Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Upon hearing that Gu Lang wanted to find diesel fuel, Jiang Peng looked embarrassed.

"To be honest, if it's gasoline, I still have about 30 liters left."

There isn't a single drop of diesel fuel.

Fearing Gu Lang wouldn't believe him, he added:

"When our family evacuated, we were driving a gasoline car."

The small boats used to travel to and from the lighthouse were powered by outboard motors and ran on gasoline.

So I never considered trading diesel with anyone else after that.

Gu Lang believed the other party's explanation and nodded slightly.

Gasoline and diesel are two completely different fuels, and it's perfectly normal for the other party not to hoard things that are useless to them.

He didn't waste time on that question and went straight to asking about the situation in the surrounding area.

"Is there anywhere around here where I can get diesel? Tanker trucks, gas stations, oil depots, anything will do."

After thinking for a few seconds, Jiang Peng shook his head.

"Gas stations and civilian oil storage facilities were looted within the first two months after the outbreak of nuclear war."

Since you came all the way from the north, you should have seen that none of the oil depots at the docks along the way are still producing oil.

It's been five months already. Even if some slipped through the net back then, they would have been thoroughly investigated and uncovered by now.

He pointed in the direction of the land to the west and continued speaking.

"Zhanjiang Port is the headquarters of the Nanhai Fleet and has been hit by more than one nuclear bomb."

The national strategic oil reserves surrounding the port area were also affected.

After the oil tank was ignited by the high temperature, it burned for a whole month, with flames obscuring the sky.

We could see it clearly from that far away, even from the lighthouse.

Gu Lang felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

The national strategic oil reserve is the largest link in the energy supply chain.

Once destroyed, the local fuel supply would be effectively cut off at its root.

Jiang Peng then changed the subject and added some more information.

"However, there are several small and medium-sized oil depots on the outskirts of Zhanjiang Port that have been fortunately preserved intact."

I heard that he was later taken into custody by the military, who assigned him special personnel for protection and set up a cordon around the area.

Any civilians who attempted to approach the area, regardless of their reason, were immediately driven away by gunfire.

You could try contacting the troops there and requesting a refueling.

"I just contacted the surrounding area using a military-grade encrypted communication terminal."

Gu Lang's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was calm.

"I've tried several preset communication codes, but I haven't received any response."

I don't know why; it could be a equipment malfunction, or they might have already evacuated.

I am currently on an important escort mission and cannot risk venturing into dangerous areas to assess the situation.

Gu Lang paused for a moment, then added a few more details to the lie.

"Time is tight and the task is heavy. The superiors require us to arrive at the designated location as soon as possible. The consequences of being late will be very serious."

There was no doubt on Jiang Peng's face; the military speedboat in front of him was convincing enough.

Why can't we see any abandoned ships or marine aquaculture facilities around here?

Gu Lang pointed to the sea and raised a question.

He discovered this strange phenomenon last night when he was using a drone for reconnaissance.

"There used to be some, but they all sank into the sea."

Jiang Peng sighed, but Gu Lang didn't interrupt him, gesturing for him to continue.

"After the nuclear fallout dissipated, the surviving ships gradually gathered in the coastal area."

There are many kinds of boats, including fishing boats, passenger ships, and bulk carriers.

At first, they all anchored at their own stations, just randomly setting up anchor at sea.

After a storm, everyone started to stick together.

Several boats were grouped together, tied side by side with cables.

When viewed through binoculars, it looked like duckweed growing on the sea.

Jiang Peng turned around and pointed to the observation deck at the top of the lighthouse.

"Later on, these ships began to separate and reunite."

The rafts are getting bigger and bigger, like playing "Agar.io".

"What kind of operation is this?" Gu Lang asked curiously.

"For survival, the resources of a single ship are too limited."

Fresh water, food, medicine, fuel—no one can possibly bring everything.

It's always better to unite and allocate resources collectively than to fight each other alone.

Furthermore, sticking together gives people courage, and they support each other in times of danger, which naturally leads to the formation of settlements.

Trade also takes place between settlements, and I have traded some goods with them.

Later, in order to cope with long-term survival at sea, this group of people gradually united.

They collected supplies collectively and worked together to maintain order.

Finally, all the ships were linked together, almost forming a floating city.

Gu Lang listened quietly without interrupting; he already knew the ending in advance.

History may repeat itself, but people tend to forget it.

All stories of ships linked by iron chains end in the same way.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again.

The same applies to Chibi, Yashan, and Poyang Lake.

This place will be no exception.

"That evening, I saw several plumes of black smoke suddenly rise from the sea from the lighthouse."

It started out very small, like several ships on fire.

But soon the black smoke stretched into a continuous sheet, covering the entire sky above the sea settlement.

Apart from a few ships on the outermost perimeter that managed to escape, all the others were affected.

I immediately realized that the situation was not good and I was worried that there might be danger.

He immediately set sail in a small boat, taking his family and supplies away from the lighthouse, and hid in the mangroves by the sea for several months.

As the mother's belly grew larger, we worried that the crying of the mother and baby would attract a violent person.

Only then did he take his wife back to the lighthouse to await the birth of her child; you know the rest.

Gu Lang nodded, confirming the family's story.

Upon learning that the nearby fuel had been completely depleted and ultimately destroyed by a fire, Gu Lang frowned.

After thinking it over, he keenly realized that the boats that Jiang Peng mentioned, which were connected together, seemed to be small boats with a small tonnage.

"How big is the largest of those ships chained together?"

Jiang Peng recalled: "The largest ones were probably bulk carriers of three or four thousand tons, and there were no bigger ones."

"Where did that big ship go?" Gu Lang pressed.

"What about oil tankers, LNG carriers, and container ships—these giant vessels weighing hundreds of thousands of tons? Given their size, they can't possibly be tied to small coastal boats, can they?"

Jiang Peng was taken aback at first, then gave him a look that said, "You've come to the right person."

"I happen to know a lot about these things. I used to work as a pilot in Zhanjiang Port for several years, specifically responsible for guiding large ships in and out of the port."

Those giant ships have a deep draft and require high standards for navigation.

For safety reasons, a pilot must board the ship to take over command before it can be safely moored.

The operation is extremely difficult and the port entry process is extremely complicated.

The ship has no brakes, and the inertia of the giant ship is astonishing.

Even if the entire engine stops, it will still glide for several kilometers before coming to a complete stop.