Chapter 8: The Incoming Strange Mobile City

There were a series of resource points in the wilderness. Lumberyards, mines, ore veins, lakes, and even oil fields... Among them, mines were the most common resource points. They could yield resources such as iron ore, copper ore, and saltpeter, all necessary for mobile cities. Upon entering the Watchtower, Li Ye immediately picked up the binoculars. He quickly spotted the mine that the lookout had mentioned. The mine was occupied by a group of serpentfolk. Serpentfolk were Level 1 monsters with large physiques and sinister temperaments. They had limbs and often stood upright like humans, resembling lizards in appearance. There were about forty to fifty serpentfolk, most of whom were serpentfolk laborers, with the remainder being overseers and guards. Serpentfolk laborers were ordinary Level 1 monsters. They wore filthy work vests and were currently swinging mining pickaxes with all their might. The overseers and guards were elite-level. The former carried whips and blades at their waists, while the latter wore armor and were equipped with swords and shields, their builds much larger than the laborers. Li Ye set down the binoculars. “We’re taking this mine. Old Zhou, go gather the men.” As Old Zhou responded and went to call people, Li Ye began seriously contemplating the battle strategy. For a mobile city, attacking a resource point was far from a simple affair. One needed to compare strength, prepare weapons and ammunition, gather manpower, and choose the right time to strike. Unlike zombies that blindly chased survivors, serpentfolk were intelligent monsters. They knew how to use weapons, dodge bullets and artillery, and could even build defensive structures. Fifteen minutes later, Li Ye was ready. He mobilized 15 people from the Tomorrow, including Old Zhou. Four would stay on the Tomorrow to operate heavy machine guns for covering fire, while he led the rest to assault the mine. Li Ye took one of the newly manufactured Peregrine Falcon Assault Rifles for himself and distributed the rest to Old Zhou and others. The remaining people were armed with pistols. Seeing enemies approach, the serpentfolk stopped working and charged out of the mine aggressively. Li Ye squinted to aim, then opened fire. A few seconds later, he realized his earlier concerns might have been excessive. As a Level 1 firearm, the Peregrine Falcon Assault Rifle packed considerable punch. The sturdy bodies of the serpentfolk laborers were torn apart like paper in an instant. Even the elite serpentfolk overseers and guards could only take one or two more bullets. After the first round of gunfire, many serpentfolk had already fallen. With another round, their morale collapsed, and many turned to flee. Li Ye captured the mine effortlessly without any casualties. Once he confirmed the mine was secure and that no serpentfolk had survived, he waved toward the Tomorrow. The new residents came down on the lift platform with mining pickaxes and entered the mine to begin mining. In the meantime, Li Ye began searching the serpentfolk corpses. After all, killing monsters would yield loot. The serpentfolk laborers only dropped some crystal coins and scattered iron ore fabric. The elite overseers and guards had better drops—some yielded 30 crystal coins at once, while others dropped 10 units of iron ore. To Li Ye’s surprise, he found a blueprint on one of the serpentfolk guards. 【Item Name: Hair Dryer】 【Item Grade: Common】 【Effect: None】 【Crafting Requirements: 2 units of Iron Ore (Level 1)】 “A hair dryer?” Surprised, Li Ye also found it a bit amusing. The daily freshwater supply on the Tomorrow was barely enough for drinking. Brushing teeth and washing one’s face were already luxuries, let alone washing hair. Still, he didn’t mind having more blueprints. By the way, the zombies that had previously invaded the Tomorrow also dropped items, but the total was pitiful—just a few crystal coins. That was why Lords were so desperate to avoid zombie swarms. They were not only dangerous, but also poor. To improve efficiency, Li Ye even had the combat personnel join in on the mining. The mine was not very large. According to his estimate, it could yield two to three hundred units of iron ore, plus a small amount of copper ore and saltpeter. Just as he returned to the Tomorrow’s cockpit to rest and drink water, the voice of the lookout suddenly came through the speaking tube, extremely tense. “Bad news, a mobile city is coming toward us!” Li Ye jumped to his feet, spilling his water instantly. Sitting beside him, Tang Fang’s face also turned pale. “Evacuate everyone from the mine immediately!” Li Ye ordered. “Send people to man the heavy machine guns. Tang Fang, once everyone’s back, push the Tomorrow to maximum speed.” After giving the orders, he sighed helplessly in his heart. He really was unlucky—just took a resource point, and now a mobile city appeared. The Tomorrow’s artillery shells were all used up, and the heavy machine guns could barely harm a mobile city. He had no means of attack. As much as he hated to give up this newly secured resource point, retreat was the only option. Just then, the lookout’s surprised voice came through the speaking tube again. “Wait... That’s strange. Why did the mobile city stop one kilometer away?” Next, Li Ye and Tang Fang heard the horn of that mobile city. Two long blasts and one short—it meant they wanted to communicate. Mobile cities didn’t have public communication channels. Over time, they developed a way to communicate using horn signals. It worked well—it kept a safe distance and conveyed clear intentions. In the wasteland, mobile cities were often competitors or even enemies. When two mobile cities encountered each other, the first thing they did was maintain a safe distance and go on high alert. After all, the fastest way for a mobile city to grow was by destroying another one. If successful, all of the other city’s resources and population would become yours. Most importantly, you could go to their Production Workshop and use the Lord’s wristband to plunder all their production projects—that was the biggest upgrade for a mobile city! Half-doubting, Li Ye went up to the Watchtower and looked at the mobile city through the binoculars. From its size, it was also a Level 1 city, with multiple damaged sections. Even the Water Tower was broken. Recalling the intelligence he had seen before, Li Ye realized this Level 1 city was the Azure—the one that had failed in attacking the Glos Mine. The other side repeated the two long, one short horn signal, and to show goodwill, they shut down their engines and retracted their cannons and heavy machine guns. Then, they sent an off-road vehicle toward the Tomorrow. The vehicle stopped 300 meters away, and two people got out, waving their hands toward Li Ye and his group, seemingly wanting to communicate. Li Ye immediately sent Old Zhou with a few people to meet them. Ten minutes later, Old Zhou returned to his side with a message. “That city is the Azure. Their Lord wants to make a deal with us,” he said. “Those two also said that to show sincerity, their Lord will personally meet you for the talks.”