Chapter 14: Drones
In the temporary dining hall converted from the cafeteria, warm lighting dispelled the darkness outside the windows and illuminated seventeen faces with varied expressions.
On the long tables sat simple food — steaming white rice, canned luncheon meat drizzled with meat sauce, and a large basin of instant vegetable soup.
It wasn't lavish. After all, the station's only chef had gone out on a field assignment and was exhausted himself; it was impossible to ask him to take on cooking for so many people.
Actually, this had all been prepared in advance by , with the main goal of keeping it simple and filling.
But even though the dishes were simple, for these survivors who had suffered so much from natural disasters and man-made calamities,
a hot meal like this could already be considered a rare delicacy.
The survivors wolfed down their food. No one spoke; only the clatter of utensils and the sound of chewing could be heard.
sat at one end of the table, holding a tablet and recording something.
These were the registration records of the survivors before her, including photos, names, ages, and occupations.
Later, she would be able to use this information to arrange work for these people more effectively.
Most of them were ordinary office workers, laborers, or housewives without any special skills.
But wasn't disappointed. Cleaning, hauling, and repair — these basic jobs also required a large number of people.
If anything, highly skilled talent had little room to shine in today's environment.
After the meal, led them to the dormitory building in .
That was the temporary dormitory for the power station's employees. Though somewhat old, once cleaned, there were more than enough single rooms for one person each.
When hot water burst from the showerheads and washed away the filth covering their bodies, many of them finally couldn't help but relax.
Safety, food, and cleanliness — these were the things that always brought comfort to people who had been through so much.
They lay on the soft beds, listening to the wind and rain outside the window, and for the first time felt a long-missed peace in this place.
Since the disaster had broken out, they could finally think about plans for tomorrow once again.
's consciousness flashed across several surveillance screens, taking everything in.
The newcomers' emotions were basically stable. That was a good thing.
After [ 2: Establish a "Shelter"-class Civilization Node] was completed, his civilization point balance reached 3,200 points — an unprecedented surplus.
But that damned completely ruined his good mood, making him feel a rare sense of urgency again.
[ 1: .]
[Objective: Establish a solid defensive line; successfully repel one small zombie horde assault (including [ ]).]
[Countdown: 6 days 22:13:47.]
"A small zombie horde... and you even noted the elite monster in parentheses, right? How thoughtful of you." complained wildly in his mind.
He pulled up the surveillance feed of the warehouse. Two brand-new " " Type 1 military drones lay quietly in their packaging as components, waiting to be assembled.
This was his only aerial reconnaissance asset at the moment.
...
The next morning, the rain cleared and the sky was bright.
Inside the spacious warehouse in , two huge military-grade crates had been pried open, revealing metal parts held in place by foam.
"Whoa..." Even someone as experienced as couldn't help but exclaim.
What was in the crates was not the common small quadcopter he had expected.
Instead, it was a fixed-wing drone with a wingspan of nearly four meters, its entire body painted in matte gray.
The smooth fuselage lines were full of power. Beneath the belly hung several modular interfaces, and next to it was a separate electro-optical reconnaissance pod.
"' ' Type 1, multi-purpose reconnaissance drone," explained through the warehouse broadcast, his signature synthesized electronic voice sounding like he was introducing a .
"Modular design, capable of carrying reconnaissance, jamming, communications relay, and other equipment. Maximum service ceiling: eight thousand meters. Endurance: twenty-four hours."
, along with a few chosen survivors to help, began assembly according to the manual displayed on the screen.
While tightening screws, he grumbled inwardly: this equipment was almost at combat-zone level. What kind of project had such resources?
But he didn't ask anything. In this apocalypse, results sometimes mattered far more than the process.
What works is what's good.
Just as the two Type 1 drones were finished assembling, in the shadow of a warehouse corner no one had noticed, the air twisted without warning.
Like ripples spreading across water, a silver metallic gleam appeared out of nowhere, rapidly condensing and taking shape.
In just over ten seconds, a drone with a more sci-fi, flatter, and sharper silhouette appeared before everyone.
It was one size smaller than the Type 1, with a wingspan of only three meters. It was pitch black all over, and its surface was covered with a matte-textured radar-absorbent coating.
The entire airframe was full of sharp angles, like a black falcon poised to strike.
[" " Type 2, special infiltration reconnaissance aircraft.]
's voice sounded right on cue. [Just unlocked from the deep layers of the encrypted database—equipped with a high-energy laser module, overwhelming fire suppression capability, high stealth performance, and a stronger electro-optical reconnaissance module.]
He directly spent 500 to materialize the blueprints.
Facing the coming zombie horde, an eye that could see farther and more safely was absolutely worth it.
At 's reminder, everyone went to the warehouse corner and saw this equipment that had originally been "hidden behind an obstacle."
looked at this "black falcon" that seemed to have appeared out of thin air, the corner of his eye twitching. In the end, he silently patted the wing, feeling the cold metallic texture.
Forget it. Just take it as it is. Get used to it.
...