Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"What's up?"

The older man broke the silence, his voice hoarse and weary.

"Buy a car."

Gu Lang succinctly pointed to the signboard stone of the car dealership.

The letter B, Y, and D are three huge letters pasted on it.

The brand name Piadi sounds really inelegant, almost like an insult.

But the product itself is still quite competitive.

Gu Lang is well aware of the importance of the new energy vehicle sector, especially the hybrid sector.

This brand is virtually unmatched.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see that the exhibition hall is full of vehicles.

It seems that the store moved all the inventory cars that were originally parked outside into the store.

It was covered with a sunshade, so it's impossible to tell which specific models it comes in now.

"I saw people in your store, so I came over to ask."

"I'm the boss. What kind of car do you want to buy? A sedan or an SUV?"

"Light truck, T5dm."

Gu Lang had been paying attention to this light truck for a long time.

The vehicle is 2.16 meters wide and 3.15 meters high.

The car is only 5.995 meters long, which means it can be driven with a C1 driver's license.

It has a rated load capacity of 3 tons and is equipped with a cargo box of approximately 18 cubic meters.

Driven by a 150 kW motor, the maximum speed is 100 km/h.

The battery uses a blade battery with a maximum capacity of 55 kWh, providing a pure electric range of 150 kilometers.

In addition, it is equipped with a 1.5T gasoline range extender engine.

It has a thermal efficiency of 41% and a fuel consumption of about 10 liters per 100 kilometers.

Because it has the function of an outdoor power station, it can also output 6 kilowatts of power.

In the outdoor community, it has a well-known name – the innate RV holy body.

The experience of escaping the fire last time left a considerable shadow on Gulang.

The EC35 minivan's range, load capacity, and speed are all too weak.

Now that he has a large sum of money, he wants to get a better vehicle.

"Which version do you want? The 18 kWh Fortune Edition is not available at the moment, but the 55 kWh Tech Edition is in stock."

The young man asked the question.

"Who are you?"

Gu Lang was a little surprised. Why would there be employees accompanying the boss to guard the store at a time like this?

"Oh, this is my son. He knows more about business than I do."

The shop owner next to him smiled and explained.

"I want the 55 kWh version, what's the price?"

"The suggested retail price is 185,800 yuan. New energy vehicles are exempt from purchase tax. Compulsory traffic accident liability insurance is 950 yuan, and commercial insurance is 5,000 yuan per year if you apply here. The final price is 190,000 yuan, and we'll handle the license plate application for you."

The boss's son rattled off a string of numbers as if they were his own treasures.

"I'm planning to scrap my old car. Are there any government subsidies available?"

"The policy requires that only gasoline-powered vehicles be scrapped, so your green-plated electric vehicle is not eligible for subsidies."

"However..." he changed the subject.

"The manufacturer offers trade-in subsidies. For non-brand old cars, the subsidy ranges from two to eight thousand yuan. I think your car can get the lowest discount."

"Even if it's worth two thousand, it's still good; every little bit helps."

Gu Lang laughed; he was just wondering how to deal with this "accident car".

"I want one, I want to drive it away in the next few days. How about 188,000 yuan, cash on delivery?"

Seeing how skilled the other party was, Gu Lang didn't bother to haggle.

The price war in the new energy vehicle market in recent years has been extremely fierce.

The market is highly transparent, and there is virtually no room for negotiation.

After the disaster ends, no one knows how high prices will rise.

With a large inventory of cars still in the dealership, he just wanted to spend the money as soon as possible.

"Is it that urgent?" The boss hesitated.

"Yes, communications haven't been restored yet, banks, insurance companies, and government offices are all closed, and we can't process any paperwork."

The boss's son also showed a helpless expression.

"There's no rush. Let's exchange contact information first. We'll talk about it again once things return to normal."

And so, Gu Lang and the car dealership owner exchanged phone numbers.

We'll discuss the car purchase details after we reach an agreement.

After leaving the car dealership, Gu Lang found a free parking lot to use as a temporary base.

On the tenth day of rest, he sat upright in the driver's seat, sipping tea.

Watching the numerous volunteers working alongside the troops to clean up and improve the environment.

The surrounding residents are gradually returning to their pre-disaster normalcy, and the scene is peaceful.

However, a strong sense of crisis always lingered in Gu Lang's mind.

With his mind in turmoil, he decided to find something to do.

He started the car and drove slowly along the dilapidated streets.

Most shops remained closed, with signs saying "Closed for business" or "Closed due to disaster".

Collapsed signs, charred walls, and shattered glass littered the ground, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

As he turned a corner, a sign for Hengxin Pawnshop caught his eye.

The heavy roller shutter door was tightly closed, but light shone through the cracks.

Gu Lang parked the car a little further away on the side of the driveway.

I changed my clothes to make myself look a little more presentable.

He concealed only a dagger close to his body and picked up the backpack containing his "treasure".

He arrived at the door and knocked a few times forcefully.

"Boss, do you accept orders?"

The security camera at the entrance was flashing red, and Gu Lang looked up and waved.

After waiting for a while, the roller shutter door did not rise.

An old man suddenly appeared from a side alley and nodded at him.

After following the other party through two turns in the alley, Gu Lang entered the pawnshop through the back door.

The old man didn't speak, but simply raised his chin slightly, gesturing for him to put the items on the counter.

He then opened the security door and entered the counter protected by iron bars.

Gu Lang unzipped his backpack and placed the items on a black velvet tray.

First, there are two hard watch boxes.

Once opened, it was filled with famous luxury watches.

Next, Gu Lang took out two jade pendants and a pendant.

The translucency is acceptable, and the color is lush and green, but none of them are top-grade materials.

He used to watch treasure appraisal videos often, and he especially liked the two experts, Fan Haixin and Bai Haibo.

Originally, it was just to watch the stubborn national treasure helper old man and have some fun.

Through constant exposure, I've learned quite a bit.

The old shopkeeper's gaze moved slowly across the goods like a probe.

He picked up a jade magnifying glass, examined the jade carefully, and weighed it in his hand.

He picked up the watches one by one.

Bring the light closer to inspect the dial, hands, markings, and movement.

The entire process was suffocatingly silent.

Only the faint ticking of the clock and the subtle sound of jade hitting velvet cloth could be heard.

"The items... are all genuine."

The old shopkeeper squinted his eyes.

"What a pity, born at the wrong time."

He put down the last watch, took off his reading glasses, and wiped them with the corner of his clothes.

"Boss, give me a price." Gu Lang got straight to the point.

"Three pieces of jade, that'll be one set. Two watches, in good condition, that'll be another set. Pack them all together... this is the price."

He slowly extended two fingers.