Wasteland for All: I Can Infinitely Upgrade My Vault

After reviewing Huo Wu's attributes, Zhong Li was slightly astonished. This was no nun; she was clearly a killing machine. Her so-called healing abilities were merely unstable add-ons. Slaughter was her specialty.

Clearly, she prefers to end the battle quickly and decisively, rather than healing her teammates, in order to achieve victory.

Regardless, she is a powerful elite combat unit, and her addition has caused the shelter's combat power to increase exponentially.

Zhong Li was in a good mood, so he used up the last [Shelter Guard Contract Scroll].

This recruitment went very smoothly. A middle-aged man wearing a worn gray combat uniform and a simple steel helmet appeared in the tent. He held a single-barreled musket covered with rust and scratches, and his face was dark and dejected, the complete opposite of Huo Wu, who was as sharp as a longsword.

Upon seeing Zhong Li, he immediately placed his gun at his feet and bowed to Zhong Li with some restraint and timidity: "Zhong Qi, the guard of the shelter, pays his respects to you, esteemed administrator."

Zhongli checked his attributes, which were fairly normal, with most attributes at 5, except for his combat power, which was outstanding at 7 points. He also had a special trait: [Defend to the death: Although the wasteland is vast, the shelter is right behind us. When fighting within a 1000-meter radius of the shelter, Courage +3 and Critical Hit Rate +3%].

Moreover, he also possesses the "first strike" trait that humans have.

In the upcoming battle to clear the ratman dungeons, they will be a useful asset.

Zhong Li's attitude was relatively gentle. He smiled faintly at him and said, "On behalf of Black Sand Shelter, I welcome you to join us. From now on, this will be your home."

Chong Qi nodded quickly: "I will definitely use the weapons in my hand to do everything I can to protect our shelter."

Just as Zhong Li was about to send him away, the system notification sounded:

[Ding! The shelter's population has exceeded its limit. Please upgrade the shelter's level as soon as possible, otherwise the shelter's morale will drop rapidly, leading to slave escapes and inefficiency.]

Unexpectedly, there was this pleasant surprise. Zhong Li immediately went to the command center to check on the status of the shelter.

【Name: Black Sand Shelter】

[Level: Dilapidated Shelter (Upgradeable)]

【Durability Rating: 316/1000】

[Protection level: 10]

[Buildings: 1 dilapidated shelter, 1 resource synthesis pod]

Population: 12/10

Public support: 5

Upgrading your shelter requires: 100 Runes, 100 Rough Steel, and 10 Basic Alloys.

Zhong Li couldn't figure out what supplies were needed to upgrade the shelter, so he had to put the matter aside for the time being.

Then Zhongli remembered that there was still a random reward called "Great Victory" that he hadn't drawn yet, so he took advantage of this free time to draw it.

The random rewards are still categorized into three types: experience, runes, and items.

Without hesitation, Zhong Li decisively chose the [item].

[Ding! Random reward draw complete. You have obtained the item "Beginner Metal Scrap Extractor" x1]

[Primary Metal Scrap Extractor: Ignite the flames of smelting and pave the way for resource regeneration. The wasteland is never short of scrap; recycling it will be one of the most fundamental assets for any faction. Inputting non-ferrous metal scrap will yield corresponding crude steel, aluminum, and other primary steel materials, with a small chance of obtaining primary alloys.]

Zhong Li was overjoyed. He had been worried about how to obtain upgrade materials, and then he drew this [Basic Metal Scrap Extractor]. He didn't know if it was because he was lucky or if it was because it was easy to draw items related to shelter construction in the early stages of the game.

The [Primary Metal Scrap Extractor] features a sturdy, dark gray metal casing, giving it a bulky and robust appearance, like a post-apocalyptic industrial fortress. The structure is quite simple: a corridor-shaped pipe made of heavy steel and a switch button. It activates simply by inserting scrap, powered by a large photovoltaic panel located nearby.

Although this world is a wasteland, it is not lacking in photovoltaic panels. The previous [Resource Synthesis Container] also had photovoltaic panels installed. As long as there is sunlight, it can continuously absorb water and carbon from the air to produce food.

The [Primary Metal Scrap Extractor] is located directly in the middle of the abandoned buildings of the shelter, surrounded by a lot of abandoned machinery and broken equipment, which can serve as raw materials.

Zhong Li immediately walked to the dilapidated shelter not far from the command center and knocked hard on the door.

Immediately afterward, a loud crashing sound came from inside the room. A few seconds later, Shortboard rushed in, his clothes disheveled, with one hand holding up his pants and the other holding a weapon, and opened the door.

Behind him, Wu, supporting his back, limped and struggled to approach.

Upon seeing Zhong Li, Wu quickly explained, "Manager, I strained my back when I jumped off the bed just now, it wasn't..."

Zhongli interrupted him with a smile: "Don't be nervous, there are no enemies invading. But your good time has to be put on hold until tonight. The territory needs to be upgraded immediately. You two take all the slaves and go collect metal scraps and send them to the machine to extract the metal."

This simple waste recycling is much faster than mining or smelting. Moreover, the work is extremely simple and monotonous; even a cyber slave could easily handle it. Commonly known as garbage collection!

Zhong Li personally went to the scrap yard and picked up a few pieces of steel plate. Immediately, a system notification sounded:

[Ding! Obtained 3 irregular wasteland metal scraps]

[Ding! You have obtained 2 pieces of rusted wasteland metal scrap]

Aside from being a bit heavy, picking this up isn't difficult; it's just a matter of physical strength.

Soon, the nine people had collected more than 650 units of scrap and put them into the heavy and sturdy [Primary Metal Scrap Extractor].

When the machine started up, it roared like a steel beast, crushing all the scrap metal that was thrown in. The sound of the metal twisting and deforming was both jarring and filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest. After about three to five minutes, iron ingots were being conveyed out on the tracks in the distance.

[Ding! You have obtained 5 pieces of resource material - Crude Steel]

[Ding! You have obtained 5 pieces of resource material - Crude Steel]

[Ding! You have obtained 5 pieces of resource material - Crude Steel]

……

The notification sounds continued incessantly, and Zhong Li couldn't help but smile with delight. This transformation of waste into treasure was all wealth! Who wouldn't like it?

After about a dozen prompts, a different message finally appeared.

[Ding! You have obtained 5 units of basic alloy resource material]

This one

The probability of obtaining a primary alloy is roughly one in fifteen to one in twenty, but this could be inaccurate. This is likely closely related to the material of the scrap metal used.

From 650 units of scrap, Zhong Li refined 85 units of crude steel and 5 units of primary alloy. The recycling rate is approximately 7:1, which is not low. Moreover, Zhong Li noticed that the recycling rate of scrap is not constant and is quite dependent on the quality of the scrap input.

Now that we have a direction, all that's left is to keep investing in it.

Thanks to the efforts of the cyber slaves, Zhongli quickly gathered the 100 units of crude steel and 10 units of primary alloy needed for the upgrade.