The digital clock on the Shelter Matrix was a countdown to potential ruin: 01 Hour, 45 Minutes remaining. Lin Fan's heart hammered a rhythm against the thermal lining of his suit, but his movements were devoid of panic. He had to descend into the building's unheated sub-structure—the cold, black abyss that lay outside the protective bubble of his apartment.
He stood by the interior stairwell door. His supplies lay ready: the high-powered plasma welding torch, the five High-Density Foundation Support Pillars—massive, three-meter steel cylinders that felt impossibly heavy—and the loaded Mossberg shotgun.
"Status check," he ordered, his breath fogging the air inside the apartment's warmth. [Primary Threat: Glacier Leviathan (Tier 3) - 105 Minutes to Intercept.][Host Exposure Risk: Extreme (Sub-Structure Environment).]
He opened the stairwell door. The temperature difference was staggering. A gust of freezer-burn air assaulted him.
Descent into the Freezer
The emergency lights in the stairwell were long dead. Lin Fan's headlamp cut a lonely beam through the darkness, illuminating a staircase coated in a treacherous sheet of ice, the result of burst pipes that had flash-frozen hours ago.
Each step was a calculated risk. He wedged the heavy support pillars—one by one—down the stairwell, letting them slide with controlled tension. He descended five floors, navigating the frozen architecture until he reached the maintenance level.
The basement was a cathedral of cold and decay. It was a massive, subterranean labyrinth of rusted pipes, dead conduits, and large, supporting concrete columns—the very structure holding up his home. The floor was a treacherous mix of ice and frozen sludge. The air was still and deadly, hovering around -10°C, only slightly warmer than the outside due to the insulating earth, but far colder than the air Lin Fan was engineered to endure long-term.
He found the four critical load-bearing columns directly beneath his apartment unit—the foundation where the Leviathan would strike.
[Time Remaining: 01 Hour, 15 Minutes.]
The Race to Weld
The installation was a race against a clock he couldn't stop. Lin Fan dragged the first pillar to the target column. The steel pillar was so cold it immediately bit into the thermal layer of his gloves.
The welding process was complicated by the environment. Plasma welding requires extreme heat, but the cold bled that energy away rapidly, threatening the integrity of the weld.
Lin Fan accessed the Modular Creation System again. He needed a catalyst.
"System. Create: High-Temperature Plasma Catalyst (10 doses). Cost: 20 SP."
[SP: 630. Confirm.]
Ten tiny, foil-wrapped charges materialized. He slapped a charge onto the steel beam, activating the catalyst. It glowed with a furious, localized heat, preparing the target zone.
He fired up the torch. VZZZZZZZZT. The brilliant white-blue arc of the plasma flame roared to life, a small sun in the subterranean gloom. He began fusing the pillar's cap to the column, working with the desperate speed of a man facing execution. The noise was deafening in the confined space, echoing through the dead building. He was a beacon of light and sound, utterly exposed.
[Time Remaining: 55 Minutes.]
Pillar One secured.
He moved to Pillar Two. Lin Fan felt the cold beginning to creep past the primary thermal layers of his suit, a numbing reminder of his vulnerability. His concentration had to be absolute. Any error in the weld could lead to structural failure when the impact hit.
[Time Remaining: 30 Minutes.]
Pillar Three and Four were secured. Sweat was freezing on his neck where his helmet didn't fully cover. His muscles screamed with exhaustion from moving the massive pillars.
The last pillar was the hardest. It was positioned beneath the most stressed corner of his foundation. He hammered the final support into position.
"System, final structural scan."
[Final Structural Integrity Analysis: 98.5% (Pre-Impact Baseline).][Structural Weakness: Nominal. Defense Strategy: Optimal.]
[Time Remaining: 15 Minutes.]
The welding torch ran dry. Lin Fan dropped it, his arm shaking uncontrollably. He had just enough time to retrieve his shotgun and get out.
The Retreat and the Strike
Lin Fan scrambled back up the frozen stairwell, not bothering to retrieve the empty welding gear. He ran on pure adrenaline, his body protesting every movement.
He burst through the stairwell door and into his warm apartment airlock with five minutes to spare. He slammed the stairwell door shut, cycling the airlock, sealing himself back into his sanctuary.
He stood in the center of his main chamber, watching the Shelter Matrix screen.
[Time Remaining: 00 Minutes, 00 Seconds.]
[WARNING: TIER 3 IMPACT DETECTED!]
The sound was not an explosion; it was a deafening, seismic GRIND. The entire building, a ten-story monument of concrete and steel, lurched violently to one side. The lights in the shelter flickered aggressively, and dust rained down from the ceiling joints. The world outside sounded like a colossal, grinding gear hitting bedrock.
The System's G-force sensor flared bright red, indicating the violent shockwave. Lin Fan gripped the edge of his workstation, his knuckles white.
The attack wasn't a sudden blast; it was a sustained, powerful pressure. The Leviathan was using its massive, sub-surface bulk to essentially shove the building from its foundation, trying to shear the core columns.
The tremors lasted for a terrifying twenty seconds. The noise was unbearable—a symphony of screaming steel and groaning concrete.
Then, the tremors stopped.
The building settled with a final, unnerving CREEEAAK.
Aftermath and New Beginnings
Lin Fan waited ten seconds, listening only to his ragged breathing. The air filtration system hummed steadily. The lights stabilized. The Stabilized Energy Core had kept the lights on, the Aegis-1 Sentry Turret remained operational, and the vault door seal held.
He checked the Structural Integrity gauge: 95%.
The Foundation Support Pillars had done their job. The remaining 5% loss was manageable, a result of the sheer G-force trauma to the upper floors, but the foundation itself had held firm. The Leviathan had failed.
"System. External threat status."
[Target: Glacier Leviathan (Tier 3) - Status: Retreating. Severe damage sustained due to structural counter-force.][Detection: High-Value Resource Located at Impact Site.]
Lin Fan stared at the monitor. The Leviathan had been damaged by his house.
A massive, pulsating blue signature appeared at the edge of his sensor range, near the now-stabilized impact site.
[Tier 3 Mutagenic Energy Core Detected (Glacier).]
The payoff was monumental. A Tier 3 core—the resource needed to push his System far beyond current limits.
He had won the foundational battle. Now, he had to reward his struggle.
He had 130 SP remaining. He had the 3.1 sq meters of Crystalline Hide.
Lin Fan walked to his workstation, feeling a grim satisfaction spread through his exhausted body. He pulled up the necessary blueprint.
"System. Create: Cryo-Resistant Armor (Tier 2, Host). Use Crystalline Hide and 100 SP."
[SP: 30 Remaining. Creation Initiated.]
The creation box glowed a brilliant, icy blue. When the light subsided, resting on the tray was a stunning, dark-gray composite suit of tactical armor. It was lined with integrated crystalline plating, light, flexible, and capable of withstanding both Tier 1 mutant attacks and the most severe environmental cold.
Lin Fan lifted the armor. It was his proof. His transformation was complete. He was no longer just a prepper; he was a hardened hunter, ready to take on a Tier 3 creature and win.
He needed the Glacier Core. The ultimate power was waiting.
(Author's Note: Lin Fan survived the Leviathan! The fortress holds, and he has his Cryo-Armor! The ultimate Tier 3 Core is now waiting outside. Will he risk everything to claim the prize? Don't miss the next stage of the hunt in Chapter 10! Please drop a Power Stone if you enjoyed the battle!)