Chapter 214 : The Dust Settles

Chapter 214: The Dust Settles

Following Li Ye’s directions, the Engineer began its search toward the southeastern side of the Mountain Region.

As usual, a Level 2 Goblin Petroleum Survey Vehicle was dispatched.

Because the mountainous terrain was steep and treacherous, two Black Hawk Helicopters jointly hoisted the survey vehicle to patrol and prospect from above.

Amid the vast expanse of interwoven ridges, the Engineer advanced slowly.

With the Universal Tread Cluster and Rock Nail Anchors working in tandem, the Mobile City was firmly secured against the mountainside.

Once the location of the oil field was confirmed, the Engineer began drilling operations.

Its mechanical arms, fitted with drills, started spinning—each bit rotating thousands of times per minute as it chewed into the crust of the earth.

With a thunderous rumble echoing like the roar of the ground itself, dark green crude oil suddenly burst from the borehole, gushing dozens of meters high under pressure.

The Engineer wasn’t the only one at work among the mountains.

Several other Mobile Cities were present as well—but rather than drilling for oil, they were engaged in various engineering projects.

The Western Wasteland Zone bordered closely on the Basin Region, and the Three Major Human Organizations had decided to open a transportation route between the two areas.

The greatest challenge in constructing a road through such mountainous terrain was, naturally, tunneling through the mountains.

Yet for Mobile Cities, that was hardly a problem.

To this end, the Three Major Human Organizations had deployed twelve Underground-digging Mobile Cities, each acting as a “shield tunneling machine.”

Once their modifications were complete, the subterranean Mobile Cities commenced work.

They followed pre-designated routes, beginning their excavation.

A circular cutterhead thirty meters in diameter spun dizzyingly fast. One hundred and thirty-two alloy rollers gnawed at the ancient granite, driven by hydraulic pressure exceeding tens of thousands of tons. Shattered rock fragments sparked brilliantly as they cracked and fell.

The tunnel air was thick with dust and the sharp tang of steam and smoke.

Inside the subterranean cities, engineers in control cabins filled with pipes and conduits monitored the instrument panels.

Streams of data flickered across the LCD screens, showing cutterhead temperature, propulsion pressure, and stratum moisture levels.

And it wasn’t just tunnels—the Mobile Cities were also building bridges between the mountains.

One Level 2 Engineering-type City began operations.

Its Level 2 Mountain Exploration Device emitted probing beams into the rock layers, drawing precise bridge paths on the display through the feedback data.

Once the bridge model was confirmed, the city moved into action.

Several hydraulic pile-driving arms mounted on the deck aligned with the cliff face and roared to life.

Dozens of meters long, the alloy piles drove deep into the mountainside with thunderous impacts, scattering stone fragments like raindrops.

At the same time, cranes lifted and placed the heavy bridge piers with mechanical precision.

Within the city’s Production Workshop, manufacturing continued nonstop, producing various bridge components.

On deck, a long mechanical arm extended outward, casting thick bridge cables across the canyon like a spider spinning silk. Once all the bridge piers were positioned, cranes successively lowered the prefabricated bridge segments into place. Another arm equipped with a welding system sprayed dazzling blue arcs, fusing the sections solidly together.

When the final segment was welded, a bridge spanning a five-hundred-meter canyon stood complete. The Level 2 City retracted its deployed machinery and prepared to move to the next construction site.

Behind it, the brand-new bridge lay quietly across the mist-shrouded peaks.

Before long, a full mountain-crossing transport route would be complete.

Though grand in scale, the new roadway wasn’t suitable for Mobile Cities. To traverse the range, they would still have to undergo specialized climbing modifications.

The road’s main purpose was to serve vehicles from the southern Western Wasteland Continent.

According to the Three Major Human Organizations’ plan, the lives of the settlers in the southern region would gradually modernize.

Their daily necessities—food, clothing, housing, and supplies—would all be produced in the Production Workshops of Mobile Cities.

Naturally, this meant survivors’ methods of travel would also diversify.

The Three Major Human Organizations possessed comprehensive vehicle production programs:

Sedans, sports cars, pickup trucks, buses, trains, ambulances, fire engines, garbage trucks—

with the strength of the Mobile Cities, vast transportation networks would rise across the southern Western Wasteland, complete with train stations.

Towns and cities of all sizes would emerge, along with supporting infrastructure—dams, water plants, and power stations.

“Such incredible infrastructure capability,” Li Ye sighed.

By his estimation, with the combined power of the Three Major Human Organizations, building an entirely modern nation would not be a problem.

The real difficulty lay in maintaining continental stability.

After some thought, Li Ye opened the System Panel.

A new round of intelligence had just refreshed.

【1. Heavy snow will persist throughout the coming week. (Intelligence Value: Ordinary)】

【2. The Blood Clan Civilization, having failed to inflict significant damage on the Tomorrow Alliance in the Taranis Ocean, was severely reprimanded by the Three Major Monstrous Organizations. In his fury, the War Alliance’s leader even considered executing the Blood Clan’s ruler. (Intelligence Value: Excellent)】

【3. Due to the Tomorrow Alliance’s continued success, the upper echelons of the Apocalypse Sect have decided to attempt recruiting them. (Intelligence Value: Excellent)】

【4. In the eastern Southern Continent, within the Canyon Zone, the human forces have completed preparations and are about to begin their assault on the Surging Tide Super Dam. (Intelligence Value: Rare)】

【5. Yesterday, the monstrous faction formally proposed abolishing the Silence Agreement. Leaders from both sides are set to hold a conference on the matter. (Intelligence Value: Rare)】

Li Ye’s gaze immediately fell upon the fifth piece of intelligence.

Looking at the residents aboard the Tomorrow, living and working as usual, then recalling the booming continent-wide construction across the Western Wasteland, Li Ye felt a deep heaviness settle in his heart.

All of this, he feared, might soon be gone forever.

He ran a hand down his face, forcing himself to calm down.

The most crucial question now was—what should the Tomorrow Alliance do next?

There were only two paths forward.

The first was to actively submit to the protection of the Three Major Human Organizations. But doing so meant accepting management oversight—every action, every mission would require formal reports and approvals. It would be trading freedom and growth potential for safety.

And the third intelligence item made it clear—the Apocalypse Sect sought to recruit them.

“Never thought that one day, our Tomorrow Alliance might become the regular army of a world-class organization,” Li Ye murmured to himself.

But knowing the Sect’s rigid doctrines and strict discipline, he concluded joining them was unwise.

The second option was to keep migrating and fighting across the wasteland, continuing independent development. Yet, without the constraints of the Silence Agreement, the world would become far more dangerous.

Li Ye hesitated between these two choices.

In the end, he made his decision.

Ultimately, the Tomorrow Alliance had to rely on itself—it could not become anyone else’s subordinate.

He believed he could lead the Alliance to grow stronger, to stand proudly upon the wasteland one day.

“What’s wrong? You seem rather troubled.”

In the tearoom aboard the Saint, Heath took a slow sip of tea.

Li Ye held his cup, his expression grave.

After a long silence, he finally spoke quietly.

“Heath, Archbishop—if the Silence Agreement is abolished, what kind of world will this become?”

Heath froze for a moment.

When he came to his senses, the man—usually as cold as ice—actually showed a faint, wistful smile.

“It will probably become a very terrible one.”

“I must admit, that’s quite a good question you’ve asked.”

“If the Silence Agreement truly collapses, even the Three Major Human Organizations will lose their footing—let alone you or me.”

What Heath didn’t know was that this wasn’t a mere hypothetical from the young lord before him—

but something that was very likely to happen.

Holding his cup, Heath followed Li Ye’s train of thought.

“If the Silence Agreement is abolished, then the continent-scale construction the human forces have been conducting across the Western Wasteland—and the Heavenly Road Pathway they’ve built—will all become meaningless.”

“Once the Silence Agreement is abolished, the world-class monstrous organizations will immediately order all monsters in the wasteland to launch unrestricted attacks on human forces. Likewise, the world-class human organizations will begin their own limitless offensives against the monsters.”

“The entire world will descend into chaos.”

After taking a sip of tea, Li Ye fell into deep thought.

The flagship cities of the Three Major Human Organizations surely possessed ways to conceal themselves—they would not be discovered easily.

The same applied to the flagship cities of the Three Major Monstrous Organizations.

In the world to come, both sides would adopt the same strategy—“hide yourself and find the enemy.”

Seeing Li Ye’s constant look of worry, Heath gave a faint laugh.

“Judging by your expression, it seems this abolition of the Silence Agreement might really happen.”

“Yeah, I just hope it’s nothing more than a false alarm,” Li Ye sighed. “If the Silence Agreement truly disappears, I fear humanity won’t be able to survive in the wasteland.”

Heath, however, solemnly shook his head.

“Don’t underestimate humanity.”

His voice was steady and calm.

“One hundred and fifty-two years ago, this world had no Silence Agreement, yet humanity still survived.”

“Even if it is abolished now, humans will continue to endure in the wasteland.”

“What’s more, we have the Mobile Cities—the instincts for battle, migration, and survival are already etched into our very bones.”

Hearing this, Li Ye gradually regained a measure of confidence.

“You’re right.”

After addressing the main topic, the two continued chatting.

Heath told Li Ye that unlike Level 1 and Level 2 Mobile Cities, the number of Level 3 Mobile Cities was quite small—and Level 4 and Level 5 were even rarer.

That was due to the harsh requirements for City Promotion.

For that reason, Level 3 Cities held exceptional importance.

Even among the Three Major Human Organizations, there weren’t many of them. During continent-level wars, they often had to recruit Level 3 Mobile Cities from independent forces.

After pondering a moment, Li Ye voiced the question he cared about most.

“May I ask—if a Level 3 Mobile City wants to fight against a Level 3 Monstrous Civilization, what level of strength must it reach at minimum?”

Heath quickly replied.

“A Level 3 Mobile City Alliance—with full land, sea, and air combat configuration—and one to three Level 3 Assault-type Cities.”

He then emphasized one key point:

“Don’t overestimate the strength of a Level 3 Monstrous Civilization.”

Indeed, the size of such civilizations was immense, and the number of Mobile Cities within them was vast.

But that didn’t mean all of them were Level 3; the majority were Level 1 or 2, with only a few true Level 3 Cities.

When they waged war, they typically fought as Mobile City Battle Clusters, following the composition:

“One Level 3 Assault-type Mobile City plus multiple Level 1 Cities equipped with Level 3 configurations.”

After promotion to Level 3, a Mobile City’s combat capability surged dramatically, narrowing the gap between it and civilizations of the same tier.

Moreover, there were far fewer Level 3 Monstrous Civilizations in the wasteland compared to Level 1 and 2—and Level 4 or higher were almost nonexistent.

Li Ye nodded in understanding.

From now on, the Tomorrow would live a nomadic life—wandering wherever it could.

After parting with Bishop Heath, Li Ye returned to the Tomorrow.

He walked straight toward a new object.

It was none other than the Level 1 Underground-digging City just delivered by the Apocalypse Sect.

Thanks to its Level 3-grade digging and submersible city components, it could travel freely underground and underwater.

Li Ye named this Level 1 City “Dawn.”

Soon after, he realized something and shook his head slightly.

According to his original plan, the Dawn was meant to serve as a territory trade convoy, traveling across the continents to sell the Tomorrow Alliance’s lower-grade items and blueprints for profit.

But with the imminent abolition of the Silence Agreement and the chaos that would follow, the Dawn had effectively become “unemployed.”

Still, considering the Tomorrow Alliance’s current scale, maintaining a single Level 1 City was well within their means.

The Helmsman chosen to pilot the Dawn had already been selected from among the Tomorrow’s crew and was undergoing accelerated training in the Training Pod—expected to begin piloting within a month.

Li Ye would also assign a small crew to the Dawn to ensure its daily operations.

Lin Wu soon offered a suggestion.

“How about purchasing an Energy-saving Blueprint and using it for the City Resource Transmission Device?” he said.

“Why?” Li Ye asked in confusion.

Lin Wu then explained in detail.

Now that the Tomorrow Alliance possessed the Dawn—

a Level 1 Mobile City capable of moving underground and underwater—its main purpose would be to transport materials and search for resources.

Ordinarily, a City Resource Transmission Device came with two channels. If they installed another one, the Dawn could collect resources in the field indefinitely without ever needing to haul them back.

Furthermore, with the Energy-saving Blueprint applied, the device’s energy consumption would drop significantly, making it far more cost-effective.

After acquiring the Dawn, Li Ye immediately added it to the K1 City Communication Channel, allowing contact via the City Radio whenever necessary.

Of course, before departure, the Dawn had to be stocked with enough fuel, freshwater, and food.

At that point, Li Ye’s interest was piqued.

The Dawn possessed a Level 3 Resource Exploration Device—once it detected a resource vein, it could surface to begin mining.

For safety reasons, the Tomorrow would also craft a Level 3 Radar for it, enabling detection of enemies above ground.

“Your plan is indeed feasible,” Li Ye said with a slow nod. “Let’s give it a try.”

After all, leaving a Mobile City idle was nothing but a waste of resources.

“By the way,” Lin Wu added, “shouldn’t we appoint Lords for both the Dawn and the Starshine? It’d make management easier.”

“The Starshine focuses on combat and needs a commander in the field—why don’t you take that role?” Li Ye replied. “As for the Dawn, since it’ll be working away for long periods, it does need a Lord. We should choose someone we trust.”

He quickly made his decision.

One of the former slave companions who had risen alongside him—A Zhu.

At twenty-five, A Zhu was diligent and dependable, currently assisting Old Zhou in maintaining order aboard the Tomorrow.

When he learned that he was to become the Lord of a Mobile City, he was stunned.

“Brother Li Li… can I really do it?” he stammered.

Li Ye gently patted his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t feel safe letting an outsider handle this. Only someone like you can be trusted. I’m merely asking—you still have the final say.”

After a brief pause for thought, A Zhu nodded.

“Alright. Let me do it—I want to contribute as well.”

“Are you sure?” Li Ye asked. “Let me warn you—the living conditions aboard an Underground-digging City are far worse than on the Tomorrow. Sometimes, you won’t see daylight for days.”

“No problem! Leave it to me!”