Chapter 204: Chapter 204

Chapter 204: The Secret of the Blood Clan Civilization

With a single command from Li Ye, the Special Forces members entered the Bullfrog Vehicles deployed on the deck one after another.

As the final countdown ended, the Bullfrog Vehicles fired in succession, launching the Special Forces members one by one toward the designated landing site.

Just before touching down, they activated their jetpacks in sequence, using the counter-thrust to land steadily on the ground.

Taking advantage of the cover of night, they quickly advanced toward the Level 2 Fortress.

Halfway there, a patrol of Sea Crocodiles slowly approached.

One Special Forces squad activated their Spirit Fox Camouflage Combat Uniforms, quietly drawing their Level 3 Military Daggers as they crept closer.

A humanoid crocodilian monster, possessing an upright posture.

They generally stood between 1.8 and 2 meters tall, their bodies covered with heavy bluish-gray scales. Their wedge-shaped heads bore narrow, icy eyes.

Their necks were thick and powerful, their entire forms brimming with corded muscle.

At this moment, this patrol squad of Sea Crocodiles was leisurely making their usual rounds.

In a flash, several figures emerged beside them.

Before the Sea Crocodiles could react, their bodies were pierced through one after another by Level 3 Military Daggers. After a few muffled groans of pain, they collapsed to the ground.

“Enemy patrol squad eliminated,” the squad captain reported into the walkie-talkie.

“Received. Continue advancing,” Li Ye replied.

For smoother communication, before departure he had specifically asked Lin Wu to temporarily mount the City Radio onto the Stellar.

Ever since the radio had been upgraded to Level 3, wireless transmissions could be connected into the radio system, making command and coordination far more convenient.

This infiltration operation gave Li Ye some insight.

When encountering enemy patrols, in order to avoid making noise, the Special Forces members had deliberately abandoned firearms, sneaking close to dispatch them with melee weapons instead.

“Suppressors! I need to equip them with Level 3 firearm suppressors!” he thought to himself. “Not only that, if the Special Forces are to carry out long-term external operations, they’ll also need military field rations.”

If the configuration was to be more complete, they would even require throwable Level 3 Flashbangs.

At that thought, Li Ye couldn’t help scratching his head.

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Dense fog shrouded the coastal cliffs, waves crashing against the rocks in sprays of foam. The Sea Crocodiles’ Level 2 Fortress stood at the island’s center.

Under the moonlight, the ground surrounding the fortress remained seemingly tranquil.

In reality, however, more than one hundred and fifty Special Forces members, concealed by camouflage uniforms, had already crept into position.

Half an hour later, the Special Forces had fully infiltrated the fortress, quietly lurking in their assigned locations.

The Sea Crocodiles inside remained utterly unaware.

“Report: all members are in position,” the captain relayed over the walkie-talkie.

Li Ye gave a slight nod.

“Scalpel Operation, commence.”

The Special Forces members nodded in turn, slowly raising their weapons and aiming at their designated targets.

Seconds later, every finger squeezed a trigger at once.

In that instant, over a hundred Sea Crocodiles were gunned down.

The Special Forces prioritized targets stationed by cannons, heavy machine guns, and elevated vantage points.

Not only that, Sea Crocodiles guarding the ammunition depots and vehicle hangars were also swiftly taken out.

After their initial shock, the Sea Crocodiles regained their senses and began firing back.

The Special Forces, however, used their jetpacks and Climbing Anchor Claws to maneuver rapidly between fortress walls, efficiently eliminating their foes.

Compared to fighting the Giants of the Old Civilization Zone, this battle was far too easy.

“Report: we have secured control over all enemy firepower points.”

Upon receiving the report, Li Ye immediately dispatched the aerial units.

Six Black Hawk Helicopters roared toward the fortress in formation.

“Brother Li, why aren’t we deploying the gunships for support?” Tang Fang asked.

Li Ye gently shook his head.

The purpose of this battle was to test the combat capability of the Special Forces.

The Stellar carried gunships primarily as an insurance policy in case of unexpected emergencies.

If the only goal was to take down this fortress, the Tomorrow Alliance had far too many options.

Fleet artillery strikes.

A full barrage from the Peacemaker’s cannons, electromagnetic railguns, and missiles.

Or a ground offensive comprised of Leopard 2A7V Main Battle Tanks, Rapid-fire Mortar Bikes, Leapfrog Mechs, and Prometheus.

A mere Level 2 monster fortress could no longer withstand the strength of the Tomorrow Alliance.

“Everyone, remember this,” Li Ye said slowly. “Here in the Taranis Ocean, Level 2 Monstrous Civilizations are no longer a match for us. The one we must truly be wary of… is the Blood Clan Civilization.”

At that, a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes.

The Blood Clan Civilization… could it really be the vampires from legend?

As creatures of Western folklore, vampires were said to possess eternal life.

They never aged, forever retaining the appearance and physique they had at the moment of their first embrace.

In the legends, slain vampires could even be resurrected through blood or dark rituals.

Yet they also bore many fatal weaknesses.

Sunlight, wooden stakes through the heart, holy relics, garlic, and silver.

As he considered this, Li Ye’s expression grew solemn.

If that were truly the case, then this would indeed be a particularly troublesome Monstrous Civilization.

It was frustrating to think about—at higher levels, bizarre Monstrous Civilizations were sprouting up like mushrooms after rain.

“If they really are vampires… then would ordinary bullets and shells be unable to kill them?” Tang Fang hesitated.

Ning Wen’s thoughts drifted off in another direction.

“Shouldn’t we figure out a way to plant some Level 1 Garlic just in case?”

“In any case, we must uncover the secrets of this Level 3 Monstrous Civilization as quickly as possible,” Li Ye answered.

With the Black Hawk Helicopters providing support, the Special Forces soon swept clean the Sea Crocodiles’ fortress.

The operation took 36 minutes, eliminating 621 enemies while sustaining only 6 casualties.

Li Ye was very pleased with the Special Forces’ results.

If they had been equipped with Level 3 Bulletproof Vests, the casualties could have been reduced even further.

“Come to think of it… do Level 3 protective gear sets include individual Energy Shield Devices?” Li Ye wondered.

If they did—and if the Tomorrow Alliance could obtain the blueprints—the Special Forces’ combat power would rise to a new level.

In the following hours, the Mobile Cities slowly came ashore, beginning the process of tallying their spoils.

Li Ye dispatched residents to transport the fortress’s vehicles, resources, and ammunition back, and to search the corpses of the Sea Crocodiles.

Before long, various resources, finished products, and blueprints piled into small mountains before him.

One particular blueprint caught his eye.

“Level 2 Bus?” he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Given the scale of a Level 3 Mobile City, roads couldn’t be built at all. A Level 2 vehicle like that would be useless.

And as for the wastelands, there was even less chance of making use of it.

Still, for the sake of collection, Li Ye carefully stored it away.

What shocked him most was that among the spoils was a Level 2 City Promotion Blueprint.

His heart raced with excitement.

“Could it be that my luck has finally turned around?”

Thinking carefully, with so many Level 2 Monstrous Civilizations scattered across the Taranis Ocean, there was a chance one of their rulers carried a Level 2 City Crystal. If the Tomorrow Alliance struck them down and seized it, the remaining promotion resources would be easy to gather.

At that point, the Tomorrow Alliance would rise to possess a second Level 3 Mobile City.

““This needs careful planning,” he thought.”

As for the remaining blueprints, Li Ye asked the City Committee to send people to sort through them to see if anything could be put to use.

But so far, the Tomorrow’s routine daily necessities, household appliances, and clothing had been nearly fully collected; demand was no longer high.

Even after one round of selection by the City Committee, many blueprints still remained.

The same situation had occurred when they eradicated the Naga Civilization before; Li Ye had once asked Fang Yong and the others if they wanted any, but the three politely declined his offer.

After all, since it was a city alliance, if the three Mobile Cities lacked anything in food, clothing, housing, or transportation, Tomorrow could simply produce it for them.

Unlike Li Ye—who focused on building a mobile-city micro-society and even preparing for future attempts to rebuild human civilization—Fang Yong and the other two were primarily concerned with survival in the Wasteland.

Looking at the intact fortress before him, Tang Fang suddenly had an idea.

“Why don’t we keep this Sea Crocodile fortress for our own use, Brother Li?”

Li Ye thought it over carefully and gently shook his head.

On the Taranis Ocean, with so many Monstrous Civilizations, holding a fixed position made one vulnerable to being besieged by monsters.

The best way to survive, of course, was to remain mobile.

After packing and taking away all the spoils, and to prevent the Sea Crocodiles from re-garrisoning the fortress, Li Ye simply ordered it destroyed.

Not long after returning to Tomorrow, an unexpected situation occurred.

In the cockpit, Li Ye spotted a high-speed moving target on the radar screen.

As a Level 3 radar, the Sky Eye-7 Model’s detection range was 300–500 kilometers.

With it, the Tomorrow Alliance found scouting enemy activity far easier, and the Peacemaker could use the radar to better aim its electromagnetic railgun.

Staring at the Level 3 radar, Li Ye scratched his head.

He faintly remembered the shock he had felt when he first learned the Tarot Alliance possessed the Skyveil radar system.

Now, however, it seemed less impressive.

“This speed can’t be a ship or a Mobile City—it should be a fighter,” he thought. “It’s likely from the Blood Clan Civilization.”

He guessed this because Level 3 flying vehicles were not unique to the Blood Clan. Some Level 2 Monstrous Civilizations in the Taranis Ocean might also possess Level 3 craft; Li Ye had seen this before.

He therefore dispatched three Shadow Falcon Fighter Jets.

On Tomorrow’s A1-level deck, the three fighters were already ready.

After completing the final cockpit checks, the pilot pushed the throttle to military thrust. The fighters’ engines roared, ripping the silence of the night.

With azure afterburner flames spurting from their nozzles, the deck trembled in the shockwave.

Seconds later, the fighters shot into the sky like arrows loosed from a bow.

Through the radar screen, Li Ye watched the three jets rapidly close in on the target.

He soon learned the truth.

It was not a fighter but a reconnaissance aircraft.

Clearly sensing danger, the enemy quickly changed course and fled.

“Shoot it down!” Li Ye ordered.

After more than ten minutes of pursuit, the reconnaissance craft was finally brought down.

“The enemy pilot will probably have ejected and parachuted into the sea,” Li Ye thought.

He dispatched Convoy One and Convoy Two along with Black Hawk Helicopters to search the nearby waters.

Sure enough, within minutes they discovered the enemy monster pilot floating on the sea.

“What race is this monster pilot?” Li Ye demanded sharply.

“Report: a vampire!” came the reply.

Li Ye was slightly stunned, then quickly said, “Bring him back to me immediately!”

The waiting time felt interminable.

In the cockpit, Li Ye paced back and forth, his brow growing tighter and tighter.

His suspicions about the Blood Clan Civilization were about to be confirmed.

Fang Yong, Zhou Xing, and Yang Zheng arrived on Tomorrow one after another; they shared Li Ye’s mood.

Soon the vampire pilot was brought aboard.

Li Ye immediately stepped forward and examined him closely.

Pale skin like a corpse, crimson eyes, and sharp fangs.

Just as in Western folklore and legends.

Unlike a modern pilot’s uniform, the vampire’s attire was rather classical.

Those responsible for the salvage reported that they had found the wreckage of a vampire reconnaissance plane in nearby waters; its design had been decidedly old-fashioned.

Fang Yong and the others came up beside Li Ye; more people gathered around.

“This—” Fang Yong began, then fell silent. “It really looks like a vampire.”

“Why don’t we try sweeping him with conventional weapons to see if it has any effect?” Zhou Xing suggested.

“I agree,” Yang Zheng nodded.

Just as Li Ye was about to speak, the vampire spoke first.

“Impossible. The island chains of the Taranis Ocean have existed for many years—where did you humans suddenly come from?” he said, his expression turning disdainful. “And don’t look at me with that kind of stare—it’s disgusting!”

“That monster can talk!” Fang Yong exclaimed.

At first Li Ye was surprised, but he quickly recovered.

It was not extraordinary; the monsters possessed intelligence. They had already encountered goblins who spoke human language back in the Eternal Night Zone.

He stepped forward and fixed his gaze on the vampire’s eyes.

“What exactly is your Blood Clan Civilization?” he asked. “Are you truly immortal as the legends say?”

The vampire spat contemptuously and sneered, baring his fangs.

“Do you think I would tell you, lowly human?”

Li Ye did not get angry at the provocation; he replied calmly, “Doesn’t matter—we’ll find out.”

First, he had people retrieve some timber from the warehouse and sharpen it into long spears.

When the wooden spears were brought forward, a flicker of panic crossed the vampire’s face.

As a wooden spear was driven into his body, he instantly let out a scream of pain.

On closer inspection, white smoke curled from the wound where the wooden spear had penetrated.

“It really works!” Fang Yong exclaimed.

“If we were to pierce his heart with a spear, would that kill him outright?” Zhou Xing guessed.