The calm of the coastal waters was quickly shattered.
The whistles of three Mobile Cities followed, and these iron giants slowly unfolded their giant Fishing Nets, beginning to harvest the Fish Schools.
Each cable of the Fishing Nets was as thick as the anchor chains of warships, with mesh openings large enough for a whale to pass through. However, the edges were equipped with retractable hydraulic valves, capable of snapping shut instantly to form a sealed cage when hauling in the net.
As the propellers and thrusters of the Mobile Cities operated at high frequency, the sea surface roiled. Mechanical Arms fitted with high-pressure water pumps extended into the seawater, creating a curtain of bubbles that drove the panicked Fish Schools toward the giant Fishing Nets.
Through the murky seawater, tens of thousands of fish could be seen rolling like liquid mercury.
After some time, the brimming Fishing Nets broke the surface, and countless marine creatures shimmered silver on the decks of the Mobile Cities.
Li Ye nodded in satisfaction at the sight, then waved his hand.
"Set sail, return to base!"
On the return journey, he specifically ordered the residents to take a portion of the catch to enrich Tomorrow's dining table.
For everyone, these freshly caught sea fish were quite novel. Some people looked at the octopuses mixed in with a surprised expression in their eyes.After all, it was everyone's first time going out to sea.
After returning to shore, the three Mobile Cities used cranes to lift the Fishing Nets and placed them near Gallas.
As the Fishing Nets were untied and retrieved, the catch piled up like a small mountain in front of Gallas.
This Emperor Beast slowly opened its mouth and began eating.
"Fish count as one of Gallas’ favorite foods," Mick said.
"Does this guy usually like fishing too?" Zhou Xing asked curiously.
"No," Mick shook his head, "It hunts the Sea Beasts in the ocean."
"Sea Beasts?" Fang Yong was puzzled.
Mick then explained to everyone that many Sea Beasts exist in the ocean.
Their size typically started from dozens to hundreds of meters, and in the deep sea, some might even reach several hundred or even thousands of meters long.
Everyone was stunned into silence.
Li Ye appeared thoughtful.
It did seem that the ocean was far more complex and dangerous than the land.
The catch from the three Tier 2 Mobile Cities was devoured by Gallas within just a few minutes.
"This little bit alone won’t even come close to filling that guy’s stomach," Mick couldn’t help but shake his head. "Hurry up and go catch more."
At this moment, Gallas’ transfusion operation had already concluded—over this period, this Emperor Beast had been infused with over a dozen Giant Blood Bags and Giant Medical Drug Pouches.
The Peacemaker, which had been acting as a Temporary IV Stand, was finally freed.
Li Ye then assigned a task to Yang Zheng, instructing him to continue extracting resources in the Valley Zone.
As the Peacemaker departed, Li Ye looked up at the Valley Zone, his eyes full of fervor.
Even after the current resources were exhausted, this Tier 1 area would continue to refresh with Mines, Logging Fields, Mining Mountains, and Rare Ore Veins—effectively a small treasure trove with periodic output.
At that thought, he couldn’t help but feel eager.
Monopolizing a Tier 1 area already felt so good—what about monopolizing a Tier 2 area?
Tier 2 Iron Ore, Tier 2 Coal, Tier 2 Saltpeter, resources dropped by Tier 2 Monsters, Tier 2 Wild BOSSes...
Lost in this fantasy, Li Ye couldn’t help but sigh.
If it were a Tier 2 area, even a fully staffed Tier 2 Mobile City Alliance might not be able to hold it.
Over the next few days, the three Mobile Cities went out to sea to fish and feed the injured Gallas.
One morning, as the sun rose, Li Ye and his group witnessed a shocking sight.
A dense mass of white objects drifted into the nearby waters.
When Li Ye picked up the Binoculars and got a clear view, his expression changed instantly.
They were all Fish Schools, belly-up, already dead.
This alone might not have been enough to turn everyone’s expressions pale—but the fact that these fish were all dozens, even hundreds of meters in size was.
Li Ye immediately picked up the Walkie-Talkie.
"Zhou Xing, Fang Yong, Yang Zheng! Did you see that?"
"We saw it," came Zhou Xing’s slightly panicked voice through the Walkie-Talkie. "Why are there such massive fish?"
"Something's not right. The fish we've been catching in the coastal waters these days were all normal-sized," Fang Yong said, then suddenly realized. "These dead giant fish drifted in from afar!"
Li Ye watched the scene, his expression gradually turning grave.
Dozens of meters, hundreds of meters—maybe even several hundred, a thousand meters...
If these giant fish came in schools, they would already pose a threat to Mobile Cities.
If the ocean was filled with fish of this size, then the Tomorrow Alliance’s seafaring plans would be far too dangerous!
He immediately dispatched the Black Hawk Helicopter to bring Yang Zheng, Fang Yong, Zhou Xing, and Mick onto Tomorrow's deck.
At that moment, Mick was yawning groggily, clearly having had a poor night’s sleep.
As a doctor of the Titan Throne and the person in charge of the Adventurer, Mick had a terrible daily routine, staying up late every night playing video games—yes, the Adventurer had a complete set of gaming equipment. When Li Ye saw it, he was shocked at the Titan Throne’s resource reserves.
Mick had invited him to play together at the time, but he declined.
"Dr. Mick! Dr. Mick!" Fang Yong shook Mick’s shoulder vigorously, trying to keep him awake. "What’s with those giant fish?"
After letting out a long yawn, Mick took the Binoculars from Li Ye and looked at the giant fish slowly drifting toward the shore.
"Oh, looks like you guys got lucky today!" His eyes lit up instantly. "So many giant fish—enough to stuff Gallas full. You don’t have to go fishing today."
"...That’s not what I meant!"
Li Ye stared at Mick intently.
As a member of a World-class Organization specializing in the study of monsters, and a T7-level member within the organization, Mick surely knew the origin of these giant fish.
As expected, under his gaze, Mick slowly began to explain.
"There’s an ocean out at sea, called the Leviathan Ocean. It’s extremely far from the Western Wasteland Continent."
"The marine creatures living there—whether fish, sea serpents, shellfish, or Sea Beasts—are all unusually massive."
After pondering Mick’s words, Zhou Xing asked with confusion.
"Since the Leviathan Ocean is so far from the Western Wasteland Continent, how did these giant fish get here?"
Mick shrugged.
For reproduction.
It was natural for fish schools to migrate along ocean currents.
Whenever the seasons changed or breeding seasons began, tens of thousands of giant fish from the Leviathan Ocean would form enormous schools, using the ocean currents like highways to embark on long journeys to other oceans.
Upon reaching their destination, these giant fish would begin to reproduce.
They would release hundreds or thousands of fish eggs—each about the size of a basketball.
And the fry that hatched from the eggs would one day grow into giant fish themselves.
The thought of giant fish reaching every part of the ocean and multiplying by the thousands made everyone’s expression change.
"Doesn’t the Titan Throne do anything about this?" Li Ye asked.
Mick spread his hands helplessly.
"There’s simply nothing that can be done."
"The ocean is just too vast, and the fish schools migrate and reproduce in all directions, spawning hundreds or thousands of giant fish every time."
"The threat they pose is too great. Over the years, the Human Forces and the World-class Monstrous Organization have held multiple negotiations..."
As he spoke, he suddenly realized something and covered his mouth.
"Oh, I shouldn’t have said that!"
Li Ye looked at the belly-up giant fish, then at the distant ocean, and couldn’t help but shake his head.
Do not go out to sea.
Bishop Heath’s words were becoming increasingly valid.
Under everyone's gaze, the belly-up giant fish slowly floated to shore.
Li Ye looked at them once more.
最⊥新⊥小⊥說⊥在⊥⊥⊥首⊥發！
Their scales glinted coldly, each as thick as a shield, with edges tinged with a rotten hue that made one uncomfortable.
Their eyes resembled glass marbles that had soaked in seawater for too long, with unnaturally dilated pupils.
Seeing the giant fish, Mick stood up straight, his face showing rare seriousness.
"I advise you all to stay away from these fish," he said.
Zhou Xing looked at the fish and instinctively asked.
"Why?"
Mick turned to him, the lenses of his glasses flashing coldly.
"Because these fish’s favorite food is humans."
Everyone exchanged glances and simultaneously stepped back.
Even without knowing that, they would’ve kept their distance from these creatures.
Upon seeing the drifting fish, Gallas slowly rose halfway, grabbing a giant fish with its claw and stuffing it into its mouth.
"It can stand up already?" Fang Yong exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, Emperor Beasts recover quickly," Mick nodded. "In another week or two, Gallas should be fully healed."
He then turned and looked at the four, shaking hands with each in turn.
"Thank you for your help this time. The Titan Throne will remember the contribution you’ve made."
Li Ye gave a light cough.
"More than that... Dr. Mick, I’d rather have a more tangible reward."
Mick was momentarily stunned, then smiled in sudden realization.
"Of course!"
"Good!" Li Ye nodded quickly. "In that case, we need 4000 units each of Tier 2 Iron Ore, Tier 2 Coal, Tier 2 Fuel, and Tier 2 Saltpeter, as well as 2000 units of Tier 2 City Alloy. There’s no rush—you only need to prepare and deliver it within a month or two."
Upon hearing this, Mick's smile vanished and he narrowed his eyes.
"That’s a hefty demand," he said slowly. "Even applying to higher-ups, it would be very difficult to allocate that many resources to you."
Li Ye sighed lightly.
It seemed he wouldn’t be able to loot Crystal Coins from the Titan Throne this time.
Mick scratched his head.
"If you’re talking about rewards, I do have something."
"...What is it?"
Under the gaze of the four, he slowly pulled a blueprint from his pocket.
【Tier 3 Upgrade Blueprint (Type: Flying Vehicle)】
After a brief daze, Li Ye’s eyes lit up.
A Tier 3 Upgrade Blueprint, and it was for a Flying Vehicle type.
With it, he could upgrade the Black Hawk Helicopter to Tier 3! Tomorrow’s aerial power would take another leap forward!
He immediately shook Mick’s hand in thanks and took the blueprint from him.
Zhou Xing and the others were also overjoyed.
Li Ye led everyone to the Production Workshop and input the upgrade blueprint.
A line of text popped up on the screen.
【You may designate one Flying Vehicle to be upgraded】
【Black Hawk Helicopter Tier 2 → Tier 3: Requires 100 units of Tier 3 Iron Ore and 25 units of Tier 3 Precision Flying Vehicle Components. Additional Effects: Speed +30%, Fuel Consumption -40%】
Li Ye couldn’t help rubbing his hands, itching with excitement.
The +30% speed and -40% fuel consumption were simply too powerful!
In future new zones, he could deploy the Black Hawk Helicopter for high-efficiency exploration.
However, just like the Tier 3 City Camouflage Upgrade Blueprint, it also required the Mobile City to be promoted to Tier 3.
"But where are we supposed to find Tier 3 Iron Ore?" Zhou Xing asked.
At those words, Li Ye showed a troubled expression.
Tier 3 Iron Ore was indeed hard to come by.
Although the Western Wasteland Continent had no Tier 3 zones, its Tier 2 zones had a chance of producing Tier 3 Iron Ore.
For instance, from Tier 2 Wild BOSS drops, or from Tier 2 Neutral Monstrous Caravans, Tier 2 Neutral Monstrous Towns, or Tier 2 Neutral BOSSes.
Since Tier 3 Iron Ore was currently unavailable, Li Ye was in no rush to designate the Black Hawk Helicopter for the upgrade.
He decided to hold onto it for now—perhaps Tomorrow would acquire another Tier 2 Flying Vehicle, like an Airship or Light Aircraft. At that point, he could compare their stats post-upgrade and decide which one to upgrade.
After parting ways with Zhou Xing and the others, Li Ye returned to his room.
He opened the System Panel. At that moment, a new round of Intelligence had already refreshed.
【1. As of now, the survival rate of dinosaurs in the Plateau Zone is 87%. (Intelligence Value: Common)】
【2. The continent closest to the Western Wasteland Continent is the Southern Lium Continent, located southeast of the Valley Zone. (Intelligence Value: Excellent)】
【3. Under the joint planning of the Apocalypse Sect and the Titan Throne, the Sky Road Project has officially begun. Human Forces in the Western Wasteland Continent will start construction from the Tier 1 zone Red Ridge Zone, building a Plateau Corridor over 2000 kilometers across the Letun Plateau to reach the Southern Field Zone. (Intelligence Value: Rare)】
【4. The Human World-class Organization has tacitly abandoned the southern sea route of the Western Wasteland Continent. (Intelligence Value: Outstanding)】
【5. After multiple negotiations, the Human Forces and Monstrous World-class Organization have reached an agreement. To destroy the Zombie Civilization threatening the Western Wasteland Continent, both sides will Step In simultaneously. Rather than eliminating the Zombie Civilization, the Human Forces are more eager to obtain the Lord of Bones’ Finger. To ensure fair competition, both sides have agreed to restrict Mobile Cities to Tier 2 and items to a maximum of Tier 3. The Human Forces’ Supreme Commander is Bishop Heath. The Monstrous side’s commander is General Aug. Both parties have agreed to launch a joint attack against the Zombie Civilization in one month. (Intelligence Value: Outstanding)】
【6. Refreshing... (Intelligence Value: Epic)】
【7. Refreshing... (Intelligence Value: Legendary)】
Li Ye quickly absorbed the Intelligence content.
"Didn’t expect the dinosaur survival rate in the Plateau Zone to be this high," he said in surprise. "At this rate, they might soon begin reproducing in the Plateau Zone."