Chapter 87: Level 2 Weapon – ‘Bloodletter Combat Dagger’

The Tomorrow swiftly entered combat mode. Combat personnel hurried back and forth across the deck plates, taking their positions. Cannons and heavy machine guns locked onto their targets in sequence. Convoy One, Convoy Two, and the Storm Infantry Vehicle were already positioned on the lift platform. The platform had been upgraded in size and could now deploy them all at once. Sensing movement in the distance, the Kobold Zombies all turned their heads. Their decayed, murky eyeballs writhed, and their ferocious faces twitched intermittently. Next, they howled in succession and charged at the Tomorrow. Once infected, these creatures became unusually fast, and their bodily resistance to damage had increased a notch. The Tomorrow immediately opened heavy fire, a torrent of firepower blanketing the swarm of Kobold Zombies. Convoy One, Convoy Two, and the Storm Infantry Vehicle led the charge. The Stinger Autocannon, heavy machine guns, and rockets bombarded the enemies in waves. Since their numbers were not great, the group of Kobold Zombies was quickly eradicated. Once the mine was confirmed safe, the Tomorrow lowered the lift platform. A group of residents wielding Mining Pickaxes landed and rushed toward the mine, beginning excavation swiftly. While working, everyone glanced around nervously at the darkness that blanketed everything beyond the perimeter, their faces showing unease, prompting them to hasten their actions. Atop the Watchtower, Lin Xia operated the spotlight, casting beams into the distance in a rotating pattern, continuing to stand guard. Li Ye eagerly began searching the corpses of the Kobold Zombies. These were Level 2 creatures! Their drops were much better than Level 1 monsters—there might even be Level 2 blueprints or ready-made items. It was practically like a lottery. Compared to Level 1 monsters, the loot from Level 2 Kobolds was indeed generous. Some dropped 3 units of Level 2 Fabric, others 20 Crystal Coins, some dropped Level 2 Mining Pickaxes, and a few even dropped 5 units of Level 2 Iron Ore in one go! What surprised Li Ye the most was that he actually found a Level 2 blueprint. 【Item Name: “Bloodletter” Combat Dagger】 【Item Level: Level 2】 【Bonus Effects: 1. Penetration +15% 2. Damage +10%】 【Crafting Requirements: 2 units of Iron Ore (Level 2)】 “This is actually pretty good!” Li Ye was surprised. With bonuses to penetration and damage, this could be considered a very solid melee weapon. And it was cheap to craft, requiring only 2 units of Level 2 Iron Ore for each. This could be distributed to every combat personnel engaging in offensive mining operations. 198 units of Level 2 Fabric, 352 Crystal Coins, 74 units of Level 2 Iron Ore, 7 Level 2 Mining Pickaxes, and 1 Level 2 Item Blueprint. Li Ye, satisfied, brought all the loot back to the warehouse. However, just then, he suddenly heard a series of sharp screeches from afar. After spending so many days training in the wild, he was all too familiar with such sounds. He immediately shouted: “Tang Fang, activate the Energy Shield at once!” Seconds later, explosions erupted across the Tomorrow. Fortunately, it had activated the Energy Shield in advance, remaining completely unharmed. Through the spotlight on the Watchtower, Li Ye saw a massive figure several kilometers away. It was also a Level 2 Mobile City! He instantly figured it out. The enemy had clearly been attracted by the activity at the mine and had come to ambush the Tomorrow. Judging from the sound of the explosions, this was clearly a Level 2 Cannon. If it weren’t for the Tomorrow having the Energy Shield, this would have been a disaster! Li Ye immediately ordered the Tomorrow to return fire and dispatched the patrolling Storm Infantry Vehicle along with Convoy One and Convoy Two to engage. The two sides engaged in fierce combat in the darkness for over ten minutes. Realizing that the Tomorrow was a tough nut to crack, the enemy ceased fire and gradually disappeared into the darkness. Li Ye remained alert while instructing the residents to accelerate the mining operation. As the excavation concluded, the residents, visibly relieved, quickly stowed away their Mining Pickaxes and boarded the lift platform back to the deck. The Tomorrow swiftly recalled Convoy One, Convoy Two, and the Storm Infantry Vehicle, then accelerated to withdraw from the area. Li Ye did a quick tally of his gains. After fully extracting resources from this mine, he had obtained a total of 552 units of Level 2 Iron Ore, 123 units of Level 2 Saltpeter, 23 units of Copper Ore, and 202 units of Level 2 Coal. During the earlier battle, the Tomorrow had only expended some shells and City Energy—losses were minimal. But more concerning to Li Ye was... The Eternal Night Zone was like a dark forest, and everyone in it was a gun-wielding hunter. No one could discern whether the other party they encountered was friendly, nor could they be sure if the other side harbored any goodwill toward them. In the wasteland, trust was a luxury. Mobile Cities moving through the wilderness always maintained a high level of vigilance—at the first sign of another city, everyone prepared for combat and kept their distance. In the perpetually dark and visibility-obstructed Eternal Night Zone, this tension only escalated. For survival and development, Mobile Cities had to explore the wilds, extract resources, and attack monster strongholds. But all such activities would create disturbances in this “forest,” inevitably drawing other armed hunters. Thus, “shoot first, ask questions later” had become everyone’s unspoken rule. With darkness as cover, ambushes were easy to pull off. If successful, one could seize another city's resources, population, and ongoing projects in their Survival Workshop. Li Ye had now begun to grasp the brutal survival conditions of the Eternal Night Zone. “Gotta be more cautious from now on,” he murmured. In the time that followed, Li Ye went straight to the Production Workshop and crafted two Bloodtear Ripper Heavy Machine Guns. As Level 2 Heavy Machine Guns, the Bloodtear Rippers had barrels, feed systems, cooling units, and recoil dampeners all in blood-red. Their ominous presence sent chills down one’s spine. Level 1 Iron Ore could produce 15 rounds of heavy machine gun ammo, whereas Level 2 Iron Ore could yield 30 rounds. Li Ye opted to use Level 1 Iron Ore to make 3,000 rounds of machine gun ammo—he couldn’t bear to use Level 2 Iron Ore for bullets right now. Next, he used 50 units of Level 2 Iron Ore to craft 25 Bloodletter Combat Daggers and distributed them to the combat personnel. This was not only for outward assaults but also to ensure the fighters were equipped to battle in case a Level 2 Zombie Swarm breached the Tomorrow’s deck. The Bloodletter Combat Daggers were entirely pitch black, designed in a triple-edged spiral form, and treated with a non-reflective coating. When holding one in hand, Li Ye could faintly sense the destructive force it held within. “Truly a fine weapon,” he nodded, keeping one for himself. Those who received a Bloodletter Combat Dagger were instantly enamored. Even Ning Wen and Tang Fang couldn’t resist asking Li Ye for one. “You two are non-combat personnel—what do you need this for?” Li Ye shook his head helplessly. “If you want one, trade for it with your Contribution Points!”