Chapter 38: Existence Is War

For a fleeting moment, Li Ye felt as if he could see the two shells clearly.

They traced an elegant parabolic arc as they hurtled toward the deck of the Tomorrow. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and he felt as though he could hear the whisper of the Grim Reaper right beside his ear.

In the next second, the two shells detonated near the Tomorrow. The buildings at the impact sites were instantly reduced to dust, flames roared into the sky, and a violent shockwave swept outward.

One shell struck dangerously close to the left side of the Tomorrow; the shockwave, carrying a hail of building debris and fire, engulfed the left-side armor, tires, and treads.

"That was close." Cold sweat beaded on Li Ye's forehead.

Given the power of that artillery, a direct hit would have meant the end of the Tomorrow.

"Report! The Tomorrow's tires and treads have sustained heavy damage! It is estimated that we will lose mobility and grind to a halt before long!" Tang Fang’s voice crackled through the comms.

Simultaneously, the speed of the Tomorrow began to taper off.

Throughout the streets and alleys, the skirmishes between the vehicle fleets continued. Leveraging the power of their Gale rocket launchers, the second fleet managed to destroy another enemy off-road vehicle. However, the enemy, utilizing their superior numbers, concentrated their fire to take out one of the first fleet’s vehicles.

Following this, an enemy fleet steered directly toward the slowing Tomorrow. They were met by the Tomorrow’s heavy machine guns, along with the Falcon assault rifles and Gale rocket launchers wielded by the combat personnel on the deck.

"Don't let them get near the wheels and treads!" Old Zhou roared as he pulled the trigger.

A dense web of fire poured into the enemy fleet. The lead off-road vehicle was instantly riddled with holes, erupting into a fireball. The remaining two vehicles opted to swerve into a nearby side street, vanishing from sight.

Old Zhou and his companions exchanged a glance, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads.

"Damn it..."

As they had feared, half a minute later, the two off-road vehicles burst out from the street corner ahead. Their combatants were already leaning out of the windows, rocket launchers raised.

Under the barrage from Old Zhou and his men, one vehicle was quickly shredded, careening out of control into a nearby storefront. The other vehicle swerved wildly, dodging as it closed the distance to the Tomorrow, the enemy combatant already having his finger on the trigger.

In that split second of life and death, a burst of gunfire rang out. The driver of the off-road vehicle was killed instantly, and the vehicle lost control, flipping onto its side in the street.

Old Zhou and the others shook off their shock, nodding repeatedly.

"Well done!" Old Zhou couldn't help but praise. "Whoever took that shot, give them a major commendation!"

When he turned, he saw it was Li Ye.

Li Ye holstered his weapon and gave them a slight nod.

"Keep fighting, everyone," he said in a low voice.

A few seconds later, the Crimson Hound launched another artillery volley. A storm of explosions engulfed the Tomorrow, which returned fire, landing several hits on the enemy.

***

On the streets, the two fleets were locked in fierce combat. The battle between the two mobile cities had reached a boiling point.

"The situation is dire, Brother Li!" Tang Fang shouted urgently. "Our speed is still dropping! I don't think it can hold for another ten minutes!"

Before he could finish his report, the Crimson Hound’s two Level 1 artillery pieces fired simultaneously. The moment the shells left the barrels, Tang Fang forced a desperate evasive maneuver.

The Tomorrow jerked into a sharp right turn, grazing several buildings and scraping off countless fragments of masonry.

A second later, two violent explosions erupted behind it.

"Well done, Tang Fang," Li Ye thought to himself.

He looked in a specific direction and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Ning Wen!"

As if in response to his shout, the Frost Cannon fired.

The shell exploded beneath the left side of the Crimson Hound, instantly freezing part of its treads and tires. The Crimson Hound, which had been traveling at high speed, lost its balance and slammed head-on into a nearby building.

Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Tomorrow’s standard artillery opened fire in rapid succession, the shells detonating one after another against the Crimson Hound.

Just then, the Crimson Hound suddenly fired its artillery in all directions. In an instant, billowing smoke flooded the entire area.

"Is that... smoke shells?" Li Ye’s expression changed slightly.

"Leader, should we continue the attack?" a combatant asked.

Li Ye pondered for a moment, then quickly shook his head. He wanted to press the advantage, but it was difficult to land hits through the enemy's smoke screen. Furthermore, the Tomorrow’s left tires and treads were severely damaged and would soon lose all mobility.

He gave the order: "Fall back for now!"

Minutes later, the Crimson Hound slowly emerged from the smoke, but by then, the Tomorrow was nowhere to be found.

...

After reaching a secluded area, Li Ye brought the Tomorrow to a stop. By now, the left tires and treads were in tatters, making even basic movement difficult.

In city warfare, mobility is paramount for a mobile city; if it cannot move, it becomes a sitting duck.

Overall, the losses from this battle were within the range of what Li Ye could accept. He was even somewhat surprised that the Tomorrow had managed to trade blows with a predatory city like the Crimson Hound.

***

Recalling the battle, he still felt a lingering sense of fear. The Crimson Hound’s Level 1 artillery was terrifying; a single hit would generally scrap any standard Level 1 city. There were several moments during the fight when the Tomorrow had nearly been struck.

If the enemy had succeeded, all the resources he had painstakingly gathered, the talented personnel he had brought together, and the very future of the Tomorrow would have vanished into thin air.

This was the nature of war between mobile cities. Cruel, cold-blooded, and devoid of reason.

"Survival is war," he thought to himself. "Everyone must give their all."

Li Ye took a quick inventory of the losses. Fifty-two shells had been consumed, along with over 1,200 rounds of heavy machine gun and assault rifle ammunition. Casualties were minimal, though the loss of the first fleet was heartbreaking.

After an assessment, the mechanic, Lin Wu, gave his reply.

"I can have it repaired by dawn tomorrow," he said. "If you can give me more hands, I can speed it up."

"Fine, take as many people as you need," Li Ye agreed.

Moreover, the Crimson Hound had suffered significant damage as well. Thanks to the advantage of the Level 1 off-road vehicles and rocket launchers, the Tomorrow’s fleet had destroyed more than half of the enemy's vehicles.

The Crimson Hound had sustained damage in multiple areas, especially after being hit by the Frost Cannon, which had severely crippled its treads and tires. While it was immobilized, two more volleys had struck its deck.

The enemy's casualties were, no doubt, equally severe.

...

"So, what do we do now? Do we continue to attack the Crimson Hound, or do we leave?"

In the furnace room on the lower deck, Old Zhou gently fed a corpse into the fire and spoke softly. Space on a mobile city is limited; the bodies of the dead are usually incinerated in the furnace—there are no graves.

At that moment, regular residents were cleaning the deck, Lin Wu was leading a repair crew in an emergency fix of the Tomorrow's hull, and the logistics personnel were tending to the wounded.

Li Ye watched the sparks dancing in the furnace, saying nothing.

This battle had consumed a massive amount of ammunition, and they had suffered casualties. If they chose to leave, all those sacrifices would have been in vain. And the Crimson Hound would eventually recover, continuing its hunt.

But if they kept fighting, while the Tomorrow still had some strength left, its condition was poor, and the outcome was uncertain.

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"I've got it!"