Li Ye fixed his gaze and saw that it was a light tank.
【Item Name: Grizzly Light Tank】
【Item Grade: Level 3】
【Bonus Effects: 1. Reduces damage from shells by 35% 2. Speed +15% 3. Damage +10%】
【Mounted Weapons:】
【105mm Rifled Cannon (equipped with Armor-Piercing Shells, High-Explosive Shells)】
【7.62mm Machine Gun】
【35mm Grenade Launcher】
Overall, the bonus effects and mounted weapons of this Level 3 vehicle were quite decent.
Its price was 120,000 Crystal Coins.Li Ye felt that the price was a bit inflated. In land combat, tanks lacked the mobility of infantry fighting vehicles, and there was only one of them.
Now, he felt that spending 170,000 Crystal Coins on the Gunship was actually worth it.
He figured the seller who impulsively lowered the price might now feel they had undersold and suffered a loss.
Just like the Vanguard Armed Gunship, the Grizzly Light Tank required Level 2 Iron Ore for shell and bullet replenishment, and its fuel also had to be Level 2 at minimum.
Though these Level 3 vehicles were powerful, maintaining them was costly.
Li Ye began searching for blueprints of Level 2 vehicles.
Soon, he locked onto a particular blueprint.
【Level 2 Vehicle - "Desert Shield" Infantry Fighting Vehicle Blueprint】
【Item Name: "Desert Shield" Infantry Fighting Vehicle】
【Item Grade: Level 2】
【Bonus Effects: Reduces damage from Level 2 weapons, shells, and bullets by 40%】
【Crafting Requirements: 200 units of Iron Ore (Level 2), 50 units of Precision Vehicle Components (Level 2)】
【Equipped Weapon: 7.62mm Machine Gun】
"Compared to the Storm Infantry Vehicle, this is far worse!" Li Ye was surprised.
It was known that the Storm Infantry Vehicle came equipped with the Stinger Autocannon, the Rattler Light Machine Gun, and Light Missiles, and it even had self-repair and amphibious capabilities.
Looking at it now, all that effort to exchange for the Storm Infantry Vehicle was totally worth it.
The blueprint for the Desert Shield Infantry Fighting Vehicle was priced at 6,000 Crystal Coins, which was relatively affordable.
However, this also meant that the Bedrock Off-road Vehicle previously purchased in the Eternal Night Zone was now outclassed—in fact, from the Eternal Night Zone until now, Li Ye hadn’t even built a single Bedrock Off-road Vehicle.
Li Ye then purchased a Tier 2 Upgrade Blueprint at the Auction House, designated the Gale Rocket Launcher in the Production Workshop, and upgraded it.
After upgrading to Level 2, the Gale Rocket Launcher’s damage to structural vehicles increased from 10% to 20%, and its area of effect was extended from the original 100 meters to 200 meters.
According to Li Ye’s vision, the Tomorrow's future convoy would consist of Level 2 Off-road Vehicles mixed with Desert Shield Infantry Fighting Vehicles.
The Desert Shield Infantry Fighting Vehicles would also be equipped with combat personnel carrying Level 2 Rocket Launchers to enhance firepower.
Next came the matter of maritime combat forces.
Actually, according to Li Ye’s own thoughts, he planned to skip class—bypassing Level 2 Waterborne Vehicles entirely and directly collecting blueprints for Level 3 Waterborne Vehicles.
After all, based on his estimates, the Tomorrow would remain on land for a long time, and by the time it ventured to sea, it should have advanced to Level 3.
However, there were no Level 3 Waterborne Vehicle Blueprints available in the Auction House.
To Li Ye’s surprise, though, a Light Submarine was up for sale in the Auction House.
【Item Name: German Type 206 Submarine】
【Item Grade: Level 3】
【Bonus Effects: 1. Underwater speed +20% 2. Damage to ships +15% 3. Sailing noise reduced by 70%】
【Equipped Weapon: Triple Torpedo Launcher】
Its fixed price was 130,000 Crystal Coins.
"Uh, this..." Li Ye scratched his head.
Frankly speaking, in the waters of Level 2 zones, this Level 3 submarine could pretty much dominate. After all, Level 2 Mobile Cities had no concept of anti-submarine warfare, nor did they possess anti-submarine vessels or helicopters.
Its cost-performance ratio could only be considered a matter of personal judgment.
Li Ye then began searching for Level 2 Waterborne Vehicle Blueprints.
This time, several pages of blueprints popped up in the Auction House.
Li Ye quickly locked onto a particular blueprint.
【Level 2 Vehicle—"Swordfish" Mini Submarine Blueprint】
【Item Name: "Swordfish" Mini Submarine】
【Item Grade: Level 2】
【Bonus Effects: Underwater speed +15%】
【Crafting Requirements: 100 units of Iron Ore (Level 2), 50 units of Precision Waterborne Vehicle Components (Level 2)】
【Equipped Weapon: Small Torpedo Launcher】
"Didn't expect to find a Level 2 submarine blueprint," he thought.
However, the Swordfish Mini Submarine could only accommodate a single person, and its torpedo power was limited.
If he wanted to inflict damage on targets, it would likely require swarming in numbers.
The blueprint was priced at 10,000 Crystal Coins, and Li Ye bought it without hesitation.
During this period, the Tomorrow kept listing the Level 2 Fuel processed by the Engineer and the newly mined oil.
One transaction after another kept filling the coffers, even creating the illusion that the money might never run out.
In truth, this was probably the most satisfying time since Li Ye had transmigrated—the money just kept flowing in, and he could spend it however he pleased.
"Now that all the necessary purchases are more or less done," he let out a sigh of relief, "the incoming Crystal Coins next will all go towards acquiring Level 2 Iron Ore."
Just then, Lin Wu wheeled in on his signature wheelchair.
"Did you forget to search for something?" he asked.
"What?" Li Ye was surprised.
After thinking it over for a moment, he asked in confusion.
"That can't be, I’ve pretty much thought of everything that needs to be bought."
Lin Wu shook his head and reminded Li Ye.
Level 2 City Structure Blueprint.
Level 2 City Crystal.
"You're right!" Li Ye nodded.
However, there was absolutely no trace of those two items for sale in the Auction House.
Li Ye wasn’t surprised by this.
After all, all twenty regions of the Western Wasteland Continent were between Levels 1 and 2, which meant that most Mobile Cities here were still primarily Level 2.
These resources required for advancing to Level 3 were of utmost importance, and nobody would be willing to sell them.
【Lunch: Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes, Tomato Egg Drop Soup, Boiled Fish, Chili Fried Meat, Rice, Exotic Oranges, Cola】
【Dinner: Noodles, Wowotou, Vinegar Cabbage, Orange Juice, Sunshine Apples】
At that moment, residents of the Tomorrow were queuing in line. They purchased food one by one at the counter, and the corresponding Contribution Points were deducted via their Resident Card.
Many people, staring at the Chili Fried Meat and Boiled Fish on the board, couldn’t help but rub their hands in excitement.
"Meat dishes today!"
Currently, vegetable and fruit supplies aboard the Tomorrow were still decent, while chickens, ducks, pigs, goats, and cows were still being bred.
Basically, meat dishes would appear only once a week.
The Staff Members at the canteen, upon seeing their Lord approaching, immediately prepared a breakfast and handed it over.
Half a Boiled Corn, two Eggs, two Vegetable Buns, and one Steamed Bun.
Only Li Ye, as the Lord, could enjoy such a hearty meal. Ordinary Residents usually only bought two Mantou or two Steamed Buns, and those slightly better off might add a Boiled Corn and an Egg.
Many in the canteen recognized Li Ye and greeted him warmly.
Li Ye nodded to acknowledge them and then carried his breakfast to a private room on the second floor.
This space had been specifically arranged at his request by the Public Canteen for his personal use during meals.
The room was quite spacious, featuring a large round table and rows of chairs, enough to seat 20 people at once.
最⊥新⊥小⊥說⊥在⊥⊥⊥首⊥發！
Li Ye had specifically requested that the room be well decorated, so he could dine in comfort.
"Maybe I can place some potted plants in here, or hang a few paintings for decoration," he thought.
After finishing breakfast, Li Ye hurried to the Cockpit.
Once seated, he quickly logged into the Western Wasteland Continent City Auction House.
"After a night, there should be some new Level 3 items listed, right?"
With hopeful anticipation, he set the tag to Level 3 and clicked confirm.
Sure enough, the Auction House now displayed some new Level 3 items.
【Item Name: "Wasteland Phantom" Camouflage Combat Uniform】
【Item Grade: Level 3】
【Bonus Effects: 1. Allows the wearer to blend into the environment and maintain camouflage while moving. 2. Solar-powered 3. Reduces damage from Level 3 and below monsters and weapons by 50%】
"What a great item." Li Ye couldn’t help but admire.
Dynamic camouflage, solar-powered for continuous use in the wild, and high defense.
With this Level 3 item, one’s survival ability in the wild would rise to another level.
So far, not a single Level 3 item had been disappointing.
Li Ye also noticed that Level 3 items generally had three attribute entries.
This Level 3 item wasn’t cheap either—its fixed price was 150,000 Crystal Coins.
Its ideal users were naturally lone wolves in the wild and Bounty Hunters.
Given that a large batch of oil and Level 2 Fuel was still waiting to be sold, and there weren’t many Crystal Coins left in his account, Li Ye decided to exit the Auction House for now and handle other matters.
He went to the deck and piloted the Goblin Helicopter toward the Titan Throne’s Mobile City—Nature L3.
Naturally, this was to gather more Intelligence from this Mobile City.
"You again!"
When Li Ye arrived at Nature L3’s deck, Nils came running excitedly, rubbing his hands.
"Got some great news for you!"
"Hmm?" Li Ye instantly perked up. "Did you track down a new Wild BOSS?"
Nils shook his head.
"Even better! We’ve found where that Emperor Beast is hiding!"
Li Ye was stunned by what he heard.
"Really? Where is it?"
Nils immediately waved his hand.
"Right there!"
Following his gaze, Li Ye saw a giant volcano.
The volcano towered four to five thousand meters high, with a crater diameter of more than ten kilometers.
It stood at the center of the Sedimentary Basin, and its sheer scale made it impossible for anyone to ignore.
Li Ye had noticed this giant volcano upon first arriving at the Sedimentary Basin.
At the time, he had felt relatively at ease, because it was a dormant volcano.
Its slopes were covered in dark brown dust and low shrubs, with exposed steep rock walls at the edges. On the mountainside, one could faintly make out traces of ancient lava flows and many weathered volcanic slag piles.
At the base of this dormant volcano, there were even hot springs, with water temperatures ranging from about 35 to 40 degrees Celsius.
"Are you sure the Emperor Beast is inside that giant volcano?" he looked at Nils.
"Yes, absolutely no doubt." Nils nodded excitedly. "And I have more good news to tell you! According to our instruments, the heartbeat of the Emperor Beast inside the giant volcano is growing stronger, which means it's about to end its long dormancy and awaken!"
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" He grabbed Li Ye's shoulders and shook them in excitement. "We’ll get to witness an Emperor Beast in its full glory!"
Li Ye’s mouth twitched slightly.
Was this really good news? The Tomorrow Alliance still needed to drill for oil here.
"Can you estimate exactly when it will wake up?" he asked.
Nils rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"According to Professor Annie’s calculations, probably in a day or two!"
"."
Li Ye immediately piloted the Goblin Helicopter back at top speed to deliver the news to everyone.
As a result, the Engineer began frantically drilling for oil.
The Tomorrow and several other Mobile Cities also rushed over to help.
During this time, the Engineer’s Goblin Petroleum Survey Vehicle discovered another giant oilfield, as well as a large natural gas field.
Natural gas was also considered a fairly valuable wild resource. It could serve as an energy fuel for cities and produced almost no pollutants when burned.
Its uses were wide-ranging, suitable for home heating, hot water, and gas supply, as well as for industrial power generation.
The Engineer proceeded to craft several gas tanks to continually store natural gas, which was then transported by helicopter for sale.
Li Ye checked the Auction House price for natural gas.
11 Crystal Coins per unit—not bad.
Over the next two days, the Tomorrow Alliance extracted oil and natural gas at a frenzied pace.
When the new day arrived, Li Ye did a quick calculation.
After deducting 100,000 Crystal Coins for the Engineer, 67,000 Crystal Coins for bidding on the City Resource Transmission Device, and oil shares for the four Mobile Cities, he still had more than 160,000 Crystal Coins on hand.
On the shelves remained over 30,000 Crystal Coins’ worth of Level 2 Fuel, oil, and natural gas.
At this point, the oilfields in the Sedimentary Basin were nearly exhausted.
The Engineer began retrieving all oil drilling platforms built in the Sedimentary Basin, dismantling them one by one and feeding them into the furnace to be smelted back into Iron Ore.
Li Ye continued operating the Auction House.
He bought 4,000 units of Level 2 Iron Ore and 500 units of Copper Ore in one go, at a price of 35 Crystal Coins per unit.
The first item to be crafted was the Desert Shield Infantry Fighting Vehicle. This Level 2 Vehicle required 200 units of Level 2 Iron Ore and 50 units of Level 2 Precision Vehicle Components to craft.
The Precision Vehicle Components were synthesized from 1 unit of Level 2 Iron Ore and 1 unit of Copper Ore.
The newly built Desert Shield Infantry Fighting Vehicle would be incorporated into Convoy One and Two.
Next, Li Ye crafted three Black Hawk Helicopters and spent 1,000 units of Level 2 Iron Ore all at once to fully replenish the combat supplies of the Vanguard Armed Gunship.
As for the remaining Iron Ore, it was used to craft the upgraded Gale Rocket Launcher.
After finishing all these tasks, Li Ye nodded in satisfaction.
Riding the momentum of the oilfields and the Western Wasteland Continent Auction House, the Tomorrow’s armed forces had risen to another level.
Currently, it had a total of 7 Level 2 Cannons on its deck. Its land-based forces included a mixed convoy of Desert Shield Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Storm Infantry Vehicles, and Level 1 Off-road Vehicles, all equipped with Level 2 Heavy Machine Guns and Level 2 Rocket Launchers.
Its aerial power consisted of 6 Black Hawk Helicopters and one Vanguard Armed Gunship.
In addition, it had newly acquired the City Resource Transmission Device and the Level 3 City Camouflage Upgrade Blueprint.