The air in the shelter was thick with the faint metallic tang of expended gunpowder, a brutal reminder of the twenty-second exchange with the Cryo-Stalker. Lin Fan cleaned the AR-15 with meticulous, almost meditative care, his mind already far beyond the immediate victory. The Cryo-Stalker was merely the confirmation that the apocalypse was less about freezing and more about mutation.
He accessed the System panel, his eyes locked on the latest prize.
[B-Rarity Mutagenic Energy Core (Unintegrated)]
This core, harvested from a Tier 1 predator, represented a vital step beyond the purely static power of the A-Rarity Stabilized Energy Core. While the A-Rarity core provided infinite power, the B-Rarity core promised evolution.
"System, integrate the Mutagenic Energy Core into the primary Shelter Matrix."
[B-Rarity Core Integration Initiated...][System Functions Buffed: Sensory Array (Range +15%, Fidelity +20%). Heating Efficiency (+10%). Host Stamina Regen (Minor Buff - Shelter Environment Only).][Integration Complete. Shelter Matrix Level: 1.2.]
The shelter didn't visibly change, but Lin Fan felt a subtle shift. The low hum of the circulation system was quieter, and the internal air felt cleaner, sharper. The external monitoring screen immediately sharpened, the thermal images resolving with greater clarity, showing individual ice crystals on the frozen street—a testament to the improved fidelity.
The true focus, however, was on his newfound currency and capability.
[Available Scavenge Points (SP): 1050]
Lin Fan navigated to the Modular Resource Creation menu. The Tier 1 catalogue of basic steel and concrete was still there, but now, the grayed-out Tier 2 section was brightly illuminated.
The Tier Two Catalogue: Blueprint for Godhood
Lin Fan scrolled through the Tier 2 options, his breath hitching slightly despite his cold demeanor. This was where the debt-ridden corporate slave truly transcended into a self-made god.
[Tier 2 Catalogue (Unlocked)]
Reactive Armor Plating (Formulaic): Specialized alloy designed to instantly harden upon kinetic impact. (Cost: 200 SP/sq meter)
Cryogenic Fluid Recycler: Complex module for synthesizing low-temperature fuel and coolant. (Cost: 800 SP)
Automated Sentry Turret Module (Heavy Caliber): Blueprint component. Tungsten-Carbide Auto-Loader Mechanism. (Cost: 650 SP)
Advanced Internal Defense Grid (Blueprint): Plasma Conduit Wiring. (Cost: 400 SP/meter)
His eyes locked onto the Automated Sentry Turret Module. Defense was paramount. He was one man, and the Cryo-Stalker proved that external threats were massive and relentless. A turret would turn his shelter perimeter into a deadly, autonomous kill zone.
"The Tungsten-Carbide Auto-Loader Mechanism is the heart of the firing system," Lin Fan muttered, recalling his amateur knowledge of military hardware. "It's the most complex component. Building this saves weeks of risky scavenging for specialized tools and rare earth metals."
He checked his SP balance: 1050. The Auto-Loader Mechanism cost 650 SP. The price was steep, but the long-term security payoff was incalculable.
"System, create one Tungsten-Carbide Auto-Loader Mechanism."
[Cost: 650 SP. Confirm?]
"Confirm."
The Creation of Complexity
The low hum was deeper this time, more resonant. The insulated creation box glowed with an intense white-gold light, the color of molten metal being precisely shaped at impossible temperatures. This wasn't simple fabrication; it was matter reconstruction.
After a tense, ten-second wait, the glow subsided. Lin Fan opened the box.
Resting on the tray was a flawlessly engineered piece of machinery. It was a complex cylinder of gleaming, gray tungsten-carbide, its internal mechanisms a mesmerizing network of polished gears and magnetic coils. It was heavy, cool to the touch, and perfect—the kind of component that could only be forged in a state-of-the-art laboratory.
The creation of the mechanism consumed 650 SP, leaving Lin Fan with a reserve of 400 SP.
He immediately moved the precious component to his workstation—a repurposed kitchen counter now littered with tools and blueprints. He had the complete turret blueprint stored in his System logs (a pre-apocalypse download). Now that he had the Auto-Loader, he could assemble the rest of the turret using Tier 1 materials and his own mechanical skills.
He spent the next hour working with furious efficiency. He generated high-density steel plates (Tier 1: 200 SP), heavy-duty ball bearings (Tier 1: 50 SP), and structural mounting frames (Tier 1: 50 SP). He bolted, welded, and wired the components into a lethal, swiveling base, installing the newly created Tungsten-Carbide heart at its core.
The final product was a squat, heavily armored sentinel designed to mount above his vault door, ready to fire explosive 12.7mm rounds.
Ultimate Deterrence
The installation of the Sentry Turret—which Lin Fan christened Aegis-1—was a major logistical challenge, requiring him to temporarily open a service port in his ceiling and use his internal hydraulic jack to hoist the heavy assembly into its final mount.
Once secured, Lin Fan linked Aegis-1 to the Shelter Matrix.
[Aegis-1 Sentry Turret (Heavy Caliber) - Online.][Control: Manual/Automated (Thermal Lock/Motion Trigger).][Host Defense Rating: Greatly Increased.]
Lin Fan tested the turret's swivel and elevation. The mechanism moved with silent, fluid grace. He loaded the first belt of high-explosive ammunition he had acquired from Vex.
He stood back, his heart swelling with a dark, satisfied pride. The fortress was complete. He had transcended simple survival. He was now capable of automated defense against any Tier 1 threat.
He used his remaining 100 SP to generate Self-Sealing Nano-Polymer compound (Tier 1 utility) and carefully patched the minor structural damage left by the Cryo-Stalker's initial attack near his window slit. The tiny, hairline cracks vanished, leaving the alloy wall seamless and perfect once more.
The Next Step: External Looting
Lin Fan sat back, reviewing his inventory. He had eliminated the immediate threat, but he had left valuable resources outside. The Cryo-Stalker's hide.
[System Reminder: Crystalline Hide (Tier 1 Mutagenic Material) is decaying slowly. Optimal recovery required within 48 hours.]
The hide was necessary. He had noticed a blueprint for Cryo-Resistant Armor in the Tier 2 catalogue that required "3 sq meters of high-density crystalline hide." He needed the raw materials from the carcass.
He planned a second, more complex excursion. This time, he wouldn't just be going up; he'd be going out—into the frozen streets where the true, unfrozen dangers lurked.
He began prepping a set of tools for processing the massive carcass. He would need to be quick, surgical, and brutal.
As he was finalizing his plan, the newly buffed Sensory Array flared with a catastrophic alert.
The warning was not localized to his building, but spread across the entire 500-meter scan radius.
[Threat Level Escalation Detected: Tier 3 Mutagenic Signature.][Target Designation: Glacier Leviathan (Large, Sub-Surface Movement).][Current Vector: Intercept Course with Host Shelter.][Time to Intercept: 04 Hours, 30 Minutes.]
Lin Fan stared at the screen. Tier 3. Three times the threat of the Cryo-Stalker. And it was moving under the frozen street, undetectable by sight, heading directly for his foundation.
He looked at the Aegis-1 Sentry Turret, then at his remaining 400 SP. It wasn't enough to build the defensive systems needed to stop something massive attacking from below.
A cold, challenging grin stretched across Lin Fan's face. They send a Tier 1, I build a turret. They send a Tier 3, I need a bunker.
He needed SP, and he needed it now. The only way to get it was to risk everything.
The hunt for the Cryo-Stalker's hide just became a life-or-death rush.
(Author's Note: A Tier 3 Leviathan is coming! Lin Fan has Aegis-1, but can he upgrade his shelter in time? His next move is clear: risk the streets to butcher the Cryo-Stalker for its valuable hide! If you're ready for the ultimate showdown, smash that Power Stone and let me know how Lin Fan should prepare for the Leviathan!)