Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"Both tunnels are in place, there are no abnormalities at the main entrance, and no enemy has been spotted on the main road."

"Tunnel 3 is in place, there are no abnormalities at the secondary entrances, and no enemy has been spotted at the coal conveyor bridge."

"Tunnel 4 is in place, and there are no abnormalities in the main plant. We are currently cooperating with engineers to inspect and repair the equipment."

The voices of the group leaders came through the individual radio headsets one after another.

"This is Dongyao. All groups, take note of the lighting control measures, take turns on duty, conserve your energy, and rest on the spot."

After setting up the defenses, Zhao Xun turned to the electrical engineer beside him.

"Engineer Liu, how's the situation?"

"It's alright. The power plant staff managed to complete the shutdown procedures before evacuating, and the damaged areas were mostly environmental protection equipment, so it's not a big problem."

Liu Xin, an electrical engineer, kept operating the computer, checking system data.

"Could we restart the generator set while it's still relatively safe?"

"The inspection and testing of the generator set and auxiliary systems have not yet been completed, and forcibly restarting them may damage the turbine."

Ultra-supercritical units have high requirements for water quality and require thorough cleaning to prevent impurities from entering the boiler.

We lack both manpower and time; all we can do now is preliminary work.

How many more people do you need?

"The units here are quite new, with a high level of automation, and they are also equipped with an automatic start-stop system."

Even the simplest cold restart requires a professional team of at least 10 people.

"Alright, let's wait for further support."

Then, time slowly passed amidst the howling wind.

Gunshots rang out in the distance, only to be quickly swallowed up by the wind and rain, making it impossible to discern the direction or origin of the sound.

Seemingly thanks to its remote location, no rabid creatures have been seen around the power plant.

In the control room, Zhao Xun took the time to discuss the technical details of various areas within the power plant with Liu Xin.

"Squad Leader Zhao, something's not right," Xu Ran, who had been watching the monitor, suddenly whispered.

Zhao Xun immediately got up and walked to the screen wall, which displayed the footage from dozens of cameras in the factory area.

As you can see, some of the squares have turned black.

"The lines have just been restored, and with this kind of weather, it's normal for there to be some problems." Zhao Xun approached, his brows slightly furrowed.

"I thought so at first too, but if you look closely, the problems are all at the outer perimeter points, and they started spreading from the south wall."

Xu Ran switched the view and zoomed in on the only remaining surveillance camera around the main entrance.

Then, right in front of the two of them, the screen suddenly froze and glitched.

Then it went completely black, and a line of letters appeared: "NO SIGNAL".

"Someone is vandalizing the security cameras!"

A chill ran down Zhao Xun's spine, and he immediately pressed down on his earpiece.

"Dong Liang, Dong Liang, this is Dong Yao, reporting the situation! Keep an eye on the area around the main entrance; the security cameras are malfunctioning!"

"Second cave reached! The rain is too heavy, visibility at the main entrance is limited. Wait! What's that...?"

The second team leader's voice suddenly rose, "Something's up! Southwest direction, main road! It's car headlights..."

"Bang! Bang bang bang—!"

The deputy squad leader's words were abruptly cut off by a burst of rapid, sudden bursts of automatic rifle fire.

Almost at the same second—"BOOM—!!!"

A loud bang was heard, and Zhao Xun felt the floorboards beneath his feet shake noticeably.

"Calling Dong Liang! Answer me! What's going on?!" Zhao Xun shouted into his headset.

"Damn it... a large truck! It crashed in! All the roadblocks are destroyed! Again, the main entrance is lost!"

The deputy squad leader's voice was a mixture of heavy breathing and incredulous curses.

"Team one, move immediately towards the main entrance and prepare to engage the enemy!"

Zhao Xun instantly switched into battle mode, speaking rapidly, "Xu Ran, you and Liu Xin follow behind us, prepare to transfer the wounded!"

As soon as I rushed out of the main building, the wind and rain lashed at me like countless cold whips.

Visibility was extremely poor; one could only vaguely see the vicinity of the substation building in the factory area, with muzzle flashes constantly flickering in the rain.

As they struggled to get closer, the sight before them sent chills down Zhao Xun's spine.

Behind the heavy truck that smashed open the gate, shadowy figures were rapidly pouring into the factory area.

They moved swiftly, dressed in various styles, yet all emitted eerie laughter.

As we approached the combat zone, we saw two groups of buildings on the outskirts, engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy who had stormed into the factory.

The number of berserkers far exceeded expectations, and many of them were former soldiers.

Extremely difficult to deal with, fearless, and daring to advance rapidly even under the threat of bullets.

"Follow me! Cover for second team! Crossfire! Conserve ammunition!"

Zhao Xun shouted and led his team into battle.

They occupied the water treatment plant on the east side, providing flank fire support and temporarily stabilizing the precarious defensive lines of Group 2.

However, this is just the beginning.

The breach of the main entrance was like opening Pandora's box, attracting even more berserkers from all directions.

The battle quickly escalated from point-based defense into a brutal close-quarters melee, with hand-to-hand combat erupting everywhere.

Less than ten minutes into the battle, casualties began to appear.

The deputy squad leader was hit in the side by a ricocheting bullet that seemed to come from nowhere, and fell to the ground with a muffled groan.

The engineers from the second group scrambled to the back to stop the bleeding, causing a momentary delay in the fire control network.

Gao Yang, who was assigned to the second group, snatched the rifle from the deputy squad leader and rolled behind cover to continue the sniping.

After hearing the news through his earpiece, Zhao Xun also rushed over from the flank to prepare to transfer the wounded.

Just then, an unusually swift dark figure took advantage of the brief chaos and broke into the building from a blind spot on the side.

Gao Yang reacted extremely quickly, turning his gun around and firing two shots with a "bang, bang".

Blood burst from the shadowy figure's chest, but it did not slow its forward momentum in the slightest.

He even pulled the pin on a grenade before collapsing, laughing as he shoved it into his mouth.

"Get down—!" Zhao Xun's warning was drowned out by the sound of the explosion.

When Zhao Xun finally arrived near the breach in the position, he saw Gao Yang with his back to them, staggering backward through the billowing smoke and dust.

The area around where he had just been was a mess, with dark red, sticky filth mixed with broken tissue splattered on the walls and floor.

Even from a distance, you could smell an indescribable fishy stench permeating the air.

"Gao Yang! Are you alright?" The engineer from Group Two's voice trembled.

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Yang suddenly turned around.

His face was covered in blood, whether from himself or his enemy, and his eyes revealed boundless fear and despair.

Without hesitation, he pointed the muzzle of his rifle at the two people closest to him.

"Bang! Bang!" The two gunshots rang out almost simultaneously.

A trembling gunshot from Gao Yang struck the engineer in the head.

The other sound came from Zhao Xun, who reacted quickly.

The bullet struck Gao Yang in the abdomen, causing him to scream in agony.

"Go! Disarm him!" Zhao Xun roared, his eyes red, and turned to continue shooting at the berserker from behind the window.

Xu Ran pounced on Gao Yang, kicked him hard, and then snatched the rifle.

Gao Yang was still struggling frantically, screaming, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Let me go! Please!"

"Squad Leader Zhao, should we kill him?" Xu Ran asked, panting heavily as he looked at Zhao Xun.