Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"According to what you've said, this disease should be transmitted through bodily fluids."

I fought those lunatics at a distance, and I wasn't scratched or bitten, so I wasn't infected.

Gu Lang brandished the homemade gun in his hand.

"None of us were injured. We hid for several days without anyone falling ill."

Gu Lang pondered for a moment, guessing that this might be some kind of biological weapon attack.

Nuclear weapons cannot completely cover all human settlements; this is basic military common sense.

Aside from using nuclear weapons to strike important targets, the most effective means of killing people is undoubtedly biological weapons.

Nuclear war broke out suddenly after a solar storm disaster.

Biological and chemical warfare agents that can maintain a state of combat readiness for a long time often use aerosols as a transmission route.

This explains why the outbreak points are so widely distributed.

"Madness" is clearly an extremely insidious and highly effective biological weapon.

Initially, it was transmitted through the air, but later it relied on infected individuals to spread the virus.

The survivors either die a horrible death or are assimilated.

"How do patients distinguish between their own kind? Do you have any clue about this?"

Gu Lang raised a crucial question.

"I don't know, some people have tried to impersonate those madmen during their escape to try and fool others."

"And the result?"

"None of them succeeded; they were all tortured to death on the spot by the lunatics. It was no different from sending them to their deaths."

"Those lunatics... they seem to hate us terribly, like they killed their parents..."

"Paranoid delusions, huh...?"

Gu Lang said in a low voice, the word suddenly popping into his mind.

"Maybe they think we're the odd ones out?"

"In this world, people are neither human nor ghost..."

"The scariest thing is that, in addition to eating human flesh, they also eat normal food. It's hard to expect them to starve to death in the short term."

Zhang Tieshuan's face was deeply wrinkled, revealing despair.

"Are there any other survivors besides you?"

"I don't know, you're the first normal person we've met since we escaped here."

"How did you manage to escape?"

"It all comes down to a bit of luck and familiarity with this area."

"What's the difference? Instead of wasting time figuring this out, you should be thinking about how to get out of here."

Zhang Chao, who had been silent all along, started complaining loudly.

The two sides had no choice but to stop reviewing the situation and change the subject.

"I need plastic tubing and a large metal container. Do you have these?"

"Are you trying to get gasoline from the gas pump? I've already tried opening the valve, it didn't work."

"I opened the underground gas tank at the gas station; there was still a lot of gasoline inside."

"Great! We were just looking to get some gasoline. What kind of hose do you need?" Zhang Tieshuan asked, his face beaming with joy.

"The pipe diameter is 2 to 3 centimeters, and the length is over 4 meters."

The group immediately left the restroom and began searching the service area.

Only Zhang Chao remained to keep Gu Lang company.

Do you have a car?

The other person didn't answer, but simply nodded silently.

"Don't be nervous, I have my own car, you probably saw it when I came over, right?"

"Um."

"We still have plenty of gasoline; we can share it."

"Thanks."

This burly man was the most vigilant of the three.

He appears to be the one with the most physical strength in this family team.

He remained silent, his weapon still in hand.

His eyes, however, were fixed on the homemade gun in Gu Lang's hand.

Gu Lang tried to elicit information from the other party by rambling on and on, but the other party didn't respond at all.

The atmosphere gradually became awkward.

Fortunately, after about ten minutes, the other two returned with the handcart.

In addition to the compliant plastic hoses, there were also six metal buckets brought from a bubble tea shop.

It looks like it was originally used to store raw materials for tea.

Gu Lang took Zhang Tieshuan back to the gas station to get the fuel.

"What kind of car is this?"

Upon seeing Gulang's "biochemical transport vehicle," Zhang Tieshuan was so frightened that he took several steps back.

"Oh, this was the only car we could drive when we escaped, we had no other choice."

"Look at the seal above. I haven't opened the carriage, so it should be fine. Don't worry."

Gu Lang immediately began to explain.

At this moment, Zhang Chao also drove out the Wuling Hongguang that was hidden behind the main building.

Zhang Tieshuan quickly went to the inspection well and, under Gu Lang's guidance, turned the oil pump, quickly filling the oil tank.

Unlike Gu Lang, the other party didn't pay much attention to detail and simply poured the gasoline into the plastic bucket.

"Where are you planning to go?"

Gu Lang closed the manhole cover and put away the plastic pipe and oil pump.

"We originally planned to take refuge in the Hetuala scenic area, where there was supposedly a safe zone..."

"Let's wait until the fog clears; we can't leave now anyway."

Zhang Chao interrupted his father's conversation with Gu Lang and drove the car back to the back of the main building.

Gu Lang could understand the other party's wary attitude.

The main reason is the disparity in military strength between the two sides.

Although the enemy outnumbered them, they only had some melee weapons and lacked ranged attack methods.

If I suddenly fall ill and kill someone, I could shoot the father and son twice.

The remaining women would then face a fate of being at the mercy of others.

With the current order completely broken down, keeping your distance from strangers is indeed a good habit.

After the other party left, Gu Lang began to extract diesel fuel.

However, the diesel fuel that was retrieved was not the normal pale yellow color.

It looks dark brown and contains a lot of impurities.

He quickly found a mineral water bottle, poured the oil in, and checked the quality of the oil.

After standing for a while, the diesel fuel showed obvious separation.

A three-layer structure consisting of oil, water, and mud was observed from top to bottom.

Gu Lang immediately recalled his "friend's" advice.

You can't touch the tanker truck right after it has unloaded its cargo, as that would stir up the water and impurities underneath.

Even if you need to refuel, it's best to wait until the oil in the tank has settled before you go.

The oil outlet of the storage tank is not directly at the bottom of the tank, but is placed at a distance above the bottom of the tank, which can avoid the dense sediment at the bottom.

As for why there is water in the oil tank, it is because the underground oil storage tank is not a complete vacuum.

The tank is equipped with a breather valve to maintain pressure balance inside and outside.

Moisture in the air will condense on the tank wall and drip into the oil.

Because water is denser than oil, it will sink to the bottom of the container.

A type of microorganism called "hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria" can easily grow at the oil-water interface.

Their metabolism produces acidic substances that corrode the tank.

The tank walls and pipes will rust, and after peeling off, sediment will form.

Gas stations typically only have their oil storage tanks thoroughly cleaned every 5 to 10 years.

The residual oil at the bottom of the jars in front of Gu Lang contained a large amount of gelatinous substance.

It has become severely emulsified and is no longer usable.

He had no choice but to give up on getting the oil and went back to his car to turn on the car radio.

I searched for a signal but couldn't hear the radio.

He began to hesitate, wondering whether to go to Hetuala with the survivors to seek refuge and await news.

We'll stick to the original plan and head straight south to Huanren County to get to the seaside as soon as possible.