I can upgrade the shelter

On the platform of the train station in a certain city, a group of people was anxiously waiting.

"The train isn’t delayed, right?" A leader among the group, who seemed accustomed to a high position, asked his secretary, though he knew there shouldn’t be an issue, he still felt a bit uneasy.

Seeing the leader’s inquiry, the secretary hurriedly replied, "Don’t worry, Mayor, the train coming this time is a newly operational nuclear-powered train by the state, it won’t be late. It’s almost time, it should be arriving soon."

Upon hearing this, the Mayor did not feel much more at ease. He knew these circumstances as well, asking the secretary was merely for psychological comfort.

Waiting long for the train’s arrival left both the Mayor and the others around increasingly agitated.

Since the disaster struck, city governments everywhere have been under immense pressure, facing survival issues for populations ranging from hundreds of thousands to over a million, keeping everyone on edge, allowing no room for error or negligence.

To use an idiom, it feels like walking on thin ice, fearing any small mistake.

But the previous blizzard made everyone realize the old saying about misfortunes never coming singly. One blizzard severely damaged overstressed shelters.

Not every city was fortunate enough to have someone capable of improving boilers and increasing heating efficiency.

During the previous blizzard, over ten percent of this city’s population froze to death directly, nearly thirty percent of the survivors faced varying degrees of amputation threats, and more than half required medical treatment.

The influx of so many patients caused the medical system to collapse, with many medical staff themselves suffering from cold-induced ailments, needing treatment.

The food and coal shortages exacerbated the city’s predicament, and if it weren’t for comrades on the railway front risking their lives to deliver supplies through the storm, the city might have already fallen.

With the snowstorm now subsiding slightly, reconstruction work is multifaceted. Though in such a situation, those still on duty are commendable, knowing what to do, coordination among various departments still requires oversight.

As Mayor, he should be in his office handling these matters, but the arrival of this particular shipment of supplies is exceptional, as the state mandated the Mayor himself must personally receive it, forcing the Mayor to put aside his work and come to the train station to receive these crucial yet unknown supplies.

Thus, the Mayor’s impatience was understandable.

Fortunately, the train was not late; just as the Mayor became increasingly impatient, frequently checking his watch, a train finally broke through the darkness, slowly approaching from a distance.

Seeing the train appear, everyone on the platform breathed a sigh of relief—it had finally arrived.

The train entered the station and came to a steady stop on the platform.

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Seeing the train stop, the Mayor quickly adjusted his emotions and expression, walking towards the train door to see exactly what supplies were so significant that the Mayor himself had to sign for them.

However, the heavily armored train in front of him, with its sharp and heavy armor plating and the bright heavy machine guns and turrets on top of the carriages, made the Mayor realized the supplies were indeed very crucial.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have deployed such a fully armed armored train, rumored to be nuclear-powered.

The train car door opened, and a staff member, holding documents, accompanied by several armed soldiers, stepped down, meeting the approaching Mayor.

Upon seeing these individuals disembark, the Mayor couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. It wasn’t that he lacked composure, but the attire of the people before him was somewhat startling.

The staff member holding the documents was fine, simply clad in a silver-gray one-piece Protective Suit with a helmet on.

But the soldiers behind him were dressed entirely differently, donning gray-white snow camouflage jumpsuits with tactical-style helmets, adorned with an array of gear familiar and unfamiliar to the Mayor.

Yet this was not what surprised the Mayor the most; if it were just this, he would merely assume the state had made new breakthroughs in protective gear.

However, these soldiers were also equipped with snow-camouflaged Exoskeletons with defensive armor protecting vital body areas, and two of them carried tri-barrel heavy machine guns on their shoulders.

"What kind of important supplies require such full armament?" the Mayor murmured, quickly dismissing the thought as he directly addressed the staff member walking over, "Comrade, thank you for your hard work. May I ask what supplies require my personal receipt?"

The staff member didn’t engage in pleasantries with the Mayor. After carefully verifying his identity and ensuring no discrepancies, he explained, "It’s a Nuclear Battery. According to state directives, from the moment these supplies are received, all shelters must convert from existing coal heating and power supply to using Isotope Thermoelectric Batteries for power and electric heating."

"What? Battery? This is nonsense!" Upon hearing this, the Mayor’s eyebrows shot up instantly, the first thought flashing through his mind was that it was absurd.

In the Mayor’s understanding, batteries were for emergencies or small appliances, toys, and remote controls, even car batteries were just larger, nothing fundamentally different.

But now someone was saying batteries were to be used to power and heat shelters, no wonder he thought it was nonsense.

"These aren’t ordinary batteries, they are Nuclear Batteries," the staff member responded without any reaction, diligently performing the handover: "This batch of batteries each has an output power of 120KW, with a sustainable lifespan of ten years. According to our calculations, a small shelter for five hundred people only needs one battery to ensure power and electric heating.

Based on the number of shelters in your city, there are 230 batteries that you need to receive, in addition to two thousand Protective Suits and five hundred sets of Exoskeleton equipment. Here’s the list, please confirm and sign, and affix your city government’s seal upon verification."

The Mayor, upon hearing the staff’s explanation, was immediately taken aback, feeling slightly embarrassed, but years of experience quickly steadied his emotions. He took the list offered by the other party, checked over the items listed, and pointing to a line of text, asked, "What are these Protective Suits and Exoskeletons?"

The staff member, seeing the Mayor’s inquiry, pointed to the soldiers wearing Exoskeleton Protective Suits beside him and said, "These are the Exoskeleton Protective Suits."