Chapter 80: Now, we are all prey

"Tang Fang, prepare for mobile evasion!" Li Ye shouted. "Ning Wen, fire smoke shells directly at them!" As the cannons on the armored plates of the Tomorrow began firing one after another, several smoke shells flew toward the Kronos. Having lost visual contact, the Predatory City could only advance along its previous trajectory. Thanks to the mobile evasion maneuver by the Helmsman Tang Fang, the Tomorrow evaded its charge. The Kronos brushed past the Tomorrow, exposing its unguarded rear. Seizing the opportunity, all cannons on the Tomorrow opened fire. Even for a defensive-type city, its armored plates couldn't withstand the close-range impact of four Molten Cannons. The Kronos’s armor was instantly damaged, with multiple areas catching fire and exploding. Two Frost Cannons aimed at the stern propellers of the Kronos. As they hit the water and exploded, large ice layers formed, freezing the ship’s stern and propellers together. This powerful defensive city came to a complete halt. Just as Li Ye was about to expand their victory, three assault-type Predatory Cities, along with dozens of speedboats, swiftly approached. Level 1 Cannons, Heavy Machine Guns, Rocket Shells... a dense web of firepower instantly engulfed the Tomorrow. Among them, the Hades even had Level 2 Autocannons. The Tomorrow accelerated and began evasive maneuvers, activating its Energy Shield. The city's energy rapidly declined once again. In the fuel compartment, several ordinary residents were busy shoveling large amounts of coal into the system to replenish energy. Meanwhile, from afar, the Apollo opened fire once more. Twenty-six Regular Cannons, plus six Level 1 Cannons, unleashed a devastating barrage upon the Tomorrow. The city’s energy fluctuated wildly like a rollercoaster—dropping to 11%, then climbing back to 32%, a truly harrowing sight. Barely surviving the bombardment, the Tomorrow hadn’t even caught its breath before the enemy launched the next assault. It was the Hades. This Predatory City accelerated straight ahead, ramming toward the Tomorrow. As the Tomorrow unleashed a torrent of firepower upon it, the Hades activated its Energy Shield. "Didn’t expect this Predatory City to have an Energy Shield too!"Li Ye’s expression shifted slightly. At the last moment, the Tomorrow evaded the Hades through mobile maneuvers. Yet the latter clearly intended to hound it relentlessly, repeatedly attempting collisions. For the Hades, damaging its own Mobile City through ramming was irrelevant. As long as it could destroy the Tomorrow’s mobility, its allies could swarm in like a pack of wolves to tear the Tomorrow apart. As for the Tomorrow, a single collision would spell its end. At this critical moment, a roar erupted from the distant Kronos—it had restarted. This Predatory City used its massive Icebreaker Bow to shatter the ice at its stern, regaining propulsion, and charged toward the Tomorrow with fierce momentum. As the Hades activated its Energy Shield and attacked again, a cold smile appeared on Li Ye’s lips. "Now—fire!" With a sharp roar, the Steam Bed Crossbow mounted on the Tomorrow’s armored plate launched. A massive steam bolt instantly struck the Hades. The gunpowder hidden inside the arrowhead ignited, causing the Hades’s armor to burst into flames and explode. Armor plates flew off, and shockwaves rippled outward. Though the Energy Shield could block shells and bullets, it couldn’t defend against a Steam Bed Crossbow fired at close range with immense kinetic force! The Hades quickly launched smoke shells to cover itself, while the other two Predatory Cities and speedboats opened fire to provide cover, preventing the Tomorrow from pressing its advantage. At this moment, two Predatory Cities launched torpedoes simultaneously. Four torpedoes approached from cunning angles. Even with evasive maneuvers, one torpedo still hit the Tomorrow. Though the Energy Shield absorbed the shock of the explosion, the torpedo’s impact and inertia still caused parts of the hull to deform and break. The three Predatory Cities clearly realized this and began scattering while launching torpedoes in succession. The distance between the Kronos and the Tomorrow had shrunk to less than one kilometer—they were about to launch a charge. The situation had become precarious. A trace of melancholy emerged in Li Ye’s eyes. He had already foreseen the fate of the Tomorrow. Its hull would gradually deteriorate under the relentless torpedo attacks, ultimately losing its mobility. Once mobile evasion became impossible, enemy cannons could execute precise pinpoint bombardments, and the city’s energy would eventually be depleted. Immediately afterward, the enemies would begin systematically destroying the cannons and Heavy Machine Guns on the armored plates, then proceed to board the Tomorrow. The Tomorrow would bleed dry in the end, out of ammo and out of supplies. "Bang!" Li Ye slammed his fist against the wall in frustration. If only the Tomorrow had even one or two allies, the situation wouldn’t have become so dire. Just then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Countless sharp cannon blasts echoed from afar, and the Apollo, positioned in the rear, was engulfed in an overwhelming explosion of artillery fire. The Kronos, which was about to charge, had no time to react before a shell from the distance exploded mid-air, transforming into a giant mass of sticky fluid that ensnared it. The sudden development stunned everyone from the Olympus Alliance. Li Ye instantly recognized what was happening. "It’s that one!" A massive silhouette appeared in the distance. It was the very same Level 2 Mobile City—Lone Sail—that the Tomorrow had previously encountered in the Giant Forest! To this Level 2 Predatory City that had just arrived on the battlefield, the situation was crystal clear. The Tomorrow was on the verge of collapse, and the Olympus Alliance was about to claim victory, having suffered minimal damage. Such a result was clearly unacceptable to the Lone Sail. With the Olympus Alliance still intact, even if it joined the battle now, there would be no spoils to reap. So it decided to strike the Olympus Alliance first. A single Tomorrow was far from enough to satisfy the appetite of this Level 2 Predatory City. What it wanted was everything. "None of these Predatory City Lords are easy to deal with," Li Ye remarked. "Now, we’ve all become its prey." Caught off guard, the Apollo completely stalled after the bombing. As a Level 2 City, the Lone Sail’s firepower was far more intense than they had imagined. It had no fewer than sixteen Level 1 Cannons. Though the Apollo wasn’t sunk, its condition was grim. Multiple fires and explosions erupted across its armored plate, and it was now in critical danger. The long-range heavy fire support of the Olympus Alliance was crippled by more than half. The nearby Vulcan immediately moved forward to initiate emergency rescue for the Apollo. Cranes, Mechanical Arms, Work Claws... as a Level 1 fully-equipped Engineer-type City, it had a complete configuration. All Mechanical Arms deployed simultaneously, revealing emergency rescue devices such as welding guns and riveting guns mounted within. The lifting platform aligned with the Apollo’s armored plate, allowing personnel from the Vulcan—dressed in protective gear—to board and extinguish the fires. The Mechanical Arms mounted with massive fire-fighting equipment connected to the Water Tower on one side began pumping water. High-pressure steam and mist sprayed from the fire-suppression equipment, while the Work Claws sequentially drove dozens of emergency support legs into the swaying city pillars, stabilizing the structure. Some spider-like maintenance robots boarded the Apollo’s armored plate, crawling along the high-temperature steel beams to forcefully repair critical junctions—undoubtedly Level 2 items possessed by the Vulcan. With a thunderous roar, the Vulcan’s second Mechanical Arm activated, laying a five-to-six-meter-wide steam hose between the two Predatory Cities, continuously transferring power from the Vulcan to the Apollo. Fire suppression, deck clearing, treating the wounded, repairing deck equipment... under the organized and coordinated efforts of the Vulcan’s crew, the Apollo truly began to recover.