Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Gu Lang sneered inwardly.

The "two" here can be 20,000 or 2,000.

The other party was clearly probing his strength.

"Boss, even when you're giving money to a beggar, you should at least make a sound, right? That gesture, are you giving a peace sign for a photo?"

Gu Lang picked up a watch, his tone slightly sarcastic.

"This Omega, a discontinued model, with a ceramic bezel and blue dial, originally had a list price of over 40,000. Even now, in a bad market, it's still worth at least 15,000 secondhand. This IWC Pilot's Watch, a classic model, in such good condition, should be worth at least 12,000, right? As for this jadeite..."

He picked up the emerald green safety buckle again.

"Although it's not imperial green, it's still a genuine icy jade with floating flowers, and the carving is quite good. It's also paired with gold and silver clasps. In a shopping mall, they'd dare to price it at 10,000! These two 'no worries' pendants have such good translucency; they're both high-quality, solid-grade jade. I don't need to quote a price, right?"

Judging the value of jade is actually very simple.

The more it resembles glass, the more valuable it is; if it's real glass, it's worthless.

So Gu Lang always thought he could use the bottom of a beer bottle to grind an imperial green bracelet to impress people.

The old shopkeeper's facial muscles twitched slightly.

Gu Lang's precise pricing and the toughness in his words clearly exceeded his expectations.

He put his glasses back on and tapped his fingers lightly on the counter, as if reassessing the young man before him.

"Brother," the old shopkeeper said in a lower voice.

"The market conditions you described were in peaceful times. Now? It's a dead thing! It won't fill your stomach, nor will it protect you from a knife. I'm just keeping this shop open one day at a time; who knows when I'll be stuck with it. The risk is too great! At most..."

He held up four fingers, then bent one down, as if weighing his options. "Three and a half."

"seven!"

Gu Lang made a firm decision and quoted a price that was more than double the original price.

"These things would have been worth over a hundred thousand yuan in the past. Now I'm giving you a huge discount, only seventy thousand yuan in cash! These things are useless to you and a burden to me. Once I get the money, I'll leave immediately. You can also save up some treasures and make a profit when things get better."

"Dude, you've gone too far with this joke!"

The old shopkeeper glared.

"Seventy thousand? Things are so chaotic right now! Where am I supposed to get seventy thousand yuan in cash for you? Forty thousand is the most I can get."

He opened a drawer and flung out four stacks of new hundred-yuan bills.

"You know things are chaotic right now, right? Whether these banknotes can even be spent is another question; they're too stiff even to use for wiping your butt!"

The two engaged in a heated exchange, going back and forth.

Gu Lang seized upon the flaw in the opponent's "risk theory" and emphasized the decline in the purchasing power of cash.

In particular, it points out that even in turbulent times, the intricate mechanical structure of those two high-end mechanical watches still possesses a certain practical value.

The old shopkeeper repeatedly emphasized the cash shortage caused by the bank closures, citing the example of "electronic payments causing a lack of cash in the market."

Under the dim lights, the air was thick with the tense atmosphere of a game of strategy.

Every concession made was accompanied by a clash of glances and probing, tug-of-war words.

Time passed silently in the standoff.

Finally, the old shopkeeper slammed his fist on the table.

"Fifty thousand! Take it or leave it!"

Gu Lang deliberately remained silent for a few seconds before nodding.

"Alright, deal! Hurry up and get it through the money detector."

Five stacks of banknotes had appeared in the backpack, replacing the jade and the luxury watch.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Gu Lang zipped up his backpack, his tone flat and revealing neither joy nor anger.

He didn't look at the items on the counter again, then turned and left.

It was getting dark outside, and it started to rain.

The van drove into an abandoned hotel and set up camp in the garage.

After a good night's sleep, Gu Lang set off in the heavy rain the next day.

They went to two more pawnshops and exchanged the rest of the jade and watches for cash.

The final purchase price was about the same as before, and it sold for another 100,000 yuan.

He kept only one Breitling professional diving watch for himself.

This watch is water-resistant to over 200 meters and also features a thermometer and barometer, making it highly practical.

During the transaction, Gu Lang deliberately took out a gold bean to test the price.

Compared to jade and luxury watches, pawnshops are clearly much more interested in gold.

They basically buy as many as they can get, and the prices they offer are extremely high.

Gu Lang wouldn't be so foolish as to exchange real gold for paper money.

After selling all his luxury goods, he now has more than 23 yuan in cash.

He plans to use all of this money to buy a new car and for subsequent modifications.

Twelve days after the solar storm, several text message notifications sounded.

Cell phone signal has finally been restored, but it's only 2G for now.

The mobile internet connection is still completely unavailable.

After lunch, Gu Lang's phone finally rang.

After hanging up the phone with the car dealership owner, he immediately went to pick up his car.

Bright lights pierced through the dust in the exhibition hall.

It illuminated a silver-gray Piadiur T5dm.

It lacks the ruggedness and clumsiness of traditional trucks, and its lines are closer to the sleekness of urban logistics vehicles.

It strikes a good balance between urban driving and off-road capability.

"Maximum 204 horsepower, maximum torque 340 Nm, accelerates from 0 to 50 km/h in just 5.5 seconds."

Inside the showroom, the owner's son was enthusiastically introducing the products.

"The non-load-bearing body is sturdy and durable, with a strong load-bearing capacity. The dual rear tire design provides better load-bearing capacity and stability, making it suitable even for rough roads."

"Yeah, I chose this vehicle because it's sturdy and reliable; everyone who runs logistics says it's great. Plus, the blade battery is safe and stable."

Gu Lang nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"That's right, and hybrid vehicles are very fuel-efficient. They run on electricity most of the time, which is economical and quiet. When the battery is low, the gasoline engine kicks in to generate electricity, eliminating the range anxiety of pure electric vehicles. They run on 92-octane gasoline, with a 100-liter fuel tank. The range on a full tank and with a fully charged battery exceeds 1000 kilometers."

The boss's son had a knowing look on his face, as if he had met someone knowledgeable.

After quickly checking the car purchase contract, Gu Lang signed it and picked up the car with full payment.

"There are still some things to unload from the old car, so I'll have to hand it over to you later."

There's a car repair shop right next door that's already open. Let me drive there with you.

Since this was the first order after the disaster, no one else had come to the store yet.

The boss's son then enthusiastically helped introduce business opportunities.

"Okay, is the car insurance all set up?"

Gu Lang pointed to the license plate that had just been hung up and asked.

"The mandatory insurance has already been paid, but the commercial insurance will be processed later. The insurance company is still handling the procedures. You can check the electronic policy directly on your mobile app after a while."

"Okay, excellent service." Gu Lang gave a thumbs up.

Two cars, one new and one old, drove into a car repair shop one after the other.

Under Gu Lang's direction, the craftsman began to dismantle the extra equipment on the bread cart one by one.

The various supplies on the vehicle were temporarily stored in a warehouse.