Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

The drone's camera rotated, aiming at the upper reaches of the Qinghe River in the southeast direction.

Aerial footage shows that the massive Qinghe Reservoir has collapsed.

This is the direct cause of the damage to the downstream bridge.

Gu Lang operated the drone, turning it westward.

The G1 expressway bridge and the Jinha railway bridge downstream were also severely damaged.

The Qinghe River is a major tributary of the Liao River, with a length of approximately 200 kilometers.

If you go west, the terrain is even lower, and the floods will only be more severe.

This road is blocked, so Gulang must find another way to cross the river.

To the northeast are farmlands, with the Kou River, a tributary of the Qing River, flowing along its banks.

The area was not affected by the collapsed reservoir, and the bridge remains intact.

"We can only try our luck in the northeast direction."

He sighed and retrieved the drone.

Looking at the map, to the east is Dahei Mountain, and the terrain gradually rises.

Perhaps we can find areas unaffected by the floods.

Furthermore, the map shows that there is a smaller, more secluded, and possibly more robust mountain bridge there.

The mountainous areas to the east are far from the impact of the nuclear explosion, and if we're lucky, the roads will still be passable.

Without a moment's hesitation, Gu Lang immediately turned the car around.

We drove along the county road leading towards Daheishan.

The mountain road began to wind its way up, with dark, sparsely vegetated mountains on both sides.

The rainwater washed away the mud, making the mountain surface extremely muddy.

Small pebbles and mud occasionally slide onto the road.

Just as the car entered a relatively steep section of winding mountain road, something unexpected happened.

A muffled rumbling sound, like rolling thunder, came from overhead.

Gu Lang instantly became alert, slammed on the brakes to slow down, and glanced at the cliff to his right.

Suddenly, cracks appeared on the towering hillside.

Large swaths of soil mixed with rocks, having lost their last bit of cohesion after being saturated by rainwater, began to move slowly.

"landslide!"

His pupils constricted sharply, and he exclaimed in surprise.

Countless small stones rolled down the hillside and rained down on the ground.

A cloud of smoke rose from the highway, obscuring the view.

"Boom!"

A rock larger than a car crashed onto the road less than fifty meters in front of Gulang.

The hard asphalt road surface cracked and dented like a biscuit, with gravel flying everywhere.

The enormous impact caused the ground to shake.

Gu Lang's reaction was incredibly fast.

Almost at the same moment the boulder crashed down, he had already made his judgment and taken action.

The road conditions behind are unclear, so you absolutely must not reverse at this time.

The reversing speed is slow and the visibility is extremely poor.

It is easy to lose control on narrow mountain roads, and you are also likely to be hit by rocks rolling down from behind.

There is still space ahead, so we must escape the landslide area as quickly as possible.

If you hesitate even slightly, the light truck will be flattened by the boulder like a soda can and then roll into the ravine on the left.

He jerked the steering wheel and floored the accelerator.

With a fishtail, the car almost grazed the left guardrail as it veered off the road.

Just as the car swerved to its right, he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

It was aimed at the gap created by the impact after the huge rock in front of it crashed down.

That area is a relatively weak zone at the edge of the main shock wave of the debris flow, and it is also the only "gap" that could possibly be breached.

The electric light truck accelerates extremely quickly, like an arrow released from a bow, roaring as it rushes toward the only escape route.

The car body jolted violently, and a constant, teeth-grinding scraping sound came from the chassis.

Muddy mud and gravel splashed and splattered onto the car body and windshield.

The rearview mirror showed a massive mudslide, carrying with it broken logs and rocks.

It poured down with overwhelming force, and the surging earth and rocks were less than two meters away from the vehicle.

Hang in there!

Gu Lang gritted his teeth, his hands bulging with veins.

He kept the vehicle firmly under control as it veered off course amidst the mud and impacts.

"Bang! Crash!"

A rock the size of a sofa was swept up by the mudflow and slammed into the rear corner of the light truck.

The car lurched suddenly, and Gu Lang was almost thrown off his seat; the seatbelt tightened painfully in his chest.

But he gritted his teeth and tried his best to straighten the steering wheel.

Almost simultaneously, more mud, gravel, and broken trees cascaded down like a waterfall.

It emitted a terrifying roar, instantly burying a large section of the road ahead.

Just at this critical moment, the front wheel of the light truck finally climbed onto the top of a pile of dirt and rocks.

The engine roared, the rear wheels chugged wildly, and mud splattered everywhere.

The heavy vehicle suddenly lurched forward, rushing through the mudslide-covered area and returning to the relatively clean mountain road.

Gu Lang dared not linger for even a moment, nor did he dare to look back at the deathly swamp that was swallowing up the road.

The car sped eastward along the winding mountain road.

The car radio kept scanning for stations, but it couldn't get any signal.

Gu Lang was completely focused, occasionally lightly tapping the brakes.

Although the light truck has six wheels, its grip is still somewhat insufficient on these slippery and muddy mountain roads.

Every high-speed turn and climb comes with the risk of tire slippage and vehicle side slippage.

He relied on his experience and intuition to control the braking force, preventing the tires from locking up and losing control on the slippery road surface.

After driving for more than 100 kilometers, the car entered Qingyuan County.

This place is located in the heart of Longgang Mountain, a spur of Changbai Mountain.

When the truck finally managed to climb the last ridge with great effort, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Nestled in the embrace of majestic mountains, a county town unfolds silently.

The county town did not appear to have been hit by a nuclear attack; from a distance, the buildings appeared intact.

"At least for now, we're safe." Gu Lang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He soon stopped the car 12 kilometers away from the county town.

The maximum remote control distance for a drone is 15 kilometers.

Considering environmental interference, this distance is the limit for safe flight.

After replacing the battery, the drone soared into the sky with a "whoosh".

After investigation, checkpoints have been set up around the county town.

Armed police and soldiers guarded all the key intersections.

After flying around once, Gu Lang noticed a loudspeaker hanging near the security checkpoint.

The lights were on, and it seemed to be playing some kind of message.

So he retrieved the drone.

I replaced the battery and then attached the phone to it.

After turning on the phone's recording function, it flew over the security checkpoint and hovered for a while.

After retrieving his phone, Gu Lang finally heard the message playing from the speaker.

"...Repeated notice. In order to maintain wartime order and ensure the fair distribution of resources in our county, in accordance with the 'Dragon Kingdom National Defense Mobilization Law,' effective immediately, all private vehicles and their cargo entering our county will be subject to unified registration, requisition, and allocation... Anyone who conceals or hoards supplies without authorization will be..."

"Requisitioning...allocation..."

These words buzzed in Gu Lang's ears.

Unified allocation, on the verge of collapse, is tantamount to plunder.

He frowned as he put the drone away.

Back in the driver's seat, I opened the map.

I am currently located on G229 National Highway, Fangyanggou section.

There are no other roads around that can be taken.

The Shenji Railway and the G1212 Expressway also pass through the city, with the urban area situated right on the only route.