Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

After transferring at Qiqihar Station, Gulang finally arrived at his destination, Mohe Station.

As soon as I got off the train, a cool breeze hit me.

He quickly changed his clothes in the station restroom.

As soon as you exit the station, you'll see taxi drivers everywhere trying to solicit tourists.

"Two days and one night, 600 for a chartered car."

An older woman stopped Gu Lang.

"No, I don't have the money."

Gu Lang shook his head and politely declined.

We purchased some supplies in the county town and found a bus.

He spent 25 yuan on a bus ticket to reach "Arctic Village".

Although it's called the Arctic, its latitude is actually only 53 degrees.

It's still a long way from the true Arctic Circle.

But it is already the northernmost village in the Dragon Kingdom.

Since it's not winter yet, it's the off-season here, and there aren't many tourists.

The commercial atmosphere is very strong; you have to pay an entrance fee to get in.

We continued walking north, and it took us a long time to finally get around the scenic area.

After passing through the woods, Gu Lang finally arrived at the banks of the flowing Wulong River.

The boundary marker behind us indicates that this great river marks the border between the two countries of Longmao and Mao.

Looking across the river, villages can also be seen on the opposite bank.

It's much smaller than the one in China, with only six or seven houses scattered around.

There are many different kinds of outposts, yellow ones, green ones, visible ones, and hidden ones.

There was another person standing in the nearest guard post on the opposite bank of the river.

It seems to be to prevent people from illegally crossing the border.

Seeing Gu Lang waving, the man raised his middle finger.

"Shoigu! Gerasimov! Gesuka Bapipasi!"

Gu Lang loudly mocked the Russians opposite him.

He didn't know many Mao Zedong Thought phrases, and these few sentences had exhausted his life's work.

Why are you yelling so loudly?

"Shut up and be quiet."

The shouts received no response from the other side, but a voice came from behind.

Looking back, I saw two people walking towards me, both wearing camouflage uniforms.

They looked like border patrol soldiers; I wonder when they came along.

"Haha, it's nothing. I just yelled to vent my anger."

Gu Lang smiled at the leading sergeant.

"The scenic area is over there, what are you doing here?"

The other party looked serious and wary.

"Does a village even deserve to be called a scenic area? They dare to charge 88 yuan for admission just for building a wall. Our beautiful country should not be enclosed like this."

Upon hearing this, the other party breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is a border control zone, leave immediately."

Gu Lang realized that he had caused a misunderstanding.

Fully equipped with outdoor gear, they arrived at the border.

They were even shouting Maoist language towards the north, which certainly seemed very suspicious.

"Okay, I'll leave right away."

"Follow us, don't get lost, and be careful."

Seeing how cooperative Gu Lang was, the sergeant immediately led the way.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just a video blogger, I'm just here to shoot some footage."

"Hmph, judging by your gear, you look like you're about to sneak across the border."

"No way, the river has thawed now. If they really wanted to cross the border, they wouldn't choose this time."

"You're not wrong about that. A few years ago, there was a young man who walked across the frozen river to the other side to join the army."

"Isn't this guy a complete idiot?"

Gu Lang was utterly shocked, and even started speaking in his Northeastern dialect.

"Who can argue with that?"

"He's dead. Mercenaries are not protected by international conventions."

"Good job, young man, you're very clear-headed."

"If you go there, you'll just be doing the work of a human scout, becoming cannon fodder. Even if you die, you won't get any compensation."

"Two months ago, something similar happened here. A tourist ran across the street late at night and was spotted by the Russians with a searchlight. They sent people to drive him back."

"There's another expert? What's this guy doing there?"

"They said they were going to test the Russians' reaction speed."

"Another idiot."

"That's right, it caused us to get a severe scolding from above, and after we brought him back, we gave him a good beating."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lang shook his head helplessly.

"The highway is just ahead. Go do whatever you want, just don't go to the border."

After saying goodbye to the two border guards, Gu Lang walked several more kilometers following the directions on his mobile phone navigation.

An abandoned observation tower came into view.

The first floor is the visitor hall, the second floor is a glass observation deck, and the third floor is an open-air observation platform.

Pushing open the emergency exit door and bypassing the now-defunct elevator, Gu Lang climbed the stairs.

"It's a perfect sanctuary."

He praised the online "guide".

After setting up the tent on the second floor, we began assembling the portable wood-burning stove.

The three power generation modules were then hung on the outer wall of the furnace.

After connecting the wires, he used a magnesium rod to strike the flint and ignite the sawdust, then threw in the shaved firewood.

As the temperature rises, the fans inside the power generation module start up, and the fire in the furnace becomes even more intense.

Gu Lang turned on his phone to live stream and started filming the golden sunset.

"Brothers, today we've arrived at Mohe, the northernmost point of the Dragon Kingdom. It's a little past 7 pm now, but look how bright it is!"

After showing off the view outside the observation tower, he started cooking noodles.

As the furnace temperature continued to rise, the indicator light on the boost circuit lit up.

Gu Lang put down his chopsticks, took out a power bank, and plugged it in.

The numbers on the panel show that the current voltage is 5 volts, the current is 2 amps, and the total power is 10 watts.

The core component of this equipment is a semiconductor thermoelectric generator, which can directly convert heat energy into electrical energy.

The principle is based on the Seebeck effect, which occurs when there is a temperature difference between the two ends of two different conductors or semiconductors.

Charge carriers diffuse from the hot end to the cold end, thus creating a potential difference within the material.

Gulang uses three bismuth telluride thermocouples, which can withstand temperatures up to 240 degrees Celsius.

When the temperature difference between the hot and cold ends reaches 170 degrees.

It can output 4 volts and 1.5 amps of current, with a power of 6 watts.

Three temperature differential plates are connected in series via a boost module.

The theoretical maximum power generation capacity is 18 watts.

After deducting circuit losses and fan power consumption, it can stably output a relatively universal 10-watt slow charging power.

Whether it's a mobile phone, a power bank, or a flashlight.

As long as there is a heat source, a reliable source of electricity can be provided.

Gulang had tried using solar panels before, but eventually gave up.

Flexible portable solar panels are expensive, have low power output, and are bulky.

Not only does it require high light levels, but it also takes up valuable daytime hours.

After several attempts, Gu Lang researched and designed his own solution.

I purchased the materials, had someone 3D print the casing, and made this equipment myself.

There was plenty of firewood in the fields, and people always needed to light fires for warmth, boiling water, and cooking.

It's so convenient to charge your phone so easily, saving you time and effort.

It's early July now, and the summer solstice has just passed.

The Arctic Circle is still experiencing polar day.

Gulang is located in an area where the sunshine duration is close to 18 hours.

The golden sun slowly set at 9 p.m.

Even at 10 o'clock, the sky in the distance was not completely dark.

Gu Lang was in a good mood, feeling like he had come to the right place.

Although we didn't see the aurora borealis, we did witness the rare phenomenon of daylight.

After blocking the entrance door on the first floor with debris, he stuck several wooden sticks into the door handle at the entrance to the stairwell.

After setting up the defensive weapons, he crawled into his sleeping bag.

I drifted off to sleep listening to the eagle owl's "hoohoo" sound.