Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

After completing the closed-loop operation, Gu Lang took out a pack of potassium iodide tablets from his bag.

Taking potassium iodide within 4 hours of exposure can effectively prevent radioactive iodine from accumulating in the thyroid gland.

As the only anti-radiation drug recommended for public stockpiling, its dosage also needs to be controlled.

Do not eat too much, otherwise it may cause nausea, allergies or thyroid dysfunction.

Furthermore, it can only reduce the risk of thyroid cancer and cannot be considered a panacea.

If it is a military-grade anti-radiation kit, it will contain drugs such as cystamine hydrochloride, amifostine, or Prussian blue.

It resembles the AI-2 first aid kit, which was mass-produced by the Soviet Union back then.

As a typical piece of equipment from the Cold War era.

This orange-yellow box is very famous and frequently appears in various games and movies.

Although it can effectively remove free radicals generated by radiation and alleviate the symptoms of radiation sickness.

However, it is difficult to purchase and has significant side effects.

It contains veterinary drugs, as well as potent drugs that even veterinary drugs dare not use.

After taking it, you may even need to take anti-nausea medication.

It also came with a syringe and addictive painkillers, which looked quite terrifying.

This is a typical case of prioritizing survival over lifespan.

Vomiting blood after eating is the least of your worries.

It's not impossible for urine to emit a glow in the dark.

Side effects include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fever, internal bleeding, multiple organ failure, and even blindness.

Radiation damage can only be mitigated, not reversed.

Therefore, the best protective measures are still to take proper precautions such as covering and cleaning.

Gu Lang placed the flashlight on the freezer.

Then he put on a full-body medical isolation suit.

They put on gas masks and finally draped radiation-proof lead aprons over their outer layers.

Although it's not as good as professional protective suits, this is the best protective equipment he has.

Dressed neatly, Gu Lang checked his watch; it was 10:30 PM.

After climbing for a while, the number on the Geiger counter stabilized at 11.47 uSv/h.

This means the radiation dose is 11.47 microsieverts per hour, which is more than 100 times the normal value.

However, it has not reached a dangerous level yet. As long as you stay in the basement, it will not cause any harm to your body.

He took out his phone, pressed the power button, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the screen light up.

The freezer's all-metal casing creates a Faraday cage effect, protecting the chip from EMP impacts.

Gu Lang found a PDF file on his phone.

This is a nuclear war plan that was declassified and released by the U.S. National Security Archive in 2015.

It provides a detailed list of nuclear weapons targets compiled by the United States in 1959.

The main targets of the US bombing campaign on this list were the US mainland and a number of satellite states in the East.

In addition, the Dragon Kingdom is also on the list.

According to this plan, once a nuclear war breaks out between the two major camps...

The United States will immediately drop 3500 atomic bombs on more than 1200 targets.

Of these, 870 were matched with 117 cities in the Dragon Kingdom.

All of them were important industrial cities, transportation hubs, and densely populated areas at the time.

The table was enlarged in Gulang, and the number "55" was clearly marked in the column for Jilin Province.

A total of 15 regions in the province made the list, with the provincial capital Changchun having an "8" in its name.

The province with the highest number is Liaoning, with a total of 159.

Shanghai was the city most hit by nuclear bombs, with a staggering 82.

In contrast, Beijing only received 26 hits.

However, this nuclear strike list from decades ago is now long outdated.

The US military has been updated countless times.

Gulang can only be used as a simple reference to help assess the current situation.

This document shows that the United States was still using the Mark 6 atomic bomb in 1959.

The atomic bomb weighed 3.86 tons, was 3.25 meters long, and had an explosive yield equivalent to 15 tons of TNT.

According to the latest publicly available documents, the number of nuclear warheads currently in service in the United States is not much different from what it was back then.

The total number is approximately four thousand, with the main models being W87 and W88.

The weight has been reduced to 200 to 300 kilograms, and the size has been shrunk to that of an adult.

However, its destructive power has been greatly increased, with a TNT equivalent ranging from 35 to 50 tons.

He then opened the 2023 edition of the Nuclear War Climate Impact Report and began to study the extent of the damage.

The report states that a nuclear war would consist of three phases.

The first phase is immediate destruction, which lasts for 48 hours.

The total number of nuclear warheads in the world exceeds 1.

A first round of nuclear war could directly kill 5 million people, about 6% of the world's total population.

Then comes the mid-term collapse phase, which lasts for one year.

The spread of radioactive fallout caused acute radiation sickness among survivors in the nuclear strike zone.

Within a week, it will cause hundreds of millions of deaths again.

Survivors will be forced to consume contaminated water and food, causing cancer rates to soar.

A full-scale nuclear war would trigger massive fires in cities and industrial areas.

After a large-scale nuclear explosion, it is estimated that 4 million tons of smoke and dust will be pushed into the stratosphere by the hot air currents.

Stratospheric dust is not washed away by rainwater and can remain for 1 to 3 years.

Blocking sunlight from the Earth's surface causes a sharp drop in surface temperature, triggering a nuclear winter.

The average surface temperature drops by 8 to 20 degrees Celsius, and the higher the latitude, the more drastic the temperature drop.

The intensity of sunlight on the ground will also decrease by more than 70%, and this will last for more than 6 months.

Photosynthesis has essentially come to a standstill, and global food production has plummeted by more than 90%.

The remaining food reserves after a nuclear strike may only last for a few months.

The mass death of plankton will disrupt the foundation of the marine food chain, leading to a sharp drop in fishery production.

Simulation data shows that 50 billion people will die from famine.

Finally, there is the risk of long-term extinction, lasting for ten years.

The ozone layer will also be severely damaged, and ultraviolet radiation intensity will increase by 80% to 400%.

It will cause long-term harm to all life on the earth's surface.

In most areas, the survivors will gradually degenerate into small tribes.

Relying on primitive survival skills, the transmission of technology and knowledge has been disrupted.

Radiation hazards lead to an increase in gene mutation rates.

The rate of birth defects is soaring, and the population structure will deteriorate irreversibly.

After reading the report, Gu Lang felt that some of the content was seriously exaggerated.

The energy released by the nuclear bombs that humans have created, when combined...

It might not even be as impactful as an asteroid impact event.

Not to mention the even more powerful supervolcanic eruptions.

However, he could understand the scientists' intentions.

For the sake of the future of all mankind, when providing decision-making analysis to rulers.

They will naturally do everything in their power to prevent such a risky act as nuclear war.

This serves as a warning to the world that there are no winners in a nuclear war.

But without a doubt, all survivors will now face apocalyptic survival challenges.

From the moment the nuclear bomb fell, the good old days were gone forever.

The old order has been swept away, and the wasteland era has arrived.