"Money should naturally be spent on the blade’s edge. The Tomorrow is currently our alliance’s main combat force. It's necessary to build the Level 2 Convoy, the Black Hawk Helicopter, and Level 2 Cannons," he replied. "Level 2 Treaded Wheels aren’t an immediate necessity, so we can hold off on them for now."
Li Ye pondered for a moment and nodded.
For now, they simply didn’t have enough money, so this arrangement would have to do. But there was no need to worry.
By running the shop in the fortress for a few more days, they’d be able to earn enough to purchase the necessary supplies.
Purchase Level 2 Frost Ore, purchase Level 2 Vehicles, purchase Level 2 Flamethrowers......
As he kept buying, Li Ye realized that he had run out of money.
Seeing this, Fang Yong simply handed over his 5000 Crystal Coins to Li Ye for him to use.
"What about fuel for your Iron Whale？" Li Ye asked.
Fang Yong waved his hand.
There was still some Coal and Fuel left aboard the Iron Whale, and with the Engineer, they could also process Level 1 Fuel using Freshwater and Wood.Pooling the resources of the three cities, they could barely gather enough fuel to support the Iron Whale’s field operations.
After purchasing the supplies and bringing the Iron Ore earned from the shop back to the Tomorrow, Li Ye also checked on Lin Wu’s situation.
The recruitment was going fairly well—Lin Wu had already recruited more than fifty people.
According to Li Ye’s plan, he intended to recruit around a hundred people here.
"We’re still short on money. Right now, we don’t even have enough to buy Level 2 Iron Ore," he said, patting Fang Yong on the shoulder. "Let’s go, let’s go—back to business."
......
On the fortress wall, two Patrol Personnel were chewing on bread and chatting absentmindedly.
"So unlucky—why is it our turn to stand watch again？" one of them complained. "I feel like my health condition is getting worse and worse."
"You should count yourself lucky," the other person curled his lip. "Compared to the convoys the Lord sends out for Exploration, we’ve got it pretty good. We only have to stand watch from time to time. You can still care about your health; those who go outside for Exploration often lose their lives!"
"Stand watch？" the Patrol Personnel looked up at the pitch-black sky. "It’s Long Night every day now—what’s the difference."
After finishing off the remaining bread in his hand, he rubbed his hands together and casually tossed the wrapper over the city wall.
Overall, he was fairly content with his current life.
The salary for Patrol Personnel was decent, and meals were provided daily. He didn’t need to risk his life going out for Exploration like others.
"Hey, have you noticed that the Zombie Swarm attacks have been getting more frequent this past month？" his companion asked. "Recently, there was even a Zombie Mobile City."
The Patrol Personnel frowned.
Thinking carefully, it did seem to be the case.
Just then, the fortress wall beneath their feet began to tremble slightly.
The two snapped back to reality and quickly observed their surroundings.
It wasn’t just the wall—even the ground was shaking.
This wasn’t an earthquake. Earthquakes didn’t follow such a rhythmic pattern.
One of them realized what it was and immediately directed the nearby spotlight into the distance.
What they saw was a black tide surging from the horizon.
The Zombie Swarm was upon them again!
Seeing this, the two of them instantly turned pale.
The fortress had faced Zombie Swarm attacks in the past too, but the scale had usually been in the hundreds or thousands—just minor scuffles for the fortress.
Occasionally, Zombies would form a human wall, but those were quickly mowed down by Heavy Machine Guns.
But this time, the number of Zombies reached into the hundreds of thousands!
And it wasn’t just Level 1 Zombies—there were also large numbers of Tyrants, Corroders, and Screeching Banshees, all Level 2 Zombies!
Even worse, under the spotlight’s illumination, the two also spotted the source of the tremors.
It was none other than over a dozen Zombie Mobile Cities.
Among them, several were even Level 2.
At the very center of the Zombie Swarm was a Level 2 Zombie City with a crimson coating.
Sitting in the cockpit was a Zombie clad in a blood-red uniform—he seemed to be the supreme commander of the Zombie Swarm.
This Zombie Commander wore a half-rotted military uniform, with a silk sash draped diagonally from his left shoulder to his right waist. A ceremonial sword hung at his side, giving him a rather aristocratic air.
As he slowly drew his sword and uttered an obscure and unintelligible language, the Zombie Swarm surged forward like it had been incited, rushing toward the Level 2 Fortress.
The two Patrol Personnel were so terrified their legs gave out, and they immediately began broadcasting the alarm.
"Zombie Swarm incoming! Zombie Swarm incoming!"
Alarms blared across the entire Level 2 Fortress.
Combat Personnel rapidly took their positions, and the spotlights on the fortress wall swung toward the horizon.
When they saw the surging Zombie Swarm rolling in like storm clouds, everyone’s expression changed.
"What’s going on？" Fang Yong furrowed his brows inside the Marketplace District.
Li Ye also looked uneasy.
"I’ve got a bad feeling. Let’s hurry back to the Armor Deck."
Just then, a shell suddenly landed near their store and exploded with a deafening blast.
Li Ye turned his head—and his face changed instantly.
That was no ordinary shell—it was a Zombie!
He immediately understood the situation: the alarm at the fortress was due to a Zombie Swarm attack outside, along with Zombie Mobile Cities. The Zombies had been packed into cannons and fired into the fortress.
Half of the Zombies used as “shells” were casualties. The surviving ones staggered to their feet and began roaring as they lunged at the nearby panicked crowd.
Fang Yong hadn’t even recovered from the shock when a Zombie charged right at him, ready to bite.
In the nick of time, Li Ye struck down the Zombie with his Bloodletter Military Dagger and saved him.
"Move! We need to retreat to the Armor Deck immediately!" he shouted.
At that moment, large numbers of “Zombie Shells” began falling into the fortress one after another.
The Zombies landed like black dots, gradually spreading throughout the fortress.
Li Ye and Fang Yong’s group found themselves in an extremely dire situation.
The Marketplace District they were in was already densely populated, making it difficult to even walk, and their store was located near the center.
Along the way, a huge number of Zombies fell from above—including many Level 2 Zombies—making the sight especially harrowing.
The Fortress Personnel on the walls turned even more deathly pale.
Watching the endless wave of “Zombie Shells” raining down, their hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
The Zombies’ tactic was brutally effective. Even if the fortress walls could withstand the direct assault from the Zombie Swarm and the Zombie Mobile Cities, the interior would gradually collapse.
Now, the fall of this Level 2 Fortress was merely a matter of time.
What shocked them even more was that the Zombies had rolled out a cannon.
It was a massive cannon, tens of meters long, forged from both flesh and steel, with a barrel diameter nearing 10 meters.
Before everyone’s stunned eyes, the Zombies worked together to load the heavy shell, then lit the fuse.
With a thunderous boom, the heavy fortress gate was blasted open with a ferocious gap. Those nearby hadn’t even reacted before they were killed by the sheer force of the blast.
The Zombie Swarm surged in like a tide of wheat through the breach.