Chapter 27: Li Jin’s Ominous Memories

Li Ye could not help but be stunned.

"You managed to get a luxury car blueprint from killing a single goblin? What kind of luck is that?"

The bounty hunter scratched his head. "I don't know, I've always been pretty lucky."

Li Ye took the Rolls-Royce blueprint from his hand and fell into deep thought. "Sigh... to think I'd actually have a Rolls-Royce to drive after transmigrating into this post-apocalyptic wasteland; my life is finally looking up!"

However, upon closer reflection, a luxury car wasn't practical in the wasteland. Its fuel consumption was high, and it required frequent maintenance. Adding another 50 units of iron ore would be enough to build a Tier 1 off-road vehicle.

He shook his head. "No, thanks."

He then turned his attention to the goblin helicopter.

【Item Name: Goblin Combat Helicopter】
【Item Grade: Tier 1】
【Bonus Effect: Speed +10%】
【Crafting Requirements: 150 units of iron ore (Tier 1), 10 units of aerial vehicle components (Tier 1)】
【Note: The production workshop does not possess the blueprint for this item, therefore it cannot be manufactured.】

For a mobile city, an aerial vehicle is highly valuable. It can not only perform reconnaissance and provide aerial fire support for the city, but the mobile city’s deck can also serve as a mooring point for refueling. The two work in synergy, yielding tremendous results.

In the end, the bounty hunter bundled the helicopter with its blueprint and sold it to Li Ye for 3,000 crystal coins. Making 3,000 coins in one trip was a great haul, and he planned to use the time ahead to properly relax.

Truth be told, Li Ye could have chosen to kill him and seize the goods. But given the current scale of the *Tomorrow*, he wasn't desperate enough for such measures. If he were to resort to that, he would need at least a whole squadron of helicopters to make it worth his while.

"Pleasure doing business with you." He shook hands with the bounty hunter and prepared to leave.

The other man hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Wait. You seem like a decent guy—you didn't try to rob me out in the middle of nowhere. I'll give you this blueprint I found in the canyon as well!"

"Hm?" Li Ye turned back, surprised.

The bounty hunter reached into his pocket and pulled out another blueprint.

【Item Name: Streamlined Diving Suit】
【Item Grade: Common】
【Bonus Effect: None】
【Crafting Requirements: 50 units of fabric (Tier 1)】

"Oh?" His eyes lit up instantly.

To a bounty hunter, this was just a common blueprint that didn't provide much of a boost to his personal strength, selling for only a few hundred coins at most. But for a mobile city, the benefits were significant. It would definitely be useful once he started heading out to sea, and sometimes, even if you wanted to find one, you couldn't.

He thanked the man and accepted the blueprint.

Back on the deck, Li Ye took out both blueprints to examine them. Although the diving suit blueprint was only common-grade, it was already a very useful functional item. And while the Rolls-Royce blueprint wasn't practical, he could input it into the production workshop for his collection.

In fact, he quite enjoyed the feeling of collecting blueprints, much like a player collecting gear and item entries in an online game. The most crucial part was that he could actually build the things in his codex.

Li Ye made a decision: if he had some spare money in the future, he would collect more blueprints. Even if he didn't use them, just having them lined up in the production workshop would be a treat to look at.

He then sighed and touched his pockets. After all that spending, his crystal coins were running low again.

Soon after, he used the lifting platform to transport the goblin helicopter onto the deck of the *Tomorrow* and arranged for Lin Wu to perform a maintenance check. After a quick inspection, the latter discovered that it was just a loose bolt on the propeller; once tightened, it was ready to fly.

After some careful study, the two found that the goblin helicopter was surprisingly easy to pilot. Its dashboard was much simpler than a human one and easy to understand at a glance. The operating system consisted of nothing more than a collective pitch lever, a cyclic stick, rudder pedals, and a throttle.

Li Ye even found a "Goblin for Dummies" guide inside the cockpit. Under his cautious operation, the helicopter actually managed to take off. However, due to its crude construction, it looked like it might fall apart at any moment.

Li Ye flew the helicopter in a few low-altitude laps around the area before returning to the upper deck. During the flight, he specifically checked the helicopter's firepower: it had two machine guns mounted on the wings, and the bomb bay contained six bombs. As a Tier 1 vehicle, it was fast, but its structure was fragile; it could easily be shot down by bullets piercing the fuel tank, leading to a fire or explosion. Still, for the goblins, it was a fairly decent aerial combat force.

...

The following day, Li Ye ordered the *Tomorrow* to set sail for the Rotting Lands to harvest the small oil field. Because the field was located underground and invisible from the surface, he had to send Lin Wu out with some ancient oil exploration equipment from the warehouse to scan the vicinity.

After confirming the location, a hatch opened at the bottom of the *Tomorrow*, extending a weathered automated drill that began to slowly rotate and bore into the surface. The hydraulic drill roared as it tore through the rock layers, finally reaching the oil reservoir. A pipeline extended from the drill, siphoning the oil, and the thick liquid was pumped into the storage tanks inside the mobile city.

Since the oil field was small, the work was finished in just half an hour.

Li Ye took stock of the haul: a total of 231 units of oil.

Oil could be processed into fuel in the production workshop, and fuel was the best resource for replenishing the mobile city's energy. Furthermore, the off-road vehicle and the goblin helicopter also required fuel. Considering that the *Tomorrow* might unlock plastic-related projects in the future—which would require oil—and that the ship's current energy levels were within a safe range, Li Ye decided not to process the oil but to store it for now.

He then set off to return to Roland Fortress, preparing for the most pressing matter at hand: attacking the Gloss Mine.

The *Azure* and the *Conqueror* were still undergoing repairs and maintenance in the fortress. Li Ye quickly found Li Jin and Lei Jian to relay the news. Upon learning that another wild boss had appeared, the two were shocked, but their eyes quickly turned fanatical. They had witnessed the drops from wild bosses before.

"This time, we need to cooperate fully, just like before," Li Ye said. Seeing Li Jin and Lei Jian nod, a flash of relief crossed his eyes. It was fortunate that both the *Azure* and the *Conqueror* were available, and since they had collaborated once before, there was a baseline of mutual trust. Otherwise, the *Tomorrow* alone would never be able to take the Gloss Mine, let alone secure that city promotion blueprint.

"By the way, where is the Gloss Mine? Do either of you have intel on it?" Lei Jian asked.

Li Ye looked at Li Jin. The report only mentioned the appearance of a wild boss; it didn't specify the location of the mine. Only the *Azure*, which had previously suffered a defeat there, would know where the Gloss Mine was and what kind of monsters were guarding it.

At the mention of the Gloss Mine, Li Jin’s face took on a look as if he had been chased by a pack of rabid dogs. According to him, the Gloss Mine was located 180 kilometers northwest of Roland Fortress. It was a massive mountain range with abundant mineral resources.

And the monsters guarding it were... goblins.

"Goblins?" Li Ye was surprised. In the wasteland, goblins were the most common Tier 1 monsters. They were short, cowardly, and cunning, with green skin and narrow, red eyes. They were considered the weakest of all monsters and were usually easy to kill. Furthermore, the drops from these Tier 1 monsters were typically very poor—most of the time, they yielded only one or two crystal coins, if anything. If you were lucky, you might get some iron ore or fabric.

"Goblins alone managed to beat your *Azure* into that state?" Lei Jian asked, skeptical.

Li Jin shook his head quickly. "You don't understand how ridiculous the goblins there are. Listen to me carefully."

When they first discovered the Gloss Mine, Li Jin and the crew of the *Azure* were thrilled. A mine produced resources several times higher than a regular mining site, and it could even contain rare veins or accompanying precious crystals. Especially after realizing the monsters guarding it were just goblins, they were ecstatic. Compared to Snake-men or Boar-men, these creatures were not worth mentioning.

Considering the complex nature of the wasteland, where accidents could happen at any time and other mobile cities might discover the mine, they moved quickly. To avoid complications, the *Azure* mobilized its combat personnel and began the assault.

However, the moment the battle began, they realized something was wrong. The goblins of the Gloss Mine mobilized rapidly, deploying artillery and heavy machine guns to counterattack. They hadn't just built tunnels; they had constructed extensive trenches, bunkers, and other defensive fortifications.

The goblins were well-trained and numerous, and their heavy machine guns and artillery were countless. A dense web of fire instantly engulfed the *Azure*. They even deployed rows of helicopters to strafe and bomb the *Azure*'s deck. When a helicopter was shot down, the goblins would heroically steer it to crash into the *Azure*.

For a moment, the crew of the *Azure* felt as if the entire mountain was firing at them. Their own machine guns and artillery caused limited damage because the vast majority of goblins were hiding in trenches and bunkers, and their weapons were often positioned on high ground. To their horror, the goblins even rolled out two Tier 1 cannons.

Li Jin immediately ordered the *Azure* to retreat. Even then, one of the Tier 1 cannon shells struck the ship, causing the entire mobile city to tremble. The *Azure* barely escaped with its life.

After assessing the losses, the entire mobile city was severely damaged, there were heavy casualties, and Li Jin himself had been critically injured and fell into a coma. Even now, having recovered, he still felt a lingering fear when speaking about it.

Li Ye and Lei Jian exchanged a look, their expressions turning grave. They hadn't expected the defenses of the Gloss Mine to be so absurd.

"It seems we'll need to plan this carefully..." Lei Jian sighed.

"So that goblin helicopter came from the Gloss Mine," Li Ye realized.

He thought for a moment and then spoke. "The *Tomorrow* has a helicopter. I can send it out to scout the mine, determine the positions of their bunkers and artillery, and then join the battle," he suggested.

Li Jin and Lei Jian were stunned. "What? You actually have a helicopter?"