"Maintaining flight altitude of 1.5 meters and speed of 0.5 meters per second."

Su Wu carefully controlled the three drones, taking off indoors and guiding them towards the second-floor basement exit. The extreme outside temperatures made him reluctant to go outside, so he opted for remote operation. Fortunately, with the assistance of basic AI, navigating the complex indoor environment was manageable.

Half a minute later, the palm-sized drones reached the exit. As the final isolation door slid open, the drones ascended on the lifting platform, exiting the shelter.

Once outside, operation became much easier. Su Wu increased their speed and sent them soaring into the sky. Soon, a panoramic view of Jianghe City spread before him.

"Fire," he noticed. Two or three buildings were ablaze. Zooming in, he was surprised to see no fire trucks or firefighters. In this extreme heat, with the mass evacuation underway, even city fires had become secondary. Or perhaps the authorities were simply overwhelmed and unable to address everything.

(End of this chapter)