Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

Gu Lang was about to get back into the car when a loud noise suddenly came from afar.

A roar of an engine came from the direction of the highway.

Approaching from afar, at an astonishing speed.

"Boom! Clang—"

A loud crash was heard, and it seemed that a terrible car accident had taken place in the parking lot.

Gu Lang felt a chill run down his spine and quickly grabbed the weapon and backpack from the side.

After adjusting the angle of the night vision goggles, I stealthily made my way towards the service area like a ghost.

Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, he could see the tragic scene on the other side.

A car appeared to have lost control and crashed into the concrete guardrail of the central green belt.

The front of the car was twisted and deformed, emitting white smoke.

A pickup truck was parked behind the sedan, with all its doors open.

Five figures got out of the car and surrounded it.

The group of people kept howling and laughing like wild beasts.

The sound echoed in the empty parking lot, sending chills down one's spine.

Due to the great distance, the night vision device produced a very blurry image.

It was only barely discernible that one of them was carrying some kind of container.

It was circling around while shaking the car.

Then, another person pulled out something, grinned maliciously, and threw it over.

With a loud "boom," the night vision goggles displayed a completely white image.

A ball of flame instantly engulfed the car, and inhuman, agonizing screams emanated from inside.

Gu Lang saw two figures engulfed in flames inside the car, struggling to climb out through the broken window.

"Hehehe, keep running?"

A rough voice rang out, and all that could be seen was the firelight.

A man holding a machete stepped forward and brought the axe down.

"ah--!"

Amid an even sharper scream, a burning arm was severed at the shoulder and rolled to the ground.

The man actually used an axe to lift up the still twitching arm.

They moved close to the flames on the car and started grilling it like barbecue.

Then, together with the other thugs who surrounded them, they began to gnaw on the severed arm like hyenas sharing food.

Gu Lang felt a churning in his stomach.

It wasn't the gore that made it so bad, but the sheer evil of the act of taking pleasure in torture and cannibalism that was utterly repulsive.

He could see clearly that these five people moved in unison and had a clear purpose; they were definitely not mindless zombies.

They are ill humans, and have become completely immersed in this madness.

Gu Lang quickly assessed his opponent's combat strength.

The five men were all young and strong men, armed with machetes, axes, spears and other sharp weapons.

More importantly, one of the tall, thin men was clearly holding a rifle-shaped object.

It would be foolish to try and fight five enemies head-on, especially one with ranged weapons.

The person inside the car had suffered severe burns and was barely clinging to life.

Even if they were rescued now, they would only suffer, which would be pointless.

Gu Lang calmed himself down and lowered his body even further.

Using the cover of the bushes, I continued to observe their movements with night vision goggles.

He only hoped that these lunatics would leave on their own after they finished "enjoying" this human flesh feast.

However, it is counterproductive.

The burned vehicle was quickly reduced to a charred frame and a charred corpse curled up inside.

The rioters didn't seem to have had enough, and they began wandering around the service area.

They eventually surrounded the antique-style main building, laughing wildly.

In the quiet service area, the sounds of axes and stones clashing violently echoed continuously.

Gu Lang's heart sank.

Zhang Tieshuan and his family hid there.

Once discovered, their fate will not be much better than that of the victims who were just burned to death.

"To save them or not?"

Reason told him that the risk was extremely high.

This is not a game; there are no save points.

If you fail, the price you pay is your life.

Just then, the main building's main entrance was broken open, and the rioters rushed in, cheering.

Gu Lang quickly considered countermeasures.

The easiest thing to do is to take the opportunity to escape now.

But he had no idea whether there were other lunatics around.

The consequences of fleeing in the dark are clear.

He's hiding nearby, but it looks like he'll eventually be caught.

Gu Lang finally decided to take action.

Including the three members of the Zhang family, no matter how you look at it, this battle is four against five.

The advantage lies with me!

He picked up his crossbow and charged toward the main building.

The primary target is the tall, thin guy with the "gun" in his hand; he poses the greatest threat and must be dealt with first.

"Ah!" A roar also came from the main building.

The flashlight beams swayed wildly, illuminating several figures inside the main building.

Zhang Tieshuan's family has clearly accepted the challenge.

With the help of night vision goggles, Gu Lang moved in the dark to the rear of the thugs.

The scene was chaotic, and it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

Fortunately, he recognized the tall, thin man pulling the bolt at a glance.

The man seemed to be holding an air gun, which made the Zhang family members hide behind the counter, too afraid to come out.

"call out--"

The crossbow bolt pierced the air and struck the man precisely in the back of the heart.

The tall, thin man cried out in pain as his weapon slipped from his hand.

"There's someone behind us, kill him!"

The rioters reacted swiftly and immediately abandoned their attack on the Zhang family.

They then moved in a fan shape and surrounded Gu Lang's location.

Having landed a successful blow, Gu Lang did not linger and quickly moved to the side and rear.

At the same time, he shouted, "Turn off the lights!"

His voice served a dual purpose: first, to warn Zhang Tieshuan's family, and second, to attract the attention of the rioters.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tieshuan and his family quickly turned off their camping lights.

Inside the main building, only the flashlights in the hands of the rioters remained.

"It's over there!"

The axe-wielding thug laughed wildly and charged toward the direction where Gu Lang had just been.

Gu Lang emerged from the other side, aiming his homemade gun at the flashlight and firing a shot.

"Bang!"

The bullet pierced the man's chest, causing him to stagger and collapse.

The remaining three thugs knew that Gu Lang had a gun.

They simply dropped the flashlights and scattered.

In the pitch black, Gu Lang thought that having night vision goggles gave him a huge advantage.

They can take down thugs one by one, like "turkey hunters".

It turned out that these three people seemed to have some special ability, as they were able to roughly pinpoint their location each time.

This forced him to keep moving at high speed, leaving him no chance to reload his ammunition.

After firing a second shot, another thug was knocked down.

Gu Lang had to switch his weapons to a revolver and a boar spear.

Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone; reinforcements arrived immediately.

"You son of a bitch, I'll fight you to the death!"

Zhang Tieshuan's voice was resolute, and the sound of heavy objects moving came from inside the main building.

Then the Zhang father and son began frantically banging on the window frame with steel pipes, creating a huge noise.

"You son of a bitch, come and kill me if you dare! Weren't you so arrogant just now?"

Zhang Chao kept shouting and cursing at the thugs, his sarcasm overflowing.

The remaining two thugs ran in opposite directions and collided in the darkness.

One of them flew into a rage and slashed his companion with a knife.

"This is the opportunity!"

Gu Lang quickly cocked the crossbow and pulled a bolt from his bag.

With a "whoosh," it hit the thug again.