Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Zhao Xun felt a wave of dizziness, but he clenched his teeth tightly.

He abruptly ripped the individual communicator from the deputy squad leader's body and shoved it into Xu Ran's hand, speaking as fast as a bullet.

"There's no other way! Let's go back to the circulating water pump room! Let's go through the drainage tunnel! We'll swim out!"

This was a "theoretical path" he had noted down when he discussed the factory layout with Liu Xin.

The power plant uses a direct seawater cooling system, and the huge shield tunnel has an inner diameter of 4.8 meters.

It was wide enough for people to pass through, and led directly to the surrounding sea.

But Liu Xin also warned that the risks there were extremely high.

The tunnel is a huge, completely dark, enclosed space that is hundreds of meters long.

When the machine is shut down, the internal water flow is unknown, posing numerous dangers.

If the pipeline is sealed for a long time, the accumulated air may lead to internal oxygen deficiency due to chemical reactions such as microbial oxygen consumption and metal oxidation.

If a red tide has occurred recently, the interior may even contain highly toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide.

The further out you go, the deeper the water gets; without exceptional diving skills, it's practically impossible to swim out.

According to Liu Xin's conclusion, it was less of an escape route and more of a death trap.

Xu Ran was right next to them at the time and naturally heard these warnings with his own ears.

Zhao Xun looked at Xu Ran, but saw composure in the face of adversity in the other's eyes.

"Okay!" Xu Ran nodded calmly.

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the berserkers below being drawn to the falling pier, the two quickly gathered their remaining equipment.

They changed the communicator key again, forming a communication network with only two people.

Then they took out a map and confirmed the simple tactical commands and division of labor.

"Let's go!" Zhao Xun didn't utter any grand words, only making a final desperate attempt.

The two men retraced their steps and launched a desperate breakout.

Zhao Xun was the main attacker at the front, while Xu Ran provided cover from the rear.

Like two shadows, they fought their way back into the hellish main building area, in the opposite direction of their retreat.

"Knock down one, clear the right side, prepare to enter, three or two, go."

After Zhao Xun used three bullets to send away a wandering berserker, he rushed to the right into the aeration pool area.

"Nothing was found in the left corner. Watch out for the stairs; the door is open." Xu Ran immediately relayed the information.

"There's a sound inside. I'll throw a grenade. Watch out, three or two, throw it!"

As the explosion rang out, the two men slipped into the wastewater treatment workshop from either side.

After finishing off the men lying on the ground, Zhao Xun discovered that two berserkers were devouring a fallen soldier.

"After advancing, double hook, ready, three or two, in!"

Without time to examine it closely, Zhao Xun ordered Xu Ran to cooperate, one on the left and one on the right, to enter the room and make arrangements simultaneously.

"I can't see it on the left; the road on the left is safe."

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"One enemy on the right, downed." Xu Ran's calm voice came through the earpiece.

"OK, move forward, next area, dust removal workshop."

Because the workshop was very large, the two gradually widened the distance between them and moved forward along the wall.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past from behind the base of the huge central chimney with a strange cry.

"Bang! Bang!" Zhao Xun immediately fired, the bullets hitting the steel plate and sparking.

"An enemy ran past the middle chimney, at your 9 o'clock position!" Zhao Xun hurriedly reported.

Almost simultaneously, a short gunshot rang out from the right side of the workshop.

"Knocked down, I'm reloading," Xu Ran replied.

"Well done, keep up with the follow-up shots, keep going." Zhao Xun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Received. I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of the boiler workshop ahead."

"Turn on your gun flash so I can see you."

"It's open."

"I see your light. Watch out for my light. It's right in front of you. Don't shoot."

The two successfully met in front of the huge double iron doors of the boiler room, leaning against the cold wall to catch their breath.

"There's no sound from behind the door. Three or two, open it." The two of them exerted force at the same time and pushed open the heavy door.

"The small door opens directly ahead, there's a corridor to the left, and space to the right. After pushing forward, I move sideways to the left. Three or two, in!"

Zhao Xun quickly rushed to the left and set up his firing line.

"Open both small doors on the right. I'll handle it." Xu Ran's gun flash swept across.

"The room is empty and safe."

Before leaving the boiler workshop, Xu Ran blocked the door with a heavy tool cabinet.

Zhao Xun hung the last booby trap on the doorknob, hoping to buy some more time.

After passing through the slag bins, they finally broke out of the main building area and arrived at the relatively independent circulating water pump room.

It was unusually quiet here, with only the huge water pump units standing silently.

Further in, two huge circular caissons, each about fifteen meters in diameter, came into view, their openings covered with thick pipes.

"Which way?" Xu Ran asked.

"Take the drainage tunnel on the left, and the one on the right is the water intake tunnel," Zhao Xun pointed to the sign at the wellhead.

"Is there a difference between these two?"

"The depth is 39 meters for both, the difference is the tunnel length. The water intake tunnel is 1 kilometer long, while the drainage tunnel is 500 meters long."

"I see. Then I'd better not challenge my lung capacity."

My mother consulted a fortune teller who said that water is unlucky in my birth chart, which is why my name contains the element of fire.

After looking around, Zhao Xun quickly walked towards the emergency cabinet by the wall.

He took out two bright orange self-inflating life jackets and tossed one to Xu Ran.

"Put it on, and remember, never pull open the air ring inside the tunnel!"

We have to wait until we reach the sea before pulling it out, otherwise we'll get stuck in the tunnel and won't be able to get out.

"Understood." Xu Ran deftly put on his life jacket and checked the position of the pull ring.

"Boom!"

In the distance behind, the faint sound of an explosion could be heard—the booby trap had been triggered.

Hearing the commotion, the two stopped talking and immediately rushed to the maintenance platform of the left-hand caisson.

From the depths of the dark well, came the surging sobs of the sea.

"Let's go!" Zhao Xun said no more and took the lead in lifting the heavy grille cover.

The mine was dark and deep, and a strong, salty, and cold smell hit me.

The two quickly descended the cold steel ladder.

The well walls were slippery, and the deeper you went, the louder the sound of the water flowing became, and the air grew increasingly damp and cold.

It took a few minutes for the two of them to descend to the cement platform at the bottom of the well.

Before us was a huge circular tunnel, pitch black inside, with seawater rippling at the entrance.

"Stay close to me!" Zhao Xun checked his flashlight one last time, then jumped off the platform first, with Xu Ran following closely behind.

The tunnel was completely dark, and the beam of the flashlight could only illuminate a small patch of murky water ahead.

Behind them, the chaotic screams of the berserkers could still be faintly heard, amplified and echoing through the tunnel.

The seawater quickly reached my chest, and swimming became the only way forward.

The two discarded their heavy equipment, leaving only their undergarments and life jackets.

The icy seawater kept draining my body heat and energy, but thankfully the air was still barely enough to breathe.

After advancing 300 meters into the tunnel, the tunnel ahead was completely filled with seawater, leaving no room for ventilation.

"Remember, never pull the air ring before you exit the tunnel!" Zhao Xun shouted again as he struggled around.

"Squad leader, you go first, I'll follow behind you." Under the beam of the flashlight, Xu Ran's face was deathly pale.

Zhao Xun patted the other person's face, took a deep breath, put the flashlight in his mouth, and plunged into the surging seawater.