Li Ye pondered for a moment before making his request.
He wanted to ask Gallas to watch over his companions who were currently developing the Large Natural Gas Field.
After a moment of hesitation, Gallas let out another low growl.
Mick then nodded toward Li Ye.
"It agreed."
"That's good!"
Li Ye immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
With an Emperor Beast helping to watch over them, he could feel far more at ease.
Originally, he had planned to also leave the Vanguard Armed Gunship behind for his companions.
Once the Tomorrow had completed its Land-driving Mode modification, Li Ye gave the order for it to head toward the Wormhole located in the Valley Zone.During the journey, he casually glanced at the map overview.
The Wormhole in the Valley Zone would only exist for 3 hours and was a one-way wormhole leading to the Desert Zone.
The Desert Zone, on the other hand, had two Wormholes—one led directly to the northernmost area of the Western Wasteland Continent, and the other to the Archipelago Zone.
Although this time he activated the full map overlay of the Western Wasteland Continent, the map did not provide detailed names or levels of each area.
However, over the past few days, Li Ye had managed to gain a general understanding of the southern regions of the Western Wasteland Continent.
Wasteland Zone, Basin Region, Desert Zone, Cretaceous Zone, Eternal Night Zone, Valley Zone, Archipelago Zone, Gobi Zone, Field Region—
And the Plateau Zone that spanned the central part of the Continent and extended southward.
Li Ye was able to recognize the Desert Zone and Archipelago Zone because one lay to the south of the Wasteland Zone, and the other to the south of the Cretaceous Zone.
The Valley Zone occupied by the Tomorrow Alliance was located in the southeasternmost corner of the Western Wasteland Continent and was quite small in area.
As he journeyed, Li Ye furrowed his brows and began planning his route.
After all, there were many wormholes on the map, and their destination, duration, and directionality all varied.
If not planned properly, it would be easy to make a mistake.
The most outrageous part was that some wormholes transported from land to water, or from the ground to the sky. These wormholes were obviously hidden dangers and had to be excluded from the route.
What Li Ye needed was a route starting from the Valley Zone, safely reaching the Red Ridge Zone in the north of the Western Wasteland Continent, and finally returning to the Valley Zone.
But at present, there were as many as 301 wormholes on the map, with some constantly disappearing and new ones appearing.
As he stared at it, Li Ye felt like his brain was about to overheat and burn out.
"Let’s just teleport to the Desert Zone first, then jump to the northernmost area."he thought.
When the wormhole appeared in their view, everyone aboard the Tomorrow was taken aback.
Li Ye promptly gave the order to enter.
Gazing at the wormhole’s giant maw, opened in response to the Tomorrow’s approach, the new crew members were flustered, while the veterans were already used to it.
Their Lord always seemed divinely guided, able to issue all sorts of ingenious commands with precision.
As the Tomorrow emerged from the wormhole, a vast desert spread out before them.
As far as the eye could see, the sand dunes rolled like golden waves.
To the north lay an endless Gobi plain, where shattered rocks and eroded stone outcrops littered the surface, occasionally dotted with abrupt rocky hills or bizarre columns shaped by Wind Erosion.
To the south were dried riverbeds and cracked saline-alkali flats.
Scattered across the desert were hardy drought-resistant plants, such as camel thorns and cacti, tenaciously rooted in the barren sand.
At this moment, the time was already nearing noon, with the scorching sunlight beating directly onto the ground and heatwaves warping the distant scenery.
Li Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and squinted slightly.
In recent days, while chatting with Zhou Xing and the others, they had talked about desert terrains.
This kind of terrain was extremely unfriendly for a Mobile City.
First, the desert lacked distinct surface landmarks, and the sand dunes constantly shifted, making it difficult to confirm direction.
Second, when traveling through the desert, the architectural structure of a Mobile City must balance light weight with high strength to withstand the expansion and contraction caused by extreme day-night temperature differences. Not only that, the Mobile City must also install reflective or thermal insulation layers on the exterior shell to reduce heat absorption.
Third, the desert is occasionally hit by strong winds, even sandstorms. Sand and dust can infiltrate parts of the Mobile City, causing mechanical failures.
Fourth, the desert contains loose sand, rugged rocky terrain, as well as quicksand and ravines. Travel is extremely difficult.
Fifth, water sources are scarce.
These various factors result in very few Mobile Cities willing to venture into the desert for survival.
As for Bounty Hunters and Survivor Caravans, it goes without saying.
That said, the desert does have one advantage: it receives ample sunlight year-round. If a Mobile City is equipped with City Accessories like solar panels, it can generate electricity for power supply.
Li Ye then ordered the vehicle to proceed northeast.
According to the map, the Tomorrow was five hours away from a wormhole in the northeast direction.
As he issued the command, he fanned himself with his hand.
This damned weather was truly unbearable.
Due to the scorching climate, most of the residents had chosen to return to their rooms to rest. The Combat Personnel on duty on the deck also stood in shaded areas.
Li Ye, however, held up an umbrella and carried a bottle of Cola as he climbed the Watchtower to observe.
After all, it was rare to visit a new area, and enjoying the scenery along the way was a nice bonus.
But very soon, he frowned.
In the distance, a Light Airship suddenly appeared in the sky.
It belonged neither to humans nor to monsters, but to Zombies.
The exterior of this Zombie Airship was coated in desert camouflage, and the hull emitted a foul stench due to the heat.
At that moment, it was swaying in the wind like a balloon.
It was not unusual for a Zombie Airship to appear in the desert, since the Zombie Civilization had already conquered the Desert Zone.
"Disgusting. Shoot it down for me!"Li Ye waved his hand.
A Black Hawk Helicopter immediately deployed and gunned down the Zombie Airship.
After completing its task, it did not return but instead moved forward to clear the path.
What surprised Li Ye was that the Tomorrow passed by a Survivor Community on its route.
This Survivor Community was located in a small valley.
Had a Survivor not shouted vigorously toward the Tomorrow, they really wouldn’t have noticed them.
The first thing that came into view was a line of defensive fortifications—ten-meter-tall walls welded together from abandoned vehicles, rusted steel plates, and concrete debris. Outside the wall was a "minefield," where Survivors had buried homemade high-pressure canisters. If Zombies stepped on them, they would be blown to bits.
Next came the Survivor dwellings—an arrangement of shipping containers, old vehicles, and tents pieced together. A small bell hung at the entrance of each home, producing hollow chimes when the wind blew. The rooftops were covered with regular solar panels.
Following that were makeshift workshops and an armory, where several Survivors were modifying weapons, and the workbenches were piled with crudely crafted Firearms and ammunition.
Within the small valley was also a pond connected to an underground river, surrounded by rows of cacti.
Upon closer inspection, Li Ye discovered that these cacti were actually Tier 1 Crops.
【Item Name: Sandthroat Cactus】
【Tier: Tier 1】
【Attached Effects: 1. Drought-resistant 2. Grows in five days】
It was obvious this cactus was the staple food for these Survivors.
After all, both the stems and pulp of the cactus were edible.
After a brief exchange, Li Ye learned that these Survivors were not native to the Desert Zone but had fled from the Wasteland Zone.
Some were Bounty Hunters, others came from Survivor Caravans.
Some had originally been residents of Mobile Cities and had narrowly escaped when their cities fell to the Zombie’s Flesh Cannon.
This group of Survivors totaled 46 individuals.
To survive, they had gritted their teeth against the Desert Zone’s harsh climate, scavenging for supplies and fighting off Zombie Swarms.
Some risked their lives to scavenge from Fallen Mobile Cities, while others drove out to harvest rare wild resources.
Through painstaking accumulation, this community gradually acquired Tier 1 Cannons, Tier 1 Heavy Machine Guns, and various Tier 1 Weapons.
In fact, the combat strength of this team was quite high—
Mainly because the majority were Bounty Hunters.
In surviving the wilderness, they were already well-equipped and skilled in combat.
The sudden appearance of the Tier 2 Mobile City, the Tomorrow, left the Survivors astonished.
Li Ye pondered for a moment, then made up his mind.
"Why don’t you all just come aboard the Tomorrow?"he said with a wave.
The Survivors were overjoyed at Li Ye’s proposal.
Soon, they quickly gathered all the community’s supplies and moved into the Tomorrow together.
Li Ye then assigned the City Committee to handle reception and ordered them to thoroughly check whether any of the Survivors were infected.
After that came the usual routine—arranging rooms, distributing supplies, and issuing food and fresh water.
Looking at the living supplies in their rooms and the food and water in their hands, the Survivors exchanged glances, then sighed in relief.
Upon learning that they didn’t have to become slaves after entering the Tomorrow and that there was even a promotion system, they were all the more surprised.
Almost everyone chose to become Combat Personnel.
On one hand, they had ample combat experience. On the other, the treatment for Combat Personnel was indeed superior.
Li Ye wasn’t in a rush to assign them to squads. Instead, he arranged for Old Zhou, Lin Wu, and the City Committee to help the Survivors integrate into the Tomorrow and slowly build rapport.
In truth, he didn’t have to worry much about that. These people often had families—elderly, children, spouses, close friends.
With such attachments, and in order to settle down on the Tomorrow and improve their living conditions, these people would naturally give their best effort.
After the assimilation was completed, the Tomorrow continued heading toward its destination.
During this time, Li Ye obtained a pack of Tier 1 Sandthroat Cactus Seeds from the Survivors and arranged for residents to plant them in the fields.
This way, the dining table on the Tomorrow would become a bit more varied.
One of the Survivors hesitated for a long while before approaching Li Ye.
"Are you still short on manpower? There are a few other Survivor Communities nearby. We usually keep in contact."
After a brief pause, Li Ye nodded in agreement.
"Alright, then you’ll lead the way."
In the time that followed, the Tomorrow visited several more Survivor Communities and assimilated the Survivors there.
The total headcount, scattered and pieced together, had already surpassed two hundred.
"That should be enough."Li Ye nodded.
After all, the Tomorrow currently had around five hundred people in total. Taking in over two hundred more at once was already a lot; the next step was to absorb them gradually.
Along the way, Li Ye also encountered many Zombies.
Some were Zombie squads patrolling in Desert Off-road Vehicles, others were Watchtowers set up in the desert, and there were even Tier 1 Zombie Cities.
The Zombie Civilization was managing and controlling this Tier 1 Zone.
But overall, the forces they deployed in the Desert Zone were not strong.
The reason was simple—the Desert Zone’s harsh environment and scarce resources made it a Tier 1 Zone that even dogs wouldn't want.
Under Li Ye’s command, the Tomorrow cleared out many Zombie forces along the way.
By dusk, the Tomorrow arrived at the wormhole.
As it entered the wormhole, Li Ye rubbed his hands together and took a deep breath.
This time, this wormhole could directly teleport them to the northernmost region of the Wasteland Zone.
From the map, that region looked vast.
"I wonder if this is a Tier 1 Zone or a Tier 2 Zone."he thought.
Given the complete uncertainty of the situation, Li Ye made combat preparations.
Combat Personnel stood ready on the deck in order, the Black Hawk Helicopter and Vanguard Armed Gunship were on standby, Convoy One and Convoy Two, along with the Storm Infantry Vehicle, were ready on the lift platform.
Only after all this was done did he give the order for the Tomorrow to enter the wormhole.
When the Tomorrow exited the wormhole, Li Ye was greeted by a scene completely different from the Desert Zone.
What lay before his eyes was a vast white wasteland. As far as the eye could see, the world was nothing but endless snow and ice.
A biting cold wind howled past, sweeping up fine snow particles and forming a hazy mist just above the ground.
"Is this... an icefield?"he murmured.
The next moment, he sneezed.
Just a second ago he had been in the sweltering Desert Zone, and now he was suddenly in this frigid area—his body clearly couldn’t take the sudden change.
At that moment, the deck of the Tomorrow echoed with a chorus of sneezes.
Li Ye quickly turned back to his room and put on thick clothing.
Returning to the Watchtower and surveying the surroundings, he couldn’t help but rub his chin.
Compared to the southern part of the Western Wasteland Continent, he knew absolutely nothing about this Northern Western Wasteland Region.
What human forces were distributed here, whether Predatory Cities existed, whether there were Monstrous Civilizations—he had no idea at all.
From the system map, Li Ye only gleaned the following bits of information.
First, the Desert Zone’s wormhole had transported him to a central location within this unknown region.
Second, this unknown region had a total of three wormholes—one located 154 kilometers northeast, one 331 kilometers southwest, and one nearby just 15 kilometers away.
But the nearest wormhole was completely off-limits because it would teleport people into the shallow sea to the left of the Western Wasteland Continent’s central region. If a normal person stepped in by mistake, they’d be done for.
As for the remaining two wormholes—
The northeastern wormhole was a two-way wormhole and would transport people to the mountainous area in the western part of the Wasteland Zone. It was estimated to disappear in 15 hours, 25 minutes, and 32 seconds.
The southwestern wormhole was a one-way wormhole that would send people to another unknown area in the Northern Western Wasteland Region. It was estimated to disappear in 3 days, 1 hour, 16 minutes, and 6 seconds.
Li Ye’s gaze followed the northeastern wormhole and landed on the Wasteland Zone.
The Wasteland Zone had one wormhole, and that wormhole led to the Red Ridge Zone of the Western Wasteland Continent.
His eyes lit up instantly.