Chapter 321: The Surface Shelter (Patreon)

Chapter 321: The Surface Shelter

Several hours later.

An endless stream of steel trains formed a mighty metallic torrent, heading south toward the Xiaojiang Province.

Accompanying the merchant convoy were vast quantities of weapons and ammunition, along with an army of 800,000 Spider Robots.

With this deployment, the mobile armed forces stationed at the Farmhouse Shelter were reduced to a relatively low level.

However, given that a major battle had just taken place and the Amethyst Crystal Entities active on the surface had been nearly wiped out, the lack of mobile forces wasn’t a significant issue.

Moreover, with the Super Factory operating normally, the numbers of the mechanical army would soon climb back up.

Underground Level 1 Control Center.

Su Wu withdrew his gaze from the departing merchant convoy and switched the holographic projection on the metal platform to display the structural layout of the Farmhouse Shelter itself.

Now that external threats and various diplomatic issues had been temporarily resolved, it was time to focus on development for a while.

"Due to the carpet-style sweeps conducted by hundreds of Ice Lake-class transport ships in the surrounding areas over the past period, the Farmhouse Shelter’s internal resource reserves—excluding strategic stockpiles—have still accumulated a considerable amount."

"Considering that the Super Factory and assembly workshops have been operating near their limits without ever slowing production, the fact that these resources could accumulate in such quantities also proves another point: the Farmhouse Shelter’s industrial productivity has temporarily reached a bottleneck."

"It can no longer keep up with the rate of resource growth."

After carefully reviewing all production relations within the Farmhouse Shelter, Su Wu identified the biggest current shortcoming: space.

The limited internal space of the shelter couldn’t accommodate more assembly workshops, leading to a hard cap of 100 Ice Lake-class transport ships per day.

Even with an ample supply of parts, it was difficult to further increase overall production.

Breaking this deadlock would be extremely challenging.

Space inside the shelter was at a premium.

Most shelter residents still had to live in communal dormitories, and even basic physical activities required advance booking of facilities, often involving long waits in line.

With the impending influx of over 70 million people from Xiaojiang Province—and Su Wu’s plan to absorb the entire Eastern Continent’s population—the shelter’s construction teams would, for a long time, have to focus on expanding underground living spaces to ensure basic survival rights for the growing population.

There simply wouldn’t be room to build massive new assembly workshops.

"The only option is to expand upward again."

After pausing briefly on the construction of Underground Level 13 at the shelter’s lowest point, Su Wu shifted his focus to the very top of the shelter and zoomed in.

Aboveground Level 1 was the tallest and most spacious floor of the entire Farmhouse Shelter.

From the outside, it resembled a grand castle, towering over the vast ice plains amidst the blizzards.

Though technically just one level, in reality—

Standing at 50 meters tall, it could rival a 17- or 18-story building—towering over most structures in an ordinary city.

After gazing at it for a while, Su Wu swiped his fingers across the holographic projection. Leveraging the computational power of artificial intelligence, he conducted an in-depth simulation to determine the limits of this above-ground section of the shelter under various extreme conditions.

A flood of data rapidly appeared beside the shelter's projection, only to be immediately pushed downward by newly generated figures. Soon, the results gave Su Wu his first true understanding of the resilience of the farmhouse's above-ground structure.

To put it simply, even if geological activity on the scale of what once destroyed Zhenhai City were to occur again, this above-ground first floor would remain largely unscathed, standing firm for centuries, even millennia.

As for storms—the greatest threat to high-rise buildings—they would be utterly ineffective against it. The only potential dangers to the first floor would be the highly concentrated laser beams from the Amethyst Crystal Entity's biological warship or perhaps an extraterrestrial meteorite.

"With strength like this," Su Wu mused, "saying its structural integrity rivals that of a mountain range would still be an understatement. On this foundation, adding one or two more floors shouldn’t be a problem."

Reassured, he paused briefly before boldly sketching two additional levels onto the first floor's holographic projection, raising the total height to around 150 meters.

"Once construction is complete," he thought, "the first floor's large aircraft hangar, along with the small drone and robot warehouses, will be relocated to the third floor. Two-thirds of the turret ammunition storage and production facilities will move to the third floor, while the remaining third will go to the second floor."

"As for the external turrets," he continued, "some will be shifted to the third-floor rooftop, while others will be evenly distributed along the vertical exterior walls between the first and third floors to eliminate blind spots caused by the shelter's increased height."

"Then," Su Wu planned, "the newly freed space on the first floor will be used to build a trade caravan logistics hub."

On the holographic blueprint, he meticulously reorganized the functional zones of the shelter's above-ground section. The most significant change to the first floor was the addition of a large logistics center designed to accommodate trade caravans.

Previously, the issue hadn’t been pressing, but as trade caravans and Ice Lake-class transport ships grew in scale, the lack of a dedicated space for loading and unloading goods and personnel had begun to hinder logistical efficiency. Thus, the need for a large logistics hub became undeniable.

"Since it’s repurposing relocated facilities," Su Wu noted, "the hub will take on an irregular shape, with some areas even fragmented. But that won’t be an issue."

"The entire hub can adopt a multi-story parking garage model," he decided, "primarily featuring movable, tiered parking spaces. These will be categorized into large, medium, and small sizes."

"The convoy train, upon entering the entrance zone of the distribution center, will first disconnect its linked sections, with each carriage returning to an independent state."

"Next, the separated Icebound-class Land Battleships and snow transport vehicles."

"Will enter medium and small-sized parking slots respectively."

"Depending on their status."

"They will be transported via mobile slots to the cargo loading/unloading zone, passenger zone, and maintenance zone to carry out their respective handover tasks."

"Then, the Icebound-class Land Battleships and snow transport vehicles that have completed cargo and personnel transfers, and passed inspections without issues."

"Will be sent to the transit zone."

"Once enough vehicles have gathered in the transit zone."

"They will be transported via mobile slots to the exit zone."

"And reassembled into a new convoy train to depart the shelter."

"The process for the Ice Lake-class Transport Ship entering the distribution center is similar to that of the convoy train."

"However, since it is an independent unit, the procedure can be more streamlined."

"It can directly enter a large-sized mobile slot."

"This modular management system."

"Maximizes the use of every inch of space within the 50-meter-high ground floor."

"Shortening the time consumed in cargo transfer processes."

"Given the current size of the reserved distribution center."

"It can simultaneously accommodate up to 300 convoy trains."

"Under extreme conditions."

"The entire process can be completed in as little as 15 to 20 minutes."

After planning the large-scale material distribution center.

And filling most of the ground floor space of the shelter.

Su Wu turned his attention to the central area of the ground floor.

He had deliberately left an open space there, connecting it to the second and third floors above.

Forming a large 150-meter-high space.

This was Su Wu's workshop for modifying the base vehicle and, in the future, manufacturing Aerospace Carriers.

Initially.

Su Wu's vision for the base vehicle.

Was as a mobile land carrier.

But during the modification process, with the successive emergence of the Pioneer-class Land Destroyer and the Heaven's Wrath-class Land Cruiser.

Their roles overlapped significantly.

The base vehicle gradually lost its purpose.

Then, with the birth of the Ice Lake-class Transport Ship.

Su Wu's primary transport tool took its first step from land to sky.

He had new ideas for the base vehicle.

Planning to convert it into the first true flying carrier.

To enable the rapid transfer of critical resources and populations across the globe.

However, since it was to be transformed into a flying carrier.

The final size of the base vehicle was bound to be substantial.

The original assembly workshop, with a maximum height of only 50 meters, was no longer sufficient.

Now, taking advantage of the shelter's upward expansion.

Su Wu decided to go all the way.

Planning a true Aerospace Carrier production facility.

In the future, not only the base vehicle but also new Aerospace Carriers produced after it.

Would be born in this facility.

Once manufacturing was complete.

The carrier would directly ascend vertically through the shelter's third-floor retractable dome.

Solving the problem of its massive size preventing exit through normal routes.

"Next is the arrangement for the second and third floors."

Levels 2 and 3 above ground.

Although various fighter aircraft hangars, robot bays, ammunition depots, and ammunition production factories were initially transferred here, the vast majority of the space still remains largely empty.

Su Wu's plan for these two levels is simple.

Any available space will be used to build Plantations and assembly workshops—because these two are absolute necessities. No matter how many are constructed, there will never be a risk of surplus.

"One assembly workshop capable of producing Ice Lake-class Transport Ships."

"Occupies 40,000 cubic meters of space."

"Allocating around 5,000 should be sufficient."

5,000 Ice Lake-class Transport Ship assembly workshops.

This means, in theory, a maximum of 5,000 transport ships of this specification could be produced simultaneously.

In actual production, however, such an exaggerated output would be impossible to achieve.

Even if resource supply were sufficient.

Even if the Super Factory responsible for producing components were to run its production lines at full capacity until they were smoking.

Expanding current output tenfold to reach a daily production of 1,000 ships would already be the limit.

This planning isn't just about leaving room for future production expansion.

More importantly, it also treats the production workshops as garages.

When necessary, they can be connected to the material distribution center on the first above-ground level.

Thereby alleviating some of the pressure on the distribution center.

At the same time.

Even with such an outrageous number of assembly workshops planned.

They would only occupy about one-tenth of the space on Level 2 above ground.

"Next, reserve some production workshops for land battleships, snow transport vehicles, drones, robots, and the soon-to-be-mass-produced seventh-generation fighters."

"The remaining space can all be used to build Plantations."

In terms of area.

Constructing Plantations is the real massive undertaking.

If the entire Level 3 above ground, plus most of Level 2, were dedicated to Plantations.

It would be possible to build 4,600 Standard Plantations, producing 4.14 million tons of food per month.

Based on the current rationing system for residents of the Farming Hamlet shelter.

This would fully meet the survival needs of over 200 million people.

Once achieved.

The construction teams currently expanding the underground shelter levels.

Could appropriately reduce the proportion of Plantations in each newly built shelter level.

Allowing a shelter level filled with Standard Dormitories to increase its maximum population capacity from 30 million to over 40 million.

Significantly easing the pressure on external population intake.

At the same time.

A greater number of Plantations would also allow Su Wu to cultivate a wider variety of crops.

Not just for food production.

But also to yield large quantities of chemical raw materials and products.

Enriching the output of the Farming Hamlet.

The resulting impact would extend to every aspect of life for the hundreds of millions currently residing in the Farming Hamlet.

Bringing them even closer to the modern urban lifestyle of the pre-apocalyptic era.

"Overall, expanding two above-ground levels for the shelter."

"Brings far too many benefits."

"The only downside is increased visibility."

"But in an apocalypse filled with natural disasters everywhere."

"Visibility isn’t really a drawback."

"After all, for natural disasters that lack conscious intent—"

"Whether to hide or not is meaningless; it all depends on luck."

"So, in the coming days,"

"the focus of development can shift to expanding the surface shelters."

"Strive to complete them as soon as possible."

"Aim to achieve a daily production of a thousand Ice Lake-class Transport Ships."

A thousand Ice Lake-class Transport Ships equate to 10 million tons of transport capacity.

The resource income they could bring

is almost as abundant as cheating.

This would mark the starting point for Su Wu's annexation of the entire Eastern Continent.