Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Jiang Peng spoke with great enthusiasm about his area of ​​expertise.

"Therefore, in the near sea where space is limited and there are many obstacles, it is impossible to control a giant ship precisely by relying solely on its own rudder and main engine."

Several high-powered tugboats are needed to push, pull, and jack alongside the vessel in order to complete the berthing process.

After the outbreak of nuclear war, the port area was evacuated immediately.

The tugboats were either dispatched for rescue or fled on their own.

Without the assistance of tugboats, no one has the ability to bring a giant ship weighing hundreds of thousands of tons into the port.

After receiving the emergency evacuation notice, all the giant ships stopped at deep-water anchorages more than ten nautical miles away and waited for orders.

Then the madness broke out, the port was completely paralyzed, and it became even more impossible to find a tugboat.

To avoid danger, these giant ships simply weighed anchor and headed into the deep ocean.

Upon hearing this, Gu Lang nodded.

"That's true, the giant ship itself is a small, self-sufficient society."

Even a 300,000-ton oil tanker only has a few dozen crew members.

The living facilities are complete and the supplies are plentiful.

Electricity can be generated by the ship's diesel generator set, and fresh water can also be produced by seawater desalination equipment.

In today's environment, giant ships are among the safest places to take refuge.

Hiding deep in the ocean, far from the source of infection, and provided there are no latent infected individuals on board, it's virtually impossible to be affected by the rage syndrome.

"However, I estimate that these giant ships have most likely been taken over by the fleet at sea by now."

After all, a ship of such a large tonnage has extremely high strategic value, whether it serves as a logistics supply platform or a temporary maritime base.

Especially for refined oil tankers, the military will not let them drift in the open sea to fend for themselves.

Therefore, these giant ships are unlikely to return to shore anytime soon.

At this point, Jiang Peng suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he had remembered something important.

"Wait a minute! I almost forgot, one oil tanker failed to set sail!"

When the air raid siren sounded, a supertanker was loading and unloading crude oil at the Longke Refinery Terminal.

After the nuclear bomb exploded, the dock was in complete chaos.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the tanker captain ordered his crew to forcibly leave the port to seek refuge.

As a result, it veered directly off course and ran aground near Winter Island to the north.

"How far is it from here?"

"It's probably only a few dozen nautical miles."

Gu Lang asked Jiang Peng to wait a moment, and then returned to the cockpit to check the nautical chart.

Winter Island isn't far from where the speedboat is located, so it's definitely worth a visit.

However, as far as he knew, the giant ships used heavy oil as fuel when sailing, which was basically the same as asphalt.

It needs to be heated to a high temperature to become liquid, and then it can be used for combustion in the engine.

My own speedboat definitely can't use this kind of fuel.

He was eyeing the ship's diesel generators and emergency generators, which could draw diesel fuel from the fuel tanks.

There's no other good option right now, so we have to take a gamble there.

Back at the bow of the ship, Gu Lang continued to ask Jiang Peng for more details.

"What's the current condition of this ship? Is anyone on board?"

"The last time I heard about this ship on the radio was probably almost three months ago."

There has been no news of an oil spill, so the ship's structure may not have been damaged.

As for whether there's anyone up there now, I don't know." Jiang Peng's expression turned serious.

"Commander Song, if you're going there, please take me with you."

I started out as a pilot and have worked on many oil tankers.

I am familiar with the ship's hull structure and cabin layout.

"You'll easily get lost if you go up alone."

Gu Lang thought for a few seconds, but didn't say anything.

He knew Jiang Peng was telling the truth; getting into a stranded, abandoned oil tanker was no easy feat.

The professional knowledge involved far exceeded his cognitive scope.

A pilot may not be an expert in operating an oil tanker, but he is certainly much more professional than him.

Moreover, judging from the situation after our initial contact...

Although there were many people on Jiang Peng's side, they were all his parents, wife, and children.

It's like exposing your weakness to yourself. A person with a weakness is unlikely to do anything too outrageous.

The person who was able to join a well-known civilian rescue organization must have been screened for character and ability.

They are the perfect partner right now.

"Okay." Gu Lang nodded. "I'll share the supplies I find with you, so we can both get what we need."

"Haha, that's great."

To be honest, without your help, my wife and children would be in a very difficult situation now.

Both morally and logically, I should accompany you on this journey.

Jiang Peng turned around and shouted towards the bottom of the lighthouse.

The door opened, and Jiang Yong poked his head out.

Jiang Peng gave a brief explanation: "I'm going north with Commander Song to search for supplies. We'll be back as soon as possible."

Jiang Yong nodded, took a backpack off the wall, filled it with some things, and handed it to his son.

Jiang Peng returned to the dock, jumped onto a small boat moored nearby, took a small item from it, and stuffed it into his backpack.

He then tossed his backpack onto the boat, signaling to Gu Lang to check it.

Gu Lang then placed it directly on the deck without any hesitation and carefully searched and inspected it.

The bag contained no weapons, only rescue tools such as ropes, and a tiny anchor about the size of a palm.

"There are important items inside the cabin, which are not convenient for civilians to access. So please make do with sitting on the bow deck."

The speedboat contained a considerable amount of guns and ammunition, which was extremely tempting for ordinary people.

Therefore, Gu Lang did not allow the other party to enter the cabin directly.

Jiang Peng nodded, climbed onto the ship's side without hesitation, and sat down against the mooring bollard.

Gu Lang returned to the cockpit, started the engine, and pulled down the control lever.

The Type 022 submarine's four waterjet propulsion units work together to accelerate smoothly.

Heading due north, two white waves spread out from the stern of the ship.

The outline of the winter island appeared on the horizon in less than half an hour.

As the distance closed, a massive black ship slowly emerged from the shadows of the reef.

Gulang slowed down and stopped about two kilometers away from the oil tanker.

Then, a drone was launched to observe it up close.

As the angle of the ship changed, two large white characters on the bow gradually appeared – “Kaiyuan”.

According to Jiang Peng's identification, this is a 300,000-ton Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), also known in the industry.

A standard VLCC vessel is approximately 330 meters long, 60 meters wide, over 30 meters deep, and has a full-load draft of over 20 meters.

The ship was painted black, and there were no signs of human activity on the flat green deck.

All that can be seen are the thick oil pipelines and various valve assemblies.

The stern of the ship features a six-story-high white bridge, and the shipping company's logo is printed on the blue funnel.

The driver's cab is located on the top floor, and half of the porthole is blocked by blackout curtains, so no one can be seen.

After confirming that there was no danger on the ship, Gu Lang moored the speedboat next to the oil tanker.

The front of the tanker was raised high, with the bulbous bow protruding about three meters above the water, covered with a layer of barnacles and seaweed that had begun to peel off.

There was no oil slick on the sea surface, indicating that the hull was not damaged.

So Gu Lang steered his speedboat to anchor on the port side of the tanker.