Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"Prepare for landing, watch out for impact!" Zhao Xun roared.

The gyroplane, carrying enormous inertia, hurtled towards the ground at an angle.

The landing gear slammed heavily onto the concrete, making a screeching sound, bounced once, and then fell down again.

Zhao Xun frantically pedaled the rudder, trying to maintain direction.

Finally, amidst a series of teeth-grinding tire scraping sounds, the gyroplane abruptly stopped, and the rotors slowly ceased rotating.

The cabin was silent except for the heavy breathing of the two people.

A few seconds later, Gu Lang unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped onto solid ground.

Zhao Xun followed closely behind, and the two immediately inspected the aircraft.

Apart from some scratches on the landing tires, the main structure appears to be undamaged.

"Luckily, I'm alive." Zhao Xun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked around.

The shipyard was silent; the huge gantry cranes, the factory buildings, and the stacks of steel were all still.

The air was filled with the smell of the sea and rust, but thankfully there was no stench of rotting corpses.

Gu Lang took two rifles out of the cockpit and handed one to Zhao Xun.

He picked up another one, skillfully checked the magazine, and disengaged the safety.

"How do I get there?" he asked in a low voice.

Zhao Xun took the gun and pointed it deep into the shipyard: "Just follow me."

Gu Lang followed his pace, the two maintaining a slight tactical distance, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

The factory area was empty and quiet, with only the sound of the wind and their light footsteps.

"Aren't you going to go take a look over there?" Gu Lang asked curiously, seeing that Zhao Xun was ignoring the dock area next to him.

"The Type 022 missile boat is not usually left at sea."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"In order to achieve better maneuverability, the 022 had to be lightweight, so a large amount of aluminum alloy was used."

As Zhao Xun walked, he explained in the simplest language possible.

"Aluminum alloys are very delicate in seawater."

It is prone to electrochemical corrosion, especially when in contact with other metals.

If it is soaked for a long time, the structural strength will be seriously compromised.

Therefore, when the Type 022 submarine is not in use, it must be towed ashore and put into a shed or on a rack for maintenance.

Gu Lang suddenly realized why Zhao Xun had specifically searched the land area instead of heading straight for the dock.

They walked through a huge, empty prefabrication yard, around piles of rusty steel, and carefully passed by rows of office buildings and workshops with broken doors and windows.

There was no trace of the madman, not even a skeleton.

Only some dried, blackened bloodstains and scattered debris hinted that something had happened here.

After walking for about twenty minutes, passing through a relatively low-rise warehouse area, the view suddenly opened up.

Ahead was a huge, paved open-air parking lot.

Then, they saw their destination.

Two streamlined, futuristic-looking, mottled blue-gray boats are quietly moored side by side on a special steel support.

Its unique wave-piercing catamaran design, simple superstructure, and huge missile launchers define the Type 022 missile boat.

"Found it!" Gu Lang exclaimed softly, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Zhao Xun, however, was much calmer than him.

He quickly approached, but instead of rushing onto the boat, he circled the two boats, carefully examining their hull condition and support structure.

He looked up again at the towering gantry crane in the distance, and his brows gradually furrowed.

"Damn it." Zhao Xun let out a breath, his tone turning somber.

"What?" Gu Lang's heart tightened.

"Look at this support frame, and the tracks and gantry crane over there," Zhao Xun said, pointing to the massive steel structures.

"The missile boat was originally lifted out of the water and placed here."

There's no power now, so the gantry crane can't start.

Each of these two ships, even when empty, weighs over two hundred tons.

It was impossible for the two of us to move it, let alone safely get it back into the sea.

"You can see it, you can touch it, but you can't drive it away." Zhao Xun patted the cold hull of the boat, the metal making a dull echo.

Hope had just risen when it was shattered by reality.

The two men stared at the two small boats so close at hand and fell silent.

"Don't rush." ​​Gu Lang took out the drone from his backpack.

"I'll fly up and take another look. The shipyard is so big, maybe I can find a large transport vehicle."

Zhao Xun nodded; there was no better solution at the moment.

The drone quickly took off and began to conduct a more detailed reconnaissance of the shipyard.

Gu Lang stared at the screen, controlling it to fly past rows of factories, shipyards, and docks...

Suddenly, the image on the screen caught his attention.

On a small slipway near the coastline, there seemed to be something with a rather peculiar shape.

He maneuvered the drone to lower its altitude and zoom in on the camera.

"Old Zhao, take a look at this!" Gu Lang handed the remote control with a screen to Zhao Xun.

The image shows a small boat.

Its front half, with its iconic stealth design and bridge, is clearly a Type 022 missile boat.

However, its rear section is quite different; the two quadruple missile launchers that were supposed to be installed have been completely removed.

Instead, there is a flat deck area with clearly marked helicopter landing and takeoff circles.

It looks like a miniature flight deck.

"This is..." Zhao Xun squinted his eyes, carefully examined it, and then a look of surprise and hope appeared on his face.

"A modified 022! I've heard of it!"

As the navy's strength gradually increased, the semi-suicide wolf pack attack tactic became no longer necessary.

The missile boat's position became somewhat awkward, and since it was reluctant to retire it directly, a modification experiment was conducted.

Some were equipped with satellite antennas and turned into maritime communication relay stations.

This one, however, had its missiles removed and was converted into a drone launch and landing platform, becoming a drone carrier!

"Can we set sail now? This boat looks like it's waiting to be launched?"

Gu Lang pressed for details, and the footage showed the boat positioned on a sloping ramp, surrounded by some large pieces of equipment.

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!" Zhao Xun's worried expression vanished, and he immediately headed quickly toward the shipyard.

Soon, they arrived at the foot of this "special edition 022".

It lay quietly on the longitudinal slipway, its bow held high.

The slipway at the stern leads to the sea behind, with some support blocks and tools piled up next to it.

Most importantly, the entire boat appears to have been modified, with the gangway even attached to the side of the boat.

"A gravity-fed water slide!" Zhao Xun concluded after careful observation.

"Just remove these anti-slip devices, add some lubricant to the slide, and it can slide into the water under its own weight! This is much simpler than using a gantry crane!"

Without saying a word, the two climbed up the gangway onto the boat.

The interior had indeed been completely renovated, with the original missile bay now replaced by a spacious hangar.

The cab was fully equipped with instruments, and although it was a bit dusty, it looked well-maintained.

Zhao Xun skillfully started the diesel engine, and a low humming sound rang out, while several indicator lights on the instrument panel lit up.