“The entrance installation is complete. The entrance uses fingerprint and facial recognition to open,” the system’s voice sounded again.
Only then did Tang Ye come back to her senses. She stepped forward and approached the entrance. Up close, the silver metal door felt even more high-tech, with subtle metallic patterns on its surface. It looked cold, yet gave off an inexplicable sense of security.
Following the system’s instructions, Tang Ye placed her finger on a glowing spot by the door.
“Recording into system. Underground shelter administrator fingerprint successfully registered. Connecting to shelter… connection successful. Welcome home, Administrator.” As the mechanical voice finished, a crisp click sounded beside her ear.
The silver door in front of her slowly opened, stopping once it was wide enough for a person to pass through.
Inside was not the pitch-black darkness Tang Ye had imagined. Instead, there were motion-sensor lights. As she walked, the lights above lit up one by one, and they did not immediately turn off. The system explained that once no human presence was detected, the lights would automatically switch off.
What came into view was a corridor-like space, with an elevator at the far end.
After she entered, the door closed behind her.
The moment it shut, there was a soft puff, as if some mechanism had been activated. Then, semi-circular glass chambers, resembling shower rooms, extended out from both sides of the corridor walls. The system explained that these were for disinfecting every survivor who entered.
“External pathogens must not be brought into the shelter. Therefore, every human entering must undergo disinfection,” the system added.
Tang Ye agreed completely. This was something every shelter needed. Even poorly equipped shelters would find ways to disinfect incoming survivors.
She herself also needed to undergo disinfection. Her clothes were likely covered in unknown toxins and viruses from outside. She casually stepped into one of the semi-circular chambers. Upon detecting her presence, the glass door opened with a beep.
The space inside was small, just enough for one person to stand.
After the glass door closed, disinfectant mist began spraying from above. It was different from what Tang Ye had experienced before. The mist was fine, had no pungent odor, and caused no stinging sensation on the skin.
In addition to disinfection, Tang Ye could feel her entire body being cleaned. The bloodstains and dirt on her clothes were washed away. Not only was the previous sour smell gone, her clothes now carried a faint scent of disinfectant.
Tang Ye had not expected such a pleasant surprise right at the entrance. In this world, resources and supplies were scarce, and even bathing was a luxury. No matter how much one cared about cleanliness before the apocalypse, afterward it became something to endure. Yet in this shelter, one could be thoroughly cleaned the moment they entered.
After completing the cleaning and disinfection, Tang Ye walked toward the elevator at the end. At present, there was only one option, Basement Level 1.
“Due to excessive energy consumption from the entrance and disinfection chambers, current energy is limited. The host is temporarily granted one free administrator room and one thousand energy points. The host must carefully plan which rooms to purchase,” the system explained. “Energy points are converted from this world’s currency, mutated crystals. These crystals are usually extracted from mutated zombies and animals. A Level 1 crystal can be exchanged for ten energy points, a Level 2 crystal for one hundred energy points, and so on.”
As Tang Ye listened, she memorized all of this information.
When the elevator reached Basement Level 1, Tang Ye stepped out and found that there was only one room on the right. The left side, along with other undeveloped areas, still remained in its original rocky state.
Underground spaces were supposed to be damp, dark, and poorly ventilated, but here she felt none of that. There was even a faint flow of purified air circulating above the corridor.
Tang Ye used her fingerprint to open her single room. Inside, there was a single bed. Against the wall was a foldable desk. What surprised her was that beside the bed was a large glass window. Outside the window was not rock or soil, but a lush green lawn, vibrant trees, and a moon hanging in the night sky.
Tang Ye stared at the scene in a daze and instinctively reached out to touch it, only to feel the cold glass.
It was only after the system explained that she realized it was a highly realistic simulated projection. This technology shocked her, because when she opened the window, she could even feel a gentle breeze and the scent of grass and earth.
She had not seen such a scene for many years.
On the other side were a kitchen and bathroom. Though small, everything was fully equipped. It was dry and comfortable. As a privilege of being the administrator, water and electricity could be used without limit inside the room. Since the apocalypse began, she had never lived in such a good place.
Tang Ye ran her hand over the clean bed and soft pillow, her eyes filled with indescribable emotions.
“The host may begin constructing new rooms to welcome survivors,” the system said.
A 3D panel appeared before Tang Ye, displaying various types of rooms. Just for survivor accommodations alone, there were multiple options, an eighteen-person dormitory, a six-person dormitory, and a double room.
The fewer occupants, the higher the energy cost. An eighteen-person dormitory required three hundred energy points, equivalent to three Level 2 crystals. A six-person dormitory required six hundred energy points, while a double room required one thousand.
In addition, there were essential facilities such as power generation rooms, water purification rooms, medical rooms, cafeterias, and more.
No wonder the system had been confident that she could build a shelter even when she had nothing. As long as there were energy points, constructing a fully equipped facility only took minutes or hours.
Tang Ye felt her horizons had been broadened.
“Do you have any suggestions?” Looking at the overwhelming array of options, Tang Ye directly asked the system.
“I suggest the host first build an eighteen-person dormitory, followed by the essential power generation room and water purification room. These can be upgraded later. As more rooms are added, the host must remember to upgrade these two facilities. Otherwise, exceeding capacity will result in power and water outages,” the system replied.
Following the system’s advice, Tang Ye decisively chose an eighteen-person dormitory, along with a power generation room and a water purification room. She placed the dormitory next to her own room, and the two functional rooms on the other side of the elevator. These facilities would generate noise during operation, so it was better to keep them farther from living areas.
After redeeming the three rooms, only one hundred energy points remained.
Tang Ye used the remaining points to purchase one hundred portions of food for storage. The system mentioned that a cafeteria would need to be built later.
She specifically checked the construction menu and saw that a cafeteria required five thousand energy points.
The rooms were completed within minutes. Tang Ye went out to take a look.
The eighteen-person dormitory was right next to her room. As the administrator, her fingerprint could open all doors. Upon entering, the first thing she saw was a spacious common area with chairs and benches, along with shared bathrooms, toilets, and washbasins. She took a look inside. There were six toilet stalls, each an independent enclosed space when the door was closed. Outside was a row of sinks.
The bathing area was a communal shower room, separated by doors and walls, with a total of six shower stalls. Each could be locked from the inside, ensuring privacy.
As Tang Ye observed, the system introduced various special features in the room, such as air circulation, purification, toxin filtration, and more.
Everywhere she looked was technology she had never seen before, highlighting the uniqueness of this underground shelter.
There were three rooms in total, each accommodating six people, making eighteen beds altogether.
Having six people per room was already considered spacious. Back when Tang Ye lived in other shelters, she had experienced rooms where twenty or thirty people were crammed into a single space.
After adding the power generation and water purification rooms on the other side of the elevator, that area was no longer bare rock, but had turned into a similar corridor. However, a sign indicated that unauthorized personnel were not allowed to enter.
As the administrator, Tang Ye was not restricted by this rule, but since everything inside was fully automated, she would need to wear protective clothing and undergo another round of disinfection to enter. She only took a glance from outside.
The machinery was complex and beyond her understanding, but seeing several massive water storage tanks being steadily filled with purified water gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
After the apocalypse, all resources were scarce. Water, electricity, and food were extremely precious. In the shelter Tang Ye had previously stayed in, electricity usage was limited to at most one hour per day. There were often times when an entire day passed without a single glimpse of light.
Returning to her room, the night outside had already grown deep. Tang Ye had experienced betrayal, severe injury, poisoning, gradual recovery, and a series of shocks and emotional highs. She was now utterly exhausted.
After taking a shower and thoroughly cleaning herself, she lay down on the soft bed and fell asleep almost the moment she closed her eyes.
Her night was filled with bloodshed and the faces of people from her past flashing before her. Her dreams were a mix of darkness and crimson, but when she opened her eyes, she felt sunlight shining on her face.
Sunlight poured in through the window. She could even feel its faint warmth on her skin. Outside, the sun was bright, and a gentle breeze brushed across the ground. Tang Ye once again marveled at the system’s capabilities.
Waking up to such a beautiful scene seemed to dispel all the darkness from her dreams.
After getting up, Tang Ye took out a box labeled “noodles” from the food she had stored and boiled a pot of water.
The box in front of her was a white food container. It was light in her hand, and when shaken, something inside rattled. It could be heated in a microwave or soaked in hot water for ten minutes. Once heated and opened, it became a steaming bowl of noodle soup.
For people in the apocalypse, this was an incredibly convenient design, especially for going out. With just some hot water, one could have a warm meal anytime.