Chapter 193: Chapter 193

Chapter 193: Giant Tree Forest and the Monster City

After the meeting, Li Ye casually glanced at the System Panel.

That piece of epic-grade intelligence had already refreshed.

【6. After collecting and evaluating the complete intelligence of the Southern Continent, the world-class organizations of the human side decided to officially launch the Southern Continent regional war within three days. (Intelligence Value: Epic)】

“So soon?” Li Ye was surprised.

On closer thought, this time was clearly a three-way battle.

The human side had the three major organizations along with the recruited forces of Wasteland Mobile Cities.

The monster side had three major organizations as well as the native Monstrous Civilizations.

And then, the Giant Civilization that was attacking the continent alone.

For Li Ye, he only wanted to seize this rare opportunity to develop a little more.

“Hopefully, no more Monstrous Civilizations will set their sights on this Basin Region.” he thought.

While focusing on development, Li Ye also took the chance to observe the neighboring region—the “Giant Tree Zone.”

This was the central area of the western part of the Southern Continent, and the Basin Region was located in one of its corners, making it seem rather remote.

The Giant Tree Zone was a Level 3 area, vast and immense.

This region was made up of countless massive trees, each starting at five hundred meters tall, taller than the giants themselves.

Even the Great Wall ran through a part of the Giant Tree Zone.

The entire area resembled a dreamscape from ancient times, each giant tree rising like a pillar piercing the heavens. Their thick trunks bore the wrinkles of time, and their bark was as heavy and mottled as bronze armor.

A single trunk was so thick that it would take hundreds of people holding hands to encircle it.

For now, Li Ye had no plans of occupying the Giant Tree Zone.

First, there were definitely Level 3 Monstrous Civilizations existing in this region.

Second, being at the central area, both humans and monsters would fight fiercely over it.

“Even so, I still need to figure out exactly what the Giant Tree Zone is like.” he thought.

Generally speaking, if one wanted to explore an area quickly and efficiently, fighter jets were the natural choice.

But the Giant Tree Zone was special. The dense trees, overlapping branches, and tangled leaves severely obstructed aerial vision. Fighter jets would also find it extremely inconvenient to maneuver within the forest.

So, it was better to send Black Hawk Helicopters.

A few hours later, Li Ye learned the specifics.

The Monstrous Civilization within the Giant Tree Zone was the Hyenafolk Civilization.

In the more open areas of this region, the Hyenafolk Civilization had even built cities.

“What did you say?” Li Ye froze when he heard this.

The reporting helicopter pilot nodded solemnly.

“It’s absolutely true, Lord. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Based on his description, Li Ye roughly understood the situation of this Monster City.

Overall, it was not large in scale, with only tens of thousands of Hyenafolk.

The city had rows of apartment buildings, roads and utility poles, and even Hyenafolk driving small cars for travel.

But compared to modern standards, it still fell short.

Li Ye couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

Level 3 Monstrous Civilizations already had the ability to build cities?

In the following hours, helicopter pilots returned one after another, each bringing back new intelligence.

The Hyenafolk not only built cities but also highways crisscrossing the Giant Tree Zone, along with small towns and treehouses atop the colossal trees.

Li Ye shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

He never expected high-level Monstrous Civilizations to manage and cultivate their territories so carefully.

Compared to humans, monsters truly seemed more like the protagonists of this planet.

The pilots also provided three key pieces of intelligence.

First, besides the Hyenafolk, they discovered many Level 1 and Level 2 monsters in the Giant Tree Zone, including the Boarmen.

Second, the Giants had already invaded the Giant Tree Zone in massive numbers, destroying many of the Hyenafolk Civilization’s cities.

But the Giants could not gain control quickly.

This was mainly because the terrain of the region was too unique.

The Hyenafolk Civilization, united with low-level monsters, relied on the giant trees to wage guerrilla warfare against the Giants.

Third, the Wild BOSS Giant “Collector,” previously discovered in the Agricultural State, was also in the Giant Tree Zone.

Li Ye’s eyes immediately lit up when he heard this.

If he could take down this Level 3 Wild BOSS, he would harvest an enormous amount of resources, as well as the guaranteed drop of a Level 4 item!

He immediately summoned Zhou Xing, Fang Yong, Yang Zheng, and Lin Wu to discuss battle plans.

“Let my Peacemaker deploy.” Yang Zheng suggested. “The Electromagnetic Railgun can bombard the Collector from long range—maybe it could even kill it with a single shot.”

In fact, Li Ye had already considered this.

But he still had many concerns.

The terrain of the Giant Tree Zone was intricate and obstructive. Under the heavy cover of the giant trees, it was difficult to secure clear long-range vision.

Moreover, with both the Hyenafolk Civilization and the Giants present, rashly deploying the Peacemaker risked ambush.

“Then how about sending out fighter jets to bomb it?” Fang Yong proposed.

“No.” Lin Wu shook his head. “If they fly at high altitude, their vision will be completely blocked by the trunks and leaves. If they try to weave through the forest, it won’t be like the open sky—it’s packed with towering trees. Fighter jets would need to turn constantly, and it would be far too troublesome.”

Seeing his first idea rejected, Fang Yong quickly offered another.

The Iron Whale could activate City Camouflage and secretly approach the Collector. Once the distance closed, it could suddenly accelerate toward the Wild BOSS and activate the Giant Jaw Crushing Cutter to shred it!

Li Ye lightly shook his head.

“Did you forget? Inside the Collector’s glass cabinet is an entire Level 3 Mobile City.”

Fang Yong suddenly realized, his face turning pale. The others also looked uneasy.

They remembered now—the Collector had a powerful “Containment Ability.”

If a Mobile City entered his range, it would be contained instantly.

“Do you understand now? This Wild BOSS can only be dealt with from long range.” Li Ye reminded them.

As he spoke, a new idea struck him.

The terrain of this Level 3 region was perfect for deploying Special Forces.

With jetpacks and climbing anchor claws, Special Forces members could maneuver swiftly between the colossal trees, extremely flexible.

By having them harass and draw the Collector’s attention, the Peacemaker, hidden with City Camouflage, could quietly move into firing range and launch an Electromagnetic Railgun to kill the Collector.

After collecting the drops, they would retreat swiftly.

Hearing Li Ye’s plan, everyone nodded repeatedly.

“This strategy does seem feasible.”

“How many Mobile Cities are you planning to send this time, Lord?” Zhou Xing asked.

Li Ye revealed his decision.

Not just the Peacemaker—this time the Iron Whale and Stellar would also deploy.

But these two Mobile Cities were not tasked with attacking the Collector; they were to safeguard the Peacemaker. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelFɪre.net

The Tomorrow and Engineer would remain in the Basin Region, continuing to gather resources.

Gunships, fighter jets, land combat forces, and Prometheus would protect them.

With City Camouflage activated as well, their safety would be even more secure.

“Then let’s proceed with this plan!” Li Ye waved his hand.

To facilitate command during the operation, he would depart aboard the Stellar.

Meanwhile, Lin Wu would remain on the Tomorrow to serve as temporary commander.

According to the helicopter pilot who discovered the Collector, the Collector was located on the outskirts of the Giant Tree Forest, just over a hundred kilometers from the Basin Region.

When he spotted the Collector, this Wild BOSS was attacking a Hyenafolk town.

Inside the Hyenafolk town, the Hyenafolk Civilization had deployed a defensive force specifically to fight it—a Mobile City combat cluster.

But the Collector took something out of his glass cabinet and threw it.

It was, shockingly, a lake.

The moment it left the glass cabinet and was hurled outward, the lake shed its previously frozen, miniaturized state and instantly returned to its original form.

The Mobile City combat cluster, along with the entire Hyenafolk town, was immediately submerged.

Not only that, but the area around the Collector also transformed into a marshland.

After crippling the Mobile City combat cluster trapped in the water, the Collector casually contained the town as well.

Once he shut the glass cabinet door, he departed in satisfaction.

His direction of travel was toward the southeast.

After the planning was complete, the Stellar, Peacemaker, and Iron Whale set off.

Li Ye had already boarded the deck of the Stellar.

For convenience in command, he temporarily had the City Radio and wireless communication devices installed on the Stellar.

In truth, when he stepped onto the Stellar, this Level 1 Mobile City, Li Ye felt as though his once-familiar battle-survival instincts had returned.

In addition to standard firepower, the Stellar also deployed Bullfrog Vehicles, Special Forces, and Black Hawk Helicopters.

Retracting his gaze, Li Ye carefully observed the scenery before him.

Traveling through this Giant Tree Forest was like stepping into a land forgotten by time.

Underfoot lay layers of accumulated humus. When the Mobile City rolled forward, its wheels and treads sank deep into the moss and fallen leaves. The air was filled with the damp scent of earth, mixed with the fresh fragrance of resin and the ancient aroma of time.

Looking upward, the giant trees stood like towering pillars to the heavens. The crisscrossing fissures on their bark were deep enough to conceal a man.

Here, light was redefined. Sunshine filtered through layer upon layer of crowns, leaving only scattered flecks of gold that fell to the ground as hazy beams through the mist.

Occasionally, when the wind brushed across the canopy, the Giant Tree Forest resonated with a grand echo, like a deep, ancient chant from the bowels of the earth.

Countless luminescent spores were shaken loose, drifting through the dim woods like a sea of stars.

As he watched, Li Ye couldn’t help but shake his head with a trace of regret.

If this Giant Tree Zone were a tourist destination, it would indeed be quite wonderful.

But unfortunately, it was filled with a horde of monsters.

A dozen minutes later, he saw the highway the helicopter pilot had spoken of.

This highway had been constructed along a broad forest path and was extremely solid and wide.

Li Ye immediately understood.

This highway was not only for Hyenafolk vehicles but also wide enough for Mobile Cities to travel upon.

“This Level 3 Monstrous Civilization’s infrastructure skills aren’t bad at all.” he thought to himself.

What’s more, Li Ye even discovered a Hyenafolk Civilization gas station by the roadside.

The gas station had a modern architectural style, though it had been completely destroyed by the Giants.

Scattered Giants also roamed this forest.

To avoid alerting the Giants and the Hyenafolk Civilization, the three Mobile Cities simultaneously activated City Camouflage, reducing their speed to lower the noise they produced.

But this naturally meant it would take much longer to reach their destination.

Considering there were still several hours of travel left, Li Ye ordered everyone to rest and conserve their energy, while he himself also went to sleep.

A few hours later, Li Ye was jolted awake by a series of violent disturbances.

“Are we under attack?”

He quickly dressed and went to the deck of the Stellar.

However, the three Mobile Cities showed no signs of firing—the disturbance came from nearby.

To figure out the situation, Li Ye dispatched the Special Forces.

With the Bullfrog Vehicles’ air cannons firing, the Special Forces members were launched one after another into the distance.

Using the counter-thrust of their jetpacks and the gripping force of climbing anchor claws, they secured themselves firmly onto the colossal trees.

Next, they reignited their jetpacks and quickly ascended.

Seeing this, Li Ye slowly nodded.

“This Giant Tree Forest terrain truly works well.”

For the Special Forces, it was just as good a battlefield as urban ruins.

Soon, the Special Forces scouted out the situation ahead.

The Wild BOSS Collector was there.

He was locked in fierce combat with the Hyenafolk Civilization’s forces.

To bring him down, the Hyenafolk Civilization had dispatched more than twenty Level 1 Mobile Cities, each outfitted with Level 3 configurations.

Even for a Level 3 Monstrous Civilization, mobilizing such strength in one go was a heavy burden.

This was likely the bulk of the Hyenafolk Civilization’s reserves.

The reason for such a massive deployment was most likely that the Collector had destroyed many of their cities.

These Level 1 Mobile Cities were crafty. They never approached the Collector directly but relied on their high speed and the terrain, unleashing relentless bombardments from range.

The Collector, in turn, frantically hurled various items from his glass cabinet.

Every throw from this Wild BOSS caused violent tremors to ripple through the forest.

And he was not fighting alone—hundreds of Giants surrounded him.

The Giants roared as they charged at the Level 1 Assault-type Cities.

But in battle, it was obvious the Hyenafolk Civilization held the upper hand.

Level 1 Assault-type Cities with Level 3 configurations had frightening combat power.

As they sped around, the Assault-type Cities launched fierce bombardments against the Giants.

Meanwhile, the decks of Fire-support Mobile Cities roared with countless Level 3 Cannons, blasting apart more than a dozen approaching Giants.

As for the Defensive Mobile Cities, they were even more brutal, accelerating to maximum speed and ramming straight into the Giants.

Like colossal shells, they sent the Giants flying, their bodies collapsing as blood spewed from their mouths.

What shocked Li Ye the most was that the Hyenafolk Civilization also had Special Forces, equipped almost identically to those of the Tomorrow.

The Hyenafolk darted between the giant trees, wielding firearms and grenades, fiercely bombarding the Giants.

Under the dense firepower, the Giants fell one after another—even the Collector was covered in wounds.

The Collector was enraged. With a roar, he quickly pulled something out from his glass cabinet.