In the following days, the technological explosion brought on by spirituality slowly permeated every corner of Su Wu's dominion.
Many of the residents under his rule quietly noticed the changes. The basic food they were allocated daily, once barely edible, had transformed into a tasteless dough-like substance. Meanwhile, the higher-end food they could purchase with contribution points tasted increasingly better.
This transformation was a result of abundant electricity supporting the continuous growth of plantation yields, as well as the food factories' refinement of raw ingredients, purging off odd smells and impurities.
On the surface, the medium-sized hovercrafts used for transporting goods had all switched from fuel-driven to fully electric. Their operation was more stable, and boarding and unloading were much easier.
Security patrols on the shelter's streets now wore exoskeleton armor and carried **electromagnetic rifles**, replacing the old firearms.
Factories continued to be established one after another, and more people found better work, moving away from volunteer jobs that were close to being charity work. Even the **Remote Control Center**, which provided the highest compensation for ordinary workers, periodically recruited new people.
The residents' lives, in these subtle shifts, were gradually moving toward prosperity, and there was an increasing sense that the end of the apocalypse might be in sight.
---
**September 14th.**
Su Wu, after a session on the treadmill in the entertainment room and a quick shower, casually donned a loose bathrobe and made his way to the control center.
With all the affairs of the shelter in order, there were fewer things that required his personal attention. This had brought a certain level of relaxation to Su Wu's life. Even the once-frequent visits to the control center had become less common.
"The fourth electric transport vehicle is departing."
"Destination: Jingyuan Shelter."
"The current power reserve at Jingyuan Shelter is 89%."
As soon as Su Wu sat down at the control panel, the latest updates from the shelter appeared on the monitor. A power transport vehicle, carrying 100,000 kWh of electricity, was slowly leaving the **Farmhouse Shelter**'s exit, heading towards **Jingyuan Shelter** to replenish its power supply.
After the breakthrough in the solid-state battery technology, the power transport network, centered around the **Farmhouse Shelter**, was updated. The power reserve centers in **Jingyuan** and **Zhou Xiwuxiu** shelters were equipped with both the old-generation batteries and new solid-state batteries, giving them a maximum storage capacity of 1 million and 200,000 kWh, respectively. This was enough to guarantee over ten days of continuous power supply.
A total of six new power transport vehicles, each capable of carrying 100,000 kWh of power, were manufactured. Two of them were used for transporting electricity to the various subsidiary shelters. Two more were kept at **Farmhouse Shelter** as emergency backups, and the remaining two were assigned to the heavy artillery and robot battalions to improve their logistical capabilities.
As for the five older power transport vehicles, Su Wu didn't dismantle them. Instead, he tried to sell them to other shelters. This turned out to be more challenging than expected. The old vehicles, which used the first-generation solid-state batteries, were already somewhat outdated before the apocalypse and not suitable for official use. However, many civilian shelters expressed interest.
While the value of these old vehicles as large-scale batteries capable of storing 10,000 kWh of electricity was undeniable, most civilian shelters could not afford to purchase them. Despite this, Su Wu managed to sell most of the old batteries after dismantling them into hundreds of small, individual units. This was far more popular than the full-size vehicles, and it allowed him to recoup much of his loss.
With the power transport network's operations in check, Su Wu glanced at the latest trending news on his internet platform and the official satellite network chat records. Finding nothing of value, he turned his attention to the **spirituality generator-powered games** he had launched.
This had been one of his most important ventures recently, but the results were underwhelming. The games, which were all based on old, recycled versions of past titles, lacked significant appeal. What's more, the number of people who actually wanted to play games on their phones was relatively low.
It wasn't that they didn't want to; it was that they couldn't afford to. In the post-apocalyptic world, where survival was uncertain, having a phone was a luxury few could indulge in. They might never have a chance to replace their phone, making them extremely protective of it.
"Altogether, the daily active players across all the games barely hit 30,000."
"Guess I'll just have to be patient," Su Wu sighed, realizing that the dire economic conditions faced by the lower-tier residents were far worse than he had imagined.
With the current reach of his game promotion across Jianghe City, if no new strategies were implemented, this 30,000-player peak could very well be the highest it would ever reach. Over time, as phones suffered from battery issues or breakdowns, the number of active players would steadily dwindle.
Still, there was some good news. These 30,000 players contributed 0.3 points of spirituality every day. While that didn't sound like much, the return rate was actually quite impressive. It was roughly equivalent to the output of one person under his rule for every ten players.
"If we can figure out a way to increase the player base in the future, the spirituality generated could really take off."
Su Wu thought about possible solutions. One idea that came to him was to open a **mobile repair shop**, where residents could use in-game currency to repair or replace batteries and other phone components. Su Wu had the capability to produce most of the necessary phone parts, including batteries. While this couldn't be sold as a mainstream product due to production limits, it could easily meet the demand for repairs within Jianghe City.
(End of Chapter)