Yi Bai done. For example, Li Ya had proactively scouted the surrounding areas of the shelter, hoping to find useful resources.
"Did you run into any danger?" Yi Bai paused for a moment, then reminded her, "Be careful. Don't take unnecessary risks."
"Thank you for your concern, Boss. Before I ventured out, I made sure everything was safe. I didn't cause much noise either." Li Ya paused, then continued, "I was originally planning to make a lockpicking tool to open the neighbors' doors, but when I went out, I found that their doors had been forcibly broken into."
"The other three units on this floor are unoccupied, just some bloodstains, as if someone had broken in from the outside. The interiors are in disarray, food and water have been stolen, and I could only salvage some leftover repair materials."
"Considering what happened to the neighbors, I made some limited modifications to our door, set traps on the room doors, and crafted five steel spears."
Li Ya turned her head, her gaze landing on the corner of the room. There, five steel spears, each about two meters long, leaned against the wall. The spear shafts were made from common steel pipes, with the tips welded with sharpened kitchen knives, carefully polished to a shiny gleam.
"These are good tools!" Yi Bai's eyes lit up. These were polearms, and in a world without firearms, wielding such spears could provide a decent defense against raiders.
"Li Ya, you really are capable!" Yi Bai praised her.
"Thank you for the compliment, Boss."
"By the way, those people didn't break through the main door, did they? Did they know someone was inside?" Yi Bai asked, a bit frustrated that he had slept so deeply and missed all the commotion.
It wasn't entirely Yi Bai's fault. For the past three days of the apocalypse, his mental stress had been enormous, especially during the period when he was alone, dealing with the threat of marauders, natural disasters, and the ongoing shortage of supplies. After such extended high pressure, it was difficult for him to be woken from deep sleep.
"I don't think they realized it." Li Ya shook her head. "I followed your instructions, didn't make any noise, and the welding tool I used was soundproofed."
"However, a regular wooden door can't stop their hammering and battering. Sooner or later, they'll figure out we're hiding here."
Li Ya's analysis was correct. Being discovered was only a matter of time. Before that happened, Yi Bai needed to make further preparations.
"Got it." Yi Bai took a deep breath and surveyed the room. Many parts of the space had been modified. For example, the windows had added insulation boards, the curtains were thickened, and a makeshift cooling system had been added to the freezer. Li Ya's modifications not only considered the shelter's safety but also its comfort.
"No wonder it feels colder tonight. Li Ya, you've really worked hard." Yi Bai was satisfied. "It's almost time. Let's eat. Lin Yue should be back soon."
"Boss, I've already had dinner. You eat first; I still have some modifications to finish." Li Ya got up, blending into the shadows of the room. Who knew what she was up to now?
Yi Bai picked up some bread and cold water, eating while preparing to check the trading platform for any new trade items. He had gotten into the habit of trading his surplus cold water every day to maximize the shelter's resource reserves.
While browsing, Yi Bai noticed that one of the five requirements for upgrading the shelter had already been completed.
[Successfully surveyed the nearby available spaces required for shelter upgrade.]
Surveyed successfully? Was that the reason Li Ya had been searching nearby units?
Yi Bai pondered, "So, if there are other shelters next door, does that mean I'll have to wipe them out to meet the expansion requirements?"
After all, most modern residences were connected, and in the case of two shelters being adjacent, there would inevitably be conflict when trying to expand.
"It seems that even if someone doesn't want to upgrade their shelter to avoid trouble, someone else will still come looking for them."
"In the apocalypse, everyone wants to get stronger. Upgrading the shelter... it's likely that this process will lead to many people dying at the hands of their fellow humans."
Yi Bai sighed. He couldn't change the harsh environment of the disaster. All he wanted to do was protect himself.
He opened the trading platform and immediately searched for weapon deals.
What he was most lacking right now was weaponry. If possible, Yi Bai hoped to acquire a gun and some ammunition.
"I still have six bottles of cold water left. That should be enough to trade for some decent weapons, right?"
Yi Bai quickly found a promising listing for weapons from a shelter called Jinling Rescue Team.
"Various police weapons and equipment available for trade. Can exchange for food, water, or medical supplies. Contact if interested."
Note: Don't ask where we are. Our shelter has a population limit, and we can't accommodate too many survivors. No one can help the weak. You have to rely on yourself!"
This message was intriguing. Not only was the person selling weapons, but they seemed to know some insider details about the shelter mechanism.
"Looks like they tried to rescue more survivors in the city, but it seems they failed." Yi Bai murmured. "Could this be part of the apocalypse game mechanics? It doesn't allow us to band together? Forcing us to fight alone in the apocalypse?"
Yi Bai quickly submitted the cold water order and, in the message, also inquired about the details he was curious about.
The reply came quickly.
"Hello, Cold Water Guy. I'm interested in your order. Let's discuss further..."
In their discussion, the seller didn't haggle much and quickly agreed to the trade. They also provided Yi Bai with some critical city intelligence.
"...Cold Water Guy, so far we know that humans who own shelters cannot reside in other shelters. Those who voluntarily abandon their shelters can't be accommodated by others either. Our level 0 shelter can only support a limited population."
"We can't provide more rescue assistance; we can only offer food and weapons. We're also worried about our survival."
"This game has disrupted our ability to unite, but we haven't given up. We are still looking for new ways to help more of our people."
"We hope Cold Water Guy can do his best to help those in need. Our people need more heroes to stand up in these difficult times!"**
The person seemed to be from some official organization, urging Yi Bai to do his part.
Yi Bai realized that, in these few days, there were still some groups trying to organize rescue operations, hoping to gather more survivors. However, they had failed and were still searching for a new way.
"Thanks for the information. I'll do my best to help the weak." Yi Bai's reply was somewhat insincere. He didn't intend to help others, but considering the generosity of the seller, it didn't hurt to say a few polite words.
"Six bottles of cold water, in exchange for two 54-style pistols and 50 rounds of ammunition."
"It's really a good deal!"
Yi Bai played with the pistol in front of him, impressed. Though the guns were somewhat old, and the ammo was limited, at least it provided each person in the shelter with a weapon. In case of emergencies, they wouldn't be too vulnerable.
"Li Ya, do you know how to use a gun?" Yi Bai lowered his voice and asked into the darkness.
Li Ya quickly popped her head out, looking cute in the moonlight through the window. "Boss, I know how to use a gun, but my accuracy is average."
"Can you teach me? I've never fired a gun before."
"Sure, Boss." Li Ya obediently moved over to Yi Bai, patiently teaching him how to handle the weapon.
The room was mostly dark, with only a sliver of moonlight coming through the window. The young man and woman, alone in the room, could feel the air between them charged with subtle tension.
Despite their proximity, Yi Bai wasn't thinking about romance. He was focused on learning the gun, and Li Ya was teaching with care. Though their bodies were close, their hearts remained innocent.
Two hours later, a sudden, heavy knock came at the door, loud due to the added steel reinforcements.
Li Ya's expression tightened. She grabbed her gun, spun around, and aimed it at the door.
"Don't worry. It's just Lin Yue coming back." Yi Bai reassured her. He recognized the rhythm of the knocking and signaled Li Ya to open the door.
This special steel door could only be opened with a particular technique. Anyone who didn't know the method wouldn't be able to get through, and it certainly couldn't be forced open.
Li Ya carefully cracked open a small gap in the door. After confirming it was Lin Yue, she opened it wide, allowing Lin Yue to enter.
Lin Yue was, once again, loaded with bags. She set them down and, in front of Yi Bai, began unpacking.
Inside were an array of electronic components and colorful stacks of cash.
[Congratulations! You've acquired 103 units of electronic components and 76 units of cash from the talent exploration. You've earned 20 survival points.]
"Lin Yue, great job!" Yi Bai couldn't hide his smile. This was an outstanding material haul, and it had given him the necessary materials for one of the shelter upgrades.
Along with that, he had earned 20 survival points. Now Yi Bai had 30 points in total.
However, this material gathering task had only provided upgrade materials—nothing else.
With four out of five requirements for the shelter upgrade fulfilled, Yi Bai now only needed 100 survival points to upgrade to a level 1 shelter.
According to the conversation earlier with Li Ya, upgrading to a level 1 laboratory shelter would restore electricity to the shelter, giving them a barely livable environment.
After being trapped in the dark for so long, Yi Bai was eager to see some light. He was inclined to choose the laboratory upgrade.
However, before he could celebrate, Lin Yue's voice broke the silence.
"Boss, on my way back upstairs, I overheard the group above us preparing to search the entire building tonight."
"They're planning to raid this whole floor."
Lin Yue's warning made Yi Bai's expression darken. Before he could respond, loud noises from the hallway echoed.
"Hurry up! Grab your weapons!"
"Tonight we clear out this floor. Tomorrow, we'll hit the next few floors."
"We'll be the kings of Jinling soon!"
"Ha ha ha, with Li Ge in charge, we'll eat well."
The voices drew closer, now right at Yi Bai's door.
"That's the one! I knew something was off with this unit. I couldn't break through that damn door!"
"Boys, bust it open! Kill anyone, loot whatever we can!"
Yi Bai's face darkened. These marauders were quicker than he expected. Without warning, they were now attacking in the middle of the night!