Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Gu Lang temporarily stopped the boat to let the engine rest and also to catch his breath.

Once on the deck, he launched the drone again, which climbed to a higher altitude.

The Earth has curvature, and an adult standing on the sea can only see the horizon at a distance of about 4.7 kilometers.

Even if Gu Lang climbs to the top of the yacht's mast, at a height of 9 meters, he can only see about 10 kilometers away at most.

As the drone climbed to an altitude of 500 meters, the maximum visible distance in Gulang reached 80 kilometers.

Still unable to see land, Gu Lang circled around and saw several black dots to the south.

He switched to a telephoto lens and zoomed in on the image.

Four enormous steel platforms appeared abruptly on the sea.

The platform features a tall derrick, multiple working decks, and supporting trusses.

"It's an offshore oil drilling platform!"

Gu Lang was instantly excited, and the flame of hope in his heart was rekindled.

This fixed platform is not only an excellent navigational beacon, but it can also be used to obtain much-needed fuel.

The platform has a robust structure and living space above sea level.

It is far from the shipping lanes and in a remote location.

It can effectively avoid radiation and violent individuals.

The platform usually also includes equipment and supplies for people to live on for an extended period.

It's practically a perfect post-apocalyptic shelter.

He immediately retrieved the drone and restarted the engine.

We sped off toward that magnificent building that represents human industrial civilization.

Upon arriving at the perimeter of the platform, Gu Lang, as usual, launched the drone.

The drilling platform is orange and consists of four large platforms connected by a corridor bridge.

On the largest main platform hangs a sign that reads "Penglai 19-3 Oilfield".

Even more striking is the location on the highest helicopter landing platform.

A black plastic shed had been erected, with pink lights shining through the gaps.

This gave Gu Lang a jolt of hope; he had connections above him, and they were healthy survivors.

Berserkers are almost all "carnivores" and would never actively grow vegetables.

But he immediately suppressed the urge to call directly using the ship's radio.

The lessons of the Pearl of the Bohai Sea are still fresh in our minds; radio waves are public.

Anyone with a keen eye can hear his calls, thus revealing their presence.

So Gu Lang chose a more covert method of communication.

He maneuvered his yacht closer and circled the edge of the massive marine facility.

"Beep—beep beep—"

Gu Lang kept pressing the button on the ship's electric horn while waiting for feedback from the platform.

Only when looking up from below can you truly appreciate the sheer size of the platform.

The pillars, with diameters exceeding several meters, support the work area, which is more than ten stories high above.

It gives people a suffocating sense of oppression, which stems from the human instinct to be in awe of huge structures.

Or rather, megalophobia.

While looking up, he discovered that there should have been scaffolding or ladder interfaces at the bottom of the platform for maintenance personnel to go up and down.

But now, all that remains at those interfaces are rough cut surfaces left after being violently damaged by tools.

All available climbing paths have been intentionally cleared.

This is a very clear defensive stance.

Before he could even finish circling around, a reaction occurred on one of the platforms in the middle.

"Waaah—"

The deep, resonant sound of the ship's horn broke the silence between the sea and the sky.

The sound waves struck the steel structure of the platform, producing a slight echo.

Gu Lang immediately went to that platform, just as he was pondering how to establish contact next.

A muffled motor hum suddenly came from above his head.

Suddenly, a boom crane located on the side of the platform started operating.

The long boom slowly moved out of the sea, and a cage slowly descended, hovering 0.5 meters above the sea surface.

A black walkie-talkie was firmly fixed to the rope mesh of the cage.

The intention is self-evident.

Gu Lang immediately steered the boat closer and reached for the walkie-talkie.

He pressed the call button and cautiously began to speak.

"Calling Penglai 19-3 platform, this is Liaodanyang 22233, please respond upon receipt."

"Liaodanyang 22233 received. Please keep a safe distance from the platform to avoid collisions."

"My ship is about to run out of fuel and requests temporary docking."

The other party fell silent, and Gu Lang directly tied the cable to the handrail at the bottom of the platform.

In fact, the yacht still had a little fuel left, enough to support a voyage of about 150 kilometers.

But since he was passing by a safe "sea refueling station," he naturally wouldn't miss this rare trading opportunity.

Silence fell over the walkie-talkie, and Gu Lang guessed that the other team was having a discussion.

A dozen minutes later, a short hissing sound of electricity rang out again, this time with a different voice.

"Where are you from? How many people are on board? Is anyone infected with the rabies virus?"

The series of questions is a standard screening process for outsiders in a post-apocalyptic environment.

"I came from Shandong... I was the only one on the ship. I wasn't injured, and I had no illness."

Gu Lang answered truthfully, but omitted some key information to avoid causing unnecessary fear to the other party.

Although he fought against the berserkers along the way, he was also affected by nuclear radiation.

Wearing full protective gear throughout the process, with minimal contact with others.

They all used mid-to-long-range weapons and did not engage in close-quarters melee combat with the berserkers.

He had been traveling alone for a long time and believed he was not infected.

During the ensuing conversation, the two sides exchanged a brief message.

Gu Lang also explained why he didn't use a radio and reminded the other party to be wary of the dangers at sea.

The newly appeared man identified himself as Zhou Lei, an electromechanical engineer on the platform.

The man who spoke at the beginning was the platform's communications technician.

Zhou Lei avoided discussing the situation on the platform, only repeatedly emphasizing that supplies were extremely scarce and hoping that Gu Lang would leave as soon as possible.

Gu Lang understood this wariness, and he went straight to the point and put forward his core demands.

"I understand, but I need to refuel with diesel."

"Although this is an oil platform, it can only produce crude oil."

The diesel fuel we prepared is for emergency generators; we need to keep some for ourselves.

"Mr. Zhou, how far is it from here to the nearest land?"

"Drive another 80 kilometers southeast, and you'll reach Longkou City in Shandong Province."

Upon hearing this news, Gu Lang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then give me enough diesel to drive this distance, is that alright?"

Suddenly, another voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"Hey you on the boat, I'll fucking swear to you! You're just some beat-up little boatman, what gives you the right to act so high and mighty? Let me tell you, you're out of fuel!"

"Is there any need to resort to insults? I can trade with you for other supplies."

Gu Lang felt a bit confused.

"I'm sorry, Brother Gu Lang, this is our boatswain Ma Cheng. He's testing whether you're a Berserker."

Zhou Lei then began to explain.

"That was just a joke. You pass!"

Ma Cheng's voice rang out again.

"Trying to provoke a violent person with words? I don't think that's a very reliable approach."

Gu Lang sighed, estimating that since the disaster broke out, this place had not truly encountered any berserkers.