Chapter 6: The Survivor's Town
Not only Li Ye, but also Old Zhou and the others standing beside him instantly grew excited.
A level 1 weapon, and an assault rifle at that! With this, the armed forces of the Tomorrow could be greatly strengthened, no longer forced into a passive stance against level 1 monsters as before.
Even after the trade was completed, Li Ye couldn't quite believe it.
He had never expected that two boxes of candles could be exchanged for such a fine weapon.
Then, as he looked at the numerous bags carried by the kobold merchants, he fell into thought.
These monster merchants carried so many valuable items. If he could snatch them all at once, wouldn’t he be rich beyond measure?
But upon seeing the kobold cavalry guards surrounding them, his thought was quickly dismissed.
There were at least two to three hundred of these kobold cavalry, including many elite units, led by an elite captain.
Level 1 crossbows, level 1 lances, level 1 rifles, level 1 portable rocket launchers... The weapons they carried made Li Ye break out in a cold sweat.
“Better not,” he sighed.
As he was about to leave, Li Ye suddenly thought of something and turned to the kobold merchants.
“Can I bring candles to trade with you again in the future?” he asked tentatively.
The kobold merchants shook their heads. One of them raised a finger and gently waved it.
Li Ye understood their meaning.
Only one trade was allowed.
And the more candles you give, the better the items you receive.
Looking at the blueprint in his hand, Li Ye nodded softly.
Opportunities like the monster caravan were truly rare and precious. Not only did one need to know when and where they would appear, but also the secrets of trading with them. Most people wouldn’t be able to manage it.
...
After submitting the blueprints, the production workshop immediately unlocked the Falcon Assault Rifle project.
Li Ye was initially overjoyed, but upon seeing the crafting cost, he winced.
Crafting one Falcon Assault Rifle required 50 units of level 1 iron ore—a hefty price.
For comparison, upgrading the city’s propulsion tracks only required 100 units of iron ore.
Still, once the Falcon Assault Rifle was produced, Li Ye eagerly picked it up and admired it with great fondness.
Along with unlocking the assault rifle project, its ammunition was also unlocked in the workshop: 1 unit of iron ore could produce 15 bullets.
Li Ye spent 350 units of iron ore in one go, crafting five Falcon Assault Rifles and 1,500 rounds of ammunition.
---
Looking at the rifles and the piles of bullets before him, he felt a surge of security.
These were level 1 weapons, assault rifles no less, sure to inflict devastating damage on level 1 monsters.
With them, he would no longer feel so helpless facing the hordes of the undead.
Then, noticing he had less than 50 units of iron ore remaining, his brow furrowed again.
These resources were useful but hard to come by.
“Where to next, A-Li?” Old Zhou asked.
After some thought, Li Ye pointed in a direction.
“We head due west.”
...
Several hours later.
At the watchtower, Li Ye slowly raised his binoculars.
On the distant horizon, a small town came into view.
That was his destination: Wildfield Town.
At this moment, many in Wildfield Town had already been awakened by the sound of the moving city, the Tomorrow.
Upon seeing the mobile city approaching, some were astonished, some puzzled, and others deeply fearful.
After all, in the wasteland, a small town like Wildfield—without heavy machine guns, artillery, or even sturdy barricades—was at the very bottom of the food chain.
“They probably think I’m here to rob them,” Li Ye thought.
He lowered the binoculars and instructed the lookout to continue observing the town’s movements, then descended from the watchtower.
According to Li Ye’s plan, Tang Fang remained on standby in the cockpit, the lookout kept watch, and several others stayed aboard the Tomorrow, ready to provide support with heavy machine guns should an emergency arise.
Li Ye had also deliberately left one person by the artillery, even though the shells were depleted—the townsfolk didn’t know this, allowing them to bluff.
The rest accompanied him toward Wildfield Town.
As the Tomorrow halted, Li Ye and the others descended slowly via the lift platform. The townsfolk peeked curiously from windows and doorways, eyeing them with interest.
While walking, Old Zhou instinctively shielded Li Ye from behind.
Li Ye was momentarily taken aback but then smiled gently.
He appreciated Old Zhou’s kindness, though the intelligence system had already indicated that Wildfield Town lacked artillery and firearms, posing little threat to them.
---
Moreover, each of them was armed.
The mayor of Wildfield Town was an elderly man with white hair and beard, who bore little goodwill toward Li Ye’s group, his brow furrowed throughout.
Only after Li Ye explained his purpose did the mayor’s look of disdain soften somewhat, accompanied by a sigh.
“Very well. I hope you act quickly and leave as soon as possible.”
Wildfield Town’s marketplace was very small—just one street—and the goods sold were limited.
Mostly crops, homemade dried food, occasionally some old furniture and appliances, and sometimes raw materials mined from the wild such as iron ore, timber, and coal.
Li Ye briefly outlined his objectives.
First, to procure supplies.
He needed to purchase fuel and coal to replenish the Tomorrow’s energy reserves.
Additionally, he wanted to acquire some saltpeter. One unit of saltpeter could be processed in the workshop into one unit of gunpowder for making shells.
He also needed to buy more food, as the newly planted Blueheart potatoes required a week to mature, and the remaining provisions aboard the Tomorrow were insufficient to last that long.
Second, to recruit talent.
To operate a mobile city effectively, at least the following specialists were required:
The helmsman, responsible for steering.
The gunner, tasked with aiming and firing the artillery.
The mechanic, overseeing daily repairs and parts replacement.
The lookout, stationed in the watchtower to provide real-time updates on the wasteland.
The combat captain, maintaining internal order and leading external battles.
Besides these specialists, Li Ye also needed to recruit at least twenty residents to handle refueling, resource gathering, cleaning, and farming.
Third, to gather intelligence.
However, surveying the small town before him, Li Ye doubted his needs could be fully met.
The marketplace was too limited to supply all the materials he desired in one go, and the population was too small to provide specialized talents like helmsmen, gunners, or mechanics, let alone twenty capable residents.
“Sigh, I’ll have to make do with what I can find—both talent and supplies,” he sighed softly.