Chapter 139 - 137: City Bureau Shelter

Words : 1093 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

This wasn’t Chen Xin’s first time at the City Public Security Bureau, but the bureau now looked vastly different from how Chen Xin remembered it. The glass curtain walls of the office building were all shattered, with only a few remnants left to hint at their original appearance. However, the bottom few floors seemed to have undergone some maintenance; at least the broken windows were covered up, and there was a faint light visible, indicating people were still inside. It was unclear whether these were survivors who couldn’t fit in the shelter below, or police officers still working. Chen Xin didn’t ask any questions, and the car quickly drove into the underground parking garage. Although the parking garage’s first level wasn’t part of the protective shelter according to its construction standards, and it didn’t have heavy protective doors installed, the fire curtains were still lowered to block the cold wind from outside. This reduced heat loss from the shelter below and prevented the intrusion of some harmful substances. This setup made vehicle entry somewhat inconvenient, requiring the already frozen fire curtains to be lifted before accessing the garage. After entering the garage, the SWAT driver didn’t drive further down. Instead, he parked the car in a parking space. Chen Xin and Qin Lan got out of the car together, and the SWAT driver went to the back of the vehicle to open the compartment door, freeing another SWAT member who had been guarding the equipment inside. "The whole journey was really a struggle." The SWAT member getting out of the compartment stretched his limbs, feeling somewhat stiff. The compartment didn’t have proper seating like the driver’s cabin, making the journey tiring indeed. As the four were getting out of the vehicle, Uncle Ding, who had received news of their return, came out of the nearby elevator with others. "Captain! Commissar!" Seeing Uncle Ding approach, Qin Lan and the two SWAT members quickly greeted them. "It’s been a tough trip. Did you bring back all the equipment?" Uncle Ding returned the salute and nodded to Chen Xin, then inquired about the equipment on the vehicle. Qin Lan quickly nodded and affirmed, "We brought back six units of ground source heat pump equipment, along with all the piping components. They’re all on the vehicle." The SWAT member who had been in the compartment added, "All six units are intact. I watched over them the whole way; no damage." Hearing Qin Lan and the SWAT member’s responses, Uncle Ding and the commissar beside him glanced into the compartment, smiling upon seeing all six units inside. "Xiao Qin, you’ve worked hard these days! Rest well now that you’re back." The commissar said kindly to Qin Lan, then turned to Chen Xin with an even wider and friendlier smile. "This must be Comrade Xiao Chen? We really owe you a lot, not only for providing the equipment but also for coming to install them yourself. I’m sorry for the trouble!" "It’s nothing. You’ve been taking care of me with your SWAT team; I’m just here to help install something—no big deal." Chen Xin responded, a bit awkwardly to the commissar’s kindness, politely saying a few words before falling silent. The commissar didn’t show any displeasure at Chen Xin’s reticence, still nodding with a smile. "Regardless, since you’re here as a guest, we ought to show you around. Why not tour the place with Xiao Qin, and then have lunch together? We don’t have much to offer here, except some vegetables we got from you in exchange. Hope you don’t mind." "Not at all, not at all. In these times, just having something to eat is good enough." Chen Xin smiled and nodded, not taking the commissar’s politeness seriously, and stepped back behind Qin Lan. Meanwhile, Uncle Ding already started calling over his people to unload the equipment from the car. Seeing them start to unload, Chen Xin reminded Uncle Ding, "Uncle Ding, these pipes and equipment are numbered. Please ask everyone not to mix up the order when carrying them." "Got it, I’ll make sure they pay attention," Uncle Ding nodded, turning to his team and saying, "Did you hear that? Be careful not to mess up the order of the items." Watching Uncle Ding finish instructing the others, Chen Xin nodded reassuringly. Qin Lan then said to Uncle Ding and the commissar, "Captain, Commissar, I’ll take Chen down first." With that, Qin Lan led Chen Xin towards the nearby elevator, followed quickly by the two previous SWAT members, as they took the elevator into the interior of the City’s shelter. While pressing the elevator button, Qin Lan introduced the place to Chen Xin: "The shelter in the bureau has five levels. The upper three are parking and storage, while the lower two are bunkers built in the last century. The level we were on is the first underground level. It’s mainly for parking and storing supplies, not for housing. The second underground level marks the start of the formal shelter area. It’s suitable temperature-wise due to the protective and retrofitted insulation layers, though no one lives here. The bureau’s administrative units are situated here for daily operations and city bureau maintenance. Starting from the third underground level is where people actually reside. Our SWAT team’s living quarters are on the fourth underground level, in the old bunkers." As Qin Lan spoke, the elevator reached the fourth underground level. Following Qin Lan out of the elevator, they passed through a corridor clearly meant to be an elevator lobby, entering a fairly spacious hall. "This was built as part of the Third Line strategy during the Cold War peak, designed to withstand nuclear attacks, and was sealed until this disaster made its reuse necessary," Qin Lan explained while leading Chen Xin through the hall with its period-specific style, followed by the two SWAT members into a passage beside the hall. "This central hall connects different areas of the bunker, serving as an auditorium in the past. Now it’s more of a transit hub." "This bunker is huge!" Chen Xin remarked, glancing at the passage while following behind Qin Lan, unable to hide his amazement. Qin Lan nodded, confirming, "The entire underground bunker was constructed intermittently from the ’70s to the early ’90s, stopping only then. The space is large enough to accommodate all the bureau’s officers and families. Our SWAT team only occupies one area, yet it’s almost like a full-sized shelter." As Qin Lan spoke, they passed through the passage and entered the SWAT team’s designated area.

Chapter 139 - 137: City Bureau Shelter

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