Chapter 18: A New Round of Information-Rich Intelligence

After a sharp roar, the Crimson Hound began accelerating in pursuit.

Accompanied by several piercing whistles, a barrage of shells landed around the Dawn, triggering a fierce bombardment.

Most aboard the Dawn were roused from sleep, swiftly grabbing their weapons and assembling.

“Ali, should we prepare to fight back?” Old Zhou’s voice came through the comms.

Li Ye thought carefully and quickly shook his head.

“No, we can’t engage it. Tell Tang Fang to speed up, create distance, then activate the city camouflage.”

He was fully aware of the Crimson Hound’s strength.

Ninety-six combatants, four convoys, eight standard cannons, fourteen heavy machine guns, over a hundred firearms of various kinds.

Plus, two level-one cannons!

Moreover, he had witnessed the devastating power of those level-one cannons not long ago.

A dull whoosh sounded as a shell exploded not far to the left of the Dawn.

A fierce blaze shot up into the sky, and the intense shockwave swept across the entire city, causing it to tremble slightly.

Li Ye’s expression shifted.

Such power... without a doubt, it was a level-one cannon.

If the Dawn were hit head-on... the consequences would be unimaginable.

Following Tang Fang’s series of maneuvers, the Dawn gradually accelerated, with the Crimson Hound close behind. The two mobile cities engaged in a chase across the wasteland.

Throughout, the Crimson Hound fired repeatedly, shells nearly striking the Dawn several times.

Suddenly, Li Ye had a clever idea.

“Tang Fang, memorize the route ahead and plan carefully. Then turn off all lighting!”

Seconds later, every light on the Dawn went dark.

With a sharp turn, it vanished beneath the Crimson Hound’s searchlights.

Minutes passed before the Crimson Hound lost all trace of the Dawn.

Its searchlights scanned endlessly, but no sign of the other city appeared.

This predatory city was reluctant to believe it had lost its prey; it slowed to a stop, deploying four convoys and accelerating its search in all directions.

It refused to accept that such a prize had escaped right under its nose.

After about half an hour, the convoys returned from all directions, reporting failure.

They had hoped to track the Dawn by its tire and tread marks, but this region was a junction where many mobile cities frequently passed, leaving a chaotic web of overlapping wheel tracks.

The Dawn’s tracks had been lost amid the confusion, impossible to follow.

With the convoys recalled, the Crimson Hound had no choice but to restart and slowly retreat.

“Finally gone.”

Li Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, the Dawn had blended seamlessly into the landscape of the wasteland.

To be safe, Li Ye waited half an hour after the Crimson Hound’s departure before deactivating the city camouflage.

“Thank goodness for that level-two item, or the Dawn would have been finished this time,” he thought sincerely.

Indeed, that level-two item was incredibly useful, whether for ambush or escape.

If there was a drawback, it was its enormous energy consumption.

From instant activation to sustaining for an hour, it had consumed 11% of the city’s energy—enough to power the Dawn for two days of travel.

“No wonder all the level-one cities are so obsessed with the wild bosses... after all, everyone wants that level-two item they drop!” he murmured to himself.

...

A new day dawned swiftly.

The people aboard the Dawn began their daily work.

Lin Wu led a few others in a thorough inspection of the city from top to bottom.

Old Zhou and several companions went on patrol.

Meanwhile, Li Ye stood by the fields.

Today, the Blueheart potatoes had ripened and were ready for harvest.

Several residents busied themselves among the fields, gathering the potatoes.

Li Ye casually picked one up and examined it. The Blueheart potato was about the size of an ordinary one, but its skin and flesh were pale blue.

He tasted it on a whim, finding a subtle sweetness.

This harvest yielded a total of 1,563 units of Blueheart potatoes.

After the harvest, Li Ye had everyone sow a new round of Blueheart potatoes and also planted the recently acquired Dawnlight wheat.

Dawnlight wheat took longer to mature than Blueheart potatoes—about a month—but was already quite fast compared to ordinary crops.

Once it matured, the Dawn could produce flour, from which they could make biscuits, bread, steamed buns, noodles...

In short, the Dawn’s food supply was becoming self-sufficient.

However...

Li Ye stroked his chin and shook his head gently.

Currently, the Dawn’s food sources were still too limited—only wheat and potatoes.

He planned to acquire more level-one crops to diversify their meals.

Moreover, when conditions allowed, they would plant fruits and raise fish.

Incidentally, Li Ye had communicated with the Conqueror and Azure cities, hoping to trade level-one crops.

But to his surprise, all their level-one crops were Dawnlight wheat sold at Roland Fortress.

Generally, common level-one crops ranged from 500 to 1,000 crystal coins in price.

Dawnlight wheat was pricier because it was a staple, able to sustain more people than vegetables or fruits.

Li Jin and Lei Jian both showed interest in the Dawn’s Blueheart potatoes and wanted to buy some.

Potatoes, rich in starch and protein, were very filling.

But since all seeds had just been sown, Li Ye couldn’t fulfill their request immediately. He promised to sell them seeds next time they met.

By evening, a fresh batch of intelligence reports arrived.

[1. Fifteen kilometers southwest, a survivor convoy is temporarily resting. Seventeen people, ample supplies, no level-one blueprints, crops, or weapons. (Intelligence value: common)]

[2. To the west of the wasteland lies a level-one zone called the “Large Basin Area,” a month’s journey away. (Intelligence value: excellent)]

[3. After days of pursuit, the level-one mobile city “Vanguard” successfully defeated two hunting level-one mobile cities, annexing their population, resources, and all projects in their production workshops. (Intelligence value: excellent)]

[4. Roland Fortress is currently rife with conflict. Due to dwindling resources, radicals plan to consolidate all remaining assets, abandon three-quarters of the population, and revert Roland Fortress to a mobile city mode. Conservatives strongly oppose, confident a solution exists. The fortress lord holds great prestige, suppressing factional strife, but his illness is severe, and he can barely leave his bed. (Intelligence value: rare)]

[5. At dawn tomorrow, a spore town will emerge southeast of the Rotten Lands. This monster town is neutral; any survivor may visit to interact with its inhabitants and obtain unique level-one items. (Intelligence value: rare)]

Li Ye quickly skimmed through the reports.

Though no mention of mines or forests appeared, the information was surprisingly substantial.