Chapter 6: Survivor Town

Not only Li Ye, but even Old Zhou and the others beside him instantly became excited. A level 1 weapon, and an assault rifle at that! With this, the Tomorrow’s combat strength would increase significantly, and facing level 1 monsters would no longer be so passive. Even after the transaction was complete, Li Ye still hadn’t come back to his senses. He hadn’t expected that two boxes of candles could be exchanged for something so good. Then, looking at the bulging packs on the kobold merchants, he couldn’t help but ponder. These monster merchants carried so many good things—if he were to rob them all at once, wouldn’t he strike it rich? But as soon as he saw the kobold cavalry surrounding the guards, he immediately dismissed the idea. There were as many as two to three hundred kobold cavalrymen, including some elite-level ones. The cavalry commander at the front was even an elite captain. Level 1 crossbows, level 1 lances, level 1 rifles, level 1 portable rocket launchers... the weapons they were equipped with made cold sweat drip down Li Ye’s back. “Forget it,” he sighed. As he was about to leave, Li Ye suddenly thought of something and turned to look at the kobold merchants. “Can I bring more candles to trade with you again in the future?” he asked tentatively. The kobold merchants shook their heads. One of them raised a finger and waved it lightly. Li Ye understood what it meant. Only one trade was allowed. And the more candles you offered, the better the items you received. Looking at the blueprint in his hand, Li Ye nodded slightly. Opportunities like this monster caravan were truly rare and unpredictable. Not only did you need to know when and where it would appear, but also the secrets of trading with them—something ordinary people simply couldn’t manage. ... After submitting the blueprint, the production workshop immediately unlocked the Peregrine Falcon Assault Rifle project. Li Ye had been incredibly excited, but upon seeing the crafting costs, he felt a pang in his heart. Crafting a single Peregrine Falcon Assault Rifle required 50 units of level 1 iron ore—this was just too expensive. To think upgrading the city’s propulsion treads only required 100 units of iron ore. That being said, the moment the assault rifle was produced, Li Ye gleefully picked it up, examining it lovingly. With the rifle project unlocked, its bullets were also unlocked in the production workshop. One unit of iron ore could produce 15 bullets. Li Ye used 350 iron ore to craft five Peregrine Falcon Assault Rifles and 1,500 rounds of ammunition in one go. Looking at the firearms and the heap of bullets before him, he immediately felt a great sense of security. This was a level 1 weapon—an assault rifle, no less. Its lethality against level 1 monsters would surely be tremendous. With this in hand, he would no longer be so passive when facing a zombie swarm. Then, looking at the remaining less than 50 units of iron ore, he furrowed his brow again. These resources were truly useful, but so easily spent. “Where are we headed next, Ah Li?” Old Zhou asked. After a moment of thought, Li Ye pointed in a direction. “We’ll head due west.” ... Several hours later. On the Watchtower, Li Ye slowly raised his binoculars. On the distant horizon, a small town came into view. That was his destination—Field Town. At this moment, many within Field Town had already been roused by the sounds of the Tomorrow moving. Upon discovering a mobile city driving toward them, some were shocked, some full of suspicion, and others gripped by fear. After all, on the wasteland, a small town like Field Town—without heavy machine guns, without cannons, and even with barely-there barriers— Was at the very bottom of the food chain. “They probably think I’m here to rob them,” Li Ye thought. He casually lowered the binoculars and instructed the nearby lookout to keep observing the town’s movements, then descended from the Watchtower. According to Li Ye’s plan, Tang Fang would remain on standby in the cockpit, the lookout would continue keeping watch, and a few members would remain on the Tomorrow in case of emergencies, ready to provide support with heavy machine guns. Li Ye even deliberately left one person by the cannons. Although the ammunition was depleted, the people of Field Town didn’t know that—it could still serve as a bluff. The rest of the team would go with him into Field Town. As the Tomorrow came to a stop, Li Ye and the others slowly descended to the ground via the lift platform. The people of Field Town poked their heads out from windows and doorframes, curiously observing them. As they walked, Old Zhou even positioned himself protectively in front of Li Ye. Li Ye paused, then chuckled softly. He appreciated Old Zhou’s good intentions. However, the Intelligence System had already indicated that Field Town had no cannons or firearms and posed minimal threat to them. What’s more, every member of their group was armed. Field Town’s mayor was an elderly man with white hair and beard. He didn’t seem pleased by the arrival of Li Ye’s group, his brows tightly furrowed the entire time. Only after Li Ye explained his intentions did the look of disdain on his face ease slightly, and he sighed. “Alright. Just move quickly and leave as soon as possible.” The marketplace in Field Town was very small—just a single street, and not much was for sale. There were grains from farming, homemade dried food, and occasionally some worn-out furniture and appliances. Sometimes there were also resources mined from the wild, like iron ore, timber, or coal. Li Ye quickly summarized his objectives. First, to purchase supplies. He needed to buy as much fuel and coal as possible in Field Town to replenish the Tomorrow’s energy reserves. In addition, he needed to purchase a batch of saltpeter. One unit of saltpeter could be processed into one unit of gunpowder in the production workshop for making cannon shells. He also needed to purchase some food. The recently planted Blueheart Potatoes would take a week to mature, and the remaining food on the Tomorrow wasn’t enough to last that long. Second, to recruit personnel. If a mobile city was to function properly, at minimum, the following roles needed to be filled: The 【Helmsman】 responsible for operating the vehicle. The 【Gunner】 responsible for aiming and firing the cannons. The 【Mechanic】 responsible for routine maintenance and component replacement. The 【Lookout】 posted in the Watchtower, monitoring real-time conditions in the wasteland. The 【Combat Captain】 responsible for maintaining internal order and leading external battles. Besides these key personnel, Li Ye also needed to recruit at least 20 residents. These residents would be responsible for fueling, resource gathering in the wild, cleaning the Tomorrow, farming, and other tasks. Third, to gather information. But as he surveyed the small town before him, Li Ye felt it would be difficult to meet all his needs here. The market in Field Town was too small to provide all the resources he needed in one go. And with such a small population, it would be hard to find professional talent like helmsmen, gunners, or mechanics—let alone recruit 20 residents. “Sigh, I’ll just have to gather as much manpower and material as I can,” he sighed.