Chapter 54: The Big Guys

On the upper deck of the Tomorrow, the goblin helicopter lay quietly as ever. Li Ye, when he had some free time, would take that helicopter for a spin nearby. Once they entered the Silent Lake, scouting ahead had to rely almost entirely on the helicopter. After all, the convoy couldn’t swim. Li Ye thought for a moment, then called over Lin Wu, Old Zhou, and the others to explain his idea. “You want to start training pilots for aerial and maritime vehicles now? I can help you screen people aboard the Tomorrow,” Old Zhou said. Lin Wu added, “Then you’ll need to gather the pilot manuals for air and sea vehicles and load them into the simulation training cabin.” “Okay,” Li Ye nodded. “Treat pilots the same as gunners and helmsmen.” The giant forest lay not far from the ruins of the city, and soon the Tomorrow reached its destination. Before everyone stood an immense forest composed of rows of trees hundreds of meters tall, stretching to the horizon. The towering trees had intertwined roots and high canopies that blocked the sky, giving an incredibly awe-inspiring impression. People aboard the Tomorrow left their rooms, filled with astonishment at the sight before them. For caution’s sake, Li Ye descended to the ground via the elevator platform and stepped slowly into the giant forest. The forest road was wide enough—barely—for a mobile city to drive along. Sunlight barely penetrated, making the entire forest exceptionally gloomy. After returning to the deck, Li Ye began considering their next move. They could either rest outside the giant forest for two or three days—waiting for the next intelligence refresh and planning the route—or head straight to the rendezvous point to meet up with the Moonshadow. At that moment, Lin Xia’s voice came from the watchtower. “Attention: three mobile cities have just appeared about one kilometer due west!” “...What?” Li Ye froze instantly. Through the binoculars, he saw the flags and paint schemes of those three mobile cities. The Devil, the Lovers, and the Tower. They were all characters from the tarot, and member cities of the Tarot Alliance! They were so close because these three predator cities had just emerged from near the forest. Upon spotting the Tomorrow, the Devil blew its steam whistle several times and then surged forward at full speed. The other two cities followed close behind. Li Ye’s face grew serious. Before, it had been conjecture; now he was certain. The Tarot Alliance indeed possessed Level‐2 items capable of detecting mobile city movements. The Tomorrow had unquestionably been spotted by them. He made his decision immediately. “Tang Fang, enter the forest through the nearest entrance! Combat personnel, take your positions!” Night fell gradually, and the rain grew heavier. The Tomorrow sped through the night, unleashing cannon fire on the pursuing cities. With the forest roads narrow, the three predator cities could not form up, and the Tomorrow fired back at them continuously, making effective pursuit difficult. Half an hour later, the Tomorrow successfully shook off its pursuers. Relieved, Li Ye frowned slightly. From the start, the Tomorrow had plunged into the forest without time to consider its route. He looked around: walls of towering trees lined the road. Apart from the Tomorrow’s searchlight, the place was pitch-black, with only lightning occasionally illuminating the forest through gaps in the clouds overhead. Occasional roars of giant beasts and bursts of gunfire in the distance signaled that this place was far from safe. ... When Li Ye opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning. He dressed quickly and went to the deck. Even in daylight, the giant forest seemed gloomy, with a light drizzle still falling. After only ten minutes of travel, Li Ye began feeling a prickling on his scalp. All around were overlapping giant trees, with many branching paths, and frequent turns and U‐turns. He waved and said, “Proceed further—we need to find out what this forest is really like.” As they delved deeper, more sights came into view. An elite-level minotaur towering tens of meters tall. A small iron ore vein. A goblin camp where goblins rested in groups. On the roadside were the broken remnants of convoys. A small pond occupied by kobolds. The forest was far more complex than imagined. After passing a fork, they unexpectedly came upon an open area of four to five square kilometers. At noon, he logged onto Channel A4. The Vanguard had already opened the channel, and the mobile cities were communicating. [Vanguard]: “I have unfortunate news: all members of the Tarot Alliance have now arrived at the giant forest.” [Bronze Wanderer]: “It seems they have a method to find paths in the forest. They’ve begun hunting mobile cities on a large scale. The situation is extremely severe... Also, my brother and I have already entered the forest.” [Echo]: “I’m one more day away.” [Roaming]: “Me too.” [Lin Ou]: “I can’t make it.” [Vanguard]: “I suggest everyone stick together, head first to the Moonshadow’s location, then plan our next move.” All the mobile cities agreed, while Li Ye hesitated. If the intelligence was correct, all twelve Tarot Alliance mobile cities were already present—though he wasn’t sure if the Hanged Man was still alive. Plus, these predator cities had a way to navigate through the forest; going solo would be very dangerous. Joining the Vanguard at least seemed like the only viable option. A short while later, the Tomorrow encountered several small iron ore veins in the forest. “That’s not bad!” Li Ye’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected that despite the danger, this forest was rich in resources. Just as he was about to summon personnel to begin mining, another mobile city appeared from the opposite fork. The two sides immediately fell into a standoff. This mobile city also had a Level‐1 cannon, heavy machine guns, and regular cannons, with convoy size roughly equal to the Tomorrow. After a round of whistle signals, the two reached a tentative agreement. The southern area would belong to the Tomorrow, the northern area to the other city. The Tomorrow drove to a nearby ore vein and began extraction. At that moment, a deep rumbling sound came from nearby, as if some enormous creature was approaching. The ground shook rhythmically, like the heartbeat of a giant beast. Li Ye’s heart tightened. “All mining personnel, withdraw! Deck crew ready the smoke shells!” Seconds later, a massive creature burst through the nearby trees and headed straight for them.