With the underground 7th-level processing factory on track, Su Wu shifted his focus to reviewing the shelter's finances.
Thanks to the recent temperature drop to a manageable 60–70 degrees Celsius, the geothermal generators at the farmhouse shelter, the small limestone quarry, and the outpost base had resumed normal operations.
Currently, these generators collectively provided 1,800 kWh of electricity per hour.
This power was divided among cement production, maintaining the shelter's daily operations, and meeting the manufacturing center's energy demands.
The remaining electricity was allocated to smelting scrap metal.
Yet even with these efforts, the electricity demand for smelting remained substantial.
To bridge this gap and keep the industrial recycling center on the farmhouse's underground 4th level operating at full capacity, the Qingning Shelter had dedicated five coal-fired power generators to running around the clock, consuming over 20 tons of coal daily.
"The outpost's geothermal generators produce enough electricity daily to smelt 25 tons of refined metal."
"At the farmhouse, with Qingning Shelter's support, the recycling center can smelt around 100 tons of refined metal daily."
"Overall, the revenue is quite promising."
Su Wu scanned the financial reports.
Currently, the shelter's inventory included 1,500 tons of refined metal. Adding the 125 tons smelted daily by the farmhouse and the outpost, he was well-positioned to support upcoming construction and military expansion plans.
As for the supply of scrap metal, there was no immediate concern about shortages.
Between the 8,500 tons of scrap stockpiled in storage and the 80 tons scavenged daily by the foraging drones in Jianghe City, the shelter's resources were more than sufficient to last for the foreseeable future.
"The small limestone quarry currently produces 120 tons of cement daily."
"This output covers the shelter's construction needs while leaving a surplus of about 20 tons daily."
"It's just enough to get by."
The renovation of the 6th underground level demanded significant cement. The daily surplus of 20 tons barely met the shelter's immediate needs. A slight acceleration in construction could lead to material shortages.
However, expanding cement production was no simple task.
The existing production line had a 120-ton daily capacity, and increasing output would require a new production line, along with adjustments to energy distribution and coal transportation logistics—a complicated undertaking.
After some deliberation, Su Wu decided to postpone expansion and maintain the quarry's current operations.
In the agricultural sector, the hydroponic farm's yield had become negligible compared to the shelter's industrial revenue.
If not for the occasional trade of surplus vegetables and grains for gold and silver, Su Wu would have stopped tracking its income altogether.
As for the poultry farm on the underground 3rd level, its production remained at zero and wouldn't contribute to the shelter's income anytime soon.
"Once this crisis is resolved, expanding agricultural operations might be worth considering."
Farming might seem trivial, but scaling up production could transform agriculture into a stable economic cornerstone.
Su Wu recalled reading a pre-apocalypse report in the AI database. It estimated that over 30 tons of gold and 200 tons of silver were privately held across Jianghe City.
By increasing agricultural production, Su Wu could use surplus crops to gradually extract this wealth from the population, offering food in exchange for precious metals.
This approach was far more profitable than trading industrial raw materials, which the shelter itself needed for development.
Aside from industry and agriculture, the shelter's remaining income came from providing transportation and repair services to other shelters.
However, transportation revenue had plummeted.
With surface temperatures falling, more shelters could operate their vehicles, reducing demand for Su Wu's services to nearly zero.
Repair services still generated some income but had become increasingly risky.
There were incidents of robbery, attempted hijackings, and clients refusing to return repaired robots, citing the shelter's strained relationship with the official authorities.
After accounting for losses from such incidents, the repair service's profits had become marginal.
"Let's suspend these two services for now."
"We've already made plenty from them."
Skimming through reports of conflicts, Su Wu made the decision with some exasperation.
From these services, Su Wu had already amassed 20 kilograms of gold, 100–200 kilograms of silver, and a considerable quantity of rare metals—an exceptional return.
There was no need to risk further complications for diminishing returns.
After reviewing the shelter's income and expenditures, Su Wu turned his attention to expansion plans.
He currently had 220 survival points.
While the amount seemed modest, its purchasing power had grown exponentially.
Take the micro-transport vehicle as an example: its initial production cost was 5 survival points.
With abundant raw materials and the manufacturing center, costs dropped to 1 survival point, while performance improved severalfold.
Later, by introducing the unit cluster concept, 1 survival point could now produce a cluster of 10 vehicles.
In practical terms, the value of 1 survival point today was equivalent to 50 survival points in the past, representing a 50-fold increase in efficiency.
With this purchasing power, Su Wu could theoretically use his 220 survival points to create 220 clusters, deploying overwhelming numbers of drones and vehicles to dominate Jianghe City.
But he had no intention of squandering resources mindlessly. Su Wu's focus remained on strategic expansion, ensuring
that every survival point was spent effectively to maximize long-term benefits.
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