Chapter 31: The Fallen Roland Fortress

Li Ye held his breath and focused intently on the map in front of him. His current southern region was average in size, accounting for just 19% of the total wasteland area. The eastern mobile maze covered 17%, the western mountain range 21%, and the central city ruins plus giant forest together made up 23%. Meanwhile, the large freshwater lake in the north occupied a full 20%, which was quite sizable for a lake. One must admit, this epic-level intelligence was quite valuable—it was like Li Ye had unlocked a full-map cheat. Previously, he had been fumbling in the dark, completely unaware of the wasteland’s true scale. “Now that I know the layout of the wasteland area, I should start thinking where the Tomorrow will go next,” he thought to himself. At present, it was known that the western wasteland was a Level‐1 zone called the Basin Region. But to reach the Basin Region, one must cross the endless mountain range, which was obviously very difficult. However, for the Conqueror, equipped with molten spider-track, that was no problem at all. As for the large freshwater lake to the north... a mobile city could actually travel across water. The production workshop already contained a range of common city parts—like propellers, sails, thrusters, hull plating, and so on. In fact, if a mobile city had enough nautical accessories, it could even sail out to sea. The western mountains and eastern maze weren’t options that Li Ye considered—he now had to choose whether to head north or south. If he went north, he would first cross the central city ruins and giant forest, then traverse the entire lake—that would mean crossing half the wasteland area. Going south would be much easier, quickly leading to a new region. Li Ye stroked his chin, lost in thought. While resting in Roland Fortress, he had tried to gather intelligence from the bounty hunters, lone wolves, and visiting caravans. The vast majority had said that the Eternal Night Zone lay in the northern wasteland. And that the monsters there were terrifying. In fact, after studying the map, Li Ye also wanted to head north. He was extremely curious about that freshwater lake and wanted to see it with his own eyes. “Let’s rest at Roland Fortress for a day or two, sell another round of items in the market, gather enough supplies, then head north!” he mentally resolved. But to Li Ye’s absolute shock, when he arrived at the destination, he saw the entire Roland Fortress engulfed in flames. The walls had been destroyed, zombie swarms ran rampant, and the survivors’ cries and screams never ceased. ... Last night, the lord of Roland Fortress had died of illness. Within the fortress, two factions utterly clashed—the radicals first seized control of Lin Xia, the lord’s daughter, planning to use her name as the successor to forcibly launch their roaming-city agenda. But the conservatives reacted even more fiercely—they chose outright war. With the fortress plunged into chaos, the Crimson Hound arrived. That predatory city rammed the gate open with Level‐1 cannons, using its own convoy as bait to lure the zombie swarm into the fortress. Li Ye learned the details from a survivor he had just rescued. At that moment, a roar sounded in the distance—he turned to find the Crimson Hound departing with its convoy. Seizing the fortress’s complete collapse, that predatory city looted every resource it could before fleeing. Through gritted teeth, Li Ye slowly calmed himself and stared in the direction it had fled. With the combined efforts of the Tomorrow, Conqueror, and Azure, the chaos in Roland Fortress finally ended. At this moment, the once-prosperous fortress lay in ruins, its grounds strewn with corpses. Once home to over two thousand people, the fortress now had just over a hundred survivors. Lin Xia was among them—when the gates were breached and the zombie horde poured in, she seized the chance to kill the radical guards restraining her and escaped. Once free, her first thought wasn’t escape—it was to gather people and save as many residents as possible. Of these hundred-plus survivors, a third were saved by her efforts. After securing safety, the young girl dropped her facade and covered her face. “Sorry, Father,” she choked, tears streaming down her face. “I failed to protect our home...” Li Ye’s eyes flickered. Though he knew the apocalypse was merciless, watching a survivor community’s home destroyed nonetheless stirred sadness in him. ... With their home gone, Lin Xia and the rest of the survivors had only two choices. Either wander aimlessly, or join a mobile city like the Tomorrow. Almost everyone chose the latter. In this monster-ridden wasteland, survival in the wild was nearly impossible. A mobile city provided stable food, clean water, and sufficient security. Among the three mobile cities, the one everyone most wanted to join was the Tomorrow. Peregrine Falcon assault rifles, Gale high‐wind rocket launchers, Frost cannons, city camouflage, Sunshine Apples, instant noodles—and even cola... Among the three, the Tomorrow had the best resources. Li Ye found himself in a dilemma. The Tomorrow urgently needed more hands but couldn’t take in everyone at once. After considering it, he decided to recruit only forty people this time and would select the best candidates. Freelancers, young people, and able-bodied adults would be prioritized, and specialists like gunners or mechanics would receive better treatment—even they could bring their own teams. The remaining sixty-odd people would have to join the Azure or the Conqueror. Li Jin had no objections—the Azure had just revived, and having more people was not a problem. Lei Jian solemnly reminded those wishing to join the Conqueror that newcomers would serve as slaves and must complete a set amount of work before becoming ordinary residents. Each of the sixty-odd individuals made their own choice. They buried corpses, cleared debris, scavenged supplies, packed their belongings... After completing those tasks, Lin Xia led thirty-nine survivors aboard the Tomorrow. Most of them exhaled a sigh of relief once aboard, eyes filled with gratitude. When the fortress gates were breached and the zombie horde poured in, they thought they were done for. Even after surviving, they knew they wouldn’t manage alone in the wild. Now, they were able to join the Tomorrow—a reasonably capable mobile city—and their future life and safety were somewhat secured. Those who boarded the other two mobile cities felt much the same. The leaders of the three mobile cities remained on the ground, discussing matters. “Where will you all go next?” Li Ye asked. With the cooperation over, the three mobile cities had to make their own decisions now. Traveling together further was impossible—wild resources were limited and couldn’t support two mobile cities at once—though exceptions existed for wild BOSSes or Glos Mine.