Chapter 25: A New Wave of Intelligence Updates

Old Zhou, who manages the shop, returned at this time, bringing twenty new recruits with him. When the shop first opened, Li Ye had taken the opportunity to post a recruitment notice, and the task of interviewing had naturally been left to Old Zhou. The Level 1 items sold in the shop served as a side testament to the current strength of the Tomorrow. Furthermore, many residents had already seen the Frost Cannon mounted on the deck while the Tomorrow was docked for repairs, which had prompted quite a few people to sign up for an interview.

Soon, the first task for these twenty newcomers was to assist the mechanic, Lin Wu, with the repairs on the Tomorrow. To Li Ye’s surprise, Li Jin and Lei Jian also showed up. Upon asking, he learned that they had also opened shops in the bazaar and had even purchased his Level 1 rocket launchers. Li Ye immediately handed them two bags of Blue Heart potato seeds, as he had previously promised. When Lei Jian and Li Jin prepared to pay, he waved his hand, indicating it was unnecessary. To him, the cost of creating a bag of Blue Heart potato seeds was merely a single potato. Rather than collecting money, it was better to do them a small favor.

After thanking him and securing the seeds, Li Jin and Lei Jian did not rush to leave. Instead, they remained, chatting aimlessly with Li Ye. During their conversation, their eyes flickered, and they seemed to be holding back something.

"What’s wrong? Is there something else?" Li Ye asked, puzzled.

After probing further, he found himself somewhat amused. It turned out that these two had their eyes on his fruit tree and cotton seeds. As lords, they naturally understood the value of these Level 1 crops; it meant their own mobile cities would have an additional source of fruit. As for the cotton, that went without saying.

Li Ye pondered for a moment and then nodded. He had a total of thirty Sunshine Apple seeds, so sparing a few was no issue. He had even more cotton seeds, numbering in the hundreds. After some negotiation, he sold both types of seeds to the pair for 2,000 crystal coins. This price made Li Jin and Lei Jian wince; it was enough to buy three or four bags of standard Level 1 crop seeds. But in all fairness, Level 1 fruit tree seeds were incredibly rare. Once they matured and bore fruit, the pair could obtain more seeds for future planting or even sell them to recoup their investment. Cotton seeds were also high-value Level 1 crops. All things considered, it was a price they could accept.

...

With the help of the twenty new recruits, the repair speed of the Tomorrow increased significantly, and the work was completed within three days. Li Ye took a moment to tally the shop's earnings over those three days: over 16,000 crystal coins and more than 1,900 units of iron ore.

More than half of the revenue had come in on the first day of business, while foot traffic dropped sharply over the remaining two days. During this period, Li Ye had spent 600 units of iron ore to craft Spore Armor, and another 500 units to upgrade the propulsion tracks and the power wheel assembly. The installation and replacement work had been left to Lin Wu; thanks to the sudden increase in manpower, the work had progressed rapidly and was now complete. Li Ye also crafted six Gale Rocket Launchers and thirty rockets, only to find that his once-abundant supply of iron ore had hit rock bottom.

"It’s only just begun!" he exclaimed, startled.

According to his plans, he intended to craft ten Falcon assault rifles and four off-road vehicles. He also needed to stockpile enough ammunition, artillery shells, and rockets, while keeping some iron ore in reserve for emergencies. A rough calculation showed he needed at least another 2,500 units of iron ore. At the prices in the Roland Fortress bazaar, that would cost 20,000 crystal coins.

As Li Ye thought about it, he couldn't help but shake his head. At current prices, spending so much money to buy iron ore was not very cost-effective. After all, he had his information system; finding iron ore and mines in the wilderness was quite easy. Consequently, he only purchased 500 units of iron ore for emergency use. To his regret, the Roland Fortress bazaar did not sell Frost Ore. He had originally planned to craft more Frost Shells, and if he could have procured Frost Crystals, he would even have liked to build another Frost Cannon. After all, he had already experienced the power of the Level 1 cannon.

In the time that followed, Li Ye purchased a large amount of coal to load into the Tomorrow, bringing its energy levels back to the 60% safety line. He then bought some fruits and vegetables as usual, along with daily necessities and furniture for the new residents who had moved onto the Tomorrow. Looking at the ship before him, a sense of pride welled up within him.

The Tomorrow now housed forty to fifty people and was equipped with Falcon assault rifles, Gale Rocket Launchers, four types of Level 1 crops, a Level 1 off-road vehicle, three upgraded Level 1 city modules, and a Level 1 cannon. It even possessed a Level 2 item—City Camouflage! It was remarkable to think that it had developed so rapidly in just about half a month.

After reflecting, Li Ye began the personnel arrangements for the newcomers. He offered two choices: either serve as ordinary residents—performing repairs, tending to the fields or fruit and cotton crops, working in the lower engine room, or cleaning the ship—or become combat personnel, enjoying better treatment than the ordinary residents while being responsible for dangerous external combat and maintaining daily order.

The newcomers made their choices one by one. The vast majority opted to become ordinary residents; although the compensation was lower, the work was easier and safer. Once the personnel arrangements were concluded, Li Ye frowned slightly. The growth in the Tomorrow’s strength and the increase in personnel were good things, but its current supply of provisions remained at its previous level. Although the warehouse was stocked with vegetables and fruits, it was very little when divided among forty or fifty people.

Moreover, their shelf life was short, and they often needed to be consumed within a week. What Li Ye wanted was to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetables, fruits, meat, and eggs on the Tomorrow—ideally using Level 1 crops. However, gathering Level 1 crops was not as easy as he had imagined, and he would have to take it one step at a time. As for the poultry to provide meat and eggs, the Roland Fortress did sell them, but the prices were extremely high. Li Ye had bought some before; ordinary poultry took a long time to raise, required fresh water and feed, and needed space.

"That’s about it for now. Let me check the intelligence and plan the next route," he muttered to himself.

Once the repairs and troubleshooting were finished, the Tomorrow needed to set sail again. After all, there was less than three months remaining. Now, the new intelligence had refreshed. This time, it included one common, one excellent, two rare, two superior, and one epic piece of intelligence. As always, he read through the information carefully.

【1. Twenty kilometers southwest of Roland Fortress, a pack of Steel-Bladed Hyenas is wandering and foraging. (Intelligence Value: Common)】

【2. On the northeastern edge of the Rotten Lands, there is an undiscovered small oil field. (Intelligence Value: Excellent)】

【3. Last night, the Vanguard easily routed a predatory city, obtaining its population, resources, and projects from its production workshops. The loot also included a Level 2 item. (Intelligence Value: Rare)】

【4. In the Wasteland Zone, a monster civilization is gradually rising and becoming a major threat to humanity. (Intelligence Value: Rare)】

【5. Deep in the Thunder Canyon, a bounty hunter accidentally obtained a piece of loot—a Level 1 aerial vehicle. At the moment, he is distressed because he cannot transport this loot out. (Intelligence Value: Superior)】

【6. In three days, the wilderness boss (Level 1) "Foreman Jeremy" will appear at the Gloss Mine. This boss will drop a key to the mine's storage room, which contains a blueprint for a Level 1 mobile city upgrade. By collecting the materials required by this blueprint, one can upgrade a mobile city to Level 2. (Intelligence Value: Superior)】

【7. Refreshing... (Intelligence Value: Epic)】

Li Ye stroked his chin, analyzing the information. First was the first piece of intelligence. Twenty kilometers southwest of Roland Fortress, a pack of Steel-Bladed Hyenas was roaming. Steel-Bladed Hyenas were Level 1 elite monsters; their bodies were incredibly tough, and they were covered in several narrow, twisted steel blades. These monsters liked to charge at targets in packs, using the blades on their bodies to shred their prey. Their charging speed was extremely fast, making them a nightmare for people in the wasteland. Even mobile cities feared these creatures because they had immense jumping power; if the cannons and machine guns couldn't eliminate them, they would slip onto the deck, and then...

"Although it’s common, it’s still valuable in a way," Li Ye nodded gently. When the Tomorrow left the fortress, he would have to avoid heading in the southwest direction.