Chapter 194: Chapter 194

Chapter 194: The Thrown-out Volcano

A special forces member watching from not far away was stunned.

Immediately afterward, a trace of fear appeared in his eyes, and he quickly picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Everyone retreat at once!"

Because the thing the Collector had taken out from the glass cabinet was a volcano.

As he hurled it out, the volcano released its condensed miniature state in mid-air.

From the outside, it looked no more than a dark-red pebble being thrown.

However, when it landed on the humus layer covered in luminescent moss, the air of the entire forest suddenly froze.

The faint glow of the moss carbonized into ash the instant it made contact, while a dark-red ripple silently spread from the point of impact. Wherever it passed, the ground melted instantly.

Next came a deafening explosion. That "pebble" twisted and collided in an instant, its rocky shell disintegrating into countless burning fragments within a fraction of a second.

It crazily restored its form with astonishing speed, first swelling into a lava cone hundreds of meters high, then spewing out masses of half-solidified lava balls.

These lava balls exploded in the air into fiery rain, igniting the spores suspended above.

The forest instantly turned into a blazing inferno. The vines on the ground shriveled into blackened husks, tree resins boiled and vaporized, and the thousand-year sedimented humus layer became a churning tar swamp.

The towering giant trees collapsed one after another, merging into the fiery red lava streams.

In the distance, Li Ye’s expression instantly changed.

From his perspective, it was as if a volcano nearly a kilometer high had abruptly erupted in the forest.

The Collector’s act of throwing out the volcano wiped out more than half of the Hyenafolk Mobile Cities in one blow.

But his attack was indiscriminate—many of the giants fighting against the enemy were also killed.

Li Ye slowly picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Yang Zheng, how much longer until you’re in position?"

At this moment, the Peacemaker had already quietly moved forward.

Just as everyone had judged, the sightlines within the Giant Tree Forest were far too narrow. One had to get close to see the Collector and open fire.

"Almost there, Alliance Leader," Yang Zheng replied.

His heart also began pounding rapidly.

After rounding the giant tree ahead, the Peacemaker would have a clear view to target and fire at the Collector.

The Collector was already heavily injured. One shot from the Electromagnetic Railgun would definitely blast him apart.

If not, then another round of cannon fire would follow.

As the Peacemaker passed the giant tree, the Collector suddenly appeared in Yang Zheng’s sights.

But upon seeing the Collector’s movement, Yang Zheng’s face drastically changed.

Because the Collector had once again taken something out from the glass cabinet.

It was a town of the Hyenafolk Civilization.

Now he was preparing to throw it out and wipe away the remaining Hyenafolk Mobile Cities in one stroke.

"Fire! Fire immediately!" Yang Zheng shouted hoarsely.

It was not to save the Hyenafolk Mobile Cities, but because the town’s size was enormous!

Once it broke free from its condensed state, this entire area would be overturned.

At his order, the Electromagnetic Railgun instantly fired.

At the moment the projectile hit the Collector, rippling concentric circles spread across his body like water waves, followed by a shockwave that shattered the earth.

The Collector’s chest instantly caved in, leaving a bowl-shaped crater dozens of meters wide, with spiderweb cracks spreading outward.

The glass cabinet behind him was also pierced through, shattering violently like an ice sculpture struck by an invisible giant hammer.

But in the end, the Peacemaker’s shot had come too late—the Collector had already thrown out the town.

It fell to the ground like a casually tossed pebble.

The next second, the ground shattered like a mirror struck by a heavy hammer. But what burst forth from the cracks was not soil, but twisted, deformed steel and concrete.

The entire miniature town rapidly restored to full size. Buildings expanded like inflated glass vessels, asphalt roads exploded and snaked through the forest like black serpents, while lampposts stabbed into the ground like spears.

As the city descended, countless giant trees in the area collapsed. The remaining giants and Hyenafolk Mobile Cities were completely buried.

Yang Zheng was drenched in cold sweat.

Fortunately, the Collector had not thrown it toward his direction. And after the Electromagnetic Railgun had fired, the Peacemaker immediately retreated, so they were not affected.

"Are you all right, Yang Zheng?" Li Ye’s voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"I’m fine," Yang Zheng replied, still shaken. "The Collector has been killed. Hurry and collect the loot!"

Li Ye’s heart leapt with joy. He quickly entered the cockpit of the Stellar and ordered Tang Fang.

Tang Fang floored the accelerator, and the Stellar shot forward like an arrow toward the Collector’s corpse.

After docking, Li Ye swiftly sent people to gather the loot.

During this time, the deployed special forces members also returned to the deck one after another.

Li Ye looked at the completely destroyed glass cabinet.

Without its containment, the remaining miniature items inside did not revert to their original forms.

Clearly, the ability to store and alter sizes belonged solely to the Collector.

"This Wild BOSS was truly formidable," he sighed.

The Giant Civilization surely had many BOSS-grade giants, but the Collector’s combat strength was easily among the top three.

Just then, violent commotion suddenly came from the distance.

Li Ye turned his head and saw a group of giants drawn by the noise.

The giants were shocked upon seeing the scene before them.

When they noticed the Stellar near the Collector’s corpse, their fury only grew.

"Damned humans! You actually killed our leader!"

"Destroy that Mobile City!"

The giants rallied and charged forward in great numbers.

Li Ye swiftly picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Yang Zheng, give me fire support!"

As soon as he spoke, the Peacemaker unleashed a full barrage.

Fierce cannon fire instantly engulfed the giants.

The Stellar accelerated sharply and darted away.

When the smoke cleared, the surviving giants surged over their companions’ corpses, rushing madly forward.

To avoid the Mobile Cities’ firepower, they spread out into a scattered formation.

"Do we need the Iron Whale to act, Alliance Leader?" Fang Yong asked.

Li Ye was about to agree but then shook his head.

This group of giants numbered in the hundreds, all of them intelligent and varied in type. Even three Mobile Cities combined could not defeat them.

"You and Yang Zheng withdraw first. I’ll lure them in another direction," he said. "We’ll regroup at the Basin Region."

At Li Ye’s order, the Peacemaker fired a heavy volley of smoke shells, obscuring the giants’ sight, and then accelerated off in another direction.

When a few giants gave chase, its deck-mounted Electromagnetic Railgun thundered, instantly killing one giant.

Seeing their companion’s tragic end, the remaining giants recoiled in fear.

Meanwhile, the Iron Whale, still under City Camouflage, quietly withdrew in another direction.

The Stellar’s situation, however, became awkward.

The giants now regarded it as the culprit behind killing the Collector and pursued it relentlessly.

The Stellar performed Mobile Evasion while firing madly.

During this time, a batch of Level 1 Mobile Cities from the Hyenafolk Civilization came to join the fray.

Against both the Stellar and the giants, they chose indiscriminate attacks.

For a moment, the three sides were entangled in chaotic battle.

Taking advantage of the confusion, the Stellar activated City Camouflage and entered stealth mode.

When the Mobile City before their eyes vanished in an instant, the giants were first stunned, then frantically searched around.

After much fuss, the Stellar finally shook off its enemies.

Only after confirming safety did Li Ye relax, beginning to inspect the Collector’s loot.

【35,274 Crystal Coins.】

【1,642 units of Level 3 Iron Ore, 1,023 units of Level 3 Coal, 894 units of Level 3 Fuel.】

【Level 3 City Building – City Power Station Blueprint】

【Level 3 Waterborne Accessory – Propulsion System Blueprint】

【Level 3 Waterborne Vehicle “Magnetic Storm Speedboat” Blueprint】

【Level 3 Robotic Butler】

【Level 4 Rocket Blueprint】

Li Ye first looked at the rocket blueprint.

【Item Name: “Tiansuo-3” Rocket】

【Additional Effects: 1. Propulsion efficiency +30% 2. Low Earth orbit carrying capacity +30% 3. Atmospheric heat resistance +70%】

【Crafting Requirements: 500 units Iron Ore (Level 4), 200 units Fuel (Level 4), 200 units Precision Accessories (Level 4)】

"A rocket blueprint?" he muttered to himself.

The primary function of rockets was to send satellites, space station components, or even manned spacecraft into orbit.

For a Mobile City to possess a rocket project meant gaining space deployment capability.

That said, launching a rocket required a rocket launch platform, along with blueprints for satellites, space station components, and manned spacecraft.

Incidentally, although the rocket launch platform was classified as a city building, it could not be constructed on a Mobile City.

First, the exhaust flames during ignition reached 2,500–3,000 degrees, causing enormous damage to nearby ground.

Second, the rocket’s launch sound pressure reached 180–220 decibels—about 100 times louder than a jet plane.

Third, rocket combustion produced large quantities of toxic gas.

Fourth, the vertical load on the launch platform during takeoff was extremely massive, something no Mobile City platform could withstand.

Therefore, the best solution was to find a wide-open land area to build the rocket platform, then launch from there.

Compared with the rocket’s function, Li Ye thought building it was not too expensive.

What disappointed him, however, was that the Tiansuo-3 Rocket did not have recovery capability.

"Come to think of it, I didn’t expect Level 4 Mobile Cities could actually explore outer space," he thought.

Even so, Li Ye still needed to find a way to collect blueprints for a rocket launch platform, manned spacecraft, and space station.

He also wondered whether the space environment of Blue Star was safe—would humans and monsters battle in outer space?

As he thought of this, he raised his head to gaze at the sky.

"…Could there be high-level Monstrous Civilizations in space?"

When his musings ended, his gaze fell on the Level 3 Robotic Butler.

This Robotic Butler’s body had clean, streamlined lines, as though it had come from the sketchbook of a minimalist designer—a product of the future.

It stood at 1.6 meters tall, ergonomically optimized, neither imposing nor weak, with arms that could extend to reach objects at higher places.

Its body was covered in a matte-white composite shell, smooth to the touch like porcelain.

According to its description, the Robotic Butler could perform every household chore Li Ye could imagine. The most update n0vels are published on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Overall, it was an excellent Level 3 item.

Thus, Li Ye kept it for himself, specifically to clean his own quarters.

Once the Tomorrow advanced to Level 4 and gained the Level 4 Robot Upgrade Blueprint, he could upgrade the Robotic Butler, unlocking Level 4 functions and enabling mass production.

Afterward, Li Ye looked at the City Power Station blueprint.

【Item Name: City Power Station】

【Additional Effects: 1. Converts City Energy into electricity to supply the city, greatly improving conversion efficiency. 2. Each 1% of City Energy can be converted into 1,000 kWh.】

【Crafting Requirements: 600 units Iron Ore (Level 3)】

"1% of City Energy can really convert into this much electricity?" Li Ye was shocked.

The Tomorrow housed over 10,000 people. Calculating at three per household, that was around 3,300 families.

If 20% of City Energy were converted daily, that would provide 20,000 kWh, averaging only about six kWh per household daily.

That was far from sufficient.

If it were a Level 4 City Power Station, the conversion efficiency should be higher, making true electrical freedom possible.

Mobile Cities really did become less energy-starved the higher their level.

Li Ye immediately decided that upon returning to the Basin Region, he would invest steel resources to construct this City Power Station.

Next, he examined the waterborne vehicle blueprint.

【Item Name: Magnetic Storm Speedboat】

【Additional Effects: 1. Discharge attack range +30% 2. Can launch small EMPs to paralyze targets】

【Crafting Requirements: 150 units Iron Ore (Level 3), 50 units Thunder Ore (Level 3), 50 units Waterborne Vehicle Precision Accessories (Level 3)】

From its appearance, the Magnetic Storm Speedboat had two massive discharge collars around it—its main weapons.

If an ordinary person were struck by its electric current, they would die instantly.

Its ability to launch small EMPs was quite useful, capable of instantly paralyzing enemy small waterborne vehicles.

But when facing destroyers or cruisers, the Magnetic Storm Speedboat’s combat strength was pitiful.

Before even approaching the target, it would be blown apart by dense missile and autocannon fire.

Even if it somehow got close, the small EMPs could only cause partial paralysis.

Ultimately, naval battles of Level 3 Mobile Cities still belonged to fleets.

Moreover, its construction required 50 units of Level 3 Thunder Ore, which Li Ye felt was not worth it.

Unsurprisingly, this blueprint would likely just sit in the warehouse gathering dust.

Alternatively, it could be sold to earn some Crystal Coins to supplement his income.

The Stellar finally returned safely to the Basin Region.

By then, the Peacemaker and the Iron Whale were already there.

Upon learning that the loot this time actually contained a Level 4 Rocket Blueprint, Zhou Xing and Fang Yong were immediately overjoyed.