Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

On the other side, Zhao Xun finally threw away the empty oil drum, jumped into the cockpit, and started the engine.

With the roar of the engine, the rotor began to spin, and the speed gradually increased.

By this time, several brutes had arrived from the vicinity upon hearing the commotion, brandishing machetes, and were only a few dozen meters away from the plane.

Fortunately, the gyroplane started its runway, wobbling, and gradually increased in speed.

Finally, at the last moment, it broke free from the ground, flying almost grazing the head of the berserker!

"You idiot! I can fly! Hahahaha!"

Zhao Xun felt his heart pounding wildly, burst into laughter, and raised his middle finger at the person behind him.

At this moment, Gu Lang had already anchored and was standing on the flight deck of the speedboat, anxiously looking out.

Finally, the familiar sound of an engine came from afar.

He immediately lit a flare signal and waved it vigorously to show Zhao Xun the way.

After circling twice in the air, the gyroplane landed on the narrow flight deck.

The landing was a close call; the gyroplane slammed heavily onto the deck and bounced once.

It glided to the edge of the ship's side before coming to a stop, with the front wheels completely suspended in the air.

"That was too extreme, I almost fell into the sea."

As he spoke, Zhao Xun turned off the engine, staggered off, his face pale and his legs weak.

Gu Lang didn't have time to say much. He pushed the gyroplane into the hangar and secured it to the deck lashing hole with ropes.

Then he returned to the driver's seat, floored the accelerator, and turned the water jet propulsion system to full power.

The 022 speedboat cut through the sea like an arrow, leaving two rapidly disappearing white contrails behind it.

They quickly left the bustling shipyard and the chilling roar behind them.

Following the navigation markers, Gu Lang sailed past the surrounding islands and reefs, bypassing Zhou Shan Island and Zhu Jiajian Island from the southeast.

Then he headed north back to Xizhai Island, where a large amount of supplies he had accumulated along the way were stored, which he had to retrieve.

Just as Gu Lang lowered his head to confirm the course and calculate the time required to return to Xizhai Island.

A rhythmic "clanging" sound came from the integrated mast overhead, like metal being struck by some tool.

Zhao Xun had climbed up there at some point and was fiddling with something on top.

After a while, Zhao Xun returned to the cockpit, carrying a gray, spherical object in his hand.

"What is this?" Gu Lang asked curiously.

Zhao Xun placed the item on the ground. It looked smooth, like some kind of composite material, and was quite heavy.

"Lumberjack lens," Zhao Xun explained, brushing the dust off his hands.

"A special kind of radar wave reflector. You can think of it as... well, a 'radar revealing device'."

"Revealed?" Gu Lang didn't quite understand.

"Yes." Zhao Xun pointed to the opening at the bottom of the sphere.

"Doesn't it look like an onion inside, with layer upon layer?"

It can reflect radar waves that come from any direction back along their original path.

Moreover, the reflected signal is very strong and has stable characteristics.

Our Type 022 destroyer and those stealth fighters have very small radar cross-sections.

Even our own radar has difficulty detecting and tracking them reliably, which can easily lead to accidents.

Therefore, this thing is always attached during routine training or non-combat navigation.

It's like installing a conspicuous "radar beacon" for yourself, letting others know, "I'm here."

Gu Lang suddenly realized: "In other words, if you go out without taking this thing off, it's like having a searchlight on your radar screen."

"That's right." Zhao Xun nodded and kicked the Luneburg lens aside.

"I just took a closer look, and our heavily modified Type 022 is quite special."

The superstructure is not painted in the usual blue-gray ocean camouflage, but rather in a silver-gray similar to that of the J-20 fighter jet.

I reckon they've very likely used third-generation stealth coating technology.

In addition, it is lightweight, small in size, and has an extremely optimized shape design.

To put it another way, at sea, it is almost impossible for conventional shipborne radar to detect it.

So I became more observant and looked around. Sure enough, I found the "little tail" on the mast and quickly removed it.

Gu Lang secretly admired Zhao Xun's professional military skills and asked, "So now that it's dismantled, we'll be 'invisible' at sea, right?"

"That's one way to put it, but invisibility is relative." Zhao Xun walked to the control panel and checked the system status.

"Look, the exhaust port of the 022 is designed below the wave-piercing bodies on both sides, which can use seawater for cooling and has a very low infrared signature."

In addition, it uses water jet propulsion instead of conventional propellers, resulting in much less underwater noise.

Therefore, it is low detectable by radar, infrared, and acoustic sensors.

The biggest risk of exposure right now is being seen directly by the naked eye or captured by a high-resolution drone camera.

However, our boat is small and inconspicuous against the backdrop of the waves. As long as we are careful and don't go near people in broad daylight, there shouldn't be any major problems.

After speaking, Zhao Xun's attention returned to the control panel and the equipment on the boat.

He studied with great interest the control interface of the 6-barrel 30mm close-in weapon system on the foredeck.

Although the missile launcher unit was removed, the machine gun used for close-range defense was retained.

After fiddling with it for a while, he crawled into the engine room below.

About ten minutes later, Zhao Xun returned with a "Submarine Operation and Maintenance Manual," his face showing an expression of discovering a new continent.

"I've struck gold! The modifications to this boat are even more extensive than I expected."

Look here, in addition to retaining basic manual operation, it also integrates a full set of satellite communication, remote data link and autonomous driving interface.

The manual states that, with the support of a satellite system, remote control and even fully autonomous navigation can be achieved.

"No wonder this ship is so easy to sail." Gu Lang nodded.

Zhao Xun turned to the performance data page at the back of the manual and continued reading.

"According to the data above, if we speed the boat at a top speed of 50 knots, the range is only about 400 nautical miles."

However, if the speed is reduced to an economical cruising speed of around 14 knots, the maximum range can reach 800 nautical miles, or about 1500 kilometers.

The straight-line distance from here to the lower gate is less than 800 kilometers, which is more than enough even if you take a detour.

Once we get to Xiamen, we'll figure out how to get some oil, and then we can send you to Quang Tung Province.

The speedboat traced a graceful arc in the twilight, and soon the familiar outline of the island came into view.

The docking process was more complicated than expected. The freeboard of the 022 was very high, and the draft was a bit too deep for the small beach, making it impossible to directly land on the beach.

In the end, it was Gu Lang who drove the Lynx assault vehicle that had been left on the island.

Using its excellent amphibious off-road capabilities, it transported supplies from the shore to the stern of the speedboat time and time again, where Zhao Xun would then help carry them onto the boat.