Chapter 2: This World No Longer Belongs to Humans

After leaving the cockpit, Li Ye followed the gangway and arrived at the small processing plant aboard the Tomorrow. As he revealed the bracelet on his left arm, the doors of the small processing plant thundered open. This small processing plant was the core facility of the Mobile City— the “Production Workshop.” The bracelet Li Ye revealed was the “Lord’s Bracelet” that controlled the entire Mobile City. Only those wearing this bracelet could produce and upgrade items in the city and grant permissions to others. When Li Ye stepped into the Production Workshop and activated the machine screen, various producible items immediately appeared on display. Crafting an ordinary axe required 1 unit of iron ore. Crafting a wooden bed required 3 units of wood. Crafting a regular cannon shell required 3 units of iron ore and 1 unit of gunpowder. One unit of iron ore could produce 25 rounds of pistol ammunition, or 20 rounds of standard machine gun ammo. A heavy machine gun required 150 units of iron ore, and a cannon required 200 units of iron ore. As for level-based items like a Level 1 Mining Pickaxe or a Level 1 Flashlight, the resources needed for crafting were even greater. In addition, Li Ye could also upgrade city components aboard the Tomorrow. 【City Light Armor: Level 1 City Component, requires 300 units of Level 1 Iron Ore】 【Propulsion Tracks: Level 1 City Component, requires 100 units of Level 1 Iron Ore】 【Energy-saving Circuit System: Level 1 City Component, requires 250 units of Iron Ore and 100 units of Copper Ore】 【Light Wooden Gangway: Level 1 City Component, requires 10 units of Level 1 Wood】 【Power Wheel Assembly: Level 1 City Component, requires 400 units of Iron Ore】 Currently, the total number of items and city components that could be crafted on the Tomorrow was barely over twenty—an utterly pitiful number. To unlock more items and components, one had to find ways to acquire “Blueprints.” Blueprints were a type of valuable resource in the Wasteland. Refrigerators, computers, motorcycles, and even Level 1 weapons and cannons—so long as one obtained the corresponding blueprint, they could be added to the Production Workshop for unlocking and production. The main sources of blueprints were monster drops and resource site outputs. For a Level 1 Mobile City, the more Level 1 blueprints it had, the more materials and weapons it could produce, granting it a greater survival advantage in the Wasteland. Li Ye rubbed his chin, falling deep into thought. To deal with the Zombie Swarm this time, he had to make ample preparations. After a flurry of operations, Li Ye used the Production Workshop to manufacture 15 cannon shells, 2,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition, and 200 rounds of pistol ammunition. This consumed over 150 units of Level 1 Iron Ore. However, Li Ye didn’t feel distressed, as he still had nearly 400 units of iron ore in hand. There was still more than an hour left before reaching the Rotting Lands. Li Ye instructed everyone to rest well and prepare for battle. Although puzzled, everyone quickly nodded. After all, Li Ye was the one who had personally led them to overthrow the former lord. His authority in their eyes was beyond question. During the rest period, Li Ye went up to the Watchtower and looked down upon the land. The once human towns and villages were now reduced to broken walls and ruins. Roads were buried under sand and dust, abandoned car wrecks were half-covered in dirt, and withered crops and vegetation were everywhere. What had replaced them were countless monsters. Ferocious and grotesque serpent-men coiled among the ruins of villages. Hulking boarmen roamed in packs on hunts. Small, sly-faced goblins sat around bonfires, surrounded by piles of ragged spoils they had scavenged from who-knows-where... This world no longer belonged to humans. ...... Over an hour later, the Tomorrow reached the edge of the Rotting Lands. The Rotting Lands, located in the Wastelands, was a desolate place seldom visited. It was shrouded year-round in a thin green mist. The air reeked of rotting flesh and mildew. The soil was an unhealthy dark black, and when stepped on, it oozed foul-smelling mud. The water bodies were all turbid and filthy, often covered in rainbow-colored oil slicks, dead fish, or even corpses. The vegetation was entirely withered and lifeless. The creatures inhabiting this place were humanoid monsters—Antmen. Inside the cockpit, Li Ye loaded bullets into a magazine and slowly inserted it into his pistol. After mining for over an hour, his stamina had gradually recovered. Excluding Tang Fang, who was responsible for driving the Tomorrow, and the lookout on the Watchtower, Li Ye still had ten men at his disposal. According to his arrangement, two men would operate the cannons, four would man the heavy machine guns, and the remaining four would follow him into battle. Ammunition and blades were also distributed, including two Level 1 weapons: 【Item Name: Boarman Dining Knife】 【Item Level: Level 1】 【Effect: Increases damage by 3%】 【Crafting Requirement: 5 units of Level 1 Iron Ore】 【Note: This item does not have a blueprint in the Production Workshop and cannot be crafted.】 These two Level 1 weapons had dropped from monsters in the Wasteland, and their power was still unknown. Li Ye kept one for himself and gave the other to Old Zhou. Soon, the lookout on the Watchtower cried out in alarm. “A Zombie Swarm spotted 1 kilometer ahead!” Li Ye rushed up the Watchtower and took the binoculars from his hands. What came into view was a dense black mass. Looking more closely, they were countless Level 1 zombies. Their bodies were rotting, joints twisted, and faces ferocious. There were at least a thousand, maybe two thousand of them! “This...” Upon seeing this, Tang Fang in the cockpit turned pale and struggled to remain standing. The others’ faces also began to change. Looking again, Li Ye spotted a convoy trapped within the Zombie Swarm. There were four off-road vehicles and two trucks in the convoy. Two of the off-road vehicles and two of the trucks had already flipped over. Their outer armor had fallen off, doors broken through—completely beyond saving. The two surviving off-road vehicles were swarmed with zombies, unable to move an inch. Li Ye slowly put down the binoculars and made a decision. “Let’s move. We’re going to rescue them.” A few minutes later, the two cannons aboard the Tomorrow fired simultaneously. One shell completely missed, while the other veered off target significantly. Li Ye helplessly shook his head at the sight. There were only so many cannon shells aboard the Tomorrow—those two shots were essentially wasted. Still, he didn’t blame his companions. After all, they had taken position in a rush and were not professional gunners. It was impossible for them to calculate wind speed, humidity, and parabolic trajectory in such a short time to accurately hit a target a kilometer away. The explosion of the shells immediately drew the attention of the zombies. They all turned their heads and spotted the distant Tomorrow. Many of them changed direction and charged toward it. Despite their decaying bodies and twisted joints, they moved at an alarmingly unnatural speed. 1000 meters, 950 meters, 900 meters... The distance between the Tomorrow and the zombies was steadily shrinking. Sweat began to bead on Li Ye’s forehead. Just as the rumors had said, the most terrifying aspect of a Zombie Swarm was its staggering numbers and speed. Even if you had overwhelming firepower, the zombies could use their sheer numbers to launch a charge. Before you could wipe them out, they would have already overwhelmed you. And this was only a Level 1 Zombie Swarm... "Tang Fang, full power—retreat!" he ordered immediately. A few minutes before the cannons had fired, Li Ye had already instructed Tang Fang to adjust the Tomorrow’s direction. With a deafening roar, the Tomorrow slowly began to accelerate. Meanwhile, the cannons continued to fire, drawing more and more zombies toward them. 500 meters, 400 meters, 300 meters... The Zombie Swarm was getting dangerously close to the Tomorrow. The sound of hundreds upon hundreds of zombies running formed a subtle tremor, and their ceaseless howling clashed in the air. Paired with their grotesque, twisted faces, it was enough to make one's skin crawl. All four heavy machine guns aboard the Tomorrow opened fire simultaneously, sweeping wildly across the swarm. Cannon shells landed among them, erupting in successive explosions. Watching the scene, Li Ye couldn’t help but shake his head bitterly. As impressive as the firepower was, the actual damage dealt was minimal. Machine gun bullets couldn’t tear through the bodies of Level 1 zombies. At most, they could cause the zombies to stiffen and stagger backward. Cannon blasts couldn’t destroy their bodies either—only blowing off some limbs. Many zombies, even after being blown apart, quickly got back up and resumed the chase. Just as the rumors claimed, only Level 1 weapons could effectively harm Level 1 monsters. Looking farther ahead, Li Ye noticed that because the Tomorrow had attracted the swarm's attention, the two off-road vehicles had managed to break free. Instead of fleeing, the two vehicles accelerated and came to assist, firing into the swarm. The zombies gave chase with insane fervor. Some, rushing too fast, crashed directly into the Tomorrow’s tires and tracks, instantly getting crushed. By now, several zombies had started climbing up the outer shell of the Tomorrow. Li Ye and the others immediately drew their pistols and fired wildly. Regular pistols were similarly ineffective—only able to slow the zombies temporarily by causing stiffness. Seeing the situation grow increasingly dire, Li Ye didn’t hesitate. He drew the Boarman Dining Knife from his waist and charged forward. Old Zhou and the others were startled at first, but in the next second, they followed without hesitation. As Li Ye slashed out with the dining knife, the zombie in front of him was instantly torn apart like butter. He was stunned. “This Level 1 weapon... it’s that powerful?” Overjoyed, he threw himself even harder into the battle. Half an hour later, the Tomorrow, now at full speed, finally outran the Zombie Swarm. Li Ye, relieved, lowered his dining knife. The area around him was littered with zombie corpses. All these zombies had been killed by him and Old Zhou using the dining knives. The others had just provided covering fire. Li Ye quickly tallied the expenditure. All cannon shells had been used, over 1,600 rounds of machine gun ammo spent, and about 150 rounds of pistol ammo were gone. Since there was no gunpowder available at the moment, new shells couldn’t be produced. Tang Fang also reported that in order to escape the Zombie Swarm at high speed, the Tomorrow had consumed another 2% of its energy. While distressed about the consumption, Li Ye looked around and let out a light sigh of relief. At least there were no casualties this time—that was what mattered most. “Ah Li, you shouldn’t have charged ahead like that—it was far too dangerous!” Old Zhou looked him in the eye and spoke slowly and seriously. “You’re our backbone. If something happens to you...” Li Ye laughed and waved his hand, pulling Old Zhou and the others into a tight hug. Everyone here had risked their lives together in rebellion—they were trustworthy brothers. In the apocalypse, reliable brothers were the most precious treasure. While clearing the zombie remains, Li Ye turned his gaze to the distance. The two off-road vehicles had not left—they were still nearby. One of them honked its horn, seemingly signaling for the Tomorrow to stop. After confirming that no monsters were nearby, Li Ye instructed Tang Fang to halt the Tomorrow. He then led the others to the ground via the Tomorrow’s lift platform. The two off-road vehicles also pulled up nearby. The doors opened, and several figures stepped out.