Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

With the Purple Crystalite safely delivered to the advanced laboratory, the onboard AI immediately began its routine analysis.

This process required no input from Su Wu. Once he confirmed the surrounding area was temporarily secure, he exited the miniature mech and shifted his focus to reinforcing the base's defenses.

Activating the base vehicle's station mode did more than create a workspace for the advanced laboratory. The expanded vehicle compartments also added a flight control center and a firepower watchtower on the roof.

The flight control center allowed the drone swarm, previously folded and stored in the third compartment, to be fully deployed and ready for immediate operations. After completing missions, drones could return to the center for maintenance and rearmament.

The firepower watchtower, a purely defensive facility, was equipped with multiple gun and turret ports. These created a 360-degree firepower network to protect the base.

However, given limited resources and the unexpected threat of Purple Crystalites, the watchtower was only equipped with a few foldable firing platforms. Larger weapons such as heavy machine guns, rockets, or artillery were absent.

This limitation wasn't a concern for Su Wu. If needed, he could use survival points to instantly manufacture and install any missing weaponry. The decision rested solely on whether the situation warranted it.

For now, the deployed ground combat units were enough to establish a solid defensive perimeter around the base.

Once satisfied with the defensive setup, Su Wu took a moment to relax.

He activated the vehicle's viewing system, transforming the metal wall of the expanded living room into a floor-to-ceiling "glass" panel. This technology, inspired by the design of the miniature mech's cockpit, used cameras to capture the outside world and project the imagery onto the wall.

Pouring himself a tall glass of iced fruit juice, Su Wu reclined on a sofa by the "window," quietly gazing at the illuminated surroundings.

The lights from the base vehicle cast a soft glow over a 200- to 300-meter radius, highlighting the terrain's intricate details without being overly harsh. The result was a surreal and immersive experience.

"Thankfully, the Purple Crystalite isn't too destructive. Otherwise, this place could've turned into a horror movie set," Su Wu muttered, still feeling the remnants of tension.

Dealing with such deadly creatures was nerve-wracking. With no prior data to rely on, every step had to be calculated with extreme caution to avoid unforeseen consequences.

But the danger had passed—for now.

The following morning, Su Wu received the advanced laboratory's preliminary report.

According to the analysis, the Purple Crystalite was a creature with extraordinary regenerative abilities. As long as the organic core within its shell weighed at least one gram, it could regenerate fully given adequate nutrients.

Moreover, if fragmented, the creature could grow into multiple independent entities, each regenerating faster than the original.

However, if the core's mass fell below one gram, the creature would die even in the presence of sufficient nutrients.

"If it lacks viral-level contagion, the Purple Crystalite is manageable," Su Wu concluded. "The main challenge is finding them."

The report also included an effective method for extermination: specialized high-explosive rounds.

The process involved using the explosive rounds to breach the Purple Crystalite's rock-hard shell, penetrate the fire-resistant membrane protecting the organic core, and ignite the thermite inside the round to burn the core for over three seconds. This would destroy the creature completely.

The real difficulty lay in identifying Purple Crystalites in their early stages. Their appearance was nearly indistinguishable from ordinary rocks, and non-visual detection methods were ineffective.

After some deliberation, Su Wu decided to invest survival points to address this challenge.

Minutes later, a fist-sized, inverted transparent crystal pyramid materialized on the cockpit's control panel—a portable detection device capable of pinpointing all Purple Crystalites within a 10-kilometer radius.

Its only drawback was its immense energy consumption. Each use required 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Even with the base vehicle's capacity, frequent use was impractical without access to a reliable power source.

Fortunately, Purple Crystalites were generally stationary. Scanning an area once was usually sufficient.

"Receiving scan command. Charging in progress. Charging complete. Beginning search."

Blue arcs of electricity converged at the pyramid's tip. When the charge reached its peak, the device emitted concentric white ripples, silently expanding outward.

Half a second later, the device transmitted a wealth of data to the onboard AI, which displayed it on the control panel screen.

"As expected, there's another one."

Su Wu's eyes narrowed. While relieved he had created the detector, the discovery confirmed the infestation wasn't over.

The good news was that only one Purple Crystalite was detected within the 10-kilometer range. This suggested the threat hadn't reached an unmanageable scale.

"Time to take care of it—and test the new weapon modifications."

Referring to the map, Su Wu identified the creature's location on a mountainside near the canyon. It wasn't buried deep in the rock, making access easier.

He immediately deployed a combat drone from the flight control center. Armed with an automatic rifle and the newly modified high-explosive rounds, the drone took off and headed for the target.

A few minutes later, the drone's camera feed revealed a small, three-story building nestled again

st the mountainside.

The Purple Crystalite was inside.

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