Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Gu Lang knew very well that He Ping's core temperature was now below 35 degrees Celsius, which was causing his body to stiffen.

At this moment, He Ping's brain sensed danger and was issuing commands to his body.

It causes the surrounding peripheral blood vessels to constrict violently, thereby drawing warm blood back.

It is only supplied to core organs such as the brain, heart, and lungs.

At the same time, it commands the muscles to begin contracting, generating heat by burning glycogen in the muscles.

After changing into dry new clothes, He Ping still felt cold and subconsciously began to rub his arms and legs.

Stop! Don't move!

This will cause cooler blood to flow back to the heart, causing the core temperature to drop further.

Gu Lang sternly stopped the other person's actions, then found a dry towel and threw it into the metal bucket.

Pour in diesel fuel and ignite it with a lighter.

They then brought out a metal stand and an outdoor pot, and started boiling water on them.

"Okay...okay, I feel better now, and my body isn't shaking anymore."

He Ping stood up and tried to get closer to the fire to warm himself.

"Sit down! Remember this: the number one killer in outdoor activities is hypothermia!"

"This is the second lesson I'm teaching you about surviving the apocalypse!" Gu Lang's tone was firm and left no room for negotiation.

He Ping was stunned for a moment, then obediently sat back down.

"The cessation of trembling is an extremely dangerous sign and does not mean that you have recovered."

This actually proves that all the glycogen stored in your muscles has been depleted, and your brain has ordered the thermogenic mechanism to stop.

This means your body temperature has dropped below 32 degrees Celsius, and you have entered a state of moderate hypothermia.

Gu Lang found a packet of Le Kou Fu malted milk powder, tore it open, and poured it into a water glass.

He touched the pot of lukewarm water, poured out the tea, and handed it to He Ping.

"Drink this, and remember, in this situation, you can't drink alcohol or coffee."

Alcohol dilates blood vessels, and caffeine accelerates dehydration.

Furthermore, under conditions of moderate heat loss, it is absolutely forbidden to directly heat the area by a fire.

This causes the cold blood in your limbs to rush back to your heart, which is why I didn't let you rub your hands and feet before.

Seeing that He Ping had drunk the hot cocoa, Gu Lang poured the remaining water into a beverage bottle.

After wrapping it in a dry towel, I handed it over.

"Place this thing against your chest and abdomen to warm your core first, then your limbs."

Move slowly and don't move around unnecessarily.

"Captain, the water isn't hot enough," He Ping said, puzzled.

"It's right if it's not hot. The temperature can only be slightly higher than normal body temperature, and absolutely cannot exceed 45 degrees Celsius."

Your blood vessels are currently constricted; if the temperature is too high, the blood vessels on the skin surface will dilate rapidly.

A large amount of cold blood will impact the heart, causing a sudden drop in blood pressure.

In mild cases, it can cause heart rhythm disturbances; in severe cases, it can lead to cardiac arrest. This phenomenon is called rewarming shock.

"Captain, something's wrong! Someone's spying on us outside the window!" He Ping suddenly pointed towards the window and screamed.

Gu Lang immediately got up, grabbed his gun, went to the door, and looked out the window. Outside, the wind and rain were raging, and there was no one around.

"Nobody's here. You're hallucinating. It's normal." Gu Lang calmly put down his rifle.

Half an hour later, as the indoor temperature rose, He Ping finally fully recovered.

Gu Lang took out a temperature gun and confirmed that his teammate's body temperature had risen to 36.5 degrees Celsius.

"It's alright now, you can move your body a little."

Remember this for the future: no matter how hot it is, never take off your clothes. Getting caught in the rain outdoors is absolutely suicidal.

"Captain, I don't understand. It was quite hot at first, why did it suddenly become so cold?"

"Clothing keeps you warm by creating a heat-locking layer that isolates the air and retains the heat emitted by the body."

However, once the clothes get wet, they immediately lose this effect and instead become a death warrant.

Water conducts heat more than 20 times better than air, so wet clothes are like a sponge soaked in ice water.

It sticks to the body and absorbs and draws away body heat.

Rainy days in the wild are often accompanied by strong winds, which cause water to evaporate and further carry away heat.

In an environment of 18 degrees Celsius, a person who is soaking wet will feel as cold as if they were below zero.

"I understand. So what if we encounter this situation in the wild?"

Without a hut and no way to start a fire, how am I supposed to save myself?

"It's very simple. Don't get wet in the first place, and follow the three-layer clothing method."

The inner layer is a quick-drying T-shirt to wick away sweat, the middle layer is a fleece jacket for warmth, and the outer layer is a windproof and waterproof jacket.

Always monitor weather changes and never engage in strenuous outdoor activities in inclement weather.

"What if I accidentally fall into the water and get soaked?"

"Then you should hope that you still have living teammates around you, not the kind you're imagining."

And they're willing to take off their clothes, lie naked against you, and warm each other with their body heat.

"Hahaha, then I hope it's a beautiful female teammate."

"Tsk, Director He, you seem to be sexually repressed."

After He Ping finished laughing, he suddenly walked to the door and looked out the window.

"There really wasn't anyone there, even though I saw it so clearly just now."

"Hallucinations caused by hypothermia are a very normal phenomenon."

Your condition is relatively mild; many people die from these hallucinations during long-distance outdoor treks.

"Oh? There's a story behind it? Tell me about it!" He Ping looked on with anticipation.

"The brain is the most energy-consuming organ in the human body, consuming a quarter of the body's energy."

Everything you experience is not raw information; it has all been processed by your brain.

When the brain is in a state of hypothermia, fatigue, or hunger, it will enter a low-power mode.

At this point, one's thoughts and consciousness become confused, and so-called hallucinations begin to appear.

Take the infamous Aotai Line, known as the "Death Passage," as an example. Due to its complex terrain and changeable climate, it is extremely dangerous.

Even experienced outdoor athletes can easily die inside.

I don't know if you've heard of the cycling blogger "Mengshe Guojiang" (猛蛇过江), who has successfully completed the Aotai Line solo speedrun multiple times.

He once found the body of a victim in a roadside tent, and in a state of panic, he still managed to carry his bicycle more than 20 kilometers down the mountain to report the incident to the police.

He's definitely a hardcore outdoor enthusiast, but even such a tough guy almost died in the mountains when he encountered a blizzard.

After surviving, Meng She posted a thread detailing her experience.

Shortly after he began to see the stones as tents.

He even saw a female hiker waving at him and offering to lead the way.

They took him directly to the edge of a cliff, where he almost fell.

Only when they saw that there were no footprints on the ground did they realize that it was an illusion.

Next, he saw two villagers sitting on a rock playing cards, and a group of people standing together to keep warm.

That night, he watched as a green moon rose.

The surrounding area was filled with noisy conversations, and I was spinning around in circles like I was sleepwalking.

Knowing the situation was bad, they stopped moving.

Finally, they hopped and jumped around in the snowdrift all night before dawn and continued on their way.

Even as he was about to walk out, he continued to experience hallucinations, tempting him to go back.

He gritted his teeth and ignored it, and finally made it safely down the mountain.

If it weren't for his strong will, he would have met the same fate as the corpse he had discovered.

"You mean the person who died in the tent died of hypothermia?"

"That's right. Before he died, he took off all his clothes and neatly folded them in the tent."

Didn't you suddenly feel better just now?

This is because glycogen is depleted, muscles can no longer tense, and blood vessels stop contracting.

If the hypothermia continues, your brain will issue the ultimate command.

It allows the remaining warm blood in the core areas to return to the limbs, releasing the last bit of dopamine and endorphins.

This is giving you one last chance to save yourself, essentially a last gasp before you die.

The blood, which was in the thirties, suddenly returned to the frozen limbs.

It can make the skin feel hot, giving people the illusion of extreme heat.

This is why almost all victims who freeze to death are naked before they die, and have a strange smile on their lips.

At this stage, the core temperature will drop below 28 degrees Celsius, and you will enter a state of severe hypothermia.

The mortality rate is extremely high, and very few people can be saved; most will also suffer lifelong sequelae.

Now you know how dangerous that was, right?

"It's terrifying. No wonder some people used to say that there are vengeful spirits in the mountains that will leave people behind."

"I've learned my lesson this time, and I'll never dare to take off my clothes on the mountain again." He Ping felt a wave of fear.

"That's good. Here's another piece of advice for you: It's not that you conquered nature, but that nature spared you."

Gu Lang stood up, kicked the burnt metal barrel to the corner, and pushed open the door to let in fresh air.