Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Gu Lang did not respond immediately, but continued to scan the other person's entire body.

The person was wearing a protective mask, and the knees of the life jacket were worn, but the suit remained intact without any tears.

The collar of the life jacket was open, revealing the regular flight suit underneath.

"Good, no signs of injury." He nodded to himself.

"Gu Lang, a passerby, are you all alone here?"

"There are two other people in the room downstairs. My comrade Song Zhong was shot in the leg while protecting Dr. Wang."

As Li Zheng answered, he kept a wary eye on the Type 21 tactical vest Gu Lang was wearing.

"Were you responsible for the gunshots and fire earlier?"

"Ah, it really was me. I was accidentally discovered by three berserkers and almost died there." Gu Lang sighed.

"You've done us a huge favor. If you hadn't lured those lunatics away, we might not have been able to escape."

"Why did you come to the Berserkers' lair when you were perfectly fine at sea?" Gu Lang asked in a low voice.

He followed behind Li Zheng, keeping a safe distance, and walked downstairs from the rooftop.

"We belong to the Peace State and are here on a mission."

"Peaceful State?" Gu Lang recalled previous news reports. "Is it that 10,000-ton ocean-going hospital ship?"

"That's right. When the war broke out, the hospital ship was on a long-range training mission and escaped a nuclear attack. Now the medical experts on board are developing a virus vaccine, but they lack equipment and supplies, so the higher-ups sent us here to search for resources."

As they spoke, the two arrived at a room.

"Dr. Wang, how is Song Zhong doing?"

"He has lost a lot of blood, but he is still conscious. We need to find a way to transfer him for treatment as soon as possible."

Wang Bin answered with a solemn expression, then turned and saw Gu Lang standing at the door, not coming in, and his expression changed.

"Who's that person behind us?"

"Oh, we've found a survivor. He's the one who was shooting and setting fires to the west just now."

"Are you alright?" Wang Bin looked Gu Lang up and down.

"No, it's been a long time since I killed the last berserker, and I don't feel like I'm showing any symptoms of the illness."

Gu Lang glanced at his watch and said quietly.

Just then, there was a sudden noise on the previously quiet bed.

Song Zhong, who had just been weakened by blood loss, suddenly began to convulse violently.

A series of intermittent and strange hoarse sounds escaped from his throat, and his fingers unconsciously scratched at the bed sheet.

Gu Lang almost instinctively raised his air rifle, aiming the muzzle intently at his opponent.

No testing was needed; these changes in his vital signs were all too familiar to him.

Li Zheng reacted just as swiftly, turning the muzzle of his rifle almost simultaneously.

It wasn't directed at a comrade who was ailing, but rather at Gulang.

"Put down your gun!" Li Zheng's voice was hoarse but resolute, leaving no room for doubt.

The soldier's instinct to protect his comrades overwhelmed everything at that moment.

"Look closely! He's already having an attack!" Gu Lang roared, his finger gripping the trigger tightly, refusing to budge an inch.

"Impossible! He wasn't bitten! He wasn't scratched!"

Li Zheng could not accept this fact, and the muzzle of his gun trembled slightly.

At this moment, Wang Bin, who was standing to the side, straightened his protective suit and then quickly stepped forward to check.

A few seconds later, he raised his head, met Li Zheng's gaze, and slowly and heavily shook his head.

Li Zheng's eyes widened, still unable to comprehend: "Why?! The wound is a gunshot wound! And it's clean!"

Just then, Song Zhong, who was being tortured on the bed, used his last bit of willpower to squeeze out broken words through clenched teeth: "Squad...Squad leader...move...move..."

His voice was full of pleading.

"I...I don't want to become that kind of thing...please..."

Gu Lang took a deep breath, interrupting the heartbreaking plea.

"The bullet was stained with blood. If it weren't for the bulletproof plate, I would have been hit too."

This chilling truth struck Li Zheng like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in place.

Time seemed to freeze, each second accompanied by Song Zhong's increasingly inhuman spasms and strange noises.

Gu Lang knew that someone had to step forward and end all of this quickly.

"You two, get out!" Gu Lang said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

The two people opposite each other froze.

"Let's go, I'll be the bad guy." Gu Lang's voice rose another fraction.

Wang Bin turned his face away, grabbed Li Zheng and pulled him out, then closed the door.

Gu Lang put on his gloves, turned Song Zhong over, and laid him face down on the bed before covering him with a blanket.

"Brother, the power of an air gun is limited. I'll shoot you in the brainstem; it won't hurt you."

"Thank...thank you..." Song Zhong gripped the edge of the bed tightly with both hands, uttering the last two words with trembling hands.

Gu Lang aimed the gun at the foramen magnum, located above the back of his neck and directly below his skull, through the blanket.

With a soft thud, the lead bullet shattered the body's vital center, and the room fell silent.

The door to the room opened again, and Gu Lang turned around to see Li Zheng, who was immersed in grief.

"This is not a shooting... but a release, and the soldier's last dignity."

Hearing this clichéd piece of advice, Li Zheng remained silent, his anger still burning in his eyes.

Gu Lang did not back down. He walked directly in front of the other party, and his voice became more and more steady.

"Now we need to think about how to get back to the ship alive, so that your comrades' sacrifices won't be in vain."

"Hmph, you still want to get on the ship? Let me tell you, don't even dream about it! Now that there's an infected person in the squad, the rest of us will all agree to abandon the return journey! We can't risk the lives of everyone on the ship for our own!"

Gu Lang looked at Wang Bin in shock, who then nodded.

"Then why did that Z-20 appear? Wasn't it there to rescue you?"

"Hmph, you're overthinking it. Come down with me and you'll see."

Li Zheng snorted coldly and left the room.

Gu Lang turned around, closed the door, and followed after them.

When he arrived in the courtyard, he saw Li Zheng standing on a strange vehicle, fiddling with a heavy machine gun.

The car is a convertible with four seats in the front and back.

Despite its small size, it has eight large tires.

Gu Lang felt a chill run down his spine; what the other party said was true.

The Z-9 has a very low payload capacity, so this vehicle could only have been transported by the Z-20.

He composed himself, his spirits lifted, and slowly walked over.

"Is this an all-terrain vehicle?"

"Yeah, the Lynx assault vehicle."

"Are there any other people?"

"We sent out signals all night, and you were the only one who came. The others probably didn't either..."

Li Zheng stopped talking, took off his gloves, sat down in a chair, and silently wiped away his tears.

At this moment, Wang Bin walked over carrying a backpack and weapons.

He tossed various supplies onto the vehicle and then patted Li Zheng on the shoulder.