Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

The situation has been completely reversed, and the battle is now essentially over.

The Zhang family members carefully finished off the group of demons with the sharp steel pipes in their hands.

The service area finally returned to quiet.

Only the wreckage outside remained burning, crackling incessantly.

Gu Lang remained vigilant and reloaded the homemade gun with ammunition.

He loaded the crossbow with the string and bolt, then immediately put on his gloves and found the air gun that had fallen to the ground.

Before the Zhang family could react, he swiftly seized the most valuable prize.

"Are you all alright?"

Gu Lang turned on his night vision goggles and headlamp and walked over.

Upon closer inspection of the family, no injuries or bloodstains were visible on any of the three individuals.

But he still kept his distance from the other person, wary of possible infection.

"It's nothing, thank you so much!"

Zhang Chao's voice was still trembling a little, but he was mostly relieved.

Gu Lang nodded, walked over, and retrieved his crossbow bolt.

"Be careful! Don't get infected!" Zhang Chao exclaimed.

"Don't be afraid, I'm wearing gloves, hehehe..." Gu Lang chuckled.

Seeing the other person suddenly take a few steps back in fright, he quickly changed to a serious expression.

"We can't stay here any longer."

His voice was deep and carried an undeniable certainty.

"The commotion just now was too loud; the flashes and gunshots might attract more... madmen."

Everyone present turned their attention to the highway deep in the fog.

"There's an indoor pool over there, let's go wash up first."

Zhang Tieshuan led Gu Lang to a shop's decorative pool.

The group took out their blood-stained weapons and carefully washed them all.

Su Xiao took out a bottle of disinfectant and started spraying it everywhere.

She was a little unhappy with Gu Lang's act of taking the air gun without saying a word, and muttered a few words.

Zhang Chao, who was standing nearby, immediately stopped him.

After cleaning up the "mad blood," Zhang Tieshuan immediately suggested hiding in the mountains south of the service area.

The group then dispersed, returned to their respective vehicles to pack their supplies, and prepared to leave the service area.

Before leaving, Gu Lang searched through the body of the tall, thin man.

Unfortunately, they only managed to find a few lead bullets.

Fortunately, once they got outside, they found a whole box of lead bullets in the pickup truck.

The light truck and the Wuling Hongguang drove out of the service area one after the other and into the deep mountains.

The mountain roads are rugged and narrow, with dense vegetation.

After winding its way up for nearly half an hour, Gulang stopped in a relatively flat clearing in the woods near the summit.

The view here is expansive, offering a panoramic vista overlooking the highway and service area below.

At the same time, the dense forest also provides natural shelter.

He parked the car in the corner formed by several thick, large trees.

Zhang Chao found a clearing near the cliff about 100 meters away and stopped the Wuling Hongguang van behind a clump of bushes.

Silence returned to the surroundings, with only the mournful sound of the mountain wind whistling through the treetops.

After setting up the alarm, Gu Lang finally had time to check his newly acquired "toy".

After wiping the gun with alcohol, he examined it closely.

The label on the gun indicates that it is a domestically produced Three Arrows brand air gun, model B5-10.

He found a PDF scan of the bound volume of the magazine "Light Weapons" on his phone.

After searching for a while, I found the relevant information.

This gun uses a multi-stage compressed air power system, which can generate very high air pressure.

The bullet has a very high initial velocity and is extremely powerful.

When shooting at small prey, it doesn't just create a hole.

The enormous impact can cause its internal organs to rupture instantly, earning it the nickname "internal organ crusher".

In the 80s, air guns were used as a common sporting equipment.

They are openly sold in department stores and even in the stationery section of Xinlong Bookstore, priced at over 100 yuan.

At the time, with an average monthly wage of 40 to 50 yuan, it was undoubtedly an expensive "luxury".

It wasn't until the implementation of the "Dragon Kingdom Gun Management Law" that a large number of civilian guns were confiscated.

Air guns have also become controlled items, and their private manufacture, sale, possession, and use are prohibited.

They gradually disappeared from society and can only be seen in a few formal shooting teams or museums.

The gun in front of me has smooth lines and looks very similar to a traditional rifle.

The barrel is 388 mm long and 14 mm in diameter, with a maximum pumping speed of 7 times.

There is a compressor rod below the barrel, which can be folded and pulled to pump air.

Therefore, the rate of fire is slow, and multiple pumping operations are required before each shot, making it impossible to fire rapidly and continuously.

After pulling back the hammer at the butt of the gun, Gu Lang started pumping air, but found it wasn't very smooth.

This old gun, having weathered the years, is no longer in the same condition as before.

"Three, four, five."

Gu Lang pumped air forcefully while counting the number of times, and by the sixth time he could barely pull it anymore.

The connecting rod and piston rubbed together, constantly producing a "squeaking" mechanical sound.

After depressurizing, he looked at the transparent cover of the loading device and could see the remaining bullets inside.

On the other side of the shield is a button. Pressing it tilts the barrel, and the bullet is fed into the breech.

Gu Lang went outside the car to test it, aiming at a pine tree 30 meters away.

With a short, sharp "pop," the lead bullet struck the tree trunk.

The commotion startled several small birds in the vicinity, but the Zhang family members in the distance seemed to have no reaction.

The explosion was quite loud; it probably carried for dozens of meters even in the quiet woods.

Fortunately, the sound was very clear, making it difficult to tell that it was a gunshot.

Most importantly, there is no gun smoke, so the location will not be revealed.

This is very important when encountering a single enemy, as it makes it less likely for other enemies to notice when you fire.

Back in the car, Gu Lang discovered another problem with the gun.

Due to the aging of the sealing ring, the valve inevitably experienced air leakage.

If you get close, you can hear a hissing sound of air leaking out.

This means that air guns cannot remain in a ready-to-fire state for an extended period after being inflated.

Before each shot, the air compressor lever needs to be pulled back, which greatly reduces its effectiveness in actual combat.

"We'll try to improve it when we have the chance."

Gu Lang sighed and put the air gun away.

The weather suddenly changed at noon the next day.

The thick fog that had persisted for several days was finally dispersed by a northerly wind.

Visibility recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Gu Lang immediately launched a drone to scout Heitu Ala in the northeast direction.

The images on the screen kept changing, showing scattered farmland, scattered villages, and crisscrossing roads.

Then, the outline of an ancient city nestled against the mountains and beside the water gradually became clear.

The square in front of the city gate has been cleared to create a wide cordon.

Beyond the safety barrier lies an obstacle zone.

The cars were pushed and piled up, forming a twisted barrier of steel.

The bluish-gray city walls, like giant pythons, coiled atop the undulating hills.

There appear to be some reflective metal components on the city wall, which look somewhat like watchtowers.

There are many buildings scattered throughout the city, and a large number of people can be seen gathered there.