Li Ye held his breath and focused intently on the map before him.
The southern region where he was located was of average size, occupying only 19% of the Wasteland Zone's total area.
The Mobile Maze in the east accounted for 17%, the mountains in the west for 21%, and the City Ruins and Giant Forest in the center together made up 23%.
As for the large freshwater lake in the north, it occupied a full 20%. For a lake, that was quite a considerable size.
It had to be said that this Epic Intelligence Report was fairly valuable too. It was practically like giving Li Ye a full-map cheat.
Before this, he had basically been like a blind man trying to figure out an elephant by touch, with no idea at all how large the Wasteland Zone was.
"Now that I know the situation in the Wasteland Zone, I should consider where the Tomorrow should go next." That was what he thought.
At present, he knew that the western part of the Wasteland Zone was the Level 1 Zone known as the "Basin Area."
However, reaching the Basin Area required crossing an endless stretch of mountains, which was clearly extremely difficult.
But for the Conqueror, which possessed Lava Treads, that was not a problem.
As for the Mobile City on the freshwater lake in the north, it could actually travel across the water.
The Production Workshop already contained a series of ordinary city components, such as propellers, sails, Thrusters, Hulls, and so on.
In fact, if a Mobile City's water-travel components were sufficient, it could sail out to sea.
The Mountainous Region in the west and the Mobile Maze in the east were not among Li Ye's options. What he had to consider now was whether to go north or south.
If he went north, he would first have to cross the City Ruins and Giant Forest in the central region, then traverse the entire freshwater lake. That would amount to crossing half the Wasteland Zone.
Going south would be much easier, and he would soon reach a new region.
Li Ye rubbed his chin and began to ponder.
While resting in Roland Fortress, he had tried to gather information from the bounty hunters, lone wolves, and people from the outside fleets.
The vast majority of them said that the Eternal Night Zone was located in the northern part of the Wasteland Zone.
Moreover, the monsters that appeared there were terrifying.
In fact, after looking at the map, Li Ye also wanted to head north.
He was extremely curious about that freshwater lake and wanted to see it with his own eyes.
"I'll rest in Roland Fortress for a day or two first. After selling another batch of goods at the market and gathering enough resources, I'll head north!" he thought to himself.
However, Li Ye had never expected that when he arrived at his destination, he would see the entire Roland Fortress engulfed in flames.
The walls had been destroyed, the Zombie Tide was running rampant, and the survivors' sobs and screams rang out without end.
Last night, the lord of Roland Fortress had died of illness.
The conflict between the two factions inside the fortress had erupted completely. The radicals had taken control of Lin Xia, the lord's daughter, first, intending to forcefully carry out their Wandering City plan in the name of the successor.
However, the conservatives' methods were even more radical. They had chosen to go to war directly.
And just as the entire Roland Fortress descended into chaos, the Crimson Hound arrived.
The Predator City blasted open the city gates with Level 1 Artillery and used its own fleet as bait, luring the Zombie Tide into the fortress.
Li Ye learned what had happened from a survivor he had just rescued.
At that moment, a boom rang out in the distance. He turned his head and saw that it was the Crimson Hound.
Taking advantage of Roland Fortress's complete collapse, the Predator City had looted all the resources inside the fortress and then left triumphantly.
Gritting his teeth, Li Ye slowly calmed down and stared intently in the direction it had gone.
With the Tomorrow, Conqueror, and Azure joining forces, the chaos in Roland Fortress finally ended.
By then, this once-prosperous fortress had become a wasteland of ruins, with corpses scattered everywhere.
The fortress that had once been home to more than two thousand people now had only a hundred or so survivors left.
Lin Xia was among them. When the city gates were breached and the Zombie Tide poured in, she had seized the opportunity to kill the radical guarding her and escape. After getting free, her first thought had not been to flee, but to gather people and save as many of the town's residents as possible.
One-third of those hundred or so people had been rescued by her and her group.
Only after safety had been restored did the young girl finally relax and silently cover her face.
"I'm sorry, Father." Her voice choked up, and tears soon covered her face. "I couldn't protect our home."
Li Ye's eyes flickered.
Although he knew that the apocalypse was merciless, watching a survivor settlement be destroyed right before his eyes inevitably left him somewhat saddened.
After losing the home they depended on for survival, Lin Xia and the other survivors had only two choices.
Either they could leave and wander, or they could choose to join the Tomorrow or another Mobile City.
Almost everyone chose the latter.
In this wasteland crawling with monsters, the difficulty of surviving outside was obvious. Mobile Cities, on the other hand, could provide stable food and freshwater every day, along with sufficient safety.
Among the three Mobile Cities, everyone most wanted to go to the Tomorrow.
Falcon Assault Rifles, Gale Rocket Launchers, Frost Cannons, City Camouflage, Sun Apples, Instant Noodles, and even cola.
Among the three Mobile Cities, the Tomorrow had the best resources.
Li Ye, however, found himself in a difficult position.
The Tomorrow urgently needed people, but it could not take in so many at once.
After thinking it over, he decided to recruit only forty people this time, selecting the best candidates.
Unaffiliated survivors, young people, and able-bodied adults would be given priority. Specialists such as artillerymen and mechanics would receive even better treatment and could even bring people with them.
The remaining sixty or so people could only join the Azure or the Conqueror.
Li Jin had no objections. His Azure had just risen again, so taking on more people would not be a problem.
Lei Jian, on the other hand, solemnly warned those who wanted to join the Conqueror that newcomers would enter as slaves and would have to complete a certain amount of labor before becoming ordinary residents.
The sixty or so people each made their choices.
After burying the bodies, clearing the ruins, searching for supplies, and packing their belongings, Lin Xia led thirty-nine survivors aboard the Tomorrow.
Most of them quietly let out a sigh of relief after stepping onto the deck, their eyes filled with immense gratitude.
The instant the fortress gates were breached and the Zombie Tide poured in, they had all thought they were doomed. Even after surviving by sheer luck, they had had no idea how to survive in the wilderness.
Now, they had been able to join the fairly capable Mobile City known as the Tomorrow, giving them at least some guarantee of safety and a better life in the future.
The survivors who boarded the other two Mobile Cities had more or less the same thoughts.
The lords of the three Mobile Cities did not board their decks. Instead, they stayed on the ground to discuss matters.
"Where will you go from here?" Li Ye asked.
With their cooperation over, the three Mobile Cities also had to make their own choices.
Traveling together was ultimately impossible. Resources in the wilderness were limited, and there was no way to feed two Mobile Cities at the same time—things like Wild BOSSes and Gross Mine were merely exceptions.
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