What surprised him even more was that the external suspension hook of the Black Hawk Helicopter had a maximum payload of approximately 4,100 kilograms. This meant it could carry and transport light vehicles or cannons.
Li Ye then consumed the Level 1 Iron Ore and Saltpeter from the warehouse to fully replenish the Black Hawk Helicopter with bullets and missiles.
After being promoted to a Level 2 City, the Tomorrow no longer considered such resources valuable.
Using them for this purpose now was just right.
Immediately afterward, one final task lay before Li Ye.
That was choosing whether to upgrade the Frost Cannon or the Molten Cannon.
At present, Li Ye had already acquired 482 units of Level 2 Frost Ore.
Considering the extreme survival threats in the Eternal Night Zone, Li Ye decided to prioritize converting power into combat effectiveness.
As he completed the upgrade and input the Frost Ore, the two Frost Cannons on the Tomorrow were immediately promoted to Level 2.
Now, they had grown noticeably larger and had undergone a dramatic transformation in appearance.The barrel of the Level 2 Frost Cannon was metallic blue-white, covered in crystalline frost patterns, with a perpetual chill lingering at the muzzle.
Upon being upgraded to Level 2, its bombardment range increased by 50%, and its freezing power increased by 20%.
Gunner Ning Wen was utterly captivated, unwilling to part from them, wishing he could stay by their side all day.
"Lord, how about we try firing it once？" he asked impatiently.
Although Li Ye himself was eager to witness the power of the Level 2 Frost Cannon firsthand, he ultimately resisted.
Currently, the remaining Frost Shells were limited, so it was best not to waste them.
In the following time, Li Ye summoned Lin Wu along with the pilots he had been training.
During these past days, those pilots had exhausted their minds diligently practicing flight techniques.
Under Lin Wu's supervision, he nervously and cautiously boarded the Black Hawk Helicopter and attempted to fly it.
However, his performance was not ideal.
Li Ye wasn’t particularly disappointed by this.
Expecting a fully trained pilot from just reading an Aerial Vehicle Driving Manual was indeed asking too much.
But the Tomorrow currently needed helicopters for combat strength.
"In the coming days, train him whenever you’re free," he said to Lin Wu. "Also, find a way to train five more... no, make it ten more pilots for me！"
The reason was simple: the Tomorrow would definitely have more than just one Black Hawk Helicopter in the future.
It might even have a full helicopter combat group.
Just imagine, a formation of Black Hawk Helicopters sweeping across enemy positions, unleashing a carpet of machine gun and rocket fire on the enemy...
"I’ll do my best," Lin Wu sighed helplessly. "Oh right, since we're training pilots, should we also train pilots for waterborne vehicles while we're at it？"
"Pilots for waterborne vehicles？"
Li Ye was momentarily puzzled, but then quickly understood.
The Tomorrow would definitely expand into the ocean in the future. As it gradually collected resources, it would gain the capability to build sea vessels—maybe even its own naval fleet.
Given that, it was better to prepare in advance.
"Alright, decide the number of pilots as you see fit. Pick anyone you want from the Tomorrow," he waved his hand accordingly.
Although the City Simulation Training Pod on the Tomorrow was somewhat crude, it was still barely functional.
Next, Li Ye frowned as he turned toward the machine screen in the Production Workshop.
The Level 2 Iron Ore was nearly depleted, and yet not a single Level 2 Bedrock Off-road Vehicle had been manufactured.
"We'll just have to hope the next round of intelligence contains resources like mines or quarries," he sighed.
With the Production Workshop matters temporarily settled, Li Ye turned back to help Lin Wu handle the over 300 new members.
Lin Wu had already explained the rules of the Tomorrow to them.
Everyone chose to become residents of the Tomorrow, accepting Li Ye’s arrangements and assignments.
Li Ye wasn’t worried about any disturbances from accepting such a large group at once.
After all, the living conditions on the Tomorrow spoke for themselves—everyone who came in became Ordinary Residents, not slaves.
The Contribution Points they earned from daily work were already enough to exchange for a day's food and drink, with a little left to save.
In fact, entering a Mobile City was in itself a desperate attempt to survive. If they weren’t driven to the edge, no one would think about rebellion or resistance.
Though they felt sorrow and helplessness over the fall of the Level 2 Fortress, there was still some relief in their hearts. First, they had escaped the disaster by chance due to the interviews. Second, the Tomorrow was decently equipped, and the treatment was genuinely acceptable.
......
In the following days, Li Ye was busy with one thing.
That was absorbing the over 300 new residents added to the Tomorrow.
The Tomorrow originally had just over 200 people, so adding this many new faces at once inevitably caused some busyness.
"It’s time to establish a City Committee," Li Ye thought.
When the population grows to a certain scale, the City Committee becomes an institution that Lords must establish.
Its duties and functions include managing the daily operations of the Mobile City, establishing regulations, and handling public affairs.
After all, managing over five hundred people wasn’t just about distributing food and fresh water every day.
Urban planning, interpersonal relations, daily needs, resource dispatch, maintaining city order, construction of public facilities... all these needed an institution to oversee and manage.
Li Ye thus appointed his deputy Lin Wu as Chairman and asked him to select ten members from the Tomorrow, giving them T4-level treatment.
Lin Wu nodded.
He was already overwhelmed with tasks, and the City Committee could help alleviate most of his pressure.
"How about we select these ten members through an election？" he suggested.
"Election？"
Li Ye was taken aback, then nodded.
To fulfill responsibilities of management and supervision, City Committee members often needed to communicate with the residents.
Through elections, people who were respected and trusted could be chosen.
Thus, Li Ye announced the City Committee plan and began a public election for its members.
This stirred quite a commotion on the Tomorrow.
City Committee members receiving T4-level treatment meant good benefits, authority, and safety.
Almost everyone scrambled to be elected.
Li Ye adopted a public signed-vote approach.
After a good deal of hustle, the ten City Committee members were selected.
To Li Ye’s surprise, Lin Xia was among them.
She received 58 votes, coming from both the residents who had followed her from Roland Fortress and some Ordinary Residents.
As a former daughter of a Fortress Lord, she had a refined appearance and bearing, was cheerful and generous, without the arrogance typical of a Lord’s child—naturally, she was well-liked.
"Congratulations," Li Ye shook her hand.
At that moment, someone patted his shoulder.
Li Ye turned and saw it was Old Zhou.
"I never expected your driving skills to be so good," he said sincerely.
Old Zhou waved it off.
"Verbal thanks alone aren’t enough. I want to requisition 60 units of Fresh Water for a proper bath in a tub."
Li Ye was slightly surprised.
"With our relationship, you don’t need to be so formal. Just talk to the folks at the warehouse."
"We’re under Fresh Water control now. You can’t just use 60 units for a bath. Besides, the Tomorrow is just starting out—everything must be justified and according to the rules," Old Zhou replied. "Precisely because we’re close, I have to think more for you, to avoid any appearance of favoritism."
To ensure the authority and deterrence of the City Committee, Li Ye appointed Old Zhou as Vice Chairman and assigned three squads of Combat Personnel to maintain daily order.
With the two people he trusted most working together, he felt much more at ease.
After settling these matters, Li Ye returned to his room.
The new round of Intelligence had already refreshed.