Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Zhao Xun glanced at the cigarettes and alcohol on the table, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He hadn't seen a whole carton of cigarettes in a long time since the nuclear war.

Gu Lang didn't even blink when he gave these things away, which touched him a little.

He looked up at the dried fish that Gu Lang had placed on the simple stove. The fish skin sizzled under the flames, and the oozing oil gave off a smoky aroma.

"Want a bite?" Gu Lang took down a grilled fish and handed it over along with the bamboo skewer.

"The virus is still raging, you should be more careful." Zhao Xun frowned.

"Didn't you run out of the safe zone? The fighting's been over for ages. What's there to be afraid of?"

Gu Lang smiled, then saw Zhao Xun silently take two steps back before he realized what the other party meant.

"Fine, if you're worried I have the virus, then you can eat this thing yourself."

As he spoke, he tossed Zhao Xun a packet of unopened individual rations.

"Individual soldier self-heating rice, curry chicken flavor. It's old stock, so it might be expired, but that's not a big deal."

Seeing this, Zhao Xun also took out a bag from his pocket and threw it to Gu Lang.

Gu Lang instinctively caught it, and looking down, he saw it was a transparent plastic sealed bag.

Inside was a long, thin object, a cotton swab, and a small, transparent plastic bottle.

Upon opening the bag, one could see a long, thin piece of paper sealed with transparent tape, with a small piece of cotton stuck to one end.

In the middle of the strip of paper was a thin gray film with the letters C and T printed on it.

"This is... a test strip?" Gu Lang looked up.

"Antigen reagent, used to test for viruses."

The usage is very simple, just like when there was a pneumonia virus outbreak before.

"Twist the cotton swabs inside both nostrils, then insert them into the small bottle and stir," Zhao Xun instructed remotely.

Gu Lang immediately inserted the cotton swab deep into his nostril and swirled it around in his nasal cavity several times.

Only after the mucous membrane was rubbed raw did I insert the cotton swab into the small plastic bottle and stir it for about ten seconds.

Then, the cotton pad end of the test strip was inserted into the small plastic bottle, and the liquid inside was quickly absorbed by the cotton pad.

Then, following Zhao Xun's instructions, he placed the small plastic bottle flat on the table.

The liquid slowly seeped up the paper, like a silent river, climbing over the dark gray film.

The liquid passed over the letter C, and a dark red line slowly emerged.

Three minutes passed, and no lines appeared at the position of the letter T.

Upon seeing the test results, the two of them both breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Lang picked up the bottle of cooking liquid he had just found and pushed it over along with the self-heating rice.

"I had a cold a few days ago, and I don't know if it's still contagious."

Just to be on the safe side, you should eat self-heating rice.

And this bottle of wine, have a little to calm your nerves, as an apology for my previous offense.”

Zhao Xun was indeed hungry, so he skillfully started cooking, tearing open the packaging, adding water, and heating the rice as steam hissed up.

Next, tear open the outer packaging of the liquor and take out the bottle and two complimentary glasses.

After opening the bottle of liquor, a strong smell of alcohol wafted out.

Zhao Xun didn't rush to drink it. Instead, he first swallowed the self-heating rice, which didn't taste very good, while it was still steaming hot.

After a few bites of hot food, her complexion regained some color.

He then picked up the glass, poured in a little less than half a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor), tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The spicy liquid slid down my throat, bringing a burning, warm sensation.

It made him squint his eyes, let out a long "ha" and his tense nerves relaxed a little.

"Aren't you going to order some?" Zhao Xun shook the bottle and looked at Gu Lang across from him, who was munching on dried grilled fish.

Gu Lang shook his head: "Just a little bit of baijiu (Chinese liquor) will cause rashes all over my body and make it hard to breathe."

"Alcohol allergy?" Zhao Xun raised an eyebrow, an incredulous expression on his face.

"Soldiers who can't drink alcohol? How did you even get into the army?"

Whether it's a dinner party, a celebration, or even just to boost courage before a mission, don't you always need to have a couple of bites?

You're going to lose a lot of 'comradeship' by doing this.

His tone carried the characteristic banter of a seasoned veteran, but there was no malice in it.

Gu Lang chewed on the dried fish without changing his expression: "Fighting is about courage, not drinking capacity. If you don't drink, you'll stay clear-headed and maybe live longer."

He swallowed his food, his gaze sharpening again as he stared at Zhao Xun.

"I've eaten, drunk, and accepted the cigarettes."

Comrade Zhao, now it's time to answer my question, isn't it?

How exactly do you plan to break through the naval blockade?

Zhao Xun poured himself some more wine, took a sip, smacked his lips because of the spiciness, and then reached into his pocket.

Then he took out a folded map and spread it out on the sand between the two of them.

Press your finger firmly on one of the spots that has been repeatedly circled in red.

Gu Lang leaned closer to look; the map was a map of the Zhoushan Islands.

The red circle marks a protrusion on the south side of the main island of Zhushan, with the label "Zhushan" next to it.

"Opium War Relics Park?" Gu Lang read out the small print next to him, his brows furrowing.

"What are you doing there, paying respects at the historical site?"

Zhao Xun lightly traced the edge of the red circle with his finger: "It's not the park, it's next to it, here."

His fingertip landed on a slightly smaller printed logo—"Zhejiang Kailing Shipyard".

"Shipyard?" Gu Lang's doubts deepened.

"Even if there are still ships in the shipyard that can be operated, how do you solve the problems of power, fuel, and navigation?"

Moreover, anything that can operate on the sea, whether it's a fishing boat or a yacht, is acceptable.

No matter how small they are, they cannot escape the fleet's monitoring and interception.

"A civilian vessel simply cannot handle those patrol ships and anti-drill drones."

Zhao Xun smiled knowingly, as if to say, "You knew you would ask that."

"If it's a regular shipyard, then of course it won't work."

But this place wasn't always called "Armored Shipyard."

He paused, looked into Gu Lang's eyes, and uttered a few numbers in a confident tone.

Its original name was "Factory 4806".

"4806?" Gu Lang repeated in a low voice, searching for information in his mind.

A few seconds later, his pupils contracted slightly. "Military serial number? This is... a military shipyard?"

"That's right," Zhao Xun nodded in satisfaction, tapping the red dot on the map with his finger.

"It was originally a proper naval equipment repair and manufacturing plant."

Later, with the development of the market economy, the military was converted to civilian use, and some civilian ships were also built.

However, the core technologies and some production lines are still there.

Maintaining and repairing warships, especially small and medium-sized vessels, is her forte.

Gu Lang's thinking became more active, but he remained cautious.

"Even if there are warships there that are mothballed or under repair, it's not something one or two people can just take away."

Operating large warships is complex and requires a large team of professionals.

"Who said I was going to sail a big ship?"

Zhao Xun's smile widened, his eyes gleaming with the light of a gambler revealing their hand.

"My target is the Type 022 missile boat that is docked and undergoing maintenance there."

"022?" Gu Lang was no stranger to this model number.

That was a high-speed stealth missile boat that the navy used to equip in large numbers; he had seen it in many short videos.

He quickly recalled its features: "Twin-hull wave-piercing design, water jet propulsion, high speed, and extremely strong stealth capabilities..."

"Wait, invisibility?" Gu Lang finally caught the key point.

"Yes, invisibility!" Zhao Xun chimed in, his tone becoming excited, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"The most distinctive feature of the Type 022 submarine is its radar stealth capability."

Its shape has been specially designed to greatly reduce its radar cross-section, and the hull is also coated with radar-absorbing material.

Although the current armed configuration of the maritime blockade is unknown, it is possible in complex sea conditions, at night, or under the cover of islands.

A Type 022 destroyer that maintains radio silence and a low radar signature is far more likely to slip past surveillance networks than any civilian vessel!

Zhao Xun picked up a tree branch and scratched it lightly on the sand.

"This type of boat is small and has a shallow draft, so it can navigate some small rivers and hidden anchorages."

It's fast, reaching speeds of up to 50 km/h.

Even if they are discovered, they can escape quickly.

Most importantly, this type of boat is highly automated.

In theory, the minimum staffing can be kept very low, requiring only one or two people to operate.

Especially when there's no actual combat involved, and you're just driving around.

Thus, the mystery of Zhao Xun's plan to return home was finally revealed.