Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"Just close your account, transfer all the money to my card, and I'll give you cash."

Gu Lang pulled out a stack of banknotes from his bag and continued to instruct the girl on how to make a complaint call.

Seeing that things were not going well, the bank security guard whispered a few words to Gu Lang.

They then led Gu Lang and the girl to an empty counter on the second floor.

The bank security guard handled the business with the skill of a lobby manager.

After a while, the bank manager came over and authorized the business.

In the end, the girl successfully unfroze her bank card, and Gu Lang also retrieved his bank card that had been swallowed by the machine.

"Brother, thank you so much for everything this time."

At the bank entrance, the girl expressed her gratitude profusely.

"It's okay, I'm just taking this opportunity to cut in line. Otherwise, I might not even get a turn before they close."

"Oh. How do you know how to deal with them?"

"You mean complaining? That's actually useless. The bank and the higher-ups are in cahoots. It's mainly the people in line behind that started making a fuss, and the other side is worried about something going wrong."

"Huh?!" The girl looked shocked.

"I suggest you switch to a commercial bank in the future; they are more concerned about regulatory complaints."

Gu Lang laughed.

"I understand. So why do you think they froze my card?"

The girl looked puzzled.

"Since the anti-credit card crackdown campaign began a few years ago, any non-routine transaction can lead to a spending limit. If they freeze your card, it's them messing with you. If they don't freeze it, and you get scammed, then it's the higher-ups messing with them. What would you choose?"

Gu Lang recalled the time when he first started live streaming.

He accidentally revealed his payment QR code during a live stream.

As a result of more than a dozen one-cent transfers, one of his accounts was frozen and has not been unfrozen to this day.

"The teller who processed your transaction just didn't want to bother with it. The so-called 'unfreezing' you did last time was just a complete rip-off."

Upon hearing this, the girl fell into thought.

"Yes, the bank manager came over several times to give me authorization. It took a long time to go through the responsibility letter and verify my identity. We've never done this before."

"Crying won't help in situations like this. Remember to be a little crazy next time, be more spirited! Don't embarrass yourself!"

"Why are you acting crazy?"

"I've seen people just pull down their pants and poop in front of the counter. The problem is solved before they even come out."

"..."

The girl looked embarrassed.

"Figure it out yourself. You can't teach someone to teach you; you can only learn it once from experience. There won't always be someone willing to help you."

After saying goodbye to the girl, Gu Lang drove away from the bank.

Given the recent global disaster, similar incidents will only increase in order to prevent bank runs.

Therefore, Gu Lang decisively abandoned his plan to save money.

The bank has already lost all credibility with him.

While I was busy looking for a campsite for the night, my phone suddenly rang.

Upon recognizing the mobile carrier's number, Gu Lang answered and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Hello, this is our official customer service. Are you the owner of this number?"

"No," Gu Lang answered without hesitation.

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone.

The other party seemed completely unprepared for this response and only resumed the call a few seconds later.

"Are you a family member or friend of the account owner?"

"No comment."

"Oh? Then I'll suspend my service here."

"If you have to suspend my phone number just for helping me answer a call, then I have no choice but to notify the account owner to immediately file a complaint with the Ministry of Public Security."

"Okay, I won't bother you any longer. Have a nice day..."

"Heh, not pleasant at all, you idiot."

Gu Lang laughed and cursed, then hung up the phone.

It's never a good thing when a mobile carrier calls you unsolicited.

Almost all of them were aggressive sales pitches.

They claim to be "giving away" phone credit, data, and call minutes, but in reality, they're just changing the details of your plan.

Customer service representatives will use various persuasive tactics to elicit answers.

If you're not careful, an "um" will appear in the conversation.

That would be disastrous; you'd immediately receive a barrage of text messages about activating the service.

Even if you complain, the other party will bring up the recording, which is extremely annoying.

Fortunately, the law stipulates that the account holder's identity must be confirmed in advance when changing business details.

Therefore, Gu Lang never admits to being the account owner, which saves him a lot of trouble.

The car's speakers were playing news reports from the National Emergency Broadcasting Station.

"Since the unprecedentedly strong solar storm struck Earth on the 8th of this month."

The global power grid has suffered a devastating blow, and most parts of my country are still experiencing widespread power outages.

Extreme disasters have severely disrupted normal production and daily life, and some areas have experienced temporary difficulties in the supply of basic materials.

Under severe survival pressure, a small number of criminals took advantage of the temporary instability in social order to launch a serious wave of crime in some severely affected areas.

The main forms of crime include: looting and vandalizing national emergency reserve warehouses and material distribution points;

Armed robbery of vital supplies such as food, medicine, and fuel during transport;

Even more extreme, some organized a dance troupe to create fire.

Bao Li's local Zheng Fu Wisdom Center and the Anlianfang point.

Wall-mounted stress reserves and copper circulation facilities.

At the same time, the rampant activities of "pseudo-doomsday" organizations that spread panic and create rumors have exacerbated social instability.

The latest report from the Ministry of Public Security shows that in the past two weeks, the number of serious criminal cases reported nationwide has increased several times compared to before the disaster.

Among them, the proportion of incidents involving firearms, explosives, and mass violence has increased significantly.

In some areas, local police forces face severe challenges to maintaining public order due to limitations in communication, transportation, and energy.

The announcer's tone became increasingly serious.

"In the face of this grim situation, in order to resolutely safeguard the lives and property of the people, ensure the orderly progress of core disaster relief and reconstruction work, and uphold the dignity of the rule of law and the overall social stability, we must take all necessary measures."

The authorities of China issued an "Emergency Notice on Swiftly Combating Drug Trafficking and Maintaining Social Stability During Major Disaster Emergency Responses" yesterday.

Effective immediately, this notice will be implemented nationwide. The main points of the notice are fivefold: First…

Gu Lang gasped, too shocked to hear anything that followed.

I only roughly understood one thing: the once famous "salt-making" has returned to the historical stage.