"Speaking of which, could the Tomorrow now go toe-to-toe with a Level 2 Predatory Cities Alliance？"Li Ye thought to himself.
In fact, even he was surprised by the development of the Tomorrow.
"Don’t forget, our treaded wheels and power engine haven’t been upgraded yet."Lin Wu reminded him.
"Right！"Li Ye nodded.
But on the other hand, they didn’t have enough Crystal Coins to purchase the Level 2 blueprints and the Level 2 Iron Ore required for crafting.
Just a few minutes ago, Zhou Xing had requested funding from Li Ye, hoping to procure more Level 2 engineering-type blueprints.
Naturally, Li Ye readily agreed.
He planned to allocate the remaining balance in the account, along with the proceeds from the upcoming sale of petroleum fuel and natural gas, entirely to the Engineer.
"These treaded wheels and the power engine will have to wait for another opportunity to be upgraded."he thought.
Overall, all the money spent on the Tomorrow was used wisely, not a single coin wasted. Everything that needed improvement had been improved.In fact, within the Tomorrow Alliance, the Tomorrow had consumed the most Crystal Coins this time.
City Resource Transmission Device, Level 3 Vanguard Armed Gunship, Level 3 City Camouflage Upgrade Blueprint, a series of Level 2 vehicle blueprints, and a large batch of Level 2 Iron Ore.
Calculating the total cost of all these projects, it had already surpassed 500,000 Crystal Coins.
All in all, becoming an assault-type city was easy, but becoming a powerful assault-type city was hard.
Cannons, Heavy Machine Guns, melee weapons and Firearms, training Combat Personnel, Land, Sea, and Air Combat Forces—every one of these required money.
The second most expensive were the fire-support Mobile Cities.
To maintain powerful firepower, they needed to craft large quantities of Regular Cannons and leveled Cannons. Moreover, their ammunition reserves had to be ample, since each volley involved dozens or even hundreds of shells.
Now, Li Ye finally felt at ease.
The oil field resources in the Sedimentary Basin had basically been fully exploited. Perhaps there were still scattered undiscovered oil fields and Large Natural Gas Fields in the corners, but he no longer cared.
This time, the Tomorrow Alliance had truly feasted.
"This Epic Intelligence was really worth it！"he sighed sincerely."If we could get one of these every week, the Tomorrow Alliance would take off completely."
With the extraction complete, Li Ye sent people to bring the other Lords aboard the Tomorrow to hold a celebratory banquet.
The venue was Li Ye’s private booth in the Public Canteen.
For this, Li Ye specifically had the chefs butcher a few Chickens and Ducks, and instructed them to cook as many dishes as possible.
Half an hour later, more than a dozen dishes were already laid out on the round table, along with Iced Black Tea, Cola, Orange Juice, and fruits like Exotic Oranges and Sunshine Apples.
The eyes of Lords like Yang Zheng lit up immediately.
"You're really treating us well！"
Besides the seven Lords, their respective deputies also attended.
Everyone quickly began eating and drinking, while chatting.
"Really appreciate what you’ve done this time."someone said sincerely.
In this oil field operation, the Tomorrow Alliance took the meat, and the Lords drank the soup alongside them.
Each Lord received petroleum worth tens of thousands of Crystal Coins.
And with four Level 2 Mobile Cities now stationed, the Mobile Cities of the Cretaceous Zone didn’t even dare eye the Sedimentary Basin, and the dinosaurs behaved much better as well.
"Wonder how things are outside the Sedimentary Basin."someone murmured.
Li Ye picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth.
"Pretty chaotic."he said.
While the oil fields were being exploited, he also sent out Black Hawk Helicopters to scout the surroundings.
From the information they brought back, more and more Mobile Cities were arriving at the Cretaceous Zone through the Wormhole.
And what greeted them were the "enthusiastic and hospitable" dinosaurs.
On their very first day, many Mobile Cities suffered greatly.
The dinosaurs struck while they were off guard, launching night raids.
Among them was the Thunder Tyrant, a monstrous dinosaur capable of firing Electromagnetic Pulse.
The scouts Li Ye sent witnessed the Thunder Tyrant with their own eyes. It was significantly larger than a Tyrannosaurus Rex. As it slowly gathered energy, a powerful Electromagnetic Pulse swept over the targeted Mobile City.
The entire Mobile City was immediately paralyzed and instantly overrun by the dinosaurs.
Moreover, the Thunder Tyrant seemed to have evolved electromagnetic senses. It could detect the electromagnetic fields generated by functioning vehicles and various devices in Mobile Cities, and its detection range was vast.
"Why do such troublesome monsters exist in the Wasteland."someone sighed.
Li Ye also wore a solemn expression.
The Thunder Tyrant posed an immense threat to Mobile Cities, and it even seemed to have tracking capabilities.
Without a doubt, once it was discovered, it had to be eliminated with concentrated firepower immediately.
"So what do you all plan to do next？"someone else asked.
"Well then..."Li Ye put down his chopsticks, falling into thought.
In truth, everyone had only just arrived in the Cretaceous Zone a few days ago.
So far, only the Sedimentary Basin had been explored, while the northern region remained largely uncharted.
The western region from which they came was also unexplored, not to mention the eastern and southern regions.
The Cretaceous Zone was actually very dangerous. The dinosaurs were extremely powerful, especially with the existence of the Thunder Tyrant, a creature that countered Mobile Cities and vehicles to an extreme degree.
"Should we develop in another region？"Li Ye wondered.
But that wasn’t necessarily a good idea either.
Those areas had already been explored.
The Field Zone, Basin Region, and Gobi Zone, along with the soon-to-be-destroyed Wasteland Zone—
They were all Level 1 zones and not good choices.
And the Eternal Night Zone was absolutely off-limits.
Compared to that, the areas bordering the south, north, and east of the Cretaceous Zone were still unexplored.
"Why not just continue staying in the Cretaceous Zone and exploring."he thought,"With the current combat capability of the Tomorrow, it was enough to maintain safety."
Gazing at the four Lords before him, a thought crossed his mind.
Their Level 2 Mobile Cities were all decent. Why not try to recruit one into the Tomorrow Alliance?
Overjoyed, Li Ye then turned toward the other three Lords.
"What about you? Still not going to consider it?"
The Tomorrow Alliance currently needed at least two Assault-type Mobile Cities to join, since the Engineer had no combat power and the Pacifier would need to stay in the rear during engagements.
In City Battles, the main force typically comprised Assault-type Mobile Cities.
The three Lords all politely declined Li Ye’s offer.
Though somewhat disappointed, Li Ye did not press them, knowing everyone had their own ambitions.
As the group continued eating, a sudden sound came from outside.
"Did something blow up in your city?"someone asked.
Li Ye looked to Lin Wu, who shook his head.
"No, our city’s safety protocols have always been rigorous."
As he nodded, Li Ye suddenly realized something, and his expression changed.
"Wait... could it be that thing woke up?"
Everyone froze upon hearing this. When they came back to their senses, their faces looked as though they had just been chased several blocks by a vicious dog.
No one cared about eating anymore—they all set down their bowls and chopsticks and rushed out of the Public Canteen.
At that moment, the mid-deck of the Tomorrow was already packed with people, all staring in shock toward the direction of the Giant Volcano.
There, muffled thunderous rumbles could be faintly heard. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared near the crater, and torrents of steam carrying a sulfuric stench gushed forth.
Across the entire Sedimentary Basin, birds scattered in alarm and beasts fled in madness, as if sensing the impending catastrophe.
One Lord looked around at the crowd and then turned to Li Ye.
"What’s wrong?"Li Ye asked in confusion.
"Your Tomorrow seems to have quite a population. How many people do you have now?"the other asked.
"Around 500 or so."Li Ye replied.
The others were visibly shocked.
"That many?"
"Is that a lot?"Li Ye was surprised.
Though a Level 2 Mobile City could support 5,000 to 10,000 people, in reality, most Level 2 cities had populations under 1,000.
Resources on many Mobile Cities weren’t as abundant as on the Tomorrow and couldn’t support that many people.
Generally speaking, a population of around 1,000 was already sufficient to meet the needs for Combat Personnel, daily operations, and city functionality.
Anything beyond that would lead to surplus labor.
The Wasteland followed the principle of "those who don’t work, don’t eat"—everyone in a Mobile City had to contribute.
Unless you were family of a city’s rare talent.
"That’s how it is."Lin Wu concluded."If a Level 2 City has three to four thousand people, and this surplus labor can't be absorbed, it’s a waste of the city’s living resources."
Nodding, a question formed in Li Ye’s mind.
"Then what if we build a small society within the city, assigning everyone roles and tasks for production and labor?"
Lin Wu paused, then smiled faintly.
"Very difficult."
"No offense, but that sounds like you’re trying to rebuild civilization."a Lord interjected."In the Wasteland, survival is already a blessing. Who has the means to achieve what you’re describing?"
Li Ye waved and smiled, but his eyes remained determined.
He believed he could achieve it.
As everyone looked on, a deafening explosion rang out. The summit of the Giant Volcano ruptured, and a pillar of volcanic ash several kilometers in diameter shot skyward.
It was like a towering black spire piercing the clouds, enough to shake one’s soul just by looking at it.
From the crater burst out numerous "volcanic bombs"—actually solidified magma chunks. These were flung high into the air by immense force, crashing down like fiery meteors across dozens of kilometers.
The volcano’s side cracked open, and torrents of lava surged out like a breached dam, engulfing everything at the foot of the mountain at terrifying speed.
"Retreat now！"Li Ye waved his hand."The Sedimentary Basin is no longer safe. We have to evacuate immediately！"
The Lords snapped out of their shock and quickly began preparations to withdraw.
As they left, someone even ran back to the Public Canteen to pack food, leaving Li Ye both amused and exasperated.
He promptly dispatched Black Hawk Helicopters to escort everyone out.
The Tomorrow soon started up, with other Mobile Cities following closely, heading for the edge of the Sedimentary Basin.
Just then, a sound suddenly came from within the Giant Volcano.
It was a roar so deep and powerful it seemed capable of tearing the heavens and the earth apart.
Everyone on the deck was startled, and Li Ye rushed up to the Watchtower and picked up the Binoculars.
He knew in his heart—it had awakened.
Under his gaze, a giant claw rested upon the crater.
This claw was over a hundred meters in size, its entire form resembling obsidian, its surface covered in patterns like molten lava.
Li Ye’s expression changed.
Judging by this scale, the body of this Emperor Beast must be over a thousand meters in size!
He immediately rushed to the Cockpit and activated the City Communication Channel.
All the Lords came online within a minute, messages flashing rapidly across the screen.
【Gray Hound:！！！！】
【Pacifier: My God！！！】
【Twilight: This Emperor Beast is this absurdly huge? When a Bounty Hunter told me about it before, I thought he was exaggerating!】
Then, Professor Annie spoke.
【Nature L3: According to information I once read at the Titan Throne headquarters, this Emperor Beast is named “Fire-Eater” Gidon. It is approximately 930 meters in length, about 400 meters in height, and weighs around 90 million tons.】
【Nature L3: This Emperor Beast has a normal body temperature of 2,200 degrees, which is twice the temperature of volcanic magma.】
【Nature L3: In other words, the moment you reach its surface, you would instantly be vaporized.】
【Tomorrow:...Thank you for the information, Professor Annie. But I don’t think anyone wants to get close to an Emperor Beast.】
A few seconds later, lava gushed out as a giant beast roared and emerged.
Its appearance resembled a turtle, with eyes like incandescent fireballs. Thick smoke billowed from its mouth, and its body moved like a mountain.
The Emperor Beast “Fire-Eater” Gidon had made its entrance.
Faced with such a majestic creature standing tall between heaven and earth, everyone on the deck was stunned.
Li Ye was also deeply moved.
In front of an Emperor Beast, humanity truly was insignificant.
Just then, someone raised a question.
【Burning Steel: Professor Annie, may I ask what level this Emperor Beast is?】
Li Ye saw this and gently shook his head.
Emperor Beasts had no level.
These apex predators at the top of the Wasteland food chain demonstrated their strength solely by destroying enemies.
Professor Annie soon gave an answer that matched Li Ye’s thoughts exactly.
【Nature L3: All Emperor Beasts have no level, but I can give you a reference figure for Fire-Eater Gidon.】
【Nature L3: Roughly a few decades ago, Gidon single-handedly destroyed a Level 4 Assault-type Mobile City with ease.】
Everyone’s expression changed instantly upon seeing that.
"A Level 4 City? Destroyed with ease?"