Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Gu Lang lowered his footsteps and arrived at the door.

The iron gate of the hot pot restaurant was ajar, and Gu Lang quietly pushed it open.

A strong, pungent smell of blood mixed with the stench of decay filled the air; it could be smelled even through a gas mask.

He turned on his headlamp and went into the store.

The dimly lit scene inside was enough to make one's scalp tingle instantly.

A portable gas stove sits on the table, its blue flame flickering.

Above is an iron pot, with water boiling inside.

A hand, half-cooked and with blistering, curled skin, rests prominently on the edge of the pot.

On the cutting board next to it lay a boning knife, its surface covered with large patches of dark red blood and bits of meat.

Gu Lang felt a churning in his stomach and forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit.

Fear, like cold vines, tightened around his entire body.

The food supply was far from exhausted, yet cannibalistic demons appeared here.

Just as I was about to leave, I caught a glimpse of a blurry shadow flash by in the kitchen!

"Who?!"

Gu Lang raised his crossbow and shouted angrily, his voice echoing in the deathly silent shop.

There was no answer, only the thick fog slowly creeping around.

He leaned against the wall, the arrowhead trembling slightly.

They moved outward step by step, just as they were about to step out of the hot pot restaurant.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed out from behind the pile of debris on the left!

Without hesitation, Gu Lang pulled the trigger.

Then he rushed out of the hot pot restaurant without looking back.

It was so dark inside that I couldn't see anything at all.

Just as he created some distance and hid by the bus stop sign outside, preparing to wind up the spool again.

"Ugh—!"

With a strange scream, a man dressed in tattered chef's clothes rushed out.

His face was twisted and ferocious, and he was clutching a sharp knife in his hand.

"Hahaha, I'll kill you..."

The man was fat but moved swiftly; even a crossbow bolt stuck in his abdomen couldn't stop him.

Driven by a mad urge to perish together, it charged toward Gu Lang's location with a strange cry.

"This guy is fierce; a revolver probably won't stop him."

Gu Lang had a bad feeling and immediately pulled out the homemade gun that was fixed to the left side of his backpack.

The chef was already rushing towards him when the power switch was pressed.

"boom--"

Deafening gunshots rang out in the fog-shrouded dead town.

A large spray of scorching lead beads erupted in a fan shape, enveloping the approaching figure at close range.

The chef was struck as if by a hammer and fell backward violently to the ground.

His clothes were instantly torn open with countless holes, and blood gushed out.

Gu Lang was breathing heavily, his ears ringing.

He stared intently at the chef, who was still convulsing violently, and only dared to approach and check after reloading the ammunition and crossbow bolts.

Upon seeing someone approach, the chef even tried to get up.

Blood and foam continued to gush out from the holes in his mouth, nose, chest, and abdomen as he moved.

"Bro, what's wrong with you? Do I look that appetizing?"

Gu Lang kicked the sharp knife off the ground and asked coldly.

"Heh...heh heh..."

The man's lungs had been punctured by the steel ball, producing a sound like a broken bellows.

His eyes remained fixed on Gu Lang, his gaze twisted with fanaticism.

It was filled with pure hatred, as if Gu Lang were his mortal enemy.

The eerie smile on his lips didn't disappear; instead, it widened even further, revealing his bloodstained teeth.

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he could only let out a hissing sound, saliva mixed with blood and foam dripping down his face.

However, the madness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest; in fact, it revealed a mocking expression.

It was as if to say, "You can't escape."

Gu Lang frowned; this reaction was very strange.

The person in front of me seemed to feel no pain at all, and even on the verge of death, he did not give up on killing me.

Without further hesitation, he prepared to give the ogre a quick death while retrieving the crossbow bolts.

"Awooo—!!!"

A piercing howl exploded like a signal flare.

Immediately following, as if in response, even more intense screams came from all directions.

"Hehehe—!"

"Ughhhhhh!"

The sounds were layered, some near and some far.

The heavy sounds of running and the clattering of debris gathered like a tide.

"What's going on? This is... a zombie horde?"

Within the mist, it seemed as if countless ferocious shadows were darting about.

Gu Lang immediately recalled a classic scene from a zombie movie and quickly ran towards the car.

The sound behind him grew closer and closer; he could even hear heavy footsteps just a few dozen meters away.

The shadows moved erratically in the fog, not chasing each other in a straight line.

Some tried to flank from the side, while others rushed directly to the intersection to try and block them!

"Holy crap! They even have tactical coordination!" Gu Lang thought in shock.

He fired two shots, knocking down the two closest pursuers.

Then, without looking back, he jumped into the driver's seat, stepped on the accelerator, and sped off.

Before entering the city, Gu Lang carefully memorized the map. Turning right ahead would lead to Provincial Highway S203.

The provincial highway runs through the city, and there are a large number of auto repair shops along the way.

Judging from the teamwork these "madmen" just displayed, there is a high probability that there are traps on the road.

So he decisively turned the steering wheel all the way to the left and returned to the Nanzhamu Bridge.

Then, after making a right turn, we drove along the ramp towards the S10 expressway toll station.

The toll booth was closed, but fortunately the fragile roadblocks and toll gates were easily broken by the impact.

Once they officially merged into the fully enclosed highway, Gulang finally managed to shake off the group of "madmen" behind them.

After driving south for 60 kilometers in one go, the car arrived at Yongling Town.

Gulang shuts off the range extender engine and headlights, along with a low-speed buzzing warning sound.

The electric light truck silently drove into the highway service area.

Thick fog still enveloped the surroundings, and the huge service area parking lot was completely empty.

As we drove past the main building, which houses restaurants and shopping areas, we found the doors locked.

Looking through the glass exterior walls, the interior was completely dark.

Although the situation is unclear, there appears to be no sign of human activity.

This time, he learned from his experience and parked his car next to the outermost gas station.

Plan your escape route and be ready to evacuate at any time.

"Hold……"

Gu Lang cursed under his breath as he picked up the homemade gun from the passenger seat.

Remove the siphon and press the gunpowder pack and ammunition pack inside.

Inside the car, all I could hear was my own heavy breathing and my heart pounding like a drum.

After rubbing the cold grip of the gun with my fingers for a while, I finally calmed my heart rate down.

Gu Lang got out of the car and entered the gas station, aiming his crossbow around.

The digital screen on the gas pump is black, indicating that it is completely powered off.

The machine's maintenance panel was open, and the fuel nozzle was lying on the ground.

There was no one around, and the shelves of Easy Joy Supermarket were almost completely looted.

However, it wasn't a wasted trip; Gu Lang found some nylon rope and canvas belts.

He used these materials to make two gun straps, which he then attached to the crossbow and the homemade gun, respectively.

It allows for quick switching between two ranged weapons.

I recall that close-quarters encounter in the hot pot restaurant.

He would have suffered a great loss if there hadn't been only one enemy.