Chapter 54: The Big Guy

On the upper deck of the Tomorrow, the goblin helicopter still lay quietly.

Whenever Liye had some free time, he would pilot this helicopter for a quick spin in the vicinity.

After entering the tranquil lake, pathfinding ahead would largely depend on the helicopter. After all, a fleet of vehicles cannot swim.

Liye pondered for a moment, then summoned Lin Wu and Old Zhou to express his thoughts.

"Do you need to start training pilots for aerial and nautical vehicles now? I can help you screen candidates aboard the Tomorrow," Old Zhou offered.

Lin Wu added, "In that case, you'll need to compile flight and navigation manuals and input them into the simulation training pods."

"Very well," Liye nodded. "As for the pilots' compensation, make it the same as the gunners and helmsmen."

The giant forest was located not far from the urban ruins. Before long, the Tomorrow reached its destination.

At this very moment, stretching out before everyone was a nearly boundless giant forest composed of rows of colossal trees hundreds of meters high.

The towering ancient trees had intertwining roots, and their lofty canopies blotted out the sun and sky, creating an overwhelmingly breathtaking spectacle.

The people aboard the Tomorrow left their rooms one after another and came to the deck, gasping in involuntary awe at the scene before them.

Out of caution, Liye took the lift platform down to the ground and slowly stepped into the giant forest.

The main path through the forest was fairly wide, barely enough to accommodate a mobile city.

Sunlight could hardly penetrate, making the entire forest exceptionally gloomy.

Returning to the deck, Liye began to ponder his next strategy.

Either rest and recuperate outside the giant forest for two or three days while waiting for the next round of intelligence updates before deciding on a route, or head directly to the rendezvous point to unite with the Moonlight and the others.

At that moment, Lin Xia's voice suddenly rang out from the watchtower.

"Attention! Three mobile cities have suddenly appeared one kilometer to the west!"

"......What?"

Liye froze instantly.

Through his telescope, he spotted the flags and livery of these three mobile cities.

The Devil, The Lovers, and The Tower.

These were all figures from the Tarot cards, and all of them were members of the Tarot Alliance!

The reason they were spotted at such close range was that these three predator cities had just emerged from the vicinity of the forest.

Upon discovering the Tomorrow not far away, the Devil immediately sounded its steam whistle, followed by a rapid acceleration to charge forward. The other two predator cities followed closely behind.

Liye's expression inevitably turned grave.

If it had just been a suspicion before, he could now be certain.

The Tarot Alliance indeed possessed a Level 2 item capable of tracking the movements of mobile cities.

The Tomorrow had most definitely been targeted by them.

He made an immediate decision.

"Tang Fang, enter the forest directly through the nearest entrance! Combat personnel, take your positions immediately!"

Night was gradually falling, and the rain was growing heavier.

The Tomorrow sped forward through the night, exchanging artillery fire with the pursuers.

Because the forest paths were somewhat narrow, the three predator cities could not deploy their formation for the time being. Coupled with the Tomorrow's continuous rearward fire, it became very difficult for them to mount an effective pursuit.

Half an hour later, the Tomorrow successfully shook off its pursuers.

While feeling a sense of relief, Liye furrowed his brow slightly.

From the start until now, the Tomorrow had essentially plunged headfirst into the forest, leaving no time to plan a route.

He looked around; all he saw were natural walls formed by rows of giant trees. Except for the searchlights of the Tomorrow, it was pitch black here, illuminated only by the flashes of lightning leaping across the clouds overhead.

Meanwhile, the distant roars of giant beasts and the sounds of gunfire served as a reminder that this place was far from peaceful.

...

When Liye opened his eyes again, it was already the following morning.

He quickly dressed, got up, and went to the deck.

Even in broad daylight, the entire giant forest still appeared quite gloomy, and a steady, light drizzle was falling.

After traveling for just over a dozen minutes, Liye suddenly felt his scalp tingle.

There were overlapping giant trees in every direction, and the fork roads were numerous, requiring frequent turns and reversals.

He waved his hand and spoke.

"Keep moving forward, and let's see what this forest is really all about."

As they penetrated deeper, Liye caught sight of more and more sights.

A dozen-meter-tall, elite-tier Minotaur.

A small iron ore vein.

A campsite where goblins gathered to rest.

At a dead end, the shattered wreckage of a convoy.

A small pond occupied by kobolds.

The conditions within this forest were far more intricate than imagined. After passing through a fork, the Tomorrow even unexpectedly caught sight of an open area measuring four to five square kilometers.

At noon, he logged onto the A4 communication channel.

By this time, the Vanguard had already opened the channel, and a group of mobile cities was discussing.

[Vanguard: Sharing some unfortunate news, all members of the Tarot Alliance have now arrived at the giant forest.]

[Bronze Wanderer: They seem to possess a method for navigating the forest and have already begun hunting mobile cities on a large scale; the situation has become extremely critical....... Additionally, my brother and I have already entered the forest.]

[Echo: I'm still a day away.]

[Roamer: Same here.]

[Forest Gull: I cannot make it.]

[Vanguard: I suggest we huddle together for warmth, prioritize gathering at the location of the Moonlight, and then discuss countermeasures.]

The various mobile cities expressed their agreement one after another, while Liye remained hesitant.

If the intelligence was correct, all 12 mobile cities of the Tarot Alliance had arrived—though he was unsure if the Hanged Man was still surviving.

Coupled with the fact that these predator cities had mastered pathfinding methods, continuing to act as a lone wolf would be perilous.

Huddling together for warmth with the Vanguard and the others seemed to have become the only choice.

After a little while longer, the Tomorrow encountered several small iron ore veins in the forest.

"This isn't bad!" Liye's eyes lit up.

He hadn't expected that while the forest was perilous, its resources were also abundant.

Just as he was preparing to summon personnel for mining, another mobile city drove out from the opposite fork.

Both sides immediately fell into a standoff.

This mobile city also possessed Level 1 artillery; its heavy machine guns, standard cannons, and number of vehicles were roughly comparable to the Tomorrow's.

After exchanging a series of warning whistles, the two sides reluctantly reached an agreement.

The southern area belonged to the Tomorrow, and the northern area belonged to the other party.

The Tomorrow then drove to a nearby iron ore vein and began extraction.

At that moment, a heavy roaring sound suddenly echoed from nearby, as if some massive creature was approaching.

The ground vibrated rhythmically, like the beating heart of some gigantic beast.

Liye's heart tightened abruptly.

"All mining personnel, fall back! Everyone on deck, prepare smoke shells!"

A few seconds later, a behemoth violently smashed through the nearby giant trees and charged straight into the area.