Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

After getting a general idea of ​​the situation in the county town, Gu Lang parked the bread truck on the side of a commercial street.

Shops have lowered their roller shutters, and some shop owners are boarding up their glass windows.

After observing for a moment, Gu Lang decided to strike up a conversation with a tobacco and liquor store owner.

"Boss, is your shop still open?"

Clothes were drying in front of the shop, suggesting that the shop owner and his family lived on the second floor of the shop.

"The door's closed, so we're not selling anything."

The other person spoke with a southern accent; they were definitely from out of town.

Gu Lang found an ideal trading partner.

Do you need fresh vegetables? I'd like to change something.

"Okay, let me see it first."

Upon hearing this, the shop owner put down his work with delight and followed Gu Lang to the car.

In China, all cigarettes sold must adhere to the nationally unified retail guidance price.

Retailers are not allowed to change prices arbitrarily; the permitted fluctuation range is only 5%.

Consumers who find abnormal pricing can report it to the local tobacco monopoly bureau.

After the disaster, external communications and logistics transportation were disrupted.

In a state of panic, residents will rush to buy supplies.

Commodity prices will rise rapidly, and the purchasing power of money will decline sharply.

Cigarettes are a form of hard currency in times like these.

Selling at the official suggested retail price would obviously result in a significant loss.

It is perfectly reasonable for a shop to choose to close down and remain in a wait-and-see mode.

"Why are all the shops closed at midday?"

"Someone came this morning with a notice saying that we need to maintain market order and prohibit price gouging, and anyone caught doing so will be fined. Isn't that just utter nonsense?"

The shop owner pulled out a sack and started selecting potatoes and cabbages.

"The government should have emergency reserve plans, so why isn't it allocating emergency supplies to stabilize prices?"

"See that pile of unfinished buildings? How much money do you think the county finance department has left? How much real stuff can they possibly have in the warehouse?"

"Got it, boss. Do you have a scale? I was in such a rush before I came that I forgot to bring it."

"No problem, I'll get you one."

The tobacco and liquor store owner went to the convenience store next door and borrowed a floor scale.

Although none of the shops were open for business, they were all guarded.

Soon, the bread cart in Gulang was surrounded by neighbors who had come after hearing the news.

Everyone tacitly agreed to barter according to the pre-disaster market prices.

Gu Lang only kept enough vegetables for himself to eat for a month.

The extra portion was replaced with cigarettes, alcohol, canned goods, dried meat, noodles, rice, and energy drinks.

These items are well-balanced in terms of value and weight.

It can be easily used as an equivalent for transactions.

Fresh, durable vegetables sell out quickly, with over 500 kilograms being snapped up in no time.

The tobacco and liquor store owner even thought the vegetables were being sold too cheaply.

Gu Lang himself didn't feel like he lost out; it was a risk-free business anyway, so selling the stolen goods as soon as possible was the right thing to do.

Furthermore, the Northeast region is a major production and sales area for agricultural products.

Once transportation resumes, food supplies will soon be restored.

If he doesn't sell it now while it's in high demand, he might really end up looking emaciated.

The carriage suddenly felt much emptier.

Gu Lang drove his much lighter van, making a series of right turns through the city.

After circling around twice to make sure no one was following them, they entered the area of ​​the unfinished building.

As can be seen from the huge GG logo, this place was originally a tourist real estate.

The interior was overgrown with weeds and deserted.

There are signs of habitation at the security booth at the entrance, suggesting that the gatekeeper left after the solar storm.

The houses inside are all two-story townhouses, and the completion rate is quite high, with doors and windows already installed.

Gu Lang chose a corner house with a courtyard as a temporary base and parked the car in the backyard.

He scouted the area and found no one else around.

Standing on the top floor, you can also see rescue vehicles constantly heading south in the distance.

After setting up the plastic bottle alarm device using the old method, Gu Lang fell into a deep sleep.

He hasn't slept a wink since last night; he's just too exhausted.

When I woke up the next day, it was already 10 a.m.

When Gu Lang woke up, he felt a bit of chest tightness and his head hurt.

But a hungry stomach urged me on, and I had no choice but to get up.

He lit the wood he had collected, opened a can of food, and cooked a pork stew with vermicelli.

It was still a gray, overcast day outside, with no sign of rain.

The air is unusually dry, and the temperature has risen significantly.

This makes the body feel stuffy and hot.

He drove to the Otter River to take a bath and replenish his fresh water supply.

The water quality here is good, but I don't know why.

You can always see squirrel carcasses floating in the water.

Many residents came to the riverbank to fetch water, and some were even washing clothes.

A few crows flew by in the sky from time to time, which was quite annoying.

The county town became even more desolate, and the shops remained closed.

Without sanitation workers, there is garbage everywhere.

The FM radio came on right on time at 12 o'clock, with content similar to yesterday's, and no important news updates.

Gu Lang arrived at a checkpoint on the way out of the city, where the road was blocked by roadblocks.

The G111 National Highway ahead remains under one-way traffic control.

He approached the staff member on duty and offered him a cigarette.

"Hey bro, when will traffic resume?"

"I don't know, it's still under repair. We'll have to wait for notification when it will open to traffic."

Any other news?

Gu Lang lowered his voice and asked, shoving the freshly opened pack of cigarettes into his hand.

"I heard the railway has stopped too, and the entire substation burned down. They sent people to repair it, but they don't have enough spare parts."

He leaned close to Gu Lang's ear.

"To ensure the supply of emergency vehicles, the fuel depot is almost empty, and the backup generator won't last much longer."

"Doesn't the county have any disaster relief plans?"

"Having a plan is useless; we don't even have enough manpower just to repair the roads."

"Is the situation that serious?"

"I also heard that the county originally planned to organize an evacuation, but where could they evacuate to?"

The duty officer shook his head.

"It seems the situation is worse in the south; the big cities are in complete chaos."

After gathering the information, Gu Lang returned to his car and drank some water.

Why organize an evacuation during a solar storm disaster? Wouldn't it be better to conduct disaster relief operations on-site?

Gu Lang felt a little uneasy from the moment he woke up in the morning.

But I can't quite put my finger on the exact reason.

So he decided to trust his intuition.

Instead of turning back, they waited directly in the car.

I plan to head south as soon as the national highway reopens.

Three more trucks drove by, and the roadblock was temporarily removed.

Gu Lang stepped forward to inquire and learned that the other party was transporting supplies needed by the rescue team.

He frowned and began to think.

"Something's not right. It's been going on for a whole day and night. It's just clearing up the car accident and repairing the road, so why are so many rescue teams being mobilized? Even the oil depot is almost empty."

The car's infotainment system was playing MP3 music copied by the previous owner on a loop.

"Three thousand miles away, I saw you by chance. In the garden, a skirt fluttered in the breeze. Under the lamplight, the morning light was scattered. In the Mohe Ballroom in 1980..."

Upon hearing the melancholic melody, Gu Lang's expression suddenly changed drastically.

Four words popped into my head: "forest fire".

The song describes the devastating "May 6th" fire in the Greater Xin'anling area in 1987.

Decades have passed since then, and now is the peak season for summer wildfires!

Solar storms can disable forest fire early warning systems.

This caused firefighters to miss the crucial two-hour window for extinguishing the fire.

This is especially true given the large number of overloaded and burned-out power facilities, as well as the prolonged lack of rainfall.

The fire prevention situation will become extremely serious!

Combining various clues, Gu Lang came to a terrifying conclusion.

The rescue teams are not restoring transportation lines, but establishing firebreaks!