Chapter 66: Goodbye, Companions

2000 meters, 1500 meters, 1000 meters...... Roaming was now getting closer and closer to Emperor, while The World and Devil were left far behind. Meanwhile, The Magician and The Judgement needed another 3 minutes before their next round of artillery bombardment would be ready. Although they had started evacuating in advance, Emperor simply couldn’t outrun Roaming in Overload Mode and could only watch helplessly as it drew nearer. At this moment, Roaming was already riddled with wounds. During the charge, it endured simultaneous bombardment from four Predatory Cities. If it hadn’t relied on high-speed Mobile Evasion, it would have long since become a heap of wreckage. But now, it was almost over. With several loud booms, all the heavy machine guns and cannons on Emperor’s armor plating opened fire. Roaming’s remaining armor plating was torn apart. The surviving combat personnel and gunners on deck fell one by one, and the entire Mobile City burst into flames. A wounded deputy rushed into the cockpit, despairingly bringing news to Roaming’s Lord and Helmsman. “Report! All of Roaming’s cannons have been destroyed, the compartments have been breached, and the shells in the warehouse have detonated!” He choked out, tears glistening in his eyes. “Everyone... they’re all gone!” The Helmsman bowed his head in silence. After so many sacrifices and such a heavy price, in the end, they couldn’t even fire a single shell... Roaming’s Lord was in a daze. For a moment, countless memories surged—setting sail alongside his companions after becoming a Lord, the thrilling battles and joyful harvests in the wild, the encounters with everyone from the Vanguard Alliance... He had thought Roaming could go further. To end here... it was hard to accept. But... He turned to look out the window, gazing into the distance where his companions were still fighting. To go all out alongside like-minded people for a shared ideal—perhaps that wasn’t so bad. In the blazing cockpit, he smiled and lit a cigarette. “No, we still have one last shell.” The Helmsman instantly understood what he meant. As he nodded slightly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. “You bastard, when did you swipe that from me?” he cursed with a laugh. “Weren’t you always mocking me, saying only old men smoked these?” “It’s trash, but lighting one now isn’t so bad.” Roaming’s Lord exhaled a smoke ring. Then, he typed a line in the Communication Channel. “Goodbye, companions.” ...... The moment he saw that line in the Communication Channel, Li Ye couldn’t help but tremble. He slowly looked up into the distance and saw the burning Roaming, trailing thick smoke, slam headlong into the Emperor, which hadn’t managed to escape in time. Emperor instantly crumbled and broke apart under the collision, engulfed in flames, while Roaming was utterly destroyed. Burning fragments scattered everywhere, leaving behind only bits of the city’s skeletal frame. At this moment, Tower, entangled in a skirmish with Tomorrow, was already severely damaged. Though its Shelterer armor was tough, after several rounds of Lava Cannon bombardment, many sections were destroyed. Meanwhile, Death was getting closer—less than 500 meters from Tomorrow. Its cannons and heavy machine guns had already volleyed multiple rounds at Tomorrow, and its Level 2 Autocannons had joined in. Tomorrow, equipped with only Level 1 City Armor, couldn’t withstand the assault at all. Everyone on the deck turned pale. Just then, a figure burst in out of nowhere. It was Bronze Wanderer. This Mobile City had forced its way here through a barrage from Combat Drone swarms. At this moment, its City Armor was also heavily damaged and covered in scars. Death failed to execute Mobile Evasion and was rammed on the flank by Bronze Wanderer. It immediately activated all its weapons, unleashing a mad hail of fire on Bronze Wanderer. Though the city was in shambles, the Steam Bed Crossbow on Bronze Wanderer’s deck launched a massive bolt chained to a cable, which hit Death. Death roared forward, attempting to break free. Li Ye instinctively glanced at the screen. 【Bronze Wanderer: Do it.】 【Tomorrow: But......】 【Bronze Wanderer: This is our only chance.】 【Bronze Wanderer: My companion.】 Gritting his teeth, Li Ye shouted into the speaking tube. “Fire!” The cannons on Tomorrow all fired at once, and a deluge of firepower engulfed both Mobile Cities. Death activated its Energy Shield for defense, while Bronze Wanderer, now in tatters, was consumed by flames in the explosions. Yet the massive bolt it had fired remained firmly chained to Death. Seeing Death in danger, Tower instantly panicked. In a moment of distraction, it stepped into a Trench and tilted forward, sinking. Following Li Ye’s command, Tomorrow pulled back and continued firing at the now-immobile Death. As its energy depleted, Death was bombarded to pieces, reduced to a flaming wreck. In the distance, The Magician and The Judgement were just about to fire at Tomorrow when, in the next second, a searing blaze surged up around them. Taking advantage of their distraction caused by Roaming, Vanguard, which had managed to escape, closed the distance under the cover of Smoke Shells, taking aim and opening fire. A massive explosion and shockwave erupted, sweeping through both Predatory Cities. Li Ye focused his gaze on Bronze Wanderer and let out a quiet sigh. “Goodbye, companion.” Now, only Devil and The World remained with mobility. Seeing that Tomorrow and Vanguard still had combat capability, the two Predatory Cities hesitated for a moment and then chose to flee. Li Ye finally relaxed and turned his attention to Tower. Because it had fallen into a Trench, Tower was temporarily immobilized. He ordered the others to stop the cannon bombardment and instead used heavy machine guns to sweep the enemy combatants on the deck. He planned to clear out the personnel on Tower and capture this Mobile City if possible. What surprised him was that the slaves on Tower took the opportunity to launch a rebellion. Li Ye seized the chance to send his combatants aboard Tower. With coordination from both inside and out, Tower fell. Li Ye eradicated Tower’s Lord and trusted thugs, and obtained his Lord’s Wristband. Looking at the war-torn battlefield, he couldn’t help but breathe a little easier. This thrilling and perilous great battle had finally come to an end. Five members of the Vanguard Alliance had fallen, while the Tarot Alliance had lost nine members, and two had escaped. A rumble came from the distance. Li Ye looked up to see Vanguard slowly approaching. 【Vanguard: We finally won.】 【Tomorrow: Sorry, your brother...】 【Vanguard: I won’t blame you. My brother made his choice. He fought bravely and didn’t let me down.】 【Tomorrow: Every one of our companions was brave.】 【Vanguard: Yes, without them, we couldn’t have won.】 【Tomorrow: I’m really sorry.】 【Vanguard: It’s alright. I had already prepared myself mentally.】 【Vanguard: Really.】 ...... The cockpit door opened, and a young boy rushed excitedly onto the deck to celebrate the victory with everyone. It was Tang Fang. They had won! Who would have thought they would actually win! He went around hugging everyone, replaying scenes from the battlefield in his mind, his emotions surging. At that moment, he felt like he could fly. Then, unintentionally, he kicked something. Looking down, he saw it was a small box covered in bloodstains. The boy seemed to realize something, and his smile froze. He gently bent down, picked up the small box, and opened it. Inside was a slip of paper with words of confession written on it. The sentences had been scratched out and rewritten multiple times. Unintentionally, his gaze shifted to a section of deck nearby. There, lay a body covered with a white cloth. Beneath the bloodstained cloth, only one hand was visible. Rough, thick, with several dark brown burn scars across the palm... Tang Fang silently looked on, his elation gradually fading. That hand... seemed somewhat familiar. At that moment, a companion happened to walk by. Upon seeing the white cloth, his expression darkened. “Oh, that’s A-Chen,” he said. “He joined us in the uprising back then. He was working as a boiler operator now. A good guy.” As he spoke, a trace of melancholy colored his tone. “A-Chen could’ve stayed safely in the boiler room.” “But during the battle, he saw a combatant badly wounded and rushed out to bring him back.” “It’s just that the enemy’s autocannon happened to fire right then...” Tang Fang looked at the white cloth and nodded silently. He vaguely remembered this companion named A-Chen. He was tall and thin, always quietly doing his work, not much of a talker. A few times when they had met on deck, the man would scratch his head shyly while chatting. “You guys are amazing now, but I’m not much use. I can’t help with anything.” He spoke softly. “But even so, I still want to do what little I can for everyone.” Tang Fang quietly recalled those words, then slowly squatted down and tucked the small box back into that hand. So many never got to see the victory.