Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—"

As Gu Lang pressed the accelerator, the turbocharger spun at high speed, forcibly forcing more air into the engine.

As the speed increased, the Lynx assault vehicle successfully crossed a 30-degree steep slope.

To minimize weight, control costs, and facilitate maintenance, this car features a convertible design.

This means that the noise from the rear-mounted engine and transmission system reaches Gu Lang's ears almost without any obstruction.

The Lynx weighs only 1 ton and is equipped with a 1.4T inline four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, which can reach a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

Unfortunately, such short-term maximum speed is not very meaningful. When Gu Lang reached a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, it already felt so bumpy that it was difficult to control.

The main reason is the Pajero's suspension problem. Unlike civilian vehicles with complex shock absorption systems, this car does not use independent suspension.

The experience can be summed up in one word: "hard," or even nonexistent.

The driving experience is completely different from sitting in a closed car; it's essentially a firsthand experience of terrain changes and vehicle dynamics.

The only equipment that can alleviate the discomfort is a shock-absorbing seat and low-pressure tires.

The overall effect can't be described as perfect, but it's better than nothing.

Ultimately, the rider has to use the lower rear part of their body to endure the vibration in a biomechanical way, which is called "butt-bumping".

He had previously heard Li Zheng say that when the Lynx was designed for air assault, comfort was completely ignored in order to fit a helicopter.

All attribute points were allocated to flexibility, mobility, and load-bearing capacity.

In addition, a stiffer suspension can prevent the vehicle from rolling over and greatly reduce the chance of failure.

If it's the new mountain version of the Lynx, which is used by border troops, it will be much more comfortable to drive.

Gu Lang stopped the car and launched the thermal imaging drone from the back seat again.

By utilizing the drone's overhead view, all heat sources were perfectly avoided.

The entire convoy was equipped with a pair of "sky eyes" that could see through the darkness and obstacles.

They successfully bypassed those threatening areas, especially buildings suspected of being inhabited by freaks.

Due to the effects of the nuclear war, temperatures continue to drop, and even the Berserkers need to light fires at night to keep warm.

Especially considering that they don't like wearing heavy clothes, their heating needs are much higher than those of normal people.

Anything that involves burning fire will inevitably produce smoke.

The smoke and aroma of fireworks drifting into the air are as conspicuous as bright lights in the night in thermal imaging.

Gu Lang carefully planned the route while maintaining contact with the other two via a military-grade encrypted frequency band using a soldier's communication terminal.

He abandoned the wide but dangerous main roads and instead traveled along rural roads and even country lanes.

Because the passage of trucks also needs to be taken into account, the marching speed is much slower than the desperate escape on the way there.

Just as dawn was breaking, the three vehicles finally arrived at a secluded beach in Yangkou Town, Rudong County.

There was only a small rural village nearby, far from the main town center, and it was deserted.

After finding an open beach for drying clothes, Gu Lang got out of the car.

"Let's make the call here," he said, walking over to the truck Li Zheng was driving. "The terrain here is open, making it easy to send and receive signals."

"Okay, wait a moment."

Li Zheng nodded, but did not immediately take out his individual communication terminal.

Instead, after getting off the bus, he took a map and started walking around, occasionally making calculations and markings.

"What is he doing?"

Gu Lang walked up to the truck behind and patted the door.

"Oh, he's calculating geographic coordinates. There's no satellite signal right now, so he can only use the geodetic coordinate system to determine the precise location," Wang Bin said, sticking his head out of the car window.

Li Zheng returned more than ten minutes later.

He picked up the communication terminal, adjusted the channel and power, and began trying to call the "Peace State" ship in the far sea.

"Ark, Ark, this is Seacat 01, radio check complete."

"Sea Cat 01, this is Ark, clear reception, over."

"Verification code: B-9-A-3, complete."

"Verification response: F, complete."

"Ark, our mission is complete. Requesting transport helicopter transfer. Over."

"Received, please confirm your location."

"Our location is at coordinates GR-48R-VV-98765432. Repeat, coordinates GR-48R-VV-98765432. Requesting confirmation of terrain features. Over."

"Received. Your location confirmed to be 150 meters west of the coastline. We will deploy a drone to verify this; estimated arrival time is 20 minutes. Maintain radio silence during this time. Over."

After putting down the communication terminal, Li Zheng suddenly turned his head and gave a wink.

Gu Lang, understanding immediately, jumped onto the Lynx assault vehicle and hid in an empty warehouse nearby to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

About 20 minutes later, the faint sound of engines could be heard in the air.

A military drone flew by and began to hover overhead, seemingly conducting a detailed scan of the area.

After hiding the car, Gu Lang did not return to the scene immediately.

Instead, he took his equipment and hid in a farmhouse next to the warehouse that had long been abandoned.

From the second floor here, you can clearly monitor the open space by the sea and other locations in the village.

He found a spot by the window and replaced the thermal imaging scope of his Type 191 rifle with a white light scope, ready to deal with any emergencies.

About half an hour later, an even louder roar came from afar.

A helicopter appeared on the horizon and flew towards them.

As the distance closed, Gu Lang recognized it as a Z-8 large helicopter with naval livery.

Even more striking was the cargo container suspended beneath the helicopter, clearly intended for transporting supplies.

The helicopter flew over the truck, and the powerful wind blew everything around it away.

The container was slowly placed on the open ground next to it. The helicopter then took off again and landed 100 meters away.

A squad dressed in full-body white protective suits jumped down, each carrying a gun.

Seeing this, Gu Lang immediately cocked the gun in his hand and aimed.

He saw Li Zheng step forward, exchange a few words with the team leader from a distance of a few meters, then point to the truck where Wang Bin was and step aside.

After the team leader raised his hand and made a gesture, the team members dispersed.

Some people quickly patrolled the area, while others went straight to the truck.

Seeing this, Gu Lang finally felt relieved.

Next, he saw the other party carefully inspect the supplies, and after confirming that everything was correct, they unloaded the valuable supplies from the truck bed.

They were repackaged and then all of them were put into the container.