Chapter 268: A New Agreement Between Humans and Monsters |
The headquarters of the Apocalypse Sect.
Pope Constantine hurried into the conference room.
The projections of Titan Throne's leader, Chu Shanhai, and Iron Oath Brotherhood's leader, Karon, were already waiting there.
Karon turned toward Constantine.
"So?" he asked calmly.
The meaning behind his question was self-evident.
How should humanity deal with that enormous creature in the sky?
Chu Shanhai took a sip of tea and smiled faintly.
"I don't think we need to rush," he said leisurely. "Right now, the wasteland is effectively under monster control. If Azgor intends to cause trouble, the monsters will be the first to suffer."
"That's true," Karon reminded them, "but don't forget that humanity recently launched the Wasteland Occupation Project. We've already established a number of human forces out there."
After pondering for a moment, Chu Shanhai spoke softly.
"Indeed. Although this planet is currently occupied by monsters, we'll reclaim it sooner or later."
"It ultimately belongs to us..."
"So you're saying we'll have to take action this time as well?" Constantine said. "Before that, we'll still need to reach an agreement with the monsters. Otherwise, if we act unilaterally, we'll be at too much of a disadvantage."
"The monsters should be even more anxious than we are," Karon added.
Just as the three leaders had expected, several minutes later, a communication request arrived from the monster side.
The three men exchanged glances.
After accepting the connection, United Sect Pontiff Erd, War Alliance leader Gellrok, and Natural Selection leader Aida appeared in the conference room.
"It's been a long time, Elder Karon, Pope Constantine, Chairman Chu Shanhai," Aida greeted gently.
The three human leaders nodded in return.
Although Aida appeared to have the gentlest demeanor among the three monster leaders, she was also the most ruthless during wars against humanity.
Within the monster camp, she had always been known as the "Valkyrie."
Before Aida and Erd could say much more, Gellrok impatiently waved them silent.
The War Alliance leader got straight to the point.
"This time, let's put our conflicts aside and work together to eliminate every Emperor Beast in the world," he said in a deep voice.
"What do you say, humans?"
Constantine and the other two exchanged surprised glances.
After a brief silence, Chu Shanhai smiled first.
"I don't know why, but every War Alliance leader is always so impatient," he remarked. "There are several world-class Emperor Beasts. Even if we joined forces, dealing with all of them would be extremely difficult."
"Then we'll kill them one by one," Gellrok replied. "I think everyone understands that this world will either belong to us or to you. There is no place for these Emperor Beasts to run rampant."
United Sect Pontiff Erd finally spoke.
"Why don't we deploy world-class weapons this time?" he said with a chuckle. "What do all of you think?"
Silence immediately fell over the conference room.
Aside from Erd, every leader wore a solemn expression.
"Erd, while world-class weapons are certainly capable of dealing with world-class Emperor Beasts," Aida said worriedly, "every time they're used, the cost is enormous."
"Gellrok, you suggested exterminating every Emperor Beast in the world. On behalf of Titan Throne, I refuse," Chu Shanhai declared.
"Some Emperor Beasts are on friendly terms with us. We consider them companions. We cannot possibly attack them."
Instead of becoming angry, Gellrok laughed.
"Companions?"
"Or tools?"
Chu Shanhai simply smiled in return without answering.
After an extended discussion, both sides finally reached an agreement.
Humanity would be responsible for dealing with Azgor.
The monsters would be responsible for dealing with Jörmungandr.
As for the remaining Emperor Beasts...
They would have to make a choice.
Either stand with humanity.
Or stand with the monsters.
Any Emperor Beast refusing to choose a side would be exterminated without exception.
As for the details of the operation, both sides would continue negotiating them gradually.
Once the agreement had been finalized, the projections of the three monster leaders disappeared.
Constantine and the other two exchanged another glance.
"So we're forcing the Emperor Beasts to choose sides..." Chu Shanhai murmured.
"Only world-class organizations could resort to such domineering methods..."
He could already foresee that the conflict between humanity and the monsters would become even more intense in the future.
......
The Bedrock Abyss.
Within the supermassive cavern.
Tomorrow's Armor Deck.
Li Ye was currently sorting through the resources obtained from six days of hunting mutant creatures.
Iron Ore.
Coal.
Saltpeter.
Crystal Coins...
The spoils before him had piled into a small mountain.
This time, he had obtained another eight blueprints.
One City Armor Upgrade Blueprint.
One Naval Vehicle Upgrade Blueprint.
One Firearms Upgrade Blueprint.
Five Level 4 Blueprints.
Naturally, the City Armor Upgrade Blueprint would be used to upgrade the armor of every Mobile City in the Tomorrow Alliance.
Following tradition, however, the Stardust and the Iron Whale would receive priority since they needed it the most.
Tomorrow itself was now mainly responsible for deploying forces externally and would likely no longer participate directly in battle, so it might not receive the upgrade.
The Naval Vehicle Upgrade Blueprint would be used to upgrade the Deep Sea Hunter Submarine.
The Firearms Upgrade Blueprint would be used to upgrade the assault rifles.
After deciding how to allocate the upgrade blueprints, Li Ye began examining the five Level 4 Blueprints.
The very first one made him pause.
【Item Name: "Ion Storm" Tank】
【Level: 4】
【Bonus Effects:
Ion Penetration/Melting Capability +40%
Charging Time -50%
Adaptive Armored Camouflage Coating】
【Construction Requirements:
225 units of Level 4 Iron Ore
50 units of Level 4 Precision Vehicle Components】
【Weapon:
"Solar Flare" Magnetically Confined Plasma Arc Cannon】
Judging from the blueprint, the Ion Storm Tank possessed an extremely intimidating appearance, perfectly combining cutting-edge technology with overwhelming destructive firepower.
Its low-profile wedge-shaped hull was constructed from multiple layers of composite armor, its surface covered with adaptive camouflage coating capable of automatically changing color according to its surroundings.
The turret was undoubtedly the vehicle's most distinctive feature.
The conventional cannon barrel had been completely eliminated, replaced by a circular magnetic confinement accelerator surrounded by three layers of superconducting coils.
Whenever it charged, dazzling blue electrical arcs erupted between the coils.
The Ion Storm Tank fired rings of superheated plasma capable of slicing through everything in their path.
Ordinary creatures struck by the attack would melt completely.
Vehicles and buildings would undergo liquid vitrification.
Although its power was astonishing...
Its firing range was honestly rather disappointing.
Only three hundred meters.
"So this is a Level 4 tank designed for close-range area clearing?" Li Ye pondered.
"Maybe I should build a few and see."
The second blueprint was for a missile.
【"Doom Pendulum" Heavy Missile】
【Level: 4】
【Bonus Effects:
Explosion Power +50%
Flight Speed +30%
Jammer Immunity】
【Construction Requirements:
500 units of Level 4 Iron Ore
50 units of Level 4 Fuel】
"This time it's actually a heavy missile?" Li Ye exclaimed in surprise.
He had previously seen the destructive power of heavy missiles on television news.
Since Tomorrow was currently the alliance's only Level 4 Mobile City, this blueprint could naturally only be imported into its Production Workshop.
The manufactured heavy missiles could then be loaded either into the missile silos aboard the Peacemaker or into the submarines of Tomorrow's naval forces.
Without question...
The Tomorrow Alliance had gained another terrifying long-range weapon.
"Once we reach Level 5, we'll probably unlock intercontinental missiles," Li Ye thought.
He then looked at the third blueprint.
【Item Name: "Sirius" Individual Lightweight Exoskeleton】
【Level: 4】
【Bonus Effects:
Carrying Capacity +50%
Vertical Jump Capability +30%
Wear Reduction -50%】
【Construction Requirements:
30 units of Level 4 Iron Ore】
According to the blueprint, the Sirius Individual Lightweight Exoskeleton featured streamlined armor and a low-profile design that perfectly conformed to the human body.
It lacked the bulky appearance commonly associated with traditional powered armor.
Seeing this, a question naturally arose in Li Ye's mind.
Could the Sirius Individual Lightweight Exoskeleton be equipped together with a jetpack?
If it could...
Would the exoskeleton be too heavy?
Would it affect the jetpack's performance?
The fourth blueprint was for the "Satellite Weapon - Kinetic Strike Alloy Rod."
Its bonus effects were:
"Strike Radius +40%"
"Accuracy +70%"
Construction required 150 units of Level 4 Iron Ore.
The alloy rod depicted in the blueprint stood over fifty to sixty meters tall and possessed astonishing weight.
The fifth blueprint was the "OS-7 Air Curtain Barrier Projector."
Its bonus effects were:
"Beam Weapon Deflection Rate +40%"
"Refraction Efficiency +30%"
"Physical Projectile Interception Rate +85%"
Construction required 300 units of Level 4 Iron Ore.
It was an accessory designed specifically for naval mobile combat units.
Thinking about it, Li Ye sighed quietly.
At present, the Tomorrow Alliance only possessed reconnaissance satellites.
They had no means of mounting satellite weapons.
"It's probably about time to head back," he thought.
The resources within this supermassive cavern had already been completely harvested.
He was now carrying an enormous quantity of resources and blueprints that needed to be converted into actual combat power as quickly as possible.
The thought of possessing well over ten thousand units of Level 4 Iron Ore filled him with satisfaction.
At the same time, he also had to carefully consider how to spend it.
"Should I build a mobile combat unit..."
"Or construct an aircraft carrier and establish an aircraft carrier strike group?"
If he chose the latter...
He would first need to gather another large supply of Iron Ore.
Over the next period, Li Ye discussed the matter with his companions and Fang Ying.
Everyone unanimously agreed that it was time to return.
Li Ye therefore activated the Recall Device and returned to Home Island.
After only a few days away, the gigantic Mobile Island had already undergone tremendous changes.
Newly constructed highways.
Railways.
Cities and towns.
They could be seen everywhere.
"I have to admit, the engineering capabilities of Mobile Cities are truly incredible," Li Ye thought.
The staff operating the Elemental Plane Teleportation Device informed him that Home Island would officially begin operating in a few more days.
In other words...
It was about to take flight.
After returning, the first person Li Ye contacted was Albert.
This time, his main objective was expanding the population.
Tomorrow's fifty thousand residents had now been almost completely integrated.
Moreover, both Li Ye and the City Committee had accumulated extensive experience during the integration process, making future recruitment much easier.
"So, how many newcomers are you planning to recruit this time?" Albert asked.
"Well..."
Li Ye fell into thought.
A Level 4 Mobile City—known as a City-class Mobile City—could accommodate anywhere between two hundred thousand and five hundred thousand people.
The current Tomorrow already felt rather empty.
Eventually, Li Ye made his decision.
"Please give me another fifty thousand people."
Unexpectedly, Albert simply shrugged before telling him something.
If Li Ye intended to recruit people directly from Home Island...
That was practically impossible.
The survivors who had come to this gigantic Mobile Island had all done so seeking a stable and peaceful life.
Very few would be willing to follow Mobile Cities like Tomorrow and continue enduring life on the move.
After thinking it over carefully, Li Ye realized Albert was absolutely right.
Most people naturally preferred stability.
"But you'll still be able to recruit people," Albert replied.
"Some survivors are still willing to join Mobile Cities—for example, those currently living in Underground-digging Mobile Cities or underground cities."
Li Ye was slightly taken aback.
It sounded as though the human world-class organizations were still struggling with population resettlement.
After all, the flagship cities of the Three Major Human Organizations were all Level 7.
Each of them was capable of accommodating hundreds of millions of people.
Seeing Li Ye's expression, Albert quickly guessed what he was thinking.
"That's exactly right."
He spread his hands helplessly.
"The flagship cities of the Apocalypse Sect, the Iron Oath Brotherhood, and Titan Throne are already completely full."
Li Ye nodded slowly.
Level 7 Mobile Cities essentially existed to carry populations.
Or more accurately...
To carry civilizations.
With populations exceeding one hundred million, they had naturally developed fully self-sustaining societies.
Moreover, because Level 7 Mobile Cities were unimaginably massive, humanity would never deploy them in external warfare.
Following that line of thought, Li Ye continued pondering.
The populations aboard the flagship cities of the Three Major Human Organizations had grown generation after generation.
As time passed, they had naturally reached their maximum capacity.
After the Silence Agreement had been abolished, the responsibility of sheltering and protecting every human force scattered across the wasteland had suddenly fallen upon the Three Major Human Organizations.
Since their flagship cities had already exceeded capacity, the higher-ups had no choice but to build underground cities, underwater cities, Mobile Islands, and settlements centered around Underground-digging Mobile Cities to house the surplus population.
As he reflected on this, another question occurred to him.
"Bishop Albert, a Level 4 Mobile City can already support hundreds of thousands of people, while Level 5 and Level 6 cities can accommodate even more," he said.
"I imagine the Three Major Human Organizations would assign several high-level Mobile Cities specifically for carrying populations, wouldn't they?"
Albert slowly shook his head.
Instead of answering directly, he posed a simple but profound question.
"If you were the Lord of a Level 4 Mobile City, what type of city would you choose?"
Without hesitation, Li Ye answered,
"Of course an assault-type city, equipped with land, sea, and air combat forces."
As soon as the words left his mouth...
He understood.
Within the larger struggle for control of the planet, every high-level Mobile City was an incomparably precious strategic asset.
Just advancing one required tremendous manpower, resources, and effort.
Naturally, the human world-class organizations would deploy them on the battlefield instead of using them merely to transport civilians.
