Chapter 52: Real‑Time Alliance Intelligence

The person stepping down from the vehicle wasn’t anyone else—it was the bounty hunter Li Ye had met in Thunder Canyon. At this moment, the other party looked equally surprised. “Thanks to you saving me, otherwise those bastards would've made a big score,” he sighed. Hearing those words, Li Ye instantly realized something, and his heart began pounding wildly. “You wouldn’t happen to be...” The bounty hunter reached into his chest and pulled out something—it was the city layout blueprint! According to him, he had obtained this treasure when he killed a goblin elite about an hour and a half ago. As a bounty hunter traveling far and wide, he naturally understood the value of this city layout blueprint. He decided to sell it immediately and secure the profit. In fact, he had already found a buyer: the Tarot Alliance. Ever since the neutral wild BOSS Sir Henry appeared, this bounty hunter had worked for the Tarot Alliance, helping collect goblin coins and artifacts. He knew they would definitely want this blueprint. But to be cautious during the transaction, he remained on guard. He kept three kilometers away from the Predatory Cities and asked them to send a car and one person with 57,000 Crystal Coins for the deal. Instead, the Tarot Alliance sent a convoy to encircle him. Although that amount wasn’t much to them. But saving money was even better. Seeing Li Ye staring at the blueprint motionless, the bounty hunter immediately understood. “Then I’ll sell it to you. I’m not greedy—name your price.” “Uh...” Li Ye became hesitant for a moment. “I don’t have many Crystal Coins—only just over 18,000,” he replied. The bounty hunter’s mouth twitched upon hearing that. Considering the market price of 57,000, this was roughly 30%—a personal-favor price that felt like it had broken bones. A few seconds later, he helplessly waved his hand. “Fine, since you saved me.” As soon as the money and blueprint exchanged hands, Li Ye fell into thought. Actually, he wanted it for free. This blueprint was nearly equivalent to a row of goblin helicopters. If he could save that 18,000 Crystal Coins, he could’ve bought plenty of supplies. But he ultimately dismissed that idea. “Forget it, getting this blueprint at just over 18,000 is a great deal already.” He also glanced at the other party. “Maybe we’ll cooperate again in the future.” Considering the bounty hunter’s off‐roader was nearly worn out, Li Ye had the workshop build him a brand‐new Level‐1 off‐roader as a gift. He also topped it up with fuel and additionally gave him a Peregrine Falcon Assault Rifle, a Gale Rocket Launcher, a packet of Blueheart Potato Seeds, and a packet of Morning Wheat Seeds, along with ample food and fresh water. Compared to the money saved, these supplies were nothing. The bounty hunter was somewhat stunned. “I have to say—the Mobile City really is rich,” he said with awe. “No wonder so many give everything to get their own Mobile City.” “Hey brother, why not join the Tomorrow city?” Old Zhou, standing aside, suggested gently. “The wilds are too dangerous—at least in a Mobile City it’s more stable, more secure.” The bounty hunter thought for a while, then shook his head slightly. “Thanks for the offer. Tomorrow does have strength—but I prefer the rugged life in the wild.” Li Ye didn’t try to persuade him further. After all, in this apocalypse, everyone had their own way of life. They exchanged simple farewells, and the bounty hunter got into the off‐roader and drove off. Not long after, the motorcycles sent out by Tomorrow to scout returned one after another. Li Ye carefully stored the city layout blueprint and then headed straight into the cockpit. Using the Lord’s wristband, he logged into the A4 comms channel. Actually, the A4 channel wasn’t open all the time—it remained closed most of the time. The very first time he logged into the comms, Li Ye had seen the channel announcements. [A4 comms channel open times: 12:00–13:00, 18:00–19:00] [If it’s not during the open window, please do not continue waiting.] [Please understand—city radio can’t stay open 24/7. It consumes huge energy—5% city power to open, plus 6% per hour.] Li Ye checked his watch—it was 17:51. “Then let’s wait a bit.” A few minutes later, the A4 comms channel went live. A stream of messages appeared on the screen. [Vanguard: Everyone okay?] [Echo: No incidents here—how about you all?] [Lin Ou: No issues here either—the wild BOSS over there still hasn’t been taken down.] [Moonshadow: Boss, are you almost there?] [Bronze Wanderer: Still a few days’ journey—this terrain is too difficult.] Li Ye looked at the online members list—it showed 7 out of 8. Besides these five Mobile Cities, the remaining two were named “Roaming” and “Horizon.” Roaming was online; Horizon was offline. He typed a question: [Tomorrow: Why is Horizon offline? Didn’t log in, or did it get taken out?] [Bronze Wanderer: Horizon is in the southern Wasteland area—they’ve probably entered the desert and lost contact.] [Roaming: Level‐2 city radio only connects Mobile Cities in the same region.] [Tomorrow: Got it, thanks for letting me know.] Then the Mobile Cities proceeded to share intelligence. [Moonshadow: I’ve reached the giant forest—waiting for you to join.] [Bronze Wanderer: There are rich ore veins in the western mountains by us and Boss, but the terrain is too rugged to mine easily.] [Lin Ou: I’ve now explored deep into the mobile maze. The monsters are mostly serpentfolk, and overall they pose little threat. I’ll try to pass through the maze and see what region lies east of the Wasteland.] [Vanguard: Got it—be careful. In any situation, your safety comes first.] Li Ye scrolled through the intel quickly. Judging from Lin Ou’s message, they truly couldn’t rendezvous with everyone—they had to remain lone wolves. Honestly, Li Ye was also curious about the regions east of the Wasteland—they were the only part left unexplored. [Moonshadow: Tomorrow, how are things on your end? Any intel to share?] Li Ye gave it some thought, then typed out a line on the screen.