From the mouth of Bishop Wilson, Li Ye learned some rather troubling news.
The deployment of the Zombies at the Decayed Bone Bastion was far stronger than he had imagined,
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The Decayed Bone Bastion’s defense was a full Level 2 configuration, deployed with a large number of Level 2 Cannons and Level 2 Heavy Machine Guns.
As for the number of Mobile Cities, it was unknown, but certainly not few.
Bishop Wilson also told Li Ye that there was a natural barrier around the Decayed Bone Bastion.
A swarm of 500,000 Zombies.
「My goodness..：：：：」 He couldn't help but wipe the sweat off his forehead.
In his original assumption, the Decayed Bone Bastion was merely a wall constructed by the Zombies, which could be easily blasted apart.
Furthermore, the southern front itself was weak in strength, and currently, apart from Li Ye, no other faction had joined.In fact, everyone had tacitly agreed that the southern defense line could not be held.
The fall of the Wasteland Zone was only a matter of time.
【Holy Sword U2: I’ve already dispatched someone to the Wasteland Zone to see if we can recruit new Mobile Cities. If there are Level 2 Cities, even better.】
Li Ye couldn’t help but shake his head.
He was very clear about the situation in the Wasteland Zone—there were only three Level 2 Cities in total. Among them, Silence and Lone Sail had already perished, and the remaining Level 2 City was nowhere to be found.
He briefly compared the strength of both sides.
The Zombie side had full Level 2 defense configuration, 17 Zombie Mobile Cities, and a natural barrier formed by 500,000 Zombies.
Their side had 6 Mobile Cities, one of which was a Level 1 Engineer-type City.
He furrowed his brow.
The gap was still too large. Without new Mobile Cities joining, it was hard to see how they could win.
Coming back to his senses, he continued his exchange with Wilson.
At present, the Zombie army had already begun advancing toward the Wasteland Zone.
At this very moment, one after another Zombie Mobile City was already cruising over the Serene Lake.
On the decks of the Zombie Mobile Cities, Zombie Gunners were loading their comrades into Cannons one by one and firing toward islands or Floating Towns inhabited by monsters or humans.
In the terrified gazes of monsters and survivors, Zombies rained down like a storm.
As soon as they landed, they sprang up and began wildly biting monsters and survivors alike.
The monsters and survivors frantically grabbed their weapons to fight back.
In the Wasteland Zone, what they possessed were usually Level 1 weapons. It was still manageable against Level 1 Zombies, but when facing a Tyrant or a Webweaver, they could barely stand a chance.
Their strongholds quickly fell, and comrades fell one after another.
Not long after, these strongholds became deathly silent.
Roughly a dozen seconds later, the body of a fallen survivor began to twitch strangely. His face gradually twisted, veins bulged from under his skin, and his eyes began to turn white.
With a Hissing Roar, he stood up once again.
And not just him—the other fallen survivors also stood up one after another.
Previously, they had fought desperately to resist the Zombies and survive.
Now, they had become the same kind.
The power of the Zombies spread across Serene Lake like a black tide, sweeping toward the entire Wasteland Zone.
Zombie Mobile Cities began to accelerate their expansion, dispatching fleets and airborne airships.
Zombie drivers on the Speedboats steered their wheels, tilting their heads and letting out Hissing Roars, seemingly declaring an attack.
The airborne airships were also forged from bizarre flesh-tech fusion, their bodies a grotesque mix of flesh and machinery, now advancing at astonishing speed.
Inside them..：：：.was an overwhelming mass of Zombies.
These airborne airships would reach various parts of the Wasteland Zone even faster than the Zombie Mobile Cities, targeting all towns and fortresses within.
Upon reaching the skies above human strongholds, the airships would open their hatches and release swarms of Zombies.：
What surprised Li Ye was that Bishop Wilson had proposed a plan long prepared.
That was to strike while the Zombies were off guard—go against the grain, focus all forces to break through the Decayed Bone Bastion and penetrate deep into the Eternal Night Zone.
In doing so, they would have the chance to sabotage the core area of Zombie Civilization from within, creating chaos inside and easing the pressure on other fronts.
【Holy Sword U2: I believe you’re also aware of how dangerous this operation is, so whether to join or not is entirely up to you.】
Everyone then looked toward Li Ye, who fell into deep thought.
There was no denying that launching an offensive and breaking through the Decayed Bone Bastion would be unimaginably difficult!
For the newly emerging Tomorrow Alliance, it was truly a challenge too great to bear.
But if they were to retreat from the Eternal Night Zone and return to the Wasteland Zone, the Tomorrow Alliance would gain little from it.
There were two main reasons for this.
First, at present, Tomorrow and Iron Whale were Level 2 Cities, and Engineer was a fully configured Level 1 City. Resources in Level 1 areas could no longer support their development needs.
Although the Eternal Night Zone was dangerous, it also had abundant resources.
If they could break through the Decayed Bone Bastion and go deeper, they could gather far more resources.
If development was not viable, they still had the chance to move to other zones.
Second, the Wasteland Zone had already been invaded by Zombies. Li Ye clearly understood the human forces there and knew they truly couldn’t resist.
The fall of the Wasteland Zone was inevitable and, in the future, would even face destruction.
Taking a step back, even if the Tomorrow Alliance retreated to the Wasteland Zone, they would only have a few routes.
One was to cross the western Mountain Region and head toward the Basin Region—however, that area too would face Zombie invasion, and it wasn’t much better than the Wasteland Zone.
Second was to traverse directly from north to south across the entire Wasteland Zone and proceed to the southern Desert Zone. This Level 1 Zone had a harsh environment and scarce resources, even the Azure had once turned back after heading there.
Third was to pass through the Mobile Maze in the east and see if they could reach a new zone.
Then, what should his choice be.....
Under the gaze of everyone, he slowly spoke.
「We must break through the Decayed Bone Bastion.」
Upon learning Li Ye’s intention, although Fang Yong and Zhou Xing hesitated for a moment, they ultimately agreed.
Li Ye then typed a line on the screen.
【Tomorrow: I agree to join.】
【Holy Sword U2: Thank you and your companions for your resolve. May the gods bless you. Now, I will share the coordinates. Please hurry and rendezvous with your companions.】
Just over an hour later, the two parties converged.
Li Ye, Fang Yong, and Zhou Xing, the three Lords, boarded the deck of the Holy Sword U2, and met with Bishop Wilson and the three Mobile City Lords under his command.
Bishop Wilson was a man in his early sixties, with graying hair. He shook hands with each Lord and embraced them warmly.
Fang Yong and Zhou Xing were both caught off guard by this.
Li Ye, witnessing the scene, couldn't help but reflect slightly.
Judging by the behavior of the members and companions on the City Communication Channel, the Gospel of Apocalypse evidently had an excellent reputation across the world.
The first sentence Wilson uttered left everyone stunned.
「Time is tight. We must launch the assault on the Decayed Bone Fortress within three hours.」
「That soon?」 Fang Yong exclaimed. 「Our southern front already lacks strength. Shouldn't we wait a few days and recruit more cities before launching an attack?」
Wilson shook his head and explained the reasoning.
According to reports from the Holy Sword U2’s convoy, Zombie scouts had already detected their movements. The enemy commander appeared to have discerned Li Ye and his companions’ intentions and had begun to lead forces back.
According to Wilson’s estimation, the Decayed Bone Bastion would continue to increase in troop strength and defensive power in the coming days, making it increasingly difficult to conquer.
「So a swift battle is our best option for now,」 Wilson said solemnly.
Nodding, Li Ye voiced his doubt.
「Do the Zombies have commanders?」
Wilson nodded.
「Yes.」
According to intelligence held by the Gospel of Apocalypse, Zombies were divided into two types.
One type had no intelligence, such as Level 1 Zombies in the Zombie Swarm and Level 2 Zombies like the Webweaver, Tyrant, and Screeching Banshee.
These Zombies mainly served as the vanguard, akin to "consumables."
The other type possessed intelligence. They could operate Cannons and Heavy Machine Guns, pilot vehicles and Mobile Cities, and even serve as commanders.
「To our knowledge, the commander ruling over the Forest of Death is the Crimson Baron, a close confidant of the Zombie Emperor.」
Wilson added.
A hint of surprise appeared in Li Ye’s eyes.
「Crimson Baron? Zombie Emperor?」
From the mouth of this bishop of the Gospel of Apocalypse, he had learned a shocking truth.
The Zombie Civilization existed in the form of a dynasty and maintained a retrograde Class Rank System, including titles like Emperor, Ministers, Generals, Nobles, and so forth.
「In any case, we must prepare quickly.」
While speaking, Wilson handed a small box to the three Lords.
The trio opened the boxes and found inside 10 vials and syringes. The reagent was crystal clear and luminous.
【Item Name: Zombie Virus Serum】
【Item Level: Level 2】
【Attached Effect: Injecting this serum can eliminate the virus within an infected individual.】
「Good stuff!」 Li Ye’s eyes lit up.
This would now provide them with another layer of survival assurance.
「Currently, the supply of serum in our cities is limited. This is all we can spare,」 Wilson said apologetically.
「It’s fine, this is already enough,」 Li Ye nodded.
Zhou Xing thought for a moment and then asked.
「May I ask, Bishop, how is the Zombie virus mainly transmitted?」
「The virus is primarily spread through saliva and blood. Infected individuals will turn into Zombies in less than a minute. If the skin is unbroken, contact with Zombie blood or saliva is harmless.」
While explaining, a trace of dread flashed in Wilson’s eyes, and he let out a relieved sigh.
「Thankfully, this virus cannot survive in air even for one second. Otherwise, the expansion speed of the Zombies would increase dozens of times over and become completely unstoppable.」
The old man waved his arms and began describing further.
「Imagine if the virus could be airborne. Then the Zombies wouldn't even need to engage in intense battles with human Mobile Cities. They’d just need to load the virus into shells and fire them at the enemy cities.」
As the three listened, their expressions gradually changed.
「In any case, we must prepare quickly.」
Wilson concluded.
He then shared a rare piece of good news with the group.
The southern front was not entirely without reinforcements—Bishop Wilson had already dispatched a powerful Level 2 City to support them.
At that moment, a faint rumbling sound came from the distance.
The old man’s eyes lit up as soon as he heard it.
「They’ve arrived!」
Li Ye and the others followed the direction of the sound.
What surprised them was that the sound did not come from the ground, but from the air!
Li Ye immediately realized something.
「Could it be....... a Level 2 Airborne Mobile City?」
He looked toward the pitch-black sky in the distance and soon spotted a Massive Creature.
Surrounding this airborne Massive Creature were rows of lights. Through the arrangement of these lights, Li Ye roughly deduced its appearance.
Unlike the balloon-shaped Level 1 Cities, this Level 2 Airborne City was in the form of an airship.
Wilson smiled.
「This Level 2 City is called Holy Vessel H3, a fully equipped Level 2 Airborne Mobile City. In fact, our sect has many types of Airborne Mobile Cities, each with different responsibilities. For example: residential living, transport, combat..：..」
Through the lights of Holy Vessel H3, Li Ye quickly saw the structure of this Airborne Mobile City.
This giant airship was about 420 meters long, around 200 meters wide, and had an external hanging structure of roughly 150 meters.
Its current cruising speed was 21 knots—not particularly fast. But in full-speed mode, it should be capable of much more.
At the moment, it was flying at an altitude above 1000 meters.
According to Wilson, Holy Vessel H3 could remain airborne for 14 days on full resources. The hydrogen resupply cycle was 21 days. Its main gasbag was covered in 12mm-level Level 2 riveted steel scale armor, with key areas reinforced with a 25mm brass coating.
Its keel framework was composed of 32 cold-forged steel beams. The main propeller was a 40-meter diameter tri-blade screw, powered by 8 steam turbines.
It was equipped with Heavy Machine Guns, Cannons, Steam Bed Crossbows, and large-area incendiary bombs and aerial bombs.
Li Ye roughly counted the Heavy Machine Guns, Cannons, and Steam Bed Crossbows, and was shocked to find there were as many as fifty to sixty of them.
Wilson proudly introduced that Holy Vessel H3 also had dozens of light aircraft equipped with Heavy Machine Guns and bomb bays.
「Light aircraft? You managed to train that many pilots at once?」 Li Ye was surprised.
Wilson smiled and nodded, informing him that the Gospel of Apocalypse owned academies and a systematic educational structure for pilot training.
「That's amazing!」 Li Ye clicked his tongue in awe.
「So how many people are on Holy Vessel H3?」 he asked again.
Wilson told him that Holy Vessel H3 was a combat-specialized Airborne City, with over 500 personnel on board—all Combat Personnel.
Li Ye couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe—the strength of the Gospel of Apocalypse far exceeded his imagination.
「Is the strength of a world-class organization really this formidable? Then the Titan Throne must be just as strong,」 he thought.
「Now, we must set off immediately.」
Wilson spoke.
He then gave his plan.
The four Level 2 Cities of the Gospel of Apocalypse would take the frontline, while the Tomorrow Alliance would follow behind them.
This meant they would face the fiercest firepower from the Zombies.
「Such resolve,」 Li Ye nodded to himself.
This way, the pressure on the Tomorrow Alliance would be much less.
「There’s no time to lose. We must move out immediately,」 Wilson said.
Li Ye and the other two returned to their respective Mobile Cities and began a series of deployments.
Everyone on the Tomorrow grew visibly grim.
They all understood that this would be an unprecedentedly massive challenge.
Li Ye began to inventory the current combat power aboard the Tomorrow.
Level 2 Airborne Vehicle – Black Hawk Helicopter.
Level 2 Heavy Machine Gun – Bloodtear Ripper.
Level 2 Flame Thrower – Scorcher.
Level 2 Shotgun – Remington 870.
Level 2 Ground Combat Vehicle – Storm Infantry Vehicle.
Level 2 Cannon – Frost Cannon.
Level 2 City Camouflage.
Level 2 City Energy Shield.
As he reviewed the list, confidence gradually began to build in his heart.