Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

After packing up and leaving the abandoned shopping mall, it was almost noon.

Because it was Monday, there weren't many people in the shopping district.

Gu Lang glanced at the yellow archway and KFC through the glass, then turned and left.

He hadn't found any quality clients and wasn't going to waste his time.

There are three types of people who can be identified as not being Gu Lang's potential targets.

First are fat people, who love food.

The second group consists of single men who tend to pack up very little food.

Third are food delivery riders, who are manual laborers and burn a lot of calories.

Unfortunately, I encountered all three of these types today.

There are also three types of high-value customers.

First, there are women, many of whom do not eat the complimentary snacks.

Secondly, couples won't take the food with them.

Thirdly, group meals often involve ordering excessive amounts of food.

This is the Golden Legend, made by piecing together the leftovers.

The quantity is sometimes more than a full single-person meal.

Fried chicken, hamburgers, and cola are easier to get tired of than the Chinese food we usually eat, and they are very filling.

So most people can't finish the food if they order according to their usual portion size.

With the addition of various marketing strategies from merchants, set meals are much cheaper than ordering individual items.

The resulting food waste is staggering.

Finally, Gu Lang sat down in the Tashi Ding.

This restaurant had been bad lately, so he found a place for lunch.

Gu Lang burped and picked up his phone to review last night's live stream results.

You get 10 airplanes and 1,000 coins.

You got 15 rockets and 7,500 coins.

All 8,500 were spent by the top spender on the leaderboard.

Other small gifts, such as fish balls, membership cards, and little stars, added up to 1,500 yuan.

It only costs a little over ten thousand yuan, and we have to split the profits 50/50 with the platform.

In the end, Gu Lang only received a little over five thousand in cash.

He didn't join a guild or MCN, otherwise half of his earnings would have been taken away.

This month he finally exceeded the minimum withdrawal amount of 500 yuan.

However, withdrawals will have to wait until next month; the money cannot be withdrawn for the time being.

Gu Lang found an ATM and withdrew all his disposable income.

Now that he has more money in his pocket, he wants to start a small business with low costs.

He rode his bicycle to a nearby shopping mall.

This place is called "Aegean Garden" and it is still in operation.

But Gu Lang was certain that this place would soon be abandoned.

During the bubble economy era, all infrastructure construction revolved around real estate.

The total number of shopping malls in China exceeds ten thousand.

In many places, three to five large shopping malls can be gathered within a few kilometers.

With such an exaggerated density, coupled with negative consumption growth, it would be strange if they didn't go bankrupt.

Walking through the empty shopping mall in Gulang, you can't even see any "Shops for Rent" signs.

The signs posted above all read "Rent-free, only property management fees required".

Those that weren't posted were probably abandoned because they owed too much in property management fees and utility bills.

While having lunch, Gu Lang browsed an online secondhand trading platform.

I discovered that an e-commerce company nearby had gone bankrupt and was liquidating, and was selling miscellaneous items.

Upon seeing the old computers inside, I immediately contacted them to arrange for pickup.

Gu Lang went up to the second floor and knocked on a glass door.

"Hello, this is the person I contacted on Xianyu earlier."

"The computers are all there, move them yourself."

The boss sat in a recliner, smoking a cigarette, and pointed to the table.

Without saying a word, Gu Lang began to disassemble it.

This place used to sell women's clothing online.

If he were selling electronics, he wouldn't bother coming.

As for the reason for the closure, the countless return slips scattered on the table already explain everything.

After obtaining the boss's consent, Gu Lang borrowed a handcart and a power strip.

They also took some delivery boxes, delivery bags, and a tape cutter.

When he was moving more than twenty computers out, he bumped into a fellow scrap collector.

When the old man saw that Gu Lang had already taken away the most valuable computer, he began to beat his chest and stamp his feet in frustration.

These days, everyone at the scrap yard is smarter than a monkey.

He knows the prices of all kinds of electronic components by heart.

It's no longer possible to snag a bargain from them.

Gu Lang chose a shop next to the public toilet as a temporary storage point.

There were empty bunks all around without even doors.

After reconnecting the power in the toilet, Gu Lang opened the treasure chests one by one.

The buyback price for these computers is very low.

According to the unwritten rules of the trade, anything that can be turned on costs 100.

If it won't turn on, then it'll cost fifty.

Regardless of quality, all are fifty.

The seller was too lazy to bother with any trouble, so he just sold the whole thing to Gulang for a thousand yuan.

Computer recycling is inherently a highly profitable business.

They rely entirely on information asymmetry, buying low and selling high.

Gulang really got a great deal this time.

At first glance, most of these machines have a "blue back" (referring to a blue logo).

If it has a USB 3.0 interface, then it's impossible to lose money.

Two of them still have a DisplayPort interface, which means they have a graphics card plugged in. These are the ones that can make a lot of money.

Gu Lang powered on all the computers and conducted a test.

Seven of the machines were able to be turned on, while 15 were not.

He picked up a screwdriver and opened all the side panels of the chassis.

These office computers haven't been cleaned for years, and the inside is covered with a thick layer of dust.

Gu Lang took out two spray cans from his backpack and began cleaning.

The can has the words "WD-40" written on it in large letters.

It has six major functions: rust prevention, dehumidification, rust removal, lubrication, cleaning, and electrical conductivity.

Suitable for the maintenance of various metal parts and electromechanical equipment.

It is known as a "maintenance agent for metal products".

Its wide range of uses makes it truly versatile.

Just looking at the title of the instruction manual exudes an air of dominance.

It is called "A List of Over 2000 Uses".

Gu Lang sprayed a basic all-purpose anti-rust lubricant onto the computer case.

The product sprayed onto the motherboard is an advanced precision electrical cleaner.

As the hissing sound continued to ring out.

The stains that had been washed off flowed all over the floor.

After cleaning was completed, Gu Lang waited for a few minutes.

After the cleaning agent has completely evaporated, power it on again for testing.

Five more computers were successfully started this time.

However, two of the computers that were previously able to turn on are now unable to.

"Damn it, this disrupts the gray-electric balance, and the machine spirit is displeased."

Gu Lang sighed at some kind of metaphysics.

I removed the RAM stick, blew some magical air on it, and then plugged it back in. The computer then successfully powered on.

After completing all the tests, he disassembled the computer.

They were neatly arranged on the ground, categorized by type.

There were 4 faulty power supplies, 3 faulty motherboards, 1 faulty memory module, and 2 motherboards that appeared to be faulty but were actually just dead button batteries.

CPUs that are hard to break are all good.

Both the solid-state drive and the hard drive are functioning perfectly.

He performed a simple disk scan test and found no bad sectors or disk failures.

Most computers that won't turn on are simply due to loose memory.

In addition, he also acquired two intact graphics cards.

"I'm lucky, I won the grand prize!"

After arranging the items neatly on the ground, Gu Lang whistled.

"It's actually a 750TI and a 960; those two graphics cards alone have already recouped half the cost."

Due to cryptocurrencies and AI computing power, even old graphics cards have become valuable.