Chapter 36: Those Who Come With Ill Intent

At this moment, Li Ye could not find any words to express the shock within his heart.

On the deck of this mobile city, the goblins moved in perfect unison, busy with well-trained efficiency. Combat captains, lookouts, helmsmen, mechanics, gunners—every professional role required on a mobile city was present on this goblin vessel! It was equipped with standard cannons and heavy machine guns, featured Level 1 city armor, and appeared to have upgraded a series of additional city modules.

On the deck, goblins brandished rifles and rocket launchers, beginning patrols under the lead of a combat captain. Near the mobile city, a convoy of goblin vehicles roamed. This monster mobile city was actually quite professional!

He could not help but wipe the sweat from his forehead. Monsters like goblins were simply too absurd; one moment they were flying helicopters, and the next they were operating a mobile city. At this rate, who knew? They might even be piloting mechs in the future.

Not long after, the goblin mobile city gradually moved into the distance. Confirming that the threat had passed, Li Ye ordered the *Tomorrow* to deactivate its city camouflage. Although this item was useful, it consumed a massive amount of city energy. If left on until dawn, the reserves would be completely depleted.

By now, many on the *Tomorrow* had been awakened by the earlier commotion. When they learned that a monster mobile city had just passed by, everyone was stunned.

"How is this possible? Aren't goblins the weakest Level 1 monsters?"

"This... this is too terrifying! You must be joking!"

Li Ye waved his hand, signaling for everyone to stay calm.

"Actually, there's no need to be so surprised," he said softly. "After all, this world no longer belongs to humanity."

...

By the time Li Ye woke up again, it was already daylight. He checked his watch; it was 5:36 AM.

"If nothing goes wrong, the two convoys I sent out should be returning," he thought. "I wonder what kind of information they managed to gather."

He could not help but feel a bit anxious. A single off-road vehicle was worth 250 units of iron ore; adding heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and assault rifles brought the cost to at least 600 iron ore. Plus, there were the three crew members on board. If any vehicle were lost, it would be a devastating blow.

Fortunately, to his relief, the two convoys returned one after another about ten minutes later, bringing back their respective reports.

First was Convoy One. According to the members, they had discovered a sizable survivor community.

"Brother Li, this community is called Firefly," one member said. "The people there mistook us for a scavenging caravan and were actually planning to offer us supplies, but we politely declined."

"They were willing to provide supplies to outsiders?" Old Zhou asked in surprise. "This Firefly community doesn't seem half bad."

Li Ye nodded slowly. There was backstabbing, but there was also mutual aid. Such was the apocalypse.

"We also noticed they only possess standard firearms," another member added. "They were very interested in our assault rifles and rocket launchers, even asking if we had any intention to sell."

"Perhaps we can cooperate with them," Li Ye replied. They could act as a contract manufacturer for Firefly's guns and rocket launchers to earn some crystal coins or iron ore. He never complained about small profits. However, he was slightly surprised that Convoy One had stumbled upon the largest survivor community in the city by accident.

As for Convoy Two, Li Ye noticed their off-road vehicles were riddled with bullet holes, clearly having encountered an attack. The team brought back some explosive news: while heading toward the city center, they had accidentally encountered the *Scarlet Hound* on the outskirts.

The predatory city immediately opened fire with the heavy machine guns on its deck and even mobilized several cannons to barrage them. Seeing the convoy fleeing into the distance, it simply deployed its own ground vehicles via a lift platform and gave chase with wild abandon. The ensuing pursuit lasted for a long time before ending.

Due to the unexpected delay and the high fuel consumption, the members of Convoy Two weighed the pros and cons and ultimately gave up on exploring the city center. They chose a secluded street to spend the night and hurried back as soon as dawn broke.

Li Ye felt a wave of relief and patted the team members on the shoulders. "As long as you're safe, it doesn't matter if the fuel is gone." A convoy consisted of two off-road vehicles and six people; if they had all been wiped out, his heart would have bled.

At the same time, he sighed despondently. "I never expected the *Scarlet Hound* to be here as well. They certainly didn't come with good intentions..."

But why would this predator city come here? After pondering for a moment, Li Ye understood. These city ruins were the central hub of the wasteland region; as a former city, it held plenty of resources, and many caravans and mobile cities frequented the area. Therefore, as a hunter, the *Scarlet Hound* had naturally followed.

Li Ye briefly estimated the current gap between the *Tomorrow* and the *Scarlet Hound*. Now that the *Tomorrow* possessed Level 1 cannons and a convoy equipped with *Tempest* rocket launchers, it finally had the strength to put up a fight. At the very least, he wouldn't have to choose flight as he did last time.

However, the disparity in artillery numbers was too great. The *Scarlet Hound* had twice as many cannons as the *Tomorrow*, providing it with an overwhelming advantage. Even worse, the *Tomorrow*'s greatest trump card—the Frost Cannon—was low on ammunition. Since the attack on the Gloss Mine, only three frost shells remained, and they had never been replenished.

He shook his head. For a moment, he considered leaving these ruins immediately and heading straight for the Great Forest.

Just then, Lin Xia's voice came from the watchtower.

"Attention! Three kilometers to the northeast, a mobile city is coming toward us!"

"What?" Li Ye's expression changed. Without a second thought, he roared, "All *Tomorrow* combat personnel, take your positions! Civilians, head to the shelter immediately!"

He sprinted toward the watchtower. The moment he lifted his binoculars, he saw the mobile city clearly. It was indeed the *Scarlet Hound*.

Looking at the predator city, Lin Xia turned pale, biting her lip, her eyes locked onto it. The newcomers, originally residents of the Roland Fortress, also turned ashen. In less than a few days, their nemesis had appeared.

The *Scarlet Hound* had clearly spotted the *Tomorrow*. It began to accelerate slowly and sounded its siren: two short blasts followed by two long ones.

"You have become the prey?"

Li Ye read the whistle language and let out a cold laugh.

"Then let's see... who is the prey, and who is the hunter."