Apocalypse Survival: Starting with a Shelter

"There are still people in this building."

Controlling the drone to circle the structure twice, Su Wu confirmed it was a specialized facility similar to the surface residential areas in Chongzhou City, equipped with advanced heat insulation materials developed by the Federation.

However, the battle-oriented drone's camera wasn't capable of gathering detailed information.

After some thought, Su Wu directed a reconnaissance drone and the remaining combat drones to approach the building.

With the help of more advanced scanning equipment, Su Wu discovered the presence of numerous external observation instruments and five humans still active inside.

"A research station?"

Su Wu hesitated, considering how to proceed.

Before he could decide, the people inside noticed the swarm of armed drones surrounding them. A man in protective gear stepped out of the building, trembling slightly as he raised his hands above his head.

"Don't shoot. Let's talk this through."

Su Wu raised an eyebrow. With someone willing to communicate, things would be easier.

Lowering the reconnaissance drone, Su Wu signaled for them to connect to the temporary local network set up by the drone for dialogue.

A minute later, a middle-aged woman appeared on Su Wu's screen.

"Hello, I'm Nora, the director of the Mylac Research Station. May I ask why you've come to our station?"

Nora's tone was calm, but her fleeting expressions of unease betrayed her lack of composure.

"Where did you find something like this?"

Su Wu cut to the chase, displaying a photo of a juvenile Purple Crystalite.

"This looks familiar," Nora said, hesitating before recalling something.

"Right after the earthquake over two weeks ago, Jiang Yi brought something like this back from outside. I think she later tossed it into the storage room. Are you looking for it?"

"Is there any food or plants stored in the storage room?"

Su Wu's gaze darkened, a sense of déjà vu washing over him.

"No, just tools and materials for experiments," Nora answered honestly.

"Have someone retrieve it. And it's best to wear protective gear before going in."

Su Wu's tone left no room for argument.

"Understood. I'll check it myself."

Nora's expression shifted slightly, realizing something was wrong. However, she took responsibility, choosing not to send someone else into potential danger.

A few minutes later, Su Wu watched through the drone's camera as Nora, clad in cumbersome protective gear, carried a fist-sized Purple Crystalite out of the station.

"Put it on the ground and step back."

Following Su Wu's instructions via the drone's speaker, Nora placed the crystal carefully on the ground and retreated a few steps.

Wasting no time, Su Wu directed a combat drone to open fire.

The specially designed brass bullet drilled into the Purple Crystalite's rocky shell before triggering a small internal explosion.

Seconds later, faint flames and wisps of smoke drifted out through the entry hole.

"What is that thing?"

Back inside the station, Nora, still in her protective suit, ran to the communicator, her voice breathless with urgency.

"A dangerous monster in its juvenile state," Su Wu replied, directing a drone to retrieve the Purple Crystalite remains and transport them to his advanced laboratory.

"An alien creature?" Nora asked instinctively.

Its appearance was so unlike anything she knew from Earth that "alien" was the only explanation that made sense.

"I wish it were alien. Unfortunately, current evidence suggests it originates from deep within the Earth."

Su Wu's tone carried genuine regret. If the creatures were extraterrestrial, their numbers would likely be limited, and their origin easily traceable. But coming from the asthenosphere, a region deeper and more expansive than the oceans, these creatures were nearly impossible to contain.

"From deep underground? Does that mean there could be a lot of them?"

Nora paled as she grasped the grim implications of Su Wu's words. Even without fully understanding how the creatures attacked, the sight of Su Wu deploying such overwhelming force made it clear they were no ordinary threat.

Their proliferation could spell unimaginable disaster, especially for remote research stations like hers, which were defenseless against such dangers.

"They're widely distributed. They've been found here and in Chongzhou as well. If possible, you should consider leaving this place soon."

"Thank you. We'll file an evacuation request with our superiors. Do you have any additional information about these creatures that you could share with us?"

"Of course. The more people who know about this, the better. Chongzhou City also has remnants of these creatures. You might want to contact them for further details."

Su Wu agreed readily. Even if Nora hadn't asked, he would have shared the information. It was imperative to spread awareness of the Purple Crystalites to as many people as possible.

Retrieving the Purple Crystalite remains from the research station, Su Wu waited a few more hours in the canyon for his advanced laboratory to analyze the new specimen.

Once the analysis was complete, Su Wu deactivated the base vehicle's station mode and continued heading northwest.

The potential disasters posed by the Purple Crystalites were problems for the future.

For now, Su Wu's priority remained completing the golden daily mission to explore the frontier and obtaining the invaluable Golden Scales of Balance.

With the scales, he

would finally have the means to leave Jianghe City and step into a broader world.

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